Joanna Anthony is a dedicated Nursery staff nurse at St Gregory’s Hospital. The nurses and doctors share laughter and tears as they tend to the mothers and babies in their care. There is time for romance, too. After five years together, is ambitious Dr Richard Everley finally ready to settle down with Joanna? And what of the two other young doctors who have more than a professional interest in her? It takes a serious illness for Joanna to understand where, and with whom, her future really lies. This engaging story of the everyday experiences of a 1950s nurse, vividly brings to life the colourful characters, drama, love and loss to be found on a hospital ward. The Print Petticoat is the first novel of the bestselling hospital fiction author Lucilla Andrews. For the first time, Lucilla's novels are now available as ebooks. More at www.lucillaandrews.com

     All the best,Kerry and Kurtanp.s. Kurtan wants to make it clear that although this newsletter is in book format it does not make him any of the following:Book WormBook bummerBoffinNerd alertThe lion, the witch and the book wormp.p.s If you don't buy this newsletter that's fine, but we are getting a percent of the profits to donate to the Kerry Mucklowe eating fund, so if you don't buy it I'll basically starve. Which is fine if your conscience can deal with that utter headf***.

    Finally, the experiences of loss which have haunted her psyche since childhood manifest themselves physically when she discovers the washed-up body of a child on the beach. It vanishes with the next wave - did she imagine it?

    But how will they respond when love seems to blossom between local man Gavin Hamilton and the beautiful pearl-fisher Effie? The Pearl-fishers is a classic love story and the master storyteller’s last novel.

    The graphic nature of the crime has sent shock waves throughout the country, gluing millions to the twenty-four hour rolling news coverage. Dean Baker, of Eltham in south London, is no different. Unbeknownst to him that evening spent in front of the telly with his wife and dog would be the last ordinary night of his life. Dean's world is turned upside down when he is attacked by his neighbour. Only then does he realise the true nature of what is happening to the world. Dead South is Dean's first person account of the life and death struggle he faces to protect his family from the zombies and the new world that they have brought with them.

    Recently, as the 800th anniversary of the Magna Carta approaches, the historic document he was responsible for writing and enacting, his life has sparked renewed interest. It is a saga that reads like a Hollywood script.He rose from the ranks of minor knights by deeds that seem to be unbelievable and yet historians tell us they did occur. In an age where a few ill chosen words could lead to a death sentence he spoke his mind and survived to be hated and loved by some of the greatest personalities the medieval age produced. He was a champion of the tournaments and set records that were never broken or even approached by other knights. His unswerving loyalty, commitment to honor, and legendary skill set him apart from the other great men of the age, who would change sides whenever the political winds shifted direction. He was a man's man and a woman's ideal. His story begs to be told and his named spoken with reverence whenever the discussion turns to great knights.Return to the time of Eleanor of Aquitaine, Henry II, Richard the Lionhearted and John. Meet them as they were and the man they loved and hated, who survived them all, and set England on the road to democracy. Intrigue and treachery rule the day as a man of unmatched skill and honor rises from humble origins and inspires a nation destined to become the cradle of democracy. The story, chronicled by an unknown troubadour in the 13th century, is brought to life once again. Come now and Behold the Marshal!

    Three terror attacks that sent shock waves through London, triggering plans to evacuate the Royal Family. Police, politicians and the security services are left scrabbling for answers. When a previously unknown group claims responsibility the mystery deepens. This is the dramatic back drop to the most challenging investigation yet undertaken by autistic crime solver, Jonathan Roper, and his mentor and friend, Chief Inspector Brian Hooley. The pair are the detectives Scotland Yard turns to when all else fails. Before long they are sucked into the case and are about to discover they will face challenges that will test them to the limit. To have any chance of success they are going to need every ounce of Hooley’s policing know-how… but above all they will need Roper at his brilliant best. His autism has given him savant like qualities that enable him to spot things others miss and make intuitive leaps before anyone else realises there are connections. These qualities make him a superb investigator, but he lacks social skills and can be a complex man to deal with. He’s already been on the brink of being thrown out of Scotland Yard because he has managed to put so many back’s up. Hooley can see past the problems to the special detective underneath but, as his father always told him, “there’s no such thing as a free lunch.” The veteran DCI has to ride some intense personal observations as he helps the younger man stay on track. It is this “special relationship” that makes the Roper series stand out. It provides unexpected warmth and genuine humour at even the darkest moments. But this time it emerges that fate has a few nasty surprises in store for Brian Hooley. Not only does he need to support Roper, his own health will become an issue that sets the clock ticking. The investigation also sees Hooley and Roper running a new team, unofficially dubbed the “Odd Bods” and introduces two new investigators that Roper is championing. Just Kill Them is a dark, page turning thriller that grabs you by the throat from the beginning... don’t be surprised to find yourself laughing out loud.

