As a boy, Nathan Penlington had loved Choose Your Own Adventures, the literary phenomenon of the 1980s which thrust the reader into the role of main character and compelled them to make decisions and direct the flow of the story. So, when he discovered a job lot of the first 106 adventures for saleā¦
Vera Morris returns with the sixth instalment in her much-loved Anglian Detective Agency Series. THE ANGLIAN DETECTIVE AGENCY ARE BACK! Thorpeness, 1973. Wrongly exiled from London, Judge Neville Hanmer sought solace and a quiet life on the Suffolk coast. But then a face from the past unexpectedly resurfaces and he turns to The Anglian Detective Agency for help. Laurel, Frank, and the rest of the team are busier than ever trying to solve the mysterious theft of rare plants from Yoxford Hall Gardens. But when Judge Hanmer doesn't show for their meeting, they find themselves embroiled in yet another case - one that will take them to darker places than they've ever been before. With Laurel and Frank's relationship see-sawing out of control, can the team uncover the truth before it's too late? Or will a depraved killer succeed, and separate Laurel and Frank forever?
Vera Morris returns with the sixth instalment in her much-loved Anglian Detective Agency Series. THE ANGLIAN DETECTIVE AGENCY ARE BACK! Thorpeness, 1973. Wrongly exiled from London, Judge Neville Hanmer sought solace and a quiet life on the Suffolk coast. But then a face from the past unexpectedly resurfaces and he turns to The Anglian Detective Agency for help. Laurel, Frank, and the rest of the team are busier than ever trying to solve the mysterious theft of rare plants from Yoxford Hall Gardens. But when Judge Hanmer doesn't show for their meeting, they find themselves embroiled in yet another case - one that will take them to darker places than they've ever been before. With Laurel and Frank's relationship see-sawing out of control, can the team uncover the truth before it's too late? Or will a depraved killer succeed, and separate Laurel and Frank forever?
Vera Morris returns with the sixth instalment in her much-loved Anglian Detective Agency Series. THE ANGLIAN DETECTIVE AGENCY ARE BACK! Thorpeness, 1973. Wrongly exiled from London, Judge Neville Hanmer sought solace and a quiet life on the Suffolk coast. But then a face from the past unexpectedly resurfaces and he turns to The Anglian Detective Agency for help. Laurel, Frank, and the rest of the team are busier than ever trying to solve the mysterious theft of rare plants from Yoxford Hall Gardens. But when Judge Hanmer doesn't show for their meeting, they find themselves embroiled in yet another case - one that will take them to darker places than they've ever been before. With Laurel and Frank's relationship see-sawing out of control, can the team uncover the truth before it's too late? Or will a depraved killer succeed, and separate Laurel and Frank forever?
Brimming with romance, adventure and vivid historical detail, Christina Courtenay does for the Vikings what Diana Gabaldon's Outlander and Clanlans does for Scottish history. The long-awaited story of Ivar Thoresson, foster brother of Linnea and Madison Berger, is told in Promises of the Runes! He travelled through time to capture her heart.
Six wives. One King. You know their stories. Now it's time to hear his. The magnificent new Tudor novel from the author of the Sunday Times-bestselling Six Tudor Queens series. A second son, not born to rule, becomes a man, and a king... In grand royal palaces, Prince Harry grows up dreaming of knights and chivalry - and the golden age of kings that awaits his older brother. But Arthur's untimely death sees Harry crowned King Henry of England. As his power and influence extends, so commences a lifelong battle between head and heart, love and duty. Henry rules by divine right, yet his prayers for a son go unanswered. The great future of the Tudor dynasty depends on an heir. And the crown weighs heavy on a king with all but his one true desire. HENRY VIII. HIS STORY. Alison Weir's most ambitious Tudor novel yet reveals the captivating story of a man who was by turns brilliant, romantic, and ruthless: the king who changed England forever.
Zoe always knew this day would come. After all, no one can live for ever. She may not be ready, but Zoe knows the importance of goodbye - and how much it hurts when left unsaid - so it's time to return to her grandmother's home in Italy one last time. Even if that means deceiving her mum, Ange. Harriet doesn't know where she fits anymore. It's not in Cornwall with the new family her mum is building, and it's certainly not in the job she hates. The trip to Italy may not be the adventure Zoe and Harriet promised themselves, but Harriet is simply not being left behind. Ange was doing fine. Well, she was coping. Like she has been for the past fourteen years because her daughter needed her. But since her mother's death, nothing has felt fine. Even her relationship with Zoe is cracking at the seams. Then, the last person any of them expects to see suddenly turns up, and soon it seems the only way to move forward is to revisit the past... Explore the sun-drenched Italian countryside in this hilarious and heart-warming novel about unconditional love, second chances and the importance of not taking life for granted.
Zoe always knew this day would come. After all, no one can live for ever. She may not be ready, but Zoe knows the importance of goodbye - and how much it hurts when left unsaid - so it's time to return to her grandmother's home in Italy one last time. Even if that means deceiving her mum, Ange. Harriet doesn't know where she fits anymore. It's not in Cornwall with the new family her mum is building, and it's certainly not in the job she hates. The trip to Italy may not be the adventure Zoe and Harriet promised themselves, but Harriet is simply not being left behind. Ange was doing fine. Well, she was coping. Like she has been for the past fourteen years because her daughter needed her. But since her mother's death, nothing has felt fine. Even her relationship with Zoe is cracking at the seams. Then, the last person any of them expects to see suddenly turns up, and soon it seems the only way to move forward is to revisit the past... Explore the sun-drenched Italian countryside in this hilarious and heart-warming novel about unconditional love, second chances and the importance of not taking life for granted.
