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Five friends. Five lives. Countless hopes. LONGLISTED FOR THE GORDON BURN PRIZE 2025 Patrick, Shiv, Rian, Oli and Conor grew up together. They played together, skipped school together, and dreamt of everything they'd do with their lives. Now they are thirty, and only Rian has made it out of the estate and moved away to another city, but his money doesn't stop him clinging to a vision of the past that is quickly slipping away. Oli is fading by the day, drinking and snorting his way through the endless boredom, while Conor has a baby on the way and a business plan he hopes will change everything. Patrick and Shiv are as in love as ever, but even they are rocked when an old secret opens up new wounds... Bold, ambitious and stylistically striking, I See Buildings Fall like Lightning asks what happens when all the things we expect from our lives end up ... not happening. It lays bare the ways that place and circumstance shape us, explores the redeeming and transforming beauty of friendship and examines the true limits of hope and forgiveness.

In 1978, when Alex Duff first went to watch Brentford, players would go on midweek pub crawls near the Griffin Park stadium. Sometimes, in no fit state to go home, they would crash out in a terraced home where one of them lived opposite the stadium gates. The next morning, they clambered into a white van which one of them would drive to training, stopping on the way for a bacon sandwich and cup of tea at a greasy spoon café. Brentford had once played in the top-flight but now, idling in the third division, were a second home for players and supporters, but there was neither the ambition nor money to revive their best days. They bumbled along until in 2005, fed up with trying to make a profit from a club with an ageing stadium in an unfashionable west London suburb, owner Ron Noades agreed to hand over the business to supporters on the condition they take over responsibility for their £5.5 million overdraft. One of the fans, an Oxford University physics graduate called Matthew Benham, was making millions of pounds from professional gambling and threw in a £500,000 lifeline to help keep the club afloat. Initially, as a sort of academic challenge, he began figuring out if he could employ the mathematics which he used in beating the bookmakers to improve the club's performance on the pitch. Smart Money is the story of how a scientist with an inquiring mind was set loose in a backwater of professional football, and how he turned a modest, little-known team into a competitor in one of the world's most-watched sports leagues.

A Time Travellers Guide to Ancient Rome - by one of the best historians of the ancient world Living in ancient Rome was superbly and vividly recorded by Rome's historians, philosophers, and poets who were acutely aware of the seething and voluptuous nature of a city that ruled the known world. Through the words of Tacitus, Seneca, Martial, and a host of others including ordinary Romans, Guy de la Bédoyère takes the reader into a world of violent politics, civil disorder, unspeakably brutal entertainments, extravagance, decadence, eroticism, exotica, and staggering inequality, participated in daily by the Roman people from the hyper-rich elite to the lowliest slaves. Populus places those who experienced Rome in person at the forefront of their story, from the rabble-rousing senator Clodius Pulcher to Pliny the Elder and Hortensia who defended the rights of women in court to the ex-slave and celebrity baker Eurysaces. 'A superb combination of wit, first-rate research and panache. Highly recommended!' TONY ROBINSON

'Åsne Seierstad is the supreme non-fiction writer of her generation' Luke Harding 'As an exploration of the social fabric of Afghan life, this book takes some beating' Daily Telegraph 'An astonishing feat of writing and reporting . . . one of the finest books written on Afghanistan in a generation' Eliza Griswold, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of Amity and Prosperity 'No other recent book on the subject comes close' CPW Gammell, author of The Pearl of Khorasan In her international bestseller The Bookseller of Kabul, award-winning journalist Åsne Seierstad studied life in Afghanistan before and after the fall of the Taliban regime in 2001. Now twenty years later, the Taliban is back in power, and Seierstad returns with The Afghans, a book to help us understand Afghanistan's past, present and future, told through the lives of three unforgettable people. In her compelling, intimate and thought-provoking new book, Seierstad introduces us to three people whose lives have been shaped by the fall and rise of the Taliban - Jamila, Bashir and Ariana - as well their families, friends, foes and co-fighters. Jamila is a women's rights activist; Bashir is a Taliban commander; Ariana is a law student who had one semester left when the Taliban came to power. The stories of these three Afghans encompass love, loss, revolt and war as well as the everyday rhythms of family life. Through them, we experience and come to understand the lead-up to the Taliban retaking power in 2021, how the first year of Taliban rule unfolded, and where this leaves Afghans today, and tomorrow. Praise for Åsne Seierstad: 'An intimate portrait of Afghani people quite unlike any other' Sunday Times on The Bookseller of Kabul 'Has the feel of a non-fiction novel - irresistible' New York Times on One of Us 'Hauntingly written, this book is both a masterpiece and a masterclass in investigative journalism' Christina Lamb on Two Sisters 'Meticulously documented, full of drama' Kate Adie on Two Sisters

"How can you lose money growing a crop everyone wants with labour that costs next to nothing?" In the 1670s there are fortunes to be made in Barbados, owning slaves and planting sugar cane. But drought, floods, locusts and his own incompetence have brought Hubert Umfraville down and caused him to flee the island in the most humiliating fashion. Now back in England, he hopes to restore his fortunes through extortion. In Barbados he has discovered a secret that people here may pay him to keep quiet about. When his body is found in the orchard of the house he has just rented in Essex, there is no shortage of suspects. Has his intended blackmail victim preempted him? Or has one or other of his old crimes caught up with the failed plantation owner? John Grey, Essex magistrate and husband of a famous London playwright, finds himself investigating what seems to be the well-merited death of a former slave owner. But as the list of suspects grows, and even encompasses a member of his own family, Grey is forced to question the nature of justice and what any of us is entitled to do to gain our freedom.

The fierce and funny international bestseller about a young Turkish-Dutch woman rebelling against her strict religious upbringing and searching for her own path THE INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLER 'Electrifying ... Gül's is a singular voice, one demanding our fullest attention' Ali Millar, author of The Last Days and Ava Anna Ada Büsra is living a double life. At home with her parents, life is an endless argument - about what time she comes home, about what she wears, and most of all, about how the rules apply only to her, while her brother Halil enjoys free rein. But out in the world, everything is different. Büsra is studying Dutch literature at university, and she reads everything she can get her hands on. She works at a restaurant, where she wears tight dresses and serves alcohol. And her biggest secret of all: she has a boyfriend, and she is passionately and sinfully in love with him. Fiery, erotic and furious, and crackling with a relentless, mischievous intellect, I Will Live is a rallying cry against patriarchal injustice - and the story of a young woman finding her voice.

