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The Thirty-One Doors
by Kate HulmeIf these walls could talk . . .'A novel that has the deliciously febrile atmosphere of a silent film.' THE SUNDAY TIMES'The Thirty-One Doors is a novel for those who miss the Golden Age crossword-puzzle-type crime fiction.' LITERARY REVIEWScarpside House is famed for its beauty, its isolation, and its legendary parties. Tonight, it hosts the Penny Club soiree. An annual gathering of lucky men and women from all walks of life, coming together to celebrate their survival against the odds.But this year their luck is running thin.Accidents do happen, after all . . .And some are long overdue . . .
The Infernal Riddle of Thomas Peach: A novel of necromancy, secrets, and a world on the brink of the modern age
by Jas TreadwellWHO IS THOMAS PEACH?Ah, reader! - if you would have us answer THAT question - What mysteries you shall compel us to expose!It is the year 1785, and a gentleman of modest means has left London for the countryside, to look after his ailing wife.Among his new neighbours, tongues begin to wag. Why does he keep a locked chest under the stairs? Is it really full of forbidden books? And what exactly is the matter with his wife?For the most part, though, the couple live in peace -- until a letter arrives, threatening to cut off their livelihood and expel them from their home.Faced with the prospect of penury -- and perhaps worse -- the gentleman rides out in search of some means to save himself.But fate has other plans for Thomas Peach.A bizarre request brings an encounter with a mysterious young woman, raised from infancy as a rich man's ward, now condemned to the madhouse. As their paths become disturbingly entangled, Mr Peach begins to suspect that in her past lies a dreadful secret . . .Dreadful indeed! - Yet however fearful the poor child's history - can her secret be darker, than HIS OWN?
Kingdom of the Wicked: a new series from the #1 New York Times bestselling author (Kingdom Of The Wicked Ser. #1)
by Kerri ManiscalcoTwo sisters. One brutal murder. A quest for vengeance that will unleash Hell itself . . .A new series from the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Stalking Jack the Ripper.Emilia and her twin sister Vittoria are streghe - witches who live secretly among humans, avoiding notice and persecution. One night, Vittoria misses dinner service at the family's renowned Sicilian restaurant. Emilia soon finds the body of her beloved twin . . . desecrated beyond belief. Devastated, Emilia sets out to find her sister's killer and to seek vengeance at any cost-even if it means using dark magic that's been long forbidden.Then Emilia meets Wrath, one of the Wicked-princes of Hell she has been warned against in tales since she was a child. Wrath claims to be on Emilia's side, tasked by his master with solving the series of women's murders on the island. But when it comes to the Wicked, nothing is as it seems . . .
Kingdom of the Cursed: the New York Times bestseller (Kingdom of the Wicked #2)
by Kerri ManiscalcoOne sister. Two sinful princes. Infinite deception with a side of revenge . . . Welcome to Hell. From the #1 New York Times bestselling author Kerri Maniscalco comes the sizzling and sweepingly romantic sequel to Kingdom of the Wicked. With the enigmatic Prince of Wrath at her side, Emilia sold her soul to become Queen of the Wicked and travelled to the Seven Circles to fulfil her vow of avenging her beloved sister. But the first rule in the court of the Wicked? Trust no one. And it quickly becomes clear that nothing in Hell is what it seems. Even Wrath, her onetime ally, may be keeping secrets about his true nature. But that suits Emilia just fine - she's got secrets of her own. Faced with backstabbing courtiers, princes who delight in fear, luxurious palaces, dazzling galas, and conflicting clues about what truly happened to her sister, Emilia finds herself on a mission to unlock the mysteries of her own past and uncover the answers she craves. As long as her sins don't catch up to her first . . .*** PRAISE FOR KERRI MANISCALCO ***'A delicious and intoxicating new fantasy by a master of murder and mayhem' Elizabeth Lim, author of Spin the Dawn'An intoxicating, tightly plotted feast for the senses' Kirkus'A fast-paced adventure steeped in a luscious and dark world' Chloe Gong, NYT bestselling author of These Violent Delights
The Return
