A GRIPPING THRILLER FROM THE #1 BESTSELLING AUTHOR‘Deadly conspiracies, bone-crunching action and a tormented hero with a heart . . . packs a real punch’ Andy McDermottA SUNKEN SECRET. A MISSING WOMAN.A RACE AGAINST TIME.Former SAS major Ben Hope is relaxing at his home in Normandy when he hears the worst news of his life. His ex-girlfriend Dr Brooke Marcel has been kidnapped.Racing against the clock, Ben’s frantic search for Brooke leads him from Ireland to the Spanish mountains and the rainforests of Peru.What is the mysterious link between the kidnapping, the salvage of a sunken 16th-century Spanish warship and the secret activities of its wealthy discoverer?As the trail of wreckage and mayhem intensifies, Ben soon uncovers a web of intrigue, corruption and brutal murder.But will he be too late to find Brooke alive?The Ben Hope series is a must-read for fans of Dan Brown, Lee Child and Mark Dawson. Join the millions of readers who get breathless with anticipation when the countdown to a new Ben Hope thriller begins…Whilst the Ben Hope thrillers can be read in any order, this is the eighth book in the series.Scott Mariani's book 'The Tudor Deception' was a No.1 Sunday Times bestseller w/c 2023-11-06. Read more

'The best new writer of fiction in America. The best.' – John Irving'The best thing a reviewer can do when faced with a novel of this calibre and breadth is to urge you to read it for yourselves.' – The GuardianNathan Hill's brilliant debut, The Nix, journeys from the rural Midwest of the 1960s, to New York City during Occupy Wall Street; from Chicago in 1968, to wartime Norway: home of the mysterious Nix.Meet Samuel: stalled writer, bored teacher at a local college, obsessive player of online video games. He hasn't seen his mother, Faye, in decades, not since she abandoned her family when he was a boy. Now she has suddenly reappeared, having committed an absurd politically motivated crime that electrifies the nightly news, beguiles the Internet, and inflames a divided America.The media paints Faye as a radical hippie with a sordid past, but as far as Samuel knows, his mother was an ordinary girl who married her high-school sweetheart. Which version of his mother is true? Two facts are certain: she's facing some serious charges, and she needs Samuel's help.As Samuel begins to excavate his mother's, and his country's, history, he will unexpectedly find that he has to rethink everything he ever knew about her - a woman with an epic story of her own, a story she has kept hidden from the world.'Outstanding' – John Boyne, The Irish Times Read more

The book that inspired the Netflix documentary, CHAOS: The Manson Murders______________________________A journalist's twenty-year obsession with the Manson murders leads to shocking new conspiracy theories about the FBI's involvement in this fascinating re-evaluation of one of the most infamous cases in American history.Twenty years ago, reporting for a routine magazine piece about the infamous Manson murders, journalist Tom O'Neill didn't expect to find anything new. But the discovery of horrifying new evidence kick-started an obsession and his life's work. What had he unearthed and what did it mean: why was there surveillance by intelligence agents? Why did the police make these particular mistakes and why did Tom's greatest ally in this fight turn into his biggest foe?Chaos is an explosive read that will shock, grip and change our understanding of a case that has haunted the world for over fifty years.______________________________'Riveting ... Sensational revelations ... True crime fans will be enthralled.' PUBLISHERS WEEKLY'[Full of] scandalous findings ... to me it seems only too plausible. O'Neill's intricately sinister 'secret history' often sounds incredible; that doesn't mean that it's not all true.' OBSERVER'Tantalizing ... Founded on prodigious research ... O'Neill's 20-year investigation reads like a thriller.' LOS ANGELES TIMES Read more

“A fascinating story” of the railways that linked America from the #1 New York Times–bestselling author of Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee (The Washington Post).  Hear that Lonesome Whistle Blow unspools the history of the beginnings of the American railroad system. By the mid-nineteenth century, settlers in Missouri and California were separated by a vast landscape that dwarfed and isolated them, conquerable only by “the demonic power of the Iron Horse and its bands of iron track.” Although the building of the great railroad is commonly known as a story of romance, adventure, and progress, it also has a dark side, as profiteers decimated American Indian tribes, exploited workers, and destroyed ecosystems. Despite this, by the turn of the twentieth century, five major railroads would span the continent. This account vividly illustrates the railroad builders’ breathtaking skill, ambition, and ingenuity. . Brown compellingly tells a high-stakes tale, an exhilarating history that still holds lessons for today. This ebook features an illustrated biography of Dee Brown including rare photos from the author’s personal collection. Read more

