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From the #1 New York Times and Sunday Times bestselling author of Quicksilver comes a contemporary dark romance. What happens in the dark never stays in the dark.As one of Seattle's most dangerous, feared men, Zeth Mayfair has always carried out the jobs he's sent on without a second thought. Drugs? Guns? Dirty money? They're all fair game. But when Zeth's employer crosses a dangerous line, Zeth's usually uncomplicated life suddenly becomes very complicated indeed. And his biggest complication goes by the name of Sloane Romera. ​Sloane is desperate to find her missing sister, but all doors leading into the seedy underworld that took her are firmly closed in Sloane's face. Sloane's a trauma doctor: she wants information, a diagnosis, a plan. What she really needs is help ... but she'll also need to pay a price. Zeth is terrifying, scandalously hot and comes fully loaded with a terrible attitude and wicked smile. He also looks like he's Sloane's only hope. Getting his help will require Sloane to risk everything ... including her heart. YOUR FAVOURITE TROPES⛓ brooding anti-hero🖤 good girl x bad boy🔐 hate to love⛓ touch her and d*e‍❤️‍🔥 mutual obsessionContent guidance: Blood & Roses is a dark romance series that contains explicit content and heavy themes intended for mature audiences. Readers are strongly encouraged to consider their personal sensitivities. This book contains: graphic violence, human trafficking, murder, psychological abuse, coercion, child abuse, substance abuse and addiction and BDSM. READERS LOVE BLOOD & ROSES:'Hot, fast, dirty, action packed and dangerous!! This book has it all' ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐'I'm addicted!' ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐'This book is amazing, a perfect deep, dark read' ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 'This series changed my brain chemistry' ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐'One of the best series I've ever read' ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

*** WINNER OF THE CWA SAPERE BOOKS HISTORICAL DAGGER 2021 ***'The leading character is the deftly drawn Persis Wadia, the country's first female detective. She's a wonderful creation and this is a hugely enjoyable book' ANN CLEEVES'This is historical crime fiction at its best - a compelling mix of social insight and complex plotting with a thoroughly engaging heroine. A highly promising new series' Mail on Sunday Bombay, New Year's Eve, 1949As India celebrates the arrival of a momentous new decade, Inspector Persis Wadia stands vigil in the basement of Malabar House, home to the city's most unwanted unit of police officers. Six months after joining the force she remains India's first female police detective, mistrusted, sidelined and now consigned to the midnight shift.And so, when the phone rings to report the murder of prominent English diplomat Sir James Herriot, the country's most sensational case falls into her lap.As 1950 dawns and India prepares to become the world's largest republic, Persis, accompanied by Scotland Yard criminalist Archie Blackfinch, finds herself investigating a case that is becoming more political by the second. Navigating a country and society in turmoil, Persis, smart, stubborn and untested in the crucible of male hostility that surrounds her, must find a way to solve the murder - whatever the cost.

Afflicted by classic paranoia, the self-styled Master and God sees enemies everywhere. As he vents his suspicions, no one is safe.A reluctant hero, Gaius Vinius Clodianus is hand-picked for high rank in the Praetorian Guard a brave man striving for decency in a world of corruption and deceit.Flavia Lucilla, tending the privileged women at court, hears the intimate secrets of a ruler who plays with the lives of his subjects as if he were indeed a careless god.In the dark shadow of Domitian's reign, Clodianus and Lucilla play out their own complex tale of resilience, friendship and love.Unwilling witnesses to Domitian's descent into insanity, these ordinary people must choose between their sworn duty to protect the Emperor and an act of courage that will change the future of Rome.