by Rachel HarrisonHer best friend disappeared. A stranger came back.SEX AND THE CITY MEETS STEPHEN KING'S THE SHINING IN THIS CHILLING DEBUT Julie is missing, and no one believes she will ever return-except Elise. Elise knows Julie better than anyone. She feels it in her bones that her best friend is out there and that one day Julie will come back.She's right. Two years to the day that Julie went missing, she reappears with no memory of where she's been or what happened to her.Along with Molly and Mae, their two close friends from college, the women decide to reunite at a remote inn. But the second Elise sees Julie, she knows something is wrong-she's emaciated, with sallow skin and odd appetites. And as the weekend unfurls, it becomes impossible to deny that the Julie who vanished two years ago is not the same Julie who came back. But then who-or what-is she?An eerie storm of a debut that fuses thriller and horror into a brilliant depiction of women's friendships - the rivalries, jealousies, anxieties and love.Praise for THE RETURN'The Return expertly treads the fine line between thriller and horror. It's as deliciously creepy as opening up a box of candy-coated spiders-and eating them all in one sitting' Christina Dalcher, bestselling author of Vox'Combining suspense and horror with razor-sharp insights into the nature of female friendships, Rachel Harrison's The Return is a creepy, nerve-wracking, page-turning addition to the emerging field of horror thrillers' Alma Katsu, award-winning author of The Hunger 'The Return is moving and terrifying in equal measure. A brilliant rumination on friendship, pain, and the myriad of unsuccessful ways we all try to run from our past and fill the holes in our hearts. Harrison's keen prose won't let you go. Be warned, you'll double check the locks on your doors before you try to sleep' Mallory O'Meara, author of The Lady from the Black Lagoon 'By turns scary and funny, horrifying and real, The Return is impossible to put down. It takes an honest, scathing look at female friendship while at the same time pulling the reader into a perfect nightmare of a story' Simone St. James, bestselling author of The Sun Down Motel 'The Return is supernatural horror at its very best! Sharp dialogue, complex relationships and mind-bending action will have readers locking their doors and checking under their beds. Rachel Harrison has reinvented this genre and will surely be hailed as a pioneer among her peers' Wendy Walker, bestselling author of The Night Before 'Hair-raising horror and pure entertainment in Harrison's compulsively readable debut . . . The tension and nuance of Harrison's complicated female friendships add depth to an already delicious, chilling debut' Publishers Weekly'Fusing horror and thriller together, it's an unsettling tale of rivalry, envy, fear, friendship and love' Culturefly's Books of 2020
The Institute: A Novel
by Stephen King'It does everything you'd expect of a masterpiece - and it is one' Sunday Express'Hums and crackles with delicious unease' Independent'A captivating, hybrid novel that shape-shifts through several genres' The Sunday TimesDeep in the woods of Maine, there is a dark state facility where kids, abducted from across the United States, are incarcerated. In the Institute they are subjected to a series of tests and procedures meant to combine their exceptional gifts - telepathy, telekinesis - for concentrated effect. Luke Ellis is the latest recruit. He's just a regular 12-year-old, except he's not just smart, he's super-smart. And he has another gift which the Institute wants to use...Far away in a small town in South Carolina, former cop Tim Jamieson has taken a job working for the local sheriff. He's basically just walking the beat. But he's about to take on the biggest case of his career.Back in the Institute's downtrodden playground and corridors where posters advertise 'just another day in paradise', Luke, his friend Kalisha and the other kids are in no doubt that they are prisoners, not guests. And there is no hope of escape.But great events can turn on small hinges and Luke is about to team up with a new, even younger recruit, Avery Dixon, whose ability to read minds is off the scale. While the Institute may want to harness their powers for covert ends, the combined intelligence of Luke and Avery is beyond anything that even those who run the experiments - even the infamous Mrs Sigsby - suspect.Thrilling, suspenseful, heartbreaking, THE INSTITUTE is a stunning novel of childhood betrayed and hope regained.
