Orenda Books

When widowed Clara meets younger Elias, neither expects love to last – then distance and illness test their fragile happiness. A life-affirming, million-copy German bestseller from the author of Tasting Sunlight – A BBC World Book Club Pick!***WINNER of Good Housekeeping Good Books Award***‘Delicate, yet compelling, this unusual love story is a little gem’ Rachel Hore‘A stunning exploration of love in all its highs and lows, its complications and vulnerability. Gloriously written and one to savour … I loved it!’ Louise Fein‘Poignant and unforgettable – Arenz understands the human heart like few others’ Louisa Treger‘Enchanting … reinforce[s] how much love is a fragile gift. [A] moving romance novel’ Foreword ReviewsFall in love when you least expect it…––––––When Clara meets Elias, she isn’t looking for love. Widowed and wary of being hurt again, she has built a careful life of work and quiet independence. Elias, an actor in his thirties, is trapped in a relationship that no longer feels real, more at ease slipping into a role than being himself. Yet from the moment they meet, something genuine sparks between them – something neither has felt in years. They fall into step easily, sharing secrets, laughter and the sense of being seen. But there is the age difference, the miles between their worlds, and the lingering guilt that ties Clara to her past. When a new job takes her to another part of the country, she ends the relationship before he can – certain that love like theirs cannot last. And then Elias falls ill, forcing them both to confront what truly matters. Told with warmth, gentle humour and quiet insight, Love, After All is a luminous portrait of two people finding the courage to open their hearts again – proof that love, at any age, can still take us by surprise. _______‘Ewald Arenz understands the human heart in all its nuances and vagaries … a masterclass in honest, insightful writing. I seldom cry over books, but this one got me’ Gill Paul‘A spellbinding novel about all the colours of love … told with extraordinary sensitivity as well as breathtaking understanding. A love story for our times, full of wisdom and joy. Surely set to become a modern classic’ Maggie Brookes‘Warms even the hearts of cynics’ Der Spiegel‘Ewald Arenz delivers a masterclass in empathy … a prosaic, touching novel, asking big questions about relationships and matters of the heart. A novel to be treasured’ Riveter, European Literature NetworkWhat readers are saying[Can you put five stars?]‘It felt so real, I forgot I was reading’‘Devastating … in the best possible way’‘I didn’t want to leave Clara and Elias behind’‘The kind of book you want everyone you know to read’‘Beautifully observed and completely absorbing’‘Subtle, wise and so moving’‘A novel about real people, real choices and real love … incredibly convincing’‘A beautiful book’Praise for Ewald Arenz‘Ewald Arenz writes with gentle joy’ Iona Gray‘Funny, touching, troubling’ Saga magazine‘Profound in its simplicity … a remarkable, exquisitely written debut’ Irish Times‘Hopeful and poignant and lyrically told. A truly compassionate and heartening book’ Culturefly‘This reminded me of reading Sally Rooney’s Normal People. It takes a writer of immeasurable talent to make you feel that intensely’ Elizabeth Haynes‘Powerful, original and engaging’ Susie Boyt‘Written with beautiful simplicity’ Doug Johnstone‘Powerful, lyrical and profoundly affecting’ Miranda Dickinson‘Moving and heart-wrenching, but ultimately uplifting’ Carol Lovekin**German Independent Booksellers’ Book of the Year****Tasting Sunlight is a BBC World Service WORLD BOOK CLUB PICK**

Two bored, obsessed teenagers break into – and secretly live in – influencers’ houses. But when they choose the wrong home, their twisted experiment turns deadly. A darkly funny, breathtakingly tense thriller from 'one of the most original writers in Britain’ (Daily Express)…‘A darkly funny and twisty thrill ride’ Mirror‘Skewers the vacuous narcissism of influencers and reality TV with trademark acerbic wit … darkly funny and twisty’ Express‘A blistering skewering of influencer culture’ Crime Monthly‘Social media has never been this deadly. A brutally brilliant story!’ Satu Rämö‘His best yet!’ S.J. Watson‘Biting, acerbic, darkly funny and, most importantly, it shines a spotlight on the ridiculousness of modern living, the importance of social media and how we see ourselves’ Chris McDonald‘Will Carver uses his unique voice to skewer the vacuous world of wannabe influencers and reality TV … a savage, scathing, compelling but deeply funny take-down of a fake, narcissistic world’ Trevor Wood––––––Two bored teenagers. One stupid game. The wrong place to play…Alyssa wants to be seen. Less wants to be someone. She takes two buses to class, posts pictures of her lunch, and pretends it’s all effortless. He hides his privilege beneath thrifted clothes and a sketchbook full of impossible designs. Together, they are inseparable – two outsiders constructing a version of themselves the world might finally applaud. Then Alyssa stumbles upon the hidden world of phrogging – living unnoticed inside other people’s homes. She and Less slip through Los Angeles’ glossy veneer: influencers, producers, pop stars, all so busy performing their perfect lives they don’t notice the shadows in their attics, the scratching in their walls. An act of rebellion. A harmless thrill. A social experiment. Until they choose the wrong house. Until the influencer they idolise catches them in the act. Until the cameras, already rolling, capture everything. What begins as a reckless adventure becomes a nightmare of lies, power … and murder…____________‘Will Carver follows Kill Them With Kindness with another satirical look at the world we live in and he does it brilliantly. He has captured the zeitgeist of 21st-century culture and I cannot wait to see where he goes next’ Michael Wood‘One of the most exciting authors in Britain’ Daily Express‘A smart, stylish writer’ Daily Mail‘Incredibly dark and very funny’ Harriet Tyce‘Unlike anything you’ll read this year’ Heat‘Impossibly original, stylish, sinister and heartfelt’ Chris Whitaker‘Weirdly page-turning’ Sunday Times‘Ambitious, dark and funny’ Mike Gayle‘A highly original state-of-the-nation novel’ Literary Review‘Oozes malevolence from every page’ Victoria Selman‘Arguably the most original crime novel published this year’ Independent‘Mesmeric’ Guardian‘Memorable for its unrepentant darkness…’ Telegraph‘Perceptive and twisted in equal measure’ CultureFly‘Pitch-dark, intelligent and utterly addictive’ Michael Wood‘Unflinching, blunt and brutal’ Sam Holland‘Equally enthralling and appalling’ James Oswald‘One of the most compelling and original voices in crime fiction’ Alex North‘Brilliantly original’ Sam Holland‘Clever, compelling, funny’ Daily Mail‘Superbly paced and remarkably inventive, a book that demands to be read in a single sitting’ M.W. Craven‘Delightfully dark and wickedly inventive’ S.J. Watson‘Multi-layered and masterfully written’ Heat Magazine Book of the Month‘A blistering skewering of influencer culture’ Crime Monthly

