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THE TIMES BOOKS TO LOOK OUT FOR IN 2025'Stephen May has a nose for fascinating historical events' The Times'Very fine and fun novel' The Spectator'Skilfully orchestrates a large cast of both historical and fictional characters' Financial Times'The spry, sardonic voice of the new historical fiction' Hilary Mantel'Vivid and wholly credible recreation of post-Great War London' Robert Edric'Intrigue, betrayal, redemption' Rachel SeiffertDavid Lloyd George is at Chequers for the weekend with his mistress Frances Stevenson, fretting about the fact that his involvement in selling public honours is about to be revealed by one Victor Grayson. Victor is a bisexual hedonist and former firebrand socialist MP turned secret-service informant. Intent on rebuilding his profile as the leader of the revolutionary Left, he doesn’t know exactly how much of a hornet’s nest he’s stirred up. Doesn’t know that this is, in fact, his last day. No one really knows what happened to Victor Grayson – he vanished one night in late September 1920, having threatened to reveal all he knew about the prime minister’s involvement in selling honours. Was he murdered by the British government? By enemies in the socialist movement (who he had betrayed in the war)? Did he fall in the Thames drunk? Did he vanish to save his own life, and become an antiques dealer in Ken? hatever the truth, Green Ink imagines what might have been with brio, humour and humanity; and is a reminder that the past was once as alive as we are today.

'Astounding ... A haunting tale of guilt' The Telegraph, Five Star Review'An unforgettable portrait of a singular woman and her frenzied efforts to launder her unsavoury past' Literary Review'A harrowing but elegantly constructed rot-riddled family romance' Financial Times'Devastatingly effective' The Times‘In her debut novel, a historian of Vichy France tackles her family's real-life collaboration during the Second World War’ New Yorker Best Books of the Year'Full of so many secrets that it's a wonder she managed to write it all' New York Times'Shows why historical fiction matters, how stories breathe life into forgotten moments ... Haunting' Cara Black, author of Three Hours in ParisIn a grand Paris apartment, a young girl attends gatherings regularly organised by her mother. They talk about clothes and exchange the day's gossip, but the mood grows dark when they start to talk about her past, and the great love she is said to have known during the Second World War. When the girl grows up, she looks into the enigmatic figures in and around her family. Who was the man her mother fell in love with before the war? Why did they zealously collaborate with the Nazi occupiers of France? And why did they remain for decades afterwards obsessive devotees of that lost caus? n The Propagandist, a historian of Vichy France investigates the secrets, lies and omissions in her own family in the way she has investigated those of France itself. It is a masterpiece of psychological insight, revealing how people can spend a lifetime deceiving themselves, rather than confront their own past. READER REVIEWS'A brilliant piece of fiction that unequivocally deserves five stars''Beautifully written''Nearly impossible to set down''Fascinating and complex'

Shortlisted for the Costa First Novel AwardThe 'English' of this novel are a particular kind of family. Their ailing patriarch is Phillip Prys, the once-famous writer unexpectedly eclipsed first by voguish Salman Rushdie, and second by a massive stroke. His third wife, Shirin, pads through their house in Hampstead, resolute in the face of Myfanwy, first spouse, who returns with all the subtlety of a stormy weather front to manage Phillip's care. Their children, Jake and Juliet, have each retreated towards drugs and food, their already strained relationship with their father unable to bear this latest rupture. And to cap it all, it's the hottest summer anyone can remember. Enter Struan. Built like a heron, fresh from Scotland, he is thrust -- quite literally -- into the bosom of the family as Phillip's 17-year-old nurse. He's had experience of death, but not of London. It's a foreign country, with foreign food and foreign customs. But it also has a kind of magic. As he comes under the influence of each Prys, his life begins to change in ways he could never have imagined. And so, in the meantime, do theirs. . .

