Penguin Group

Atlas Shrugged is the astounding story of a man who said that he would stop the motor of the world — and did. Tremendous in scope, breathtaking in its suspense, Atlas Shrugged stretches the boundaries further than any book you have ever read. It is a mystery, not about the murder of a man's body, but about the murder — and rebirth — of man's spirit.

The woman was missing for five years. The Crime Scene Investigator finds her. And the serial killer wants them both dead... When Boston CSI Darby McCormick finds a raving and emaciated woman hiding at the scene of a violent kidnap, she runs a DNA search to identify the Jane Doe. The result confirms she was abducted five years earlier and has somehow managed to escape from the dungeon in which she's been caged. With a teenage couple also missing and Jane Doe seriously ill, the clock is ticking for Darby as she hunts for the dungeon before anyone else disappears or dies. And when the FBI takes over the investigation, it becomes clear that a sadistic serial killer has been on the prowl for decades — and is poised to strike again at any moment — a killer with links to horrors that Darby has desperately tried to bury in her past...

Sylvia Patterson is shocked and confused when she is asked to be one of the first black students to attend Central High School, which is scheduled to be integrated in September 1957, whether the citizens or governor of Arkansas like it or not. Before Sylvia makes her final decision, smoldering racial tension in the town ignites into flame. When the smoke clears, she sees clearly that nothing is going to stop the change from coming. It is up to her generation to make it happen, in as many different ways as there are colors in the world.

A desperate mom tracks a missing child in another of French's spellbinders (Catch Me When I Fall, 2006, etc.). It's getaway time for Nina Landry and her brood — two children plus Christian, her lover. What they're getting away from is bleak Sandling Island, 60 miles from London, and the pinched, icy days of English winter. They're bound for a Christmas holiday in Florida, but now there's a hitch. What happened to Charlie? She is Nina's 15-year-old daughter, headstrong, unpredictable, an adolescent's adolescent. She'd been at a sleepover, a party that had, in a blink, gone from acceptably decorous to wildly hormonal, and from which she vanished. When Nina calls the police, a well-meaning constable attempts to reassure. She'll turn up. 'Teenagers have secrets', he explains. He's right, of course, and over the next several hours, he's repeatedly, chillingly, corroborated as Nina delves as deeply as she can into Charlie's personal life. But Charlie does not turn up. While her whereabouts remain shrouded in mystery, her friends profess to be clueless, the police continue to comfort and, in Nina's view, underperform deplorably. No choice then but for Nina to pick up the slack, since it's clear to her, at least, that something terrible has happened, that the clock is not her friend and that she herself constitutes Charlie's best chance. Strong, resourceful and, yes, scared silly, she knocks on doors, experiences the unkindness of certain strangers — whose detachment amounts to cruelty — but at last uncovers something that matters, something frightening, true, but revealing: Charlie's abandoned bike. The police become serious now, even more so when suddenly forced to confront the possibility that Charlie's disappearance might be linked to an earlier disappearance — another missing teenager, a friend of Charlie's, found murdered.Though one or two plotlines remain dangling at the end, oh how the story grabs.

Gaby and Connor have a loving, trusting marriage. They know every detail about each other. And now with their son Ethan about to set off for university, Gaby and Connor will be alone again to spend quality time together. But there is one person missing from Gaby's life. One person who she cannot forgot — Nancy, her best friend since childhood A haunting novel about friendship and secrets that will appeal to fans of Alice Sebold and Maggie O'Farrell. 'Nicci Gerrard writes of ordinary people and gets under their skins — and she'll get under yours too'.

Cecile leads a hedonistic, frivolous life with her father and his young mistresses. On holiday in the South of France, she is seduced by the sun, the sand and her first lover. But when her father decides to remarry, their carefree existence becomes clouded by tragedy. United by the theme of love, the writings in the Great Loves series span over two thousand years and vastly different worlds. Readers will be introduced to love's endlessly fascinating possibilities and extremities: romantic love, platonic love, erotic love, gay love, virginal love, adulterous love, parental love, filial love, nostalgic love, unrequited love, illicit love, not to mention lost love, twisted and obsessional love...

The first #1 New York Times bestseller for J.D. Robb The phenomenal series set in a future New York City continues, as Lieutenant Eve Dallas hunts for the killer of a seemingly ordinary history teacher-and uncovers some extraordinary surprises.

What does it mean to be royal? At a time when the monarch no longer rules by divine right and governing powers fall to our elected leaders, the concept of royalty grows ever more elusive. The intellectual argument for the abolition of the monarchy is strong, and yet public interest in the royals continues to grow. Jeremy Paxman seeks to find out how the role of our head of state has changed over the years and what the implications have been. With characteristic intelligence and humour, he looks at every aspect of the monarchy and how it has related to politics, religion, the military and the law. With a mixture of popular history, direct reportage and hilarious anecdote, the master of investigative journalism seeks to find out just how important the Royal Family is to our national identity.

From an orphan with a clubfoot, Philip Carey grows into an impressionable young man with a voracious appetite for adventure and knowledge. Then he falls obsessively in love, embarking on a disastrous relationship that will change his life forever.

