Ajay Chowdhury, the inaugural winner of the Harvill Secker-Bloody Scotland prize, is a tech entrepreneur and theatre director. His children’s book – Ayesha and the Firefish, was published in 2016 and adapted into a musical which premiered in San Francisco. 
 
 
The Waiter (Sunday Times Crime Book of the Month), was published in 2021, and is the first in his critically-acclaimed crime series about Detective Kamil Rahman, an ex-policeman from Kolkata who has moved to Brick Lane in London. It is being adapted for television by Moonage Pictures.The Cook (Guardian Top Crime Books of the Year) was published in May 2022 to excellent reviews and deals with the issue of homelessness. The third book in the series – The Detective (Sunday Times Top Crime Books of the Year) – is about government surveillance and AI. The Spy (Longlisted Wilbur Smith Adventure Writing), the fourth book, sees Kamil infiltrate a terrorist cell. The Shadow (A Sunday Times Crime Book of the Month) is the latest book in the series.

Ajay Chowdhury

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Marvellous Michael Anson

In Oru L'ore is the only one without agbára - the ability to harness power from the sun. And must conceal it from everyone. Including her best friend, Alawani. 
 
But when the gods declare Alawani an Àlùfáà, he must be stripped of his power in a brutal trial likely to kill him. Unwilling to bear his death, Lóre vows to rescue him. 
 
But in a desperate attempt to channel agbára an icy magic pours from her hands; a power she learns originated from a forbidden, secret land beyond the walls of Oru. 
 
One where she and Alawani must now seek sanctuary and discover a secret that could bring the Kingdom to its knees . . .

Firstborn of the Sun

Isha Raya

When struggling actress Dimple Kapoor pushes her Hollywood rival to her death, it’s not the first time she’s killed. Or the second... 
 
But this third time was an accident. It just so happens to be a very convenient accident that's created the perfect opportunity to land her dream role. 
 
It’s too bad another partygoer witnessed it. With everything she’s ever wanted within reach, Dimple will do anything to keep it in her grasp. 
 
Unfortunately for Dimple, top private investigator Saffi Iyer is catching onto her deadly schemes. 
 
But when the two women meet, sparks fly. 
 
Has Dimple finally met her match?

Triple Threat

Jessica M. Goldstein

Ash is a failed actress who is done trying to ‘make’ something of her life. Until a golden opportunity drops in her lap: a job at Retro, an agency who organise trips into the past for the ultra-wealthy. 
 
Energised by her new role, Ash throws herself into leading bachelorette parties in the Old West, birthday parties at Woodstock and a situationship with a hard-drinking detective from 1937. But as time goes on, it becomes clear that Retro’s shadowy founder Ro has terrifying designs for the company’s future – and for the part Ash herself can play in it.

Retro

Janina Ramirez

Part of the ALL-NEW LADYBIRD EXPERT SERIES 
 
- Which is more terrifying - a monster or its mother? 
- Why did Berserkers run naked into battle? 
- How was the story of Beowulf almost lost forever? 
 
PLUNGE into the adventures of Beowulf, the 6th Century hero who defeated the monster Grendel, became king of his people, and slayed a tremendous dragon. Surviving in a single, burnt manuscript, Beowulf continues to entrance readers and inspire major works of fantasy today. 
 
WARRIORS. MONSTERS. DRAGONS. GOLD. 
 
Janina Ramirez's Beowulf is an accessible and authoritative guide to the spellbinding world and daring feats of a poem remembered through the centuries.

Beowulf

A Ladybird Expert Book

C.S. Forester

Now a major motion picture starring Tom Hanks. 
 
Set in the early days of WWII, Greyhound is the story of an international convoy of 37 Allied ships, led by captain Ernest Krause (Hanks) in his first command of a U.S. destroyer. The convoy ploughs through icy, submarine-infested North Atlantic seas while hotly pursued by wolf packs of Nazi U-boats. 
 
Faced with 48 hours of desperate peril, Captain Krause's hopeless mission is doomed to fail. But armed with extraordinary courage and grit, hope may just be on the horizon.

