Multimillion copy bestselling author Wilbur Smith returns with a brand-new historical epic, set against the backdrop of the American revolution. The Courtney family is torn apart as three generations fight on opposing sides of a terrible war that will change the face of the world forever.

1774. Rob Courtney has spent his whole life in a quiet trading outpost on the east coast of Africa, dreaming of a life of adventure at sea. When his grandfather Jim Courtney dies, and the mysterious Captain Cornish calls into the fort, Rob takes his chance and stows away on Marston's ship as it sails to England. Arriving in London, Rob is seduced by the charms of the big city and soon finds himself desperate and penniless. That is until the navy comes calling. Rob enlists and is sent across the Atlantic on a ship to join the war against the rebellious American colonists. But on the other side of the Atlantic, unbeknownst to Rob, his distant cousins Cal and Aidan Courtney are leading a campaign against the British in a quest for American Independence.

When Aidan is killed in a fierce battle with British troops, Cal vows he will not rest until he has avenged his brother's death, by driving the British out of America - by whatever means necessary...

A powerful new historical thriller by the master of adventure fiction, Wilbur Smith, of families divided and a country on the brink of revolution.

South Africa, 1820.

When Ann Waite discovers a battered longboat washed ashore in Algoa Bay, she is stunned to find two survivors: a badly scarred sailor and a little boy. As the man walks away into the morning mist alone, refusing to take the child - Harry - with him, Ann is left with no choice but to raise the boy as her own.

After two years of disaster and hardship in the African interior, desperation drives Ann and Harry back into the path of the mysterious shipwrecked man. Ralph Courtney has recently escaped from Robben Island and is determined to seek his fortune in Nativity Bay, the hidden harbour that his father told him about when he was a boy.

But it isn't long before Ralph, Ann and their fellow settlers learn that Nativity Bay now lies on the borders of a mighty kingdom, where the warrior king Shaka rules. With no means of making their way back to Algoa Bay, Ralph is forced into a bargain with the Zulu king which will lead him to confront the past that he has been running from for his entire life.

Multimillion copy bestselling author Wilbur Smith returns with a brand-new historical epic, in which three strands of the Courtney family converge in a bloodthirsty bid for revenge.

Paris, 1794. Revolutionary fervour has erupted into the Reign of Terror. A young man, Paul Courtney, hides in a crowd watching as condemned dignitaries have their sentences carried out. Among them is the Comtesse de Bercheny, Constance Courtney, Paul's mother. As he watches her brutal execution, he knows he must avoid the same fate and fulfil his promise to her - to survive, no matter what. When Paul rescues a girl from attack the two form an allegiance, but with the world at war and traitors in every corner, just how far will Paul go to ensure his own survival?

Cape Town, 1806. Adam Courtney has spent his life in servitude to the navy and in the shadow of his father, the illustrious Admiral Robert Courtney. But when a visit home to Fort Auspice, Nativity Bay ends in tragedy, the fort destroyed and the Courtney family dead, Adam must accept his destiny and seek vengeance. Robert gives Adam the prized family heirloom, the Neptune sword, and makes his son swear on its blade that he will not rest until he has delivered justice.

From Cape Town to Calcutta, on a quest for his family's honour, Adam discovers that the enemy he seeks may be closer to him than he realises . . .

A searing account of corruption, racism and mismanagement inside Britain's most famous police force Barely a week goes by without the Metropolitan Police Service being plunged into a new crisis. Demoralised and depleted in numbers, Scotland Yard is a shadow of its former self. Spanning the three decades from the infamous Stephen Lawrence case to the shocking murder of Sarah Everard, Broken Yard charts the Met's fall from a position of unparalleled power to the troubled and discredited organisation we see today, barely trusted by its Westminster masters and struggling to perform its most basic function: the protection of the public. The result is a devastating picture of a world-famous police force riven with corruption, misogyny and rank incompetence. As a top investigative reporter at the Sunday Times and The Independent, Tom Harper covered Scotland Yard for fifteen years, beginning not long after the fatal shooting of Jean Charles de Menezes, an innocent Brazilian killed by Met Police officers after being mistaken for a terror suspect in 2005. Since then, reporting on Scotland Yard has been akin to witnessing a slow-motion car crash. Using thousands of intelligence files, witness statements and court transcripts provided by police sources, as well as first-hand testimony, Harper explains how London's world-famous police force got itself into this sorry mess - and how it might get itself out of it.