Children of the Sun: The breathtaking new novel from Beth Lewis that asks how far would you go for a second chance?
by Beth Lewis'Gripping' HEAT'Dazzling' CRIME MONTHLY'A cult novel with a difference . . . Intriguing, with a wholly unexpected ending' GUARDIAN'Lewis does an excellent job of ratcheting up the tension' DAILY TELEGRAPH'Chilling, moving and original . . . I loved it' CHRIS WHITAKER'A captivating novel of love and loss and the lengths we will go to start again' SOPHIE WARD'A beautifully crafted mystery that asks if we ever truly get a second chance' CATRIONA SILVEYWelcome to Atlas. What would you do for a second chance?Summer 1982. Deep in the Adirondack Mountains, over three hundred people live off-grid in a secret community. Atlas is a refuge for broken souls who long for a different life. Founded by the enigmatic Sol, the group now prepares for their final ceremony: the opening of the Golden Door. They believe they will cross to another world, to a new life where their past decisions never ended in tragedy.James Morrow is a rookie New York City reporter intent on making his name with an exposé of the crazy cult in the woods. He secures an invitation to the camp on the condition he tell the world of its wonders, but James is a sceptic. He's sure there must be more to the mysterious leader and his endgame than his followers have signed up for.James soon finds there is a darker side to the cult beyond the prayers and yellow robes. A group of children are treated like gods, there are iron strips embedded in the earth, and nobody talks about what's behind the gates of Sol's private sanctuary. As James learns the stories of the members and how they came to be there, he begins to understand the desperate nature of their beliefs - a desperation he knows all too well. As the final ceremony draws near, James must ask himself: what will it cost them to reach this other life? And is that a price he's willing to pay?WHAT READERS ARE SAYING:'I would give this book ten stars if I could . . . Incredibly clever . . . Heartbreakingly perfect' 'This was an incredible read . . . I loved it''Beth Lewis never fails to grab my attention and hold it for every single bit of every single page of her books. This one was no different''A really interesting, gripping read'
Home Before Dark: A Novel
by Riley Sager'Clever, twisty, and altogether spine-chilling. . . . [A] deliciously terrifying story. . . .You'll want to read this one after dark, ideally with the wind whistling in the eaves and a window banging somewhere just out of reach. But keep the light switch handy. You just might need it' Ruth Ware, Book of the MonthWhat was it like? Living in that house.Maggie Holt is used to such questions. Twenty-five years ago, she and her parents, Ewan and Jess, moved into a rambling Victorian estate called Baneberry Hall. They spent three weeks there before fleeing in the dead of night, an ordeal Ewan later recounted in a memoir called House of Horrors. His tale of ghostly happenings and encounters with malevolent spirits became a worldwide phenomenon.Now, Maggie has inherited Baneberry Hall after her father's death. She was too young to remember any of the events mentioned in her father's book. But she doesn't believe a word of it. Ghosts, after all, don't exist.But when she returns to Baneberry Hall to prepare it for sale, her homecoming is anything but warm. People from the pages of her father's book lurk in the shadows, and locals aren't thrilled that their small town has been made infamous. Even more unnerving is Baneberry Hall itself - a place that hints of dark deeds and unexplained happenings. As the days pass, Maggie begins to believe that what her father wrote was more fact than fiction. That, either way, someone - or something - doesn't want her here. And that she might be in danger all over again . . . THE INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLEROne of . . .Huff Post's "10 Of The Most Anticipated Book Releases Of June 2020" - Good Housekeeping's "The 35 Best Books of 2020 to Add to Your Reading List" - Travel + Leisure's "20 Most Anticipated Summer 2020 Books" - PopSugar's 17 Most Anticipated Summer Thrillers - Working Mother's "The 20 Most Anticipated Books of 2020" - Newsweek's 20 most anticipated summer reads - Publishers Weekly's "Summer Reads 2020" - BookPage's "2020 Most Anticipated Thrillers and Mysteries" - Today.com's "16 highly anticipated summer reads" - The Star Tribune's "Great Escapes" summer reads - BookPage's "Private Eye July" - USA Today's"Summer reading guide: 20 new books you won't want to miss" - CrimeReads "10 New Books Coming Out This Week" - Buzzfeed "17 New Thrillers That Will Keep Your Summer Exciting" - The Everygirl "30 Books That Should Be on Your Summer Reading List."
