Orion The New Achilles Cameron Christian

Pisa, May 1364 • Sir William Gold is looking forward to a lucrative career as a hired sword in the endless warring between Italy's city states. But when a message comes from the Grand Master of the Hospitaliers, William is forced to leave his dreams of fame and fortune behind him • The Hospitaliers are gathering men for a crusade, and Sir William must join them. Yet before they set out for the holy land, the knights face deadly adversaries much closer to home • In the twisting politics of Italy, no one can be trusted. And there are those who would be pleased to see the crusade fail • Can Sir William and his knights survive this impossible mission into the heart of the enemy?

1368. France, Spain and England prepare for war. In Italy, the Pope and the Visconti princes are battling for bloody supremacy • The worst years of Sir William Gold's life are about to begin • Leaving the side of his commander, Sir John Hawkwood, William embarks on a new journey that will bring him fame and favour - until a heart-breaking personal tragedy leads him to put down his sword • But men of war can't stay out of battle for long. Gold yearns to return to Italy and rejoin Hawkwood. Only now the game of the Italian Princes is changing and, as chaos descends, Gold must finally decide who he stands for

1367: Europe stands on the brink of total war • Political alliances are beginning to rupture. No state is immune: England, France, the Holy Roman Empire, Milan, Genoa, Venice, Constantinople . . . Every mercenary knight for hundreds of miles must sharpen his sword and prepare for battle • But Sir William Gold has other problems. Just to reach Europe, he must capture its most unassailable fortress. He must also protect his liege-lord, the Green Count, from assassins hell-bent on his demise • The balance of power in the West will change. William Gold must trust to hope, and his men, that he lands on the winning side

When Peter Harris arrives in Turnham Malpas as the new rector, he finds the village people welcoming but set in their ways. Yet despite his own weaknesses and the sadness of his childless wife, he comforts and advises his new parishioners, growing more and more involved with the rural way of life • Then the whole village is rocked by spiteful trick that goes terribly wrong, and a gruesome murder that points to a killer in its midst. Now, more than ever, Peter's pastoral role is crucial - and yet he is wrestling with his own private hell that may still wreck his own life

The perfect cosy Christmas novel to curl up with this winter, from Sunday Times bestseller Cathy Bramley • Christmas has always meant something special to Merry - even without a family of her own. This year, her heart might be broken but her new candle business is booming. The last thing she needs is another project - but when her hometown's annual event needs some fresh festive inspiration, Merry can't resist • Cole loves a project too - though it's usually of the bricks and mortar variety. As a single dad, his Christmas wish is to see his kids again, so getting the new house finished for when they're all together is the perfect distraction • But this Christmas, magic is in the air for these two strangers. Will it bring them all the joy they planned for

Among the cobbled streets of the Somerset town of Frome, Lou is embarking on the start of something new. After the death of her beloved mother, she takes a deep breath into the unknown and is opening her own vintage clothes shop • In upstate New York, Donna has just found out some news about her family which has called into question her whole upbringing. The only clue she has to unlock her past is a picture of a yellow dress, and the fact it is currently on display in a shop in England • For Maggy, she is facing life as a 70-something divorcee and while she got the house, she's not sure what to fill it with now her family have moved out. The new vintage shop in town sparks memories of her past and reignites a passion she's been missing • Together, can these three women find the answers they are searching for and unlock a second chance at a new life? • It's never too late to start again

Jack, Scott, Emily and Drift the dog investigate the mysterious case of a spy in hiding in the tenth Adventure Island mystery • There's a new resident in Castle Key - and somebody is watching him! Scott, Jack, Emily and Drift soon suspect that the new resident is an enemy spy. It explains the bullet-proof glass in the windows of his house. And the MI5 agent who is clearly keeping tabs on him! • But what is an enemy spy doing in Castle Key Can the friends reveal his true identity And uncover his top secret mission • Join Scott, Jack, Emily and Drift as they investigate a man so mysterious he's almost invisible!

It was just supposed to be a family vacation • A terrible accident changed everything • You don't know what you're capable of until they come for your family • After moving from a small country town to Seattle, Heather Baxter marries Tom, a widowed doctor with a young son and teenage daughter. A working vacation overseas seems like the perfect way to bring the new family together, but once they're deep in the Australian outback, the jet-lagged and exhausted kids are so over their new mom • When they discover a remote Dutch Island, off-limits to outside visitors, the family talks their way onto the ferry, taking a chance on an adventure far from the reach of iPhones and Instagram • But as soon as they set foot on the island, which is run by a tightly knit clan of locals, everything feels wrong

Meet The Adults • Claire and Matt are divorced but decide what's best for their daughter is to have a 'normal' family Christmas with them all together • Claire brings her new boyfriend Patrick, a seemingly eligible Iron-Man-in-Waiting. Matt brings the new love of his life Alex, funny, smart, and extremely patient. Scarlett, their daughter, brings her imaginary friend Posey. He's a rabbit • Together the five (or six?) of them grit their teeth over Organized Fun activities, drinking too much after bed time, oversharing classified secrets about their pasts and, before they know it, their holiday is a powder keg that ends - where this story starts - with a call to the police • But what happened? They said they'd all be Adults about this

In Washington DC, a homeless man dies in the arms of Commander Gray Pierce clutching a bloody coin in his hand - an ancient artefact that could unlock a plot threatening the very foundation of humanity • Meanwhile, a group of international scientists are engineering children with exceptional talents into something far greater and far more frightening - a world prophet for the new millennium, one to be manipulated to create a new era of global peace...a peace on their own terms • For Commander Pierce and Sigma Force, it's a race against time to solve a mystery that dates back to the Oracle of Delphi

War would bring them together • But would it ultimately tear them apart? • Burma, 1945 • Bea, Plum, Bubbles, Joy and Lucy are five young women looking for adventure, fighting a forgotten war in the jungle attached to the Fourteenth Army. Running a mobile canteen, navigating treacherous roads and dodging hostile gunfire, they soon become embroiled in life-threatening battles of their own – battles that will haunt the women for the rest of their lives • Oxford, 1976. At the height of an impossibly hot English summer, a woman slips into a museum and steals several rare Japanese netsuke, including the famed fox-girl. Despite the offer of a considerable reward, these tiny, exquisitely detailed carvings are never seen again • London and Galway, 1999. On the eve of the new millennium, Olivia, assistant to an art dealer, meets Beatrix, an elderly widow who wishes to sell her late husband’s collection of Japanese art

Some places you won't find on any maps. Others, are only on maps • Nell Young hasn't spoken to her father, the world-respected cartographer Dr. Daniel Young, in years - but this morning he was found dead in his office at the New York Public Library • When they last met, Dr Young fired Nell after an argument over a seemingly worthless mass-produced highway map. Now every copy of this map is being found and destroyed • To find out why, Nell will embark on a dangerous journey into the heart of a conspiracy beyond belief, discovering her family's darkest secrets and the true power that lies in maps