'A brilliant storyteller' SARAH PINBOROUGH 'If you're looking for a dark, disturbing and ultimately devastating read set in the depths of Northumberland then this is the one. Though if you're a writer you might want to read it with the lights on and a house full of friends' Trevor Wood He wants your life... Matt Langley used to be somebody. Back in the late '90s his star shone bright. Thanks to his debut novel, the shocking The Devil's Debt, he was at the forefront of the Bright Young Things. He was on chat shows and culture shows. He was the man of the moment. And then it all stopped, because there was no second book. Now, with his marriage to Naz on the rocks, they're trying to start over. They've sold the house that The Devil's Debt built and moved to a farmhouse deep in the wilds of Northumbria, where no one knows them, and for a while their new life is fragile but good. Furthermore, Matt's leading a writing group at the library and is even thinking about writing again. Marlin is part of that writing group. He's a quiet young man who has survived things no kid should ever have to. On meeting Matt he shows him his battered copy of The Devil's Debt. The book is filled with underlinings and notes and, he soon discovers, messages from the young man's dead mother. That book serves as the basis for a bond between the two. Matt feels like they have a kinship, and wants to help the young writer. So, when he and Naz find him sleeping rough they invite him into their house for a week or so, until Marlin is back on his feet. But Marlin is a malevolent cuckoo they've brought into their home. And that was their first big mistake... PRAISE FOR NICK CURRAN 'I was hooked on Step Inside My Soul from the first page. An intelligent story, cleverly written, and with a cast of well-drawn and complex characters. This gripping psychological thriller drips with quiet menace on every page and builds to a satisfyingly shocking conclusion. Absolutely brilliant!' Russ Thomas 'Grabs the reader from the very first page - and never lets go' DAILY MAIL 'Taut and properly disturbing. . . Impressive' The Critic 'Oh boy, this is going to keep you up at night, or abandoning everything else to race through the pages' Peterborough Telegraph 'Throws out a great hook and then twists and turns its way to a heartstopping climax' Stephen Gallagher 'Not just a ruthlessly compelling novel of suspense but an unflinching examination of the repercussions of a crime. Disturbing, harrowing and moving, it signals the arrival of a new master of crime fiction.' Ramsey Campbell 'Taut, compelling, original. An emotionally charged story that will leave you thinking of the main character long after finishing the book. A true page-turner' J A Corrigan 'Curran's debut is an absorbing, dark and suspenseful thriller. He is a writer to watch' David Fennell 'An utterly gripping Cobenesque mystery keeps you turning the pages fiercely to find out what's happening' Crime Podcast FM

'What a cracking read! I had an absolute blast reading it ????' - Amazon reviewer 'Jo Jakeman is something of a canny secret for those readers in the know. Join the club. Buy this book... join me in the queue for the next one.' - Amazon reviewer ---------- Welcome to Aberfal Boys High School. Independent jewel of academic and sporting excellence in the South-west... until the headmaster is murdered in his study. And now the Year Seven School Mums' WhatsApp Group really does have something to talk about... Clare Withoutani: OMG have you heard about Newhall?!!! Becky Rupertsmum: Helen-Louise just texted. Can't believe it. Pam Geoffreysmum: What's he done this time? They're going co-ed, aren't they? I knew this would happen. Clare Withoutani: Can't believe it, Becky. I'm in shock. Pam Geoffreysmum: Are we going co-ed? Becky Rupertsmum: No, Pam. Newhall died. Pam Geoffreysmum: Oh GOD. Seriously??!! Can't believe it. So sad. He'll be such a loss to the school. The boys will be devastated. Will the school be offering grief counselling? Rose Oliversmum: Anyone know what pages they're meant to do for chemistry? Ollie's homework diary says 'do questions 1-4' but no page numbers! As the resulting police investigation reveals more and more of Aberfal's long-hidden secrets, the list of suspects who wanted the headmaster dead grows by the day. And far from being a glittering jewel of exclusivity and excellence, it would appear Aberfal Boys High School is rotten to its core... ---------- This twisty, wickedly funny murder mystery is perfect for fans of Big Little Lies, Bella Mackie, Katy Brent, and Ali Lowe. ---------- Readers and reviewers are loving One Bad Apple! 'Humour and secrets aplenty... a fantastic read!' - Amazon reviewer 'Jo Jakeman's new books are always a cause of jubilation. I raced through this book on Christmas Day. The story was gripping... When you writing the next one, Jo?' - Amazon reviewer 'Couldn't put it down! Looking forward to seeing what Jo writes next!" - Amazon reviewer 'Packed with explosive twists, this captivating murder mystery will keep you reading late into the night' - Womans Own 'A superb mystery with perfectly drawn characters and plenty of twists and turns' - Katy Watson, author of The Three Dahlias 'I loved it! Throw a murder into the politics of the school gates and the parents' WhatsApp groups and you have a witty, insightful and thoroughly entertaining murder mystery!' - Jo Callaghan, author of In the Blink of an Eye 'Absolutely loved this witty, wicked and cleverly plotted story, with its sharply-drawn characters and skewering of privilege and class.... a classic murder mystery - and one that will keep you guessing to the very end' - Caz Frear, author of Sweet Little Lies 'Packed with explosive twists, this captivating murder mystery will keep you reading late into the night' - Womans Own 'An absolute delight. Anyone who has been to school or had children at school will understand the petty jealousies and rivalries, the gossip and the affairs - even murder!' - Rory Clements, author of the Tom Wilde series 'A superb mystery with perfectly drawn characters, plenty of twists and turns, and a suffocating school experience that ultimately, even inevitably leads to murder' -Katy Watson, author of The Three Dahlias 'Loved this; a fun and twisty mystery peopled by characters you'll recognise if you've ever been part of a parents WhatsApp group!' - Laura Marshall, author of Friend Request 'Absolutely loved this witty, wicked and cleverly plotted story, with its sharply-drawn characters and skewering of privilege and class. At its heart, though, ONE BAD APPLE is a classic murder mystery - and one that will keep you guessing to the very end' - Caz Frear, author of Sweet Little Lies

'One of Singapore's finest living authors' South China Morning Post 'Simply glorious. Every nook and cranny of 1930s Singapore is brought richly to life' CATRIONA MCPHERSON 'Charming' RHYS BOWEN 'One of the most likeable heroines in modern literature' SCOTSMAN ________________ The next title in the Mystery Tree series, exploring Singapore after the Japanese retreat and in the aftermath of WWII. ________________ Praise for Ovidia Yu: 'Chen Su Lin is a true gem. Her slyly witty voice and her admirable, sometimes heartbreaking, practicality make her the most beguiling narrator heroine I've met in a long while' Catriona McPherson 'Charming and fascinating with great authentic feel. Ovidia Yu's teenage Chinese sleuth gives us an insight into a very different culture and time. This book is exactly why I love historical novels' Rhys Bowen 'A wonderful detective novel . . . a book that introduces one of the most likeable heroines in modern literature and should be on everyone's Must Read list' Scotsman 'Unassuming, brilliantly observant' SCMP 'Ovidia Yu's writing helped me peel back the layers to understand Singapore. The story and Chen Su Lin's initiative and tenacity, set against a backdrop of wartime Singapore, intrigued both the historian and the mystery lover in me' Kara Owens CMG CVO, British High Commissioner to Singapore

The third book in Alexander McCall Smith's new DETECTIVE VARG series Perplexing, unfathomable and perhaps unimportant, the cases that Malmo's Department of Sensitive Crimes take on will test them to their limits. Life - and crime - is not always as it seems for Ulf Varg and the other fearless detectives in Malmo's Department of Sensitive Crimes. There are always surprising new cases to take on, and the latest batch is no exception. And that's not to mention Ulf's struggle to contain his feelings for his colleague Anna Bengsdotter. All in all, things are distinctly difficult in Malmo, and it seems up to Ulf and the Department to set them right. 'McCall Smith's continuing warm-heartedness makes Ulf such unfailingly good company' Reader's Digest 'Like AA Milne meets Karl Ove Knausgaard' Financial Times 'Wonderfully soothing and relaxing' Daily Telegraph

'Original, tender, thoughtful and true. Can't wait for people to read!' Reese Witherspoon 'Part tender coming of age story, part electrifying tale of political awakening, part heartfelt love letter to Deaf culture, True Biz is a wholly a wonder' Celeste Ng A transporting novel that follows a year of seismic romantic, political, and familial shifts for a teacher and her students at a boarding school for the deaf, from the acclaimed author of Girl at War. ONE OF THE MOST ANTICIPATED BOOKS OF 2022 - Oprah Daily, The Millions, Lit Hub, BookPage True biz (adj./exclamation; American Sign Language): really, seriously, definitely, real-talk True biz? The students at the River Valley School for the Deaf just want to hook up, pass their history finals, and have politicians, doctors, and their parents stop telling them what to do with their bodies. This revelatory novel plunges readers into the halls of a residential school for the deaf, where they'll meet Charlie, a rebellious transfer student who's never met another deaf person before; Austin, the school's golden boy, whose world is rocked when his baby sister is born hearing; and February, the headmistress, who is fighting to keep her school open and her marriage intact, but might not be able to do both. As a series of crises both personal and political threaten to unravel each of them, Charlie, Austin, and February find their lives inextricable from one another - and changed forever. This is a story of sign language and lip-reading, disability and civil rights, isolation and injustice, first love and loss, and, above all, great persistence, daring, and joy. Absorbing and assured, idiosyncratic and relatable, this is an unforgettable journey into the Deaf community and a universal celebration of human connection.

