‘Dexter Petley perfect writer’s eye gives us a candenced love story…Gripping, dryly hysterical, “White Lies” reeks of beauty and human truth.’ Alan Warner A brilliant, bittersweet love story set against a corrupt east African landscape. Nobody believes in love at first sight. Norman didn’t until he read about ‘Joy, The Gold Panning Missionary’ in an African magazine and set out to find her. But it isn’t easy to find love in East Africa in the early 1980s. This is a region with a heavy colonial hangover: Obote’s government teeters on the brink of collapse, petty crime and corruption are rife in the streets and Norman, the impressionable young Englishman, makes slow progress towards the woman he intends to marry. A decade on and many thousands of miles from Africa, Norman is trying to shape a new life. Joy has walked out, leaving him to their damp tumbledown farmhouse in a rural corner of northern France. He is a desperate, broken man. Alone, he sifts the wreckage of his marriage from the wreckage of this ramshackle farm and tries to plot a way out, some sort of future. It’s only when Norman decides to go back to Africa – not for love this time, but to settle old scores – that he finally sees what he must do, however dark and terrifying an act that is. In his own unique prose, Dexter Petley carefully laces Norman’s African and French stories together to create a delicate portrait of an Englishman abroad, a brutal depiction of the corruption that colonialism breeds and, above all, a brilliant, bittersweet love story.

The chilling new psychological thriller from the author of the top ten bestseller, THE BOOK OF YOU, which was selected for Richard and Judy in 2015. Perfect for fans of THE GIRL ON THE TRAIN and DISCLAIMER. It is ten years since Ella's sister Miranda disappeared without trace, leaving her young baby behind. Chilling new evidence links Miranda to the horrifying Jason Thorne, now in prison for murdering several women. Is it possible that Miranda knew him? At thirty, Miranda’s age when she vanished, Ella looks uncannily like the sister she idolized. What holds Ella together is her love for her sister’s child and her work as a self-defence expert helping victims. Haunted by the possibility that Thorne took Miranda, and driven by her nephew’s longing to know about his mother, Ella will do whatever it takes to uncover the truth – no matter how dangerous…

The Psychological Thriller that everyone is going to be talking about - once you’ve read it, it will haunt you for weeks! Dylan goes to the same park every day. He starts to notice a young boy who comes down to the small boating lake and soon realises that all is not right with the child; he seems troubled and unhappy and when bruises start to appear on the boy’s arms, Dylan realises that he has to take action. As Dylan’s obsession with the boy takes hold, he embarks on dark, intense and powerful journey, where nothing is what it seems…

‘Beautiful, real and devastating’ Sarah J. Maas A moving story of grief, friendship and unforgettable love that fans of Sara Bernard and Nicola Yoon will love from international YA bestselling author Jennifer Armentrout. Lena has always felt immortal. But one night can change everything. Lena and Sebastian have been close for as long as anyone can remember. Best friends, even. But secretly Lena has been wanting something more—Sebastian could be more than a friend, if only Lena could figure out how to convince him that they could, and should be together. But in a single night, after a single party, everything changes and suddenly Lena isn’t thinking about her relationship with Sebastian at all. The only thing she’s thinking about is trying to piece together what happened that night, and how she was the sole survivor in an accident that left 4 of her friends dead. Even as her friends and family try to rally around her, Lena pushes them away as the memory of the accident begins to resurface. How will they ever forgive her for what she did? How will Sebastian forgive her? And how will she ever forgive herself?

