Sphere – serie

The name Reggie Kray remains synonymous with London's East End to this day, and yet although much is known about Reg and his brother Ronnie's life of crime in the '50s and '60s, to date precious little has been revealed about their formative years. Reggie wrote his EAST END STORIES in the early 1990s, but they haven't seen the light of day until now. In the book, he recalls the close-knit East End community in which he and his brother grew up, the characters in his family and neighbourhood, and of course, the many villains he worked with. Filled with anecdotes about the area's most outlandish personalities and notorious criminals, and offering a fascinating journey around the Krays' 'manor' including their favourite haunts and business enterprises, the book paints a vivid portrait of a London that has long since disappeared.

EMMA GRAY'S NEW BOOK 'MY FARMING LIFE' ('A HEARTWARMING TALE OF LIFE ON THE LAND' Alan Titchmarsh) IS OUT NOWWhat happens when you swap 'I do' for pastures new?When twenty-three-year-old shepherdess Emma Gray breaks off her engagement, the chance to take over an isolated Northumberland farm seems just the fresh start she needs. But while the beautiful scenery certainly offers plenty of scope for contemplation, a night out with an eligible bachelor soon seems more remote than the farm itself. And once you add fugitive sheep and freak blizzards into the mix, Emma's dreams of a happy future at Fallowlees Farm quickly begin to fade.Throughout the long nights of lambing, the highs and lows of the local sheepdog trials and the day-to-day chores of maintaining a large, ramshackle farm, Emma's collies are her most loyal companions. With Bill, Fly, Roy and Alfie by her side, she'll never really be alone. Emma's remarkable first year at Fallowlees - the triumphs, the disasters, the heartbreak and the glimmer of romance on the horizon - is an inspiration for anyone who has ever dreamt of changing their life and starting all over again.____________________________________________________________Readers love ONE GIRL AND HER DOGS: 'This is an amazing book, difficult to put down. A must for all thinking of living of the land, or looking to be inspired by a hard working courageous young woman' 'What a little gem of a book, I loved it. Emma has given us a little taste of her life in the remote Fallowlees Farm in Northumberland, her knowledge of lambing is just astonishing to me and her beautiful dogs are amazing, I must admit to shedding a tear now and then, but there was plenty to chuckle at too' 'An admirable book''Very entertaining and readable. A brave girl who made the decision to become a sheep farmer and farm in a lovely and lonely spot''This story is written in such a way that you feel you are actually on the farm and going through the trials too. Wonderful empathy with her dogs and an excellent storyteller'

Linked through marriage to three brothers, the Underwood women prove time and again that they are a force to be reckoned with.Jodie has travelled a hard road to reach her own prosperity, despite her husband's constant unreliability. Yet she can't bring herself to fully sever ties with John. But now with a potential new love waiting nearby, Jodie must make a decision she has been avoiding for too long.Widowed at a young age, Lariane believes her marriage to Rick was perfect. He also left behind twin daughters, but is Lariane sacrificing their future happiness by looking for perfection? Will another man ever be good enough to fill Rick's shoes?Dee has everything she ever wanted: a husband she adores and a beautiful little girl. But she knows that her family's happiness is founded on half-truths. How long before she must come clean with those she holds most dear?Heartfelt and captivating, Three Brave Women is a story of loyalty, family and finding strength when all seems lost.

Big Ben chimes in the first seconds of the first day of 1900, the start of a fresh century. Inside London's oldest gaol, preparations are afoot to hang Victorian England's deadliest assassin, a man wanted for two decades' worth of murders. Cold-blooded killer Simeon Lynch has lived a brutal and glorious life in the employ of the House of Moriarty - the most feared criminal enterprise in the world. Now, as he faces the noose, Simeon learns dark truths about his master, about Sherlock Holmes and about his own past. Truths that make him determined to escape and kill again... Follow Simeon's bloody footsteps through the capital's cobbled alleyways, wretched workhouses and flash taverns as he crosses swords with Sherlock Holmes and the villainous characters of Victorian London.