'By my thirties I had a successful career, my own house, a lovely wife and two incredible kids. I was respectable. I had everything I had ever wanted. My whole life seemed to be on track. Until it wasn't.'Sam Delaney was Jack the Lad. He was confident, loud and funny; an absolute legend, to be honest. Or at least that was what he pretended to be.But when he reached his thirties, work, relationships and fatherhood started to take their toll. Like so many blokes who seemed to be totally fine, he often felt like a complete failure whose life was out of control; anxiety and depression had secretly plagued him for years. Turning to drink and drugs only made things worse. Sam knew he needed help - the problem was that he thought self-help was for hippies, sobriety was for weirdos and therapy was for neurotics.Keeping it all inside was what nearly dragged Sam under. Then he began to open up and share his story with others. Soon his life started to get better and better. Now, he's written this book to help you do the same.Covering his complex upbringing, fast paced career, struggles with addiction and recovery, and detailing lessons he's learnt along the way, Sort Your Head Out is Sam's startlingly raw, compassionate and hilarious account of why opening up is the first step to sorting your head out.

PREORDER Chris Brookmyre's new novel The Cracked Mirror now, the most inventive and unique crime novel of the year. 'Chris Brookmyre is a genius, every new book of his is a cause for celebration' --- RICHARD OSMAN 'Keeps you guessing until the very end - after an avalanche of revelations and twists' --- THE TIMES, BOOK OF THE MONTH One hen weekend, seven secrets... but only one worth killing for Jen's hen party is going to be out of control... She's rented a luxury getaway on its own private island. The helicopter won't be back for seventy-two hours. They are alone. They think. As well as Jen, there's the pop diva and the estranged ex-bandmate, the tennis pro and the fashion guru, the embittered ex-sister-in-law and the mouthy future sister-in-law. It's a combustible cocktail, one that takes little time to ignite, and in the midst of the drunken chaos, one of them disappears. Then a message tells them that unless someone confesses her terrible secret to the others, their missing friend will be killed. Problem is, everybody has a secret. And nobody wants to tell. PRAISE FOR CHRIS BROOKMYRE 'Strikingly original and definitively Brookmyre - there's nothing he can't do' Mick Herron 'I recommend The Cut SO HIGHLY! A fast-paced thriller, lovely characters, (and] it kept me guessing' Marian Keyes 'A twisty spiralling rabbit hole of a book that draws you deeper with every chapter. Brilliantly original, compulsively readable, right to the final page' Ruth Ware 'Dark, heartfelt, stylish and thrilling, the kind of wonderfully original tale I just adore. Chris Brookmyre is a storytelling mastermind' Chris Whitaker 'This is a special novel. A brilliant, original, up-to-the-minute tale with all of the dark, edgy, humorous brilliance we've come to expect from one of the finest crime fiction writers in the world' Abir Mukherjee

The Art of Pink Floyd The Wall is a sumptuously illustrated book, collecting Gerald Scarfe's iconic work for Pink Floyd. First The Wall was an album, then it was a stage show, a film - now there will be the definitive book, which will be a work of art in its own right.This large, landscape-format book, presented in a stunning slipcase designed by Scarfe, is packed with photos, drawings and designs which will incorporate the iconic imagery of The Wall alongside new and previously unseen material.Forty years on, The Wall has lost none of its impact, and its themes are more relevant than ever. Presenting the phenomenal artwork as it has never been seen before, The Art of Pink Floyd The Wall is a must-have for any Pink Floyd fan.

'If you carry on like this, you'll do nothing but play football and cricket all your life.'These were the exasperated words of Mike Brearley's mother, as he once again trod mud into the family home after a long day playing outdoors. They were also an unwitting but half-accurate prediction, for Brearley would become one of the most successful sportsmen of his generation by playing cricket for Cambridge, Middlesex and then becoming one of England's finest captains. But for Brearley, cricket wasn't just a physical activity, it was also an intellectual game, offering the chance to bring closer together body and mind. When his cricketing career came to end - during his playing days he had had a hiatus as a philosophy lecturer - he eschewed sporting commentary for a career as a psychoanalyst.In Turning Over the Pebbles, which he calls a 'memoir of the mind', Brearley reviews his life with its attendant emotions, tensions and moves. It is also a book of his second thoughts and reassessments, allowing him to understand more fully things that were obscure to him earlier. After all, he says, 'captaining ourselves, like captaining a team, requires a willingness to allow thoughts and feelings their space'.Deeply thoughtful, erudite and elegantly framed, this book seamlessly blends all aspects of Brearley's life into a single integrated narrative. With wide-ranging meditations on sport, philosophy, literature, religion, leadership, psychoanalysis, music and more, Brearley delves into his private passions and candidly examines the various shifts, conflicts and triumphs of his extraordinary life and career, both on and off the field.

'My favourite debut of the year . . . utterly compelling' LUCY CLARKE 'A twisty read you 100 percent won't be able to put down' COSMOPOLITAN 'Glossy, clever and unsettling' ANDREA MARA 'Nail-biting' MARIE CLAIRE 'Twists and turns a plenty!' RED MAGAZINE 'Totally gripping' RACHEL ABBOTT __________________________________________ THEY CALL ME THE LUCKY ONE. THEY DON'T KNOW I LIED. Nine years ago, Charlie Colbert's life changed for ever. On Christmas Eve, as the snow fell, her elite graduate school was the site of a chilling attack. Several of her classmates died. Charlie survived. Years later, Charlie has the life she always wanted at her fingertips: she's editor-in-chief of a major magazine and engaged to the golden child of the publishing industry. But when a film adaptation of that fateful night goes into production, Charlie's dark past threatens to crash into her shiny present. Charlie was named a 'witness' in the police reports. Yet she knows she was much more than that. The truth about that night will shatter everything she's worked for. Just how far will she go to protect it? __________________________________________ A dark and deeply compulsive read that will keep you racing through the pages late into the night, perfect for fans of Lucy Foley, Gillian McAllister and Girl A by Abigail Dean. 'One of the most chilling reads of the year' M. W. CRAVEN 'The breakout debut thriller of 2024' CELIA WALDEN 'Keep you turning the pages as you race to find out the truth' DAILY MIRROR 'A proper thriller with plenty of twists and turns' SUNDAY EXPRESS, S MAGAZINE 'Knife-sharp and utterly immersive' ANDREA BARTZ 'Guaranteed to keep you up past your bedtime' LAURIE ELIZABETH FLYNN 'Intoxicatingly sharp . . . I never wanted to stop reading' CLEMENCE MICHALLON 'Knife-sharp' WOMAN'S OWN 'Compelling and engrossing' KATY WATSON 'A nail-biting ride' ASHLEY WINSTEAD 'Dark and dazzling' JENNIFER HILLIER 'Propulsive' KATHERINE ST. JOHN 'Twists I did not see coming' ASHLEY TATE