The Good Shepherd

‘Unbelievably good. Amazing tension, drama and atmosphere’ James Holland

Mike Maden

From the outside, The Oregon is a rustling hunk of junk. But beneath the ships decaying exterior lurks a state-of-the-art vessel equipped with a uniquely effective array of weaponry. It's manned by the charismatic Juan Cabrillo, chair of the US government sponsored organisation 'The Corporation'. Aided by his crew of mercenaries, Cabrillo takes the Oregon on missions that the law can't handle, dealing justice to villains who threaten chaos on a global scale.

Juan Cabrillo and the crew of the Oregon face a ghost ship, deadly assassins and a threat from Cabrillo’s own past in their race to stop the launch of the world’s deadliest machine in this electrifying new entry in the #1 New York Times bestselling series. 
 
There’s a tempest brewing in Central America. A government crackdown on cartels leaves most of the drug lords locked up in an impregnable prison. In response, Amador Fierro, a brilliant, tech-savvy crime boss forges the seven largest cartels into an allegiance called La Liga. If they are to defeat the U.S. led offensive, they will need a powerful weapon. Thus is born Project Q: an Artificial General Intelligence computer that, when finished, will grant Fierro such overwhelming control of America. 
 
Chairman Juan Cabrillo and the crew of the Oregon are the only ones standing in his way, but they have their own problems. While two members of the team are unreachable in the Darien Gap searching for an Iranian Quds Force base, the Oregon crew have a mole in their midst. Meanwhile, other dark forces are at play, competing for the all consuming power at hand. 
 
The race to stop the launching of Project Q will come down to the wire. It’s a race neither Juan Cabrillo, nor the western world, can afford to lose . . .

Clive Cussler’s Quantum Tempest

Austin Taylor

When Zoe and Jack meet in a chemistry classroom in Harvard, they couldn’t be more different: she’s the daughter of a renowned MIT professor, he’s escaping an upbringing steeped in poverty – but they are immediately drawn to one another. 
 
Neither knows it yet, but in two years’ time, they will have dropped out of college and become business partners in a billion-dollar company that promises longer life. But as they become wrapped up in a maelstrom of insatiable ambition, greed and ultimately deceit, their love for each other will be tested to its very limit…

Notes on Infinity

Rithvik Singh

'Dear reader, I love you. And I hope you love yourself enough to leave anyone who breaks your heart. Your heart was meant to be worshipped, not turned into a war zone.' 
 
A tender exploration of love, loss, heartbreak and healing. I Don’t Love You Anymore is a deeply personal collection of poems and reflections navigating the emotional terrain of modern relationships by award-winning poet and author Rithvik Singh. For anyone who feels deeply, who cares intensely or who has ever loved and lost ,this book will feel like coming home.

I Don't Love You Anymore

Moving On & Living Your Best Life

Fran Littlewood

Alex, Eva and Nancy. Three grown-up sisters; each wonderful and messy in their own individual ways. And loved equally by their parents, Vivienne and Patrick. 
 
Or so they thought . . . Until on their annual family holiday, Patrick accidentally lets slip that he has a favourite daughter - causing other long-buried secrets to come to light. 
 
Set over a single week, but examining the highs and lows that define a family over the decades, The Favourite is a story about rivalries and long-held resentments, about loss and grief and blame – and, above all, about love.

The Favourite

Clemence Dane

Miss Clare Hartill, teacher at a girls’ boarding school, has a bewitching ability to get her own way, whether it is among the staff or the pupils who’ll do anything to please her. When nineteen-year-old Alwynne Durand is hired, Clare takes this innocent and enthusiastic but undisciplined young teacher under her wing. 
 
Soon, the pair are spending every moment together, with Alwynne growing as dependent on Clare as she is drawn to her beguiling wit and charm. 
 
But when tragedy touches the school, Alwynne begins to question Clare’s attentions. Sometimes, she thinks, her new friend can be cruel. 
 
Torn between a Clare she loves and a Clare she fears, Alwynne must decide between loyalty and independence – before Clare chooses for her . . .

Regiment of Women

Jodie Chapman

Frank and Chrissy meet a few days into ’70. Frank has been travelling around California when someone tells him about a house in the desert where the walls are steel and the glass shimmers. When Chrissy picks him up hitchhiking on the side of the road, all blond hair and oversized sunglasses, it’s love at first sight. 
 