DesireLettie Hargreaves wants more than her simple, uncomplicated life with her grandmother can provide. She longs for excitement and love and she's determined to make something of herself. DeceitThere is something about Lettie's mother that Ivy has kept hidden from her granddaughter, something that would shatter her world. So when Lettie suggests going into service for the ailing Lady Laughton, Ivy knows she must do something to stop it.DeterminationFeeling stifled and confused, Lettie chooses a different path that offers her the chance at love and of the life she so craves. But she is still the same strong-minded young woman and her ambition may do more harm than good as she is entirely unaware of the secrets her actions will uncover.

DON'T MISS SYLVIA PATTERSON'S BRAND NEW MEMOIR, SAME OLD GIRL, COMING SPRING 2023SHORTLISTED FOR THE COSTA BIOGRAPHY AWARD 2016 'Celebratory and elegiac' Guardian 'A roller-coaster memoir' Sunday Times 'Funny, anecdote-packed, nostalgic but also very touching' The Pool'Patterson fillets out the pretentious bones of pop, leaving its glistening meat' Observer This is a three-decade survivor's tale . . . a scenic search for elusive human happiness through music, magazines, silly jokes, stupid shoes, useless blokes, hopeless homes, booze, drugs, love, loss, A&E, death, disillusion and hope.In 1986, Sylvia Patterson boarded a train to London armed with a tea-chest full of vinyl records, a peroxide quiff and a dream: to write about music, for ever. She got her wish.Escaping a troubled home, Sylvia embarks on a lifelong quest to discover The Meaning of It All. The problem is she's mostly hanging out with flaky pop stars, rock 'n' roll heroes and unreliable hip-hop legends. As she encounters music's biggest names, she is confronted by glamour and tragedy; wisdom and lunacy; drink, drugs and disaster. And Bros.Here is Madonna in her Earth Mother phase, flinging her hands up in horror at one of Sylv's Very Stupid Questions. Prince compliments her shoes while Eminem threatens to kill her. She shares fruit with Johnny Cash, make-up with Amy Winehouse and several pints with the Manics' lost soul-man Richey Edwards. She finds the Beckhams fragrant in LA, a Gallagher madferrit in her living room and Shaun Ryder and Bez as you'd expect, in Jamaica.From the 80s to the present day, I'm Not with the Band is a funny, barmy, utterly gripping chronicle of the last thirty years in music and beyond. It is also the story of one woman's wayward search for love, peace and a wonderful life. And whether, or not, she found them.

______________Maggie Mason is the pen name of bestselling author Mary Wood***Previouslypublished as BLACKPOOL EVACUEE in hardback only***'In the grand tradition of sagas set down by the late and great Catherine Cookson'Jean Fullerton on Blackpool LassBlackpool's Angel - the first book in Maggie Mason's brand new Sandgronian trilogy - is OUT NOW.______________England, 1940Clara is forced to flee her home as the Nazis invade the beautiful island of Guernsey, leaving her mother Julia behind. She's scared and alone, but her spirits lift a little when she learns she's headed for Blackpool. Her slight hopes are crushed however when she is housed with and at the mercy of a cruel shopkeeper, Miss Brandon. Clara is worked like a dog, but the warmth of some newly made Blackpool friendships will go far to save her. Separated from her beloved daughter, Julia heads to London to try and track Clara down but she is thwarted at every turn. With no idea where her daughter is, and the trials of war keeping them far apart, will they ever be reunited?The perfect read for fans of Mary Wood, Kitty Neale, Val Wood and Nadine Dorries

