Christmas can be murder... After a busy year fighting crime, DCI Ryan and his team of murder detectives are enjoying a festive season of goodwill, mulled wine and, in the case of DS Phillips, a stottie cake or two-that is, until a freak snowstorm forces their car off the main road and into the remote heart of Northumberland. Their Christmas spirit is soon tested when they're forced to find shelter inside England's most haunted castle, where they're the uninvited guests at a 'Candlelit Ghost Hunt'. It's all fun and games-until one of the guests is murdered. It seems no mortal hand could have committed the crime, so Ryan and Co. must face the spectres living inside the castle walls to uncover the grisly truth, before another ghost joins their number... Murder and mystery are peppered with romance and humour in this fast-paced crime whodunnit set amidst the spectacular Northumbrian landscape. "LJ Ross keeps company with the best mystery writers" - The Times "A literary phenomenon" - Evening Chronicle

Gabriel Laucus has lost his job and his parent’s home is about to be repossessed. Desperate and on the brink of financial ruin, he devises a risky insurance scam to salvage his crumbling life. This sets in motion a catastrophic chain of events.

Soon, Gabriel and his friends have a psychopathic hitman, a ruthless drug lord, and a relentless investigator on their tail. As Gabriel navigates a world of fraud and dangerous alliances, he must outwit his pursuers and confront the harrowing repercussions of his choices.

Deadly Benefits is a heart-pounding journey through the high-stakes game of survival. The price of one wrong move could mean life or death.

The bodyguard becomes the hunted in To Die For, the electrifying third Travis Devine thriller from international no. 1 bestselling author David Baldacci, following The Edge and the runaway no. 1 bestseller The 6:20 Man.

Some secrets are too dangerous to keep . . .

TWO SUSPICIOUS DEATHS

When Dwayne and Alice Odom are killed, the police report states clearly that it was a drug overdose. So why is their daughter, who was there when they died, claiming that’s not the truth?

ONE YOUNG SURVIVOR

Betsy Odom doesn’t trust the police but when she finds herself in the FBI’s custody after her parents’ deaths, she knows she has to be careful. Her uncle wants to adopt her and as he is a very rich and powerful man, she wants to let him. His criminal connections, however, mean the authorities aren’t so sure.

ONE MAN ON THE RUN

Enter Travis Devine. Trying to escape a skilled predator who wants him dead, Devine finds himself as Betsy’s bodyguard. But when an informant is found murdered, Devine knows this job is perhaps even more dangerous than the one he’s running from . . . and the true enemy may be on his side.

When you sell your soul, the devil gives no refunds... When an old man is burned alive in a sleepy ex-mining village, Detective Chief Inspector Ryan is called in to investigate. He soon discovers that, beneath the facade of a close-knit community, the burn from decades-old betrayal still smoulders. When everyone had a motive, can he unravel the secrets of the past before the killer strikes again? Meanwhile, back at Northumbria CID, trouble is brewing with rumours of a mole in Ryan's department. With everyone under suspicion, can he count on anybody but himself? Murder and mystery are peppered with romance and humour in this fast-paced crime whodunnit set amidst the spectacular Northumbrian landscape. "LJ Ross keeps company with the best mystery writers" - The Times "A literary phenomenon" - Evening Chronicle

What happened to the children? The year is 2043, and humans have been mysteriously unable to reproduce for almost thirty years. To prevent panic and keep the population from dwindling to nothing, global authorities offer a Lotto, where a few winners each week can enter a time portal and bring back adopted children from the future. They're never allowed to talk about what they saw. The exception to this system is Los Angeles resident and reluctant celebrity Rachel Harris, the only woman of her generation to naturally give birth. Years of medical tests and treatments have been unable to explain or replicate her pregnancy, and the whole world grieved when Rachel's daughter died in a tragic accident. When Rachel wins the Lotto, she's shocked, and then elated. She can be a mother again. But the baby she meets in 2108 carries a secret that will shatter Rachel's reality and endanger everyone close to her. Now Rachel must race across time to save her life and her child, even as she discovers that nothing-and no one-are what they seem.

