Recreation

New Titles Fiction June 2014 (arrived in May 2014)

Adventure

The furies, Mark Alpert.
Cutting-edge science, action and fast paced adventure tale about a genetic twist that may make the paranormal a reality.
The target, David Baldacci.
Will Robie from The Innocent and The Hit returns in his toughest mission to date. A time to kill or a time to die? The mission is to enter one of the most dangerous countries in the world. The target is one of the toughest to reach. The result could be momentous or it could be Armageddon.
Starfire, Dale Brown.
While leading a team of young engineers designing Starfire, the world's first orbiting solar power plant, James McLanahan Bradley is caught in the middle of a battle that threatens to become an all-out global war for control of space after the U.S. President ignites an arms race.
The trident deception, Rick Campbell.
The USS Kentucky a Trident ballistic missile submarine carrying a full complement of 192 nuclear warheads is about to go on a routine cruise. Not long after it reaches the open sea, however, the Kentucky receives a launch order. After receiving that launch order, it is cut off from all counter-orders and disappears into the Pacific while it makes the eight-day transit to the launch site.
The killing season, Mason Cross.
Action debut in the Lee Child mould with FBI calling in Carter Blake, a man of specialised talents, and Elaine Banner, special agent, to track down a killer at large all across America.
Overwatch, Marc Guggenheim.
After his father gets him a job at the CIA, young attorney Alex Garnett becomes targeted in a series of dangerous events, including poisoning, kidnapping, torture, and murder and seeks the help of a neurotic hacker to unearth a long-hidden conspiracy.
The forbidden tomb, Chris Kuzneski.
Second in series has The Hunters back on a quest to recover lost treasures of the modern world.
The kill switch, James Rollins and Grant Blackwood.
Recruited by Sigma Force to extract a Russian pharmaceutical magnate, who holds the biological key to a new weapons system, from Siberia, former Army Ranger Tucker Wayne and his military working dog Kane must solve an ancient mystery before the modern world suffers a fate worse than death.
The collector of dying breaths : a novel of suspense, M.J. Rose.
Lush and imaginative tale of a perfumer and a mythologist searching for the fine line between passion and treachery, starring a woman drawn back, time and again, to the past.
The beginning of the end, Michael T. Snyder.
Set in the United States at a time of unprecedented economic collapse, deep political corruption, accelerating social decay, out of control rioting in the cities and great natural disasters. In the midst of all of this chaos, a former CIA agent, a respected financial reporter and a blogger that takes his prepping to extremes all find themselves dropped into the middle of an ancient conflict.

