Alan Hollinghurst, the Booker Prize-winning author of The Line of Beauty, brings us a dark, luminous and wickedly funny portrait of modern England through the lens of one man’s acutely observed and often unnerving experience. It is a story of race and class, theatre and sexuality, love and the cruel shock of violence, from one of the finest writers of our age.

Dave Win is thirteen years old when he first goes to stay with the sponsors of his scholarship at a local boarding school. This weekend, with its games and challenges and surprising encounters, will open up heady new possibilities, even as it exposes him to their son Giles’ envy and violence.

As their lives unfold over the next half a century, the two boys’ careers will diverge dramatically: Dave, a gifted actor struggling with convention and discrimination, Giles an increasingly powerful and dangerous politician.

Our Evenings is Dave Win’s own account of his life as a schoolboy and student, his first love affairs, in London, and on the road with an experimental theatre company, and of a late-life affair, which transforms his sixties with a new sense of happiness and a perilous security.

ARE YOU READY TO ENROL INTO THE HOUSE OF MARIONNE?

Quell Marionne has lived her entire life on the run, all in order to hide the deadly
magic that flows through her veins.

She was born cursed with Toushana - a perilous dark magic.

And the sentence for having it? Death . . .

When her secret is discovered by a merciless assassin, Quell fears time is running out.

There is only one place that can save her: The House of Marionne. Run by her estranged grandmother, the school trains their students to enter The Order, a society of magical elites. Quell knows this may be the key to burying her forbidden magic forever.

But if her Toushana is discovered, she will be killed.

Soon Quell realises that hiding who you are is even harder, especially when she meets the handsome, brooding Jordon.

And it isn't long before she's forced to choose between her true nature and everyone she's grown to love.

Brimming with ballgowns and betrayal, magic and mystery, decadence and darkness, House of Marionne is perfect for readers who crave morally grey characters, irresistible romance and dark academia.

Revolutionary France is full of blood and bite . . .

1793. Eleanor, once a lowly English maid, is now a member of the League of the Scarlet Pimpernel: renowned for their daring deeds, and for rescuing aristocrats and vampires from the guillotine. When the notorious French diplomat Charles-Maurice de Talleyrand goes missing, Eleanor and the League leap into action. But they uncover two vampire factions feuding for control over humanity’s fate. Talleyrand’s disappearance is part of a larger, more dangerous scheme – one that threatens to throw France into bloody chaos . . .

As the mutiny continues, a once-dead queen stalks the streets of Paris and the Scarlet Pimpernel is nowhere to be found. Eleanor must take control of her own fate. If she doesn’t, she may find herself the victim of the very people she came to save.

The thrilling follow-up to Scarlet, Elusive by Genevieve Cogman is a witty, inventive retelling of the Scarlet Pimpernel, perfect for fans of The Invisible Library series, Kim Newman and Gail Carriger.

Set in London during the Blitz, Hope Under Fire is the fourth exciting spy thriller in Caroline Dunford's World War II Hope Stapleford Adventures. It is late August 1940 and British Intelligence agent Hope Stapleford is desperate to join the Special Operations Executive. But spymaster Fitzroy, now Hope's stepfather, has promised to protect her, so instead he sends her to work in the home propaganda department of the Ministry of Information. When bombs starts to fall in London and lives are tragically lost, Hope secretly becomes an ARP warden and her asset, Harvey, becomes a nightshift fireman on the East End docks. And as the Blitz rages on, Hope must keep the nation's spirits up, while never knowing where the next threat to her safety lies . . . Readers LOVE Caroline Dunford's gripping Second World War thrillers! 'Wonderful in its writing, chaterisation and plot the book never fails to entertain' ***** Reader review for HOPE TO SURVIVE 'This is one of the best written mystery series that I have read' ***** Reader review for HOPE TO SURVIVE 'They're so well written that they're hard to put down! I can't wait for the next one!' ***** Reader review for HOPE TO SURVIVE 'This has got to be one of the best writers of mystery books' ***** Author review for HOPE TO SURVIVE

The Yeonnam-dong Smiley Laundromat is a place where the extraordinary stories of ordinary residents unfold. Situated at the heart of rapidly gentrifying district of Seoul, it's a haven of peace and reflection for many locals.

And when a notebook is left behind there, it becomes a place that brings people together. One by one, customers start jotting down candid diary entries, opening their hearts and inviting acts of kindness from neighbours who were once just faces in the crowd.

