Einar must take back control of his destiny in this thrilling Viking adventure. How do you defeat the undefeatable? 935 AD, Norway. Recovering from horrendous injuries, Einar finds himself unable to fight. He is not strong enough to defeat his rival, Eirik, who has seized Orkney despite Einar being the rightful Jarl. Eirik's men soon raid the Norwegian coast, led by a warrior called the Bear. Cruel and ferocious, the Bear possesses a legendary blade - one that gives him a skill in battle that cannot be matched. Such an extraordinary sword could be key to Einar's plans - but first he and the Wolf Coats must contend with the Bear himself. Caught between old foes and new ones, Einar must use all his wits to survive. But is a man who cannot wield a sword capable of being a true Viking warrior? Reviews for Tim Hodkinson: 'Will appeal to fans of Bernard Cornwell, George R.R. Martin, and especially Theodore Brun' Historical Novel Society 'A gripping action adventure like the sagas of old' Melisende's Library 'An excellently written page-turner' Historical Writers Association

*SHARPE'S ASSASSIN, the brand new novel in the global bestselling series, is available to buy now* Spain, June 1812 In the beautiful city of Salamanca, Captain Richard Sharpe must hunt down and safeguard Britain's most valuable spy, 'El Mirador', before he's silenced by France's deadliest assassin - even at the risk of his own life. In the shadowy world of Salamanca's high society, where secrecy blurs the lines between friend and foe, it seems that other figures are out to destroy the British. Whilst outside the city's walls, the armies gather for one of the biggest battles of the war - and risking everything for victory, even betraying one he loves, is Sharpe . . . 'A master storyteller' DAILY TELEGRAPH

Spain, January 1812

Lieutenant Richard Sharpe faces threats from all sides when an old adversary joins the ranks. Yet, despite the risks, he must embark on a deadly mission – to capture the impenetrable fortress of Badajoz.

It’s a long, cold winter for war as the French force onwards – but Sharpe’s battle-rage burns. Only a Forlorn Hope, a near-suicidal move into the breach, will give the army hope of capturing the fortress. And boldly leading the attack is Sharpe . . .

Folly Beach, South Carolina, has survived despite hurricanes and war. But it's the personal battles of Folly Beach's residents that have left the most scars, and why a young widow has been beckoned there to heal her own...
To most people, Folly Beach is simply the last barrier island before reaching the great Atlantic. To some, it's a sanctuary for lost souls, which is why Emmy Hamilton's mother encourages her to buy the local book store, Folly's Finds, hoping it will distract Emmy from the loss of her husband.
Emmy is at first resistant. So much has already changed. But after finding love letters and an image of a beautiful bottle tree in a box of used books from Folly's Finds, she decides to take the plunge. But the seller insists on one condition: Emmy must allow Lulu, the late owner's difficult sister, to continue selling her bottle trees from its back yard.
For the most part Emmy ignores Lulu as she sifts through the love letters, wanting to learn more. But the more she discovers about the letters, the more she understands Lulu. As details of a possible murder and a mysterious disappearance during WWII are revealed, the two women discover that circumstances beyond their control, sixty years apart, have brought them together, here on Folly Beach. And it is here that their war-ravaged hearts can find hope for a second chance...

The White Tower. A terrible vision. Her home invaded and precious documents stolen. Lady Isabelle must flee her pursuers, posing as a young male scholar in the New College of St Mary in Oxford. But when she learns she is with child it won't be long until she is discovered amongst their ranks. Can she bring herself to love an infant conceived in evil? And will she ever be reunited with her beloved Richard, or will Sir Henry Lormont's dagger find him first? This deftly plotted 15th century novel traverses the well-trodden pilgrimage routes from Oxford to Rome encountering lepers, assassins, sea rovers and historical figures Lady Margaret Beaufort and Edmund Tudor along the way. Superbly researched by a scholar of the period, Clover blends history with the riveting story of a woman who overcomes the restrictions placed on her sex to create a page-turning novel.

*SHARPE'S ASSASSIN, the brand new novel in the global bestselling series, is available to buy now* Spain, December 1812 In a deathly cold winter on the Spanish-Portuguese border, a group of deserters take British hostages and it falls to Major Richard Sharpe to lead the perilous rescue mission in the biting cold mountains - where he faces one of his oldest, and most cunning, adversaries. The British army's fate rests on the hostages' liberation. Outnumbered and attacked from two sides, it looks like surrender or certain death on the Gateway of God pass. Yet prepared to hold his ground, or risk his life trying, is Sharpe . . . 'A master storyteller' DAILY TELEGRAPH

The Jacobite army marches into England and Alistair Maclean, close confident of Charles Edward Stewart embarks on a secret mission to raise support for the cause in the west. He soon begins to suspect someone close to the Prince is passing information to the Government, but just as he closes in on the traitor his own life is put in danger. Who is the turncoat and can Maclean save his own life and his Prince?