Years later, as their shared dream of recreating a mid-century masterpiece in Britain threatens to overwhelm them, Frank will often think back to the start. What if he had carried on walking? What if she had driven to Palm Springs the next day? Every moment of tomorrow would have changed . . .

California Gold

Jack du Brul

Charismatic, handsome, and fiercely loyal, Isaac Bell is a no-nonsense private detective at the Van Dorn Detective Agency. Travelling all over early 20th century America in pursuit of justice for his clients, chasing down a steam train in a sports automobile is all in a day&rsquo;s work for Bell. And while he&rsquo;s on the trail of thieves, killers, and sometimes much worse, he&rsquo;ll have to use his every last wit to stay ahead of those he seeks, and to stay alive . . . 
 
Praise for Clive Cussler: 
 
'The Adventure King' Sunday Express 
 
'Just about the best in the business' New York Post 
 
'Cussler is hard to beat' Daily Mail

Clive Cussler’s The Iron Storm

Emma Straub

EMBARK ON THE JOYOUS AND NOSTALGIC JOURNEY OF A LIFETIME IN THE LATEST NOVEL FROM THE NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLING AUTHOR OF THIS TIME TOMORROW AND ALL ADULTS HERE 
 
'Pure joy' Ann Patchett 
'Fun, delicious, big-hearted' Taylor Jenkins Reid 
'Criminally readable' Maria Semple 
'I can't TELL you the enjoyment it gave me' Marian Keyes 
'I was completely swept away' Coco Mellors 
'You will feel so understood by this novel' Rainbow Rowell 
'Unexpectedly hilarious. Cheaper than therapy and a lot more fun!' Holly Brickley 
 
--- 
 
Annie is on a journey straight back to her past. 
 
When the American Fantasy cruise ship sets sail for a four-day themed voyage, aboard are all five members of a famous 1990s boyband, and three thousand women who have worshipped them since their youth. 
 
Newly divorced and with an empty nest, Annie is on board as a lark to appease her sister. Once a diehard fan of the band as a teen, she now feels out of place amid the sea of bedazzling t-shirts bearing the singers’ faces. Yet when the lights go down, the cocktails are poured and the band starts singing, Annie finally reconnects to a long-submerged part of herself. 
 
As she encounters Keith, the band’s slightly depressed, fifty-something lead singer – not just a celebrity but someone clearly in need of a friend – she feels like anything is possible. 
 
But is the connection between Annie and Keith just a fantasy? Or is this the beginning of a new chapter for them both? 
 
Full of laugh-out-loud reflections on fame, nostalgia, marriage and growing up, American Fantasy celebrates the magic of revisiting our youth, and the even greater magic of starting anew. 
 
--- 
 
PRAISE FOR EMMA STRAUB 
 
'Has all the pleasures of reading one of Anne Tyler's compelling family portraits' NEW YORK TIMES 
 
'Nostalgic, wise, funny, and filled with love' GABRIELLE ZEVIN on This Time Tomorrow 
 
'Smart, compelling, irresistible' LIANE MORIARTY on Modern Lovers 
 
'Her warmth and sense of humour electrify every page' NEW YORK MAGAZINE

American Fantasy

Simone St. James

1960s: 
 
Three siblings are all haunted in three very different ways. Violet wakes to a strange and cold woman looming over her bed, Dodie wakes in a constant state of drowning and Vale wakes to beaming light and probing figures. But the one thing that haunts them the most is the disappearance of their little brother, Ben, who went missing during a game of hide and seek. 
 
1980s: 
 
Violet is notified that Ben's spirit is seen wondering their haunted childhood home calling for them to return and the three siblings do just that. But secrets become un-earthed, their past traumas seem more connected that they thought and all siblings are faced with a very angry spirit who wants revenge.

A Box Full of Darkness

Christoffer Carlsson

On a cold, snowy winter's night in 1999, Sander and Killian leave a house party together, in a small town in rural Sweden. The very best of friends, they imagine they will remain so forever. 
 
The next morning, each is a key suspect in a murder. Each has something they want to conceal from the police. And from the other. 
 
