Transworld Publishers

It is the Edinburgh Festival. People queuing for a lunchtime show witness a road-rage incident — an incident which changes the lives of everyone involved. Jackson Brodie, ex-army, ex-police, ex-private detective, is also an innocent bystander — until he becomes a suspect. With «Case Histories», Kate Atkinson showed how brilliantly she could explore the crime genre and make it her own. In «One Good Turn», she takes her masterful plotting one step further. Like a set of Russian dolls each thread of the narrative reveals itself to be related to the last. Her Dickensian cast of characters are all looking for love or money and find it in surprising places. As ever with Atkinson what each one actually discovers is their true self. Unputdownable and triumphant, «One Good Turn» is a sharply intelligent read that is also percipient, funny, and totally satisfying.

Pern AL 50: the geneticist Wind Blossom is nearing the end of her long life and is painfully aware that the colonists are running out of the modern technology the settlers brought with them to Pern and that they are forgetting how to use what they do have. Society is beginning to revert to a feudal system.

A year after arriving in France, Englishman Paul West is still struggling with some fundamental questions: What is the best way to scare a gendarme? Why are there no health warnings on French nudist beaches? And is it really polite to sleep with your boss' mistress? Paul opens his English tea room, and mutates (temporarily) into a Parisian waiter; samples the pleasures of typically French hotel-room afternoons; and, on a return visit to the UK, sees the full horror of a British office party through Parisian eyes. Meanwhile, he continues his search for the perfect French mademoiselle. But will Paul find l'amour eternel, or will it all end in merde? In his second comedy of errors, Paul West continues to sabotage the entente cordiale. Author's apology: I'd just like to say sorry to all the suppository fans out there, because in this book there are no suppositories. There are, however, lots of courgettes, and I see this as progress. Suppositories to courgettes — I think it proves that I'm developing as a writer. Stephen Clarke.

A book of short stories from the author of CHOCOLAT Take your partners, please. Suburban witches, defiant old ladies, ageing monsters, suicidal Lottery winners, wolf men, dolphin women and middle-aged manufacturers of erotic leatherwear. In these twenty-two short stories from the author of HOLY FOOLS and FIVE QUARTERS OF THE ORANGE, the miraculous goes hand-in-hand with the mundane, the sour with the sweet, and the beautiful, the grotesque, the seductive and the disturbing are never more than one step away. JIGS & REELS is Joanne Harris' first collection of short stories. As she says in her Foreword, a good short story can startle, ignite, and illuminate...giving you vivid, anarchic glimpses into different world, different people. Here, she proves she is as good as her word by creating an eclectic selection of tales for our times that will delight, surprise, entertain and horrify in equal measure. Sly, funny, sometimes provocative but always personal, JIGS & REELS shows a side to Joanne Harris you have never seen before. So go on, be tempted. After all, it's only dancing.

A Discworld Howdunnit Who's murdering harmless old men? Who's poisoning the Patrician? As autumn fogs hold Ankh-Morpork in their grip, the City Watch have to track down a murderer who can't be seen. Maybe the golems know something — but the solemn men of clay, who work all day and night and are never any trouble to anyone, have started to commit suicide... It's not as if the Watch hasn't got problems of its own. There's a werewolf suffering from Pre-Lunar Tension. Corporal Nobbs is hobnobbing with the nobs, and there's something really strange about the new dwarf recruit, especially his earrings and eyeshadow. Who can you trust when there are mobs on the streets and plotters in the dark and all the clues point the wrong way? In the gloom of the night, Watch Commander Sir Samuel Vimes finds that the truth might not be out there at all. It may be amongst the words in the head. A chilling tale of poison and pottery.

When Titanic set sail in 1912, she was the largest, most luxurious and most technologically advanced man-made moving object in the world. Built by the great industrial communities that made Britain the pre-eminent superpower of the age, the famous ocean liner signalled the high-water mark of our nation's manufacturing industry. A must-read for any Titanic enthusiast, this fascinating book tells the untold stories of the men and women who made the 'ship of dreams' a reality: the fearless riveters who risked deafness from hammering millions of rivets that held together the fortress-like steel hull, the engineers charged with the Herculean task of fitting engines to power the massive ship across the Atlantic at a speed of 23 knots, the electricians who installed state-of-the-art communications systems and enormous steam-driven generators, each capable of powering the equivalent of 400 modern homes the highly skilled carpenters, cabinet-makers and artists who laboured over every last detail of the opulent staterooms. Titanic, of course, was destined to sink on her maiden voyage, but the achievement of the thousands of people who built and fitted out this astonishing ship lives on.