Adventures in Volcanoland charts journeys across deserts, through jungles and up ice caps, to some of the world's most important volcanoes, from Nicaragua to Hawaii, Santorini to Ethiopia, exploring Tamsin Mather's obsession with these momentous geological formations, the cultural and religious roles they have played in the minds of those living around them at different times throughout history, and the science behind their formation and eruptions. Volcanoes help to make and shape our world, bursting forth from inside of the earth and, in many places, looming over us. Present since the earth's beginning they continue to maintain its life support systems and, their extraordinary chemistry may even have created the ingredients needed for life to kick start. In some places volcanoes are even beginning to provide us with part of the energy we need to curb our use of fossil fuels. They have fascinated humans for millennia, their eruptions charted throughout history, seeming to show us how the earth has been living, breathing and changing for billions of years. Why exactly are these geological mammoths found where they are? What can they teach us about our environment, the Anthropocene and the ecological disaster that is climate change? Are there volcanoes on other planets, and what might they tell us about whether we could one day live there if we exhaust our own habitat? How can we predict if or when volcanoes might explode? Adventures in Volcanoland is an enthralling mix of travel, science and environmental writing for fans of Robert MacFarlane and Raynor Winn.

Can a killer ever be on the side of justice? In 1983, Professor Robert Balfour was found floating in Airthrey Loch at the heart of Stirling University's campus. His death was deemed a tragic accident but there were other, darker rumours. The death of a politics professor allegedly linked to the armed wing of the Scottish Liberation Brigade was always going to attract conspiracy theories. But that's all they were. Theories. Until now. To mark the 40th anniversary of his father's death, Jonathan Rodriguez has travelled back to Stirling - and he's brought a camera crew with him. Rodriguez is convinced his father's death was no accident - and that at least one of the killers wore a uniform. Desperate to make the problem go away, DCI Malcolm Ford turns to Connor Fraser for help. And then another body is found at nearby Bannockburn. On the trail of a double killer, Connor is forced to confront dark truths about the meaning of justice. And those truths may just break his heart - or stop it, for good. Praise for Neil Broadfoot: 'Tense, fast-moving and bloody. Broadfoot's best yet' Mason Cross 'A true rising star of crime fiction' Ian Rankin 'Beautifully crafted . . . There's no filler, no exposition, just action, dialogue and layering of tension that'll hold you breathless until the very end' Helen Fields 'Wonderfully grisly and grim, and a cracking pace' James Oswald 'A frantic, pacy read with a compelling hero' Steve Cavanagh

The importance of cricket to the English imagination has been immortalised in the art and literature of a thousand years. It is a story that is known in part, but one that has never been explored in full. And it is lined with surprises, forgotten tales, unnoticed details - ranging from medieval manuscript illustrations, through a dazzling variety of visual art, poetry, fiction, and drama, to recent portraits of contemporary heroes.Echoing Greens will explore the depth of the bond between cricket and the English imagination. For countless artists and writers across the centuries, the culture and aesthetics of cricket - white-clad players, the crack of bat on ball, booming appeals, admiring applause, figures running up to bowl, batsmen leaning, waiting, swinging the blade - have been as essential to the English landscape as the hills and meadows immortalised by Gainsborough, Constable and Turner. And in pursuing this journey, Echoing Greens will show that - beneath cosy patriotic dreams of 'English values' - a much wilder, more complex story exists. Alongside stories of heroic figures, noble values, and pastoral idylls, the literature and the art of cricket also tell of vice, violence, and scandal. In unveiling the true story behind these representations of the game, this book will also force us to reconsider the history of cricket itself.

It's a baking hot British summer, and the sleepy town of Market Foxleigh is staging a crime writing festival... with the three Dahlias as guests of honour. After all, not only have Rosalind King, Caro Hooper and Posy Starling each played fictional detective Dahlia Lively on screen, but they're also making a name for themselves solving real-life murders too. The Dahlias are anticipating a weekend of cream teas, awards dinners and warm white wine... but before long they're sleuthing together once again - this time helping a true crime podcast investigate a local cold case with a personal connection for one of the Dahlias. It's been five years since Dahlia Lively fan Scott Baker was arrested for a murder that had eerie echoes of one of Dahlia's fictional cases. It seemed like an open and shut case at the time, but the podcast team are convinced that the police got the wrong man. Can the three Dahlias help prove them right - and find the real killer? Praise for Katy Watson: 'An absolute treat of a read with all the ingredients of a vintage murder mystery: a country house, mysterious dead bodies and three actresses all keen to catch the killer. Perfect weekend reading!' Janice Hallett, author of The Appeal 'Celebrates and gently satirises Golden Age crime novels in a hugely entertaining country house mystery' The Times 'Dame Agatha would approve' Daily Mail 'A wonderful celebration of Golden Age crime. . . a read you can sink into, just like the perfect country house weekend. You will definitely love Dahlia in all her guises by the end' S.J. Bennett, author of The Windsor Knot 'I loved it - witty, engaging and hugely enjoyable. A must for fans of classic mysteries' Frances Brody 'An affectionate homage to the Golden Age of Detective Fiction and a wry nod to our continuing fascination with it. Great fun. Warm, ingenious and. . . lively!' L C Tyler 'A sprightly offering. . . a pleasant summer read' The Critic 'A pleasure to read from beginning to end' Shots 'A fun, 1930s style murder-mystery, which makes for perfect holiday reading' Woman's Weekly 'Perfect Holiday Read' Woman & Home 'Smartly executed with wit and a cunning plot' Peterborough Telegraph 'A cosy whodunnit told with modern flair' Yours

Clever and very funny' - Ian Moore author of Death and Croissants 'Eleanor Oliphant meets The Thursday Murder Club' - Jessica Irena Smith ------------ Something doesn't add up at the seaside... A witty murder mystery perfect for fans of Richard Osman, Ian Moore and the Reverend Richard Coles. ------------ Una has always been more comfortable working with numbers than people. As an actuary for an insurance company, her job is to spot patterns that other people might miss. When the data for her latest project - into the predicted number of deaths in seaside resorts - shows a blip in her forecasts, Una's untarnished reputation at work is at risk. That is, unless she can work out why there's been an unusual spate of accidental deaths by the coast. Death by Hanging Basket? She's not seen that before. Where better to begin than her mother's hometown of Eastbourne, where strange fatalities are befalling her mother's bingo crowd. But as Una puts her spreadsheets aside and begins to investigate, a sinister pattern begins to emerge and she realises that there is nothing accidental about these casualties . . . Can Una stop the killer in this small seaside town, before she becomes a not-so-vital statistic? ------------ 'Witty and fun' Woman's Own 'A terrifically funny, endearing read' Belfast Telegraph 'A impressive debut full of unusual ideas and amusing relationships' Morning Star 'Sharp, witty and joyous . . . I fell in love with Una and her risk averseness, and the cast of wonderful characters. I can't wait to read about what they get up to next!' Jessica Irena Smith

WITH AN EXCLUSIVE Q&A BETWEEN JIM AND KAVEH FOR THE AUDIOBOOK'The best football book of the year. A must-read for anyone who loves football' Harry Redknapp Football used to be a sport. Then it became a business. Now it's a whole industry. For three months every year football clubs buy and sell human beings. People who are so good at their job that others are willing to pay millions and millions of pounds to work with them, and for good reason; the right deal can help you win football's top prizes while the wrong deal can cost you your job and bankrupt your club. It's a fast-paced, at times murky and cutthroat world worth billions - and Jim White and Kaveh Solhekol have been at the heart of it for decades. In Deadline Day, Jim and Kaveh, two leading transfer market experts, take us behind the scenes of this uniquely tense and secretive world where the winner takes it all. They uncover what really happens in this game within the game where everything is for sale at the right price. And that's a price that's being paid by some of the richest people and countries on the planet, including billionaire US investors and Gulf states such as Saudi Arabia who have money to burn. Jim reveals what led him into journalism, and specifically what it takes to break the biggest stories and make it in the footballing world. Featuring a colourful cast of iconic players, managers, agents and owners - such as Cristiano Ronaldo, Harry Kane and Sir Alex Ferguson to name a few - Jim recounts some of the most game-changing deals in history, as well as the ones that got away. Perceptive, entertaining and dynamically told, Deadline Day addresses some of the big questions facing the game in a definitive, never-before-told inside story of football's transfer window.

