Adventures of the Yorkshire Shepherdess

Amanda Owen

‘How lucky we are to call this little corner of Yorkshire our home.’

For two decades, shepherdess, farmer’s wife and mother-of-nine Amanda Owen has been living her rural dream at Ravenseat, a hill farm at the top of Swaledale in North Yorkshire, a place that has seen so much life during its almost one-thousand-year existence.

Owen grew up in Huddersfield but was inspired by the James Herriot books to leave her town life behind and head to the countryside. After working as a freelance shepherdess, cow milker and alpaca shearer, she eventually settled down as wife to farmer Clive Owen at Ravenseat with her own flock of sheep.

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Her large and happy family are the stars of Channel 5’s Our Yorkshire Farm and have appeared in ITV’s The Dales and in Ben Fogle’s New Lives in the Wild. Voted Yorkshirewoman of the Year by the Dalesman magazine, Owen is also author of bestsellers The Yorkshire Shepherdess and A Year in the Life of the Yorkshire Shepherdess, and now she brings us another warm, funny and enthralling chapter in her hectic but rewarding life.

Juggling the chaos of farming and family life is what Owen does best and there are always surprises along the way as she cares for her nine children aged between two and 18, two terriers, a puppy, a host of sheepdogs, an amorous peacock, ‘too many hens to count,’ three horses, an aged pony, a small herd of cows and about one thousand sheep.

DREAM JOB: Amanda Owen

It’s a traditional way of life that Owen relishes and throughout the summer months she takes responsibility for guests staying in the farm’s shepherd’s hut and caters for the stream of walkers who call in to enjoy her al fresco afternoon teas.

Adventures of The Yorkshire Shepherdess is full of the dramas and everyday realities of living in what can be an inhospitable part of the Dales as we follow the family’s desperate race to save a calf that goes missing after its mother mysteriously dies and Owen’s discovery that her bra has been repurposed as a house martin’s nest.

There is also the fun and adventure of taking the younger children to try out wild swimming in the river at Boggle Hole near Robin Hood’s Bay during last year’s hot summer, and the brutal winter later in the year that almost brought Owen to her knees.

But as busy as she is with her family and flock of sheep, Owen also embarks on an exciting new project... a project that will remove a worry that has often kept her awake at night as she wonders and worries about the future.

Ravenseat is part of an estate and has been for centuries, meaning that it is a tenant farm and may not stay in the family. Over the years, the idea of buying a permanent home for the family in their beloved Swaledale took root and when Owen discovered a nearby farmhouse, belonging to friends, was up for sale, she knew it was her chance to create roots for her children.

With help and goodwill, they bought The Firs, an old, traditional farmhouse in need of a lot of renovation, with the aim of turning it into a holiday let. But pregnant, with money tight, and needing the house to be up and running as a let as soon as possible, Owen set about doing a lot of the work herself.

Add on some choice of colour shade clashes with Brother Francis, an eccentric monk on sabbatical in a local bed and breakfast who has offered his services as a painter and decorator, misadventures with a visiting plumber… and Clive, of course, and it’s fair to say that things do not go according to plan!

Evocative, enlightening, endlessly entertaining and set in a breathtaking landscape, this is an ancient, rural way of life guaranteed to enchant readers both young and old.

(Macmillan, hardback, £16.99)

The Guilty Party

Mel McGrath

If there’s one thing Mel McGrath likes, it’s to mess with your mind…

With the success of acclaimed Edie Kiglatuk Arctic mysteries – written as MJ McGrath – already under her belt, two years ago this astute and clever author turned her considerable talents to psychological thrillers and the result was the compulsive best-seller Give Me the Child.

Now she’s back to confuse, confound and entertain her readers with a gripping tale of four former university friends who witness a woman being raped in a London alleyway one night, and decide to do nothing to help her. Next day her body is found floating in the Thames.

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Why this group of two men and two women chose not to intervene lies at the heart of a dark and disturbing exploration of toxic friendships, contemporary sexual mores, and the competing interpretations of innocence and guilt.

And be warned, this is an intense and unsettling journey into the lives of some extraordinarily complex, corrosive characters… a rollercoaster ride full of moral ambiguities and shocking secrets that will leave readers questioning just what they would have done in the same circumstances.

MIND GAMES: Mel McGrath

All now in their thirties, with wives, partners, husbands and families, Cassie, Anna, Bo and Dex have been close friends since their university days and they continue to meet up every year to share each other’s birthdays.

This hot August night, they have been celebrating Cassie’s birthday by drinking and partying at a music festival in Wapping and as they make their way from the venue, they see a man and woman under a street light and instantly recognise that ‘something wayward is happening in that alley and its dark presence is heading out to meet us.’

They are no longer casual observers… they ‘have just become witnesses.’ Each with reasons of their own, they decide to do nothing but later, a body washes up on the banks of the Thames and the group realises that ignoring the woman has left blood on their hands.

