"Spectacular" Independent

An uneasy peace reigns in France, but behind the scenes Catholics, Protestants and the agents of foreign powers are still locked in secretive, bloody, combat. As his country's future hangs in the balance, Pierre de Siorac's apparent employment as a doctor masks a more deadly occupation - as a spy working for King Henry IV and his ally Elizabeth I of England, using fair means and foul to protect the peace of two realms.

As the plots against his king thicken and the Spanish Armada prepares to sail, Pierre finds himself struggling to save not only his country, but the lives of his entire family. With his back to the wall, he will need a keen wit and a steady sword arm to fight his way to safety.

For readers of The Nightingale and Beneath a Scarlet Sky comes a gripping historical thriller set against a fully-realized WWII backdrop about the love a father has for his son and the lengths he is willing to go to find him, from a talented new voice in suspense. Rhys Gravenor, Great War veteran and Welsh sheep farmer, arrives in Paris in the midst of the city's liberation with a worn letter in his pocket that may have arrived years too late. As he follows the footsteps of his missing son across an unfamiliar, war-torn country, he struggles to come to terms with the incident that drove a wedge between the two of them. Joined by Charlotte Dubois, an American ambulance driver with secrets of her own, Rhys discovers that even as liberation sweeps across France, the war is far from over. And his personal war has only begun as he is haunted by memories of previous battles and hampered at every turn by danger and betrayal. In a race against time and the war, Rhys follows his son's trail from Paris to the perilous streets of Vichy to the starving mobs in Lyon to the treacherous Alps. But Rhys is not the only one searching for his son. In a race of his own, a relentless enemy stalks him across the country and will stop at nothing to find the young man first. The country is in tatters, no one is trustworthy, and Rhys must unravel the mystery of his son's wartime actions in the desperate hope of finding him before it's too late. Too late to mend the frayed bond between them. Too late to beg his forgiveness. Too late to bring him home alive.

The final, thrilling instalment in the epic Vespasian series from the bestselling author, Robert Fabbri. Rome, AD 68. Vespasian is tasked with the impossible. Should he quell the revolt in Judaea, as Nero the emperor has instructed, or resort to the unthinkable and sabotage his own campaign? If his conquest succeeds, he risks facing the mad emperor's jealousy. If he fails, his punishment will be severe. But then Nero commits suicide, catapulting Rome into turmoil. With a contested throne and an army at his disposal, now may finally be Vespasian's time - to ascend, to conquer, to achieve what countless prophecies have foretold and take control of Rome itself. Will Vespasian, at long last, be the one to wear the purple?

At the opening of a voyage filled with disaster and delight, Jack Aubrey and Stephen Maturin are in pursuit of a privateer sailing under American colours through the Great South Sea. Stephen's objective is to set the revolutionary tinder of South America ablaze in order to relieve the British government which, already engaged in a death-struggle with a Europe dominated by Napoleon, has blundered into war with the young and uncomfortably vigorous United States.

The shock and barbarity of hand-to-hand fighting are sharpened by O'Brian's exact sense of period, his eye for landscape and his feel for a ship under sail. His thrilling descriptions of hair-raising and bloody actions make the reader grateful that he is watching from a distance.

'If O'Brian's novels have become a cult, this is because they are truly addictive. They are, quite magnificently, adventure yarns whose superb authenticity never distracts from the sheer thrill of the action. What brings the research to life is O'Brian's vivid evocation of the individual atmosphere aboard each different ship – the inner weather, as it were, of a floating world dependent on the literal wind and waves.'
Caroline Moore, 'Sunday Telegraph'

In the sixth title in the successful Woods Cop Mystery series, another suspenseful who-done-it finds Grady Service with an unexpectedly complex, truly rotten, and important case on his hands. This time tainted eggs are showing up in caviar and Service must expose a ring of corruption in state government and perhaps within his own beloved DNR, one that could lead him all the way to the top. Making enemies at every level of the state, Service rousts out the people on the take. Can he get to the source of the contaminated eggs and prove it? Pitting corporate greed against the health of the general public isn't something Service takes lightly. He doesn't rest until there has been full exposure in a case that takes him from the wilds of the Upper Peninsula to the jungles of the state capital, into the maw of the Ukrainian mafia in New York City and onto distant beaches of Central America. For more on Joseph Heywood and the Woods Cop Mysteries, visit the author's website, www.josephheywood.com.

