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The Burrow: Posthumously Published Short Fiction (Penguin Modern Classics)
by Franz Kafka Michael HofmannA superb new translation by Michael Hofmann of some of Kafka's most frightening, strange and visionary short fictionAfter Franz Kafka's death, in perhaps the most important of all acts of literary disobedience, his executor refused to agree to Kafka's wish that his great mass of unpublished fiction be destroyed. This fiction included not only The Castle and The Trial but also the amazingly varied, chilling and ingenious short works collected in The Burrow and Other Stories. These tales, some little more than a page, others much more substantial, are among the greatest works of Central European literature. They vary from the tiny and horrifying 'Little Fable' to the elaborate waking nightmares of 'Building the Great Wall of China' and the title story 'The Burrow', where an unidentified creature describes its creation of an endlessly elaborate burrow to protect itself from unidentified enemies, but with every trap or tunnel only creating further terrors and uncertainty.
The Beating of his Wings (The Left Hand of God #3)
by Paul HoffmanThe Beating of his Wings by Paul Hoffman is the final instalment in his epic Cale and the Sanctuary of Redeemers series. Thomas Cale has been running from the truth. Since discovering that his brutal military training has been for one purpose - to destroy God's greatest mistake, mankind itself - Cale has been hunted by the very man who made him into the Angel of Death: Pope Redeemer Bosco.Cale is a paradox: arrogant and innocent, generous and pitiless. Feared and revered by those created him, he has already used his breathtaking talent for destruction to bring down the most powerful civilisation in the world. But Thomas Cale is weak. His soul is dying. As his body is wracked with convulsions he knows that the final judgment will not wait for a sick boy. As the day of reckoning draws close, Cale's sense of vengeance leads him back to the Sanctuary - and to confront the person he hates most in the world. Finally Cale must recognise that he is the incarnation of God's rage and decide if he will stand against the Sanctuary of the Redeemers and use his unique skill of laying waste to all things. The fate of mankind rests on Cale's decision.The Beating of his Wings is the third and final instalment in Paul Hoffman's epic Cale and the Sanctuary of the Redeemers trilogy, following The Left Hand of God and The Last Four Things. Phillip Pullman's His Dark Materials meets Umberto Eco's Name of the Rose, and fans of epic heroic fiction will love this series.Praise for Paul Hoffman:'This book gripped me from the first chapter and then dropped me days later, dazed and grinning to myself' Conn Iggulden'Tremendous momentum' Daily Telegraph'A cult classic . . .' Daily ExpressPaul Hoffman is the author of four previous novels: the two previous Thomas Cale titles, as well as The Golden Age of Censorship, a black comedy based on his experiences as a film censor and The Wisdom of Crocodiles, which predicted the collapse of the world financial system.
The Hanged Man of Saint-Pholien: Inspector Maigret #3 (Inspector Maigret #3)
by Linda Coverdale Georges SimenonThe third book in the new Penguin Maigret series: Georges Simenon's haunting tale about the lengths to which people will go to escape from guilt, in a compelling new translation by Linda Coverdale.A first ink drawing showed a hanged man swinging from a gallows on which perched an enormous crow. And there were at least twenty other etchings and pen or pencil sketches that had the same leitmotif of hanging.On the edge of a forest: a man hanging from every branch.A church steeple: beneath the weathercock, a human body dangling from each arm of the cross. . . Below another sketch were written four lines from François Villon's Ballade of the Hanged Men.On a trip to Brussels, Maigret unwittingly causes a man's suicide, but his own remorse is overshadowed by the discovery of the sordid events that drove the desperate man to shoot himself.Penguin is publishing the entire series of Maigret novels in new translations. This novel has been published in previous translations as Maigret and the Hundred Gibbets and The Crime of Inspector Maigret.'Compelling, remorseless, brilliant' John Gray'One of the greatest writers of the twentieth century . . . Simenon was unequalled at making us look inside, though the ability was masked by his brilliance at absorbing us obsessively in his stories' Guardian'A supreme writer . . . unforgettable vividness' Independent
The Carousel: September; Voices In Summer; The Carousel
by Rosamunde PilcherPrue is intelligent, artistic, independent - and bored. Pressurised by her mother to make a conventional and dull marriage, she is delighted to escape London and seek retreat with her eccentric and bohemian aunt in Cornwall. A chance encounter with an attractive young artist on the sea shore leads to day after idyllic summer's day of exploring the Cornish countryside and coast. But there is something troubling Daniel and Prue, now deeply entangled, feels compelled to discover what it is...