    Roughly one-fifth of all children today suffer with eczema, some experiencing symptoms so severe that they look like burn victims.    Until now, there has been no real solution to this problem. Steroid creams prescribed by doctors may keep symptoms at bay temporarily, but do not resolve the problem permanently; steroids may also cause topical steroid addiction with horrific consequences, if used over the long-term.  And eczema seldom rides alone – it's part of a larger "allergic march." If your child has eczema, chances are that they will also develop food allergies, hay fever, and eventually, asthma.    The good news is that the allergic march can be interrupted – and eczema, along with many other complicated skin conditions, can be resolved. Natural health author Shann Nix Jones healed her own son from eczema and her husband from an MRSA infection even when doctors couldn't help. The staggering revelation that Shann made is that eczema is not actually a skin condition – it's an autoimmune disorder. In order to heal the skin, you have to first heal the gut.   In this book, Shann shares her natural healing wisdom on healing skin conditions such as eczema, psoriasis, rosacea, and acne, by healing the gut, in particular with the help of the probiotic drink kefir. You will learn astonishing things about new ways to care for your own body, your immune system, and your microbiome – the 2 kg of bacteria that sit inside your gut, and control the appearance and glowing health of your own skin. If you, or anyone you know, have been suffering from an ongoing skin condition, this book is the lifeline you’ve been waiting for.

    Bess and James played together as equals when they were children, but now James is engaged to the more socially acceptable Annabel Hadleigh.Bess takes up a teaching post in London but when war breaks out and London schoolchildren are evacuated she returns to Foxden to organise a troop of Land Girls. Traditional barriers come crashing down when Flying Officer James Foxden falls in love with Bess. But by this time Bess has come to know and respect Annabel. Can she be with James if it means breaking her best friend’s heart?And besides, Bess has a shameful secret that she has vowed to keep from James at any cost…

    As Lola works on the house she begins to realise the liberating power of letting go. But just as she begins to open up, Duncan's life begins to fall apart.Colette Dartford's debut novel, Learning to Speak American, exploring whether a parent can ever truly move on from the death of a child. And, after all the heartbreak, whether Lola and Duncan can learn to love again."

    . . A sprawling tome that combines fact with fiction and covers 900 years in the history of New Forest, a 100,000-acre woodland in southern England . . . Rutherfurd sketches the histories of six fictional families, ranging from aristocrats to peasants, who have lived in the forest for generations. . . . But the real success is in how Rutherfurd paints his picture of the wooded enclave with images of treachery and violence, as well as magic and beauty.”–The New York Post

    At eleven years-old, she has survived sickness, near starvation and harsh beatings.Master Simpkins and his cruel daughter rule the workhouse with a rod of iron, but when Romany boy, Joe, arrives at the workhouse, his spirit and courage give Eliza hope that another life is waiting for her outside.When she is sold into service, Eliza is relieved to be out of the workhouse and hopes her fortunes are changing for the better, but cruelty and unkindness are everywhere and her salvation could become her ruin…

    In The Affair of the German Dispatch-Box, Hazell hatches a daring plan to retrieve a highly sensitive government document before it reaches the German Ambassador. In Sir Gilbert Murrell's Picture, when an entire wagon containing valuable paintings disappears from a goods train, Hazell's skill is needed. In The Affair of the Corridor Express, a multimillionaire's son disappears from a moving train. Hazell must find the kidnappers before the boy is lost forever. In The Stolen Necklace, a lady begs Hazell to help when the diamond necklace that she borrowed is stolen from her suitcase. In The Affair of the Birmingham Bank, customers keep drawing money from a Midlands bank, so gold reserves are sent by train. Hazell must guard against train robbery.

    A heart - a human heart - slithering down outside the window of a train travelling between London Bridge and Blackfriars. Someone must have thrown it out from a carriage in front. Kumiko is determined to find out who - and why. But Skelton was sitting next to Kumiko on the train and he saw it too, so he also wants to get to the bottom of the mystery. Or he says he does, but really he just wants Kumiko back, because she's walked out on him, just like that, and left him heartbroken. Each for their own reasons, Kumiko and Skelton set out - separately - on a bizarre trail of discovery. Darting between dingy student pubs, the roofs of Borough Market and the corridors and car-parks of Guy's Hospital, they become embroiled in the seedy world of young medical students, until eventually the gossip and the stories lead them both to the hospital's infamous dissection lecturer - known behind his back as 'King Death'...

    He is without a male heir, and the future of the English throne hangs in the balance. Powerful men, such as Cromwell, Lord Percy and the Dukes of Norfolk and Suffolk vie for power. Into this world rides Captain Will Draper, a soldier fresh from the wars, and with an important message. Cardinal Wolsey is dead. Intrigue follows intrigue, and Will finds himself in a race to uncover a murderer. The politics and chicanery of court life threaten to ruin his investigation, and leave the way clear for the most heinous crime of all. This is the debut novel of Anne Stevens, and captures Tudor England in all its moods: Palaces, fine houses, Bawds, rich nobles and the poorest, all mingle to create an atmospheric book that entwines historical fact with fast paced fiction. Winter King is a whodunnit not to be missed.