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The best Penguin Podcast episodes for aspiring writers

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Books to read if you love Cruel Summer

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On the particular pleasures of re-reading

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From the Orient Express to Bullet Train: why crime loves a locomotive

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Extracts

Into the Water By Paula Hawkins

A Slow Fire Burning

IT'S THE QUIET ONES YOU HAVE TO WATCH 
 
The addictive No.1 bestselling thriller from the author of global phenomena The Girl on the Train and Into the Water.

The new SCORCHING bestseller from bestselling author of THE GIRL ON THE TRAIN and INTO THE WATER 
 
'Here are characters who are real and likeable, even when they are complicated and flawed. Paula Hawkins is a genius' 
Lisa Jewell 
 
IT'S THE QUIET ONES YOU HAVE TO WATCH 
 
Three women, connected by one brutal crime. 
Three women, determined to right the wrongs done to them. 
Three women, with everything to hide. 
 
When it comes to revenge, even good people are capable of terrible things. 
 
But only one person killed Daniel Sutherland. 
 
How long can their secrets smoulder, before they explode into flame? 
 
__________ 
 
'This twisted story with its cast of damaged characters builds to a brilliant conclusion.' 
Shari Lapena 
 
'From the first sentence to the last, this explosive, startling novel grabs you by the throat and doesn't let go. Fiendishly clever' 
Kate Mosse 
 
'Shocking, moving, full of heart' 
Observer 
 
'Twists and turns like a great thriller should, but it's also deep, intelligent and intensely human' 
Lee Child 
 
'Gripping and intriguing, I loved every moment' 
S J Watson 
 
'Superbly told... utterly compelling' 
Daily Mail 
 
'Paula Hawkins' best novel yet' 
Harriet Tyce 
 
***PAULA HAWKINS' ADDICTIVE NEW THRILLER, THE BLUE HOUR IS AVAILABLE NOW*** 
 
A Slow Fire Burning, Richard & Judy Book Club Pick, Summer 2022

From the first sentence to the last, this explosive, startling novel grabs you by the throat and doesn't let go. Fiendishly clever and with a wonderful sense of place too. Go read!

I love Paula Hawkins, and this is why - A Slow Fire Burning twists and turns like a great thriller should, but it's also deep, intelligent and intensely human . . . the characters are just like people you know . . . or maybe even just like you yourself. Hawkins is proving herself a worthy 21st century heir to Barbara Vine and Patricia Highsmith.

My Book of the Month, for which I predict big things . . . An intriguing, unputdownable thriller that is as much about the compelling, damaged characters as it is about the intricate plot.

With a beautifully wrought cast of characters who are real and likeable even when they are complicated and flawed, a fantastic, picturesque London setting, twists and turns galore and exquisite prose, this is a high class read. Paula Hawkins is a genius.

Paula Hawkins's plotting is meticulous. A Slow Fire Burning is a clever onion of a book, expertly peeled.

Dark and disturbing, this twisted story with its cast of damaged characters builds to a brilliant conclusion. This one will stay with you for a long time.

Gripping and intriguing, I loved every moment of A Slow Fire Burning. Hawkins goes from strength to strength.

An unflinching look at the damage sparked by grief, loss and betrayal - and the revenge and retribution that ensues. Compelling and intricately plotted, it was its flawed and utterly credible women, and the warmth and wit of their irreverent voices, that I loved the most.

A new Paula Hawkins novel is always a cause for celebration. Her books have all the pleasing twists of the noir genre while at the same time having something to say that feels real and complex and true - her women characters feel like someone you actually know.

A Slow Fire Burning is a hugely gripping, character-based thriller, with great writing and brilliant twists. Highly recommended.

A Slow Fire Burning absolutely held me with its compelling, multi-generational cast of women and the brilliantly evoked pathos of damaged lives.

I inhaled this novel, a gripping exploration of the damage that secrets can do, Hawkins' writing draws you in from the first word and refuses to let you go until the last.

A Slow Fire Burning is Paula Hawkins at her best. Here are characters you want to spend time with, living in a world you believe in, and caught up in a plot that holds you in its grip. A thrilling read.

A truly satisfying, multi-layered maze of a mystery with a cast of flawed characters so real I'm still thinking of them days after I turned the last page.

