THE TOP 5 SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLERONE OF BARACK OBAMA'S BEST BOOKS OF 2019THE TIMES HISTORY BOOK OF THE YEARFINALIST FOR THE CUNDILL HISTORY PRIZE 2020LONGLISTED FOR THE BAILLIE GIFFORD PRIZE FOR NON-FICTION 2019A FINANCIAL TIMES, OBSERVER, DAILY TELEGRAPH, WALL STREET JOURNAL AND TIMES BOOK OF THE YEAR'Dalrymple is a superb historian with a visceral understanding of India … A book of beauty' – Gerard DeGroot, The TimesIn August 1765 the East India Company defeated the young Mughal emperor and forced him to establish a new administration in his richest provinces. Run by English merchants who collected taxes using a ruthless private army, this new regime saw the East India Company transform itself from an international trading corporation into something much more unusual: an aggressive colonial power in the guise of a multinational business. William Dalrymple tells the remarkable story of the East India Company as it has never been told before, unfolding a timely cautionary tale of the first global corporate power. Read more

For nearly a century the two most powerful nations on earth, Victorian Britain and Tsarist Russia, fought a secret war in the lonely passes and deserts of Central Asia. Those engaged in this shadowy struggle called it 'The Great Game', a phrase immortalized by Kipling. When play first began the two rival empires lay nearly 2,000 miles apart. By the end, some Russian outposts were within 20 miles of India. This classic book tells the story of the Great Game through the exploits of the young officers, both British and Russian, who risked their lives playing it. Disguised as holy men or native horse-traders, they mapped secret passes, gathered intelligence and sought the allegiance of powerful khans. Some never returned. The violent repercussions of the Great Game are still convulsing Central Asia today. Read more

THE SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER‘His masterpiece’ Antony Beevor, Spectator‘A masterful performance’ Sunday Times‘By far the best book on the Vietnam War’ Gerald Degroot, The Times, Book of the YearVietnam became the Western world’s most divisive modern conflict, precipitating a battlefield humiliation for France in 1954, then a vastly greater one for the United States in 1975. Max Hastings has spent the past three years interviewing scores of participants on both sides, as well as researching a multitude of American and Vietnamese documents and memoirs, to create an epic narrative of an epic struggle. He portrays the set pieces of Dienbienphu, the Tet offensive, the air blitz of North Vietnam, and less familiar battles such as the bloodbath at Daido, where a US Marine battalion was almost wiped out, together with extraordinary recollections of Ho Chi Minh’s warriors. Here are the vivid realities of strife amid jungle and paddies that killed 2 million people.Many writers treat the war as a US tragedy, yet Hastings sees it as overwhelmingly that of the Vietnamese people, of whom forty died for every American. US blunders and atrocities were matched by those committed by their enemies. While all the world has seen the image of a screaming, naked girl seared by napalm, it forgets countless eviscerations, beheadings and murders carried out by the communists. The people of both former Vietnams paid a bitter price for the Northerners’ victory in privation and oppression. Here is testimony from Vietcong guerrillas, Southern paratroopers, Saigon bargirls and Hanoi students alongside that of infantrymen from South Dakota, Marines from North Carolina, Huey pilots from Arkansas.No past volume has blended a political and military narrative of the entire conflict with heart-stopping personal experiences, in the fashion that Max Hastings’ readers know so well. The author suggests that neither side deserved to win this struggle with so many lessons for the 21st century about the misuse of military might to confront intractable political and cultural challenges. He marshals testimony from warlords and peasants, statesmen and soldiers, to create an extraordinary record.Max Hastings's book 'Operation Biting' was a No.1 Sunday Times bestseller w/c 2024-05-27. Read more