The Haunting: History, murder and the unexplained in a gripping Victorian mystery
by Paul DohertyCalled upon to exorcise dark spirits, will Father Oliver live to tell the tale?Paul Doherty delves into the murky world of the Victorian ghost story in The Haunting, a spine-chilling tale of the unknown. Perfect for fans of The Others and Susan Hill's The Woman in Black. In October 1866, Father Oliver Grafeld is brought from his parish work for an interview with Archbishop Manning of Westminster. Oliver is a hard-working, committed priest, and he has one gift - that of the exorcism of 'divining spirits'. The Archbishop tells Oliver that Lady Seaton, owner of Candleton Hall in Norfolk, has appealed to the Church for assistance in allaying the terrifying and haunting experiences taking place at the Hall. Father Oliver goes to Candleton and within hours, he and his sister Emma have first-hand experience of the phenomena: pools of blood form on the floor, a woman dressed in black walks the Long Gallery, the sound of knocking, cries in the night and hurried footsteps and, above all, a sense of malevolence which seeps through the house. Painstakingly, Oliver, a natural scholar, delves into the family secrets of the Seatons and finds chilling truths which span four centuries.What readers are saying about The Haunting:'This is truly one of Doherty's masterpieces''The reader is hooked from page one, a page turner of the first order''By far the most gripping and interesting book I have read for a long time'
One Night Stand
by Julie CohenEleanor Connor has written lots of steamy novels, but sadly her own life is more mundane. In fact, the nearest she's come to passion for ages is having to listen through the thin walls of her house as friend and neighbour Hugh seduces an endless stream of women. But then Eleanor has a one-night fling of her own, waking up alone, repentant, and as she later realises, pregnant. Desperate to find her missing lover, if only to tell him he's going to be a father, she enlists Hugh to help her search. But should she be looking closer to home to find out what it is she really needs?
Men I've Loved Before: An unputdownable tale of modern-day marriage
by Adele ParksWHAT IF THE ONE YOU MARRIED IS NOT THE ONE?Highly praised as a 'fabulous mix of comedy, real life and emotional depth' (Daily Express), Men I've Loved Before, an addictive novel from Adele Parks, author of the No. 1 ebook bestseller, The Stranger In My Home, looks at what happens after you find 'the one'.Nat and Neil are just right for each other. They share the same likes, dislikes and hopes for the future - one filled with successful careers, sex, travel, and definitely no kids. At least that was the plan.Increasingly surrounded by friends either with children, or trying for them, Neil begins to yearn for a baby himself, whereas Nat cannot be swayed.Now there's trouble in paradise.With neither prepared to say what they really want, Neil makes an unlikely new friend willing to lend an ear. Whilst Nat, riddled with doubt about the man she married, looks for answers in her little black book of exes...What readers are saying about Men I've Loved Before:'It was the twists and turns that I loved about this book. Every single chapter saw the story turn on its head. A good brisk pace, with lots of fabulous descriptions throughout''An extremely entertaining read! The ending is a real tear-jerker. This is one of my favourite books of the year'
Mortal Engines (Penguin Modern Classics)
by Stanislaw Lem'On one side of the ducats was stamped the radiant profile of Archithorius, on the other - an image of his six hundred arms'Mortal Engines is a selection of the best of Stanislaw Lem's extraordinary miniature space epics, chosen by his heroic translator Michael Kandel, who has somehow battled through Lem's jokes, parodies, fabricated technological terms and unreliable robots and brilliantly converted them from Polish into English. Encompassing his Fables for Robots and stories from his protagonists Ijon Tichy (from The Star Diaries) and Pirx the Pilot, this is a highly entertaining but also deeply alarming view of the glories and absurdities of Outer Space.