I don't know if this isn't Paula Hawkins' best novel yet. A Slow Fire Burning is superb

I loved A Slow Fire Burning. The ingenious beginning snared me and I was held by the subtly powerful plot, such a difficult thing to do well and here, seemingly effortless. The characters were deliciously complex and utterly authentic and that is what has stayed with me the longest - their voices, their fragility, their distinct stories.

A Slow Fire Burning is a hugely satisfying, brilliantly crafted novel about the entanglement of betrayal and retaliation, the damage of loss, and how tragedy reverberates in ways we can never expect. Wickedly dark and gorgeously written, this is a novel you'll be thinking about long after the last delicious pages. Paula Hawkins is masterful.

Tense, suspenseful and wholly surprising . . . you won't be able to put it down.

The queen of the psychological thriller is back with her best book yet. It's such an addictive read . . . an absolute must-read

The kind of book that stays with you for days after . . . cleverly plotted, powerful, unputdownable and sure to be another global hit.

A treat: utterly readable, moving in parts and saturated with the kind of localised detail that made The Girl on the Train so compelling . . . [It] will be seen, rightly, as a return to form; a London book from an excellent writer on London, and a tender portrait of characters that stay in the mind long after you've finished reading.

Harks back to peak-period Barbara Vine with its beautifully drawn characters and its offbeat London setting . . . This is a subtle, haunting thriller with many twists.

Superbly told, its twists and turns reveal the slow fire burning inside each which might just destroy them. Utterly compelling.

Very cunningly structured . . . gets under the skin of a range of interesting characters.

An excellent page-turner to take on holiday

Fast-paced, highly charged and carried off with so much confidence that it is impossible to resist.

An engrossing account of trauma, at the centre are three women driven by loss, secrets and revenge.

A firecracker of a read full of unreliable narrators and big twists!

Paula's best work yet, a thoughtful, poignant interrogation of the sad, messy complicated business of human life

A multi-layered mystery, simmering with secrets, resentments and grief

Compelling and challenging, A Slow Fire Burning explores the damage caused by betrayal and loss, and how this can manifest in disturbing acts of revenge and retribution. The author's first novel for four years is worth the wait and certain to cement her status as a publishing phenomenon.

Shocking, moving, full of heart ... deeply layered and intricately plotted ... A Slow Fire Burning shows a writer at the height of her powers

This tense and irresistible read is best binged in one sitting

Intricately interwoven plots and subplots, propulsive twists and a neat finale, a deliciously easy psycho drama to hungrily tear through.

A psychological thriller that begins with a death on a canal boat and involves a cadre of shifty, damaged characters.

A multi-layered mystery simmering with secrets, resentments and griefs.

PAULA HAWKINS worked as a journalist for fifteen years before turning her hand to fiction. Born and brought up in Zimbabwe, Paula moved to London in 1989 and has lived there ever since. Her first thriller, The Girl on the Train, has been a global phenomenon, selling 23 million copies worldwide. Published in over forty languages, it has been a No.1 bestseller around the world and was a No.1 box office hit film starring Emily Blunt. 
 
Into the Water, her second stand-alone thriller, has also been a global No.1 bestseller, spending twenty weeks in the Sunday Times hardback fiction Top 10 bestseller list, and six weeks at No.1.

The new SCORCHING bestseller from #1 author of THE GIRL ON THE TRAIN and INTO THE WATER 
 
'An addictive whodunnit' 
Evening Standard 
 
'Here are characters who are real and likeable, even when they are complicated and flawed. Paula Hawkins is a genius' 
Lisa Jewell 
 
Three women, connected by one brutal crime. 
Three women, determined to right the wrongs done to them. 
Three women, with everything to hide. 
 
When it comes to revenge, even good people are capable of terrible things. 
 
But only one person killed Daniel Sutherland. 
 
How long can their secrets smoulder, before they explode into flame?

Blind Spot

Quick Reads 2022

'How can you say things like this? How can you be so blind?' 
 
Since they were kids, Edie, Jake and Ryan have been the closest of friends. It's been the three of them against the world. Edie thought the bonds between them were unbreakable. So when Jake is brutally murdered and Ryan accused of the crime, her world is shattered. 
 
