Richard and Judy

1705. In the golden city of Amsterdam Thea Brandt is turning eighteen, and she is ready to welcome adulthood with open arms. At the city's theatre, the love of her life awaits her, but at home all is not well — her father Otto and Aunt Nella argue endlessly, and the Brandt family are selling their furniture in order to eat. On Thea's birthday, also the day that her mother died, the secrets of the past begin to overwhelm the present.Nella is desperate to save the family and maintain appearances, to find Thea a husband who will guarantee her future, and when they receive an invitation to Amsterdam's most exclusive ball, she is overjoyed — perhaps this will set their fortunes straight.But, as Thea discovers new miniatures, Nella's fears are realized. Eighteen years after she first entered the family's life, the miniaturist may have plans of her own . . .The House of Fortune is a glorious, sweeping story of ambition, secrets and dreams, and one young woman's determination to rule her own destiny.EndorsementsThe Sunday Times No.1 Bestseller"Elegant, atmospheric, compelling. I absolutely loved it" — Marian Keyes, author of Again, Rachel"A book of beauty and insight . . . awe-inspiring. Burton is a master storyteller" — Elizabeth Day, author of Magpie

When Caz steps onboard the exclusive cruise liner RMS Atlantica, it’s the start of a vacation of a lifetime with her new love, Pete. On their first night they explore the ship, eat, dance, make friends, but when Caz wakes the next morning, Pete is missing.And when she walks out into the corridor, all the cabin doors are open. To her horror, she soon realizes that the ship is completely empty. No passengers, no crew, nobody but her. The Atlantica is steaming into the mid-Atlantic and Caz is the only person on board. But that’s just the beginning of the terrifying journey she finds herself trapped on in this white-knuckled mystery.

Can you live a lie without spilling the truth?Once, Iris was happy. She had the home, the husband, the promise of a family. Now she's divorced and renting out her spare room to make ends meet. Life could be worse. But could have been better — if it hadn't been for Maddy: the woman who ruined her life...Social influencer Maddy's brand is happy families. She preaches about loyalty and the sanctity of marriage, and is quickly becoming famous for her wholesome videos of life with her husband and adorable twin girls.Iris doesn't believe a word of it. And she's going to prove it's all false.Because if there's one thing that will bring back Iris's happiness, it's taking away Maddy's...Jane Fallon's whip-smart new novel explores the murky truths behind the versions of ourselves we project online, the lengths we go to when we feel we've been wronged, and the often unlikely places we find true friendship.The queen of revenge comedy is back with a hilariously sharp and refreshing new novel

Two children get on the train. Only one gets off... No one saw it happen.You stand on a crowded tube platform in London. Your two little girls jump on the train ahead of you. As you try to join them, the doors slide shut and the train moves away, leaving you behind.Everyone is lying.By the time you get to the next stop, you've convinced yourself that everything will be fine. But you soon start to panic, because there aren't two children waiting for you on the platform. There's only one.Someone is to blame.Has your other daughter got lost? Been taken by a passing stranger? Or perhaps the culprit is closer to home than you think? No one is telling the truth, and the longer the search continues, the harder she will be to find...

January 1978. A serial killer has terrorized women across the Pacific Northwest, but his existence couldn’t be further from the minds of the vibrant young women at the top sorority on Florida State University’s campus in Tallahassee. Tonight is a night of promise, excitement, and desire, but Pamela Schumacher, president of the sorority, makes the unpopular decision to stay home—a decision that unwittingly saves her life. Startled awake at 3 a.m. by a strange sound, she makes the fateful decision to investigate. What she finds behind the door is a scene of implausible violence—two of her sisters dead; two others, maimed. Over the next few days, Pamela is thrust into a terrifying mystery inspired by the crime that’s captivated public interest for more than four decades.On the other side of the country, Tina Cannon has found peace in Seattle after years of hardship. A chance encounter brings twenty-five-year-old Ruth Wachowsky into her life, a young woman with painful secrets of her own, and the two form an instant connection. When Ruth goes missing from Lake Sammamish State Park in broad daylight, surrounded by thousands of beachgoers on a beautiful summer day, Tina devotes herself to finding out what happened to her. When she hears about the tragedy in Tallahassee, she knows it’s the man the papers refer to as the All-American Sex Killer. Determined to make him answer for what he did to Ruth, she travels to Florida on a collision course with Pamela—and one last impending tragedy.Bright Young Women is the story about two women from opposite sides of the country who become sisters in their fervent pursuit of the truth. It proposes a new narrative inspired by evidence that’s been glossed over for decades in favor of more salable headlines—that the so-called brilliant and charismatic serial killer from Seattle was far more average than the countless books, movies, and primetime specials have led us to believe, and that it was the women whose lives he cut short who were the exceptional ones.An extraordinary novel inspired by the real-life sorority targeted by America's first celebrity serial killer in his final murderous spree.