Over a month later, the four friends meet up again for another birthday celebration, this time at a cottage in the heart of the Dorset countryside but everything has started to fall apart. From a friendship whose bonds ‘had always carried the seeds of rottenness and destruction,’ we start to learn the dark secrets behind why they refused to step in, why none of them wanted to be noticed that night, and who was really responsible.

But is it possible that the victim was not really a stranger at all?

McGrath is an acutely observant writer and here she delivers a haunting but riveting experience as we are taken uncomfortably and claustrophobically close to a friendship that has become increasingly and dangerously poisoned by a series of events, betrayals and sexual encounters.

As the dark secrets that have festered between Cassie, Anna, Bo and Dex are slowly revealed, and the tensions that have simmered beneath the surface of their relationships rise inexorably to the surface, the action explodes into a spine-tingling and gobsmacking final act.

This is an author who shows her readers – powerfully and incisively – what it means to lose your moral compass, to put friendship before responsibility, and to allow peer pressure to warp your sense of what is right and wrong.

Compelling, insightful and clever, The Guilty Party is an impressive tour de force, a potent portrait of what happens when trust is catastrophically broken, and a blistering read from start to finish.

(HQ, paperback, £8.99)

CHILDREN'S BOOK ROUND-UP

Age 8 plus:

Return to Wonderland

Various authors

For over 150 years, readers have enjoyed sharing Alice’s adventures in Wonderland… but what happened after she left?

Eleven of today’s leading children’s authors have given free rein to their imaginations, and used their own unique writing skills, to bring a new generation of youngsters a stunning collection of warm, witty and highly original short stories which capture all the fun, charm and eccentricity of Lewis Carroll’s best-known tales and much-loved characters.

Return to Wonderland –  with fabulous contributions from Peter Bunzl, Pamela Butchart, Maz Evans, Swapna Haddow, Patrice Lawrence, Chris Smith, Robin Stevens, Lauren St John, Lisa Thompson, Piers Torday and Amy Wilson – is a tour-de-force, offering a delightful, contemporary spin without losing the spirit of the original adventures.

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Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland was first published by Macmillan in 1865 and these beautifully written and creative stories – with illustrations by Laura Barrett – revisit Carroll’s amazing cast of quirky characters like the Queen of Hearts, the Mock Turtle, the Dormouse, the Cheshire Cat and Alice’s Sister.

So tumble down the rabbit hole again to find out what happens next in Wonderland. Is the Queen of Hearts still ruling with an iron fist, does the Mad Hatter still have to go to tea, and will Tweedledum and Tweedledee ever resolve their argument?

Peter Bunzl, author of the fantastic Cogheart series, brings us an adventure starring the Duchess’ son Pig, and prize-winning author Pamela Butchart makes the Queen of Hearts her star, Maz Evans, whose debut novel, Who Let the Gods Out, received 20 award nominations, conjures up a more sensible Mad Hatter, and Swapna Haddow, award-winning author of the Dave Pigeon books, reveals her story about books and libraries was inspired by the Mock Turtle’s passion for learning.

Patrice Lawrence, author of Orangeboy and Indigo Donut, delights everyone with her story of Honour, the hedgehog from a family of renowned croquet balls, Chris Smith, co-author with Greg James of the bestselling Kid Normal series, features the Tweedles who learn the importance of standing up to bullies, and Robin Stevens, author of bestselling detective mystery series, Murder Most Unladylike, tells us about trying to save Alice from Wonderland.

Bestselling author Lauren St John, who once worked as a veterinary nurse, reveals what happened when the Dormouse went to night court, Lisa Thompson, whose debut novel, Goldfish Boy, was, nominated for the Carnegie Medal, revisits the trial of the Knave of Hearts, prize-winning Piers Torday explains how the Cheshire Cat got his grin, and Amy Wilson, who writes wonderful magical fantasy novels including A Girl Called Owl, turns the hookah-smoking Caterpillar into the star of her story.

These brand new stories – each with a personal introduction by the author – are clever, magical, funny, fresh, written with genuine affection for Carroll’s original books, and the perfect introduction to the extraordinary world of Wonderland.

(Macmillan, hardback, £10.99)

Age 8 plus:

The Longest Night of Charlie Noon

Christopher Edge

When three children get lost in a wood one night and time starts to play tricks on them, every second counts if they want to ever escape…

Award-winning author Christopher Edge, who grew up in Manchester, likes nothing better than to set young minds in motion and he is back to entertain and educate readers with another fascinating mystery set amidst the stunning scenery of Lower Woods, ancient woodland on the border of Gloucestershire and Wiltshire.

The inspiration for The Longest Night of Charlie Noon came from his own childhood when he discovered Brendon Chase, a classic children’s novel by Denys Watkins-Pitchford, writing as 'BB,' which was first published in 1944, and which features three boys who run away from home and live wild in the woods for month.

