A. Igoni Barrett was born in Port Harcourt, Nigeria, in 1979 and lives in Lagos. He is a winner of the 2005 BBC World Service short story competition, the recipient of a Chinua Achebe Center Fellowship, a Norman Mailer Center Fellowship, and a Rockefeller Foundation Bellagio Center Residency. His short story collection, Love is Power, or Something Like That, was published in 2013. In 2014 he was named on the Africa39 list of sub-Saharan African writers under 40. Blackass is his first novel.

A. Igoni Barrett

The short life of A.J.A. Symons (1900-41) was described by his biographer as an intricate and largely harmless confidence trick. His many interests included the collection of musical boxes and rare books as well as the study and practice of forgery; they left him time to edit an anthology of Edwardian verse and compose studies of H.M. Stanley and other notable figures. He is remembered for The Quest for Corvo, one of the most remarkable biographies ever written, and for co-founding the Wine and Food Society.

A. J. A. Symons

A. J. Liebling, born in Manhattan in 1904, joined the staff of the New Yorker in 1935 and contributed innumerable articles to the magazine throughout his lifetime, on subjects ranging from food to boxing and France to horse racing. As a war correspondent during the Second World War, he reported from France, England and Algeria, and participated in the Normandy landings. In later life he married the writer Jean Stafford, his third wife. He died in 1963.

A. J. Liebling

A. J. Rosen is an author of YA fantasy novels and is an ambassador for Wattpad, known as @agatharoza. Entwined is her first novel.

A. J. Rosen

A. K. Davidson

A. M. Ellis is a speculative fiction author and lover of everything steeped in myth and mystery. Her stories often lean into diverse voices, not only in her identity as a Black woman, but in exploring neurodivergence and mental health. A proud introvert and nostalgic gamer, she lives in Maryland, USA, with her husband and three children.

A. M. Ellis

A. O. Scott has been a film critic at the New York Times since 2000. His writing has appeared in many other publications, including the New York Review of Books, Slate, the New Yorker and the Nation. A finalist for the Pulitzer Prize in criticism in 2010, Scott is currently Distinguished Professor of Film Criticism at Wesleyan University. He lives with his family in Brooklyn, New York. 
 
@aoscott

A. O. Scott

A.S. Byatt (1936-2023) was a novelist, short-story writer and critic of international renown. Her novels include Possession (winner of the Booker Prize 1990), the Frederica Quartet and The Children’s Book, which was shortlisted for the Booker Prize and won the James Tait Black Memorial Prize for Fiction. She was appointed CBE in 1990 and DBE in 1999, and was awarded the Erasmus Prize 2016 for her ‘inspiring contribution to life writing’ and the Pak Kyongni Prize 2017. In 2018 she received the Hans Christian Andersen Literature Award.

A. S. Byatt

A. T. Williams won the George Orwell Prize for Political Writing in 2013 for his book A Very British Killing: The Death of Baha Mousa. He lives in Warwickshire.

A. T. Williams

A. W. Chase

Dubbed ‘The new queen of spy fiction’ by the Guardian newspaper, and ‘the real thing’ by the Washington Post, A.C. 'Ava' Glass is the CWA Dagger-shortlisted author of Alias Emma (The Chase), The Traitor and The Trap. The Traitor was a 2023 Richard and Judy Bookclub pick. Alias Emma was a Barnes and Noble book of the month. A former crime reporter and communications consultant, for five years Ava worked closely with spies. Her time in that world fascinated her, and the people she met back then inspire every book she writes.

A.C. Glass

A.E. Housman

Arthur Edward Waite was the designer and co-creator of the now famous Rider Waite Tarot deck. 
 
An American-born British poet and scholarly mystic, his strong interest in all esoteric matters - divination, magic, Kabbalism, alchemy and Freemasony - led to him penning a number of books. These include the Key to the Tarot, The Book of Ceremonial Magic and A New Encyclopedia of Freemasony.

A.E. Waite

A.E. Warren is the author of the Tomorrow's Ancestors series, which consists of Subject Twenty-One, The Hidden Base, The Fourth Species and The Final Rising. 
 
After spending eight years working as a lawyer, she began to write in the evenings and early mornings as a form of escapism from life in a very small cubicle with lots of files. She self-published her first novels in her spare time, which were picked up by Del Rey UK which is the science fiction/fantasy imprint of Penguin Random House. 
 
 She is an avid reader, occasional gamer and fair-weather runner. She lives in the UK with her husband, daughter and hopefully, one day, a wise border terrier named Austen.

A.E. Warren

A.G.D. Maran

A.J. Ayer

A.J. Cronin

A K Benedict writes crime and speculative fiction in a room filled with clowns, mannequins and Doctor Who figures. Her first novel, The Beauty of Murder, was nominated for an eDunnit award and is in development for a major 8-part TV series by Company Pictures. Her second, Jonathan Dark or The Evidence of Ghosts, came out in February 2016. She's written Torchwood audio dramas for Big Finish and her short stories have featured in anthologies including Great British Horror and Best British Short Stories. She lives in St Leonards-on-Sea with her dog, Dame Margaret Rutherford.

A.K.Benedict

A. L. Kennedy has twice been selected as one of Granta’s Best of Young British Novelists and has won a host of other awards – including the Costa Book of the Year for her novel Day. She lives in Essex.

A.L. Kennedy

A.N. Wilson was born in 1950 and educated at Rugby and New College, Oxford. A Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature, he holds a prominent position in the world of literature and journalism. He is an award-winning biographer and a celebrated novelist, winning prizes for much of his work. He lives in North London.