'Plenty of Bologna, lots of mystery and conspiracy, and even some heartbreak via Daniel's past. Highly recommended!' - Amazon reviewer, --------------- Instead of escaping reality to this fantastic city, this city of phantoms, I was rushing towards it - hard fate awaited me in this soupy shade of a place... In the oppressive heat of summer in Bologna, English detective Daniel Leicester is reliving his beloved wife Lucia's final days. Vivid memories have been awakened by the sight of her bicycle, missing since the accident that killed her, ridden by a stranger through the city's tight medieval streets. As unfinished business bleeds - quite literally - into the present, the sickening realisation that Lucia's death wasn't accidental dawns on Daniel. He embarks on a quest for the truth, and this most personal of crusades leads him to two contrasting worlds: the secretive, ancient realm of freemasonry, and the revolutionary 'Reclaim Bologna' activist movement. What links these two opposing factions? Is there a chance Lucia wasn't the woman Daniel believed her to be? And will the truth be too painful, or too perilous, to bear? --------------- Readers and reviewers are loving The Bologna Vendetta!: 'Brilliant characters... If you like a good thriller with a strong storyline or have read Donna Leon and David Hewson and have enjoyed ...then this series will be your next favourite read !' - Amazon reviewer, 'Evocative... immersive... old and new mysteries come together in a satisfying and moving finale. Highly recommended' - Amazon reviewer, 'The plot twists and turns at a delicious pace and will keep you guessing!' - ITALIA! 'Steeped in atmosphere and intrigue, The Bologna Vendetta burrows under the skin of contemporary Italy. Intelligent, incisive and compelling' - Orlando Murrin, author of Knife Skills for Beginners 'A galloping and topical read' - The Florentine 'I have read all this series and loved every single one... I really didn't want to put it down and read it in only a couple of days' - Amazon reviewer, 'A real treat. One of the few series that I've read throughout and this is the best of the lot. Beautifully drawn characters, a wonderful evocation of Bologna, a twisty plot and a genuinely moving and clever callback to an earlier event. Oozes class' - Trevor Wood, author of the DCI Jack Parker series 'This brilliant series is consistently unmissable and The Bologna Vendetta is no exception; intriguing, intelligent and thoroughly compelling, it's the best yet!' - Karen Cole, Hair Past Freckle book review blog

"Marcus Berkmann was for many years the pop critic of the Spectator, waiting like most freelances to get fired. He's also the author of the bestselling Berkmann's Cricket Miscellany, concentrating on the ridiculous true stories and the weird characters of that most eccentric of sports. Here he combines the two, in a wildly entertaining ride through the galloping absurdities of pop, from Elvis Presley's real hair colour, through Janet Jackson's more intimate piercings, to Courtney Love's hatred of cheese.Why does Bono always wear sunglasses? Did Ozzy Osbourne really urinate on the Alamo? What actually happened at Keith Moon's 21st birthday party at the Holiday Inn in Flint, Michigan? There's sex, there's drugs, there's violence, there's even a little rock 'n' roll from time to time. But mainly there are vital questions, now finally answered. Which notable guitarist has unfeasibly tiny hands? Which Britpop star was forced to wear lederhosen as a child? Who said, 'The majority of pop stars are compete idiots in every respect'? And was she wrong?"--Publisher's description. Marcus Berkmann was for many years the pop critic of the Spectator, waiting like most freelances to get fired. He's also the author of the bestselling Berkmann's Cricket Miscellany, concentrating on the ridiculous true stories and the weird characters of that most eccentric of sports. Here he combines the two, in a wildly entertaining ride through the galloping absurdities of pop, from Elvis Presley's real hair colour, through Janet Jackson's more intimate piercings, to Courtney Love's hatred of cheese. Why does Bono always wear sunglasses? Did Ozzy Osbourne really urinate on the Alamo? What actually happened at Keith Moon's 21st birthday party at the Holiday Inn in Flint, Michigan? There's sex, there's drugs, there's violence, there's even a little rock 'n' roll from time to time. But mainly there are vital questions, now finally answered. Which notable guitarist has unfeasibly tiny hands? Which Britpop star was forced to wear lederhosen as a child? Who said, 'The majority of pop stars are compete idiots in every respect'? And was she wrong , ,

'It's hard to think of a better living practitioner of hilarious honesty than David Sedaris' The Times 'David Sedaris is funny - invariably. That's his gift' Los Angeles Times Back when restaurant menus were still printed on paper, and wearing a mask-or not-was a decision made mostly on Halloween, David Sedaris spent his time doing normal things. As Happy-Go-Lucky opens, he is learning to shoot guns with his sister, visiting muddy flea markets in Serbia, buying gummy worms to feed to ants, and telling his nonagenarian father wheelchair jokes. But then the pandemic hits, and like so many others, he's stuck in lockdown, unable to tour and read for audiences, the part of his work he loves most. To cope, he walks for miles through a nearly deserted city, smelling only his own breath. He vacuums his apartment twice a day, fails to hoard anything, and contemplates how sex workers and acupuncturists might be getting by during quarantine. As the world gradually settles into a new reality, Sedaris too finds himself changed. His offer to fix a stranger's teeth rebuffed, he straightens his own, and ventures into the world with new confidence. Newly orphaned, he considers what it means, in his seventh decade, no longer to be someone's son. And back on the road, he discovers a battle-scarred America: people weary, storefronts empty or festooned with Help Wanted signs, walls painted with graffiti reflecting the contradictory messages of our time: Eat the Rich. Trump 2024. Black Lives Matter. In Happy-Go-Lucky, David Sedaris once again captures what is most unexpected, hilarious, and poignant about these recent upheavals, personal and public, and expresses in precise language both the misanthropy and desire for connection that drive us all. If we must live in interesting times, there is no one better to chronicle them than the incomparable David Sedaris. Praise for Calypso 'Sedaris is the premier observer of our world and its weirdnesses' Adam Kay, author of This is Going to Hurt 'He's like an American Alan Bennett' Guardian 'Unquestionably the king of comic writing . . . Calypso is both funnier and more heartbreaking than pretty much anything out there' Hadley Freeman, Guardian

Winner of Best Memoir at the Parliamentary Book Awards 2020 'Dan Jarvis's story is a belter. It's about love, loss, courage and determination told with his customary modesty which fails to disguise the amazing man behind the story' Alan Johnson Dan Jarvis is an MP and a Mayor, but this is not a book about politics. This is a book about service and family - specifically his time serving in the elite Parachute Regiment, and the tragic death of his wife Caroline. Dan used to be a soldier, and although soldiering provides the backdrop to some of the book, what it is really about is love, life and death - and all the stuff that goes in between. It is about making decisions when under extreme pressure, about keeping calm, keeping going and keeping a smile on your face - well, most of the time, anyway. Specifically, it is about the two biggest challenges Dan faced and the way he tried to cope with them - taking on the Taliban in Afghanistan, and losing his wife to cancer at a tragically young age. For a long time Dan did not feel ready or able to talk about it, but ten years on, he now wants to tell the story. From the mortal danger and nerve-tangling fear of night-fighting in Helmand province to the aching heartache of bereavement, this is a unique and compelling memoir by a man of courage and character. Though it has been a hard book for Dan to write, it is a gripping and inspiring one to read.