Struggling to separate her dreams from reality, a young woman investigates the disappearance of her sister ten years earlier … worried that she might be next. A breathtaking, twisty standalone thriller from the international bestselling author of the Forbidden Iceland series…‘Truly addictive, I inhaled it in a single day’ Louise Candlish‘Dark, chilling and so atmospheric’ Claire Douglas‘Eva Björg Agisdóttir just gets better and better’ Sarah Pearse‘A complex, increasingly creepy tale of young love, dysfunctional families, long-buried secrets and pen pals who are not what they seem … Its psychological depth and physical shocks recall the work of the great Ruth Rendell’ The Times‘A masterclass of psychological suspense from the superstar of Icelandic noir … addictively creepy’ Daily Express**WINNER of the Blood Drop Award for Iceland's Best Crime Novel of the Year****SHORTLISTED for the Glass Key Award for Best Nordic Crime Novel**––––––––––November, 1967, Iceland. Fourteen-year-old Marsí has a secret penpal – a boy who lives on the other side of the country – but she has been writing to him in her older sister's name. Now she is excited to meet him for the first time. But when the date arrives, Marsí is prevented from going, and during the night her sister Stína goes missing – her bloodstained anorak later found at the place where Marsí and her penpal had agreed to meet. November, 1977. Stína's disappearance remains unsolved. Then an unexpected letter arrives for Marsí. It's from her penpal, and he's still out there…Desperate for news of her missing sister, but terrified that he might coming after her next, Marsí returns to her hometown and embarks on an investigation of her own. But Marsí has always had trouble distinguishing her vivid dreams from reality, and as insomnia threatens her sanity, it seems she can't even trust her own memories. And her sister's killer is still on the loose…–––––––––––––––‘That rare crime novel – pacy and well-plotted but also driven by well-drawn, believable characters … Put this at the top of your TBR!’ Sarah Pearse‘A chilling, atmospheric mystery with a devilishly unguessable solution’ Louise Candlish‘Like an Icelandic winter, Home before Dark chilled me to the very core. An utterly gripping read, it kept me guessing till the last shocking twist’ Heidi Amsinck‘Dark, chilling and so atmospheric, I was utterly gripped by this clever, twisty thriller … a must read’ Claire DouglasPraise for Eva Björg Agisdóttir‘Chilling and addictive, with a completely unexpected twist’ Shari Lapena‘Fans of Nordic Noir will love this’ Ann Cleeves‘This is virtuoso suspense writing’ A.J. Finn‘Riveting, exciting, entertaining and packed with intrigue’ Liz Nugent‘A tense, twisty page-turner that you'll have serious trouble putting down’ Catherine Ryan Howard**Winner of the CWA John Creasey (New Blood) Dagger****Shortlisted for the Petrona Award for Best Scandinavian Crime****Shortlisted for the CWA Crime in Translation Dagger****Shortlisted for the Capital Crime Award for Best Thriller**

When detective-in-training Sigurdís interrupts her studies in the US to return to Iceland after discovering that the investigation into her abusive father’s death has been dropped, she’s plunged into a completely new case when a controversial TV personality is murdered during the Reykjavík Marathon. ‘A new voice in Icelandic crime fiction … plays with the reader’s expectations with cool confidence … masterful’ Lilja Sigur?ardóttir‘One of Iceland's most exciting new voices’ Eva Björg Agisdóttir‘Sigurdís has all the makings of a beloved new Nordic detective … This meticulously crafted work keeps its secrets tight until the very end’ Nordic Watchlist‘A series with great potential’ Financial Times––––––––Thousands of runnersOne killerIcelandic detective-in-training Sigurdís is studying criminal psychology in the USA, but her plans are thrown into disarray when she discovers that her boss and mentor, Gar?ar, has been put on leave from Reykjavík CID as a result of his investigation into Sigurdís’s father’s death. Returning to Iceland to deal with the fallout, Sigurdís finds herself pulled into a disturbing case: controversial TV personality Olga Einarsdóttir has been stabbed to death during the Reykjavík Marathon. Struggling to locate a runner wearing bib number 1407, who was seen near the murdered woman during the race, the police soon discover that several masked runners were wearing the same number. As the mystery deepens, Sigurdís and her fellow detective Unnar soon learn exactly how unpopular Olga was – not just with the interviewees she humiliated on live TV, but with her own son, her business partner, a widower who insists that she had a hand in his wife’s death, and her ex-husband, who died in suspicious circumstances thirty years ago…As her exploration into Olga’s past becomes ever darker and more harrowing, Sigurdís must also face the truth about her own father, while searching for an attacker who will go to any lengths to cover up their crimes…–––––––––––––––Praise for Dead SweetWinner of the Blackbird Award for Best Icelandic Crime Debut‘A breathtaking thriller from one of Iceland’s most exciting new voices’ Eva Björg Agisdóttir‘So chilling’ Heat magazine‘Katrín Júlíusdóttir skilfully weaves together intense family dynamics, dark pasts and criminal endeavours in this masterful narrative’ Lilja Sigur?ardóttir‘A sophisticated, multi-layered thriller … a series with great potential’ Financial Times‘Exceptional and realistic characters … Dead Sweet hooks you in from the very first page and keeps you there until the unexpected ending’ Blackbird Award judges: Yrsa Sigur?ardóttir, Ragnar Jónasson and Bjarni ?orsteinsson‘Delve into a world of corruption, power and a rising body count in one of your new favourite noir series’ B.S. Casey‘A very welcome addition to the growing number of writers of Icelandic Noir … many twists and turns until all is revealed’ TripFiction‘An excellent debut thriller with a highly original storyline’ Saunn Gísladóttir, The Reading RoomWHAT READERS ARE SAYING…‘Another fabulous piece of Icelandic noir’‘Sucked me into the story right from the very start’‘A tense multi-layered mystery’‘I devoured it in two sittings’‘Dark, chilling and twisty … I couldn’t put it down’‘A fast-paced thrill ride … I was totally invested in the storyline and the plot kept me guessing until the end’

