Transworld

'A collection of stories that feel like worlds in their own right, masterworks in miniature. This book is the short story form in the hands of a master. Anna Bailey is a once-in-a-generation talent' C J Cooke Wasteland Girls is a collection of lyrical, incisive and luminous stories by the Sunday Times bestselling author of Tall Bones and Our Last Wild Days. These stunningly powerful stories explore the wildness and beauty of the American heartlands, a place where lives are lived on the margins, but also where there is dignity, hope, revenge and restitution. In 'Long Way to Come for a Sip of Water', which was shortlisted for the BBC National Short Story Award, Texan man Ready drives through a divided US to see his dying brother. Wasteland Girls, the title story, is a powerful tale of a family of hoarders, of magic and revenge. In Yukon 1940, a woman sits beside the body of her husband in a remote cabin, trapped by the frozen sea. The Girl in the Ground follows a woman who suddenly reappears after twenty years of absence, but for whom the past is a void. A widower meets a man who should died many times. Deeply atmospheric and soulful, the stories in Wasteland Girls are inspired by the author's experience of living amid the beautiful but often ferocious remote landscapes of the US, and among the wild and secretive people who inhabit them. In the vastness of the wilds, anything can happen...

Rachel (Rocky) is seemingly living her best life as the irreverent, funny beating heart of her family. Her ageing father is his unique, adorable self; daughter Willa is prone to bouts of existential angst whilst berating the fact that her mother has zero filter; husband Nick is steady, logical, sometimes infuriating. They are messy, they are flawed, they are completely, ridiculously normal. And like most normal people, Rocky worries about what might happen next. So when a former classmate of her son Jamie dies in a seemingly random accident, Rocky becomes obsessed. For if accidents can happen - and they do - is it truly safe to love anyone? Fresh, honest, laugh out loud funny and genuinely relatable, WRECK follows Rocky and her family through one rollercoaster year as they negotiate the unpredictable and beautiful messiness of life. If you love the brilliant humour and observation of Elizabeth Strout, Norah Ephron or Katherine Heiny, you will love Catherine Newman, who reminds us what it is to be beautifully messily human!

There is an invisible weapon among us. By the time you know you are a victim, it has turned you into a killer. A compelling, fast-paced, ticking clock non-fiction thriller from the author of the bestselling Nuclear War: A Scenario. A lab accident, a bio-attack, a global pandemic, and the collapse of human society. In this explosive new book, based on dozens of new interviews with experts with high-level political, governmental, medical, and military responsibility, Annie Jacobsen examines this very scenario. There is no mushroom cloud, no shock wave or blast. Instead, the scenario that could end the world as we know it begins with something so small and malicious, that when used for evil, only evil can result. This is what could happen; a roadmap to the hours, days, and weeks following the release of a biological agent, that serves as the most essential, forward-looking journalism in preparation for urgent societal upheaval.

Bad men make excellent fertilizer ... The cult Korean psychological horror tale of revenge, reinvention, and what it takes to grow back. Perfect nutrients for fans of CONVENIENCE STORE WOMAN and MY SISTER THE SERIAL KILLER In the heart of a quiet town, a young woman tends to her plant shop, but beneath the soil of her lush, green sanctuary lies something far darker.... Every garden needs a little weeding ... Tucked away in the corner of a neighbourhood in Dosan, South Korea, is the Plant Shop. Its owner Yoohee has started anew, while her meticulously grown foliage thrives under her tender care. The shop is her refuge, where petunias and marigolds bloom and the air itself is like an elixir of peace. By day, Yoohee dispenses gardening advice, but she also finds herself offering a special service out-of-hours. Women in desperation come to her about a man they hope might disappear from their lives. Because Yoohee has encountered these kinds of men in her own life, men who treated her (and her beloved plants) with utter disrespect. So as night falls, Yoohee trades her apron for a shovel and a hoe and vanishes into her moonlit garden. There, she buries not just the remains of the day, but also the bloody remnants of a few unfortunate incidents. As more men are reported missing, a determined young detective comes knocking ... Atmospheric and haunting, PLANT LADY is a subtle, humorous story of dangerous obsession and misogyny that will fertilise your deepest fears and keep you rooted right to its chilling last page.

