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  Wake of the Perdido Star - A Novel

  Daniel Lenihan, Gene Hackman

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  The Oscar-winning actor teams up with a shipwreck diving expert to spin a cinematic tale of nineteenth century pirates, shipwrecks, and sea adventure. 
   
  In 1805, seventeen-year-old Jack O’Reilly sets sail with his parents from America to Cuba aboard the Perdido Star. But when tragedy strikes shortly after their arrival, Jack makes a desperate escape, rejoining the departing Star as a member of the crew. On his yearslong journey around the globe, he only grows more obsessed with avenging the murder of his parents. 
   
  By the time he returns to Cuba, Jack has faced storms, shipwreck, and deadly battles. He leads a renegade band who call themselves the Right Honourable Brotherhood of the Shipwrecked Men of the Star. But having seen and suffered so much, what is Jack now willing to sacrifice for revenge? 
   
  Hackman and Lenihan infuse this swashbuckling tale with authentic details of 19th century seafaring and deep sea diving. The hero Jack is joined by a colorful cast of characters, including Paul Le Maire, the aristocratic intellectual who earns Jack’s friendship; Quince, the first mate, Jack’s mentor and defender; Quen-Li, the mysterious Chinese cook whose skills extend beyond the galley; Hansumbob, the ship’s poet, whose simplicity belies a wisdom born of the heart; and the greedy Count de Silva, whose charm masks a murderous soul.

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  The Mirrored World - A Novel

  Debra Dean

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  The best-selling author of The Madonnas of Leningrad returns with a breathtaking novel of love, madness, and devotion set against the extravagant royal court of 18th-century St. Petersburg.Born to a Russian family of lower nobility, Xenia, an eccentric dreamer who cares little for social conventions, falls in love with Andrei, a charismatic soldier and singer in the Empress's Imperial choir. Though husband and wife adore each other, their happiness is overshadowed by the absurd demands of life at the royal court and by Xenia's growing obsession with having a child — a desperate need that is at last fulfilled with the birth of her daughter. But then a tragic vision comes true, and a shattered Xenia descends into grief, undergoing a profound transformation that alters the course of her life. Turning away from family and friends, she begins giving all her money and possessions to the poor. Then, one day, she mysteriously vanishes.Years later, dressed in the tatters of her husband's military uniform and answering only to his name, Xenia is discovered tending the paupers of St. Petersburg's slums. Revered as a soothsayer and a blessed healer to the downtrodden, she is feared by the royal court and its new Empress, Catherine, who perceives her deeds as a rebuke to their lavish excesses.In this evocative and elegantly written tale, Dean re-imagines the intriguing life of Xenia of St. Petersburg, a patron saint of her city and one of Russia's most mysterious and beloved holy figures. This is an exploration of the blessings of loyal friendship, the limits of reason, and the true costs of loving deeply.A HarperAudio production.

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  The Negotiator - The Masterclass...

  Francis Walder  

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  It is 1570, and France has been torn apart by religious wars between Catholics and Huguenots. The formidable Queen Mother, Catherine de Médicis, calls on Henri de Malassise to negotiate a peace treaty with the Huguenots. The wily nobleman needs all his experience and psychological insight to navigate through the tactics, manoeuvres and compromises of the discussions. He sees some division in the Huguenot ranks: is it a weakness, or a clever ploy by his adversaries? Is it by chance or design that his Huguenot cousin, the enigmatic Eléonore, appears on the scene at a critical moment? The negotiation at Saint-Germain really did take place, and Malassise played a key role. The author Francis Walder draws on his own military and diplomatic experience to illustrate, through this Prix Goncourt-winning novel, the skills of negotiation much needed in diplomacy and business today.

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  Two Families At War

  David Lowther

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  A gripping WWII thriller set in London during the blitz.
  
   
  Two families . . .
  
   
  One, escaping the horrors of Nazi Germany, reaches England after a perilous journey just before the outbreak of World War II.
  
   
  But another family awaits the illicit opportunities that the blackout and blitz will bring.
  
   
  As the bombs begin to fall on London, the paths of the two families cross with tragic consequences as their lives race towards a dangerous and thrilling climax.
  
   
  Two Families at War tells of the battle between good and evil, set against the terror of the second Great Fire of London, December 1940.

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  The Women's War - Mountain Women...

  Carol Ervin

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  In 1918, Winkler explodes from a community of thirteen helpful souls to a crowded coal mining town of strangers with divided loyalties. War in faraway Europe means more money in the pockets of May Rose and her friends, but as a new wife and mother she feels cut off from people and community events. And though mine owners like her husband are making money hand over fist, the workers' poverty and resentment threaten trouble when the war ends. Before that happens, the town will be struck by an epidemic, and May Rose and the women who've helped each other through desperate times will face challenges as divisive and deadly as war.

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  The Good Wife - A historical...

  Eleanor Porter

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  'Eleanor Porter is a major new voice in historical fiction.' Tim ClaytonWhere will her loyalty lead her? Once accused of witchcraft Martha Spicer is now free from the shadow of the gallows and lives a safe and happy life with her husband, Jacob. But when Jacob heads north to accompany his master, he warns Martha to keep her healing gifts a secret, to keep herself safe, to be a good wife.Martha loves Jacob but without him there to protect her, she soon comes under the suspicious eye of the wicked Steward Boult, who’s heard of her talent and forces her to attend to him. If she refuses, he promises to destroy the good life she has built for herself with Jacob.Desperate and alone, Martha faces a terrible decision: stay and be beholden to Boult or journey north to find Jacob who is reported to have been killed.. The road ahead is filled with danger, but also the promise of a brighter future. And where her gifts once threatened to be her downfall, might they now be the very thing that sets Martha free...?The brilliant follow-up to Eleanor Porter's first novel of love, betrayal, superstition and fear in Elizabethan England. A story of female courage, ingenuity and determination, this is perfect for fans of Tracy Chevalier.'Eleanor Porter is a major new voice in historical fiction. With her beautiful use of language and compelling storytelling she conjures the past with a vividness that lingers in the mind long after the final page.' Tim Clayton Praise for The Wheelwright's Daughter: 'It's a gripping story and such accomplished writing. I really enjoyed every moment of working on it.' Yvonne Holland, editor of Philippa Gregory and Tracy Chevalier'A brilliant debut novel''An interesting read and an impressive debut novel''A wonderfully written story''A skilfully crafted story of love, betrayal, superstition and fear in 16th century England.''This is a story of courage, trust, betrayal and love.''A great historical novel I loved.'

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