From the beginning, Jim Thompson knew he was going to catch hell no matter what he did. And during a childhood spent at the mercy of a father whose schemes put him on the wrong side of the law as often as the right, and a grandfather who knew the bad parts of town like the back of his hand, young Jim learned sin better than any writer had before.
From his rabble-rousing adolescencein the American Midwest, to wasted teenage years in the seedy underbelly of the hotel industry, to Thompson's chilling encounter with the real-life inspiration of THE KILLER INSIDE ME, BAD BOY offers a fascinating glimpse at the formative years of the man who would become one of the most famous authors of modern American Noir, in the autobiography-as-novel that follows the birth of the legend himself in the signature style Thompson made famous.

'It is past the half-hour. My time is coming nearer with every tick of the clock.' Horace Manning, scientist, recluse and 'closed book' even to his friends is found dead in his study at 4am, following a dinner in honour of his daughter Helen's engagement. An ivory-handled carving knife rests between his shoulder blades as the houseguests gather about to witness the awful crime. The telephone line has been sabotaged; a calculated murder has been committed. Rewinding twelve hours, the events of the afternoon and evening unfold, along with a multitude of motives from a closed cast of suspects and clues until the narrative reaches 4am again - then races on to its riveting conclusion at 4pm (twice round the clock). First published in 1935, this is a lively and unpretentious mystery thriller and a true lost gem of the Golden Age of crime writing.

Two dead bodies and a Christmas stocking weaponised. A Postman murdered delivering cards on Christmas morning. A Christmas tree growing over a forgotten homicide. It's the most wonderful time of the year, except for the victims of these shocking and often elaborate murders. When there's magic in the air, sometimes even the facts don't quite add up and the impossible can happen -- and it's up to the detective's trained eye to unwrap the clues and put together an explanation neatly tied up with a bow. Martin Edwards compiles an anthology filled with tales of seasonal suspense where the snow runs red, perfect to be shared between super-sleuths by the fire on a cold winter's night.

The brand new action-packed gangland thriller from Gillian Godden!Flawed, tough, unbreakable.... In the aftermath of her husband's shocking murder, Patsy Diamond wants answers. Who was Nick really? Where is all his money? And who killed the man she once loved? Patsy knows exactly who to go to first - Nick's pregnant mistress, Natasha. Natasha might seem young and innocent, but Patsy's certain the girl is hiding something. And the only way to find out what is to keep Natasha close and make her part of the Diamond family. With the two women forming an unlikely bond, they begin to dig deeper into Nick's secret life and discover things that shock...and terrify them. Because Nick Diamond played a deadly game and if the women in his life want payback, then they are going to have to follow his rules - or break them and make their own. But the strongest diamonds are created under pressure and these women are no exception... Don't miss this brilliant new gangland story from Gillian Godden - guaranteed to keep you on the edge of your seat! Perfect for fans of Kimberley Chambers, Heather Atkinson and Caz Finlay. What people are saying about Gillian Godden! 'An edge of your seat read that will leave you breathless!' Bestselling author, Kerry Kaya. 'Characters were so real I'm still looking over my shoulder! Bestselling author Owen Mullen.

An isolated motel.
A body in the snow.
A killer lying in wait...

When Kerry arrives to start a new job as the caretaker of a remote motel in the Catskills, she’s excited for a fresh start.

But she quickly realises that something is very wrong.

Her room is full of the previous caretaker’s belongings – and it looks like she was trying to leave in a hurry.

And then, Kerry sees it – the trails of blood. The hand reaching out from the snow…

Confused and scared, in the midst of a snowstorm, Kerry goes out to seek help. When the police arrive, though, things go from bad to worse.

Because the body has disappeared. But the killer is still out there…

For Miss Cordell, principal of Persephone College, there are two great evils to be feared: unladylike behaviour among her students, and bad publicity for the college. So her prim and cosy world is turned upside down when a secret society of undergraduates meets by the river on a gloomy January afternoon, only to find the drowned body of the college bursar floating in her canoe. The police assume that a student prank got out of hand, but the resourceful Persephone girls suspect foul play, and take the investigation into their own hands. Soon they uncover the tangled secrets that led to the bursar's death - and the clues that point to a fellow student. This classic mystery novel, with its evocative setting in an Oxford women's college, is now republished for the first time since the 1930s.