American Fiction

Life drawing, Robin Black.
A couple move to the country for a quiet life of painting and writing but old jealousies haunt their rural paradise and a woman who moves next door is the catalyst for the things that happen.
Four friends, Robyn Carr.
Gerri can't decide what's more devastating: learning her rock-solid marriage has big cracks, or the anger she feels as she tries to repair them. Always the anchor for friends and her three angst-ridden teenagers, it's time to look carefully at herself. The journey is more than revealing it's transforming.
Can't and won't, Lydia Davis.
A new collection of short stories by the woman who fellow author Rick Moody has called "the best prose stylist in America."
The book of Jonah, Joshua Max Feldman.
An engaging first novel about love, failure and unexpected faith set in New York, Amsterdam and Las Vegas.
The word exchange, Alena Graedon.
Dystopian novel of the digital age. Set in the future where the death of print is a reality.
Last bus to Coffeeville, J. Paul Henderson.
Wacky comedy where a man has to put his wife into a nursing home but gets two friends to "kidnap" her to take her to her desired death in Coffeeville.
Be safe I love you, Cara Hoffman.
Second novel by the author of the well reviewed "So much pretty." Story of a woman returning from Iraq. Her family are pleased to see her but she seems different and then she takes her younger brother into the icy Canadian wilderness to teach him survival skills for reasons only she knows.
The claimant, Janette Turner Hospital.
Latest novel by the Australian born - now resident in the U.S. - writer is set in Manhattan and deals with the Vanderbilt claimant affair.
Mind of winter, Laura Kasischke.
The story of an orphan rescued from a grim Russian orphanage and what happens to her adoptive parents as she grows up in her new home.
I pity the poor immigrant, Zachary Lazar.
A tale of Jewish identity in which American gangster Meyer Lansky petitions the Israeli government for citizenship. When it's denied and he returns to America to stand trial his mistress, a holocaust survivor, is left behind.
Mannequin girl, Ellen Litman.
Jewish girl grows up in Soviet Russia where an illness sends her to a sanatorium. Can a girl with a crooked spine become a mannequin girl.
In paradise, Peter Matthiessen.
A group gathers at the site of a World War II concentration camp. A story based on the author's (he died this year) experiences at Zen retreats at Auschwitz, designed to try and understand the holocaust.
Kiss and tell, Fern Michaels.
Life comes in stages. Even the Sisterhood has been content to let their gold shields gather a little dust while they enjoy their friends and family. But when a string of anonymous emails arrives at Pinewood, suggesting shady dealings at a local assisted-living facility, Myra Rutledge and her best friend Annie de Silva are more than ready to out-hustle a master con-artist at his own game.
The serpent of Venice, Christopher Moore.
Venice, a long time ago. Three prominent Venetians await their most loathsome and foul dinner guest, the erstwhile envoy from the Queen of Britain: the rascal-Fool Pocket.This trio of cunning plotters the merchant, Antonio; the senator, Montressor Brabantio; and the naval officer, Iago have lured Pocket to a dark dungeon. Wacky comedy.
Miss Julia's marvelous makeover, Ann B. Ross.
Miss Julia's long lost cousin is sending her granddaughter for lessons in manners.
Astonish me, Maggie Shipstead.
Dancer helps famous Russian dancer to defect to America. His career takes off and hers goes into decline. Years later her son becomes a dance prodigy and secret concerning the Russian dancer are uncovered.
Ceremony, Leslie Marmon Silko
Set on an Indian reservation just after World War II, about the return home of a war-weary Navaho young man. Tayo, a young Native American, has been a prisoner of the Japanese during World War II, and the horrors of captivity have almost eroded his will to survive. His return to the Laguna Pueblo reservation only increases his feeling of estrangement and alienation.
Casebook, Mona Simpson.
From the award-winning author of Anywhere But Here and My Hollywood, comes a powerful novel about a young boy's quest to uncover the mysteries of his unraveling family. What he discovers turns out to be what he least wants to know: the inner workings of his parents' lives. And even then he can't stop searching.

Australian fiction

The best feeling of all, Jack Ellis.
Coming of age tale about the lives of two women between the ages of 15 and 25, set in Sydney's northern beach suburbs.
The glass kingdom, Chris Flynn.
Aussie underbelly tale where a Belfast herdsman and carnival workers have funny but rather dark experiences on Australia's east coast.
Kat jumps the shark, Melinda Houston.
Light and funny tale about a 40something Melbourne woman who works as a location scout for a T.V. company and is beginning to realise she wants more out of life.
Tapestry, Fiona McIntosh.
1970s where a woman is plagued by tragedy and 1715 where a Jacobite Earl is sentenced to death. A time-slip tale of romance and adventure.
A place of her own, Deborah O'Brien.
From the author of "Mr Chen's emporium" comes the story of a widow making herself a new life in a small town where she buys a B & B and falls for a local only to find she has a rival.
Tree palace, Craig Sherborne.
The story of street smart survivors on the fringe of society, vividly and sympathetically shown. Set in the Wimmera Mallee in Victoria's northwest.
Safe harbour, Helene Young.
Romantic suspense as a woman rescues a sailor from a stricken yacht and is then is drawn into his world.

