‘This was one of the best and most unique books I’ve read all year! I just could not freaking put this book down! 87 stars from me!!!’ NetGalley reviewer ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ SHE HAD THE PERFECT MARRIAGE. UNTIL HER MOTHER-IN-LAW MOVED IN… Saffron vowed to love Miles no matter what life threw at them both. But when her mother-in-law moves into their happy family home, Saffron’s shiny life begins to tarnish. Even as Caprice’s barbed comments turn to something more sinister, Saffron hopes the new nanny’s arrival will shield her from the worst of it. She’s starting to feel paranoid in her own home. Little does she realise that Caprice longs for a new daughter-in-law – and she’ll do anything to make that happen… The new gripping domestic thriller from the #1 bestselling author, perfect for fans of Liane Moriarty and Louise Candlish. Readers are GRIPPED by The Unwelcome Guest:‘A pacy page-turner full of taut toxicity, envy, jealousy and self-interest that I couldn’t put down’ ADRIENNE CHINN ‘Definitely suspenseful and keeps you guessing. A must read!’ NetGalley reviewer ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ‘A domestic nightmare crackling with unrelieved tension’ PAUL FINCH ‘I just couldn’t put this book down. It hooked me from the very beginning!’ NetGalley reviewer ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ‘Highly entertaining and will keep you turning the pages – a toxic treat!’ ALICE HUNTER ‘A superb read – the twist at the end was so unexpected!’ NetGalley reviewer ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ‘Amanda Robson at her best – intriguing, shocking and twisty. An absolute must-read’ JA CORRIGAN

The Unwelcome Guest

Brought to you by Penguin. In The Age of the Strongman, Gideon Rachman finds global coherence in the chaos of the new nationalism, leadership cults and hostility to liberal democracy. We are in a new era: authoritarian leaders have become a central feature of global politics. Since 2000, self-styled strongmen have risen to power in capitals as diverse as Moscow, Beijing, Delhi, Brasilia, Budapest, Ankara, Riyadh and Washington. These leaders are nationalists and social conservatives, with little tolerance for minorities, dissent or the interests of foreigners. At home, they claim to be standing up for ordinary people against globalist elites; abroad, they posture as the embodiments of their nations. And everywhere they go, they encourage a cult of personality. What's more, these leaders are not just operating in authoritarian political systems but have begun to emerge in the heartlands of liberal democracy. While in the West the EU referendum and the election of Donald Trump in 2016 mark a watershed, the new era started at the beginning of the new millennium, when Vladimir Putin took power in Russia. How and why did this new style of strongman leadership arrive? How likely is it to lead the world into war or economic collapse? And what liberal forces are in place not only to keep these strongmen in check but to reverse the trend? From Trump, Putin and Bolsonaro to Erdogan, Xi and Modi, Gideon Rachman pays full attention to the strongman phenomenon around the world and uncovers the complex and often surprising interaction between these leaders. Whilst others have tried to understand the emergence of these new leaders individually, The Age of the Strongman provides the first truly global treatment of the new nationalism, underpinned by an exceptional level of access to key actors in this drama: Gideon Rachman has been in the same room with most of these strongmen and reported from their countries over a long journalistic career. © Gideon Rachman 2022 (P) Penguin Audio 2022

The Age of The Strongman

THE SUNDAY TIMES #1 BESTSELLER A Times Best History Book of the Year; A Waterstones Best Book of the Year 'Reads like a thriller… I couldn't put Max Hastings's new book down' DAILY MAIL 'Hastings is a master of drama, a writer intimately familiar with the mind of the soldier' THE TIMES Operation Biting was one of the most thrilling British commando raids of World War II, and probably the most successful. In February 1942 RAF intelligence was baffled by a newly-identified radar network on the coast of Nazi-occupied Europe, codenamed Würzburg. The brilliant scientist Dr RV Jones proposed an assault to capture key components. The nearest accessible enemy set stood upon a steep cliff at Bruneval in Normandy. Winston Churchill enthused, as did Lord Louis Mountbatten, chief of Combined Operations. A company of the newly-formed Airborne Forces was committed to the operation, which took place on the night of 27/28 February. Amid heavy snow 120 men landed, some of whom were misdropped almost two miles from their objective. They nonetheless launched the assault, dismantled the German radar, and after three nail-biting hours in France and a fierce battle with Wehrmacht defenders, escaped in the nick of time by landing-craft across stormy seas to Portsmouth. Max Hastings recounts this cliffhanging tale in a wealth of previously unchronicled detail. He portrays its remarkable personalities: the ‘boffin’ RV Jones; the peacock Mountbatten; the troubled husband of Daphne Du Maurier, Gen. ’Boy’ Browning, who commanded the Airborne Division; ‘Colonel Remy’, the French secret agent whose men reconnoitered Bruneval at mortal risk; Major John Frost, who led the paras into action; Charlie Cox, the little RAF technician who stripped the Würzburg and became an unexpected hero; Wing-Commander Charles Pickard, a legendary bomber pilot who led the drop squadron. Seldom have so many fascinating personalities been brought together to fulfil a mission that became a front-page triumph in a season of British defeats. Recounted in Hastings’ familiar best-selling blend of top-down and bottom-up action detail, Operation Biting tells a story that has become almost forgotten yet deserves to rank among the epic tales of courage and daring that took place in the greatest conflict in history.

