Joseph Delaney used to be an English teacher, before becoming the best-selling author of the Spook's series, which has been published in 30 countries and sold over 4.5 million copies worldwide. The first book, The Spook's Apprentice, was adapted into a major motion picture starring Jeff Bridges and Julianne Moore.

Joseph Delaney

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Marie Joseph

Fans of Katie Flynn, Rosie Harris and Catherine Cookson will love this heart-warming collection of short stories exploring the themes of love from bestselling and prizewinning author Marie Joseph. Full of her signature warmth and wonderful characters, this is one not to miss. 
 
'Marie Joseph is an amazing success story' -- Woman's Weekly 
'She is a winner every time she writes' -- Manchester Evening News 
'I love Marie Joseph books and this one did not disappoint.' -- ***** Reader review 
'Compelling and very readable - recommended for an afternoon relaxing read.' -- ***** Reader 
 
*************************************************************************************** 
In this wonderful collection of short stories we meet, among others, the young mother who eventually discovers nothing can compare with Christmas at home with her husband and children; a couple who are brought together again with unexpected help from a feline source; and a younger sister whose wedding brings faint misgivings and memories from the past... 
 
With compassion, insight and humour these stories explore the themes of love - its hopes, joys, disappointments and reconciliations. All are told through the sepia of nostalgia and tinged with the irony that is characteristic of Marie Joseph.

The Way We Were

a collection of short stories exploring love in all its forms from bestselling author Marie Joseph

From bestselling novelist Marie Joseph - a collection of heartwarming, life-enhancing stories that show her at her very best. 
 
In them Marie Joseph explores the many aspects of love as it was in the sixties and seventies - its nostalgia, tenderness, pitfalls and moments of never-to-be-forgotten happiness.

When Love Was Like That And Other Stories

From the bestselling author of MAGGIE CRAIG, A BETTER WORLD THAN THIS, and numerous other novels, this is a collection of some of Marie Joseph's most outstanding short stories, previously published in magazines in the 60s and 70s and follows her volumes WHEN LOVE WAS LIKE THAT and THE WAY WE WERE. Written with compassion, perception and a touch of humour, these stories explore the theme of love - its dreams, hopes, disappointments and the joy of its discovery.

A Time To Remember

John Grisham

One young man's homecoming shocks a whole town. 
 
This is a homecoming that none of the respectable folk of Clanton are pleased about: that of a young man dying of AIDS. But their attempts to ostracise him merely show up some very ugly shortcomings of their own . . . 
 
Part of the Storycuts series, this story was previously published in the collection Ford County.

Funny Boy (Storycuts)

Ruth Rendell

When Petra's brother and his girlfriend vanish on holiday, her parents seek desperately to find them. Upon the death of her parents though, Petra is left with a fortune, her supposed friend Will, and feels entirely alone. So, when two people claiming to be her brother and his wife step forward years later, will Petra accept them as her lost loved ones? 
 
Part of the Storycuts series, this short story was previously published in the collection Blood Lines.

The Strawberry Tree (Storycuts)

One mother's last trip to see her son on death row. 
 
Wheelchair-bound Inez Graney and her two older sons, Leon and Butch, take a bizarre road trip through the Mississippi Delta to visit the youngest Graney brother, Raymond, who's been locked away on death row for eleven years. It could well be their last visit. 
 
Part of the Storycuts series, this story was previously published in the collection Ford County.

Fetching Raymond (Storycuts)

In 'Computer Seance', Sophia is credited with the 'spiritualist renaissance' in London, conducting séances for the bereaved residents of West London. So she is not at all surprised to meet her dead brother at a bus stop. She has, after all, encountered other deceased family members before. Only this time the encounter is more disturbingly real. 
 
In 'Fair Exchange' a meeting of two old acquaintances leads to the shocking revelation of a mutual friend's death. What unfolds is a tragic story of one life being sacrificed for another. 
 
Part of the Storycuts series, these two short stories were previously published in Piranha To Scurfy, a collection of psychological thrillers and murder mysteries.

Computer Seance / Fair Exchange (Storycuts)

Wexford has a headache: no-one seems to have witnessed the murder, and there is no evidence of any grudges being held against the victim. Nevertheless, the statements of the locals just don't make sense. It is up to Wexford to track down the rat. Whilst he is doing so, a series of hit-and-runs afflict the town centre. Is there a link? 
 