'A superb and compelling espionage drama inside the Iran Israel shadow war by the top spy thrillerist of these wild turbulent times' Simon Sebag Montefiore'A great spy writer' Tim ShipmanWhat happens when a spy is forced to reckon with the consequences of his deceptio? amran Esfahani, a Persian Jewish dentist from Stockholm, dreams of starting afresh in California. To finance his new life, he agrees to spy for Mossad in Iran, working with a clandestine unit tasked with sowing chaos and sabotage inside the country. When he’s captured by Iranian security forces, Kamran is compelled to confess his experiences as a spy, in a testimonial dealing not only with the security of nations, but also with revenge, deceit, and the power of love and forgiveness in a world of lies. Mixing suspense with strikingly cinematic action, David McCloskey takes readers deep into the shadow war between Iran and Israel, delivering propulsive storytelling and riveting tradecraft. THE FOURTH NOVEL FROM FORMER CIA OFFICER, THE REST IS CLASSIFIED PODCAST CO-HOST AND THE BESTSELLING AUTHOR OF ***THE TIMES THRILLER OF THE YEAR***DAMASCUS STATION (‘One of the best spy thrillers in years’ THE TIMES) AND ***SUNDAY TIMES BOOK OF THE YEAR*** MOSCOW XREADER REVIEWS'A brilliant gripping read. This is one of his best books''An excellent read from the pen of one who has been there and done it all, especially in light of current events in the Middle East.''This is the best book I have read in years. A superb spy novel.''Couldn’t put it down, this is an amazing book...This is a must read from a great writer!'

From the award-winning author of An Everlasting Meal comes a record of daily delights from inside the kitchen and just outside it; designed to help you find joy every day. From the pleasure of picking sun-warmed cherries to the comfort of a perfectly cooked meal, Adler's reflections range from short, lyrical musings - a series of phrases, a list of words, a quick poem - to longer, thought-provoking meditations. All in all, they represent the kitchen (and adjacent) happinesses of one year. Step into a world where cooking becomes a meditative, soothing retreat. Adler brings her signature warmth and poetic charm to this daily devotional of sorts. With her gentle guidance, even the most routine kitchen tasks become opportunities for reflection. Her voice is like a trusted friend's-knowledgeable, comforting, and endlessly inspiring.

The idea that conservatism amounts to little more than being in favour of free market capitalism and a small state—widely held for decades—is seriously mistaken.Award-winning political theorist Yoram Hazony argues that the best hope for Western democracy is to return to a genuine conservatism that is distinct from the hollow promises of contemporary economic and social liberalism. He explains how this great Anglo-American conservative tradition – rooted in empiricism, faith and the nation – emerged and developed in England in the thought of men like Richard Hooker and Edmund Burke, and later inspired American figures ranging from the Federalists to Lincoln. He analyses how this tradition was corrupted and subverted from the 1960s onwards by the right’s misconceived embrace of ‘fusionism’ and liberalism, and how it can be revived today to respond to an era of progressive hegemony.Reflecting on his own first-hand experiences - and the importance of personal behaviour, piety and virtue in rebuilding the culture and politics of conservatism – Hazony makes a powerful counter-cultural case for a revivified conservatism that no-one dissatisfied with the current state of the political right can afford to miss.

'Satisfyingly violent' The Times, Best Crime Fiction of 2025 So Far'Sprightly and elegantly written mystery' The Daily Telegraph'A marvellous literary thriller' Clare Chase'A clever and refreshing take on the mystery novel' Jo Silv? n post-war Oxford, secrets lie behind every door. In 1947, with rationing still biting and the black market thriving, university don C.S. ‘Jack’ Lewis finds himself pulled into a mystery straight from one of his friend Dorothy Sayers’ novels. Susan Temple, his brightest student, has hidden herself away at Rake Hall — a hostel for unmarried, outcast mothers – and hasn’t been heard from since. With no experience beyond catching the occasional student plagiarist, Lewis is hardly a detective. But when Susan’s absence continues to haunt him, he teams up with her concerned friend Lucy and together they delve into the disturbing rumours of a nasty racket at Rake Hall. Can Lewis’s nose for the truth separate fact from fictio? n The Mystery at Rake Hall, Maureen Paton – whose mother lived at the real-life Rake Hall while pregnant with Maureen – brilliantly recreates a post-war Oxford world, as well as imagining an alternative life for one of its most famous residents. RAVE READER REVIEWS'An homage to post war Oxford ... an entertaining read with a mystery to solve''Blends historical authenticity with a compelling "whodunit"''Very easy to read, a page-turner and a real sense of Oxford''I loved this mystery .. the author brought to life the time beautifully … I cannot wait to see what she offers for her second book but this one will be hard to top''An enjoyable, atmospheric and very cosy read''A famous real-life writer solving a mystery … I really enjoyed it'

