FICTION

WINNER OF THE WOMEN'S PRIZE 2025- An exhilarating tale of twisted desire, histories and homes, and the unexpected shape of revenge<p>It is fifteen years after the Second World War, and Isabel has built herself a solitary life of discipline and strict routine in her late mother's country home, with not a fork or a word out of place. But all is upended when her brother Louis delivers his graceless new girlfriend, Eva, at Isabel's doorstep - as a guest, there to stay for the season...</p><p>In the sweltering heat of summer, Isabel's desperate need for control reaches boiling point. What happens between the two women leads to a revelation which threatens to unravel all she has ever known...</p>

The enthralling new novel from the 10-million-copy, No. 1 bestselling author<p>London 1941</p><p>When Mary meets a glamorous stranger named Elizabeth she realises their lives couldn't be more different.</p><p>But when an air raid forces them to take shelter underground Mary's life is set in change forever.</p><p>After waking up in hospital, injured but alive, the nurse mistakes her for Elizabeth and hands over her suitcase with Elizabeth's money and tickets to Ireland inside.</p><p>This is Mary's chance to escape the hardship of her life and start afresh.</p><p>What could go wrong?</p>

A sweeping historical story of love, family and friendship that highlights the richness and vitality of Torres Strait Islander culture. For readers of Anita Heiss.'This is the kind of book you'll want to read again immediately, and will appeal to fans of Kate Grenville, Pip Williams and Anita Heiss.' READINGS MONTHLYA heart-warming and ultimately triumphant story of the life of a young Torres Strait Islander woman from Tagai Town, a shantytown on the northeastern coast of Australia, in the decades before, during and after World War II.Growing up in the 1930s, Pearl strives for a place in the wider world, battling deep-seated prejudices. When she rescues a white shopkeeper trapped under a fallen beam, a bond forms between the two women, and Pearl becomes the first Ailan woman, Islander woman, to work front-of-shop in the nearby white town. Not everyone is happy, of course, least of all the affronted white customers. But Pearl is quietly determined. Her budding romance with the bank manager's son, though, must always be kept secret for her to retain her position and for the security of Tagai Town. Like Ama Rose says, 'We leave them koles, white people, alone and they leave us alone!'When war arrives and Teddy suddenly enlists in the army, Pearl faces a cruel punishment. But her quest to recover the child she had with Teddy reveals much more than she'd bargained for. Lenora Thaker's debut novel, The Pearl of Tagai Town, brings a fresh angle to Australian historical fiction with a First Nations wartime love story.PRAISE-'Readers of Kate Grenville and Anita Heiss and those drawn to lesser-told stories will find much to admire in this striking debut.' BOOKS + PUBLISHING'The Pearl of Tagai Town reclaims history through storytelling.' NATIONAL INDIGENOUS TIMES

The Occupation Winner of the 2024 Penguin Literary Prize 'Assured, deft, sophisticated. Chloe Adams is the real deal.' EMILY BITTO Breathtaking. SALLY HEPWORTH In the autumn of 1949, two women convene in the parlour of a Melbourne hotel. Tess is married and childless. Mary, unwed and pregnant. Surrendering to the unimaginable, Mary agrees to a life-altering pact- she will give her child to Tess. One year earlier, Mary stands on the deck of an Australian naval ship, awaiting arrival in the ruined Japanese city of Kure. There, thousands of Australians have established an occupation of the Hiroshima prefecture. As she settles into her new life, Mary finds carefree expats touring the countryside, hosting picnics and even throwing parties, all while the war-ravaged locals try to rebuild their lives. When she meets Sully, an Australian journalist, Mary's idealised notion of the occupation crumbles. Confronted by moral ambiguity on such a grand scale, she becomes reckless. Returning home may seem the answer, but even there, echoes of the occupation linger. 

