Orion Books

A series of seemingly random disappearances — stretching back to the millennium. A mother determined to find the truth. A retired cop desperate to get his old life back... It's been some time since Rebus was forced to retire, and now works as a civilian in a cold case unit. So when a long-dead case bursts back to life, he can't resist the opportunity to get his feet under the CID desk once more. But Rebus is as stubborn and anarchic as ever, and he quickly finds himself in deep with pretty much everyone, including DS Siobhan Clarke. All Rebus wants to do is uncover the truth. The big question is: can he be the man he once was and still stay on the right side of the law?

The fiery trails of tracer bullets, as a wounded Spitfire falls from the sky. A Jamaican plantation burns deep into the night. A handful of heroic Highlanders fight their way straight up a vertical cliff to stand on the Plains of Abraham in a fiery dawn. And a torch burns green, through the eerie surrounds of a Parisian cemetery, down into the mysteries of the earth. Four Outlander tales, each set in a different time and place, and yet each one a fiery thread in the warp and weft of the epic story that began in Scotland in 1945, when Claire Randall first touched a boulder in an ancient stone circle and was hurled back in time...

Thomas is a map-obsessed schizophrenic who spends his days and nights on a website called Whirl360, believing he's employed by the CIA to store the details of every town and city in the world in his head. Then one day, he sees something that shouldn't be there: a woman being murdered behind a window on a New York street. When Thomas tells his brother Ray what he has witnessed, Ray humours him with a half-hearted investigation — until he realises Thomas may have stumbled onto a deadly conspiracy, which puts them both in danger...

In the year 2100, mankind on Earth, settlers in a lunar colony and aliens from the para-universe, a strange universe parallel in time to our own, are faced with a race against time to prevent total destruction of the Earth. The invention of the Inter-Universe Electron Pump has threatened the rate of hydrogen fusion in the sun, leading, inevitably, to the possibilty of a vast explosion — and the vapourisation of the Earth exactly eight minutes later...

Rome in the 1950s, there's nowhere quite like it. The narrow stone streets, the fountains and piazzas full of life in the heat of the day, the cafes and bars full of music and desire by night... This is where Serafina calls home. Having grown-up with her sisters in a tiny apartment tucked in the top of a tumbledown building, she has watched her mother get by on next to nothing, and turn herself beautiful with a sweep of eyeliner and a hand-sewn dress. When her mother goes out, Serafina and her sisters go singing in the nearest piazza, busking for spare change and cinema tickets. The girls long to meet their matinee idols and Serafina daydreams of Mario Lanza and his spellbinding voice. But the sisters will grow up quickly and for Serafina, a choice opens between the world she knows and the life she dreams of.

Ten-year-old Jamie Matthews has just moved to the Lake District with his Dad and his teenage sister, Jasmine for a Fresh New Start. Five years ago his sister's twin, Rose, was blown up by a terrorist bomb. His parents are wrecked by their grief, Jasmine turns to piercing, pink hair and stops eating. The family falls apart. But Jamie hasn't cried in all that time. To him Rose is just a distant memory. Jamie is far more interested in his cat, Roger, his birthday Spiderman T-shirt, and in keeping his new friend Sunya a secret from his dad. And in his deep longing and unshakeable belief that his Mum will come back to the family she walked out on months ago. When he sees a TV advert for a talent show, he feels certain that this will change everything and bring them all back together once and for all.

When tragedy strikes close to home, Mickey Bolitar and his loyal new friends — sharp-witted Ema and the ever-charming Spoon — find themselves at the centre of a murder investigation involving their friend Rachel. Now, not only does Mickey have to continue his quest to uncover the truth about the mysterious death of his father, he also needs to figure out what happened to Rachel — no matter what it takes. Mickey has always been ready to sacrifice everything to help the people he loves. But how can he protect them when he's not even sure who — or what — he's protecting them from?

After his wife, Helen, is brazenly abducted before his eyes, Special Agent Pendergast furiously pursues the kidnappers, chasing them across the country and into Mexico. But then, things go terribly, tragically wrong; the kidnappers escape; and a shattered Pendergast retreats to his New York apartment and shuts out the world. But when a string of bizarre murders erupts across several Manhattan hotels — perpetrated by a boy who seems to have an almost psychic ability to elude capture — NYPD Lieutenant D'Agosta asks his friend Pendergast for help. Reluctant at first, Pendergast soon discovers that the killings are a message from his wife's kidnappers. But why a message? And what does it mean? When the kidnappers strike again at those closest to Pendergast, the FBI agent, filled anew with vengeful fury, sets out to track down and destroy those responsible. His journey takes him deep into the trackless forests of South America, where he ultimately finds himself face to face with an old evil that — rather than having been eradicated — is stirring anew... and with potentially world-altering consequences.