⭐ Shortlisted for the Booker Prize 2025 ⭐ ⭐ Winner of the Walter Scott Prize for Historical Fiction 2025 ⭐⭐ Winner of the Winston Graham Historical Prize 2025 ⭐ A book of the year for the Independent, Guardian, i Newspaper, Good Housekeeping'Has an uncanny beauty and depth... A novel that travels into the darkest places of history and the strangest corners of the human mind'GUARDIAN, Summer reads'Tender, elegant, soulful and perfect. A novel that hits your cells and can be felt there, without your brain really knowing what's happened to it. Superb'SAMANTHA HARVEY, Booker Prize-winning author of Orbital'Delicate and devastating'I PAPER'Incredibly satisfying'FINANCIAL TIMES'A novel of dazzling humanity and captivating, crystalline prose'MAIL ON SUNDAYDECEMBER 1962, THE WEST COUNTRY.Local doctor Eric Parry, mulling secrets, sets out on his rounds, while his pregnant wife sleeps on in the warmth of their cottage. Across the field, funny, troubled Rita Simmons is also asleep, her head full of images of a past life her husband prefers to ignore. He's been up for hours, tending to the needs of the small dairy farm where he hoped to create a new version of himself, a project that's already faltering.But when the ordinary cold of an English December gives way to violent blizzards, the two couples find their lives beginning to unravel.Where do you hide when you can't leave home? And where, in a frozen world, can you run to?More praise for The Land in Winter'Perfect'OBSERVER'Beautifully done'THE TIMES'Psychologically acute . . . For 200 impeccable pages Miller gives us four intensely imagined inner lives... gripping'TIMES LITERARY SUPPLEMENT'I loved The Land in Winter . . . There were moments I thought of Penelope Fitzgerald - that moment I have always loved in The Beginning of Spring when the birch trees seem to grow hands - those liminal moments that are kind of beyond words, or explanation, but Miller finds them anyway. It's a thing of rare beauty'RACHEL JOYCE, author of The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry'An exquisite achievement, luminously written, full of wonder at the diversity and strangeness of human experience.'FRANCIS SPUFFORD, author of Golden Hill'Disruptive and graceful beyond anything I've read'SARAH HALL, author of Helm'Sentence after sentence, The Land in Winter is beautifully intricate, deeply moving, and utterlyabsorbing' CLAIRE FULLER, author of Unsettled GroundPraise for Andrew Miller'Andrew Miller's writing is a source of wonder and delight'HILARY MANTEL'One of our most skilful chroniclers of the human heart and mind'SUNDAY TIMES'A writer of very rare and outstanding gifts'INDEPENDENT ON SUNDAY'A highly intelligent writer, both exciting and contemplative'THE TIMES'A wonderful storyteller'SPECTATOR

A priceless manuscript. A missing scholar. A trail of riddles.Bombay, 1950For over a century, one of the world's great treasures, a six-hundred-year-old copy of Dante's The Divine Comedy, has been safely housed at Bombay's Asiatic Society. But when it vanishes, together with the man charged with its care, British scholar and war hero, John Healy, the case lands on Inspector Persis Wadia's desk.Uncovering a series of complex riddles written in verse, Persis - together with English forensic scientist Archie Blackfinch - is soon on the trail. But then they discover the first body.As the death toll mounts it becomes evident that someone else is also pursuing this priceless artefact and will stop at nothing to possess it . . .Harking back to an era of darkness, this second thriller in the Malabar House series pits Persis, once again, against her peers, a changing India, and an evil of limitless intent.Gripping, immersive, and full of Vaseem Khan's trademark wit, this is historical fiction at its finest.

'Yrsa is a magnificent writer' Karin Slaughter'The queen of Icelandic thriller writers' GuardianA chilling note written by a thirteen-year-old predicting the deaths of six people is found in a time capsule, ten years after it was buried. Can it be a real threat?Detective Huldar turns to psychologist Freyja to help understand the child who hid the message.But the discovery of the letter coincides with a string of murders. All of the victims match the initials from the note.Huldar and Freyja must race to identify the writer and the murderer, before the rest of the targets are killed...'One of the best books I've read for a long time: dark, creepy, and gripping from beginning to end.' Stuart MacBride'Will give you thrills and chills in equal measures.' Cosmopolitan

Being given yet another pointless 'man manual' that told him fifty ways to tie a bow tie in under 30 seconds made James May, co-presenter of The Grand Tour, certain there was a need for another kind of book. This book, in fact. He reckons there are nine vital things that a chap should be able to do. Not stuff you can download from the internet, but really important things. You never know when you might need to land an A330 Airbus, or deliver twins. And there may well be a moment when being able to play a bit of classical music on the piano is absolutely crucial to your success with women. So read, learn and be prepared - you'll wonder how you ever lived without it.

