Spring / Summer 2025

SAS Great Escapes Four by Damien Lewis to be published by Quercus in Hardback at £22 on 22nd May 2025

 Damien will be doing an author tour in the summer with a launch talk at IWM Lambeth on 22nd May. 

Previous praise for Damien Lewis: 

Damien Lewis is both a meticulous historian and a born storyteller' Lee Child

‘Lewis has researched his story thoroughly over the course of a decade and tells it like a fast paced thriller.’ The Economist

      ‘A prolific historian.’ The New York Times

  ‘Scrupulously detailed…..’ The Daily Telegraph

    ‘Lewis takes the reader on an epic journey of discovery.’ BBC History Magazine

FIVE MORE INCREDIBLE ESCAPES CARRIED OUT BY THE SAS DURING WORLD WAR TWO

SAS Great Escapes Four recounts how soldiers of the world’s most famous fighting force, the SAS, carried out some of the most daring escapes of World War Two. Ranging from the infamous desert campaign of 1944 to the unforgiving terrain of the Vosges Mountains, these inspirational narratives include the tale of three Captains escaping an Italian Prisoner of War Camp in 1943; a perilous escape across Europe aided by the Resistance networks of Holland, Belgium; and a death-defying return to Britain via boat, tunnel and train.

Each account plunges the reader into the escapees’ experiences – sharing the most terrifying yet astounding moments of their lives. They include unimaginable accounts of survival in the face of staggering odds, episodes of nerve-wracking bluff and deception, plus knife-edge ambushes with enemy forces hell-bent on wreaking vengeance.

In this new volume of his bestselling series, author Damien Lewis has worked closely with World War Two veterans and the families of those portrayed, accessing wartime diaries, letters, mission reports, interrogation transcripts and more, to relate how the men of the SAS were hunted by the enemy and forced to fight their way out of certain death or capture.

With every step, breath and turn taken, these fugitives epitomized the do-or-die spirit of the SAS to overcome.

About Damien Lewis: Sunday Times bestseller, Damien Lewis has established himself as one of the most popular WWII historians, selling several million copies of his books in 40 countries. For decades he worked as a war and conflict reporter for the world's major broadcasters, reporting from across Africa, South America, the Middle and Far East and winning numerous awards. His books include the World War Two classics The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare, Hunting the Nazi Bomb, SAS Nazi Hunters, SAS Ghost Patrol, SAS Italian Job, SAS Band of Brothers, SAS Brothers in Arms, The Flame of Resistance on Josephine Baker, SAS Great Escapes 1, 2 and 3 plus SAS Brothers in Arms, SAS Forged in Hell and SAS Daggers Drawn on Paddy Mayne & the SAS in WW2.  Many of his books have been made, or are being made, into movies or TV drama series. The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare came out as a major movie directed by Guy Ritchie and produced by Jerry Bruckheimer and distributed by Lionsgate in the US and Amazon worldwide where it is still available starring Henry Cavill (Superman), Alan Ritchson (Reacher), Henry Golding (Crazy Rich Asians) and Eiza González, amongst others. 

Lewis has raised tens of thousands of pounds for charitable concerns connected with his writing.

Chapter notes: 

  1. Chapter 4: Love, Courage and Guerilla Warfare: based upon the unpublished manuscript of Captain Lewis ‘Archie’ Gibson’s wartime story, Hamdulallah, A Personal Memoir, provided to the author by Gibson’s son, Paul Gibson, plus Gibson’s letters, war diaries and other wartime memorabilia. Paul Gibson should be happy to give interviews.

  2. Archie Gibson’s story reveals how, when serving at SAS founder David Stirling’s driver, Gibson’s quick thinking – and disobeying Stirling’s orders – enabled him to save the SAS founder’s life, when facing an enemy ambush. Despite Gibson going against his orders, Stirling put Gibson forward for a high valour medal for his actions and he was duly awarded a Military Medal.

  3. Gibson was a veteran of the Long Range Desert Group (LRDG), the desert navigation and intelligence-gathering specialists, who were the forerunners of the SAS. In the summer of 1944, Gibson led a patrol of LRDG veterans into war-torn Yugoslavia, to link up with Marshal Tito’s partisans and to spread havoc behind the lines. His story of operations with the Yugoslav guerrillas, and of intensive sabotage mission and battles with the enemy, offer a rare glimpse into a little known theatre of the war.

  4. Having fallen in love with his beautiful Yugoslav translator, Zara, Gibson and his men were forced to execute a desperate escape and evasion, as they were hunted remorselessly by the enemy. Sailing back to Allied lines in Italy, Gibson was forced to leave Zara behind. He vowed to return, to fight at her side, but was blocked from doing so when Marshal Tito decided his future lay in an alliance with Russia, and not with the Western powers. Gibson, heartbroken, learned later that Zara had been killed in the fighting in Yugoslavia.

  5. Chapter 5: Operation Pistol. Sergeant John Alcock was dropped deep behind the lines in Nazi-occupied France, into the Vosges Mountains, to sabotage German transport and communications. Having blown up trains and sabotaged convoys, Alcock and his men were hunted remorselessly by the enemy. At one stage they were betrayed by some Polish forced labourers, and only their training by Colonel Hector Grant-Taylor, ‘Britain’s greatest gunman’, at his school for murder and mayhem, saved them from death or capture.

  6. Sergeant Alcock led an epic escape and evasion across the Vosges Mountains. Having achieved the seeming impossible, in sneaking across the most heavily defended lines in all of Western Europe – the Vosges was Hitler’s last-ditch stand to stop the Allies from marching into the Reich – Alcock and his men then had to storm an American machinegun nest, to prevent themselves from being shot by their own side. Graham Alcock, his son, should be happy to give interviews.

  7. Once back in Allied lines, Alcock was able to pass the amazed American commander, Colonel Bruce Clark, of the US 4th Armoured Division, key coordinates of a raft of targets that he had identified, while operating behind the lines. 

  8. Chapter Three: The Italian Job. Captain John Verney was parachuted into the Italian island of Sardinia, charged to blow up enemy warplanes in preparation for the Allied landings in Italy. But while his mission was successful and several warplanes were destroyed, he and his men were betrayed by a recent recruit to the SAS and captured by the enemy. Sebastian Verney, his son, should be happy to give interviews.

  9. Verney escaped from an Italian POW camp, and was sheltered by a series of brave Italian famers and families. But his final escape and evasion, across the snowbound heights of the Apennine Mountains. in winter 1943/4, turned into an epic of survival, from which it was a miracle that he escaped alive.

Damien Lewis is available for interview and to write articles.  For further information on SAS Great Escapes 4 please contact Sophie Ransom at Ransom PR on sophie@ransompr.com



Secret of the Bees by Jane Johnson to be published by Head of Zeus on 5th June 2025 in Hardback at £20

Praise for Jane Johnson

'An irresistible story-teller' Barbara Erskine

'Page-turning stuff' The Times

‘A hugely enjoyable and unusual historical novel.' Rachel Hore

'Johnson writes the sort of books you want to tell everyone about' Katie Fforde

Time has forgotten this remote corner of West Cornwall, and left its many secrets undisturbed. Until now...

Ezra Curnow has lived in the little cottage on the Trengrose estate all his life. He was born there, as was his father, and his grandfather before that. It is his own little paradise. Then the mistress of the estate, Eliza Rosevear, dies without leaving a will, and the cottage’s ownership is put into question. Trengrose’s charm soon attracts London financier Toby and his wife Minty, and Toby immediately sniffs an opportunity to rent out Ezra’s cottage to tourists. But Ezra, a wily old chap, is prepared to battle to save his beloved home, and he has a number of secret weapons in his armoury. As Toby resorts to more drastic measures, Ezra’s case looks increasingly hopeless. But the recently deceased mistress of Trengrose took some secrets to her grave too, and she doesn’t intend to rest quietly until they come to light... About the author: Jane Johnson is a British novelist and publisher. She is the UK editor for George R.R. Martin, Robin Hobb and Dean Koontz. She launched the Voyager imprint for HarperCollins and still works with George RR Martin and others. For many years she was the publisher of the works of J.R.R. Tolkien. She also worked on Peter Jackson’s adaptation of Lord of the Rings and wrote the tie-in books.  Married to a Berber chef she met while researching The Tenth Gift, she lives in Mousehole, Cornwall, and Morocco.

For more information please contact: sophie@ransompr.com or

publicity@headofzeus.com

Cornwall:

Jane’s deep connection to Cornwall lies at the heart of Secrets of the Bees. Born and raised in Fowey, she returns to her native county after years in London, only to find Cornwall transformed. Once a place of close-knit communities, villages like Mousehole have been overtaken by second homes and holiday lets. In this novel, Jane explores the tension between old Cornwall—represented by Ezra Curnow—and the new influx of wealthier incomers. With tourism continuing to dominate, Secrets of the Bees raises questions about how Cornwall can preserve its heritage while embracing the future.

The History

At the core of Secrets of the Bees is Ezra Curnow, an elderly Cornish man whose quiet life is threatened when new owners take over the Trengrose estate. Ezra’s cottage, passed down through generations, is now under threat from those looking to profit from the land. But Ezra is no ordinary farmer. His past, shaped by his service in Cyprus during the brutal years of British colonial rule, carries painful memories. Ezra and his brother were conscripted to serve in Cyprus during the 1950s, where they were caught up in violent insurgencies. The trauma of his military service and the moral complexities of colonial rule have stayed with him. In Secrets of the Bees, Ezra’s personal history reflects the wider struggles of Cornwall, torn between preserving its traditions and adapting to modern pressures.

The Bees

The bees in Secrets of the Bees are more than just pollinators—they are symbolic guardians of Cornwall’s land and spirit. Their wellbeing mirrors that of the environment, and their decline signals a deeper loss to both ecology and heritage. Jane’s own journey into beekeeping began during the 2020 lockdown, when she took on an allotment and began to observe the bees that visited it. She learned about honeybees, carder bees, and bumblebees, each with their own role in maintaining balance. In the novel, the bees of Trengrose are believed to carry messages between the living and the dead, and their fate is bound to the land. Ezra’s devotion to his hives reflects his desire to protect the fragile equilibrium between the old world he knows and the new one encroaching upon it.

Sun Trap by Rachel Wolf To be published by Head of Zeus on 8th May 2025 at £9.99 - A paperback original

Praise for previous novels

           ‘A powerful and eventful novel’

The Times

     ‘Gripping, twisty and immensely satisfying’

Daily Mail

‘Atmospheric’

Heat

BE CAREFUL WHAT YOU WISH FOR

Ellie has dreamed of being an actor since childhood, so when she lands a role in a high-profile blockbuster, she seizes the opportunity. But on the flight to Abu Dhabi, she overhears a chilling conversation—two people plotting a murder.

Unsure if she imagined it, and unwilling to jeopardise her big break, Ellie stays silent. Then, a member of the crew turns up dead.

As suspicion grows, Ellie realizes she’s not just fighting for her career — she’s fighting to stay alive. Because she isn’t who she claims to be.

And in a world built on lies, liars make the perfect suspects.

Author’s inspiration:

The research behind Sun Trap is rooted in real-world experiences, with the author visiting key locations to bring authenticity to the novel. From a luxury desert hotel in Abu Dhabi to the energy of New York’s comedy clubs, these settings helped shape the atmosphere and characters. First-hand experiences, such as encountering a gazelle on a desert road, being caught in a sandstorm in Syria, and observing the dynamics of a film set, contributed to the novel’s detail. Rachel drew inspiration from classic mysteries such as Evil Under the Sun and Death on the Nile as well as more contemporary influences such as The White Lotus. This blend of new and old is melded together to explore themes of identity, ambition, and deception.