Operation Biting

From the author of the “sophisticated and erudite” Peculiar Ground (Boston Globe), comes a collection of classic, witty fables, elegantly updated for our modern times. It's in the nature of myth to be infinitely adaptable. Each of these startlingly original stories is set in modern Britain. Their characters include a people-trafficking gang-master and a prostitute, a migrant worker and a cocksure estate agent, an elderly musician doubly befuddled by dementia and the death of his wife, a pest-controller suspected of paedophilia and a librarian so well-behaved that her parents wonder anxiously whether she’ll ever find love. They’re ordinary people, preoccupied, as we all are now, by the deficiencies of the health service, by criminal gangs and homelessness, by the pitfalls of dating in the age of #metoo. All of their stories, though, are inspired by ones drawn from Graeco-Roman myth, from the Bible or from folk-lore. The ancients invented myths to express what they didn’t understand. These witty fables, elegantly written and full of sharp-eyed observation of modern life, are also visionary explorations of potent mysteries and strange passions, charged with the hallucinatory beauty and horror of their originals.

Fabulous

An explosive, fast-paced espionage thriller for fans of Frank Gardner and Mick Herron. ‘Dark and twisted, A Time to Lie is a tense and timely novel’ Adam Hamdy A pulse-pounding thrill-ride’ Chris Whitaker A LONG-BURIED BODY. On the morning of the Tory Party conference, the bones of a young woman’s hand are discovered in a London building site. A DIVISIVE PRIME MINISTER. Prime Minister Robin Sandford is accused of killer her. With his career on the brink of ruin, he enlists the unofficial help of MI5. A decision which leads him into a new world of espionage, mass executions and murder. A PLOT TO BRING HIM DOWN… The deeper he goes, the more treacherous the game becomes. And if he fails to expose the truth, the whole country will pay the price… ‘A pulse-pounding thrill-ride’ Chris Whitaker ‘Dark and twisted, a tense and timely novel’ Adam Hamdy ‘Masterful … I was completely absorbed’ Daily Record ‘Brims with tension’ Sunday Post

A Time to Lie

She wants your life – and she’ll do anything to get it…Erica has always wanted to be exactly like her neighbour, Faye: beautiful, thin, and a mother. But Faye’s life isn’t as perfect as it seems – she has a terrible secret, and slowly but surely, it is threatening to destroy her and everything she holds dear. When Faye’s daughter Tamsin goes missing after school, the police turn to Erica. But is Erica the only one who has been enviously watching Faye? Or is there another threat hiding in the shadows…? A brilliantly tense and compelling thriller about jealousy, greed and desire from #1 ebook bestseller Amanda Robson. If you love this, don’t miss her new book My Darling. What others are saying about Envy:‘I read this rollercoaster in one sitting. I could not put it down and kept me reading late into the night’ Reader review ‘A deliciously dark tale’ Reader review ‘Beyond a page turner, it was more of a page ripper, just trying to find out what happens next. The suspense, grit and pure anticipation makes this an Amanda Robinson killer story’ Reader review ‘I absolutely loved this book and I was hooked straight away, a brilliant story and brilliant characters, I couldn't stop reading it’ Reader review ‘Another hit for Robson… This one was definitely suspense building, chilling, and shocking’ Reader review ‘Compulsive reading’ Jane Corry, author of The Dead Ex ‘Full of tension’ Karen Hamilton, author of The Perfect Girlfriend 'Classic Amanda Robson. Emotions and obsessions flying at full tilt. Fast, twisty and at times a bit nasty. Potent stuff' Paul Finch, author of Stalkers

Envy

From bestselling author Sam Carrington who also writes as Alice Hunter comes another nail-biting thriller. You never really know what goes on behind closed doors… ***An exclusive podcast episode included with its very own twisty ending! Get it now!!!*** When Isla McKenzie is brutally mugged, it’s her boyfriend Zach who’s there for her, who moves in to look after her when she can barely bring herself to leave the house. But then something else happens, right on their doorstep. And it’s almost like someone’s out to get her… Can Isla and Zach find out the truth before it’s too late? …Or at least before the secrets they’re hiding from each other surface? Because those may be even deadlier… From the USA Today bestselling author Sam Carrington comes an absolutely compelling psychological thriller that will make you question how well you know those closest to you—and how safe you ever are. Perfect for fans of Behind Closed Doors,The Girl on the Train, and Gillian Flynn. Readers love The Couple on Maple Drive:‘Phew! This is a real edge of your seat gripping story. My heart was pounding and I was screaming!’ Goodreads reviewer ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ‘WOW!!… Incredible, from the prologue to the end. I was hooked… and the twist at the end!! O M G – I did not see that coming… Guys, This is a MUST read!!!’ Goodreads reviewer ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ‘Amazing. I could not put the book down for even a minute… mind blowing… I spent the whole day telling my sister about it.' NetGalley reviewer ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 'I can't speak highly enough of this… It kept me up reading til the early hours.' NetGalley reviewer ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ‘I devoured this… One of the best books I’ve read this year.’ Goodreads reviewer ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ‘A fantastic page turner… just all round amazing… Had me feeling every single moment of fear, unease, and creepiness. One thriller you won't want to miss!’ Rubie_reads ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ‘Wow!… fantastic… I loved it so much!…so addictive…It felt as though I was watching a movie.’ Goodreads reviewer ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

