FICTION

The Proving Ground (Lincoln Lawyer Book 8) From #1 New York Times bestselling author Michael Connelly, the Lincoln Lawyer is back with a case against an AI company whose product may have been responsible for the murder of a young girl.Mickey Haller has moved from criminal to civil court, but murder remains in his sights-in particular, the case of a chatbot encouraging the killing of a teenage girl. Mickey files a civil lawsuit against the artificial intelligence company responsible for the chatbot and instantly finds himself on the wild frontier of the billion-dollar AI industry. Grappling with a terrifying lack of regulation and data overload, Haller partners with journalist Jack McEvoy. But they are up against mega-forces, and even the bravest whistleblower faces grave danger.In 1997, IBM's Deep Blue defeated chess master Garry Kasparov with an unexpected gambit. In a Herculean new match of man vs machine, can Haller pull off a winning play for humanity?

A gripping, provocative work by one of our finest writers, the internationally acclaimed author Fiona McFarlane. In overlapping stories, Highway 13 explores the reverberations of a serial killer's crimes in the lives of everyday people. A brilliant and illuminating account of loss and its extended echoes across an entire society.

Don Bentley completes the trilogy begun with American Assassin by taking Mitch Rapp back to his fledgling assassin days, picking up where Kill Shot ended, on a mission to save the woman he loves amid a CIA showdown with the Russian intelligence services in a new thriller from the author of Vince Flynn’s #1 New York Times bestselling series. The Central Intelligence Agency is in crisis. Following the collapse of the Soviet Union, Congress is questioning the organisation’s necessity. Interim CIA director Thomas Stansfield must fight for his agency’s survival while explaining why the previous candidate for his job was found murdered in a French hotel – surrounded by booze, cash, and dead men. Worse yet, a brilliantly run sting operation in Moscow has resulted in the arrest of America’s most prized Russian asset and the expulsion of his CIA handler. With the CIA’s Moscow Station now paralysed by the catastrophic intelligence failure, Stansfield seeks help from Mitch Rapp, a newly minted assassin in the secretive Orion program. But Rapp has problems of his own: when his Swiss girlfriend Greta’s grandfather receives a box containing the head of a former Cold War comrade along with a note promising that Greta’s head will be next, Rapp finds himself on the front lines in a war between the American and Russian intelligence services. To protect the woman he loves and save the CIA from destruction, Rapp must be willing to risk everything.

Sally Hepworth is the New York Times bestselling author of ten novels, including The Soulmate and Darling Girls. Drawing on the good, the bad and the downright odd of human behaviour, Sally writes incisively about family, relationships and identity. Her domestic thriller novels are laced with quirky humour, sass and a darkly charming tone. They are available worldwide in English and have been translated into twenty-five languages. The Family Next Door is Sally's first book to be adapted for the screen. Sally lives in Melbourne, Australia, with her family and one adorable dog.

The Bodies How many times would you let your child get away with murder? The new break-out thriller from Sam Lloyd, author of Richard & Judy Book Club pick The Memory Wood.When you look down at your newborn baby, you realise they were right, those smug parents you've always rolled your eyes at- you'd do literally anything for your child. To make them happy, keep them safe.So when Joseph Carver wakes one night to find his teenage son Max scrubbing the kitchen, hands wet with blood and panic flooding his voice as he promises it was an accident, he didn't mean to do it, Joseph does the only thing he can. He helps Max bury the body.Joseph thinks that's the end of the nightmare. Until he finds Max with stricken eyes and bloody hands once again . . .You'd do anything for your child - even cover up a murder.But how many times?