British Fiction

Chestnut Street, Maeve Binchy.
Just around the corner from St. Jarlath's Crescent (which readers will recognise from Minding Frankie) is Chestnut Street, where neighbours come and go. Behind their closed doors we encounter very different people with different life circumstances, occupations, and sensibilities.
Boys and girls, Joseph Connolly.
Susan wants another husband but not instead of, just as well, and it's her wealthy boss she chooses. The family falls apart in this often funny and quite clever story of messy lives.
Reasons she goes to the woods, Deborah Kay Davies.
Unusual tale of a young girl growing up with her secret reasons for going to the nearby woods.
Skeletons, Jane Fallon.
Jen has discovered a secret, its not hers to share but it is hers to keep. If she tells her husband Jason he may get over the shock, but will he forgive her for telling the truth. She might drive a wedge through her marriage. Jen knows the truth, but is she ready for the consequences?
The postcard, Leah Fleming.
2002, Australia. When Melissa discovers a postcard addressed to 'Desmond' among her recently deceased father's effects, she is determined to discover this person's identity and his relationship to her father. She soon embarks on a journey that will take her across oceans and into the past in 1930's, London.
The dynamite room, Jason Hewitt.
July 1940. Eleven-year-old Lydia walks through a village in rural Suffolk on a baking hot day. She is wearing a gas mask. The shops and houses are empty, windows boarded up and sandbags green with mildew, the village seemingly deserted. Leaving it behind, she strikes off down a country lane through the salt marshes to a large Edwardian house the house she grew up in.
Everland, Rebecca Hunt.
The story of two Antarctic expeditions a hundred years apart. The intriguing new novel by the author of the much praised debut "Mr Chartwell."
The space between us, Anna McPartlin.
Two women who fell out as teenagers meet up again 17 years later when one is involved in a terrible accident. Tale of female friendship across the years from popular Irish writer.
After the wedding, Roisin Meaney.
It's the beginning of May on the island of Roone and Nell Mulcahy, having called off her wedding to the handsome Tim Baker, has finally admitted her love for his brother James a love everyone else on the island recognised long before she did. Now Nell is setting off for County Clare, to a church overlooking the sea, to say 'I do' to the Mr. Baker she was meant for all along.
The ballad of a small player, Lawrence Osborne.
Intriguing tale of a fake aristocrat who plans to gamble away his last days in the casino halls of Macau meets someone who takes the stakes a lot higher.
The walk home, Rachel Seiffert.
Story of divided loyalties within a Protestant Irish family, the bitterness that tears them apart and the slow healing that begins.
Mrs Sinclair's suitcase, Louise Walters.
A woman who works in a second-hand bookshop likes reading old letters she finds in books then she finds one from the grandfather she never knew, dated after he supposedly died in the war.
Before we met, Lucie Whitehouse.
A whirlwind romance. A perfect marriage. Hannah Reilly has seized her chance at happiness. Until the day her husband fails to come home. The more questions Hannah asks, the fewer answers she finds. But are the secrets that Mark has been keeping designed to protect him or protect her? And can you ever really know what happened before you met?
History of the rain, Niall Williams.
Ruthie Swain, the bedridden daughter of a dead poet, tries to find her father through stories and through generations of family history in County
Chop chop, Simon Wroe.
Funny and fast paced first novel set in the treacherous competitive world of a London restaurant kitchen.
Marlford, Jacqueline Yallop.
A woman and her elderly father live in a crumbling manor house trying to hold on to artistocratic ways but two squatters in an unused wing of the house open their eyes to other worlds.

Dutch titles

Land van verhalen : een raamvertelling, Jan Blokker.
Inferno, Dan Brown.
En uit de bergen kwam de echo, Khaled Hosseini.
Vallen als het heet is, Jelmer Jepsen.
Samen, Louise Koppijn.
Muren van glas. Harde grenzen, Marique Maas.
De dinsdagvrouwen, Monika Peetz
Vrouw in de rouw, Petra Possel.
Een goede raad, J.K. Rowling
Het puttertje, Donna Tartt
Marie : roman, Christophe Vekeman.
Echt iets voor jou, Thomas Verbogt.
Bon Bini Beach, Suzanne Vermeer.
Morgen ben ik weer thuis, Simone van der Vlugt.
Omnibus, De Waal & Baantjer.
De troost van een warm visje, Sylvia Witteman.

Fiction from the rest of the World

Sweet dreams, little one, Massimo Gramellini
Huge bestseller in Italy. The story of a nine year old boy who wakes to find his mother gone and what happens as he grows up with the pain of bereavement and not knowing the truth.
The crack, Christopher Radmann.
In South Africa under apartheid, a wife's support of her husband's new job as a policeman and specialist interrogator leads to her life starting to fall apart under the realisation that the brutal system cannot hold.
The giraffe's neck, Judith Schalansky
First novel by the author of "The atlas of remote islands." This title, a bestseller in Germany, is about a biology teacher in an East German town whose biologically determined view is about to be shaken.
Charlie Chaplin's last dance, Fabio Stassi
Translated from the Italian, this is an unusual tale in which Charlie Chaplin faces death and recalls the magic of his work in the early years.

