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Unauthorised (but authoritative) guide to the mysteries behind the phenomenal bestseller THE DA VINCI CODE

Readers of Dan Brown’s extraordinary bestseller THE DA VINCI CODE are fascinated by the questions raised in the novel. Was Jesus actually married to Mary Magdalene? Was she one of his disciples and did she write her own gospel? Did they have a child together? Did some geniuses of art and science, people like Leonardo da Vinci and Isaac Newton, belong to secret societies that had the most compelling insider information in history, and did Leonardo convey some of these ideas in The Last Supper and other paintings?

SECRETS OF THE CODE is the definitive guide to the novel and provides the curious reader with authoritative explorations into the major themes within THE DA VINCI CODE.

The bestselling novel about Napoleon’s first love
One of the most successful historical romances since GONE WITH THE WIND
Over 20 million copies sold worldwide

To be young, in France, and in love: fourteen year old Desiree can’t believe her good fortune. Her fiance, a dashing and ambitious Napoleon Bonaparte, is poised for battlefield success, and no longer will she be just a French merchant’s daughter. She could not have known the twisting path her role in history would take, nearly breaking her vibrant heart but sweeping her to a life rich in passion and desire.

A love story, but so much more, Désirée explores the landscape of a young heart torn in two, giving readers a compelling true story of an ordinary girl whose unlikely brush with history leads to a throne no one would have expected.

An epic bestseller that has earned both critical acclaim and mass adoration, Désirée is at once a novel of the rise and fall of empires, the blush and fade of love, and the heart and soul of a woman.

A source of inspiration for the film Viceroy’s House

Pamela Mountbatten was born at the end of the 1920s into one of Britain’s grandest families. The daughter of Lord Louis Mountbatten and his glamorous wife Edwina Ashley, she was brought up by nannies and governesses as she was often parted from her parents as they dutifully carried out their public roles. A solitary child, she learned to occupy her days lost in a book, riding or playing with the family’s animals (which included at different times a honey bear, chameleons, a bush baby, two wallabies, a lion, a mongoose and a coati mundi). Her parents’ vast social circle included royalty, film stars, senior service officers, politicians and celebrities. Noel Coward invited Pamela to watch him filming; Douglas Fairbanks Jr. dropped in for tea and Churchill would call for ‘a word with Dickie’.

After the war, Pamela truly came of age in India, while her parents were the Last Viceroy and Vicereine. This introduction to the country would start a life-long love affair with the people and the place.

Steven Mithen’s unique history of water and society in the ancient world has never been told before and is particularly relevant today in the face of global climate change.

The planet faces a 21st-century global water crisis – but to what extent is this really new? Past societies and ancient civilisations have always faced climate change and been dependent on their ability to harness and manage a water supply. This has often been a key driver of historical change, leading to some of the most remarkable engineering projects of antiquity.

In THIRST, renowned archaeologist and prehistorian Steven Mithen examines the history of water management in the ancient world. From the first flushing toilets at Knossos on Minoan Crete to the aqueducts of Petra and the Incas, from the bath houses of Rome to the canals of ancient China and the vast reservoirs of the Khmer and Maya civilisations, water management is shown to have been not only essential for human survival but a source of political power. It will remain so as we face global climate change, population growth and mega-urbanisation on a massive scale. So, does the past give us reason for hope or for despair?

Defence is the hardest part of bridge and even top-class players make mistakes much too frequently. Part 1 of this book gives insights into how to become a deceptive defender and how to recognize special defensive situations. Part 2 consists of a series of quizzes and the answers contain the logic and reasoning behind the correct play. After all the quizzes have been completed, you will be amazed at how much more clearly you can see the winning defence at the table. And practice makes perfect if you tackle the problems again every three to six months. There is a lot of emphasis in the book on helping partner to pass vital information so that partner will be pointed into the right direction to find the winning play. No bridge player can come away from this book without a greater insight into how to be an accomplished defender.

A hard-edged crime thriller set at the start of the Texas oil boom in the 1930s

When Pete Jones, the local constable, is shot dead, his widow, Sunset, finds herself in his job, investigating a series of brutal murders. Most of the townsfolk object to her wearing Pete’s gun and badge, some because this is the 1930s and they think a woman’s place is in the home, others because it was Sunset who blew off Pete’s head in the first place.

As much a modern western as a murder mystery, SUNSET & SAWDUST features a cast of outlandish characters — gun-men, hobos, sheriffs, hookers, migrants and coloured families struggling to make living under the malevolent eyes of the Ku Klux Klan.

Sunset’s investigation leads her and her friends into a labyrinth of greed, corruption, and unspeakable malice. Nothing and no-one are quite what they seem in Texas.