Top Gear's James May is back with his hilarious and controversial opinions on . . . just about everything.As well as writing about his first love, cars, James has a go at political correctness, the endless rules and regulations of daily life, the internal combustion engine and traffic wardens. He discusses gastropubs, Jeremy Clarkson and other trials of modern life.His highly entertaining observations from behind the wheel will have you laughing out loud, whether you share his opinions, or not.Car Fever is an indispensable guide to life for the modern driver.

'Kay is a genius' Brandon SandersonReturning to the near-Renaissance world of A Brightness Long Ago and Children of Earth and Sky, international bestselling author Guy Gavriel Kay tells a story of vengeance, power, and love.On a dark night along a lonely stretch of coast, a small ship, the Silver Wake, sends two people ashore to a stony strand. Their purpose is assassination. They have been hired to do this by two of the most dangerous men alive. The consequences will affect so many lives both great and small, and possibly alter the balance of power in the world.One of those arriving on that night strand is a woman abducted by corsairs from her home as a child, escaping that fate, that destiny, years after, now trying to chart her own course - and bent upon revenge. Another figure, on the boat, bringing it to meet the secretive landing party at the city where they are going, is a merchant who still remembers being exiled as a child with his family from their home, for their faith.Returning triumphantly to the brilliantly evoked near-Renaissance world of his most recent novels, international bestseller Guy Gavriel Kay deploys his signature 'quarter turn to the fantastic' to offer readers a wide-ranging, vividly memorable set of characters in a story of vengeance, power, and love, built around profoundly contemporary themes of exile, loss, and memory.In a narrative of page-turning drama, All the Seas of the World also offers moving reflections on choices, fate, and the random events that can shape our lives.

From the bestselling Sunday Times author of The Goodbye Man, discover Jeffery Deaver's thrilling series that is now a major NBC TV series.Can Lincoln Rhyme catch a diabolical killer in a world of truth and lies? A killer flees the scene of a homicide at a prestigious Manhattan music school and locks himself in a classroom. Within minutes, the police have him surrounded. A scream rings out, followed by a gunshot. The police break down the door. The room is empty.Perplexed, the police bring in Lincoln Rhyme and Amelia Sachs to investigate. For the ambitious Sachs, solving the case could earn her a promotion. For the quadriplegic Rhyme, it means relying on his protégé to ferret out a master illusionist. Dubbed The Conjurer, this fiendish killer baits them with murders that become more and more diabolical with every crime.As the fatalities rise and the minutes tick down, the pair must move beyond the smoke and mirrors to prevent a terrifying act of vengeance that could become the greatest vanishing act of all.'Deaver is the master puzzler' Sunday Telegraph

Martin Watts, a bookseller, is captured by Royalists. Jane Afton's brother Nat is taken too. They suffer inhumane treatment as prisoners-of-war.In Oxford Castle jailor William Smith tortures, beats, starves and deprives his helpless victims. Can Jane rescue her sick brother before he dies of neglect? Will Martin dare to escape?Based on real events in the English Civil War, Lindsey Davis retells the grim tale of Captain Smith's abuse of power in Oxford prison - where many died in misery though a lucky few survived.

♥️ ' . . . an absolute delight . . . these are the perfect reads for a night by the fire' ♥️ ScotsmanWar is hovering on the horizon, and Dandy Gilver wants nothing more than to keep her friends and family close. But then a call in the night places her oldest friend Daisy at the centre of a murder investigation. With her friend's future on the line, Dandy and her fellow sleuth Alec Osbourne must race to prove her innocence.But when they reach the idyllic Scottish village of Dirleton, residents confirm a woman was seen at the crime scene - an ancient stone called the louping stane, still spattered with the victim's blood. And the longer the detectives spend in the village the more they question Daisy's involvement. They're not getting the answers they need, but are they asking the right questions? . . .