A searing account of corruption, racism and mismanagement inside Britain's most famous police force Barely a week goes by without the Metropolitan Police Service being plunged into a new crisis. Demoralised and depleted in numbers, Scotland Yard is a shadow of its former self. Spanning the three decades from the infamous Stephen Lawrence case to the shocking murder of Sarah Everard, Broken Yard charts the Met's fall from a position of unparalleled power to the troubled and discredited organisation we see today, barely trusted by its Westminster masters and struggling to perform its most basic function: the protection of the public. The result is a devastating picture of a world-famous police force riven with corruption, misogyny and rank incompetence. As a top investigative reporter at the Sunday Times and The Independent, Tom Harper covered Scotland Yard for fifteen years, beginning not long after the fatal shooting of Jean Charles de Menezes, an innocent Brazilian killed by Met Police officers after being mistaken for a terror suspect in 2005. Since then, reporting on Scotland Yard has been akin to witnessing a slow-motion car crash. Using thousands of intelligence files, witness statements and court transcripts provided by police sources, as well as first-hand testimony, Harper explains how London's world-famous police force got itself into this sorry mess - and how it might get itself out of it.

The Malabar coast is full of dangers: greedy tradesmen, fearless pirates, and men full of vengeance. But for a Courtney, the greatest danger might just be his own family... After his father's gambling debts leave him penniless and in danger, Francis Courtney seeks revenge and fortune in South Africa. But on arrival, he uncovers a truth that leaves him overwhelmed and disoriented. Meanwhile, his cousin Christopher Courtney begins to make his own way in the world, foregoing the righteous path and falling prey to betrayal, violence and treachery. In this epic journey from the southernmost point of Africa to the lush Indian coastline, the lives of these two Courtney men will intertwine, and forever alter the course of their famous family. From the world's greatest storyteller comes a compelling and breathless tale of intrigue and betrayal that draws the Courtney's together, and just as easily tears them apart.

Horror sequel directed by Tom Harper. 40 years after the events of 'The Woman in Black' (2011), a group of schoolchildren in London are evacuated from the city during the blitz, accompanied by their young teacher Eve Parkins (Phoebe Fox). When the group arrives in the idyllic English countryside, little do they know that a dark spirit that has long lain dormant in the Eel Marsh House awaits. One by one the children begin to demonstrate strange behaviour and unexplainable happenings occur in their isolated home. Will Eve, with the help of the military, be strong enough to repel the ghostly woman bent on destruction and revenge for the loss of her son?

A fight for honour. A quest for revenge.

Paris, 1794. Revolutionary fervour has erupted into the Reign of Terror. A young man, Paul Courtney, hides in a crowd watching as the condemned are brought to the guillotine. Among them is Constance Courtney, Paul's mother. As he watches her brutal execution, he knows he must avoid the same fate and fulfil his promise to her - to survive, no matter what. He joins Napoleon's army and is taken to Egypt, but with the world at war and traitors in every corner, just how far will Paul go to ensure his own survival?

Cape Town, 1806. Adam Courtney has spent his life in service to the navy and in the shadow of his father, the illustrious Admiral Robert Courtney. But when he returns home to Nativity Bay to find the homestead destroyed and the Courtney family murdered, Adam must accept his destiny and seek vengeance. Robert gives Adam the prized family heirloom, the Neptune sword, and makes his son swear on its blade that he will not rest until he has delivered justice. From Cape Town to Calcutta, on a quest for his family's honour, Adam discovers that the enemy he seeks may be closer to him than he realises . . .

Multimillion copy bestselling author Wilbur Smith returns with a brand-new historical epic, set against the backdrop of the American revolution. The Courtney family is torn apart as three generations fight on opposing sides of a terrible war that will change the face of the world forever.

1774. Rob Courtney has spent his whole life in a quiet trading outpost on the east coast of Africa, dreaming of a life of adventure at sea. When his grandfather Jim Courtney dies, and the mysterious Captain Cornish calls into the fort, Rob takes his chance and stows away on Marston's ship as it sails to England. Arriving in London, Rob is seduced by the charms of the big city and soon finds himself desperate and penniless. That is until the navy comes calling. Rob enlists and is sent across the Atlantic on a ship to join the war against the rebellious American colonists. But on the other side of the Atlantic, unbeknownst to Rob, his distant cousins Cal and Aidan Courtney are leading a campaign against the British in a quest for American Independence.