His research for this thrilling, timely and atmospheric story led him to spend a very scary – and very lonely – night in the woods, a night so dark that the moonlight filtering through the trees seemed to scatter blossom on their branches.

‘If you go into the woods, Old Crony will get you’ says local legend. Secrets, spies, or maybe a monster… who, or what, is it that is leaving curious patterns of sticks that are appearing in the woods? Who, or what, lies deep in the heart of the woodland?

SPELLBINDING:
Christopher Edge

Charlotte ‘Charlie’ Noon, and her friends Dylan ‘Dizzy’ Heron and Johnny Baines, are determined to discover the truth, but when night falls without warning they find themselves trapped in a nightmare. Lost in the woods, strange dangers and impossible puzzles lurk in the shadows. As time plays tricks, can Charlie and her pals solve this mystery and find a way out of the woods? But what if this night never ends and they are doomed to stay in this night forever?

The Longest Night of Charlie Noon is that rare thing… a book that is as clever as it is spellbinding, weaving science, history, fantasy, fun and real-life issues into one great, big adventure full of surprises, suspense and mystery.

It is also a celebration of the natural world, carefully and lovingly designed make youngsters pause and reflect that, when times are dark, solace and beauty can be found in nature and that we should all cherish these moments while we still have the time. An exceptional middle-grade novel…

(Nosy Crow, paperback, £6.99)

Age 9 plus:

Balloon to the Moon

Gill Arbuthnott and Chris Nielsen

As the world gets ready to celebrate the 50^th anniversary of the first time humans landed on the Moon, blast off into space and learn the history and science behind that historic journey.

Using words, pictures and lots of fascinating facts, author Gill Arbuthnott and illustrator Chris Nielsen bring a new generation of space fans a fascinating countdown of the technologies, innovations and stories that led humans from flying in a hot air balloon to walking on the Moon.

In 1969, humans walked on the Moon for the first time, but how did we get there? Long before anyone had designed a rocket, the Montgolfier brothers were making hot air balloons in 18th century France. In October 1783, they became the first people to experience controlled flight with the help of a sheep, a duck and a rooster who were their first passengers.

Balloon to the Moon starts from that historic balloon flight (in which the animals returned baffled but unharmed!) at King Louis XVI’s Palace of Versailles near Paris, and counts down to American astronaut Neil Armstrong’s ‘giant leap for mankind’ and beyond.

Structured around the famous NASA countdown to launch, Balloon to the Moon is a beautifully illustrated account of the human journey to space in which each chapter describes a key stage of flight – the technologies, innovations and stories – and how they led to the famous Moon landings.

The book’s design and Nielson’s atmospheric illustrations reflect the vintage feel of the 1960s with their clever use of colour and texture while Arbuthnott, a former science teacher who loves combining scientific fact with wonderful anecdotes of people and places, brings life and vitality to the exciting history and innovations of space travel.

So from flying erratically over the heads of a king and queen to gliding through space on the way to a ‘small step’ on the Moon, sit back and enjoy the ride…

(Big Picture Press, hardback, £16.99)

Age 8 plus:

My Cousin is a Time Traveller

David Solomons

Strap yourselves in and take a deep breath because David Solomons is back with the explosive finale to his award-winning, out-of-this world superhero comedy series.

Yes, all you young time travellers, it’s cosmic capers again as Luke, Zack and the rest of the gang do battle with a toaster that wants to take over the world… and the most dangerous book in the universe.

Solomons, who has been writing screenplays for many years, plays to an understandably rapt audience in this entertaining, laugh-out-loud series which stars a boy who has a troublesome twin in a parallel world.

Luke is surprised to discover that his cousin Dina is a time traveller. He is even more surprised when she brings him a warning from the future… the machines are becoming too intelligent and he must help her stop them taking over the world and save humanity. It couldn’t come at a worse time for Zack, though, as he has decided to give up his superpowers and live life as a normal teenage nerd. Can Luke stop the tech take-over? Well, first he must overcome the problem of making a piece of toast, swallow his irritation and rise to the challenge yet again...

These terrific tales of sibling rivalry going cosmic have been all-round winners. Solomons knows his audience well and the beguiling mix of high-octane action, sizzling suspense, laugh-out-loud humour, outrageous plot twists, and genuine heart-warming emotion has left an army of addicted young readers gasping, guffawing and gulping in equal measure.

One last blast to round off a super-charged space odyssey!

(Nosy Crow, paperback, £6.99)

Summertime selection of new children’s books

Age 7 plus:

Milton the Mighty

Emma Read

Meet a new superhero who is on the web and ready to swing into action… Milton, the teeniest, tiny spider with the heart of a lion!