THE INSTANT SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLERA Waterstones and TIMES HISTORY BOOK OF THE YEARA SPECTATOR and History Today BOOK OF THE YEARA revolutionary new history of the diffusion of Indian ideas, from the award-winning, bestselling author and co-host of the chart-topping Empire podcast'Richly woven, highly readable ... Written with passion and verve' Spectator'Dazzling ... Not just a historical study but also a love letter' Guardian'An outstanding new account ... The most compelling retelling we have had for generations' Financial TimesIndia is the forgotten heart of the ancient worldFor a millennium and a half, India was a confident exporter of its diverse civilisation, creating around it a vast empire of ideas. Indian art, religions, technology, astronomy, music, dance, literature, mathematics and mythology blazed a trail across the world, along a Golden Road that stretched from the Red Sea to the Pacific.William Dalrymple draws from a lifetime of scholarship to highlight India's oft-forgotten position as the heart of ancient Eurasia. For the first time, he gives a name to this spread of Indian ideas that transformed the world. From the largest Hindu temple in the world at Angkor Wat to the Buddhism of China, from the trade that helped fund the Roman Empire to the creation of the numerals we use today (including zero), India transformed the culture and technology of its ancient world – and our world today as we know it.Praise for William Dalrymple and The Anarchy'A superb historian with a visceral understanding of India' The Times'Magnificently readable, deeply researched and richly atmospheric' Francis Wheen, Mail on Sunday Read more

'At a time when peace seems remote and darkness deepens, this lucid, humane, hopeful book shines like a ray of light' The Times'Extraordinary... Tolan's narrative provides a much needed human dimension to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.' Washington PostThe true story of a friendship spanning religious divisions and four decades of Israeli-Palestinian conflictIn the summer of 1967, not long after the Six Day War, three young Palestinian men ventured into the town of Ramla in Israel. They were cousins, on a pilgrimage to see their childhood homes, from which they and their families had been driven out nearly twenty years earlier. One cousin had the door slammed in his face, one found that his old house had been converted into a school. But the third, Bashir, was met at the door by a young woman named Dalia, who invited him in...This poignant encounter is the starting point for the story of two families - one Arab, one Jewish - which spans the fraught modern history of the region. In the lemon tree his father planted in the backyard of his childhood home, Bashir sees a symbol of occupation; Dalia, who arrived in 1948 as an infant with her family, as a fugitive from Bulgaria, sees hope for a people devastated by the Holocaust. Both are inevitably swept up in the fates of their people and the stories of their lives form a microcosm of more than half a century of Israeli-Palestinian history.What began as a simple meeting between two young people grew into a dialogue lasting four decades. The Lemon Tree offers a much needed human perspective on this seemingly intractable conflict and reminds us not only of all that is at stake, but also of all that is possible. Read more

From bestselling author Merryn Allingham comes an uplifting escapist saga about one young woman’s journey from London to India to find her place in the world.Please note this is a revised edition of The Girl From Cobb Street.Bombay, 1938. Growing up in the misery of the orphanage, then as a girl in service in the West End, Daisy Driscoll never dreamed that her wedding day would be like this. She stands in the heat of the April sun, her best dress clinging to her skin and the suitcase by her side her only possession. Daisy doesn’t feel like a bride, but allows herself to be led through the busy, jasmine-scented streets to the church.At the altar, she barely recognizes the handsome cavalry officer who stole her heart in London. Gerald won’t look at her, and speaks so coldly. She smells the liquor on his breath. That’s why he sent another officer to meet her off the boat in his stead.Gerald is keeping something from her — he is not the man he says he is . . . Has she made a terrible mistake?Afterwards, Gerald returns to work and Daisy is left alone in the remote, imposing house that is supposed to be her marital home. With only the haughty officers’ wives for company, Daisy is glad to make the acquaintance of one upstanding civil servant, Mr Grayson Harte.But Daisy must tread carefully, for the path she walks is paved with danger and deceit . . .Fans of Fiona Valpy, Dinah Jeffries, Lucinda Riley, Shari J. Ryan, Liz Fenwick and Soraya M. Lane will devour this evocative and sweeping emotional saga set between India and London.Praise for The Officer’s Wife:⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ‘I could feel I was living Daisy’s life in India . . . A winner for me!’ Joy⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ‘A lovely story . . . The heat and the unrest described in this book was very vivid. I really enjoyed this book and found I couldn’t wait to delve back into it.’ Alayne⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ‘An atmospheric tale of secrets, lies, passion and deception . . . has, at its heart, a courageous, resourceful and resilient heroine readers will root for.’ Julie⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ‘Such an engaging story that I fully lost myself in it . . . I was rooting for Daisy throughout her emotional rollercoaster.’ Claire⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ‘I loved this book. It has all the components of a great story: mystery, intrigue, romance, and plenty of atmosphere as the heat and colour of India are so wonderfully portrayed.’ Lily⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ‘Could not put my kindle away because I had to see what happened. The description of India was fascinating and I was surprised at the outcome. Looking forward to reading more about Daisy in the next book.’ L. Anderson⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ‘Daisy is a great character and the plot has some very nice twists. The author evokes pre-war India so richly, and in such an assured way.’ Eliza022ALSO BY MERRYN ALLINGHAMTHE DAISY DRISCOLL SAGA TRILOGYBook 1: THE OFFICER’S WIFEMore books by Merryn Allingham coming soon — join the Joffe Books mailing list to be the first to hear about them! Read more

