'I couldn't stop reading it. Susannah Stapleton writes with beautiful clarity and has produced a classic of true crime' - Lissa Evans, author of Small Bomb at DimperleyA gripping, explosive murder mystery by acclaimed true crime writer Susannah Stapleton.In April 1929, the body of British artist Olive Branson was found submerged in a water tank outside her farmhouse in a picturesque Provence village. Dressed only in a pink shirt an...

'I couldn't stop reading it. Susannah Stapleton writes with beautiful clarity and has produced a classic of true crime' - Lissa Evans, author of Small Bomb at DimperleyA gripping, explosive murder mystery by acclaimed true crime writer Susannah Stapleton.In April 1929, the body of British artist Olive Branson was found submerged in a water tank outside her farmhouse in a picturesque Provence village. Dressed only in a pink shirt an...

Maud West ran her detective agency in London for more than thirty years, having starting sleuthing on behalf of society’s finest in 1905. Her exploits grabbed headlines throughout the world but, beneath the public persona, she was forced to hide vital aspects of her own identity in order to thrive in a class-obsessed and male-dominated world. And – as Susannah Stapleton reveals – she was a most unreliable witness to her own life.Who was Maud? And what was the reality of being a fem...

If you are susceptible to Miss Marple and Harriet Vane you must read The Adventures of Maud West. You will never know the difference between fact and fiction again. Jill Paton Walsh, author of the Peter Wimsey/Harriet Vane mysteriesMaud West ran her detective agency in London for more than thirty years, having started sleuthing on behalf of society’s finest in 1905. Her exploits grabbed headlines throughout the world but, beneath the public persona, she wa...

A murder at sea, a killer below deck?BELOW DECK meets KNIVES OUT in this breathless voyage into murder and mayhem on the high seas…Howie Temple is down on his luck and desperate for cash. Once an action movie star, he now lives off a crumbling reputation. On his way to film a new reality TV show, which casts a team of c-list celebrities as crew aboard a luxury yacht, he meets fellow contestant, influencer-of-the-mo...

'A beautifully woven tale with brilliant, confident writing, [Heywood] has illuminated the stories of ladies too often relegated to the role of villain or damsel' CLAIRE M ANDREWSThe King of Tyre is dead, his final words anointing his clever and strong-willed daughter, Elissa, as the new queen until his young son, Pygmalion, comes of age. But betrayal and danger soon haunt Elissa, and she is forced to flee the kingdom - exiled with a band of loyal followers and a broken heart....

Bloomsbury presents The Unrecovered by Richard Strachan, read by Anna Burnett.Shortlisted for the Bloody Scotland Debut prize'Beautifully written' Michelle Paver'I devoured this' Rebecca Netley'A rare gem of gothic literature' A. M. ShineAt a Scottish manor house requisitioned as a temporary hospital during the First World War, Esther works as a volunteer nurse while dreaming o...

Brought to you by Penguin.Built by slave labour in the early years of the eighteenth century, Saint Petersburg was Peter the Great’s so-called ‘window on to Europe’, a city that would outdo all of Europe in its splendour. But a window works both ways, and as bestselling historian Sinclair McKay writes, St Petersburg has always been a city that has drawn Westerners who wanted to see into Russia. It is also a city where much has happened. It was St Petersburg until 1...

Brought to you by Penguin.At night the senses become reordered. Hearing becomes privileged over vision, and we edge forward arms outstretched, feeling our way through the inky blackness. It is after dark that the human being becomes more ‘animal’, more sensitive to Nature. But the lights of the modern world have obliterated any meaningful connection to the night. We have lost touch with its wonders as well as its terrors.In this enchanting follow-up to ...

'Fans of Sarah Waters and Hilary Mantel will love this' LAURA SHEPPERSON'Unsettling, claustrophobic and compelling' KATE RIORDAN'Gripping frightening and wholly original' JODIE MATTHEWS'A chillingly Gothic tale that is exquisitely written' TOBI COVENTRYThe thrilling new historical mystery from the acclaimed, bestselling author of The Beholders.Scotla...

Bloomsbury presents My Lady's Secrets by Katy Moran, read by Flora Montgomery.'Perfection...This is the kind of story that sucks you in and you forget what is going on around you.' – NetGalley reviewer, 5****Regency EnglandWhen rebellious aristocrat Cressida and Lord Greville parted ways, they swore never to meet again. Their short marriage had already descended into bitter estrangement, destroyed by scandal and betrayal.Years later, Greville is a so...

Brought to you by Penguin.The author of The Ruin of All Witches returns with a gripping, vividly told journey of rediscovery, uncovering his uncle’s past as a soldier, prisoner, fugitive and partisan in World War Two ItalyMalcolm Gaskill knew two things about his great-uncle Ralph’s wartime adventures: he’d been a prisoner in Italy, and he’d cut his way out of a train with a knife and fork. Apart from that, he’d faded into family fo...