From one of our most accomplished Tudor historians comes the first enthralling novel in a trilogy set in March 1603. As she helps to nurse the dying Queen Elizabeth, Frances Gorges dreams of her parents' country estate where she has learned to use the flowers and herbs to become a much-loved healer. When King James of Scotland succeeds to the throne, Frances is only too happy to stay at home, far from the decadence and debauchery of his court, yet when her ambitious uncle forces her to return to the royal palace as a lady in the bedchamber of the young Princess Elizabeth, she becomes a ready target for the twisted scheming of the Privy Seal, Lord Cecil. As a dark campaign to destroy both King and parliament gathers pace, culminating in the Gunpowder Plot of 1605, Frances is surrounded by danger. She finds happiness only with the King's precocious young daughter and Tom Wintour, the one courtier she feels she can trust. But he has a secret that, when revealed, places Frances in conflict with her royal charge and in fear for her own family. The novel keenly depicts the excesses of the court and the dangers of religious persecution. 442pp, paperback.

Described as 'The missing link between Catch-22 and Black Adder', this book was shortlisted for the Booker Prize and is produced in a 50th anniversary edition with an introduction by James Holland. In March 1918, the Goshawk Squadron were on patrol, three days until the last great German offensive on the Western Front. One of the pilots unexpectedly suffered engine failure, in the days when the internal combustion engine was in its infancy. The pilot finds himself drifting, when suddenly a German Albatross creeps up behind him by making a near-suicidal manoeuvre through some trees. The pilot manages to escape. As he tries to climb, relieved, a Fokker Triplane stalks him on his blind side, opens fire and ruptures the pilot's fuel tank. White vapour appears, but although petrol begins soaking into his boots it is still inevitable that his plane and he will catch fire. The pilot then fishes out his revolver and fires three shots towards the Fokker, but to no avail and the German doesn't even flinch. The leaking fuel reaches the red-hot exhaust stubs, and the stricken aircraft erupts into flames. The pilot raises his pistol to his head and shoots himself - better a clean death than be burned alive in the skies over the Western Front. Exciting, taut and superbly described aerial combat is a feature of Goshawk Squadron and the many other novels of Derek Robinson with exquisitely drawn characters and shocking violence which befalls the men we come to care about because of their thoughts, personalities, attitudes and responses to the situations in which they find themselves. His books have prompted a certain amount of controversy in their depiction of the British class system, the recklessness and ill-preparedness of many of the men he has written about, and the casual violence they encounter. There has been a dramatic change in how we view the First World War since the novel was first published back in 1971, when veterans were not venerated in quite the same way they became. Stanley Woolley, the C.O. of Goshawk Squadron, is a character at first glance seen as an utter bastard, a martinet and a brutal driver of his men yet he is a complex character, fiercely intelligent, imaginative and above all humane, who understands that most of his men arriving into his squadron have done so with a misguided notion that flying over the Western Front will be exciting, chivalrous and sporting. Woolley through bitter experience has learned there is nothing noble about aerial combat. Incredibly young themselves, the flight lieutenants and squadron leaders, company commanders and naval first lieutenants pioneered new tactics and strove to become better combatants both for themselves and the men in their charge. Robinson captures Woolley's anger, frustration and cynicism perfectly, but also his fundamental decency. Woolley is just 23 years old. 284pp, paperback.

By the bestselling author of over 20 historical novels, this is the third in her stunning Eleanor of Aquitaine trilogy. Picking up any of her novels, you enjoy the beautifully strong characters and a real feel for time and place. England 1176 and imprisoned by her powerful husband King Henry II, Eleanor of Aquitaine, Queen of England, refuses to let him bully her into submission, even as he forces her away from her children and her birth right. Freed only by his death, Eleanor becomes dowager Queen of England, but the competition for land and power which Henry stirred up among his sons has intensified into a dangerous rivalry. Eleanor will need all her courage and fortitude as she crosses the Alps in winter to bring Richard his bride, and travels medieval Europe to ransom her beloved son. But her indomitable spirit will be tested to its limits as she attempts to keep the peace between her warring sons and find a place in the centres of power for her daughters. The life of the most powerful woman in medieval Europe, once shrouded in mystery, is now revealed by the careful research and evocative storytelling of Elizabeth Chadwick. 488pp paperback with family tree and maps.

New York Times bestselling author Amanda Quick transports readers to 1930s California and the Golden Age of Hollywood, where glamour and seduction spawn a multitude of sins. Welcome to Burning Cove where Hollywood glamour conceals a ruthless killer. Vivian Brazier never thought life as an art photographer would include headshots for aspiring celebrities or nightly calls to take snaps of grisly murders. She is called to take photos of a famous actress, the latest victim of the Dagger Killer. Vivian notices eerie similarities to previous crime scenes, details that only a photographer would have noticed and that puts Vivian right at the top of the killer's target list. Nick Sundridge has always been able to 'see' things that other people don't and his talent, along with his dark past, makes him a recluse, but a brilliant investigator. When he is sent to protect Vivian, they together discover that the Dagger Killer has ties to the glitz and glamour of Hollywood royalty and high society. They must uncover the killer who will stop at nothing to add them to their gallery of murders. 293pp, paperback.