Graphic Novel

DC Universe Presents. Volume 3, Black Lightning and Blue Devil, Marc Andreyko, Joe Keatinge.
Noah, Darren Aronofsky and Ari Handel
See the film, now read the book.
No. 6. 6, Atsuko Asano ; art by Hinoki Kino
Nijigahara holograph, Inio Asano
A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court, Mark Twain ; adapted by Seymour Chwast.
Ant colony, Michael DeForge.
John Constantine, Hellblazer. Shoot, Warren Ellis
Red light properties : previously-haunted real estate. 01, Dan Goldman.
DC Universe presents. Volume 1, Deadman and Challengers of the Unknown, Paul Jenkins ; plotter & scripter, Dan DiDio ; artist, Bernard Chang
Batman unwrapped, Andy Kubertwriters.
Animal Man. Volume 3, Rotworld : the Red Kingdom, Jeff Lemire, Scott Snyder
Baltimore. Volume three, A passing stranger : and other stories, Mike Mignola, Christopher Golden
The Bojeffries saga, Alan Moore ; pictures by Steve Parkhouse.
Lords of Mars. Volume 1, The eye of the goddess, Arvid Nelson
Breath of bones : a tale of the Golem, Steve Niles and Matt Santoro
Over easy, Mimi Pond.
He-Man and the Masters of the Universe. Volume 1, James Robinson, Keith Giffen, Geoff Johns
American vampire. Volume six, Scott Snyder
Guardians of the galaxy. [Vol. 1], Jim Valentino
Amazing Spider-Man. Family business, Mark Waid and James Robinson
Ghosted. Volume one, Haunted heist, Joshua Williamson