Edie is alone for the first time in years, living in the remote house that she and Jake shared. She is grief-stricken and afraid - with good reason. Because someone is watching. Someone has been waiting for this moment. Now that Edie is alone, the past she tried so hard to leave behind is about to catch up with her... 
 
 
Praise for Paula Hawkins: 
 
'Twists and turns galore . . . Paula Hawkins is a genius.' Lisa Jewell 
 
'Gripping and intriguing.' S J Watson 
 
'Utterly compelling.' Daily Mail

PAULA HAWKINS worked as a journalist for fifteen years before writing her first novel. Born and brought up in Zimbabwe, she moved to London in 1989. Her first thriller The Girl on the Train became a global phenomenon, selling over 23 million copies. Published in over fifty languages, it was a No.1 bestseller around the world and a box-office-hit film starring Emily Blunt. 
 
Paula's most recent thrillers, Into the Water and A Slow Fire Burning, were also instant No.1 bestsellers. In 2021 A Slow Fire Burning was nominated for Thriller of the Year at the British Book Awards.

'How can you say things like this? How can you be so blind?' 
 
Since they were kids, Edie, Jake and Ryan have been the closest of friends. It's been the three of them against the world. Edie thought the bonds between them were unbreakable. So when Jake is brutally murdered and Ryan accused of the crime, her world is shattered. 
 
Edie is alone for the first time in years, living in the remote house that she and Jake shared. She is grief-stricken and afraid - with good reason. Because someone is watching. Someone has been waiting for this moment. Now that Edie is alone, the past she tried so hard to leave behind is about to catch up with her...

Abridged Edition

Penguin Readers Level 6: The Girl on the Train (ELT Graded Reader)

Rachel catches the same commuter train every morning. She knows it will wait at the same signal each time, overlooking a row of back gardens. She’s even started to feel like she knows the people who live in one of the houses. ‘Jess and Jason’, she calls them. Their life – as she sees it – is perfect. If only Rachel could be that happy. 
 
And then she sees something shocking. It’s only a minute until the train moves on, but it’s enough. Now everything’s changed. 
 
Our Penguin Readers books include: 
 
• Simple text (CEFR-levelled) 
• Pictures to help you understand the story 
• Fun exercises to help you learn and practise English 
 
With the print book, you can get even more help online: 
• Read the book online 
• Listen to the book being read out loud 
• Get lesson plans for teachers 
• Find answers to check your understanding 
 
Note: online resources not available with the eBook.

The Sunday Times Bestseller

Into the Water

The addictive Sunday Times No. 1 bestseller

The addictive No. 1 psychological thriller from the author of The Girl on the Train, the runaway Sunday Times No. 1 bestseller and global phenomenon.

Paula Hawkins does it again! Into the Water is a moody and chilling thriller that will have you madly turning the pages. A gripping, compulsive read!

Wondering if Into the Water could be as good as The Girl on the Train? It's better. A triumph.

Fans of Paula Hawkins’ The Girl on the Train rejoice: her second novel Into the Water is even better. A brilliantly plotted and fast-paced juggernaut of a read that hurtles to a heart-stopping conclusion.

It’s like PD James wrote an episode of The Wire… A twisting whodunit that leaves you both gratified and surprised (also the best kind)… Not just a brilliant thriller but also a furious feminist howl…

The prose is powerful and richly descriptive. As the threads of the plot mesh together and the tension builds it develops into a brooding and complex read that deserves to make a splash in its own right.

A radical and addictive thriller.

Into the Water is very different [to The Girl on the Train] – expect beautiful descriptions and deeper layers – but you’ll still want to race to the end to find out what happens.

Paula Hawkins effortlessly follows the success of The Girl on the Train with this immersive novel . . . Told from multiple points of view this is clever and twisty fiction with a ghostly edge.

Once you start, you won't be able to put this one down . . . With the same delicious mystery that lingers throughout The Girl on the Train (not to mention the jaw-dropping ending), Look read it every spare second.

The breathtaking follow-up to The Girl on the Train with author Paula Hawkins at her best . . . confident, ambitious and intriguing.