'Stunning . . . a true page-turning mystery. I adored it' CHRIS WHITAKER, author of We Begin at the End 'An irresistible mystery, superbly crafted' ANNA BAILEY, author of Tall Bones 'Compelling . . . I read it in a single sitting' HAYLEY SCRIVENOR, author of Dirt Town 'Gripping . . . an ending I never saw coming' ANA REYES, author of The House in the Pines A dark, compelling thriller about a small town simmering with secrets, perfect for fans of Gillian Flynn, Lisa Jewell and Shari Lapena. ________ EVERYONE IN THIS TOWN HAS SOMETHING TO HIDE. On a hot August day, Lauren Ballard mysteriously vanished from her home, leaving signs of a violent struggle. Sixteen years on, still haunted by her friend's disappearance, Nicola Bennett returns to her hometown. For Nicola, Tyndall County has remained frozen in time. Everywhere she turns she's reminded of Lauren. Yet startlingly, her former friends and neighbours have all moved on. Nicola begins to trace over the events of that summer, hoping to discover a clue to Lauren's fate. Deep down she knows the answers are tucked in the hollows and valleys of this rural Virginia county. But as secrets come to light and the truth begins to unravel, will Nicola finally break free of the past - or lose herself completely in the questions she can never answer?

'Hugely entertaining' Telegraph 'She's such a skilful storyteller who vividly dramatises our lives with wit, wisdom and compassion' BERNARDINE EVARISTO 'I revelled in The Three Graces - such an intriguing cast, so convincingly presented, and a narrative that continually surprises' PENELOPE LIVELY 'A brilliant piece of storytelling... it should be the book everybody's reading this summer' ANDREW O'HAGAN 'Gorgeous and generous... rich with characters and suffused with sunlight' LISSA EVANS When Enzo shoots an illegal migrant from his bedroom one night, it triggers a series of events that embroil old and young, rich and poor, native and foreign. His elderly neighbours Ruth, Diana and Marta are three friends who have retired to Tuscany. Ruth's favourite grandson Olly is about to get married from her idyllic hillside farmhouse; however, the bride, Tania, seems curiously unengaged by anything but vlogging as a social media influencer. Marta, preparing to give the annual music recital sponsored by a Russian oligarch in hiding from Putin, is increasingly unwell, and her grandson, Xan, is full of resentment at the inequalities he encounters. Diana is nursing her husband, Lord Evenlode, who is living with dementia, and looking back over a long and troubled marriage. Over two weeks in May, all these characters will face challenging choices as they grapple with their own past and with present dangers. For although the Tuscan spring looks as ravishing as a Renaissance painting, the realities of modern life make it harder and harder to believe that there is more that unites us than what keeps us apart. Brilliant, enthralling, funny and generous, this is an exploration of the indomitable human heart.

In The Doors Unhinged, New York Times bestselling author and legendary Doors drummer John Densmore offers a powerful exploration of the 'greed gene' - that part of the human psyche that propels us toward the accumulation of more and more wealth, even at the expense of our principles, friendships and the well-being of society. This is the gripping account of the legal battle to control The Doors's artistic destiny. In it, Densmore looks at the conflict between his bandmates and him as they fought over the right to use The Doors's name, revealing the ways in which this struggle mirrored and reflected a much larger societal issue: that no amount of money seems to be enough for even the wealthiest people. The Doors continue to attract new generations of fans, with more than one hundred million albums sold worldwide and counting, and nearly twenty million followers on the band's social media accounts. As such, Densmore occupies a rarefied space in popular culture. He is beloved by artists across the decades for his fierce, uncompromising dedication to art. His writing consistently earns accolades and has appeared in a range of publications such as the Los Angeles Times and Rolling Stone. As his friend and American novelist Tom Robbins recently advised him, 'If you keep writing like this, I'll have to get a drum set.'

'A new Simon Brett is an event for mystery fans' P. D. James'Murder most enjoyable' Colin DexterBlotto and Twinks are off on another adventure - and this time they're bound for the Alpine village of Luzvimmen in Switzerland, where Blotto participates in racing the prestigious and very fast Croissant Run, though someone seems determined to sabotage his chances.Twinks, on the other hand, is on a mission to rescue her friend's sister from the sinister finishing school she is trapped in - the Convent of the Sacred Icicle. Once inside, Twinks is threatened by an elderly nun who shows her a secret glacier in which the Phantom Skiers are entombed... awaiting resurrection so they can wreak vengeance on people who are too curious... like Blotto and Twinks.Meanwhile, up at Schloss Luzvimmen, the crazed Count von Strapp is set on global domination via a deadly arsenal of Swiss cheese hardware he's planning to unleash on the world...Yes, everything's much as usual in the world of Blotto and TwinksPraise for Simon Brett'One of British crime's most assured craftsmen . . . Crime writing just like in the good old days, and perfect entertainment'Guardian'Few crime writers are so enchantingly gifted' Sunday Times'Simon Brett writes stunning detective stories. I would recommend them to anyone' Jilly Cooper

Murder At The Allotment is the tenth book in Julie Wassmer's popular crime series - now a major Acorn TV drama, Whitstable Pearl, starring Kerry Godliman as private detective and restaurateur, Pearl Nolan 'While Oxford had Morse, Whitstable, famous for its oysters, has Pearl' Daily Mail Pearl's tiny garden of Eden is transformed into a battlefield when the out of towners come to Whitstable... Pearl Nolan's coastal allotment has always been a quiet haven - somewhere for her to relax and cultivate special ingredients for her restaurant, The Whitstable Pearl. But a sudden clamour for allotments by the DFLs - Down From Londoners - causes tension in the local community when the council decides to accommodate them by dividing existing plots into smaller parcels. The harmony that once existed between holders of land previously blighted only by slugs and caterpillars, soon transforms into a bitter turf war as a pushy DFL tries to take over by forming an Allotment Association - with herself as its chair. When anonymous complaints are submitted to the council about each of the local allotment holders -- apart from the DFLs --Pearl's services as private detective are called upon to discover the complainant but before she can do so, what began as a tiff among the turnips soon becomes a hunt for a killer when gardening tools are put to murderous use... Praise for Julie Wassmer's Whitstable Pearl Mysteries... 'One of the best episodes in Wassmer's longrunning Whitstable saga' Daily Mail 'As light as a Mary Berry Victoria sponge, this Middle-England romp is packed with vivid characters' Myles McWeeney, Irish Independent 'All of the thrills without any of the gore' The Sun 'Wassmer tells a rattling good tale with a lineup of oddball characters who keep us guessing' Daily Mail 'This is a quality title...a very entertaining read' The Puzzle Doctor 'A wonderful way to explore Whitstable . . . if you love cosy mysteries, then get acquainted with Pearl (and her mum and her cats!) and enjoy a trip to Whitstable through the eyes of this very convincing author' Trip Fiction 'Proves she's mistress of her craft' John McGhie, author of White Highlands 'Good, solid whodunits, without gruesome details or gratuitous violence, Murder on Sea may be just your cup of tea' Bec Stafford Praise for the TV series... 'Scandi noir meets the English seaside in Whitstable Pearl, a murder mystery series based on Julie Wassmer's novels...' Drama Quarterly '...explores all the murder and debauchery in the seemingly perfect English seaside town of Whitstable...' Washington Post '...you never know what might turn up, either on the menu or alongside an oyster boat.' Wall Street Journal