'Andrew Taylor is a master story-teller' Daily Telegraph From the No.1 bestselling author of The Ashes of London and The Fire Court, this is the first instalment in the acclaimed Lydmouth seriesWorkmen in the small market town of Lydmouth are demolishing an old cottage. A sledgehammer smashes into what looks like a solid wall. Instead, layers of wallpaper conceal the door of a locked cupboard which holds a box - and in the box is the skeleton of a young baby. Items within the box suggest that the baby was entombed early in the nineteenth century, but when another man is also found dead, the evidence suggests that the baby's death is more recent and that a killer is on the loose. For Journalist Jill Francis, newly arrived from London, this looks like her first story to chase ... 'An excellent writer. He plots with care and intelligence and the solution to the mystery is satisfyingly chilling' The Times'The most under-rated crime writer in Britain today' Val McDermid 'There is no denying Taylor's talent, his prose exudes a quality uncommon among his contemporaries' Time Out

'Andrew Taylor is a master story-teller' Daily Telegraph From the No.1 bestselling author of The Ashes of London and The Fire Court, this is the sixth instalment in the acclaimed Lydmouth seriesWhen the body of Rufus Moorcroft, a middle-aged widower with a distinguished war record, is found in his summerhouse, the verdict is suicide. But both reporter Jill Francis and her lover, Detective Richard Thornhill, approaching the case from different angles, discover there's more to it than that. The key to the mystery stretches back to a highly-charged summer before the war, and back to another death. A local asylum plays a part, as do a moderately famous artist and his wife; Superintendent Williamson, now retired and loathing it; Councillor Bernie Broadbent - a man with more pies than fingers to put in them; a Cambridge don; an aristocratic unmarried mother, now gleefully drawing her old-age pension; and - to Thornhill's surprise and growing horror - his own wife, Edith.'An excellent writer. He plots with care and intelligence and the solution to the mystery is satisfyingly chilling' The Times'The most under-rated crime writer in Britain today' Val McDermid 'There is no denying Taylor's talent, his prose exudes a quality uncommon among his contemporaries' Time Out

'A truly beautiful, heartbreaking story' Kristin Hannah, bestselling author of The NightingaleIn pre-World War II Prague, the dreams of two young lovers are shattered when they are separated by the Nazi invasion. Then, decades later, thousands of miles away in New York, an unexpected encounter leads to an inescapable glance of recognition, and the realisation that providence has given Lenka and Josef one more chance...From the glamorous ease of life in Prague before the Occupation, to the horrors of Nazi Europe, The Lost Wife explores the power of first love, the resilience of the human spirit, and the strength of memory.

** FROM THE ACCLAIMED AUTHOR OF DEAD HEAT**One woman's secret is her neighbour's opportunity.'Masterly' Louise Candlish'Intelligent, twisty' OBSERVER'Accomplished and addictive' SUNDAY TIMESVerity Baxter has lived - quietly, carefully - in Trinity Fields all her life. Then Ailsa and Tom Tilson move in next door and everything changes. Can Verity trust what she hears through the walls?And what about the Tilsons: should they pity their eccentric neighbour and her messy house? Or should they fear her?Either way, like the ivy that creeps through their shared garden fence, their lives are entwined now. And the knots can only get tighter . . .'Hard to put down' EVENING STANDARD'This well-paced, intelligent mystery benefits from finely-drawn characters and convincing psychological tension ... take a peek at the raging traumas behind the calm masks of suburban respectability' DAILY MAIL'A delicious study in dark psychology with a narrator who constantly keeps you guessing. This tale serves up a real emotional punch' SUNDAY MIRROR'A taut thriller with layer upon layer of suspense and twists right to the very last page' RED'Chilling' The I'Engrossing psychological crime' LITERARY REVIEW

When Evan Delaney's father disappears, the cops think he's fled the country to avoid prosecution. But Evan is sure that Phil has been abducted or killed for reasons associated with his work for Naval Intelligence.As Evan hunts for clues, she is attacked by an armed man. The attacker ends up dead - and turns out to be a federal agent. Now Evan is on the run, implicated in his murder. Then she is contacted by a sinister duo - a Madam and gigolo mother-and-son-team who claim that Phil was mixed up in their very dirty business.Can Evan save her father's reputation - and his life? And can Jesse save Evan? Time is running out ...