Bernadette Fox is notorious. To Elgie Branch, a Microsoft wunderkind, she's his hilarious, volatile, talented, troubled wife. To fellow mothers at the school gate, she's a menace. To design experts, she's a revolutionary architect. And to 15-year-old Bee, she is a best friend and, quite simply, mum. Then Bernadette disappears. And Bee must take a trip to the end of the earth to find her. Where'd You Go, Bernadette is a compulsively readable, irresistibly written, deeply touching novel about misplaced genius and a mother and daughter's place in the world.

It's a frosty night in November as a group of passengers climb aboard the Orient Express for the journey of a lifetime from London to Venice. As they settle into the luxury of their cabins and take their first sips of champagne, they all have different hopes and expectations. Some have waited a lifetime for the experience, for others, it is a surprise; for many, a celebration. One thing is certain, the journey won't be uneventful. As they share lunch, afternoon tea, cocktails and dinner to the tinkling of the grand piano, there are revelations, confessions and assignations. As the train sweeps on, stories unfold against the most romantic and infamous setting in the world.

At the beginning of his career, Philip K. Dick, whose later work won him widespread acclaim as the world's greatest science fiction writer, wrote a number of short novels which were published as paperback originals back-to-back in dual volumes with works by writers who were then more famous.

In the six decades since the alien plague known as the Wild Card virus spread a wave of mutations around the globe, humanity has begun to come to terms with its consequences. Grotesque half-human creatures known as 'jokers' inhabit an underworld of their own, while the legendary prodigies known as 'aces' have become real-world superheroes, complete with colourful names and costumes. Now a new generation of aces has taken its place on the world stage, becoming crucial players in international events. At the United Nations, veteran ace John Fortune has assembled a team of young heroes, known as The Committee, to assist at trouble spots around the world — including an invasion of zombies in hurricane-ravaged New Orleans, a freak nuclear explosion in a small Texas town, and a fateful showdown with the forces of the oil-rich Islamic caliphate in the Middle East. But The Committee's opponents have their own aces and jokers ready to do battle, including a Marxist revolutionary, a brutal mercenary, a young boy with apocalyptic powers and — most terrifyingly of all — a sinister arm of the FBI known as SCARE.

AC/DC moved to Britain from Sydney in 1975, and soon set up a residency at London's Marquee Club. Their short hair (including the odd mullet), loud rock and attitude chimed well with the lingering pub rock and soon-to-be punk crowd. They weren't really a band for guitar solos, and singer Bon Scott was the original bike-riding, speed-snorting, fighting man. An ex-convict he lived life fast and short; he died in February 1980, just before BACK IN BLACK, their huge-selling album, took off and the second period of AC/DC (with Brian Johnson as lead vocalist) was ushered in. BACK IN BLACK has gone on to sell 45 million copies worldwide, and as the band have become a global phenomenon so their reclusiveness has increased. Mick Wall, the don of heavy metal writing, seeks to penetrate the wall around the Young brothers, and write the first authoritative, in-depth critical account of AC/DC.

Algy can't wait to see what world is waiting for him at the bottom of the garden this time. But when his best friend Cherry shows up with her little brother Brad in tow, he is not impressed. Everyone knows small children just cry and break other people's toys. What use is Brad going to be on an adventure? But in a snowy Arctic world, where monsters lurk and giant footprints lead into the mountains, Algy discovers there might be more to Brad than meets the eye.

May 1992, and after four LAPD officers were acquitted after the savage beating of Rodney King, Los Angeles is ablaze. As looting and burning take over the city, law and order are swept away in a tidal wave of violence. But under threat of their lives, homicide detectives like Harry Bosch are still stubbornly trying to do their job. With no effective police presence on the streets, murder just got a whole lot easier — and investigating them got a whole lot harder. When Harry finds the body of a female journalist in an alley he is forced to hand over the case to the Riot Crimes Task Force, knowing that it will never be solved. Twenty years later, new evidence confirms her death was not a case of random violence but something much more personal. This time Harry is determined that the killer isn't going to escape — even if it means stepping back into the darkest days of the city he loves...