#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • Winner of the PEN New England Award “Enchanting…A book filled with so much love…Long before Oregon, Rinker Buck has convinced us that the best way to see America is from the seat of a covered wagon.” —The Wall Street Journal “Amazing…A real nonfiction thriller.” —Ian Frazier, The New York Review of Books “Absorbing…Winning…The many layers in The Oregon Trail are linked by Mr. Buck’s voice, which is alert and unpretentious in a manner that put me in mind of Bill Bryson’s comic tone in A Walk in the Woods.” —Dwight Garner, The New York TimesA major bestseller that has been hailed as a “quintessential American story” (Christian Science Monitor), Rinker Buck’s The Oregon Trail is an epic account of traveling the 2,000-mile length of the Oregon Trail the old-fashioned way—in a covered wagon with a team of mules—that has captivated readers, critics, and booksellers from coast to coast. Simultaneously a majestic journey across the West, a significant work of history, and a moving personal saga, Buck’s chronicle is a “laugh-out-loud masterpiece” (Willamette Week) that “so ensnares the emotions it becomes a tear-jerker at its close” (Star Tribune, Minneapolis) and “will leave you daydreaming and hungry to see this land” (The Boston Globe). Read more

“Does for the Civil War period what Howard Zinn’s A People’s History of the United States did for the study of American history in general.” —Library Journal   Historian David Williams has written the first account of the American Civil War as viewed though the eyes of ordinary people—foot soldiers, slaves, women, prisoners of war, draft resisters, Native Americans, and others. Richly illustrated with little-known anecdotes and firsthand testimony, this path-breaking narrative moves beyond presidents and generals to tell a new and powerful story about America’s most destructive conflict.  A People’s History of the Civil War is a “readable social history” that “sheds fascinating light” on this crucial period. In so doing, it recovers the long-overlooked perspectives and forgotten voices of one of the defining chapters of American history (Publishers Weekly).   “Meticulously researched and persuasively argued.” —The Atlanta Journal-Constitution Read more

The No1 Sunday Times BestsellerA Waterstones Best Politics Book 2024A Mail on Sunday ‘Best Holiday Read 2024’‘A searing exposé’ Glamour‘A timely reminder of the dangers posed by men who crave power’ – ObserverFrom New York Times bestseller Maureen Callahan, a fierce, character-driven exposé of the real Kennedy Curse—the family's generations-long legacy of misogyny, murder, and mayhem—and the women who have paid the price for our obsession with Camelot.For decades, the Kennedy name has been synonymous with wealth, power, and—above all else—integrity. But this carefully constructed veneer hides a dark truth: the Kennedy men's legacy of physical and psychological abuse of women, part of a tradition of toxic masculinity that spans generations and has ruined untold lives. Through scandal after scandal, the family and their defenders have managed to keep this shameful story out of the spotlight. Now, in Ask Not, bestselling journalist Maureen Callahan reveals the Kennedys' hidden history of abuse and exploitation, laying bare their rampant misogyny and restoring women to the center of the dynasty's story: from Jacqueline Onassis and Marilyn Monroe to Carolyn Bessette, Mary Richardson, Rosemary Kennedy, and many others whose names aren't nearly as well known – but rightfully should be.Drawing on years of fierce reportage and written in electric prose, Ask Not is a long-overdue reckoning with this fabled American family, showing how the Kennedy myth and their raw political power has enabled the clan's many predators while also silencing generations of traumatized women and girls. At long last, Callahan also redirects the spotlight to the women in the Kennedys' orbit, paying homage to those who freed themselves—and giving voice to the countless others who could not do the same.Maureen Callahan's book 'Ask Not' was a No.1 Sunday Times bestseller w/c 2024-07-08. Read more

