"A first-rate whodunnit set in the 1960s New York art world, a time and place Helen Harrison has recreated with a page-turning mix of history, gossip, and fun!"-Bob Colacello, author of Holy Terror: Andy Warhol Close Up One artist. One student. One deadly mystery. When Regionalist painter Thomas Hart Benton's corpse is discovered behind the easels of Manhattan's famed art school, whispers in the art community say he had it coming. As Benton's list of enemies lengthens to include the school's instructors, Vietnam War protesters, and members of Andy Warhol's entourage, one art student is ultimately painted as the murderer. The only problem: the suspect has vanished. Why would an art student murder Benton? And if he were innocent, why would he run? When TJ Fitzgerald, son of Detective Juanita Diaz and Captain Brian Fitzgerald of the NYPD, discovers his classmate is the prime suspect, he uses his own investigative skills to try and clear his name. But as TJ and his girlfriend work to unravel the clues to the art mystery, he begins to wonder if the police got it wrong and one secret may be the key to it all... Helen Harrison's An Artful Corpse is a clever mystery sure to please art enthusiasts and armchair detectives alike.

Benjamin January is forced to travel to Haiti to seek his family's lost treasure, in order to save everything he holds dear. When Jefferson Vitrack - the white half-brother of Benjamin January's wife - turns up on January's doorstep in the summer of 1838 claiming he has discovered a clue to the whereabouts of the family's lost treasure, January has no hesitation about refusing to help look for it. For the treasure lies in Haiti, the island that was once France's most profitable colony - until the blood-chilling repression practiced there by the whites upon their slaves triggered a savage rebellion. The world's only Black Republic still looks with murderous mistrust upon any strangers who might set foot there, and January is in no hurry to go. But when Vitrack is murdered, and attempts are made on January's wife and himself, he understands that he has no choice. He must seek the treasure himself, to draw the unknown killers into the open, a bloody trail that leads first to Cuba, then to Haiti, and finally to the secret that lies buried with the accursed gold.

The 'razor-sharp' first book in the charming, fast-paced Pentecost and Parker mystery series. Book Two, Murder Under Her Skin, coming December 2021! Meet your new favourite duo, audacious and iconic, and perfect for fans of The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman, The Marvellous Mrs. Maisel, Agatha Christie and M. C. Beaton. It's 1945 and Lillian Pentecost is the most successful private detective in New York City, but she needs help. Enter Willowjean Parker, a circus runaway - and the perfect assistant. Quick-witted and street-smart, she's a jack-of-all-trades with a unique skill-set. She can pick locks blindfolded, wrestle men twice her size, and throw knives with deadly precision - all of which come in handy working for Ms P. When wealthy young widow Abigail Collins is murdered Pentecost and Parker are hired by the family to track down the culprit. On Halloween night, there was a costume party at the Collins' mansion, where a fortune teller performed a seance which greatly disturbed Abigail. Several hours later her body was discovered bludgeoned to death in her late husband's office. Problem is, the door to the office was locked from the inside. There was no-one else in the room, and the murder weapon was beside the victim; the fortune teller's crystal ball. It looks like an impossible crime, but Pentecost and Parker know there is no such thing... A 2020 Radio 2 Book Club pick. Praise for Fortune Favours the Dead: 'Razor-sharp, tons of flair and a snappy sense of humour' Tana French 'Bullets, blood, bodies, and belly-laughs: all the ingredients of a classic mystery novel. Stephen Spotswood hard-boils with the best of 'em!' Alan Bradley, bestselling author of the Flavia de Luce Mystery Series 'Fortune Favours the Dead takes gritty 40s noir, shakes it up, gives it a charming twist, and serves it up with unforgettable style. My new favourite sleuthing duo.' Deanna Raybourn, author of the Veronica Speedwell Mysteries 'Spotswood's stellar debut puts a modern spin on classic hard-boiled fiction. . . a novel to remember.' 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 'A highly accomplished, auspicious first entry in what we must hope will be a long-running series' The Irish Times