If you want to start a new crime series, make it this one. It's one of the best I've ever read' - Amazon reviewer, ---------- Pressure rises as a missing person's case has deadly crime gang connections... A fatal fire in a holiday let on Slievemore, Achill Island, leaves one person dead and another missing. When the fire is deemed arson, DS Lucy Golden and her team are tasked with solving the murder and locating the missing woman, Moira Delaney. As the case develops, the pressure builds when it transpires that Moira's father is a gangland figure and a suspect in three unsolved murders. If Lucy doesn't uncover what happened that morning in Slievemore, he will deploy his men to deal out his own sort of justice. Things get even more complicated when a laptop is uncovered that could ruin all that Lucy holds dear. As the net on the suspect tightens, Lucy faces a difficult choice - will she use the laptop's secrets to save herself and bring a murderer to justice, or bury them and save her career... and her life? ---------- Readers and reviewers love The Bone Fire! 'From the second I started reading The Bone Fire, I simply could not put it down. This series has me totally hooked' - Amazon reviewer, 'Another gritty, excellent read in the DS Lucy Golden series... It gripped me right from the start' - Amazon reviewer, 'I absolutely loved the first three books in this series and the same is true for this one... My advice is that if you want to start a new crime series, make it this one. It's one of the best I've ever read' - Amazon reviewer, 'With the raw and savagely beautiful Achill Island as a fitting backdrop, a tense and gut-wrenching plotline, and a cast of expertly drawn characters, Murphy delivers up a gritty and emotional reading experience' - Zoe Miller, author of A Husband's Confession 'A gripping mystery lies at the heart of this atmospheric and wonderfully written police procedural' - Brian McGilloway, author of the Lucy Black thrillers 'Meticulously plotted... a terrific read' - Irish Independent 'It's a good 'un... with the ups and downs of family life beautifully written' - Belfast Telegraph ---------- The Bone Fire is the propulsive fourth book in Martina Murphy's gripping DS Lucy Golden series - fans of Ann Cleeves' Vera and Shetland series, and of Patricia Gibney, S.A. Dunphy and Tana French, will love this series!

October 1678. Sir Edmund Berry Godfrey, respected London wood monger and Court Justice, sets out from his house, early one foggy morning, in his second-best coat. Then he vanishes. Six days later, his body is discovered in a ditch near Primrose Hill. He has been severely beaten, strangled and stabbed through the chest - killed three times, in fact. There's no doubt somebody wanted him dead. The cash in his pockets however is still there. And, in spite of the wet weather and muddy roads, his clothes are dry and his shoes are spotlessly clean. People are quick to connect his killing with the role Godfrey has played in exposing a Catholic plot to kill the King. His name is, after all, an anagram of 'dy'd by Rome's reveng'd fury'. Parliament, whipped into a frenzy by the conspirator Titus Oates, demands a suitable perpetrator is found. But it soon becomes clear that Godfrey had not merely offended the Catholics. And he had, some weeks before, predicted his own death with uncanny accuracy. Magistrate John Grey is summoned from his Essex village to investigate an increasingly inexplicable crime and to prevent some innocent men from being hanged as a regrettable political necessity. Praise for L.C. Tyler 'Len Tyler writes with great charm and wit . . . made me laugh out loud' Susanna Gregory 'I was seduced from John Grey's first scene' Ann Cleeves 'Tyler juggles his characters, story, wit and clever one liners with perfect balance' The Times 'A dizzying whirl of plot and counterplot' Guardian 'Unusually accomplished' Helen Dunmore 'A cracking pace, lively dialogue, wickedly witty one-liners salted with sophistication . . . Why would we not want more of John Grey?' The Bookbag

In the stunning retrospective Scarfe, which expands on 2005's Drawing Blood in every way, Gerald Scarfe's work is presented as no book has presented it before. This fully illustrated, 576-page volume reveals the truth of sixty years of politics and culture, packed with images that have defined not only one artist's career, but also twentieth and twenty-first century British life. A showcase of Scarfe's glittering career in design, reportage and showbusiness, Scarfe presents drawings, sculptures and photographs alongside witty and poignant captions and stories. Scarfe's muses: Thatcher, Clinton, Blair, May and Trump, as well as many other titanic figures of our times are all here, revealed as they really are by Scarfe's cutting pen. Carefully curated by the artist himself, this monumental book is the definitive guide to the career of a national treasure.

The awkward and lovable hero of Andrew Sean Greer's bestselling and prize-winning novel Less returns in this unforgettable road trip across America. 'Wildly, painfully funny' David Sedaris 'Unforgettable' Elizabeth Day 'The joyfulness of this book is a balm' Madeline Miller 'What a joy' Katie Kitamura For Arthur Less, life is going surprisingly well: he is a moderately accomplished novelist in a steady relationship with his partner, Freddy Pelu. But nothing lasts: the death of an old lover and a sudden financial crisis has Less running away from his problems yet again as he accepts a series of literary gigs that send him on a zigzagging adventure across the US. Less roves across the 'Mild Mild West', through the South and to his mid-Atlantic birthplace, with an ever-changing posse of writerly characters and his trusty duo - a human-like black pug, Dolly, and a rusty camper van nicknamed Rosina. He grows a handlebar mustache, ditches his signature gray suit, and disguises himself in the bolero-and-cowboy-hat costume of a true 'Unitedstatesian'... with varying levels of success, as he continues to be mistaken for either a Dutchman, the wrong writer, or, worst of all, a 'bad gay'. We cannot, however, escape ourselves - even across deserts, bayous, and coastlines. From his estranged father and strained relationship with Freddy, to the reckoning he experiences in confronting his privilege, Arthur Less must eventually face his personal demons. With all of the irrepressible wit and musicality that made Less a bestselling, Pulitzer Prize-winning, must-read breakout book, Less Is Lost is a profound and joyous novel about the enigma of life, the riddle of love, and the stories we tell along the way.

London, Burning is a novel about the end of the 1970s, and the end of an era. It concerns a nation divided against itself, a government trembling on the verge of collapse, a city fearful of what is to come, and a people bitterly suspicious of one another. In other words, it is also a novel about now. Vicky Tress is a young policewoman on the rise who becomes involved in a corruption imbroglio with CID. Hannah Strode is an ambitious young reporter with a speciality for skewering the rich and powerful. Callum Conlan is a struggling Irish academic and writer who falls in with the wrong people. While Freddie Selves is a hugely successful theatre impresario stuck deep in a personal and political mire of his own making. These four characters, strangers at the start, happen to meet and affect the course of each other's lives profoundly. The story plots an unpredictable path through a city choked by strikes and cowed by bomb warnings. It reverberates to the sound of alarm and protest, of police sirens, punk rock, street demos, of breaking glass and breaking hearts in dusty pubs. As the clock ticks down towards a general election old alliances totter and the new broom of capitalist enterprise threatens to sweep all before it. It is funny and dark, violent but also moving.