About Rachel Wolf: Rachel is a travel executive turned thriller writer.  She did the Curtis Brown Creative Writing Course before writing a successful crime series as Rachael Blok which were well reviewed by magazines and the nationals. She went on to write her first glamorous destination thriller Five Nights last year which did well too.  Sun Trap is her second thriller with a stylish & luxurious background with a sinister & downbeat thread woven into it.  She writes about the undoing of the rich and privileged and her novels, whilst having a luxurious background have a gritty edge to them.  It’s the locations that Rachel went to which were the inspiration for Sun Trap.

Rachel Wolf is available for interview and to write articles. For further information and a pdf or a copy of ‘Sun Trap’ please contact Sophie Ransom on sophie@ransompr.com.

Manhattan Down by Michael Cordy To be published by Transworld in Hardback on 8th May 2025

Previous praise for Michael Cordy:

‘A taut, gripping thriller.’ The Times

‘A master class in how it's done...sheer entertainment.’

The Observer

THE CITY THAT NEVER SLEEPS JUST SAID GOODNIGHT

How far should one go to save the world?  Can any group ever justify putting a city of millions at risk, in order to save billions on the planet?  What if you – and only you - knew what they were doing and could stop them? Would you? Should you?

On the anniversary eve of the 9/11 terror attack, New York swelters under a heat dome of record temperatures. Even the global leaders assembled at the UN HQ are forced to admit that the climate crisis has reached boiling point and the world’s time is running out.   

That same day, at precisely 5:25 p.m., everyone on Manhattan Island – every man, woman and child, including all the world leaders at the UN – falls unconscious. Everyone that is, except for Samantha Rossi, a single mother reeling from devastating personal news and Nick Lockwood, a wounded NYPD detective who wakes from a coma just as the City That Never Sleeps falls into one.

Rossi’s first concern is her daughter. Lockwood’s is his city. As night draws in, they must work together to unravel the mystery of what has happened and why. Each must decide how far they will go and what lines they will cross to save what matters most to them.

Manhattan Down is a high concept contemporary thriller which dares to imagine the unimaginable, a leaderless world being held to ransom by forces unknown for reasons unknown. The questions it asks are terrifying – and so are some of the answers.

About Michael Cordy:

Michael Cordy is the bestselling author of 6 high concept thrillers, including the Sunday Times and international bestseller The Messiah Code which went in at no 5 in the Sunday Times bestseller charts, The Lucifer Code and the Sunday Times bestseller, The Miracle Strain, with four of his thrillers including The Messiah Code, having been sold to Hollywood, Disney buying the rights to the Messiah Code and Warner Brothers buying rights to The Source.  He’s sold several million copies of his books worldwide and is published in over 35 countries.  Having taken time off from writing novels to work in film, Michael Cordy is back with Manhattan Down. Michael lives in London with his wife and daughter.

For further information on Michael and Manhattan Down please contact Sophie Ransom at Ransom PR on sophie@ransompr.com.

Michael Cordy’s research & inspiration for Manhattan Down

Michael says that there are many events that inspired Manhattan Down, including the pandemic; the climate crisis; the stream of weak COP climate change summits; the Extinction Rebellion protests and terrorist events like 9/11 and 7/7.  A number of Michael’s stories also involve a new technology, or a rare medical condition (e.g. prosopagnosia, face blindness in The Venus Conspiracy).

For Manhattan Down Michael came across the rare medical condition ‘Fatal Familial Disorder’ - a rare inherited genetic disorder where people have chronic insomnia which leads to severe cognitive decline and a downward spiral in health from there. He coupled that with ‘Reflex Anoxic Seizures’, which his daughter, Phoebe, had suffered from since childhood which is similar to epilepsy, but to do with messages to the brain & lack of sleep. He spent many sessions with her in a hospital sleep lab where they monitored her brainwaves & diagnosed what was needed to control her RAS. She is now living happily and healthily in her twenties.

He combined the FFD & RAS with a story set around a bid by environmentalists to force world leaders at a conference in Manhattan to stop and take notice of environmental hazards before the planet became so affected by climate change that it would become uninhabitable. The paradoxical idea came to him of terrorists/activists using sleep to make people ‘wake up’. His use of Manhattan as the area came to him as Manhattan is known as ‘The City that Never Sleeps’, but it’s also a world hub, the centre of the global financial system. If Manhattan was suddenly ‘sleep bound’, it could affect the entire world.  And so ‘Somnopolis’ in the book was born.   

ADDITIONAL BACKGROUND  (in Michael’s own words)

How a childhood difficulty helped me become a thriller writer 

“As a child, and into my mid twenties, I had a noticeable stammer.  Not the ideal way to fit in at boarding school or university.  My stammer created a desire/need to expand my vocabulary and acquire a lexicon of synonyms to say what I needed to communicate.  If I wanted sausages or saveloys in the university canteen, for example, and was stuck on S’s, I had to shift instantly to a suitable synonym: chipolatas, bangers etc.  The stammer was particularly challenging when I was telling - not writing - stories.   I had to edit in real time, finding words that didn't stop the flow and learning to say what I wanted as succinctly and effectively as possible.   To this day, when I write, I hear the words in my head as if I’m saying them aloud and edit as I go along, searching for the most apposite word and most succinct turn of phrase - ideal training for writing taut thrillers.” (Michael Cordy).

Being ‘inside’ a film/series…. (in Michael’s own words)

A Death in Berlin by Simon Scarrow is published by Headline on the 13th March 2025 in hardback at £22

Simon will be doing a tour of the UK at publication including London, Bath, Bristol, Hampshire, Cambridge, Suffolk and Norfolk.

Ticket link for all tickets here: https://geni.us/uDNx

Praise for Simon’s previous novels:

'Acclaim for the 'CI Schenke novels'

Wonderfully compelling . . . a terrific depiction of the human world within the chilling world of the Third Reich' - Peter James 

'Compelling, atmospheric' - Steve Cavanagh

 'Taut and chilling - I was completely gripped!' - Anthony Horowitz '

‘Mesmerising. Nail-biting. Unputdownable' - Damien Lewis 

Media Quotes for A Death in Berlin

‘Scarrow has alighted on aspect of Nazi policy that certainly deserves to be better known’ The Times

"In the bitter winter of 1940, Criminal Inspector Horst Schenke does his best to stay true to his principles, uncovering the truth behind a series of murders in this surprisingly warm historical police procedural." Literary Review


‘a tense and fast-paced tale, rich in period atmosphere…’ The Sun

SPRING 1940. GERMANY IS AT WAR. HITLER PREPARES TO UNLEASH THE BLITZKRIEG, AND FEAR RULES THE STREETS OF BERLIN. Where the darkness of evil thrives, no one is safe—not even the criminals.

BERLIN. MAY 1940. AS HITLER PREPARES TO INVADE WESTERN EUROPE, THERE IS BLOODSHED CLOSER TO HOME

CI Horst Schenke is an exceptional investigator with the Kripo unit. Powerless against the consequences of the wider war, he fights to keep criminals off his patch of Berlin. But with influential men questioning his loyalty to the Nazi regime, he is walking a tightrope. If his secret relationship with a Jewish woman is exposed, that would spell the end.

Berlin’s gangsters run their crime rings with impunity. Decadent senior Nazis are happy to protect them. Schenke is different. He refuses to turn a blind eye when innocent victims are caught in the crossfire between warring gangs. But dangerous enemies know everything about him. They will do whatever it takes to bend him to their will . . .

From the seedy wartime nightlife scene to aristocratic homes frequented by the Führer himself, against a backdrop of a war spiralling into a greater, and closer, conflagration, A Death in Berlin conveys both the horror and banality of evil. And the terrible danger for those who dare stand against it.



About Simon Scarrow

Simon Scarrow is a Sunday Times No. 1 bestselling author with several million copies of his books sold worldwide. After a childhood spent travelling the world, he pursued his great love of history as a teacher, before becoming a full-time writer. His books - which have sold 6 million copies - include two earlier Berlin thrillers featuring CI Schenke, BLACKOUT and DEAD OF NIGHT which was a No.2 ebook bestseller.


Simon Scarrow is also the author of a quartet of novels about the lives of the Duke of Wellington and Napoleon Bonaparte, YOUNG BLOODS, THE GENERALS, FIRE AND SWORD and THE FIELDS OF DEATH; a novel about the 1565 Siege of Malta, SWORD & SCIMITAR; HEARTS OF STONE, set in Greece during the Second World War; and PLAYING WITH DEATH, a contemporary thriller written with Lee Francis. He also wrote the novels ARENA and INVADER with T. J. Andrews. His first Berlin thriller, BLACKOUT, set in WW2 Berlin and first published in 2021 was a Richard and Judy Book Club pick with DEAD OF NIGHT following to critical acclaim earlier in 2023.   



Ransom PR works to deliver bespoke strategic creative brand driven campaigns tailored to each author. See below for the campaigns we have done and shall be doing in the months to come.

Archive

  • The Enigma Girl by Henry Porter is published by Quercus on the 7th November 2024 in hardback at £22

    ‘Enjoyable, beautifully written, surprising and engrossing, with a blazing moral energy’ RORY STEWART

    Previous Praise for Henry Porter:

    'A timeless, ripping espionage yarn ... an impressive achievement told in an addictive blend of tangy dialogue and polished prose' - Sunday Times Thriller of the Month on The Old Enemy

    'Porter skilfully tugs the taut threads of his global conspiracy towards a stirring climax' - The Times on The Old Enemy

    'The story is complex and the sense of danger spreading across the world gives it urgency' - Literary Review on The Old Enemy

    'An extra human depth ... gives him the edge over others. Tense and packed with action, intrigue and great characters' - Weekend Sport on The Old Enemy


    A masterclass in espionage thriller fiction from the heir to John le Carre for fans of Mick Herron, Charles Cumming and David McCloskey. Meet disgraced MI5 agent Slim Parsons, a character who - like Lisbeth Salander - will sear your soul

    Slim Parsons is all but burned.

    Her last deep cover job for MI5 ended with a life-and-death struggle on a private jet that caused her to go on the run from both the deadly target and her angry bosses in the Security Service. They say that violence comes too easily to her; that she's bordering on delinquent and unsuitable for the role of an MI5 operative.

    Yet she is recalled and asked to infiltrate a news website that's causing alarm in the highest circles. It is staffed by a group descended from wartime codebreakers operating from an unassuming office block near Bletchley Park. Operation Linesman looks like a come down, the curtain on a brilliant career in the shadows. However, she accepts the assignment on condition that the Security Service searches for her missing brother.

    Linesman turns out to be anything but simple. Her personal loss, her previous deep cover role, and a threat to MI5 itself from her original target come together in a three-way collision.

    And all the while she is watched by someone even deeper in the shadows than she is.


    About Henry Porter: 

    Frequently described as the heir to John le Carré, Henry Porter lives in London. Alongside being the former London editor of Vanity Fair and newspaper columnist for the Observer, Henry Porter has written several acclaimed and bestselling thrillers. His book Brandenburg won the CWA Ian Fleming Steel Dagger and his other thrillers A Spy's Life and Empire State were both nominated for the same award. Henry is also the author of the award winning Paul Samson spy thrillers: Firefly, which won the 2019 Wilbur Smith Adventure Writing Prize; White Hot Silence and The Old Enemy.

