Quercus Publishing strana 13 z 24

God. Hero. Idol. Monster. Murderer. The story of Hercules is one of the most famous ever told. But what if it''s wrong? Locus and Nebula Award-winning author John Wiswell brings his gentle, human storytelling to the most infamous of stories and discovers the heart inside us all.Furious with Zeus for once again siring a child with a mortal woman, Hera finds herself redirecting all her fury at the baby himself, Heracles, an innocent named in her honour. As Heracles grows into a man - an unfathomably strong, loving man - he thanks Hera for all the blessings he feels she''s seen fit to bestow upon him.In a moment of misdirected rage, however, Hera sends a fury to kill Heracles'' family. Heracles sets out on an epic quest to discover the name of the god who set their murders in motion. Desperate to keep him busy until she can come up with a solution, Hera sets Heracles a series of tests, as impossible as they are deadly: the Nemean lion, the hydra, the Stymphalian birds, the Aegean stables . . .But Heracles'' innate kindness, along with his determination to discover the identity of the god who cost him everything he loves, carries him through each task. As his legend grows, so does Hera''s desperation.A novel of friendship, of found family, of kindness and of legend, this is the story of Hercules as it has never been told before.

Eline is a mother, a wife, and a survivor. But her life is about to change dramatically. Following an act of horrific - if righteous - vengeance, Eline is blackmailed into the service of the Queen''s Men. She knows it will be a hard life of violence and fear. But Eline will do what it takes to survive, and to protect her children . . . and if she''s lucky, she won''t die in the process.But the Queen''s Men aren''t just asking her to risk herself. They''re asking her to risk everything she knows and loves. And if she fails . . . civil war and the deaths of everyone she loves will be just the beginning.A stand-alone novel set in the world of the War for the Rose Throne, perfect for fans of Joe Abercrombie and Alex Marshall, featuring an incredible and unforgettable female anti-hero.

''A heart-breaking, moving, and soaring novel'' NGUY?N PHAN QU? MAI''Gorgeous and expansive'' STYLISTHong Kong, 1941. Following the Japanese occupation of Shanghai, the wealthy Tang family flee to Hong Kong.As the First Wife of the family, Mingzhu leads a sheltered - if lonely - existence overseeing her daughter Qiang and managing the household alongside her devoted maid, Biyu.But when the Japanese army invade, the three women are scattered. Mingzhu is coerced into working for a Japanese captain. Qiang and Biyu escape the island, only to be forced into factory work then separated after an encounter with the East River Column Resistance fighters.The longer the brutal occupation lasts, the more determined the women are to resist. And as war rages around the world, each is holding onto the hope that the other is alive.Beautifully told and compulsively written, When Sleeping Women Wake is an utterly transporting story of female resistance and untold bravery, at once epic and intimate, heartbreaking and hopeful.Perfect for fans of Lisa See, Nguy?n Phan Qu? Mai and Kristin Hannah.''A lushly romantic and impassioned story of women''s agency and resilience'' JUHEA KIM''Compelling, beautiful, and deeply moving . . . [a] stunning tale of love, loyalty and survival'' WEINA DAI RANDEL''A breathtaking, important story of family, love and endurance . . . historical fiction at its finest'' WIZ WHARTON

From the author of TikTok's favourite dark and steamy romance, Lights Out, comes Navessa Allen's second book in the New York Times bestselling Into Darkness trilogy I want this woman, and I'm a man who always gets what he wants. Nico 'Junior' Trocci knows Lauren Marchetti is off limits. Men like him don't get to have women like her. It's why he pushed her away in high school and still keeps his distance. But Junior follows Lauren online, and now that the shy, bookish girl he remembers is gone, he can't stop obsessing over the strikingly beautiful woman who has taken her place. He's ruthless; a walking red flag. Good thing red is my favorite color. Lauren 'Lo' Marchetti knows Junior is dangerous. He broke her heart once and she won't let him do it again. But as their flirtatious encounters escalate, Lauren starts to remember why she fell for the brooding antihero all those years ago. As old obstacles resurface, Junior and Lauren are forced to face their true feelings for each other and decide just how far they're willing to go for a second chance at love.