The hunt for Mikael Söderström's killer will take over twenty years. It will see a detective leave the force forever. And it won't end until a second body is found, and the tight-knit community's secrets are finally brought to light...

The Living and the Dead

Eve Chase

Mimi Mott, celebrated designer and style icon, is auctioning off her estate, intent on telling the true story of her life in objects. Her new assistant, Jo O’Mara, is determined to win Mimi’s trust. But Jo has secrets of her own, and time is running out to unpick the past. 
 
Who is Mimi, really? A woman who rose from humble beginnings – but at what cost? What happened in that Wiltshire manor house during the summer of 1969? Who died the night of the glittering summer party? 
 
As the countdown begins, Jo is drawn into a world of obsession, sisters and secrets – and must risk everything to unravel the truth, one thread at a time.

The Secret Thread

Nina George

Claire Cousteau is one of France’s most esteemed biologists, with a seemingly perfect family life, but she has become increasingly frustrated by her marriage and her husband’s affairs. 
 
As the Cousteaus prepare for a summer in Brittany, Claire’s son Nico asks if his new girlfriend, Julie, can join them? Julie has conundrums of her own - she is an ambitious woman, and unsure if Nico really is her match. But what the family don’t realise is that Julie and Claire have met before, in a Parisian hotel during a night that Claire thought was her secret. 
 
Beneath the Breton sun, could their surprising bond alter the course of their lives for all time?

One Night in Paris

Travis Kennedy

It’s Los Angeles, 1986, and metal rules the world. When aspiring drummer Rikki Thunder gets a shot to join L.A.’s hottest new band, Whyte Python, he soon has a hit single scorching up the charts, and the life he always dreamed of. 
 
But good fortune can be deceiving. With the Cold War breathing its last gasps and American music blasting through the Iron Curtain, a revolution is taking hold. Rikki soon realizes there is a deeper web of influence propelling Whyte Python, and his mission—to spread peace, love, and epic shredding across the globe—are far more dangerous than he could ever imagine...

The Whyte Python World Tour

Amy McCulloch

Adri trained for pain, heat, and exhaustion - she didn’t train to outrun a killer 
'A masterclass in atmospheric writing,...this is gold medal storytelling and I raced through it’ JANICE HALLETT 
‘Tense, exhilarating and deeply immersive, I raced through this epic ultramarathon thriller’ LAURA STEVEN 
‘Smart, visceral and deliciously dark and twisty’ LOUISE MINCHIN 
'An exciting terrifyingly convincing depiction of people under savage stress. Unmissable' Literary Review 
– 
It’s the ultimate test of endurance: two-hundred-and-fifty miles in the brutal heat of the Sahara, with only the supplies you can carry on your back. 
Adri is ready. Returning to ultra-running in the wake of a scandal, she needs to prove to herself – and her young son – that she’s a winner. 
When a fellow runner is badly injured, Adri knows something isn’t right. Yet in a race this extreme, even a dead body can be explained away. 
But there’s a killer stalking the hot sand. And the problem with running faster than everyone else, is that you’re miles ahead of anyone who can save you... 
– 
PRAISE FOR RUNNER 13 
'A thrilling race to the finish' OBSERVER 
 
‘Brilliantly atmospheric and with relentless pace, Runner 13 is one of the most propulsive adventure thrillers I’ve read. It will leave you gasping for breath. I loved it!’ LIV MATTHEWS 
‘Amy McCulloch does it again! Runner 13 is an absolute scorcher of a thriller that examines the lengths we are willing to push ourselves for what's right’ SARA OCHS 
‘As soon as I finished it I ordered all Amy's other books. A breathless, complex thriller. I steamed through it’ JANE FALLON 
‘A thriller set around the fascinating world of ultra-running where there's always the threat that even the race might kill you. Utterly breathtaking - absolutely loved it. Amy's best yet’ CATHERINE COOPER 
'Fascinating, exciting...terrifyingly convincing' LITERARY REVIEW 
'The twists will have you racing through every page' WOMAN AND HOME

Runner 13

Fiza Saeed McLynn

Paris, 1900 
 
Carousel-maker Gilbert works tirelessly to finish his masterpiece in time for the city's Exposition Universelle. But Gilbert is struggling in the wake of his wife and son's tragic deaths, and as he finalises his creation, a dangerous idea forms in his mind . . . 
 
