The Harder They Fall


Alex Smith - 2020
    He’s the man governments call when they want somebody dead. His is a life of intimidation and brutality, of beatings and executions—including, ultimately, his own. Jack Softley’s life is a world away from his brother’s. A high school English teacher, devoted father, and all-round nice guy, Jack tries to stay as far from trouble as possible. But when he receives word that Ian has been murdered, he finds himself dragged into a storm of violence and danger. Because the same people who killed his brother want him dead too. Hunted by government agents and brutal assassins, Jack must discover the truth about Ian’s dark past if he wants to stay alive. But Ian isn’t the only Softley to have secrets. Jack hasn’t always been a teacher. He hasn’t always been a nice guy. And when push comes to shove, he doesn’t do things softly.

Corpse Path Cottage


Margaret Scutt - 2020
    And before long, one of the village's residents, Laura Grey, is mysteriously shot dead nearby. Mark's life begins to unravel before he is able to help the police solve the mystery of Laura Grey's death, uncovering in the process a tale of intrigue, bigamy and blackmail, and bringing into the open many secrets of the residents of God's Blessing, including Mark himself.

Shadows


Thorne Moore - 2017
    In her struggle to cope with her unwelcome gift, she has frozen people out of her life. Her marriage is on the rocks, her career is in chaos and she urgently needs to get a grip. So she decides to start again, by joining her effervescent cousin Sylvia and partner Michael in their mission to restore and revitalise Llys y Garn, an old mansion in the wilds of North Pembrokeshire.It is certainly a new start, as she takes on Sylvia’s grandiose schemes, but it brings Kate to a place that is thick with the shadows of past deaths. The house and grounds are full of mysteries that only she can sense, but she is determined to face them down – so determined that she fails to notice that ancient energies are not the only shadows threatening the seemingly idyllic world of Llys y Garn. The happy equilibrium is disrupted by the arrival of Sylvia’s sadistic and manipulative son, Christian - but just how dangerous is he? Then, once more, Kate senses that a violent death has occurred… Set in the majestic and magical Welsh countryside, Shadows is a haunting exploration of the dark side of people and landscape.

What We Carry With Us


Karen J. Hasley - 2017
    By 1878, the town is prospering. Three daily railroad stops. Groceries, feed and grain, hardware, and leather goods readily available. Bank, doctor's office, café, and barber shop. Its own church and school, preacher and teacher. A civilized community with all the marks of progress. That's what the hard-working members of the Merchants' Association believe until the day New Hope's telegraph agent – young Eddie Barts – disappears, and suddenly life in New Hope changes. Widow Ruth Churchill, barber and owner of the town's finest boarding house, has lived and loved in New Hope for over a decade. She calls it home and its citizens friends. Five years after the death of her beloved husband, Ruth has managed to find peace and a kind of happiness. But with the disappearance of Eddie Barts, Ruth will find her world and her life turned upside down. Despite all the trappings of civilization, something – someone – evil is hiding in New Hope. For years, unknown to anyone but one relentless searcher, a wicked man of violence and deception has been living behind a mask of respectability. Before his mask is ripped off, Ruth will experience suspicion, doubt, danger, and fear. Her own life will be at risk. Her own heart, too. Because along with terror and grief comes love. They live side-by-side. When it's all over, New Hope, Nebraska, will never be the same. And neither will Ruth.

The Shape of Us


Drew Davies - 2018
    Surprised at how many times your path crosses with that stranger you spotted on the other side of the street. Surprised at how lonely living in a busy city can feel. Surprised that falling in love – against all the odds – is just about possible. One day in London… Daisy is rushing to work when a stranger on a bicycle almost knocks her over – and then asks for her number. JoJo, a wife in her sixties, is trying desperately to win her beloved husband back from his mistress. Adam has recently lost his job and lies to his housemate about where he goes every day. Dylan, a teenage boy, lives with an illness which means he can’t leave his bedroom – but which hasn’t stopped him falling in love. These four total strangers – whose paths cross in the charming and crazy city of London – have one thing in common. They’re all looking for love and they’re totally hopeless at it. But that’s about to change. A hilarious, uplifting and heartfelt novel about love, life and finding happiness. If you’ve ever made a mistake, suffered a break-up, waited by your phone for it to ring or loved someone from afar, then The Shape of Us is for you.