''Her work merits comparison with that of Edna O''Brien or Muriel Spark'' New York TimesStretching from war-torn 1940''s Liverpool to Oxford at the end of the century, this story explores the emotional landscape of the time and the impact tiny moments of betrayal can have on our relationships in the years that follow. Malcolm has held on to a secret for more than fifty years: a letter his sister Sophy gave him just before she died. He had promised to give it to the young doctor she met one night during the Liverpool Blitz: a night that altered the course of her life.But the letter was never delivered. Now, after so many years of uncertainty, Malcolm has decided to share Sophy''s secret with her daughter Agnes. It is the day of Agnes''s daughter''s wedding party. The ghosts of Agnes''s past and all the powerful emotions of the family reunion wrap around her thoughts. Until she is distracted by a hand on her arm as her uncle Malcolm holds out an envelope for her to take . . .Touching on the many different forms love can take and told from multiple perspectives, Interpretations of Love is the story of a letter and our endless search for the stories that we have lost.

'An insightful book with sparkling wit and humour that will appeal to new and seasoned readers of palaeontology.'Dr Anjana Khatwa, TV presenter and Earth Scientist It is difficult to conceive of the vast scale of the history of life on Earth, from the very first living organisms sparking into life in hydrothermal deep-sea vents to the dizzying diversity of life today. The evolution of life is a sweeping epic of a tale, with twists and turns, surprising heroes and unlikely survivors.The Earth beautifully distils this complex story into a meaningful scale. In taking a closer look at 47 carefully selected organisms over fifteen periods in our planetary history, this book tells the whole story of life on Earth, and the interconnectedness that unites us through our ecosystems and planetary history. Prepare to be confounded by the ingenuity of evolutionary biologies, humbled by our own brief part in this epic history, and disquieted by our disproportionate impact on the world we call home.'An extraordinarily accessible and informative biography of life seen through the many forms it has generated and preserved in stone, beautifully presented. From tales of the well-known stars of palaeontology like Archaeopteryx to the many-sided cultural stories of the earliest bee fossil, everyone will learn something new.'Thomas Halliday, bestselling author of Otherlands: A World in the Making

''The very definition of unputdownable'' David Peace''Mason packs more into 200 pages than many writers do at twice the length'' Sunday TimesIn the first months of 2020 there was a spate of murders of Black sex workers in northern cities. One of them was Ella Bailey, last seen talking to a punter in an alley in Sheffield city centre, and although no trace of her was ever found, the punter, Michael Godley, soon confessed to all three murders.Five years later, as another sex worker is murdered in the same district, the bag Ella had been carrying with her reappears, hanging on the door handles of a café, and a local vagrant claims to have seen Ella sitting on a bench in a churchyard near the site of the murder. South Yorkshire Police call in the Finder.So begins a search that takes him back to the strange days of the pandemic, to talk to those who knew Ella best, such as her wayward girlfriend ''Loz'', abusive boyfriend Caine Poynton-Smith and respectable foster-parents still struggling to come to terms with Ella''s life. How did their intelligent, strong-willed daughter - bright student and national schoolgirl athletics champion - end up in that alley?As fear grips the city, our Finder must court danger to discover the truth.

Pickleball rivalry? Sure. Falling for your fake boyfriend? Now that''s a surprise.Bex Martin''s racquet club is her entire world. But the business she inherited from her mother has started to feel more like a sinking ship. That is, until Nikolaus Karras - a former tennis bad-boy with an ego as big as his serve - makes himself at home on her courts.Niko has something to prove, and a high-stakes pickleball tournament is just what he needs to get back in the game after a career-ending injury. When he is finally able to set his ego aside to ask for Bex''s help, everyone assumes that they are a couple - on and off the court.But she needs the prize money to save the club, and he needs a win to restore his reputation. So now they have a fake relationship as well as a doubles partner that they can''t seem to resist. Game on!

France''s favourite country policeman investigates a suicide and gets involved in a tricky local issue in the latest adventure in this ever popular and bestselling mystery series.''FRENCH TOURISM SHOULD RAISE A GLASS TO WALKER''S DORDOGNE MYSTERIES'' Daily MailBruno Courr?ges is chief of police of the lovely Dordogne town of St Denis with a remit that covers the beautiful valley of the river Véz?re. One autumn morning he comes across an abandoned car parked near a local beauty spot. Inside is a dead woman, Monique, an apparent suicide resulting from depression. But there are circumstances surrounding the death that raise Bruno''s suspicions, particularly when disputes arise surrounding her Will. At the same time, Bruno makes the mistake of interfering in a local marital dispute. Deputy mayor Xavier has been playing away and finds himself evicted from the family home. Old controversies about deer culls take on new life and then a second campaign begins, stating that Bruno is less of a village copper and more of a secret policeman, whose main job is working for French intelligence. Some of the ammunition for this attack, Bruno learns, comes from Xavier, who sees this as a way to topple Bruno and the mayor and succeed to the mayor''s job himself. Suddenly Bruno''s shiny reputation is looking a little tarnished as he battles to save his name and answer the questions surrounding Monique''s suicide.