Zoe always knew this day would come. After all, no one can live for ever. She may not be ready, but Zoe knows the importance of goodbye - and how much it hurts when left unsaid - so it's time to return to her grandmother's home in Italy one last time. Even if that means deceiving her mum, Ange. Harriet doesn't know where she fits anymore. It's not in Cornwall with the new family her mum is building, and it's certainly not in the job she hates. The trip to Italy may not be the adventure Zoe and Harriet promised themselves, but Harriet is simply not being left behind. Ange was doing fine. Well, she was coping. Like she has been for the past fourteen years because her daughter needed her. But since her mother's death, nothing has felt fine. Even her relationship with Zoe is cracking at the seams. Then, the last person any of them expects to see suddenly turns up, and soon it seems the only way to move forward is to revisit the past... Explore the sun-drenched Italian countryside in this hilarious and heart-warming novel about unconditional love, second chances and the importance of not taking life for granted.
Zoe always knew this day would come. After all, no one can live for ever. She may not be ready, but Zoe knows the importance of goodbye - and how much it hurts when left unsaid - so it's time to return to her grandmother's home in Italy one last time. Even if that means deceiving her mum, Ange. Harriet doesn't know where she fits anymore. It's not in Cornwall with the new family her mum is building, and it's certainly not in the job she hates. The trip to Italy may not be the adventure Zoe and Harriet promised themselves, but Harriet is simply not being left behind. Ange was doing fine. Well, she was coping. Like she has been for the past fourteen years because her daughter needed her. But since her mother's death, nothing has felt fine. Even her relationship with Zoe is cracking at the seams. Then, the last person any of them expects to see suddenly turns up, and soon it seems the only way to move forward is to revisit the past... Explore the sun-drenched Italian countryside in this hilarious and heart-warming novel about unconditional love, second chances and the importance of not taking life for granted.
From the author of A Tomb with a View - a celebration of the weird and wonderful churches of Britain. Churches are all around us. Their steeples remain landmarks in our towns, villages and cities, even as their influence and authority has waned. They contain art and architectural wonders - one huge gallery scattered, like a handful of jewels, across these isles. Award-winning writer Peter Ross sets out to tell their stories, and through them a story of Britain. Join him as he visits the unassuming Norfolk church which contains a disturbing secret, and London's mighty cathedrals with their histories of fire and love. Meet cats and bats, monks and druids, angels of oak and steel. Steeple Chasing, though it sometimes strikes an elegiac note, is a song of praise. It celebrates churches for their beauty and meaning, and for the tales they tell. It is about people as much as place, flesh and bone not just flint and stone. From the painted hells of Surrey to the holy wells of Wales, consider this a travel book...with bells on.
A wide-ranging and thought-provoking exploration of the importance of long-term thinking. Humans are unique in our ability to understand time, able to comprehend the past and future like no other species. Yet modern-day technology and capitalism have supercharged our short-termist tendencies and trapped us in the present, at the mercy of reactive politics, quarterly business targets and 24-hour news cycles. It wasn't always so. In medieval times, craftsmen worked on cathedrals that would be unfinished in their lifetime. Indigenous leaders fostered intergenerational reciprocity. And in the early twentieth century, writers dreamed of worlds thousands of years hence. Now, as we face long-term challenges on an unprecedented scale, how do we recapture that far-sighted vision? Richard Fisher takes us from the boardrooms of Japan - home to some of the world's oldest businesses - to an Australian laboratory where an experiment started a century ago is still going strong. He examines the psychological biases that discourage the long view, and talks to the growing number of people from the worlds of philosophy, technology, science and the arts who are exploring smart ways to overcome them. How can we learn to widen our perception of time and honour our obligations to the lives of those not yet born?
A visceral, visual novel of rural experiment and dark secrets, set in 1930s England at the height of the Great Depression. Worn out by poverty, Lettie Radley and her miner husband Tommy grasp at the offer of their very own smallholding - part of a Government scheme to put the unemployed back to work on the land. When she comes down to Essex to join him, it's not Tommy who greets her, but their new neighbours. Overbearing and unkempt, Jean and Adam Dell are everything that the smart, spirited, aspirational Lettie can't abide. As Lettie settles in, she finds an unexpected joy in the rhythms of life on the smallholding. She's hopeful that her past, and the terrible secret Tommy has come to Foxash to escape, are far behind them. But the Dells have their own secrets. And as the seasons change, and a man comes knocking at the gate, the scene is set for a terrible reckoning. Combining a gothic sensibility with a visceral, unsettling sense of place, Foxash is a deeply original novel of quiet and powerful menace, of the real hardships of rural life, and the myths and folklore that seep into ordinary lives - with surprising consequences.
When she receives a heart-wrenching text not meant for her, Lizzie embarks on a journey that leads her to the greatest love - and biggest decision - of her life. For fans of The Sight of You and In Five Years. A message meant for another. A love meant only for her. This year I am sending my last message to you. I don't know if I'll ever be able to forgive myself, and I will never forget you, but I have to find a way to let you go. When Lizzie is woken in the night by a text message clearly not meant for her, she is intrigued and haunted by the words she sees. After losing her beloved twin brother, she knows something of grief and the struggle to rebuild a life. Nick, a widower for three years, is haunted by the disappearance and presumed death of his wife, but when he meets Lizzie, he finally finds a kindred spirit. When these two lonely hearts are drawn together, an unexpectedly deep and powerful emotional connection is formed. Perhaps finally this is the chance for both of them to live again - if they can overcome scars of the past which have a longer reach than either could have imagined. If you love Holly Miller's The Sight of You, Rebecca Serle's In Five Years and Nicholas Sparks, you won't want to miss the breathtaking love story of the year that will grip your heart in every way.
A surprising and hilarious history of the language of food. Perfect for readers of Susie Dent and Mark Forsyth, and fans of QI. All food has a story, reaching as far back into history as language itself. As languages followed and reflected the tides of civilizations, food language came to represent some of the highs and lows of how humans communicate: from the highbrow 'Chateauneuf du Pape: (the Pope's new castle)' to the 'nun's farts' of Jamaica (also known as 'beignets'). Chock full of food puns, linguistic did-you-knows and delectable trivia, Romaine Wasn't Built in A Day is your go-to gift for your trivia nerds, your history buffs, your crossword fiends, and your Scrabble diehards. This is the surprising and hilarious history of food, told through the lens of the fascinating evolution of language.