Hannah’s love life is in ruins, writer’s block hits, and her agent sends her to Sicily to finish her sequel. But when murder strikes, Hannah’s life turns into the crime novel she’s meant to write. Darkly funny, atmospheric, and full of twists, the second instalment in an addictive new series. ‘Jenny Lund Madsen’s spoof destination thriller is a brilliant follow-up to her meta-mystery Thirty Days of Darkness... It cunningly fulfils Hannah’s promise to her agent that her second crime novel will be “bloodier and more dangerous. Just the way you like it, with lots of twists and turns’ The Times‘Hilarious, dark and whip-smart, Under the Blazing Sun confirms Madsen as a wonderful literary talent’ Doug Johnstone‘This flight from Denmark to Sicily will offer plenty of wry smiles for fans of the genre in a clever, double-pronged approach’ Nordic Watchlist‘The quintessential holiday read, funny and atmospheric. Hannah is the kind of heroine we’d all love as a friend, and it’s also a brilliant evocation of the stunning island landscape of Sicily. My favourite read of the year so far!’ Kate Rhodes‘A wild ride of murder and humour. The most fun I’ve had reading a crime novel this year’ Will Carver______Hannah is miserable. Her love life is in ruins, her contract demands a sequel to her bestselling crime debut—and she’s out of ideas. After a mortifying TV interview, her agent ships her off to a sun-drenched Sicilian villa with a simple order: finish the book. No distractions. No excuses. But inspiration doesn’t strike—murder does. When a night out ends in murder, Hannah finds herself at the centre of a murder investigation… again. The police want her out of the way, and the only person who seems to believe her is a young but charming Italian police officer. That is, until she doesn’t. Soon Hannah is chasing suspects, fleeing crime scenes, and doing whatever it takes to avoid becoming the next victim. She came to write a crime novel. Now she’s trapped inside one. Dark, sly and deliciously atmospheric, Under the Blazing Sun is the second novel in the award-winning series featuring accidental sleuth and disgruntled literary author Hannah, whose pursuit of plot twists keeps turning dangerously real. ______Praise for the MURDER BY THE BOOK series‘Dark and atmospheric… Hannah is a pitch-perfect depiction of the bombastic neurosis that we writers know so very well’ Harriet Tyce‘An original and thoroughly enjoyable treat’ Guardian‘Fantastic… darkly funny, tense and a lot of poking fun at crime-writing’ Tariq Ashkanani‘Dark and sharp… a lot of fun’ Val McDermid‘Witty, dark, meta, ingenious and hugely compelling’ Will Dean‘Hilariously scathing. Satirises genre fiction while creating a first-class example of it, full of suspects, red herrings and twists… wit and originality make it a joy to read’ Sunday Times‘Such a clever, original twist on the Nordic Noir tradition, darkly humorous and utterly captivating’ Eva Björg Agisdóttir‘Delightfully dark’ Antti Tuomainen‘So atmospheric’ Crime Monthly‘An absolute gem… a superb mix of humour and dark, twisty crime fiction with an added layer of contemplation regarding what makes books “literary”… Not to be missed’ Yrsa Sigur?ardóttir‘Shades of Fargo and Twin Peaks and there’s no higher praise than that. Absolutely brilliant!’ Rod Reynolds‘A truly original thriller that perfectly balances humour and suspense’ Vogue‘A hugely enjoyable read with thrills and laughs, as Hannah sticks her nose in where it’s not welcome’ Michael J. Malone‘So satisfying… a truly great read’ Lilja Sigur?ardóttir‘A skilful, witty mash-up… really entertaining’ Aly Monroe‘This reminded me somewhat of the more recent, meta efforts of the great Anthony Horowitz’ The BookbagWhat readers are saying…‘Laugh-out-loud funny… Hannah is a brilliant creation’‘Skewers the publishing industry in the best possible way’‘Reminded me of Anthony Horowitz… meta, sharp, funny but also so tense’‘A crazy combination of destination thriller, Nordic N