Can You Solve the Murder? Crime novel meets gamebook in this gripping, inventive locked-room murder mystery, set in a wellness retreat in a country mansion, from award-winning crime author and veteran games writer.ARE YOU READY TO BE A DETECTIVE?In this gripping interactive crime novel, at the end of every chapter, YOU choose what to do next...You arrive at Elysium, a wellness retreat in an English country manor, to investigate a murder. You find the body of a local businessman on the lawn, with a rose placed in his mouth.When you examine the body, you learn that he fell to his death from the balcony above. But that balcony can only be accessed through a locked door - and the key is missing.Everyone in Elysium is now a suspect, but who will you interview first? Be careful what you choose, because every decision you make has consequences, and some of them will prove fatal...Do you have what it takes? Can YOU solve the murder?Experience a gripping new type of story, unlike anything you've read before, from Antony Johnston, award-winning crime author and veteran games writer.

Victorian Psycho'Jane Eyre meets American Psycho. Gloriously outrageous, sensationally unhinged' SUNDAY TIMES‘Simmering with rage, propulsive and laugh-out-loud funny' CATRIONA WARD'Weird and wonderful' LUCY MANGAN, GUARDIANWinifred Notty arrives at Ensor House prepared to play the perfect Victorian governess. She’ll dutifully tutor her charges, Drusilla and Andrew, tell them bedtime stories, and only joke about eating children. But the longer Winifred spends within the estate’s dreary confines and the more she learns of the perversions and pathetic preoccupations of the Pounds family, the more trouble she has sticking to her plan.Whether creeping across the moonlit lawns in her undergarments or gently tormenting the house staff, Winifred struggles at every turn to stifle the horrid compulsions of her past until her chillingly dark imagination breaches the feeble boundary of reality on Christmas morning. Wielding her signature sardonic wit and a penchant for the gorgeously macabre, Virginia Feito returns with a vengeance in Victorian Psycho.NOW BEING ADAPTED FOR A MAJOR FILM BY A24What readers are saying…'Psychotic, strange, utterly hilarious, strangely relatable' ?????'Dark, gruesome, hilarious, wild, weird' ?????'One hell of a ride. Perfection!' ?????'I frequently found myself blindsided, mouth agape, and loved every second of it' ?????

An unputdownable crime thriller featuring Detective Antigone Pollard from the bestselling author of The Unbelieved.

The Wolf Who Cried Boy ‘If you know where to look, kiddo, the world is full of magic and monsters.’Six-year-old Henry believes his life is a fairytale. He’s a Star Prince, his mum is a Star Queen and they’re hiding from Henry’s father, the mysterious ‘Wolf King’.When news arrives that his Grandma is gravely ill, Henry and his mum must take a road trip across the country and back into the Wolf King’s orbit. Henry isn’t afraid: he knows his magic powers will save them. But as the King draws ever closer, Henry’s world starts to fall apart. Who is the real baddie in his life? Who can he trust? And why don’t his powers seem to work?In this astoundingly original story of heroes, villains and the messy reality between them, a world of violence and fear can be wildly funny and streaked with magic. Through its unforgettable narrator, The Wolf Who Cried Boy explores how cycles of violence, misogyny and corruption must be broken if we ever want our children to grow up free

Dust Lake Herrod, a once-thriving community, now lies in the shadow of a nearly dry lake. The town, like the water, is evaporating and its residents are left clinging to what little remains.When Aaron Love discovers a fresh corpse near the cracked lakebed – along with evidence his missing father is alive and linked to a web of organised crime – he is thrust into a world of deception, injustice, and betrayal. With the town on the brink of collapse, Aaron and a haunted detective, Martyn Kravets, uncover a web of conspiracy that reaches far beyond the small community.Dust is a dark, gripping thriller that explores the complexities of identity, a search for truth, and the unyielding forces of corruption in a world where lives are lived on the fringe and nothing is as it seems.