But there is a darker story behind the notebook, and before long the laundromat's regulars are teaming up to solve the mystery and put the world to rights.

Instantly capturing the hearts of Korean readers, this is a novel about the preciousness of human relationships and the power of solidarity in a world that is increasingly cold, fast-paced, and virtual.

A supernatural Boys' Love manga about an ornery snake god and his obstinate sacrificial offering.

Uzumaki Nanao was born to be a sacrifice. However, when his family delivers him to the god who’s supposed to eat him, things don’t go quite as expected. The god is more interested in taking it easy than sacrificial offerings, totally ruining Nanao’s end-of-life trajectory. Can he convince the god to eat him? Or will he learn that there’s more than one way to be devoured by a god? Recommended for Mature Audiences.

One Wrong Turn is a heart-pounding thriller from C. M. Ewan, acclaimed author of The House Hunt, The Interview, A Window Breaks and the half-a-million-copy bestseller Safe House.

Late at night . . .

Abi and Ben are driving home down foggy country roads, arguing about having had to cut short their weekend away when they take a wrong turn. Abi’s driving, but her eyes leave the road for a moment as she says something to Ben – just as he gasps. A man is in front of the car, waving a torch. Abi swerves to avoid him.

You see a family stranded . . .

Ben tells her they should stop and go back, but Abi refuses. It’s dark, the roads are isolated and they don’t know this stranger. But, as Abi continues on, they see a broken-down car. Every instinct is still telling Abi to drive by, but then she notices the woman holding a car seat with a baby in it.

Would you stop?

For a moment, Abi hesitates, but they can’t leave a mother and baby on the side of the road. Agreeing to give the family a lift, they set off again. But now these strangers are inside their car and it might be the worst mistake they have ever made . . .

This exceptional volume celebrates one of the greatest heroes in world cultural heritage: the Little Prince.

Created in conjunction with some of the story’s greatest connoisseurs, this visual dictionary presents every aspect of The Little Prince: a behind-the-scenes look at the writing of the tale and its publication; the secrets of an unpublished chapter; rare illustrations by the author; photographs of the original manuscript; a guide to all the main characters, settings, and objects, and more.

This is the story of a timeless tale for readers both young and old; it is the chronicle of a philosophical fable that has marked––and changed––the lives of generations of enthusiastic readers; it is the saga of a cult classic, second only to the Bible as the world’s bestselling book.

From its first edition published in the United States in 1943 to its recent adaptation as an animated feature film, discover the incredible success of author Saint-Exupéry’s masterpiece, The Little Prince.

This official album also includes―for the very first time―the numerous tributes paid to this admirable story, including films and animated cartoon series, musicals, graphic novels, and merchandising.

Dreams might be a heart's desire, but nightmares are its obsession in the first novel of a dark romance series from New York Times bestselling author Penelope Douglas.

Erika Fane's boyfriend's older brother is handsome, strong, and completely terrifying. The star of his college's basketball team gone pro, he's more concerned with the dirt on his shoe than he is with her. But she saw him. She heard him. The things that he did, and the deeds that he hid . . .

For years, Erika bit her nails, unable to look away. Now, she's in college, but she hasn't stopped watching him. He's bad and the things she's seen aren't content to stay in her head anymore.

Because he's finally noticed her.

But Michael Crist knows the hold he has on Rika, how much she fears him. She looks down when he enters the room and stills when he's close. He knows she thinks only of him. When Michael's brother leaves for the military, leaving Rika alone and unprotected, he knows the opportunity is too good to be true.

Three years ago she put Michael's friends in prison, and now they're free.

Every last one of her nightmares is about to come true.

**Corrupt is a STANDALONE dark romance with no cliffhanger. It is suitable for ages 18+**

On the cusp of turning eighty, newly retired pharmacist Augusta Stern is adrift. When she relocates to Rallentando Springs―an active senior community in southern Florida―she unexpectedly crosses paths with Irving Rivkin, the delivery boy from her father’s old pharmacy―and the man who broke her heart sixty years earlier.

As a teenager growing up in 1920’s Brooklyn, Augusta’s role model was her father, Solomon Stern, the trusted owner of the local pharmacy and the neighborhood expert on every ailment. But when Augusta’s mother dies and Great Aunt Esther moves in, Augusta can’t help but be drawn to Esther’s curious methods. As a healer herself, Esther offers Solomon’s customers her own advice―unconventional remedies ranging from homemade chicken soup to a mysterious array of powders and potions.

