Sphere The Heroines Shepperson Laura

Maria wants to be friends • But Maria is dead • Maria Weston wants to be friends with me • Maybe that had been the problem all along: Maria Weston had wanted to be friends with me, but I let her down • She's been hovering at the edge of my consciousness for all of my adult life, although I've been good at keeping her out, just a blurred shadow in the corner of my eye, almost but not quite out of sight • Maria Weston wants to be friends • But Maria Weston has been dead for more than twenty-five years

The people and businesses of London are quickly recovering from the ravages of the plague, none faster than the Court of Charles II where excess, corruption and debauchery has rebounded at a frenetic pace. In Westminster, in the haphazard corridors of White Hall Palace, plans are afoot for a grandiose ball in honour of a long-dead but English-born Pope. Meanwhile, the markets and coffee houses in the city are awash with rumours of war and portents of a coming disaster, inflamed by uncensored newssheets and the wagging tongues of dissatisfied citizens • Mysterious killings at both ends of the capital have been caused by the use of an unusually long, slender blade, and Thomas Chaloner is ordered to investigate. The only common thread is the victims' connection to the Worshipful Company of Poulters, whose members are struggling to keep ahead of London's enormous demand for eggs

The Patron Saint of Plumbing is not answering Nino Speranza's prayers • Without the thousands of euros in taxes that he could never bring himself to collect from his neighbours, the water board will cut the town off. All 212 inhabitants will be forced to leave • So, in a desperate bid to save his hometown, he starts a rumour that major movie star Dante Rinaldi is filming his next movie in the village • Soon, all the locals want to be involved: Speranza's assistant has written a screenplay and the local butcher will invest - each of his fifteen enormous sons is given a role. It seems the only way to save the town is to actually make the movie • And Nino Speranza starts to think he might have created the second chance they all needed . . . until word of the production reaches Dante Rinaldi himself

The year is 1140 and England is torn by the strife of civil war. Oliver Pascal chances upon a village raided by mercenaries and rescues the survivors: an orphaned boy, who is the illegitimate son of the old king, and his mother's maid, a young widow named Catrin. After escorting them to Bristol Castle, they are accepted into the household of Robert of Gloucester and while Catrin finds herself falling in love with Oliver she suffers a deep boredom at the frivolity of court life. Thus when the old midwife Etheldreda offers to teach her the secrets of her ancient art, Catrin agrees • But the midwife's life is fraught with dangers, not least Oliver's own personal fears which threaten their relationship, but also in the shape of two men, both killers and both of whom threaten the couple's lives

The whole country is asking • But they're not telling • At a children's party • Nothing ever happens in a sleepy American town like Middlebrook. Until the shocking events of one hot Saturday afternoon when, at a back-to-school party, nine children sneak off to a barn. And one child is shot by another • In the media storm that sweeps the nation • The press are asking questions. About the type of parents who let their children play unsupervised in a house with guns. About how damaged a child must be to commit this kind of atrocity • In the ensuing police investigation • Two questions are the most urgent, and the most baffling. Of the nine children who were present in that barn, which one actually pulled the trigger? • And why are the others staying silent? • Incredibly gripping and gorgeously written, this is a spellbinding novel that asks how far we'll go to protect our children, and how we can come together when so much divides us

The blossom is out in the little Cornish harbour town of St Felix • But Poppy Carmichael's spirits aren't lifted by the pretty West Country spring. Inheriting her grandmother's flower shop has forced her to return to Cornwall, a place that holds too many memories • Poppy is determined to do her best for the sake of her adored grandmother, but she struggles with the responsibility of the more-shabby-than-chic shop. And with the added complication of Jake, the gruff but gorgeous local flower grower, Poppy is very tempted to run away • The pretty little town has a few surprises in store for Poppy. With new friends to help her and romance blooming, it's time for Poppy to open her heart to St Felix and to the special magic of a little flower shop by the sea!