Several People Are Typing
by Calvin KasulkeIs it still WFH when you're now just binary code? Whilst working on a spreadsheet for a New York-based PR firm, Gerald has his consciousness uploaded into his company's Slack channel. He posts for help, but his colleagues assume it's an elaborate joke to exploit the new working-from-home policy, and now that Gerald's productivity is through the roof, his bosses are only too happy to let him work from . . . wherever he says he is. Faced with the looming abyss of a disembodied life online, Gerald enlists co-worker Pradeep to care for his body and Slackbot, the service's AI assistant, to help him navigate his new digital reality. But when Slackbot discovers a world (and an empty body) outside the app, will it hijack a ride into the 'real' world? Meanwhile, Gerald's co-workers are scrambling to stem a company PR catastrophe like no other, their CEO suspects someone is sabotaging his office furniture, and if Gerald gets to work from home all the time, why can't everyone? Hilarious, irreverent, and wholly original, Several People Are Typing is the perfect remedy for any idle fingers waiting to doomscroll: a satire of both the virtual office and contemporary life, and a perfect antidote to the way we live #now.
The Four Symbols: The Black Sun Trilogy, Book 1 (The Black Sun Trilogy)
by Giacometti RavenneFrom multi-million copy bestselling authors Giacometti & Ravenne comes a Nazi spy thriller for fans of Dan Brown, Steve Berry and Wilbur Smith."I couldn't put it down ... the authors write like Dan Brown!" -Anthony, 5-Star NetGalley reviewer*** RATED 5 STARS BY REAL READERS *** ***PREORDER BOOK 2, GOOD & EVIL, NOW ***A secret Nazi organisation.Four swastikas with occult powers.A spy.What readers think:"I can't wait to read the next book in the series!" -Sens Critique"A spellbinding read from start to finish." -5-Star Amazon Review"There are twists aplenty" -5-Star Netgalley Review"A real page turner." -Art Six Mic"If you like books with lots of action and cliff hangers, this is for you." -5-Star Netgalley Review"The authors' best book so far." -5-Star Amazon Review"A book full of action and mystery." -Au Detour d'un LivreIn a Europe on the verge of collapse, the Nazi organisation Ahnenerbe is pillaging sacred landmarks across the world. Their aim is to collect treasures with occult powers, which will help them establish the Third Reich. The organisation's head, Himmler, has sent SS officers to search a forgotten sanctuary in the Himalayas, whilst he tries to track down a mysterious painting. Which ancient power do the Nazis believe they hold the key to?Meanwhile, in London, Churchill has discovered that the war against Germany will also be a spiritual one: their light must fight the occult if they are to win . . .
Good & Evil: The Black Sun Series, Book 2 (The Black Sun Trilogy)
by Giacometti RavennePRE-ORDER NOW: the second volume in the bestselling, exhilarating WWII treasure-hunt thriller series for fans of Dan BrownNovember 1941. Germany is about to win the war. Only one thing still separates the Nazis from a certain victory: they must find the three remaining all-powerful swastikas and reunite them with a fourth that is safely hidden away in Himmler's mountain stronghold. Churchill has no choice but to mobilize his best man, double agent Tristan Marcas, and employ the most risky techniques to beat them to it. It all comes to a showdown at a ball in Venice...
The Monks of Appalling Dreadfulness
by John ConnollyThe Monks of Appalling Dreadfulness are the most feared assassins in the Multiverse. They are ruthless. They are cunning. They can do interesting things with oranges.Now they have been hired to hunt down and kill the demon Nurd, along with every friend he's ever had.But friends come in all shapes and sizes, and with all kinds of talents.The Monks of Appalling Dreadfulness are about to meet their match . . .