The Couple on Maple Drive

‘At the end of chapters, I was either “Wow” or “Oh my God!”’ Reader Review ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ‘Robson does it again. The end will leave you flabbergasted!’ Reader Review ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ‘The intense suspense had me finishing this novel in a day!’ Reader Review ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ A birthday to remember. But would they rather forget…? Ralph is turning 45, and the only gift he wants is his ex-wife. Gemma, his trophy girlfriend, won’t let anything ruin her plans for an engagement. Sarah, the ex-wife, has agreed to attend Ralph’s party, with her new man in tow. And Jack, her partner, will stop at nothing to keep Sarah out of her ex-husband’s clutches. It’s a celebration like no other. The whole extended family in a villa on the beautiful Amalfi coast. But by the end of the trip, two people will be dead. At this birthday party to remember, will anybody unwrap the truth…? Two weeks. Four guests. One party to die for. A compulsive and twisty suspense thriller with an ending you won’t see coming, perfect for fans of Louise Candlish and Adele Parks… Readers are GRIPPED by The Party Guest:‘A gripping story of lies and betrayal’ Reader Review ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ‘The type of thriller you cannot tear away from. Great suspense all the way through!’ Reader Review ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ‘A fast-paced novel filled with vibrant characters, some great cliff-hanging moments, and a satisfying ending’ Reader Review ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ‘I couldn’t put this book down’ Reader Review ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ‘A must-read novel – full of fast-paced twists and turns’ Reader Review ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ‘Kept me guessing all the way through’ Reader Review ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ‘A guilty pleasure! The setting is beautiful, the plot intricate and fast-paced, with a surprising conclusion’ Reader Review ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ‘A real page turner and an intense thriller!’ Reader Review ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ‘I couldn’t help but devour it! Actually felt like I was there in the villa – so atmospheric’ Reader Review ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ‘Hooked me from the very first chapter and kept me hooked the entire time!’ Reader Review ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ‘A great who-dunnit!’ Reader Review ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

The Party Guest

THE SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER‘A terrific book … It really is one of the most enjoyable histories I’ve read in many a year’ JAMES HOLLAND ‘Riveting … A brilliant account’ DAILY MAIL THE FIRST AUTHORISED HISTORY OF THE SBS.Britain’s SBS – or Special Boat Service – was the world’s first maritime special operations unit. Founded in the dark days of 1940, it started as a small and inexperienced outfit that leaned heavily on volunteers’ raw courage and boyish enthusiasm. It went on to change the course of the Second World War – and has served as a model for special forces ever since. The fledgling unit’s first mission was a daring beach reconnaissance of Rhodes in the spring of 1941. Over the next four years, the SBS and its affiliates would carry out many more spectacular operations in the Mediterranean, the Atlantic, the Channel and the Far East. These missions – including Operation Frankton, the daredevil attempt by the ‘Cockleshell Heroes’ to paddle up the Garonne river and sink Axis ships in Bordeaux harbour – were some of the most audacious and legendary of the war. Paddling flimsy canoes, and armed only with knives, pistols and a few sub-machine guns, this handful of brave and determined men operated deep behind enemy lines in the full knowledge that if caught they might be executed. Many were. Yet their many improbable achievements – destroying enemy ships and infrastructure, landing secret agents, tying up enemy forces, spreading fear and uncertainty, and, most importantly, preparing the ground for D-Day – helped to make an Allied victory possible. Written with the full cooperation of the modern SBS – the first time this ultra-secretive unit has given its seal of approval to any book – and exclusive access to its archives, SBS: Silent Warriors allows Britain’s original special forces to emerge from the shadows and take their proper and deserved place in our island story.

SBS – Silent Warriors

This is a story of murder. This is a story of love. This is a story of survival. This is the most unforgettable thriller of the year._________________________‘[a] mesmerising blend of crime and romance’ Sunday Times, Pick of the Month ‘This is a classy, elegant thriller’ The Observer ‘A superbly imagined, nuanced story of love and anguish’ Daily Mail ‘Brilliant … both a love story and a crime thriller’ Fabulous, Sun on Sunday ‘A scarily perceptive, devastating meditation on the impact of crime and a story of the enduring power of love. Breathtaking’ Heat 'Wonderful… lives up to the hype’ STEPHEN KING ‘Taut, elegant and heartbreaking’ MONICA ALI ‘Impossibly accomplished’ CHRIS WHITAKER ‘Love it when a book lives up to the hype. This is spectacular’ LISA JEWELL ‘Astonishingly good’ MICK HERRON ‘It’s bloody good’ JENNIE GODFREY ‘Outstanding' CECELIA AHERN ‘Gripping, disturbing’ EMILIA HART ‘Beautiful, brilliant, brave’ ADELE PARKS ‘Tender, and devastating’ SARA COLLINS _________________________It’s the story everyone wants to hear. That spring night in South London, when Isabel and Edward’s lives were torn apart. The night Isabel learned that the worst things wait, just outside the door. The night Edward learned that he was powerless to stop them. The night they never talk about. When their attacker is caught, it's finally time to tell the story of that night. Not to the world. Or to the man who did it. But to each other. This is a story of murder. This is a story of survival. But most of all, this is a story of love. *Readers Love THE DEATH OF US*‘Exceptional … 5 stars isn't enough’⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ‘This is the best book I have read in as long as I can remember’⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ‘I've cried actual tears … God. Just stunning’⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ‘Shocking, moving and really unforgettable’⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ‘Beautifully written and truly a masterpiece’⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ‘This was incredible. A truly magnificent read’⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ‘This kept me hooked for 2 days straight and I could not stop reading it’⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