A.N. Wilson

A. T. Emerald lives with her husband and baby daughter in Nottinghamshire. She discovered her love of writing in 2020 and has not shut up about enemies to lovers ever since. She loves iced matcha, torrid love confessions with knives pressed to throats (fictional, of course) and does not accept bills for any therapy her books might incur.

A.T. Emerald

A.W. Priest

A.B.C. Merriman-Labor was a barrister, writer and munitions worker born in Freetown, Sierra Leone in 1877. His published works include A Series of Lectures on the Negro Race and The Story of the African Slave in a Nutshell. He also edited two editions of the Handbook of Sierra Leone. He arrived in the UK in 1904 to study law. In 1907, he organised a centenary commemoration of the abolition of the slave trade in Westminster Abbey. He later embarked on an 'entertainment-lecture' tour called Life and Scenes in Britain, travelling across thousands of miles of West, South West and Central Africa, which he expanded on to create Britons Through Negro Spectacles.

ABC Merriman-Labor

AJ Cronin

AJ Molloy

Aabria Iyengar is an American actress and author.

Aabria Iyengar

Aaliya Jaleel is a freelance illustrator, designer, and visual development artist, currently majoring in Animation at the University of Texas at Dallas. She is also the illustrator of Under My Hijab and Muslim Girls Rise. You can visit her online at www.aaliyamj.com.

Aaliya Jaleel

Aaron Allston

After more than fifteen years of experience as a clinical psychotherapist, Dr Aaron Balick has taken the amazing insights from psychology and psychotherapy out of the consultation room and made them accessible to the wider world. 
 
He has been an ‘agony uncle’ for many years for both CBBC and BBC Radio 1, as well as on television, including BBC Worldwide, BBC 3 and BBC Learning.

Aaron Balick

Aaron Carroll

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A. A. Dhand

'One of the most multi-layered policemen to have appeared in recent years.' - Mail on Sunday 
 
Detective Inspector Harry Virdee has a lot on his plate. His team is facing government cuts, tensions are building between Bradford’s two rival drugs gangs and his wife Saima is due to give birth any day now. 
 
So when bodies start turning up in the old industrial district, the pressure is on to get the case wrapped up as quickly as possible, or risk a full-scale gang war. 
 
But the man behind the murders is ruthless and pushy. And things are getting personal. Harry must think fast and bend the rules if he wants to keep his city, and his family, safe . . .

Darkness Rising

Mary Jane Staples

A moving family drama set against the backdrop of one of London's poorest areas from multi-million copy seller Mary Jane Staples. Perfect for fans of Maggie Ford, Kitty Neale and Katie Flynn. 
 
READERS ARE LOVING THE LODGER! 
"This was such a great read....... priceless I loved it" - 5 STARS 
"Leave[s] you with a smile on your face..." - 5 STARS 
"Once you start, you can't put it down..." - 5 STARS 
"I absolutely loved this book" - 5 STARS 
"Great for lifting your spirits" - 5 STARS 
"A good book, keeps you in suspense until the end" - 5 STARS 
 
************************************************ 
 
IN TIMES OF TROUBLE, CAN SHE KEEP HER FAMILY SAFE FROM HARM? 
 
London, 1908: For years now, Maggie Wilson has had to bring up her four daughters alone with barely enough money to get by. Local Constable Harry Bradshaw looks out for them as best he can but there isn't much he can do for Maggie's small family. 
 
When the opportunity to take in a lodger arises, Maggie can't resist the extra income. 
 
But there's something strange about the man Maggie has let into her home... what if he's more trouble than he's worth?

The Lodger

A delightful Cockney page-turner you won’t be able to put down

Karen Cleveland

THE HEART-POUNDING NEW THRILLER FROM THE SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLING AUTHOR OF NEED TO KNOW 
 
A strange sensation runs through me, a feeling that I don't know this person in front of me, even though he matters more to me than anyone ever has, than anyone ever will. 
 
You go into your son's bedroom. It's the usual mess. You tidy up some dirty plates, pick up some clothes, open the wardrobe to put them away. 
That's when you find it. 
And you realize a horrifying truth... 
Your own son might be dangerous. 
 
Keep You Close is the chilling, relentless new thriller from the bestselling author of Need to Know.

Keep You Close

The heart-pounding thriller from the Sunday Times Bestselling author of Need to Know

Rebecca Reid

‘Well written, with a plot and characters that haunt you long after you’ve finished.’ Jane Corry, author of My Husband’s Wife 
 
Which is more dangerous, a secret or a lie? 
 
Poppy has a secret. 
 
It was a whirlwind romance. And when Drew, caught up in the moment, suggests that he and Poppy don’t tell each other anything about their past lives, that they live only for the here and now, for the future they are building together, Poppy jumps at the chance for a fresh start. 
 
But it doesn’t take long for Poppy to see that this is a two-way deal. Drew is hiding something from her. And Poppy suddenly has no idea who the man she has married really is, what he is hiding from her or what he might be capable of. 
 
Drew says he has nothing to hide. Drew is lying. 
 
'Rebecca Reid is a master of building tension' Phoebe Morgan, author of The Girl Next Door 
 
* 
 
What readers are saying... 
‘Gripped me from the start and I couldn’t put it down’ 
‘Truly original’ 
‘Compulsive reading’ 
‘Captivating’ 
‘Amazing. Five stars’ 
‘I loved every single word’

Truth Hurts

A captivating, breathless read

Deborah Masson

WINNER OF THE BLOODY SCOTLAND SCOTTISH CRIME DEBUT OF THE YEAR 2020 
 
'Gritty and close to the bone, Hold Your Tongue is a compelling, addictive read that I devoured in one sitting.' Lisa Hall, bestselling author of Between You and Me 
 
In the run up to Christmas, a serial killer stalks the streets of Aberdeen . . . 
 