****THE MEMOIR WHICH KICKSTARTED ANDREW MOUNTBATTEN'S FALL FROM GRACE**** 'If books can shape history, this is one.' DAILY MAIL #1 SUNDAY TIMES AND NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER ** WINNER OF THE OVERALL BOOK OF THE YEAR, BEST NARRATIVE NON-FICTION BOOK OF THE YEAR AND FREEDOM TO PUBLISH AWARD AT THE BRITISH BOOK AWARDS 2026 ** ** WINNER OF THE CAPITAL CRIME FINGERPRINT TRUE CRIME AWARD 2026** The UK's bestselling memoir. The book that's changing the world. An empowering true story of surviving abuse and fighting for justice. 'Make no mistake: this is a book about power, corruption, industrial-scale sex abuse and the way in which institutions sided with the perpetrator over his victims. . . . But it is also a book about how a young woman becomes a hero. . . . Important [and] courageous.' GUARDIAN The world knows Virginia Roberts Giuffre as Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell's most outspoken victim: the woman whose decision to speak out helped send both serial abusers to prison, whose photograph with Prince Andrew catalyzed his fall from grace. This is her story. In April 2025, Giuffre took her own life. She left behind a memoir written in the years preceding her death and stated unequivocally that she wanted it published. Nobody's Girl is the riveting and powerful story of an ordinary girl who would grow up to confront extraordinary adversity. Here, Giuffre offers an unsparing and definitive account of her time with Epstein and Maxwell, who trafficked her and others to numerous prominent men. She also details the molestation she suffered as a child, as well as her daring escape from Epstein and Maxwell's grasp at nineteen. Giuffre remade her life from scratch and summoned the courage to waive anonymity and not only hold her abusers to account but also advocate for other victims. The pages of Nobody's Girl preserve her voice-and her legacy-forever. Nobody's Girl is an astonishing affirmation of Giuffre's unshakable will-first, to claw her way out of victimhood, and then to shine light on wrongdoing and fight for a safer, fairer world. Equal parts intimate and fierce, it is a remarkable narrative of fortitude in the face of depravity and despair.

In this gripping interactive crime novel, YOU are the detective. At the end of every chapter, YOU decide what to do next… A village of secrets. You arrive at the heart of a remote forest to investigate the murder of a young woman, found dead inside an ancient stone circle. She's a rock singer, who was filming a music video. Now her bandmates are suspects, along with the eccentric locals. No one is telling the truth. There's just one problem: they all have water-tight alibis, and many villagers believe the singer was actually killed by the 'Stone Warden' - a figure from local folklore who haunts the forest. Only YOU can solve the mystery. Decide who to interview, decode the strange symbols written on the stone circle, and uncover what the villagers are hiding behind closed doors. Will your choices catch the killer - or will they be your downfall?

The next chapter of human history should not be written by algorithms, it should be written by us. It is only by fully understanding how data has shaped our past that we can decide what role it plays in our future. 'The new history of mankind demanded by our times... This book asks what we will do about data now that we have no choice but to do something' Jaron Lanier, author of Ten Arguments for Deleting Your Social Media Right Now 'Breathtaking in its scope and enormously fulfilling in its depth, this book is profoundly fascinating' Lewis Dartnell, author of Being Human We live in an era when trading our information for access can feel harmless or inevitable - yet from targeted advertising to mass surveillance, data shapes the course of our lives. How did it gain the power it now holds over us? Long before writing existed, at the dawn of civilisation in Mesopotamia, rulers pressed marks into clay to keep track of land, people and grain. To rule, they had to keep count. It is no accident, then, that the first written name in human history was neither a god nor a king, but an accountant. As ships and navigation expanded our horizons, a new age of European empires took control of more than 80 per cent of the world's surface, using colonial censuses, maps and ledgers to decide who belonged, who owed, and who could be sacrificed. Today, a handful of private brokers increasingly define what we see and what is real. Taking readers from ancient cave markings and knotted strings to the algorithmic state, Dartmouth professor Roopika Risam reveals how data has always been the seed of power: a technology of control that has shaped civilizations and upheld empires. Provocative, humane and sweeping in scope, Data Empire challenges us to decide whether we will allow a new set of data empires to hardwire inequality into the next century, or fight for systems that work for the benefit of all. This groundbreaking 11,000 year history argues that empire was never just about weapons or ships - it was built on collecting information on us, to rule us. Perfect for readers of Nexus and The Age of Surveillance Capitalism.