Chicago, 1920 
 
Having come to America for a new life, when Maisie unearths a neglected carousel, she seizes the chance for a new destiny. But twenty years ago, the carousel was linked to a number of people inexplicably disappearing - and now history has begun to repeat itself . . .

The Midnight Carousel

Rainbow Rowell

Pre-order the big-hearted, grown-up new novel about love and second chances from million-copy international bestselling author Rainbow Rowell 
 
Praise for Rainbow Rowell: 
 
'Sweet, sexy, wise and nostalgic' Gabrielle Zevin 
'Laugh out loud dialogue' Jodi Picoult 
'Extraordinary humour and tenderness' Curtis Sittenfeld 
'As funny and smart as its wonderful characters' Emma Straub 
 
Everybody knows that Cherry's husband is in Hollywood making a movie ... Almost nobody knows that he isn't coming home. 
 
Tom's the creator of Thursday, a comic strip that's become an international phenomenon. It's semi-autobiographical, which unfortunately means there's a character based on Cherry ... "Baby." 
 
Wide-hipped, double-chinned Baby. 
 
Cherry never wanted this. No fat girl wants to see herself caricatured on the page -- let alone the big screen. But there's no getting away from it. Baby looks so much like Cherry, strangers recognize her at the store. 
 
While Tom's in L.A., getting rich and famous and being the Internet's latest boyfriend, Cherry's stuck taking care of the dog he always wanted and the house they were going to raise a family in -- and wondering who she's supposed to be without him. 
 
Until the night Cherry ventures out to see her favourite band play, and someone recognizes her from across the room. 
 
Russ Sutton knew Cherry when she was a young art student with a fondness for pin-up dresses and patent leather heels. 
 
Russ knows Cherry. He likes Cherry. 
 
And best of all ... he's never heard of Thursday. 
 
Told with deep tenderness and shot through with Rowell's signature wit, Cherry Baby is a second-chance romance for grown-ups. For people who understand how rare it is to get even one chance at love, and how impossible -- and impossibly wonderful -- it can feel to make it work.

Cherry Baby

Lee Onhwa

When twenty-seven-year-old Yeon-hwa loses her grandmother, enigmatic proprietor of the Hwawoldang, she decides to respect her wishes by keeping the store going for at least a month, between the hours of 10pm and midnight. She has never learnt to make the traditional desserts herself, and hopes to learn more about her grandmother. 
 
On her very first day at work, she is soon interrupted by one of her grandmother’s most regular visitors, who hints that Hwawoldang is no ordinary pastry shop, and its customers not entirely alive… 
 
With each new customer at the store, Yeon-hwa is taken into their memories – but will this bring her the closure she craves, and continue her grandmother’s legacy of aiding those left in the land of the living?

A Midnight Pastry Shop Called Hwawoldang

Mark Edwards

It’s Noel and Dani’s first Christmas in their new home and they want everything to be perfect - lavish presents, a beautiful tree and outdoor decorations to join in with the festivities in this welcoming community.But they quickly wonder if this street is as idyllic as it appears. First, there are the unwelcome presents left anonymously on their doorstep. Then they are sure someone is watching them. And why are the neighbours all obsessed with a notorious killer who is housed at the nearby women’s prison?After tragedy strikes at a Christmas party, Noel and Dani try to find out who is targeting them – but, in this case, it might be safer not to know . . .

The Christmas Magpie

Steve Jones

Ray might be about to die. But he&rsquo;s sure as hell not going quietly &hellip; 
 
Former policeman Ray &lsquo;Sugar&rsquo; Leonard is no stranger to bad breaks. But even Walter White never had to open up and share his feelings with a bunch of misfits like Ray&rsquo;s chemotherapy group: a giant God-bothering Welsh bouncer, a sharp-suited wannabe Wolf of Wall Street, and a misanthropic, potty-mouthed little old lady. Compared to that lot, getting mugged on his way home from the clinic was almost a relief. 
 