A brutal murder. 
A young woman's body is discovered with horrifying injuries, a recent newspaper cutting pinned to her clothing. 
A detective with everything to prove. 
This is her only chance to redeem herself. 
A serial killer with nothing to lose. 
He's waited years, and his reign of terror has only just begun . . . 
 
Introducing DI Eve Hunter, HOLD YOUR TONGUE is your new obsession. 
 
*** 
Readers can't stop talking about HOLD YOUR TONGUE: 
 
'Without a doubt the best police procedural I have read in a long time' 
'[Deborah Masson] has a long and bright future ahead if this book is anything to go by' 
'Hold Your Tongue is incredible . . . You're in for a treat!' 
'[Stuart] MacBride has some competition' 
'Wow, what a page-turner!' 
'I can't wait to read more of this series' 
'Addictive from the first page to the last [...] If you read only one book this year make it this one' 
 
*** 
 
'Tense, edge-of-your-seat stuff' Emma Curtis, bestselling author of The Night You Left 
 
'Expertly paced, intriguing and with a strong emotional kick - this is a great start to a fab new detective series' SJI Holliday, author of Violet 
 
'A tense debut in which the past and present collide with devastating consequences. I hope to read more of DI Eve Hunter' Mari Hannah, author of The Lost

Hold Your Tongue

The award-winning crime debut of the year

Danny Miller

Prepare to be gripped by this prequel series to R.D. Wingfield's A Touch of Frost. 
 
Back in Denton, Detective Sergeant Jack Frost returns to investigating murders, finding missing children, and discovering dead bodies in woodland areas. With Detective Inspector Williams missing, and a new policeman, DS Waters, to mentor, DS Jack Frost has to put the stresses and straings of his personal life on hold in order to keep Denton safe.

When art dealer Ivan Fielding is found dead of a heart attack in his home, surrounded by the treasures he’s collected all his life, it doesn’t initially seem like a case for Detective Inspector Frost and the Denton police force. But then signs of a burglary are discovered, and Frost senses there’s more to the story than meets the eye – even though the only thing taken was a worthless amateur painting. 
 
Then a young girl is abducted outside the school, an infamous gangster fresh from prison arrives in the area, and dead bodies start turning up in the woods. As Frost and his team dig deeper, everything seems to lead back to Ivan Fielding’s murky lifetime of misdeeds. 
 
Will they find the answers they need before the dead man’s past puts them all at risk? 
 
DETECTIVE JACK FROST IS: 
 
‘A splendid creation, a cross between Rumpole and Columbo.’ 
The Times 
 
‘Deplorable yet funny, a comic monster on the side of the angels.’ 
Guardian

The Murder Map

DI Jack Frost series 6

Robert Goddard

What value can be put on a human mind? 
 
How Joe Roberts does what he does is a mystery. He has a brain that seems able to outperform a computer. To a games company like Venstrom that promises big profits if his abilities can be properly exploited. So they send Nicole Nevinson to track him down and make him an offer too good to refuse. 
 
But Venstrom aren’t the only people interested in Joe. His current boss, a shady businessman, is already making serious money out of Joe’s talents and isn’t going to let him go without a fight. And then there are other forces, with still darker intentions, who have their own plans for him. 
 
Almost before she knows it, Nicole’s crossed an invisible line into a world where the game being played has rules she doesn’t understand and where no-one can help her win. 
 
But win she must. Because the battle now isn’t just for Joe’s mind, it’s for Nicole’s life.

One False Move

Samuel Bjork

From the bestselling novel I'm Travelling Alone, two dynamic characters are born. 
Police investigators Holger Munch and Mia Krüger work together to solve the most complex crimes in Oslo, catching serial killers before they strike again but their personal lives are not simple either. As people, they could not be more different but as they battle their own demons their unlikely pairing make Munch and Krüger the best kind of classic detective duo.

'Gives Jo Nesbo a run for his money' Sunday Express 
'Intelligent and gripping' The Times 
___ 
 
Mindless killer? Or do they know exactly what they're doing? 
 
Winter 1996. An old man is driving home when his headlights catch an animal on the empty road up ahead. He stamps hard on the brakes. But it is not an animal at all. It is a young boy, frightened and alone, with a set of deer antlers strapped firmly to his head. 
 
Fourteen years later, a body is found in a mountain lake. Within weeks, three people have died. Each time, the killer has left a clue, inviting Special Investigations Detectives Munch and Krüger to play a deadly game - a game they cannot possibly win. Against the most dangerous and terrifying kind of serial killer. One who chooses their victims completely at random. 
 
To find the killer they must look deep within their own dark pasts, but how can you stop a murderer when you cannot begin to predict their next move? 
 
The new novel from Samuel Bjork, THE WOLF, is available now. 
___ 
 
What readers are saying: 
 
'A riveting story, with plenty of dark emotions. Perfect for Scandi-Noir lovers.' 
'I was hooked, this tale got my heart racing and in places sat on the edge of my seat and reading late into the night.' 
'Ingenious . . . I found it gripping and compulsive.'

The Boy in the Headlights

From the author of the Richard & Judy bestseller I’m Travelling Alone

Fiona Barton

WHAT IF IT WAS SOMEONE YOU KNEW? 
 
