Recent Harvill highlights
Haruki Murakami (Author)
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Philip Gabriel (Translator)
A love story, a quest, an ode to books and to the libraries that house them, The City and Its Uncertain Walls is a parable for these strange times.
STEP INTO THE CITY. . .
When a young man’s girlfriend mysteriously vanishes, he sets his heart on finding the imaginary city where her true self lives. His search will lead him to take a job in a remote library with mysteries of its own.
When he finally makes it to the walled city, a shadowless place of horned beasts and willow trees, he finds his beloved working in a different library – a dream library. But she has no memory of their life together in the other world and, as the lines between reality and fantasy start to blur, he must decide what he’s willing to lose.
A love story, a quest, an ode to books and to the libraries that house them, The City and Its Uncertain Walls is a parable for these strange times.
'A love letter to books, libraries and librarians' Financial Times, Books of the Year
PRAISE FOR HARUKI MURAKAMI
'The world's most popular cult novelist' Guardian
'Wild and thrilling. . . Murakami is a master storyteller and he knows how to keep us hooked' Sunday Times
'Totally gripping' Daily Express
'It’s safe to say that there’s no one like Murakami' Literary Review
'No other author mixes domestic, fantastic and esoteric elements into such weirdly bewitching shades' Financial Times
Julia Kelly (Author)
The sea stole him from her. Could it bring him back?
Winter, 1900. A little boy washes up on the beach of a small fishing village in Scotland, barely alive. He bears an uncanny resemblance to teacher Dorothy's son, lost to the sea many years before.
When the village is snowed in, Dorothy agrees to look after the child until he can be returned home. But, as the past rises to meet the present, long-buried secrets in this tight-knit community start to come to light. And Dorothy finds herself thrown together again with the reclusive fisherman Joseph, after years of keeping their distance.
Bursting with tension and tenderness, this is an exquisite love story that delves into the precious moments that can lie behind village gossip.
'A beautiful story of grief, hope and love; of dark snowy nights, the mysteries of the sea and, above all, redemption' Lucy Diamond, Sunday Times bestselling author of Something to Tell You
READERS LOVE THE FISHERMAN'S GIFT:
‘Took my breath away’ *****
‘This book emotionally destroyed me in the best way… My heart aches so much for these characters’ *****
‘An absolute treasure of a book. I loved it from start to finish’ *****
‘A haunting and evocative read. The characters, especially Dorothy, have stayed with me well beyond the pages.’ *****
‘A completely immersive, first-class story. Brilliantly observed, atmospheric and haunting all in one novel!’ *****
'As mistakes are forgiven, secrets revealed and love rekindled, a glimmer of hope illuminates this tender, moving debut' Daily Mail
‘Spectacular... a gift to readers everywhere...a treasure’ Adriana Trigiani, New York Times bestselling author of The Good Left Undone
'Rich in atmosphere and brimming with mystery… a poignant, spellbinding tale of loss and resilience.' Christina Baker Kline, New York Times No. 1 bestselling author
'Stunning… Gorgeously multi-layered… evocative and heartbreaking, weaving melodic prose with a compelling story... I loved every word.' Fiza Saeed McLynn, author of The Midnight Carousel
'Superbly crafted and tender, [The Fisherman's Gift]'s a brilliant evocation of time, landscape and characters - with twists to keep you gripped to the last page' Woman & Home
'The characters and setting are memorable' New York Times
Abir Mukherjee (Author)
Your kids are missing, accused of plotting to kill thousands. Can you find them before it's too late?
It's a week before the presidential elections when a bomb goes off in an LA shopping mall.
In London, armed police storm Heathrow Airport and arrest Sajid Khan. His daughter, Aliyah entered the USA with the suicide bomber, and now she's missing, potentially plotting another attack on American soil.
But then a woman called Carrie turns up at Sajid's door after travelling halfway across the world. She claims Aliyah is with her son and she has a clue to their whereabouts. Carrie knows something isn't adding up - and that she and Sajid are the only ones who can find their children and discover the truth.
On the run from the authorities, the two parents are thrown together in a race against time to stop their kids and prevent a catastrophe the likes of which the world has never seen.
For fans of Adrian McKinty's The Chain, Clare Mackintosh's Hostage and global bestseller I Am Pilgrim, this blockbuster contemporary thriller will turn your world on its head.
Joseph O'Connor (Author)
'Thrilling, terrifying and entertaining in equal measure' Liz Nugent, Number One Bestselling author of Strange Sally Diamond
February 1944. Six months since Nazi forces occupied Rome.
Inside the beleaguered city, the Contessa Giovanna Landini is a member of the band of Escape Line activists known as ‘The Choir’. Their mission is to smuggle refugees to safety and help Allied soldiers, all under the nose of Gestapo boss Paul Hauptmann.
