The death of a runaway could spark a revolt...Devon, 1318. Peter Bruther, who works the land for his lord, Sir William Beauscyr, is fed up with his life of near-slavery, and has run away. Brutal punishments usually fall on the heads of runaways, but Bruther uses a legal loophole: on Dartmoor, tin miners enjoy special protection from prosecution. They are accountable only to the king. Brother swiftly sets himself up as a miner on the moors: safe... or so he thinks. Beauscyr and his two feuding sons are furious to learn they have no legal claim on their wayward man, and demand justice from Bailiff Simon Puttock. They fear more runaways. But other miners resent Bruther's appearance, too, and they do not want their profitable extortion and protection racket destabilised. Before dissent can spread to other serfs working for Beauscyr, Bruther is found hanging from a tree. Simon, assisted by former Knight Templar Sir Baldwin Furnshill, finds himself investigating cold-blooded murder, and there is no shortage of suspects... An action-packed historical mystery perfect for fans of Susanna Gregory, C. J. Sansom and Rory Clements. Praise for Michael Jecks'Michael Jecks is a national treasure' Scotland on Sunday 'Marvellously portrayed' C. J. Sansom

Chung Kuo's once-perfect stasis is fast falling apart. The Seven's dominance is threatened by a series of terrorist attacks as the War of the Two Directions spreads and intensifies. Howard DeVore, the Seven's greatest enemy, is master-minding the atrocities. Kill DeVore and things would change markedly, but how can they hunt down a man who seems to be invulnerable? Maybe the answer lies in the frail figure of Kim Ward, a refugee from the Clay. But the young scientific genius is himself under threat, and it is only through an unexpected intermediary that he survives. And there is now another threat from within: Wang Sau-leyan, whose sole aim is to wreak vengeance on his dead father and brothers by bringing down the others of the Seven. How much longer can the Seven hold out?

"Superb...an appropriate homage"-Marilyn Stasio, New York Times The much-anticipated final installment in Ariana Franklin's popular Mistress of the Art of Death historical mystery series, finished by the author's daughter after her death. England. 1191. After the death of her friend and patron, King Henry II, Adelia Aguilar, England's vaunted Mistress of the Art of Death, is living comfortably in retirement and training her daughter, Allie, to carry on her craft-sharing the practical knowledge of anatomy, forensics, and sleuthing that catches murderers. Allie is already a skilled healer, with a particular gift for treating animals. But the young woman is nearly twenty, and her father, Rowley, Bishop of Saint Albans, and his patron, the formidable Queen Eleanor of Aquitaine, have plans to marry Allie to an influential husband . . . if they can find a man who will appreciate a woman with such unusual gifts. When a friend in Cambridgeshire falls ill, Allie is sent to Ely, where her path will cross with Lord Peverill, a young aristocrat who would be a most suitable match for the young healer. But when Allie arrives, all is chaos. A village girl has disappeared-and she's not the first. Over the past few months, several girls from the villages surrounding Ely have vanished. When the body of one of the missing is discovered, Allie manages to examine the remains before burial. The results lead her to suspect that a monstrous predator is on the loose. Will her training and her stubborn pursuit of the truth help her find the killer...or make her the next victim? A richly detailed, twisty thriller, Death and the Maiden is historical mystery at its finest-and a superb final episode in Ariana Franklin's much-loved, much-acclaimed series.

Major Sharpe finds himself a fugitive, hunted by enemy and ally alike. Major Richard Sharpe awaits the opening shots of the army's campaign with grim expectancy. For victory depends on the increasingly fragile alliance between Britain and Spain - an alliance that must be maintained at any cost. Pierre Ducos, the wily French intelligence officer, sees a chance both to destroy the alliance and to achieve a personal revenge on Richard Sharpe. And when the lovely spy, La Marquesa, takes a hand in the game, Sharpe finds himself enmeshed in a web of political intrigue for which his military expertise has left him fatally unprepared. Soldier, hero, rogue - Sharpe is the man you always want on your side. Born in poverty, he joined the army to escape jail and climbed the ranks by sheer brutal courage. He knows no other family than the regiment of the 95th Rifles whose green jacket he proudly wears.

