Master and Commander is the first of Patrick O’Brian’s now famous Aubrey/Maturin novels, regarded by many as the greatest series of historical novels ever written. It establishes the friendship between Captain Jack Aubrey RN and Stephen Maturin, who becomes his secretive ship’s surgeon and an intelligence agent. It contains all the action and excitement which could possibly be hoped for in a historical novel, but it also displays the qualities which have put O’Brian far ahead of any of his competitors: his depiction of the detail of life aboard a Nelsonic man-of-war, of weapons, food, conversation and ambience, of the landscape and of the sea. O’Brian’s portrayal of each of these is faultless and the sense of period throughout is acute. His power of characterisation is above all masterly.

This brilliant historical novel marked the début of a writer who grew into one of our greatest novelists ever, the author of what Alan Judd, writing in the Sunday Times, has described as ‘the most significant extended story since Anthony Powell’s A Dance to the Music of Time’.

A thrilling historical adventure that sees two assassins go head-to-head on the open seas, from Sunday Times bestselling author and Richard & Judy Book Club pick David Mark. London, 1628. Nicolaes de Pelgrom, assassin and devoted servant of George Villiers, will do whatever his master asks of him - even if that means enduring the perilous voyage to the Indies to exact a grieving widow's revenge. Making that same journey is Jeronimus Cornelisz, a conniving apothecary determined to escape the backstreets of Amsterdam and become rich beyond imagination. Hired by a criminal mastermind to escort precious cargo to the Indies, he will kill anyone who stands in his way. When these assassins clash, so too do their missions. One cannot succeed without killing the other. In this deadly game, who will triumph and who will die? And are they even the only players? 'A fantastic achievement - dark and compelling with characters you will never forget.' Elly Griffiths 'David Mark's books are always taut, intelligent page-turners, so it's a joy that he's turned his pen and his talents to historical fiction.' Abir Mukherjee 'Sumptuous and decadent... [a] lush masterpiece.' Historical Novel Society Reviews for David Mark: 'Mark is the king of grimy historical crime.' Alex Reeve 'Breathtaking.' Peter May 'Mark is a wonderfully descriptive writer.' Peter James 'Brilliantly written - a cracking story.' Richard Madeley

'The series gets better and better . . . a very credible medieval world . . . Oswald is such an appealing character, growing richer and deeper with every book' - Andrew Taylor, author of Ashes of London 1370. Oswald de Lacy was not always Lord of the Manor, or even meant to be. The third son, he was sent off to become a novice monk. Now, with winter closing in on Somershill, his wife flirting with their houseguest, his sister sniping from the sidelines and his mother still ruling his life even from her deathbed, Oswald is forced to confront the secret that has haunted him ever since those days in the monastery. 1349. Sent to gather herbs in the forest by his tutor, Brother Peter, 18-year-old Oswald encounters a terrified girl, who runs into the swollen river and drowns. In her village, he discovers that she is only one of many poor young women who have disappeared, with no-one in authority caring enough to investigate. Convinced the girls are dead, Oswald turns to the village women for help in finding the murderer - in particular to the beautiful Maud Woodstock, who provokes feelings in Oswald that no monk should entertain. Soon, however, another killer stalks the land. Plague has come and the monastery is locked against it. Brother Peter insists that Oswald should forget his quest. But Oswald will not stop until he has discovered the shocking truth, which will echo down the years to a letter, clutched in his dying mother's hand.

The year is 1805, and the "Calliope," with Richard Sharpe aboard, is captured by a formidable French warship, the "Revenant," which has been terrorizing British nautical traffic in the Indian Ocean. The French warship races toward the safety of its own fleet, carrying a stolen treaty that could provoke India into a new war against the British -- and render for naught all that Sharpe has bravely fought for till now.

But help comes from an unexpected quarter. An old friend, a captain in the Royal Navy, is on the trail of the "Revenant," and Sharpe comes aboard a 74-gun man-of-war called "Pucelle" in hot pursuit. What results is a breathtaking retelling of one of the most ferocious and one-sided sea battles in European history, in which Nelson -- and Sharpe -- vanquish the combined naval might of France and Spain at Trafalgar.