But Ray is not your average victim. And when his training kicks in and his would-be attacker winds up dead, he wonders, who else might be equally deserving of such summary justice? After all, he&rsquo;s got cancer, what&rsquo;s he got to lose? 
 
Then Ray lets slip his new philosophy to the group and it soon becomes clear that he&rsquo;s not the only one with murder in mind &hellip;

Terminally Kill

Gillian McAllister

A road trip across America with her teenage daughter was meant to be much-needed bonding time for Simone before Lucy leaves home for university. 
 
But on the first night of their stay, in a cabin deep in the Texan desert, Simone wakes to find Lucy missing and a mobile phone in her place. The phone rings and the voice on the other end issues instructions: Don’t tell the police. Come to this location. Be prepared to do a deal… 
 
There is nothing Simone wouldn’t do to save her daughter. Hide the truth. Commit a terrible crime. Become a wanted woman. 
 
But there’s one thing Simone hasn’t considered. 
 
What if this is just what the kidnappers want?

Caller Unknown

Fredrik Backman

The father has a story he needs to share before it's too late. As he tells his son about a courageous little girl lying in a hospital bed a few miles away, he reveals even more about himself; his past regrets, his hopes for the future. 
 
Now, on Christmas Eve, he has been given the chance to do something remarkable that could change the destiny of the little girl he hardly knows. But before he can make the deal of a lifetime, he must find out what his own life has actually been worth, and only his son can reveal the answer. 
 
With humour and compassion, Fredrik Backman's The Deal of a Lifetime reminds us that life is a fleeting gift, and our legacies rest in how we share that gift with those we love.

The Deal of a Lifetime

Matt Dinniman

Now on the third floor, Carl and Donut have to fight harder than ever. They’ve already proven that a Coast Guard vet and once-and-forever feline royalty are an almost unstoppable team. Their ratings are off the chart. The watchers can’t get enough. But the dungeon gets more dangerous each day, and now there’s a whole new problem to deal with. Quests. They call it the Over City. A sprawling, once-thriving metropolis devastated by a mysterious calamity. But these streets are far from abandoned. An undead circus trawls the ruins. Murdered women rain from the sky. An ancient spell is finally ready to reveal its dark purpose. Can Carl and Donut solve the mystery in time? And can Carl finally find some pants?

Carl's Doomsday Scenario

Emma Noyes

Charlie Hudson now knows the truth: her twin sister is a Valkyrie, and they're both daughters of Loki, the trickster god. After saving her best friend from Elias and Loki's clutches, Charlie is summoned to appear before the god of gods, Odin, who tasks her with a mission. The Seal that protects humanity from Asgard's magic is starting to break down, and only a human can stop it. To do so, Charlie must convince her old enemy , Elias, to bring her to the underworld. As she and Elias journey to the land of the undead, undeniable attraction burns between them once again. And when they arrive, Charlie finds that Loki is not who she thought he was-and that she may be on the wrong side of this war.

Heart of Mischief

Shadow of Souls Book 2

Jessica Bull

Welcome to Kent, 1797. 
 
Jane Austen is set to spend the summer with her estranged brother, Neddy. As heir to wealthy widow Mrs Knight’s fortune, it is imperative that Neddy stays in his benefactor’s good graces. 
 
But upon arrival at Godmersham Park, Jane realises Neddy is in dire need of her help. For a mysterious young woman currently resides with Mrs Knight – a stranger who threatens to swindle the inheritance for herself. 
 
Jane must uncover who this imposter is, to protect the fortunes – and fate – of her entire family. But when her investigation takes a dark and dangerous turn, can she solve the mystery – and save herself?

A Fortune Most Fatal

Jojo Moyes

Lila Kennedy has a lot on her plate. A recently broken marriage, two wayward daughters, a house that is falling apart, and an elderly stepfather who seems to have quietly moved in. Not to mention a once promising writing career that is now in freefall. So when her real dad - a man she has barely seen since he ran off to Hollywood thirty-five years ago - suddenly appears on her doorstep wanting to make amends, it feels like the final straw. 
 
But it turns out even the family you thought you could never forgive might have something to teach you: about love, friendship, and what it actually means to be family.

Showing results for: ‘Ajay Chowdhury’

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