Here lies Fanny Lynes, whose whispers from beyond the grave set London alight with scandal.
Here swings Mary Bateman, who lived a life of lies – and died a prophetess and murderer.
Here stands Mary Willcocks. Or is it Anne Burgess? Or Princess Caraboo, from the distant island of Javasu?
A ghost. A witch. A princess. This is a story of those who lie. And of those who choose to believe them.
The discoveries of the Enlightenment unsettled as much as they excited. New truths challenged longstanding beliefs. Rationalism jarred with superstition. Which voices would be heard in this ferocious battle for certainty?
From the chaos, three women and their hoaxes rose as symbols of terror and fascination. But were the lies surrounding Fanny Lynes, Mary Bateman and Mary Willcocks entirely of their own making? Why were the public transfixed?
Questioning culpability and complicity, Pelling’s engrossing history of this great age of the hoax reveals a veiled world of moral panic, tall tales and true crime, and holds a mirror to our own turbulent relationship with truth.
Joyous, feel-good, queer romance set in the world of musical theatre.
Larger than life Olly is back at the UK’s most prestigious competition for teen performers to prove he has what it takes to be a leading man. After being sabotaged last year, he is determined to stand out ahead of his drama school auditions.
Nervous newbie Tarun was nominated after stepping in from the chorus to a leading role. This is his week to explore if his secret hobby could be something more serious. But imposter-syndrome is real, and his dad’s derisive comments threaten to derail him.
When the two boys are paired together, Olly can’t comprehend being with someone who doesn’t get his niche musical references, whilst Tarun thinks Olly is ‘way too much’. But they soon discover they’ve more in common than the opening number might reveal.
Amidst the drama of rehearsals, could two boys be falling in love?
A life-affirming read for all those searching for their place and their people.
Are you ready to play?
Have you ever found yourself doom-scrolling, worrying about that weird pain in your leg, only to have your plans for the day completely trashed by the appearance of a literal axe-wielding troll?
What about that time you came across a perfect double of yourself in the street?
Or the gorilla suit you put on one day only for it to fuse with your skin?
When those children went missing from your village, did you know for sure it was the electricity that took them?
And down in the basement of your ancestral family home, what is it that’s making that THUMP . . . THUMP . . . THUMP . . .
Bold, funny, and wild, Louise Hegarty’s debut collection will turn you upside down and inside out, if it doesn’t take you apart completely.
The Devil is in the Detail is a behind-the-scenes masterclass in forensic investigation.
Dive into the gripping world of forensic investigation with Jo, a forensic scientist whose career spans from the Miami-Dade Police Department to London’s Metropolitan Police homicide division. In The Devil is in the Detail, she reveals the shocking truths behind some of the world’s most infamous cases, including the 7/7 London bombings and the heartbreaking murder of teenager Brianna Ghey.
But this isn’t just a catalog of horrors; it’s a powerful story of resilience. Jo breaks barriers as a woman in science, tackling inequality and miscarriages of justice head-on. With vivid accounts of bodies found in freezers and kitchens turned crime scenes, she shows how keen observation and unorthodox methods can uncover the truth.
Perfect for true crime fans, this page-turner will leave you breathless and questioning everything you thought you knew about justice.
BENEATH THE SURFACE THIS SMALL TOWN HAS BIG SECRETS…
The Lancashire town of Burnley is a typical British melting pot. Where drugs, violence and human trafficking rub shoulders with grand houses and rolling moors… and now two people have been found dead – are they suicides or is there something darker lurking in this community?
DI Jane Hacker grew up in Burnley but fled to London after the death of her teenage brother. Now, she’s back caring for her sick mother and heading up a crime unit that doesn’t trust her instincts.
It’s time Jane finally faces up to the truth of the town’s past and present to track down a sadistic killer, before it is too late.
Nothing surprises Adam Brandt anymore. As a forensic psychologist, he’s seen and heard everything.
That is, until he meets Kassie.
Because she claims to have a terrible gift – with one look into your eyes, she can see when and how you will die.
Adam doesn’t believe her, obviously.
But then a serial killer starts wreaking havoc across the city, and only Kassie seems to know where he’ll strike next.
Against all his intuition, Adam starts to believe her.
He just doesn’t realise how dangerous this trust might be . . .
Some secrets should stay buried. Her husband’s won’t.
Della’s life was everything she’d dreamed of: a loving husband, teenage daughter, and a peaceful cottage in the woods with her own pottery studio. But then her husband, Leo, collapses and on his deathbed makes a devastating confession that turns Della’s world upside down.
Consumed by grief, Della finds the ancient woodland that once sheltered her now feels threatening. The only solace comes from her new neighbour, Carrie, whose kindness gives Della a fragile sense of hope.
As Della digs deeper into her husband’s hidden life, shocking discoveries emerge – about Leo and the life Della thought she knew, and even about Carrie herself. Is her neighbour truly a friend, or is she hiding the most dangerous secret of all?
In the town of St Vincent, everyone knows everyone else’s business. So when Lily Lucid accuses the beloved high school music teacher Mr P of sexual assault, rumours swirl and lines are drawn. On one side: Lily’s former friends – the fiercely loyal girls who immediately set out to prove their teacher’s innocence. On the other: all the adults who have already written them off as a lost cause.
The girls will stop at nothing to hold onto their dream of escaping their small, run-down town, their desperate mothers and absent fathers – and Lily’s accusation threatens it all.
But how far out of control can they spin before there’s no turning back?
A haunting debut that peels back the veil from the institution of marriage and exposes the rot underneath.
Bea has just got engaged. It should be the most exciting time of her life, but she can’t shake the feeling that something is wrong. Her engagement ring doesn’t fit – her finger is swollen and painful. As she begins to look at dresses and venues, she notices her skin is flaking and her hair is beginning to thin.
Nor can she shake the memories of a previous proposal from her ex-boyfriend a decade earlier. Back then, she was resistant to commitment, young, confident, with her whole life ahead of her. If she ever were to marry, she’d always imagined breaking with tradition – an elopement, a brightly-coloured outfit, an open marriage.
But as plans for the big day solidify, Bea begins to see the appeal of a big white dress, a huge reception, and a life with just one man. Yet the engagement ring is getting tighter and tighter. Something is crawling under her skin. Someone is watching them from the shadows…
The thrilling high-concept Korean bestseller about conforming to society’s standards, where one woman decides she has HAD ENOUGH
Oh Young-a, a warm-hearted schoolteacher, lives to please – smiling through people’s demands, moulding her hobbies and even her heart to match what others deem to be “right”. But beneath her cheerful facade, the weight of constant self-restraint festers, dragging her into a haze of depression and numbness. Desperate for relief, she turns to the Seohyang Medical Research Centre’s cutting-edge four-week emotion regulation treatment, promised to sculpt her into a better version of herself.
What follows is chaos – but also liberation. The treatment unravels her carefully curated control, unleashing a torrent of suppressed desires, biting truths and long buried anger. Young-a curses, speaks her mind and revels in the guilt-ridden thrill of her bad behaviour. When she seeks answers, the Centre offers none, urging her to wait it out. But why return to a life of stifling conformity?
As Young-a embraces her raw, unfiltered self, she begins to dismantle the weight of the exhausting expectations and ideals imposed upon her.
Why would you ever go back when freedom feels this good?