Milton the Mighty, starring an itsy bitsy teeny weeny arachnid fighting back against some nasty bug killers, is the first book in a fresh, laugh-out-loud and entertaining series from former biologist Emma Read, a debut novelist who is aiming to debunk some of the myths around creepy crawlies.

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When little Milton, a harmless, completely unscreamworthy false widow spider, discovers he (and his utterly unterrifying species) have been branded as deadly black widow spiders on social media, he finds himself being targeted by pest-killers and spider exterminators BugKILL. Milton, so tiny and insignificant, fears for his life and the future of his species, and alongside his BFFs, big hairy Ralph and spindly daddy-long-legs Audrey, he searches for a way to clear his name. But to succeed, Milton realises he must communicate with his house humans, a schoolgirl called Zoe and her seriously arachnophobic dad. Is he mighty enough to achieve the impossible?

A HERO SPIDER: Emma Read

Milton, whose journey from spider worrier to spider warrior is brought to life by the comical illustrations of Alex G. Griffiths, is the perfect antidote to arachnophobia, proving with charm and charisma that spiders are not just amazing little creatures but heroes of the natural world.

But this is also a tale of friendship, shared adversity and the importance of understanding and tolerance. Add on a few timely lessons about the harmful effects of fake news and the sometimes pernicious influence of social media, and lots of brilliant gigglesome gags, and readers are set for a spider adventure that will leave them screaming… with laughter!

(Chicken House, paperback, £6.99)

Age 9 plus:

Royal Rebel: Designer

Carina Axelsson

If girl power, glitz and glamour are your (designer) bag, then step into the exciting world of Lily Waldenburg, the reluctant princess who would rather be a fashion queen.

Royal Rebel: Designer is the second book in a sparkling middle-grade series from former top model Carina Axelsson, who has swapped the catwalk for a successful writing career, and is already the bestselling author of the popular Model Under Cover books.

This fabulous fashion series was inspired by Axelsson’s desire to create an alternative ‘princess story,’ a Queendom where girls can fall in love with the fairy tale lifestyle whilst feeling empowered by a world where they are the decision-makers.

Lily Waldenburg is in many ways a normal teenager. She loves fashion, her dog Coco, her guinea pig Zoe and sleepovers with her best friend Leonie. She dreams of being a fashion vlogger and when her videos on her style vlog, Tiara Girl, start to take off, Lily knows this is her chance to succeed.

GLAMOUR GIRLS: Carina Axelsson

But Lily is also a Crown Princess, first in line to be Queen of Waldenburg, a matriarchal society. She has her royal responsibilities to think about – the ‘Queen-to-be’ stuff that she must learn before she comes of age next year.

Her Grandmaman and Mother (Her Majesty Sophia the Twelfth) have high expectations of what a princess should be, and that certainly doesn’t include being a fashion vlogger. But Tiara Girl’s online star is rising fast and with her design ideas going viral and her school life colliding with her royal responsibilities, can she keep her identity secret, or will she be exposed as the Crown Princess and royal rebel that she really is?

Royal Rebel is the perfect blend of fashion, princess glamour and fun-filled adventure as the gorgeous Lily treads a fine line between the restrictions of her royal duties and her desire to be both ‘normal’ and a successful fashion vlogger.

A gorgeously glamorous and glittering series perfectly fashioned for you own stylish little princesses!

(Usborne, paperback, £6.99)

Age 8 plus:

Rugby Academy

Tom Palmer

Young readers have been getting a ‘kick’ out of a fantastic rugby series from Tom Palmer, the king of all-action sports stories, and now there’s a chance to read them all in one go!

This new collected edition brings together all the books in Palmer’s brilliant, high-energy Rugby Academy trilogy which includes Combat Zone, Deadlocked and Surface to Air. Packed with action from cover to cover, this is a perfect addition to Palmer’s fast-paced and thought-provoking sports adventures. And with its super-readable layout and typeface, even more readers can enjoy it.

The author of 48 books featuring spies, history, the RAF, ghosts, detectives, war, football and rugby, Palmer visits over 150 schools every year to run his Football and Rugby Reading Games, which tie in with his long-term work in reader development.

Borderlands School’s First XV have their sights set on becoming the best school rugby team in the world. But while the boys focus on their matches, many of their parents are serving overseas in the armed forces, and everyone is worried as conflict grows in the Central Asian Republic.

ON THE BALL: Tom Palmer

New pupil Woody is a footballer by nature and must decide if he wants to give rugby his all, while Rory feels like he is losing his concentration on team matters because he is distracted by thoughts of his parents serving overseas and in danger.

And Owen finds himself in the spotlight when conflict breaks out within the team. With some serious challenges to face along the way and so much to distract them, can the boys keep their focus on winning and become school rugby champions of Britain, Europe and the world?

Written with sensitivity and insight, and illustrated by David Shephard, this book comes packed with drama, suspense, some real-life issues, and all the excitement – and ups and downs – of sporting action and shared team spirit.