The Death of Us

One suspicious death. Two amateur sleuths. And an utterly impossible crime…The NUMBER ONE ebook bestseller! 'Amuses and intrigues in equal measure… a splendid start to what promises to be a long-running series’ Daily Mail ************************************************** The Cotswolds, 1924. At the Old Forge in the quiet village of Maybury-in-the-Marsh a cry of anguish rings out: lady of the house Amy Phelps has been discovered dead. But with all the windows and doors to her room locked from inside, how – and by whom – was she killed? Arbuthnot ‘Arbie’ Swift finds himself in the unlikely position of detective. The celebrated author of The Gentleman’s Guide to Ghost-Hunting is staying at the Old Forge to investigate a suspected spectre, but now the more pressing matter of Amy’s murder falls to him too. With old friend Val, he soon uncovers a sorry tale of altered wills, secret love affairs and tragic losses – and plenty of motives for murder. When events take another sinister turn, Arbie must find the killer, fast. And to do so will mean cracking a most perfectly plotted crime… Perfect for fans of The Thursday Murder Club, The Appeal and The Marlow Murder Club, don’t miss this stunning new series from the multi-million bestselling author! ************************************************* Readers LOVE Murder by Candlelight!‘I absolutely loved this… The story grabbed me from the beginning and I devoured it.’ Reader review ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 'The perfect village mystery. A golden-age world with an energy that is totally contemporary.’ J.M. Hall, author of A Spoonful of Murder ‘A beautifully constructed puzzle… I so hope this will be the start of a series.’ Reader review ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 'Brilliant characters that leap off the page.' The Sun ‘Very entertaining… Full of red herrings, plot twists and turns. I thought I knew who was the killer but I was wrong.’ Reader review ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ‘All the ingredients of a classic mystery… enormous fun.’ Orlando Murrin, author of Knife Skills for Beginners ‘What an utterly delightful and clever mystery… I highly recommend this book.’ Reader reviewer ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 'A fabulous romp… witty, devious, fast paced and totally absorbing' ThePeople's Friend ‘Terrifically good, and just great fun!… All of the clues are provided, but so are a number of very good red herrings… I can’t wait to see more of Arbie and Val.’ Reader review ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ‘WOW. I loved this book.’ Reader review ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ‘Absolutely perfect! This is the book I have been craving since I last read the Thursday Murder Club series!’ Reader reviewer ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

The Val & Arbie Mysteries

Murder by Candlelight

'A cosy romp of cream teas, double-barrelled names and murder.' THE SUNThe new book in the Val and Arbie mysteries from the multi-million-copy selling author Faith Martin.One of these guests has a date with death… Arbuthnot ‘Arbie’ Swift arrives at Dashwood House, a glamorously modern hotel in the up-and-coming resort of Galton-next-the-Sea, but all plans for a relaxing stay are scuppered when one of the guests is found dead. The body is found in the writing room, the victim part of a set visiting the seaside town for an engagement party, which happens to include Arbie’s old friend, Val. Familiar with Val and Arbie’s previous experience in solving puzzling crimes, the bride asks the pair to investigate. They quickly discover that the victim had no shortage of enemies, and many of the guests are up to no good. But who is simply hiding a secret, and who is hiding murder? Praise for Murder by Candlelight: 'We devoured this whoddunit in one sitting!' BELLA 'With murder, intrigue, and ghostly happenings, this will satisfy cosy crime fans.' HEAT 'Her knowledge of the genre and easy writing style makes this an effortless and fun read.' MY WEEKLY 'A clever mystery.' WOMAN’S OWN 'This engaging and energetic mystery hosts an abundance of engaging characters and is great fun.' PLATINUM ‘The perfect village mystery. A golden-age world with an energy that is totally contemporary.’ J.M. Hall, author of A Spoonful of Murder ‘A charming and clever take on a locked room murder.’ Sarah Yarwood-Lovett, author of The Doctor Nell Ward Mysteries

The Last Word Is Death

Bestselling author Max Hastings offers a welcome re-evaluation of one of the most gripping and tense international events in modern history—the Cuban Missile Crisis—providing a people-focused narrative that explores the attitudes and conduct of Russians, Cubans, Americans, and a terrified world that followed each moment as it unfolded. In The Abyss, Max Hastings turns his focus to one of the most terrifying events of the mid-twentieth century—the thirteen days in October 1962 when the world stood on the brink of nuclear war. Hastings looks at the conflict with fresh eyes, focusing on the people at the heart of the crisis—America President John F. Kennedy, Soviet First Secretary Nikita Khrushchev, Cuban Prime Minister Fidel Castro, and a host of their advisors. Combining in-depth research with Hasting’s well-honed insights, The Abyss is a human history that unfolds on a wide, colorful canvas. As the action moves back and forth from Moscow to Washington, DC, to Havana, Hastings seeks to explain, as much as to describe, the attitudes and conduct of the Soviets, Cubans, and Americans, and to recreate the tension and heightened fears of countless innocent bystanders whose lives hung in the balance. Reflecting on the outcome of these events, he reveals how the aftermath of this momentous crisis continues to reverberate today. Powerful, and riveting, filled with compelling detail and told with narrative flair, The Abyss is history at its finest.

The Abyss

A Times History Book of the Year 2022From the #1 bestselling historian Max Hastings ‘the heart-stopping story of the missile crisis’ Daily TelegraphThe 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis was the most perilous event in history, when mankind faced a looming nuclear collision between the United States and Soviet Union. During those weeks, the world gazed into the abyss of potential annihilation. Max Hastings’s graphic new history tells the story from the viewpoints of national leaders, Russian officers, Cuban peasants, American pilots and British disarmers. Max Hastings deploys his accustomed blend of eye-witness interviews, archive documents and diaries, White House tape recordings, top-down analysis, first to paint word-portraits of the Cold War experiences of Fidel Castro’s Cuba, Nikita Khrushchev’s Russia and Kennedy’s America; then to describe the nail-biting Thirteen Days in which Armageddon beckoned. Hastings began researching this book believing that he was exploring a past event from twentieth century history. He is as shocked as are millions of us around the world, to discover that the rape of Ukraine gives this narrative a hitherto unimaginable twenty-first century immediacy. We may be witnessing the onset of a new Cold War between nuclear-armed superpowers. To contend with today’s threat, which Hastings fears will prove enduring, it is critical to understand how, sixty years ago, the world survived its last glimpse into the abyss. Only by fearing the worst, he argues, can our leaders hope to secure the survival of the planet.