'Utterly engrossing . . . I lived inside this book for two days - and I'm still thinking about it. Superb!' Shari Lapena, bestselling author of THE COUPLE NEXT DOOR 
 
'Intelligent, insightful and compelling. A clever, twisting whodunnit that delivers an emotional punch. I loved it.' C L Taylor 
____________________ 
 
'The police belonged to another world - the world they saw on the television or in the papers. Not theirs.' 
 
When two eighteen-year-old girls go missing on their gap year in Thailand, their families are thrust into the international spotlight: desperate, bereft and frantic with worry. 
 
Journalist Kate Waters always does everything she can to be first to the story, first with the exclusive, first to discover the truth - and this time is no exception. But she can't help but think of her own son, who she hasn't seen in two years, since he left home to go travelling. This time it's personal. 
 
And as the case of the missing girls unfolds, they will all find that even this far away, danger can lie closer to home than you might think . . . 
____________________ 
 
WHAT AUTHORS ARE SAYING: 
 
'Perfectly pitched . . . will have you racing to the denouement.' Cara Hunter, bestselling author of CLOSE TO HOME and IN THE DARK 
 
'A fast-paced whodunnit with heart, characters I feel I know and a deliciously dark twist. Superb writing, often blackly funny, and a scene that made me cry into my pillow.' Gillian McAllister, Sunday Times bestselling author of EVERYTHING BUT THE TRUTH 
 
'Fiona Barton is perceptive, empathetic and a talented writer' Daily Express 
____________________ 
 
WHAT READERS ARE SAYING: 
 
'Really is unputdownable' ***** 
 
'I was gripped from the first page' ***** 
 
'Drew me in right from the start' ***** 
 
'The Suspect blew me away' ***** 
 
'I will be recommending this book to all my friends' ***** 
 
'The best book I have read in ages' ***** 
 
'Enthralling and full of suspense and twists' ***** 
____________________ 
 
Read Fiona Barton's other tantalising thrillers: THE WIDOW, THE CHILD, LOCAL GONE MISSING and TALKING TO STRANGERS.

The Suspect

The additive and clever must-read crime thriller

Paula Daly

The basis for DEEP WATER, now a major ITV TV series, starring Anna Friel. 
 
'One of the most hypnotically gripping books I've read in a long, long time.' TESS GERRITSEN 
 
Your friend's child is missing. It's your fault. 
 
No family is perfect. 
 
A husband, three children and a full-time job, so many plates to keep spinning. 
 
No wonder you forgot you were supposed to be looking after your friend's daughter. 
 
But no one has seen her since yesterday. 
 
And she's not the first to go missing from your small town. 
 
So who's hiding something? 
 
'She writes with a singular voice and a passion that roars off the page . . . With a sharp, double-twist ending it announces Daly as a potential star' Daily Mail 
 
'Fiendishly addictive' Guardian 
 
'Riveting! Daly plunges straight into the heart of every parent's worst nightmare with page-turning results' Lisa Gardner 
 
'The sort of book that causes you to lose half a day without even noticing' Elizabeth Haynes, author of Into the Darkest Corner

Just What Kind of Mother Are You?

the basis for the TV series DEEP WATER

The gripping and addictive thriller

The basis for DEEP WATER, now a major ITV TV series, starring Anna Friel. 
 
If you slept with a stranger for money, who'd really end up paying? 
 
'A page-turning thriller with heart' Renée Knight, author of Disclaimer 
 
We all think we know who we are. 
 
What we’re capable of. 
 
Roz is a single mother, a physiotherapist, a sister, a friend. She’s also desperate. 
 
Her business has gone under, she’s crippled by debt and she’s just had to explain to her son why someone’s taken all their furniture away. 
 
But now a stranger has made her an offer. For one night with her, he’ll pay enough to bring her back from the edge. 
 
Roz has a choice to make. 
 
'A big-hearted, empathetic novel about ordinary lives and the tremors that can rock them' Guardian

The Mistake I Made

a totally addictive psychological thriller with characters you’ll believe in

Manda Scott

THRILLER OF THE MONTH ‘Superb . . . a blend of historical imagination and storytelling verve reminiscent of Robert Harris.’ The Sunday Times 
 
'The most exciting, involving thriller I've read in an age, and I can't recommend it highly enough.' Mick Herron 
 
* 
 
A Treachery of Spies is an espionage thriller to rival the very best, a high stakes game of cat-and-mouse, played in the shadows, which will keep you guessing every step of the way. 
 
A body has been found. The elderly victim’s identity has been cleverly obscured but one thing is clear: she has been killed in the manner of traitors to the Resistance in World War Two. 
 
To find answers in the present, police inspector Inès Picaut must look to the past; to 1940s France, a time of sworn allegiances and broken promises, where the men and women of the Resistance fought for survival against Nazi invaders. 
 
But, as Picaut soon discovers, there are those in the present whose futures depend on the past remaining buried, and who will kill to keep their secrets safe. Old fashioned espionage might be a thing of the past but treachery is as dangerous as ever. 
 