The Warlock Effect: A highly entertaining, twisty adventure filled with magic, illusions and Cold War espionage
by Jeremy Dyson Andy NymanTHE SUNDAY TIMES THRILLER OF THE MONTH'Sheer delight... This enthralling, playful thriller can be enjoyed for its virtuosic recreation of the period' THE SUNDAY TIMES'A pure delight' NEIL GAIMAN'All the hallmarks of a modern classic' ADAM KAY'Two great masters join forces to explosive effect' RICHARD OSMAN'Huge fun - gripping and very clever. I didn't want it to end' PETER JAMES'A beautiful magic trick in itself - wonderful' DERREN BROWN'I absolutely loved every twist, every turn, every blockbusting cliffhanger' STEVEN MOFFATMeet Louis Warlock.Man about town, denizen of Soho's nightclubs and cabaret bars - and the most skilled magician of his time . . .As a boy, Ludvik Weinschenk fled Nazi Germany to England with a pack of playing cards and three tricks to his name. Twelve years later, in 1950s London, having risen through the ranks of concert parties, night clubs and variety theatres, Ludvik - or Louis Warlock as he is now known - is the most famous magician in Britain. But after his talent for deception attracts the attention of the British secret service, Louis is thrown into the perilous world of espionage and finds himself sent across Europe with a dangerous mission to fulfil. When he comes face to face with a nemesis whose cunning rivals his own, Louis will need to use every trick in the book - or risk the most terrible consequences, both for the country and for himself.A highly entertaining, fiendishly clever thriller, The Warlock Effect offers a twist-filled, rollicking adventure - and a glimpse into the phenomenal mind of an extraordinary magician.MORE PRAISE FOR THE WARLOCK EFFECT:'A delicious confection from a pair of devilishly clever minds' STEVE PEMBERTON'A superb story of espionage and human endurance which casts its own vivid spell. In the stage magician Louis Warlock, Nyman and Dyson have created one of fiction's most complex and beguiling heroes' JAY RAYNER'Intriguing and completely original, this Cold War spy novel is just what every bookshelf needs' W.C. RYAN'The period atmosphere and the Cold War detail feel like a Le Carré but it's the characters you really care about. Exactly like some of the magic it describes, the odd sleight of hand or false deception wrapped around a terrific mystery.' IAN MOORE'Edge-of-your-seat stuff . . . Heartbreaking and uplifting in equal measure, The Warlock Effect is a fiendish mix of history, humour and horror' SJ BENNETT'A thrilling and ingenious work of wonder. Twisting, evocative and hugely entertaining, The Warlock Effect delivers on every level' CHRIS WHITAKER'Spellbinding. Jeremy Dyson and Andy Nyman skillfully depict a shadowy world of magic and espionage in this gripping tale that is entertaining, heartfelt and as twisty as any artful stage magician's signature trick.' ADAM HAMDY'An adventure told with skill and wit and quite a lot up its sleeve. Sharp and scary and full of twists and turns.' DAVID QUANTICK
My Sweet Girl: The most shocking thriller of 2021 with an UNFORGETTABLE narrator
by Amanda Jayatissa'My Sweet Girl is like nothing else I've read. Set in San Francisco and Sri Lanka, this is a story about friendship, lies, and guilt. A stunning and original must-read' Samantha Downing, Sunday Times bestselling author of My Lovely WifeA girl in a new country.A dark secret left behind.A dead body which might tell all.Ever since she was adopted from an orphanage in Sri Lanka, Paloma has led a privileged Californian life: the best schools, a generous allowance and parents so perfect that Paloma fears she'll never live up to them.Now at thirty, Paloma has managed to disappoint her parents so thoroughly that their relationship will never recover. Unemployed and friendless, the only person still talking to her is Arun - the Indian man subletting her spare room. That is until Arun discovers Paloma's darkest secret, one that could jeopardize her fragile place in this country, and the next day is found face down in a pool of blood.On finding Arun's body Paloma flees her apartment. But by the time the police arrive, there's no body to be found or signs of struggle - and no evidence that Arun ever even existed in the first place.The police may be quick to dismiss everything, but Paloma knows what she saw. Is this tangled up in her childhood in Sri Lanka and the desperate actions she took to leave so many years ago? And did Paloma's secret die with Arun or is she now in greater danger than ever before?
