Michael Symmons Roberts’s fourth book of poetry, Corpus, was the winner of the 2004 Whitbread Poetry Award, and was shortlisted for the T. S. Eliot Prize, the Forward Prize, and the Griffin International Prize. His sixth collection, Drysalter, was the winner of both the Forward Prize and the Costa Poetry Prize in 2013. He collaborated with Paul Farley on Edgelands (Cape/Vintage) and will do so again in The Deaths of the Poets (Cape, 2017). He has also worked many times with the composer James MacMillan. He has published two novels, and is Professor of Poetry at Manchester Metropolitan University.

Michael Symmons Roberts

PublicationStatus

Brand

Format

AgeRange

Series

Imprint

CategoryLabel

Stanley Middleton

John Taylor, an accountant, has been deserted by his wife, Stella, after three years of marriage. He struggles to make sense of his life. At a concert he meets his old music master, Michael Alexander, whose son Sebastian, an international cello virtuoso, is the evening's soloist. Stella soon returns to her husband's house, asking if he will take her back. Taylor, who is having an affair with his secretary, is much perplexed. The Taylors and the Alexanders, Michael, Sebastian and his opera-singer wife, meet, talk, and are gradually altered by the meetings. Slowly the estrangled Taylors come together, and the two families change to reach a compromise which is seen as love.

Catalysts

Sheila Walsh

Ryan's Bakery is at the hub of Liverpool life in the late thirties: its driving force, Kathleen, who loves her quiet husband, Michael, and her family, and is fiercely ambitious for them all - Rita, soon to be a teacher; stage-stuck Shirely Anne; Chris, a baker like his dad, and carefee young Joey. 
 
Then a late and difficult pregnancy blunts Kathleen's ambition and presents her bright middle daughter, Liz, with a challenge. In meeting it, the enthusiastic sixteen-year-old discovers untapped creative talents, and a dream is born - that one day she will be Elizabeth Ryan, renowned for quality pastries and home-made chocolates. 
 
With her first small success, Liz makes an enemy - Alec Mannings, son of a rival baker. But she also finds an invaluable friend in Fritz Lendl, and Austrian confectioner, driven from his homeland by the Nazis. 
 
When Leigh, the dashing American flyer, first captures Liz's heart, he sees her only as an endearing gutsy kid, and she is enough of a realist to know it. Besides, there is Jimmy, the boy she has promised to marry. But during the Second World War, fate brings them together once more, and Liz is no longer a child. There are agonizing choices to be made, as time and again their love seems destined to be denied - until tomorrow.

Until Tomorrow

Rosie Harris

Fans of Dilly Court, Kitty Neale, Emma Hornby and Rosie Goodwin will love this vivid and compelling saga, set around Tiger Bay and Cardiff. Much-loved multi-million copy bestseller Rosie Harris has written such an immediate and beautiful novel, you'll feel you are living in the moment with the characters... 
 
What readers are saying! 
'Had me hooked from the beginning' - 5 STARS 
'I couldn't put it down' - 5 STARS 
'A must read!' - 5 STARS 
 
*********************************************************************************** 
 
EVEN WHEN LIFE SEEMS TO BE ONE STEP FORWARD, TWO STEPS BACK, SHE NEVER GIVES UP... 
 
Since the age of eight, Katie Roberts has dreamed of getting away from the Cardiff slums where she lives. 
 
 When she is only a girl her father, Lewis, is imprisoned for theft, leaving Katie and her mother homeless and penniless. Life is hard - not only because of their poverty but also because of the stigma of her father's shame. 
 
 When Lewis is released years later, she hopes that things will improve. But to Katie's horror, life becomes worse than she has ever known it. When she and her father are left alone together, Katie seeks happiness and love elsewhere, but as she struggles to make a new life for herself, there is difficulty and danger at every turn... 
 
She longs to be free, but will she always be tied to the past?

One Step Forward

a gripping and heart-warming saga set in Wales from much-loved bestseller Rosie Harris

Leslie Thomas

They came on a distant, secret night, armed and ready to kill. Their ghosts are still with us today. 
 
In June 1942 a party of German saboteurs landed by submarine in the United States of America. They were betrayed and executed within eight weeks of their landing. Their treacherous leader served a prison sentence and then disappeared. 
 