The Italian Secret No.1 international bestselling author Tara Moss returns with an immersive post-war mystery as glamorous investigator Billie Walker follows a trail of secrets to Italy's sun-drenched Neapolitan coast.Naples, 1943. Deep within a secret network of underground tunnels, a woman takes shelter from a wartime air raid and prays her husband will return safely.Indian Ocean, 1907. A young woman embarks on a lonely journey to begin a new life far from home.Sydney, 1948. Billie Walker, recently returned from a stint as a wartime investigative journalist, has reopened her father's private inquiry office. Billie is cleaning out old filing cabinets when she uncovers a dusty box whose contents just might upend everything Billie thought she knew about her late, beloved father.Soon Billie is on the scent, uncovering the secrets of her family's past, travelling aboard the first postwar luxury passenger ship from Sydney to Naples in search of answers. And as the trail leads her toward two women whose history is entwined with her own, she realises she is not the only one at risk. Billie's father had an enemy - one who may now be stalking Billie around the world - and the closer Billie gets to the truth, the more danger she finds herself in.'Another rip-roaring novel featuring one of my favorite detectives, Ms. Billie Walker. Moss's latest is both a tale of international intrigue and an intimate family drama, racing from the cosmopolitan city of Sydney to the war-torn shores of Naples. The mystery at its core is a doozy, the tension sublime. An unforgettable read' Fiona Davis, New York Times bestselling author of The Stolen Queen'A fearless young woman sets out on a quest in this tense but heartwarming tale of family, love and honor spanning the globe from Naples to Sydney' Rhys Bowen, New York Times bestselling author of the Royal Spyness series'A richly layered, page-turning post-war mystery that explores, with depth and heart, how long-held secrets shape family and identity' Susan Meissner, USA Today bestselling author of A Map to ParadisePraise for the Billie Walker mysteries:'A terrific read' Lynda La Plante'A cracking thriller, with a marvellous, strong, flamboyant heroine. Loved it' Joanne Harris, award-winning author of Chocolat'Retro noir with a gutsy heroine and atmospheric setting ... vivid, page-turning historical crime, better written than most' Sydney Morning Herald'Just what I needed today - a blast of the escapist past' Ian Rankin'Tara Moss writes beautifully; vivid descriptions, truly believable characters and enough page-turning suspense to keep you up reading far later than you intended!' Peter James'Ultra-cool and whip-smart' Emily Maguire'Rich period detail and a fierce, feminist heroine distinguish this stylish twist on the classic 1940s detective novel' Publishers Weekly

The Mysterious Case Of The Missing Crime WriterMurder, mystery and a disappearing crime writer all come together in the new Golden Age crime novel from Sunday Times bestseller Ragnar Jónasson.One winter evening, bestselling crime author Elin S. Jónsdóttir goes missing.There are no clues to her disappearance and it is up to young detective, Helgi, to crack the case before it's leaked to the press.As he interviews the people closest to her - a publisher, an accountant, a retired judge - he realises that Elin's life wasn't what it seemed. In fact, her past is even stranger than her stories.As the case of the missing crime writer becomes more mysterious by the hour, Helgi must uncover the secrets of a very unexpected life . . .

How Bad Things Can GetFyre Fest meets The Blair Witch Project in this chilling thriller-horror by USA Today bestselling author Darcy Coates.The Blair Witch Project meets Fyre Fest in this bloody new thriller from the queen of scares, Darcy Coates!It was supposed to be the party of the century- miles of idyllic white sand beaches, lush jungle foliage...and a dark legend nobody dreamed might be all too true.When an online influencer and several hundred of his most loyal fans land on Prosperity Island, the plan is simple- five days of elaborate games, drinking, and suntanned fun.A week in paradise should have been a welcome respite. The only survivor of an infamous cult, Ruth wants nothing more than to keep her head down and not draw attention. She's spent decades outrunning her blood-soaked childhood, and her identity is a closely held secret.But then the true history of the island is revealed...along with its sinister connection to Ruth's past. As guests go missing and games turn deadly, Ruth and the rest of the attendees are forced to question whether they've really been invited to paradise...or whether something much darker-and far bloodier-is waiting for them just beyond the bonfire's light.