With them is Mary McCarthy and her volatile son, Liam. All is well until the arrival of Siobhan’s husband George. A man of strong views and even stronger temper, he browbeats his gentle wife, belittles his daughter Christine and treats Liam like a servant…A year later, on a visit to Ireland, Liam unexpectedly comes face to face with the father he has never known. Liam wants nothing to do with him, but when George Clough throws him out, he has little choice but to enter his father’s dangerous world of Irish politics…As the Clough children grow up they each react to their domineering father in different ways, and his daughter Christine finds herself attracted to the man her father would disapprove of above all others, the wild card Liam McCarthy… Perfect for fans of Emily Gunnis, Fiona Valpy and Santa Montefiore, The Wild Card is an intensely gripping and unforgettable read.

    From the CWA Debut Dagger Shortlist Novelist comes the extraordinary crime series that everyone is raving about. Featuring: TrophiesTormentTalisman Trophies: When DI Colin Strong interviews a suspect on suspicion of handling stolen goods he’s convinced he’s heard their voice before. Nearly 25 years ago the tape of Wearside Jack taunted West Yorkshire Police and his suspect fits the profile.Then the body of a known burglar shows up and a mysterious metal case is discovered at the scene.Strong turns to his close friend, journalist Bob Souter, and embarks on an awkward alliance to probe areas he is unable to explore.As the murder suspects start to disappear Strong must discover just who the shadowy figure inciting fear and panic amongst those he encounters is.Strong wants to bring a murderer to justice and Souter is hungry for a story.Who will get to the truth first and can their friendship remain intact?  Torment: A message left in error on a young woman's answerphone is the catalyst for uncovering some dark deeds. Three young women are missing; luxury cars are being stolen; and just what did happen to two young schoolgirls, missing since the 1980's?DI Strong and journalist, Bob Souter are drawn into murky and dangerous worlds. Talisman: Following a fire in a terraced house, the body of a prominent lawyer, Charles Chamberlain, is found naked and shackled to a bed frame. Six weeks earlier, DI Colin Strong is investigating the sudden death of a transsexual, left undiscovered in the bath for over a year. Initially, it appears to be a tragic death but one mysterious item, a card for the Talisman Club, is found in the bedroom.Meanwhile, Bob Souter, journalist and close friend of DI Strong, is probing connections between a developer and the council leader in respect of a controversial project when massive European funding is announced. Souter smells a rat and delves further into the scheme.Is there a link between the bodies and the business deal?Will Souter or DI Strong crack the case first?And what exactly is the Talisman Club? What the readers say: Trophies "Informative, interesting and thrilling""Simply unputdownable." Torment: "What a fantastic read , the author captured my interest early on with this thrilling story.""Another brilliant book from a great writer. "Torment' is an enjoyable detective book with gripping plots and a dark mystery." Talisman: "Another stupendous read""It will become one of the talked about novels of 2016"

    

    As Season 3 of the award-winning TV series opens, it is 1920 and Downton Abbey is waking up to a world changed forever by World War I. New characters arrive and new intrigues thrive as the old social order is challenged by new expectations.In this new era, different family members abound (including Cora's American mother, played by Shirley MacLaine) and changed dynamics need to be resolved: Which branch of the family tree will Lord Grantham's first grandchild belong to? What will become of the servants, both old and new?The Chronicles of Downton Abbey, carefully pieced together at the heart and hearth of the ancestral home of the Crawleys, takes us deeper into the story of every important member of the Downton estate.This lavish, entirely new book from Jessica Fellowes focuses on each character individually, examining their motivations, their actions, and the inspirations behind them. An evocative combination of story, history, and behind-the-scenes drama, it will bring fans even closer to the secret, beating heart of the house.

    Page after page of inside photos from the legendary National Geographic archives document the royal's most memorable moments in the spotlight; a luminous, personal remembrance by Diana friend and biographer Tina Brown adds context and nuance to a poignant life twenty years after her tragic death. Float down memory lane through more than 100 remarkable images of Diana, from her days as a schoolgirl to her engagement to Prince Charles, the birth of Princes William and Harry, and her life in the media as an outspoken advocate for the poor, the sick, and the downtrodden. This elegant book features reflections from those who knew her best, recollections from dignitaries and celebrities like Nelson Mandela and Elton John, and personal insight through the princess's own words. This richly illustrated book is a beautiful ode to one of the world's most beloved women.