SHORTLISTED FOR THE WILBUR SMITH ADVENTURE WRITING PRIZE FOR BEST PUBLISHED NOVEL 2022 A Telegraph Best Book for Summer 2022 'Highly recommended' MICK HERRON 'A great adventure. Dripping with atmosphere and exotic life' WILLIAM BOYD 'A riveting page-turner, rich with fascinating period detail' SUNDAY TELEGRAPH ___________1867. King's Road, Chelsea, is a sea of plant nurseries, catering to the Victorian obsession with rare and exotic flora. But each of the glossy emporiums is fuelled by the dangerous world of the plant hunters - daring adventurers sent into uncharted lands in search of untold wonders to grace England's finest gardens. Harry Compton is as far from a plant hunter as one could imagine - a salesman plucked from the obscurity of the nursery growing fields to become 'the face that sold a thousand plants'. But one small act of kindness sees him inherit a precious gift - a specimen of a fabled tree last heard of in The Travels of Marco Polo, and a map. Seizing his chance for fame and fortune, Harry sets out to make his mark. But where there is wealth there is corruption, and soon Harry is fleeing England, rounding the Cape of Good Hope and sailing up the Yangtze alongside a young widow - both in pursuit of the plant that could transform both their lives forever.

'Lush, dark, utterly real and above all achingly romantic' RUTH WARE Thrilling Regency romance, set against an Outlander-like background of passion and war, this will delight lovers of Poldark and Bridgerton. 1819: Cornwall and St Petersburg High society England is awash with gossip and scandal. For Lady Hester, it's just typical that the wickedest gossip focuses on her beautiful, impossible husband Crow. Hester loves him fiercely, but the Earl of Lamorna has a wild past. Rumours of a child with his black hair and grey eyes wound Hester more than she'll admit. Crow's enemies also want him tried for treason, and soon Hester and their own daughter are in danger. There's nothing Hester won't do to protect their child. So when Countess Lieven drops her guard and says, 'Take your baby, Hester, and run,' Hester does exactly that. Meanwhile, Crow will do anything to save his family, even accepting a final mission that might end in losing them both for good. Praise for Katy Moran: 'Passionate, smart and action-packed... Stuffed full of heart-pumping romance' SARAH HUGHES, Guardian 'A wonderfully thrilling, sweeping romantic historical adventure that keeps you gripped until the last page' ROWAN COLEMAN 'Badly behaved aristocrats, gloriously opinionated women and danger at every turn' iNews Best Books of 2019

A group of foreigners in the northeastern town of Shishan finds the status quo upset when Helen Frances, a young woman with a middle class upbringing but a fatal flaw, arrives and falls in love with the Hon Henry Manners. The most astonishing range of characters awaits you in this novel; the wicked brothel-keeper Madam Liu and her sadistic son Ren Ren, the pragmatic, rational missionary Dr Airton, the American zealot Septimus Harding, the equivocal Mandarin. Not to mention the wonderfully complicated anti-hero Henry Manners, the prostitutes Fan Yimei and Shen Ping, the bandit Iron Man Wang, the Mongolian shaman. And the ingenue, Helen Frances herself, whose innocence covers an unorthodox curiosity.

'Reminds me of Khaled Hosseini, poignant and heartwarming... Simply a beautiful story that had me reading until 3:30 in the morning' Sarah, NetGalley 'I am a friend of the bees. Like you.' 'So, you have been waiting for me?' 'The forest has been waiting for you.' Pakistan, 1974: The secret-wreathed trees of Harikaya have always called to Hassan. He knows if he doesn't find the last beekeeper and salvage a precious jar of his mythical black honey before the floods come, his mother will lose her sight. But then he wins a scholarship to study with the state governor in Karachi amidst a brewing storm of political turmoil and simmering espionage. His entire world is turned upside down when he meets Maryam, the governor's niece visiting from London. All the while the fate of his mother and his promise to the bees calls him back to the forest, and so he must decide: Maryam or the beekeeper, England or Pakistan, his head or his heart. One of the most exciting debuts of 2021, this is a lyrical historical novel of family, friendship, and self-discovery exploring the power of choice in a changing world and love in communion with nature. Perfect for fans of Christy Lefteri, Yann Martel, and Monique Roffey. Praise for The Last Beekeeper: 'An absolutely beautifully written novel' Eszter, NetGalley 'Magnificent and magical' Kimberly, NetGalley 'I thoroughly enjoyed this book and really appreciate the representation it gives my community' Resham, NetGalley 'Magnificent! Perfect for a long summer's day spent in a hammock' Literary Redhead, NetGalley 'A beautiful story of finding hope' Zoe, NetGalley 'This is Siya Turabi's debut novel... I fell in love with her lyrical writing, her vivid descriptions and her tale of family and friendship as well as her love of nature and the expression of its magic' Norma, NetGalley 'The story has a lot of magical elements and sort of a fairy tale feeling at times as poetry and the bees envelop Hassan' Sara, NetGalley