A brilliant book for rugby fans, adrenaline addicts and reluctant readers…

(Conkers, paperback, £7.99)

Age 6 plus:

The Adventures of Harry Stevenson

 Ali Pye

Some people might think that guinea pigs just like to sleep lots and eat lots… but they obviously haven’t met the fur-raising Harry Stevenson!

 Ali Pye, author and illustrator of a number of picture books, turns her talents to her first illustrated fiction series, bringing us captivating, action-packed adventures inspired by a real-life guinea pig called Harry Stevenson… who had to be renamed Harriet Stevenson when it was discovered that he was actually a girl!

And Harry certainly is a guinea pig who can gobble up the most dangerous dilemmas as he finds himself plunged into some unexpected and high-flying dramas which take him far, far away from the cosy, hay-filled, creature comforts of his cage. He might be small but he has some very BIG adventures.

GUINEA PIG GIGGLES: Ali Pye

Harry Stevenson doesn’t live in a castle, or a witch’s cottage, or anywhere exciting like that. His home is in a flat with seven-year-old Billy and his mum and dad. And at first glance, Harry doesn’t seem any different from your average guinea pig. He has ginger fur and sparkly black eyes, likes nothing more than snacking on a piece of broccoli, and he can’t secretly talk or fly around the room when no one is looking.

But don’t be fooled! Harry may just want to sleep and eat (and then eat some more) but somehow he always manages to get swept up in adventures… whether it’s surfing the Pacific on a picnic plate or accidentally attaching himself to a helium balloon.

Join Harry in this brilliant two-stories-in-one book which is filled with fun, giggles, some moving moments and lots of action, all brought to life by a very large and delicious helping of two-tone illustrations.

A swinging start to a super new series!

(Simon & Schuster, paperback, £5.99)

Age 3 plus:

Umbrella

Elena Arevalo Melville

A trip to the park turns into a magical adventure full of endless possibilities in a warm and beguiling picture book from Guatemalan-born author and illustrator Elena Arevalo Melville.

The power of kindness and the triple joys of magic, music and the miraculous lie at the heart of this clever, colourful story which celebrates our rights to express ourselves and to choose our own friends, and comes with an endorsement from Amnesty International.

It’s a beautiful morning and Clara has gone to the park, but there’s nobody to play with. She finds what appears to be an ordinary old umbrella on the ground and does a good deed by gently putting it on a bench. Imagine her surprise when the umbrella says ‘thank you’ and invites Clara to make a wish. And as she opens up the umbrella what also unfolds is a magical chain of events where help, kindness and forgiveness go hand-in-hand.

Melville uses her distinctive, tonal illustrations and a surreal and yet reassuring story brimming with humour, kindness, forgiveness and generosity to explore topical themes of empathy, decision-making and citizenship.

Young readers are invited to interact with Clara’s amazing adventure by choosing what sort of wish they would make and to reflect on how their choices would affect other people.

An exhilarating and entertaining lesson in the rewards of caring, sharing and togetherness.

(Scallywag Press, hardback, £12.99)

Summer at the Kindness Café

Victoria Walters

They ‘do things differently’ in the small town of Littlewood… and three young women are going to find their lives transformed in the most surprising ways.

If this year’s summer has left you feeling unseasonably cold, cosy up and feel the warmth in this enchanting and entertaining story which reminds us of the power of love, the joys of friendship, and the rewards of the simplest acts of kindness.

Summer at the Kindness Café is the complete package of a previously published four-part serial titled Random Acts of Kindness, and comes from the pen of Victoria Walters who was first discovered in a short story competition.

Brimming with the important feel-good factor, and starring a cast of adorable characters that readers will take to their hearts, this is a lovely, beautifully written, life-affirming story, and the perfect holiday companion.

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Brew, a charming, friendly and inviting café in the grounds of a smart hotel, has become the focal point of the Surrey town of Littlewood and it’s all thanks to the owners, Joy and Harry, who have made the spirit of kindness almost as important as their coffee.

The café’s Kindness Board encourages customers to write down any acts of kindness they receive and to repay them by being kind to someone else.

When Abbie Morgan walks through the door of Brew, she feels humiliated and a failure after escaping a broken romance, being made redundant  from her London job, and losing her city flat because she can no longer pay the rent.

Abbie is moving in with her younger sister, Louise, who is still struggling to come to terms with being jilted only two weeks before her wedding to her childhood sweetheart two years ago, and has thrown herself into her career as a nurse at the local hospital.

FEEL-GOOD FACTOR: Victoria Walters

Work blocks out Louise’s personal problems but at the same time she is preventing her life moving forward and leaving herself open to the possibility of finding love again.

Also new to the town is Hungarian-born Eszter who has travelled from Budapest with her seven-year-old daughter Zoe and is hoping to fulfil her husband Nick Harris’ dying wish to reunite his family.