‘A superb, sexy sequel to Presumed Innocent’ Sunday Times‘A legend of suspense fiction’ Steve Cavanagh‘The master of the courtroom drama’ Daniel Silva‘A writer with few peers in any genre’ David BaldacciDaily Mail Books to Watch 2025The Times Best Thrillers of 2025 So FarIn a sequel to Presumed Innocent, the book that redefined the legal thriller, judge and lawyer Rusty Sabich returns to the courtroom to defend his step-son against a racially-charged murder indictment as the boy’s life – and perhaps Rusty’s last chance at happiness – hang in the balance. Rusty is a retired judge attempting a third act in life with a loving soon-to-be wife, Bea, with whom he shares both a restful home on an idyllic lake in the rural Midwest and a plaintive hope that this marriage will be his best, and his last. But the peace that’s taken Rusty so long to find evaporates when Bea’s young adult son, Aaron, living under their supervision while on probation for drug possession, disappears. If Aaron doesn’t return soon, he will be sent back to jail. Aaron eventually turns up with a vague story about a camping trip with his troubled girlfriend, Mae, that ended in a fight and a long hitchhike home. Days later, when she still hasn’t returned, suspicion falls on Aaron, and when Mae is subsequently discovered dead, Aaron is arrested and set for trial on charges of first degree murder. Faced with few choices and even fewer hopes, Bea begs Rusty to return to court one last time, to defend her son and to save their last best hope for happiness. For Rusty, the question is not whether to defend Aaron, or whether the boy is in fact innocent – it’s whether the system to which he has devoted his life can ever provide true justice for those who are presumed guilty. 5* READER REVIEWS'Absolutely brilliant''Scott Turow at his very best''A great legal thriller ... Kept me riveted''Fantastic. It will draw you in from the first page''Scott Turow is the master of the legal, court room drama''A masterpiece - one of the best legal thrillers I have read''This is what you call a proper legal thriller'

Is it football any more?''Fascinating and persuasive'' The Herald‘Everyone involved in the VAR controversy should read this short, beautifully-written book and think again’ Sir Michael BarberIn 2019, the English Premier League introduced the Video Assistant Referee (VAR), a way of using technology to review and correct the on-field referee’s decisions. It’s been a disaster: players hate it, managers hate it, pundits line up to pour scorn on its decisions, and fans have coined the chant ‘it’s not football any more’ to describe its effect on the game.Almost every other sport in the world has managed to integrate technology into its decision-making process. Why is football failing so badly? Is it a special case, or have the game’s authorities got something wrong? And what does the controversy about VAR tell us about the nature of authority, rationality and technology in the 21st century?

Ireland, under both the Irish Free State and after full independence, has now had just over 100 years of autonomous national political leadership.This book, based on Iain Dale’s blockbuster podcast, tells the story of Irish politics over the past century by examining the lives and actions of each Irish Taoiseach, from W.T. Cosgrave to Micheál Martin. 15 leading Irish historians, journalists and politicians write essays on each of these figures, showing in the process how Ireland developed from a poor ex-colony to a successful, modern country at the heart of the European Union. In the process, the contributors examine the importance of topics such as the power of the Roman Catholic Church, changing social mores, Ireland’s relationship with the UK, and its economic development.This is a must read for anyone interested in Irish politics at a time of potential far-reaching change for the republic.

Thick with owls and badgers, oak trees and wood piles, scarecrows and ghosts, and Tom Cox''s loud and excitable dad, this book is full of the folklore of several counties the ancient kind and the everyday variety as well as wild places, mystical spots and curious objects. Emerging from this focus on the detail are themes that are broader and bigger and more important than ever.Tom''s writing treads a new path, one that has a lot in common with a rambling country walk; it''s bewitched by fresh air and big skies, intrepid in minor ways, haunted by weather and old stories and the spooky edges of the outdoors, restless and prone to a few detours, but it always reaches its destination in the end.

A hill is not a mountain. You climb it for you, then you put it quietly inside you, in a cupboard marked ''Quite A Lot Of Hills'' where it makes its infinitesimal mark on who you are. Ring the Hill is a book written around, and about, hills: it includes a northern hill, a hill that never ends and the smallest hill in England. Each chapter takes a type of hill - whether it''s a knoll, cap, cliff, tor or even a mere bump - as a starting point for one of Tom''s characteristically unpredictable and wide-ranging explorations. Tom''s lyrical, candid prose roams from an intimate relationship with a particular cove on the south coast, to meditations on his great-grandmother and a lesson on what goes into the mapping of hills themselves. Because a good walk in the hills is never just about the hills: you never know where it might lead.

