The first Alan Lewrie, this action-packed naval adventure is ideal for fans of C. S. Forester, Patrick O'Brian and Julian Stockwin. His exploits echo with the bustle of crowded ports and the crash of naval warfare. It is 1780 and 17 year old Alan Lewrie is a brash young libertine with a head full of dreams. When he is found in bed with the wrong woman, he is forced to leave his profligacy behind for a new life at sea. Although sickness and hard labour await him aboard the tall-masted Ariadne, Lewrie finds himself gradually adapting to the world of a midshipman. But as he heads for the war-torn Americas and into a hail of cannonballs, will he ever catch wind of the plot brewing against him back at home? 407pp, paperback.

From the No.1 Ladies' Detective Agency, this is the one with Mma Ramotswe's summer holiday. She is taking a break, leaving important tasks in the capable hands of Mma Makutsi, her co-director. But Mma Ramotswe soon finds herself interfering in cases (secretly, or so she intends) and while 'on holiday' she delves into the past of a man whose reputation is brought into question. She is called upon to rescue a small boy and discovers Violet Sephotho's latest underhand business endeavour - the No.1 Ladies' Secretarial College. Meanwhile, Mma Makutsi hires a part time science teacher as an assistant and suspects that her authority is being undermined. Will Mma Ramotswe be caught out? She herself took on the challenge of identifying a lady with no name and no memory, uncovered Violet Sephotho's latest scheme as a restaurant critic, and gained a dubiously qualified assistant detective in the form of Charlie. Hugely enjoyable, 246pp, paperback.

Never underestimate Miss Marple. A movie star, a deadly cocktail, a murder. When glamorous Marina Gregg came to live in St Mary Mead, tongues were sure to wag. But with a local gossip's sudden death, has one tongue wagged a bit too much? As the police chase false leads and two more victims meet untimely ends, Miss Marple starts to ask her own questions. What secrets might link a peaceful English village and a star of the silver screen? The pieces finally drop into place with a satisfying click as Christie's ingenious plot and fiendish twists keep us hugely entertained in this cosy mystery. First published in 1962 and therefore with the somewhat now 'dated' vocabulary of the time, it is utterly charming. 280pp in compact glamorous hardback reprint.

Born in Ealing in 1904, Margery Allingham was an eminent crime writer who is today best remembered for her Albert Campion detective stories. Hers was a family with a strong literary tradition, and following pressure from her American publishers, Allingham built an entire series around the unassuming and resourceful amateur sleuth. Her ever-popular gentleman detective features in all these thrilling crime stories - The Case of the Man with the Sack, The Case of the White Elephant, The Case of the Old Man in the Window, The Case of the Late Pig and The Definite Article. The Late Pig is the only Campion story ever told by the great sleuth himself. 255pp in new full price paperback.