    From its inception in 1913, through the Jazz Age and the Depression, to its reincarnation in the boom-boom Reagan years, to the image-saturated Information Age, Vanity Fair has presented the modern era as it has unfolded, using wit, imagination, peerless literary narrative, and bold, groundbreaking imagery from the greatest photographers, artists, and illustrators of the day. This sumptuous book takes a decade-by-decade look at the world as seen by the magazine, stopping to describe the incomparable editor Frank Crowninshield and the birth of the Jazz Age Vanity Fair, the magazine’s controversial rebirth in 1983, and the history of the glamorous Vanity Fair Oscar Party.With its exhaustive sweep, visual impact, and time-capsule format, Vanity Fair 100 Years is the book everyone will want in 2013.<!--?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" /--> Praise for Vanity Fair 100 Years: “The book is a stunning artifact that begets staring, less for the words and publishing industry than as an exercise in visual storytelling reflected through the prism of society and celebrity. The best photographers, the best designers, the best illustrators all came together over Vanity Fair’s contents, and the book unfolds in page after page of stunningly rendered images, some iconic and some that never even ran.” —New York Times Book Review

    Alexander McQueen: Savage Beauty examines the full breadth of the designer’s career, from the start of his fledgling label to the triumphs of his own world-renowned London house. It features his most iconic and radical designs, revealing how McQueen adapted and combined the fundamentals of Savile Row tailoring, the specialized techniques of haute couture, and technological innovation to achieve his distinctive aesthetic. It also focuses on the highly sophisticated narrative structures underpinning his collections and extravagant runway presentations, with their echoes of avant-garde installation and performance art.Published to coincide with an exhibition at The Metropolitan Museum of Art organized by The Costume Institute, this stunning book includes a preface by Andrew Bolton; an introduction by Susannah Frankel; an interview by Tim Blanks with Sarah Burton, creative director of the house of Alexander McQueen; illuminating quotes from the designer himself; provocative and captivating new photography by renowned photographer Sølve Sundsbø; and a lenticular cover by Gary James McQueen.Alexander McQueen: Savage Beauty celebrates the astounding creativity and originality of a designer who relentlessly questioned and confronted the requisites of fashion.

    Jay Mulvaney, author of Kennedy Weddings, celebrates her unique style in this lavishly illustrated book.JACKIE: The Clothes of Camelot is a richly illustrated history of those magical years when the Kennedys captivated a nation and the world. Her glamour was electric, her style imaginative, and the effect was brilliant. Jacqueline Kennedy's fashions from the White House years, over two hundred outfits, are illustrated with three hundred photographs, in both black and white and color, many previously unpublished or rarely seen. Also included are photographs of jewelry and accessories as well as memorabilia, all exploring the continuing impact of Jackie's fashion sensibility on our culture.The range of illustrations and text is broad, including:Early Fashion InfluencesThe Inauguration EnsemblesGowns for State EventsThe Wardrobe for State Visits AbroadPrivate Living and Casual WearFrench Designers: Haute Couture in the White HouseNovember 1963Mrs. Onassis and the Post-Camelot YearsJACKIE: The Clothes of Camelot is a striking portrait of an unforgettable fashion legend.

    Emma seems to have been part of cultish group obsessed with contacting the dead via a medieval mystic. Then another child disappears. DI Sam Clayton faces a race against time to catch the killer.BOOK 2: THE BAD SISTERDI Sam Clayton is called to a murder scene in Holt, not expecting to find his estranged sister at the scene. Her husband, Henry Lambton, has been murdered. Meanwhile, vicious arson attacks in Norwich are sparking fear among the locals. The two crimes stretch the team to their limits. But they must pull together and race against time to prevent more attacks and get justice for their loved and not so loved ones.BOOK 3: PLAY DEADMusician Kristina Manning is impaled by her cello spike. The disgraced conductor is found with his head stuffed in a piano. And a trumpeter dies, poisoned by his mouthpiece. Is there a serial killer with a musical edge on the loose? And what does the disappearance of former orchestra member Lauren Garner have to do with it?

