Orion Publishing Co

''TEN, NINE, EIGHT, SEVEN . . .'' On April 12, 1961, the Soviet Union begins its countdown. From the steppes of Kazakhstan, the first human - Soviet cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin - launches into space.In that moment, another countdown begins. How could it be that a single generation - just three decades - would separate the USSR''s crowning achievement from the collapse of the Soviet empire?More than a history lesson, The Dark Side of the Earth is a testament to the enduring fight for truth and freedom. In pursuit of the real story, renowned Kremlin opponent Mikhail Zygar (''one of Russia''s smartest and best-sourced young journalists'' - New York Times) gathered witness statements of jaw-dropping candour from hundreds of key players: the last first secretaries and first presidents of the post-Soviet republics, the leaders of independence movements, Western politicians and diplomats, and Mikhail Gorbachev himself, not to mention dozens of scientists, authors, film directors, aspiring rockstars and ordinary men and women who for a time became the accidental protagonists of history. The end of the USSR set the stage for today''s vengeful return. But as Gagarin looked down from the stars at his home world, was Russia''s fate already written?

'A complex, beautiful coming-of-age novel...a love story unlike any I've ever read' Ali Hazelwood'A soulful book about the politics of labor and submission' Raven LeilaniWhen Lili Marwan, a brilliant economics graduate student, has an intense one-night stand with Aleksandr Petrov, a Wall Street banker two decades her senior, her restless mind finally goes calm. At twenty-two, Lili is opinionated beyond her years: whether it's astrology, democratic socialism, veganism, or the ravages of late-stage capitalism. But when a tall, dark stranger buys her a drink in a FiDi bar, she meets her match. Aleksandr is fiercely intelligent, and infuriatingly disarming. He's also two decades older than her, a Capricorn, a neoliberal capitalist, and a strong believer in free markets, having escaped the Soviet Union in its dying days. He challenges her at every turn. And she can't stay away. Over the course of a heady New York City summer, Lili and Aleksandr reach across the divide of their differences, discovering startlingly shared experiences. Their casual arrangement-rough sex, hours where Lili does not need to think-gives way fast to an unexpected intimacy, by turns breathtaking, then devastating. As Lili struggles to understand herself and the complicated threads of her ambition, pain, and desire, she will have to decide: is the risk of loss worth the chance of something mor? EADERS ARE OBSESSED WITH GAMES'I was not prepared. This was addicting: tastefully sexy, raw and emotional' ?'Easily one of my favourite books not just of the year, but of my life. it's not the kind of story you just read and move on from, it sticks with you in a way that almost feels dangerous' ?'Heart-wrenching, achingly beautiful, and insanely sharp' ?'Lili and Aleksandr's story is my favourite love story of the year point blank' ?'A hit for me. I believe I've read it at the exact right time in my life, and I feel like it found something in me that I didn't know existed' ?'Equal parts a thoughtful and deeply detailed dive into the economics of the world, a literary classic worthy love story, and a deeply respectful and heartwrenching exploration of trauma, growth, and how falling in love can break down personal barriers' ?

The brand new thriller from the internationally bestselling author of A Quiet Belief in AngelsFifteen year-old Eleanor Clewson's life of quiet rural drudgery collapses when her parents' marriage explodes into violence. Eleanor escapes across the Texas plains, where she crosses paths with a dangerous man on the run. As she flees through desolate towns and anonymous cities, Eleanor will do whatever it takes to survive - pursued throughout by Roy Haskell, a lone Texas Ranger, who is desperate to understand the truth behind her wild flight across the country. ****PRAISE FOR R.J. ELLORY'Beautiful and haunting... A tour de force' MICHAEL CONNELLY'Beautifully written novels that are also great mysteries' JAMES PATTERSON'A uniquely gifted, passionate, and powerful writer' ALAN FURST'In the top flight of crime writing' SUNDAY TELEGRAPH'The master of the genre' CLIVE CUSSLER