Abyss

‘Absolutely broke my heart… I didn’t emerge for breath until I’d tearfully finished the last page. Wonderful.’ Being Anne, 5 starsDorset, 1935. Stationmaster Ted has never cared much for romance. Occupied with ensuring England’s most beautiful railway runs on time, love has always felt like a comparatively trivial matter. Yet when he meets Annie Galbraith on the 8.42 train to Lynford, he can’t help but instantly fall for her. But when the railway is forced to close and a terrible accident occurs within the station grounds, Ted finds his job and any hope of a relationship with Annie hanging in the balance… Present day. Recovering from heartbreak after a disastrous marriage, Tilly decides to escape from the bustling capital and move to Dorset to stay with her dad, Ken. When Ken convinces Tilly to help with the restoration of the old railway, she discovers a diary hidden in the old ticket office. Tilly is soon swept up in Ted’s story, and the fateful accident that changed his life forever. But an encounter with an enigmatic stranger takes Tilly by surprise, and she can’t help but feel a connection with Ted’s story in the past… Don’t miss this haunting and evocative timeslip novel. Readers LOVE The Stationmaster’s Daughter:‘A MUST READ in my book!!’ NetGalley reviewer, 5 stars ‘Utterly perfect… A timeslip tale that leaves you wanting more… I loved it.’ Goodreads reviewer, 5 stars ‘I may have shed a tear or two!… A definite emotional rollercoaster of a read that will make you both cry and smile.’ Debbie’s Book Reviews, 5 stars ‘Oh my goodness… The pages turned increasingly quickly as my desperation to find out what happened steadily grew and grew.’ Ginger Book Geek, 5 stars ‘Very special… I loved every minute of it.’ Jessica Belmont, 5 stars ‘Brilliant… Very highly recommended!!’ Donnasbookblog, 5 stars ‘Touched my heart! A real page turner… The perfect read for cosying up. I can’t recommend this gorgeous book enough.’ Dash Fan Book reviews, 5 stars

The Stationmaster’s Daughter

Renowned historian Max Hastings recreates one of the most thrilling events of World War II: Operation Pedestal, the British action to save its troops from starvation on Malta—an action-packed tale of courage, fortitude, loss, and triumph against all odds. In 1940, Hitler had two choices when it came to the Mediterranean region: stay out, or commit sufficient forces to expel the British from the Middle East. Against his generals’ advice, the Fuhrer committed a major strategic blunder. He ordered the Wehrmacht to seize Crete, allowing the longtime British bastion of Malta to remain in Allied hands. Over the fall of 1941, the Royal Navy and RAF, aided by British intelligence, used the island to launch a punishing campaign against the Germans, sinking more than 75 percent of their supply ships destined for North Africa. But by spring 1942, the British lost their advantage. In April and May, the Luftwaffe dropped more bombs on Malta than London received in the blitz. A succession of British attempts to supply and reinforce the island by convoy during the spring and summer of 1942 failed. British submarines and surface warships were withdrawn, and the remaining forces were on the brink of starvation. Operation Pedestal chronicles the ensuing British mission to save those troops. Over twelve days in August, German and Italian forces faced off against British air and naval fleets in one of the fiercest battles of the war, while ships packed with supplies were painstakingly divided and dispersed. In the end only a handful of the Allied ships made it, most important among them the SS Ohio, carrying the much-needed fuel to the men on Malta. As Hastings makes clear, while the Germans claimed victory, it was the British who ultimately prevailed, for Malta remained a crucial asset that helped lead to the Nazis’ eventual defeat. While the Royal Navy never again attempted an operation on such scale, Hasting argues that without that August convoy the British on Malta would not have survived. In the cruel accountancy of war, the price was worth paying.

Operation Pedestal

The Sunday Times bestseller‘One of the most dramatic forgotten chapters of the war, as told in a new book by the incomparable Max Hastings’ DAILY MAILIn August 1942, beleaguered Malta was within weeks of surrender to the Axis, because its 300,000 people could no longer be fed. Churchill made a personal decision that at all costs, the ‘island fortress’ must be saved. This was not merely a matter of strategy, but of national prestige, when Britain’s fortunes and morale had fallen to their lowest ebb. The largest fleet the Royal Navy committed to any operation of the western war was assembled to escort fourteen fast merchantmen across a thousand of miles of sea defended by six hundred German and Italian aircraft, together with packs of U-boats and torpedo craft. The Mediterranean battles that ensued between 11 and 15 August were the most brutal of Britain’s war at sea, embracing four aircraft-carriers, two battleships, seven cruisers, scores of destroyers and smaller craft. The losses were appalling: defeat seemed to beckon. This is the saga Max Hastings unfolds in his first full length narrative of the Royal Navy, which he believes was the most successful of Britain’s wartime services. As always, he blends the ‘big picture’ of statesmen and admirals with human stories of German U-boat men, Italian torpedo-plane crews, Hurricane pilots, destroyer and merchant-ship captains, ordinary but extraordinary seamen. Operation Pedestal describes catastrophic ship sinkings, including that of the aircraft-carrier Eagle, together with struggles to rescue survivors and salvage stricken ships. Most moving of all is the story of the tanker Ohio, indispensable to Malta’s survival, victim of countless Axis attacks. In the last days of the battle, the ravaged hulk was kept under way only by two destroyers, lashed to her sides. Max Hastings describes this as one of the most extraordinary tales he has ever recounted. Until the very last hours, no participant on either side could tell what would be the outcome of an epic of wartime suspense and courage.

Not since Angela Carter’s The Bloody Chamber have old stories been made to feel so electrically new. Not since Wim Winders’ Wings of Desire have the numinous and the everyday been so magically combined. It's in the nature of myth to be infinitely adaptable. Each of these startlingly original stories is set in modern Britain. Their characters include a people-trafficking gang-master and a prostitute, a migrant worker and a cocksure estate agent, an elderly musician doubly befuddled by dementia and the death of his wife, a pest-controller suspected of paedophilia and a librarian so well-behaved that her parents wonder anxiously whether she’ll ever find love. They’re ordinary people, preoccupied, as we all are now, by the deficiencies of the health service, by criminal gangs and homelessness, by the pitfalls of dating in the age of #metoo. All of their stories, though, are inspired by ones drawn from Graeco-Roman myth, from the Bible or from folk-lore. The ancients invented myths to express what they didn’t understand. These witty fables, elegantly written and full of sharp-eyed observation of modern life, are also visionary explorations of potent mysteries and strange passions, charged with the hallucinatory beauty and horror of their originals.