Nick’s widowed mother still lives in Littlewood but he hadn’t seen her for years and Eszter is determined to find out why and to be reconciled with her if she can.

This summer, these three very different women are inspired by the random acts of kindness written on the Kindness Board at Brew, and decide to make a pact to be kinder to others and to themselves. But can a little bit of kindness really change your life? 

There is an abundance of love, a heartwarming sense of togetherness and, of course, kindness at the heart of this gentle, reassuring story but Walters also tackles some real-life issues like loneliness, hardship and bereavement.

Each of the principal characters is beautifully portrayed and their lives, loves, friendships and new beginnings unfold in a charming blend of drama, romance and unexpected twists and turns.

Inspiring, thoughtful and imbued with genuine warmth and tenderness, Summer at the Kindness Café is a kind, caring and cuddly reading treat.
(Simon & Schuster, paperback, £7.99)

The Body in the Castle Well

Martin Walker

If you haven’t already met the epicurean French detective, Lieutenant Bruno Courrèges, then The Body in the Castle Well could be your perfect starter.

Lovers of clever crime mysteries, fascinating history, stunning scenery, excellent cuisine, and the very best of French wines have been enjoying sharing time with the chief of police in prize-winning historian and journalist Martin Walker’s exceptionally entertaining Dordogne novels for the past eleven years.

Walker, who spends most of his time in the Périgord region – the gastronomic heartland of France – has mastered the fine art of harnessing intriguing murder mysteries with paeans to his adopted country’s rich history, landscape and culture, serving up stories with an addictive brand of Gallic charm.

Click here for Lancashire Post review

At the heart of these superb novels is the laidback Bruno, a bon viveur with a brain as discerning as his palate… a man who can crack crime in the fictional town of St Denis whilst cracking open a bottle of the most expensive Château Margaux.

In his twelfth mystery, rich American art student, Claudia Muller, is found dead at the bottom of an ancient well in the beautiful village of Limeuil. The 25-year-old daughter of a millionaire financier had been working in the archives of eminent French art historian, Pierre de Bourdeille, a disabled Resistance war hero, at his art-filled hilltop castle, and she had become suspicious about aspects of his work.

Her death is at first assumed to be an accident, related to opioid drugs found in her body, but Bruno becomes convinced that this case is not so simple. His investigations take him into the past of de Bourdeille, the nonagenarian art expert who became wealthy through the sale of paintings whose provenance could have been forged.

DORDOGNE TREAT: Martin Walker

In his younger days, de Bourdeille had aided the Resistance and been arrested by a Vichy policeman whose own life story also becomes inexorably entangled with the case. Also in the mix is a young falconer who works at the Château des Milandes, the former home of fabled jazz singer Josephine Baker.

As Claudia father’s White House connections order the US Embassy and the FBI to get involved, Bruno traces the people and events that led to the woman’s death… and once more, it seems the long arm of French history has reached out to find a new victim.

Walker is on his best form as Bruno tackles an intriguing case which takes him from a small château in the breathtaking countryside of Limeuil – known as one of the loveliest villages in France – and the ruins of Berlin in 1945 to France’s colonial war in Algeria, forays into art provenance and falconry, and the secrets of a delicious navarin of lamb.

And it is this eclectic mix that has turned Walker’s amiable detective into the culinary crime king of rural France as his atmospheric and wonderfully complex whodunits magically morph into wish-you-were-here feasts full of food, humour and sensory delights.

New readers cannot help but be enchanted by the very human – and intensely humane – Bruno and his world, and seasoned fans can enjoy meeting up with old friends and familiar faces from past encounters in St Denis.

Fun, satisfying, and quirkily and quintessentially French…

(Quercus, hardback, £20)

A Stolen Summer

Allegra Huston

After being trapped in a loveless marriage for half her lifetime, Eve Armanton suddenly has the chance to embark on a passionate affair… but the man in question is almost the same age as her son.

Forget Fifty Shades of Grey and discover an emotionally charged meeting of both mind and body in Allegra Huston’s brave and enchanting debut novel which dares to imagine a sweeping, sizzling romance between an older woman and a younger man – a forbidden love that defies both expectation and tradition.

Huston, an Anglo-American who has written screenplays and one previous book, Love Child: A Memoir of Family Lost and Found, delivers so much more than a regulation love story in this dazzling and beautifully observed tale of a middle-aged woman defying convention to find her true self.

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Eve Armanton from New Jersey is wife to Larry, mother to her 24-year-old son Allan, and best friend to antiques store owner Debbie. Years ago, frightened by passion, Eve settled for less… marrying safely and building a solid, ordinary life.

Now Allan has left home, Eve no longer recognises the middle-aged woman staring back at her each morning, or the cold, loveless and stale marriage that she finds herself left in. She still feels fit and strong but at 48, she knows that ‘the ugly milestone looms.’