An insight into the life of a farmer turned zookeeper, following the ups and downs through the seasons with Jimmy and the animals at his wildlife park in Suffolk. Jimmy's Farm turns 20 years old in 2022. From starting out with rare breed pigs and a farm shop, Jimmy and his wife, Michaela, have grown the business over the years and the farm is now licensed to operate as a wildlife park. Tales from Jimmy's Farm follows a year in the life of the farm. The narrative traces the seasons as Jimmy documents what it means to live on a farm and what each day holds for him, his wife and four young daughters, the land he is farming and the animals in his care. The farm began life with rare breed pigs, but Jimmy soon expanded this to goats, cows, sheep and Suffolk Punch horses, too, and now the wildlife park plays host to over 80 species and breeds of traditional, rare and exotic animals, from crocodiles, camels and tapirs to skunks, wallabies and raccoons. Visitors can also learn about butterflies and insects in the Butterfly House, and meet reptiles and birds in the Tropical House. The listener will be transported into the landscape, learn of the practical day-to-day jobs, and fall in love with the animals through stories of where they came from, how they arrived and settled in, and funny anecdotes as Jimmy and his team got to know them. Along with a whole host of other characters, Jimmy will introduce you to: Teddy and Tip Tap, a pair of tapirs Alice and Arthur, the Mongolian Bactrian camels Basil, the giant anteater Dolph, Mistletoe and Rowan, the resident reindeers
Powerful, moving and redemptive, River Sing Me Home tells of a mother's desperate search to find her stolen children and her freedom. We whisper the names of the ones we love like the words of a song. That was the taste of freedom to us, those names on our lips. Mary Grace, Micah, Thomas Augustus, Cherry Jane and Mercy. These are the names of her children. The five who survived, only to be sold to other plantations. The faces Rachel cannot forget. It's 1834, and the law says her people are now free. But for Rachel freedom means finding her children, even if the truth is more than she can bear. With fear snapping at her heels, Rachel keeps moving. From sunrise to sunset, through the cane fields of Barbados to the forests of British Guiana and on to Trinidad, to the dangerous river and the open sea. Only once she knows their stories can she rest. Only then can she finally find home.
One minute Lou is happily employed, with a perfect flat. The next, her home and job have gone. Suddenly she has to start over. The last thing Lou wants is to move to a tiny Cotswolds village. She certainly doesn't intend to work for curmudgeonly eighty-year-old Edgar Allsopp. But Edgar is about to make her the kind of promise nobody could ignore. In return, she secretly vows to help him fall in love with life again. Foxwell is also home to Remy, whose charm and charisma are proving hard to ignore. But Lou hasn't recovered from the last time she fell for a charmer. She needs a distraction - and luckily one's about to turn up. Secrets never stay hidden for long in Foxwell, nor are promises always kept. And no one could guess what lies ahead...
From the author of Finlay Donovan Is Killing It and Finlay Donovan Knocks 'Em Dead, the third book in a hilarious murder mystery series with a completely lovable heroine - perfect for fans of Abbi Waxman and Maria Semple. New year, new Finlay Donovan. She's got a list of resolutions and she's ready to bite the bullet. No junk food. No men. No bodies in her minivan. But first, she owes the Russian mob one last favour - tracking down a rogue hitman with her nanny Vero, before the cops do. The small complication? This killer might be cop himself. Enter distractingly hot Detective Nicholas Anthony, whose new citizens' police academy provides the perfect cover-up for Finlay to sleuth out the target - and some fresh ideas for her crime novel. Between firearms and forensics training, family dramas and hands-on research with Detective Nick, can Finlay get to her edits and the hitman before time runs out? She'll give it her best shot. With more dating, diapers and dodging bullets, the third book in the hilarious irresistibly lovable Finlay Donovan series is perfect for fans of Dial A for Aunties, Janet Evanovich's Stephanie Plum series, and Netflix's Dead to Me.
A touching and laugh-out-loud-funny pregnancy and motherhood memoir from the nation's best-loved reality TV star. Charlotte Crosby is one of the UK's most beloved reality TV stars, an accomplished presenter, an award-winning entrepreneurial businesswoman and now a first-time expectant mum. Here in Me, Myself and Mini Me, Charlotte will talk us through the next stage of her journey, from her single days and meeting her partner Jake, to the moment she found out she was expecting, the emotional and physical rollercoasters of pregnancy, and the magic of their first family Christmas.
An old map. A lost pilgrimage route. A journey in search of our walking heritage. When Henry VIII banned pilgrimage in 1538, he ended not only a centuries-old tradition of walking as an act of faith, but a valuable chance to discover the joy of walking as an escape from the burdens of everyday life. Much was lost when these journeys faded from our collective memory, but clues to our past remain. On an antique map in Oxford's Bodleian Library, a faint red line threading through towns and villages between Southampton and Canterbury suggests a significant, though long-forgotten, road. Renamed the Old Way, medieval pilgrims are thought to have travelled this route to reach the celebrated shrine of Thomas Becket. Described as England's Camino, this long-distance footpath carves through one of the nation's most iconic landscapesāone that links prehistoric earthworks, abandoned monasteries, Saxon churches, ruined castles and historic seaports. Over four seasons, travel writer Gail Simmons walks the Old Way to rediscover what a long journey on foot offers us today. In the age of the car, what does it mean to embrace 'slow travel'? Why does being a woman walking alone still feel like a radical act? In an age when walking connects the nation, can we now reclaim pilgrimage as a secular act? Winding 250 miles between the chalk hills and shifting seascapes of the south coast, Gail ventures deep into our past, exploring this lost path and telling a story of kings and knights, peasants and pilgrims, of ancient folklore and modern politics. Blending history, anthropology, etymology and geology, Gail's walk along the Old Way reveals the rich natural and cultural heritage found on our own doorstep.