THE FUNNIEST BOOK OF THE YEAR. GUARANTEED TO TURN AN AWKWARD SILENCE INTO AN AWKWARD CONVERSATION.Now updated with new answers from: David Mitchell, Sara Pascoe, Charlie Brooker and Stephen Fry, among others!'Ridiculously funny and (unexpectedly) genuinely useful' ADAM KAY'A perfect way to pretend you're interested in people you're not that interested in' KATHY BURKE'Most of this book is pointless filth, all of it is hilarious, and my answer to question 715(a) is "Yes thank you and it was very tasty"' DAWN FRENCHIf you had to wear somebody's guts for garters - if you had to - who would you disembowel in order to facilitate your socks staying up?What do you consider your median achievement?Would you rather have pubic hair made of unremovable barbed wire or to be attacked by a rabid badger in your sleep once a week?We've all been there. Stuck at a boring family party, on an awkward date, in a below-par job interview, or any number of other situations in which conversation has become more of a trickle than a flow. Well, fear the excruciation no more, as Richard Herring's EMERGENCY QUESTIONS is about to change your life. Containing 1,001 conversation starters from one of our most cherished comedians, along with plenty of answers from the many household names who've appeared on his podcast, this book is virtually guaranteed to remove any social anxiety from your life, and will raise your repartee-game to new heights.'Of all the clever people I know, Richard is the stupidest. And of all the stupid people I know, Richard is the cleverest. That's why this is such a brilliant book for everyone' RICHARD OSMAN'Perhaps if Michael Parkinson had asked Mohammad Ali if he'd ever seen a Bigfoot he might be remembered as a great interviewer. Instead it is Richard Herring who has perfected the art of creating funny, interesting and offensive questions that will supercharge even the dullest encounter' ADAM BUXTON'Richard Herring bullied me into claiming this book, which I haven't yet read, is brilliant' CHARLIE BROOKER

'Jacob Ross is a truly amazing writer. Black Rain Falling is an outstanding novel' BERNARDINE EVARISTO, WINNER OF THE BOOKER PRIZE'Jacob Ross is a unique and thrilling new voice in crime fiction' MARK BILLINGHAMDelving into issues of family, class and loyalty, Black Rain Falling is a stunning crime novel that asks how far one should go to protect those they love.On the Caribbean island of Camaho, forensics expert Michael 'Digger' Digson is in deep trouble.His fellow CID detective Miss Stanislaus kills a man in self-defence - their superiors believe it was murder, and Digger given just six weeks to prove his friend is innocent.While the authorities bear down on them, Digger and Miss Stanislaus investigate a shocking roadside murder, the first tremors of a storm of crime and corruption that will break over Camaho at any moment.

The classic and terrifying HG Wells novel of alien invasion is now a landmark series for the BBC from the makers of Poldark, Victoria and And Then There Were None. One night a shooting star is seen over the skies of Surrey. The next day, it's discovered to have been a mysterious metallic cylinder from Mars. What comes next is a terrifying alien attack, as tentacled Martian invaders emerge from the cylinder and prey on humankind using shocking new weapons against which the people of Victorian England can offer no resistance.The aliens begin to devastate the area in their tripod machines, and as our narrator struggles to return to his wife, the fight for London - and the world - begins. Now with a new introduction by Stephen Baxter.'A true classic'GUARDIAN'Immortal science fiction' TELEGRAPH

'A cracking good read' JESSIE KEANEIN THE EAST END OF LONDON, OLD LOYALTIES RUN DEEP . . .After losing her mum in a tragic accident, Chrissy Moss fought to survive on one of the East End's most notorious estates. When a fifteen-year-old girl disappears, hours after delivering a message for a local gang leader, the residents take the law into their own hands causing buried secrets to resurface.AND YOU MUST FIGHT TO SURVIVE.With rumours flying about the girl's disappearance, the truth about Chrissy's mother is called into question, and Chrissy begins to suspect her death was no accident: it was murder. But people on the estate are refusing to talk, and to find answers Chrissy must unravel an age-old web of deceit that runs right into the heart of London's East End.As Chrissy grows nearer to the truth, she unwittingly inches closer to danger. Could it be that she, like her mother, has put her trust in the wrong person?Full of the same danger and grit as it's London's setting, this is author Roberta Kray at the top of her game. Get ready for a KILLER read . . .Keep your eyes peeled for Roberta Kray's brand new gangland crime novel, CHEATED, available to pre-order now Praise for ROBERTA KRAY:'Well into Martina Cole territory' Independent'Action, intrigue and a character-driven plot . . . sure to please any crime fiction fans' Woman'Gripping' Daily Express'Great writing, gripping story, loved it' Mandasue Heller