Weekends are her guilt-free joy as she seeks out hidden treasures in New York City for Debbie’s shop and it’s there she finds a mysterious but broken musical instrument, carved with twining vines, and is overcome with a desire to ‘make this beautiful thing whole again.’

Shortly afterwards, she bumps into her brother’s old college friend, Robert Burnett, and his son Micajah who stirs Eve in ways she hasn’t felt in years. Micajah is twenty years younger than herself, a musician, a seeker, a bohemian and he is soon ‘throwing her off her axis.’

DEBUT NOVEL: Allegra Huston

Micajah offers to help solve the mystery of the musical instrument, but he also offers youth, freedom and a newly-kindled ‘fizzing confusion,’ and Eve takes the dangerous and liberating step into a passionate affair.

Eve is about to discover who she was, who she is and who she can be but can this euphoric connection last? Defenceless now against the power of her fantasies, Eve cannot retreat back to safety as she is no longer the woman she was. And even now, she can hardly imagine the woman she will become…

Sassy, sexy, verbally elegant and sensually vibrant, A Stolen Summer is a perfectly paced and exhilarating portrayal of one woman’s voyage into a corner of herself she has suppressed for decades resulting in an original and personal odyssey filled with delicious flashes of comedy and moments of unexpected poignancy.

Huston is an intelligent and perceptive writer, digging out the truths of what it means to be a woman caught precariously on the cusp of fading youth and the onset of middle age; a time of introspection, of dwelling on lost chances, and taking stock of past, present and future.

For Eve, her relationship with Micajah is not just a reminder of the overwhelming power of sexual attraction but the catalyst for liberation and change, the prompt to re-evaluate both her marriage and her life, and to finally decide her own destiny.

Inspirational, empowering and beautifully imagined…

(HQ, paperback, £7.99)

The Path to the Sea

Liz Fenwick

Take three generations of women, a haunting tragedy from 55 years ago, and an imposing house standing on a Cornish cliff top, and the scene is set for one of this summer’s most enthralling reads.

Fill up your senses and steep yourself in sea vistas, sparkling sunlight and lush landscapes as Liz Fenwick transports us to a corner of the world that this Massachusetts-born expat has made her own. 

Fenwick fell in love with an Englishman and now enjoys family life in beautiful Cornwall whilst channelling her literary talents and energies into atmospheric and beautifully crafted novels which connect with both the countryside she adores, and the human condition that she writes about with such startling insight and veracity.

And The Path to the Sea is a visual and verbal triumph… an intriguing, all-enveloping and poignant mystery that explores how the events of one torrid summer fractured a family and led to decades of guilt, separation and anguish.

Diana Trewin, a 64-year-old seasoned war correspondent, is returning to Boskenna, the stunning, sunlit house standing on the Cornish cliffs which was once her much-loved home.

Her mother, 85-year-old Joan, is dying of cancer and Diana has reluctantly come back to Boskenna even though the two women have had nothing to say to each other for years.

Diana still dreams of her childhood there – the endless blue skies and wide lawns, book-filled rooms and parties, the sound of the sea at the end of the coastal path – but all that happiness ended in the August of 1962 when she was eight years old.

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A shocking tragedy that summer ended those golden years and Diana has hardly ever been back. Her close relationship with her mother simply ‘evaporated,’ and it has never been rekindled over a gap of 55 years.

In 1963, Joan was the glamorous young wife of Allan Trewin, a British diplomat in Moscow as the West teetered on the brink of a nuclear war with the Soviet Union.

VERBAL TRIUMPH: Liz Fenwick

Boskenna was a paradise where she and Allan could entertain and escape a world where no one was quite what they seemed – a world that would ultimately cost their marriage and end in tragedy. 

Also heading home in the August traffic to Boskenna is Diana’s 28-year-old daughter Lottie, broken-hearted because her beloved Gran is dying but welcoming an escape from a life gone horribly wrong in London.
As the three women gather together for a final time, the secrets hidden within the beautiful old house will be revealed in a summer that will leave them changed for ever.

Fenwick is now one of the go-to queens of Cornish fiction, and this dazzling new tale harnesses all the emotional wisdom, rich descriptive powers and dramatic storytelling that have made her such a popular and well-loved author.

The Path to the Sea is written straight from the heart… full of warmth, sensitivity and thought-provoking issues, and given extra power by a dark, compelling mystery and some fascinating social and political overtones.

Weaving together past and present, secrets and lies, domestic life and political menace, this is summer reading at its best.
(HQ, hardback, £12.99)

The Lemon Tree Hotel

Rosanna Ley

If you can’t afford a holiday in glorious Italy this summer, then bask in its sultry heat and unrivalled beauties alongside master storyteller Rosanna Ley.

The Lemon Tree Hotel is a captivating, sun-soaked tale focusing on four generations of women whose destinies have been shaped – in one way or another – by a warm and welcoming family-run hotel that sits amid the breathtaking splendours of the Italian Riviera.