THE INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLER / OVER A MILLION COPIES SOLD THE AMERICAN VICE PRESIDENT'S ORIGIN STORY‘Essential reading for this moment in history’ New York Times'You will not read a more important book about America this year' Economist‘Brilliant … offers an acute insight into the reasons voters have put their trust in Trump’ ObserverJ. D. Vance grew up in the hills of Kentucky. His family and friends were the people most of the world calls rednecks, hillbillies or white trash.In this deeply moving memoir, Vance tells the story of his family’s demons and of America’s problem with generational neglect. How his mother struggled against, but never fully escaped, the legacies of abuse, alcoholism, poverty and trauma. How his grandparents, ‘dirt poor and in love’, gave everything for their children to chase the American dream. How Vance beat the odds to graduate from Yale Law School. And how America came to abandon and then condescend to its white working classes, until they reached breaking point.‘A beautiful memoir but it is equally a work of cultural criticism about white working-class America … Vance offers a compelling explanation for why it’s so hard for someone who grew up the way he did to make it … a riveting book’ Wall Street Journal** Now a major-motion picture directed by Ron Howard and starring Amy Adams, Glenn Close, and Gabriel Basso **J. D. Vance's book 'Hillbilly Elegy' was a Sunday Times bestseller w/c 2024-07-15. Read more

**The No.1 New York Times, million-copy bestseller**Memphis, Tennessee, 1939Twelve-year-old Rill Foss and her four younger siblings live a magical life aboard their family's Mississippi River shantyboat. But when their father must rush their mother to the hospital one stormy night, Rill is left in charge, until strangers arrive in force. Wrenched from all that is familiar and thrown into a Tennessee Children's Home Society orphanage, the Foss children are assured that they will soon be returned home - but they quickly realize the dark truth...Aiken, South Carolina, present dayBorn into wealth and privilege, Avery Stafford seems to have it all. But when Avery returns home to help her father weather a health crisis, a chance encounter leaves her with uncomfortable questions and compels her to take a journey through her family's long-hidden history, on a path that will ultimately lead either to devastation or to redemption.Based on one of America's most notorious real-life scandals, Before We Were Yours is a riveting, wrenching and ultimately uplifting global bestseller. Perfect for fans of Where the Crawdads Sing.'A tale of enduring power' Paula McLain'Such a powerful, emotional story' 5* reader review'It is impossible not to get swept up in this near-perfect novel' Huffington Post'What a great book, you just can't put it down' 5* reader review Read more

Saving him was a gamble. Now he's paying the price. And the debt is deadly.Nash thought he’d found a man worth saving when he rescued Cain from a brutal Comanche attack. But in a land where loyalty is as rare as water, Nash quickly learns that some debts come at a deadly price. Cain isn’t just another outlaw—he’s a master of deception, a killer whose charm masks a trail of blood and betrayal. And now, having used Nash as a pawn, Cain has vanished, leaving Nash with a simmering desire for justice.Nash is no ordinary gunfighter. Known for his quiet determination and deadly aim, he’s on Cain’s trail, ready to settle a score. Their journey twists through rugged canyons and desolate plains, where each man’s next move could be his last. For Nash, this isn’t just a hunt—it’s a reckoning, one that only the silent, steadfast gunslinger can deliver.A gritty, high-stakes Western where betrayal meets retribution. The Silent Gunfighter is a story of honor, vengeance, and survival in the untamed West. Perfect for fans of classic Western showdowns and relentless, edge-of-your-seat drama.Get ready for a Western showdown like no other—buy The Silent Gunfighter now and ride alongside Nash as he tracks down the man who betrayed him Read more