Shut Eye


Adam Baron - 1999
    But who was the man filmed with Teddy as he left Heathrow? What secrets is he hiding? Ex-copper turned private investigator Billy Rucker joins the case on the exhortation of Teddy’s brother, a well-known MP. For Rucker it’s the start of a lonely trail through the city, clutching a grainy black and white photograph and a gnawing suspicion at the pit of his stomach. Until a chilling phone call in the night changes everything…

The Singles Table


Tasmina Perry - 2021
    He’s handsome and charming, there’s a free bar and plenty of eligible women on the Singles Table – what could possibly go wrong?Sophie Wallis is less excited about the weekend ahead. The groom is her ex-boyfriend and every moment of the Big Day is a reminder of the tragic reason why their relationship ended and everything that has gone wrong with her life so far.But Adam and Sophie are about to go on a journey of self-discovery. Secrets start to leak out at the bridal shower, the stag night and at the wedding itself; secrets that make Adam and Sophie confront their past, and question everything they thought they knew about their lives.Brand new from Sunday Times bestseller Tasmina Perry, the Singles Table is a witty, wise and uplifting story about family, friendship and relationships - lost and found. An exploration of the reasons why we fall in – and out of - love, and how we find the people that make us truly happy.'No one can mix a deliciously classy cocktail of intrigue, passion and glamour like Tasmina Perry.' Hello Magazine

Lark Song


Jane Bailey - 2018
    But there are secrets afflicting Freya’s family, some more sinister than others, that could destroy their relationship before it has a chance to flourish.While Freya’s older children are less than welcoming, six-year-old Sophie helps Duncan find his place in the family—but even Sophie harbours fears that threaten to overshadow any chance of a new start. The past is hard to leave behind when pictures of Freya’s idolised late husband hang in every room, and the more Duncan tries to find the source of Sophie’s anxiety, the more he is convinced that Reuben was not the perfect husband and father Freya remembers.Tormented by concern and his own insecurity, Duncan begins an obsessive investigation into the dead man’s past. But when his good intentions lead him in too deep, he risks destroying everything he has built with Freya—and the whole family’s second chance at happiness.

Amy Wingate's Journal


Marcia Willett - 1996
    In the process, her life obligingly becomes eventful enough to provide some interesting reading. But it is the tantalising allusions to her past – so at odds with her appearance as the stereotyped retired schoolmistress – that intrigue, delight, and eventually reveal a woman of surprising qualities. Praise for Marcia Willett: ‘Poignantly told’ – Evening Herald Willa Marsh was born in Somerset and lives in a Georgian parsonage in Devon with her husband and two Newfoundlands. As Marcia Willett, she also writes well-reviewed novels published by Headline.

Illusion


Stephanie Elmas - 2019
     Returning home from his travels across the globe, Walter Balanchine is noted for the charms, potions and locket hanging from his neck. Living in a cemetery with his pet panther, Sinbad, word soon spreads of his healing and magical abilities and Walter becomes a sought after party performer. But a powerful force lies behind the parlour tricks, one strong enough to reveal secrets, heal the sick, and destroy the wicked... Filled with mystery, magic and larger than life characters, Illusion will keep you guessing until the very last page. Praise for Stephanie Elmas ‘Magical, masterful and mesmerising’ - Lucy Walton Lange, Female First ‘Conjures the kind of atmosphere that laudanum dreams are made of.’ - After Nyne Magazine ‘Captivating and delectable.’ - Liz Wilkins '...a modern day ghost story and a Victorian chiller.' - The Huffington Post 'Elmas is a first-rate storyteller.' - The Surrey Post 'This book hasn't been written, it's been crafted.' - The Bookbag Stephanie Elmas was born in Hong Kong to an English father and Czech mother but spent most of her childhood in Bristol. She studied English at university in London. Having worked as a head hunter, she taught English in Japan before returning to university to complete an MA in Victorian fiction. It was here that she developed her interest in the dark dangerous world of Victorian sensation writing. After the success of her first novel, The Room Beyond, Elmas has returned to write the tale of the early life of East End mystic and illusionist Walter Balanchine. When she is not writing, Elmas teaches secondary school English and juggles a chaotic household in Surrey.

Ghost Electricity


Sean Cunningham - 2018
    A warlock believed dead four years ago. A werewolf outcast from the London packs.Rob wants a good job, friends to head to the pub with and a solid cage to lock himself in three nights a month. Julian dropped off the face of the Earth four years ago. He’s back and trying to figure out what living looks like. Together they  will face the deadliest of threats hidden in one of the oldest cities in the world.Fiona has a monster in her shadow but she doesn’t know how it got there. A creature in the shape of a man is on her trail  and he knows things about Fiona she doesn’t know herself. Her ten year old sister Jessica can build machines that defy the  known laws of physics. Accompanied by a brass tortoise and a glass-feathered raven, Jessica will help Fiona unravel the web  of lies that surrounds them both.And beneath their feet the plague dead of centuries stir in their graves, waiting for the spell that holds them to break...