    Henry’s research for The Enigma Girl:

    Milton Keynes and Bletchley Park:
    Henry Porter stumbled upon Milton Keynes while researching for a TV series, drawn by its surprising photogenic appeal and eerie ambience reminiscent of Kubrick and King. His visit to Bletchley Park, reopened post-lockdown, sparked a narrative about descendants of WWII codebreakers forging bonds at anniversary celebrations. In his research he felt it necessary to look at the often overlooked role of Polish mathematicians in Enigma decryption who lay crucial groundwork for British intelligence during the war.

    Media and Middle Kingdom:
    In "The Enigma Girl," Porter explores how descendants of Bletchley's heroes use an AI-driven media outlet to expose government corruption. His look at the role of AI in modern times highlights an ongoing conversation about the future of technology in relation to humanity

    Real-life Inspirations and Research:

    For ‘The Enigma Girl’, Henry drew on many real-life influences. Characters such as ‘Ivan Guest’ are all  real figures (Guest being modelled on Mohammed Al Fayed). His exploration of modern slavery reflects extensive research into actual cases, illuminating societal vulnerabilities and human trafficking networks. 


    Download Press Release

  • SAS Daggers Drawn by Damien Lewis published by Quercus on the 24th October 2024 in hardback at £22

    Previous praise for Damien Lewis: 

    Damien Lewis is both a meticulous historian and a born storyteller' Lee Child

    ‘Lewis has researched his story thoroughly over the course of a decade and tells it like a fast paced thriller.’ The Economist

     ‘A prolific historian.’ The New York Times

     ‘Scrupulously detailed…..’ The Daily Telegraph

     ‘Lewis takes the reader on an epic journey of discovery.’ BBC History Magazine


    SAS Daggers Drawn is the latest in Damien’s series covering the wartime exploits of 1 SAS, ’The Originals’, led by the legendary Lieutenant-Colonel Blair ‘Paddy Mayne’ (see photo) The first in the series, SAS Brothers in Arms covered the founding of the SAS and their experiences in North Africa. The second, SAS Forged In Hell, followed them through the Sicily/Italy campaign where the SAS were at the spearhead of the Allied advance. This book, SAS Daggers Drawn follows them through France and Germany to war’s end.


    SAS Daggers Drawn:

    In the summer of 1944, the SAS were charged with the most crucial D-Day missions, taking on the might of the Nazi Reich deep behind enemy lines. Facing Hitler’s armoured legions – his Panzer divisions – with little more than raw courage and their Willys jeeps, it would take maverick thinking and unconventional warfare to survive and overcome. Hunted at every turn, theirs would become a bitter struggle to topple the dark power wielded from Berlin. Increasingly, the war to seize The Fatherland would descend into a bitter struggle waged between the Nazi Fuhrer, and those he believed hunted him and his most senior commanders – Blair ‘Paddy’ Mayne & the SAS. With unflinching courage and unconventional soldiering, these renegade soldiers dared all to help to bring the war to its final conclusion. In never before told stories, Damien uncovers the shocking realities of Nazi controlled France. Daggers Drawn sees the SAS right to its end and features the horrific discoveries made from first hand witnesses where, in spring 1945, the SAS makes a shocking discovery: Bergen-Belsen, the first Nazi concentration camp uncovered by Allied forces. They rescue an SAS captive and capture the camp's notorious commandants, including Joseph Kramer and Irma Grese. Paddy Mayne and the SAS's relentless bravery and unconventional tactics play a decisive role in ending Nazi tyranny and bringing justice to Europe's darkest hours. This gripping account unveils untold heroism and the triumph of Allied resolve during World War II.

    SAS Daggers Drawn 

    Paddy and the Padre: Amid WWII's chaos, SAS commander Paddy Mayne and Padre Fraser McLuskey form an unexpected bond, with faith and duty intertwining on daring missions behind enemy lines in France.  The padre going into war unarmed. 

    SAS First into Belsen:  In a harrowing discovery, when freeing one of their own, the SAS uncovers Bergen-Belsen, liberating thousands while targeting camp commandants Joseph Kramer and Irma Grese, setting the stage for justice amid the ruins of Nazi horror.

    The Last Unsanctioned SAS Mission of WWII: Against all odds, rogue SAS operatives pursue Hitler in a final, desperate bid amidst personal vendettas and the specter of the SS, marking a daring, unauthorized chapter in WWII history.

    A War With Hate – SS vs. SAS: Deep in occupied France, the SAS and French villagers face brutal reprisals from the SS and Gestapo, as they wage a relentless campaign against Nazi military targets and local resistance.

    German Jews in the SAS: Embedded within the SAS ranks, German-speaking Jews play a pivotal role in sabotaging German operations in France, blending in to deceive the enemy in a secret war of infiltration.

    Farewell to a SAS Legend – Alec Borrie’s Story: Known as ‘Boy’ Borrie, Alec joins the SAS under Paddy Mayne’s command, recounting his fearless exploits in France and Germany before his untimely passing, leaving behind a legacy of bravery.

    Operation Gaff – SAS vs. Rommel: In an audacious mission, SAS forces led by Major Bill Fraser target Field Marshal Rommel’s headquarters near Paris, aiming to capture or eliminate the Desert Fox amidst covert operations and daring infiltrations.

    Paddy Mayne’s Victoria Cross Quest: Despite legendary feats and commendations, SAS commander Paddy Mayne is denied the Victoria Cross, sparking controversy and calls for recognition as his wartime heroics are revisited.

    SAS: From Glory to Disbandment: Post-WWII, the SAS faces political scrutiny and disbandment in Britain, contrasting with their revered status abroad, leaving behind a legacy of innovation and controversy.

    PTSD’s Toll on Buttercup Joe Goldsmith: SAS veteran Joe Goldsmith’s wartime heroism gives way to post-traumatic struggle, as PTSD shadows his return to combat and ultimately shapes his life beyond the battlefield.

    About Damien Lewis: Lewis has established himself as one of the most popular WWII historians, selling several million copies of his books in 40 countries. For decades he worked as a war and conflict reporter for the world's major broadcasters, reporting from across Africa, South America, the Middle and Far East and winning numerous awards. His books include the World War Two classics The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare, Hunting the Nazi Bomb, SAS Nazi Hunters, SAS Ghost Patrol, SAS Italian Job, SAS Band of Brothers, SAS Brothers in Arms, The Flame of Resistance on Josephine Baker, SAS Great Escapes 1 & 2 and 3 plus SAS Brothers in Arms and SAS Forged in Hell.  Many of his books have been made, or are being made, into movies or TV drama series or adapted as plays for the stage. The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare came out as a major movie directed by Guy Ritchie and produced by Jerry Bruckheimer and distributed by Lionsgate in the US in April and on Amazon in July starring Henry Cavill (Superman), Alan Ritchson (Reacher), Henry Golding (Crazy Rich Asians) and Eiza González, amongst others. 

    Lewis has raised tens of thousands of pounds for charitable concerns connected with his writing.

    Download Press Release

  • Syndicate by Felix Francis published by Zaffre on the 26th September 2024 in hardback at £20

    Previous Praise for Felix Francis:

    'Felix Francis' novels gallop along splendidly' - JILLY COOPER 

    ‘The master of suspense and intrigue’ - Country Life 

    Felix Francis is back with the next thrilling novel in the Dick Francis series, perfect for fans of Michael Connelly.

    Chester Newton has built his fortune organizing racehorse syndicates, where top horses are co-owned and managed by several parties. These joint enterprises are high risk and high reward-and for Chester, it's almost always been reward. The stakes only get higher as the syndicates grow larger, and every race means the possibility of complete failure-or ecstatic success.

    After an anxious morning waiting for the results of the Epsom Derby, the premier flat race in the UK, Chester has an afternoon of explosive triumph-and an evening of total terror. Someone tries to take over one of his syndicates by force-and by threats of serious harm to him and his family.

    For the first time in Chester's life, it's not just a horse race or money at stake-it's his life and the lives of his loved ones. This pulse-pounding dive into the dark and dangerous world of British racehorse syndicates will have readers racing to the thrilling end.

    About Felix Francis 

    Felix Francis is a Sunday Times and New York Times international bestselling author and has sold almost a million copies of his books. He was born in Oxford and graduated from London University. His initial career led him into physics, where he was a successful teacher, and he went onto a second successful career as a bestselling author. His other accomplishments include being an outdoorsman, marksman and pilot. Felix Francis lives in Oxfordshire with his wife, Debbie, their family and two Irish Setters and a Cavapoo. 

    Felix’s Research

    For Syndicate, Felix had several meetings with the Chairman of Chief Executive of Highclere Thoroughbred Racing Ltd, the premier UK racehorse syndicate company. He did thorough research on the history of horse-racing with particular reference to the BHA publication: British Flat Pattern and Listed Races 2023 (and 2024). 

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  • The Black Loch by Peter May published by Quercus on the 12th September 2024 in hardback at £22

    Previous Praise for Peter May:

    Praise for Peter May’s previous crime novels.

    ‘A chilling setting for a gripping novel…. Impressive writing’ The Times

    ‘subtle, tragic, melancholy, brilliant’ Literary Review

    ‘May’s finest work… an impeccably written murder thriller’ Daily Express

    ‘Peter May is a writer I'd follow to the ends of the earth’ New York Times

    The Return of Fin Macleod, Peter May’s Much-Loved Hero of the International Bestselling Lewis Trilogy

    When the lifeless body of eighteen-year-old Caitlin is discovered on a desolate beach by the Black Loch, questions of murder and secrecy shroud the small community. Set against the haunting landscape of the Isle of Lewis, a gripping tale unfolds in Peter May’s latest edition to the Lewis Trilogy ‘The Black Lock’. Much loved detective, Fin Macleod, finds himself embroiled in chaos as his son becomes the prime suspect in Caitlin’s death. Despite leaving the island a decade ago to escape the haunting memories of his past and the tragic salmon fishing accident that left two dead, Fin finds himself returning in a desperate attempt to clear his son’s name. As Peter May delves into the heartland of his beloved Lewis trilogy, "The Black Loch" takes us on a journey through family ties, dark secrets, and the unforgiving landscapes that define the series. With over 12 million copies sold worldwide, Peter May invites readers back to the atmospheric world of the Lewis trilogy, where suspense and revelation converge in the shadows of the Black Loch.

    About the author:

    Peter May was born and raised in Scotland. He won Journalist of the Year at the age of twenty-one and was a published novelist at twenty-six. When his first book was adapted as a major drama series for the BBC, he quit journalism and became one of Scotland's most successful television dramatists. He created three prime-time drama series, presided over two of the highest-rated serials in Scotland as script editor and producer, and worked on more than 1,000 episodes of ratings-topping drama before deciding to leave television to return to his first love, writing novels.

    Peter has won several literature awards in France. In 2021 he won the CWA Body in the Library Award in the UK. Previously Peter received the USA's Barry Award for The Blackhouse and Entry Island won both the Scottish Crime Novel of the Year and a CWA Dagger as the ITV Crime Thriller Book Club Best Read of the Year. In 2020 Peter was awarded the CWA Body in the Library Award for the best body of work. Peter now lives in South-West France with his wife, writer Janice Hally.

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  • Talking to Stranger by Fiona Barton published by Bantam in hardback on 15th August at £18.99

    Previous praise for FIONA BARTON:

    ‘Fiona Barton is a brilliant storyteller, a master of plot and character. I absolutely loved this smart, twisty novel!’