'A page turner from beginning to end ... A damn fine read' Ben Kane. Four Emperors. Two Friends. One Destiny. As twilight descends on the 3rd century AD, the Roman Empire is but a shadow of its former self. Decades of usurping emperors, splinter kingdoms and savage wars have left the people beleaguered, the armies weary and the future uncertain. And into this chaos Emperor Diocletian steps, reforming the succession to allow for not one emperor to rule the world, but four. Meanwhile, two boys share a chance meeting in the great city of Treverorum as Diocletian's dream is announced to the imperial court. Throughout the years that follow, they share heartbreak and glory as that dream sours and the empire endures an era of tyranny and dread. Their lives are inextricably linked, their destinies ever-converging as they rise through Rome's savage stations, to the zenith of empire. For Constantine and Maxentius, the purple robes beckon...

The perfect murder mystery for fans of Richard Osman and Robert Thorogood. 'Spotswood understands that [...] spending time with unforgettable characters is paramount.' - New York Times 'A loving, intricately plotted tribute to the great days of American noir.' - Daily Mail New York, 1946: The last time Will Parker let a case get personal, she walked away with a broken face, a bruised ego, and the solemn promise never again to let her heart get in the way of her job. But she called Hart and Halloway's Travelling Circus and Sideshow home for five years, and Ruby Donner, the circus's tattooed ingenue, was her friend. To make matters worse the prime suspect is Valentin Kalishenko, the man who taught Will everything she knows about putting a knife where it needs to go. To uncover the real killer and keep Kalishenko from a date with the electric chair, Will and Ms. Pentecost join the circus in sleepy Stoppard, Virginia, where the locals like their cocktails mild, the past buried, and big-city detectives not at all. The two swiftly find themselves lost in a funhouse of lies as Will begins to realize that her former circus compatriots aren't playing it straight, and that her murdered friend might have been hiding a lot of secrets beneath all that ink. Dodging fistfights, firebombs, and flying lead, Will puts a lot more than her heart on the line in the search of the truth. Can she find it before someone stops her ticker for good? Praise for Stephen Spotswood: 'Razor-sharp, tons of flair. A really good noir novel.' Tana French 'Spotswood's stellar debut puts a modern spin on classic hard-boiled fiction. . . The deep and sensitive characterization of the two protagonists, coupled with rich description and tonally spot-on humour, make this a novel to remember. Spotswood is definitely a writer to watch.' Publishers Weekly 'This novel not only offers fun, offbeat characters and an exceptional flavour of the time, it's utterly charming too.' Woman's Weekly 'This hugely enjoyable debut is a deft melange of Agatha Christie-style locked-room murder mystery and 1940s Chandler-esque pulp crime fiction with a feisty narrator' Irish Independent Review 'Persuasive in its attention to period detail and dialogue, with well-constructed set piece scenes deftly staged, this is a highly accomplished, auspicious first entry in what we must hope will be a long-running series' The Irish Times

There is a legend... Britannia, AD 535 The Romans have gone. While their libraries smoulder, roads decay and cities crumble, men with swords pick over civilisation's carcass, slaughtering and being slaughtered in turn. This is the story of just such a man. Like the others, he had a sword. He slew until slain. Unlike the others, we remember him. We remember King Arthur. This is the story of a land neither green nor pleasant. An eldritch isle of deep forest and dark fell haunted by swaithes, boggarts and tod-lowries, Robin-Goodfellows and Jenny Greenteeths, and predators of rarer appetite yet. This is the story of a legend forged from a pack of self-serving, turd-gilding, weasel-worded lies told to justify foul deeds and ill-gotten gains. This is the story - viscerally entertaining, ominously subversive and poetically profane - of a Dark Age myth that shaped a nation. EVERYONE'S TALKING ABOUT BY FORCE ALONE: 'A bloody, bravura performance, which Tidhar pulls off with graphic imagery and modern vernacular' Guardian. 'As eclectic as the Sword in the Stone and as ruthless as A Game of Thrones, this retelling of the whole Arthurian legend stands alongside the very best' Daily Mail. 'The narrative voice is deadly serious but there's a strong undercurrent of gleefulness to the profanity, violence and otherworldly magic that makes By Force Alone a whole lot of fun to dive into' Spectator. 'Lavie Tidhar has crafted a punk epic on the mouldering bones of legend and jolted it to life with ten thousand volts of knowing wit and fury. By Force Alone eviscerates the complacent posturing of the Arthurian myth, explodes the well-worn conventions of the tale and from the shiny jagged pieces assembles a wholly fresh rollercoaster ride of cheap violence, vicious magic and messy human truth' Richard Morgan. 'A twisted Arthur retelling mixing the historical and the magical with a very modern eye. Brutal and vicious, funny, Peaky Blinders of the Round Table' Adrian Tchaikovsky.