From the UK's leading forensic scientist and Sunday Times bestselling author of All That Remains and Written in Bone: a gripping exploration of forensic science, told through often shocking real cases to assess its triumphs, failures, and future. 'No scientist communicates better.' Val McDermid, award-winning author of the Detective Karen Pirie series For over forty years, Professor Dame Sue Black has analysed criminal evidence at the highest level. As the UK's leading forensic scientist, she has stood in court as an expert witness, repeatedly putting her research and reputation on the line, all in the name of justice. Now in An Expert Witness she puts forensic science itself on trial. Drawing on shocking real cases and true crime, from historic poisonings to modern sexual offences, Sue Black traces the evolution of forensic science, from early identification methods to more recent breakthroughs such as DNA profiling, Sue's own vein identification research, and the emerging role of artificial intelligence in criminal investigation. She shows where science has delivered justice, and where failures have led to devastating consequences, including wrongful convictions such as that of Andrew Malkinson, imprisoned for seventeen years for a crime he did not commit. As she reflects on life serving as an expert witness, Sue looks back at landmark cases to tell the story of forensic science, ask questions for its future, and explain why this book marks the close of a defining chapter in one of the most extraordinary careers in modern forensic science.

Bo is determined to live his own life in his own way. But his son has other ideas... Bo lives a quiet existence in his small rural village in the north of Sweden. He is elderly and his days are punctuated by visits from his care team and his son. Fortunately, he still has his rich memories, phone calls with his best friend, and his beloved dog Sixten for company. Only now his son is insisting the dog must be taken away. The very same son that Bo is wanting to mend his relationship with before his time is up. The threat of losing Sixten stirs up a whirlwind of emotions and makes Bo determined to resist and find his voice...

She doesn't know the offside rule. She does know falling for a footballer is a terrible idea...The perfect summer read for anyone swept up in football fever, Abby Offsides is a slow-burn, friends-to-lovers romance packed with sparkling banter, forbidden chemistry and one very swoony Scottish footballer. Abby McIntyre doesn't care about soccer - sorry, football. She only took the marketing job at Mersey FC to escape her cheating fiancé in Boston. Now she's in a new country, with no social life and an Instagram feed full of men in tiny shorts. Enter Lachlan Ramsay: world-famous footballer, owner of killer abs and a delicious Scottish accent. Abby's sure all footballers are players, but Lachlan takes her by surprise: he's kind, funny, and lonely too. Abby isn't looking for love, and players are strictly off limits if she wants to keep her job. She's happy being Lachlan's friend - until she's evicted from her flat and he invites her to move into his penthouse. With her new life on the line, can Abby keep her heart in play without getting caught offside?

One last letter. His dying wish. A promise that will change everything…A stunning deluxe edition of the bestselling love story that has shattered a million hearts. Prepare to ugly cry over this devastating slow-burn romance that will shatter your heart and stitch it back together piece by piece. Beckett, If you're reading this, well, you know the last-letter drill. You made it. I didn't. I need one thing from you: get out of the army and get to Telluride. My little sister Ella's there, raising the twins alone. If I'm gone, that means I can't be there for her. I can't help them through this. But you can. So I'm begging you, as my best friend, go take care of my sister, my family. Please don't make her go through it alone. Ryan When Beckett follows his best friend's dying wish and arrives in the small mountain town of Telluride, he expects grief, guilt, and the weight of a promise he's not sure he can keep. What he doesn't expect is Ella. Fiercely independent and determined to hold her family together, Ella is still reeling from loss after loss. But as Beckett slowly becomes part of her life, their shared grief begins to turn into something neither of them saw coming. But Ella knows that loving Beckett means risking heartbreak all over again…and this time she's not sure she'll survive. Perfect for readers who love: Emotional romances that make you cry Slow-burn love stories Small-town romance Military romance Single parent romance Found family Dual POV The Last Letter is an epic slow-burn love story that will break your heart before putting it back together again. Perfect for fans of Colleen Hoover, Nicholas Sparks, and Abby Jimenez.