A cosy Dandy Gilver mystery set in 1930s Scotland. For fans of PG Wodehouse, Dorothy L Sayers and Agatha Christie. Glasgow,1932, is a city in the grip of dance-fever. Public ballrooms and backstreet dancehalls are thronged every night and competition for professional titles is fierce. Even after the sudden death of one of last year's hopefuls there are plenty willing to take his place, and few who stop to wonder why he died. In the melting pot of the Locarno Ballroom in Sauchiehall Street, a debutante rubs shoulders with denizens of Glasgow's meanest streets, her respectable fiance oblivious, her parents dismayed. When she starts receiving threats from a rival, they grow frantic enough to call on Dandy Gilver to save their precious daughter from harm. But as Dandy and her sidekick, Alec Osborne, begin to unravel the secrets of the dancehall, they soon discover that the rot goes much deeper than rivalry and there's more at stake than a silver cup. Despite the pretty frocks and dancing shoes, this apparently glittering world is a darker place than they've ever been before . . . Catriona McPherson's latest novel in the series, Dandy Gilver and a Spot of Toil and Trouble is now available for pre-order.

"This is Raymond Chandler for feminists." Sharma Shields, author of The Cassandra "An expressive and striking story that examines what one does for family and for oneself." Kirkus Reviews Jane's a very brave boy. And a very difficult girl. She'll become a remarkable woman, an icon of her century, but that's a long way off. Not my fault, she thinks, dropping a bloody crowbar in the irrigation ditch after Daddy. She steals Momma's Ford and escapes to Depression-era San Francisco, where she fakes her way into work as a newspaper copy boy. Everything's looking up. She's climbing the ladder at the paper, winning validation, skill, and connections with the artists and thinkers of her day. But then Daddy reappears on the paper's front page, his arm around a girl who's just been beaten into a coma one block from Jane's newspaper hit in the head with a crowbar. Jane's got to find Daddy before he finds her, and before everyone else finds her out. She's got to protect her invented identity. This is what she thinks she wants. It's definitely what her dead brother wants.

WATERSTONES SCOTTISH BOOK OF THE YEAR 2018! ******* 'Scotland's Outer Hebrides provides the sensuous setting for this impressive debut...a beautifully crafted novel' - Publishers Weekly 'Lovely atmospheric descriptions of Hebridean light and landscape' - The Scotsman A captivating story of a crumbling estate in the wilds of Scotland, its century-old secret and an enduring mystery... Following the death of her last living relative, Hetty Deveraux leaves London and her strained relationship behind for Muirlan, her ancestral home in Scotland - now in ruins. As Hetty dives headfirst into the repairs, she discovers a shocking secret protected by the house for a hundred years. With only whispered rumours circulating among the local villagers and a handful of leads to guide her, Hetty finds the power of the past is still affecting her present in startling ways. 'There is an echo of Daphne du Maurier's Rebecca in Sarah Maine's appealing debut novel' The Independent *previously published as Bhalla Strand*

The gripping, heartwrenching story of a girl gone missing and an innocent, accused woman who holds the key to a family secret, from the global bestselling author of THE GIRL IN THE LETTER. 'Hugely addictive, full of twists, turns and betrayal' Heat 'I really loved it! Tense, emotionally charged' Jenny Ashcroft 'Spellbindingly good! Heartbreak, intrigue, mystery *****' Real reader 'One of the best books I've read this year! I adored every single page *****' Real reader __________ It all began with a midwife's secret, long buried but if uncovered could save two families from the bitter tragedy that binds them. And prove the key that will free them all... 1969 On New Year's Eve, while the Hiltons of Yew Tree Manor prepare to host the party of the season, their little girl disappears. Suspicion falls on Bobby James, a young farmhand and the last person to see Alice before she vanished. Bobby protests his innocence, but he is sent away. Alice is never found. Present day Architect Willow James is working on a development at Yew Tree when she discovers the land holds a secret. As she begins to dig deep into the past, she uncovers a web of injustice. And when another child goes missing, Willow knows the only way to stop history repeating itself is to right a terrible wrong... 'A gripping story' Woman & Home 'A heart-wrenching story of love, loyalty and family secrets. Reminded me of Kate Morton and Eve Chase *****' Fictionophile 'Compelling, twisty, heart-wrenching... A novel that stays with you. I was gripped' Sophie Kinsella on The Girl in the Letter ARE YOU READY TO DISCOVER THE MIDWIFE'S SECRET? READERS ARE SPELLBOUND: 'One of my favourites this year' Beauty Balm blog 'The story was stunning and heartbreaking. I went to bed at 2am! Can't wait for the next book *****' 'Wow! What a powerful book. This had me hooked from the start. The story spans generations and tells of lies, grief and secrets. It was extremely well written and had you guessing right to the end. Loved the characters and couldn't put this book down. *****' 'A real heart-pounder! It had intrigue, suspense and lots of twists and turns!! Definitely some jaw-dropping moments! I highly recommend reading this book! *****' Your favourite authors adore Emily Gunnis's bestselling novels: 'Utterly gripping, taut and powerful. An emotionally charged, compulsive, moving novel *****' Adele Parks 'A great book, truly hard to put down. Fast paced, brilliantly plotted and desperately sad at times - all hallmarks of a bestseller' Lesley Pearse 'A truly brilliant and moving read. I loved it' Karen Hamilton 'Captivating and suspenseful' Jessica Fellowes 'Loss, betrayal and a decades-old secret... BRILLIANT' Heat magazine