Shining in the Dark: Celebrating Twenty Years of Lilja's Library
by Stephen King Jack Ketchum Bev Vincent Clive Barker Brian Keene Richard Chizmar Kevin Quigley Ramsey Campbell Edgar Poe Brian Freeman Stewart O'Nan John Ajvide Lindqvist P. CacekFrom the founder of the Number One Stephen King news website, Lilja's Library, comes a wonderfully rich anthology of inspirational horror stories, including a rare story from Stephen King himself, classics by Clive Barker and Edgar Allan Poe, and an original novella by John Ajvide Lindqvist (author of Let the Right One In), written for Shining in the Dark.Celebrating twenty years of the expansive Stephen King fan site Lilja's Library, this is a fabulous collection of deliciously creepy stories, perfect for all horror fans. With a terrifying story that has never been previously included in any of Stephen King's collections, Shining in the Dark is an unforgettable anthology, featuring short stories by some of the genre's best-known and most talented authors.Table of Contents:'The Blue Air Compressor' by Stephen King'The Net' by Jack Ketchum and P. D. Cacek'The Novel of the Holocaust' by Stewart O'Nan'Aeliana' by Bev Vincent'Pidgin and Theresa' by Clive Barker'An End To All Things' by Brian Keene'Cemetery Dance' by Richard Chizmar'Drawn to the Flame' by Kevin Quigley'The Companion' by Ramsey Campbell'The Tell-Tale Heart' by Edgar Allan Poe'A Mother's Love' by Brian James Freeman'The Keeper's Companion' by John Ajvide Lindqvist
Belladonna (Belladonna)
by Adalyn Grace'A deliciously deadly Gothic romance' Stephanie GarberFor as long as Signa Farrow has been alive, the people in her life have fallen like stars . . . Orphaned as a baby, nineteen-year-old Signa has been raised by a string of guardians, each more interested in her wealth than her wellbeing - and each has met an untimely end. Her remaining relatives are the elusive Hawthornes, an eccentric family living at Thorn Grove, an estate both glittering and gloomy.Its patriarch mourns his late wife through wild parties, while his son grapples for control of the family's waning reputation and his daughter suffers from a mysterious illness. But when their mother's restless spirit appears claiming she was poisoned, Signa realizes that the family she depends on could be in grave danger, and enlists the help of a surly stable boy to hunt down the killer. Signa's best chance of uncovering the murderer, though, is an alliance with Death himself, a fascinating, dangerous shadow who has never been far from her side. Though he's made her life a living hell, Death shows Signa that their growing connection may be more powerful - and more irresistible - than she ever dared imagine. From New York Times bestselling author Adalyn Grace, Belladonna brings to life a highly romantic, gothic-infused world of wealth, desire, and betrayal.PRAISE FOR BELLADONNA'This book is a true pleasure to read from beginning to end' Jennifer L. Armentrout'A darkly romantic tale' Adrienne Young'Utterly original and completely addictive' Rachel Griffin'Darkly twisted and deliciously gothic' Renée Ahdieh'Decadently atmospheric' Kerri Maniscalco
The Seawomen
by Chloe Timms'An unsettling and lushly-written reimagining of witch trials. The Handmaid's Tale meets The Shape of Water' KIRSTY LOGAN Everyone on this island has a story. This is mine.Esta has known nothing but Eden's Isle her whole life. After a fire left her orphaned and badly scarred, Esta was raised by her grandmother in a deeply religious society who cut itself off from the mainland in the name of salvation. Here, fear rules: fear of damnation, fear of the outside world and fear of what lurks beneath the water - a corrupting evil the islanders call the Seawomen.But Esta wants more than a life where touching the water risks corruption, where her every move is watched and women are controlled in every aspect of their lives. Married off, the women of the island must conceive a child within their appointed motheryear or be marked as cursed and cast into the sea as a sacrifice in an act called the Untethering.When Esta witnesses a woman Untethered she sees a future to fear. Her fate awaits, a loveless marriage, her motheryear declared. And after a brief taste of freedom, the insular world Esta knows begins to unravel...The Seawomen is a fiercely written and timely feminist novel, at once gothic, fantastical and truly unforgettable.'Richly atmospheric, powerful and provocative. A raw and beautiful coming of age story' CAROLINE LEA'The Seawomen immerses you in its watery world' SOPHIE WARD'Dive in and don't look back' ZOE GILBERT'I was hooked' NATASHA BROWN'The Seawomen is a captivating and sometimes terrifying debut that will sweep you out to sea' JEN CAMPBELL'Mesmerising and moving, I couldn't put it down' SUSANNAH WISE'Beautifully written, unsettling as a storm over the ocean' LOUISE MORRISH'An astonishing literary achievement. Chloe Timms is an extraordinary new talent' LAURA PRICE'Fiercely feminist and utterly unique' NATASHA NGAN'An allegorical love story with echoes of fairytales and told with a visceral brutality' KATE SAWYER'A provocative, imaginative and beautifully written work of art' BECCA DAY
The Stars Are Not Yet Bells
by Hannah Lillith Assadi'A heartbreaking and profoundly visionary book.' Emily Fridlund, author of History of WolvesIt is the end of the Great Depression and Elle Ranier believes that by marrying her wealthy husband Simon she is saving her life. Young and impressionable, she is unable to foresee the true cost of her decision. Instead, she leaves everything she has known in New York City to live in a vine-covered mansion on the tangled shores of Lyra, an island off America's southeastern coast. There, amid the wild horses, oak woods and rumours of jewels hidden beneath the water, Elle harbours a secret. Her so-called 'cousin' Gabriel, who comes to stay, is really a boyfriend from back home and the love of her life.In subsequent years, when Elle and Simon raise a family and face a less than idyllic relationship, Elle can never forget her brief dalliance with Gabriel. Even fifty years later, when her memory recedes into the mists of Alzheimer's disease, she is haunted by his fate. With her mind a maze of questions about long-buried stories, the bewitching island of Lyra might eventually bring answers to light.Darkly romantic and beautifully immersive, The Stars Are Not Yet Bells pulls us into a story about the limits of memory and people we can never forget.