    Shari Lapena

    ‘In the community of Ebbing, Fiona Barton has created a town full of suspense and a cast of characters with so many reasons to keep secrets buried deep. A dark and twisty read’

    Nita Prose

    ‘Barton treats her broken characters with such compassion that I wanted to reach into the pages and hug them’

    Liz Nugent

    ‘A fab, twisty-turny mystery’

    The Sun

    ‘A spine-tingling, twisty thriller’

    Woman's Own

    ‘Fiona Barton is perceptive, empathetic and a talented writer’

    Daily Express

    THE BOOK:
    A phenomenal, unputdownable standalone thriller from the author of hit bestsellers THE WIDOW and THE CHILD


    Three women. One killer.

    Talking to strangers has never been more dangerous…

    When the body of forty-four-year-old Karen Simmons is found abandoned in remote woodland, journalist Kiki Nunn is determined this will be the big break she so desperately needs.

    Because she has a head start on all the other reporters. Just a week before Karen was killed, Kiki interviewed her about the highs and lows of mid-life romance. Karen told her all about kissing strangers under the stars, expensive meals, roses. About the scammers, the creeps, the man who followed her home the other night...

    While the police appear to be focusing on local suspects, Kiki sets out to write the definitive piece on one woman's fatal search for love. But she will soon learn that the search for truth can be just as dead.

    THE AUTHOR:

    Fiona Barton's debut, The Widow, was a Sunday Times and New York Times bestseller, and has been published in thirty-seven countries and optioned for television. Her second novel, The Child, and her third, The Suspect, were both bestsellers. Born in Cambridge, Fiona currently lives on the south coast in West Sussex. Previously, she was a senior writer at the Daily Mail, news editor at the Daily Telegraph, and chief reporter at the Mail on Sunday, where she won Reporter of the Year at the British Press Awards. While working as a journalist, Fiona reported on many high-profile criminal cases and developed a fascination with watching those involved, their body language and verbal tics. She interviewed people at the heart of these crimes, from the guilty to their families, as well as those on the periphery, and found it was those just outside the spotlight who interested her most...

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  • Cabaret Macabre by Tom Mead published by Head of Zeus in hardback on 1st August at £20

    Previous praise for Tom Mead

    ‘It truly is the matryoshka of mysteries! Utterly magnificent.' Victoria Dowd

    'Ingenious' Guardian

    'Great fun' The Times

    'What more could any fan of classic crime wish for?'  Martin Edwards

    'A sharply drawn period piece' New York Times

    'An intricate "impossible" crime that completely fooled me' Peter Lovesey

    'Cabaret Macabre really had it all... [Mead's] characters are so well 'fleshed out' that you can picture them with ease.’ Joy Ellis, #1 bestselling author 

    Tom Mead’s critically acclaimed Joseph Spector Locked-Room Mysteries returns in a gripping murder mystery. Sleuth and illusionist Joseph Spector is back to investigate his most complex case yet. 

    Hampshire, 1938. Victor Silvius is confined in a private sanatorium after attacking prominent judge Sir Giles Drury. When Sir Giles starts receiving sinister and threatening letters, his wife is certain Silvius is to blame. Meanwhile, Silvius’ sister Caroline is convinced her brother is in grave danger - about to be murdered by none other than his old nemesis - Sir Giles. With threat in the air, both parties seek help: Caroline going to Inspector Flint at Scotland Yard and the Drury family, desperate to avoid scandal, turning to Joseph Spector. Meanwhile, Silvius’ sister Caroline is convinced her brother is about to be murdered... by none other than his old nemesis Sir Giles. Seeking aid, Caroline turns to Inspector Flint at Scotland Yard, while the Drury family, desperate to avoid scandal, enlists the help of Joseph Spector, a magician turned sleuth renowned for his keen intellect. But when Spector arrives at a secluded English estate to find a murder with inexplicable circumstances—a bullet fired through a locked window in the midst of a snowstorm—the mystery deepens, and danger lurks around every corner. As Spector and Flint race against time to unravel the truth, readers will be captivated by the twists and turns of this chilling tale, where betrayal and deception abound, and no one is safe from suspicion and the next murder could be around any corner.

    About Tom Mead: Born in Derbyshire, British author Tom Mead is the author of the critically acclaimed crime thriller novels Death and The Conjuror and The Murder Wheel. His debut novel was selected as one of Publishers Weekly's Mystery/Thriller Books of the Year. Mead has been critically acclaimed by the Guardian, Sunday Times, New York Times, Kirkus, and Publishers Weekly amongst many others. His Joseph Spector Locked-Room Mysteries have been critically acclaimed and longlisted for the Capital Crime and Historical Writers’ Association Awards. Tom’s fiction pays modern homages to the Golden Age and is filled with references for golden age crime thriller fans to pick up on in this 21st century take on classic crime fiction.

    Tom’s research: 

    The Revenger’s Tragedy: Tom was keen for Cabaret Macabre to have a theatrical feel to it and so, structured his book as a reimagining of The Revenger’s Tragedy by Thomas Middleton. He retained the overarching themes of revenge, impersonation and double-crosses.  Instead of Vindice the Revenger we have Victor Silvius. Instead of his sister Castiza we have Caroline. ‘The Duke’ becomes Sir Giles Drury. He saw how Jacobean tragedy often lends itself to the Golden Age Whodunit framework, and many of the greatest authors in the genre have made references to it.

    Honkaku Mystery: One of Tom’s main influences was the traditional Japanese mystery, known as honkaku or “orthodox” mysteries. These are puzzles taken to the extreme: they are highly surreal and gruesome, with high body counts and diabolical killers. Tom wanted to draw together the already referenced connections between Honkaku and Golden Age crime. 

     True crime: For Cabaret Macabre, Tom did in depth research into real-life stories of the time and name checks them in the book itself. Some of these include Christiana Edmunds (the “Chocolate Cream Poisoner” who is discussed at length in John Dickson Carr’s The Problem of the Green Capsule) and Thomas Neill Cream, another poisoner who is nonetheless a suspect in the Jack the Ripper murders, thanks to a (possibly apocryphal) confession as he was hanged.

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  • The Exile by Patrick Worrall published by Bantam on the 11th July 2024 in hardback at £16.99

    Previous Praise for Patrick Worrall:

    ‘A dazzlingly confident debut...Worrall rises impressively to every challenge’ The Sunday Times

    ‘[A] remarkedly assured debut, The Partisan, marks the advent of a real talent…one to watch’ The Times

    ‘Immersive, intriguing, and intelligent - up there with the best in the genre’ Lee Child

    ‘Impressive…the characters skilfully drawn’ Financial Times

    ‘It's a masterly tale that is also impressive for being Worrall's debut’ The Sun

    ‘Fast-paced, intriguing and deeply atmospheric’ Tom Bradby

    ‘Crime & Thriller Book of the Year’ The Guardian

    Patrick Worrall’s second post-war thriller following the critical success of his debut The Partisan. The Exile follows the young Lithuanian resistance fighter, Greta, as she journeys into the tempting but dark underbelly of 1950s France in order to rescue her lieutenant's missing daughter, Morta.

    It's 1951 and the servants of Stalin are closing in on the occupied nations of eastern Europe. As the Red Army tightens the net, Greta – the bravest of freedom fighters - is told to escape to the West and undertake a dangerous mission. Greta's task is to find a missing girl: the precious daughter of a partisan general who was sent into exile in the final days of the war.

    But the so-called Free World and post war France is no place for vulnerable young refugees. Europe is in ruins, the old Empires are dying, and a cast of gangsters and rival intelligence agencies are now fighting over the scraps.

    Crossing the Iron Curtain will require bravery and determination as Greta battles the dangers of the post-war world alongside the temptation of Paris and her own demons.

    Patrick’s Research: 

    Affected by the war in Ukraine and the potential impact on Europe, Patrick was inspired to write The Exile. After watching a German documentary, he thought of the potential dangers that await young women travelling alone - both today and in the past. In Patrick’s research, he saw the similarities between the political tensions existing between Ukraine and Russia and that of 1950s France - a little known historical era. Here, Patrick sets The Exile. France, a place where the boundaries between state and organised crime breaks down.

    About the Author:

    Patrick Worrall has worked as a teacher in eastern Europe and Asia, a newspaper journalist, a court reporter at the Old Bailey, and the head of the Channel 4 News FactCheck blog. His first novel, The Partisan, was inspired by a World War Two photograph of three young female freedom fighters he saw in a museum in Kaunas, Lithuania.




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  • Dead Ground by Graham Hurley Published by Head of Zeus in Hardback at £20 on the 4th July 2024

    Previous Praise for Graham Hurley:

    ‘'Historical fiction of a high order' The Times

    'Tense, absorbing and faultlessly plotted' Sunday Times

    'Beautifully constructed... This is one of Hurley's finest' Daily Mail

    ‘I liked this. It went some way to plugging the ginormous hole that Philip Kerr’s sad passing has left in my life.’ Dermot O’Leary


    From award-winning author Graham Hurley, the latest installment in the Spoils of War Collection, a non-chronological series of novels set during World War II and featuring some of the most momentous stories and figures of the era.

    Set against the tumultuous background of 1936 Spain, Anglo-Breton translator, Annie Wrenne is thrust into the chaos of the Spanish Civil War while stationed in Madrid. From translator to front-line nurse, her life takes a dramatic turn when she falls in love with a patient, only to be left pregnant and abandoned by a man she thought she could trust.

    As the war unfolds, Annie finds herself in a haze - her only consolation being her friendship with the mysterious Republican fighter - Carlos Ortega. When her friendship deepens, Annie becomes part of the secretive world behind the war - leading her to her MI5 recruitment.

    On her first mission Annie and Ortega must masquerade as a couple and head to Algeciras, tasked with thwarting Hitler's Operation Felix - his plan to control the Mediterranean and force Churchill to the negotiating table - and prevent the Nazis from seizing Gibraltar. But Annie’s loyalty becomes tested when she uncovers Ortega’s secret allegiance to the Nationalists.

    Set against the backdrop of shifting allegiances and perilous espionage, Annie grapples with the ultimate question: can she trust a man who continuously changes sides, especially when the fate of the Allied cause hangs in the balance?

    Author Biography

    Graham worked for ITV for fifteen years as an award-winning documentary director/producer. Networked documentaries included the discovery and filming of the seabed remains of the Titanic; Richard Branson’s near-fatal crossing of the North Atlantic in a hot-air balloon; an investigative account of the Brighton bombing; four freezing weeks in the high Canadian Arctic exploring the last of the Eskimo culture; plus, revisionist documentaries on the retreat to Dunkirk (Comrades in Arms) and the post-D-Day thrust into Europe (The War Within). For the last two decades he's written full-time, penning nearly fifty books. He is the author of the acclaimed Faraday and Winter crime novels. Two of the critically lauded series were shortlisted for the Theakston's Old Peculier Award for Best Crime Novel. His Spoils of War Collection thriller Finisterre was shortlisted for the Wilbur Smith Adventure Writing Prize.

    Graham’s Research:

    For Dead Ground, Graham and his wife, Lin, did a lot of research around Spain. They went about exploring key locations and historical sites related to the Spanish Civil War. He examined places such as Guernika, Teruel, Murcia, and Algeciras, soaking up their atmosphere and history to accurately depict scenes in the book. Graham's journey culminated in Madrid, where he immersed himself in art and attempted to visit La Valle de los Caidos, the Valley of the Fallen. A key component of Graham’s writing is the blend between fictional and non-fictional characters. In Dead Ground there is a particular interest in the furtive actions of Head of the Abwehr, Canaris, who is later hung for treason.

