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A chilling debut novel of obsession, loss and birds, reminiscent of Nicci French and Barbara VinePeople talk about the cold, hard light of day. There's no escaping what you can see by it. There can be no confusing, in that early morning light, the truth with the wished-for reality of dreams. The body was still there. He was still dead. Abandoned by her lover, Manda finds solace in bird-watching, a hobby her ex-partner introduced her to. The birds provide Manda with an escape from her troubled past - and an uncertain future. But then she falls prey to the ever more sinister attentions of another birdwatcher. As the harassment builds up, she is forced to flee, and details of her complicated pa...
'Deliciously chilly' - Guardian 'Humming with suppressed hysteria and madness' - The Times 'Wonderfully evocative' - Heat Hare House is not its real name, of course. I have, if you will forgive me, kept names to a minimum here, for reasons that will become understandable . . . In the first brisk days of autumn, a woman arrives in Scotland having left her job at an all-girls school in London in mysterious circumstances. Moving into a cottage on the remote estate of Hare House, she begins to explore her new home. But among the tiny roads, wild moorland, and scattered houses, something more sinister lurks: local tales of witchcraft, clay figures and young men sent mad. Striking up a friendship with her landlord, Grant, and his younger sister, Cass, she begins to suspect that all might not be quite as it seems at Hare House. And as autumn turns to winter, and a heavy snowfall traps the inhabitants of the estate within its walls, tensions rise to fever pitch. Sally Hinchcliffe’s Hare House is a modern-day witch story, perfect for fans of Pine and The Loney. 'A beautiful, slow burn of a novel, eerie and shimmering in equal measure' - Mary Paulson-Ellis
People talk about the cold, hard light of day. There's no escaping what you can see by it. There can be no confusing, in that early morning light, the truth with the wished-for reality of dreams. The body was still there. He was still dead. Abandoned by her lover, Manda finds solace in bird-watching, a hobby her ex-partner introduced her to. The birds provide Manda with an escape from her troubled past - and an uncertain future. But then she falls prey to the ever more sinister attentions of another birdwatcher. As the harassment builds up, she is forced to flee, and details of her complicated past start to emerge. Haunted by her tenuous relationship with her family and memories of her African childhood, Manda is struggling with the choice between safety and freedom as she tries to escape her elusive stalker. Tempted by the promise of her friend Tom's protection, she wonders if she should finally trust someone before it's too late . . . Told through the vivid images of birds, Out of a Clear Sky is an unsettling psychological thriller which will grip you until the startling, unforeseen end.
This comprehensive joke writing masterclass has been devised for beginners and experienced joke writers alike. The techniques you will learn can be used again and again to write funny and original material. You hold in your hands the key to unlocking your inner comedy genius.
THE SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER 'Compelling and stunningly written' THE TIMES 'Wildly exciting . . . a classic' SPECTATOR 'Flawless . . . poetic . . . superbly portrayed' DAILY TELEGRAPH Three men. Three short, glittering lives. Young English painter Christopher Wood arrives in Paris in 1921 set on becoming the next great master. By day he studies; by night he attends parties with Picasso and Cocteau before paying too high a price for success. Richard Hilary, a confident if unprincipled Spitfire pilot, is suffering from terrible burns after being shot down. But the operations to restore him haven't deterred him from returning to action. And Jeremy Wolfenden, the cleverest of his set at All Souls College, leaves it all behind to report on the Cold War. But his louche private life makes him a plaything for the intelligent services, taking him on a fateful journey between East and West. The Fatal Englishman is a stunning tale of three short lives that burned brightly from a master storyteller.
'Intriguing' – Sunday Times 'A rousing read' – Irish Times 'A bright light of Francophone feminism' – New York Times Renowned journalist Mona Chollet recasts the witch as a powerful role model: an emblem of strength, free to exist beyond the narrow limits society imposes on women. Taking three archetypes from historic witch hunts – independent women, women who avoid having children and women who embrace ageing – Chollet examines how women today have the same charges levelled against them. She calls for justice in healthcare, challenging the gender imbalance in science and questioning why female bodies must still controlled by men. Rich with popular culture, literary references and media insights, In Defence of Witches is a vital addition to the cultural conversation around women, witches and the misogyny that has shaped the world they live in. With a foreword by Carmen Maria Machado and translated from French by Sophie R. Lewis.
The paths of two women from different walks of life intersect amid counterculture of the 1960s in this haunting and provocative novel from the National Book Award-winning author of The Friend Named a Best Book of the Year by the San Francisco Chronicle and the Christian Science Monitor Sigrid Nunez's The Last of Her Kind introduces two women who meet as freshmen on the Columbia campus in 1968. Georgette George does not know what to make of her brilliant, idealistic roommate, Ann Drayton, and her obsessive disdain for the ruling class into which she was born. She is mortified by Ann's romanticization of the underprivileged class, which Georgette herself is hoping college will enable her to es...
‘Gripping and moving. A literary triumph’ Nicola Sturgeon ‘A humane and searching story’ Ian Rankin ‘Kirstin Innes is aiming high, writing for readers in the early days of a better nation’ A.L. Kennedy A NEW STATESMAN BOOK OF THE YEAR • A SCOTSMAN BOOK OF THE YEAR
Betrayal, tragedy and revenge beyond the grave. Moving to an idyllic Cornish hideaway following her broken marriage is a big undertaking for Veronica Rowland, and Mill House is a new beginning for her. At the end of the lane is an ancient rag tree, an ominous shrine adorned with tributes to the living, the lost, and the precious dead. Believing in second chances is Veronica's gravest mistake. From the moment she enters her new home, she senses a hostile presence. Locals are reluctant to disclose the mill's dark history so it's up to her to piece together a chilling story of betrayal and tragedy. Confronted with the terrible truth of what she's up against, Veronica is defenseless against an entity with a grudge. Her own secret is exposed. Her past catches up with her. History comes full circle. This battle is personal, and Veronica is in for the fight of her life.
It is 1948 and a young American couple arrive in France for a holiday, full of anticipation and enthusiasm. But the countryside and people are war-battered, and their reception at the Chateau Beaumesnil is not all the open-hearted Americans could wish for.