British Literature

With his partner away on a honeymoon, Yorkshire detective Andrew Dalziel tries to beat the blues by taking a vacation of his own. But after getting caught in a torrential rain and running into a funeral procession, he winds up accompanying a crowd of upper-class mourners to a crumbling country house. Dalziel isn't known for his elegant manners, but he has bigger problems than not fitting in: The owner of the home has died under unusual circumstances, and soon more bodies are turning up.

South Africa, 1899 - the smouldering hostility between the Boers of the Transvaal and Orange Free State and the British colonies of the Cape and Natal is about to burst into flame. War is coming and no one can prevent it. Colonel Penrod Ballantyne, hero of Abu Klea and Omdurman, is sent to Mafeking to recruit and train men for the fighting ahead. Amber, his wife, the successful novelist, accompanies him - eager to see more of the country her husband is about to risk his life for.

From the author of the award-winning story, Where the Rain Falls, comes another heartfelt epic, From Skopje to India. A journey of love, culture, and discovery across continents unfolds. I wished to touch the readers with a story that gripped them from the start. I wanted to talk about the displaced and vulnerable, but instead, in writing this story, I learned about the wistful hearts of people who yearned to live life the same as the upper class. The clear disparity lies between the lines of my story, and I only wish you could see them through my eyes - shobana The Year was 1929 when ...

Fifteen years ago, a serial killer was on a rampage murdering young women in Middlehampton. Then, suddenly, the killings stopped, and the murderer was never found… So when the body of another young woman is found bearing the twisted killer’s unique hallmark—the overpowering stench of lavender and an origami heart—DS Kat Ballantyne knows this can only mean one thing: the killer is back.

Nestled within the rugged North York Moors lies Ashford Manor, a grand estate shrouded in secrets and cloaked in Victorian elegance. Here, the sudden and mysterious death of Lord Reginald Ashford sets the stage for an enthralling narrative woven with intrigue, betrayal, and hidden desires. As the esteemed inhabitants of Ashford Manor mourn the loss of their patriarch, the arrival of Inspector Hargreaves and Constable Barkley marks the beginning of an intense investigation that promises to unearth more than just the cause of Lord Reginald’s untimely demise. Set against the evocative ...

Tired of spending the holidays throwing up on cruises with her parents and, you know, being dumped by ex-boyfriends, Claire Frost is determined to change her luck this Christmas. Taking time off from her flower shop, she follows her friend to London, ready to enjoy all-things England. And boy, does she. The frost-covered flowers. The frozen green hills. The bright red telephone boxes. The festive Christmas markets.

To escape an unthinkable arrangement, Rowe Beasly accompanies her mother to the dark and gloomy Castle Ravendale, a fortress beset by a long history of tragedies. One night while exploring, she meets the heir, the last remaining descendant to the great family of Rothdales. A disfigured lord who steals her heart from the moment they meet. But trying to get him to come into the light will test her strength and things she holds most dear. Emotionally scarred by the weight of his family's curse, Adaire Rothdale, lives his life in darkness away from the world. His hopes and dreams curdling each ...

It's June 1941, and the low point of the war. England throws wave after wave of RAF bombers across the Channel, but somehow the Luftwaffe is able to shoot them down at will. The skies, indeed, the war itself seem to belong to Hitler.

From the #1 New York Times best-selling author comes an epic saga of intrigue and mystique set in Edwardian England. Cavendon Hall is home to two families, the aristocratic Inghams and the Swanns who serve them. With World War I looming, both families will find themselves tested in ways they never thought possible. Loyalties will be challenged and betrayals will be set into motion. In this time of uncertainty, one thing is sure: these two families will never be the same again.

Salisbury, 1226. A mysterious poacher claims to be a long-lost heir - to a man found crushed by his own cart wheel. Ela Longespée is determined to find the truth, even though the king has coldly appointed another sheriff in her place. Ela takes pity on the man - an injured knight who once saved her husband’s life - and convinces the sheriff to release him from jail while she investigates. Will it turn out to be a deadly mistake?