When Aidan is killed in a fierce battle with British troops, Cal vows he will not rest until he has avenged his brother's death, by driving the British out of America - by whatever means necessary...

A powerful new historical thriller by the master of adventure fiction, Wilbur Smith, of families divided and a country on the brink of revolution.

From the publication in 1595 of the first 'atlas' by the Flemish cartographer Gerhard Mercator, the term has become a universally adopted title for books containing accurate, uniform and evenly spread maps of all or some of the world. This is an atlas with a difference. Few of the maps in this book could reasonably be called 'accurate' in the modern sense and could almost certainly not be used to plan a journey. Yet this atlas can help us to travel in a way that regular atlases do not, because by looking at old maps and getting to know their stories we can be transported back to the times in which they were made. The generous, full-colour illustrations of each map in this large-format book range from the Klencke Atlas (1660) to Hokusai's map of China (1840-41), from a 1682 pirate map of Guatemala to twentieth-century cartographic postcards featuring maps of Australia. Atlas is the definitive printed showcase of the British Library's extensive and unparalleled map collection. Originally published in hardback, Atlas: A World of Maps from the British Library is now available in paperback.

'Best historical novelist' - Stephen King 'A master storyteller' - Sunday Times 'Wilbur Smith is one of those benchmarks against whom others are compared' - The Times 'No one does adventure quite like Smith' - Daily Mirror BETRAYED BY BLOOD. BOUND BY FATE. Inseparable since birth, Theo and Connie Courtney are torn apart by the tragic death of their parents. Theo, wracked with guilt, seeks salvation in combat, joining the British in the war against the French and Indian army. On a personal mission he meets the beautiful, innocent Abigail, with whom he falls madly in love. But when their tryst is discovered, Theo is left outcast in the wilderness, desperately fighting for his life. Determined to reclaim his honour, and save Abigail, Theo does whatever it takes to survive. Connie, believing herself abandoned by her brother, and abused and brutalised by a series of corrupt guardians, makes her way to France, where she is welcomed into high society. Here, she once again finds herself at the mercy of vicious men, whose appetite for war and glory lead her to the frontlines of the French battlefield in North America. As the siblings find their destinies converging once more, they realise that the vengeance and redemption they both desperately seek could cost them their lives . . . BOOK 17 IN THE EPIC HISTORICAL SAGA OF THE COURTNEY FAMILY, FROM INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLER WILBUR SMITH

I have never written down the answers to the deepest mysteries, nor will I ever... The philosopher Plato wrote these words more than two thousand years ago, following a perilous voyage to Italy -- an experience about which he never spoke again, but from which he emerged the greatest thinker in all of human history. Today, twelve golden tablets sit in museums around the world, each created by unknown hands and buried in ancient times, and each providing the dead with the route to the afterlife. Archaeologist Lily Barnes, working on a dig in southern Italy, has just found another. But the thirteenth tablet is different. This tablet names the location to the mouth of hell itself. And then Lily vanishes. Has she walked out on her job, her marriage, and her life -- or has something more sinister happened? Her husband, Jonah, is desperate to find her. But no one can help him: not the police; not the secretive foundation that sponsored her dig; not even a circle of university friends who seem to know more than they're saying. All Jonah has is belief, and a determination to do whatever it takes to get Lily back. But like Plato before him, Jonah will discover the journey ahead is mysterious and dark and fraught with danger. And not everyone who travels to the hidden place where Lily has gone can return.

An extraordinary thriller set at the frozen edge of the world, perfect for fans of Dan Simmons, Michael Crichton and Dan Brown. In the Arctic Ocean, the US Coast Guard icebreaker Terra Nova batters its way through the pack ice. There shouldn't be anyone near them for hundreds of miles. But then a lone skier, half-dead with cold, emerges out of the snow. His name is Tom Anderson, and he is the only survivor of a disaster at Zodiac Station, a scientific research base deep in the Arctic Circle. He tells an incredible story of scientists and spies, of lust and greed, of jealousy, mayhem and murder. But his tale simply doesn't add up. Whose blood is smeared across his clothes? Why is there a bullet hole through the jacket he's wearing, and why is that jacket labelled with someone else's name? It's clear that more was going on at Zodiac Station than Anderson is telling. And someone else may have survived the disaster, as well... someone who has killed before, and who is willing to kill again.