Anne O’Brien’s new novel, Queen of the North, is available to pre-order now England’s Forgotten Queens ‘Anne O’Brien has joined the exclusive club of excellent historical novelists.’ - Sunday Express ENGLAND'S MOST RUTHLESS QUEEN. July, 1137. In the baking sunshine of Bordeaux, Eleanor, Duchess of Aquitaine, eagerly awaits her first meeting with the prince who will become her husband. But Louis Capet is no fit match for educated, independent Eleanor. When he inherits the throne of France, it becomes clear that his monastic ways and indecisive rule could cost him his country – and his marriage. Determined to rule her own lands, Eleanor leads the men of Aquitaine on Crusade. The march to Outremer will make her the most scandalous woman in all of Christendom. And one chance meeting between Eleanor and Henry Plantagenet will change the fate of England – forever… Hers is a story of power, political intrigue, passion and love. Praise for Anne O’Brien: ‘One of the best writers around…she outdoes even Philippa Gregory’ The Sun ‘Her writing is highly evocative of the time period… O’Brien has produced an epic tale’ Historical Novel Society ‘Anne O’Brien’s novels give a voice to the “silent” women of history’ Yorkshire Post ‘Once again O’Brien proves herself a medieval history magician, conjuring up a sizzling, sweeping story’ Lancashire Evening Post ‘An exciting and intriguing story of love and historical politics. If you enjoy Philippa Gregory and Alison Weir you will love Anne O'Brien’ We Love This Book ‘A brilliantly researched and well-told story; you won’t be able to put this book down’ Candis ‘A fast paced historical drama that is full of suspense.’ Essentials

‘I was gripped immediately’ KATERINA DIAMOND, author of THE TEACHER ‘Terrific characterisation, great writing and twists to leave you dizzy.’ TERESA DRISCOLL, author of I AM WATCHING YOU Do you really know your friends? ** THE TOP 10 KINDLE BESTSELLER** On the afternoon of Nick and Lisa’s wedding, their close friend is found poised on a hotel window ledge, ready to jump. As the shock hits their friendship group, they soon realise that none of them are being as honest with themselves – or with each other – as they think. And there are secrets lurking that could destroy everything. Tense, disturbing and clever, My Husband’s Lies is a breath-taking read, perfect for fans of Lucy Clarke and Erin Kelly.

From the author of Neverness comes a powerful new epic fantasy series. The Ea Cycle is as rich as Tolkien and as magical as the Arthurian myths. The world of Ea is an ancient world settled in eons past by the Star People. However, their ancestors floundered, in their purpose to create a great stellar civilisation on the new planet: they fell into moral decay. Now a champion has been born who will lead them back to greatness, by means of a spiritual – and adventurous – quest for Ea’s Grail: the Lightstone. His name is Valashu Elahad, and he is destined to become King. Blessed (or cursed?) with an empathy for all living things, he will lead his people into the lands of Morjin, into the heart of darkness, wielding a magical sword called Alkadadur, there to recover the mythical Lightstone and return in triumph with his prize. But Morjin is not to be vanquished so easily…

Spirited, elegant, fun, with an enchanting authorial voice, For Matrimonial Purposes is a remarkable achievement, an original in the contemporary women’s market. The main character, Anju, born and raised in Bombay, is now a fashion journalist in New York. But twinned with her enjoyment of the American scene, her single, glamorous life and the fashion perks it brings, is her determination to remain true to her Indian roots and her love of her extensive family. Marriage is the most important role for an Indian woman, and arranged marriages are still the custom: ‘I am not working for your happiness, but for you to be married,’ says Anju’s mother. Anju is 30, old in Indian terms, and her mother and aunt fear that her independent ways might make her less acceptable to other family’s eyes. They set about organising possible contacts in their home town, Bombay. But now a prospective bride or groom, or their families, can decline the suggested marriage after a meeting. For Matrimonial Purposes is the hilarious, poignant, loving story of Anju’s journey, the rare selection of men and their families that she meets, and the choices that she must make while trying to remain true to herself and satisfy her family and tradition.

Lawyer Lennox Kemp’s newly-wed happiness is slowly being eroded by a series of anonymous threats. Is it an aggrieved past client? A criminal he has helped put away? His friend Detective Inspector John Upshire points out that there is a multiplicity of enemies from which to choose. But then a colleague of Kemp’s is murdered and Lennox is convinced that he was the intended victim. Weighed down by guilt, he feels disinclined to investigate the matter further, so it is left to his feisty wife Mary to follow the confusing clues. Is the murder connected to the anonymous threats and sabotage attempts against Kemp? or does it relate to the victim’s own affairs? A mysterious commission in London, an arrogant property dealer, an unbalanced young woman, are only some of the elements of the mystery which Mary must disentangle. But is she on the right path? And will Lennox regain his interest in the affair before another murder is committed? The return of Lennox Kemp, M. R. D. Meek’s popular lawyer sleuth, is an intricate and suspenseful puzzler that will delight his many fans.

