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What happens when the laughter stops?

In Where Will the Laughter Come From?, James Christie offers a richly observed, deeply human memoir of life as a teacher in Britain's independent school system - a world shaped as much by tradition and eccentricity as by discipline and expectation.

Spanning decades in the classroom, Christie captures the absurdities, challenges, and quiet triumphs of teaching, from chaotic staff meetings and unforgettable pupils to the complex personalities that define school life. With a voice that is by turns wry, nostalgic, and sharply perceptive, he reveals a profession sustained not just by duty, but by humour.

Set against the backdrop of institutions navigating change, this memoir becomes more than a personal story. It is a reflection on education, character, and the subtle art of inspiring young minds, even within flawed systems. Beneath the anecdotes lies a deeper question: what has been lost as schools modernise - and what truly matters in shaping the next generation?

Above all, this is a book about laughter as a force for connection, resilience, and learning - and what it means when that laughter fades.

Perfect for readers of educational memoirs, British social history, and reflective non-fiction, this is an insightful and often quietly moving account of a life spent in classrooms where humour was not just incidental, but essential.

Set against the violent expansion of the Roman Empire, Eventus is a sweeping historical saga that moves from the forts and forests of Britannia to the political heart of Rome and the fraught religious world of Jerusalem.

Roman officer Julius Cornelius Vitellius is tasked with helping crush resistance in Britain, where rebellion still smoulders under the leadership of Caractacus. As brutal reprisals, shifting tribal loyalties and military ambition drive the conflict forward, Julius finds himself increasingly troubled by the cruelty carried out in Rome's name.

At the centre of the novel stands Ena, daughter of a British chieftain, whose courage, pride and resilience leave a lasting mark on Julius. What begins in conflict deepens into a forbidden emotional bond that neither politics nor war can safely allow.

Alongside the British campaign runs a broader tapestry of lives under empire: the domestic and political tensions of Roman elite society, the precarious fortunes of displaced families, and the continuing journeys of the early Christian community. These intertwined storylines give the novel unusual breadth, combining military history, family drama, political intrigue, spiritual struggle and historical romance.

Part of The Power and the Glory series, Eventus will appeal to readers of Roman historical fiction, ancient world sagas, and emotionally driven novels set in times of war, occupation and upheaval.

"A dynamic, diverse and above all brilliant collection of stories." Mark Billingham Sunday Times Bestselling Crime Writer, Comedian, Actor

The Arabian Noir anthology represents a milestone for the Crime Writers Association's (CWA) Gulf Chapter. Editor-authors Michael Lynes and Alex Shaw have compiled a collection that foregrounds tales of murder and mystery either set in the locality or linked to it via authors' connections to the region. The diversity of the collection is a testament to the widespread enthusiasm for the genre around the Gulf region, and the ability of literature to act as a means of bringing people together, at a time when, one suspects, the region most needs it.

Arabian Noir a collection short stories curated by the Gulf Chapter of the CRIME WRITERS' ASSOCIATION

"A milestone for the Crime Writers Association's Gulf Chapter ... with insights into human frailty, new vistas, and intellectual challenges to bamboozle the most ardent Christie enthusiast." Vaseem Khan, Chair of The Crime Writers' Association.

The Gulf Chapter of the Crime Writers' Association is proud to present thirteen dark, mysterious tales from across the Middle East. Whether you like hard-boiled thrills, golden age mysteries, whodunnits or police procedurals you'll find a tale to enjoy.

Contributions from: Alex Shaw, Annabel Kantaria, Sara Hamdan, Michael Lynes, Padmini Sankar, Paul A Freeman, Moxie Anderson, Mohanalakshmi

Rajakumar, Daisy Line, Gal Podjarny, Rohini Sunderam, Glen Stansfield and Steve Parker.

1478: Gianetta and Matteo have a happy life, working in service to the wealthy

Rosini family. They are used to entertaining rich and powerful members of

Florentine society in Palazzo Rosini, where Lorenzo and Giuliano de' Medici

and Botticelli are regular visitors. Even when the Medici brothers narrowly

escape the Palazzo with their lives (an accident, surely?), Gianetta and Matteo

can't imagine that the growing unrest in the streets of Florence would ever

spoil their happiness.

When a bloody conspiracy erupts in the heart of Florence, in the city's

beloved Duomo, nobody is left unaffected by the aftermath. When the family

hear that Matteo is among the conspirators, Gianetta knows that her life will

never be the same.

Falcon is a roaring, racy ode to the Swinging Sixties, to a new world of openness, sex, drugs, and jazz, to Oxford intelligentsia and London bohemia, including its underworld and budding gay scene.

The novel's breathless, page-turning narrative comes enriched by Nina Stanger's first-hand experience as a key player in London's 1960s counterculture and is infused with a tragic pathos stemming from her deep interest in the Romantics and the Aesthetes: Lord Byron, Percy Shelley, John Keats, and Oscar Wilde.

Rich, layered, and allusive, Falcon is also uproariously funny and engaging, mixing the satirical wit of Kingsley Amis, the emotional nuance of E.M. Forster, and the erotic charge of D.H. Lawrence. 