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  • SAS Great Escapes 3 by Damien Lewis published as a lead title by Quercus on the on 23 May 2024 at £22

    Previous Praise for Damien Lewis:

    ‘Damien Lewis is both a meticulous historian and a born storyteller' Lee Child

    ‘Lewis has researched his story thoroughly over the course of a decade and tells it like a fast paced thriller.’ The Economist

    ‘A prolific historian.’ The New York Times

    ‘Scrupulously detailed…..’ The Daily Telegraph

    ‘Lewis takes the reader on an epic journey of discovery.’ BBC History Magazine

    Damien Lewis - Upcoming Events for SAS Great Escapes 3

    21st May - Bath Festival Event

    22nd May - Launch Event at the Imperial War Museum, Lambeth

    23rd May - Gulliver’s Bookshop, Wimborne

    29th May - Online Event with National Archives

    14th June - Sherborne Literary Society

    27th June - Prince’s Consort Library, Aldershot Event

    4th October - Henley Literary Festival

    “After the success of SAS Great Escapes One and Two – both top-ten Sunday Times bestsellers - Lewis returns with SAS Great Escapes Three, revealing the untold stories of five of the most daring escapes pulled off by soldiers of the world's most famous fighting force in WWII. 

    The book follows these courageous escapes disclosing previously unknown details. Relying upon generously shared memorabilia from the families of those portrayed, including diaries, letters, photos and more, Lewis brings to life the extraordinary escapes of key figures from the SAS - notably Major Oswald Cary-Elwes, Alfred Parker and Anthony Hough. Throughout the book he shows how the SAS were often at the mercy of external forces - often having to brave it alone when they were left with minimal help deep behind enemy lines. The story begins with Alfred Parker’s remarkable escapes and the futility of the ‘Stay Put’ order in Italy. This theme carries throughout the book as we see how the SAS had to endure beyond measure, and often against the idiocy of their own high command.

    Lewis's extensive research, combined with personal accounts, archives, and memorabilia generously shared by the families of those portrayed, breathes life into each chapter. SAS Great Escapes 3 is an immersive journey through the intricacies of SAS operations during World War II, inviting readers to uncover the courage, sacrifices, and indomitable spirit of these men.

    About Damien Lewis: Lewis has established himself as one of the most popular WWII historians, selling several million copies of his books in 40 countries. For decades he worked as a war and conflict reporter for the world's major broadcasters, reporting from across Africa, South America, the Middle and Far East and winning numerous awards. His books include the World War Two classics The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare, Hunting the Nazi Bomb, SAS Nazi Hunters, SAS Ghost Patrol, SAS Italian Job, SAS Band of Brothers, SAS Brothers in Arms, The Flame of Resistance on Josephine Baker, SAS Great Escapes 1 & 2 SAS Brothers in Arms and SAS Forged in Hell.  Many of his books have been made, or are being made, into movies or TV drama series or adapted as plays for the stage. The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare is coming as a major movie  directed by Guy Ritchie, and distributed by Lionsgate starring Henry Cavill, Alan Ritchson, Henry Golding and Eiza González, amongst others. Please see the link for information to the film here: http://tinyurl.com/3kk6d9ef

    Lewis has raised tens of thousands of pounds for charitable concerns connected with his writing.


    Research for SAS Great Escapes 3 (in the author’s own words)  

    Extensive research involved to substantiate these stories, relying in part upon the time, help, support and personal collections of the family members of those portrayed.

    In Chapter Two, From Desert Fire to Frozen Snows, the help and assistance of Gerald Hough, son of the main protagonist, SAS Lieutenant Anthony Hough, proved invaluable, including sharing key feedback and photos. 

    Hough’s story reveals the little-known tale of SAS Operation Palmyra, a series of missions to penetrate further into hostile desert territory than ever before, to harry and harass German General Rommel’s supply lines, over the winter of 1942-3. Though Op Palmyra would prove incredibly costly in terms of SAS dead, injured and captured, it would force Rommel’s supply columns to use the roads in daylight, so making them vulnerable to RAF airstrikes, and speed Rommel’s defeat in North Africa.

    One of the last SAS operations in North Africa, it was during Op Palmyra that SAS founder David Stirling would be captured, as he attempted the deepest penetration behind enemy lines, but was pursued by a specially-trained elite German hunter force.

    For Chapter Four, Return of the Lost, Catherine Cary-Elwes, the daughter of the main protagonist, Major Oswald Cary-Elwes, provided a trove of never before published documents, letters and photos to bring her father’s incredible story to life, and she shared in person with the author her father’s extraordinary wartime memorabilia.

    In Return of the Lost, the author reveals the untold story of how an SAS Squadron was parachuted into Brittany, in the hours immediately before the D-Day landings, making these few dozen elite warriors the vanguard of the massive invasion force.

    The top-secret mission revealed in Return of the Lost was to prepare the way for a second D-Day style invasion, this one in Brittany, to the west of Normandy, and which would rely upon seizing the main ports to land Allied troops.

    The SAS squadron dropped into Brittany facing a hornet’s nest of enemy troops, and in the ferocious firefight that ensued all contact between SAS headquarters and this vital mission was lost. In the aptly-named Operation Lost, Cary-Elwes was parachuted into Brittany to find the missing men, and to make possible the Brittany landings.

    Of note, Ivan Cary-Elwes, the actor, who stars in the Guy Ritchie movie adaption of the author’s WWII book, The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare, is related to the same Cary-Elwes family as Oswald Cary-Elwes, the true-life doyenne of elite forces operations.

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  • The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare’ Film directed by Guy Ritchie and distributed by Lionsgate based on the book by Damien Lewis - April 19th 2024

    The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare’ Film directed by Guy Ritchie and distributed by Lionsgate based on the book by Damien Lewis - April 19th 2024

    Adapted from the book The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare: How Churchill’s Secret Warriors Set Europe Ablaze and Gave Birth to Modern Black Ops by Damien Lewis, the movie follows the first-ever special forces organization formed during the Second World War by UK Prime Minister Winston Churchill and a small group of military officials.

    Synopsis: “The top-secret combat unit, composed of a motley crew of rogues and mavericks, goes on a daring mission against the Nazis using entirely unconventional and utterly “ungentlemanly” fighting techniques. Ultimately their audacious approach changed the course of the war and laid the foundation for the British SAS and modern Black Ops warfare.”

    After filming wrapped during the spring of last year, frontman Cavill had nothing but praise for the project, "It's rare to come across a team so driven, dedicated and committed to the storytelling” said the actor via Instagram. This is not the first time Cavill has worked with the renowned British director, as he starred in Ritchie’s 2015 spy flick The Man from U.N.C.L.E. alongside Alicia Vikander.

    Aside from Man of Steel’s Cavill, the cast also includes Baby Driver’s Eiza González, Reacher’s Alan Ritchson In Time’s Alex Pettyfer, After’s Hero Fiennes Tiffin, Dune’s Babs Olusamokun, Beyond the Universe’s Henrique Zaga, Inglourious Basterds’ Til Schweiger, with The Gentlemen’s Henry Golding, and Saw’s Cary Elwes.

    The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare hits theatres on April 19, 2024.

    See Article

  • Five Nights by Rachel Wolf published by Head of Zeus as a Paperback Original on 29th February 2024 at £9.99

    Praise for Five Nights

    ‘Deadly glamour on the high seas and lashings of schadenfreude in this addictive,

    claustrophobic thriller.’ Erin Kelly

    ‘Glamour, tension and twists galore! A thrilling read that will whisk you away into

    treacherous waters!' Lesley Kara

    'Agatha Christie meets Succession!... Just like the passengers, you’ll be all adrift, not

    knowing who to believe. A compulsive drama.' Jo Furniss

    'A superbly crafted mystery... beautifully charts a course between classic whodunnit and

    white-knuckle thriller.' Dominic Nolan

    'Totally gripping... Succession on the high seas!” Harriet Tyce

    WILL YOU MAKE IT BACK TO SHORE ALIVE?

    As the infamous Scarmado family set sail on their new super yacht, no one expects that this luxury trip will be anything but glorious. With the family back together and best friends reunited after years, the trip promises an experience like no-other. Night by night, however, the glamour of the ship takes a back seat as the trip descends into a web of suspense, betrayal and danger. As the nights progress, so does the tension—threatening notes, a mysterious death, shocking revelations, and a final night that leaves you on the brink of peril. At its core, Five Nights explores the intricate dynamics of friendship, rivalry, ambition, and fear, focusing on the compelling relationship between Belle and Emily. This Agatha Christie meets Succession thriller will have you flipping through the pages to find out just what went wrong.

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  • The Memory of Us by Dani Atkins published by Head of Zeus (Aria) in hardback on 15th February 2024 at £20

    Previous praise for Dani Atkins

    'Dani Atkins is the undisputed queen of fiction that packs a huge emotional punch, and this captivating story is another outstanding example' - Heat

    ‘Brings heart wrenching surprises’ Woman & Home 

    ‘We read this brilliant book in one sitting’ Bella

    ‘A beautiful romance with a twist’ Woman

    ‘This hugely accomplished novel is amazing, but oh-so emotional’ Fabulous Magazine

    ‘Emotionally intelligent, absorbingly rich... Atkins is a brilliant writer who has created wonderful characters' Daily Mail

    A twist of fate. An unexpected love story…

    Had she been discovered just moments later, Amelia's heart would have never restarted. As fate had it, she was swiftly whisked away from the empty beach to the nearest hospital where her life hangs by a thread. When her sister Lexi arrives from New York, Amelia's heart is still beating, but the accident has sown a tapestry of false memories, all surrounding a man named Sam and the perfect love story that has never truly existed.

    Driven by an unwavering desire to help her sister, Lexi seeks the assistance of local vet, Nick, who has an uncanny resemblance to Sam. Together, Lexi and Nick recreate and photograph Amelia's dream dates in the hopes of triggering her true memories.

    But as affection starts to bloom between Lexi and Nick they find themselves navigating a maze of emotions. How could Lexi allow herself to fall for the man who once lived in her sister’s dreams? How can she love without causing her sister unbearable pain? 

    Filled with breathtaking romance, heart-wrenching emotion, the magic of destiny and the power of sisterhood, The Memory of Us is a must-read for fans of Jojo Moyes and Colleen Hoover. 

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  • Rebellion by Simon Scarrow published by Headline in hardback on 9th November 2023 at £22

    Praise for Previous titles

    A new book in Simon Scarrow’s series about the Roman Army is always a joy’ The Times

    'Scarrow . . . has the gift of combining wide knowledge of the period with a page- turning narrative' - Nick Rennison, Sunday Times

    ‘Scarrow’s novels rank with the best’ The Independent

    ‘Gripping and compelling’ The Daily Express

    'I really don't need this kind of competition . . . It's a great read' - Bernard Cornwell

    AD.60 and Brittania is in chaos. Boudica has had a taste of victory against the formidable veterans in Camulodunum and she won’t stop now. How will Roman heroes Macro and Cato fare against the notorious Queen of the Britons?

    A quick response to the rapidly advancing rebel forces, Governor Suetonius takes command leading his army to the besieged Londinium with prefect Cato and a mounted escort in tow.

    The grim reality of Britannia slipping deeper into chaos and hysteria becomes unmistakable as tribal warriors continue to swell the ranks of Boudica’s forces. Both Cato and Suetonius confront the sobering truth that minimal preparations have been made to confront a full-scale insurrection.