THE REAL STORY OF BLAIR ''PADDY'' MAYNE, ENDORSED BY THE MAYNE FAMILY Summer 1944: the SAS were charged with the most crucial D-Day missions, taking on the might of the Nazi Reich deep behind enemy lines.Facing Hitler''s fearsome Panzer divisions with little more than raw courage and their nimble Willys jeeps, it would take maverick thinking and unconventional warfare to survive and overcome. Hunted at every turn, Blair ''Paddy'' Mayne''s SAS would face a bitter and bloody struggle to topple the enemy. Drawing on never-before-seen archive material, bestselling military historian Damien Lewis brings to life the incredible efforts of the SAS as they dared all to bring the war to its close. Praise for Damien Lewis'' books: ''A convincing insight into the terror and adrenaline rush of war'' - Mail on Sunday ''Damien Lewis is both a meticulous historian and a born storyteller'' - Lee Child''One of the most remarkable stories in the history of Special Forces'' operations'' - Daily Express''A howitzer of a tale'' - Daily Mail''Absolutely gripping'' - Times Radio''Riveting. Extraordinary'' - Dan Snow''An incredible story, and so well told'' - Bear Grylls''Honesty, integrity and real experience that puts you in the thick of the action'' - Billy Billingham

Des Powell left school with no qualifications and little in the way of formal education. At nineteen he signed up to join the Parachute Regiment.Famously, the Paras is home to the UK military''s second-toughest training regime after the SAS. Des Powell knows all about both. In fact, Des knows SAS selection better than anyone because he''s done it twice. In SAS: Trial by Fire he tells the story of those gruelling tests: how Para training turned him into a soldier but, more crucially, how the SAS process turned him into a member of the elite.Des describes exactly what it takes to be an elite special forces operator. From raw recruit to trained fighting machine - including the heart-breaking moment he was forced to withdraw, only to begin the process again - Des shares the details of his personal journey, itself a tale of prevailing against almost overwhelming odd. He teaches us valuable life skills by taking us deep into the training regime itself: fitness, navigation, endurance, weapons and combat training, survival techniques in hostile climates, the terrifying jungle phase, the dark arts of escape and evasion, the secret of surviving interrogation.No one''s lifted the lid on what it takes to join the SAS and become the best of the best. Until now.Praise for Bravo Three Zero''A must read. Honesty, integrity and real experience that puts you in the thick of the action.'' Billy Billingham''The story that needed to be told'' Jason Fox''The attention to detail is unbelievable'' Tim Lovejoy''Thrilling'' Express

In his first memoir, beloved comedian and national treasure Bill Bailey shares stories of his life - and the animals he''s met along the way.Bill Bailey has always had dogs, including a Patterdale terrier called Rocky who would travel with him in the van to his first shows and occasionally join him on stage. Fast forward a few decades and Bill has shared his home with a variety of birds, dogs, frogs, chameleons and an armadillo called Tommy. ''We even had a giant chicken, a huge Malay cockerel called Kid Creole. After a few stand-offs he took against me. He had to go in the end, I was being stalked in my own back garden.''That chicken apart, animals have always been at the heart of an extraordinary life as one of the nation''s favourite comedians, actors, musicians and (thanks to Strictly) dancers: from terriers to the orangutans of Sumatra and the parrots that share his breakfast every morning in west London.Full of the leftfield humour, wit and wisdom that has made Bill Bailey such a beloved performer around the world, My Animals and Other Animals is the story of Bill''s life; but more than that, it''s the story of how all of our lives are enriched by the animals who accompany us on that journey.

''Terrifically twisted . . . I''m obsessed'' KATY BRENTJane and Colin are soulmates. He just doesn''t know it yet.For twenty-four-year-old Jane, finding love in New York City is even harder than making it as a playwright. So, when Jane meets Colin, a sweet software engineer, she can''t believe her luck: they''re perfect for each other. Even when Colin breaks off their blooming relationship after six dates, Jane is certain that this is just a stumbling block. She''ll get him back. She knows she will. That is, until Colin starts dating Zoe, a perfect, luminous, up-and-coming Brooklyn artist. Even worse, she''s actually kind of nice. But Zoe doesn''t have what it takes to love Colin. She''d never stay with him through thick and thin. All Jane has to do is prove it, and she and Colin will be so happy together. But when Jane sneaks into Colin''s apartment, she makes a shocking discovery - one that will ensnare them all in a complicated web of lies, secrets, and murder.Unrelentingly twisty and utterly compelling, So Happy Together is an unputdownable, shattering read for fans of You, Katy Brent and C. J. Skuse.********************************Praise for So Happy Together''Reads like your most unhinged friend''s secret diary'' ASHLEY WINSTEAD''Dark, juicy and addictive'' JENNY HOLLANDER''Laced with humour . . . with an ending that will leave you breathless'' LIV CONSTANTINE''You won''t know who to trust in this spine-tingling psychological thriller'' SARAH PEKKANEN''A twisty, obsessive thriller'' CAMILLA STEN