Prize-winning author Petina Gappah's tale of Dr Livingstone's epic journey through nineteenth-century Africa is 'incredible' (Yaa Gyasi), 'powerful' (Jesmyn Ward), and 'beautiful' (Anthony Doerr). 'A fine writer.' J.M. Coetzee 'Wonderful.' The Times 'Captivating.' Guardian This is the story of the body of Bwana Daudi, the Doctor, the explorer David Livingstone - and the sixty-nine men and women who carried his remains for 1,500 miles across the African interior so that he could be borne across the sea and buried in his own country. This is the story of those in the shadows of history: those who saved a white man's bones, his dark companions, who became his faithful retinue on an epic funeral march - little knowing that his corpse carried the maps that sowed the seeds of the continent's brutal colonisation and enslavement. This is the story of how human bravery, loyalty, and love can triumph over darkness - and it is Petina Gappah's radical masterpiece. 'Incredible.' Yaa Gyasi 'Beautiful.' Anthony Doerr 'Powerful.' Jesmyn Ward

'Best historical novelist' - Stephen King 'A master storyteller' - Sunday Times 'Wilbur Smith is one of those benchmarks against whom others are compared' - The Times 'No one does adventure quite like Smith' - Daily Mirror A DISHONOURABLE MAN. AN HONOURABLE MISSION. Dr Robyn Ballantyne has always worked hard for what she wants. Following in the footsteps of their father she and her brother, the celebrated soldier Zouga Ballantyne, depart England on an expedition to Africa, the land of their birth. Robyn is determined to bring an end to slave trading, while Zouga is certain that Africa will be the land that makes him, and determines to make his fortune there, whatever the cost. Manning the expedition is the notorious American merchant, Mungo St John. Robyn is deeply attracted to St John but is horrified to discover that he is a slave-trader, and that she is unwittingly travelling on a slave ship. Also vying for her love is the fanatical anti-slavery naval captain, Clinton Codrington. Kind and respectable, Codrington is deeply in love with Robyn, but despite herself she cannot return his feelings. As Robyn finds herself torn between the two men, she is forced to make a decision that will change her life forever, and which will shape the future for them all. BOOK 1 IN THE BALLANTYNE SERIES BY INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLER WILBUR SMITH

In the Syrian city of Akka, Nathanael, a young Jewish doctor, and a Muslim girl called Zohra are about to fall in love. But Saladin's army has just taken Jerusalem, and soon their own city will be engulfed by war. Meanwhile in England, John Savage, a foundling boy, runs away from his cruel life in a priory with the Moor, a mysterious man driven by a dream of perfection. They join a band of conmen travelling through the English countryside faking religious miracles for cash, until they are recruited in Richard the Lionheart's army and sent to regain the Latin Kingdom from the infidel. Akka awaits. It will be the site of the greatest - and cruellest - siege of its time. But even in the midst of war, lovers find ways to make transactions of beauty. Pillars of Light is a powerful and moving novel about the triumph of the human spirit against all the odds. It will delight fans of Philippa Gregory, Ken Follett and Diana Gabaldon.

IF YOU DON'T KNOW SIMON SCARROW, YOU DON'T KNOW ROME! THE GLADIATOR is the action-packed and compelling ninth novel in Simon Scarrow's bestselling Eagles of the Empire series. A must read for fans of Bernard Cornwell. Praise for Simon Scarrow's historical novels: 'Gripping...ferocious and compelling' Daily Express AD 48. The friendship between Roman Centurions Cato and Macro is rock solid. Returning to Rome from a harrowing campaign, they are shipwrecked when an earthquake strikes the island of Crete. Struggling ashore they discover panic, devastation and a slave revolt. Led by a gladiator called Ajax, the slaves are driven by a bloodthirsty desire for revenge that renders them almost invincible. Taking control of the shaken men of the local garrison, Cato and Macro must save the province, before the rebellion can threaten the Empire itself...

Charlie Marder is an unlikely Congressman. Thrust into office by his family ties after his predecessor died mysteriously, Charlie is struggling to navigate the dangerous waters of 1950s Washington, DC, alongside his young wife Margaret, a zoologist with ambitions of her own. Amid the swirl of glamorous and powerful political leaders and deal makers, a mysterious fatal car accident thrusts Charlie and Margaret into an underworld of backroom deals, secret societies, and a plot that could change the course of history. When Charlie discovers a conspiracy that reaches the highest levels of governance, he has to fight not only for his principles and his newfound political career...but for his life.