Envy and desire infiltrate the lives of twin sisters in this dark, Gothic suspense set in England and New York City, perfect for fans of Laura Joh Rowland and Hester Fox.Envy and desire infiltrate the lives of twin sisters in this dark, Gothic suspense set in England and New York City, perfect for fans of Laura Joh Rowland and Hester Fox.A mirror will never show you the truth.England, 1904. Mirror twins Adelaide and Victoria have spent their lives in orbit of each other- doomed to be in the other's shadow, their lives are intertwined and inextricable as each other's identical inverse. Adelaide is dutiful and reserved, happy to remain in her childhood home, Harewood Hall, forever. Victoria wishes for a thrilling life, exploring the world and finding a great romance-but the twins cannot live apart. Visiting Lord Stanley bewitches Victoria with his talk of a life of luxury in New York, but it is obedient Adelaide whom he marries against her will and to Victoria's fury. Together, they all move to New York and begin a new life. Adelaide finds herself trapped in a gilded cage on Fifth Avenue with no one but her angry and tempestuous twin for company. Amid the glamor of the upper class, Adelaide is captivated by the independent and educated women of the elite social circle Mrs. Astor's 400. As Adelaide's star rises, tensions begin to surface between the sisters, and as Adelaide grows apart from her twin for the very first time, Victoria descends into a rage-fueled darkness that threatens everything and anyone standing in her way. Darker and darker with every turn of the page, this Gothic suspense will enrapture readers of Daphne du Maurier and Laura Purcell.

An ultimatum- her or me. A gunshot. A betrayal. From the author of The Flames, a passionate story set in Paris and the French Riviera, about three women whose lives are set on a collision course when they meet the enigmatic artist Henri Matisse.On France's golden Riviera, the wife of an artist gives him an ultimatum- her or me. The dazzling new novel from Sophie Haydock, author of The Flames 'Deliciously immersive . . . Think of Haydock as the art world's answer to Philippa Gregory . . . I took Madame Matisse on a wet, grey holiday and it swept me into a world of startling, splashy colour' The Spectator' A sizzling story of the art world, where sidelined women take centre stage. It's an immersive tale of muses, betrayal, sex and bad behaviour' Daily MailThis is the story of three women - one an orphan and refugee who finds a place in the studio of a famous French artist, the other a wife and mother who has stood by her husband for nearly forty years. The third is his daughter, caught in the crossfire between her mother and a father she adores.Amelie is first drawn to Henri Matisse as a way of escaping the conventional life expected of her. A free spirit, she sees in this budding young artist a glorious future for them both. Ambitious and driven, she gives everything for her husband's art, ploughing her own desires, her time, her money into sustaining them both, even through years of struggle and disappointment.Lydia Delectorskaya is a young Russian emigree, who fled her homeland following the death of her mother. After a fractured childhood, she is trying to make a place for herself on France's golden Riviera, amid the artists, film stars and dazzling elite. Eventually she finds employment with the Matisse family. From this point on, their lives are set on a collision course....Marguerite is Matisse's eldest daughter. When the life of her family implodes, she must find her own way to make her mark and to navigate divided loyalties.Based on a true story, Madame Matisse is a stunning novel about drama and betrayal; emotion and sex; glamour and tragedy, all set in the hotbed of the 1930s art movement in France. In art, as in life, this a time when the rules were made to be broken...

CleopatraFrom the international bestselling author comes an unmissable new un-telling of the life of one of the most captivating and misrepresented female figures in history.

Stunning historical immersion into the world of Rembrandt with a gripping plot of a promise turned sour. For fans of Stacey Halls, Maggie O'Farrell and Tracy Chevalier.

Tyrant The latest gripping instalment in the bestselling Nero trilogy follows empress Agrippina's ceaseless pursuit of absolute power for her son to rule over the Roman Empire Ancient Rome, AD 50 The boy Nero lives. His mother Agrippina has married her way to power, tangling the Emperor Claudius in her skirts. The emperor may have a son and heir of his own, but Agrippina sees no obstacles to her ambition. Rome is a path through a marsh, lit by torches. Those who walk it are always one step from disaster - and the road itself is treacherous, slippery with blood. Claudius may have the world at his feet, but he has Agrippina in his bed.