Selected Stories: Selected Stories (Virago Modern Classics #529)
by Sylvia Townsend WarnerA brother and sister, shattered by the horrors of war, find solace in a tender, incestuous 'marriage'. A wife, bored and rancorous, stitches a widow's quilt. An old level-crossing keeper watches over his speechless, disfigured niece. In this magnificent selection of her stories, ranging from 1932 to 1977, Sylvia Townsend Warner casts a compassionate but piercing eye on the oddities of love. There's the joyously farcical story of the mouse and the four-poster bed, the strange fugue of a sad woman and her doppelganger cat, the composer unexpectedly spending an afternoon 'living for others'. And finally, there's the skein of stories reporting on the events of Elfland, precise, witty and strange. Readers who know this author's work will be delighted, while newcomers will find the perfect introduction to a writer of incomparable style and substance.
The Flint Anchor (Virago Modern Classics #481)
by Sylvia Townsend WarnerJohn Barnard, leading merchant at a Norfolk port, is a pillar of nineteenth-century rectitude. Though stern and aloof with his indolent, tippling wife and watchful children, he is undermined by helpless love for his pretty, cold-hearted daughter Mary.THE FLINT ANCHOR subverts the rules of the historical novel and shows how family history is made- which stories can be trusted, whose voices hold influence and whose are forgotten. Wit, charm and intelligence illuminate several decades of family life and the events of small town society in this tragi-comedy of manners, the last of the author's seven novels.
The Postman (Nova Ciencia Ficcion Ser.)
by David BrinHe was a survivor - a wanderer who traded tales for food and shelter in the dark and savage aftermath of a devastating war.But when he borrows the jacket of a long-dead postal worker, his life changes forever. As he journeys from one isolated community to the next, the old, worn uniform becomes far more than a protection against the unrelenting cold: it becomes a reminder of how things were before the world collapsed - and a symbol for how things might be again. And his story becomes one of a lie that turns into the most important kind of truth.Against a background of global failure, THE POSTMAN is a powerful and affecting novel of the survival of the human spirit from the author of the award-winning Uplift novels.
The Pangs Of Love
by Jane GardamWith her customary accuracy, Jane Gardam reveals the extraordinariness of ordinary people as she deals with the pangs of love- fulfilled or hopeless, sexual or spiritual, tortured or hilarious- in these eleven stories.Paraded here are ladies with a 'thing' about vicars, strange events happening in ornate downstairs lavatories (and in ornate upstairs ones), and the English abroad, desperate and dotty. The glum and impossible Edna haunts the supermarket- and dispenses an unlikely kiss of life. The younger sister of Hans Christian Andersen's Little Mermaid declares her sibling 'very silly' and turns her story on its tail, an old maid forms a curious liason with a tramp, and small moments of temptation fill hotel rooms as histories glance briefly off each other.
Brothers In War: Number 9 in series (Retallick Saga)
by E. V. Thompson1915: Ben Retallick is asked by a War Office friend to provide two traction engines for a secret expedition attempting to take two gunboats overland from Cape Town to Lake Tanganyika - more than 3,000 miles - to wrest control of the lake from the Germans. He sends engines with young Ruddlemoor as the driver, who meets a Portuguese East African nurse and takes her side against a group of white racist south Africans. Meanwhile Antonia St Anna is influential in having Ben released, when he is arrested on circumstantial evidence provided by a business rival and accused of being pro-German. In Brothers in War, E. V. Thompson returns to his acclaimed Retallick saga, immersing the family in the upheaval of the First World War and, through them, creating a captivating tale of love and war, loyalty and betrayal, loss and adventure that weaves its way from Cornwall to the uncharted territory of the depths of Africa - and an eventful conclusion in Cornwall once more.
The Restless Sea: Number 1 in series (Jagos of Cornwall)
by E. V. ThompsonThe Cornish coast of 1810 was alive with fishing boats, warships and smugglers. For Nathan Jago, a fishing business seemed the ideal place to invest his prizefighting winnings. But it wasn't all plain sailing to a wealthy future. For a start there was wilful young squire's daughter Elinor Hearle. And then there was Amy, with her passion for the sea and her fierce Cornish pride...
The Intercept: Number 1 in series (NYPD Special Agent Jeremy Fisk #1)
by Dick WolfFour days before the dedication of the new Freedom Tower at ground zero in New York City, five passengers and a flight attendant bravely foil the hijacking of a commercial jet en route to the city. Thrust into the national spotlight, 'The Six' become instant celebrities, hailed for their bravery. But iconoclastic New York Police investigator Jeremy Fisk believes there's more to this than a simple open-and-shut terrorism case. Fisk -from the department's Intelligence Division - suspects that in reality this is an early warning signal that another potentially more devastating attack is imminent.Fisk and his team spring into action, but as each promising new lead fizzles to nothing they realise that their opponents are smarter and more dangerous than anyone they've faced before. The seemingly invisible enemy is able to exploit every security weakness, anticipating Fisk's every move. And time is running out until ground zero day...