Ley, author of a string of gorgeous novels that have taken us to some of the world’s most stunning locations, has the gift of blending enthralling family dramas with lush landscapes to deliver heaven-sent, holiday beach reads.

Here she sweeps us away to the real-life Vernazza, one of the five picturesque, centuries-old villages that make up the famous Cinque Terre on Italy’s rugged and colourful Ligurian coast, a place famous for its history, mountains, and steeply terraced olive groves.

For decades, the women of a local family have invested their time, energy and love into the elegant Lemon Tree Hotel, an old convent which stands proudly above the beautiful village of Vernazza on the glamorous Italian Riviera. The building saw violence and suffering during the war but it was bought by Chiara Mazzone’s parents in the 1950s and transformed into a hotel, and now 59-year-old Chiara likes to think she has helped the place to recapture its old sense of peace and spirituality.

Many years ago, when she was only 16 years old, Chiara fell madly in love with a young man called Dante Rossi from one of the neighbouring Cinque Terre villages but it was an ill-starred match because her father had already marked out Alonzo Mazzone, the son of good friends, as her future husband.

And now, in true family tradition, Chiara’s daughter Elene and her 20-year-old granddaughter Isabella have joined her as the driving force behind the running of the hotel, but Elene, head chef, is not close to her mother and is harbouring plans to make big changes to the Lemon Tree that Chiara will not like.

GOLDEN TOUCH: Rosanna Ley

Meanwhile, two men have booked into the hotel and both are set to rock the boat. Isabella is intrigued by the arrival of Ferdinand Bauer, a mysterious young German who seems to know a lot about the history of the old convent and the people who live there, and Chiara is shocked to meet up again with Dante Rossi, the love of her life who she gave up out of a sense of duty.

As the secret past of the hotel unfolds, the lives of the Mazzone family are set to see more changes than they could ever have imagined…

The Lemon Tree Hotel is a sizzling summertime treat, brimming with secrets, mystery, lost love and new beginnings, all played out against an alluring backdrop of shimmering sunshine, mountain slopes graced by olive and lemon groves, romantic coastal bays and turquoise seas.

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The ups and downs of family relationships lie at the beating heart of this beautifully written and extensively researched story; it’s a tale of powerful emotions… an Italian odyssey bathed in sunlight but with some dark corners that explore gritty real-life issues like the impact of loss, and the legacy of war.

And Ley has a golden touch when it comes to creating memorable characters… from Chiara – who has made the hotel her life’s work ­– to Elene who has plans to shake up the Lemon Tree, and Isabella whose heart is torn between her home’s past and present, these are three vibrant and authentic women.

With mouthwatering food on the menu, guaranteed sunshine, and a story with an unexpectedly dramatic dénouement, The Lemon Tree Hotel offers fabulous feel-good fiction for summertime reading. 

(Quercus, paperback, £7.99)

CHILDREN'S BOOKS: Talking animals, jungle capers and scheming pirates sail in to take centre stage

Animals of all shapes and sizes take starring roles in a bumper selection of new children's books that are guaranteed to put some much-needed sunshine into June

Age 8 plus:

Evie and the Animals

Matt Haig and Emily Gravett

Well, well, well… it seems the famous Dr Dolittle isn’t the only person who can talk to the animals!

Get ready to meet some brilliant characters – both animal and human – in an enchanting and inventive new chapter book from the dream team partnership of storytelling genius Matt Haig and animal illustration magician Emily Gravett.

Evie and the Animals is a heartwarming and imaginative story about daring to be different, growing up and staying true to yourself which manages to blend the soaraway magic of adventure with some real-life environmental issues.

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Eleven-year-old Evie has a talent… a super-talent that makes her very different to her friends! In fact, it’s a secret superpower which lets her understand and talk to animals. She can hear the thoughts of an elephant, and make friends with a dog and a sparrow. The only problem is, this talent, says her dad, is dangerous… very dangerous.

When she frees the school rabbit, Kahlo, from her tiny hutch and lands herself in big trouble, Evie promises her dad she will never talk to animals again and for a whole year she keeps her talent a secret.

ANIMAL MAGIC: Matt Haig

But after a face-to-face encounter with a lion, things start to go very wrong. Her dad – and every animal in town – is now in danger and Evie is determined to save them. But first, she must find the truth of her own past and to do that, she must battle a mysterious man with a talent more powerful than any other. As time runs out, she must seek help from the animals, and finally dare to be herself…

This clever, gloriously entertaining and contemporary take on classics like Dr Dolittle and Matilda sees Haig on his best storytelling form, and Gravett’s gallery of adorable black-and-white illustrations bring the diverse cast of characters to glorious life. Unmissable reading for middle-graders!

(Canongate, hardback, £16.99)