I loved it actually more than The Girl on the Train. It has depth, is authentic, beautiful and real.

Hawkins should be congratulated, both for daring to try something new, and for doing it well.

No, it's not The Girl on the Train and neither should it be. The author has crafted something totally different and it's an atmospheric, creepy read.

‘Wondering if Into the Water could be as good as The Girl on the Train? It's better. A triumph.’ Clare Mackintosh, bestselling author of I Let You Go 
 
The addictive No. 1 psychological thriller from the author of The Girl on the Train, the runaway Sunday Times No. 1 bestseller and global phenomenon. 
 
 
***** 
 
Just days before her sister plunged to her death, Jules ignored her call. 
 
Now Nel is dead. They say she jumped. And Jules must return to her sister's house to care for her daughter, and to face the mystery of Nel's death. 
 
But Jules is afraid. Of her long-buried memories, of the old Mill House, of this small town that is drowning in secrecy . . . 
 
And of knowing that Nel would never have jumped. 
 
***** 
 
‘Paula Hawkins does it again! Into the Water is a moody and chilling thriller that will have you madly turning the pages. A gripping, compulsive read!’ Shari Lapena, bestselling author of The Couple Next Door 
 
‘Fans of Paula Hawkins’ The Girl on the Train rejoice: her second novel Into the Water is even better. A brilliantly plotted and fast-paced juggernaut of a read that hurtles to a heart-stopping conclusion.’ Good Housekeeping (Book of the Month) 
 
‘A twisting whodunnit that leaves you both gratified and surprised (also the best kind) . . . Not just a brilliant thriller but also a furious feminist howl . . .’ Stylist 
 
‘Dark, gothic and twisty as a snake in the grass. I read it in one sitting.’ Erin Kelly, author of He Said, She Said 
 
‘Into the Water is superb. Sinister layers, complex characters and a plot that'll keep you guessing.’ Ali Land, author of Good Me, Bad Me 
 
***PAULA HAWKINS' ADDICTIVE NEW THRILLER, THE BLUE HOUR IS NOW AVAILABLE***

Film tie-in CD

The Girl on the Train

The multi-million-copy global phenomenon

Film tie-in

THE RUNAWAY SUNDAY TIMES NO.1 BESTSELLER AND THRILLER OF THE YEAR 
 
YOU DON'T KNOW HER. BUT SHE KNOWS YOU.

Really great suspense novel. Kept me up most of the night. The alcoholic narrator is dead perfect.

My vote for unreliable narrator of the year

The thriller scene will have to up its game if it's to match Hawkins this year

Hawkins's taut story roars along at the pace of, well, a high-speed train . . . a smart, searing thriller'

The Girl On The Train was so thrilling and tense and wildly unpredictable, it sucked up my entire afternoon. I simply could not put it down. Not to be missed!

Gripping, enthralling - a top-notch thriller and a compulsive read

What a group of characters, what a situation, what a book! It's Alfred Hitchcock for a new generation and a new era

Terry Hayes, bestselling author of I Am Pilgrim

Clever and compelling! Hawkins keeps the tension ratcheted high in this thoroughly engrossing tale of intersecting strangers and intimate betrayals. Kept me guessing until the very end!

A thriller that grabs you from the first page and takes you on a high speed ride full of twists and turns. Gazing out of the train window will never be the same again!

Colette McBeth, author of Precious Thing and The Life I Left Behind

A tight thriller with refreshingly realistic, nasty characterisation and an intricate weaving of narrative voices . . . A cleverly crafted piece of modern suburban noir

This is unputdownable . . . A fast, clever thriller with a flawed, entertaining heroine

Like its train, the story blasts through the stagnation of these lives in suburban London and the reader cannot help but turn the pages . . The welcome echoes of Rear Window throughout the story and its propulsive narrative make The Girl on the Train an absorbing read

There's nothing like a really excellent thriller to kick-start a new year, and this one's a beauty

a novel that grabbed me from the start and didn't let go

this year's most highly anticipated psychological thriller

If you like your books twisty and your narrators unreliable and flawed, this is for you

Wow, now I know why it has caused such a stir. Taut, tight, utterly compulsive. Once you embark you won't want to get off until the very last stop

Artfully crafted and utterly riveting. The Girl on the Train's clever structure and expert pacing will keep you perched on the edge of your seat, but it's Hawkins' deft, empathetic characterization that will leave you pondering this harrowing, thought-provoking story about the power of memory and the danger of envy.