'Intelligently written, meticulously researched and full of rich historical description' Reader Review, ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐'I loved, loved, loved this book' Reader Review, ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐'It's a page turner & I'd give it 10 stars if I could!!!' Reader Review, ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐Return to the enchanting world of All Souls for a love story like no other...Marcus Whitmore was made a vampire in the eighteenth century. Over two hundred years later, he finds himself in love with Phoebe Taylor, a human who decides to become a vampire herself. And with tradition enforcing separation from Marcus, Phoebe's transformation will prove as challenging now as it was for Marcus when he first encountered Matthew de Clermont, his sire. Time's Convert moves with epic sweep from the battlefields of the American Revolutionary War, through the treachery of the French Revolution to a bloody finale in New Orleans.In Deborah Harkness's world of witches, daemons and vampires, watch as history comes to life. ---Five reasons to discover the ALL SOULS series: 'Haunting in every way. A story thick with family secrets, human heartache, and the kind of deep magic only Harkness can conjure. You will be enchanted' LEIGH BARDUGO 'Harkness's lush prose makes a fantastical world real enough to touch' JODI PICOULT 'Rich, thrilling . . . A captivating and romantic ripping yarn' E L JAMES 'Intelligent and off-the-wall . . . irresistible to Twilight fans' SUNDAY TIMES 'A bubbling cauldron of illicit desire . . . an assured saga that blends romance with fantasy' DAILY MAIL Read more

A never-before-seen glimpse into the rarefied world of the Ghost Shadows, New York’s powerful Chinese crime organization of the 1970s and '80s—written by the young leader who ran it: reformed gangster Peter Chin.Only in fairy tales can a poor orphan become royalty. But in New York City’s Chinatown, one street kid managed to rise to the top ranks of a criminal gang dynasty.This is no fairy tale. This really happened . . .IN THE GHOST SHADOWS They were the most powerful gang in Chinatown. Like the notorious crime families of the Italian Mob, the Asian youth gang known as the Ghost Shadows carved out their own territory in New York’s underworld and ruled those streets for decades. Their leader Peter Chin, a young immigrant from the outskirts of Hong Kong, not only found a new family among his fellow gang members but became one of the two most powerful men in Chinatown’s history at that time. He even straddled the line between the city’s Asian Mob and the Italian Mafia, adopted as a “godson” of a high-ranking member of the Genovese crime family. Eventually it all came crashing down—when Chin and twenty-four other Ghost Shadows were indicted and imprisoned for racketeering under the RICO Act. But throughout his twenty years in prison, and even since his release, Chin has kept his code of silence . . . Until now. For the first time ever, the former leader of the Ghost Shadows breaks his silence in this honest tell-all to author Everett De Morier, revealing the never-before-told story of his incredible, harrowing life. From his first arrival in New York’s gritty Chinatown at the age of eight to his fateful initiation into the street gangs at thirteen, Chin found a new sense of belonging and brotherhood—as well as a dangerous world of gun fights and gang wars, gambling and extortion, Mob-style shootings and, ultimately, arrests. Now a successful businessman, Chin gives readers a rarefied glimpse into why a young man would choose a life of crime—and how he managed to beat the odds to rise in the ranks and live to tell the tale. But at its heart, Chin’s is a story of family, loyalty, and redemption, with an inspiring message of hope for anyone who’s made mistakes, paid the price, and learned from the past to build a better tomorrow.Includes 8 pages of never-before-seen photographs Read more

New York Times-Bestselling Authors: An “outstanding” accountof the admiral scapegoated for the Pearl Harbor disaster—and the long effort to clear his name (Christian Science Monitor).   In this book, the authors of The Eleventh Day, a Pulitzer Prize finalist, unravel the mysteries of Pearl Harbor to expose the scapegoating of the admiral in command the day 2,000 Americans died, report on the fight to restore his lost honor—and clear President Franklin D. Roosevelt of the charge that he knew the attack was coming.   In the aftermath of the devastating 1941 bombing, Admiral Husband Kimmel, Commander-in-Chief of the Pacific Fleet, was relieved of command, accused of negligence and dereliction of duty—publicly disgraced. But the admiral defended his actions through eight investigations and for the rest of his long life. The evidence against him was less than solid. High military and political officials had failed to provide Kimmel and his Army counterpart with vital intelligence. Later, to hide the biggest U.S. intelligence secret of the day, they covered it up.   Following the admiral’s death, his sons—both Navy veterans—fought on to clear his name, and now his grandsons continue the struggle. With unprecedented access to documents, diaries, and letters and the family’s cooperation, Summers and Swan’s search for the truth has taken them far beyond the Kimmel story—to explore claims of duplicity and betrayal in high places in Washington—in a provocative story of politics and war, of a man willing to sacrifice himself for his country only to be sacrificed himself.   “The most comprehensive, accurate, and thoroughly researched book of events leading up to the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor ever written.” —Admiral James Lyons, former Commander-in-Chief, US Pacific Fleet   “Reads like a thriller.” —Publishers Weekly   “Meticulous, eloquent, and compelling—and hugely readable.” —Simon Winchester, New York Times-bestselling author of Knowing What We Know   “The amount of fresh research is deeply impressive.” —Douglas Brinkley, New York Times-bestselling author of Rightful Heritage  Includes forty black-and-white photos Read more