'Your bed shall be the moorcock's, and your life shall be like the hunted deer's, and ye shall sleep with your hand upon your weapons.' Tricked out of his inheritance, shanghaied, shipwrecked off the west coast of Scotland, David Balfour finds himself fleeing for his life in the dangerous company of Jacobite outlaw and suspected assassin Alan Breck Stewart. Their unlikely friendship is put to the test as they dodge government troops across the Scottish Highlands. Set in the aftermath of the 1745 rebellion, Kidnapped transforms the Romantic historical novel into the modern thriller. Its heart-stopping scenes of cross-country pursuit, distilled to a pure intensity in Stevenson's prose, have become a staple of adventure stories from John Buchan to Alfred Hitchcock and Ian Fleming. Kidnapped remains as exhilarating today as when it was first published in 1886. This new edition is based on the 1895 text, incorporating Stevenson's last thoughts about the novel before his death. It includes Stevenson's 'Note to Kidnapped', reprinted for the first time since 1922. ABOUT THE SERIES: For over 100 years Oxford World's Classics has made available the widest range of literature from around the globe. Each affordable volume reflects Oxford's commitment to scholarship, providing the most accurate text plus a wealth of other valuable features, including expert introductions by leading authorities, helpful notes to clarify the text, up-to-date bibliographies for further study, and much more.

THE EPIC CONCLUSION TO THE BESTSELLING EMPIRE OF SALT SERIES. Cities have been broken. Empires have fallen. And darkness is coming. Success has drawn a cold gaze. A false king seeks dominion. His soldiers will bring desolation and despair to Darien. With treachery on all sides, the ancient capital looks set to fall. Yet within the walls of that great city, a small team gathers. Tellius knows each one: a hunter, a gambler, a dead man, a wielder of threads - and the sword saint of Shiang. When Darien herself is threatened, Tellius will ask them to stand. A city is worth more than the lives of those within. Darien's streets and courts and homes and taverns are a bonfire on the hill, a beacon of life and light in the world. That is why they will die to save her. ___________ 'A master storyteller' Sunday Express 'Iggulden is in a class of his own' Daily Mirror 'One of our finest historical novelists' Daily Express

The stunning return from the Orange Prize shortlisted author of The Observations and Gillespie and I 'Pitches you headfirst into this outstanding, heartbreaking story of siblings, slavery and the savagery of the colonial past.' SUNDAY EXPRESS 'Harris builds a lush sense of place, and the pace and tension of a rip-roaring adventure here, with derring-do and double-crossing.' THE TIMES 'Through masterful detail, Harris shows the dehumanisation of the brothers and their fellow slaves . . . Beautifully cadenced.' IRISH TIMES Martinique, 1765, and brothers Emile and Lucien are charged by their French master, Father Cleophas, with a mission. They must return to Grenada, the island they once called home, and smuggle back the 42 slaves claimed by English invaders at the hospital plantation in Fort Royal. While Lucien, barely in his teens, sees the trip as a great adventure, the older and worldlier Emile has no illusions about the dangers they will face. But with no choice other than to obey Cleophas - and sensing the possibility, however remote, of finding his first love Celeste - he sets out with his brother on this 'reckless venture'. With great characters, a superb narrative set up, and language that is witty and thrillingly alive, Sugar Money is a novel to treasure.