»Mesmerizing...an exquisite rendering of what one might call feels at the subatomic level.» -The New York Times A prime number is a lonely thing. It can only be divided by itself or by one, and it never truly fits with another. Alice and Mattia are both «primes»-misfits haunted by early tragedies. When the

Meet Rebecca Bloomwood. She has a great flat, a fabulous wardrobe full of the season's must-haves, and a job telling other people how to manage their money. She spends her leisure time ...shopping. Retail therapy is the answer to all her problems. She knows she should stop, but she can't. She tries Cutting Back, she tries Making More Money. But neither seems to work. The letters from the bank are getting harder to ignore. Can Becky ever escape from this dreamworld, find true love, and regain the use of her credit card? «The Secret Dreamworld of a Shopaholic»...this is the perfect pick-me-up for when it's all hanging in the (bank) balance.

America in 1963 is a country at a crossroads: Vietnam, the civil rights movement, the Cuban missile crisis, the sexual revolution, FBI, CIA, LSD — and a promise of change offered by a new President, John F Kennedy. Some people believe in the future. Other conspire to control it. Chandler Forrestal is a man whose life is changed forever when he is unwittingly dragged into a CIA mind-control experiment. After being given a massive dose of LSD, Chandler develops a frightening array of mental powers. With his heightened perception he uncovers a plot to assassinate President Kennedy. Chased by the dark powers of world government, will Chandler be able to harness his 'shift' and rewrite history?

The astonishing new historical novel from one of the UK's most talented literary writers. It is the summer of 1891 and London is simmering under an oppressive heatwave. The air is thick with tension and sexual repression. But another wave is about to rock the capital -- one of morality -- as Oliver Wheeler and the puritans of his London Vigilance Committee seek out perversion and aberrant behaviour in all its forms. Charles Webster, an impoverished photographer working for famed actor-manager Henry Irving at the Lyceum Theatre, has been sucked into a shadowy demi-monde which exists beneath the surface of civilized society. It is a world of pornographers and prostitutes, corralled under the sinister leadership of master photographer and manipulator Marlow, to whom Webster illicitly provides theatrical costumes for pornographic shoots. But knowledge of this enterprise has somehow reached the Lyceum's upright theatre manager, Bram Stoker, who suspects Webster's involvement. As the net appears to tighten around Marlow and his cohorts, a member of the aristocracy is accused of killing a child prostitute, and public outrage sweeps the capital. It is the worst possible time for Webster's wife to announce she is to become a professional medium. The London Satyr is a brilliant summoning of the last decade of Victorian England. At a time when public morality has never been more extreme nor superstition more prevalent, below the surface swirls a fetid and ever-quickening current of perversity and exploitation.

This memoir was recently discovered and appears to have been written in the 1920s by somone who asserts that he was Jack the Ripper.This person is James Willoughby Carnac, this memoir written shortly before his death is an account of his entire life, including a few short months in 1888 when he became the murderer known to posterity as Jack the Ripper. This book introduces a new suspect for the infamous murders in Whitechapel in 1888. There is information in this book that does not appear to be derived from contemporary newspapers or any other publications and the descriptions of Tottenham in the 1870s, the visits to performances of Jekyll and Hyde, the intricate geography of Whitechapel in 1888 are written with pin-point accuracy. There is also a credible motive given for James becoming the murderer Jack and also a reason for the end of the murders. Given the fact that the author also appear to have knowledge about aspects of the case not in the public arena at the time it could be that this actually is the autobiography of Jack the Ripper.Ultimately it is up to the reader to decide if they believe the mystery has been solved at last but even if they end up deciding the account to be a work of fiction it would still be one of the very earliest imaginings of the Ripper case, written in the early years of the twentieth century, a fascinating piece of period writing and a worthy addition to the Ripper canon. Whatever side they come down on there is no question that this book will be a source of much debate.

A hunter determined to wipe out every wolf in England almost succeeds, but then finds himself the prey—a reissue of the debut novel by the author of the acclaimed Smack It was a mistake for Ben to tell the Hunter that there were still wolves in Surrey, for the Hunter was a fanatic, always on the lookout for unusual prey. Driven by an ambition to wipe out the last English wolves, the Hunter sets out on a savage quest, determined to shoot every last wolf in Britain. But Ben and his father are equally determined to save Silver, Conna, and their family of wolf cubs. What happens when the Hunter becomes the hunted?