Lieutenant Richard Sharpe finds himself fighting the ruthless armies of Napoleon Bonaparte as they try to bring the whole of the Iberian Peninsula under their control. Napoleon is advancing fast through northern Portugal, and no one knows whether the small contingent of British troops stationed in Lisbon will stay to fight or sail back to England. Sharpe, however, does not have a choice: He and his squad of riflemen are on the lookout for the missing daughter of an English wine shipper when the French onslaught begins and the city of Oporto becomes a setting for carnage and disaster.

Stranded behind enemy lines, Sharpe returns to his mission to find Kate Savage. Sharpe's position on enemy grounds is precarious, and his search is further complicated by a mysterious and threatening Englishman, Colonel Christopher, who has his own ideas on how the French can be driven from Portugal.

Currents of unrest and tides of innovation threaten to overwhelm Chung Kuo's stability. When a lethal epidemic strikes the Seven's chief supporters, Li Yuan acts ruthlessly to wipe out the disease. But his actions incur far more fatal consequences for the rule of the Seven. While the great Council of emperors splinters into factions, Kwibesi, the detention camp for terrorists, continues to establish order. However, rebellion is brutally contained inside the camp and a growing sense of injustice stirs in one of its guards, Kao Chen, who - sent there undercover by his Master, Li Yuan - begins to question his sense of duty. The Seven are now openly divided amongst themselves, while all about them allegiances are constantly shifting as each day brings new atrocities.

An epic tale of the war between the States
This is volume one-incorporating the two novels The Guns of Bull Run & The Guns of Shiloh, the first and second novels of a series of eight adventures which follow the momentous events, campaigns and battles of the great American Civil War between the Northern and Southern states. The central characters of the story are Harry Kenton-an officer in the Confederate Army and his cousin Dick Mason a young officer in a similar position fighting within the Union ranks. The narrative of the whole war is charted through the action which embraces many actual players in the real conflict. Beginning with First Bull Run and climaxing at Appomattox each novel tells the story from an alternate perspective-from the ranks of the Blue and then the Grey as the saga unfolds. Altsheler wrote another Civil War novel, Before the Dawn, concerning the fall of Richmond told from a Confederate perspective. Although this story is not strictly part of the series Leonaur have offered it as part of its five volume, nine novel collection of the author's Civil War adventures for collectors and readers in complementing designs and soft cover or hard cover.

It is late 1879 when James Murdoch finally returns to Scotland after a year-long adventure in South Africa. His wife, Barbara, is thrilled to see her husband again - and shocked when he reveals to her on the train ride home that he has been offered a partnership in the Kimberley diamond mine. But only moments after she agrees to follow him back to South Africa, their train plunges off the famous Tay Rail Bridge. The bodies of James and Barbara Murdoch are never recovered. Their young son, Henry, is now an orphan.

Twenty years later, the South African War is just underway. In the course of his military duties, Captain Henry Murdoch interrogates Boer spies suspected of espionage - a task that eventually leads him and his partner to uncover a Boer assassination plot against the British Army commander-in-chief in South Africa. Now, Murdoch must find a spy and trained assassin amongst the British ranks before he strikes.

Fast forward to today's world, in which American Gordon Mackenzie is now leading the British Commonwealth War Graves Commission office in France. His role places him unknowing into the middle of a covert espionage ring involving misdirected funds and a kinky subculture. Mackenzie has no idea that his trusted colleagues are not who they claim to be.

In this follow up to "Severed Branch," a tale of espionage, greed, and shadowy syndicates emerges. Two men, in different times, are about to uncover hidden family secrets that link them and their futures together forever.

*SHARPE'S ASSASSIN, the brand new novel in the global bestselling series, is available to buy now* Spain, March 1811 Cadiz is under siege - the last city standing in France's conquest of Spain. So Captain Richard Sharpe must navigate the spymasters and murderous factions within its walls - and see off deadly threats from more than one enemy. Deserted by their ailing Spanish allies, the British are heavily outnumbered as they prepare to halt the French at Barrosa - their last chance of liberating the fortress city of Cadiz. And ready to face his old enemy in battle is Sharpe . . . 'A master storyteller' DAILY TELEGRAPH