Kimberly McCreight, New York Times-bestselling author of Reconstructing Amelia

Damn you #girlonthetrain . . . you unputdownable, you. So twisty, compassionate and gritty. Loved it. Deserves to be massive

Going to be THE book of 2015. Sexy, smart &amp; v intricately plotted

Brilliant, fast-moving, very clever. Add to your January wish-list now!

Be ready to be spell-bound . . . It's the kind of book you'll want to press into the hands of everyone you know, after you've turned the last page, just so they can share your obsession and you can relive it

Compulsively readable…. It actually hurt to put it down

JOY FIELDING, New York Times bestselling author of Now You See Her

I'm calling it now: The Girl on the Train is the next Gone Girl. Paula Hawkins' highly anticipated debut novel is a dark, gripping thriller with the shock ending you crave in a noir-ish mystery

A gripping, down-the-rabbit-hole thriller

Gone Girl fans will devour this psychological thriller . . . Hawkins' debut ends with a twist that no one - least of all its victims - have seen coming

[Paula Hawkins] pulls off a thriller's toughest trick: carefully assembling everything we think we know, until it reveals the one thing we didn't see coming

distinctive, intelligent and unpredictable

perfectly paced, from its arresting beginning to its twist ending; it's not an easy book to put down . . . what really makes The Girl on the Train such a gripping novel is Hawkins' remarkable understanding of the limits of human knowledge, and the degree to whcih memory and imagination can become confused

A complex and increasingly chilling tale courtesy of a number of first-person narratives that will wrong-foot even the most experienced of crime fiction readers

The Girl on the Train marries movie noir with novelistic trickery . . . hang on tight. You'll be surprised by what horrors lurk around the bend

achieves a sinister poetry . . . Hawkins keeps the nastiest twist for last

[L]ike Gone Girl, Hawkins' book is a highly addictive novel about a lonely divorcee who gets caught up in the disappearance of a woman whom she had been surreptitiously watching. And beyond the Gone Girl comaparisons, this book has legs of its own

Hawkins' masterful deployment of unwittingly unreliable narration to evoke the aftershocks of abuse and trauma is a powerful way of exploring women's marginalization

Springs new surprises on us . . .Pulses will be quickened

The Girl on the Train has more fun with unreliable narration than any chiller since Gone Girl

Halfway through and I can't stop reading it. My kinda thriller!

it's BLIDDY FABLISS, isn't it! A long long time since a book gripped me like this

The Girl on the Train is one of those delicious thrillers that can be devoured in four sittings, that's two return journeys on a typical train trip! There's a whiff of Agatha Christie and a dollop of Gone Girl with plenty of blind alleys that we happily wander up and get lost in. Pick it up, solve the crime and pass it on . . .

Agatha Christie meets Rear Window...a taut psychological thriller that's chockful of chilling twists.

Clever, exciting and full of twists, this is undoubtedly the cream of this year's crop

Unputdownable . . . the new literary sensation . . . nothing short of sensational

Hawkins juggles perspectives and timescales with great skill, and considerable suspense builds up along with empathy for an unusual central character.

THE RUNAWAY SUNDAY TIMES NO.1 BESTSELLER AND THRILLER OF THE YEAR, NOW A MAJOR FILM STARRING EMILY BLUNT 
 
'Really great suspense novel. Kept me up most of the night. The alcoholic narrator is dead perfect' STEPHEN KING 
 
Rachel catches the same commuter train every morning. She knows it will wait at the same signal each time, overlooking a row of back gardens. She’s even started to feel like she knows the people who live in one of the houses. ‘Jess and Jason’, she calls them. Their life – as she sees it – is perfect. If only Rachel could be that happy. 
 
And then she sees something shocking. It’s only a minute until the train moves on, but it’s enough. 
 
Now everything’s changed. Now Rachel has a chance to become a part of the lives she’s only watched from afar. 
 