The Martha's Vineyard Beach And Book Club Two sisters living on Martha's Vineyard during World War II find hope in the power of storytelling when they start a wartime book club - a spectacular novel inspired by true events from the bestselling author of Lilac Girls. 2016 Fresh from her mother's funeral, Mari arrives on Martha's Vineyard off the coast of Massachusetts to study under the enigmatic painter Elizabeth Devereux. But she soon realizes that her relationship to the island runs deeper than she ever thought possible. 1942 It's World War II, and Smith sisters Briar and Cadence are faced with the impossible task of holding their failing family farm together as the US army arrives on their island. In an attempt for normalcy, the sisters start a book club that quickly grows in numbers and becomes a lifeline for the women who remain on the island. That is, until a German soldier's arrival casts shadows of doubt and danger. Who can they really trust in their tight-knit community? 'A delight!' Kate Quinn'A heart-in-your-mouth tale of family, friendship, and romance' Charmaine Wilkerson'A dreamy beach book that also sizzles with tension . . . another winner by one of the best historical fiction writers around.' Fiona Davis'Irresistible . . . This story drew me in, then swept me away!' Lisa Wingate'The glorious Martha Hall Kelly's most personal novel yet . . . with a surprising turn that will inspire readers everywhere' Adriana Trigiani'An ode to the human heart and the power of books to connect us―no one writes about the sustaining cords of female friendships quite like Martha Hall Kelly.' Allison Pataki'Her characters are so beautifully crafted.' Genevieve Graham'Full of thoughtful and detailed prose, endearing characters, swoony romance, and thriller-worthy intrigue.' Natalie Jenner'A heartwarming novel of audacious women inspiring hope with a dash of heartbreak' Sarah McCoy

Black Silk And Buried Secrets The second captivating novel featuring intrepid heroine Tatty Crowe and the fascinating world of Sydney's Victorian funeral business, from bestselling historical fiction author Deborah Challinor. Sydney, 1871. Twenty-five-year-old widow Tatty Crowe is the owner of busy undertaking firm Crowe Funerals. Life and business are good until Tatty notices how many women are dying after unlawful abortions, and after a terrible tragedy strikes close to home, she vows to expose the culprit. And then there are the whispered rumours of baby farming. Once again Tatty sets out to investigate the crisis and finds herself immersed in the dark and sometimes heartless world of paid foster care and adoption. Along the way she encounters an old foe, and clashes with a new adversary who, it transpires, is far more dangerous. From the grim slums of Chippendale and Newtown to the grand houses of Woolloomooloo to Sydney's rowdy Criminal Court, comes the next chapter in the story of compassionate and clever - but headstrong - Tatty Crowe. Praise for Black Silk and Sympathy: 'In this expertly crafted novel, Challinor delivers a captivating tale of resilience, reinvention and determination ... [with] a thrilling twist' Books+Publishing

The House With Nine Locks 1950s Flanders- A master forger transforms a young woman's life, but will the price be too high? Combining the cinematic allure of The Queen's Gambit with the seductive intrigue of Jessie Burton's The Muse, The House with Nine Locks is a compelling and sweeping historical novel with characters you won't soon forget.A master forger. A hidden fortune. A dangerous game of cat and mouse...In post-war Flanders, Adelais de Wolf's family is slowly, inexplicably, falling apart- her mother evermore lost to religious devotion, her father to alcohol. But with the death of a beloved uncle, Adelais finds herself in receipt of an unexpected legacy- a shuttered house in a rundown district and its contents - contents that hold the promise of independence and wealth. All that is required is application, nerve, and a willingness to break the law.Adelais stifles her doubts and her fortunes are transformed. But with her rise comes complications- her victimless crimes may not be as victimless as she supposed. Nor has she counted on the singular fanaticism of Major de Smet of the Federal Gendarmerie, a brutal detective who never forgives and never forgets.Embroiled in a game that has gone on too long, will Adelais find the cost of her fortunes too high?

A gripping true crime investigation into the murder of the relatives of Albert Einstein, set against the backdrop of Nazi-occupied Florence during WWIIItaly, August 1944. A unit of German soldiers arrives at a villa near Florence. Villa Il Focardo is home to Robert Einstein, cousin to the most famous scientist in the world, Albert Einstein - a prominent enemy of the Nazi regime. Twelve hours after arriving, the soldiers have vanished - and a family is dead.This crime - and what happened next - still haunts those who survived. In The Einstein Vendetta, Thomas Harding recounts the story of an until-now untold true crime, one that unspools to reveal Italy's brutal wartime history - its fall to fascism, antisemitism and bitter partisanship - and a family's search for justice.