Lieutenant-Colonel Sharpe, sidelined on the Royal staff, magnificently siezes command at the final moment of the great victory. It is 1815. Sharpe is serving on the personal staff of the Prince of Orange, who refuses to listen to Sharpe's reports of an enormous army, led by Napoleon, marching towards them. The Battle of Waterloo commences and it seems as if Sharpe must stand by and watch the grandest scale of military folly. But at the height of battle, as victory seems impossible, Sharpe takes command and the most hard-fought and bloody battle of his career becomes his most magnificent triumph. 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.

'An exciting, vividly-imagined reconstruction of an extraordinary moment in the history of the American West' Ian McGuire, bestselling author of THE NORTH WATER and INCREDIBLE BODIES 'A highly compelling page turner; you won't be able to put it down' Philipp Meyer, author of THE SON and AMERICAN RUST The thrilling, long-awaited return of the #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Revenant In 1866, with the country barely recovered from the Civil War, new war breaks out on the western frontier - a clash of cultures between a young, ambitious nation and the Native tribes who have lived on the land for centuries. Colonel Henry Carrington arrives in Wyoming's Powder River Valley to lead the US Army in defending the opening of a new road for gold miners and settlers. Carrington intends to build a fort in the middle of critical hunting grounds, the home of the Lakota. Red Cloud, one of the Lakota's most respected chiefs, and Crazy Horse, a young but visionary warrior, understand full well the implications of this invasion. For the Lakota, the stakes are their home, their culture, their lives. Throughout this taut saga - based on real people and events - Michael Punke brings the same immersive, vivid storytelling and historical insight that made his breakthrough debut so memorable. As Ridgeline builds to its epic conclusion, it grapples with essential questions of conquest and justice that still echo today.

'Beautiful and engaging and clever and what more could you ask for in a book?'-Manda Scott, bestselling author of A Treachery of Spies 'A story that is full of magic and delight that will thrill readers of any age'-Rowan Coleman, author of The Girl at the Window 'Extremely funny, full of imagination, verve and typical English 'home counties' wit'-Irish Independent As Spitfires roar overhead and a dark figure stalks the village of Woodville, a young woman will discover her destiny . . . Faye Bright always felt a little bit different. And today she's found out why. She's just stumbled across her late mother's diary which includes not only a spiffing recipe for jam roly-poly, but spells, incantations, runes and recitations . . . a witch's notebook. And Faye has inherited her mother's abilities. Just in time, too. The Crow Folk are coming. Led by the charismatic Pumpkinhead, their strange magic threatens Faye and the villagers. Armed with little more than her mum's words, her trusty bicycle, the grudging help of two bickering old ladies, and some aggressive church bellringing, Faye will find herself on the front lines of a war nobody expected. For fans of Lev Grossman and Terry Pratchett comes this delightful novel of war, mystery and a little bit of magic . . . Don't miss the other magical books in the WITCHES OF WOODVILLE series! #1 The Crow Folk #2 Babes in the Wood #3 The Ghost of Ivy Barn Praise for THE CROW FOLK 'Stay has brewed a cracking blend of charm and creepiness in The Crow Folk. A rip-roaring tale of bravery and witchcraft on the wartime home front, expertly told with lashings of wit and warmth'-Pernille Hughes, author of Probably the Best Kiss in the World 'A delightful mash-up of Dad's Army and Charmed. An absolute treat'-CK McDonnell, author of Stranger Times 'Warm, witty, witchy wartime fun. With Mark Stay as writer you're always guaranteed a magical read'-Julie Wassmer, author of the Whitstable Pearl Mysteries 'You'll love it: Doctor Who meets Worzel Gummidge'-Lorna Cook, author of The Forgotten Village 'A jolly romp with witches, demons, and bellringing. Pratchett fans will enjoy this, and Faye is a feisty and fun hero. Dad's Army meets Witches of Eastwick'-Ian W Sainsbury