* 
 
'This is a rich vein for fiction, and Scott does it more than justice, with this beautifully imagined, beautifully written, smart, sophisticated - but fiercely suspenseful - thriller.' Lee Child 
 
'The most exquisite story of heroism, deception, love and treachery you’ll find this year.' Simon Mayo 
 
'A fast-moving tightly-wrought thriller. The destination is in fact as unexpected as it’s satisfying - and very thought-provoking.' Robert Goddard 
 
'A Treachery of Spies is a masterclass in thriller-writing. It is a heart-racing, heart-wrenching read, conceived with passion and executed with frightening skill. An awe-inspiring achievement.' Giles Kristian

A Treachery of Spies

The Sunday Times Thriller of the Month

Frederick Forsyth

The No. 1 bestseller 
 
'Forsyth has lost none of his storytelling finesse and geopolitical grasp . . . this is Forsyth at his spellbinding best' Daily Mail 
 
'An ingenious, expertly written and serious look at international conflicts which threaten the future of the world' Washington Post 
 
Most weapons do what you tell them. Most weapons you can control. 
 
But what if the most dangerous weapon in the world isn't a smart missile or a stealth submarine or even an AI computer programme?What if it's a 17-year-old boy with a blisteringly brilliant mind, who can run rings around the most sophisticated security services across the globe, who can manipulate that weaponry and turn it against the superpowers themselves? How valuable would he be? And what wouldn't you do to get hold of him? 
 
The Fox is a race-against-time thriller across continents to find and capture, or protect and save, an asset with the means to change the balance of world power. Whatever happens he must not fall into the wrong hands. Because what follows after that is unthinkable...

The Fox

Lesley Kara

__________ 
 
When single mum Joanna hears a rumour at the school gates, she never intends to pass it on. But one casual comment leads to another and now there's no going back . . . 
 
Rumour has it that a notorious child killer is living under a new identity, in their sleepy little town of Flinstead-on-Sea. 
 
Sally McGowan was just ten years old when she stabbed little Robbie Harris to death forty-eight years ago - no photos of her exist since her release as a young woman. 
 
So who is the supposedly reformed killer who now lives among them? How dangerous can one rumour become? And how far will Joanna go to protect her loved ones from harm, when she realizes what it is she's unleashed? 
__________ 
 
'Everyone is going to be talking about The Rumour. An intriguing premise, a creeping sense of dread, and a twist you won't see coming!' Shari Lapena, bestselling author of The Couple Next Door. 
 
Readers can't stop talking about The Rumour: 
 
***** 'So good ... The twist is amazing and really caught me out.' 
***** 'Downloaded it last night before bed and have stayed up all night reading it! Could not put it down. 
***** 'I couldn't devour this book quickly enough ... The surprises didn't stop til the very last page.' 
 
IF YOU'VE ALREADY DEVOURED THE RUMOUR THEN LOOK OUT FOR THE DARE, THE CAPTIVATING NEW THRILLER FROM LESLEY KARA. **OUT NOW!**

The Rumour

The bestselling must-read thriller with a killer twist

The Sunday Times bestseller with a killer twist

Lauren North

'A captivating, suspenseful thriller that draws you in - with a twist that will take your breath away.' TM Logan, bestselling author of The Holiday 
 
*** 
 
After the sudden death of her husband, Tess is drowning in grief. All she has left is her son, Jamie, and she’ll do anything to protect him – but she’s struggling to cope. 
 
When grief counsellor Shelley knocks on their door, everything changes. Shelley is understanding and kind, and promises she can help Tess through the hardest time of her life. 
 
But when a string of unsettling events happens and questions arise over her husband’s death, Tess starts to suspect that Shelley may have an ulterior motive. Tess knows she must do everything she can to keep Jamie safe – but she’s at her most vulnerable, and that’s a dangerous place to be . . . 
 
*** 
 
READERS ARE OBSESSED WITH THE PERFECT BETRAYAL: 
 
‘This book floored me!’ 
‘I’m still holding my breath.’ 
‘The ending just hit me right between the eyes.’ 
‘This wasn’t just good, it was amazing . . . jaw dropping.' 
‘I was still reading it at 2.30 am!’ 
‘Wow - that’s the first word that comes to mind.’ 
‘This is my number 1 book read this year.’ 
‘Buy this for yourself, you won’t be able to put it down!’ 
 
*** 
 
'A heart-rending evocation of grief that packs a devious punch. It left me reeling.' Lesley Kara, bestselling author of The Rumour 
 
'As satisfyingly intriguing and page-turning as you could possibly want.' Emma Curtis, author of One Little Mistake 
 
'The Perfect Betrayal had my head spinning 360 degrees . . . Brilliant.' Sandie Jones, author of Reese Witherspoon Book Club pick The Other Woman

The Perfect Betrayal

The addictive thriller that will leave you reeling

Shari Lapena

ORDER the gripping new thriller from No.1 Sunday Times bestselling author Shari Lapena: WHAT HAVE YOU DONE? 
 
The Sunday Times bestseller from the number one bestselling author of THE COUPLE NEXT DOOR and EVERYONE HERE IS LYING. 
 
'Reads like Agatha Christie with a shot of adrenaline.' GILLY MACMILLAN 
 
'Crafted like a vintage Christie and just as tense . . . a smash hit.' HEAT 
 
'Tense. Unpredictable. Unputdownable. Shari Lapena's novels are domestic noir at its finest.' SIMON KERNICK 
 
'Be sure to clear your diary. You will want to devour this in a single, uninterrupted sitting.' HERALD 
 
____________________ 
 
We can't choose the strangers we meet. 
 
As the guests arrive at beautiful, remote Mitchell's Inn, they're all looking forward to a relaxing weekend deep in the forest, miles from anywhere. They watch their fellow guests with interest, from a polite distance. 
 
Usually we can avoid the people who make us nervous, make us afraid. 
 
With a violent storm raging, the group finds itself completely cut off from the outside world. Nobody can get in - or out. And then the first body is found . . . and the horrifying truth comes to light. There's a killer among them - and nowhere to run. 
 