Thunder in the Sky
by Molly LefebureTheir country needed themIn the summer of 1942, Lorna Washbourne must say goodbye to her beloved home in the peaceful East Anglian countryside, which is about to be demolished to make way for the US Eighth Army Air Force and its new airfield.War brings with it great change and Lorna and her friends find themselves called up to serve. Violetta is in the army while Megan and Bunty are sent to London: Megan, in the American Red Cross; Bunty, a clippie on the London buses. Lorna, with the most reason to want to leave behind the memories of her lost home, is conscripted to work there. Before long, she is drawn into the life of the airfield and its crews who fly their perilous bombing missions in preparation for D-Day . . . Set against the dark days of World War II, Thunder in the Sky is a vivid portrayal of four women and their war-torn lives and loves.
The Money Race (Nick Shannon)
by Paul BennettNick Shannon is at last his own man and has set up his own investigation business specialising in corruption and fraud. His first client is a small businessman and local councillor whose daughter has disappeared at the same time as several hundred thousand pounds of council funds. Her father is sure she has been abducted, but Shannon isn't so certain. He suspects that if he can trace the money he will find the girl, and while obstacles are strewn in his path, often violently, he doggedly unpicks a paper trail which reveals a level of local government corruption which puts Idi Amin to shame.
Unicorn Valley: Book 2 (Secret Kingdom #2)
by Rosie BanksEnter a magical world of friendship and fun!In the second book of the series, Ellie, Summer and Jasmine are very excited to visit the Secret Kingdom again! Wicked Queen Malice has hidden a thunderbolt in Unicorn Valley. Can the girls help their unicorn friends save the magical land from hundreds of greedy caterpillars...? Secret Kingdom is a brand new series full of the things girls love most: special friendships, secrets and magical adventures. Newly confident readers will be swept away by the magical stories of three children whose courage and resourcefulness save a fantastical land from disaster.Full of all the things little girls love best: special friendships, secrets and magical adventures, all set in an incredible kingdom!Eye-catching illustrations throughout.Become best friends with Ellie, Summer and Jasmine - plus Trixi the pixie!Help Ellie, Summer and Jasmine save the Secret Kingdom from wicked Queen Malice and her naughty storm sprites. A new exciting adventure in each and every book.
Magic Mountain: Book 5 (Secret Kingdom #5)
by Rosie BanksEnter a magical world of friendship and fun!In book five of the exciting Secret Kingdom series, it's time for best friends Ellie, Summer and Jasmine to head to the frosty slopes of Magic Mountain! Can they find Queen Malice's fifth enchanted thunderbolt and stop the snow brownies from turning into icicles...? Secret Kingdom is a brand new series full of the things girls love most: special friendships, secrets and magical adventures. Newly confident readers will be swept away by the magical stories of three children whose courage and resourcefulness save a fantastical land from disaster.Full of all the things little girls love best: special friendships, secrets and magical adventures, all set in an incredible kingdom!Eye-catching illustrations throughout.Become best friends with Ellie, Summer and Jasmine - plus Trixi the pixie!Help Ellie, Summer and Jasmine save the Secret Kingdom from wicked Queen Malice and her naughty storm sprites. A new exciting adventure in each and every book.
The Last Coyote (Harry Bosch Series #4)
by Michael ConnellyLAPD detective Harry Bosch is down on his luck - his house is condemned in the aftermath of the earthquake, his girlfriend has left him and he has been suspended for attacking his superior officer. To occupy time, he examines the old case files covering a murder which took place on October 28, 1961. The victim was Marjorie Phillips Lowe - his mother . . .The case forces Bosch to confront the demons of the past, and as he digs deeper into the case, he discovers a trail of cover-ups that lead to the high-ups in the Hollywood Hills . . .