⭐ SHORTLISTED FOR THE BOOKER PRIZE 2025 ⭐⭐THE SUNDAY TIMES FICTION PAPERBACK OF THE YEAR ⭐ 'Graceful, atmospheric, enormously satisfying'SARAH JESSICA PARKER, BOOKER JUDGE 2025'I love The Land in Winter so much... It's really, really, really, really good'GILLIAN ANDERSON'A classic in the making'ELIZABETH DAY'Both funny and terrifying: Miller at his best'ROSE TREMAIN'One of the best writers at work today'TELEGRAPH'Has an uncanny beauty and depth'GUARDIAN'Money, class, love: all of life is in there'SUNDAY TIMESDECEMBER 1962, THE WEST COUNTRY.Local doctor Eric Parry, mulling secrets, sets out on his rounds, while his pregnant wife sleeps on in the warmth of their cottage. Across the field, funny, troubled Rita Simmons is also asleep, her head full of images of a past life her husband prefers to ignore. He's been up for hours, tending to the needs of the small dairy farm where he hoped to create a new version of himself, a project that's already faltering.But when the ordinary cold of an English December gives way to violent blizzards, the two couples find their lives beginning to unravel.WHERE DO YOU HIDE WHEN YOU CAN'T LEAVE HOME? AND WHERE, IN A FROZEN WORLD, CAN YOU RUN TO?More praise for The Land in Winter⭐ Winner of the Walter Scott Prize for Historical Fiction 2025 ⭐⭐ Winner of the Winston Graham Historical Prize 2025 ⭐'Perfect'OBSERVER'Delicate and devastating'I PAPER'Incredibly satisfying'FINANCIAL TIMES'A novel of dazzling humanity and captivating, crystalline prose'MAIL ON SUNDAY'I loved The Land in Winter . . . There were moments I thought of Penelope Fitzgerald... A thing of rare beauty'RACHEL JOYCE, author of The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry'An exquisite achievement, luminously written, full of wonder at the diversity and strangeness of human experience.'FRANCIS SPUFFORD, author of Golden HillPraise for Andrew Miller'Andrew Miller's writing is a source of wonder and delight'HILARY MANTEL'One of our most skilful chroniclers of the human heart and mind'SUNDAY TIMES'A writer of very rare and outstanding gifts'INDEPENDENT ON SUNDAY'A highly intelligent writer, both exciting and contemplative'THE TIMES'A wonderful storyteller'SPECTATOR

⭐ Now in paperback: David Nicholls's new novel You Are Here ⭐ Sweet Sorrow: a novel of first love, set during a long, hot summer where life changes forever...'Fizzing'GUARDIAN'A glorious escape'FINANCIAL TIMES'Exquisite'DAILY TELEGRAPHIt's summer 1997, school is over and Charlie Lewis's life is in shambles. His family is breaking up, his father is falling apart and the long, empty holidays stretch ahead towards an uncertain future.And then, quite by chance, Charlie meets Fran Fisher and it's as if a new world has opened before him.But can it last?ONE OF BRITAIN'S MOST ACCLAIMED WRITERS'One of the most astute chroniclers of England as it is now'FINANCIAL TIMES'An uncanny ability to make us laugh out loud, but also care passionately about his characters'DAILY TELEGRAPH'Nicholls writes with such tender precision about love'THE TIMES'No one else writes novels that are both relatable and revelatory in the way he does'EVENING STANDARD'Genuinely brilliant'NEW STATESMAN