Until we find ourselves in a situation we can't escape. Trapped. 
 
AS FEATURED ON BBC RADIO 2: 'Properly gripping' ROMESH RANGANATHAN 
 
____________________ 
 
READERS LOVE SHARI LAPENA: 
 
***** 'Best book I've read in ages' 
***** 'On the edge of my seat to the end' 
***** 'Had me hooked from start to finish' 
***** 'Incredibly readable and unputdownable' 
***** 'I haven't picked up a book in 9 years and I'm so glad that I picked this up! I loved it.'

An Unwanted Guest

Frank Gardner

‘It grips like a python from the first page, squeezing the breath out of the reader’ DAILY MAIL 
 
‘Outstanding’ SUNDAY TIMES 
 
‘Breathless action’ THE TIMES 
 
Hidden from prying Western satellites, Iranian scientists are at work on a banned device . . . 
 
They are acting on the orders of a renegade cell within Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps, whose objective is to transform their country into a nuclear-armed nation, and so seal its domination of the Middle East. 
 
Britain’s intelligence agencies know something is up. Someone on the inside is ready to hand over information - but the rendezvous with SIS officer Luke Carlton goes bloodily wrong . . . 
 
Then MI6 sees an opportunity to recruit an individual with unique access to the IRGC hardliners. Luke is chosen to reel them in. Going into Iran undercover is dangerous enough, but then there’s a killing and a kidnapping and the British government is presented with a shocking ultimatum. 
 
With time running out, it seems only Luke can stop a cataclysmic new war in the Gulf . . . 
________ 
 
Readers love Ultimatum: 
 
***** ‘An action-packed thriller . . . very authentic’ 
***** ‘A real page turner . . . thrilling adventure’ 
***** ‘Gripping page turner that keeps you glued to the story’

Ultimatum

Belinda Bauer

FROM THE SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLING AUTHOR OF SNAP 
 
'Bauer's great gift is her ability to surprise the reader' Daily Telegraph 
 
THE QUESTION IS: WHO IS HUNTING WHO? 
 
In a small village where no stranger goes unnoticed, a local woman has been murdered in her bed. 
 
This is PC Jonas Holly's first murder investigation. But he is distracted by anonymous messages that seem to come from the killer . . . 
 
Is Jonas going to be able to solve the crime, whilst being taunted by a psychopath? 
 
___ 
 
'Impressively original and convincing' 
Sophie Hannah 
 
Readers are gripped by Darkside: 
 
'A captivating read which I couldn't put down' ***** 
'Brilliant, clever, crime fiction' ***** 
'Gripping and entertaining' *****

Darkside

From the Sunday Times bestselling author of Snap

Detective Harry Virdee should be at home with his wife, but he's been suspended from work just as the biggest case of the year lands on what would have been his desk. He can't keep himself away . . . 
 
Luther meets The Wire in this gritty crime series set in Bradford.

'A character destined for television' Daily Mail 
'High octane drama from one of Britain’s freshest crime voices' Phil Williams, BBC Radio Five live 
 
 
It is an ordinary Yorkshire morning, cold and miserable. 
 
The streets are not yet busy. Police cars hurriedly pull up in the centre of town, but none of their lights are flashing and the sirens are silent. 
 
A body has been found, elaborately and painstakingly positioned to send a message. But what message? And to who? 
 
It’s DCI Harry Virdee’s job to find out. But Harry doesn’t know that the killer is watching him, that the killer is coming for him. 
 
Because this is personal. 
 
'Dhand is a fearless writer' Sunday Times 
 
A DI Harry Virdee Thriller

City of Sinners

‘A hugely entertaining debut with a shocker of an ending’ Emma Curtis, bestselling author of One Little Mistake 
 
Three women walk in to the dinner, but only two will leave. 
 
Sixteen years ago, best friends Nancy, Georgia and Lila committed a terrible crime. 
 
They have never spoken about it. But now, in their thirties, one of them wants to talk. 
 
One word and everything could be ruined: their lives, their careers, their relationships. It's up to Georgia to call a crisis dinner. 
 
But the evening does not go as planned. Only two women survive the night. 
 
Murder isn’t so difficult the second time around… 
 
*** 
 
Authors love Perfect Liars... 
 
‘Skilfully done – Rebecca Reid is a master of building tension and Perfect Liars had me gripped throughout. I’ll never approach dinner with friends in the same way again…’ Phoebe Morgan, author of The Doll House 
 
'Despicable protagonists, despicable victim, I adored every second of it.' Sarah J Naughton, author of Tattle Tale 
 
'Disturbing and brilliant. A very refreshing psychological suspense novel and an outstanding debut.' Lauren North, author of The Perfect Betrayal 
 
*** 
 
Rebecca Reid’s latest novel Truth Hurts is out now

Perfect Liars

Perfect for fans of Blood Orange

Married for ten years. Four children. She thought she knew her husband better than anyone. 
She was wrong. 
 
‘Heart-poundingly suspenseful and heart-wrenchingly insightful’ J.P.Delaney, author of The Girl Before 
 
‘This compulsive, clever thriller will have you reading long into the night’ Red 
 
**** 
 
You get to work. Make a coffee. Turn on your computer. 
 
Your task: break into a Russian criminal's laptop and find proof that he's concealing five deep-cover agents - seemingly normal people living in plain sight. 
 
You’re in. Five faces stare back at you. 
 
One of them is your husband. 
 