For the twentieth anniversary of the start of the Matthew Bartholomew series, Sphere is delighted to reissue all of the medieval monk's cases with beautiful new series-style covers. ------------------------------------ The winter of 1353 has been appallingly wet, there is a fever outbreak amongst the poorer townspeople and the country is not yet fully recovered from the aftermath of the plague. The increasing reputation and wealth of the Cambridge colleges are causing dangerous tensions between the town, Church and University. Matthew Bartholomew is called to look into the deaths of three members of the University of who died from drinking poisoned wine, and soon he stumbles upon criminal activities that implicate his relatives, friends and colleagues - so he must solve the case before matters in the town get out of hand... On St Scholastica's Day in February 1355, Oxford explodes in one of the most serious riots of its turbulent history. Fearing for their lives, the scholars flee the city, and some choose the University at Cambridge as their temporary refuge. However, they don't remain safe for long. Within hours of their arrival, the first of their number dies, followed quickly by a second. When Bartholomew and Brother Michael begin to investigate the deaths, they uncover evidence that the Oxford riot was not a case of random violence, but part of a carefully orchestrated plot. With the Archbishop of Canterbury about to honour Cambridge with a Visitation, and a close colleague accused of a series of murders Bartholomew is certain he didn't commit, the race is on to solve the riddles and bring a ruthless killer to justice.

An apartment on the rue Morgue turned into a charnel house; the corpse of a shopgirl dragged from the Seine; a high-stakes game of political blackmail-three mysteries that have enthralled the whole of Paris, and baffled the city's police. The brilliant Chevalier Auguste Dupin investigates - can he find the solution where so many others before him have failed? These three stories from the pen of Edgar Allan Poe are some of the most influential ever written, widely praised and credited with inventing the detective genre. This edition contains: 'The Murders in the Rue Morgue', 'The Mystery of Marie Roget' and 'The Purloined Letter'.

For the twentieth anniversary of the start of the Matthew Bartholomew series, Sphere is delighted to reissue all of the medieval monk's cases with beautiful new series-style covers. ------------------------------------ The winter of 1353 has been appallingly wet, there is a fever outbreak amongst the poorer townspeople and the country is not yet fully recovered from the aftermath of the plague. The increasing reputation and wealth of the Cambridge colleges are causing dangerous tensions between the town, Church and University. Matthew Bartholomew is called to look into the deaths of three members of the University of who died from drinking poisoned wine, and soon he stumbles upon criminal activities that implicate his relatives, friends and colleagues - so he must solve the case before matters in the town get out of hand... In the year 1357, Cambridge University is in dire financial straits: the town's landlords are demanding an extortionate rent rise for the students' hostels and the plague years have left the colleges with scant resources. Tension between town and gown is at boiling point and soon explodes into violence and death. Into this maelstrom comes a charismatic physician whose healing methods owe more to magic than medicine - but his success threatens Matthew Bartholomew's professional reputation, and his life ...