Brilliant new Hap and Leonard pageturner from the author of THE BOTTOMS

Hap Collins, chicken plant guard, saves a young woman. However, no good deed goes unpunished when he takes his best friend Leonard on a Caribbean cruise. Misbehaving at a lobster dinner, the two are abandoned in Mexico, where Leonard is saved from armed attackers by a geriatric fisherman and his lovely daughter-currently involved with a Mexican mobster and a practicing nudist. Trying for once to stay out of other people’s business, Hap returns to East Texas but is overwhelmed when he learns of the senorita’s murder. Not taking it lying down, he and Leonard return to Mexico to even the score.

A classic coming-of-age murder mystery with corrupt cops, segregation, ice cream and missing lesbians

It is the summer of 1958 in Dewmont, Texas, a town the great American postwar boom passed by. The kids listen to rockabilly on the radio and waste their weekends at the Dairy Queen. And an undetected menace simmers under the heat that clings to the skin like molasses. . .

For thirteen-year-old Stanley Mitchell, the end of innocence comes with his discovery of the mysterious long-ago demise of two very different young women. In his quest to unravel the truth about their tragic fates, Stanley finds a protector in Buster Lighthorse Smith, a black, retired Indian-reservation cop and a sage on the finer points of Sherlock Holmes, the blues, and life’s faded dreams.

But not every buried thing stays dead. And on one terrifying night of rushing creek water and thundering rain, an arcane, murderous force will rise from the past to threaten the Stanley and everything he holds dear.
Vintage Lansdale, A FINE DARK LINE brims with exquisite suspense, powerful characterizations, and the vibrant evocation of a lost time.

A mysterious novel by the author of the international bestseller SOPHIE’S WORLD.

A chance meeting on the Fijian island of Taveuni is the trigger for a fascinating and mysterious novel that intertwines the stories of John Spooke, an English author who is grieving for his dead wife; Frank Andersen, a Norwegian evolutionary biologist estranged from his wife Vera; and an enigmatic Spanish couple, Ana and Jose, who are absorbed in their love for each other. Why does Ana bear such a close resemblance to the model for Goya’s famous Maja paintings? What is the significance of the Joker as he steps out of his pack of cards? As the action moves from Fiji to Spain, from the present to the past, unfolding further stories within the stories, the novel reveals an astonishing richness and complexity. As bold and imaginative in its sweep as Sophie’s World, it shows again that Jostein Gaarder’s unique and special gift is to make us wonder at the awe-inspiring mystery of the universe.

A playful and inventive work from the bestselling author of SOPHIE’S WORLD.

A box of Latin manuscripts comes to light in an Argentine flea market. An apocryphal invention by some 17th or 18th century scolar, or a transcript of what it appears to be – a hitherto unheard of letter to St Augustine to a woman he renounced for chastity? VITA BREVIS is both an entrancing human document and a fascinating insight into the life and philosophy of St.Augustine. Gaarder’s interpretation of Floria’s letter is as playful, inventive and questioning as SOPHIE’S WORLD.

The second collection of travel writing (and other essays) by Britain’s funniest and most feared critic.

A.A. Gill is probably the most read columnist in Britain. Every weekend he entertains readers of the Sunday Times with his biting observations on television and his unsparing, deeply knowledgeable restaurant reviews. Even those who want to hate him agree: A. A. Gill is hopelessly, painfully funny. He is one of a tiny band of must-read journalists and it is always a disappointment when the words ‘A. A. Gill is Away’ appear at the foot of his column. This second book is a further collection of those absences; 22 travel pieces and essays on other subjects that belie his reputation as a mere style journalist and master of vitriol. This is writing of the highest quality and ambition.

The first collection of food writing by Britain’s funniest and most feared critic

A.A. Gill knows food, and loves food. A meal is never just a meal. It has a past, a history, connotations. It is a metaphor for life. A.A. Gill delights in decoding what lies behind the food on our plates: famously, his reviews are as much ruminations on society at large as they are about the restaurants themselves. So alongside the concepts, customers and cuisines, ten years of writing about restaurants has yielded insights on everything from yaks to cowboys, picnics to politics.

TABLE TALK is an idiosyncratic selection of A.A. Gill’s writing about food, taken from his Sunday Times and Tatler columns. Sometimes inspired by the traditions of a whole country, sometimes by a single ingredient, it is a celebration of what great eating can be, an excoriation of those who get it wrong, and an education about our own appetites. Because it spans a decade, the book focuses on A.A. Gill’s general dining experiences rather than individual restaurants – food fads, tipping, chefs, ingredients, eating in town and country and abroad, and the best and worst dining experiences. Fizzing with wit, it is a treat for gourmands, gourmets and anyone who relishes good writing.

Foreigner Adrian Gill (a Scot) goes in search of the essence of England and the English

The English are naturally, congenitally, collectively and singularly, livid much of the time. In between the incoherent bellowing of the terraces and the pursed, rigid eye-rolling of the commuter carriage, they reach the end of their tethers and the thin end of their wedges. They’re incensed, incandescent, splenetic, prickly, touchy and fractious. They sit apart on their half of a damply disappointing little island, nursing and picking at their irritations.