Warrior and combat medic, Titus Cervianus, must lead a legion and quell the uprisings in Egypt in this thrilling Roman adventure from Simon Turney. Titus Cervianus is no ordinary soldier. And the Twenty Second is no ordinary legion... Egypt. 25 BC. A former surgeon from the city of Ancyra, Titus Cervianus is now a capsarius - a combat medic. He is a pragmatist, a scientist - and deeply unpopular with his legion, the Twenty Second Deiotariana. The Twenty Second have been sent to deal with uprisings in Egypt. Founded as the private army of one of Rome's most devoted allies, their ways are not the same as the other legions', which sets them apart and causes friction with their fellow soldiers. Marching into the unknown, Cervianus will find unexpected allies: a local cavalryman and a troublesome lunatic. Both will be of critical importance as the young medic marches through the searing sands of the south, finding forbidden temples, hidden assassins, and worst of all, the warrior queen of Kush... Reviews for The Capsarius 'Brings a whole new dimension to the genre... Recommended' Historical Novel Society 'A blistering epic brimming with tension, mystery and adventure!' Gordon Doherty Reviews for Simon Turney 'A page turner from beginning to end... A damn fine read' Ben Kane 'First-rate Roman fiction' Matthew Harffy

SHORTLISTED FOR THE 2020 EDWARD STANFORD 'FICTION WITH A SENSE OF PLACE' AWARD Places remember us... 'An important, ambitious, and accomplished novel. Sudbanthad deftly sweeps us up in a tale that paints a twin portrait: of a megacity like those so many of us call home and of a world where sanctuary is increasingly hard to come by' Mohsin Hamid A missionary begs to be sent home. A jazz pianist is hired to perform for ghosts. An army colonel smells the food of home for the last time. A girl designs herself a new face. An old woman uploads her consciousness. Bangkok Wakes to Rain is an intricately plotted novel where characters and stories are linked by place, not time. As the novel builds to a futuristic crescendo, moments of intimacy serve to remind us that no matter what the ebb of time may change, we humans persevere. Praise for Bangkok Wakes to Rain: 'Compelling' Financial Times 'Breathtakingly lovely' Kirkus 'A sumptuous accomplishment' Esquire 'A simple, ingenious conceit' Alexander Chee 'Elegant and restrained' Wall Street Journal 'Saturated in the senses' Claire Vaye Watkins 'A swirling, always surprising storytelling structure' Guardian 'An original and quietly memorable reading experience' Washington Post 'Beautifully textured and rich with a sense of place' Karen Walker Thompson 'Reading this book feels like waking up to a singular and important new voice' Rajesh Parameswaran

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'

Jack Aubrey is a naval officer, a post-captain of experience and capacity. When 'The Letter of Marque' opens he has been struck off the Navy list for a crime he has not committed.

With Aubrey is his friend and ship's surgeon Stephen Maturin, who is also an unofficial British intelligence agent. Maturin has bought for Aubrey his old ship, the 'Surprise' as a 'private man-of-war'. Together they sail on a voyage which, if successful, might restore Aubrey to the rank, and the raison d'etre whose loss he so much regrets.

"The success of this great sequence comes from the conviction and huge enthusiasm which O'Brian had for his history. Everything changed when he realised that the Napoleonic wars were the Englishman's Troy tales, as historically and mythically rich, and imaginatively exploitable as the story that produced 'The Iliad'."
W.L. WEBB, 'Guardian'

"From the opening page I was addicted to what I judge to be one of the greatest cycles of storytelling in the English language."
WILLIAM WALDEGRAVE, 'Daily Telegraph'

Commissioned to rescue Governor Bligh of Bounty fame, Captain Jack Aubrey and his friend and surgeon, Stephen Maturin, sail the Leopard to Australia with a hold full of convicts. Among them is a beautiful and dangerous spy — and a treacherous disease which decimates the crew.

The ingredients of a wonderfully powerful and dramatic O’Brian novel are heightened by descriptive writing of rare quality. Nowhere in contemporary prose have the majesty and terror of the sea been more effectively rendered than in the thrilling chase through an Antarctic storm in which Jack’s ship, under-manned and out-gunned, is the quarry not the hunter.

A desolate wasteland. A mission gone wrong. An impossible goal. A gripping new series of Ancient RomeRoman scout Silus is deep behind enemy lines in Caledonia. As he spies on a raiding party, he is abruptly discovered by an enemy chief and his son. Mounting a one man ambush, everything quickly goes wrong. Silus must run for his life, the head of the enemy leader in his hands. Little does he know the price he will pay... As Silus is inducted into the Arcani, an elite faction of assassins and spies, he must return to Caledonia, back into the wilderness, and risk everything in the service of his Caesar. The odds don't look good. Failure is not an option. A blood-soaked and unputdownable Roman thriller, anchored in detailed historical research, perfect for fans of Ben Kane, Conn Iggulden and Robert Fabbri Praise for Alex Gough'Gritty and real, exciting and pacy, this is first rate historical fiction, and Gough is clearly ready to take his place among the leading writers of the genre' SJA Turney, author of the Praetorian series