After achieving her lifelong dream of solving a murder, bringing a killer to justice, and proving she is not, in fact, a morbid creep, Beatrice Steele feels like everything is finally falling into place. She's traded her etiquette-obsessed community of Swampshire for the big city of London, accompanied by her ever-trusty chaperone, Miss Bolton. They've settled in a lovely neighborhood, Sweetbriar, known for its proximity to the Sweet Majestic theater, picturesque pleasure gardens, and an unfortunate infestation of flying squirrels. But Beatrice's favorite part is that Sweetbriar is also home to D.S. Investigations, the new office she opened with the prickly, annoyingly logical Inspector Drake to solve the city's brutally thrilling crimes. However, nothing is turning out how Beatrice imagined it would. Sir Huxley, famed gentleman inspector and Beatrice's former crush, is still considered the real investigator in London, so the only cases left for Beatrice and Drake are lost pets and spectacles. Not that Beatrice has much time for crime-solving, anyways, as her mother still expects her to find an eligible (rich) husband to protect their family from destitution. Beatrice is struggling to balance all the demands on her and begins to wonder if she can become a true detective in a city that feels full of false promises. That is until a string of murders thrusts Beatrice and Drake into the center of a scandal that pits the neighborhood's wealthiest against the arts community, spreading fear and chaos throughout the city. As they follow the trail through bewildering ballrooms, secretive shops, and odd operas, Beatrice must survive threats to her partnership, her business, and her place in society to break the case--before it's too late.

'Genre-bending, genius . . . A superb, intoxicating book'Telegraph'Deliciously twisty. I raced through it in one evening'The Times 'A proper read-it-in-one-go book, opening up an advent calendar of lives behind the doors of a block of flats' Adam Kay, author of This is Going to HurtMargate is in the grip of a heatwave when David Whitehouse stumbles across the mysterious story of a local woman who lived on the ground floor of Saltwater Mansions, a block of flats not far from the sea. On paper, Caroline Lane was unremarkable. She paid her mortgage every month. She always paid her bills. But nobody had seen or heard from her for 13 years, and no one had ever come looking. She had disappeared completely. David quickly becomes as fascinated by this missing woman as the residents of Saltwater Mansions, all of whom have their own theories to share, and their own unique stories to tell. As his obsession grows, David unearths vital clues that private detectives and amateur investigators alike have failed to spot. But the closer he gets to the truth, the clearer it becomes that this mystery was never meant to be solved, and that some stories don't want to be told. What if this one was never about Caroline Lane at all? From acclaimed and award-winning author David Whitehouse, Saltwater Mansions is an astonishing work of creative non-fiction blending reportage and memoir to explore the extraordinary hidden lives of ordinary people, the impact of grief, and the dangerous allure of taking true crime stories into our own hands. 'I inhaled it in a sitting - what an exhilarating book. Brave, revealing and unexpected' Cathy Rentzenbrink, author of The Last Act of Love'A tremendous chronicler of real stories . . . an utterly absorbing read'i Paper'Ordinary lives, family grief, true crime, the dangers of amateur sleuthing, unexpected stories . . . there's a whole universe of humanity wrapped up in David Whitehouse's much anticipated new work of non-fiction . . . Prepare to read it in one addictive sitting'Stylist

My monster isn't locked away anymore. He's free. And he's mine. Every wall I once built between us has been demolished, replaced by Ghost's merciless obsession. He isn't my convicted patient anymore. He's my shadow, my captor, and my addiction. Except it's not my fear he wants anymore. It's my total surrender. The deeper I fall into Ghost's world of vengeance and destruction, the more I see the truth: He doesn't just crave me. He wants to remake me in his image. And the most terrifying part? Somewhere in the darkness . . . I want it too. So, when I uncover the brutal truth about my parents' deaths, a fire ignites in me. Revenge. The killers thought they buried their sins with the bodies they left behind. They never expected me to unearth them. Now Ghost and I share a hunger that no justice system can contain. Together, we'll make them bleed. Or die trying. Depraved Desires is Book 2 in the Villains & Vices duet. It contains explicit sexual content and a morally gray hero that's over the top jealous/possessive, a stalker who falls first, has Touch Her & Die energy, and is willing to do whatever it takes to have her. A complete list of the trigger warnings can be found below. stalking/obsession, blackmail/coercion, breaking and entering, violence, murder, attempted rape (not by the hero), grief