Larkspur Nielsen is ready for a change. Her parents have passed on, and her older brother is successfully running the family business. She bristles at the small-mindedness that permeates life in her small Ohio community, and she sees little chance of a satisfying future there. She has a little money saved, and after turning the tables on a crooked gambler who had fleeced several locals, including her younger brother, she can stake a new start for herself and her three sisters. As the gambler's threats of revenge echo in her ears, she and her sisters head to Independence, Missouri, to join a wagon train bound for Oregon. Knowing that four women traveling together will draw unwanted attention, Larkspur dons a disguise, passing herself off as "Clark" Nielsen, accompanying his three sisters. But maintaining the ruse is more difficult than Larkspur imagined, as is protecting her headstrong, starry-eyed sisters from difficult circumstances and eligible young men. Will reaching their goal prove too much for them?

This gripping new military adventure featuring Simon Fonthill brilliantly depicts one of the last and most tragic of all battles in the 'Scramble for Africa'. 1893. In the African Cape, recovering from the loss of their child, ex-captain and one-time subaltern Simon Fonthill and his wife Alice find themselves on tribal land and at the mercy of Matabele warriors. While being held under the orders of the Matabele king, Lobengula, Fonthill becomes aware of a Portuguese plot to undermine a valuable mining treaty between Lobengula and the richest man in Africa, Cecil Rhodes. When friction develops between Rhodes and the Matabele tribesmen Fonthill is forced to take sides and, together with comrade '352' Jenkins and Alice, he becomes embroiled in one of the bloodiest battles in British history, the Shangani River massacre.

?If we had only two or three of Patrick O?Brian?s Aubrey-Maturin series, we would count ourselves lucky; with six or seven the author would be safely among the greats of historical fiction? This is great writing by an undiminished talent. Now on to Volume Twenty, and the liberation of Chile.? WILLIAM WALDEGRAVE, Literary Review

This is the twentieth book in Patrick O?Brian?s highly acclaimed, bestselling series chronicling the adventures of lucky Jack Aubrey and his best friend Stephen Maturin, part ship?s doctor, part secret agent. The novel?s stirring action follows on from that of The Hundred Days. Napoleon?s hundred days of freedom and his renewed threat to Europe have ended at Waterloo and Aubrey has finally, as the title suggests, become a blue level admiral. He and Maturin have ? at last ? set sail on their much postponed mission to Chile. Vivid with the salty tang of life at sea, O?Brian?s writing is as powerful as ever whether he writes of naval hierarchies, night-actions or the most celebrated fictional friendship since that of Sherlock Holmes and Dr Watson. Blue at the Mizzen also brings alive the sights and sounds of revolutionary South America in a story as exciting as any O?Brian has written.

'READING THIS TERRIFIC, ORWELLIAN NOVEL YOU ALMOST HOLD YOUR BREATH' Bel Mooney An alternative history with a strong feminist twist, perfect for fans of Robert Harris' Fatherland, Christina Dalcher's Vox and the dystopian novels of Margaret Atwood. 'A TRIUMPH' Amanda Craig 'CONVINCING AND GRIPPING' Elizabeth Buchan 'BRILLIANTLY IMAGINED' Clare Chambers 'TERRIFIC HEROINE' Adele Geras 'VIVIDLY IMAGINED' Nicci French To control the past, they edited history. To control the future, they edited literature. London, 1953, Coronation year - but not the Coronation of Elizabeth II. Thirteen years have passed since a Grand Alliance between Great Britain and Germany was formalized. George VI and his family have been murdered and Edward VIII rules as King. Yet, in practice, all power is vested in Alfred Rosenberg, Britain's Protector. The role and status of women is Rosenberg's particular interest. Rose Ransom belongs to the elite caste of women and works at the Ministry of Culture, rewriting literature to correct the views of the past. But now she has been given a special task. Outbreaks of insurgency have been seen across the country; graffiti daubed on public buildings. Disturbingly, the graffiti is made up of lines from forbidden works, subversive words from the voices of women. Suspicion has fallen on Widowland, the run-down slums where childless women over fifty have been banished. These women are known to be mutinous, for they have nothing to lose. Before the Leader arrives for the Coronation ceremony of King Edward and Queen Wallis, Rose must infiltrate Widowland to find the source of this rebellion and ensure that it is quashed. 'THE MOST IMPORTANT FEMINIST NOVEL IN DECADES' Jane Harris 'A VERY SMART REIMAGINED HISTORY' Henry Porter 'BRIMMING WITH CRACKLING DETAIL, A GRIPPING THRILLER' Miranda Carter

Flashman, soldier, duellist, lover, imposter, coward, cad, and hero, triumphs in this first
installment of The Flashman Papers. His adventures as the reluctant secret agent in
Afghanistan and his entry into the exclusive company of Lord Cardigan's Hussars culminate in
his foulest hour- his part in the historic disaster of the Retreat from Kabul.

