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Books > Fiction > Genre fiction > War fiction > First World War fiction
In an enthralling historical novel from national bestselling author Kate Quinn, two women—a female spy recruited to the real-life Alice Network in France during World War I and an unconventional American socialite searching for her cousin in 1947—are brought together in a mesmerizing story of courage and redemption.
1947. In the chaotic aftermath of World War II, American college girl Charlie St. Clair is pregnant, unmarried, and on the verge of being thrown out of her very proper family. She's also nursing a desperate hope that her beloved cousin Rose, who disappeared in Nazi-occupied France during the war, might still be alive. So when Charlie's parents banish her to Europe to have her "little problem" taken care of, Charlie breaks free and heads to London, determined to find out what happened to the cousin she loves like a sister.
1915. A year into the Great War, Eve Gardiner burns to join the fight against the Germans and unexpectedly gets her chance when she's recruited to work as a spy. Sent into enemy-occupied France, she's trained by the mesmerizing Lili, the "Queen of Spies", who manages a vast network of secret agents right under the enemy's nose.
Thirty years later, haunted by the betrayal that ultimately tore apart the Alice Network, Eve spends her days drunk and secluded in her crumbling London house. Until a young American barges in uttering a name Eve hasn't heard in decades, and launches them both on a mission to find the truth...no matter where it leads.
The thrilling new book from Sheila Riley in her Liverpool Saga
series 1916 LIVERPOOL Following the death of her father, Ruby
Swift, and husband Archie finally move back into Ashland Hall. As
the Great War rages, fathers and sons take the King's Shilling and
head off to fight the unknown enemy, not knowing what horrors lie
ahead. With Ned Kincaid in the Navy, Archie signs up to the
volunteer constabulary and nurses Anna Cassidy and Ellie Harrington
enlist to do their bit for King and Country. Soon the true
casualties of war are being brought home in droves, Ruby converts
Ashland Hall into an auxiliary hospital for wounded servicemen.
It's not long before the true cost of war is brought closer to home
and Anna and Ellie enlist in the British Military Nursing Corp and
soon find themselves in the battlefields of France in search of the
truth. But they soon discover more than they bargained for...
Praise for Sheila Riley: 'A powerful and totally absorbing family
saga that is not to be missed. I turned the pages almost faster
than I could read.' Carol Rivers 'A fabulous story of twists and
turns - a totally unputdownable, page turner that had me cheering
on the characters. I loved it!' Rosie Hendry 'A thoroughly
enjoyable, powerful novel' Lyn Andrews 'An enchanting, warm and
deeply touching story' Cathy Sharp 'Vivid, compelling and full of
heart. Sheila is a natural-born storyteller.' Kate Thompson 'This
author knows the Liverpool she writes about; masterly storytelling
from a true Mersey Mistress.' Lizzie Lane
'Absolutely loved this book from start to finish, I couldn't put it
down' Reader Review While the men are off fighting, the women keep
the country moving... July 1914: Britain is in turmoil as WW1
begins to change the world. While the young men disappear off to
foreign battlefields, the women left at home throw themselves into
jobs meant for the boys. Hiding her privileged background and her
suffragette past, Constance Copeland signs up to be a Clippie -
collecting money and giving out tickets - on the trams in
Staffordshire, despite her parents' disapproval. Constance, now
known as Connie, soon finds there is more to life than the wealth
she was born into and she soon makes fast friends with lively
fellow Clippies, Betty and Jean, as well as growing closer to the
charming, gentle Inspector Robert Caldwell. But Connie is haunted
by another secret; and if it comes out, it could destroy her new
life. After war ends and the men return to take back their roles,
will Connie find that she can return to her previous existence? Or
has she been changed forever by seeing a new world through the tram
windows? A captivating, lively, romantic saga set in WW1 that will
engross fans of Johanna Bell and Jenny Holmes. Readers are loving
Connie's story: 'Absolutely loved this book from start to finish, I
couldn't put it down...A great historical fiction read that has you
wanting to finish the book to see how all their lives turn out.
Loved it!' Reader Review 'A wonderful WWI-era historical fiction
novel that I truly, truly enjoyed...I look forward to what Ms.
Johnson has in store for readers next.' Reader Review 'Set around
World War One, it shows the grit the women of the war had to
endure...well written and enjoyable.' Reader Review 'I enjoyed
reading this book because I learned a lot about women during the
first world war...There was sadness in the story but happiness and
hope for the future. I do recommend that you read this book.'