As Augusta prepares for pharmacy college, she is torn between loyalty to her father and fascination with her great aunt, all while navigating a budding but complicated relationship with Irving. Desperate for clarity, she impulsively uses Esther’s most potent elixir with disastrous consequences. Disillusioned and alone, Augusta vows to reject Esther’s enchantments forever.

Sixty years later, confronted with Irving, Augusta is still haunted by the mistakes of her past. What happened all those years ago and how did her plan go so spectacularly wrong? Did Irving ever truly love her or was he simply playing a part? And can Augusta reclaim the magic of her youth before it’s too late?

Introducing Little Clothbound Classics: irresistible, mini editions of short stories, novellas and essays from the world's greatest writers, designed by the award-winning Coralie Bickford-Smith. Celebrating the range and diversity of Penguin Classics, they take us from snowy Japan to springtime Vienna, from haunted New England to a sun-drenched Mediterranean island, and from a game of chess on the ocean to a love story on the moon. Beautifully designed and printed, these collectible editions are bound in colourful, tactile cloth and stamped with foil. Widely considered to be one of greatest ever writers of the form, Anton Chekhov's short stories offer unforgettable character, crystalline expression, and deep, powerful mystery. Collected here are five of his very best tales, 'The Lady with the Little Dog', 'The House with the Mezzanine', and the trilogy of stories, 'The Man in the Case', 'Gooseberries' and 'About Love'.

The full-color manhua (comic) adaptation of the hit danmei/Boys' Love novel--and in the same universe as Legend of Exorcism: Tianbao Fuyao Lu!

A historical fantasy set in an ancient China where magic has been nearly extinguished, and two young men must work together to prevent the destruction of all life.

It has been three hundred years since magic disappeared from the Divine Land. Chen Xing is the last Great Exorcist—a young man with a tenuous grip on magic whose life is destined to end on his twentieth birthday. As whispers about the return of the demonic entity known as Mara echo across the land, Chen Xing is burdened with a daunting task: to seek out his fated counterpart, the Protector Martial God, and together, to save the world.

Enter Xiang Shu, a condemned man with a haunted past. Accused of unspeakable atrocities, Xiang Shu is an enigma—handsome, skilled, and facing execution for crimes he claims he didn't commit. As their destinies intertwine, Chen Xing and Xiang Shu embark together on a journey where the salvation of everything they know hangs in the balance.

One of the greatest Jedi Knights of all, Mace Windu, stars in his own comic book series! Even in the years before the Clone Wars, Mace Windu was known for his discipline, determination and combat skills. Now, they will all be put to the test as he vies to stop an incendiary secret from falling into the wrong hands! When a scientist's discovery threatens the balance of the galaxy, Mace is led down a treacherous path of mystery and action! And he must work together with Azita Cruz to escape the menace of the Bore Worm! But what else lies in their path and who is following them? And what is Coaxium Ultra? Collecting: Star Wars: Mace Windu (2024) 1-4, Star Wars: Revelations (2023) 1 (Story 6)

A gripping and uplifting novel based on the true story of the Jane Collective and the brave women who worked in the shadows for our right to choose, from the USA Today bestselling author of The Paris Bookseller.

Chicago, early 1970s. Who does a woman call when she needs help? Jane.

The best-known secret in the city, Jane is an underground health clinic composed entirely of women helping women, empowering them to embrace their futures by offering reproductive counseling and safe, illegal abortions. Veronica, Jane’s founder, prides herself on the services she has provided to thousands of women, yet the price of others’ freedom is that she leads a double life. When she’s not at Jane, Veronica plays the role of a conventional housewife—a juggling act that becomes even more difficult during her own high-risk pregnancy.

Two more women in Veronica’s neighborhood are grappling with similar disconnects. Margaret, a young professor at the University of Chicago, secretly volunteers at Jane as she falls in love with a man whose attitude toward his ex-wife increasingly disturbs her. Patty, who’s long been content as a devoted wife and mother, has begun to sense that something essential is missing from her life. When her runaway younger sister, Eliza, shows up unexpectedly, Patty must come to terms with what it really means to love and support a sister.

