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Showing 1 - 20 of 63233 items
By E. Thompson. 2002
Cornwall, 1914 - Perys Tremayne arrives at St Austell to stay with relatives at the ancient family home of Heligan…
House. But this is not a social visit: Perys is hoping to use his family connections to start a military career with the Duke of Cornwall Light Infantry. Perys is a Tremayne, but only just: his childhood was coloured by the disgrace of his illegitimacy. While family tensions continue to strain, Perys finds friendship with the locals, in particular farm girl Annie Rowe. Annie, though, has long been the subject of a tacit agreement between her parents and neighbours the Rowes, that one day she would marry their son Jimmy. And when Jimmy is badly injured in the trenches at Ypres, Annie feels unable to refuse. It seems that Perys and Annie are fated to remain apart, but in this war to end all wars, one can never be sure what is to happen next . . .By Cynthia Harrod-Eagles. 2014
In 1914, Britain faces a new kind of war. For Edward and Beatrice Hunter, their children, servants and neighbours, life…
will never be the same again. For David, the eldest, war means a chance to do something noble; but enlisting will break his mother's heart. His sister Diana, nineteen and beautiful, longs for marriage. She has her heart set on Charles Wroughton, son of Earl Wroughton, but Charles will never be allowed to marry a banker's daughter. Below stairs, Cook and Ada, the head housemaid, grow more terrified of German invasion with every newspaper atrocity story. Ethel, under housemaid, can't help herself when it comes to men and now soldiers add to the temptation; yet there's more to this flighty girl than meets the eye. The once-tranquil village of Northcote reels under an influx of khaki volunteers, wounded soldiers and Belgian refugees. The war is becoming more dangerous and everyone must find a way to adapt to this rapidly changing world. Goodbye Piccadilly is the first book in the War at Home series by Cynthia Harrod-Eagles, author of the much-loved Morland Dynasty novels. Set against the real events of 1914, Goodbye Piccadilly is extraordinary in scope and imagination and is a compelling introduction to the Hunter family.By E. Thompson. 1997
South-West England, 1812. England is at war with America and when two hundred and fifty American prisoners-of-war arrive at Dartmoor…
prison, it is already overcrowded with French prisoners. Among the newcomers is Lieutenant Pilgrim Penn, an American merchant seaman, who soon falls in love with a local girl at a market held inside the prison walls. The inmates fight amongst themselves, despite their common enemy and the Americans are a particularly troublesome group. When the governor's daughter becomes romantically involved with one of them, he orders his soldiers to open fire during a minor disturbance, even though the war has ended and personal revenge is suspected as his true motivation.By E. Thompson. 1982
Daniel Retallick has grown to manhood during the years of flood tide in the chronicles of Africa. The son of…
Josh and Miriam Retallick, he settles with his wife and children on a homestead in a valley of Matabeleland. But the years are the 1880s, and the Matabele impis are advancing with their singing spears towards the deal-dealing Maxim guns of the white man. Daniel Retallick's loyalties, plans and dreams are about to be swept by fate into the whirlpool of history...By E. Thompson. 1998
Josh and Miriam Retallick and their grandson Ben seem almost part of the wild and rugged Cornish landscape of 1913.…
Yet a revolutionary spirit of change is sweeping across the country - and the whole of Europe - with terrifying haste. Even before the outbreak of the Great War, with strike action compromising his position in the community and threatening the future of the China clay industry, Ben is unsettled by the presence of his cousin Emma Cotton. Inspired by the blossoming suffragette movement, it is a cause which takes her to London and a meeting with ardent campaigner Tessa Wren. As Emma and Tessa are plunged into the turmoil of driving ambulances to the front line in France, Ben's wife, Lily, resigned to dying in a Swiss clinic, pushes her husband towards this courageous new woman . . .By Graham Mcnamee. 2003
It's a hot, hot summer, and in the depths of the Toronto Transit Authority's Lost and Found, 17-year-old Duncan is…
cataloging lost things and sifting through accumulated junk. And between Jacob, the cranky old man who runs the place, and the endless dusty boxes overflowing with stuff no one will ever claim, Duncan's just about had enough. Then he finds a little leather book. It's a diary filled with the dark and dirty secrets of a twisted mind, a serial killer stalking his prey in the subway. And Duncan can't make himself stop reading.What would you do with a book like that? How far would you go to catch a madman?And what if time was running out. . . .From the Hardcover edition.By Donald Bain, Jessica Fletcher. 1995
The USA Today bestselling Murder, She Wrote series continues as Jessica Fletcher embarks on a murderous vacation...After a cold winter…
in Cabot Cove, Maine, and with another soon-to-be bestseller on the way to her publisher, mystery writer Jessica Fletcher is off to balmy St. Thomas with its aquamarine sea and white sand beaches.But from the moment Jessica arrives at a four-star inn nestled by a beautiful lagoon, she senses trouble in paradise. Yet the gourmet food and the beautiful sunsets chase away Jessica's concerns...until she finds the owner's body at the edge of the lagoon. The island police think that a hot-tempered ex-employee is the killer. But for cool-headed Jessica it's time to unpack her talent for sleuthing and find the real serpent in this Eden...From the Paperback edition.By Robert Farrington. 1974