It’s 1990 and the streets of Notting Hill in London are filled with colour, life and the pulse of music from around the world. But behind the front door at 51 St Quentin Avenue, nineteen-year-old February Kingdom is not OK. Her parents were killed in the King’s Cross fire two years ago, and her twin sister — beautiful, vibrant, lovable Diana — died in a car crash just six months ago.Then, one evening in May, she finds an escaped canary called Yellow in her kitchen, and it sparks a glimmer of hope in her. When its owner, Theo, who works in the pet shop down the road, gives Yellow to Feb to look after, she starts to feel her way out of her own private darkness.This is a story about being a sister when your sister is gone, of loss, of overcoming grief, and of the bliss of first love. It’s also about what happens when you start looking after something more important than you and the hope a little yellow bird can bring.A feel-good nostalgic book-club novel about loss, hope and the powerful bond between sisters.

When Erin and Will start having couples therapy, they hope it'll fix the rift that has appeared out of nowhere in their marriage. But their therapist Maggie cannot work out whose version of the truth she can trust. Then Erin is brought into hospital in a critical condition following a hit-and-run accident. Now everyone is desperate to unravel the truth. Because if this isn't an accident, then someone close to Erin must be responsible...Two people. Two sides of the story. Whose do you trust?Endorsements‘Gripping, twisty and dark’ — Lucy Clarke‘Nail-biting!’ — Jane Corry‘Dark and intriguing’ — Alice Clark-Platts‘Quietly menacing...’ — Isabel Ashdown'Another winner from Heidi Perks' — Daily Mail'A gripping thriller... with a killer twist' — Claire Douglas'Kept me up late into the night' — Lucy Clarke'I flew through this book in three days' — Lisa Jewell'Reads like Liane Moriarty at her Big Little Lies best' — Tony Parsons

The world's toughest reality show. A prize worth killing for...Frozen Out is set to be a TV sensation. On a small ship off the coast of Greenland, eight contestants will push themselves to breaking point for a £100,000 prize. The show is Tori Matsuka's baby. After years working her way up the ladder, she's finally launching her own production company and everything is riding on the next twelve days. For camerawoman Dee, it's a chance to start again after the tragedy that tanked her undercover journalism career.But as errors and mishaps mount on set, tempers among the cast and crew start to fray. And when one of the contestants is found dead, only Dee realises the death wasn't natural — and from what she's seen from behind the camera, it won't be the last. As the Arctic ice closes in around them and all chance of escape is cut off, it becomes clear that although the world outside wants them dead, it's the secrets inside the ship that might cost them their lives.Packed with suspense from the first page to the last, Freeze is a must-read for fans of Shiver, The Sanatorium and One By One. This thriller isn't just chilling: it's sub-zero.

The Perfect EscapeWhen struggling influencer couple Adele and Jack post a crowdfunding video online, they’re amazed when a mysterious benefactor offers to buy them an idyllic 17th-century French château. It’s the lifeline they need to leave all their troubles behind and patch up their relationship after a rocky period.The InfluencerFor Adele, it’s a dream come true. She will post videos from the fairy-tale setting, renovating the grand building as thousands of online subscribers follow their journey. But the château is not all it seems and the local community is far from welcoming.The SisterThen Adele’s videos suddenly stop. Her sister Erin travels to France to make sure she’s okay, but the couple have vanished. Between the obsession of Adele’s fans, the unsettling history of the building and the claustrophobic secrecy of the nearby town, Erin must unravel the shocking truth behind why the anonymous investor gifted Adele and Jack their dream home in the first place...The grander the house. The darker the secrets. From bestselling author Ruth Kelly, The Escape is an electrifying winter read for fans of Lisa Jewell and Sarah Pearse.

Right or wrong?Only nine criminals in the UK have been granted lifelong anonymity.Their crimes are so heinous that their identities are permanently changed for their own safety.Criminal or victim?Upon release, they're given a second chance: new identities and new homes with new neighbours who have no idea. Because, by law, they cannot be named as who they are — or were...Redemption or revenge?But what if someone started systematically exposing their true identities? Not to the press, or the public, but to the families of their victims.Who deserves justice? And who gets to decide?