The perfect recipe for hygge: make a hot chocolate, draw the curtains, snuggle under a blanket and read your way to happiness! • It's autumn in Yulethorpe and everyone is gloomy. It's cold, drizzly and the skies are permagrey. The last shop on the high street - an adorable little toy shop - has just shut its doors. Everything is going wrong for Yulethorpe this autumn. Until Clara Kristensen arrives • Clara is on holiday but she can see the potential in the pretty town, so she rolls up her sleeves and sets to work. Things are looking up until Joe comes to Yulethorpe to find out exactly what is going on with his mother's shop. Joe is Very Busy and Important in the City and very sure that Clara is up to no good. Surely no one would work this hard just for the fun of it? • Can a man who answers emails at 3 a

The internationally bestselling historical thriller, now a major Netflix series starring Luke Evans, Dakota Fanning and Daniel Bruhl • Some things never change • New York City, 1896. Hypocrisy in high places is rife, police corruption commonplace, and a brutal killer is terrorising young male prostitutes • Unfortunately for Police Commissioner Theodore Roosevelt, the psychological profiling of murderers is a practice still in it's infancy, struggling to make headway against the prejudices of those who prefer the mentally ill - and the "alienists" who treat them - to be out of sight as well as out of mind • But as the body count rises, Roosevelt swallows his doubts and turns to the eminent alienist Dr Laszlo Kreizler to put a stop to the bloody murders - giving Kreizler a chance to take him further into the dark heart of criminality, and one step closer to death

The Welsh Borders, 1069 • When Ashdyke Manor is attacked, Lady Christen is forced to witness her husband's murder and the pillaging of her lands at the hands of brutal Norman invaders • It seems the pain is finally over when Miles Le Gallois, Lord of Milnham-on-Wye, calls off the attack. But he has Christen's brother under armed guard and a deal to offer: her brother's freedom for her hand in marriage. Christen finds herself hastily married into the enemy side, with her brother swearing his vengeance on her new husband • Miles and Christen's precarious union invites enemies from all sides and when Miles is summoned for a lengthy campaign by the King, Christen is left to watch his lands. In the midst of war, two enemies must somehow learn to trust one another if they are to survive

The Mitfords at War • It's 1941, and the Mitford household is splintered by the vicissitudes of war. To bring the clan together - maybe for one last time - Deborah invites them to Chatsworth for Christmas, along with a selection of society's most impressive and glamorous guests, as well as old family friend Louisa Cannon, a private detective • One night, a psychic arrives, and to liven things up Deborah agrees she may host a seance. But entertainment turns to dark mystery as the psychic reveals that a maid was murdered in this very same house - and she can prove it • Louisa steps forward to try to solve the cold case. But with a house full of people who want nothing more than to bury their secrets, will she be able to unmask the murderer? And how deep does the truth lie?

The ring sealed their fate for ever • In the turbulent days of Germany in the thirties, Kassandra von Gotthard met the man who would change her life: Dolff Sterne. She was the beautiful wife of a wealthy Berlin banker. He was a famous Jewish writer. Together they shared a love that happens only once in a lifetime. But theirs was a love fated to end in tragedy • The terrible day came when Dolff was wrenched from Kassandra's arms by Nazi soldiers - leaving her heartbroken and humiliated. And Kassandra decided that her life was no longer worth living. All that she leaves for her descendents is her memory of pain and a diamond signet ring. A ring that will carry the destiny of the von Gotthards to new lives and new loves

The Port of Barfleur, 1120 • Sabin FitzSimon, disgraced son of an earl, finally has the chance to salvage his reputation when renowned knight Edmund Strongfist asks Sabin to join a journey to Jerusalem • The only thing Sabin must promise is to keep away from Strongfist's beautiful daughter, Annais. Sabin obeys, but his attraction to Annais's spirit, courage and her wonderful harp playing become increasingly difficult to resist • As Sabin struggles to keep his heart in check, the Holy Land itself is in turmoil from constant warfare and the capture of its King. Simon must take command of the fortress of Montabard, and with it the recently widowed lady of the castle