Part of the Storycuts series, this short story was previously published in the collection Blood Lines.

Blood Lines (Storycuts)

Beatrix, an old lady with frequent, irrational phobias, changes her will after she has an argument with her daughter, leaving her daughter nothing, her son a little, and her servants Clive and Gwenda with the majority. When Beatrix dies shortly after she's hit by a painting (one of her irrational fears), everyone wonders if Clive and Gwenda are to blame. 
 
Part of the Storycuts series, this short story was previously published in the collection Blood Lines.

In All Honesty (Storycuts)

Fiona meets Henry when temping for his company and is immediately impressed by his intellect. He takes pride in his achievements, but after they marr, Fiona finds out that this intellect was all just a pretence. Little does Fiona know the consequences of finding out a secret of pride . . . 
 
Part of the Storycuts series, this short story was previously published in the collection Blood Lines.

The Man Who Was The God of Love (Storycuts)

A short story about the shocking revelations of the realities that lie concealed behind day-to-day family life: an ailing woman's covert cruelty to her caring daughter-in-law; a desire to escape the family shackles; and resignation to loss. 
 
Part of the Storycuts series, this short story was previously published in the collection Blood Lines.

Burning End (Storycuts)

Katie Fforde

Treat yourself to some extra romance with this exclusive, straight-to-digital short story from the Sunday Times No. 1 Bestseller. 
 
When Jo’s friend Andi asks if she’ll stand in to cook Christmas lunch for her employer, Jo reluctantly agrees. She knows Andi will lose her job if she doesn’t, and wants to help out her friend. 
 
Jo is nervous because Andi’s boss is a well-known celebrity diva, who outright refuses to have anyone but Andi cook for her. But she also insists Andi wears full chef's whites so the girls think they’ll get away with it … it’s the perfect Christmas disguise. 
 
But when Jo runs into one of the guests - good looking and very smart Anthony - things get even more complicated… 
 
Plus the first chance to read the opening chapter of Katie's novel, A Summer at Sea.

A Christmas in Disguise (A romantic short story perfect for Christmas)

Helen Dunmore

Random House presents the audiobook edition of Girl, Balancing &amp; Other Stories, by Helen Dunmore, read by Emilia Fox, Kobna Holdbrook-Smith and Juliet Stevenson. 
 
Haunting, uplifting, beautiful: the final work from Helen Dunmore 
 
Helen Dunmore passed away in June 2017, leaving behind this remarkable collection of short stories. With her trademark imagination and gift for making history human, she explores the fragile ties between passion, love, family, friendship and grief, often through people facing turning points in their lives: 
 
A girl alone, stretching her meagre budget to feed herself, becomes aware that the young man who has come to see her may not be as friendly as he seems. 
 
Two women from very different backgrounds enjoy an unusual night out, finding solace in laughter and an unexpected friendship. 
 
A young man picks up his infant son and goes outside into a starlit night as he makes a decision that will inform the rest of his life. 
 
A woman imprisoned for her religion examines her faith in a seemingly literal and quietly original way. 
 
 This brilliant collection of Helen Dunmore’s short fiction, replete with her penetrating insight into the human condition, is certain to delight and move all her listeners.

Girl, Balancing & Other Stories

The laugh out loud adventure of three men from rural Ford County who travel to Memphis to donate blood to an injured friend. The journey, however, takes longer than expected thanks to their inability to continue driving past any liquor store en route. Not to mention the fact that the men have no idea which hospital their friend is in. After a variety of shootings, and a strip club brawl, it seems as though these men will not just be visiting their friend in the hospital. 
 
Part of the Storycuts series, this short story was previously published in the collection Ford County.

Blood Drive (Storycuts)

Debbie Macomber

In this original short story available exclusively as an eBook, Jo Marie Rose readies her inn for spring, turning to her new friends Grace and Olivia when she needs them most. 
 