Stephen Hawking is one of the most remarkable figures of our time — a Cambridge genius who has earned international celebrity as a brilliant theoretical physicist and become an inspiration and revelation to those who have witnessed his courageous triumph over disability. This is Hawking's life story by Kitty Ferguson, who has had special help from Hawking himself and his close associates and who has a gift for translating the language of theoretical physics for non-scientists. Twenty years ago, Kitty Ferguson's «Stephen Hawking: Quest for a Theory of Everything» became a «Sunday Times» bestseller and took the world by storm. She now returns to the subject to transform that short book into a hugely expanded, carefully researched, up to the minute biography, giving a rich picture of Hawking's childhood, the heartrending beginning of his struggle with Motor Neurone Disease when he was a first-year graduate student, his ever-increasing international fame, and his long personal battle for survival in pursuit of a scientific understanding of the universe. Throughout she also summarizes and explains to the layman the cutting-edge science in which Hawking has been engaged. Published with text illustrations and with photographs that cover Hawking's life from his infancy to the present, «Stephen Hawking» is written with the clarity and simplicity for which all Kitty Ferguson's books have been praised. The result is a captivating account of an extraordinary life and the work of a splendid mind.

Supernatural action and adventure meets brilliantly researched historical fiction in the second novel in the genre- busting Swords of Albion trilogy. 1593. Walsingham has been dead for two years and a new mood of suspicion and mistrust sweeps through England's network of spies. No one feels safe. Even the great Will Swyfte must watch his back. Then Will's best friend, playwright and spy Kit Marlowe is accused of being a double agent and Will knows he must act... but too late, Marlowe is killed in a pub brawl that has all the hallmarks of an assassination. Going in search of Marlowe's killer, Will discovers that key members of England's ruling class, including many of Walsingham's men, are not who they claim to be: they look -- and act -- the same but they are changelings, straw men brought to hideous life through the vile magick of the Unseelie Court. In an atmosphere of growing paranoia, Will is branded a traitor and goes on the run. The glass has turned: he must uncover the true nature of this supernatural conspiracy or the executioner's block awaits. Will Swyfte -- swordsman, adventurer, scholar, rake, and the greatest of Elizabethan England's new breed of spy -- and his comrades in covert arms must once again venture forth into the dark, deadly world of the vengeful Unseelie folk in defence of Queene and Countrie!

The unexpected suicide of an apparently happy family man; a woman held captive for three years in a forgotten underground bunker; a middle aged clergyman at a crisis point in his life, drawn into an uncomfortable relationship with a teenaged girl. Against the backcloth of these interwoven tales comes the story of two very different men who meet accidentally and are dramatically thrown together. Piet Steyn and Granville St Clair happen both to be out walking at dawn on a country lane when they unintentionally become joint witnesses of a domestic tragedy. There is one aspect of what they see that morning which they feel compelled to keep secret — a decision that will later have appalling repercussions for them both. As the layers of their private lives begin to peel away, they find themselves unwillingly bound together in a conspiracy with deadly consequences. «The Good Wife's Castle» is a tense thriller that explores a clash of human evil and goodness, of despair, murderous obsession and twisted spirituality, all of which co-exist beneath the veneer of seemingly respectable people in a quiet rural community.

Do you hold on to your memories? Or do they hold on to you? Magicov the Magnificent, grand illusionist, earns his living entertaining the geriatrics of Lotus House Care Home. But Mr Magicov (also known as Peter) envies them — they've mastered a trick that eludes him. They can forget. Peter yearns to forget. But memories haunt him: the shameful moment an eight-years-old wrecked his life; the FBI agent who hunted him like a dog; that suitcase stuffed with a million pounds. More than anything Peter wants to forget Kate, the expert con woman. The one he loved and left. For renowned bain-scientist Dr Chris Tavasligh, Peter's craving to escape makes him the perfect candidate for a bold experiment in changing minds — forever. Faced with such an opportunity, will Peter go through with it? And if he does, who will he become?

Three women know what they want. Three men are about to royally mess things up. Kizzy wants to race at the Olympics, and she'll do whatever it takes. But a tall, dark stranger wasn't part of the plan. Caro's perfect family life is unshakeable, until her vile ex-husband moves back with his cool-as-ice girlfriend. Calypso had higher hopes for country living than organizing eighty-year-olds' birthday parties. Is it time to get out? Life is full of surprises. But what would it take to give up on a life-long dream?

Alice loves to cook. She believes the secret of good food is to cook with passion. Her love affair with cookery has taken her from her parents' seaside hotel, to Paris and then one of Dublin's finest restaurants. Then she marries Liam, and is happy to hang up her chef's hat and cook for her family and friends instead. But now she's cooking for one! Her marriage to Liam over, it's high time she learns to stand on her own two feet and begin again... Alice opens The Martello School of Cookery and a group of total strangers learn from her to create food that is tasty and delicious. And in the comfort of her kitchen they discover, not only how to cook — but recipes for life... This title is by the number one bestselling author of The Mother of the Bride.