Set amongst the rolling vineyards and gentle courtyards of a small seaside village in Catalonia, Patrick O'Brian's second novel is a poignant story of tumultuous love, complex faith and one man's desperate bid to reclaim his humanity. Summoned from his medical practice in China by a bevy of anxious aunts, Alain Roig returns to his Catalan hometown to discover he has been nominated by family members with vested interests in the ancestral property to prevent an impending marriage between his cold, ascetic cousin Xavier and Madeleine, a quiet, introspective village girl of unusual beauty. As Alain seeks to understand his cousin's complex motivations for wooing the unhappy girl, he is slowly drawn into Xavier's dark crisis of faith, the well-worn pattern of the sleepy Catalan days and the tight circle of village gossip that surrounds Madeleine. Throughout, Patrick O'Brian's slow, seductive narrative lures the reader into the landscapes, rhythms and passions of Catalonia, while his subtle, insightful characterisation paints a psychological portrait of a unique way of life and two very different men – one generous and impulsive, the other desperate to revive in his soul the dying flames of affection which he senses could be his salvation. With themes and characters that in many ways prefigure his enormously successful Aubrey/Maturin series, THE CATALANS demonstrates all the insight, lyricism and psychological drama that made O'Brian one of the best storytellers of his generation.

The Catalans

Penguin presents the audiobook edition of She Lies in Wait by Gytha Lodge, read by John Hopkins, Aimee-Ffion Edwards, Joe Coen and Gytha Lodge. Six friends. One killer. Who do you trust? On a hot July night in 1983, six school friends go camping in the forest. Bright and brilliant, they are destined for great things, and young Aurora Jackson is dazzled to be allowed to tag along. Thirty years later, a body is discovered. DCI Sheens is called to the scene, but he already knows what's waiting for him: Aurora Jackson, found at long last. But that's not all. The friends have all maintained their innocence, but the body is found in a hideaway only the six of them knew about. It seems the killer has always lurked very close to home...

She Lies in Wait

Brought to you by Penguin. A truly stunning novel of one man's dangerous obsession with immortality, from the BAFTA award-winning creator of Bodyguard and Line of Duty ONE OF THE GUARDIAN'S '1000 NOVELS EVERYONE MUST READ' Yefgenii Yeremin is a flyer and a phantom. Destined to go down in Soviet history books as 'Ivan the Terrible', the most deadly fighter pilot of the Korean War, one moment of madness sees Yefgenii throwing his reputation to the wind. Exiled to a remote Arctic base, his name unknown and victories uncelebrated, he must endure a fate worse than death: anonymity. But when a man arrives from Moscow's Space Committee in search of a volunteer prepared to sacrifice himself for his country, Yefgenii seizes his one last chance of immortality. 'A completely gripping, read-at-once novel' The Times © Jed Mercurio 2007 (P) Penguin Audio 2021

Ascent

Brought to you by Penguin. An extraordinary and vivid introduction to the country of Nicaragua and its politics from the Booker-winning author of Midnight's Children. In this brilliantly focused and haunting portrait of the people, the politics, the land, and the poetry of Nicaragua, Salman Rushdie brings to the forefront the palpable human facts of a country in the midst of revolution. Rushdie went to Nicaragua in 1986. What he discovered was overwhelming: a land of difficult, often beautiful contradictions, of strange heroes and warrior-poets. Rushdie came to know an enormous range of people, from the foreign minister, a priest, to the midwife who kept a pet cow in her living room. His perceptions always heightened by his sensitivity and his unique flair for language, in The Jaguar Smile, Rushdie brings us the true Nicaragua, where nothing is simple, everything is contested, and life-or-death struggles are an everyday occurrence. 'Stirring and original' New York Times 'A masterpiece of sympathetic yet critical reporting' Edward Said © Salman Rushdie 1987 (P) Penguin Audio 2020

The Jaguar Smile

Brought to you by Penguin. The latest gripping novel from the author of the Sunday Times bestselling Richard & Judy thriller pick She Lies in Wait. Aidan Poole logs onto his laptop late at night to Skype his girlfriend, Zoe. But to his horror, he realizes she is not alone. Completely helpless, all he can do is listen to the sounds of a violent struggle. And then a chilling silence. He's desperate to find out if she is OK. So why is he so hesitant to call the police? When his messages finally reach them, DCI Jonah Sheens and his team take the case. And discover the body. . . Watching from the Dark is the spellbinding thriller that you won't want to miss. © Gytha Lodge 2020 (P) Penguin Audio 2020

Watching from the Dark

Brought to you by Penguin. You wake up. You can't remember what happened. The man lying next to you is not your husband. And he's not breathing... The gripping third thriller starring DCI Jonah Sheens, from the author of Richard and Judy pick and Sunday Times bestseller She Lies in Wait. Louise wakes up. Her head aches, her mouth is dry, her memory is fuzzy. But she suspects she's done something bad. She rolls over towards her husband, Niall. The man who, until recently, made her feel loved. But it's not Niall who's lying beside her. In fact, she's never seen this man before. And he's dead . . . As Louise desperately struggles to piece her memories back together, it's clear to Detective Jonah Sheens and his team that she is their prime suspect - though they soon find she's not the only one with something to hide. Did she do it? And, if not, can they catch the real killer before they strike again? Praise for the Sunday Times bestselling Jonah Sheens series... 'What a marvel! A corkscrew-twisty, knife-sharp thriller. . . Prepare to be haunted' A J Finn, bestselling author of The Woman in the Window 'I loved it. A SUPERIOR crime novel' Marian Keyes 'An engaging tale of lust, rivalry and murder' The Sunday Times 'A dark, deep, terrific thriller and a scorching portrait of friendship and its betrayal' Nicci French © Gytha Lodge 2021 (P) Penguin Audio 2021