    Meanwhile, in Londinium, a heart-wrenching revelation unfolds. Centurion Macro is among those missing following the Camulodunum massacre. Has Cato's loyal comrade, who has faced countless battles, met his ultimate challenge? As disaster looms, Cato readies himself for the next strategic move. Can he dare to hope that Macro, marked by battle and unflinching courage, has managed to evade these bloodthirsty rebels?

    In this pivotal military campaign, Cato knows that only one man he trusts stands beside him, and the fate of the Empire in Britannia hangs in the balance.

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  • SAS FORGED IN HELL by Damien Lewis Published in hardback by Quercus on 26th October 2023 at £22

    Previous praise for Damien Lewis

    ‘Lewis has researched his story thoroughly over the course of a decade and tells it like a fast paced thriller.’ The Economist

    ‘A prolific historian.’ The New York Times ‘Revelatory.’ Sky News

    ‘Scrupulously detailed…. Le Carre fans will be delighted.’ The Daily Telegraph

    Hot-press: Guy Ritchie’s new movie, The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare, with a star-studded cast, is based on Damien Lewis’ best-selling book.

    In the summer of 1943 the largest invasion fleet ever assembled sailed for fortress Europe, aiming to bulldoze its way onto Nazi shores. At its vanguard went a few hundred elite forces soldiers, the Royal Navy warship carrying them bearing the iconic winged dagger emblem on its prow, plus the motto ‘Who Dares Wins’. Led by the legendary SAS commander Blair ‘Paddy’ Mayne, these war-bitten, piratical raiders were tasked to do the impossible – to bludgeon their way through the most heavily defended enemy shoreline, so enabling the ensuing forces to follow on.

    If they succeeded, it would mark the turning point in the War. If they failed, the consequences were unthinkable. Against all odds, outnumbered some fifty-to-one, and facing a ferocious series of cliffside defences, they would have to dare all as never before. So begins the incredible true story of the SAS’s mission to liberate Europe. Replete with surprise, shock, action, heroic endeavour and glory, not to mention subterfuge, treachery and dismay, this is a classic of combat writing and breath-taking narrative non-fiction.

    About Damien Lewis: million-copy bestselling author Damien Lewis has established himself as one of the most popular WWII historians, selling in 40 countries. Fordecades he worked as a war and conflict reporter for the world's major broadcasters, reporting from across Africa, South America, the Middle and Far East and winning numerous awards. His books include the World War Two classics The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare, Hunting the Nazi Bomb, SAS Nazi Hunters, SAS Ghost Patrol, SAS Italian Job, SAS Band of Brothers, SAS Brothers in Arms and SAS Great Escapes. Many of his books have been made, or are being made, into movies or TV drama series or adapted as plays for the stage. The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare is presently being filmed as a major movie directed by Guy Ritchie, and starring Henry Cavill, Alan Richson, Henry Golding, Eiza González, amongst others. He has raised tens of thousands of pounds for charitable concerns connected with his writing.

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  • The Murder Wheel by Tom Mead (Published by Head of Zeus in hardback on 12th October 2023 at £20)

    Previous praise for Tom Mead

    'A sharply drawn period piece with memorable characters.' New York Times

    'Mead's debut is a novel to intrigue and delight.' John Connolly

    Illusionist turned sleuth Joseph Spector investigates a sinister conundrum at a 1930s theatre in this thrilling new mystery novel from Tom Mead, author of Death and the Conjuror, one of Publishers Weekly's Mysteries of the Year 2022.

    When Edmund Ibbs, a young and hopeful lawyer, defends a woman accused of shooting her husband dead, he finds himself being drawn into a dark web of conspiracies and murder. His desire to prove this woman’s innocence sees him etched upon the radar of Scotland Yard and soon Ibbs finds that he his being accused of being complicit in the killing. It is not until a corpse appears as part of a magic act in a crowded 1930s theatre that things start to get truly out of hand. Watching at the theatre to see the chaos unravel is Joseph Spector, a former illusionist turned respected sleuth. Spector begins to investigate the mystery but when a second body is discovered the same night, all evidence points to Ibbs. The race is on for Spector to find the true culprit in this Golden Age crime before it’s too late.

    About Tom Mead: Born in Derbyshire, British author Tom Mead is the author of the acclaimed crime thriller novel Death and The Conjuror. This debut novel was selected as one of Publishers Weekly's Mystery/Thriller Books of the Year. Mead has been critically acclaimed by the Guardian, Sunday Times, New York Times, Kirkus, and Publishers Weekly amongst many others. His fiction pays modern homages to the Golden Age and is filled with references for golden age crime thriller fans to pick up on in this 21st century take on classic crime fiction.

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  • No Reserve by Felix Francis (Published by Bonnier on 28th September 2023 at £20)

    Praise for Previous titles

    ‘Felix Francis’ novels gallop along splendidly’ Jilly Cooper

    'From winning post to top of the bestseller lists’ Sunday Times

    ‘The master of suspense and intrigue’ Country Life

    No Reserve is a blistering new high-stakes thriller set in the glamorous but cutthroat world of British racehorse sales. Theo Jennings is a young auctioneer at the thoroughbred sales ring in Newmarket. The October yearling sales are where the big money exchanges hands in frenzied auctions: millions of Guineas paid for horses that are as yet unnamed, untested, and have never taken a step on the track. It's the greatest gamble in all of horseracing, and one that can end in ruin. 

    Theo has just made the biggest sale of his life, when he overhears a secret conversation between the two bidders - can they really have colluded to fix the price of his big sale? When that same horse is found dead the next morning, he has no choice but to investigate, even against the wishes of his boss. But the more he uncovers, the less he can trust the people around him 

    About Felix Francis

    Felix Francis is a Sunday Times and New York Times international bestselling author and has sold almost a million copies of his books. He was born in Oxford and graduated from London University. His initial career led him into physics, where he was a successful teacher, and he went onto a second highly successful career as a bestselling author. His other accomplishments include being an expert outdoorsman, marksman and pilot. Felix Francis lives in Oxfordshire with his wife, Debbie, their family and two Irish Setters and a Cavapoo.

     

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  • The Mystery of Yew Tree House by Lesley Thomson (Published by Head of Zeus on 14th September 2023 at £20)

    Praise for previous titles

    'Cunningly plotted.' Mick Herron

    'One of the most original characters in British crime fiction.' Sunday Times

    'In the best traditions of the classic whodunnit, this is Midsomer Murders for grown-ups.' Sunday Express

    Eighty years of secrets. A body that reveals them all…

    1941. Rupert and Adelaide Stride are raising their two daughters, Clare and Rosa, in the midst of war. When Rupert is called to fight, he dies on the beaches of Dunkirk, leaving his family to fend for themselves. 

    2023. Decades later, Clare and Rosa have retreated to the annex, trapped in the place where they were raised: Yew Tree House. When the rooms are put up for rent, Jack Harmon sees the perfect spot for a family holiday with his twins and detective Stella Darnell. But then the children discover a skeleton with a hole in its skull hidden in the brambles of a decommissioned WWII pill box. 

    This home has always been a complicated one, but Stella and Jack will need to confront a history of revenge, desperation, and wartime tragedy to uncover the truth of what happened at Yew Tree House...

    About Lesley ThomsonLesley Thomson grew up in west London. Her first novel, A Kind of Vanishing, won the People's Book Prize in 2010. Her second novel, The Detective's Daughter, was a #1 bestseller and the resulting series has sold over 750,000 copies. Lesley divides her time between Sussex and Gloucestershire. She lives with her partner and her dog.

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  • The Black Crescent by Jane Johnson (Published by Head of Zeus on 3rd August 2023 at £20)

    Praise for previous titles

    'An irresistible story-teller' Barbara Erskine

     'Page-turning stuff' The Times

    Bringing 1950s Morocco vividly to life, Jane Johnson's masterful new novel, The Black Crescent, is a gripping story of murder, magic and divided loyalties…

    Hamou Badi is born in a mountain village with the magical signs of the zouhry on his hands. In Morocco, the zouhryis a figure of legend, a child of both humans and djinns, capable of finding all manner of treasure: lost objects, hidden water.  But instead, Hamou finds a body.

    This unsolved murder instils in Hamou a deep desire for order and justice: he trains as an officer of the law, working for the French in Casablanca. But the city is trapped in the turmoil of the nationalist uprising, and soon he will be forced to choose between all he knows and all he loves...

    About Jane Johnson

    Jane Johnson is a British novelist and publisher. She is the UK editor for George R.R. Martin, Robin Hobb and Dean Koontz. She launched the Voyager imprint for HarperCollins and still works with George RR Martin and others. For many years she was the publisher of the works of J.R.R. Tolkien. She also worked on Peter Jackson’s adaptation of Lord of the Rings and wrote the tie-in books.  Married to a Berber chef she met while researching The Tenth Gift, she lives in Mousehole, Cornwall, and Morocco

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  • The Blood of Others by Graham Hurley (Published by Head of Zeus on 6th July 2023 at £20)

    Praise for Previous titles

    'Historical fiction of a high order'  The Times

    'Tense, absorbing and faultlessly plotted' Sunday Times

    'Beautifully constructed... This is one of Hurley's finest' Daily Mail

    Set against the Dieppe campaign of World War Two, The Blood of Others follows the behind-the-scenes machinations of the Allied and German forces as they prepare for the attack on the German-occupied French Coast. Part of the SPOILS OF WAR Collection, a thrilling, beguiling blend of fact and fiction born of some of the most tragic, suspenseful, and action-packed events of World War II.

    Dieppe, August 1942. A catastrophe no headline dared admit. Plans are underway for the boldest raid yet on Nazi-occupied France.  Over six thousand men will storm ashore to take the port of Dieppe. Lives will change in an instant-both on the beaches and in distant capitals.

    Annie Wrenne, working at Lord Mountbatten’s cloak­and­dagger Combined Operations headquarters, is privy to the top secret plans for the daring cross-Channel raid. Young Canadian journalist George Hogan, protege of influential Lord Beaverbrook, faces a crucial assignment that will test him to breaking point. And Abwehr intelligence officer Wilhelm Schultz is baiting a trap to lure thousands of Allied troops to their deaths…

    Three lives linked by Operation Jubilee: the Dieppe Raid, 19 August 1942. Over six thousand men will storm the heavily defended French beaches. Less than half of them will make it back alive.

    About Graham Hurley

    Graham worked for ITV for fifteen years as an award-winning documentary director/producer. Networked documentaries included the discovery and filming of the seabed remains of the Titanic; Richard Branson’s near-fatal crossing of the North Atlantic in a hot-air balloon; an investigative account of the Brighton bombing; four freezing weeks in the high Canadian Arctic exploring the last of the Eskimo culture; plus, revisionist documentaries on the retreat to Dunkirk (Comrades in Arms) and the post-D-Day thrust into Europe (The War Within).

    Graham is the author of the acclaimed Faraday and Winter crime novels. Two of the critically lauded series were shortlisted for the Theakston's Old Peculier Award for Best Crime Novel. His Spoils of War Collection thriller Finisterrewas shortlisted for the Wilbur Smith Adventure Writing Prize.

     

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  • SAS Great Escapes 2 by Damien Lewis (Published by Quercus on 25th May 2023 at £22)

    SAS Great Escapes 2 went straight into the Sunday Times Top 10 bestseller lists at no 6 with the paperback of SAS Brothers in Arms in at no 5 in the Sunday Times bestseller list simultaneously

    Damien did a tour at publication with a combination of museums, independent bookshops and Waterstones including: The IWM, Churchill War Rooms, London, Gullivers Bookshop in Dorset, Waterstone’s Salisbury & Falmouth Book Festival – Cornwall.  