AD 642. Anglo-Saxon Britain. A gripping, action-packed historical thriller and the fifth instalment in the Bernicia Chronicles. Perfect for fans of Bernard Cornwell. Oswald has reigned over Northumbria for eight years and Beobrand has led the king to ever greater victories. Rewarded for his fealty and prowess in battle, Beobrand is now a wealthy warlord, with a sizable warband. Tales of Beobrand's fearsome black-shielded warriors and the great treasure he has amassed are told throughout the halls of the land. Many are the kings who bow to Oswald. And yet there are those who look upon his realm with a covetous eye. And there is one ruler who will never kneel before him. When Penda of Mercia, the great killer of kings, invades Northumbria, Beobrand is once more called upon to stand in an epic battle where the blood of many will be shed in defence of the kingdom. But in this climactic clash between the pagan Penda and the Christian Oswald there is much more at stake than sovereignty. This is a battle for the very souls of the people of Albion. What readers are saying about the series: 'Historical fiction doesn't get much better than this' ANGUS DONALD, author of The Outlaw Chronicles. 'Matthew Harffy's tale of England in the Dark Ages is nothing less than superb' HISTORICAL NOVEL SOCIETY. 'Murder, betrayal and vengeance fuel tribal warfare and personal combat. Beobrand is the warrior to follow' DAVID GILMAN.

Twice a Hero is the true story of George Adamson, a young Irish patriot and rebel, who started his quest for freedom by joining the Irish Volunteers in Moate, Athlone, in the Irish Midlands. Then, on the promise of Home Rule for Ireland at the war's end, he enlisted in the British Army and fought in two forgotten conflicts, the Great War, Salonika & Palestine. Decorated for bravery, he returned home to Ireland after four years of war to find that Home Rule was not forthcoming. He rejoined the National Volunteers, which later changed its name to the Irish Republican Army. Now a wanted man, he went on the run, living off the land during the two years of the Irish War of Independence. Following the signing of a treaty with Britain, he joined the National Army with the rank of Commandant. During the Irish Civil War that followed he was promoted to Brigadier General in command of the Midland Division of the Irish Army. His life came to an end when he was murdered on a street in Athlone. He died from his wounds on his 25th birthday. The title of the book reflects the fact that he was a decorated hero in the Great War and again in the Irish War of Independence, where he was promoted to Brigadier General in the Irish Army. The book cover reflects the end of 700 years of conflict as the Irish National flag was raised over Athlone Castle, a national monument to, and a concrete symbol of, the centuries of tyrannical imperial rule. My research uncovered the history of conflict, ethnic cleansing and oppression denied to me by the educational system in Ireland during my school days. I would encourage my fellow Irishmen, the Irish of the great Diaspora and in particular Irish/Americans, to read the book and be proud of their ancestors who fought and died for the freedom and prosperity that Ireland now enjoys.

A #1 BESTSELLER IN KINDLE HISTORICAL THRILLERS Ancient scrolls hold the key to the origins of Christianityabut some will stop at nothing to hide the truth A suspicious death in Istanbul leaves one ancient scroll and clues to finding another in the hands of Drew Korchula, a thirty-two-year-old American expat, a Turkish dwarf named Kadir, and Zafer, a Special Forces washout. Drew is desperate to turn everything over to the academic community, and in the process redeem himself in the eyes of his estranged wife, but Kadir and Zafer are only interested in what they can get for the scrolls on the black market. Not everyone wants to see the scrolls go public, however, and some will stop at nothing to protect the Church and believers around the world from the revelations embodied in the priceless manuscripts. An action-packed intellectual thriller unraveling the mystery of a theological cold case more than two thousand years old, The Christos Mosaic is a monumental work of biblical research wrapped in a story of love, faith, human frailty, friendship, and forgiveness. Author Vincent Czyz takes the reader through the backstreets of Istanbul, Antakya (ancient Antioch), and Cairo, to clandestine negotiations with wealthy antiquities smugglers andruthless soldiers of fortune, to dusty Egyptian monasteries, on a nautical skirmish off the coast of Alexandria, and finally to the ruins of Constantine's palace buried deep beneath the streets of present-day Istanbul.

Ferocity, heroism, and savage bloodshed: the next gripping instalment in the Twilight of Empire series. For fans of Ben Kane and Conn Iggulden.

When the simmering conflict between Rome and Persia threatens once again to ignite into open war, there is only one man the Emperor Constantine can trust to hold the eastern frontier.

