Brown Dog Books

“I looked at the carpet, stained red with the blood my husband had just thrown up. In that moment I made up my mind. Ignoring Jonathan’s wishes, I called an ambulance. Even in his weakened state, he glared at me with deep annoyance as I dialled 999”In October 2019, Thelma Ainsworth’s life changed forever. Her husband, Jonathan came home early from work saying he needed to go to the hospital. Later that evening tests revealed the unthinkable: Jonathan had cancer. Three weeks later he was gone. From the moment of John’s diagnosis, Thelma’s world rapidly fell apart. The life she knew was ripped away, replaced by one she couldn’t have imagined – and definitely didn’t want. As she navigates the shockwaves of her husband’s illness and sudden, devastating loss, Thelma is forced to confront hard truths about herself, her marriage, and the people around her. Grief becomes a mirror, exposing fractures, regrets, and vulnerabilities she can no longer ignore. Can she find a way to endure the unimaginable? Does she even want t? Am A Wolf Tonight by Thelma Ainsworth is an intimate and unflinching memoir of love, loss, and the raw reality of grief. When cancer takes someone you love, it leaves behind more than sorrow – it reshapes the very core of who you are. In this powerful debut, Thelma Ainsworth lays bare the heartbreak of loss, the complexities of mourning, and the relentless struggle of rebuilding a life as a single parent that will never be the same. With searing honesty, and poetic intensity, she explores the depths of grief, the fight to reclaim herself, and the resilience it takes to keep moving forward – no matter how broken the path. The first in the Surviving Badly series, I Am A Wolf Tonight is not just a story of loss; it’s a testament to survival, self-discovery, and the fierce, untamed strength that grief awakens.

We’ve never been more connected, yet authentic connection feels increasingly rare. In a digital world, modern business has mastered reach, automation and optimisation. But in the pursuit of efficiency, many brands have unintentionally diluted the very thing that builds trust and loyalty: meaningful human relationships. In Customer Experience Thinking, Si Elliott combines over 20 years of marketing and customer experience leadership with behavioural science to reveal what really drives trust, loyalty and decision-making. Through 8 practical customer experience principles and 34 key behavioural biases, you’ll gain a clear framework for designing brand experiences that reduce friction, strengthen customer relationships and create meaningful emotional connection. Customer Experience Thinking is the essential, practical guide to building deeper customer relationships in an increasingly digital world. It will challenge how you think about experience, encourage you to serve more meaningfully, and help you create connections that feel less transactional and more human.

With its warm, uplifting text and enchanting illustrations, Django reaches into the hearts of children, understands their worries and suggests new ways of looking at the world. Meet Django the Dachshund, a very small dog, destined to be your new best friend. Feisty, funny, smart, this loveable dog discovers the real reason behind Joss’s worries. Just when everything seems to have gone horribly wrong with a sporting challenge, a brilliant idea comes to the rescue. Explore Joss and the Lucky Boots, the first in a new series of children’s books that do much more than simply tell a story.

The Untold Story by Richard Sammons is a compelling first-hand account of his extraordinary involvement in global affairs, danger, and diplomacy over the past fifty years. His remarkable experiences include building a friendship with a KGB operative and maintaining a sanctioned business relationship with the Libyan government under the scrutiny of the UK Security Service. Held at gunpoint twice, Richard provides rare insights into events such as the murder of PC Yvonne Fletcher and the Lockerbie bombing. This is not simply a memoir – it’s a revelatory journey into the hidden corridors of power, diplomacy, and ultimately, survival.

I’ve recently heard from The Donald who told me that save for what he wrote during his formative creative period, these stories by Jacob Dolphy were some of the greatest ever written.  Simply fabulous.  He said that and I know Dolphy doesn’t even support the guy.  But let’s be real. If you’re into adult fiction that depicts the mystery, joy and misfortunes of ordinary people and are not afraid of something unique or strange, be it surreal or subversive, then this book is for you. If you don’t believe me, believe the authorities when the book is banned in Texas for being transgressive.  You heard it here first.  Thank you for your attention to this matter!

I’ve recently heard from The Donald who told me that save for what he wrote during his formative creative period, these stories by Jacob Dolphy were some of the greatest ever written.  Simply fabulous.  He said that and I know Dolphy doesn’t even support the guy.  But let’s be real. If you’re into adult fiction that depicts the mystery, joy and misfortunes of ordinary people and are not afraid of something unique or strange, be it surreal or subversive, then this book is for you. If you don’t believe me, believe the authorities when the book is banned in Texas for being transgressive.  You heard it here first.  Thank you for your attention to this matter!

The skeleton of an unknown and apparently unclassifiable very large hominid is unearthed in Brazil and smuggled back to England, where it is forensically examined by a senior government pathologist.  By a coincidence, a few months later trappers engaged by a zoo on an animal conservation programme in Sumatra, encounter a huge manlike creature which can communicate with them.  Clandestinely, one of the party manages to film and audio-tape the creature, which warns them not to try to entrap animals or it will destroy their stockade. It claims to be a protector of all life-forms. News of the alleged beast leaks out, despite attempts by various authorities to ridicule its existence.  Many regard it as a hoax until irrefutable evidence is finally produced, when it becomes an almost godlike figurehead for a burgeoning environmental movement but is likewise regarded as an enemy of international business and commerce due to its uncompromising message of protecting the environment. Efforts are made by some to capture or even kill the being, whilst others, bewitched by their encounters with it, strive to protect both it and its message. Its name is Myamahatu.