DON'T MISS MIKE'S BRAND NEW NOVEL, A SONG OF ME AND YOU - AVAILABLE TO ORDER NOW!'His most accomplished and moving novel yet' Lisa Jewell'Emotionally high-voltage' Metro***Strangers living worlds apart.Strangers with nothing in common.But it wasn't always that way...Kerry Hayes is single mum, living on a tough south London estate. She provides for her son by cleaning houses she could never afford. Taken into care as a child, Kerry cannot forget her past.Noah Martineau is a successful barrister with a beautiful wife, daughter and home in fashionable Primrose Hill. Adopted as a young child, Noah never looks back.When Kerry contacts Noah, the sibling she lost on the day they were torn apart as children, she sets in motion a chain of events that will change both of their lives forever.By turns funny and moving, Half a World Away is a story that will stay with you long after you read its final page.***Readers love Half a World Away!'These are people who matter, situations one can believe. Most readers will find themselves caring very much. A life-affirming read.' Vine'It isn't easy, it is heart-wrenching, but, oh, is it worth reading. I can't recommend this book highly enough.' Vine 'How have I not read a Mike Gayle book before? I want to give this book all of the starts in the universe. I cried my eyes out at the end. It is touching, heart-wrenching and thought-provoking.' Netgalley'This story is raw and beautiful and sad. It puts lots of things into perspective and makes you think about what is important in life. Beautifully written, easy to read and will certainly bring tears to your eyes. A must read.' Netgalley 'This is a beautiful, beautiful book. It's about family, about class, about love, about choices and sacrifice. It's about letting go and learning to hold on. It's optimistic and heartbreaking and funny and emotional. It's the kind of book that will stay with you, long after you finish it. Buy it, read it, love it - and hang on to those tissues, you'll need them.' NetgalleyAuthors love Half a World Away!'Mike Gayle has such a talent for delving into hearts, minds and contemporary issues. Half a World Away is supremely poignant, uplifting and heartwarming in equal measure - as well as being a real page-turner.' Sophie Kinsella, author of Surprise Me'Mike has a prodigious talent for writing completely relatable characters who draw you into their world and tug at your heart strings. Half a World Away is an absolute triumph and a joy to read. Once again Mike tackles complex and thorny issues with a confident and compassionate hand.' Ruth Hogan, author of The Keeper of Lost Things'Half a World Away is heartbreaking and beautiful, full of poignant moments and characters you fall for from page one. I couldn't put it down.' Libby Page, author of The Lido

From the Sunday Times bestselling author of The Goodbye Man, discover Jeffery Deaver's chilling series featuring much-loved protagonists Lincoln Rhyme and Amelia Sachs.They have never seen a murder like it - but something about this killer is all too familiar . . .A new type of serial killer is stalking the streets of New York - one more devious and disturbing than ever before. A talented tattoo artist is using poison instead of ink. His victim is a young woman. And on her skin he's left a message: 'the second'. Processing the scene, NYPD detective Lincoln Rhyme and his associate Amelia Sachs find just one trace of evidence. A scrap of paper that connects this case with one they will never forget: the killer they called The Bone Collector . . .'Outstanding . . . Deaver proves himself a grandmaster of the genre as each surprise leads to an even bigger surprise, like a series of reverse Russian nesting dolls' Starred Review, Publisher's Weekly

Judy Elliot, meeting an old friend, Detective Sergeant Abbott tells him that, having been left the custody of her motherless little niece, she is taking a domestic job in the country with a family named Pilgrim. Frank is appalled, mysterious deaths have been taking place there. A curse is on the house of Pilgrim's Rest and by the time Miss Silver investigates she has four murders to solve.

There were times when Rachel Treherne fervently wished that her beloved father had left his fortune to somebody else, so overburdened did she feel with the administration of her estate. And never more so than now for, although she was surrounded by relatives who depended on her, whom she loved and who must surely love her, there was no doubt in her mind that somebody was trying to kill her.Threatening letters could be ignored, odd tasting chocolates can be rejected but when snakes are left in her bed, Rachel is convinced that someone means here terrible harm. Her only chance of a future life lay with Miss Silver, and Miss Silver was well on the way to unmasking the murderer when they struck again.