Jo Marie has big plans for her bed-and-breakfast. With the help of handyman Mark Taylor, she intends to plant a beautiful rose garden in time for her upcoming open house. Jo Marie and Mark rarely see eye to eye—especially on matters of home improvement—but she knows he has her best interests at heart. After the two walk the grounds, Jo Marie realizes that her beloved rescue dog, Rover, is missing, and at a time when she most needs a friend, Mark abruptly leaves. Confused by Mark’s behavior and worried for Rover’s safety, Jo Marie searches for her precious dog all over Cedar Cove. But Rover is on an adventure of his own—one that will lead to a delightful surprise for two unlikely people.

Lost and Found in Cedar Cove

A Rose Harbor short story

A story of high-stakes and revenge following the construction of a casino. 
 
A sly entrepreneur and an unlikely Chieftain conspire to set up a casino on tribal territory. Money starts to pour in, business seems assured, as do the attentions of the local lonely-hearted women. But some people are upset by this - especially one spurned husband, who plans to strike back where it hurts. 
 
Part of the Storycuts series, this story was previously published in the collection Ford County.

Casino (Storycuts)

Brief romantic encounters that sparkle with humour and poignancy. 
 
Meet Maggie and Don, the conventional married couple, whose lives are dramatically interrupted by the arrival of Beth, Maggie's beautiful but impulsive friend ... 
 
Anne, the plain and practical secretary who dreams of capturing the heart of dashing Bruce Gordon, the firm's accountant ... 
 
The young man and woman alone in a crowded airport terminal who find brief solace in each other's company ... 
 
Just some of the marvelous characters, young and old, that people this richly observed collection of short stories.

Passing Strangers

and other stories

Cathy Woodman

The Three of Us is an exclusive short story introducing Zara, the village midwife whose story you can read in Follow Me Home, and bringing us up to date with what's happened to Tessa and Jack from The Village Vet 
 
Tessa and Jack live at the animal sanctuary in Talyton St George. They had been friends for years, but it wasn't until Jack interrupted Tessa's wedding that she discovered his feelings for her were stronger than she ever knew. 
 
Now, a year on, they could not be happier. And when Tessa discovers she's pregnant, it's as if all their dreams have come true. 
 
But a scan shows that there are complications, and suddenly Tessa realises that Jack has always had doubts about having a baby. Supported throughout by Zara, the village midwife, Tessa and Jack have some tough decisions to make. 
 
However, as the baby's birth draws closer, Tessa and Jack grow further apart. Will he feel differently when the baby is born? Or will having her wonderful child mean losing the man of her dreams?

The Three of Us

Short Story

The perfect companion for your cosy Christmas - a bumper bundle of wonderfully romantic stories from Sunday Times bestselling author Katie Fforde. Turn on the Christmas lights, curl up on the sofa and immerse yourself in the deliciously readable world of Katie Fforde. 
 
Includes two full length novels, Highland Fling and The Rose Revived, as well as three delightful short stories: Staying Away at Christmas, From Scotland With Love and A Christmas in Disguise. 
 
***** 
Highland Fling: 
When 'Virtual Assistant' Jenny Porter's boyfriend accuses her of being impulsive, soft-hearted and unbusinesslike, dashing off to Scotland to sort out a failing mill for one of her clients may not be the best way of proving him wrong. And promising to help run a mobile burger bar before she's even found her feet doesn't help matters. When she finds herself determined to save the mill - whatever her client's wishes - it seems that Henry's accusations may have contained more than a grain of truth. 
 
So when Jenny's awkward encounters with the abrasive but disconcertingly attractive Ross Grant develop into something more complicated - just as Henry arrives in Scotland to reclaim her - it's time for Jenny to make some decisions. Should she do the sensible thing and follow Henry back to London? Or is her Highland adventure more than just a fling . . . ? 
 
The Rose Revived: 
If May, Sally and Harriet didn't need the money so badly, they definitely wouldn't be working for Slimeball Slater at Quality Cleaners. So when they discover it's Slimeball taking them to the cleaners, they decide to set up their own business - and that's when things really start to take off. 
 
Working for themselves gives them the freedom and independence they've been longing for. May can afford the mooring fees for her beloved narrowboat; Harriet discovers a true gift for painting and Sally's dream of a place of her own is fast becoming reality. But is it too much, having made such a success of their working lives, to expect similar success in their romantic ones? 
 