A witty, wry look at contemporary marriage and relationships, from the author of For Matrimonial Purposes. Priya, growing up in a comfortable home in Delhi, is the youngest of four sisters, but the first for whom a marriage has been arranged – the other sisters all seem to have had a variety of reasons against husbands. Priya moves to Los Angeles where her new family have been established for some twenty years and while no woman in her family has ever had a job, she decides that in America, she should find one. And that's when the trouble begins… Her charm and dignity, as well as her discretion and sympathetic ways, raise her from receptionist to key interviewer on a glitzy media magazine in a short time. She knows that while a little job is OK with her in-laws, a career, western clothes and interviewing male stars in hotel rooms would be absolutely forbidden. So her double life – American career woman versus traditional Hindu wife – begins, and her longing for a different relationship with her husband grows. Funny and serious, full of rich comments on the pleasures and absurdities of life-styles in East and West, Everything Happens for a Reason is a charming contemporary novel, from a wonderful and unique author.

The new heart-warming and hilariously brilliant story from number one bestselling author David Walliams. Beautifully illustrated by artistic genius, Tony Ross. Dads come in all sorts of shapes and sizes. There are fat ones and thin ones, tall ones and short ones. There are young ones and old ones, clever ones and stupid ones. There are silly ones and serious ones, loud ones and quiet ones. Of course, there are good dads, and bad dads . . . A high-speed cops and robbers adventure with heart and soul about a father and son taking on the villainous Mr Big – and winning! This riches-to-rags story will have you on the edge of your seat and howling with laughter! Bad Dad is a fast and furious, heart-warming story of a father and son on an adventure – and a thrilling mission to break an innocent man into prison!

A hilarious rollercoaster ride of pure entertainment for 9+ readers everywhere, Birthday Boy is the new Baddiel Blockbuster: featuring David’s inimitable and award-winning combination of wish-fulfilment, heart and hilarity, all brought to life by regular collaborator Jim Field’s witty, stylish illustrations. What if it was every day? This is the story of Sam Green, who really, really, really loves birthdays. He loves the special breakfasts in bed. The presents. The themed parties. Blowing out the candles on his cake. Everything. He is so excited about his 11th birthday, in fact, that he wishes it was his birthday every day. So, at first, it’s quite exciting when his birthday happens again the next morning. And again. And again. And again… But it’s not long before things start to go wrong. Soon, disaster strikes, threatening something Sam loves even more than birthdays. Sometimes you have to be careful what you wish for…

‘A cracking futuristic adventure, told with pace and panache and packed with vivid, shiver-inducing description’ Daily Mail ‘Read this in one sitting. DEEPLY satisfying.’ Lucy Mangan Forget the old days. Forget summer. Forget warmth. Forget anything that doesn’t help you survive Lynn McBride has learned much since society collapsed in the face of nuclear war and the relentless spread of disease. As memories of her old life haunt her, she has been forced to forge ahead in the snow-covered Canadian Yukon, learning how to hunt and trap to survive. But her fragile existence is about to be shattered. Shadows of the world before have found her tiny community―most prominently in the enigmatic figure of Jax, who sets in motion a chain of events that will force Lynn to fulfill a destiny she never imagined. Station Eleven meets The Girl With All The Gifts in a powerful speculative book club read.

As a first-hand account of the weird mysteries and horrors of voodoo, Tell My Horse is an invaluable resource and fascinating guide. Based on Zora Neale Hurston's personal experiences in Haiti and Jamaica, where she participated as an initiate rather than just an observer of voodoo practices during her visits in the 1930s, this travelogue into a dark world paints a vividly authentic picture of ceremonies and customs and superstitions of great cultural interest.

A remote and affluent Maine community, Corpus Christi was untouched by the environmental catastrophe that destroyed the neighboring blue-collar town of Bedford. But all that will change in a heartbeat . . .The nightmare is awakened when third-grade schoolteacher Lois Larkin takes the children on a field trip to Bedford. There in the abandoned woods, a small, cruel boy unearths an ancient horror—a contagious plague that transforms its victims into something violent, hungry . . . and inhuman.The long, dark night is just beginning. And all hope must die as the contagion feeds—for the malevolence will not rest until it has devoured every living soul in Corpus Christi . . . and beyond.