A young girl goes missing after getting into a car with a mysterious man. Soon after, a second girl disappears, and her devastated father, Witness, sets out to seek revenge. As the trail goes cold, Samantha Khama - new recruit to the Botswana Criminal Investigation Department - suspects the girl was killed for muti, the traditional African medicine usually derived from plants, sometimes animals, and, recently and most chillingly, human parts. When the investigation gets personal, Samantha enlists opera-loving wine connoisseur Assistant Superintendent David 'Kubu' Bengu to help her dig into the past. As they begin to discover a pattern to the disappearances, there is another victim, and Kubu and Samantha are thrust into a harrowing race to stop a serial killer who has only one thing in mind... '... a fascinating police procedural ... the most complex book in this series. Besides being an intricate crime puzzle that Kubu and his team must untangle, it also looks at societal issues' St Paul Pioneer Press 'Compelling and deceptively written...' New York Journal of Books 'Richly atmospheric ... a gritty depiction of corruption and deception' Publishers Weekly 'A wonderful, original voice - McCall Smith with a dark edge and even darker underbelly' Peter James 'Under the African sun, Michael Stanley's Detective Kubu investigates crimes as dark as the darkest of Nordic Noir. Call it Sunshine Noir, if you will - a must read' Yrsa Sigurdardottir

The first novel in Lee Child’s #1 bestselling Jack Reacher series—now an original series on Prime Video!

Ex-military policeman Jack Reacher is a drifter. He’s just passing through Margrave, Georgia, and in less than an hour, he’s arrested for murder. Not much of a welcome.

All Reacher knows is that he didn’t kill anybody. At least not here. Not lately. But he doesn’t stand a chance of convincing anyone. Not in Margrave, Georgia. Not a chance in hell.

There are no silent nights for Alex Cross, star of the Prime series, this Christmas. Someone is targeting Supreme Court justices, and Cross--and his family--are in the crosshairs too.

It's time to put the guns down, Detective Cross. Even if you knew the way out of this place, we would catch you.

In Washington, DC, the vigilante group Maestro is killing U.S. Supreme Court candidates.

As Alex Cross leads the FBI investigation, his wife, Bree, and his best friend and Metro PD partner, John Sampson, go missing while on a dangerous quest to identify Maestro's mastermind.

Alex has only three chances to save the people he loves most:

Number one: Find Bree and John.
Number two: Escape.
Number three: Survive.

If he fails, there will be no one left in the House of Cross.

Killer twists. Heroes to believe in. Trust Baldacci. Private Investigator and WWII veteran, Aloysius Archer, returns to solve a new case in Hollywood in Dream Town, a riveting thriller from international number 1 bestselling author, David Baldacci. All that glitters . . . 1952, Los Angeles. It is New Year's Eve and PI Aloysius Archer is dining with his friend and rising Hollywood actress Liberty Callahan when they're approached by Eleanor Lamb, a screenwriter who would like to hire him, as she suspects someone is trying to kill her. Murder and mystery A visit to Lamb's Malibu residence leaves Archer knocked unconscious after he stumbles over a dead body in the hallway; and Lamb seems to have vanished. With the police now involved in the case, a close friend and colleague of Lamb's employs Archer to find out what's happened to the screenwriter. The City of Angels - or somewhere much, much darker? Archer's investigation takes him from the rich, glamorous and glitzy LA to the seedy, dark side of the city, and onward to the gambling mecca of Las Vegas, just now hitting its stride as a hot spot for celebrities and a money-making machine for the mob. In a place where cops and crooks work hand in hand, Archer will cross paths with Hollywood stars, politicians and notorious criminals. He'll almost die several times, and he'll discover bodies and secrets from the canyons and beaches of Malibu and the luxurious mansions of Bel Air and Beverly Hills to the narcotics clubs of Chinatown. With the help of Liberty and his PI partner Willie Dash, Archer will risk everything and leave no stone unturned in finding the missing Eleanor Lamb, and in bringing to justice killers who would love nothing better than to plant Archer six feet under.

Pakistan, 1974: The secret-wreathed trees of Harikaya have always called to Hassan. He knows if he doesn’t find the last beekeeper and salvage a precious jar of his mythical black honey before the floods come, his mother will lose her sight. But then he wins a scholarship to study with the state governor in Karachi amidst a brewing storm of political turmoil and simmering espionage.

His entire world is turned upside down when he meets Maryam, the governor’s niece visiting from London. All the while the fate of his mother and his promise to the bees calls him back to the forest, and so he must decide: Maryam or the beekeeper, England or Pakistan, his head or his heart.