Staying Away at Christmas: 
Miranda and her daughters have rented a cosy cottage for Christmas. The only trouble is, Anthony and his children are booked into the same place. In a moment of Christmas spirit, Miranda suggests they all spend yuletide together. Will the mistletoe help ease the tension and bring some cheer? Will romance blossom under the stars? Or will it be a Christmas they’d all rather forget? 
 
From Scotland With Love: 
When Daisy travels to Scotland to confront notorious author Rory McAllan, little does she know that within hours she’ll be snowed in with him. But surely she's not going to have to spend her precious New Year's Eve with him too? 
 
A Christmas in Disguise: 
When Jo’s friend Andi asks if she’ll stand in to cook Christmas lunch for her employer, Jo reluctantly agrees. She knows Andi will lose her job if she doesn’t, and wants to help out her friend. 
 
Jo is nervous because Andi’s boss is a well-known celebrity diva, who outright refuses to have anyone but Andi cook for her. But she also insists Andi wears full chef's whites so the girls think they’ll get away with it … it’s the perfect Christmas disguise. 
 
But when Jo runs into one of the guests - good looking and very smart Anthony - things get even more complicated…

Katie Fforde's Winter Collection

Donna Douglas

A fascinating journey into the historical world of the Nurses of Nightingale Hospital. Follow their story as together they cope with the demands of war, love and loss, and traumas both in and out of the Hospital.

A Christmas short story, available only in ebook, from the author of The Nightingale Girls, The Nightingale Sisters and The Nightingale Nurses 
 
Christmas Eve, 1936 
 
On a foggy December night, a pregnant woman walks out in front of a trolley bus and is knocked unconscious. 
 
She is rushed to the Nightingale hospital, and a healthy baby is delivered. But the mother claims to have lost her memory, and cannot believe that the child is hers. 
 
It seems that the Nightingale nurses may need to perform a Christmas miracle.

A Child is Born: A Nightingales Christmas Story

THE MOST ROMANTIC SHORT STORY YOU'LL READ THIS CHRISTMAS 
 
Treat yourself to some extra sparkle and romance this Christmas with this exclusive straight-to-digital short story from the Sunday Times No 1 Bestseller. Also includes a sneak preview of Katie’s wonderfully romantic new novel, A Secret Garden. 
 
Fenella and Rupert are organising the perfect Christmas, surrounded by their friends in their beautiful Somerby house. 
 
Until Fenella gets a phone call from her ghastly parents-in-law asking if they can join them for the holiday. Fenella couldn't possibly refuse and besides, it could be worse. 
 
But when they arrive and the house is suddenly plunged in darkness thanks to a power cut, Fenella knows she has her work cut out to keep everyone happy and pull off the perfect Christmas feast. 
 
Plus the first chance to read the opening chapter of Katie's novel, A Secret Garden.

Candlelight at Christmas

_________________ 
‘Thank goodness for Katie Fforde, the perfect author to bring comfort in difficult times. She really is the queen of uplifting, feel good romance.’ AJ PEARCE 
_________________ 
A young journalist and her top-secret assignment. An exclusive straight to digital short story from the Sunday Times No. 1 Bestseller. 
 
 
Meet Emily, a young woman who dreams of being a prize-winning investigative journalist. Her first assignment is to a top restaurant where tempestuous chef Theo Milton reigns supreme. Very soon romance starts to sparkle amongs the pots and pans. And Emily finds there's more than cooking on her mind. 
 
Sunday Times bestselling author Katie Fforde is known for her wonderfully romantic stories, delicious heroes, and heroines we can all relate to. In The Undercover Cook her warmth and wit shine through in this enchanting short story. 
 
 
It also gives readers the first chance to read the opening chapter of her captivating new novel, Recipe for Love, out in March.

The Undercover Cook

Karin Slaughter

‘One of the boldest thriller writers working today’ TESS GERRITSEN 
‘Her characters, plot, and pacing are unrivalled’ MICHAEL CONNELLY 
__________________________________ 
Two thrilling digital short stories in one from the No.1 bestselling author of the Will Trent novels 
 
Necessary Women: She was fourteen when she watched her mother die. With her mother gone, her father told her she had to be the woman of the house. And then he went away for six months. Now she’s got a surprise for him... 
 