Aurelius Castus, retired general of the empire, has fought long and hard for Rome. When the summons comes to command an army once more, he obeys with a heavy heart. Is he still the fearsome fighting machine of old? Will his young, ambitious officers respect and follow a great soldier of former days?

But when tragedy strikes the imperial household, Castus must race to defend the last bulwark standing against the might of Persia. In the pitiless heat of the Syrian desert, engulfed by whirling sandstorms and facing a fearless, treacherous foe, Castus knows that the fight ahead will be the fiercest he has ever known, and will very probably be his last.

'I was immersed from the very first page. Wonderful writing. Rich and evocative, astute and assured. Great stuff!' Giles Kristian, bestselling author of Lancelot.

The legendary #1 New York Times bestselling author of Jurassic Park returns to the world of paleontology in this recently discovered novel. . . .

The year is 1876. Warring Indian tribes still populate America's western territories, even as lawless gold-rush towns begin to mark the landscape, and two monomaniacal paleontologists pillage the Wild West, hunting for dinosaur fossils while surveilling, deceiving, and sabotaging each other.

Into this treacherous territory plunges William Johnson, a student who has joined world-renowned paleontologist Othniel Charles Marsh on his latest expedition. But when Marsh becomes convinced that William is spying for his nemesis, Edwin Drinker Cope, he abandons him in Cheyenne, Wyoming, a locus of crime and vice.

William joins forces with Cope and soon stumbles upon a discovery of historic proportions. With this extraordinary treasure, however, comes exceptional danger, and Johnson's newfound resilience will be sorely tested...

Discover the blistering first novella from the from the Booker-shortlisted author of Eileen and My Year of Rest and Relaxation. They said I've done something wrong?... And they've just left me down here to starve. Haven't had a drop in days more so... Salem, Massachusetts, 1851: McGlue is in the hold, still too drunk to be sure of his name or situation or orientation - he may have killed a man. That man may have been his best friend. Now, McGlue wants one thing and one thing only: a drink. Because for McGlue, insufferable, terrifying memories accompany sobriety. Asail on the high seas of literary tradition, Ottessa Moshfegh gives us an unforgettable blackguard on a knife-sharp voyage through the fogs of recollection.

The engrossing story of HMS" Pandora, " never before told in a historical novel, comes to life in this portrait of the crew that embarked in 1790 on an epic voyage to Tahiti to find and arrest the men who revolted against the "Bounty "and Captain William Bligh. Evoking the remarkable and cataclysmic events that occurred after the British Admiralty sent the Royal Navy out to detain the mutineers and bring them back to England for trial, this novel embodies life aboard a ship in the 19th century. Based on original documents, including the correspondence of the participants and a study of the "Pandora"'s logbook, this vivid and exciting tale of adventure is filled with storms, brave deeds, serene tropical islands, and, ultimately, a horrific shipwreck on the Great Barrier Reef. Readers will see that contrary to conventional wisdom, Captain Bligh was not the tyrant he has been portrayed as, while the commander of the "Pandora" fit that description to a T.

IF YOU DON'T KNOW SIMON SCARROW, YOU DON'T KNOW ROME! THE EAGLE'S PROPHECY is the powerful sixth novel in Simon Scarrow's bestselling Eagles of the Empire seires. Perfect for fans of Bernard Cornwell. Praise for Simon Scarrow's gripping novels: 'Ferocious and compelling' Daily Express The Adriatic Sea, AD 45. Cato and Macro, centurions of the Roman army, are horrified to learn that they face possible execution after the death of their commanding officer. Fortunately, the Emperor's secretary is willing to offer them an alternative: to join the marines and hunt down a band of brutal pirates who are decimating not only Rome's reputation, but also a critical supply chain. As they discover the true horror of battle at sea, Macro and Cato must also remember their real mission: to recover from those pirates a set of scrolls that hold secrets vital to the future of the Roman Empire. Rome will do anything to get them back...