When reporter Martha Strangeways is called into investigate the discovery of body parts on a remote railway track, she’s drawn into a strange case, as her own past comes back to haunt her… The atmospheric, critically acclaimed series continues… Martha Strangeways has settled into a quiet life in Strathbran, after the horrific events that traumatised the village a year earlier: her son, Dougie is at university, her friend Orla will give birth at any minute, and she’s becoming ever closer to her ex, Jamie. But all this is turned upside down when her friend at Glasgow CID, DI Derek Summers, calls on her to help with a truly disturbing case: a human ear, with an unusual Celtic earring, has been found next to a railway line in the Highlands. And when the body of a young woman wearing matching jewellery turns up at a landmark church shortly after, the mystery only deepens. Why has she been laid out in such a ritualistic fashion? Does her trek along the little-known Cailleach Way have anything to do with her demise? And who is running the Facebook Group where she posted details of her journey to the shrine of the Bone Mother goddess? As Martha tries to unpick the threads, she soon finds herself entwined with a ghost from her own past, and in conflict with the owner of a company committed to a huge hydroelectric scheme that threatens to destroy the goddess’s sacred land. With Halloween approaching, and someone determined to protect the goddess at all costs, can Martha and Summers catch the killer before they strike again – and this time much closer to home…?

When two teenagers are found brutally murdered on the island of Lidingö, dressed in white tunics and wearing crowns of candles, former French police officer Maïa Rehn joins local Commissioner Aleksander Storm to unravel a mystery with a shockingly dark heart. The highly anticipated sequel to the international bestselling gothic mystery, Yule Island. As Autumn deepens into darkness in Lidingö, on the Stockholm archipelago, the island is plunged into chaos: in the space of a week, two teenagers, the son of the island's mayor and that of a powerful businessman, are brutally murdered. Their bodies are left deep in the forest, dressed in white tunics with crowns of candles atop their heads, like offerings to Saint Lucia. Maïa Rehn has fled Paris for Lidingö, where her husband has grown up, trying to come to terms with the death of their only daughter in a car accident. But when the murders shake the island community, the former police commissioner is drawn into the heart of the investigation, joining Commissioner Aleksander Storm to unravel a mystery as chilling as the Nordic winter. As they dig deeper, it becomes clear that a wind of vengeance is blowing through the archipelago, unearthing secrets that are as scandalous as they are inhuman. But what if the victims weren’t who they seemed? What if those long silenced had finally found a way to strike back? How far would they go to make their tormentors pay? And you – how far would you go?

When a mutilated body surfaces and a woman dies mysteriously, Jakob Weber uncovers a chilling trail through Norway’s wild north. SECOND in a darkly addictive Nordic Noir series. ‘Expertly written, compelling and impossible to put down. This is perfect Scandi Noir. I'm hooked’ Michael Wood‘This superb Scandi thriller is the perfect antidote to the plague of tweeness that infects so much crime fiction today’ Mark Sanderson, The Times‘A must-read series’ Nordic Watchlist____In Norway’s far north, something unspeakable is surfacing…When a mutilated body rises from the icy waters off the jetty in Kjerringoy, it shocks the quiet coastal village – and stirs something darker beneath. Not long after, a young woman is found dead in a drab Bodo apartment. Suicide, perhaps. Or something far more sinister. Detective Jakob Weber and former national investigator Noora Yun Sande are drawn into both cases. Then a hiker reports a terrifying encounter in the nearby wilderness: a solitary cabin … and a man without a face. As the investigation deepens, the clues grow more disturbing – and the wild, wintry landscape closes in. Jakob is certain of one thing: if they don’t find the killer soon, he’ll strike again. SECOND in the dark, addictive Nordic Noir series set in Norway’s unforgiving Arctic north. ______Praise for the Arctic Mysteries series ‘Atmospheric’ Crime Monthly‘Jakob Weber is a great protagonist, and the sense of place is phenomenal’ Thomas Enger‘This is first-class Nordic Noir from the real North, where danger lurks around every corner’ Gunnar Staalesen‘Dark and totally gripping … adds a new dimension to the police procedural’ European Literature Network‘Nearly as many twists and turns as Norway’s Trollstigen pass … will satisfy even the pickiest crime reader’ Crime Fiction Lover

Penniless and newly orphaned, Briar Monroe finds shelter at Thornby Manor, a brooding estate above a mist-shrouded lake. But whispers of a dead wife, an estranged son and locked-away secrets haunt its corridors … Atmospheric, intoxicating and laced with peril, this is a spellbinding historical mystery of love, betrayal, obsession and a house that will not forget…‘With echoes of many gothic romances, Thornby Manor nonetheless has its own take on the genre … a compelling tale’ Sunday Times‘Gloriously and traditionally gothic, rich in mist, rattling windowpanes, hidden missives and feverish dreams … an addictive Victorian mystery’ Joanna Miller‘A gripping gothic tale, simmering with menace’ A.J. West‘Oozing with menace, this intoxicating mystery reveals just how dangerous it was to be a woman in a time when her every move could be turned against her’ Heat magazine Book of the Week‘Fuses the brooding sense of menace of a Brontë novel with the twisty notes of a suspense thriller. A deliciously absorbing gothic mystery’ Vaseem Khan‘Atmospheric and accomplished … steeped in the gothic tradition of mystery and grief’ Essie Fox–––––––––There – suddenly – was Thornby Manor. I would never forget the first time I saw it…A talisman of darkness, an emblem of death. Warwickshire, 1891. Recently orphaned and left destitute, Briar Monroe accepts the protection of Lord Danville and the shadowed sanctuary of Thornby Manor. The great house looms above a mist-shrouded lake, its corridors heavy with secrets – not least the mysterious death of Lady Elizabeth Danville, and the unspoken tensions between her formidable widower and his magnetic son, Gabriel. As Briar navigates the undercurrents of a household ruled by watchful servants and locked doors, she is drawn ever deeper into a web of suspicion, desire and fear. Whispers in the night, figures at windows, and a constant sense of being watched leave her questioning not only the truth about Thornby, but her own safety within its walls. Atmospheric, intoxicating and laced with peril, Thornby Manor is a gothic tale of betrayal, obsession and a house that never forgets. A simmering, haunting debut for readers who loved Jane Eyre, Rebecca, The Woman in White and The Silent Companions. –––––––––‘An enthralling gothic debut … beautifully written, brimming with tension and full of intriguing, morally grey characters. A wonderfully dark historical mystery that kept me reading until 1am!’ Caroline Lea‘Gothic fiction has a new star’ Annie Garthwaite‘Dark, deliciously unsettling … a spellbinding, emotionally intense, intelligent tale dripping with betrayal and obsession’ Barbara Havelocke‘Darkly dramatic, delicious fun. If you love a gothic novel full of secrets to be unpacked, this is one for you …’ Liz Hyder‘Full of darkness and twisted secrets…’ Kate Griffin‘This tale of mystery and madness, of deception and defiance, of scandal and suspicion, will have readers compulsively turning pages deep into the night’ Naomi Kelsey‘A chilling gothic mystery … as unsettling as the mist that swirls around the manor. The final twist took my breath away’ Emma Cowing‘Immersive and chilling gothic novel with a mystery that keeps you guessing until the final chapter’ Rachel Louise Driscoll‘A tense, atmospheric and masterful work of gothic fiction … as chilling as it is intoxicating’ Cathryn Kemp‘A gripping gothic masterpiece’ Gill Paul‘A gothic mystery written with beauty and elegance’ Liv Matthews‘Beautifully written, moody, haunting’ Louise Swanson‘Unsettling, intoxicatingly gothic, highly original and laced with dread … a must-read debut’ Dan Bassett‘Think Jane Eyre meets Rebecca meets Northanger Abbey with a sprinkling of Wilkie Collins. I absolutely loved it’ Joanna Miller