Who knows you better than your best friend? Who knows your secrets, your fears, your desires, your strange imperfect self? Edi and Ash have been best friends for over forty years. Since childhood they have seen each other through life's milestones: stealing vodka from their parents, the Madonna phase, REM concerts, unexpected wakes, marriages, infertility, children. As Ash notes, 'Edi's memory is like the back-up hard drive for mine.'So when Edi is diagnosed with terminal cancer, Ash's world reshapes around the rhythms of Edi's care, from chipped ice and watermelon cubes to music therapy; from snack smuggling to impromptu excursions into the frozen winter night. Because life is about squeezing the joy out of every moment, about building a powerhouse of memories, about learning when to hold on, and when to let go.

British spy Emma Makepeace goes undercover on a Russian oligarch’s superyacht, where she’s one wrong move away from a watery grave, in this electrifying thriller from the author of Alias Emma.An MI6 operative is found dead, locked in a suitcase inside his own apartment. Despite an exhaustive search, no fingerprints are found at the scene. Emma Makepeace and her handler, Ripley, know an assassination when they see one, and such an obvious murder can mean only one thing: someone is sending a message.As she digs into his past, Emma discovers that the unfortunate spy had been investigating two Russian oligarchs based in London. He had become obsessed with the idea that the two were spies, aided by a third man—whose identity he had yet to uncover. When he shared his findings within MI6 in the weeks before he died, the response came back fast: "Drop the investigation and move on." Had he uncovered a secret that cost him his life?To pick up where he left off without ending up in a suitcase of her own, Emma goes undercover on one of the oligarch’s million-dollar yachts, scheduled to set sail from the Côte d’Azur to Monaco. Under other circumstances, this would be a dream vacation. But if Emma’s real identity gets discovered, it’s a death sentence.As Emma’s work reveals secrets she’d be safer not knowing, the danger ratchets up. The killer may be closer to home than any of them imagined, and Emma won’t be safe until he—or she—is caught.

Every morning Janet Brown goes to work cleaning offices. It calms her: cleanliness, neatness. All the things she’s unable to do with her soul can be achieved with a damp cloth and a splash of bleach. However, the guilt she still carries about a devastating loss that happened eleven years ago cannot be erased.Then Janet finds herself involved in a train crash and, recognising the chance to do what she couldn’t all those years ago, she makes a decision. As news spreads of Janet’s actions, her story inspires everyone around her, and for the first time her life has purpose and the future is filled with hope.But Janet's story isn't quite what it seems, and as events spiral out of control, she soon discovers that coming clean isn't an option. Because if Janet washes away the lies, what long-buried truths will she finally have to face?If I Let You Go by Charlotte Levin is a deeply moving and gripping portrayal of a woman coming to terms with loss.EndorsementsRichard and Judy Book Club pick 2023

Everyone knows the story of the Alperton Angels: the cult who brainwashed a teenage girl into believing her baby was the anti-Christ. When the girl came to her senses and called the police, the Angels committed suicide and mother and baby disappeared.Now, true crime author Amanda Bailey is looking to revive her career by writing a book on the case. The Alperton baby has turned eighteen; finding them will be the scoop of the year. But rival author Oliver Menzies is just as smart, better connected, and also on the baby’s trail.As Amanda and Oliver are forced to collaborate, they realize that the truth about the Angels is much darker and stranger than they’d ever imagined, and in pursuit of the story they risk becoming part of it.

A heavily armed counter-assault team, sedatives strong enough for large animals, a hood, a mouthguard, and Secret Service agents asking for selfies — not your average meeting with the President. But Orphan X is not your average guest. The last survivor of the off-the-books Orphan programme, Evan was trained to do his government's dirty work until he escaped. Now the President forces him to choose: kill a man or be executed. Evan spent years atoning for his former life. If this mission betrays the very principles he now follows, what is left? Putting Orphan X in an impossible spot only makes him more dangerous...