    There are three unmissable books in this great value boxset: Murderland Bloodline Duplicity Murderland: When DI Joe Burton and DS Sally Fielding are called to investigate a suspicious death in a care home, it is just the start of their problems.As further bodies are discovered, with playing cards placed beside their bodies, the Manchester police realise they have their work cut out.With the press closing in on the case, a criminal profiler is called in to help work out what the killer’s motive is.With the clock ticking and more victims uncovered, Fielding and Burton must race to track down a twisted killer before it’s too late.But could the killer be closer to home than anyone ever imagined? Bloodline: When a young boy discovers a man’s body lying in a doorway, DI Burton and DS Fielding are called to the scene.Believing the man was homeless, the police are shocked to discover the true identity of the victim; a Detective Constable from London who was working undercover.But when the DNA from the victim is linked to a cold case Burton and Fielding find themselves looking into another unsolved murder.And as the case unfolds, the detectives are faced with unpicking through a web of lies and deceit. But can they solve the murders before any more blood is spilt? Duplicity: Is the truth stranger than fiction? Newly retired Hannah Sanderson loves reading crime novels so when her favourite author, Jonas Burke, comes to town for a book signing, she wants to meet him. However, when she starts reading his latest novel, she finds that one of the crimes featured in it is too close to home.When DS Sally Fielding discovers that her police officer father died as a result of being tasered, which caused his heart attack, she is shocked. But when Hannah Sanderson goes on to explain that his death is described in intricate detail in a novel she has recently read, Sally’s suspicions are raised, and she begins an investigation. With a small team in place, Sally and her colleagues cross-reference all the descriptions of Burke’s fictitious crimes with cases in the police database.Will DS Fielding be able to solve the mystery before anyone else gets hurt?And is the truth really stranger than fiction? If you are a fan of authors like Helen H. Durrant, Angela Marsons and J. R. Ellis then you will love this unmissable crime series.

    

    When winter arrives, myths become all too real in White Haven.Books 4 - 6 of the White Haven Witches series in one binge-reading volume!If you love magic and witches, you’ll love the mysteries of Samhain, the horror of vampires, and the earthy wonder of the Green Man and the Raven King!All Hallows' Magic, Undying Magic, and Crossroads Magic.

    . . then gets murdered, and you’re the number one suspect. For family man Danny Cain, this isn’t just a nightmare scenario. It’s a reality. And now the true killer has Danny’s wife and daughter in his sights. Can Detective Jeff Temple uncover his identity before it’s too late?BOOK 2: URBAN MYTHAmerican Jack Keaton brings his wife and kids to the New Forest for what he hopes will be the trip of a lifetime. But their destination is the holiday home from hell. They soon realise that something terrible is afoot in the house. Can Detective Jeff Temple, hunting down a brutal killer, discover its chilling secrets?BOOK 3: RANDOM TARGETSA sniper launches a series of deadly attacks on Britain’s motorways, striking in the dark during rush hour and causing total carnage. No one knows who he is, or why he’s doing it, but, as the death toll rises, fear grips the nation. Can DCI Jeff Temple bring his killing spree to an end?BOOK 4: DYING WISHAuthor Grant Mason makes a shocking death-bed wish. He wants his beautiful house burned down. Elsewhere DCI Temple faces his most disturbing case yet, hunting for a missing young couple. What will Temple and his team find buried in the forest? And will they wish they’d left it to lie hidden forever?BOOK 5: THE BLOGGERBeth Fletcher comes home to find a body lying on her doorstep: her fiancé Daniel Prince. Daniel was a powerful online activist with a controversial blog. He wasn’t short of enemies and no one believes his death was suicide. They killed her man. Will they come for Beth next? DCI Temple must solve the case before she plays the ultimate price.

    But when her husband leaves her, she struggles to find pleasure in anything. However Ella is determined to rebuild her life and makes plans for a fresh start on the coast. But she is soon to realise that no matter how far you run, you can’t escape yourself.Libby Pinkney thinks she has life under control; with two well-behaved teenagers, the biggest house with the best sea view and an increasingly impressive presence within the local community.But when a new neighbour moves into the old cottage next door, her well–ordered life threatens to tumble around her like a house of cards.Ella's beach hut, on England’s beautiful Hampshire coast stands bravely against the elements. Inside, it is as individual as its owner; a cosy home from home, a love nest and a place to shelter from the sun or rain. It plays witness to events that bring joy and tragedy and provides a little retreat for those who seek solace there.The Beach Hut is an ideal book for summer reading or holiday reading. It has drama, humour, friendship and romance.

    Eccentric or challenging guests are the usual order of the day. But when a sinister man moves in across the road, the first ripples of unease appear.Katie has learned the hard way that a seaside idyll is never what it seems. She and Jason have worked hard at their marriage, but now she has other issues to tackle.While her new cleaner has proved to be a godsend, she comes with a complicated love life. Then there’s Katie and Jason’s daughters, Emily and Lucy, whose boomerang visits definitely have an ulterior motive.And what about the threatening man opposite who has taken an intense dislike to Shona, the madcap owner of the adjoining B&B. Shona’s life has always been chaotic, but now it’s verging on disaster.As the season moves on and guests come and go, Katie fears her daughters have been keeping secrets of their own, while Shona’s troubles come to a head.When the B&Bers are behaving madly, anything can happen. Can Katie weather the storm?