Galilee, 1025. Infiltrating an ancient citadel, a Templar knight uncovers a holy treasure long hidden within the fortress's labyrinth: the Bachal Isu — the staff of Jesus Christ — a priceless icon that holds a mysterious and terrifying power. A power that will change humankind for ever. A millennium later, Somali pirates kidnap the President's daughter. Commander Gray Pierce is enlisted for a covert rescue mission in the African jungle. And halfway around the world a firebombing at a fertility clinic in South Carolina exposes a conspiracy that goes back centuries and lies within our genetic code. SIGMA must race to save an innocent unborn baby whose very existence raises questions about the nature of humanity, asking: could you live for ever? Would you live for ever?

Brazil is one of the four new global super powers with its vast natural resources and burgeoning industries. Half a continent in size and a potent mix of races, religions and cultures, of unexplored wildernesses and bustling modern cities, it is also one of the few countries Michael Palin has never fully travelled. With the next Olympics to be held in Rio in 2016 and the World Cup in Brazil in 2014, international attention will be on the country as never before. Michael Palin's timely book and series take a closer look at a remarkable new force on the world scene. From the Venezuelan border and the forests of the Lost World, where he encounters the Yanomami tribe and their ongoing territorial war with the gold miners, Michael Palin explores this vast and disparate nation in his inimitable way. He journeys into the heart of the Amazon rainforest. He travels down the north-east coast to meet the descendants of African slaves with their vibrant culture of rituals, festivals and music. He visits the shanty towns of Rio and the beaches of Copacabana and Ipanema. He goes to Sao Paolo, where the rich commute by helicopter. He travels south to meet German and Japanese communities, meets supermodels in the making and wealthy gauchos in the Pantanal before ending his journey at the spectacular Iguacu Falls.

Early Readers are stepping stones from picture books to reading books. A blue Early Reader is perfect for sharing and reading together. A red Early Reader is the next step on your reading journey. Cudweed comes face to face with dinosaurs in this funny, quirky story, perfect for beginner readers, from the bestselling Raven Mysteries team, Marcus Sedgwick and Pete Williamson.

One minute, down-and-out actor Lorenzo Smythe was — as usual — in a bar, drinking away his troubles as he watched his career go down the tubes. Then a space pilot bought him a drink, and the next thing Smythe knew, he was shanghaied to Mars. Suddenly he found himself agreeing to the most difficult role of his career: impersonating an important politician who had been kidnapped. Peace with the Martians was at stake — failure to pull off the act could result in interplanetary war. And Smythe's own life was on the line — for if he wasn't assassinated, there was always the possibility that he might be trapped in his new role forever!

Early Readers are stepping stones from picture books to reading books. A blue Early Reader is perfect for sharing and reading together. A red Early Reader is the next step on your reading journey. Horrid Henry hates babysitters — and he knows exactly how to make sure they never come back. That is, until he meets Rabid Rebecca, the toughest teen in town.

Early Readers are stepping stones from picture books to reading books. A blue Early Reader is perfect for sharing and reading together. A red Early Reader is the next step on your reading journey.

Early Readers are stepping stones from picture books to reading books. A blue Early Reader is perfect for sharing and reading together. A red Early Reader is the next step on your reading journey. Basma has been wondering a lot about love. What is it like? Does it have a shape or a colour or a taste? Is it like a coat or a jumper or a shawl? Or is it like a warm woolly hat? This charming new Early Reader story from the United Arab Emirates will be enjoyed by everyone, parents and children alike — and in particular fans of Guess How Much I Love You.

John Lennon's reaction to most of his emotions was to write something down. We know about his music, as one of the world's greatest-ever song writers, creator of 'Help!', 'Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds', 'Imagine' and dozens more. Now, his letters have been collected and published, illuminating as never before the intimate side of a private genius. Hunter Davies, author of the only authorised biography of The Beatles, has tracked down almost three hundred of John's letters and postcards — to relations, friends, fans, strangers, lovers and even to the laundry. Some of the letters are tender, informative, funny, angry and abusive, and some are simply heart-breaking. Many are illustrated with John's own drawings, doodles and jokes. Davies tells the story of each letter and together they form a compelling narrative, from his earliest surviving thank-you note, written when he was ten, to his last scribbled autograph given on 8 December 1980 — the day he was shot, aged forty.

Early Readers are stepping stones from picture books to reading books. A brand new Early Reader edition of this hilarious story about an ordinary man who wears an ordinary suit and ordinary shoes but whose mother is a pirate.