'The number one bestselling novel by the master of the killer twist.' Here is a dastardly psychological tale of murder, betrayal and revenge by one of the most successful French authors of all time. Jamal loves to run but one morning as he is training on a path winding up a steep cliff he stumbles across a woman in distress. In a matter of seconds suddenly she is falling through the air, crashing on the beach below. Jamal is only an unlucky bystander, or is he? His version of events don't fit with what other eyewitnesses claim to have seen, and how to explain the red scarf carefully arranged around the dead woman's neck? Perhaps this was no accident after all, or perhaps there is something more sinister afoot, a devilish plan decades in the making, masterminded by someone hell-bent on revenge. Clear your diary dear reader and enjoy the myriad enigmas in this inventive plot with characters haunted by long-ago events. 394pp.

Discover the late Ursula Le Guin's passionate and enthralling story of a young boy sent to a school of wizardry to learn the ways of magic in the opening quartet of the Earthsea story. One of the literary greats, the collection features: A Wizard of Earthsea, The Tombs of Atuan, The Farthest Shore and Tehanu. Ged is but a goat herd on the island of Gont when he comes by his strange powers over nature. Sent to the School of Wizards on Roke, he learns the true way of magic and proves himself a powerful magician. It is as the Archmaje Sparrow Hawk that he helps the High Priestess Tenar escape the labyrinth of darkness. But over the years, Ged witnesses true magic and the ancient ways submit to the forces of evil and death. Will he too succumb, or can he hold them back? Penguin paperback, 691pp in facsimile reprint for ages 12 to adult, previously published as 'The Earthsea Quartet'.

The fifth volume in the epic saga. From Dune to Rakis to Dune, the wheel turns full circle. From burning desert to green and fertile land and on again to burning desert the circle is complete. The people of the Scattering are returning and amongst them, mysterious and threatening, are the women who call themselves the Honoured Matres, adepts of an ecstatic cult. On Rakis, become Dune, an ancient prophecy is fulfilled with the coming of the she-seer, Sheeana. The characters of Miles Teg and Odrade are amazing and you find out how bad the Bene Gesserites are. We also get properly introduced to the Bene Tleilax and meet the Honoured Matres. Be blown away with this great scifi saga. 500 pages, paperback.

A quick and easy Mills & Boon type emotional saga set in wartime Liverpool. A chance meeting will change her life in ways she could never have imagined. As the Second World War continues to bring heartache to those left behind, Megan Lloyd is determined to do her bit for the war effort. She is appalled by the plight of young women left pregnant and destitute following ill-fated love affairs with passing sailors or American GIs, and establishes a place of refuge for unmarried mothers. But her plans incur her father's intense disapproval and Megan finds herself cast out from the family and unprepared for the challenges ahead. Her new life is full of trauma and heartbreak, but can she find joy and love as well? 291pp, paperback.

An unflinchingly grim and unputdownable novel set in Mexico in which the activities of a prolific serial killer go practically unnoticed in a country where homicide is quotidian. Hundreds of murders, multiple cover-ups. One cop and one activist. Can they really bring down the narcos? Mexico - Ciudad Real is in crisis. The economy is in meltdown, a new war between rival cartels is erupting and a serial killer is murdering hundreds of female workers. Fuentes, the detective in charge of investigation, suspects that most of his colleagues are on the payroll of his chief suspect, narco kingpin, El Santo. But if he is going to stop the killings he has to convince fiery union activist Pilar to ignore all her instincts and work with him. But in a city eclipsed by murder, madness and magic, can she really afford to trust him? 424pp, paperback.

One of Brazil's most exciting novelists writes in a charming and chilling prose, drawing the reader directly into the mind of a man who has committed patricide. Part psychological thriller, part intellectual puzzle, the novel plays on some of humankind's most profound archetypes and fables, all the while lulling the reader with the brilliance of its voice. 'The day I killed my father was a bright day, although the light was hazy, without shadows or contours.' So begins this unforgettable work of suspense, tragedy and profound reflection on the human soul. It is a bold and stark book drawing on complex themes of religion, philosophy and literature in seeking to understand the nature of evil. Absorbing and at times quite funny, Sabino handles his subject with humour and imagination in a book which is chilling and sad, even on the same page, and we are driven to the conclusion with voyeuristic horror. The bleak relationship between son and father is told in a relatively short account in two parts, the first our protagonist narrating his experiences by addressing the reader to offer philosophical explorations as to why he felt compelled to abruptly end his father's life. Frequent literary and religious references are woven into the text to support his reasoning. The second section is an excerpt from a book he has written, presumably while incarcerated. The only connection between father and son had been money. His emotionally constipated father had funded his lifestyle in Paris where he met his gorgeous wife and has his allowance increased as a reward. 183pp, paperback.

From the author of the lost masterpiece 'Tony and Susan' comes a deeply intelligent and utterly thrilling novel about a kidnapped baby, a religious cult, and our collective need for gurus and gods, whether sacred or profane. Harry Field is an elderly professor looking after his baby granddaughter. He allows Oliver, the child's absentee father, to take her to the park. Only too late do Harry and his daughter Judy realise that the child has fallen into the hands of the cult to which Oliver belongs, a group led by Miller, a dangerous man who claims to be God. An edge-of-the-seat 'metaphysical thriller'. 338pp, paperback.

Rebellion brews at the edge of the Roman Empire and the fate of Rome rests on the shoulders of one man. After murdering his brother and taking the position of Emperor for himself, Caracalla orders a brutal purge. But then the son of his ally Marcellus is suddenly kidnapped. Why? Silus, an assassin in the Arcani, is ordered to track down and rescue the boy, rumoured to be Caracalla's own child. As Rome buckles beneath the weight of slaughter, Silus travels to the city of Alexandria. There he will need to risk everything to save the boy, the Empire and his own life. The continuing tale of Silus particularly of his friendship, loyalty and compassion have been highly praised in this excellent historical fiction series with well developed characters and accurate historical background. 328pp in paperback.

Gough deserves more recognition. The author of Roman historical novels including The Watchmen of Rome has a lifelong obsession with Ancient Rome and his novels are the culmination of much research into the underclasses of the time. The series is based around two close friends, Silus and Atius, much like Simon Scarrow's Cato and Macro novels. This is an intense novel of war at the Roman frontier. On the Empire's Northern border, trouble is stirring. For decades the barbarians have been at the gates and now, facing threats from within as well as outside, the Emperor is provoking war. When his friend Atius goes missing in Germania, Imperial Assassin Silus is sent into the heart of the battle-torn region. Plunged into a deadly intrigue and a brutal conflict, can he find out who is betraying Rome, or will the legions start falling, one by bloody one? 328pp, paperback.

A novel by the author of the Empire of the Moghul series, one of power, ambition and corruption as the British East India Company rises. An old empire is at war with itself. It is 1744 in Scotland and young Nicholas Ballantyne's life is turned upside down when his uncle, caught up in events far beyond his control, announces that for his own safety Nicholas is to set sail for India immediately to join the East India Company. After decades of struggle the Company is ready to expand. Nicholas and his new friend and colleague the mercurial Robert Clive rise quickly within the Company's ranks, masterminding plans to counter French designs in India, but the fight for India will only be resolved in battle on the fields of Plassey. The two armies draw up for the climactic encounter. For Robert and Nicholas commanding the Company's forces this will be their making or their end. Brilliantly crafted, the novel brings to life the momentous events that shook India in the mid-18th century. 385 page paperback.