England, 1865: Newspaper columnist Lady Katherine Bascomb finds herself the subject of speculation when her latest article leads to an arrest in the murders plaguing London. The English believe women ought not to write about such vulgar things as crime, and a particularly attractive detective inspector is incensed that she's interfered with his investigation. To escape her sudden notoriety, Katherine heads to the country - only to witness a murder upon her arrival.

On the day of Alec Salter’s fiftieth birthday party, his wife, Charlotte, vanishes. Most of the small English village of Glensted is at the party for hours before anyone realizes she is missing. While Alec brushes off her disappearance, their four children—especially fifteen-year-old Etty—grow increasingly anxious as the cold winter hours become days and she doesn’t return. Then Etty and her friend Morgan find the body of Morgan’s father—and the Salters’ neighbor— Duncan Ackerley, floating in the river.

England, 1817--Charlotte Grey thought she had seen the last of Anthony Welbourne. Knowing her father would never consent to his only daughter marrying a man he deemed beneath their family's station, Charlotte bid her final farewell to Anthony and vowed never to turn back. Instead, she honored her father's wishes by marrying the wealthy Roland Prior.

Sal had woken up with no recollection of the night before a few times but never like this...in a forest...alone...confused...scared. She scoured her surroundings, desperate for some clue as to how she’d ended up here. Fragments of conversations, snapshots of memories were all she could scramble together. But, suddenly, none of it mattered. A stranger. A warning. And the hunt is on. Now Sal and her friends are in a battle like no other. Death and terror lurk around every corner. Can they defy the odds and live to fight another day? Or will they fall like so many before?

Isha has spent the last year watching his BFF get his happily-ever-after. He's proud of Dom, but...it hurts to see him so free while Isha's love life is still on lockdown. Only Isha's ex-wife knows the secret that he's kept caged for so long - that he's queer too, and he's lonely. Jude's too chained to his work to notice what he's missing by being terminally single, but a new face in the village soon catches his attention. City boy Isha is gorgeous, and when he starts to haunt Jude's reptile shop as well as the hook-up app on his phone, he's a welcome distraction....

Time is running out to save Jane from ruin. Elizabeth turns to the one person who can help her. . .but is Darcy a knight or a scoundrel? It's her one chance to save her sister, but when Elizabeth pleads for Darcy's assistance, he cannot help but take advantage of having the woman he wants to wed in his debt. The bargain they strike is for one night only. . .or is that what Darcy wants Elizabeth to believe? Despicably Darcy's is a Pride and Prejudice sensual romance variation for readers who enjoy Darcy with a sensual edge and Elizabeth succumbing to his tender mercies. . .

The making of a serial killer! 6 friends, 2 die! Who, when, where, why? Find out in the sixth instalment of The Adulterer Series. (This book can also be read as a standalone). Three married couples and their children go on holiday together and meet regularly for social gatherings. At first their lives seem idyllic, but beneath the surface, all is not what it seems. Within a year, two of the adults will be dead! ... and a serial killer will be created! Praise for Sam Anthony: If Stephen King were to write a psychological thriller romance, this would be it. ★★★★★ Not my usual read ...

A careless whisper. A shattered trust. Will Darcy choose love. . .or vengeance? Elizabeth's secret hopes for an offer from Mr. Darcy are shattered when gossip spreads like wildfire through Meryton, branding Miss Georgiana a compromised woman at the hands of George Wickham. There is only one person entrusted by Darcy with his sister's secret—Elizabeth Bennett. Lizzy's fierce pride forbids she continue to plead her innocence. She would never betray Georgiana, but if Darcy does not know her better than that by now, then he never will. Bruised pride and a broken heart must be set aside when a...

China, December 1941. Having left an unhappy life in England for a teaching post at a missionary school in northern China, Elspeth Kent is now anxious to return home to help the war effort. But as she prepares to leave China, a terrible twist of fate determines a different path for Elspeth, and those in her charge. Ten-year-old Nancy Plummer has always felt safe at Chefoo School, protected by her British status.

Eventually Dona lands in remote Navron, looking for peace of mind in its solitary woods and hidden creeks. She finds the passion her spirit craves in the love of a daring French pirate who is being hunted by all of Cornwall. Together, they embark upon a quest rife with danger and glory, one which bestows upon Dona the ultimate choice: sacrifice her lover to certain death or risk her own life to save him