An electrifying re-examination of one of the twentieth century's greatest unsung power players, from the bestselling author of A WOMAN OF NO IMPORTANCENAMED A BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR BY THE GUARDIAN, TELEGRAPH, ECONOMIST, FINANCIAL TIMES, MAIL ON SUNDAY, DAILY EXPRESS, TIMES LITERARY SUPPLEMENT, SPECTATOR, IRISH EXAMINER, LONDON STANDARD, NEW YORKER, POLITICO, APPLE BOOKS, TOWN & COUNTRY and OLDIE'Supremely enjoyable ... With a historian's eye for rigour, a journalist's for detail and a storyteller's for drama' FINANCIAL TIMES'Rich and riveting' GUARDIAN, BEST BIOGRAPHIES AND MEMOIRS OF 2024 'I've been gobbling up Kingmaker ... For years, Pamela's achievements were overshadowed by gossipy whispers about her past. Finally, she has a book that is worthy of her' ELIZABETH DAY'Exhilarating' MAIL ON SUNDAY, BOOKS OF THE YEAR 'Anna Karenina meets West Wing' IRISH EXAMINER, BOOKS OF THE YEARWhen Pamela Churchill Harriman died in 1997, the obituaries that followed were scathing - and often downright sexist. Written off as a social climber, her glamorous social life and infamous erotic adventures overshadowed her true legacy. Much of what she did behind the scenes to shape the twentieth century, on both sides of the Atlantic, remained invisible. That is, until now: with a wealth of fresh research, Sonia Purnell unveils for the first time the full, spectacular story of how Harriman left an indelible mark on the world today.There is practically no-one in twentieth-century politics, culture and fashion whose lives she did not touch. Her influence began at age twenty, when her father-in-law, Winston Churchill, engaged her as a "secret weapon" during World War II, wining, dining and seducing Americans over to the British cause against Hitler. It continued later in the US, where she hand-picked Bill Clinton from obscurity and vaulted him to the presidency. It extended further, over five decades and two continents, influencing figures like the Kennedys, Nelson Mandela, Truman Capote, Gianni Agnelli, Kay Graham, Gloria Steinem and Frank Sinatra.Written with the novelistic richness and investigative rigour that only Sonia Purnell could bring to this story full of sex, power, yachts, palaces and fabulous clothes, Kingmaker sets out Harriman's rightful place at the heart of recent history.****'Rigorous but rollicking' NEW YORK TIMES'An incredible story, beautifully told, of a remarkable woman whose political influence spanned Churchill to Clinton. Quite a woman, quite a read' ALASTAIR CAMPBELL'Superb and fascinating. I can't recommend it more' LADY ANNE GLENCONNER, bestselling author of Lady in Waiting'Fascinating and revelatory, written with great aplomb, insight and shrewd analysis. A triumph' WILLIAM BOYD'As compelling as its subject' TLS' Riveting and revelatory' THE NEW YORKER'An alluring new biography' THE ECONOMIST'Purnell's research is impeccable' SPECTATOR'Kingmaker is on to something important. Successful women are judged differently than men' AMANDA FOREMAN, GUARDIAN'Sympathetic, well-researched, busily peopled' OBSERVER BOOK OF THE DAY'Vivid' NEW STATESMAN Read more