In this Courtney Series novel by bestselling author, Wilbur Smith, comes an epic story of tragedy, loss, betrayal and courage that brings the reader deep into the seething heart of the French and Indian War. 1754. Inseparable since birth and growing up in India, Theo and Connie Courtney are torn apart by the tragic death of their parents. Theo, wracked with guilt, seeks salvation in combat and conflict, joining the British in the war against the French and Indian army. Connie, believing herself abandoned by her brother, and abused and brutalised by a series of corrupt guardians, makes her way to France, where she is welcomed into high society. Here, she once again finds herself at the mercy of vicious men, whose appetite for war and glory lead her to the frontlines of the French battlefield in North America. As the siblings find their destinies converging once more, they realise that the vengeance and redemption they both desperately seek could cost them their lives . . . Discover the next Courtney adventure in the thrilling sequel to Ghost Fire, Storm Tide

This unputdownable Amazonian adventure is perfect for fans of The Lost City of Z. 'The thinking person's Dan Brown' Tom Harper has taken you to the underworld. He's taken you to the Arctic. Now he's taking you to the deadliest jungle on earth. When Kel MacDonald joins an expedition looking for a legendary lost city in the Peruvian Amazon, he's expecting the adventure of a lifetime. But things are not what they seem. Paramilitaries, drug cartels, and wildcat prospectors all want what the jungle has to offer - while untamed local tribes will fight desperately to protect their way of life. Maps of the region have been doctored. And what exactly happened to the previous expedition, a government vaccination program that went upriver and never returned? Soon finding the lost city is the least of their troubles. The jungle hides deadly secrets that must be hidden at all costs. And someone in the group wants to make sure they never get out.

British director Tom Harper's debut feature is a coming-of-age drama/thriller. Teenagers David (Thomas Turgoose) and Emily (Holly Grainger) have grown up together in a caravan park on the windswept Norfolk coast. When it emerges that Emily is to be sent away against her will to live with her father, David agrees to help her hide out in a remote cave on the beach. But as fears grow that Emily has been kidnapped and a large-scale police search gets underway, David finds himself swept up in a situation out of his control and resorts to drastic measures to protect his friend. Steven Mackintosh and Rafe Spall co-star.

Sam Grant, a disgraced ex-Special Operations Executive soldier and an adventurer by trade, is lured back to the Mediterranean by a secret from his past: six years ago, a dying archaeologist entrusted him with his life's work--a leather notebook filled with mysterious notes written in Ancient Greek. Deciphered, it could lead to one of the greatest prizes in history. Which is why both the CIA and the British Secret Intelligence Service are looking for it as well...

Grant sets out to discover the truth about what the archaeologist lost his life for--and to protect his own. Aided by a brilliant Greek archaeologist with her own secrets to hide, Grant is plunged into a labyrinth of ancient cults, forgotten mysteries, and lost civilizations. But time is running out...while a dangerous prophecy is drawing near.

A brand new tale in the Courtney saga by bestselling author, Wilbur Smith.

1754. Inseparable since birth and growing up in India, Theo and Connie Courtney are torn apart by the tragic death of their parents. Theo, wracked with guilt, seeks salvation in combat and conflict, joining the British in the war against the French and Indian army. Connie, believing herself abandoned by her brother, and abused and brutalised by a series of corrupt guardians, makes her way to France, where she is welcomed into high society. Here, she once again finds herself at the mercy of vicious men, whose appetite for war and glory lead her to the frontlines of the French battlefield in North America.

As the siblings find their destinies converging once more, they realise that the vengeance and redemption they both desperately seek could cost them their lives in this epic story of tragedy, loss, betrayal and courage that brings the reader deep into the seething heart of the French and Indian War.

The 20th century was a period of profound political, social and technological change. Population growth and movement, revolutions in transportation and communication, and the onset of the digital age meant that life would never be the same. It is impossible to overstate the significance of maps, which crept into everyday life during this period. They were both unsung heroes and unreliable witnesses capable of informing but also misleading. They are always subjective, and always worthy of interrogation. Highlights of this global study include a trench-map of the Somme battlefields, a bomb damage map of London, early maps of the ocean floor, a poster showing Mao studying a map on his Long March and a Russian moon globe from 1961. Other maps discussed here include: the United Nations flag, the first stamps of Independent Latvia (1918) printed on the backs of maps, and a motorway sign. As well as sheet maps and atlases, the book gathers models, stamps, medals, manuscripts, printed books, embroidery and photographs. The book also examines changes in mapping technology, from the land surveys of 1900 to the development of satellite imagery by 2000."