Orders for New York takes this historical fact as its starting point and tells the story of Michael Findlater, a British journalist who is in the USA researching for a book. Invited to meet his ex-wife Madelaine for the first time since their divorce and to see his twelve-year-old daughter, Findlater finds he is in fact being recruited for a well-paid secret mission. 
 
Madelaine's father-in-law, a wealthy and successful newspaper proprietor, wants him to take on theassignment of finding the vanished Nazi saboteur, Peter Karl Hine, and writing his story. Spurred on partly by the huge reward on offer and partly by curiosity, Findlater embarks on his quest and rapidly discovers that there are ruthless parties involved, who will stop at nothing to prevent him. 
 
This is an enthralling and astonishing new novel, from the author of The Magic Army and The Adventures of Goodnight and Loving.

Orders For New York

Karin Slaughter

‘One of the boldest thriller writers working today’ TESS GERRITSEN 
‘Her characters, plot, and pacing are unrivalled’ MICHAEL CONNELLY 
__________________________________ 
From the #1 bestselling author comes a chilling short story... 
 
Pam is a fifty-two-year-old teacher who has let herself go for the first time in her life. It’s two years since her husband – ex husband – John died and she’s heading from Georgia to California for the third and – she hopes – final time. 
 
But just what lies in store for her there? 
 
Previously in First Thrills, a collection edited by Lee Child, and now available on its own.

Cold Cold Heart (Short Story)

‘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)

‘One of the boldest thriller writers working today’ TESS GERRITSEN 
‘Her characters, plot, and pacing are unrivalled’ MICHAEL CONNELLY 
__________________________________ 
A genre-defying short story from the No. 1 bestselling author of the Will Trent novels 
 
As an intrepid adjudicator of World Records, Mindy Patel has met lots of strange people in lots of strange places. But none stranger than the Swampers of the Georgia bayou. Mindy has braved the oppressive August heat in search of Remmy Rothstein. If the photos are indeed accurate, she might be about to certify Remmy as the World Record Holder for Longest Tongue in the World . . . and maybe even the Widest! 
 
First Mindy meets Remmy’s half-brother, Buell Rabinowitz, surely the world’s only one-legged, albino, Jewish African American. Then she makes the acquaintance of Remmy’s mother, a foul-mouthed old woman with an impressive beard. 
 
But none of this prepares her for an eyeful of Remmy: a man who measures up to his singular reputation in ways that will change the course of Mindy’s life . . . 
 
'Remmy Rothstein Toes the Line' is also available as part of a bundle with 'Go Deep' and 'Necessary Women'

Remmy Rothstein Toes the Line

A Short Story

James Patterson

The most revered detective in Paris puts his skills to the test with the NYPD in three thrilling cases from the creator of Alex Cross and Detective Michael Bennett. 
 
FRENCH KISS: French detective Luc Moncrief joined the NYPD for a fresh start - but someone wants to make his first big case his last. 
 
THE CHRISTMAS MYSTERY: Two priceless paintings disappear from a Park Avenue murder scene - French detective Luc Moncrief is in for a not-so-merry Christmas. 
 
FRENCH TWIST: Gorgeous women are dropping dead at upscale department stores in New York City. Detective Luc Moncrief and Detective Katherine Burke are close to solving the mystery, but looks can be deceiving...

Paris Detective

James Patterson's greatest detectives together for the first time! Three electrifying stories from the case files of Alex Cross, Michael Bennett and the Women’s Murder Club 
 
DETECTIVE CROSS: An Alex Cross Thriller 
An anonymous caller has promised to set off deadly bombs in Washington, DC. A cruel hoax or the real deal? By the time Alex Cross and his wife, Bree Stone, uncover the chilling truth, it may already be too late…. 
 
THE MEDICAL EXAMINER: A Women’s Murder Club Thriller (with Maxine Paetro) 
A woman checks into a hotel room and entertains a man who is not her husband. A shooter blows away the lover and wounds the millionairess, leaving her for dead. Is it the perfect case for the Women’s Murder Club – or just the most twisted? 
 
MANHUNT: A Michael Bennett Thriller (with James O. Born) 
Someone attacked the Thanksgiving Day Parade directly in front of Michael Bennett and his family. The television news called it 'holiday terror' – Michael Bennett calls it personal. The hunt is on….

Triple Homicide

The Will Trent series takes place in Atlanta and features GBI special agent Will Trent, his partner Faith Mitchell, and Angie Polaski.