A last-chance winter road trip for a Scottish band spirals into wild chaos – seagull massacres, bomb tests, and darkly funny rock’n’roll madness on the edge. A raw, darkly funny novel by one of Scotland’s finest authors – newly reissued!ANNIVERSARY EDITION with an INTRODUCTION BY VAL McDERMID‘A drug-fuelled, counterclockwise state-of-the-nation rock ’n’ roll tour captures where we were at better than any modern novel I’ve read’ — Irvine Welsh‘A powerful and moving commentary on the country and its defining myths’ — Ian Rankin‘One of the most vital books about modern Scotland – our landscape, culture, identity, myths and lies – of the twenty-first century. And despite the dinge, debauchery and danger, it's still a joy to tour with the band’ — Callum McSorley‘Packed with seedy, sticky bars, sullen punters and morose reflections in deteriorating weather, there is an atmospheric beauty to The Ossians’ — Independent on Sunday___Connor is twenty-four: brilliant, broken, and out of control. He’s the swaggering frontman of The Ossians, a Scottish indie band on the brink of signing a major record deal. Desperate to make their mark, they set off on a two-week winter tour across Scotland’s cities and hinterlands — a last-ditch attempt to find fame, purpose, and themselves. But the tour soon spirals into a surreal, chaotic odyssey. From seedy bars and snowbound towns to a final, defining Glasgow gig, the band hurtles through a whirlwind of seagull massacres, botched drug deals, a mysterious stalker, radioactive beaches, bomb-testing ranges, epileptic fits, riotous Russian submariners, deadly storms, epiphanies, regular beatings and random shootings. Raw, darkly funny and wild with energy, The Ossians is a gloriously anarchic story of rock’n’roll obsession, national identity and self-destruction — and what it means to belong: in a band, in a country, in a life unravelling at speed. ___‘The authentic ring of a man who’s been there’ — Guardian‘Johnstone is good at describing the excitement, boredom, sniping and bonhomie of a touring band at the transit-van end of the career arc’ — The Times‘A blast’ — Scotland on Sunday‘So exhilaratingly authentic, you can hear the chords and smell the vomit’ — Christopher Brookmyre‘A gripping, compelling road trip around modern Scotland’ — Niall Griffiths‘This is This Is Spinal Tap for Scotland’s lost generation. Johnstone has taken a small story of a small band lost in a small country and created an epic’ — Ewan Morrison‘Entertains in the uncharted corners of an unseen Scotland’ — ListPraise for Doug Johnstone‘Tense, funny and deeply moving’ — Mark Billingham‘Nobody portrays modern Edinburgh better than Doug Johnstone … speaks volumes about the power of story’ — Val McDermid‘An engrossing and beautifully written tale that bears all the Doug Johnstone hallmarks in its warmth and darkly comic undertones’ — Herald Scotland‘Wonderful characters: flawed, funny and brave’ — Sunday Times‘Gripping and blackly humorous’ — Observer‘A must for those seeking strong, authentic, intelligent female protagonists’ — Publishers Weekly‘This enjoyable mystery is also a touching and often funny portrayal of grief ... more, please’ — Guardian‘Some of the most unique characters in crime fiction’ — Daily Express‘Underlines just how accomplished Johnstone has become’ — Daily Mail