Incisive essays on Patty Hearst and Reagan, the Central Park jogger and the Santa Ana winds, from the New York Times–bestselling author of South and West. In these eleven essays covering the national scene from Washington, DC; California; and New York, the acclaimed author of Slouching Towards Bethlehem and The White Album “capture[s] the mood of America” and confirms her reputation as one of our sharpest and most trustworthy cultural observers (The New York Times).   Whether dissecting the 1988 presidential campaign, exploring the commercialization of a Hollywood murder, or reporting on the “sideshows” of foreign wars, Joan Didion proves that she is one of the premier essayists of the twentieth century, “an articulate witness to the most stubborn and intractable truths of our time” (Joyce Carol Oates, The New York Times Book Review). Highlights include “In the Realm of the Fisher King,” a portrait of the White House under the stewardship of Ronald and Nancy Reagan, two “actors on location;” and “Girl of the Golden West,” a meditation on the Patty Hearst case that draws an unexpected and insightful parallel between the kidnapped heiress and the emigrants who settled California. “Sentimental Journeys” is a deeply felt study of New York media coverage of the brutal rape of a white investment banker in Central Park, a notorious crime that exposed the city’s racial and class fault lines.   Dedicated to Henry Robbins, Didion’s friend and editor from 1966 until his death in 1979, After Henry is an indispensable collection of “superior reporting and criticism” from a writer on whom we have relied for more than fifty years “to get the story straight” (Los Angeles Times).     Read more

THE NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER "Incredibly evocative and compelling." The Washington Post"A hugely powerful new book." Dan Snow"The most moving and chilling oral history you will read." The Times"Astonishing book about an astonishing, terrifying atrocity, relived in real time by those who were there. I read it in one sitting & was utterly gripped from start to finish." Piers Morgan"An American academic has meticulously pieced together testimony from those who were there, using declassified documents and having conducted hundreds of new interviews. The resulting book is a harrowing picture of a day that changed history." The Sun"Although many years have passed since 9/11, this book, told with such immediacy, brings so vividly back to mind the shock of that day, and why it continues to shape the tragic history that has followed."Lawrence Wright, author of The Looming Tower"The Only Plane in the Sky is a stunning and important work-chilling, heartbreaking-and I cannot stop thinking about it. To hear the voices of those who survived, and those who did not, it is so moving and powerful. I learned so much and am so thankful for this book."Anderson Cooper, Anchor, CNNOf all the books about 9/11 one has been missing until now - a panoramic narrative from the men and women caught up in the unprecedented human drama of that terrible day.The Only Plane in the Sky is nothing less than the first comprehensive oral history of 9/11, deftly woven and told in the voices of ordinary people grappling with extraordinary events. Drawing on never-before-published transcripts, recently declassified documents, new and archived interviews from nearly five hundred people, historian Garrett Graff skillfully tells the story of the day as it was lived. It begins in the predawn hours of airports in the Northeast, where we meet the ticket agents who unknowingly usher terrorists onto their flights. In New York, first responders confront a scene of unimaginable chaos at the Twin Towers. From a secret bunker beneath the White House, Dick Cheney and Condoleezza Rice watch for incoming planes on radar. In the offices of the Pentagon, top officials feel the violent tremor as their headquarters come under attack.We hear the stories of the father and son working on separate floors in the North Tower; the firefighter who rushes to the scene to search for his wife; the telephone operator who keeps her promise to share a passenger's last words with his family; the chaplain who stays on the scene to perform last rites, losing his own life when the Towers collapse; the teachers evacuating terrified children from schools mere blocks from the World Trade Center; the generals at the Pentagon who break down and weep when they are barred from rushing into the burning building to try and rescue their colleagues.The Only Plane in the Skyis a unique, profound, and searing exploration of humanity on a day that changed the course of history, and all of our lives. Read more

In a lawless land, one man begins forging his future with a gun.Nate Carlton wants peace and to take up the life he left behind. Instead, returning home to South Carolina from the Civil war, he finds under the Reconstruction, death and destruction of all that he held dear.Homeless and cast adrift, he saves a stranger’s life from an Indian attack, an act that will change his life forever.In a lawless and Wild West, having lost everything, he must make his way with the only tool he has-a gun. But will he learn and master the deadly skill before he is killed by Carpetbaggers and outlaws?Buy Law of the Gun today to enjoy an exciting and classic tale of the Old West. Read more