Perhaps aware that they’re living on top of a keg of fulminating fury, the English have, throughout their history, come up with hundreds of ingenious and bizarre ways to diffuse anger or transform it into something benign. Good manners and queues, roundabouts and garden sheds, and almost every game ever invented from tennis to bridge. They’ve built things, discovered stuff, made puddings, written hymns and novels, and for people who don’t like to talk much, they have come up with the most minutely nuanced and replete language ever spoken – just so there’ll be no misunderstandings. In this hugely witty, personal and readable book, A.A. Gill looks anger and the English straight in the eye.

‘Theatre, food, refugees: in Adrian’s writing they’re all linked up … If you haven’t read his book AA GILL IS AWAY, read it now. It was when he was away that he was at his best’ Stephen Daldry

A. A. Gill was probably the most read columnist in Britain. Every weekend he entertained readers of the SUNDAY TIMES with his biting observations on television and his unsparing, deeply knowledgeable restaurant reviews. Even those who objected to his opinions agree: his writing is hopelessly, painfully funny. He was one of a tiny band of must-read journalists and it was always a disappointment when the words ‘A.A. Gill is away’ appeared at the foot of his column. This book is the fruit of those absences: twenty-five long travel pieces that belie his reputation as a mere style-journalist and master of vitriol: this is travel writing of the highest quality and ambition.

Paris 1940. The civilised, upper-class life of film producer Jean Casson ends with the German occupation of the city. Out of money and almost out of luck, Casson attempts to work with a German film company but finds himself drawn into the dark world of espionage and double agents. More used to evading jealous husbands than the secret police, Casson beomes a reluctant spy, torn between honour, patriotism, love and survival.

From the master of the historical spy thriller, a story set in the heart of the Polish resistance

September, 1939. The invading Germans blaze a trail of destruction across Poland. France and Britain declare war, but do nothing to help. And a Polish resistance movement takes shape under the shadow of occupation, enlisting those willing to risk death in the struggle for their nation’s survival. Among them is Captain Alexander de Milja, an officer in the Polish military intelligence service, a cartographer who now must learn a dangerous new role: spymaster in the anti-Nazi underground.

Beginning with a daring operation to smuggle the Polish National Gold Reserve to the government in exile, he slips into the shadowy and treacherous front lines of espionage; he moves through Europe, changing identities and staying one step ahead of capture. In Warsaw, he engineers a subversive campaign to strengthen the people’s will to resist. In Paris, he poses as a Russian poet, then as a Slovakian coal merchant, drinking champagne in black-market bistros with Nazis while uncovering information about German battle plans. And a love affair with a woman of the French Resistance leads him to make the greatest decision of his life.

Have you ever wanted to step out of your life and be someone different?

From the author of JUBILEE – a Top 10 bestseller and Richard & Judy choice – the story of woman who decides to become a hero.

Jenny Pepper never expected to end up like this. Tired of her unglamorous part-time job, the relentless domestic grind, and bewildered by her teenage daughter, one night Jenny stumbles into a vigilante rescue. Suddenly her world is exciting again. No longer is she ordinary, trying to understand her place in life – now she’s a hero. In the costume, she can be anyone she wants. And so her secret life begins. But when the dangers become very real, Jenny’s need for adventure takes a different turn.

We all want to feel special, and we all have a moment in our lives when we realise that – just perhaps – we might be more extraordinary than we think…

Readers say:

‘Funny, sad and marvellously entertaining …it will leave many readers with some interesting questions about their own lives.’ Goodreads 5 star

‘A sensitive and raw depiction of a long marriage and motherhood and identity and self worth. Loved it.’ Goodreads

‘A surprisingly touching look at a female mid-life crisis in the face of frightening and tragic events… Jenny Pepper – the protagonist, the Vigilante herself – is perfection: so vulnerable and so righteously angry; so wonderfully, hilariously, movingly true.’ Goodreads 5 star

‘Shelley Harris has done ‘that’ thing. Written a book that deals with some dark issues, and looks quite deeply at relationships whilst still being funny and an easy read. Vigilante is one of those books that make you gasp and smile within one paragraph. Light-hearted at times, yet deadly serious at others. A finely balanced story that delivers a satisfying punch.’ Goodreads

One day can change your life…
A heartwarming novel set during a street party for the Queen’s jubilee

It’s 1977, the day of the Queen’s Silver Jubilee, when a photographer captures a moment forever: a festive street party with bunting and Union Jacks fluttering in the breeze and, right in the centre of the frame, a small Asian boy staring intensely at the camera. The photo becomes infamous when it is adopted as a symbol of everything that is great and good about Britain, but what is the real story behind it? Relationships between the neighbours on Cherry Gardens are far from easy, and minor frictions threaten to erupt as the street party begins…

Fast forward to the present and that boy, Satish, is now a successful paediatric heart surgeon, saving lives and families every single day. But he’s living with a secret – he’s addicted to controlled prescription drugs. A message about a proposed reunion of the children in the photograph throws his life into turmoil as he thinks back to Jubilee Day, and the events that changed his life for ever.