Join the wellness revolution by Black women, for Black women. Take Care prioritises Black women and their experiences and encourages them to take care of themselves in order to bring their best self into the world. A space for Black women to cultivate their joy is truly a necessity at a time when Black lives are at the forefront of discussions online and in the media, and Take Care is the audiobook to ensure that. Chloe Pierre, founder of thy.self, the brand making self-care inclusive, wants to inspire Black women to take time to care for themselves. In this audiobook, she consults experts to create an inspiring and practical guide that offers ways to help you: Be your authentic self Embrace your beauty and feel body positive Deal with grief, loss and mental health issues Create a supportive and uplifting community Practice self-love every day Take Care is an audiobook of warmth, happiness and light, and will help you to refocus and put yourself first.
A gripping, lyrical novel about a mysterious book that holds the power to bring women together when facing the oppressive power of men, inspired by mysterious Voynich manuscript. A wondrous novel reminiscent of The Handmaid's Tale and The Name of the Rose. A book whispers. A woman hears its power. A man will stop at nothing to silence them both. 'It is wonderfulābeautiful. It is dangerousāsinful. It is the best thing that could have come to me. It is the worst.' Beatrice is the convent's librarian. For years, she has shunned the company of her sisters, finding solace only with her manuscripts. But she longs for knowledge of the outside worldāa world ruled by men in which women can play no part. One carnival night, it seems her prayers are answered: two women, badly injured and desperate for help, are abandoned at the convent's gate. Moments from death, one of them presses something into Beatrice's hands: a bewitching book whose pages have a dangerous life of their own. But the men of the city, bent on the book's destruction, are closing in. Beatrice must do all she can to protect itāno matter what the cost.
Expect Christmas chaos in this year's festive short story from Jodi Taylor, set in the world of the Time Police for the first time. It all begins when the Time Police hold their first Children's Christmas Party. Their most dangerous mission yet . . . No good deed ever goes unpunished. Lt Grint succumbs to his softer side and soon lives to regret it. The combination of bubble universes, candy floss, a small boy, a toad named Mr Fluffy, Mount Fanboten, £6.5 million, and a love-struck Officer Lockland are all hard enough to believe, but imagine a situation so dire that only Officer Parrish can save the aforementioned Grint from a lengthy stay in prison. At least, he can - but will he? And, most unlikely of all, has Commander Hay's long-suffering adjutant finally experienced the first faint stirrings of romance? Is such a thing even possible?
Expect Christmas chaos in this year's festive short story from Jodi Taylor, set in the world of the Time Police for the first time. It all begins when the Time Police hold their first Children's Christmas Party. Their most dangerous mission yet . . . No good deed ever goes unpunished. Lt Grint succumbs to his softer side and soon lives to regret it. The combination of bubble universes, candy floss, a small boy, a toad named Mr Fluffy, Mount Fanboten, £6.5 million, and a love-struck Officer Lockland are all hard enough to believe, but imagine a situation so dire that only Officer Parrish can save the aforementioned Grint from a lengthy stay in prison. At least, he can - but will he? And, most unlikely of all, has Commander Hay's long-suffering adjutant finally experienced the first faint stirrings of romance? Is such a thing even possible?
Award-winning, New York Times bestselling author S. A. Cosby's debut novel My Darkest Prayer is republished in a new edition, with a new introduction from the author. "I handle the bodies." Whether it's working at his cousin's funeral home or tossing around the local riffraff at his favorite bar, Nathan Waymaker is a man who knows how to handle the bodies. A former marine and sheriff's deputy, Nathan has built a reputation in his small Southern town as a man who can help when all other avenues have been exhausted. When a beloved local minister is found dead, his parishioners ask Nathan to make sure the death isn't swept under the rug. What starts out as an easy payday soon descends into a maze of mayhem filled with wannabe gangsters, vicious crime lords, porn stars, crooked police officers, and a particularly treacherous preacher and his mysterious wife. Nathan must use all his varied skills and some of his wit to navigate the murky waters of small town corruption even as dark secrets of his own threaten to come to the surface.
She was peaches-and-cream innocence; he was a handsome war hero. Both had royal blood coursing through their veins. The marriage of Britain's Princess Elizabeth to Lt Philip Mountbatten in November 1947 is remembered as the beginning of an extraordinary lifelong union but success was not guaranteed. Elizabeth and Philip: A Story of Young Love, Marriage and Monarchy plunges us back into 1940s Britain where a teenage Princess fell in love with a foreign Prince. Cue fears of a flirtatious 'Greek' fortune hunter stealing off with England's crown jewel and subsequent efforts by the Establishment to reframe Philip as the perfect fit for Britain's most famous family. Drawing on original newspaper archives and the opinions of Elizabeth and Philip's contemporaries still alive today, historian Dr Tessa Dunlop discovers a post-war world on the cusp of major change. Unprecedented polling on Philip's suitability was a harbinger of pressures to come for a couple whose marriage was branded the ultimate global fairytale. Theirs was a partnership like no other. Six years after Elizabeth promised to be an obedient wife Philip got down on bended knee and committed himself as the Queen's 'liege man of life and limb'. Published to coincide with the 75th anniversary of their marriage, this deeply touching history explores the ups and downs, the attraction and the tensions that defined an extraordinary relationship. The high stakes involved might have devoured a less committed pairābut not Elizabeth and Philip. They shared a common purpose, one higher even than marriage, with roots much deeper than young love. Happy and Glorious, for better or for worse, they were heavily invested in a God-given mission. Monarchy was the magic word.