1485: Richard III lies dead, and the Wars of the Roses are reaching a murderous endThe Battle of Bosworth Field…
is over, and Richard III's right-hand man, Henry Morane, faces hanging at the hands of the traitor Sir William Stanley. Eyes closed, awaiting an arrow through the heart that never comes, Morane receives an eleventh-hour reprieve from an unlikely source.With all his friends dead, Morane has no choice but to work for the Lancastrian victor and first Tudor monarch: King Henry VII. In order to win this fair king's trust, Morane must become part of the new English espionage network under spymaster Christopher Urswick.But the first two years of Henry's reign will prove to be violent, and the road to victory in the Wars of the Roses will climax in one final battle of bloody attrition.With the mystery of C.J. Sansom and the epic adventure of Conn Iggulden, Robert Farrington's thrilling novel continues the story begun in The Killing of Richard IIIBy Patrick Redmond. 2006
For Tina Ryan, falling in love is the worst thing that could ever happen to her. Love is a refuge…
for the weak, lonely and needy. Once she was like that herself - but no longer. Recovering from a turbulent, tormented childhood, she has reinvented herself as Chrissie: strong, self-reliant and firmly in control. She is everything she ever wanted to be and nothing will ever be allowed to threaten that. But she is also human. So when love does force its way into her life, leaving her utterly shocked and exposed, her new and carefully constructed personality is in peril. And nothing can ever be allowed to do that. Control must be maintained and feelings must be on her terms. No matter how dreadful those terms might be.By Matthew Lewin. 1992
The unexplained murder of American PI Murdoch Finnegan at his flat in Belsize Park poses a complex mystery for Horatio…
T. Parker, chief crime reporter (and secret owner) of the Hampstead Explorer. Not only is the murder apparently motiveless, but it also emerges that in his will Finnegan has left Parker - already a multi-millionaire - a curious house in Golders Green. Parker, slightly distracted by the gorgeous Samantha McDuff (a karate expert with an excruciating handshake), begins a dangerous investigation which leads him back to the horrifying abduction and murder of a little girl in 1970s London. Parker's investigative methods are amusingly eccentric, and the story is enlivened by a Jewish policeman-cum-Talmudic scholar and Parker's chauffeur, a cheeky Cockney ex-cabby. But there is no humour in the story's climax, which plumbs the dark depths of fury and retribution. Originally published under the author name Lew Matthews.By Catherine King. 2015
DutyNell Goodman is a good daughter. Her job in the local brewery is the only thing keeping her and her…
mother afloat. But with her mother becoming increasingly eccentric and requiring more and more attention, Nell is starting to feel the burden of her responsibilities.DreamsWhen Nell goes to George Wilmot, the brewery's owner, for help he offers her a job as a live-in servant at Wilmot Grange. And then she begins to grow closer to Devlin, George's son, and it looks like Nell's luck is finally changing.DespairAn unwelcome discovery and a tragedy mean that things suddenly change. Devlin pulls away from Nell, her mother's behaviour is becoming worse, and there are secrets around every corner. Somehow Nell is at the heart of all the drama and yet she has no idea of the part she is supposed to play . . .By Patrick Redmond. 2000
Michael Turner is about to make a big mistake. Having struggled for years to escape the demons of his childhood…
- an orphan lost in a maze of institutions and foster homes - he is finally happy. Now in his early twenties, he has a loving fianc?e and is taking the first steps in a promising legal career. And then he meets Max. The father figure that Michael has always craved, Max strides into Michael's life, realising all the childhood dreams that have lain dormant for so many years. But dreams come with a price. Despite his supportive exterior, Max is plagued by his own demons and is a violently skilled manipulator when it comes to getting exactly what he wants from everyone around him. As Michael's fears and vulnerabilities begin to push everyone else away, Max sets to work . . . A taut, sophisticated and engrossing thriller that will have you turning pages furiously into the night.By Robert Farrington. 1978
1487: Wars of the Roses are over, but for one man the battle burns onThe battle of Stoke Field is…
won. With the help of his spy and Richard III's one-time right-hand man Henry Morane, King Henry VII has quashed the rebels and now turns to the defence of the realm as England's spy network extends its fingers.His life as ever, in the balance, Morane is sent to York, Bristol and Flanders by the King to thwart the threat of invasion, led secretly by Richard III's sister, Margaret, Duchess of Burgundy, while a full-scale rebellion brews at home.But Morane has his own plans: revenge on those who betrayed him and Richard at the battle of Bosworth Field. Manipulating events to his ends, Morane will bring the wrath of God down on those who killed his master.With the mystery of C.J. Sansom and the epic adventure of Conn Iggulden, Robert Farrington's thrilling novel concludes the series begun with The Killing of Richard IIIBy Catherine King. 2014
Desire Lettie Hargreaves wants more than her simple, uncomplicated life with her grandmother can provide. She longs for excitement and…