'Elegant and multi-focal. Glorious!' Simon Garfield The humble pair of glasses might just be one the world's greatest inventions, allowing millions to see a world that might otherwise appear a blur. And yet how much do many of us even really think about these things perched on the ends of our noses? In this eye-opening history Travis Elborough traces the fascinating true story of spectacles: from their inception as primitive visual aids to monkish scribes right through to today's designer eyewear and the augmented reality of Google Glass. And taking in along the way such delights as lorgnettes, monocles, pince-nez, tortoise-shell 'Windsors' and Ray Ban aviator shades. Peering into early theories about how the eye worked, he considers the theological and philosophical arguments about the limits of perception by Greek thinkers, Roman statesmen and Arab scholars. There are encounters with ingenious medieval Italian glassmakers, myopic Renaissance rulers and spectacle-makers and opticians, brilliant, mad, bad and dangerous to know, in the Londons of Samuel Pepys, Dr Johnson and Sherlock Holmes. We learn how eyeglasses were the making of the silent movie star Harold Lloyd and the rock n roller Buddy Holly and helped liberate an exasperated John Lennon from Beatlemania. Get hip to horn-rims with Dizzy Gillespie and Michael Caine And see girls in glasses through the lenses of the crime fiction by Dorothy L Sayers and Raymond Chandler and the full-screen figure of Marilyn Monroe. Through the Looking Glasses is about vision and the need for humanity to see clearly, and where the impulse to improve our eyesight has led us. The society of the spectacle may finally be upon us . . . but how much of it do we really see?

The word 'tickbox' emerged recently as a cynical angle on official or corporate incompetence. They had 'ticked the box' - people said - but failed to act. It is increasingly used to describe this gap between official spin and reality. Yet, says David Boyle in this powerful expose of tickbox culture, that is just the tip of a vast tickbox iceberg. The only people who remain blind to this gap are those rich or powerful enough to run the world, and behind Tickbox lies an insidious philosophy of automation and the misuse of data that weighs heavily on every one of us. It makes our public services less effective - and makes them soar in costs - it lies behind so many stark injustices and disasters, from Grenfell Tower to the deportation of the Windrush generation. Yet the system carries on, and grows in power and strengths - vacuuming up the resources of the NHS pursuing pointless targets or badgering us to reveal how much we had enjoyed our visit to their bank counter - because those who run the world remain committed to it. It is time we escaped the tentacles of Tickbox. Boyle suggests a series of ways out - starting with recognising the danger and calling it out for what it is - a massive failure, corroding our lives and our ability, as human beings, to act on the world.

What would lockdown internet sensation Britney Spears aka Jackie Weaver do? Are you tired of being patronised, talked over and told to READ THE STANDING ORDERS? (Perhaps not that last one.)For every woman who has endured that I-know-what's-best-for-you tone, this is the book for you. The feminist political icon we didn't know we needed, the indomitable Jackie Weaver shares her own standing orders for life:· Zoom etiquette (don't be another Julie's iPad)· Asserting yourself in the workplace· Making change in your local community· Dealing with tiresome men who go on and on (and on)No-nonsense, witty and incisive, Jackie Weaver will show you that you do have the authority here. This is an essential handbook for getting things done without fuss, keeping cool in the face of adversity and pressing mute on the noise.

'Clémence Michallon has written a classic... Daring and completely satisfying' James Patterson 'Beautifully written, entirely convincing and relentlessly gripping ... so brilliantly told, with characters so plausible and compelling, that I was hooked until the last word' Sophie Hannah 'From the first page, you can say farewell to sleep...a brilliant, breathtaking thriller with characters you love - and love to hate. I didn't know whether to tear to the end or savour every page' Abigail Dean, bestselling author of Girl A 'An absorbing and addictive psychological thriller - I couldn't put it down' Edel Coffey 'I was pulled in from the very first page... The plot was masterful, the many threads honed and pulled taut kept me turning pages' Jane Shemilt He took you and you have been his for five years. But you have been careful. Waiting for him to mess up. It has to be now. Aidan Thomas is a hardworking family man and a respected member of his community. He's the kind of man who always lends a hand and has a good word for everyone. He's also a kidnapper and serial killer who has murdered eight women. And there's a ninth, a woman he calls Rachel, imprisoned in a backyard shed where she fears for her life. When Aidan's wife dies, he and his thirteen-year-old daughter, Cecilia, are forced to move. Aidan has no choice but to bring Rachel too, introducing her to Cecilia as a family friend who needs a place to stay. He knows that after five years of captivity, Rachel is too frightened of the consequences to attempt to escape. But Rachel is a fighter and a survivor. And when Emily, a local restaurant owner, develops a crush on the handsome widower, she finds herself drawn into Rachel and Cecilia's orbit, coming dangerously close to discovering Aidan's secret. The Quiet Tenant explores the psychological impact of Aidan's crimes on the women in his life through the voices of Rachel, Cecilia, and Emily - and the bonds between those women that give them the strength to fight back. Both a searing thriller and an astute study of trauma, survival, and the dynamics of power, The Quiet Tenant is an electrifying novel by a major talent.

'An unputdownable thriller' Gregory Dowling 'It is no surprise to find that Philip Gwynne Jones lives in Venice... art and architecture interweave into a story that builds to an almost surreal climax' Daily Mail 'Gwynne Jones's talent for evoking place and atmosphere is clear as ever' Literary Review 'An impressive, tersely-written account linking old crimes to the political contention in the country at present... Recommended' The Critic _______________ To tell the truth is a revolutionary act. Battered by floods and crushed by overtourism, the city of Venice faces an uncertain future. The election of a new Mayor, therefore, has never felt more important. As the candidates jostle for position and alliances are made and promises broken, Andrea Mazzon, a controversial writer and historian, emerges as a strong candidate. Nathan Sutherland, meanwhile, has more important things on his mind as he investigates the case of an elderly British academic who has disappeared while researching the fate of his grandfather during the Great War. The trail leads to a remote Common-wealth war cemetery where, under the ice and snow, Nathan makes a discovery that links the terrible events of a century ago with the electoral campaign in La Serenissima. A campaign that might ultimately set the victor on the road to the Senate - and on the road to murder. . . _______________ Praise for Philip Gwynne Jones 'I devoured all Philip's novels and felt transported to Venice with a new intimacy' Val McDermid 'Superb - always gripping, beautifully constructed and vivid' Stephen Glover 'Clever and great fun' The Times 'Sinister and shimmering, The Venetian Game is as haunting and darkly elegant as Venice itself' L.S. Hilton, bestselling author of Maestra 'The Venetian setting is vividly described... good, fluid writing makes for easy reading' Literary Review 'Un-put-downable . . . If you love Venice, you'll love this because you'll be transported there in an instant. If you've not been to Venice, read this book and then go. If you like intrigue, and a clever plot, you'll love this book' Amazon reviewer, 5***** 'The lively, colourful narrative scuds along as briskly as a water taxi...you'll enjoy the ride' Italia Magazine

A Times and Sunday Times Book of the Year 'Delicious and endearing' Observer 'Comedy gold' Sunday Times 'A riveting account of what it takes to be an actor' Christina Patterson 'A writer of considerable urbanity and wit' Lynn Barber, Daily Telegraph Hugh Bonneville is one of Britain's most accomplished actors, familiar to audiences worldwide for his roles in Notting Hill, the Paddington films and Downton Abbey. What is it like working with Judi Dench and Julia Roberts, or playing Robert de Niro's right leg, or not being Gary Oldman, twice? A wickedly funny storyteller, Hugh also writers with poignancy about his father's dementia and of his mother, whose life in the secret service only emerged after her death. Whether telling stories of working with divas, Dames or a bear with a penchant for marmalade, this is a richly entertaining account of his life as an actor.