NOW A MAJOR BAFTA-NOMINATED TV SERIES 'Clavell never puts a foot wrong . . . Get it, read it, you'll enjoy it mightily' DAILY MIRRORThis is James Clavell's tour-de-force; an epic saga of one Pilot-Major John Blackthorne, and his integration into the struggles and strife of feudal Japan. Both entertaining and incisive, SHOGUN is a stunningly dramatic re-creation of a very different world.Starting with his shipwreck on this most alien of shores, the novel charts Blackthorne's rise from the status of reviled foreigner up to the hights of trusted advisor and eventually, Samurai. All as civil war looms over the fragile country.'I can't remember when a novel has seized my mind like this one. It's irresistable, maybe unforgettable. Clavell creates a world so enveloping you forget who and where you are' NEW YORK TIMES Read more

WINNER OF THE PEN HESSELL-TILTMAN PRIZE 'Reads like something from a thriller…colourful, detailed and meticulously researched' Sunday Times‘Gripping from start to finish' Peter Frankopan, author of The Silk Roads Hundreds of peaceful civilians were slaughtered in the Amritsar Massacre of 13 April 1919, after British troops opened fire without warning. According to legend, Udham Singh was among the injured that day, and he vowed to take revenge. More than twenty years later, in a Westminster hall, he fulfilled that promise when he gunned down in cold blood the man ultimately responsible, Sir Michael O'Dwyer. But what happened in the intervening years? In this sweeping narrative that takes the reader across four continents, Anita Anand separates reality from myth to reveal Singh's astonishing story. She brilliantly pieces together his movements, discovering surprising new links that take us from Jazz Age New York to the shady world of international spy rings. The Patient Assassin shines a devastating light on one of the Raj's most horrific events, but reads like a taut thriller.  Read more

'A bracing new history of the global opium trade . . . Ghosh's tentacular history embraces opium's entanglement with furniture, architecture, gardens and its role in modern wars . . . But it's Ghosh's big-picture thinking that has made his nonfiction so influential . . . A huge achievement' The New York Times Book Review From the nineteenth century the British reaped huge profits by exporting vast quantities of opium from India, waged wars to defend its access to markets, and created a devastating addiction crisis in China. A sweeping story of greed and power, Smoke and Ashes reveals how opium created the wealth of modern cities like Mumbai, Singapore and Shanghai, as well as many of America's most powerful families and institutions, and is a part of Ghosh's personal history. 'Ghosh triumphs in laying out the shame of the British Empire's opium trade for all to see' Financial Times 'This gave me a deeper chill than any TV series about the opioid crisis. . . The writing is sublime, the research thorough, the eye for story superb' Sunday Telegraph 'Superlative . . . synthesise[s] a wealth of research with remarkable intellectual clarity' The Times 'Expansive and thoughtful' Peter Frankopan, The Spectator Read more

Meet Keiko.Keiko is 36 years old. She's never had a boyfriend, and she's been working in the same supermarket for eighteen years.Keiko's family wishes she'd get a proper job. Her friends wonder why she won't get married.But Keiko knows what makes her happy, and she's not going to let anyone come between her and her convenience store... Read more