‘One of the boldest thriller writers working today’ TESS GERRITSEN 
‘Her characters, plot, and pacing are unrivalled’ MICHAEL CONNELLY 
__________________________________ 
FBI Special Agent Will Trent’s instinct is put to the test. 
 
On assignment at Atlanta's busy airport Will Trent is forced to make a split-second decision. But is it the right one? 
 
Multi-million copy, international bestselling thriller writer Karin Slaughter is known for her razor-sharp plotting and her ability to put the reader right at the heart of the crime. Snatched is Karin at her best in a compelling story that will grip you like a vice. 
 
An exclusive straight to digital short story from the No.1 bestseller. Includes the opening chapters of Criminal and a taster of Fallen.

Snatched

‘One of the boldest thriller writers working today’ TESS GERRITSEN 
‘Her characters, plot, and pacing are unrivalled’ MICHAEL CONNELLY 
__________________________________ 
FBI Special Agent Will Trent finds himself in trouble. 
 
Will Trent is on his way to Macon for an undercover assignment when he unwittingly becomes involved in a violent robbery at a gas station... 
 
Multi-million copy, international bestselling thriller writer Karin Slaughter is known for putting the reader right at the heart of the crime. Busted is a compelling story that will grip you from the start. 
 
A new, exclusive straight to digital short story from the No.1 Bestseller. Includes the opening chapters of Unseen and a taster of Criminal.

Busted

‘One of the boldest thriller writers working today’ TESS GERRITSEN 
‘Her characters, plot, and pacing are unrivalled’ MICHAEL CONNELLY 
__________________________________ 
A hallucinatory noir short story from the No.1 bestselling author of the Will Trent novels 
 
The arrangement is simple. Charlie picks up a suit from the dry cleaner’s. In the suit pocket is the name of a very important man. The next day, that man walks into the dealership, drives out in a new car, and Charlie gets a fat envelope full of cash. Everyone’s happy. No one gets hurt. So long as Charlie doesn’t cross his business partner. But with one twist of a knife, the unthinkable happens. 
 
And suddenly Charlie is in deeper trouble than he could have possibly imagined... 
 
'Go Deep' is also available as part of a bundle with 'Remmy Rothstein Toes the Line' and 'Necessary Women'

Go Deep

(Short Story)

‘One of the boldest thriller writers working today’ TESS GERRITSEN 
‘Her characters, plot, and pacing are unrivalled’ MICHAEL CONNELLY 
__________________________________ 
A digital short story from the No. 1 bestselling author of the Will Trent series 
 
Mary Lou Dixon works at the Christ Holiness Baptist Church. She’s overseeing the repair of the cross above the altar in time for Christmas. 
 
But then things start to go horribly wrong. . . 
 
Previously published in Like a Charm, a collection of short stories edited by Karin Slaughter.

The Blessing of Brokenness (Short Story)

‘One of the boldest thriller writers working today’ TESS GERRITSEN 
‘Her characters, plot, and pacing are unrivalled’ MICHAEL CONNELLY 
_________________________________________ 
A missing girl in the news reminds Julia Carroll of herself. 
 
She's nineteen and beautiful, with blonde hair and blue eyes. As Julia begins to dig deeper, planning an article for her college paper, she becomes gradually more obsessed with the case. 
 
But she could never imagine how close she is to danger... 
 
Includes an extract from Karin Slaughter’s gripping novel Pretty Girls.

Blonde Hair, Blue Eyes

P.G. Wodehouse

Set inside Blandings Castle, this comedy series follows Lord Emsworth and his pig Empress as they meet with his dysfunctional family and friends, and the havoc that follows.

EPISODE 2 IN A MAJOR BBC DRAMA STARRING TIMOTHY SPALL, DAVID WALLIAMS AND JENNIFER SAUNDERS 
An American family come to stay at Blandings, but Freddie’s attempts to sell them dog-food causes major embarrassment. 
 
Connie is desperate to make a good impression on her visiting old school nemesis, Veronica, and her rich American husband, Mr Schoonmaker. 
 
She enlists the services of snobbish secretary Mr Baxter to tidy up Blandings, in particular Clarence, who is liberally spreading manure on his roses and causing a stink. 
 
Meanwhile, Freddie has fallen madly in love with dog-lover Pandora and attempts to impress her by becoming a dog-food salesman, much to his Aunt Connie’s embarrassment. 
 