HOW MUCH IS YOUR SUFFERING WORTH? An unmissable, thought-provoking new thriller - this book will blow your mind. Perfect for fans of VOX, The Power and The School for Good Mothers. Why should you suffer when she can do it for you? A revolutionary company can free you from your unwanted emotions. Jealousy, grief, despair. If you can afford to, you need never feel them again. In your place is a Carrier - a woman who is paid to process your pain. In a world full of suffering, there is no shortage of demand. But this company has secrets. The true cost of your freedom is a Carrier's life. Would you let her pay the price?

December 1984. SIS field asset Heidi Sperling [codename Thistle] exfiltrates from East Berlin with the sole copy of a critical intelligence leak: a naval log containing a solitary message received from a previously unidentified Soviet submarine. Incredulously - impossibly - it seems the vessel, known only as TK-15, has been sitting motionless and undetected in the waters between Scotland and Iceland for three whole years. And now this latest message reads: ACTIVE. Picked up by the Royal Navy's submarine HMS Viking, Heidi is thrust into a 'black ops' mission: find TK15 and neutralise it at any cost. But as her only ally on board the Viking falls sick, she realises this modified vessel is far more than a Soviet experiment to gain an upper hand in the nuclear arms race. Here, in the crushing depths of the North Atlantic, it seems something darker has awoken - something that cannot be contained by any superpower. As Heidi's own reality twists around her, an unknowable force cripples the Viking's defences and drives its crew to madness. Trapped in the deep, Heidi has no choice but to find a way to save the remaining crew and stop TK-15 for good, before it steals what's left of her mind . . .

Never go out at night. Lock the doors. Ignore the screams. Those are the rules Aesira lives by to survive the monsters that stalk her village. But everything changes when it's revealed she's been born with the power to fight the vampires she's spent her life fearing. Aesira is thrust into the elite and secretive League of Assassins, where mercy is weakness and fear is forbidden. Now her survival depends on her ruthless trainer, Vander - the most dangerous assassin of them all. And the only thing more lethal than his blade is the desire he awakens in her. Because the greatest threat in Nighthaven might not be the monsters lurking in the dark… It might be him.

THIS PRINCESS IS GOING TO SAVE HERSELF Discover a world of forbidden magic, court politics and sacrifice in this enchanting new myth retelling from the Sunday Times bestselling author, perfect for fans of Katherine Arden and Naomi Novik. The Kingdom of Calestra was built on blood. Every spring, when the snow melts in the mountains, one young woman is chosen by lot to be sacrificed to the Great Dragon. As the Maiden Sacrifice draws near once more, three women stand at the heart of its brutal ritual: Cressyda, desperate and trapped, Alinore, torn between duty and rebellion and Maylie, whose secrets burn hotter than dragonfire. Together, they carry the power to shatter a treaty written in blood and ash. Yet freedom comes at a cost, and first they must face the ancient fury of the Great Dragon. The sacrifice is coming. But this time, the maidens refuse to burn. Prepare for… ancient dragons lady knights cunning princesses castle libraries fierce fairy folk forbidden magic and much more!

Nature wants to heal, and we can help. When Earth's ecosystems fall out of harmony, the damage can spiral out of control. But what if we could help nature to regain its balance? As a leading ecologist, Professor Thomas Crowther studies not just how species work in isolation, but how complex ecosystems regulate themselves. When nature's cycles are allowed to build momentum, each species can create the conditions to allow others to thrive. From the birth of galaxies to the creation of life, the greatest transformations in our universe have been driven by quiet, self-reinforcing processes known as feedback loops. Drawing on cutting-edge ecological science, gripping personal narrative and initiatives already happening around the world, Nature's Echo shows how natural feedback loops have astonishing power to rebound, even with minor intervention. If we can only realize how integral we are to this highly interconnected natural world, we will re-discover the path to a better future.