Evoking the golden age of crime, and for fans of Raymond Chandler and Agatha Christie, comes the second book in the Aloysius Archer series, A Gambling Man from one of the world's bestselling thriller writers, David Baldacci.

California, 1949. Aloysius Archer is on his way to start a new job with a renowned Private Investigator in Bay Town. Feeling lucky, he stops off at a casino in Reno, where he meets an aspiring actress, Liberty Callahan. Together, they head west on a journey filled with danger and surprises - because Archer isn't the only one with a secretive past.

Arriving in a town rife with corruption, Archer is tasked with finding out who is doing everything they can to disrupt the appointment of a top official. Then two seemingly unconnected people are murdered at a burlesque club. In a tight-lipped community, Archer must dig deep to reveal the connection between the victims.

As the final perilous showdown unfurls, Archer will need all of his skills to decipher the truth from the lies and finally, to prove she's a star in the making, will Liberty have her moment in the spotlight?

A chance discovery in the village of Cullybackey Co. Antrim in 2006 reveals the documents relating to a previously unknown investigator of Ballymena Co. Antrim, one Brock Adair. Born in 1771 he and his colleague Charles Kinhilt, a solicitor from Cullybackey, conducted numerous investigations into crime in the Co. Antrim area and in the whole of Ireland. These were conducted prior to an established police force in Ireland. Charles Kinhilt had recorded the details of Brock Adair's investigations. He assisted Brock with these enquiries. Both Charles and Brock were educated locally in Ballymena and latterly at Trinity College Dublin. Brock Adair was called upon by the Local military commander Captain Dickey to assist with a number of enquiries. He gained a reputation of being an outstanding observer and investigator. This short story outlines the enquiries made by Brock Adair and Charles Kinhilt into the vicious murder of Florence McSorley in Meeting House Lane Ballymena in 1796. Brock investigates this vicious attack on the mother of two. It shocks the community. Will he be able to find the killer? This is one of a number of enquiries lead by Brock Adair.

'My father had spelt it out to me. Choice was a luxury I couldn't afford. This is your story, Red. You must tell it well . . .' A young girl known as Red, the daughter of a Cornish fortune-teller, travels with her father making a living predicting fortunes using the ancient method: the Square of Sevens. When her father suddenly dies, Red becomes the ward of a gentleman scholar. Now raised as a lady amidst the Georgian splendour of Bath, her fortune-telling is a delight to high society, but she cannot ignore the questions that gnaw at her soul: who was her mother? How did she die? And who are the mysterious enemies her father was always terrified would find him? The pursuit of these mysteries takes her from Cornwall and Bath to London and Devon, from the rough ribaldry of the Bartholemew Fair to the grand houses of two of the most powerful families in England. And while Red's quest brings her the possibility of great reward, it also leads into her grave danger . . . Laura Shepherd-Robinson's The Square of Sevens is an epic and sweeping novel set in Georgian high society, a dazzling story offering up mystery, intrigue, heartbreak, and audacious twists.

Set in the 17th century against the backdrop of political and religious conflict, the second of Watt's John MacKenzie series is as historically rich and gripping as the last. MacKenzie investigates the murder of a woman accused of witchcraft and he must act quickly when the same accusations are made against the woman's daughter. Superstition clashes with reason as Scotland moves towards the Enlightenment. The 1600s are expertly recreated with a strong sense of history and place.