Thousands of years ago, a massive colony ship arrived at the Hearth - the celestial birthplace of millions of planets, ranging from habitable earth-like worlds to unimaginable hellscapes of pressure and heat. Using lightsails to navigate, humanity has spread itself across dozens of these worlds. But they have also forgotten their beginnings, where they came from... and a terrible secret is about to be unveiled. For Commander Ulla Breen, on her first tour of duty aboard a patrol sail-ship, the universe is about to change around her. Attacked by an unknown and unthought-of enemy, she and her fellow crewmembers will face slavery, punishment and death - and so will their home planets. Because someone else has seen the richness of the inner Hearth, and plans to take it for themselves. A new enemy, but one who seems disturbingly familiar. And perhaps knows more about the history of the Hearth than even Ulla and her crew. Faced with a complete upheaval of all she thought she knew, Ulla must survive long enough to come up with a plan - one which will unite all the disparate elements of the Hearth, and perhaps discover the reason why humanity came to Hearthspace in the first place . . .

'Stunning . . . Emily Wilde's Encyclopaedia for Faeries meets Jane Eyre' MEGAN SCOTT'A sensual, gothic feast, full of forbidden romance and wild magic' SARAH HAWLEY'A fearsome and haunting tale of love, loss, and magic' ESMIE JIKIEMI-PEARSON'A darkly seductive masterclass in fantastical academia' ELLA MCLEOD'A feast for fans of Jane Eyre who are thirsting for a smoking hot read' BEN ALDERSON'There is a new queen of gothic fantasy and her name is Jennifer Delaney' JEN SUGDENDARKNESS ALWAYS FINDS ITS WAY BACK. Fairfax Manor lies in ruins. When Kat began studying magic with the infamous and elusive Lord Blackthorn himself, losing her heart and almost her life wasn't on the curriculum. Now war is coming and no one is safe. All magic has a price - a price Alma would rather have died than see Kat pay. But the dark isn't finished with Kat yet. And Alma will stop at nothing to save her, drawing on her own ancient magic to help her friend. There's no time to lose. More demons are escaping from the cursed texts. The world is slipping back into shadow. And something is returning . . . From the author of instant Sunday Times bestseller Tales of a Monstrous Heart, comes a spellbinding new gothic fantasy filled with slow-burn romance and forbidden magic - perfect for fans of Sarah J Maas and Rachel Gillig.

'Feels like watching a master painter at work' Ann Napolitano'Wonderful. A moving portrait of an imperfect family' Jennie Godfrey'I adored it' Claire Lombardo'A gorgeous, sprawling family saga' Literary Hub Summer, California, 1970s. Sally Samuelson is eight years old, and the course of her family's life is about to change. When Ellis, her older brother, tragically fails to return from a week up the coast, the world of the Samuelsons never spins on the same axis again. Especially when Julia, Ellis's girlfriend, shows up pregnant on their doorstep. And over the next four decades, the family fractures and rebuilds again and again - in a story that takes in grief, love affairs, illnesses, late-in-life marriages and long-hidden secrets, to show one complicated but loving family trying to make sense of the world. 'Crackles with compassion . . . I inhaled this book in a weekend, regretting only that it would ever end' Leslie Jamison'Like a narrative love child of Alice Munro's stories and Elizabeth Strout's novels' New York Times Book Review'Huneven is a literary sister to Ann Patchett, Anne Tyler and Tessa Hadley' Raffaella Barker'I couldn't stop reading this story of a beautiful, broken and quirky family who feel utterly real' Ericka WallerReaders love Bug Hollow . . . ? 'This book broke my heart and put it back together' ? A beautiful portrait of a complicated, ordinary, and extraordinary family' ? 'May be one of my favourite books of all time' ? 'The perfect nostalgic summer book'? 'So real and heartwarming. I loved every character, flaws and all' ? 'Best book I read this year!' ? 'This novel just wedged its way into my heart and soul' ? 'If you're a fan of Anne Tyler and Elizabeth Strout, you will love this'