The Mean Time: It’s a hot summer’s day and twelve-year-old Peanut and her cousins are being driven into town on the back of a trailer drawn by Uncle Toby in his tractor. It’s Peanut’s ‘mean time’ age and she’s about to do something she’ll regret...

Necessary Women and The Mean Time (Short Stories)

Nicholas Coleridge

A collection of fourteen stories containing a broad cast of amusing characters involved in adventures which are by turns funny, ingenious and moving.

How I Met My Wife

Douglas Coupland

Graham Roumieu

Seven pants-peeingly funny stories featuring seven evil characters you can't help but love: Douglas Coupland's stories are illustrated with dark charm by Graham Roumieu in a collaboration that brings together two of Canada's wittiest creators for the first time. Put your therapist on speed dial and read them with pleasure. 
 
A cast of unlovable miscreants who unleash their dark, unruly and antisocial desires on every page: They are Donald, the Incredibly Hostile Juice Box; Kevin, the Hobo Minivan with Extremely Low Morals; Brandon, the Action Figure with Issues; Sandra, the Truly Dreadful Babysitter; Hans, the Weird Exchange Student;Cindy, the Terrible Role Model; and Mr. Fraser, the Undead Substitute Teacher. 
 
A lot of laughs-of the evil, twisted kind: Definitely inappropriate for young people.

Highly Inappropriate Tales for Young People

An aggrieved man forces a lawyer to face natural justice. 
 
Stanley Wade can't even be sure that his absence will be noticed, after a simple trip to the food store takes an unexpectedly dark turn. A practising lawyer, Wade is forced to confront truths that challenge his most basic notions of justice and good. 
 
Part of the Storycuts series, this short story was previously published in the collection Ford County.

Michael's Room (Storycuts)

Strange events occur in a village in England, where the villagers themselves are endowed with an almost elfish beauty. Discoveries are made by a man who moves into a local cottage, for a writing retreat, also hoping to escape the woes of a recent divorce. He is especially susceptible to the nymph-like charms of the young women - and becomes increasingly bound up in their intrigues. 
 
Part of the Storycuts series, this short story was previously published in the collection Piranha To Scurfy.

High Mysterious Union (Storycuts)

P.G. Wodehouse

NOW A MAJOR BBC DRAMA STARRING TIMOTHY SPALL, DAVID WALLIAMS AND JENNIFER SAUNDERS 
 
Published to coincide with the star-filled BBC production of Blandings, this superb new anthology sees these celebrated stories together for the first time. 
 
Set in the delightfully dysfunctional mess of Blandings Castle these 6 gems follow the trials of poor Earl Emsworth and his beloved pig Empress as they clash with a panoply of friends and family, servants and spongers, bookies and hucksters. And all served up with great lashings of comedy from that rarest of geniuses: P.G. Wodehouse.

Blandings: TV Tie-In

Addicted to buying clothes, Alison shops until she steals, pulls a scarf around her neck and, quite literally, drops . . . 
 
Part of the Storycuts series, this short story was previously published in the collection Blood Lines.

Clothes (Storycuts)

In 'Expectations', when George, a seemingly virtuous, well-born and well-educated man, is murdered, his wife reflects on their life together. She married George for love despite knowing he only wanted her fortune. Now he is dead, she no longer has to resemble the psychologically disturbed Miss Haversham. 
 
In 'Lizzie's Lover' a poetically-minded man woos his lover with quotes of verse. He is so obsessed with poetry that he determines to bring the words to life, regardless of the fatal consequences. 
 
In 'Shreds and Slivers' an aggrieved man plots his deadly revenge with sinister cheer. This chilling tale will make you think twice the next time you're buying dinner. 
 
In 'The Carer' nosy neighbour Angela looks after people's houses when they're away. Sometimes she likes to go through their possessions, searching their drawers to uncover their secrets... Until she uncovers a real life skeleton in a closet. 
 
In 'Unacceptable Levels' a smoker has tried, and failed, to quit. When he's outside, he smokes to keep the mosquitoes away. When he gets mosquito bites, he can't sleep so he smokes some more, caught in a vicious psychological cycle. 
 
Part of the Storycuts series, these five short stories were previously published in Blood Lines, a collection of murder mysteries and crimes thrillers.

Expectations / Lizzie's Lover / Shreds and Slivers / The Carer / Unacceptable Levels (Storycuts)

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