Mystery

Guilty parties : a Crime Writers' Association anthology, Martin Edwards.
A collection of mystery short stories from authors such as John Harvey, Laura Wilson, Paul Johnston, N.J. Cooper, Christopher Fowler, Peter Lovesey and more.
The fleuron connection, Carline Bouilhet.
Story of a Sydney-based business woman who, in the course of her trade accidentally discovers that the high end goods she imports are used as concealment for an illegal diamond trade. She soon discovers that an international Islamic fundamentalist cell plots the mass murder of innocents during one of Sydney's most historic marathons with the landmark Sydney Harbour Bridge firmly in their sights.
Notorious, Allison Brennan.
When Maxine Revere was a high school senior, her best friend was murdered and their mutual friend, Kevin O'Neal, was accused of the crime. Kevin's guilt wasn't proven, but Max and Kevin's friendship never recovered and Max moved across the country shortly afterward. Years later the case is reopened.
Murder at Mullings, Dorothy Cannell.
First in a new country house murder mystery series set in the 1930s featuring Florence Norris, housekeeper and sleuth.
The wolf in winter, John Connolly.
The latest thriller in John Connolly's Charlie Parker series. The community of Prosperous, Maine has always thrived when others have suffered. Its inhabitants are wealthy, its children's future secure. It shuns outsiders. It guards its own. Murder changes everything.
The skin collector, Jeffery Deaver.
NYPD detective Lincoln Rhyme and his associate Amelia Sachs on a new case.
Everything to lose, Andrew Gross.
A down on her luck mother caring for her disabled son becomes entangled in a murderous conspiracy to keep a twenty year secret buried.
The telling error, Sophie Hannah.
Stuck in a traffic jam, Nicki Clements sees a face she hoped never to see again. It's definitely him, the same police officer, stopping each car on Elmhirst Road. Keen to avoid him, Nicki does a U-turn and makes a panicky escape. Or so she thinks.
Wolf, Mo Hayder.
7th in the Jack Caffery series of grim and gripping thrillers.
The lizard's bite, David Hewson.
On an August night on a small island near Venice, a fire explodes in a glassmaking shop. When help arrives, two people are dead, a rich Englishman is implicated, and investigators from Rome are assigned a case no one wants them to solve.
The lying-down room, Anna Jaquiery.
First novel by Asian/French author. Set in Paris where a strange murder points to someone targeting elderly ladies.
The fifth season, Mons Kallentoft
A family on a forest walk come upon a dead body. Inspector Malin Foss links this to another case which might mean there is a serial killer on the loose. Swedish crime.
Duffy, Dan Kavanagh.
Duffy is a detective like no other. A bisexual ex-policeman with a phobia of ticking watches and a penchant for Tupperware. But what he lacks in orthodoxy he makes up for in street-smart savvy and no-nonsense dealings. This is a welcome reprint of the novel Julian Barnes wrote under a pseudonym.
The keeper, John Lescroart.
On the evening before Thanksgiving, Hal Chase, a guard in the San Francisco County Jail, drives to the airport to pick up his step-brother for the weekend. When they return, Hal's wife, Katie, has disappeared without a clue. By the time Dismas Hardy hears about this, Katie has been missing for five days.
Night diver, Elizabeth Lowell.
Action, romance and suspense in the deadly world of underwater treasure hunters.
The Devil's Chair, Priscilla Masters.
Mother and child in a car accident in a remote valley. Mother is rushed to hospital and a child missing. Detective Inspector Alex Randall and coroner Martha Gunn investigate.
The Diggers rest hotel, Geoffrey McGeachin.
In 1947, two years after witnessing the death of a young Jewish woman in Poland, Charlie Berlin has rejoined the police force a different man. Sent to investigate a spate of robberies in rural Victoria, he soon discovers that World War II has changed even the most ordinary of places and people.
Mothers of the disappeared, Russel D. McLean.
Private eye reopens a case of a murdered child. Described as a mix of American hardboiled and Scottish attitude.
Blue is the night, Eoin McNamee.
Third in his Blue trilogy is set in 1949 when a man is prosecuted for murder. Based on a famous and notorious case.
Ruin Falls, Jenny Milchman.
The second novel by the author of "Cover of snow" is a tense and gripping tale of a mother determined to find her missing children.
Hollow Mountain, Thomas Mogford.
His third Gibraltar set thriller in which lawyer Spike Sanguinetti is involved in a case involving ruthless treasure hunters.
The hound of the D'Urbervilles, Kim Newman.
Imagine the twisted evil twins of Holmes and Watson and you have the dangerous duo of Professor James Moriarty – wily, snake-like, fiercely intelligent, terrifyingly unpredictable – and Colonel Sebastian ‘Basher’ Moran – violent, politically incorrect, debauched. Together they run London crime, owning police and criminals alike.
The murder bag, Tony Parsons.
A serial killer who only kills the rich and powerful is at large. Parsons moves to the crime scene with the first in a series.
Drowning Barbie, Frederick Ramsay.
Investigating the murder of a drug addict, Ike Schwartz works to track down the victim's missing daughter for important clues in a case that is complicated by a second murder, the input of former colleagues, and his drawn-out engagement with Ruth.
Swimming in the dark, Paddy Richardson.
German immigrants, Gerda and Ilse Klein, live sedate lives of seclusion and routine in Alexandra. Both mother and daughter are affected by their memories of Leipzig, the city the family escaped from in the early 1980s while it was still under the rule of the Stasi. For Ilse, these memories are of a home and friends she loved and still longs for. For Gerda the memories bring the desperate depression which overwhelms her in the dark months of winter.
Margery Allingham's Albert Campion returns in Mr Campion's farewell, Mike Ripley.
From three chapters of an unfinished novel by Margery Allingham, this is a very British old school mystery set in East Anglia.
The scent of death, Betty Rowlands.
Constable Sukey Reynolds investigates the death of a music lover at a house party.
Night at the crossroads, Georges Simenon
Maigret has been interrogating Carl Andersen for seventeen hours without a confession. He's either innocent or a very good liar. So why was the body of a diamond merchant found at his isolated mansion? Why is his sister always shut away in her room? And why does everyone at Three Widows Crossroads have something to hide?
The yellow dog, Georges Simenon
Tale of small town suspicion and revenge, part of the new Penguin Maigret series.
Letters to my daughter's killer, Cath Staincliffe.
Powerful tale of a woman who wants revenge for a murder that has destroyed her life.
Forty days without shadow, Olivier Truc
Original and quite dark debut set in Lapland where detectives investigate the theft of a priceless relic linked to the murder of a reindeer herder.
Dog will have his day, Fred Vargas
Former cop Louis Kehlweiler discovers a piece of bone on the footpath and this leads him to a Breton fishing village.