‘Sublime comic genius’ 
Ben Elton 
 
‘You don't analyse such sunlit perfection, you just bask in its warmth and splendour.’ 
Stephen Fry 
 
‘The funniest writer ever to put words to paper.’ 
Hugh Laurie 
 
‘P.G. Wodehouse remains the greatest chronicler of a certain kind of Englishness, that no one else has ever captured quite so sharply, or with quite as much wit and affection.’ 
Julian Fellowes

Blandings: The Go-Getter

(Episode 2)

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

EPISODE 1 IN A MAJOR BBC DRAMA STARRING TIMOTHY SPALL, DAVID WALLIAMS AND JENNIFER SAUNDERS 
 
Clarence has to get his pig eating again or lose the fat-pig prize to his arch nemesis. 
 
Lord Clarence Emsworth’s pride and joy, the prize-winning pig Empress of Blandings refuses to eat when Cyril the pig-man is jailed by Clarence’s conniving rival Sir Gregory Parsloe-Parsloe. 
 
With the prize’s weigh-in only two-weeks away, Clarence and his gambling, spendthrift son Freddie are desperate to get the Empress to eat. 
 
Meanwhile, Clarence’s sister Connie attempts to thwart her niece Angela’s love affair with ex-cowboy Jimmy and instead find her a more eminent match in the smarmy Heacham – Sir Gregory’s nephew! 
 
'Sublime comic genius' 
Ben Elton 
 
'You don't analyse such sunlit perfection, you just bask in its warmth and splendour.' 
Stephen Fry 
 
'The funniest writer ever to put words to paper.' 
Hugh Laurie 
 
'P.G. Wodehouse remains the greatest chronicler of a certain kind of Englishness, that no one else has ever captured quite so sharply, or with quite as much wit and affection.' 
Julian Fellowes

Blandings: Pig-Hoo-o-o-o-ey!

(Episode 1)

EPISODE 3 IN A MAJOR BBC DRAMA STARRING TIMOTHY SPALL, DAVID WALLIAMS AND JENNIFER SAUNDERS 
Disaster at the annual fete at Blandings Castle. 
 
It is the annual fete at Blandings Castle, and Connie will again force Clarence to wear a miserable top-hat and make a speech. To top it off, he is banned from picking his favourite flowers by terrifying head-gardener McAllister. 
 
However, Clarence befriends Gladys and Ern, two cheeky school-children who encourage him to do what he wants. Connie is of course scandalised, and brings her howitzers to bear on the ghastly intruders. 
 
Freddie - needing to tap his old man for some cash - tries to help Clarence and the children and inevitably makes everything worse. 
 
‘Sublime comic genius’ 
Ben Elton 
 
‘You don't analyse such sunlit perfection, you just bask in its warmth and splendour.’ 
Stephen Fry 
 
‘The funniest writer ever to put words to paper.’ 
Hugh Laurie 
 
‘P.G. Wodehouse remains the greatest chronicler of a certain kind of Englishness, that no one else has ever captured quite so sharply, or with quite as much wit and affection.’ 
Julian Fellowes

Blandings: Lord Emsworth and the Girlfriend

(Episode 3)

‘One of the boldest thriller writers working today’ TESS GERRITSEN 
‘Her characters, plot, and pacing are unrivalled’ MICHAEL CONNELLY 
__________________________________ 
From the hallucinatory noir of 'Go Deep' to the twists of 'Necessary Women' and 'Remmy Rothstein Toes the Line,' this collection showcases the Sunday Times No. 1 bestselling author’s dark humour, limitless imagination, and masterly command of voice and character. 
 
GO DEEP 
The arrangement is simple: Charlie picks up a suit from the dry cleaner’s. In the suit pocket is the name of a very important man. The next day, that man walks into the dealership, drives out in a new car, and Charlie gets a fat envelope full of cash. Everyone’s happy. No one gets hurt. So long as Charlie doesn’t cross his business partner. But with one twist of a knife, the unthinkable happens. And suddenly Charlie is in deeper trouble than he could have possibly imagined. 
 
NECESSARY WOMEN 
In a border town between Georgia and Alabama, in a three-room house made of cement block, a fourteen-year-old girl watches her mother die. Now, her father tells her, she’s the woman of the house, and she must do all the necessary things that a woman must do. But there’s a lot more to being a woman than fixing dinner and doing the wash. She won’t end up like her mother - and she’ll do anything to prove it. 
 