Hailed by critic Anthony Boucher as "one of the best detective stories of modern times," this classic tale by Grand Master Dorothy Salisbury Davis combines suspense and psychological insight as a priest and a police detective both race to find a self-confessed murderer before he is compelled to kill again. "Bless me, Father, for I have sinned ..." Father Duffy has heard many confessions through the years, but none quite so disturbing as the one he's heard tonight. A young man enters the confessional just as the priest is readying to leave for the evening; he's distraught that he has killed a woman in a paroxysm of uncontrollable rage-and he's still wielding the hammer he used to do the deed. Father Duffy tries to convince the young man to turn himself in to the police, but he flees just as suddenly as he had appeared. When the priest learns the next day that an escort was found bludgeoned to death on the East Side, he sets out to search for the troubled confessor. Meanwhile, Sergeant Ben Goldsmith of the NYPD is drawn deep into the official investigation. Neither is aware that the other is searching for the murderer, and both hope against hope that they're able to find the killer before he strikes again.

In the latest thrilling Cotton Malone adventure from international bestseller Steve Berry, one by one the seven precious relics of the Arma Christi, the weapons of Christ, are disappearing from sanctuaries across the world.

After former Justice Department agent Cotton Malone witnesses the theft of one of them, he learns from his old boss, Stephanie Nelle, that a private auction is about to be held where incriminating information on the president of Poland will be offered to the highest bidder - blackmail that both the United States and Russia want, but for vastly different reasons.

The price of admission to that auction is one of the relics, so Malone is first sent to a castle in Poland to steal the Holy Lance, a thousand-year-old spear sacred not only to Christians but to the Polish people, and then on to the auction itself. But nothing goes as planned and Malone is thrust into a bloody battle between three nations over information that, if exposed, could change the balance of power in Europe.

From the tranquil canals of Bruges, to the elegant rooms of Wawel Castle, to deep beneath the earth in an ancient Polish salt mine, Malone is caught in the middle of a deadly war - the outcome of which turns on a secret known as the Warsaw Protocol.

Hugh Corbett returns in the twenty-first gripping mystery in Paul Doherty's ever-popular series. If you love the historical mysteries of C. J. Sansom, E. M. Powell and Bernard Cornwell you will love this. Secrets simmer in the lonely wasteland of Dartmoor. Spring, 1312. At Malmaison Manor, Lord Simon is concealing a dark secret - one he arrogantly assumes will never catch up with him. But someone knows about the crime he committed and they've found a way to make him pay. And he's not alone. When he is found mysteriously slain, other deaths soon follow. Meanwhile, ships on the Devonshire coast are being deliberately wrecked, their crews slaughtered, their cargoes plundered. Sir Hugh Corbett and Lord Simon are bound by the Secret Chancery and their search for one precious ruby - the Lacrima Christi. So, when Corbett learns of Lord Simon's death, he is once more dragged into a tangled web of lies and intrigue and it's not long before secrets of his own start to surface. As the Hymn to Murder reaches its crescendo, can Corbett confront his past and live to see another day? Praise for Paul Doherty's dark and suspenseful novels: 'His fascination for history comes off the page' Daily Express 'An opulent banquet to satisfy the most murderous appetite' Northern Echo 'Deliciously suspenseful, gorgeously written and atmospheric' Historical Novels Review 'Paul Doherty has a lively sense of history . . . evocative and lyrical descriptions' New Statesmen

IN A SACRED PLACE, UNHOLY PASSIONS LEAD TO MURDER...

Sunlight shone on the dark crimson blood, making it shine like a jewel...thus the body of Gunnora, a young nun from Hawkenlye Abbey, is found with her throat cut. Felons have been released from English prisons at the command of the new king, Richard Plantagenet, and suspicion centers on them. But when Josse d'Acquin, the king's knight, arrives from France to investigate, he discovers treacherous currents of lust, greed, and anger flowing closer to the Abbey, and in the haunted Weald of Kent, whose woods hide strange secrets...

With the help of the worldly, beautiful Abbess Helewise, Josse ferrets out an array of suspects. Their one precious piece of evidence is a gold, rubied cross. But the shocking truth of Gunnora's death is an elusive -- and far more dangerous -- prize.