Now they’ll see; she’s much more than just the girl on the train… 
 
***PAULA HAWKINS' ADDICTIVE NEW THRILLER, THE BLUE HOUR IS AVAILABLE FOR PRE-ORDER NOW***

Paula Hawkins

Paula's very best book. An utterly compelling exploration of loneliness, obsession and jealousy, and a bloody good read. Could not put it down.

Paula Hawkins has more in common with Patricia Highsmith than just her initials . . . The Blue Hour is her finest work yet.

A tensely atmospheric and layered exploration of artistic drive and devotion; loyalty and betrayal; class, money and revenge . . . I loved it.

Incredible storytelling combined with complex characters whose true natures will keep you guessing.

An atmospheric, stylish puzzle box of a thriller with a deliciously inventive premise. I love a locked-room mystery - or, in this case, a locked-island mystery - and Paula Hawkins has delivered a truly exceptional one.

Set on a remote but beautiful Scottish island, the novel has much to say about creativity and relationships.

I LOVED this art-world-set thriller with its stately-home Saltburn vibe. . . Hawkins weaves a skilful tale about class and privilege and keeps up the tension until the end.

‘Vivid, extremely tense, unnervingly unputdownable. This is a superb, powerful read.’ Independent‘Undoubtedly Hawkins’ best novel yet’ Observer***** 
For twelve hours each day, the Scottish island of Eris is cut off from the mainland. No way in. No way out. 
The island’s only house was once home to Vanessa, whose notoriously unfaithful husband disappeared twenty years ago. Now this remote and beautiful place is home to Grace . . . a solitary creature of the tides, guarding the island’s past.But far away in London, a stranger has just made a startling discovery - a human bone where no human bone should be. And in that moment Grace’s precious isolation is threatened.How will she respond? Can she be trusted? Or is it Grace who should be afraid?Suddenly this is a very dangerous time to be alone . . . 'A darkly atmospheric, engaging mystery - her best book since The Girl On The Train.' Good Housekeeping (Book of the Year)***** 
 
Readers are OBSESSED with The Blue Hour! 
 
'This blew me away. I want to read it again IMMEDIATELY. It’s creepy, unsettling and tense. ' 5-STAR Reader Review 
 
'I soaked up every bit of this book, savoured every word. I didn't want it to end but when it did, it did so in chilling style. Brilliant!' 5-STAR Reader Review 
 
'Once again, Hawkins has produced an irresistible, gripping story that I was completely immersed in from page one.' 5-STAR Reader Review 
 
------------ 
 
More praise for The Blue Hour: 
 
‘Really, really, REALLY good. Highly recommended!’ MARIAN KEYES 
 
'A fine, insidious thriller.' The Mail on Sunday 
 
'Gorgeous and chilling.' SHARI LAPENA 
 
'Extremely hard to put down.' MICK HERRON 
 
‘Paula's very best book. . . and a bloody good read.’ LIZ NUGENT 
The Girl on the Train, global No.1 bestseller, The Bookseller Feb 2024 
Paula Hawkins, Sunday Times bestseller, October 2024

Paula Hawkins

Praise for The Blue Hour

Paula's very best book. An utterly compelling exploration of loneliness, obsession and jealousy, and a bloody good read. Could not put it down.

Paula Hawkins has more in common with Patricia Highsmith than just her initials . . . The Blue Hour is her finest work yet.

An addictive, exhilarating book.

Paula's very best book. An utterly compelling exploration of loneliness, obsession and jealousy, and a bloody good read. Could not put it down.

Paula Hawkins has more in common with Patricia Highsmith than just her initials . . . The Blue Hour is her finest work yet.

An addictive, exhilarating book.

Paula's very best book. An utterly compelling exploration of loneliness, obsession and jealousy, and a bloody good read. Could not put it down.

Paula Hawkins has more in common with Patricia Highsmith than just her initials . . . The Blue Hour is her finest work yet.

An addictive, exhilarating book.

Books by Paula Hawkins

Articles featuring Paula Hawkins

The best Penguin Podcast episodes for aspiring writers

Books to read if you love Cruel Summer

The best books for book lovers

On the particular pleasures of re-reading

From the Orient Express to Bullet Train: why crime loves a locomotive

Into the Water By Paula Hawkins

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