July 1346. Ten men land on the beaches of Normandy. They call themselves the Essex Dogs: an unruly platoon of archers and men-at-arms led by a battle-scarred captain whose best days are behind him. The fight for the throne of the largest kingdom in Western Europe has begun.Heading ever deeper into enemy territory toward Crécy, this band of brothers knows they are off to fight a battle that will forge nations, and shape the very fabric of human lives. But first they must survive a bloody war in which rules are abandoned and chivalry itself is slaughtered.Rooted in historical accuracy and told through an unforgettable cast, Essex Dogs delivers the stark reality of medieval war on the ground—and shines a light on the fighters and ordinary people caught in the storm.The historian makes his historical fiction debut with an explosive novel set during the Hundred Years' War.EndorsementsThe New York Times bestselling historian

The funny, moving and uplifting new novel from Ruth Jones.Grace is about to turn ninety. She doesn't want parties or presents or fuss. She just wants to heal the family rift that's been breaking her heart for decades.But to do that she must find her daughter Alys — the only person who can help to put things right.And when she finds her — if she does — she risks betraying granddaughter Elin, who is far less forgiving of the past, with its hurts and secrets and lies.Meanwhile Grace's great-grand-daughter Beca is oblivious to all these worries, too busy navigating the highs and lows of teenage life and keeping secrets of her own.All families have their problems. And most of them get resolved. But Grace's problem is thirty years old, and she doesn't have time on her side.So is it too late for her to make peace? Or is reconciliation still within reach?Love Untold is about mothers and daughters and the complex bond between them. It's about the heartache that comes from leaving things unsaid and the power of true forgiveness. It is a joy-filled, life-affirming, sob-inducing novel — with characters you'll come to know and love.Endorsements'Love, mess, secrets; this story of four generations of women is shot through with Ruth Jones's warmth and wisdom.' — Jojo Moyes'Ruth Jones writes with such warmth you can't help but fall in love with the characters she creates. It's always grounded, always real, always comforting, always ultimately full of love.' — James Corden'A hug in a book' — Prima'Her best book yet.' — Woman & Home'Compassionate, wise and life-affirming.' — The Observer'Heartfelt, joyful, brave, utterly compelling.' — Rachel Joyce'I adored it.' — Joanna Cannon'Joyful, life-affirming.' — Adele Parks'Beautifully warm and totally absorbing. I cried and I laughed. I adored it.' — Jane Fallon

You'll never know my name.But you won't forget my number.Behind the events you know are the killers you don’t. When diplomacy fails, we're the ones who gear up. Officially we don’t exist, but every government in the world uses our services. We’ve been saving the world, and your ass, for one hundred years.Sixteen people have done this job before me. I am Seventeen. The most feared assassin in the world. But to be the best, you must beat the best. My next target is Sixteen, just as one day Eighteen will hunt me down. It’s a dog-eat-dog world and it gets lonely at the top. Nobody gets to stay for long. But while we're here, all that matters is that we win.Visceral, cinematic and wildly addictive, Seventeen will keep you on the edge of your seat and live long in the memory. Until Eighteen comes along…

It was Hannah who found April’s body ten years ago. It was Hannah who didn’t question what she saw that day. Did her testimony put an innocent man in prison?She needs to know the truth.Even if it means questioning her own friends. Even if it means putting her own life at risk.Because if the killer wasn’t a stranger, it's someone she knows…Everyone wanted her life Someone wanted her dead

On Christmas Eve, DCI Mackenzie Jones is called to a shooting at a remote farmhouse. Ralph Mallender believes his father lies dead inside. When three more bodies are discovered, it’s clear a festive family gathering has turned into a gruesome tragedy.At first it seems like an open and shut case: a murder-suicide committed by Ralph’s volatile brother Cameron. Then new evidence makes Mack suspect the man who reported the crime is in fact the perpetrator.But Mack isn’t the only one with a stake in the case. Private investigator Atticus Priest has been hired to get Ralph acquitted. That means unearthing any weaknesses in Mack’s evidence.Irascible, impatient and unpredictable, Atticus has weaknesses of his own. Mack knows all about them because they share a past — both professionally and personally. This time around, however, they aren’t on the same side. And as Atticus picks at the loose ends of the case, everything starts to unravel in a way neither of them could ever have predicted…