This is the story of a blackguard who enjoyed villainy for its own sake. Shameless, exciting,
and funny, Flashman's deplorable odyssey is observed with the cynical eyeof a scoundrel
who was honest only in reporting what he saw. He makes all other black sheep look
respectably grey.

"If ever there was a time when I felt that watcher-of-the-skies-when-a-new-planet stuff, it
was when I read the first 'Flashman."'
P.G. WOODHOUSE

"Not only are the 'Flashman' books extremely funny, but they give meticulous care
and authenticity. You can between the guffaws, learn from them."
WASHINGTON POST

"Mr Fraser is a skillful and meticulous writer, twice as good as Buchan, and twenty times
better than Fleming."
AUBERON WAUGH,'Evening Standard'

THE COMPELLING NOVEL FROM SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER PHILIPPA GREGORY The tale of one woman's ambitious ascent to royalty during the Wars of the Roses and the unsolved mystery around her sons' imprisonment in the Tower The first in a stunning series, The Cousins' War, is set amid the tumult and intrigue of The War of the Roses. Internationally bestselling author Philippa Gregory brings this family drama to colourful life through its women, beginning with the story of Elizabeth Woodville, the White Queen. The White Queen tells the story of a common woman who ascends to royalty by virtue of her beauty, a woman who rises to the demands of her position and fights tenaciously for the success of her family, a woman whose two sons become the central figures in a mystery that has confounded historians for centuries: the Princes in the Tower whose fate remains unknown to this day. From her uniquely qualified perspective, Philippa Gregory explores the most famous unsolved mystery, informed by impeccable research and framed by her inimitable storytelling skills. Praise for Philippa Gregory: 'Meticulously researched and deeply entertaining, this story of betrayal and divided loyalties is Gregory on top form' Good Housekeeping 'Gregory has popularised Tudor history perhaps more than any other living fiction writer...all of her books feature strong, complex women, doing their best to improve their lives in worlds dominated by men' Sunday Times 'Engrossing' Sunday Express 'Popular historical fiction at its finest, immaculately researched and superbly told' The Times 'Queen of the historical novel' Mail on Sunday

'FAST-PACED, DETAILED AND BRILLIANTLY WRITTEN [FOR] FANS OF BERNARD CORNWELL, GEORGE R.R. MARTIN AND THEODORE BRUN' HISTORICAL NOVEL SOCIETY. Einar Unnsson will be a great warrior, whether he wants it or not. AD 935 - Late Winter, City of Jorvik. Einar Unnsson is destined to be a great Icelandic warrior. He has already defeated the men sent to kill him by his notorious father, Jarl Thorfinn, the 'Skull Cleaver' of Orkney. He has a gift that makes him lethal in battle. Yet he has cast it all off to be a bard. When three men attack him, Einar's poetry provides little protection. Luckily, the skilled archer and Norse-Irish princess Affreca saves him. She'd assumed Einar had left to raise an army, challenge Thorfinn and seize the Jarldom of Orkney. Now she's determined to set him back onto his rightful path. Einar soon finds himself entangled on Affreca's own mission. She's seeking the Raven Banner for King Eirik. Legend has it that the banner is imbued with powerful magic. That it was a gift from the Norse God Odin and any army that marches behind it will be victorious. The quest sets events in motion that are beyond Einar's control. Einar has no choice but to face his fate and swing his sword once more... Praise for Tim Hodkinson: 'An excellently written page-turner, with a feel for the period which invites you into the era and keeps you there' Historical Writers Association. 'A gripping action adventure like the sagas of old; and once finished, you just want to go back and read it all over again' Melisende's Library.

Constance Kopp, America’s first female deputy sheriff, is back in another unforgettable romp by HWA-longlisted international bestseller Amy Stewart.

While transporting a woman to an insane asylum, Deputy Kopp discovers something deeply troubling about her story. Before she can investigate, another inmate breaks free and tries to escape.

In both cases, Constance runs instinctively toward justice. But 1916 is a high-stakes US election year, and any move she makes could jeopardise Sheriff Heath’s future ― and her own. Constance’s controversial career makes her the target of political attacks.

With wit and verve, Amy Stewart brilliantly conjures the life and times of the real Constance Kopp and her feisty sisters.