**** 
 
‘An immensely satisfying story with serpentine twists and turns’ Daily Mail

Need To Know

'You won't be able to put it down!' Shari Lapena, author of THE COUPLE NEXT DOOR

The Sunday Times Bestseller

Zoje Stage

------------- 
RUNNER UP in the 2018 GOODREADS CHOICE AWARDS 
 
"Beautifully written, intelligent, uncompromising - highly recommended." Sophie Hannah 
------------ 
 
Seven-year-old Hanna has never spoken a word. 
 
She is a sweet but silent angel in the eyes of her adoring father, but with Mummy, things are different. Suzette loves her daughter but difficulties with babysitters and teachers over the years have put a strain on their relationship and her sanity. 
 
Then Hanna speaks for the first time, to Suzette alone, and what she says is chilling. 
 
 Suzette wants to write it off as a scary joke, but she’s becoming increasingly frightened by Hanna's little games. Could she be in danger from her own child? And when it's her word against her daughter's, can she make her husband believe her? 
 
Bad Apple is a blazing debut novel about a perfect-looking family – where sweetness can be deceptive. 
 
Fans of BEHIND HER EYES, DAUGHTER or GOOD ME, BAD ME will love this page-turning story of dark domestic suspense. 
 
"Deliciously creepy" New York Post 
 
"Gripping" InStyle 
 
"Gone Girl meets We Need to Talk About Kevin… a twisty delirious read" Entertainment Weekly 
 
*Bad Apple is also published in America under the title Baby Teeth.*

Bad Apple

Denton, 1984. After a morning’s betting at the races, bookmaker George Price is found in his car, barely alive with a bullet in his head. As he’s rushed to hospital, Detective Inspector Jack Frost and the Denton police force start their hunt for the would-be murderer. 
 
But with a long list of enemies who might want the bookie dead, the team have got their work cut out for them. And with a slew of other crimes hitting the area, from counterfeit goods to a violent drugs gangs swamping Denton with cheap heroin, the stakes have never been higher. 
 
Will Frost find the answers he’s looking for before things go from bad to worse? 
 
DETECTIVE JACK FROST IS... 
 
'A splendid creation, a cross between Rumpole and Columbo' The Times 
 
'Deplorable yet funny, a comic monster on the side of the angels' Guardian

A Lethal Frost

DI Jack Frost series 5

‘Is this his best yet?...Full of sinister menace and propulsive pace with twisty plotting’ Lee Child 
 
WHAT REALLY LIES WITHIN? 
 
High on a Cornish cliff sits a vast uninhabited mansion. Uninhabited except for Blake, a young woman of mysterious background, currently acting as housesitter. 
 
The house has a panic room. Cunningly concealed, steel lined, impregnable – and apparently closed from within. Even Blake doesn’t know it’s there. She’s too busy being on the run from life, from a story she thinks she’s escaped. 
 
But her remote existence is going to be threatened when people come looking for the house’s owner, rogue pharma entrepreneur, Jack Harkness. Soon people with questionable motives will be asking Blake the sort of questions she can’t – or won’t - want to answer. 
 
WILL THE PANIC ROOM EVER GIVE UP ITS SECRETS?

Panic Room

Andy McNab

Tough, resourceful, ruthless - as an SAS trooper Nick Stone was one of the best. Now he's back on the streets, working for British Intelligence as a deniable operator. It's the dirtiest job in a very, very dirty world. 
 
Andy McNab's blistering Nick Stone thrillers are bestsellers whose landscape is so compellingly close to the truth that they had to be vetted by the Ministry of Defence, and could only be published as fiction. . .

'Like the best action films in book form' FHM 
 
Nick Stone is back in London but if he thought he was home for a break, he’s very, very wrong. 
 
Backed into a corner by a man he knows he cannot trust, ex-deniable operator Nick Stone strikes a devil’s bargain. In exchange for his own safety – a life for a life – Stone is charged with locating someone who doesn’t want to be found, currently hiding out in the one of the remotest corners of the UK. And for the first time in a long time, he’s not operating alone. 
 
But Stone and his team don’t find just anyone. They find a world-class hacker, so good that her work might threaten the stability of the western world as we know it. These are dangerous waters and Stone is quickly in over his head. Before he finally knows which way to turn, the choice is ripped out of his hands. 
 
Most people might think of home as safety but Nick Stone isn’t most people. For him and his team, it’s just another place to get caught in the line of fire…

Line of Fire

(Nick Stone Thriller 19)

Liza Marklund

A mother found. A father lost. 
 
In the midst of a Swedish winter, a young mother is found murdered behind her son’s nursery. Halfway across the world, in the sweltering Kenyan heat, a government official is kidnapped. 
 
As a journalist, Annika Bengtzon is often on the frontline, witness to the darkness humans are capable of. But this time it’s different. It’s personal. 
 
The official held to ransom is her husband and she must meet the extreme demands of his kidnappers if she is to bring him home. And what of the Swedish mother slain in the snow? Until her killer is found, no one is safe…

Borderline

The most famous police officer in Sweden is found murdered in his bed. His four-year-old son is missing. His wife is suspected of killing both of them. No one believes her when she says she is innocent. 
 
No one except for news reporter Annika Bengtzon. Her personal life in turmoil, she turns all her energies to her work, investigating the life of the murdered man. 
 
But if his wife is innocent, where is their son? And will the truth be uncovered in time to find him…before it’s too late?

Lifetime

Ruth Hamilton

This heart-wrenching, moving and emotional saga full of twists and turns and highlighting the importance of love and understanding by the Sunday Times bestselling author Ruth Hamilton is a must - read for fans of Catherine Cookson, Dilly Court and Josephine Cox. 
 