NEW INSTANT GUIDE TO BRIDGE is designed as a quick reference book for every bridge player who wants to be sure of the best bid, lead or play. It includes what you need to know for opening bids, responses and rebids. There is also guidance on hand evaluation, competitive bidding strategy, opening leads, declarer play and defence so that the reader will have all the basic essentials of good play within easy reach.

BRIDGE WITH THE BLUE TEAM sets down the most outstanding hands played by the Blue Team, the astonishingly successful Italian team which achieved a record number of victories in world-class championships, a feat unlikely to be equalled. The 140 chosen hands are first set out in single dummy form so that the reader can make his own decisions about playing the hand before reading the analysis provided. Sections at the end of the book give a summary of the bidding systems. Pietro Forquet is recognised as one of the most celebrated bridge players of all time, and in this book he demonstrates he would rank similarly as a bridge writer.

The stories of an American Indian sniper caught up in the Great War and of his aunt, one of the last Cree Indians to live off the land, are intertwined in a mesmerising journey as they travel home over three days

This beautiful, haunting novel begins as Niska is reunited with her nephew, Xavier, after he returns from the horrors of the First World War. As she slowly paddles her canoe on the 3-day journey to take him home, travelling through the stark but stunning landscape of Northern Canada, their respective stories emerge.

Niska is the last Cree Indian woman living off the land in Canada. She recalls her memories of growing up among her kinsfolk, of trying to remain true to her ancestors and traditions in a rapidly changing world.

Xavier joined the war reluctantly at the urging of his only friend, Elijah – a Cree boy raised in the reservation schools. Elijah and Xavier honed their hunting skills as snipers in the horrors of the trenches and the wastes of No-man’s land. But as the war continues, they react in very different ways to the never-ending carnage around them.

Niska realises that in the aftermath of war, Xavier’s very soul is dying – but will the three day journey home be enough to help him find hope again?

Make this year’s Christmas dinner your greatest and most relaxed ever with Hairy Bikers Si King and Dave Myers.

With their irrepressible enthusiasm for great food and all things festive, Si and Dave have put together the definitive Christmas cookbook. Combining fool-proof versions of the nation’s favourite Christmas dishes with new and inventive festive recipes they love to cook for their friends and families, the Hairy Bikers will ensure you serve up cracking meals with ease throughout the holiday season.

As well as covering what to cook on the big day itself, the Hairy Bikers also give you tasty dishes for Christmas Eve, delicious cocktails to tame your in-laws, ingenious recipes for all those leftovers and fancy snacks to nibble on in front of the telly. They even show you how to make your own Christmas crackers – and help keep the kids distracted. This is the perfect companion to your festive celebrations.

A book about golf that will appeal to both players and non players, by Scottish poet and novelist.

Surely golf is a game for posh people, country clubs and networking businessmen, for unfortunate sweaters, politics and trousers? Andrew Greig grew up on the East coast of Scotland, where playing golf is as natural as breathing. He sees the game as the great leveller, and has played on the Old course at St Andrews as well as on the miners’ courses of Yorkshire.

He writes about the different cultural manifestations of the game, the history, the geography, the different social meanings, as well as the subjective experience, the reflections between shots. He plays alone, with friends and brothers, with ghosts. He is looking for the essence of golf, the pure heart of it, which can be found, Andrew Greig believes, on the free 9 hole course on North Ronaldsay.

A dozen star historians on what might have happened at history’s turning points if the dice had fallen differently.
‘Stimulating, provocative and playful’ Literary Review

Throughout history, great and terrible events have often hinged upon luck. Andrew Roberts has asked a team of twelve leading historians and biographers what might have happened if major world events had gone differently? Each concentrating in the area in which they are a leading authority, historians as distinguished as Antonia Fraser (Gunpowder Plot), Norman Stone (Sarajevo 1914) and Anne Somerset (the Spanish Armada) consider: What if?

Robert Cowley demonstrates how nearly Britain won the American war of independence. Following her acclaimed GEORGIANA, Amanda Foreman muses on Lincoln’s Northern States of America and Lord Palmerston’s Great Britain going to war, as they so nearly did in 1861. Whether it’s Stalin fleeing Moscow in 1941 (Simon Sebag Montefiore), or Napoleon not being forced to retreat from it in 1812 (Adam Zamoyski), the events covered here are important, world-changing ones.