A hundred years ago, a team of archaeologists in the Valley of the Kings made a remarkable discovery: a near-complete royal burial, an ancient mummy and golden riches beyond imagination. The lost tomb of Tutankhamun ignited a media frenzy, propelled into overdrive by rumours of a deadly ancient curse. But amid the hysteria, many storiesāincluding that of Tutankhamun himselfāwere distorted or forgotten. Tutankhamun: Pharaoh, Icon, Enigma takes a familiar tale and turns on its head. Leading Egyptologist Joyce Tyldesley has gathered ten unique perspectives together for the first time: that of the teenage pharaoh and his family, ancient embalmers and tomb robbers, famous Western explorers and forgotten Egyptian archaeologists. It's a journey that spans from ancient Thebes in 1336 BCEāwhen a young king on a mission to restore his land met an unexpected and violent endāto modern Luxor in 1922 CEāas the tomb's discovery led to a fight over ownership that continues to this day. Above all, this is the story of Tutankhamun, as he would have wanted to be remembered. Piecing together three thousand years of evidence and unpicking the misunderstandings that surround Egypt's most famous king, this audiobook offers a vital reappraisal on his life, death and enduring legacy.
SHE WAS THE LAST PERSON TO SEE THE BABY... You may not know Betty Gow's name - but 'the Lindbergh nanny' is infamous. In 1932, all eyes are on Charles and Anne Morrow Lindbergh, the most glamorous and intriguing couple in America. But who was paying attention when, one evening in early March, their baby son was stolen from the family home? The Lindbergh nanny is the first person to discover Charlie missing... and the last to see him that night. With the world watching on, Betty must discover the truth about what really happened to young Charlie, to clear her own name - and to find justice for the little boy she loves. A propulsive re-imagining of America's most notorious crime of the twentieth century, told through the eyes of the young woman who found herself at the heart of the case.
SHE WAS THE LAST PERSON TO SEE THE BABY... You may not know Betty Gow's name - but 'the Lindbergh nanny' is infamous. In 1932, all eyes are on Charles and Anne Morrow Lindbergh, the most glamorous and intriguing couple in America. But who was paying attention when, one evening in early March, their baby son was stolen from the family home? The Lindbergh nanny is the first person to discover Charlie missing... and the last to see him that night. With the world watching on, Betty must discover the truth about what really happened to young Charlie, to clear her own name - and to find justice for the little boy she loves. A propulsive re-imagining of America's most notorious crime of the twentieth century, told through the eyes of the young woman who found herself at the heart of the case.
SHE WAS THE LAST PERSON TO SEE THE BABY... You may not know Betty Gow's name - but 'the Lindbergh nanny' is infamous. In 1932, all eyes are on Charles and Anne Morrow Lindbergh, the most glamorous and intriguing couple in America. But who was paying attention when, one evening in early March, their baby son was stolen from the family home? The Lindbergh nanny is the first person to discover Charlie missing... and the last to see him that night. With the world watching on, Betty must discover the truth about what really happened to young Charlie, to clear her own name - and to find justice for the little boy she loves. A propulsive re-imagining of America's most notorious crime of the twentieth century, told through the eyes of the young woman who found herself at the heart of the case.
When life has you down on love, surely the only way is up...? Twenty-five years in showbiz is a good run, right? Because after tonight, when her small (read: huge) wardrobe malfunction was broadcast to the nation's living rooms, Daisy's time in the spotlight might be over. It's all about damage control now, and Daisy needs an escape route. Fast. Especially when her sporting hero boyfriend publicly announces their engagement - the one she hasn't actually agreed to tell the world about. All she needs is space from prying eyes and time for the press to get bored and move on. But the only place she can run to at such short notice is the Cotswolds cottage she used to own with her ex-husband. Not ideal, but at least it's in the middle of nowhere and close to her teenage daughter. Seems like a perfect plan, apart from the person selling stories to the tabloids about her and Tom, the local headmaster. But that's just a rumour, right? The perfect uplifting and feel-good romantic comedy that will have you snorting with laughter.
When life has you down on love, surely the only way is up...? Twenty-five years in showbiz is a good run, right? Because after tonight, when her small (read: huge) wardrobe malfunction was broadcast to the nation's living rooms, Daisy's time in the spotlight might be over. It's all about damage control now, and Daisy needs an escape route. Fast. Especially when her sporting hero boyfriend publicly announces their engagement - the one she hasn't actually agreed to tell the world about. All she needs is space from prying eyes and time for the press to get bored and move on. But the only place she can run to at such short notice is the Cotswolds cottage she used to own with her ex-husband. Not ideal, but at least it's in the middle of nowhere and close to her teenage daughter. Seems like a perfect plan, apart from the person selling stories to the tabloids about her and Tom, the local headmaster. But that's just a rumour, right? The perfect uplifting and feel-good romantic comedy that will have you snorting with laughter.
When life has you down on love, surely the only way is up...? Twenty-five years in showbiz is a good run, right? Because after tonight, when her small (read: huge) wardrobe malfunction was broadcast to the nation's living rooms, Daisy's time in the spotlight might be over. It's all about damage control now, and Daisy needs an escape route. Fast. Especially when her sporting hero boyfriend publicly announces their engagement - the one she hasn't actually agreed to tell the world about. All she needs is space from prying eyes and time for the press to get bored and move on. But the only place she can run to at such short notice is the Cotswolds cottage she used to own with her ex-husband. Not ideal, but at least it's in the middle of nowhere and close to her teenage daughter. Seems like a perfect plan, apart from the person selling stories to the tabloids about her and Tom, the local headmaster. But that's just a rumour, right? The perfect uplifting and feel-good romantic comedy that will have you snorting with laughter.