love and she's determined to make something of herself. Deceit There is something about Lettie's mother that Ivy has kept hidden from her granddaughter, something that would shatter her world. So when Lettie suggests going into service for the ailing Lady Laughton, Ivy knows she must do something to stop it. Determination Feeling stifled and confused, Lettie chooses a different path that offers her the chance at love and of the life she so craves. But she is still the same strong-minded young woman and her ambition may do more harm than good as she is entirely unaware of the secrets her actions will uncover.By Matthew Lewin. 1992
There had been nothing to suggest that Hampstead crime reporter Horatio T. Parker's day would be anything out of the…
ordinary. So when he discovers that he has just inherited £52 million, and that his old friend turned sultry film star Monique Karanekian has been murdered, things take a turn for the bizarre. Shattered by his wife's death, dashing Hampstead MP Malcolm Halifax offers the bewildered Parker a scoop: Monique's personal diaries. Despite being a gossip-fuelled Who's Who of the film world, they seem banal - but when Parker's home is ransacked, and murder is committed, he knows he must have something explosive in his hands. Parker's quest for the truth leads him into the murky depths of blackmail and deceit, and to a long list of people who all had reason to want Monique dead. Now someone's after Parker, someone capable of violence previously unheard of in genteel, leafy Hampstead . . . Originally published under the author name Lew Matthews.By Matthew Lewin. 1996
When professional burglar, Albert 'Wheezy' Wallis, is found dead in a car full of exhaust fumes, with handcuff bruises on…
his wrists, the police assume it's a case of underworld revenge. But Wheezy's old friend - reporter for the Hampstead Explorer and secret millionaire Horatio T. Parker - is not convinced. After suffering a terrifying ordeal himself, Parker becomes more determined than ever to unravel the mystery. Originally published under the author name Lew Matthews.By Catherine King. 2013
*A DIGITAL-EXCLUSIVE SHORT STORY* The day of the Langton Park community fair has arrived and Evie Preston, a well-respected professor's…
daughter, is eager to spread the word about her afternoon lecture programme for ladies. She has no clue how her ideas will affect three very different women... Lady Alice is struggling with the life her mother and brother believe she should be living. Surely she should be making these choices for herself? Florence is bright but she's bored. She's keen to continue learning but her parents think she's had all the education she needs. And then there's Meg, who is young and full of hope for the future, but frustrated with the obstacles in her way. Authentic, gripping and spellbinding, The Professor's Daughter is a short story about a group of strong women who are unable to ignore their responsibilities but who also refuse to ignore their hearts. *Contains an exclusive extract from Catherine King's new novel, A Sister's Courage: a story of tragedy, strength and hope*By Roberta Kray. 2014
Maddie Layne's life hasn't been the same since her sister was murdered. The police never found Greta's body so all…
Maddie was left with was unanswered questions - and her orphaned nephew, Zac, to look after. She works hard to make sure Zac has everything he needs; she even tends graves for some extra cash. Maddie isn't looking for any trouble.Lucy Rivers died decades ago under suspicious circumstances and the people responsible believe the entire affair is over. And then the mysterious Cato hires Maddie to tend to Lucy's neglected grave. Maddie starts asking innocent questions, but when she learns that the deaths of her sister and Lucy are linked she knows she must dig deeper.Lena Gissing, matriarch of one of the East End's most vicious families, has a vested interest in making sure the truth stays buried. She's not about to let a nobody like Maddie Layne get in the way . . .By Charlotte Betts. 2013
1666. Newly married to a wealthy spice merchant, Kate Finche believes all her dreams of a happy family life are…
just around the corner until the Great Fire rages through London. She watches in horror as their livelihood goes up in flames, filling the air with the heady scents of cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves. As the city is devastated, Kate's husband Robert is forced to seek employment to ensure their survival, but when he is found drowned, Kate refuses to believe that he has taken his own life. Widowed and penniless, she seeks refuge in The House of Perfume, the home of blind perfumer Gabriel Harte, who awakens Kate's senses to a whole new world. But as she flees from this forbidden love, her husband's murderer comes looking for her . . . The Spice Merchant's Wife is a stunning novel, bursting with the colour and flavour of Restoration London - perfect for readers of Phillipa Gregory, Joanne Harris and Patrick Suskind's Perfume.By Catherine King. 2013
SacrificeWhen her mother passed away, Meg Parker was forced to sacrifice her chance at love for the sake of her…
family. She hopes she will be able to live a full life once again after her father remarries - until tragedy strikes a second time. Suddenly, Meg is facing a darker future altogether.StrugglesLady Alice Langton is travelling the Yorkshire Dales, spreading the suffragette message. Florence Brookes, the daughter of a prosperous grocer, accompanies her, impassioned by the cause but seeking distraction from her own troubles. Appalled by their lack of domestic skills, Meg decides to flee her old life and joins the two women as their maidservant as they make their way to London.StrengthWhen Meg is reunited with her old flame, she is hesitant about her feelings for him - not least because of the rift this causes between her and Lady Alice. It's not until Florence's actions land them in jeopardy that Meg realises she must find the courage to make a heartbreaking choice.