Death by Dark Waters


Jo Allen - 2019
     It's high summer, and the lakes are in the midst of an unrelenting heatwave. Uncontrollable fell fires are breaking out across the moors faster than they can be extinguished. When firefighters uncover the body of a dead child at the heart of the latest blaze, Detective Chief Inspector Jude Satterthwaite's arson investigation turns to one of murder. Jude was born and bred in the Lake District. He knows everyone... and everyone knows him. Except his intriguing new Detective Sergeant, Ashleigh O'Halloran, who is running from a dangerous past and has secrets of her own to hide... Temperatures - and tension - in the village are rising, and with the body count rising Jude and his team race against the clock to catch the killer before it's too late... The first in the gripping, Lake District-set, DCI Jude Satterthwaite series.

A Dragon among the Eagles: A Novel of the Roman Empire


Adam Alexander Haviaras - 2016
    197, Emperor Septimius Severus led one of the largest invasion forces in Rome's history against the Parthian Empire.Among the men of thirty-three legions is Lucius Metellus Anguis, a young man from an ancient Equestrian family. Against the wishes of his conservative father, Lucius is determined to pursue a career in the military and resurrect the glory of his family name on the battlefield rather than the marble of the Senate.However, as in all conflicts, Lucius' ideals and his faith are challenged as he witnesses the worst in humanity.As the imperial legions fight their way through Mesopotamia to the Parthian capital of Ctesiphon, Lucius discovers the inner strength that may well ensure that this young dragon rises from the ranks of Rome's eagles.Can a man survive the trials of war unscathed? Do the Gods indeed favour the bold?March to war with Rome's legions and find out!A Dragon among the Eagles is the first novel in Adam Alexander Haviaras' ground-breaking Eagles and Dragons historical fantasy series. If you like books by Douglas Jackson, Manda Scott, and David Gemmell, or movies like Gladiator and Pompeii, then you will love this historical series that combines adventure, romance, and the supernatural.Get this book now to set off on a thrilling adventure in the Roman Empire!Here is what readers have to say about Eagles and Dragons:Historic Novel Society:"...Haviaras handles it all with smooth skill. The world of third-century Rome--both the city and its African outposts--is colorfully vivid here, and Haviaras manages to invest even his secondary and tertiary characters with believable, three-dimensional humanity."Amazon Readers:"Historical fiction at its best! ... if you like your historical fiction to be an education as well as a fun read, this is the book for you!""An outstanding and compelling novel!""I would add this author to some of the great historical writers such as Conn Iggulden, Simon Scarrow and David Gemmell. The characters were described in such a way that it was easy to picture them as if they were real and have lived in the past, the book flowed with an ease that any reader, novice to advanced can enjoy and become fully immersed..."Goodreads:"... a very entertaining read; Haviaras has both a fluid writing style, and a good eye for historical detail, and explores in far more detail the faith of the average Roman than do most authors."Epinions:"Well written historical drama with an eye for detail... I can't wait for the next book... Killing the Hydra. There is so much more misery and mischief to puzzle and vex our worthy Metellus."

Nothing to See Here


Kevin Wilson - 2019
    But then Lillian had to leave the school unexpectedly in the wake of a scandal and they’ve barely spoken since. Until now, when Lillian gets a letter from Madison pleading for her help.Madison’s twin stepkids are moving in with her family and she wants Lillian to be their caretaker. However, there’s a catch: the twins spontaneously combust when they get agitated, flames igniting from their skin in a startling but beautiful way. Lillian is convinced Madison is pulling her leg, but it’s the truth.Thinking of her dead-end life at home, the life that has consistently disappointed her, Lillian figures she has nothing to lose. Over the course of one humid, demanding summer, Lillian and the twins learn to trust each other—and stay cool—while also staying out of the way of Madison’s buttoned-up politician husband. Surprised by her own ingenuity yet unused to the intense feelings of protectiveness she feels for them, Lillian ultimately begins to accept that she needs these strange children as much as they need her—urgently and fiercely. Couldn’t this be the start of the amazing life she’d always hoped for?With white-hot wit and a big, tender heart, Kevin Wilson has written his best book yet—a most unusual story of parental love.

My Grandmother Asked Me to Tell You She's Sorry


Fredrik Backman - 2013
    Her grandmother is seventy-seven years old and crazy, standing-on-the-balcony-firing-paintball-guns-at-men-who-want-to-talk-about-Jesus-crazy. She is also Elsa's best, and only, friend. At night Elsa takes refuge in her grandmother's stories, in the Land of Almost-Awake and the Kingdom of Miamas where everybody is different and nobody needs to be normal.When Elsa's grandmother dies and leaves behind a series of letters apologizing to people she has wronged, Elsa's greatest adventure begins. Her grandmother's letters lead her to an apartment building full of drunks, monsters, attack dogs, and totally ordinary old crones, but also to the truth about fairytales and kingdoms and a grandmother like no other.