When the disgraced Lord Byron is associated with the deaths of women in Venice, he turns detective to unveil the killer and clear his name. A dazzling, riveting historical mystery by the author of the Sunday Times bestseller, The Fascination.   ‘Brooding and brilliant’ A.J. West   ‘What could so easily have been a risible premise for a novel becomes, in Fox’s expert hands, the starting point for an atmospheric thriller’ Sunday Times   ‘As mesmerising and charismatic as Byron himself can ever have been … a magnificent gothic tale of scandal, secrets and murder’ Janice Hallett   ‘Evokes all the grimy charisma of eighteenth-century Venice … a mystery as sinuous as the city's alleys and canals. I was enthralled’ Elizabeth Fremantle   ‘A dark treat … splendidly gothic and impressively researched’ Andrew Taylor  ‘Essie Fox breathes new life into the “mad, bad and dangerous to know” Lord Byron as the notorious poet turns detective … Rich with decadent imagery and dark, gothic atmosphere, Dangerous intricately blends historical fact and fiction’ Culturefly   –––––––  Fiction can be fatal…   Living in exile in Venice, the disgraced Lord Byron revels in the freedoms of the city.  SCANDAL   But when he is associated with the deaths of local women, found with wounds to their throats, and then a novel called The Vampyre is published under his name, rumours begin to spread that Byron may be the murderer…  MURDER   As events escalate and tensions rise – and his own life is endangered, as well as those he holds most dear – Byron is forced to play detective, to discover who is really behind these heinous crimes. Meanwhile, the scandals of his own infamous past come back to haunt him…  MYSTERY   Rich in gothic atmosphere and drawing on real events and characters from Byron's life, Dangerous is a riveting, dazzling historical thriller, as decadent, dark and seductive as the poet himself…   _________   ‘A plot as labyrinthine as the Venice backstreets, told in dazzling prose; suspenseful, seductive stuff’ Erin Kelly   ‘Brilliant, daring writing … a darkly delicious Venetian tale of murder and mystery’ Anna Mazzola   ‘Essie Fox expertly weaves fact and fiction in this gloriously gothic thriller … Venice becomes the atmospheric backdrop to Byron's daring attempt to catch a killer’ Anita Frank   ‘Sumptuous, entertaining and glorious’ C.S. Green   ‘Fox is the queen of darkly glittering gothic fiction … a tale so compelling I devoured it in one sitting’ Louisa Treger   ‘Many writers have tried and failed to capture the Byronic quintessence, but the brilliant Essie Fox has succeeded admirably. She proves that the poet and rake remains fascinating because he is, indeed, mad, bad and Dangerous’ Alex Larman   ‘A heady and intoxicating brew … scandalously scintillating’ Kate Griffin   ‘A gorgeously clever thriller’ Amanda Craig   ‘A ravishing tale of murder, lust and thwarted ambition … a sumptuous, decadent delight’ Emma Carroll   ‘A deliciously gothic and beautifully written historical thriller starring the ultimate bad boy hero, Lord Byron’ Frances Quinn   ‘An incredibly evocative and atmospheric book that captures the Byronic soul in all its beauty and madness’ Victoria Dowd   ‘Deliciously dark and everything I hoped it would be’ Paul Burston   ‘An engaging historical mystery tale in which the dissolute poet turns sleuth to clear his own name’ Julie Anderson, Time & Leisure Magazine   ‘A dark, disturbing treat, impeccably researched and compellingly told’ Bridget Walsh   ‘What a ride! Gripping and atmospheric’ Caroline Lea   ‘A delicious dish of decadence … fastidiously researched, richly imagined, full of wonderful descriptions of Venice’ Michael Stewart

Psychologist and expert on body language and memory, Kari Voss investigates the murder of two teenaged girls in the small Norwegian town of Son, as suspicion is cast on multiple suspects. A mesmerisingly dark, twisty start to a nerve-shattering new series by two of the world's finest crime writers…   ‘A breathtaking thriller with a complex plot and twist to die for. Simply brilliant’ Express   ‘Gustawsson and Enger deliver a one-two punch that's a stone-cold knockout’ Alexandra Sokoloff & Craig Robertson   ‘A pacy, gripping read that marks the start of an exciting new series. The best Nordic noir I've read in ages. Spectacular!’ Tariq Ashkanani   ‘The disturbing consequences of this are fully explored in a haunting tale that concludes with a sickening double twist. Son is everything a crime novel should be — and more’ Sunday Times   _______________________  Everyone here is lying…   Expert on body language and memory, and consultant to the Oslo Police, psychologist Kari Voss sleepwalks through her days, and, by night, continues the devastating search for her young son, who disappeared on his birthday, seven years earlier.   Still grieving for her dead husband, and trying to pull together the pieces of her life, she is thrust into a shocking local investigation, when two teenage girls are violently murdered in a family summer home in the nearby village of Son.   When a friend of the victims is charged with the barbaric killings, it seems the case is closed, but Kari is not convinced. Using her skills and working on instinct, she conducts her own enquiries, leading her to multiple suspects, including people who knew the dead girls well…   With the help of Chief Constable Ramona Norum, she discovers that no one – including the victims – are what they seem. And that there is a dark secret at the heart of Son village that could have implications not just for her own son's disappearance, but Kari's own life, too…  For fans of Harlan Coben, Lars Kepler, Jo Nesbo and Jorn Lier Horst … and The Mentalist   _______________________   ‘Written by one of France’s leading crime writers and one of Norway’s best-selling authors, the story introduces a truly original character that we will hear much more of’ Daily Mail   ‘Two prime exponents of international crime fiction … this is Franco-Nordic Noir delivered with total authority’ Financial Times   ‘Twisty and moving, with abundant psychological insight, this investigation of blood ties, in all meanings of the word, is superb crime-writing’ Antti Tuomainen   ‘Blown away by this cracking thriller and I was already loving it before they hit me with THAT ending. Bravo!’ Trevor Wood   ‘Utterly gripping and brilliantly layered … kept me hooked from start to the twisty finish – Nordic Noir as it should be’ Lilja Sigur?ardóttir   ‘This is the perfect thriller’ Michael Wood   ‘A potent reminder of just how powerful crime fiction can be. An absorbing, original and deeply affecting novel that grips with a fierceness and masterfully drags the reader into the darkest places. Brilliant in all senses of the word’ Rob Parker   ‘A body-language expert with a grief of her own, a devastated community full of secrets, and a final sentence that leaves you reeling’ Sam Holland   ‘When two excellent writers collaborate, you know it's going to be good, but SON surpassed expectations. Great premise, great characters and, simply put, a great book’ Yrsa Sigur?ardóttir   ‘SON had me gripped from the first page to the last. A perfect slice of Scandi Noir, and that ending! More, please!’ Lisa Hall   ‘It has everything I look for in a crime novel. Clever, intriguing, atmospheric’ Michael J. Malone