During a ferocious morning air raid a mysterious parachutist lands in Rome and disappears into the backstreets. Is he an ally or an imposter? His fate will come to put the whole Escape Line at risk.
Meanwhile, Hauptmann’s attention has landed on the Contessa. As his fascination grows, she is pulled into a dangerous game with him – one where the consequences could be lethal.
'As thrilling, beautiful and sensational a novel as you'll read this year or any year' Donal Ryan, Sunday Times
'Vivid and moving' Guardian
‘A stellar piece of storytelling’ Daily Mail
'Not just a wartime thriller, but a meditation on how we remember, how we resist and how, even in the darkest times, humanity endures' New York Times
'Excellent...rings so emotionally true and clear... The writing has the energy and tension of a thriller, yet the language is rich, visual and beautiful' Sunday Independent
Jo Nesbo (Author)
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Robert Ferguson (Translator)
FAMILY COMES FIRST. NO MATTER THE COST.
'A 100% buy-today-read-tonight delight' LEE CHILD
'Bracingly and bleakly funny' Telegraph
Brothers Carl and Roy Opgard have succeeded in life. Or at least they’ve had as much success as is possible in a small town like Os, where they've killed their way to the top. Carl manages the swanky spa hotel, while Roy has made ambitious plans for an amusement park.
Life’s good at the top. But the local sheriff is looking to bring them down.
Sheriff Kurt Olsen believes he has new evidence that will prove the brothers’ involvement in several past murders – but Carl and Roy are used to covering their tracks, and they're not afraid to get their hands dirty.
The body count in Os is about to get even higher.
Blood Ties is an explosive suspense novel about family, loyalty, and the lengths someone is willing to go to for both, from crime writing's king of the cliffhanger.
Rachel Louise Driscoll (Author)
‘Brilliant… I loved it.’ Santa Montefiore
SISTER. RIVAL. PROTECTOR.
Victorian Egyptologist Clemmie’s dark talents have torn her family apart. Now she has one chance to atone for the past.
Quiet and reserved, Clemmie is happy in the background. Although her parents may overlook her talents, her ability to read hieroglyphs makes her invaluable at the Egyptian relic parties which have made her father the toast of Victorian society.
But at one such party, the words Clemmie interprets from an unusual amulet strike fear into her heart. The beautiful and dangerous glyphs she holds in her hands will change her life forever.
Five years later, Clemmie arrives in Egypt on a mission to save what remains of her family. The childhood game she used to play about the immortal sisters, Isis and Nephthys, has taken on a devastating resonance and it is only by following Nephthys' story that she can undo the mistakes of the past.
*Reveal the secret symbol of Nephthys when you take off the book jacket.*
‘An irresistible page-turner’ Susan Stokes-Chapman, author Pandora
‘An intoxicating tale of adventure and obsession’ Emilia Hart, author of Weyward
‘A joy of a book’ Fiza Saeed McLynn, author of The Midnight Carousel
Readers ADORE Nephthys:
‘A total page-turner! ... Wow! What darkness this book holds!’
‘Unique and gripping.... this tale of Egypt and England was full of twists and turns.’
‘A captivating blend of Victorian society, ancient Egypt, and dark secrets.’
Pedro Almodóvar (Author)
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Frank Wynne (Translator)
A wildly inventive story collection from legendary film director Pedro Almodóvar
The Last Dream brings together for the first time twelve unpublished stories from Almodóvar’s personal archive, written between the late sixties and the present day. Both a tantalising glimpse into Almodóvar’s creative mind and a masterclass in how to tell a story, this intimate and mischievous collection reflects Almodóvar’s obsessions and many of the themes of his cinematic work, spanning genres from autofiction to comedy, parody, pastiche and gothic. The title story, ‘The Last Dream’, is a beautiful chronicle of the death of Almodóvar’s mother, and other stories include: a love story between Jesus and Barabbas; a cult film director out in search of painkillers on a bank holiday weekend; the primary version of the film Bad Education; and a gothic tale of a repentant vampire among monks.
In his introduction, Almodóvar writes: ‘I’ve been asked to write my autobiography more than once, and I’ve always refused; it’s also been suggested that I let someone else write my biography, but I have always felt somewhat resistant to the idea of a book entirely about me as an individual. I’ve never kept a diary, and whenever I’ve tried, I’ve never made it to page two; in a sense, then, this book represents something of a paradox. It might be best described as a fragmentary autobiography, incomplete and a little cryptic.’
A celebration of the relationship between life and art, fiction and reality from an artist unafraid to write about our most intimate moments, these stories explore desire, mortality, loneliness and the pain and glory of artistic creation, laced with playful humour and a deep love of literature and culture.
Translated by Frank Wynne