The Frightened Man: Denton Mystery Book 1 (Denton #1)
by Kenneth CameronLondon 1900. Meet Denton - novelist, outsider, amateur sleuth.When a clearly disturbed man shows up one evening saying he has just seen Jack the Ripper, Denton dismisses him as a fantasist or a sensation-seeker. But the same night, the mutilated body of a teenage prostitute is found. Could the two events be connected?While the police investigation grinds to a halt, Denton becomes obsessed with finding out who the victim really was and who killed her. As he doggedly pursues the truth, his search leads him into the darkest underbelly of London. And an encounter with a remarkable woman leads him to confront his own demons. Don't miss the other books in the gripping Denton Mystery Series: 1. The Frightened Man 2. The Bohemian Girl 3. The Second Woman 4. The Haunted Martyr 5. The Backward Boy 6. The Past Master 7. The Oxford FellowIf you're looking for a gripping historical crime series look no further than the Denton Murder Mysteries.
On Dangerous Ground (DI HANDFORD #2)
by Lesley HortonDI Handford and Sergeant Ali face their most shocking investigation yet...When a young boy and then a girl are cruelly murdered within a few days of each other, Handford and Ali uncover not only the desperate plight of children trapped in Bradford's harsh criminal underworld, but murderous corruption and twisted minds in the most respected sections of the community. Handford and Ali form a distinctly uneasy partnership against a background of urban and racial tensions, and struggle daily to repress their mutual suspicion. But they must put aside their differences and, with the rest of their team, probe into the dark and seedy lives of those who hold positions of trust, and stop a cold-blooded serial killer from fulfilling his dreadful mission. But the culprit may be closer than they think...
Lost Light (Harry Bosch Series #9)
by Michael ConnellyAward-winning No.1 bestselling author Michael Connelly's ninth Bosch book. Hieronymus (Harry) Bosch has retired from the Los Angeles Police Department - but the discovery of a startling unsolved murder among his old case files means he cannot rest until he finds the killer. When he left the LAPD, Bosch took a file with him: the case of a production assistant murdered four years earlier during a movie set robbery. The LAPD thinks the stolen money was used to finance a terrorist training camp. Thoughts of the original murder victim were lost in the federal zeal, and when Bosch decides to reinvestigate, he quickly falls foul of both his old colleagues and the FBI. When the private investigation enables him to meet up with an old friend, shadows from his past come back to haunt him . . .
The Janson Directive: 14 Copy Floor Display (JANSON #1)
by Robert LudlumRetired operative Paul Janson is called back to the spy game to settle a personal debt he owes. Peter Novak, the legendary Hungarian immigrant and head of the Liberty Foundation, has been kidnapped and faces execution at the hands of terrorist extremists. It is up to Janson to rescue Novak before he is murdered. Janson immediately puts together a top team and manages the nearly impossible task of extricating Novak, but something goes horribly wrong - something that indicates the operation had been compromised from the start - and only Janson himself survives. Now the major intelligence services think that Janson was responsible for Novak's death and are sending their finest operatives after him...
The Denton Novels: Denton #2 (Denton #2)
by Kenneth CameronThe first three novels in the popular Denton mystery series featuring an amateur sleuth you'll never forget.THE FRIGHTENED MANWhen a clearly disturbed man shows up one evening saying he has just seen Jack the Ripper, Denton dismisses him as a fantasist. But the same night, the mutilated body of a teenage prostitute is found. Could the two events be connected?THE BOHEMIAN GIRLDenton is used to getting unconventional mail but one letter in particular peaks his curiosity. A note from a young woman, Mary, saying she's in terrible danger and needs his help. But the letter is months old and was only forwarded to him when the buyer of a painting found it stuck behind the frame. Presumably whatever Mary was frightened of has already happened. So why did she hide the note behind this particular painting instead of he sending it?THE SECOND WOMANWhen a mysterious Polish woman is murdered next door, Denton suspects there is more than meets the eye. Could the murdered woman be the victim of some sort of political conspiracy?Don't miss the other books in the gripping Denton Mystery Series: 1. The Frightened Man 2. The Bohemian Girl 3. The Second Woman 4. The Haunted Martyr 5. The Backward Boy 6. The Past Master 7. The Oxford FellowIf you're looking for a gripping historical crime series look no further than the Denton Murder Mysteries. Perfect for fans of M.C. Beaton's Edwardian Murder Mysteries and Oscar de Muriel's Frey & McGray series.