The well-intentioned protagonists of Brief Encounters with Che Guevara are caught -- to both disastrous and hilarious effect -- in the maelstrom of political and social upheaval surrounding them. In "Near-Extinct Birds of the Central Cordillera," an ornithologist being held hostage in the Colombian rain forest finds that he respects his captors for their commitment to a cause, until he realizes that the Revolution looks a lot like big business. In "The Good Ones Are Already Taken," the wife of a Special Forces officer battles a Haitian voodoo goddess with whom her husband is carrying on a not-entirely-spiritual relationship. And in "The Lion's Mouth," a disillusioned aid worker makes a Faustian bargain to become a diamond smuggler for the greater good. With masterful pacing and a robust sense of the absurd, each story in Brief Encounters with Che Guevara is a self-contained adventure, steeped in the heady mix of tragedy and danger, excitement and hope, that characterizes countries in transition.Through Fountain's rounded and novelistic prose, these intelligent and keenly observed stories are painted in provocative and vibrant detail across a global canvas. Brief Encounters with Che Guevara marks the arrival of a striking and resonant new voice that speaks adeptly to the intimate connection between the foreign, the familiar, and the inescapably human.

The marvelous creations found in Fragile Things showcase the unparalleled invention and storytelling brilliance—as well as the terrifyingly dark and entertaining sense of humor—of the incomparable Neil Gaiman. By turns delightful, disturbing, and diverting, Fragile Things is a gift of literary enchantment from one of the most original writers of our time.In Selections from Fragile Things, Volume 5 you will find the following stories and poems sure to thrill and amaze.In the End“In the end,” starts the ultimate imagined biblical scene, a strange reversal of Genesis.GoliathDerived from the * of The Matrix, a giant man attempts to navigate a simple life on an Earth where even the most basic rules of time and travel are routinely broken.Pages from a Journal Found in a Shoebox Left in a Greyhound Bus Somewhere Between Tulsa, Oklahoma, and Louisville, KentuckyA rambling American journey in search of the evasive Scarlett, recorded in a journal and left in a shoebox of treasures for us to decipher.How To Talk To Girls At PartiesFifteen-year-old Enn has trouble talking to girls. His best friend Vic’s solutionWith practice comes comfort. But, this party, with its otherworldly guests, may produce just the opposite effect.The Day the Saucers CameYou would think the mass-landing of flying saucers would be hard to miss, unless of course you were distracted by the zombies or something equally consuming, as in Gaiman’s apocalyptic love poem. SunbirdWhat’s an Epicurean Club to do when it’s exhausted all the world’s finest delicacies, from flash-frozen mammoth, to unicorn flank tartare, to dung-beetle ballsHunt down a Sunbird and push the limits of gastronomic indulgence a bit further, of course. Inventing AladdinGaiman’s poem examines storytellers’ motivation through the most dire case, that of Scheherazade.

Though unalike as snowflakes, sisters Patricia Anne and Mary Alice share a sympathetic heart for their distraught cousin Luke -- known affectionately in his boyhood as "Pukey Lukey," because of his penchant for getting sick in moving vehicles. Luke is desperate to hunt down Virginia, his wife of forty years, who has run off with a housepainter/snake-handling preacher named "Monk." And the sisters have graciously agreed to accompany their stricken kinsman on his search...in Luke's car, of course.But, while practical "Mouse" and flamboyant "Sister" are unable to find their runaway cousin-in-law among the asp-loving faithful on Chandler Mountain, they do manage to stumble upon the corpse of a pretty young redhead who was prematurely sent to her eternal reward. And before you can say "anaconda," they are hot on the serpentine trail of a killer who'd like nothing better than to sink a pair of poisonous fangs into two meddling Southern sisters!