Ellie Murphy gets a job teaching English at a school in Venice where she meets Professor Piero Contarini, suave, sexy, enigmatic and the descendent of an old Venetian family. She agrees to help him with a project curating a new edition of the memoirs of the famous seducer and ne'er-do-well, Giacomo Casanova.

But taking their task to heart and uncovering some of their own secret fantasies, they start to enact the seducers adventures, with each other, ecstatically revealing their own kinks as they do so.

But who is that watching them from the shadowy alleyways of Venice?

Henry II, now in his late 50's, exhausted from a lifetime of war remains one of the greatest Kings who ruled England. The founder of the 'Devil's Brood', he and his advisors modernized England's government and society and much more. But it was his jealous family life which caused his life to fall apart. Alys was the timid 8-year-old daughter of the King of France when sent to England and ultimately forced into marriage with Henry's violent son Prince

Richard, but he ridiculed and rejected her. Within six years, Alys had developed into a ravishing beauty, who was suddenly appealing to the old King himself.

Isaac Alvarez is a heretic, a reluctant spy, and a murder suspect. Can he prove his innocence and quell a rebellion to reunite his family? Granada, Andalusia, 1499 Forced to convert to Catholicism Isaac remains a Jew at heart. Exiled from Seville by King Ferdinand for heresy he is suspected of murdering the Grand Inquisitor, Torquemada. Did he? Andreas, a priest, has been accused of the murder and imprisoned. Alonso, Torquemada's previous deputy and an old foe of Isaac's, has now returned from exile in the Indies determined to prove his childhood friend's innocence. Isaac now lives with Abdul Rahman - a wealthy Muslim spice merchant - his wife Fatima, and his brother Ali Sina, the last apothecary in the city. He works for Archbishop Talavera. Granada is in turmoil. The rulers coerce Muslims to embrace Catholicism. A rebellion is developing, led by Abdul Rahman. The King instructs Isaac to spy on the rebels. He is conflicted by his loyalty to the brothers and his love for Fatima, but reluctantly agrees.

Artemisia Gentileschi was more than a painter-she was a survivor. Born in a world where women had no power, she defied expectations to become one of the greatest Baroque artists of all time. But before fame came suffering: a brutal assault, a scandalous trial, and a society that sought to silence her. Through her art, she found her revenge, painting powerful women who defied and destroyed the men who wronged them.

Decades later, an art enthusiast in Australia stumbles upon a mysterious painting that could change history. As he unravels its origins, he embarks on a journey through the secrets of the past-leading him to Florence, the Vatican, and beyond. His Head on a Platter is a gripping tale of art, justice, and an unsung heroine's fight against the odds.

Hiding the Flame is a richly atmospheric historical novel set in Florence, 1497, during Girolamo Savonarola's religious revolution and the infamous Bonfires of the Vanities. At the heart of the story is Francesca Rosini, a talented but silenced painter whose life is defined by obedience, secrecy and fear.

Married to a rigidly devout merchant, Francesca hides her artistry in small sketches and washed-out pigments kept behind locked drawers. Her world changes when she meets Vittoria, a merchant's wife with an independent spirit and a compassionate, knowing gaze. What begins as friendship blooms into something far more dangerous: a forbidden relationship that awakens Francesca's passion for art, truth and selfhood.

As Florence's political climate grows increasingly volatile, the crackdown on "sinful" expression intensifies. Paintings are burned, books are destroyed and women are expected to remain silent and dutiful. Francesca must decide whether to continue living in hiding, or risk everything to follow the calling she can no longer ignore.

Exploring themes of queer identity, female agency, artistic resistance, religious repression and the personal cost of courage, Hiding the Flame offers a moving portrayal of love in an era where such emotions were condemned. The novel will appeal to readers of Sarah Waters, Emma Donoghue, Jessie Burton, Sue Monk Kidd and Kiran Millwood Hargrave - particularly those who seek lyrical, emotionally resonant historical fiction with LGBTQ+ representation.

With its evocative setting, compelling character dynamics and nuanced exploration of secrecy and self-expression, Hiding the Flame stands as a powerful depiction of the risks faced by women - and queer women especially - during one of Europe's most turbulent cultural shifts.

Dillibe Onyeama was the first black boy to complete his education at Eton in 1968. Written at just twenty-one, it was a deeply personal, revelatory account of the racism he endured during his time as a student at the prestigious institution.

He tells in vivid detail of his own background as the son of a Nigerian judge at the International Court of Justice at The Hague, of his arrival at the school, of the curriculum, of his reception by other boys (and masters), and of his punishments. He tells, too, of the cruel racial prejudice he suffered and his reactions to it, and of the alienation and stereotyping he faced at such a young age.

'A Black Boy at Eton' was a searing, ground-breaking book displaying the deep psychological effects of colonialism and racism, and the follow-up 'Afro-Saxon' talks more about his story.

'Yes, he really had appeared to be charmingly suave then. Like Cary Grant in a black and white movie. How wrong one can be, she thought, turning over in her mind the horror of that long weekend, and its final humiliating moments...'

How could Geraldine resist the invitation from charming and enigmatic Ellis, especially as it includes travel on a private plane? It will be a glamorous change from her increasingly chaotic life, and a chance to meet his friends, as they reunite at their old college in Indiana for a football game. Not that Geraldine is interested in sport, unless shopping counts. She's jet-set ready and eager for take off . What can possibly go wrong?