‘Cooper is a phenomenon’ Max Hastings, Sunday Times‘You need to read this book’ Cal Flyn, author of Islands of Abandonment**Based on the hit podcast with over 100 million downloads**The world is full of ruins. From the Colosseum of Rome to the crumbling suburbs of Detroit, the vine-wreathed temples of the Maya to the shell-pocked buildings of Bakhmut and Gaza. Each of these ruins have a different history, but they share a single truth: they are all places where, one day, the future ended.In Fall of Civilizations, historian Paul Cooper tells the stories behind our greatest civilizations, how they rose to power and what life was like for the people who witnessed their downfall. Based on the critically acclaimed podcast, this extraordinary book turns a clear eye on to humanity’s past mistakes – and whether we are doomed to repeat them.PRAISE FOR FALL OF CIVILIZATIONS 'Paul Cooper's histories of fallen civilizations are brilliantly written: clear, compelling, and ultimately chilling as we are forced to accept the lost genius of ancient cultures and the inevitable ruination of our own. Full of fascinating detail and nuanced findings, you need to read this book'  Cal Flyn, journalist and author of Islands of Abandonment 'Eminently readable... one can almost hear the spoken word as one reads. Yet Cooper has built his narrative out of close reading of the original sources... the author’s strength is his ability to evoke the physical setting of the great cities that lay at the heart of empires'  David Abulafia, Spectator 'An instructive, engaging and compelling epic which reveals the fragility of human existence: magnificent triumphs and lamentable tragedies, the civilized and the barbarian. A timely tour de force of historical storytelling' Ron Ramdin, author of The Making of the Black Working Class in Britain ‘Cooper draws parallels between fears for our own future and the colossal wrecks of fallen empires so that we may marvel at them and, perhaps, learn from them’ Tim Leach, author of The Hollow Throne  Read more

NATIONAL BESTSELLER • The most famous true crime novel of all time "chills the blood and exercises the intelligence" (The New York Review of Books)—and haunted its author long after he finished writing it. On November 15, 1959, in the small town of Holcomb, Kansas, four members of the Clutter family were savagely murdered by blasts from a shotgun held a few inches from their faces. There was no apparent motive for the crime, and there were almost no clues.  In one of the first non-fiction novels ever written, Truman Capote reconstructs the murder and the investigation that led to the capture, trial, and execution of the killers, generating both mesmerizing suspense and astonishing empathy. In Cold Blood is a work that transcends its moment, yielding poignant insights into the nature of American violence. Read more

“If your Sopranos addiction shows no signs of abating,” the life and crimes of a mob boss from the New York Times–bestselling author of The Night Stalker (Los Angeles Times). The boss of New York’s infamous Lucchese crime family, Anthony “Gaspipe” Casso’s life in the Mafia was preordained from birth. His rare talent for “earning”—concocting ingenious schemes to hijack trucks, rob banks, and bring vast quantities of drugs into New York—fueled his unstoppable rise up the ladder of organized crime. A mafioso responsible for at least fifty murders, Casso lived large, with a beautiful wife and money to burn. When the law finally caught up with him in 1994, Casso became the thing he hated most—an informer.From his blood feud with John Gotti to his dealings with the “Mafia cops,” decorated NYPD officers Lou Eppolito and Stephen Caracappa, to the Windows case, which marked the beginning of the end for the New York Mob, Gaspipe is Anthony Casso’s shocking story—a roller-coaster ride into an exclusive netherworld that reveals the true inner workings of the Mafia, from its inception to the present time.“Filled with never-known-before details . . . a very compelling true-crime tale.” —CNN“Readers interested in the inner workings of the Mafia will love this chilling look at a Mob boss.” —Booklist (starred review)“I couldn’t put the book down . . . Truly amazing.” —San Jose Mercury News“The inside information about the lifestyle, rituals, killings, and betrayals is priceless. An authoritative look at a once-rampant predator now at bay.” —Kirkus Reviews Read more