He is known as Wilde, the boy from the woods. Discovered living a feral existence in the Ramapo Mountains of New Jersey, he has grown up knowing nothing of his parents, and even less about his own identity. Until now.When a match on a DNA database puts him on the trail of a close relative — the only family member he has ever known — Wilde thinks he might be about to solve the mystery of who he really is. Only this relation disappears as quickly as he has resurfaced.Undaunted, Wilde continues his research, becoming caught up in a secret community committed to exposing anonymous online trolls. Then, one by one, people start to die, and it soon becomes clear that a serial killer is targeting this secret community. And the next victim could be Wilde himself...The gripping new thriller.EndorsementsNo. 1 Sunday Times bestselling author.Richard & Judy Book Club pick — Richard & Judy Book Club (December 2022).'The absolute master' — Richard Osman'A helter-skelter of a read!' — Lisa Jewell'One of the all-time greats' — Gillian Flynn'One of my favourites' — John Grisham'At the top of his game' — Peter James'Never lets you down' — Lee Child'Twisty, well characterised, gently satirical' — Jake Kerridge'Insanely readable' — Sunday Mirror'Coben is a phenomenon' — The Times'It really is a page-turning thriller' — Jazz FM'There are all kinds of twists and turns' — BBC Radio 5 Live'Typically twisty' — The Sun'The king of tense thrillers is back with a book steeped in jaw-dropping twists.' — OK!'Harlan Coben is the king of a killer twist — a highly addictive read.' — Heat'A superb twist I really didn't see coming' — Jackie's Reading Corner

Tonight nineteen-year-old William Lavery is dressed for success, his first black-tie do. It's the Midlands Chapter of the Institute of Embalmers Ladies' Night Dinner Dance, and William is taking Gloria in her sequined evening gown. He can barely believe his luck.But as the guests sip their drinks and smoke their post-dinner cigarettes a telegram delivers news of a tragedy. An event so terrible it will shake the nation. It is October 1966 and a landslide at a coal mine has buried a school: Aberfan.William decides he must act, so he stands and volunteers to attend. It will be his first job, and will be — although he's yet to know it — a choice that threatens to sacrifice his own happiness. His work that night will force him to think about the little boy he was, and the losses he has worked so hard to bury. But compassion can have surprising consequences, because — as William discovers — giving so much to others can sometimes help us heal ourselves.

Staying is dangerous. Leaving could be worse.Leah and McKenna have never met, though they have parallel lives.They don’t—ever—find themselves in the same train carriage or meet accidentally at the gym or the coffee shop. They don’t—ever—discuss their problems and find common ground. They don’t—ever—acknowledge to each other that although their lives have all the trappings of success, wealth and happiness, they are, in fact, trapped.Because Leah understands that what’s inside a home can be more dangerous than what’s outside. Driving past McKenna’s house one night, she sees what she knows only too well herself from her own marriage: McKenna’s “perfect” husband is not what he seems. She decides to keep an eye out for McKenna, until one night, she intervenes.Leah and McKenna have never met. But they will.A gripping debut domestic suspense novel, The Favor explores with compassion and depth what can happen when women pushed to the limit take matters into their own hands.

'We have your daughter.'Frida Liu is a struggling mother. She remembers taking Harriet from her cot and changing her nappy. She remembers giving her a morning bottle. They'd been up since four a.m.Frida just had to finish the article in front of her. But she'd left a file on her desk at work. What would happen if she retrieved it and came back in an hour? She was so sure it would be okay.Now, the state has decided that Frida is not fit to care for her daughter. That she must be re-trained. Soon, mothers everywhere will be re-educated. Will their mistakes cost them everything?The School for Good Mothers is an explosive and thrilling novel about love and the pressures of perfectionism, parenthood and privilege.

Five years ago, an innocent man began a life sentence for murdering his own son. Today he found out his son is still alive.David Burroughs was once a devoted father to his three-year-old son Matthew, living a dream life just a short drive away from the working-class suburb where he and his wife, Cheryl, first fell in love — until one fateful night when David woke suddenly to discover Matthew had been murdered while David was asleep just down the hall.Half a decade later, David’s been wrongly accused and convicted of the murder, left to serve out his time in a maximum-security prison — a fate which, grieving and wracked with guilt, David didn’t have the will to fight. The world has moved on without him. Then Cheryl’s younger sister, Rachel, makes a surprise appearance during visiting hours bearing a strange photograph. It’s a vacation shot of a bustling amusement park a friend shared with her, and in the background, just barely in frame, is a boy bearing an eerie resemblance to David’s son. Even though it can’t be, David just knows Matthew is still alive.David plans a harrowing escape, determined to achieve the impossible — save his son, clear his own name, and discover the real story of what happened. But with his life on the line and the FBI following his every move, can David evade capture long enough to reveal the shocking truth?