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The Earth Hums in B Flat is a story of dark family secrets unraveled by the shrewd insight of twelve-year-old Gwenni Morgan, a child with an irrepressible spirit living in a Welsh village that is reluctantly entering the modern age. From the small bed that she shares with her sister at night she flies up into the starry sky above her village and looks down on the lives of its inhabitants. And when the family that she babysits for is rocked by the sudden, unexplainable disappearance of their patriarch, Gwenni is determined to solve the mystery of Ifan EvanÕs whereabouts. Turning amateur detective, she is unaware that the trail will lead her closer to home than she ever imagined. Told with a breathtaking, irresistible blend of freshness and wisdom, the voice that sixty-two-year-old Welsh debut novelist Mari Strachan has created with Gwenni is vibrant, charming, and full of heart. An unforgettable character, GwenniÕs unique way of seeing the world lends her the ability to make the ordinary extraordinary. A magical novel about the trials of youth, familial duty, and understanding, The Earth Hums in B Flat will transport you to another time and place.Ê
A Waterstone's New Voice 2009An Amazon Rising Star 2009Gwenni Morgan is not like any other girl in her small Welsh town. Inquisitive, bookish and full of spirit, she canfly in her sleep and loves playing detective. So when a neighbour mysteriously vanishes, and no one seems tobe asking the right questions, Gwenni decides to conduct her own investigation.Mari Strachan's unforgettable novel was one of the most acclaimed and successful debuts of 2009. It is a heartbreaking and hugely enjoyable book.'Strachan eschews whimsy for reality in a beautifully written story about growing up.'Independent on Sunday'A delight.'Financial Times'Extremely compelling . . . I loved this novel.'Catherine O'Flynn, author of What Was Lost 'A warm and touching, but blessedly unsentimental, novel.'The Times
With her husband shattered by war, does one young woman have the strength to bring him back to life? In the aftermath of the Great War, Non Davies wakes one morning to find her husband crouching under the kitchen table in a cold sweat and with fear in his eyes, shouldering an imaginary rifle. Non decides she must discover what has changed her Davey so completely. A mysterious letter addressed to Davey gives her the clue she needs and takes her to the city of London in search of an answer. When she returns home Non realises that the dark secrets of Davey's behaviour are working their way ever closer to the surface - secrets that will shatter the fragile happiness of their community if they ever become known.
When Tom is sent to stay at his aunt and uncle's house for the summer, he resigns himself to endless weeks of boredom. As he lies awake in his bed he hears the grandfather clock downstairs strike . . .eleven . . . twelve . . . thirteen . . . Thirteen! Tom races down the stairs and out the back door, into a garden everyone told him wasn't there. In this enchanted thirteenth hour, the garden comes alive - but Tom is never sure whether the children he meets there are real or ghosts . . . This entrancing and magical story is one of the best-loved children's books ever written.
A cloth bag containing ten copies of the title.
In the aftermath of the Great War, Non Davies wakes one morning to find her husband crouching underneath the kitchen table in a cold sweat, shouldering an imaginary rifle. What has changed her Davey so completely? A clue arrives inside a mysterious letter, which takes her to London in search of the answer. When she returns home, Non finds that the dark secrets of Davey's past are working their way ever closer to the surface. She has to summon all her courage and compassion to restore her beloved husband and guard the fragile happiness of her war-weary village.
The debut novel by the bestselling author of THE ESSEX SERPENT One hot summer's day, John Cole decides to leave his life behind. He shuts up the bookshop no one ever comes to and drives out of London. When his car breaks down and he becomes lost on an isolated road, he goes looking for help, and stumbles into the grounds of a grand but dilapidated house. Its residents welcome him with open arms - but there's more to this strange community than meets the eye. They all know him by name, they've prepared a room for him, and claim to have been waiting for him all along. Who are these people? And what do they intend for John? Elegant, gently sinister and psychologically complex, After Me Comes the Flood is the haunting debut novel by the author of The Essex Serpent.
This sweet celebration of the magic and wonder of books will delight readers of all ages through André Letria's whimsical illustrations of a book as a kite, a tent, a ship, and more are paired with José Jorge Letria's thoughtful musings on the joys of reading. In the hands of this internationally acclaimed father-and-son duo, a book becomes a mountaintop with a spectacular vista ("If I were a book, I'd be full of new horizons"), and an endless staircase of imagination ("If I were a book, I would not want to know at the beginning how my story ends"). Seamlessly weaving together art and prose, this petite tribute to a reader's best friend makes a timeless addition to every bookshelf.
It is 1939. Eva Delectorskaya is a beautiful 28-year-old Russian émigrée living in Paris. As war breaks out she is recruited for the British Secret Service by Lucas Romer, a mysterious Englishman, and under his tutelage she learns to become the perfect spy, to mask her emotions and trust no one, including those she loves most. Since the war, Eva has carefully rebuilt her life as a typically English wife and mother. But once a spy, always a spy. Now she must complete one final assignment, and this time Eva can't do it alone: she needs her daughter's help.
THE 12 MILLION COPY BESTSELLING AUTHOR OF THE ENZO FILES AND THE CHINA THRILLERS AWARD WINNING AUTHOR OF THE CWA DAGGER IN THE LIBRARY 2021 'One of the best regarded crime series of recent years.' Independent 'No one can create a more eloquently written suspense novel than Peter May.' New York Journal of Books PETER MAY: THE MAN WHO BROUGHT MURDER TO THE OUTER HEBRIDES A brutal killing takes place on the Isle of Lewis, Scotland: a land of harsh beauty and inhabitants of deep-rooted faith. A MURDER Detective Inspector Fin Macleod is sent from Edinburgh to investigate. For Lewis-born Macleod, the case represents a journey both home and into his past. A SECRET Something lurks within the close-knit island community. Something sinister. A TRAP As Fin investigates, old skeletons begin to surface, and soon he, the hunter, becomes the hunted. LOVED THE BLACKHOUSE? Read book 2 in the Lewis trilogy, THE LEWIS MAN LOVE PETER MAY? Buy his latest frontlist thriller, THE NIGHT GATE