New Zealand Fiction

No limit, Holly Childs.
It's December 2012, Ash's connecting flight out of Auckland has been grounded by a volcanic eruption, and there's a serious apocalypse vibe going around. But at the airport she spots a girl. Hyperreal, freakishly attractive. A dream girl. Ash is obsessed. Stuck in this city, getting pinged from one stranger to the next, what else can she do but hope to run into her again?
Empty bones : and other stories, Breton Dukes.
Empty Bones is weightlifting, infidelity, drunk driving, facelifts and childbirth - it's a family and their weekend reunion. It is Lisbon to Madrid on the night train and Auckland to Wellington on a motorbike. It is the end, the beginning and the gristly in between. A novella accompanied by five equally raw, intense and comical short stories.
Landscape with solitary figure, Shonagh Koea.
About the transporting power of the imagination, about overcoming violence, and about the beauty and resilience of a solitary life. Ellis has come to appreciate her solitary life, in her bungalow not far from the sea. As she looks from her window, she begins to find a way to confront and yet distance the past.
Carnival sky, Owen Marshall.
Sheff is disillusioned with journalism and, with plans to travel overseas, chucks in his job. But first he goes south to Alexandra, where his father is dying. He becomes caught up with his family in the agonising inertia of waiting for approaching death. Slowly he comes to terms with suppressed issues of loss, love, resentment and commitment, and acknowledges he must reach out for new relationships.
Salt of the Earth, Robin McFarland.
Collection of twenty-five short stories set in the fictional town of Salt. Their themes and plots mingle so that the collection could be read as a novel. While Salt is fictional, it has a geographical setting to the west of a mountain pass in the high country of the South Island of New Zealand, an often bitterly cold and high-rainfall area, and one of the more extreme climates in the world.
The families, Vincent O'Sullivan.
Critics have praised this collection, saying that "this is a very rewarding collection by a master craftsman. I really liked it. The stories lure you in with no tricks or artifice, as they gather threads, weave them unobtrusively and create a story often from almost a moment. All the stories relate in some lovely way to the title."

Romance

What the Greek's money can't buy, Maya Blake.
Stolen kiss from a prince, Teresa Carpenter.
Secrets of a Bollywood marriage, Susanna Carr.
The moment, Claire Dyer.
Her client from hell, Louisa George.
The last temptation of Dr Dalton, Robin Gianna.
The return of Mrs. Jones, Jessica Gilmore.
Twisted perfection, Abbi Glines.
When Christakos meets his match, Abby Green.
Behind the film star's smile, Kate Hardy.
The secret ingredient, Nina Harrington.
Bound by night, Larissa Ione.
Seduced by the sultan, Sharon Kendrick.
Wanted, J. Kenner.
One night with her ex, Lucy King.
Her soldier protector, Soraya Lane.
Surgeon in a tux, Carol Marinelli.
A D'Angelo like no other, Carole Mortimer.
The last prince of Dahaar, Tara Pammi.
Loving Cara, Kristen Proby.
Otherwise engaged, Amanda Quick.
The earl who played with fire : a muses of Mayfair novel, Sara Ramsey.
Resisting her rebel hero, Lucy Ryder.
The Sicilian's unexpected duty, Michelle Smart.
The purest of diamonds?, Susan Stephens.
Girl from the red carpet, Scarlet Wilson.
Flirting with the forbidden, Joss Wood.