South Africa, 1871. Jack Lark no longer walks alone. With the worldly Anna Baker by his side, he travels to the Cape Colony diamond fields determined to seek their fortune - and an adventurous new life together. The journey north soon turns violent as tensions erupt between other hopeful diggers and a gang of Boer men. Everyone has their eye on the same elusive prize - and some will stop at nothing to get it. For Jack and Anna, unearthing a diamond is only half the battle. Getting out of the mines alive will prove far more difficult - and dangerous. And when the worst happens, Jack finds himself tested as no enemy, no man and no war has ever before. Praise for the Jack Lark series: 'Brilliant' Bernard Cornwell 'Enthralling' The Times 'Bullets fly, emotions run high and treachery abounds... exceptionally entertaining historical action adventure' Matthew Harffy 'Expect ferocious, bloody action from the first page' Ben Kane 'You feel and experience all the emotions and the blood, sweat and tears that Jack does... I devoured it in one sitting' Parmenion Books
Leo Houlding started climbing at 10 years of age in the Lake District and was the youngest person (and first Briton) to free climb El Capitan in Yosemite National Park in the United States at 18 years, which cemented his reputation. He has since gone on to summit the world's toughest peaks and explore the most extreme places on our planet. During such explorations he has had to deal with tragedy when close friends and colleagues have been killed or badly injured, and he will discuss how you deal with such loss and carry on. Honest, raw and exhilarating, Closer to the Edge will be a 'warts-and-all' insight into the extreme life of one of Britain's best mountaineer adventurers. What drives him? How does he assess risk and judge what level he'll take himself to be successful, and how does he balance this with teaching his own children the lessons he has learnt in some of the world's most dangerous and extreme places?
She gave you life. What if she wants it back? Perfect for fans of My Sister, the Serial Killer, Magpie and How to Kill Your Family. The last thing Anna needs is a baby. Abandoned, adopted and living hand to mouth, she never dreamt of having a real family. But when she meets her birth mother, everything changesābecause the same day, she learns she's going to be a mother too. Marlene is eccentric, generous with her considerable fortune and overjoyed to become a grandmother. Anna's living the dream. But is it her dream, or someone else's? Now she will have to decide what she's willing to sacrifice for a real familyāher future, her freedom, even her unborn child.
Who advises the royal family, what influence do they have and how have they shaped history? Throughout history, the British monarchy has relied on its courtiers - the trusted advisers in the king or queen's inner circle - to ensure its survival as a family, an ancient institution and a pillar of the constitution. Today, as ever, a vast team of people hidden from view steers the royal family's path between public duty and private life. The queen, after a remarkable 70 years of service, is entering the final seasons of her reign without her husband, Philip, to guide her. Meanwhile, Charles seeks to define what his future as king will be, with his court wielding ever greater influence as he plans for his imminent accession. The question of who is entrusted to guide the royals has never been more vital, and yet the task those courtiers face has never been more challenging. With a cloud hanging over Prince Andrew, as well as Harry and Meghan's departure from royal life, the complex relationship between modern courtiers and royal principals has been exposed to global scrutiny. William and Kate - equipped with a very 21st-century approach to press and public relations - now hold the responsibility of making an ancient institution relevant for the decades to come. Courtiers pulls back the veil to reveal an ever-changing system of complex characters, shifting values and a battle of ideas over what the future of the institution should be. This is the inside story of how the monarchy really works, at a pivotal moment in its history.
From the million-copy bestselling author of THE CHRONICLES OF ST MARY'S. 'Jodi Taylor is quite simply the Queen of Time' C. K. MCDONNELL --- Patience is not a virtue known to the Time Police. And Commander Hay is facing the longest day of her life... After their heroic efforts to safeguard the Acropolis and prevent the Paris Time-Stop, the Time Police have gone from zero to hero. Then one fateful mission to apprehend a minor criminal selling dodgy historical artefacts blows up in all their faces. An officer is attacked within TPHQ. A prisoner is murdered. And investigations are about to lead to the one place where no officer can legally tread. Worst of all, trouble is brewing for Luke, Jane and Matthew as a shocking revelation threatens to tear Team Weird apart for good. FOR FANS OF DOCTOR WHO, THE THURSDAY MURDER CLUB AND JASPER FFORDE. Readers love the Time Police: 'This got five stars only because I couldn't give it six!' 'I don't think I've ever laughed out loud so much reading a book' 'I am always gutted when I finish a Jodi Taylor book as I know I will have to wait for the next one' 'Joyous, breakneck-speed adventures' 'Lots more in this series please' 'This book is BRILLIANT' 'Brilliantly conceived and flawlessly written'
From the million-copy bestselling author of THE CHRONICLES OF ST MARY'S. 'Jodi Taylor is quite simply the Queen of Time' C. K. MCDONNELL --- Patience is not a virtue known to the Time Police. And Commander Hay is facing the longest day of her life... After their heroic efforts to safeguard the Acropolis and prevent the Paris Time-Stop, the Time Police have gone from zero to hero. Then one fateful mission to apprehend a minor criminal selling dodgy historical artefacts blows up in all their faces. An officer is attacked within TPHQ. A prisoner is murdered. And investigations are about to lead to the one place where no officer can legally tread. Worst of all, trouble is brewing for Luke, Jane and Matthew as a shocking revelation threatens to tear Team Weird apart for good. FOR FANS OF DOCTOR WHO, THE THURSDAY MURDER CLUB AND JASPER FFORDE. Readers love the Time Police: 'This got five stars only because I couldn't give it six!' 'I don't think I've ever laughed out loud so much reading a book' 'I am always gutted when I finish a Jodi Taylor book as I know I will have to wait for the next one' 'Joyous, breakneck-speed adventures' 'Lots more in this series please' 'This book is BRILLIANT' 'Brilliantly conceived and flawlessly written'
From the million-copy bestselling author of THE CHRONICLES OF ST MARY'S. 'Jodi Taylor is quite simply the Queen of Time' C. K. MCDONNELL --- Patience is not a virtue known to the Time Police. And Commander Hay is facing the longest day of her life... After their heroic efforts to safeguard the Acropolis and prevent the Paris Time-Stop, the Time Police have gone from zero to hero. Then one fateful mission to apprehend a minor criminal selling dodgy historical artefacts blows up in all their faces. An officer is attacked within TPHQ. A prisoner is murdered. And investigations are about to lead to the one place where no officer can legally tread. Worst of all, trouble is brewing for Luke, Jane and Matthew as a shocking revelation threatens to tear Team Weird apart for good. FOR FANS OF DOCTOR WHO, THE THURSDAY MURDER CLUB AND JASPER FFORDE. Readers love the Time Police: 'This got five stars only because I couldn't give it six!' 'I don't think I've ever laughed out loud so much reading a book' 'I am always gutted when I finish a Jodi Taylor book as I know I will have to wait for the next one' 'Joyous, breakneck-speed adventures' 'Lots more in this series please' 'This book is BRILLIANT' 'Brilliantly conceived and flawlessly written'