Patricia Anne can't imagine why Mary Alice is in such an uproar over her son Ray's new bride. Sunshine Dabbs is Ucute as can be," even if she is a bit unconventional, which should hardly come as a shock to Mary Alicc given that she's the one who raised her boy. But with all her motherly instincts, Mary Alice is sure that this sweet little blonde Barbie doll--who met her son in Bora Bora after she won the trip on Wheel of Fortune--thinks she's found herself a fortune in Ray's hefty wallet. The sisters can't wait to get a look at Sunshine's family, and quite a look it turns out to be. As soon as Meemaw Turkett invites Mary Alice and Patricia Anne into her cozy trailer on the family compound they stumble over a corpse, and Meemaw's best hog butchering knife is stuck in its chest. Meemaw, a Cabbage Patch look-alike and Sunshine's grandmother, guardian, and the family matriarch is shocked to pieces and immediately summons the family to her trailer. Pawpaw, a lovable bearded grump has his own trailer, and their grown kids each enjoy a private home-away-from-home on the five-trailer compound. The discovery of the mysterious body brings in Mary Alice's nemesis, good ol' boy Sheriff Reuse, who, she knows from her experience at the Skoot 'n' Boot, is nothing but trouble. Within minutes, the compound is strewn with a weird collection of friends, neighbors and relatives. There's Meemaw's spooky channeler, ready to give guidance as needed; Sunshine's jilted boyfriend skulking around; a bunch of dogs ready to attack...and Kerrigan, Sunshine's mostly absentee mama, who stars in the kind of video flicks that might even shock Mary Alice. Patricia Anne can't imagine why Mary Alice is in such an uproar over her son Ray's new bride. Sunshine Dabbs is Ucute as can be," even if she is a bit unconventional, which should hardly come as a shock to Mary Alicc given that she's the one who raised her boy. But with all her motherly instincts, Mary Alice is sure that this sweet little blonde Barbie doll--who met her son in Bora Bora after she won the trip on Wheel of Fortune--thinks she's found herself a fortune in Ray's hefty wallet. The sisters can't wait to get a look at Sunshine's family, and quite a look it turns out to be. As soon as Meemaw Turkett invites Mary Alice and Patricia Anne into her cozy trailer on the family compound they stumble over a corpse, and Meemaw's best hog butchering knife is stuck in its chest. Meemaw, a Cabbage Patch look-alike and Sunshine's grandmother, guardian, and the family matriarch is shocked to pieces and immediately summons the family to her trailer. Pawpaw, a lovable bearded grump has his own trailer, and their grown kids each enjoy a private home-away-from-home on the five-trailer compound. The discovery of the mysterious body brings in Mary Alice's nemesis, good ol' boy Sheriff Reuse, who, she knows from her experience at the Skoot 'n' Boot, is nothing but trouble. Within minutes, the compound is strewn with a weird collection of friends, neighbors and relatives. There's Meemaw's spooky channeler, ready to give guidance as needed; Sunshine's jilted boyfriend skulking around; a bunch of dogs ready to attack...and Kerrigan, Sunshine's mostly absentee mama, who stars in the kind of video flicks that might even shock Mary Alice.

Those hilarious southern sisters, who prove that sibling rivalry never ends, are heading for a vacation at the beach. Mary Alice's flamboyant behavior aside, serious, sensible Patricia Anne looks forward to relaxing at her sister's beachfront condo in Destin, Florida, so she kisses her ever-loving spouse Fred god-bye, reminds him to water the plants and feed the dog, and the girls head south for some fin in the sun. Mary Alice loses no time in making the acquaintance of just about everyone in sight, so watching the sun go down on the beautiful shores of the Gulf of Mexico is a welcome respite as far as Patricia Anne is concerned. . .until a dead body washes up in the waves and the victim turns out to be one of Mary Alice's newfound friends. With no witnesses t the crime except a few great blue herons, the sisters have no choice but to bypass the clueless police and follow their own instinct to find the killer. Before long they_re on a murky trail of dirty real-estate deals, giant turtle habitats, and a sea of evidence pointing to a mammoth motive for murderer.

Murder on a Bad Hair DayIt's hard to believe practical, petite ex-schoolteacher Patricia Anne and amiable, ample-bodied, and outrageous Mary Alice are sisters, yet sibling rivalry has survived decades of good-natured disagreement about everything from husbands to hair color. No sooner do the Southern sisters discover a common interest in some local art, when they're arguing the artistic merits of some well-coiffured heads at a gallery opening. A few hours later, one of those pretty ladies ends up dead -- with not a hair out of place. The other shows up on Patricia Anne's doorstep dazed, disheveled, and telling a wild tale of a narrow escape from some deadly cuts. Now the sisters are once again combing for clues to catch a killer with a bizarre style in art -- and murder.