REMMY ROTHSTEIN TOES THE LINE 
As an intrepid adjudicator of World Records, Mindy Patel has met lots of strange people in lots of strange places. But none stranger than the Swampers of the Georgia bayou. Mindy has braved the oppressive August heat in search of Remmy Rothstein'. If the photos are indeed accurate, she might be about to certify Remmy as the World Record Holder for Longest Tongue in the World . . . and maybe even the Widest! But nothing could prepare her for an eyeful of Remmy himself: a man who measures up to his singular reputation in ways that will change the course of Mindy’s life. 
 
'Go Deep' and 'Remmy Rothstein Toes the Line' also available as single stories and 'Necessary Women' also available as part of a bundle with 'The Mean Time.'

Three Twisted Stories

Wendy Walker

Meet: Gayle Beck, the matriarch of Hunting Ridge society, who struggles to reconcile her picture-perfect life with a numbing sense of unfulfilment; Love Welsh, adoring mother, who battles with memories of a childhood lived in the shadow of a genius father; Marie Passeti, over-stretched divorce lawyer and mother, who has lost her passion for life and for her husband; and Janie Kirk, yummy mummy, whose quest for acceptance knows no bounds. 
 
In a world where happiness comes second to appearances, their domestic discontent spirals into an irreversible course of risk-taking, secrecy and self-destruction. For these four wives perfection is just a façade and behind closed doors infidelity, self-doubt and deceit run rife.

Four Wives

EPISODE 6 IN A MAJOR BBC DRAMA STARRING TIMOTHY SPALL, DAVID WALLIAMS AND JENNIFER SAUNDERS 
 
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED AS GALAHAD AT BLANDINGS 
 
With the arrival of sophisticated widow, Daphne, and her spoiled brat Huxley, Connie once again forces Clarence to look presentable. 
 
However, when Daphne flirts with Clarence and takes an interest in his pig, Beach and Connie become suspicious of Daphne’s motives. 
 
Freddie, though, has foresworn all involvement in love affairs – only to find an irresistible beauty, Monica, working in the pig-sty. 
 
‘Sublime comic genius’ 
Ben Elton 
 
‘You don't analyse such sunlit perfection, you just bask in its warmth and splendour.’ 
Stephen Fry 
 
‘The funniest writer ever to put words to paper.’ 
Hugh Laurie 
 
‘P.G. Wodehouse remains the greatest chronicler of a certain kind of Englishness, that no one else has ever captured quite so sharply, or with quite as much wit and affection.’ 
Julian Fellowes

Blandings: Problems With Drink

(Episode 6)

EPISODE 4 IN A MAJOR BBC DRAMA STARRING TIMOTHY SPALL, DAVID WALLIAMS AND JENNIFER SAUNDERS 
Baxter returns as summer tutor for Clarence’s grandson George and plans to weasel his way back into permanent employment. 
 
Blandings is threatened by the return of tyrannical secretary Baxter, hired by Connie to put an end to all tom-foolery. This is a tragedy for Clarence and he finds an unusual ally in his grandson George, who had been happily rampaging through the grounds with an air rifle. 
 
It is not long before there is an outbreak of shooting and wounding. Meanwhile, Freddie is back to ask Clarence to clear his debts, this time pursued by East-End gangsters and a beguiling dancer who takes a fancy to Beach. 
 
‘Sublime comic genius’ 
Ben Elton 
 
‘You don't analyse such sunlit perfection, you just bask in its warmth and splendour.’ 
Stephen Fry 
 
‘The funniest writer ever to put words to paper.’ 
Hugh Laurie 
 
‘P.G. Wodehouse remains the greatest chronicler of a certain kind of Englishness, that no one else has ever captured quite so sharply, or with quite as much wit and affection.’ 
Julian Fellowes

Blandings: The Crime Wave at Blandings

(Episode 4)

Frank Montgomery is in T.S. Eliot's 'middle way', Principal of an art college, coping with an aging father and a mother in law on the dark descent into Alzheimer's. His marriage is strong, his relationships supportive - but in one way Frank is extraordinary: he is being talked of as a major figure in British art, a figurative painter of national reputation with commissions beckoning right up to royalty. As he struggles to live the good life and to create, he is much concerned by issues in both work and life: is it better to do new things, or old things perfectly? 
 
In this novel, Frank's values are put to the test. 
 
Once again Stanley Middleton dissects middle England with his sharp but healing scalpel, and in the process he explores family life, generational change, and the true nature of art through the complexities, pains and joys of its creation.