From the million-copy bestselling author of THE CHRONICLES OF ST MARY'S. 'Jodi Taylor is quite simply the Queen of Time' C. K. MCDONNELL --- Patience is not a virtue known to the Time Police. And Commander Hay is facing the longest day of her life... After their heroic efforts to safeguard the Acropolis and prevent the Paris Time-Stop, the Time Police have gone from zero to hero. Then one fateful mission to apprehend a minor criminal selling dodgy historical artefacts blows up in all their faces. An officer is attacked within TPHQ. A prisoner is murdered. And investigations are about to lead to the one place where no officer can legally tread. Worst of all, trouble is brewing for Luke, Jane and Matthew as a shocking revelation threatens to tear Team Weird apart for good. FOR FANS OF DOCTOR WHO, THE THURSDAY MURDER CLUB AND JASPER FFORDE. Readers love the Time Police: 'This got five stars only because I couldn't give it six!' 'I don't think I've ever laughed out loud so much reading a book' 'I am always gutted when I finish a Jodi Taylor book as I know I will have to wait for the next one' 'Joyous, breakneck-speed adventures' 'Lots more in this series please' 'This book is BRILLIANT' 'Brilliantly conceived and flawlessly written'
Curl up this Christmas with the new feel-good listen for the holiday season from Erin Green! Will the gift of friendship save their past, present and future? Callie has taken multiple jobs to make the money she desperately needs. Her favourite is being the new guide for Lerwick Manor's alpaca walks. But her troublesome past is making it difficult to prove to others that she's learned from her mistakes. Heather has been content breeding Sheltie sheepdogs and taking care of her grownup daughters. But now she feels that something is missing. Taking the leap into online dating, she makes an unexpected connection to which her daughters react very differently. Tabitha sells homemade soap at the Stables Gallery, but her true passion is for amateur dramatics. Winning a role in the group's festive production of A Christmas Carol, Tabby is determined to make her markābut will her growing feelings for fellow actor Rabbie distract her? As Christmas draws near, can true friendship save the past, present and future of the Lerwick community?
Al Murray's passion for military history and the Second World War in particular has always been a duel passion with his comedy and was brought to the fore with several acclaimed and award winning television shows and the recent huge success of his podcast We Have Ways of Making You Talk, which he hosts fellow best-selling military author James Holland. The podcast has built up a loyal nationwide fanbase and has given birth to its own annual three-day festival. In his first serious narrative book, Command showcases Al Murray's passion for this pivotal period in the 20th century, as he writes an engaging, entertaining and sharp analysis of the key allied military leaders in the conflict. Command highlights the performance and careers of some of the key protagonists who commanded armies, as well as the lesser-known officers who led divisions, regiments and even battalions for the British, Commonwealth and United States of American armies. By showcasing each combat commander across every theatre of operations the allies fought in, Murray tells the story of how the Western Allies rebounded from early shocking defeats (Dunkirk and Pearl Harbor) to then victories (El Alamein and D-Day) in its efforts to defeat the Axis forces of Nazi Germany and Japan, and what that tells us about the characters and the challenges that faced them. Command will be the book all fans of Second World War history will want to buy who appreciate a true enthusiast of the genre who has something new and compelling to say.
In the summer of 1940, the Nazi Blitzkrieg had blown through much of western Europe, seizing control of territory right up to the French coast and preparing to invade Britain. Standing in their way was Fighter, Bomber and Coastal Commands and the Royal Navy, all determined to prevent invasion, fighting off enemy forces in the air and in the water to protect the British shores. Published to coincide with Battle of Britain Day in 2022, this audiobook tells the heroic story of those five months using interviews, documents and materials from the archive at IWM. Personal testimony from those who were there helps bring to life this truly unique retelling of one of the most important moments of the Second World War. "Hugely authoritative [...], both the iconic and the unknown, alongside brilliantly researched writing." --Dan Snow
The next sizzling and swoonie rom-com from the author of the TikTok-hit A Brush with Love. ............................... Chaotic, messy and madly in love. Lizzie Blake has made endless mistakes. Kitchen fires, pyramid schemes, you name it, she's done it . . . and made a mess of it too. One mistake she never makes? Risking anything more serious than a one-off hook-up. But after losing yet another bakery job due to her uncontrolled ADHD, she breaks her cardinal rule and has a two-night stand. Once burned, twice shy, Rake has given up on relationships. And feelings. And any form of intimacy for that matter. Two nights with charming, chaotic Lizzie might have him lowering his guard, but then he's heading back to Australia, far away from the surprising feelings that she seems to inspire. But when Lizzie realises she's pregnant, Rake knows he'll do anything to be in his child's life, but emotional vulnerability is off the table. Except everyone makes mistakes, and Lizzie and Rake might have just stumbled upon the best mistake of their lives. ............................... Raves for A Brush with Love! 'Laugh-out-loud funny, filled with joy, as deliciously swoony as it is downright steamy' CHLOE LIESE 'Blends sweetness, breathless romance, and moments of striking vulnerability' HELEN HOANG 'Prepare to smile, laugh, and cry your way through this witty, fast-paced rom-com starring a passionate heroine and a delicious cinnamon roll hero who knows how to love her just right' EVIE DUNMORE 'Mazey Eddings stole my heart with this laugh-out-loud funny, almost unbearably cute debut (and she made me care about dentistry)' ROSIE DANAN 'A contemporary romance masterpiece . . . The most intoxicating slow burn I've read in ages' RACHEL LYNN SOLOMON 'Harper and Dan have my whole heart . . . A Brush with Love is funny and cute while also exploring serious topics, powerfully underscoring the truth that relationships require work, and that happy endings are for everyone' SARAH HOGLE 'Tenderly written and oh-so-sexy, A Brush with Love brims with emotional depth, whip-smart banter, and sizzling chemistry' CHLOE LIESE
Pippa Vosper tragically lost her son Axel in 2017, when she was five months pregnant, and has since written about baby loss online and in a series of pieces for Vogue. Beyond Grief: Navigating the Journey of Pregnancy and Baby Loss is the book she wishes had been available when her son died. It covers every aspect of pregnancy and baby loss at any stage, from the practical to the emotional, with advice from experts and stories from women who have experienced losses of their own. Beyond Grief offers both an inclusive perspective and a guiding hand to anyone who has experienced any kind of baby loss, as well as those who are trying to support them through it.
