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Books > Fiction > Genre fiction > Crime & mystery > Historical mysteries
From the author of the international bestsellers The Light Over
London and The Whispers of War comes "a compelling read, filled
with lovable characters and an alluring twist of fates" (Ellen
Keith, author of The Dutch Wife) about five women living across
three different times whose lives are all connected by one very
special garden. Present day: Emma Lovett, who has dedicated her
career to breathing new life into long-neglected gardens, has just
been given the opportunity of a lifetime: to restore the gardens of
the famed Highbury House estate, designed in 1907 by her hero
Venetia Smith. But as Emma dives deeper into the gardens' past, she
begins to uncover secrets that have long lain hidden. 1907: A
talented artist with a growing reputation for her work, Venetia
Smith has carved out a niche for herself as a garden designer to
industrialists, solicitors, and bankers looking to show off their
wealth with sumptuous country houses. When she is hired to design
the gardens of Highbury House, she is determined to make them a
triumph, but the gardens--and the people she meets--promise to
change her life forever. 1944: When land girl Beth Pedley arrives
at a farm on the outskirts of the village of Highbury, all she
wants is to find a place she can call home. Cook Stella Adderton,
on the other hand, is desperate to leave Highbury House to pursue
her own dreams. And widow Diana Symonds, the mistress of the grand
house, is anxiously trying to cling to her pre-war life now that
her home has been requisitioned and transformed into a convalescent
hospital for wounded soldiers. But when war threatens Highbury
House's treasured gardens, these three very different women are
drawn together by a secret that will last for decades. "Gorgeously
written and rooted in meticulous period detail, this novel is
vibrant as it is stirring. Fans of historical fiction will fall in
love with The Last Garden in England" (Roxanne Veletzos, author of
The Girl They Left Behind).
Journalist Joe Talbert investigates the murder of the father he
never knew, and must reckon with his own family's past, in this
brilliant sequel to the national bestseller The Life We Bury
(Publishers Weekly) Joe Talbert, Jr. has never once met his
namesake. Now out of college, a cub reporter for the Associated
Press in Minneapolis, he stumbles across a story describing the
murder of a man named Joseph Talbert in a small town in southern
Minnesota. Full of curiosity about whether this man might be his
father, Joe is shocked to find that none of the town's residents
have much to say about the dead man-other than that his death was
long overdue. Joe discovers that the dead man was a loathsome
lowlife who cheated his neighbors, threatened his daughter, and
squandered his wife's inheritance after she, too, passed away -- an
inheritance that may now be Joe's. Mired in uncertainty and plagued
by his own devastated relationship with his mother, who is seeking
to get back into her son's life, Joe must put together the missing
pieces of his family history -- before his quest for discovery
threatens to put him in a grave of his own.
The death of an unpopular nobleman brings trouble to Sir Josse's
family, in the latest Hawkenlye mystery All Saint's Eve, 1211. An
overweight but wealthy nobleman, desperate for an heir, dies at the
celebration feast he's thrown in his own hall. A natural death . .
. or at the hands of his reluctant new wife? Sabin de Gifford, an
apothecary and healer of note, is called to examine the body, and
concludes that he died of a spasm to the heart. But she is
troubled, all the same, and beset by suspicions. Did the man really
die of a heart attack? Or was something more sinister to blame?
There is only one person Sabin can turn to for help: fellow healer
Meggie, daughter of Sir Josse d'Acquin. But what she requires of
her is dangerous indeed . . .
'Intriguing, comforting and endearingly familiar' Katie Fforde 'The
BBC's most downloaded radio show' The Guardian 'Incredible legacy'
The BBC 'Longest running drama in the world' The i News It's 1941
and the war rumbles on. Nowhere is immune to the effects of war,
not even Ambridge. But in England's favourite village, something
else is occupying the residents... When a prominent villager dies,
the main beneficiary's name is a mystery, and no one knows who is
set to inherit the estate, cottage and all. The name is hidden
within a locked box and the villagers much uncover the password to
find out the name of the beneficiary. So when five people are each
sent a packet of seeds, the mystery deepens - could the seeds be
part of a clue? And can they all work together to unlock the
mystery and to discover who is set to inherit? Beautifully
produced, with stunning endpapers, this is the perfect read for all
Archers fans.
THE INSTANT SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER 'It's hard to believe that such
an accomplished novel could be a debut - The Leviathan is a
gloriously dark story that sweeps you along to its harrowing yet
satisfying conclusion. Superb' Susan Stokes-Chapman, number one
bestselling author of Pandora 'Darkly compelling and dripping with
atmosphere... bewitching' Stacey Halls, Sunday Times bestselling
author of THE FAMILIARS SHE IS AWAKE... Norfolk, 1643. With civil
war tearing England apart, reluctant soldier Thomas Treadwater is
summoned home by his sister, who accuses a new servant of improper
conduct with their widowed father. By the time Thomas returns home,
his father is insensible, felled by a stroke, and their new servant
is in prison, facing charges of witchcraft. Thomas prides himself
on being a rational, modern man, but as he unravels the mystery of
what has happened, he uncovers not a tale of superstition but
something dark and ancient, linked to a shipwreck years before.
Something has awoken, and now it will not rest. Richly researched,
incredibly atmospheric, and deliciously unsettling, The Leviathan
is set in England during a time of political and religious
turbulence. It is a tale of family and loyalty, superstition and
sacrifice, but most of all it is a spellbinding mystery and a story
of impossible things... 'Outstanding... a seething, haunting
delight' Beth Underdown, award-winning author of THE WITCHFINDER'S
SISTER 'Thoroughly gripping and utterly absorbing' Jennifer Saint,
author of ARIADNE *ROSIE ANDREWS'S The Puzzle Wood coming in 2024*
The Sunday Times Top Ten bestseller. Two women, centuries apart.
Linked in a place haunted by its history . . . Separated by more
than six hundred years of history, two women are drawn together by
Sleeper's Castle, a house steeped in memory and magic. This is an
epic tale of forbidden love, cruel revenge and a war that time
can't forget. Grieving and lost, Miranda has moved to Hay to
escape, and slowly she feels herself coming to life in the solitude
of the mountains. But her vivid dreams at Sleeper's Castle
introduce her to Catrin, a young women whose gift for foretelling
the future embroiled her in a bloody revolt against English rule -
many centuries ago. An unbreakable connection is forged across
history. Catrin is reaching out . . . and only Miranda can help.
But time is running out... Sunday Times bestselling author Barbara
Erskine returns to Hay in the year that marks the 30th anniversary
of her sensational debut bestseller, Lady of Hay.
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
Set in France in the 1930s, "L'Art de vivre" evokes the contrasting
worlds of a wealthy, socially prominent Parisian couple, and an
impoverished struggling American sculptor living in Paris. The
aristocratic couple occupy an elegant penthouse apartment and
frequent the highest levels of society and government. The artist
shares a very humble apartment with his girlfriend and scrapes by,
earning a living from the few students he can still attract and the
occasional sculpture he can sell.
These worlds, which are physically only a mile apart, come
together as a result of an improbable set of circumstances
involving thefts, a suspected murder, and a high profile police
investigation. Newspapers all over France report excitedly on the
mystery surrounding the artist, as his friends try to understand
what has become of him. Friends of the aristocratic couple never
suspect the obsessive secret that drives them to risk their
position and fortune through a daring crime spree.
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