An “illuminating” account of the largest act of civil disobedience in US history “that resonates today, when our democracy is again being challenged” (Larry Tye, New York Times–bestselling author of Demagogue).They surged into Washington by the tens of thousands in the spring of 1971. Fiery radicals, flower children, and militant vets gathered for the most audacious act in a years-long movement to end America’s war in Vietnam: a blockade of the nation’s capital. And the White House, headed by an increasingly paranoid Richard Nixon, was determined to stop it.Washington journalist Lawrence Roberts, drawing on dozens of interviews, unexplored archives, and newfound White House transcripts, recreates these largely forgotten events through the eyes of dueling characters. Woven into the story too are now-familiar names including John Kerry, Jane Fonda, and Daniel Ellsberg, leaker of the Pentagon Papers. It began with a bombing inside the US Capitol—a still-unsolved case to which Roberts brings new information. To prevent the Mayday Tribe’s guerrilla-style traffic blockade, the government mustered the military. Riot squads swept through the city, arresting more than 12,000 people. As a young female public defender led a thrilling legal battle to free the detainees, Nixon and his men took their first steps down the road to the Watergate scandal and the implosion of the presidency. Mayday 1971 is the ultimately inspiring story of a season when our democracy faced grave danger, and survived.“Award–winning investigative reporter Lawrence Roberts tells the story superbly from start to finish . . . presents a lot of new and overlooked material.” —The Wall Street Journal“Fast-moving, and fascinating.” —Christian Science Monitor Read more

A SUNDAY TIMES TOP 10 BESTSELLERSHORTLISTED FOR THE WESTMINSTER BOOK AWARDSA TABLET BOOK OF THE YEAR'One of the best memoirs I've read in years’ SATHNAM SANGHERA‘Beautifully written, emotional and deeply personal, yet universal … One can't help but be moved by this story of upheaval and transformation’ SADIQ KHANAn extraordinary family memoir from acclaimed newsreader and journalist, Mishal Husain, uncovering the story of her grandparents' lives amidst empire, political upheaval and partition.‘I witnessed the dwindling glow of the British Empire. I saw small men entrusted with great jobs, playing with the destiny of millions’The lives of Mishal Husain’s grandparents changed forever in 1947, as the new nation states of India and Pakistan were born. For years she had a partial story, a patchwork of memories and anecdotes: hurried departures, lucky escapes from violence and homes never seen again.Decades later, the fragment of an old sari sent Mishal on a journey through time, using letters, diaries, memoirs and audio tapes to trace four lives shaped by the Raj, a world war, independence and partition.Mumtaz rejects the marriage arranged for him as he forges a life with Mary, a devout Catholic from an Anglo-Indian family, while Tahirah and Shahid watch the politics of pre-partition Delhi unfold at close quarters. As freedom comes, bonds fray and communities are divided, leaving two couples to forge new identities, while never forgetting the shared heritage of the past.‘Husain has written an arresting family memoir … her explanation of partition is more level-headed than that of many professional historians’ THE TIMES‘A spectacular achievement. It is an incisive and carefully researched historical account, and as moving and true a personal narrative’ GUARDIAN'[Husain] has managed to make such a complex story so accessible' OBSERVER‘I was so moved by this stirring and deeply moving account that is at once a love story as well as a chronicle of one of the most cataclysmic events in South Asia’ BARKHA DUTT'Like silks in the precious fragment of the heirloom sari of its title, Broken Threads is woven from rich sources. It is a beautiful book, informed and informative, cool and factual, poetic and elegiac' FINANCIAL TIMES‘A deeply engrossing book … I was completely gripped by it’ INDIA KNIGHTMishal Husain's book 'Broken Threads' was a Sunday Times bestseller w/c 2024-06-10. Read more