Friday Night Lights with a Southern Gothic twistāa powerful debut noir. In Denton, Arkansas, the fate of the high school football team rests on the shoulders of Billy Lowe, a volatile but talented running back. Billy comes from an extremely troubled home: a trailer park where he is terrorized by his unstable mother's abusive boyfriend. Billy takes out his anger on the field, but when his savagery crosses a line, he faces suspension. Without Billy Lowe, the Denton Pirates can kiss their playoff bid goodbye. But the head coach, Trent Powers, who just moved from California with his wife and two children for this job, has more than just his pay check riding on Billy's bad behavior. As a born-again Christian, Trent feels a divine calling to save Billyāsave him from his circumstances, and save his soul. Then Billy's abuser is found murdered in the Lowe family trailer, and all evidence points toward Billy. Now nothing can stop an explosive chain of violence that could tear the whole town apart on the eve of the playoffs. Winner of the Peter Lovesey First Crime Novel contest. A USA Today Best Book of the Year (So Far) An Amazon Editor's Pick CrimeReads Most Anticipated Books of 2022
It's 1962 and physics student Grace Pulansky believes she has met the man of her dreams, Robert Jones, while serving up slices of pecan pie at the local diner. But then the FBI shows up, with their fedoras and off-the-rack business suits, and accuses him of being a bomb-planting mass-murderer. Finding herself on the run with Jones across America's Southwest, the discoveries awaiting Gracie will undermine everything she knows about the universe. Her story will reveal how scores of lives - an identity-swapping rock star, a mourning lover in ancient China, Nazi hunters in pursuit of a terrible secret, a crazed artist in pre-revolutionary France, an astronaut struggling with a turbulent interplanetary future, and many more - are interconnected across space and time by love, grief, and quantum entanglement. Spanning continents, centuries, and dimensions, this exquisitely crafted and madly inventive novel - a triple-disk, concept-album of an audiobook - is a profound yet propulsive enquiry into the nature of reality - the perfect immersive listen for fans of David Mitchell, Emily St. John Mandel, Neil Gaiman and Margaret Atwood.
This is a self-help book like no other. Because you are not helping yourself, James Acaster is helping you. When James quit all forms of social media in 2019, he felt like he'd been born anew, but he was worried he'd suffer withdrawal and get lured back online to compete in a never-ending popularity contest with only one possible winner (f--king Zuckerberg). He knew that in order to stay clean, he'd have to replace everything social media used to give him with three-dimensional real-life activities. And so it was that James found ways to anonymously bully strangers, see photos of everyone's dogs, get invited to as many parties as possible, immediately know about all celebrity deaths, get public figures fired, argue with everybody about everything and so much more without even owning a phone (he painted over the screen of his old one to stop himself looking at Instagram). His life is amazing and yours could be too if you buy James Acaster's Guide to Quitting Social Media, Being the Best You You Can Be and Saving Yourself from Loneliness Vol. 1. You will also need to do everything the book tells you to. Including helping us promote the book by tweeting about it.
THE BLACK DOG is the exciting debut novel from one of Britain's most-loved comedians, Kevin Bridges Declan dreams of becoming a writer. It's a dream that helps him escape the realities of his life - going through the motions at college and stacking supermarket shelves part-time, whilst fighting a battle with the ever-darkening thoughts in his head. He has his pet Labrador for companionship and his best friend-turned-mentor, a pseudo-intellectual who works as a greenskeeper at the local municipal golf course, both of which help keep the worst of his anxieties at bay. But following a drunken row with local gangsters, Declan's worries threaten to spiral out of control. James Cavani - Declan's idol and his hometown's claim to fame - is a renowned writer, director and actor. But despite his success, his past hasn't relinquished its hold of him, and through his younger sister's battle with drug addiction, he finds himself returning to a world he thought he had escaped. At face value, their lives couldn't be more different, but perhaps fate has a way of bringing kindred spirits together - and perhaps each holds the other's redemption in their hands.
A tongue-in-cheek field guide to the deadliest animals on Earth from TikTok star @mndiaye_97. Let's be clear: Mamadou Ndiaye knows a whole lot of animals that can and will end you, but he has no plans to let these strange and horrifying creatures cash in his life insurance policy. Now the TikTok star is turning his engaging, entertaining and informative takes on animal biology and behaviour into this hilarious guide to the world's most deadly creatures. These include: Sperm whales with a call so strong it can vibrate you to death Meerkats or 'the most homicidal mammals on Earth' Hyenas, which eat their prey while it is still alive Hippos, which 'have no soul and answer to no god' ...and a golf-ball-sized octopus that can erase twenty-six people with one bite You'll learn not only which animals to avoid, but which ones can beat you in a footrace, which ones create surprisingly high body counts, and which ones will give you a good reason never to venture into the ocean. Mamadou also offers the occasional survival tip, even if it is just to make peace with your higher power. From the moose (aka 'the antlered Grim Reaper') to the Cassowary ('Jurassic bullshit with feathers'), this is nature like you never want to meet it in real life.