    ‘Lewis has researched his story thoroughly over the course of a decade and tells it  like a fast paced thriller.’ The Economist

    ‘A prolific historian.’ The New York Times  

    ‘Revelatory.’ Sky News

    Hot-press: Guy Ritchie’s new movie, The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare, with a star-studded cast, is based on Damien Lewis’ best-selling book Churchill’s Secret Warriors’.

    Triggered by the incredible true story of how his 2021 book, SAS Great Escapes, saved one man's life, author Damien Lewis was inspired to write the sequel. In that spirit, SAS Great Escapes II reveals how SAS men crossed deserts, evaded hunter forces and escaped through enemy lands, overcoming insurmountable odds in WWII. December 1941: legendary SAS figure Bill Fraser and his six-man patrol were listed as Missing in Action (MIA) after failing to return from a desert raid. Nine weeks later they emerged from a death-defying trial, being greeted as if they were ‘back from the dead’.

    About Damien Lewis

    Damien Lewis has established himself as one of the most popular WWII historians, and this book builds on the success of SAS Great Escapes which has sold more than 40,000 copies in just over a year. For decades he worked as a war and conflict reporter for the world's major broadcasters, reporting from across Africa, South America, the Middle and Far East and winning numerous awards. His books include the World War Two classics The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare, Hunting the Nazi Bomb, SAS Nazi Hunters, SAS Ghost Patrol, SAS Italian Job, SAS Band of Brothers, SAS Brothers in Arms and SAS Great Escapes. Many of his books have been made, or are being made, into movies or TV drama series or adapted as plays for the stage. The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare is presently being filmed as a major movie directed by Guy Ritchie, and starring Henry Cavill, Alan Richson, Henry Golding, Eiza González, amongst others. He has raised tens of thousands of pounds for charitable concerns connected with his writing.

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  • No Place To Hide by J. S. Monroe (Published by Head of Zeus on 13th April 2023 at £20)

    Praise for previous titles

    'Intelligent writing, disturbing and original ideas.' Daily Mail

    Full of unpredictable twists, topped by a savage climax.’ The Times

    You might be paranoid, but that doesn’t mean they’re not watching you…

    Adam lives a picture-perfect life: happy marriage, two young children, and a flourishing career as a doctor. But Adam also lives with a secret. Hospital CCTV, strangers' mobile phones, city traffic cameras – he is convinced that they are all watching him, recording his every move. All because of something terrible that happened at a drunken party when he was a student at Cambridge.

    Only two other people knew what happened that night. Two people he's long left behind. Until one of them, Clio – Adam's great unrequited love – turns up on his doorstep, and reignites a sinister pact twenty-four years in the making...

    About J. S. Monroe

    J. S. Monroe read English at Cambridge, worked as a foreign correspondent in Delhi, and was Weekend editor of the Daily Telegraph in London before becoming a full-time writer. His psychological thriller Find Me became a bestseller in 2017, and, under the name Jon Stock, he is also the author of five spy thrillers. Warner Brothers bought the film rights to the Dead Spy Running trilogy hiring Oscar-winner Stephen Gaghan (Traffic, Syriana) to write the screenplay for DEAD SPY RUNNING, which went into development with McG and Kevin McCormick (Gangster Squad) producing. The film rights to DEAD SPY RUNNING were bought by Wonderland Sound and Vision, McG's own production company. It remains in development.  J.S. Monroe lives in Wiltshire, with his wife and children.

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  • Dead of Night by Simon Scarrow (Published by Headline on 2nd February 2023 at £20)

    Peter May went into The Sunday Times Top 10 Bestsellers at No. 5.

    Peter did a tour of the UK at publication in January including, London, Glasgow, Edinburgh, Inverness, St Andrews and Perth.

    Praise for previous titles

    ‘subtle, tragic, melancholy, brilliant’ Literary Review

    ‘Peter May is a writer I'd follow to the ends of the earth’ New York Times

    It is the year 2051. Warnings of climate catastrophe have been ignored, and Scotland is being hit by extreme snow and ice storms.  It is against this backdrop that a young meteorologist checking a mountain top weather station, discovers the body of a man entombed in ice.

    The dead man is investigative reporter, George Younger, missing for three months, but not a hill walker, his discovery on a mountain-top near the Highland village of Kinlochleven, is inexplicable.

    Cameron Brodie, a veteran Glasgow detective, sets out on a hazardous journey to the isolated and ice-bound village. He has his own reasons for wanting to investigate the murder case so far from his beat, but he has more than a murder enquiry on his agenda. Torn by a broken marriage and faced with a devastating medical prognosis, Brodie must lay to rest the ghosts of his past, as well as a killer determined to bury forever the chilling secret that his investigation threatens to expose.About Peter May

    Peter May was born and raised in Scotland. He won Journalist of the Year at the age of twenty-one and was a published novelist at twenty-six. He is also one of Scotland’s most successful television dramatists. Peter has won several literature awards in France. In 2021 he won the CWA Body in the Library Award in the UK. Previously Peter received the USA's Barry Award for The Blackhouse and Entry Island won both the Scottish Crime Novel of the Year and a CWA Dagger as the ITV Crime Thriller Book Club Best Read of the Year. In 2020 Peter was awarded the CWA Body in the Library Award for the best body of work. 

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  • A Winter Grave by Peter May (Published by riverrun on 19th January 2023 at £22)

    Peter May went into The Sunday Times Top 10 Bestsellers at No. 5.

    Peter did a tour of the UK at publication in January including, London, Glasgow, Edinburgh, Inverness, St Andrews and Perth.

    Praise for previous titles

    ‘subtle, tragic, melancholy, brilliant’ Literary Review

    ‘Peter May is a writer I'd follow to the ends of the earth’ New York Times

    It is the year 2051. Warnings of climate catastrophe have been ignored, and Scotland is being hit by extreme snow and ice storms.  It is against this backdrop that a young meteorologist checking a mountain top weather station, discovers the body of a man entombed in ice.

    The dead man is investigative reporter, George Younger, missing for three months, but not a hill walker, his discovery on a mountain-top near the Highland village of Kinlochleven, is inexplicable.

    Cameron Brodie, a veteran Glasgow detective, sets out on a hazardous journey to the isolated and ice-bound village. He has his own reasons for wanting to investigate the murder case so far from his beat, but he has more than a murder enquiry on his agenda. Torn by a broken marriage and faced with a devastating medical prognosis, Brodie must lay to rest the ghosts of his past, as well as a killer determined to bury forever the chilling secret that his investigation threatens to expose.About Peter May

    Peter May was born and raised in Scotland. He won Journalist of the Year at the age of twenty-one and was a published novelist at twenty-six. He is also one of Scotland’s most successful television dramatists. Peter has won several literature awards in France. In 2021 he won the CWA Body in the Library Award in the UK. Previously Peter received the USA's Barry Award for The Blackhouse and Entry Island won both the Scottish Crime Novel of the Year and a CWA Dagger as the ITV Crime Thriller Book Club Best Read of the Year. In 2020 Peter was awarded the CWA Body in the Library Award for the best body of work. 

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  • Death to the Emperor by Simon Scarrow is (Published by Headline on 10th November 2022 at £22)

    Praise for previous titles

    ‘A new book in Simon Scarrow’s series about the Roman Army is always a joy’ The Times

    ‘Scarrow’s novels rank with the best’ The Independent

    AD 60. The Roman Empire’s hold on the province is fragile. The tribes implacably opposed to Rome have grown cunning in their attacks on the legions.  Even amongst those who have sworn loyalty, dissent simmers. In distant Rome, Nero is blind to the danger.

    As hostilities create mayhem in the west, Governor Gaius Suetonius Paulinus gathers a vast army to quell the trouble, with Prefect Cato in command. A hero of countless battles, Cato wants his loyal comrade Centurion Macro by his side. But the Governor leaves Macro behind, in charge of the veteran reserves in Camulodunum. Suetonius dismisses concerns that the poorly fortified colony will be vulnerable to attack when only a skeleton force remains.

    With the military distracted, slow-burning anger amongst the tribespeople bursts into flames. The king of the Iceni is dead and a proud kingdom is set for plundering and annexation. But the widow is Queen Boudica, a woman with a warrior's heart. If Boudica calls for death to the emperor, a bloodbath will follow… An unforgettable story of warfare, courage and sacrifice as brave men face an enemy with nothing to lose . . .

    About Simon Scarrow

    Simon Scarrow is a Sunday Times No. 1 bestselling author with several million copies of his books sold worldwide. After a childhood spent travelling the world, he pursued his great love of history as a teacher, before becoming a full-time writer. His Roman soldier heroes Cato and Macro made their debut in 2000 in Under The Eagle and have subsequently appeared in many bestsellers in the Eagles of the Empire series. Many of the series have been Sunday Times bestsellers.

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  • SAS Brothers in Arms by Damien Lewis (Published by Quercus on 27th October at £22)

    SAS Brothers in Arms was launched at the National Army Museum on 27th October 2022.

    Praise for previous titles

    ‘A prolific historian’ The New York Times

    ‘Lewis takes the reader on an epic journey of discovery’ BBC History Magazine

    ‘Scrupulously detailed … Le Carre fans will be delighted’ The Daily Telegraph

    In the summer of 1941, even as Britain suffered numerous defeats, a band of maverick warriors emerged from the North African desert intent on waging war as it had never been fought before. Answering Churchill’s call for volunteers for Special Service, they hit deep behind enemy lines in missions of almost impossible daring, striking fear into the hearts and minds of the enemy. Founded by the high-born and eccentric Scotsman David Stirling, they were increasingly led into battle by the wild-at-heart Irishman Blair ‘Paddy’ Mayne - the most highly decorated soldier in the British Army by war’s end. In a classic of combat writing, Damien Lewis takes you into the crucible of the sun-blasted desert to live, fight and die alongside the men of the fledgling SAS.

    Exhaustively researched from a private trove of war chests, diaries, letters, mission reports, rare photos and film, combined with interviews with the last surviving members of the wartime SAS, plus their families, SAS Brothers in Arms is a breath-taking chronicle of do-or-die action executed by some of the most fearless and revered warriors of the 20th Century.

    About Damien Lewis

    Damien Lewis is a Sunday Times no 1 bestselling author whose books have been translated into forty languages worldwide. For twenty years he worked as a war and conflict reporter for the world’s major broadcasters, reporting across Africa, South America, the Middle East and Far East winning numerous press freedom, human rights and other awards. His iconic WWII books include Churchill’s Secret Warriors, Hunting the Nazi Bomb, SAS Nazi Hunters and SAS Great Escapes. Several of his books are being made into feature films and TV drama series.

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  • Sleep When You’re Dead by former Newsnight political producer and Sunday Times journalist, Jude O’Reilly (Published by Head of Zeus on 13th October at £20)

    Praise for previous titles

    'A high-octane plot that centres around the dark heart of British political power' The Sunday Times

    'A rip-roaring road trip into the dark heart of a corrupt, cynical British establishment' The Financial Times

    'Fast-paced and packed with action' Mick Herron

    ‘ A gritty action-packed, page turner’ Andy McNab

    Elite assassin and spy-for-hire Michael North is the man you call when there's nothing left to lose. His tradecraft is unparalleled, he executes every mission with determination, skill and a certain amount of flair. There's just one problem: the bullet lodged in his brain. If it moves, he will die – and so will the mission. Now North has been sent to infiltrate a doomsday cult on a remote Scottish island which is also home to a spaceport about to send thousands of commercial satellites into space. Their leader is planning a terrorist attack on the mainland, and it's North's job to stop him. Together with teen hacker Fang – North must tackle the situation which is fast spinning out of control.