**Winner of the Baillie Gifford Prize 2024**From one kiss comes a chain reaction – a masterpiece of memoir from the winner of the Baillie Gifford and the Booker prize‘Extraordinary’ Sarah Perry‘Masterpiece’ Colm Tóibín‘Wholly original. I absolutely loved it’ David Nicholls‘A brilliant, brilliant book’ James RebanksBy way of H. G. Wells and Rebecca West’s affair, through 1930s nuclear physics, to Flanagan’s father working as a slave labourer near Hiroshima, this chain of events culminates in a young man finding himself trapped in a rapid on a wild river, not knowing if he is to live or to die…‘The strangest and most beautiful memoir I’ve ever read. Magnificent' Tim Winton‘Flanagan’s finest book... A brilliant meditation on the past of one man and the history that coalesced in his existence’ Guardian‘Flanagan’s portrayal of his quiet, brave father and his loving, resilient mother is exquisite. His evocation of the texture of life in rural Tas­mania is masterful’ Daily Telegraph‘A beautiful, unclassifiable novel-cum-memoir… That it is a masterpiece is without question’ Observer‘Sometimes a book is an experience felt almost in the body… A celebration of all life, it is also a reckoning with the 20th century... It is intimate, beautiful, unsparing and profound' Anna Funder Read more

THE 12 MILLION COPY BESTSELLING AUTHOR OF THE LEWIS TRILOGY AND THE ENZO FILESAWARD WINNING AUTHOR OF THE CWA DAGGER IN THE LIBRARY 2021'Peter May is one of the most accomplished novelists writing today.' Undiscovered Scotland 'No one can create a more eloquently written suspense novel than Peter May.' New York Journal of BooksLI YAN AND MARGARET CAMPBELL RETURN IN A NEW SHORT STORY, YEARS AFTER THE DRAMATIC CONCLUSION OF CHINESE WHISPERS. 'I saw your missing girl at a ghost wedding last week. She was the bride.'It has been a whirlwind few years for Li Yan and Margaret Campbell. Nowadays, both are busy juggling their huge professional workloads - Li as the newly promoted chief of Beijing's serious crime squad, and Campbell as lecturer at the University of Public Security - with the day-to-day raising of their young son, Li Jon.When a desperate mother appeals to Campbell's own maternal instincts, Li agrees to look into the disappearance of a 17-year-old Beijing girl, Jiang Meilin.Yet Li's investigation soon turns from a favour into a full-scale murder enquiry. And when he receives an anonymous note he learns Jiang Meilin's death is tied to a dangerous underground trade, and a dark marital rite from China's past.LOVED THE GHOST MARRIAGE? Start The China Thrillers with the first book in the series, THE FIREMAKERLOVE PETER MAY? Buy his new thriller, THE NIGHT GATE Read more

Five ruthless killers. Five deadly motives. One King - who must die. Six of Crows meets Kill Bill in a feast of treason and seduction set against a dazzling fantasy backdrop inspired by Korean myth and legend, from the team behind fantasy phenomenon, FOURTH WING.INSTANT SUNDAY TIMES BESTELLERINSTANT NEW YORK TIMES AND USA TODAY BESTSELLER'This dazzling fantasy has it all: a richly developed world, a captivating ensemble cast, and a twisty, action-packed quest' KAREN MCMANUS, #1 NYT BESTSELLING AUTHOR OF ONE OF US IS LYING'Thrilling, addictive, and simply incredible. What a stunning debut!' THEA GUANZON, USA TODAY AND NYT BESTSELLING AUTHOR OF THE HURRICANE WARS'A compulsive read ... this adventure had me reading later into the night' RICK RIORDAN, AUTHR OF PERCY JACKSON AND THE LIGHTNING THIEFThe king of Yusan must die.The five most dangerous liars in the land have been mysteriously summoned to work together for a single objective: to kill the God King Joon.He has it coming. Under his merciless immortal hand, the nobles flourish, while the poor and innocent are imprisoned, ruined . . . or sold.And now each of the five blades will come for him. Each has tasted bitterness-from the hired hitman seeking atonement, and the lovely assassin who seeks freedom, to the prince banished for his cruel crimes. None can resist the sweet, icy lure of vengeance. They can agree on murder.They can agree on treachery.But for these five killers - each versed in deception, lies, and betrayal - it's not enough to forge an alliance. To survive, they'll have to find a way to trust each other . . . but only one can take the crown.Let the best liar win.'With vivid worldbuilding and unforgettable characters, Five Broken Blades is a gripping, unputdownable read that will keep you on the edge of your seat until the very last page!' LYNETTE NONI, #1 BESTSELLING AUTHOR OF THE PRISON HEALER TRILOGY 'The heist had me guessing until the very last page ... I absolutely loved this book. I couldn't put it down!' NISHA J TULI, AUTHOR OF THE TRIAL OF THE SUN QUEEN'(This book is) everything you want in a unlikely group of untrustworthy bad people getting together to pull of an impossible heist (or in this case, an assassination) story' REBECCA ROANHORSE, AUTHOR OF BLACK SUNFive Broken Blades was a Sunday Times bestseller May 2024 Read more