"I believe that Ruth Hamilton is very much the successor to Catherine Cookson. Her books are plot driven, they just rip along; laughs, weeps, love, they've got the lot, and they're quality writing as well" -- SARAH BROADHURST, RADIO FOUR 
 
"This book kept me enthralled to the very last page" -- ***** Reader review 
"A riveting read. Couldn't put it down." -- ***** Reader review 
"As always an impeccable story by Ruth, sadness, happiness and in between hilarious wit. A must read book which you will be loathe to put down." -- ***** Reader review 
"A truly superb book" -- ***** Reader review 
**************************************************************************** 
WILL ONE FRIENDSHIP CHANGE THINGS FOREVER? 
 
Despite her strict 1950s Catholic upbringing, Madeleine Horrocks, doesn't understand why religion seems to force people apart. But her friend Amy has been brought up to believe that mixing with other religions results in eternal damnation, and when Maddy becomes friendly with George, a local, good-looking Jewish boy, Amy fears the worst. But as they grow up she, too, becomes friends with George, as well as with other young teenagers who meet secretly at the Bell House, an ancient place of burial. 
 
When a body is found in the nearby reservoir they all become threatened by tragedy and danger. 
 
Meanwhile, Father Sheahan, the whisky-soaked priest from the local church, has discovered that his secret past is catching up with him. 
 
Bigotry, lust and hatred have been so much a part of this community that it takes the combined forces of young and old - and particularly George's formidable grandmother Yuspeh - to bring everyone together and move forward positively.

The Bell House

a sweeping novel of power and compassion from bestselling author Ruth Hamilton

'An electrifying plot that keeps you guessing to the last' Fiona Barton 
 
'Yet another gripping, heartbreaking read from a brilliant writer' Jill Mansell 
 
'Thrilling, compelling, clever and hugely entertaining. I couldn't turn the pages fast enough' C L Taylor 
 
********* 
 
Haven’t we all wanted to pretend everything is fine? 
 
Jane doesn’t like confrontation. Given the choice, she'd prefer to focus on what’s going well, the good things in life. 
 
But when her husband, Leon, is brutally attacked in the driveway of their home, in front of their two young children, Jane has to face reality. As he lies in a coma, Jane must open her eyes to the problems in her life, and the secrets that have been kept from her, if she’s to find out who hurt her husband – and why. 
 
Maybe it’s time to face up to it all. Who knows what you might find . . . 
 
********* 
 
PRAISE FOR PAULA DALY: 
 
‘The UK’s answer to Liane Moriarty. Amazing.’ Claire McGowan 
 
‘Thoroughly enjoyable – a big-hearted, empathetic novel about ordinary lives and the tremors that can rock them.’ Guardian 
 
‘Kept me guessing right until the end. I devoured it.’ Claire Douglas 
 
‘Deliciously dark and addictive. I defy anyone starts it not to race through the pages until they reach the final, brilliant twist.’ Colette McBeth 
 
‘She writes with a singular voice and a fierce passion that roars off the page.’ Daily Mail

Open Your Eyes

an utterly gripping psychological suspense

The latest unputdownable bestseller from Shari Lapena, author of THE COUPLE NEXT DOOR and EVERYONE HERE IS LYING 
 
'The queen of the one-sit read' Linwood Barclay 
 
'Shari Lapena is one of the best thriller writers in the business' Steve Cavanagh 
 
***** 
 
Why would you run scared from a happy home? 
 
You're waiting for your beloved husband to get home from work. 
 
You're making dinner, looking forward to hearing about his day. 
 
That's the last thing you remember. 
 
You wake up in hospital, with no idea how you got there. They tell you that you were in an accident; you lost control of your car whilst driving in a dangerous part of town. 
 
The police suspect you were up to no good. But your husband refuses to believe it. Your best friend isn't so sure. And even you don't know what to believe . . . 
 
***** 
 
Praise for Shari Lapena: 
 
'I thought the read-it-in-one-sitting thing was a cliché. Not any more.' LINWOOD BARCLAY 
 
'Entirely compelling, utterly realistic. You will not see the twists coming.' Daily Mail 
 
'Meticulously crafted and razor sharp.' HARLAN COBEN 
 
'A twisty, utterly riveting tale.' TESS GERRITSEN 
 
'Shari Lapena furnishes a clever array of motives and suspects. The tension is high and remains to the last, stunning page.' The Times 
 
'Tense. Unpredictable. Unputdownable. Shari's novels are domestic noir at its finest' SIMON KERNICK 
 
'Smart, twisty thriller . . . It's taut, intelligent and compelling' Heat

A Stranger in the House

A Private Thriller

A series of children's modern classic novels by renowned 20th century children's writers. All the titles in this series have the A Puffin Book logo, contemporary-style covers, and child-friendly endnotes.

A Puffin Book

A Ripley Novel

A Slice of the Moon

A Victorian Mystery

A Walk in...

A Women’s Murder Club Thriller

A chef Paul Delamare Mystery

Aberrations

Across the Universe

Actiphons

Adelia Aguilar

Adrian Mole

Adventures in Time

Aftermath

Against War

Age of X

Agent 21

Agent Z

Detective Aidan Waits is a troubled junior detective haunted by his past. Facing an uncertain future, and disconnected from his history, DC Waits and his partner, Detective Inspector Peter 'Sutty' Sutcliffe work on Manchester's streets to uncover the city's worst criminals among the grime of the underworld.

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