Fans of S. J. Parris, Donna Leon, Steven Saylor, C. J. Sansom will absolutely love this gripping page-turner of a historical mystery from multi-million copy bestselling author Lindsey Davis. Full of twists, turns and tension - you'll be hooked from page one... 'Surely the best historical detective in the business' -- Daily Telegraph 'If only all bestsellers were this satisfying' -- Time Out 'Davis's writing zings with fun' -- Daily Mail 'Lindsey Davis does it again - another cracking read' -- ***** Reader review 'Addictive' -- ***** Reader review 'Difficult to put down' -- ***** Reader review 'Gripping and entertaining' -- ***** Reader review *********************************************************************************************************** CONTRACTORS ON SCHEDULE FOR CORPSES IN BRITANNIA AD 75: as a passion for home improvement sweeps through the Roman Empire, Falco struggles to deal with a pair of terrible bath-house contractors who have been causing him misery for months. Far away in Britain, King Togidubnus of the Atrebates tribe is planning his own makeover. His huge new residence (known to us as Fishbourne Palace) will be spectacular - but the sensational refurbishment is beset by 'accidents'. The frugal Emperor Vespasian is paying for all this; he wants someone to investigate. Falco has a new baby, a new house, and he hates Britain. But his feud with Anacrites the Chief Spy has now reached a dangerous level, so with his own pressing reasons to leave Rome in a hurry, he accepts the task. A thousand miles from home, he starts restoring order to the chaotic building site and realises that someone with murderous intentions is now after him...

*****Part of the bestselling John Shakespeare series of Tudor spy thrillers from Rory Clements, winner of the Ellis Peters Historical Fiction Award***** '[Clements] does for Elizabeth's reign what CJ Sansom does for Henry VIII's' Sunday Times ********** England may have survived the Armada threat of 1588, but when Spanish galleys land troops in Cornwall on a lightning raid seven years later, is it a dry-run for a new invasion? Revenge for the sacking of Spanish shipping and ports? A warning shot to Drake and Hawkins? Or is there, perhaps, a more sinister motive? The Queen is speechless with rage at Spain's temerity. Sir Robert Cecil demands answers. But as John Shakespeare tries to get a grip on events, England's secret defences begin to unravel as one by one his network of spies is horribly murdered. But what has all this to do with Thomasyn Jade, a girl driven to the edge of madness by the foul rituals of exorcism? And what is the link to a group of priests held prisoner in the bleak confines of Wisbech Castle? From the pain-wracked torture rooms of the Inquisition in Seville to the marshy wastes of fenland, from the wild coasts of Cornwall to the sweat and sawdust of the Elizabethan playhouses, and from the condemned cell at Newgate to the devilish stench of brimstone and fear as demons are driven out by unspeakable means, THE HERETICS builds to a terrifying climax that threatens the life of the Queen herself.

'Robyn Young realistically evokes the brutal world of the late fifteenth century, and interweaves a gripping tale with a highly original take on Richard III and the Princes in the Tower. Provocative and grounded upon impressive research, this is historical fiction of a high calibre. More, please!' Alison Weir 1483: A secret war is born... Jack Wynter is trapped in sun-baked Seville, sent there by his father with a locked box he's been told to guard with his life. A vital task, or just a ruse to get an illegitimate son out of the country? But, then, when his father is arrested for treason, Jack finds himself at the heart of a deadly conspiracy. Seeking answers to the mystery he has inherited, Jack returns to England, where his half-brother, Harry, broods bitterly over their father's apparent preference for a bastard son and young Prince Edward is due to become king... unless his uncle, Richard of Gloucester, makes a play for the throne. Jack Wynter is coming home, to a realm of danger, intrigue and war. Somehow, he is connected to a secret that stretches across Europe, and beyond. A secret with the power to kill him - or make him. Sons of the Blood is the first in an epic new series from the Sunday Times bestselling author. Look out for part two, Court of Wolves.