In this historic moment, when the personal was nothing if not political, Veronica, Margaret, and Patty risk it all to help mothers, daughters, sisters, and friends. With an awe-inspiring story and appealing characters, All You Have to Do Is Call celebrates the power of women coming together in the face of seemingly insurmountable odds.

Fair is foul and foul is fair.

From the Sunday Times bestselling author of A STUDY IN DROWNING comes a reimagining of Lady Macbeth, Shakespeare’s most famous villainess, giving her a voice, a past, and a power that transforms the story men have written for her.

The Lady knows the stories: that her eyes induce madness in men.

The Lady knows she will be wed to the Scottish brute, who does not leave his warrior ways behind when he comes to the marriage bed.

The Lady knows his hostile, suspicious court will be a game of survival, requiring all of her wiles and hidden witchcraft to survive.

But the Lady does not know her husband has occult secrets of his own. She does not know that prophecy girds him like armour. She does not know that her magic is greater, and more dangerous, and that it will threaten the order of the world.

She does not know this yet. But she will.

High school student Kei Nagai is killed in a traffic accident, but immediately revives to learn that he may not be human at all. Instead, he may be a Demi-Human, a mysterious almost immortal being blessed with amazing super-human abilities. Scared, he runs away, and is aided in his escape from society by his friend Kai. Unfortunately for Kei, the manhunt is on and he will soon be caught within a conflict between mankind and other Demi-Humans as they prepare to fight for global supremacy.

Agatha Christie meets Julie Caplin in this exciting new cosy crime series that captures the glamour of the 1930s with the gorgeous escapist destinations! Look out for more Miss Ashford mysteries and get your passports ready as you travel with her to some of the most sought-after destinations on the continent… Book 1: Mystery in Provence Book 2: Last Seen in Santorini Book 3: A Fatal Invitation in Tuscany Book 4: Last Dance in Salzburg

From the #1 New York Times master of international thrillers comes the story of a hunt across the globe, pitting nation against nation, as ancient myths of a lost continent prove all too real.

The execution of a Vatican archivist within the shadow of the Kremlin exposes a conspiracy going back three centuries—to the bloody era of the Russian Tsars. Before his murder, he manages to dispatch a coded message, a warning of a terrifying threat, one tied to a secret buried within the Golden Library of Tsars, a vast and treasured archive that had vanished into history.

As combative forces race for the truth behind this death and alarming discovery, Sigma Force is summoned to aid in the search—not only for this missing trove of ancient books, but to follow a trail far into the Arctic, to search for the truth about a lost continent and a revelation that could ignite a global war. But Sigma Force has its own difficulties at home after an explosive attack on the National Mall—one aimed at the heart of their covert agency—has left them vulnerable and exposed.

The growing conflict—both on Russian soil and deep in the Arctic—will reignite a centuries-old war between the newly resurgent Russian Orthodox Church and the Vatican, while sabers rattle across the nations of the Arctic Circle, threatening to turn those icy seas into a fiery conflagration.

Facing enemies on all sides, it will be up to Commander Gray Pierce and Sigma Force to unravel a mystery going back millennia—and uncover the truth about a lost civilization and an arcane treasure that could save the planet…or destroy it.

WELCOME TO THE SAN TAMCULO ZOO OF MAGICAL CREATURES!

Aila has spent her entire life dreaming of saving phoenixes.

She pulled countless all-nighters at uni just to sneak a toe in the door of the breathtakingly competitive field of conservation, stumbling through failed romance and disastrous class presentations thanks to social anxiety, while also surviving a ferocious class rivalry with the (unbearably beautiful) insufferably hotshot Luciana.

Somehow, she actually did it: landed her dream job as head phoenix keeper at the world-renowned zoo that inspired her as a child, tasked with rescuing the critically endangered Silimalo phoenix from the brink of extinction.

There are just two or three (thousand) impossible problems.

1. She can't act sensibly around the charming dragon keeper, Connor.
2. Her plans to revive the phoenix programme are more precarious than ever, after a poacher attack at a neighbouring zoo.
3. Her best chance at success means teaming up with the star of the zoo, the universally adored griffin keeper, the hotshot showmaster of the most popular exhibit . . .

Yes, of course it's Luciana.

Against an epic fantasy backdrop teeming with all your favourite mythical beasts from dragons and unicorns to kelpies and krakens, The Phoenix Keeper combines the cozy fantasy stakes of TJ Klune and Travis Baldree with the heartwarming contemporary romance of Alice Oseman and Casey McQuiston.