THE EMOTIONAL, JAW-DROPPING SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLING THRILLER.AND DON'T MISS CLARE'S NEW BOOK OTHER PEOPLE'S HOUSES - OUT NOW.'Hypnotically good' LEE CHILD'Jaw-dropping twists' LUCY FOLEY'The book of the summer' SUNIt's twenty hours to landing. A lot can happen in twenty hours . . .You're on board the first non-stop flight from London to Sydney. It's a landmark journey, and the world is watching. Shortly after take-off, you receive a chilling anonymous note.There are people on this plane intent on bringing it down - and you're the key to their plan.You'd never help them, even if your life depended on it.But they have your daughter . . . So now you have to choose.DO YOU SAVE HUNDREDS OF LIVES? OR THE ONE THAT MATTERS MOST?'Feels like a blockbuster movie' LISA JEWELL'The queen of nail-biting suspense' IRISH INDEPENDENT'A nail-biter of a thriller' SHARI LAPENA'A rip-roaring finale' GUARDIAN'Propulsive - will have you questioning "what would you do?" at every turn' KARIN SLAUGHTER'Mackintosh is a pro' NEW YORK TIMES'Taking the locked room mystery to a new, white-knuckle extreme, this is electrifying' HEAT'When Clare Mackintosh goes high concept, she doesn't mess around' LINWOOD BARCLAY'An incredibly tense read that has a satisfyingly clever ending' GOOD HOUSEKEEPING'A thrilling rollercoaster of a story. It'll leave you breathless' JANE FALLON'A smart pay-off' THE TIMES, THE BEST THRILLERS FOR JUNE'A tense, convincing, nail-biter of a thriller' ADELE PARKS, PLATINUM MAGAZINE'A banger of a book with a truly agonising "what would you do?"' RUTH WARE'A thrilling, chilling gut-punch of a book' RED'Why did no one warn me how bloody addictive it is?' TAMMY COHEN'I dare anyone to read this high-octane, tense thriller on a flight' PRIMA'I got wrong-footed, then I got whiplash! Mind-blowing' SANDIE JONES'The year's most intriguing high-concept plot' DAILY EXPRESS'Full of mystery, tension and emotion. An incredible thriller' ALLIE REYNOLDS'Buckle up for some edge-of-your-plane-seat action' FABULOUS

There's no such thing as too many books, simply not enough places to put themDecluttering is all the rage, but what do you do when your preferred interior decor is miles of overstuffed bookshelves? If you can't bring yourself to clear your collection, SHELF RESPECT will validate your life choices.Do you alphabetise your books or organise by genre... or (heaven forbid) colour? Have you merged your collection with your other half's? (And do you write your name inside the cover, just in case?) Do you keep all the books you've read, or only the most cherished? Is there such a thing as too many books? (No.)Bound to provoke (good-natured) debate between Bibliophiles, SHELF RESPECT is a charmingly illustrated book in defence of towering TBR piles and overflowing shelves... no matter how you choose to organise them.

THE HILARIOUS AND HEARTWARMING SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLERAnt and Dec hold a special place in the hearts of TV viewers everywhere. This is their epic story, with never-before-seen photography and the very best tales from their 30 years in TV. Ant: As the old Chinese proverb says, 'Good things come in pairs'.Dec: And as another Chinese proverb says, 'If you've been in a double act with your best mate for thirty years, why not write a book about all your most memorable moments in three decades of showbusiness?'Ant: Less catchy that one, isn't it?Dec: But no less true. And after three decades together, we're writing that book. Covering everything from a pirate radio storyline in Byker Grove through to the biggest shows on telly, this is our story.Ant: Thirty years, eh? Amazing.Dec: Absolutely. Especially when you consider we are both still 27 years old.From their modest beginnings in Byker Grove through to their "unique" time as pop stars and an award-laden TV career, the last three decades have flown by in the blink of an eye. They've also featured an incredible cast of supporting characters, including their first scriptwriter (an unknown comedian called David Walliams), Saturday night fun and games with countless Hollywood A-listers, and celebrities they torture - sorry, work with - every year in the jungle. Told through the lens of every TV show they've made, as well as everything they've learnt along the way, this is the riotously funny journey of two ordinary lads from Newcastle who went on to achieve extraordinary things.