There is nothing more deadly than an ambitious and desperate man. Even as the Allies inch ever closer to winning the war from within the dying embers of the Third Reich, a monstrous plot is hatched to restore Nazi Germany to world prominence. Major Michael Tagleva is flown to France on a top secret mission and soon finds himself in the thick of the fighting to liberate Paris. He becomes embroiled in a desperate race against time to protect his country from a web of intrigue and at the same time save the Tagleva banking empire from its enemies. Before the end, exhausted and despite personal tragedy, Michael comes face to face with the creator of the plot who will stop at nothing to win his prize. Can he find and eliminate the source of catastrophe before it overwhelms everything he holds dear. In this long-awaited completion of the Tagleva saga, Stephen Davis has once again uncovered true historical fact to create a gripping adventure, which treads the murky corridors of the intelligence services in London and Berlin, pulls back the veil of Switzerland's secret banking system and ends with a truly shocking revelation from within the very heart of the Vatican.

For the twentieth anniversary of the start of the Matthew Bartholomew series, Sphere is delighted to reissue all of the medieval monk's cases with beautiful new series-style covers. ------------------------------------ The winter of 1353 has been appallingly wet, there is a fever outbreak amongst the poorer townspeople and the country is not yet fully recovered from the aftermath of the plague. The increasing reputation and wealth of the Cambridge colleges are causing dangerous tensions between the town, Church and University. Matthew Bartholomew is called to look into the deaths of three members of the University of who died from drinking poisoned wine, and soon he stumbles upon criminal activities that implicate his relatives, friends and colleagues - so he must solve the case before matters in the town get out of hand... The Cambridge college of Michaelhouse is in uproar in the November of 1353: Kenyngham the saintly but ageing Master has announced his retirement and with unseemly haste a Michaelhouse Fellow named Runham arranges his own 'election' as his successor. Within days he has dismissed several members of staff, including the redoubtable laundress Agatha, and is making life so unpleasant for the scholars that even Matthew Bartholomew believes his future as physician and teacher at the college is untenable. While Matthew is helping Brother Michael, Proctor of the fledgling university, investigate some suspicious deaths, Runham himself is murdered and, although mourned by none, Matthew and Michael know they have to solve the mystery before any more damage is done to their beloved Michaelhouse.

1923. Mary Russell Holmes and her husband, the retired Sherlock Holmes, are enjoying the summer together on their Sussex estate when they are visited by an old friend, Miss Dorothy Ruskin, an archeologist just returned from Palestine. She leaves in their protection an ancient manuscript which seems to hint at the possibility that Mary Magdalene was an apostle--an artifact certain to stir up a storm of biblical proportions in the Christian establishment. When Ruskin is suddenly killed in a tragic accident, Russell and Holmes find themselves on the trail of a fiendishly clever murderer. This next installment is brimming with political intrigue, theological arcana, and brilliant Holmesian deductions.

Lady Emily Hardcastle is an eccentric widow with a secret past. Florence Armstrong, her maid and confidante, is an expert in martial arts. The year is 1908 and they've just moved from London to the country, hoping for a quiet life. But it is not long before Lady Hardcastle is forced out of her self-imposed retirement. There's a dead body in the woods, and the police are on the wrong scent. Lady Hardcastle makes some enquiries of her own, and it seems she knows a surprising amount about crime investigation... As Lady Hardcastle and Flo delve deeper into rural rivalries and resentment, they uncover a web of intrigue that extends far beyond the village. With almost no one free from suspicion, they can be certain of only one fact: there is no such thing as a quiet life in the country. Revised edition: This edition of A Quiet Life In The Country includes editorial revisions.

An escaped assassin. A group of cannibals on the run. A threatening letter. Newspaper reporter Alec Lonsdale is on the case in this compelling Victorian mystery. "All Londoners will see what the Watchers are capable of on Christmas Eve ." December 1882. Attending the opening of the new Natural History Museum, Pall Mall Gazette reporter Alec Lonsdale and his colleague Hulda Friederichs are shocked to discover a body in the basement, hacked to death. Suspicion immediately falls on a trio of cannibals, brought over from the Congo as museum exhibits, who have disappeared without trace. Alec however has his doubts - especially when he discovers that three other influential London men have been similarly murdered. When he and Hulda discover a letter in the victim's home warning of a catastrophic event planned for Christmas Eve, the pair find themselves in a race against time to discover who exactly the Watchers are and what it is they want .