Here are some of our highlights from May, including a new novel from Griff Hosker now available to pre-order, crime fiction on sale, and plenty more for you to enjoy.
Dean Martin: King of the Road by Michael Freedland
Rat Pack singer and actor Dean Martin has held his place in popular culture since his death in 1995.
With exclusive access to Martin’s family and friends, including some who have never spoken of Dean before, this is an in-depth account of Martin’s career and of the key relationships in his life – his three failed marriages, the final reconciliation with his second wife, Jeanne, and of course his lifelong friendship with Frank Sinatra.
Escape from Germany by Neil Hanson
July, 1918. The most heavily guarded POW camp in the world.
On the night of 23 July 1918, twenty-nine undaunted Allied prisoners achieved the impossible. They had spent nine months using cutlery to move tonnes of earth, clay and stone, digging a tunnel over 150 feet long under the walls and barbed-wire fences, to the farmland beyond. This is the fascinating story of how they did it – and of the many who had failed before them. Neil Hanson provides a rare insight into the minds of these prisoners of war, revealing their resourcefulness, courage and persistence – and inexhaustible good humour.
Rainbow at Dusk by Emilie Loring
In Jess Ramsay’s thoroughbred world, you held your head high even though your heart was breaking.
So, although Major Vance Trent had gone to another girl’s arms, Jess carried on as proudly as before. There was the Red Cross, and Aunt Ellen’s plantation to help run – and above all the perils of subversive infiltrators. With the recklessness of despairing love, Jess threw herself into the hunt for traitors – only to find, at her blackest hour, the courageous figure of Vance Trent by her side…
Dirty Tricks by Chapman Pincher
Chapman Pincher was the British journalist who gained notoriety during the Cold War era for his relentless investigation into the extent of Soviet infiltration of the western world.
Originally published in 1980 this is a wonderful cold war novel, vastly entertaining and written right from the inside of the ‘special relationship’. It also serves as an invaluable glimpse into the political atmosphere at that time, and completely captures an iconic era in the history of espionage.
Firepower by John Cutter
White supremacists have climbed their way to the top. It’s his job to bring them down.
Vince Bellator decides to infiltrate their ranks a highly dangerous faction of white supremacists who call themselves The Brethren. As he delves deeper into their ranks, Vince uncovers the group’s sickening plot, an act of national terror that will wreak devastation on America and all it stands for. With the FBI unconvinced and government officials colluding with Brethren leaders, can Vince stop the terrorist cell before it’s too late?
Above and Beyond: Secrets of a Private Flight Attendant by Saskia Swann and Nicola Stow
Brace yourself for a turbulent read in this hilarious and scandalous memoir, filled with shocking true stories that give a rare insight into life behind the scenes of a private jet’s cabin crew.
Heavily in debt, and earning peanuts as a ‘trolley dolly’, Saskia Swann desperately needed to get her life back on track. After a chance meeting, she landed a job as cabin crew – but this time on a private jet. Saskia soon realised that the job wasn’t quite what it seemed though: her billionaire boss expected far more from his hostesses than just cocktails and nibbles…
In this gripping exposé, Saskia Swann pulls back the first-class curtain on the lifestyles of the mega-rich and famous.
The Watchman by Rob Parker
One last mission for an old friend. What could go wrong?
It’s sold as an in-and-out jaunt to The Big Apple, to pick up a harmless envelope. But when Ben Bracken is offered the assignment, he’s a little hesitant. He’s a family man now, with a duty to stay alive for his loved ones.
So begins his American road trip, one that takes him from the city that never sleeps to the misty swamps of Florida. All in pursuit of one highly coveted envelope. Because it turns out, this job isn’t the walk in Central Park it was promised to be.
The Watchman is packed with action, underpinned with believable conspirative intrigue, world-class writing and twists you just won’t see coming.
A Deadly Coincidence by Keith Finney
In sleepy Lipton St Faith, the locals are getting used to their new rationing books and blackout curtains. The Second World War has brought much change to the small Norfolk village, as well as Lieutenant Eddie Elsner, on a mission all the way from America. But when the local postman is found dead, suddenly the war feels much closer to home…
The police are quick to declare it an unfortunate accident, but young, spirited Anna Grix is less convinced. After striking up a fast friendship with the newly arrived American, she teams up with Eddie to dig into this apparent accident.
Full of unexpected twists and turns, A Deadly Coincidence is the perfect read for fans of LJ Ross, Joy Ellis, Faith Martin and Elizabeth Edmondson.
Treachery (Mercenary of Rome Book 3) by John Stack
Atticus Perennis, prefect of the Roman fleet, waits restlessly in Carthage.
His crew is agitated, as they wait on edge for news from Rome, hoping the powers-that-be send more ships to help his Carthaginian forces put down a rebel mercenary army. When word reaches them that a fleet is on their way, it seems there might be an end in sight to the ceaseless violence.
However, the optimism does not last long. When an act of treachery by the Carthaginian side is committed against their Roman brothers in arms, the wheels of counter-revenge, bloodshed and savagery are set in motion.
As treachery and deception threaten the lives of Atticus and his men, all sides must come to a final stand.
Targets of Treachery (Lord Edward’s Archer Book 4) by Griff Hosker
Gerald has proven himself an unrivalled archer, but now he is married, he longs to enjoy life’s simpler pursuits, raising a family and tending his land.
But life on the borderlands brings complications, and King Edward has different ideas for Gerald. Prince Llywelyn of Wales will not toe the line, and once more, Gerald is chosen as royal envoy. He must cross the treacherous Welsh Marches to make strategic allegiances and request Llywelyn bend the knee to the English crown.
When those allegiances fail to protect England from Welsh rebellion, King Edward abandons diplomacy and seizes Welsh land to erect and capture castles, imbuing the landscape with intimidation.
As Gerald assists in this military tug-of-war, his thoughts are back home with his family, where personal vendettas threaten his own fortifications. Can he help wrest power back into English hands before the Welsh mob descends on all he holds dear?
Shelley Smith
Nancy Bodington was born in 1912. Under the pen name of Shelley Smith, she wrote 15 crime and detective novels between 1942 and 1978. Smith is best known for The Ballard of the Running Man and its 1963 film adaption starring Laurence Harvey and Lee Remick.
For a limited time only her books are available for only 0.99.