Hennessy was the pen name of John Harris, a highly inventive and versatile writer who drew heavily on his experiences in both the Navy and Air Force, serving in WW2. His novels reflect the reality of war mixed with a heavy dose of conflict and adventure and we have a pair of scintillating, full-throttle thrillers of the First World War, perfect for fans of Derek Robinson. Man against man, face to face, one machine against another. It was shortly after the outbreak of WW1 and Martin Falconer and his friend Frank were anxious to 'get into the scrap' as soon as possible, their youth blinding them to the real danger of it all. Geoffrey, Martin's elder brother, knew that it wasn't a game because he had fought in the trenches, been wounded and had seen friends die. For Geoffrey the R.F.C. offered an opportunity to escape the mud and horror of the Front, while for Martin and Frank it was the chance to be in at the start of a totally different kind of fighting. They were to be pioneers and risk everything to win. 292pp in reprinted paperback of the 1971 original, fairly large text.

From the popular Lakeland Sagas series written by the Lancashire teacher and bookseller of bestselling historical fiction, in this novel war puts friendship to the test, but can friends unite against their true enemy? It is 1942 and three young women join the Women's Timber Corps, eager to do their bit for the war effort. Buxom and bouncy, red-headed Lou is newly married and sees her training in Cornwall as a way of staying near her sailor husband. Petite, blonde Gracie is making a break from her quarrelling, interfering parents and Rosie wants to escape from her bully of a brother. Rosie is swept off her feet by an American GI but her dream of returning to the States as his wife is cruelly shattered when he tells her he is already married. Gracie falls in love with a German POW, earning the hatred of villagers and colleagues alike, and Lou has to deal with the news that her husband is missing in action. 341pp in paperback reprint of the 2002 original.

A companion to The Fledglings code 91808, this is John Harris's gripping First World War novel for fans of Clive Cussler. To swing the tide of war you must take to the air once again. It was 1916 and the First World War still had two years to run. Martin Falconer, at 18 an experienced pilot with service in France to his credit, was kicking his heels in England, awaiting another posting to the Front. Throughout the spring he watched the progress of the war, especially the war in the air, acknowledging to himself the Germans' superiority. Their machines were better, and they had produced the war's best-known hero of the air, the Red Baron. British machines were poor, morale was low, and the odds were stacked against them. Finally at the beginning of April Martin was sent again to France, but this was the month that became known as Bloody April, when a pilot's life expectancy was two weeks, and Martin found himself in a unit demoralised and ill-managed. Harris's sombre picture of Britain at war is as compelling as only the truth can be. 283pp in facsimile reprint of the 1973 original. Fairly large print.

Determined to marry Owen Tudor, a Welsh gentleman-at-arms, Catherine, the widow of King Henry V, vies with powerful men close to the throne who wish to control her life and that of her son, the new king. The Duke of Bedford would see her wed to a foreign prince, while the handsome Duke of Gloucester, brother of the dead king, openly desires her. Added to that her son the King is a weak child who turns like a straw in the wind. She must use all her wits and courage if she is to forge a new life for herself. For fans of Philippa Gregory and Elizabeth Chadwick, this is a gripping and touching historical novel. 313pp in paperback with fairly large print.

A stand alone novel from a powerful and poignant Devon saga set in Brixham. Amy Kennedy moves from Lambeth Workhouse to Devon alongside her closest friends Seth, Jed and Daisy, the girls becoming housemaids, and the boys taking on an apprenticeship in fishing. But life is not the safe haven they had hoped for. Although Amy finds a happy escape from her difficult job in the arms of handsome Daniel Newton, not all of the arrivals fare so well. Seth flounders in the harsh realities of working as a fisherman, and Daisy faces abuse at the lecherous hands of her employer. As tragedy strikes they each face repercussions that their days as orphans could never have prepared them for. A welcome reprint, 394pp in paperback, of the 1991 original.

Set in north Devon during World War One, the Woodicombe House Sagas are perfect for fans of Rosie Goodwin. Kate Channer thought married life was going to be a grand adventure, but when Luke must go off to war before the echoes of their vows have ended, she is left behind, desperate to do something to make a difference and help bring him home. Yet life in Devon and London spent as a lady's maid to her half-sister Naomi brings battles of its own. Facing hardships they never imagined, Kate and Naomi must now find the strength to keep the home fires burning through the long uncertain months of a wife's war. A light and sympathetic romance, 360pp in paperback.