Parallel Hells
by Leon CraigIn this deliciously strange debut collection, Leon Craig draws on folklore and gothic horror in refreshingly inventive ways to explore queer identity, love, power and the complicated nature of being human.Some say that hell is other people and some say hell is loneliness . . .In the thirteen darkly audacious stories of Parallel Hells we meet a golem, made of clay, learning that its powers far exceed its Creator's expectations; a ruined mansion which grants the secret wishes of a group of revellers and a notorious murderer who discovers her Viking husband is not what he seems.Asta is an ancient being who feasts on the shame of contemporary Londoners, who now, beyond anything, wishes only to fit in with a group of friends they will long outlive. An Oxford historian, in bitter competition with the rest of her faculty members, discovers an ancient tome whose sinister contents might solve her problems. Livia orchestrates a Satanic mass to distract herself from a recently remembered trauma and two lovers must resolve their differences in order to defy a lethal curse.
The Wayward Sisters: Macbeth's three witches resurface in 1780s Scotland in this gripping novel of obsession and betrayal
by Kate Hodges'Something wicked this way comes ...'Inverness, 1769. On a freezing winter's night, astronomer Nancy Lockaby arrives at Blackthistle House, home to renowned Shakespeare scholar Caleb Malles, to assist him in his research. She hopes to forget all that has happened to her in London. Nancy initially finds herself captivated by Caleb's eccentric mind and deep passion for Macbeth. So, when she is warned by three mysterious women that Caleb is keeping secrets from her, she is dismissive - after all, the women also claim to have lived many centuries and possess powers that defy any logical reasoning. Yet, as Caleb's behaviour becomes more erratic, she begins to suspect that she has walked into a trap.Offering a fresh, feminist perspective on literature's most infamous trio, The Wayward Sisters is an enthralling, intricately woven story of friendship, intrigue and magic.
Chasing the Boogeyman
by Richard ChizmarThe New York Times bestselling coauthor of Gwendy's Button Box brings his signature 'thrilling, page-turning' (Michael Koryta, author of How It Happened) prose to this story of small-town evil that combines the storytelling of Stephen King with the true-crime suspense of Michelle McNamara.In the summer of 1988, the mutilated bodies of several missing girls begin to turn up in a small Maryland town. The grisly evidence leads police to the terrifying assumption that a serial killer is on the loose in the quiet suburb. But soon a rumor begins to spread that the evil stalking local teens is not entirely human. Law enforcement, as well as members of the FBI are certain that the killer is a living, breathing madman-and he's playing games with them. For a once peaceful community trapped in the depths of paranoia and suspicion, it feels like a nightmare that will never end.Recent college graduate Richard Chizmar returns to his hometown just as a curfew is enacted and a neighborhood watch is formed. In the midst of preparing for his wedding and embarking on a writing career, he soon finds himself thrust into the real-life horror story. Inspired by the terrifying events, Richard writes a personal account of the serial killer's reign of terror, unaware that these events will continue to haunt him for years to come.A clever, terrifying, and heartrending work of metafiction, 'Chasing the Boogeyman does what true crime so often cannot: it offers both chills and a satisfying conclusion' (Stephen King). Chizmar's 'brilliant . . . absolutely fascinating, totally compelling, and immediately poignant' (C.J. Tudor, New York Times bestselling author) writing is on full display in this truly unique novel that will haunt you long after you turn the final page.