Saga & Historical

The only blue door, Joan Fallon.
Imagine you are a twelve-year-old girl; you have a happy life and a family that loves you, then bit by bit your life disintegrates and you find yourself alone, thousands of miles from home. It is September 1940, Maggie and her young siblings, Grace and Billy, are living in the East End of London with their parents. Their father has been killed at Dunkirk and their mother goes into hospital to have her fourth child, leaving the children with a neighbour.
A rip in the veil, Anna Belfrage.
On a muggy August day in 2002 Alexandra Lind is inexplicably thrown several centuries backwards in time to 1658. Life will never be the same for Alex. Alex lands at the feet of Matthew Graham an escaped convict making his way home to Scotland.
Kingmaker : winter pilgrims, Toby Clements.
First in new series about a couple expelled from their religious orders and forced to flee to France against the backdrop of the Wars of the Roses.
Winners and losers, Catrin Collier.
Megan Williams is eighteen and in love with the boy next door, Victor Evans. It is 1910 and, in the Rhondda Valley, poverty and hardship are taking their toll as troops are brought in to control the striking miners. The only work Megan can find is in a house where the police and soldiers lodge, but she is shunned by friends and neighbours, who believe she has betrayed her class by working for the enemy.
Wheels of Grace, Tania Crosse.
Grace Dannings has lived her entire young life in the safe and idyllic Dartmoor village of Walkhampton, working as a maid at a farm within sight of her own humble family home. Her only wish is that nothing will ever change in her contented, happy existence. But it is May 1914 and the village is alive with talk of the situation in Europe.
Turning the stones, Debra Daley.
1750s Gergian England and a young foundling is brought to Sedge Court to be raised alonngside the daughter of the aristocrats.
All my tomorrows, Ellie Dean.
In defending herself against her brutal husband, eighteen-year-old Ruby Clark is forced to flee London. She has no idea where Cliffehaven is, or what she will find there, but she knows that she will never be able to return home again. At first it seems she's fallen on her feet.
The tying of threads, Joy Dettman.
Independent and spirited, Georgie is her mother's daughter through and through. But after a house fire both takes the life of her sister, Margot, and burns her home to the ground, Georgie is lost. She flees town with nothing but a cardboard box and the determination to be somebody, anybody, else.
The four streets, Nadine Dorries.
Heart-breaking, gripping, life-affirming, this story, based on Nadine's own childhood background, is set in the Catholic community in 1950s Liverpool, where young men and women, fleeing the poverty of rural Ireland, have come to seek a better life.
The Nightingale nurses, Donna Douglas.
It's the final year of training for three young nurses at The Nightingale Hospital. Helen is at a crossroads in her life as she battles with her domineering mother over both her love life and her future career. Dora can't stop loving Nick, who is married to her best friend, Ruby. But Ruby is hiding a dark secret with the potential to destroy Ruby's marriage.
The Venetian bargain, Marina Fiorato.
Venice 1576 and a ship arrives in Venice with a deadly cargo. A story of the bubonic plague and a young harem doctor whose medical skills keep a young woman alive.
The soldier's bride, Maggie Ford.
Torn between love and duty. Letty Bancroft longs to be married but her father has other ideas he wants his daughter to stay at home and help run his East End shop. Heartbroken, Letty must remain unwed while her sweetheart goes off to fight in France.
'Til the well runs dry, Lauren Francis-Sharma.
A multi-generational, multi-cultural saga that begins in the 1940s and moves to the 1960s in Trinidad and America.
The steady running of the hour, Justin Go.
An impressive debut in which a young American discovers he may be heir to the unclaimed estate of a World War I officer and sets off across Europe to find the truth. Part love story, part time slip, part historical.
The Shadow Queen, Sandra Gulland.
Tale of a young woman who rises to become confidante to the most powerful and dangerous woman at the 17th century French Court, the mistress of the Sun King.
The bloody cup, M. K. Hume.
For many years, the people of Britain have enjoyed peace and prosperity under the reign of King Artor and the Union of Kings. Having spurned the despotism of his predecessor, Uther Pendragon, Artor has ruled with a strong sense of duty, goodness and honour. However, Artor is now weakening with age and the seeds of discontent have been sown.
In search of hope, Anna Jacobs.
Receiving an inheritance allows Libby the opportunity to escape from her abusive marriage, but her controlling husband will not let her escape easily; meanwhile, Emily seeks to make contact with the daughter she lost years earlier.
The trader's reward, Anna Jacobs.
When Fergus Deagan's wife dies, leaving him to care for their small children, he doesn't know how to manage. He's always been envious of his older brother Bram's good fortune but now he reluctantly knows he needs his help, and sets off with his family for Western Australia.
The blue mile, Kim Kelly.
1929 and a chance meeting for a factory worker and his seven year old sister with a budding milliner in Sydney changes all their lives.
Eve's apples, Lena Kennedy.
Twelve-year-old Daisy Smith steals a carrot for Jackie Murphy, an Irish barrow-boy, and so begins a love affair which will last for both their lives. Even when Jackie's family leave for Australia, Daisy cannot forget her childhood sweetheart and she determines to follow her love to the ends of the earth, if need be!
God of vengeance, Giles Kristian.
Author of the bestselling Raven saga returns to recount the early days of Sigurd and his Fellowship in a thrilling Viking tale of honour, courage, blood feud and revenge.
James Cook's new world, Graeme Lay.
Fictionalised account of James Cook's extraordinary second voyage of discovery, from the tropical isles of Polynesia to the icy seas of the great Southern Ocean, the furthest south anyone had ever sailed.
Blitz!, Molly Lefebure.
When World War II broke out, no one could predict the impact it would have on their lives. As the conflict begins to take its toll, the lives of four families become entwined. The Duchamps, the Spurgeons, the Sowersbys and the Tooleys are all faced with personal struggles while the world around them is torn apart.
The women of Lilac Street, Annie Murray.
Birmingham, almost a decade after the end of the Great War, and the women of Lilac Street have had more than their fair share of troubles.
The quick, Lauren Owen.
Victorian England and a brother and sister become involved in the world of the Aegolius Club, a society of the most powerful men in England. Impressive debut.
A god in every stone, Kamila Shamsie.
1914 and a young Englishwoman is in Greece. Meanwhile a young Indian in the British Indian army ends at the War where he meets the woman on a train. Fascinating tale of friendship, injustice, love and betrayal.

Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror

Son of the morning, Mark Alder.
Edward II needs a victory against Philip of France and an unholy war is unleashed in a story described as George R.R. Martin meets Bernard Cornwall.
The prince's boy, Paul Bailey.
1927 and Dinu, 19, arrives in Bucharest full of literary ambitions and bohemian expectations. The Telegraph praised the novel, saying it was "an elegant meditation on love, sex and Marcel Proust."
Steles of the sky, Elizabeth Bear
Re Temur, legitimate heir to his grandfather's Khaganate, has finally raised his banner and declared himself at war with his usurping uncle. With his companions the Wizard Samarkar, the Cho-tse Hrahima, and the silent monk Brother Hsiung he must make his way to Dragon Lake to gather in his army of followers.
Shipstar, Gregory Benford and Larry Niven.
Follows "Bowl of heaven" in the tale of a human expedition to another star system.
Transhuman, Ben Bova.
Grandfather flees with ill child, chased by the FBI while he tries to save the child by injecting himself with a miracle engine.
Afterparty, Daryl Gregory.
Described as a mix of "Neuromancer" and Philip K. Dick with a story about a brain altering drug that goes viral.
Valour, John Gwynne.
The Banished Lands are torn by war as the army of High King Nathair sweeps the realm challenging all who oppose his holy crusade. Allied with the manipulative Queen Rhin of Cambren, there are few who can stand against him. Second in the "The faithful and the fallen" series.
Midnight crossroad, Charlaine Harris.
First in a new trilogy, "Midnight Texas," set in a small Texas town where sinister things are happening.
The boy with the porcelain blade, Den Patrick.
An ornate yet dark fantasy, with echoes of Mervyn Peake, Robin Hobb and Jon Courtenay Grimwood. Described as an original and beautifully imagined world, populated by unforgettable characters.
Blood & spirits, Dennis Sharpe.
Small-town life can be hard for a dead girl. For Veronica Fischer the night to night life of a bloodsucking madam in Middle America is tough enough before she adopts Rachel Gregory, an eight year old ghost.
Cauldron of ghosts : an Honorverse novel, David Weber & Eric Flint.
The Republic of Haven and the Star Empire of Manticore forge an alliance that hinges on an undercover mission by Zilwicki and Cachat to expose an ancient Mesan Alignment conspiracy.
The place of dead kings, Geoffrey Wilson.
It is 1855. The English revolt has failed, and brutal General Vadula governs England now. Only a few small bands of English rebels still hold out against the Rajthanan empire. Jack Casey survives in remote Shropshire, training young rebels to use the conqueror's magic.