For many of us the history of Africa is, at best, vague. We might think of Egyptian pyramids, legendary queens (of Sheba or Cleopatra) and Zulu warriors. The truth, however, is one of remarkably diverse, creative, culturally rich civilisations. In this book, which accompanies an 8-part BBC series, Gus Casely-Hayford takes us on a fascinating journey through the history of this remarkable continent. We will encounter archaeological sites of staggering beauty that rival the Great Wall of China, vast and ancient universities that predate Oxford and Cambridge, kingdoms of extraordinary wealth, artistic traditions that still inspire artists today, great religious sites that surpass the Vatican, and a country with more pyramids than Egypt. In recent years new archaeological and anthropological research has opened up the study of African history in ways previously unimaginable. Long-lost kingdoms are suddenly being brought back to life. Civilisations that had faded into myth are revealing their secrets. Using this latest research, Gus Casely-Hayford is able to tell the history of Africa's major kingdoms in an entirely new, colourful and richly-informed way. Accessible and inspiring, The Lost Kingdoms of Africa is both a major addition to our understanding of this oft-overlooked history and a source of genuine delight and wonder.

New York Times bestselling author Richelle Mead returns to the Otherworld, a mystic land inextricably linked to our own — and balanced precariously on one woman's desperate courage... Shaman-for-hire Eugenie Markham strives to keep the mortal realm safe from trespassing entities. But as the Thorn Land's prophecy-haunted queen, there's no refuge for her and her soon-to-be-born children when a mysterious blight begins to devastate the Otherworld... The spell-driven source of the blight isn't the only challenge to Eugenie's instincts. Fairy king Dorian is sacrificing everything to help, but Eugenie can't trust the synergy drawing them back together. The uneasy truce between her and her shape shifter ex-lover Kiyo is endangered by secrets he can't — or won't — reveal. And as a formidable force rises to also threaten the human world, Eugenie must use her own cursed fate as a weapon — and risk the ultimate sacrifice...

Adult movie actress, Raven Lane, is one of the most lusted after women in America, with millions of fans to prove it. But when a headless corpse turns up in the trunk of her car, she realizes that fame carries a terrible price. Fearing for her life, and with the LAPD seemingly unable to protect her, Raven turns to elite bodyguard, Ryan Lock for help. Lock stops bad things happening to good people, but can he stop the tidal wave of violence now threatening the city of Los Angeles as Raven's predator targets — and kills — those closest to her? As events spiral out of control, Lock is drawn into a dangerous world where money rules, where sex is a commodity to be bought and sold, and where no one can be trusted, least of all his beautiful new client. But what he cannot know is the terrifying price he's about to pay — just for getting involved...

This is where the dragons went. They lie... not dead, not asleep, but... dormant. And although the space they occupy isn't like normal space, nevertheless they are packed in tightly. They could put you in mind of a can of sardines, if you thought sardines were huge and scaly. And presumably, somewhere, there's a key... Guards! Guards! is the eighth Discworld novel — and after this, dragons will never be the same again!

The eight-year-old boy had vanished from the car and — as if by slick, sick magic — had been replaced by a note on the steering wheel... 'You don't love him'... At the height of summer a dark shadow falls across Exmoor. Children are being stolen from cars. Each disappearance is marked only by a terse note — a brutal accusation. There are no explanations, no ransom demands ...and no hope. Policeman Jonas Holly faces a precarious journey into the warped mind of the kidnapper if he's to stand any chance of catching him. But — still reeling from a personal tragedy — is Jonas really up to the task? Because there's at least one person on Exmoor who thinks that, when it comes to being the first line of defence, Jonas Holly may be the last man to trust...

Sarah Bridge is smart, successful and... single. As a newspaper journalist, she has a hectic day job, a busy social life and is perfectly happy with both. But something — or someone — is missing. At 38, she is starting to feel that time is running out. So what is she to do? 'There are plenty of men out there', her married friends say. 'You only have to look'. But they can't tell her where they are. So Sarah embarks on a mission to find an eligible man. She tries everything she can to seek him out: blind dates, speed dates, online dates, singles holidays, wine tasting, quiz dating, dinner dating, introduction agencies, social clubs, ski trips, running clubs, acting classes and dancing lessons. From mountaineering in Morocco to the fresh fruit counter at Sainsbury's, from clubbing in Clapham to triathlon in Tenerife, Sarah is on a mission: to meet the man of her dreams. But will anything work? And how will she feel after putting herself, and her heart, out there? First Catch Your Husband is a hilarious, entertaining, touching and thought-provoking account of life on the front line of dating. It's an inspiring tale for anyone who's ever been, or wanted to be, in love.