    Spanning London, Washington and remotest Scotland, Sleep When You're Dead is an edge-of-your-seat, heart-in-your-mouth action thriller for fans of Lee Child, David Baldacci & Mick Herron.

    About Jude O’Reilly

    Born in Yorkshire and living in the North East, Jude O’Reilly is the pen name for Judith O'Reilly.  Judith is the author of Wife in the North, a top-three Sunday Times bestseller and BBC Radio 4 Book of the Week, and The Year of Doing Good. Judith is a former senior journalist with the Sunday Times and a former political producer with BBC 2's Newsnight and ITN's Channel 4 News. Her Michael North series has been praised by bestselling thriller writers around the world.

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  • Blackstone Fell by Diamond Dagger Award winner, Martin Edwards (Published by Head of Zeus on 1st September at £20)

    'Martin Edwards is a guru of the interwar Golden Age of crime novels' The Times

    'Edwards maintains a cracking pace. As elegant period escapism it ticks all the boxes' The Mail on Sunday

    ‘A classic whodunnit’ Daily Express

    Blackstone Fell

    Autumn 1930. As the nights draw in, Jacob Flint attends a séance. He's intending to investigate fraudulent mediums – but then a ghost appears with a message from the spirit world: 'Felix Reilly murdered me.' The same evening, Rachel Savernake takes on an intriguing case. Ulick Quayle was investigating the three hundred year old story of The Witch of Blackstone, burned at the stake for her supposed murder of the local Lord. Now Ulick's body has been found on bleak and eerie Blackstone Moor, his corpse in pieces. Some of the villagers believe the Witch of Blackstone has returned from the dead. The police suspect an escaped inmate from a nearby asylum. But Ulick's sister is convinced that the culprit is someone much closer to home – and she has employed Rachel to investigate. As Rachel starts to unravel a bizarre crime with its roots in the deep past, her friend and sometime lover Jacob is on a similar trail of murder and witchcraft. And both are leading to the ancient stone castle of Blackstone Tower...

    About Martin Edwards

    Martin Edwards has won the Edgar, Agatha, H.R.F. Keating, Macavity, Poirot and Diamond Dagger Awards as well as being shortlisted for the Theakston's Prize. He is President of the Detection Club. In 2020 he was awarded the Diamond Dagger for his outstanding contribution to crime fiction. Martin is the consultant to the British Library's bestselling crime classics, which has total UK sales of about 750,000 to date. He has been the Chair of the Crime Writers' Association and is the award-winning author of The Golden Age of Murder.

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  • After She’d Gone by Alex Dahl (Published by Head of Zeus in August at £20)

    ‘Not for the faint- hearted but an irresistible read’ The Daily Mail

    ‘An often accomplished addition to the ranks of scandi crime’ The Times

    'Dahl plays with a scenario that is every parent's nightmare as she slowly reveals the truth in this fast-paced and unsettling read' Guardian, on Playdate.

     Unsettling, gripping and darkly glamorous, After She'd Gone is a timely psychological scandi noir thriller from Alex Dahl set in the ambitious world of modelling, drawn from Alex’s own modelling days in her late teens. A contemporary thriller that joins the conversations around MeToo, it aims to explore our culture’s obsession and addiction to wealth, power and beauty.  Alex’s previous thriller, ‘Playdate’ has been greenlit by a big production company in the UK and is to be streamed as a series, with her earlier thriller, ‘Boy at the Door’, also optioned for a series and in the early days of development.  

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  • Katastrophe by Graham Hurley (Published by Head of Zeus on 7th July at £20)

    ‘Katastrophe is a smart, original read’. The Financial Times

    ‘The latest in Graham Hurley’s outstanding cycle of novels set during the second World War’. The Times

    Katastrophe - The new blockbuster thriller from Graham Hurley set against the final stages of the Second World War.

    A rogue journalist and a German spy emerge from two gruelling years in the Soviet gulag. Despatched to the embers of the Third Reich, they’re tasked to set the Allies at each other’s throats. The war has barely weeks to live. Or does it?

    About Graham Hurley

    Graham worked for ITV for fifteen years as an award winning documentary director/producer. Networked documentaries included the discovery and filming of the seabed remains of the Titanic; Richard Branson’s near-fatal crossing of the North Atlantic in a hot-air balloon; an investigative account of the Brighton bombing; four freezing weeks in the high Canadian Arctic exploring the last of the Eskimo cultureGraham is the author of the acclaimed Faraday and Winter crime novels. Two of the critically lauded series were shortlisted for the Theakston's Old Peculier Award for Best Crime Novel. The first Wars Within novel, Finisterre, was shortlisted for the Wilbur Smith Adventure Writing Prize. For more information see his website: www.grahamhurley.co.uk

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  • The Companion by Lesley Thomson (Published 9th June by Head of Zeus £18.99)

    ‘Lesley Thomson makes your flesh creep at will…’ The Sunday Times

    Timothy Mew, aged twenty five answers an advert in Cuckoo’s Nest, an organisation matching younger people with little financial means to live cheaply with an older person in return for shopping and company. Rex Lomax is seventy and lonely. At first he welcomes Timothy into his home, an apartment in a grand country mansion, Blacklock House, in the Sussex countryside. But when there are several murders nearby and the police announce they are hunting a serial killer, Rex becomes uneasy and mistrustful. DI Toni Kemp, of Sussex police, must unravel a case which has shocked the county to its core. In late summer sunshine, the  idyllic setting, fountain on a rolling lawn, peacocks screaming into the bushes and a summer house are all wrought with threat. Seven long-term residents have seen more than they should. But this is a community who are good a keeping secrets...

    About Lesley Thomson

    Lesley Thomson’s first novel Seven Miles From Sydney,1987 was one of London’s City Limit’s Books of that year. A Kind of Vanishing won The People’s Book Prize. The Detective’s Daughter series has sold over 850K copies. The Sunday Times said of The Distant Dead, 2021, ‘Lesley Thomson can make your flesh creep at will. Her sense of place, during the Blitz or in the present, is remarkable.’ The Companion is Lesley’s latest novel.  Lesley lives in Sussex with her partner and dog.

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  • Survive to Fight by Billy Billingham (Published 9th June by Hodder & Stoughton £16.99)

    Billy Billingham MBE spent 27 years in the military, during which time he received an MBE for his work in Iraq. He also won the Queens Commendation for Bravery after capturing a sniper by using himself as bait. Billy Billingham writes from the experience of his decorated military career followed by his time after the SAS.

    ‘SURVIVE TO FIGHT’.  THE SECOND EXPLOSIVE THRILLER FROM SAS HERO AND Channel 4 SAS: Who Dares Wins TV Presenter, MARK 'BILLY' BILLINGAM

    ‘Billy’s really been there and done it.  There’s no substitute for experience’.  SEAN PENN

    Matt Mason is attempting to put the army behind him, building a life for himself training anti-poaching forces on a Kenyan game reserve. He's looking forward to meeting up with his daughter, Jo, newly graduated from naval college, who has taken a summer job working on a billionaires yacht in the Red Sea. Then he receives a call telling him that her boat is missing and is likely to have been abducted by Somali pirates. Mason must call in favours from old contacts as he follows Jo's trail. At the same time, Jo knows she has to survive to fight.

    Key points behind the story of ‘Survive to Fight’….

    Conservation in Africa - Billy trained anti poaching forces in Kenya, Tanzania, South Africa. All these areas - and West Africa too - are targeted by poaching gangs looking to feed the demand for ivory from China.

    War in Mozambique – Matt Mason finds himself in the middle of a very real conflict in ‘Survive to Fight’. In reality, Al Shabab are currently trying to derail the Total Gas project off the Mozambique coast, thereby undermining the government and creating an on-going and terrifying situation with civilians caught in the crossfire.

    Attacks on ships in the Gulf – these happen in reality and also happen in ‘Survive to Fight’.

    Human trafficking. Is rife in Africa – this too appears in Survive to Fight.

    About the Author

    Billy Billingham was responsible for planning and executing strategic operations and training at the highest level in locations including Iraq, Afghanistan, South America and Africa, and has led countless hostage rescues. He later became a bodyguard to A list celebrities such as Brad Pitt, Sir Michael Caine, and Tom Cruise. Since 2015, Billy is best known as one of the lead presenters on the popular Channel Four series SAS: Who Dares Wins. This is a hugely successful show both in the UK and in Australia.  Based on elements from Special Forces Selection, the programme puts celebrity and civilian contestants through an eight-day selection process testing the candidates mentally and physically. Billy is a highly-decorated veteran; with a reputation for excellence, authenticity and integrity. The new series of SAS: Who Dares Wins has just been on Channel 4.

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  • The Flame of Resistance: The Untold Story of Josephine Baker’s Secret War by Damien Lewis (Published by Quercus on 26th May at £20)

    The extraordinary story of WW2 Black French music hall star turned British spy, Josephine Baker. honoured posthumously by the French with a place in the Pantheon in November 2021. Sunday Times no 1 bestseller, Damien Lewis, will be doing a tour of the UK appearing in person or online at events and festivals in: London at the National Army Museum & Hatchards, Malvern, The Chalke Valley History Festival in Wiltshire and elsewhere in the UK. Check here for more details.

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  • The Fall by Rachael Blok (Head of Zeus £18.99)

    Twisty, atmospheric and haunting’ (Erin Kelly on The Scorched Earth)

    ‘A powerful, eventful novel’ The Times (on The Scorched Earth)

    Rachael Blok will be doing events & festivals after publication including Aye Write in Glasgow in May and Harrogate in July.

    ‘The bigger the sin, the further the fall’. ‘The Fall’ is the latest literary crime novel by Rachael Blok featuring DCI Maarten Jansen. Rachael is well respected by the media with reviews across a broad spectrum of nationals for her previous novels. Each novel so far has been focused on a landmark in the St Albans area. This time the novel is based around the stunning St Albans Cathedral. The history of the cathedral begs for some history in the story. With echoes of Milton at the beginning and themes of the changing treatment of women and the change to mental health treatment over the years, ‘The Fall’ digs into the past to find answers to the questions in the present.

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  • The Dark Flood by Deon Meyer (Hodder & Stoughton £16.99)

    'If you want a glimpse of the soul of the new South Africa in all its glory, and with all the gory details of its problems and corruption, Meyer is your man.' -- The Guardian

    ‘Meyer’s writing has the heft of Table Mountain, as well as the ability to take your breath away’ The Times Thriller of the Month

    Is Deon Meyer the most accomplished South African crime novelist in the genre’s history? ‘The Dark Flood’ is further evidence of the assertion’. The Financial Times

    ‘The Dark Flood’ is the latest in the Griessel and Cupido detective series of South African crime novels by award winning novelist and screen writer, Deon Meyer.

    The Dark Flood is as much a novel about two disgraced and demoted detectives investigating a missing persons case and a female estate agent dealing with a world of toxic masculinity as it is about their daily struggles to make relationships work and navigate life. It is a novel about greed. Corporate greed, greed born of desperation, greed for job status, how greed can make good people do bad things. But the backdrop is that of Stellenbosch: the stunningly beautiful wine capital of South Africa, home to millionaires and academics, thousands of bright-eyes students, and a handful of policemen and women trying to cope with it all.

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