''Supple, horrifying and mordantly droll'' New York Times''Nothing short of brilliant'' Wall Street Journal''A subtle, often darkly funny novel about the relationship between art and power'' Sunday Times''A dazzling performance and a real page turner'' Salman RushdieFrom ''one of the brightest, most pleasure-giving writers at work today'' (Jeffrey Eugenides), a visionary tale inspired by the life of the 20th century film director G.W. Pabst, who left Europe for Hollywood to resist the Nazis and then returned to his homeland with his wife and young son and began making films for the German Reich.An artist''s life, a pact with the devil, a novel about the dangerous illusions of the silver screen.G.W. Pabst, one of cinema''s greatest, perhaps the greatest director of his era: when the Nazis seized power he was filming in France, to escape the horrors of the new Germany he flees to Hollywood. But under the blinding California sun, the world-famous director suddenly looks like a nobody. Not even Greta Garbo, who he made famous, can help him. And thus, almost through no fault of his own, he finds himself back in his homeland of Austria, which is now called Ostmark. The returning family is confronted with the barbaric nature of the regime. But Goebbels, the minister of propaganda in Berlin, wants the film genius, he won''t take no for an answer and makes big promises. While Pabst still believes that he will be able to resist these advances, that he will not submit to any dictatorship other than art, he has already taken the first steps into a hopeless entanglement.Daniel Kehlmann''s novel about art and power, beauty and barbarism is a triumph. The Director shows what literature is capable of.

**A Times best crime novel of 2025 so far**''Sharp, evocative'' Guardian''A compelling and authentic mystery that explores faith, identity, corruption, and friendship with a deft touch. Foday''s writing is vivid, thoughtful, and full of heart'' Amen AlongeWhen one of their own is found unconscious in the boot of her car, Scotland''s Sierra Leonean community is cast into a state of shock. And the young woman''s death a few days later sparks a murder investigation.Though Hawa Barrie lives on the fringes of that community, which revolves around the Lion Mountain Church, the disappearance of a second woman - her childhood friend Othella Savage - draws her in. But as the police investigation drags on, Hawa grows increasingly suspicious of the charismatic Pastor Ronald Ranka - and increasingly fearful for her friend, Othella. Desperate, she launches her own search, which will take her from Scotland to Sierra Leone and back again, revealing the true nature of Ranka''s church whilst exposing dark secrets within the fabric of both countries she calls home.A darkly compelling read inspired by a real incident, The Search for Othella Savage is an engaging and compulsive debut which examines the insidious nature of corruption - both religious and political - whilst also exploring the enduring power of friendship.READER REVIEWS''This was such a gripping read that grabbed me in its clutches and wouldn''t let me go. When life got in the way and I had to put it down, I couldn''t stop thinking about it'' ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐''A very intriguing read with multicultural aspects. . . I would recommend picking up a copy!'' ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐''I really liked this novel . . . the chapters are short and the suspense is present. The religious aspect is interesting and well written'' ⭐⭐⭐⭐

''Damien Lewis is both a meticulous historian and a born storyteller'' Lee ChildFIVE DARING ESCAPES CARRIED OUT BY THE FAMOUS FIGHTING FORCE DURING WWIIFrom the infamous 1944 desert campaign to the unforgiving terrain of the Vosges Mountains; from a perilous escape across Europe aided by Resistance networks to three Captains fleeing an Italian Prisoner of War camp in 1943, and a death-defying return to Britain via boat, tunnel and train.These inspirational true stories bring to life the do-or-die spirit of the SAS, as they faced an enemy hell-bent on wreaking vengeance.Damien Lewis has worked closely with World War Two veterans and the families of those portrayed, accessing never-before-seen wartime diaries, letters, mission reports, interrogation transcripts and more, to reveal terrifying yet astounding feats of survival from the band of elite soldiers.If you like Great Escapes Four, why not go back and discover the previous instalments in this bestselling series: Great Escapes, Great Escapes Two and Great Escapes Three.