Homeless on Auckland’s streets, Max Grimes fights to survive when someone starts killing the city’s forgotten. Pulled into a dark past, he must stop the killer or be next. The gripping second instalment in a breathtaking series, from New Zealand’s queen of crime. ‘Brutal, raw and utterly realistic’ Trevor Wood‘Pacy, twisty, relentlessly unpredictable journey through the dark side of New Zealand’s biggest city, where a man battling his own demons must confront a far deadlier one working in the shadows’ Michael Bennett‘Absorbing and addictive. Once you’ve started you won’t be able to put it down until the end. A truly gripping thriller’ Michael Wood_______The City looks away … but someone is watching…A killer is hunting Auckland’s homeless. No one cares. No one but Max. These are his people. Max Grimes is homeless, living on the streets of Auckland, among the forgotten, the invisible. But now someone is hunting the homeless, killing them one by one. No one cares. Except Max. Trying to put his shattered life back together, Max is pulled into a deadly game when a face from his past reappears, reopening wounds he thought were long buried. As whispers of a Grim Reaper spread terror through the city, Max must race against time, not only to find the killer, but to outrun the ghosts chasing him. Because if he fails, he’ll be next. _______Praise for Vanda Symon‘The setting is vivid in these dark but hopeful crime thrillers. It took three years for Max to return but it was worth the wait … this is socially aware fiction with gripping storytelling. Superb’ Paul Burke, CrimeTime‘Tauter and tougher than Symon’s delightful Dunedin procedurals … superb’ The Times‘Completely gripping … a poignant study of how our society shapes unlikely saints and monsters’ Eve Smith‘From the opening pages, this story left me gasping for breath’ Michael Robotham‘New Zealand’s modern Queen of Crime’ Val McDermid‘A one-sitting read’ Ann Cleeves‘Fast, furious and intense’ Helen Fields‘Astonishingly good … compelling, horrifying, intriguing and entertaining. One of the best thrillers I’ve read this year’ Liz Nugent‘Edgy, thrilling and terrifyingly realistic’ Lisa Hall‘Atmospheric, emotional and gripping’ Foreword Reviews‘Fans of The Dry will love Vanda Symon’ Red Magazine‘If you like taut, pacey thrillers with a wonderful sense of place, this is the book for you’ Liam McIlvanney‘A portrait of the underbelly of society, this is a deeply involving novel and a damn good thriller’ Paul Burke, NB Magazine‘Fast-moving New Zealand procedural ... the Edinburgh of the south has never been more deadly’ Ian Rankin‘A sassy heroine, fabulous sense of place, and rip-roaring stories with a twist. Perfect curl-up-on-the-sofa reading’ Kate Mosse‘A plot that grabs the reader’s attention with a heart-stopping opening and doesn’t let go’ Sunday Times‘Reads like the polished effort of a genre veteran. More, please’ Booklist

In Hamburg’s troubled Wilhelmsburg district, Prosecutor Chastity Riley investigates a brutal double murder amid corruption and gentrification. Battling personal demons and powerful foes, she fights to expose a city’s dark secrets. Germany’s Queen of Krimi returns with the caustically funny, breathtakingly dark next instalment in an addictive series…‘As much a character study as the story of a crime … like a flipbook, full of startling images and sudden movements, that will thrill cynics and romantics alike’ Sunday Times‘For the first time in a long time, I found a book I simply couldn’t put down – and I didn’t want it to end. There really should be a word for the sadness you feel when you’re nearing the end of a truly fantastic read. Sharks is that kind of book’ Leye Adenle‘Taut, compulsive and laced with humour as dark as its setting, Sharks raises the bar again for one of my favourite series. Chastity Riley is the perfect anti-hero for our times, and Simone Buchholz is the real deal’ Rod Reynolds‘Such a revelation’ Laura LippmanThe Chastity Riley series WON the CWA Crime in Translation Dagger____In Wilhelmsburg, Hamburg’s so-called ‘problem area’, an American couple is found brutally murdered in a derelict house. Prosecutor Chastity Riley is assigned the case and quickly finds herself waist-deep in a murky tangle of city planners, shady investors and vanishing officials. The gentrification machine is rolling on, and someone is sending a very clear message. As November fog settles over the city, Chastity is coughing up blood, her personal life is a slow-motion disaster, and her former colleague Faller won’t stop interfering. But nothing is going to stop her from cutting through the lies, not even the sharks circling ever closer. Dark, caustic and piercing, Sharks is a searing investigation into greed, power and the price of resistance in a city devouring itself, from one of Germany’s finest, most original crime writers. ____Praise for the Chastity Riley series:‘Richly entertaining, wickedly cutting, to the point and funny. The perfect example of a crime novel that is literally pacy and has something to say, because you know Buchholz cares about society and Hamburg, and it shows in her writing’ Paul Burke, CrimeTime‘A dark treat … memorable modern noir, and a fascinating portrait of seedy life in Hamburg’ Telegraph‘Simone Buchholz can make you grin, gasp or gag at will’ The Times‘Beautifully concise, with commendably sparse prose, dark humour and an appealing protagonist … uncompromising, provocative and righteously fierce’ Guardian‘Beautifully written in cool, witty prose’ N.J. Cooper, Literary Review‘German-American Chastity Riley is snooty, churlish, sarcastic, sometimes drunk and always inappropriate. The whole series breaks the boundaries of typical crime novels’ Romy Hausmann‘A distinctive voice, and a flawed but compelling protagonist … style and sass and St Pauli’ Will Carver‘Ice-cool, effortlessly classy prose’ Observer‘Reading Buchholz is like walking on firecrackers’ Graeme Macrae Burnet‘Buchholz’s work remains as persuasive as ever’ Financial Times‘Simone Buchholz writes with real authority and a pungent, noir-ish sense of time and space … a palpable hit’Independent‘With brief, pacy chapters and fizzling dialogue, this almost feels like American procedural noir and not a translation’ Maxim Jakubowski‘There is a fantastic pace to the story … a unique voice that delivers a stylish story’NB Magazine‘A real blast of adrenaline’ Big Issue