'An icon of the UK dance scene . . . an essential story' GROOVE ARMADA'She paved the way for so many women of colour in a male dominated industry on her own terms' HONEY DIJON'So much more than an amazing DJ' DANNY TENAGLIABefore she became Smokin Jo - one of the most influential DJs of her generation - Joanne Joseph grew up in a children's home with her sister and until her mother returned and whisked the siblings away, her life was devoid of music. As she entered the turbulent years of adolescence, Jo found herself pulled towards Soho and the burgeoning underground acid house scene, instantly finding herself at home amongst other artists, musicians and misfits who breathed and survived on dance music and ecstasy. Her rise was meteoric as she became one of the most revered DJs of the British rave scene and in 1992, the only woman ever to be named DJ of the Year by DJ Magazine. This raw, unflinching memoir of ambition, excess and survival tells a story of change, growth and determination. Filled with candid stories about fame, addiction and recovery, Jo writes about navigating a scene marked by misogyny, racism and homophobia. This is a powerful, unforgettable story from a true pioneer of rave culture.

SELECTED FOR THE BBC RADIO 2 BOOK CLUB'Mrs Dickens has my whole heart . . . I was enthralled' Jennie GodfreyLondon, 1835. Nineteen-year-old Kate Hogarth falls in love with the young journalist Charles Dickens. In the early days of their marriage, Charles is infatuated with his bride and Kate delights in her new life, the balm to her husband's irrepressible spirit. But as he finds fame as a novelist and the family rise through the ranks of Victorian society, Kate becomes increasingly aware of his frustration that real people cannot be manipulated as easily as his characters. Meanwhile, in the East End slums, a young orphan named Anne Brown has lost everything, but is determined to make her way in the world. A chance encounter with the Dickens family transports her to the heart of the household, opening up a world of privilege, travel and remarkable company. But her newfound freedom has come at a cost she cannot always ignore. As the years go by and the family expands, the cracks in the Dickens's marriage deepen. Kate seeks comfort and companionship in her trusted servant, but whilst Anne has come to care deeply for Mrs Dickens, her loyalties are tested to breaking point as Charles takes control of their future . . . Vibrant, witty and deeply moving, Mrs Dickens traces a long marriage in all its tenderness, grief, romance and fury. It illuminates the life of a complex, forgotten woman whose voice often went unheard, but whose story deserves to be told. 'A beautiful, heartbreaking, immersive novel, which brings a woman's silenced story back to vivid, irrepressible life ' Roisín O'Donnell

'A sharp, hilarious, unsparing mother-daughter story' Rachel Khong'Culturally incisive and relentlessly smart' Michelle Zauner 'A magnum opus and a vibe' Bryan WashingtonStevie cannot wait to escape her mother. Whilst many people dream of moving to LA and into the spotlight, she is desperate to get out and start over. Moon is many things: an out-of-work actress, a recovering addict, a nineties iconoclast, a dysfunctional mother - and whatever a mistress becomes when she's widowed. Reeling in the aftermath of her lover and TV husband's death, Moon is plunged into despair. The last thing she expects is for her daughter to leave her too. Neither Stevie nor Moon can afford to quit each other, having been forced to move into the glass pool house in their back yard while their home is rented out to pay the bills. When Adam, Moon's former TV son and Stevie's girlhood crush, arrives for the funeral, the three of them are pulled into a messy triangle, moving back into the Big House and play-acting a picture-perfect family, even as tensions rise and relationships unravel. Hilarious, biting and unexpectedly moving, Pool House is a brilliantly observed novel about the complexities of love, sex, fame, family and grief, and an unforgettable portrait of two women grappling with what it means to grow up and grow older in Hollywood.