Sterner Stuff

Tony Warren MBE

The time is the swinging 60s, and with his inimitable warmth, wit and dazzling style, Tony Warren takes us on the trip of a lifetime. From a Manchester unfolding its post-war wings, to the London of Carnaby Street and the King's Road and on to San Francisco, the mecca of Flower Power, we join his unforgettable cast of characters as they journey through all that was good - and bad - about that sparkling decade.

Foot of the Rainbow

EPISODE 5 IN A MAJOR BBC DRAMA STARRING TIMOTHY SPALL, DAVID WALLIAMS AND JENNIFER SAUNDERS 
Freddie must keep his new Portuguese wife a secret from Connie. 
 
Clarence’s niece - the lisping Gertrude - has been imprisoned at Blandings by Connie and forced to overhaul Clarence’s library. It’s driving him crazy. Gertrude’s forbidden love, the clumsy Revd Beefy Bingham, infiltrates Blandings using a false identity determined to win Clarence’s approval for the match. 
 
Meanwhile, Freddie has inadvertently married a Portuguese exotic dancer and must do his utmost to keep it a secret from Connie. 
 
‘Sublime comic genius’ 
Ben Elton 
 
‘You don't analyse such sunlit perfection, you just bask in its warmth and splendour.’ 
Stephen Fry 
 
‘The funniest writer ever to put words to paper.’ 
Hugh Laurie 
 
‘P.G. Wodehouse remains the greatest chronicler of a certain kind of Englishness, that no one else has ever captured quite so sharply, or with quite as much wit and affection.’ 
Julian Fellowes

Blandings: Company for Gertrude

(Episode 5)

David Nobbs

Henry Pratt is the epitomy of the great British underdog. Nothing is ever simple in his world, just when it seems things are going right, life throws him another unwanted curve-ball. Join Pratt as he traverses the highs and lows of everyday life in this comic masterpiece.

Hilarious storytelling from the creator of Reginald Perrin. 
 
It is 1957. The Suez Crisis has been and gone. Henry Pratt has completed his National Service and is putting his unsuccessful career as Thurmarsh's cub journalist behind him. Leaving Yorkshire, he's taking on a new role and a new challenge - working for the Cucumber Marketing Board in Leeds. 
 
Stumbling through the fifties, sixties, seventies and eighties, Henry Pratt accumulates jobs, marriages and children on the way as he embarks on a touching, painful and hilarious switchback ride through a divided Britain.

Cucumber Man

(Henry Pratt)

Kathy Reichs

A riveting short story that takes us back to the beginning of the Virals series. 
 
A dazed Tory Brennan steps off the plane in Charleston. Reeling from the recent death of her mother, and nervous about meeting her dad for the first time, she could hardly be less excited at the prospect of starting this new chapter of her life. With its balmy weather and relaxed Southern atmosphere, South Carolina feels like a foreign country compared to Tory’s native New England. But her worries begin to fade once she lays eyes on rugged, mysterious Morris Island, and three quirky boys who are as lively and curious as Tory herself. Maybe - just maybe - this new home has something wonderful in store for her after all. 
 
In this glimpse into the world of the Virals before they became Virals, sometimes what seems like an ending is only the start. 
 
Includes the opening chapters of the gripping finale to Kathy and Brendan Reichs’ bestselling VIRALS series, TERMINAL, out in March 2015.

Shock

A Virals Short Story

Reginald Perrin is driven to desperation by the rat race and the unpunctuality of Britain's trains. As his small eccentricites escalate to the extreme heleaves the unacceptable face of capitalism behind by driving off in a stolen motorised jelly, embarking on his one-man quest to avoid an everyday existence.

This hilarious sequel to The Fall and Rise of Reginald Perrin follows his absurd trials and tribulations as he finds himself swept to fame and fortune.

The Return Of Reginald Perrin

(Reginald Perrin)

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

Marie Joseph

It was a Lancashire mill town in the grim years of the Depression - a town divided between the haves and the have-nots, between families like the mill-owning Boltons and the millworking Armstrongs. But Dorothy Bolton was determined to cross that chasm and risk everything for the love of Stanley Armstrong. Even if it meant choosing sides.

Showing results for: ‘Michael Symmons Roberts’

Filters

Category

Age

Publication Date

Format

Series

Imprint

Follow penguin

Follow ladybird

Follow puffin

Sign up to the Penguin newsletter