David’s best mate died falling off a cliff – and he was the last to see him alive. Fifteen years later, he returns to Arbroath, where another death forces him to face the past. A darkly funny, gripping debut from one of Scotland’s finest writers – newly reissued. 20th ANNIVERSARY EDITIONINTRODUCTION BY CHRISTOPHER BROOKMYRE‘Very funny, with a touching and believable romance thrown in’ Kate Saunders,The Times‘[A] pacy debut thriller. . . Johnstone skilfully coaxes the reader into identifying with these difficult-to-love characters and maintains the tension and drama’Metro‘[Leads] to comparisons with the Scots writer Christopher Brookmyre … with a touch of romance [and] a gripping action sequence in the final chapters’ Scotsman________________Your best mate just fell off a cliff in mysterious circumstances. You were the last person to see him alive. What do you d? f you're David Lindsay from Arbroath, you leg it – and don’t go back. Not for fifteen years. Then Nicola Cruickshank – yes, that Nicola, the girl you always fancied but never had the guts to speak to – gets in touch. She wants you back for a school reunion. At the very place it happened. Of course you say yes. Not to lay ghosts to rest, but because you still fancy Nicola. The thing is, if you are David Lindsay, then returning to Arbroath isn’t going to bring closure. Because when someone else tumbles off the cliffs – an act the locals now call tombstoning – David has a choice: run away again, or finally find out why people around him keep dying…____‘Detailed and atmospheric descriptions … funny and sparky dialogue’ Sunday Herald‘Excellently written, intriguing storyline, and different from anything else around. A very impressive debut’ Allan Guthrie‘A brilliant new author … a rollicking tale of mystery set in Auld Reekie and the east coast town of Arbroath...’ The List‘A vibrant and engaging debut, by turns humorous, irreverent and poignant’ Bill Duncan ‘A seductive and thrilling evocation of what lurks beneath the surface of small-town Scotland – or, indeed, small-town anywhere’ Christopher BrookmyrePraise for Doug Johnstone‘Tense, funny and deeply moving’ Mark Billingham‘Nobody portrays modern Edinburgh better than Doug Johnstone … speaks volumes about the power of story’ Val McDermid ‘An engrossing and beautifully written tale that bears all the Doug Johnstone hallmarks in its warmth and darkly comic undertones’ Herald Scotland‘Wonderful characters: flawed, funny and brave’ Sunday Times‘Gripping and blackly humorous’ Observer ‘A must for those seeking strong, authentic, intelligent female protagonists’ Publishers Weekly‘This enjoyable mystery is also a touching and often funny portrayal of grief ... more, please’ Guardian‘Some of the most unique characters in crime fiction’ Daily Express‘Underlines just how accomplished Johnstone has become’ Daily Mail‘Keeps you hungry from page to page. A crime reader can’t ask anything more’ Sun ‘A thrilling, atmospheric book … Move over Ian Rankin, Doug Johnstone is coming through!’ Kate Rhodes  ‘Johnstone never fails to entertain whilst packing a serious emotional punch’ Gytha Lodge  ‘One of the greats of Scottish crime fiction´ Luca Veste‘An unstoppable, thrilling, bullet train of a book … I totally loved it’ Helen Fields‘Expertly written, with poise, insight and compassion’ Mary Paulson-Ellis‘A terrific read with all of Johnston’s trademark warmth and wicked wit’ A K Turner  ‘Some of the best female characters in crime fiction. Pitch-perfect balance of dark and light … disturbing, compassionate and brilliantly funny’ Sarah Hilary'An absolute joy to read … full of such wonderful characters, brilliantly realised, with more peril and intrigue' James Oswald‘A unique brand of crime fiction boasting rare heart and depth’ Ambrose Parry

The greatest tragic love story ever told – but this time, Catherine tells it herself. In Catherine, Essie Fox breathes new life into Wuthering Heights, transforming a gothic masterpiece into a haunting confession of obsession, madness and love that even death cannot end. With a nature as wild as the moors she loves to roam, Catherine Earnshaw grows up alongside Heathcliff, a foundling her father rescued from the streets of Liverpool. Their fierce, untamed bond deepens as they grow – until Mr Earnshaw’s death leaves Hindley, Catherine’s brutal brother, in control and Heathcliff reduced to servitude. Desperate to protect him, Catherine turns to Edgar Linton, the handsome heir to Thrushcross Grange. She believes his wealth might free Heathcliff from cruelty – but her choice is fatally misunderstood, and their lives spiral into a storm of passion, jealousy and revenge. Now, eighteen years later, Catherine rises from her grave to tell her story – and seek redemption. Essie Fox’s Catherine reimagines Wuthering Heights with beauty and intensity – a haunting, atmospheric retelling that brings new life to a timeless classic and lays bare the dark heart of an immortal love.