One of the most exciting debuts of recent years, this is a lyrical historical novel of family, friendship, and self-discovery exploring the power of choice in a changing world and love in communion with nature. Perfect for fans of Christy Lefteri, Yann Martel, and Monique Roffey.

Some secrets are too dangerous to keep . . .

TWO SUSPICIOUS DEATHS

When Dwayne and Alice Odom are killed, the police report states clearly that it was a drug overdose. So why is their daughter, who was there when they died, claiming that’s not the truth?

ONE YOUNG SURVIVOR

Betsy Odom doesn’t trust the police but when she finds herself in the FBI’s custody after her parents’ deaths, she knows she has to be careful. Her uncle wants to adopt her and as he is a very rich and powerful man, she wants to let him. His criminal connections, however, mean the authorities aren’t so sure.

ONE MAN ON THE RUN

Enter Travis Devine. Trying to escape a skilled predator who wants him dead, Devine finds himself as Betsy’s bodyguard. But when an informant is found murdered, Devine knows this job is perhaps even more dangerous than the one he’s running from . . . and the true enemy may be on his side.

John Pitt has arrived in Iran as a naive English teacher. It is 1974 and Iran is changing, with the forces of religious conservatism and liberal reform at collision point. Amidst all this, he falls in love with one of his students, Shirin.

Some will know how it begins . . .

My name is Sandy.
My husband is Detective Superintendent Roy Grace.
But when I disappeared, even he couldn't find me . . .

This is my story.

There's more to Sandy than meets the eye. A woman with a dubious past, a complicated present and an uncertain future.
Then she was gone.

Some will think they know how it ends . . .

Her disappearance caused a nationwide search. Even the best detective on the force couldn't find her.
They thought she was dead.

But nobody knows this . . .

Where did she go? Why did she run? What would cause a woman to leave her whole life behind and
simply vanish?

For the first time the truth behind Sandy Grace’s dramatic disappearance is revealed. They Thought I Was Dead will thrill fans and new readers alike with its gripping story of a woman on the run. This is Sandy's story.

Assassin-for-hire Victor is in Bucharest, Romania, to kill two targets meeting to exchange stolen intelligence his client wants back. It should be a simple task - until he realises the second of his targets is a former ally. Even for a man of Victor's twisted morality, he's not prepared to kill someone to whom he owes his life.

To atone for not completing the job, Victor agrees to take on the kind of dangerous assignment he would otherwise avoid. At a conference on international relations, he must identify and assassinate a killer just like him and remain unseen, despite a guest list of spies, dignitaries, and security experts. Even for an elite professional, the job is a tall order - which is why he looks for help from the person whose life he spared in Romania.

Yet unbeknownst to Victor, the Bucharest contract stepped on the toes of powerful enemies from his past; enemies who now know exactly where to find him . . .

From the world's number one thriller writer, twenty pulse-pounding short stories are collected for the first time in one edition, complete with an introduction from the author.

Here are twenty meticulously plotted, intimate portraits of humanity at its best and worst, featuring assassins, CIA agents, gangsters, and more. A drug-dealing hit man unburdens his fears to a stranger. An overlooked rookie cop is assigned to the department’s file room. A ruthless killer only kills bad guys. A methodical bodyguard quits his job when he’s outsmarted. A military mission is planned to perfection…

Each story is entirely distinct. And with their economical prose and unexpected twists, each could only have been written by the creator of Jack Reacher.

The stories included in this collection are:

• The Bodyguard
• The Greatest Trick of All
• Ten Keys
• Safe Enough
• Natural in Every Way
• The .50 Solution
• Publica Transportation
• Me and Mr. Rafferty
• Section 7 (a) (Operational)
• Addicted to Sweetness
• The Bone-Headed League
• I Heard a Romantic Story
• My First Drug Trial
• Wet with Rain The Truth About What Happened
• Pierre, Lucien & Me
• New Blank Document
• Shorty and the Briefcase
• Dying for a Cigarette
• The Snake-Eater by the Numbers