A NEW YORK TIMES MOST ANTICIPATED BOOK OF 2026 'AFFECTING' TELEGRAPH'ENGROSSING' ECONOMIST'COMPELLING' WIRED'MORE THAN CRIME REPORTAGE' WALL STREET JOURNAL When his mother fell for an 'American soldier' who promised to send gold bars to their Madrid apartment, Carlos Barragán found himself with an unexpected window into the shadowy world of online romance fraud. He set off on a journey to find his mother's scammer, but what he discovered was much bigger: a world of young Nigerian men who drag themselves out of destitution by catfishing lonely hearts in the US and Europe, in the process building a dizzying local economy from their phones. The Yahoo Boys follows four scammers in Ikotun - one of Lagos's poorest neighbourhoods, a scant ten miles from the gleaming heart of the megacity. Through their twisting fortunes, Barragán discovers the psychological tactics they perfect, the economic desperation that drives them, and the moral dilemmas they face. A work of radical empathy, this astonishing narrative nonfiction debut reveals the human face behind a global phenomenon, and shows how isolation in the West and poverty in Nigeria are just two sides of the same screen. 'BARRAGÁN WRITES WITH IMPECCABLE EMPATHY . . . COMPELLINGLY READABLE' BARBARA DEMICK'ASTONISHING . . . I COULD NOT PUT IT DOWN. A TOUR DE FORCE' JON LEE ANDERSON 'BOTH INTIMATELY PERSONAL AND GLOBALLY RELEVANT' DIPO FALOYIN'AN ENVIABLE FEAT OF REPORTAGE AND WRITING - AS INTREPID AS IT IS SYMPATHETIC' GIDEON LEWIS-KRAUS

'A wondrous book' JOHN GREEN'Funny, devastating, achingly romantic' OLIVIE BLAKE'The freshest contemporary fantasy I've read in years' LAURA STEVEN'Wildly creative, very funny, and searingly angry' FREYA MARSKE'This is dark academia as it should be written' BEA FITZGERALD'Croucher is a master of the craft' KAT DUNN'Delicious' THE FANTASY HIVEFrom instant New York Times bestseller, Nero Award-shortlisted, TikTok Book of the Year-shortlisted, and YA Book Prize-winning Lex Croucher comes your new dark academia obsession . . . Briar always dreamed of attending the Temple School of Thaumaturgy, the elite boarding school that's produced the most CEOs and Prime Ministers in history, long rumoured to be magical. Briar's best friend, Sebastian, just wanted them to stay together forever. When Sebastian gets an acceptance letter and Briar doesn't, their relationship is shattered - until, at eighteen, Briar secures a temp job sorting through the magical junk in Temple's attic, and discovers that quiet, sensitive Sebastian, the boy they once loved more than anything else in the world, has become the villain. Dark academia meets contemporary fantasy in this timely page-turner about a student who fails to gain admission to the UK's only school of magic but then gets a job there years later and unearths the ugly secrets simmering behind its ancient walls - unmissable for fans of Babel by R.F. Kuang and Ninth House by Leigh Bardugo.

Unbothered is a modern manifesto for the woman who's done over-functioning in love. It speaks to the heart of a generation of women who are emotionally exhausted from chasing the unavailable, proving their worth, and holding relationships together alone. This book offers a clear, compassionate roadmap to let go - not to lose, but to lead. Grounded in psychology, nervous system regulation, and feminine identity, Unbothered reframes emotional detachment as strength, not coldness. It is not another book about boundaries or breakups - it's about identity. It's about choosing peace over potential. And it's about leading with grace in a world that teaches women to beg for crumbs and call it connection.

SHORTLISTED FOR AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF THE YEAR AT THE 2026 SPORTS BOOK AWARDSA WATERSTONES SPORTS BOOK OF THE YEAR 2025'EVOCATIVE' The Guardian'COMPELLING AND BRILLIANTLY CANDID' Daily Mail'A GREAT BOOK' Jake Humphrey, High Performance PodcastCANDID, RAW AND UNFORGETTABLE, THIS IS JOE COLE'S STORY - A MUST-READ FOR ANY FOOTBALL FANOne of the best players of his era, Joe Cole grew up playing football in North London's estates, and his ability, grit and hard work took him to the very top. But Joe was often mistrusted by managers and out of step with the style of English football in the 2000s. The game was suspicious of creative footballers it considered luxury players - the kind it could regard as an indulgence. With honesty and an eye for the absurdities of football, Joe takes us inside the dressing room to reveal it all. From his days at the FA's School of Excellence at Lilleshall and rising through the ranks at West Ham, to winning it all under José Mourinho and Carlo Ancelotti at Chelsea, whilst playing with England's so-called Golden Generation. But the trophies, goals and moments of magic couldn't last forever. After battling severe injuries - and suffering devastating family loss - Joe walked away from the sport that had given him everything, bringing one of football's most remarkable careers to a close.