Old Country: The Reddit sensation, soon to be a horror classic
by Matthew Query Harrison Query'It is almost impossible to put down' - Lisa Tuttle, GUARDIANThe ranch was our dream home. Nestled in the arms of a valley below the Teton mountains, acres upon acres of wilderness, our nearest neighbours over a mile away . . .Beautiful, serene - isolated. Perfect. Until, naturally, the only neighbours for miles turned out to be crazy and delivered us a dire warning: The valley is cursed. Every season a spirit will manifest itself in increasingly disturbing ways, starting with an eerie light in the pond, and will kill you if you don't light a fire and-We made them leave then. Put it to the back of our minds and went about living our new, nearly perfect, lives.Then spring came, and so did the light . . .With piercing psychological insight and a profound feeling for the natural world, Old Country unspools an unrelenting narrative of terror and suspense.*****'What started as the spookiest of tales on Reddit - I should know, as I love them - sparked a tour-de-force of a novel that perfectly renders the tensions of living in isolation and the unforgiving passage of the seasons' - Thomas Olde Heuvelt, author of HEX and Echo'Old Country ramps up our day-to-day household rituals to dizzying heights of horror. Domestic bliss has never been more terrifying' - Clay McLeod Chapman, author of Whisper Down The Lane'I genuinely found it very hard to put down . . . Is there such a thing as humanistic horror? If not, I think these guys might have just invented it' - James Brogden, author of Hekla's Children
The Langoliers (Four Past Midnight #1)
by Stephen KingNo. 1 bestselling author Stephen King's unforgettable novella - first included in his 1990, award-winning collection Four Past Midnight and made into a highly acclaimed miniseries - about a terrifying plane ride into a most unfriendly sky is now available as a stand-alone publication.The flight attendants were gone; almost all the passengers were gone; Brian Engle was willing to bet the 767's two-man cockpit crew was also gone. He believed Flight 29 was heading east on automatic pilot. On a red-eye flight from L. A. to Boston, ten passengers wake up to discover everyone else has disappeared. Brian Engle, a trained pilot, remembers something about a strange aurora borealis and turbulence reports over the desert. Now he has to try to land the plane.But the safe haven of Bangor airport is not what it seems. It's eerily empty. The clocks have stopped. The food and drink is tasteless. The fuel doesn't burn. And the sound, like 'radio static', is getting closer. Craig Toomy, an investment banker, believes he knows what's coming. The Langoliers. Which means time is, quite literally, running out . . .A spine-tingling, propulsive novella, The Langoliers is a brilliant read from the masterful Stephen King.
The Sun Dog (Four Past Midnight #4)
by Stephen KingThe No. 1 bestselling author Stephen King's novella The Sun Dog, published in his award-winning 1990 story collection Four Past Midnight, is now available as a standalone publication.It's mine - that was what he had thought when his finger had pushed the shutter-button for the first time. Now he found himself wondering if maybe he hadn't gotten that backward. Kevin Delevan wants only one thing for his fifteenth birthday: a Polaroid Sun 660. There's something wrong with his gift, though. No matter where Kevin aims the camera, it produces a photograph of an enormous, vicious dog. In each successive picture, the menacing creature draws nearer to the flat surface of the Polaroid film as if it intends to break through. When old Pop Merrill, Castle Rock's sharpest trader, gets wind of this phenomenon, he devises a way to profit from it. But the Sun Dog, a beast that shouldn't exist at all, turns out to be a very dangerous investment.
The Mist
by Stephen KingThe No. 1 bestselling author Stephen King's terrifying novella about a town engulfed in a dense, mysterious mist - originally published in the acclaimed short story collection Skeleton Crew and made into a feature film by Frank Darabont - is now available as a stand-alone publication.A man staggered into the market . . . 'Something in the fog!' he screamedFollowing a freak summer storm, David Drayton, his son Billy, and their neighbour Brent Norton join dozens of others and head to the local grocery store to replenish supplies.Once there, they become trapped by a strange mist that has enveloped the town. Violent forces concealed in the mist are starting to emerge. And there is another shocking threat from within - one group of survivors, led by a religious zealot, is calling for a sacrifice.Now David and his son must try to escape. But what's outside may be even more dangerous.This exhilarating novella explores the horror in both the enemy you know - and the one you can only imagine.