Reader Review 'I thoroughly enjoyed this story that captured the
war, suffragette movement, class and working on the trams. I became
embroiled in Connie's life and couldn't wait to see what happened
next.' Reader Review 'A wonderful book and highly recommended.'
Reader Review 'Historical Fiction and General Fiction readers ought
to pick up this charming book.' Reader Review 'An appealing story,
with well-drawn characters...To be with Connie on her journey makes
a thoroughly satisfying read.' Reader Review Readers love Lynn
Johnson's captivating WW1 sagas: 'an emotional, captivating read
which is perfect for anyone who loves a good saga!' Over The
Rainbow Book Blog A poignant, emotional and heart-wrenching
read...best read with a box of tissues handy' Bookish Jottings
'This truly was a fabulous story from beginning to end and I
struggled to put it down!... richly detailed, beautifully written
and the storyline along with the characters was enthralling' Rose
is Reading 'heartwarmingand emotional...If you enjoy historical
fiction, this is definitely a book to read!' Jessica Belmont Book
Reviews 'An excellent historical fiction that had me compulsively
turning the pages.' Books and Bookends 'Overall, I loved it. There
were lots of moments that made me gasp and others that almost made
me cry, and then there were those that made me smile and sigh.'
Jess Bookish Life 'Johnson has a Cookson flair...she does capture
the heart and soul of her characters.' Cheryl M-M Book Reviews
The Times Thriller of the Year 2022' **A BBC Between the Covers
Book Club Pick** **A Times Thriller of the Month** 'The world has
been waiting for a worthy successor to Sebastian Faulks' Birdsong -
now Philip Gray has delivered it' David Young, author of Stasi
Child THE GUNS ARE SILENT. THE DEAD ARE NOT. 1919. On the desolate
battlefields of northern France, the guns of the Great War are
silent. Special battalions now face the dangerous task of gathering
up the dead for mass burial. Captain Mackenzie, a survivor of the
war, cannot yet bring himself to go home. First he must see that
his fallen comrades are recovered and laid to rest. His task is
upended when a gruesome discovery is made beneath the ruins of a
German strongpoint. Amy Vanneck's fiance is one soldier lost
amongst many, but she cannot accept that his body may never be
found. She heads to France, determined to discover what became of
the man she loved. It soon becomes clear that what Mackenzie has
uncovered is a war crime of inhuman savagery. As the dark truth
leaches out, both he and Amy are drawn into the hunt for a
psychopath, one for whom the atrocity at Two Storm Wood is not an
end, but a beginning. For fans of Ben MacIntyre, Munich by Robert
Harris and Child 44 by Tom Rob Smith. 'Haunting, cinematic, and
utterly gripping' D.B. John, author of Star of the North
'Atmospheric and meticulously researched ' Abir Mukherjee, author
of The Shadows of Men
WINNER OF THE VONDEL PRIZE 2017 LONGLISTED FOR THE 2017 MAN BOOKER
INTERNATIONAL PRIZE Selected as a Book of the Year 2016 in The
Times, Sunday Times and The Economist, and one of the 10 Best Books
of 2016 in the New York Times Shortly before his death at the age
of 90, Stefan Hertmans' grandfather Urbain gave his grandson a set
of notebooks. As Stefan began to read, he found himself drawn into
a conversation across the centuries, as Urbain - so quiet and
reserved in life - revealed his eloquence and his private passions
on the page. Gradually, as he learned of his grandfather's heroics
in the First World War, the loss of his great love, and his later
years spent seeking solace in art and painting, a portrait emerged
of the grandfather he had never fully known. War and Turpentine is
an exquisite, loving reconstruction of a man's interior life, at
once deeply personal and yet so evocative of many of his
generation, affected by the long shadow of war. In beautiful,
glimmering prose, Hertmans shows us how our experiences shape us
all, and how, even in a life of sorrow and heartache, dignity can
be found.
The ring sealed their fate for ever . . . In the turbulent days of
Germany in the thirties, Kassandra von Gotthard met the man who
would change her life: Dolff Sterne. She was the beautiful wife of
a wealthy Berlin banker. He was a famous Jewish writer. Together
they shared a love that happens only once in a lifetime. But theirs
was a love fated to end in tragedy. The terrible day came when
Dolff was wrenched from Kassandra's arms by Nazi soldiers - leaving
her heartbroken and humiliated. And Kassandra decided that her life
was no longer worth living. All that she leaves for her descendents
is her memory of pain and a diamond signet ring. A ring that will
carry the destiny of the von Gotthards to new lives and new loves.