''A brilliantly eclectic mix of dark, unsettling tales'' Joanne Burn, author of The Bone Hunters''Guaranteed to give you goosebumps'' Best Magazine''Atmospheric collection of spooky stories'' Observer''A lovely present'' The Spectator''Inspired by all the great ghost story writers'' BBC Open Book Editor''s Pick''Tis the season to be hauntingAn unexpected and unwelcome voice on the world’s first radio broadcast in 1908. A son who won’t stop messaging his family on Facebook, although he’s been dead for quite some time now. A frozen forest in a far north land where the sinister elf-kin lurk in the snow.A Scottish island where the locals make very sure their old folk don’t go hungry through the long winter.Over the past two decades Adam Macqueen has sent a Haunted Tale to his family in place of a Christmas card. A collection in the grand tradition of ghost stories – to be read by the fire in the depths of winter – it proves that terror lurks in many places, and the dead take on infinite guises . . .READER REVIEWS''Spine-chilling''''Dark and twisty''''Pleasing terrors indeed''‘An awesome collection … I loved how each story had its unique twist’ ‘An amazingly spooky collection … Excellent’‘What a wonderfully weird and unsettling collection of short stories this is!’‘Fabulous … I can''t recommend this book enough’

'These markings of ink and paper will one day be the only proof that I have existed in this world. That I lived and breathed' Maine, 1789: When the Kennebec River freezes, entombing a man in the ice, Martha Ballard is summoned to examine the body and determine cause of death. As a midwife and healer, she is privy to much of what goes on behind closed doors in Hallowell. Her diary is a record of every birth and death, crime and debacle that unfolds in the close-knit community. Months earlier, Martha documented the details of an alleged rape committed by two of the town's most respected gentlemen-one of whom has now been found dead in the ice. But when a local physician undermines her conclusion, declaring the death to be an accident, Martha is forced to investigate the shocking murder on her own. Over the course of one winter, as the trial nears, and whispers and prejudices mount, Martha doggedly pursues the truth. Her diary soon lands at the center of the scandal, implicating those she loves, and compelling Martha to decide where her own loyalties lie. Clever, layered, and subversive, Ariel Lawhon's newest offering introduces an unsung heroine who refused to accept anything less than justice at a time when women were considered best seen and not heard. The Frozen River is a thrilling, tense, and tender story about a remarkable woman who left an unparalleled legacy yet remains nearly forgotten to this day.

On October 7th, 2023, Hamas terrorists stormed Kibbutz Be’eri, shattering the peaceful life Eli Sharabi had built with his British wife, Lianne, and their teenage daughters, Noiya and Yahel. Dragged barefoot out of his front door while his family watched in horror, Sharabi was plunged into the suffocating darkness of Gaza’s tunnels, where he endured 491 days in captivity. As war raged above him, Sharabi held onto the hope that he would be reunited with his loved ones.In the first memoir by a released Israeli hostage, and the fastest-selling book in Israel’s history, Sharabi offers a searing firsthand account of survival under unimaginable conditions — starvation, isolation, physical beatings, and psychological abuse at the hands of his captors.Eli Sharabi’s story is one of hunger and heartache, of physical pain, longing, loneliness and a helplessness that threatens to destroy the soul. But it is also a story of strength, of resilience, and of the human spirit’s refusal to surrender. It is about the camaraderie forged in captivity, the quiet power of faith, and one man’s unrelenting decision to choose life, time and time again.Reminiscent of Elie Wiesel’s Night, Hostage is a profound witness to history, so that it shall be neither forgotten nor erased.

Asher Baum is quietly losing his mind. Can you blame him?''Maybe what I really want is to make sense of all people’s lives. Of everything, the whole shebang''A middle-aged Jewish journalist turned novelist and playwright, consumed with anxiety about everything under the sun, Baum''s turgid philosophical books receive tepid reviews and his prestigious New York publisher has dropped him. His third marriage is on the rocks and he suspects his handsome and successful younger brother may have seduced his Harvard-educated wife. He is uneasy with her close relationship with her son, a more successful author than he, and suspicious of her closeness with their neighbour in Connecticut. And in a moment of irrationality, he has impulsively tried to kiss a pretty young journalist during an interview that she is about to go public with.Is it any wonder Baum has started talking to himself? Strangers shake their heads and walk around him on the street. Meanwhile he learns a startling secret that could cause havoc should he expose it. Should he keep it to himself or reveal it and blow up his marriage?What''s with Baum? is Woody Allen''s first novel and it is everything you would expect of him--and more. A portrait of an intellectual crippled by neurotic concerns about the futility and emptiness of life; an amusing glimpse into the New York publishing establishment; above all, a highly entertaining, tightly plotted, beautifully wrought piece of fiction from one of America''s greatest and most versatile cinematic and literary talents.