Lie Beside Me

Brought to you by Penguin. Award-winning writer and filmmaker Laurence Rees has spent nearly 20 years meeting people who were tested to the extreme during World War II. He has come face-to-face with rapists, mass murderers, even cannibals, but he has also met courageous individuals who are an inspiration to us all. His quest has taken him from the Baltic States to Japan, from Poland to America, and from Germany to China. Here he presents 35 of his most electrifying encounters. Meet Estera Frenkiel, a young Jewish woman given the chance to save ten fellow Jews from deportation and death; Peter Lee, a British officer brutally treated by his Japanese captors; Zinaida Pytkina, a female member of the Soviet Union's infamous SMERSH organisation, who took pleasure in killing a German Prisoner; Hiroo Onoda, a Japanese soldier so fanatical that he refused to surrender until 29 years after the end of the war; and Petras Zelionka, a Lithuanian who shot Jewish men, women and children for the Nazis. The devastating first-hand testimony in Their Darkest Hour is both a lasting contribution to our understanding of the war and a powerful insight into the behaviour of human beings in crisis. © Laurence Rees 2007 (P) Penguin Audio 2020

Their Darkest Hour

Brought to you by Penguin. On a stifling afternoon at Police HQ in Algiers, Superintendent Taleb, coasting towards retirement, with not even an air-conditioned office to show for his long years of service, is handed a ticking time bomb of a case which will take him deep into Algeria's troubled past and its fraught relationship with France. To his dismay, he is assigned to work with Agent Hidouchi, an intimidating representative of the country's feared secret service, who makes it clear she intends to call the shots. They are instructed to pursue a former agent, now on the run after twenty years in prison for his part in a high-level corruption scandal. But their search will lead them inexorably towards a greater mystery, surrounding a murder that took place in Paris more than fifty years ago. Uncovering the truth may be his responsibility, but Taleb is well aware that no-one in Algeria wants to be reminded of the dark deeds carried out in the struggle for independence - or in the violence that has racked the nation since. Before long, he will face a choice he has long sought to avoid, between self-preservation and doing the right thing. And, ultimately, the choice may not even be his to make. 'The world's greatest storyteller' THE GUARDIAN 'One of the finest crime writers of any generation' DAILY MAIL © Robert Goddard (P) Penguin Audio 2022

Inspector Taleb Series

This is the Night They Come For You

Brought to you by Penguin. Two sisters went missing. Only one of them came back... Detective Jonah Sheens is enjoying a moment of peace and quiet, when a teenage girl wanders out of the wood. She's striking, with flame-red hair and a pale complexion. She's also covered in blood. She insists she's fine. It's her sister he needs to worry about. Jonah quickly discovers that Keely and her sister, Nina, disappeared from a children's home a week ago. Now, Keely is here - but Nina's still missing. Keely likes to play games. She knows where her sister is - but before she tells, she wants Jonah's full attention. Is she killer, witness, or victim? And will Jonah find out what Keely's hiding, in time to save Nina? Praise for Gytha Lodge: 'Gripped me from the first page and kept me turning the pages long into the night' Erin Kelly 'Fast-paced but never rushed, with clues and twists to keep you absolutely hooked from the first page to the last' Jane Casey 'Filled with twists and turns made to suck you in and prove once again that Gytha Lodge is a master of crime detective stories' 5**** reader review © Gytha Lodge 2022 (P) Penguin Audio 2022

Little Sister

Brought to you by Penguin. In 1965 the German journalist Horst Krüger attended the Auschwitz trial in Frankfurt, where 22 former camp guards were put on trial for the systematic murder of over 1 million men, women and children. Twenty years after the end of the war, this was the first time that the German people were confronted with the horrific details of the Holocaust executed by 'ordinary men' still living in their midst. The trial sent Krüger back to his childhood in the 1930s, in an attempt to understand 'how it really was, that incomprehensible time'. He had grown up in a Berlin suburb, among a community of decent, lower-middle-class homeowners. This was not the world of torch-lit processions and endless ranks of marching SA men. Here, people lived ordinary, non-political lives, believed in God and obeyed the law, but were gradually seduced and intoxicated by the promises of Nazism. He had been, Krüger realised, 'the typical child of innocuous Germans who were never Nazis, and without whom the Nazis would never have been able to do their work'. This world of respectability, order and duty began to crumble when tragedy struck. Krüger's older sister decided to take her own life, leaving the parents struggling to come to terms with the inexplicable. The author's teenage rebellion, his desire to escape the stifling conformity of family life, made him join an anti-Nazi resistance group. He narrowly escaped imprisonment only to be sent to war as Hitler embarked on the conquest of Europe. Step by step, a family that had fallen under the spell of Nazism was being destroyed by it. Written in accomplished prose of lingering beauty, The Broken House is a moving coming-of-age story that provides an unforgettable portrait of life under the Nazis. Yet the book's themes also chime with our own times - how the promise of an 'era of greatness' by a populist leader intoxicates an entire nation, how thin is the veneer of civilisation, and what makes one person a collaborator and another a resister. 'A masterpiece. An astonishing piece of literature' - Thomas Harding © Horst Krüger 2021 (P) Penguin Audio 2021