Douglas has PSP – Progressive Supranuclear Palsy. He’s terminal. Resigned to his fate, with only Death on his mind, he tries to live out his days, isolating himself as far as possible – except for Colin. Yet his fragile shell collapses when he collides with Sally, a widowed GP, her neurosurgeon daughter, Emma, and her husband, David, an eminent KC. Everything changes, everything stays the same. Teaching civility to hooray Henrys, smug street preachers, cheery priests, karaoke, and stand-up comedy combine to alter everyone’s world in ways they could never have imagined. The right to die, the demands of organised religion, the failure of pusillanimous politicians, the struggle of modern medicine to defeat a vicious, entirely unforgiving disease are all placed under a merciless microscope as Douglas – with a little help from his friends – goes none too quietly into that good night.

Sometimes the end of the line, isn’t the end of the whole journey, just one leg of it. To extend the journey and go further, you have to change.  This can mean changing your habits, relationships, beliefs, aspirations and often yourself. End of the Line is a four-viewpoint satirical novel about endings and beginnings, in which a septuagenarian asexual, a careworn prostitute, and a floundering eco-consultant and his architect partner think they have reached the end of the line. Each could remain stuck there, or risk what they have, to set out on the next leg of an uplifting emotional journey. To progress, all must both change and compromise in some significant way. End of the Line was longlisted for the Yeovil Novel Prize.

After the smoke clears in Ireland, Mark Ryan is presumed dead. Only he’s not. He’s alive – barely – locked away under a false name in the darkest wing of Britain’s most notorious prison: Belmarsh. Anders Beck has tried to walk away from the life, but when the CIA comes knocking with an ultimatum – break Ryan out or watch him disappear for good – he’s left with no choice. What begins as a surgical strike quickly unravels into a desperate fight for survival, as Anders and the team are thrust into a globe-trotting escape that drags them through the underworlds of London, and central Africa. Hunted by governments, betrayed by allies, and facing enemies old and new, the team must rely on old instincts, unbreakable brotherhood, and a fair bit of luck to stay alive. Buckle up. This isn’t just a prison break – it’s all-out war. ‘Totally compelling and realistic, Adam Captures the brutality and dark humour of the British army at their best.’– Matthew Hellyer ex 22 SAS

In Hollywood’s Golden Era, a young actor goes missing after secretly marrying and breaking his contract with a controlling Film Studio (The Club). His new wife risks everything to go in search of him before it’s too late. She finds a way into the inner cycle. Having to overcome the sex parties, drug dens and outsmart the Club, to try and save her man dead or alive, she joins forces with an outcast from The Club. Making a deal to try to help him find his wife before trying to find her new husband this takes them both on a journey they had never envisioned whilst constantly having to look over their shoulder.

The body of a man is discovered in Alexandra Park, in the centre of Bath. The prime suspect is an off-duty police officer who had been jogging. There are no forensic evidence or CCTV footage to link the murderer to the suspect. Can DCI Dan Skelton find an ingenious way to capture the killer? Skelton's best friend had been murdered in London, but the killer got off on a technicality. Now the killer, James Murrey is moving to Bath to take over the drugs racket, even if that means killing the drug lord. Can Skelton stop him and gain revenge for his friends murder? Second in the series of Detective Dan Skelton crime thrillers, set in the modern-day Georgian city of Bath.

Two young university students are found dead in the river Avon several months apart. Were their deaths accidental due to drowning or had they been murdered? DCI Dan Skelton believes that the girls had been drugged and raped and that their killer had ingeniously made it look like they had simply drowned. The killer would have needed a motor vehicle to transport the bodies  to the river, however Skelton's only suspect does not drive. Can Skelton discover how the suspect moved the bodies to the river, despite CCTV cameras failing to spot the suspect. You will be on the edge of your seat yelling for Skelton to solve this Dilemma. First in the series of Detective Dan Skelton crime thrillers, set in the modern-day Georgian city of Bath.

A new story from Freddie Hillberg, who has delved into his Swedish Ancestry to write this delightful story from Scandinavian Folklore. A Tomte or Tomten, as he is known Sweden, is a little creature who normally lives around farms in the countryside, but now also lives in villages and towns. He is very industrious and will protect you, your family and animals; but, if you are unkind he will take revenge, and play all sorts of unpleasant tricks on you. At Christmas time they will leave little gifts for the children and, in return for his care and all his work, Tomte like to be to be rewarded with a big bowl of his favourite food. Porridge! Humans never see a Tomte, well perhaps occasionally, but they know he is there. Only animals can see them and they can speak their languages due to their magical powers. Thomas is no exception, but one day whilst in a strange area of the dark forest Thomas suddenly loses his powers and sinks into the deep snow and his life starts to fade. Fortunately he is found by a small herd of reindeer who have never seen a Tomte of Human before but instinctively help him. The Story Begins! And has a delightful twist in the end... Thomas and the animal friends are beautifully illustrated by Andrew Prescott and will be instantly recognised by children everywhere. In Denmark Tomte are called Nisse. In Norway they are called Nese and in Finland they are called Tonttu.

Set in the 1950s Dorset countryside when children played freely, phone lines crackled, and the mobile was unheard of, some children had toys. Rosie had none. Instead, she had a pony; Tangle with whom she was obsessed. Is Rosie hiding a secret or is there more to this passion? A fast-paced adventure story based on love and respect and Rosie's courage and determination over terror when faced with a harsh decision. Leap into the Unknown shows what we humans, young or old, are capable of when challenged.

A senior diplomat traumatised by the violent death of his wife moves back to UK with his now fifteen-year-old, greatly distressed daughter to become Professor of International Relations at a new university. A high school teacher in a neighbouring town befriends the girl and remonstrates with her father at his overly protective care of her. A loving relationship develops as the teacher and the girl form a mutually strong bond of love. The book interweaves council debates full of frustration and conflict about renewal of the historic but declining small town of the action. The imminent closure of the local newspaper provides opportunity for caustic comment.