There is no doubt in Thomasina Elliott's mind that her oldest schoolfriend is a creature of habit. So when, after three years of regular correspondence, Anna's letters suddenly stop, Thomasina becomes concerned. And even more so when it transpires that her friend has disappeared without trace, in extremely odd circumstances. Fortunately, however, the indomitable Miss Silver is on hand to investigate.

'A powerful and subtle writer...a remarkable novel' Spectator'Chilling and tragic' Ruth RendellIn the waning years of the Edwardian era, a group of gentlemen wait out a raging blizzard in the perpetual darkness of the Antarctic winter, poised for a strike at the South Pole. As the storm lifts, a new challenge faces Captain Sir Eugene Stewart - to discover which of his twenty-five carefully chosen men has become a murderer. The quest for adventure has become a quest for justice.

'Andrew Taylor is a master story-teller' Daily Telegraph From the No.1 bestselling author of The Ashes of London and The Fire Court, this is the second instalment in the acclaimed Lydmouth seriesWhen a spinster of the parish is found bludgeoned to death in St John's, and the church's most valuable possession, the Lydmouth chalice, is missing, the finger of suspicion points at the new vicar, who is already beset with problems.The glare of the police investigation reveals shabby secrets and private griefs. Jill Francis, struggling to find her feet in her new life, stumbles into the case at the beginning. But even a journalist cannot always watch from the sidelines. Soon she is inextricably involved in the Suttons' affairs. Despite the electric antagonism between her and Inspector Richard Thornhill, she has instincts that she can't ignore . . .'An excellent writer. He plots with care and intelligence and the solution to the mystery is satisfyingly chilling' The Times'The most under-rated crime writer in Britain today' Val McDermid 'There is no denying Taylor's talent, his prose exudes a quality uncommon among his contemporaries' Time Out

'Andrew Taylor is a master story-teller' Daily Telegraph From the No.1 bestselling author of The Ashes of London and The Fire Court, this is the third instalment in the acclaimed Lydmouth seriesAfter the coldest night of the year, they find the man's body. He is dangling from the Hanging Tree on the outskirts of a village near Lydmouth, with his trousers round his ankles. Is it suicide, murder, or accidental death resulting from some bizarre sexual practice?Journalist Jill Francis and Detective Inspector Thornhill become involved in the case in separate ways. Jill is also drawn unwillingly into the affairs of the small public school where the dead man taught. Meanwhile a Peeping Tom is preying upon Lydmouth; Jill has just moved into her own house and is afraid she is being watched. And there are more distractions, on a personal level, for policeman and reporter . . .'An excellent writer. He plots with care and intelligence and the solution to the mystery is satisfyingly chilling' The Times'The most under-rated crime writer in Britain today' Val McDermid 'There is no denying Taylor's talent, his prose exudes a quality uncommon among his contemporaries' Time Out

Why does a wealthy Scottish financier set up a drugs deal with the IRA? Jeopardise his career, endanger his family and lover by tangling with the East End underworld and a ruthless mercenary? The motive is simple: revenge for a cold-blooded act of murder.His adversary is a dangerous gangland boss whose connections stretch from the Highlands to London and beyond. More than a match for a newcomer, especially when that newcomer's plans contain a fatal flaw which will be discovered only when it is much too late . . . *********PRAISE FOR STEPHEN LEATHER'A master of the thriller genre'Irish Times'As tough as British thrillers get . . . gripping' Irish Independent 'The sheer impetus of his story-telling is damned hard to resist'Sunday Express

Jenny is 18 when her guardian is killed and her wealthy relations the Forbes invite her to stay. Consoled by the affectionate attentions of their little girls and the charming elder son, she starts to find her feet again. Then she overhears a private conversation and realises she is in terrible danger. Terrified and bewildered, Jenny flees from the village, desperately hoping her enemies will forget all about her. But she's wrong . . .