Adult & Contemporary Fiction

"Gentlemen!" William McAdam addressed the room, a knife in each hand. "Your watches, please! I guarantee you the fastest amputation ever performed anywhere in the world..."Sixteen-year-old Ezra McAdam has much to be thankful for: trained up as an...

Meet Garvie Smith. Highest IQ ever recorded at Marsh Academy. Lowest ever grades. What's the point? Life sucks. Nothing surprising ever happens. Until Chloe Dow's body is pulled from a pond. His ex-girlfriend. DI Singh is already on the case. Ambitious,...

The much-anticipated prequel to the bestselling FROZEN CHARLOTTE, a Zoella Book Club title in Autumn 2016. Following the death of her mother in a terrible fire, Jemima flees to the remote Isle of Skye, to take up a job at a school for girls. There she...

AS SEEN ON THE TODAY SHOW!"This is a witty, charming, character-driven story that is honestly one of the best historical romances I’ve read in years." —Julia Quinn, bestselling author of the Bridgerton novels on the TODAY ShowThe Washington...

In a sizzling romance that sparkles with wit and depth, two wounded souls meet by chance in the desert and agree to get married, and their lives will never be the same. On a normal day, Emmaline Darling isn’t a car thief. She’s just a simple...

No one had ever looked at her and seen perfection—until now. Delicate, titian-haired Theresa Noble has met her father’s associates in the past, but the gorgeous, Italian-born Sandro De Lucci leaves her speechless. Eighteen months into their...

Shakespeare created the myth of the Macbeths as indefensible murderous conspirators. But now internationally bestselling author Val McDermid drags the truth out of the shadows, exposing the patriarchal prejudices of history. Britain’s reigning...

In a bloody, brutal raid, Abbot Blathmac is slain on the steps of his monastery for refusing to give away the location of the sacred relics of St Columba, the missionary who first brought Christianity to Scotland. Following a night of rampage and mayhem,...

An exhilarating literary mystery, Swimming Lessons keeps readers guessing until the final page. Disenchanted by the life in which she’s found herself, Ingrid Coleman writes letters to her husband, Gil, about the truth of their...

Winner of the 2021 Costa Novel Award. Finalist for the Women's Prize in Fiction. Named a Best Book of the Month by Entertainment Weekly, PopSugar, Bustle, Chicago Review of Books, PureWow, a Best Book of Summer by Daily Beast and one of Good...

Your most delightful holiday read: the sequel to the instant New York Times bestseller The Christmas Bookshop, from beloved Scottish author Jenny Colgan. Christmas comes early—far too early—to McCredie’s little Old Town bookshop in...

Curl up with the utterly gorgeous and feel-good escapist festive novel full of second chances and fresh starts, from the Number One Sunday Times bestselling author this winter! Imogen is a busy professional, her job is everything to her, and her...

The kind of spy novel that gets into the meticulous details of espionage, The Peacock and the Sparrow is as close as you can get to being a sleuth without actually being one. This is a debut thriller that will leave you eager for I. S. Berry's next.BEST...

Sparks fly in this delightful novel about two burned out professionals who meet at a ramshackle resort on the British seaside—from the #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Party Crasher.“I devoured The Burnout in one greedy gulp...

All aboard! Unmask the murderer in this rollicking sea-faring adventure. Bring your magic and your charms — and keep your wits about you at all costs.A mind-blowing murder mystery on a ship full of magical passengers. If Agatha Christie wrote...

Return to our favorite cozy fantasy universe, and journey back with us to Marsyas Island. The Cerulean Chronicles continues with Arthur's story, one of magic, hope and endless charm.A #1 NEW YORK TIMES, #1 USA TODAY and #1 INDIE BESTSELLER! Hope is the...

The uncompromising comedian and commentator delivers a devastating satire of our current global crisis, through the eyes of a time-traveller from the late twenty-first century. A Short History of the Apocalypseimagines a grotesque and bizzarre future...

A writer is seized by apocalyptic visions; a voyeuristic marquis commits a brutal act; and a trio of beatniks dance to modern jazz in the ruins of an abandoned church. Here, stark autobiography contrasts with pure horror, and the tenderness of first love...

A series of provocative discussions on everything from individual authors to contemporary religious thinking, Against Interpretation and Other Essays is the definitive collection of Susan Sontag's best known and important works published in Penguin...

A vivid picaresque comedy with serious, melancholy undertones, The Lonely Londoners documents the 1950s immigrant experience through the affectionate relationship of a new arrival and a rueful old timer.  Featured on Between the Covers Big...