The Broken House

Brought to you by Penguin. A remarkable performance... As gripping as The Collector and The Magus' Observer Charles Smithson, a respectable engaged man, meets Sarah Woodruff as she stands on the Cobb at Lyme Regis, staring out to sea. Charles falls in love, but Sarah is a disgraced woman, and their romance will defy all the stifling conventions of the Victorian age. Widely acclaimed since publication, The French Lieutenant's Woman is the best-loved of John Fowles's novels. © John Fowles 1969 (P) Penguin Audio 2021

The French Lieutenant's Woman

In this enthralling history, internationally bestselling author Max Hastings recounts the odds-defying Operation Biting, a 1942 parachute commando raid on Northern France to steal vital components of German intelligence—one of the most thrilling British commando raids of World War II, and one of the most successful. In February 1942, RAF intelligence was baffled by a newly identified radar network on the coast of Nazi-occupied Europe, codenamed Würzburg. British intelligence proposed an assault to capture key components. Incredibly brave agents of the French Resistance risked their lives to probe the German defenses on the Normandy coast. Then a company of Airborne forces were dropped into France in the dead of night amid heavy snow. Launching their attack, the allied soldiers dismantled the German’s radar, and after three nail-biting hours and a fierce battle with Wehrmacht defenders, escaped in the nick of time using landing-craft that carried them back across the stormy seas to Portsmouth. Operation Biting retells this dramatic operation through a gallery of amazing characters from Winston Churchill, who promoted the raid, to Lord Mountbatten, who commanded Combined Operations, to the brave unsung commandos who fought their way through enemy territory. A cliffhanger of a story that ratchets the suspense to the last page, Operation Biting sheds new light on an exciting and little-known chapter of the Second World War. Supplemental enhancement PDF accompanies the audiobook.

PRAISE FOR G. D. WRIGHT 'So compelling and tightly plotted I couldn't put it down' CLAIRE DOUGLAS 'Tense and emotional… A dark beating heart of a novel' GILLIAN McALLISTER ‘One of the most tense and gripping thrillers I've read in ages’ LISA JEWELL 'Reminded me of Broadchurch… An absolute rollercoaster' JENNIE GODFREY –––––––––––––––––––––––– One heroic act rips a small town apart in this unmissable summer thriller, perfect for fans of Andrea Mara and Ann Cleeves.–––––––––––––––––––––––– HE RUNS INTO THE FLAMES A HERO. Steve thought he had left his troubled past behind. Living a quiet life with his wife and children, everything changes the night he rescues a baby from a burning house, becoming an unexpected national hero. HE EMERGES FROM THE ASHES A SUSPECT. But as the spotlight shines brighter, so does the scrutiny, and a shocking accusation is made – that Steve is the man responsible for an unsolved murder in Beachbrook years prior. BUT WHICH ONE IS HE REALLY? As his world unravels, public opinion is firmly divided. Steve pleads his innocence, but DS Sue Willmott is determined to get to the bottom of what really happened all those years ago. After all, even heroes hide secrets of their own. –––––––––––––––––––––––– PRAISE FOR INTO THE FIRE: ‘A relentlessly pacy, gripping, and deeply moving story with a twist that hits like a sledgehammer.' LISA JEWELL 'A gripping tale that explores the flip side of heroism, and a rollercoaster ride you will not want to get off!' JANICE HALLETT 'Move over, crime giants, there’s a new giant in town!' JO CALLAGHAN ‘A remarkable book. Genuinely gut-wrenching and never lets up on pace, plot or tension.’ M. W. CRAVEN ‘A novel that picks you up and sweeps you along to the most harrowing, devastating conclusion; I couldn’t turn the pages fast enough.’ JACKIE KABLER ‘A tour-de-force of pace, nerve shredding tension, and heartbreaking emotional heft. Just astonishingly good!' NEIL LANCASTER 'A relentless surge of suspense from the first page to the shattering finale. G. D. Wright’s writing draws you in and doesn’t let go – an awe-inspiring talent.’ D. S. BUTLER ‘An emotional rollercoaster of a thriller with a shocking finale.’ SARAH CLARKE

Into the Fire

‘The messy, dirty, bloody reality of Operation Overlord comes alive in Sword, Hastings’s portrait of the individual soldiers who risked their lives on the beaches of Normandy. He brings these men to life with sensitivity and beautiful prose' THE TIMES On 6 June 1944 when the Allied armies landed on D-Day, the Second World War had already lasted almost five years. Yet many of the British and American troops who invaded Normandy were virgin soldiers, never before committed to battle. They quit England in summertime to face within hours a storm of machine-gun and mortar fire. They witnessed scenes, above all of sudden death, such as no exercise had prepared them for. In Sword, veteran chronicler of war Max Hastings explores with extraordinary vividness the actions of the Commando brigade and Montgomery’s 3rd Infantry and 6th Airborne divisions on and around a single beach. He describes their frustrations, hopes, loves and fears through the apparently interminable years training and preparing in England, then their triumphs and tragedies on the beach and beyond. Here are the airborne assaults on the Caen Canal bridge and Merville Battery, the battles on the shoreline and against the German strongpoints inland, narrated and explained with all the insights that Hastings’ decades of study, veterans’ interviews and new archive research enable him to deploy. The book offers a searching analysis of why British troops did not reach Caen on 6 June, as Montgomery had promised Churchill that they would – and the story of the brigadier who was sacked for that failure. There is also a host of personal portraits of key figures from Commando leader Lord Lovat, famously brave but supremely arrogant, to Colonel Jim Eadie, whose tanks of the Staffordshire Yeomanry repulsed a panzer division in the last hours of 6 June, and some of the humbler participants to whom extraordinary things happened. This is the story of D-Day as you have never read it before, with the blend of narrative, analysis and human insight that made Max Hastings’ last book Operation Biting, like many of his earlier works, a Sunday Times No. 1 bestseller.

Sword

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