Danielle Steel's wonderful novel spans three generations of one
family and the loves, losses and lessons they encounter.
The first in Ken Follett's bestselling Century Trilogy, Fall of Giants is a captivating novel that follows five families through the world-shaking dramas of the First World War, the Russian Revolution, and the struggle for votes for women.
A WORLD IN CHAOS
1911, a thirteen-year-old boy, Billy Williams, begins working down the mines as George V is crowned king. The escalating arms race between the empire nations will put not only the king but this young boy in grave danger.
A TERRIBLE WAR
Billy’s family is inextricably linked with the Fitzherberts, the aristocratic owners of the coal mine where he works. And when Maud Fitzherbert falls in love with Walter von Ulrich, a spy at the German embassy in London, their destiny also becomes entangled with that of Gus Dewar, an ambitious young aide to Woodrow Wilson, and two orphaned Russian brothers, the Peshkovs, whose plan to emigrate to America falls foul of conscription, revolution and imminent war.
A REVOLUTION THAT WILL CHANGE EVERYTHING
When Russia convulses in bloody revolution and the Great War unfolds, the five families’ futures are entwined forever, love bringing them closer even as conflict takes them further apart. What seeds will be sown for further tragedy in the twentieth century and what role will each play in what is to come?
A gripping mystery with a classic feel, for fans of Agatha Christie
'Haunting and exquisitely written. Part intricate mystery and part
ghost story. This book will stay with me for a long time' Anna
Mazzola The drive leads past the gate house and through the trees
towards the big house, visible through the winter-bared branches.
Its windows stare down at Harkin and the sea beyond . . . January
1921. Though the Great War is over, in Ireland a new, civil war is
raging. The once-grand Kilcolgan House, a crumbling bastion
shrouded in sea-mist, lies half empty and filled with ghosts - both
real and imagined - the Prendevilles, the noble family within,
co-existing only as the balance of their secrets is kept. Then,
when an IRA ambush goes terribly wrong, Maud Prendeville, eldest
daughter of Lord Kilcolgan, is killed, leaving the family reeling.
Yet the IRA column insist they left her alive, that someone else
must have been responsible for her terrible fate. Captain Tom
Harkin, an IRA intelligence officer and Maud's former fiance, is
sent to investigate, becoming an unwelcome guest in this strange,
gloomy household. Working undercover, Harkin must delve into the
house's secrets - and discover where, in this fractured, embattled
town, each family member's allegiances truly lie. But Harkin too is
haunted by the ghosts of the past and by his terrible experiences
on the battlefields. Can he find out the truth about Maud's death
before the past - and his strange, unnerving surroundings -
overwhelm him? A haunting, atmospheric mystery set against the raw
Irish landscape in a country divided, The Winter Guest is the
perfect chilling read. Praise for THE WINTER GUEST and W.C. Ryan 'A
snowflake of a novel: intricate, exquisite, and unlike any other.
If Sebastian Faulks and Laura Purcell were to join forces, they
might produce a novel like this... yet I can't imagine anyone but
WC Ryan shaping it with such imagination, or charging it with such
intelligence, or gracing it with such heart' A.J. Finn, author of
The Woman in the Window 'Haunting, gripping . . . hugely evocative'
Elodie Harper 'Works superbly on several levels. This is a most
welcome winter guest indeed, to be greeted by the fire with drink
in hand' Irish Times 'Ryan evokes this moody, gothic atmosphere
with convincing skill. Harkin is a sensitive, complex character and
his quest to solve the mystery is deftly plotted. A treat' The
Times 'A perfectly crafted mystery. Vivid, compelling and deeply
moving, it is a triumph both as a crime novel and a work of
historical fiction' Jane Casey 'A beautifully taut and evocative
thriller' Sarah Hilary 'Superb . . . I could not put it down'
Elizabeth Buchan 'Atmospheric and genuinely eerie, this is an ideal
winter read' Sinead Crowley 'A terrifically atmospheric, gripping
novel' Amanda Craig, The Golden Rule 'Haunting, beautifully
crafted, and full of heart. Perfect reading for dark days' A.K.
Benedict, author of The Christmas Murder Game 'Beautifully written,
haunting and unmissable' Cass Green 'Excellent murder mystery/ghost
story set during the Irish war of independence and as usual with
W.C. Ryan, beautifully written' Liz Nugent 'Intriguing, haunting,
romantic and beautifully written, I cared as much about the fate of
the characters as about the gripping mystery' Laura Marshall
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