The circus is in town... When a ten-year-old girl turns up on DCI Ryan's doorstep to tell him she's witnessed a murder, he has no idea he's about to step into his most spellbinding case yet. The circus has rolled into Newcastle upon Tyne, bringing with it a troupe of daring acrobats, magicians, jugglers-and one of them is a killer. Ryan and his team must break through their closed ranks to uncover a secret which has lain buried for eight years, before the killer strikes again-this time, to silence the only living witness... Murder and mystery are peppered with romance and humour in this fast-paced crime whodunnit set amidst the spectacular Northumbrian landscape. "LJ Ross keeps company with the best mystery writers" - The Times "A literary phenomenon" - Evening Chronicle

The acres and acres of fertile soil, the two-hundred year old antebellum house, all gone. And so is the woman who gave it to him. The foster mother who saved Jack Boucher from a childhood of abandonment now rests in a hospice. Her mind eroded by dementia, the family legacy she entrusted to Jack is now owned by banks and strangers. And Jack's mind is failing too, as concussion after concussion forces him to carry around a notebook of names that separate friend from foe. In a single twisted night Jack is derailed. Losing the money that will clear his debt with the queen of Delta vice, and forcing Jack into the fighting pit one last time. The stakes - nothing less than life or death.

From a seasoned insider of global finance comes a "stimulating, relevant, and dramatic" (The Wall Street Journal) thriller about a group of American operatives who secretly take over the world's largest dark money fund--"a gripping thriller that takes you into the world of New York hedge funds, Russian money launderers, and DC power politics [that] makes you feel like you're actually there" (Bill Browder, author of Red Notice). When a US airdrop of billions of dollars disap-pears in the desert sands of Syria, only a small group of military operatives knows its ultimate destination or why it has been stolen. Their goal is no less than the restoration of America's geopolitical dominance on the global stage. Essential to this scheme are Greta Webb, a sophisticated CIA operative who is an expert on dark money, not to mention lethally skilled in hand-to-hand combat, and Elias Vicker, the damaged, dangerous soul who runs the world's largest hedge fund. To achieve its goals, the group must form dangerous alliances. One is with the hidden family that manages the largest private pool of capital that has ever existed. Another is with Fyodor Volk, the ruthless founder of Russia's most successful private military company, a mercenary with ties to Vladimir Putin. Volk has his eye on Greta. She would be wise to avoid him but cannot. Arcing from Manhattan's finest apartments to Washington, DC, from Middle Eastern war zones to private European bank vaults, Jay Newman's Undermoney follows the Americans as they are enmeshed in the world of dark money and confront ever-increasing danger. Ultimately, they must decide whether their objectives are worth the cost of sacrificing not just a few but potentially many human lives. "Unexpectedly timely" (The New Yorker), Undermoney is a "wildly entertaining peek behind the curtain of American politics, financial skullduggery, and high-stakes global conflict" (Nelson DeMille).

Jake Brigance, the hero of John Grisham's classic legal thriller A Time To Kill is back. This time he's at the epicenter of a sensational murder trial that bitterly divides the citizens of Clanton, Mississippi.

John Grisham's debut novel, A Time To Kill is one of the most popular novels of our time. It established Jake as a classic American hero-a lawyer who sought truth and justice at all costs, even when his life and reputation were on the line. Brigance returned in 2013's Sycamore Row, in which he once again found himself embroiled in a deeply divisive trial.

Now, in A Time For Mercy, Jake is the court-appointed lawyer for Drew Gamble, a young man accused of murdering a local deputy. Many in Clanton want a swift trial and the death penalty, but Brigance sees it another way. Once he learns the details of the case, he realizes he has to do everything he can to save Drew.... who is sixteen. His commitment to the truth puts Jake's career and the safety of his family at risk.

Filled with all the courtroom machinations, small town intrigues, and plot twists that have become hallmarks of the master of the legal thriller, A Time For Mercy emphatically confirms John Grisham's reputation as America's favourite storyteller.

Die Ontelbare 48 is ‘n eenmanstuk is uit die pen van Fiësta-wenner Wessel Pretorius. Dis Woensdagaand op ’n klein plattelandse dorpie in die Laeveld. Die skoolsaal word ingerig vir die maandelikse fliekaand. Agt-en-veertig dorpenaars vergader bymekaar, elkeen met sy eie storie, om The Sound of Music te kyk.

Tussen hulle sit ? moordenaar met ? sluwe plan. Dit is ? mikrokosmiese blik op die alledaagse menslikheid wat ons almal, maak nie saak hoe anders ons dink of leef nie, eindelik saambind. ’n Satiriese drama wat die mens se uithouvermoë vier.