From the author of Looker comes this razor-sharp suspense about two librarians whose lives become dangerously intertwined.

No one knows Margo's real name. Her colleagues and patrons at a small-town public library only know her middle-aged normalcy, congeniality and charm. They have no reason to suspect that she is, in fact, a former nurse with a trail of countless premature deaths in her wake. She has turned a new page, so to speak, and the library is her sanctuary, a place to quell old urges.

That is, at least, until Patricia, a recent graduate and failed novelist, joins the library staff. Patricia quickly notices Margo's subtly sinister edge and watches her carefully. When a patron's death in the library bathroom offers a hint of Margo's mysterious past, Patricia can't resist digging deeper - even as this new fixation becomes all-consuming.

Taut and compelling, How Can I Help You explores the dark side of human nature and the dangerous pull of artistic obsession.

Oppenheimer meets Hidden Figures in this sweeping historical debut where two Jewish physicists form an inseverable bond amidst fear and uncertainty.

Sure to captivate readers of Kate Quinn and Bonnie Garmus, The Sound of a Thousand Stars eerily mirrors modern-day questions of wartime ethics and explores what it means to survive—at any cost.

Alice Katz is a young Jewish physicist, one of the only female doctoral students at her university, studying with the famed Dr. Oppenheimer. Her well-to-do family wants her to marry a man of her class and settle down. Instead, Alice answers her country’s call to come to an unnamed city in the desert to work on a government project shrouded in secrecy.

At Los Alamos, Alice meets Caleb Blum, a poor Orthodox Jew who has been assigned to the explosives division. Around them are other young scientists and engineers who have quietly left their university posts to come live in the desert.

No one seems to know exactly what they are working on—what they do know is that it is a race and that they must beat the Nazis in developing an unspeakable weapon. In this atmosphere of fear and uncertainty, and despite their many differences, Alice and Caleb find themselves drawn to one another.

Inspired by the author’s grandparents and sure to appeal to fans of Good Night, Irene, The Sound of a Thousand Stars is a propulsive novel about love in desperate times, the consequences of our decisions, and the roles we play in history.

An assassin in the world's deadliest wheelchair and his devoted sister carve an ultra-violent path to recovery across a slick, dystopic landscape in this action manga for fans of Chainsaw Man, Battle Angel Alita, and Dorohedoro!

Living on Gui Cheng Island, called "the most dangerous city in the universe," is no easy task. Genetic doping is common for gangs to gain ultimate power. Shizuka, a young girl, takes on the most dangerous of assassin jobs, but she's not the one doing the killing. Rather, it's her brother, Nagi, a strong assassin who took a bullet to protect his sister, leaving him in a comatose state and having to use a wheelchair. However, Shizuka has figured out the key to waking her brother up: he must be faced with killing intent! Thus begins a violent journey of recovery, battling the most dangerous foes!

There’s a queue of people at her door, and not all of them are living . . .

When Tanz, the accidental medium, is asked to help in the search for a missing woman, she finds herself at the Cross Bones Graveyard in London’s Southwark. From the outset it’s obvious there is unrest among the spirits who call this place their home, and now Tanz is right in the middle of it. What’s more, she now finds her ‘so-called gift’ is even stronger than it was and the dead really want to talk! Couple this with performing a play that could wreck her acting career for good, and a growing attraction to a police officer who happens to be a lot younger than her, and life is very complicated. But when the dead become restless Tanz can’t ignore them, and a mystery needs solving. So is she strong enough to come out the other side?

Cross Bones is the third book in a hilarious series featuring Tanz, the accidental medium who, with the help of the dead, has become an unwilling crime-solver.

Young, headstrong Psyche has captured the eye of every suitor with her beauty – but also, unfortunately, the jealous gaze of the goddess Aphrodite. As punishment, Psyche is tied to a rock to be sacrificed to a ‘monstrous husband’. And yet, no monster arrives: instead, she is spirited away by Aphrodite’s daughter Eros.

Eros, goddess of desire, can change gender at will. And in her hidden palace, she visits her bride under the cloak of darkness: Psyche is forbidden to gaze upon the face of her lover. But as they explore each other’s bodies and discover new pleasures, Psyche is tempted to break her vow… even if it brings down the wrath of the gods.