Conn Iggulden has called it 'a masterpiece' while The Times has hailed it 'a gorgeous, rich retelling of the Arthurian tale' . . . The legions of Rome are a fading memory. Enemies stalk the fringes of Britain. And Uther Pendragon is dying. Into this fractured and uncertain world the boy is cast, a refugee from fire, murder and betrayal. An outsider whose only companions are a hateful hawk and memories of the lost. Yet he is gifted, and under the watchful eyes of Merlin and the Lady Nimue he will hone his talents and begin his journey to manhood. He will meet Guinevere, a wild, proud and beautiful girl, herself outcast because of her gift. And he will be dazzled by Arthur, a warrior who carries the hopes of a people like fire in the dark. But these are times of struggle and blood, when even friendship and love seem doomed to fail. The gods are vanishing beyond the reach of dreams. Treachery and jealousy rule men's hearts and the fate of Britain itself rests on a sword's edge. But the young renegade who left his home in Benoic with just a hunting bird and dreams of revenge is now a lord of war. He is a man loved and hated, admired and feared. A man forsaken but not forgotten. He is Lancelot. Set in a 5th century Britain besieged by invading bands of Saxons and Franks, Irish and Picts, Giles Kristian's epic new novel tells - in Lancelot's own words - the story of the most revered yet reviled of all Arthur's knights, the warrior who fought at his lord's side - yet stole his wife. This is the story of the of one of the great figures of British myth and legend - a story ready to be re-imagined for our times.

Stolen from her people as a child and raised as a citizen of the Tyranian Empire, Ligea Gayed is the obvious choice to despatch to her homeland, occupied Kardiastan, with orders to root out a rebel conspiracy. At first, she devotes herself to her new assignment with zeal. Adopted daughter of the Empire's greatest general, and possessing a fearsome reputation within the ruthless Imperial spy network known as the Brotherhood, Ligea views herself as a loyal servant of Tyrans. But blood will out, and with each day she spends among her parents' people, her disciplined self-image crumbles a little. And there are secrets in Kardiastan, secrets that will inevitably force Ligea to choose between her upbringing and her birthright. Secrets that will shape the destiny of two nations. . .

1367: Europe stands on the brink of total war Political alliances are beginning to rupture, and no state is immune: England, France, the Holy Roman Empire, Milan Genoa, Venice, Constantinople . . . Every mercenary knight must sharpen his sword and prepare for battle. But Sir William Gold has other problems. Just to reach Europe, he must capture its most unassailable fortress. He must also protect his liege lord, the Green Count, from assassins hell-bent on his death. The balance of power in the West will change. William Gold must trust in hope, and his men, that he lands on the winning side . . .

The first great "Lost World" action-adventure-a precursor to Indiana Jones
H. Rider Haggard's "King Solomon's Mines" has entertained generations of readers since its first publication in 1885. Following a mysterious map of dubious reliability, a small group of men trek into southern Africa in search of a lost friend-and a lost treasure, the fabled mines of King Solomon. Led by the English adventurer and fortune hunter Allan Quartermain, they discover a frozen corpse, survive untold dangers in remote mountains and deserts, and encounter the merciless King Twala en route to the legendary hoard of diamonds.

Dakota Territory, 1866. Following the murders of a frontier fort's politically connected sutler and his wife in their illicit off-post brothel, Lieutenant Martin Molloy and his long-suffering orderly, Corporal Daniel Kohn, are ordered to track down the killers and return with "boots for the gallows" to appease powerful figures in Washington. The men journey west to the distant outpost in a beautiful valley, where the soldiers inside the fort prove to be violently opposed to their investigations. Meanwhile, Irish immigrant brothers Michael and Thomas O'Driscoll have returned from the brutal front lines of the Civil War. Unable to adapt to life as migrant farm laborers in peacetime Ohio, they reenlist in the army and are shipped to Fort Phil Kearny in the heart of the Powder River Valley. Here they are thrown into merciless combat with Red Cloud's coalition of Native tribes fighting American expansion into their hunting grounds. Amidst the daily carnage, Thomas finds a love that will lead to a moment of violence as brutal as any they have witnessed in battle-a moment that will change their lives forever. Blending intimate historical detail and emotional acuity, Wolves of Eden sets these four men on a deadly collision course in a haunting narrative that explores the cruelty of warfare and the resilience of the human spirit.