Lissa Dragomir is a Moroi princess: a mortal vampire with a rare gift for harnessing the earth's magic. She must be protected at all times from Strigoi; the fiercest vampires — the ones who never die. The powerful blend of human and vampire blood that flows through Rose Hathaway, Lissa's best friend, makes her a Dhampir. Rose is dedicated to a dangerous life of protecting Lissa from the Strigoi, who are hell-bent on making Lissa one of them. After two years of freedom, Rose and Lissa are caught and dragged back to St. Vladimir's Academy, a school for vampire royalty and their guardians-to-be, hidden in the deep forests of Montana. But inside the iron gates, life is even more fraught with danger... and the Strigoi are always close by. Rose and Lissa must navigate their dangerous world, confront the temptations of forbidden love, and never once let their guard down, lest the evil undead make Lissa one of them forever...

When the new teacher first arrives, Barbara immediately senses that this woman will be different from the rest of her staff-room colleagues. But Barbara is not the only one to feel that Sheba Hart is special, and before too long Sheba is involved in an illicit affair with a pupil. Barbara finds the relationship abhorrent, of course, but she is the only adult in whom Sheba can properly confide. So when the liaison is found out and Sheba's life falls apart, Barbara is there...

One of the most extraordinary history bestsellers on the Penguin list, John Roberts' book has now been updated by Odd Arne Westad to make sure it keeps its amazing appeal to a new generation of readers. A stupendous achievement... the unrivalled World History for our day. It extends over all ages and all continents. It covers the forgotten experiences of ordinary people as well as chronicling the acts of those in power. It is unbelievably accurate in its facts and almost incontestable in its judgements — A. J. P. Taylor, Observer.

What are squishy, slimy, icky, creepy, crawly, and fun? Bugs Read and sing along with lovable hostsalike the ladybug and the inchworms they lead the way through a musical adventure that teaches as it entertains.

Dostoyevskys masterpiece introduces a world filled with greed, passion, depravity, and complex moral issues, as three brothers become involved in the brutal murder of their own father. This edition features an Afterword by bestselling author Sara Peretsky. Revised reissue.

An adulteress, a runaway boy, a terrified soldier, and a maltreated sailor-all the heroes of these must-read novels have become part of our American literary heritage.

Two classic science fiction novels in one handsome volume. Here are two masterpieces of irony and imaginative vision from the father of science fiction. The Time Machine propels the Time Traveller into a distant, dismal, Darwinian future. The Invisible Man tells of a brash young scientist who becomes invisible, then insane.

»The Trunchbull» is no match for Matilda! Matilda is a sweet, exceptional young girl, but her parents think she's just a nuisance. She expects school to be different but there she has to face Miss Trunchbull, a kid-hating terror of a headmistress. When Matilda is attacked by the Trunchbull she suddenly discovers she has a remarkable power with which to fight back. It'll take a superhuman genius to give Miss Trunchbull what she deserves and Matilda may be just the one to do it!

Willy Wonka's famous chocolate factory is opening at last! But only five lucky children will be allowed inside. And the winners are: Augustus Gloop, an enormously fat boy whose hobby is eating; Veruca Salt, a spoiled-rotten brat whose parents are wrapped around her little finger; Violet Beauregarde, a dim-witted gum-chewer with the fastest jaws around; Mike Teavee, a toy pistol-toting gangster-in-training who is obsessed with television; and Charlie Bucket, Our Hero, a boy who is honest and kind, brave and true, and good and ready for the wildest time of his life!

For more than 100 years this compelling tale of the Martian invasion of Earth has enthralled readers with a combination of imagination and incisive commentary on the imbalance of power that continues to be relevant today.

Herzog is alone, now that Madeleine has left him for his best friend. Solitary, in a crumbling house which he shares with rats, he is buffeted by a whirlwind of mental activity. People rumoured that his mind had collapsed. But was it true? Locked for days in the custody of his rambling memories, Herzog scrawls frantic letters which he never mails. His mind buzzes with conundrums and polemics, writing in a spectacular intellectual labyrinth. Is he crazy, or is he a genius?

In Dorian Gray, Wilde's full-length novel, a fashionable young man sells his soul for eternal youth and beauty. Also included in the volume are three of the Irish master storyteller's short works.

MEET NATTY BUMPPO The first volume in the famous Leatherstocking Tales, The Pioneers introduces Natty Bumppo, the quintessential American hunter and frontiersman who struggles to defend his cherished freedom.

A little magic can take you a long way. After James Henry Trotter's parents are tragically eaten by a rhinoceros, he goes to live with his two horrible aunts, Spiker and Sponge. Life there is no fun, until James accidentally drops some magic crystals by the old peach tree and strange things start to happen. The peach at the top of the tree begins to grow, and before long it's as big as a house. Inside, James meets a bunch of oversized friends — Grasshopper, Centipede, Ladybug, and more. With a snip of the stem, the peach starts rolling away, and the great adventure begins!

Kids will love flipping through these chunky board books! These two mini board books are childrenas first steps to reading Eric Carle books on their own. Each book shows ten images and ten easy words from one of Eric Carleas classic Very books. First-time readers will love to learn these words and pictures and then find them later in the original picture books!