From bestselling author Merryn Allingham comes an uplifting and emotional WWII saga about one young woman’s journey to finding her place in the world.Please note this is a revised edition of The Nurse’s War.London, 1941. Daisy Driscoll has only just fallen asleep after a gruelling day on the ward when a hammering on the door wakes her. The Home Sister shouts for the nurses to come down immediately. Through the blur of sleep, Daisy hears the unmistakable drone of the siren and planes in the distance. Another night raid, another night spent on mattresses in the basement.Yet this isn’t the only war Daisy is fighting: there’s a battle raging in her heart as she deals with her husband’s cruel betrayal. Determined to forge a new life for herself, Daisy vows never to rely on a man again.But the shadows of the past have followed her, growing closer all the time, and there is only one person who makes her feel that she’s not all alone in the world — handsome Grayson Harte. How to keep him at arm’s length when she must face her very deepest fears?Then one evening, trapped in one of the worst air raids of the Blitz, Daisy realises that if she survives this night — and this war — she must learn to listen to her heart as well as her head.Fans of Fiona Valpy, Dinah Jeffries, Lucinda Riley, Shari J. Ryan, Liz Fenwick and Soraya M. Lane will devour this sweeping emotional saga set during the Blitz.Praise for The Officer’s Nurse:⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ‘A GREAT READ! A good continuation of Daisy’s story, couldn’t stop reading once I had started.’ M.Belbin⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ‘Great storyline, wonderful characters, couldn’t put it down.’ Helen⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ‘Extremely gripping enjoyable story, cannot wait for the next one.’ Natasha⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ‘A book that will long remain in the memory for both its setting, powerful writing and fast-paced plot.’ Gen⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ‘I found that I couldn’t put it down when I realized I’d been reading for nearly two hours. Enjoyed it thoroughly.’ Stefanie⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ‘Could not put this book down, a real mixture of love and intrigue.’ Alice⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ‘A really good storyline, I loved every minute of it and wanted it to go on and on.’ MargaretALSO BY MERRYN ALLINGHAMTHE DAISY DRISCOLL SAGA TRILOGYBook 1: THE OFFICER’S WIFEBook 2: THE OFFICER’S NURSE Read more

The legendary British Army officer recounts his experiences in the Boer War and both World Wars in this memoir with a foreword by Winston Churchill. Lieutenant General Sir Adrian Carton de Wiart had one of the most extraordinary military careers in the history of the British Army. His gallantry in combat won him a Victoria Cross and a Distinguished Service Order, as well as an eyepatch and an empty sleeve. His autobiography is one of the most remarkable of military memoirs. Carton de Wiart abandoned his law studies at Balliol College, Oxford, in 1899 to serve as a trooper in the South African War. During World War I he served both in British Somaliland and on the Western Front, where he lost his left eye to a bullet at the Battle of Somme. He went on to serve as a liaison officer with Polish forces, narrowly escaping the German blitz at the outbreak of World War II. He was part of the British Military Mission to Yugoslavia, taken prisoner by the Italian Army, and made numerous attempts at escape. He spent the remainder of the war as Churchill’s representative in China. The novelist Evelyn Waugh famously used Carton de Wiart as the model for his character Brigadier Ben Ritchie Hook in the Sword of Honour trilogy. In this thrilling autobiography, the legendary officer tells his own remarkable story. Read more

THE INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLER'Bravo; this is a big, complex and utterly involving portrait of 19th-century China' THE TIMESThe internationally bestselling author portrays the great clash of East and West in his new epic: China China in the nineteenth century: a proud and ancient empire forbidden to foreigners. The West desires Chinese tea above all other things but lacks the silver to buy it. Instead, western adventurers resort to smuggling opium in exchange.The Qing Emperor will not allow his people to sink into addiction. Viceroy Lin is sent to the epicentre of the opium trade, Canton, to stop it. The Opium Wars begin - heralding a period of bloody military defeats, reparations, and one-sided treaties which will become known as the Century of Humiliation. From Hong Kong to Beijing to the Great Wall, from the exotic wonders of the Summer Palace and the Forbidden City, to squalid village huts, the dramatic struggle rages across the Celestial Kingdom. This is the story of the Chinese people, high and low, and the Westerners who came to exploit the riches of their ancient land and culture.We meet a young village wife struggling with the rigid traditions of her people, Manchu empresses and warriors, powerful eunuchs, fanatical Taiping and Boxer Rebels, savvy Chinese pirates, artists, concubines, scoundrels and heroes, well-intentioned missionaries and the rapacious merchants, diplomats and soldiers of the West. Fortunes will rise and fall, loves will be gained and lost.This is an unforgettable tale told from both sides of the divide. The clash of worldviews, of culture and heritage, is shown in a kaleidoscope of jaw-dropping set pieces. China is a feat of the imagination that will enthral, instruct and excite, and show us how things once were, and how the turmoil of the nineteenth century led to modern China's revolution and rebirth. Read more

THE 12 MILLION COPY BESTSELLING AUTHOR OF THE LEWIS TRILOGY AND THE ENZO FILESAWARD WINNING AUTHOR OF THE CWA DAGGER IN THE LIBRARY 2021'Peter May is one of the most accomplished novelists writing today.' Undiscovered Scotland'No one can create a more eloquently written suspense novel than Peter May.' New York Journal of BooksIn the second novel in the China series, Li Yan and Margaret Campbell are reluctantly reunited, on the trail of a killer reenacting a series of gruesome ritualsTHE SECOND OPINIONThe Chinese police have once more been forced to enlist the services of American forensic pathologist Margaret Campbell: this time to investigate a series of four horrific ritual executions that have taken place in Beijing.THE THIRD DEGREEDetective Li Yan is determined to discover just how one of the victims in particular, an American diplomat, became caught up in the slaying. And he is arguably even more determined to have nothing to do with Campbell.THE FOURTH SACRIFICEThe polarity that once attracted Yan and Campbell eventually pulls them back into partnership. Yet the closer they are drawn to the truth, the nearer they come to a killer prepared to use extreme force to conceal it.LOVED THE FOURTH SACRIFICE? Read the third book in the series, THE KILLING ROOMLOVE PETER MAY? Buy his new thriller, THE NIGHT GATE Read more

The Sunday Times Top 10 bestseller on India's experience of British colonialism, by the internationally-acclaimed author and diplomat Shashi Tharoor'Tharoor's impassioned polemic slices straight to the heart of the darkness that drives all empires ... laying bare the grim, and high, cost of the British Empire for its former subjects. An essential read' Financial TimesIn the eighteenth century, India's share of the world economy was as large as Europe's. By 1947, after two centuries of British rule, it had decreased six-fold. The Empire blew rebels from cannon, massacred unarmed protesters, entrenched institutionalised racism, and caused millions to die from starvation.British imperialism justified itself as enlightened despotism for the benefit of the governed, but Shashi Tharoor takes demolishes this position, demonstrating how every supposed imperial 'gift' - from the railways to the rule of law - was designed in Britain's interests alone. He goes on to show how Britain's Industrial Revolution was founded on India's deindustrialisation, and the destruction of its textile industry.In this bold and incisive reassessment of colonialism, Tharoor exposes to devastating effect the inglorious reality of Britain's stained Indian legacy. Read more