Saturday, 3 November 2018

Books to Look Forward to from Headline Publishing


January 2019

What would you do if you woke up and didn't know who you were?  Chloe Daniels regains consciousness in a hospital with no memory of how she got there. She doesn't recognise the strangers who call themselves family. She can't even remember her own name. What if your past remained a mystery?  As she slowly recovers, her parents and sister begin to share details of her life. The successful career. The seaside home. The near-fatal car crash.  But Chloe senses they're keeping dark secrets - and her determination to uncover the truth will have devastating consequences.  What if the people you should be able trust are lying to you?  Between the Lies is by Michelle Adams.

Scrublands is by Chris Hammer.  A dead river. A dying town. A killer's secrets... In an isolated country town ravaged by drought, a charismatic young priest opens fire on his congregation, killing five men before being shot dead himself.  A year later, journalist Martin Scarsden arrives in Riversend to write a feature on the anniversary of the tragedy. But the stories he hears from the locals don't fit with the accepted version of events.  Just as Martin believes he is making headway, a shocking discovery rocks the town. The bodies of two backpackers - missing since the time of the massacre - are found in the scrublands. The media descends on Riversend and Martin is the one in the spotlight. Wrestling with his own demons, Martin finds himself risking everything to uncover a truth that becomes more complex with every twist. But there are powerful forces determined to stop him, and he has no idea how far they will go to make sure the town's secrets stay buried.

February 2019

Cold as the Grave is by James Oswald. Her mummified body is hidden in the dark corner of a basement room, a room which seems to have been left untouched for decades. A room which feels as cold as the grave.  As a rowdy demonstration makes its slow and vocal way along Edinburgh's Royal Mile, Detective Chief Inspector Tony McLean's team are on stand-by for any trouble. The newly promoted McLean is distracted, inexplicably drawn to a dead-end mews street... and a door, slightly ajar, which leads to this poor girl's final resting place.  But how long has she been there, in her sleep of death? The answers are far from what McLean or anyone else could expect. The truth far more chilling than a simple cold case...

A troubled genius who vanishes in a mysterious car crash.  A disillusioned cop sensing conspiracy in the corridors of power.  A ruthless team of mercenaries operating in the shadows.  A billion-dollar business that wants the world in its grip.  One link connects them all.  A champion fighter. Betrayed and searching for the truth. The Hunter is by Andrew Reid.

Say you’re Sorry is by Karen Rose.  Special Agent Gideon Reynolds has tried hard to put his past behind him. He escaped the violence of his cult upbringing when he was just thirteen, and since then routine and discipline have been his way of making sense of the world. But when a petite blonde woman crashes into his life, he begins to realize that a little bit of chaos might not be so bad.  Daisy Dawson has had more than her fair share of pain too - but she's done being a victim. Daisy's determined to explore every new experience she can - including getting to know the dark and serious FBI investigator she meets when she fights off a masked attacker one night.  It soon becomes clear that Daisy's attack was just the beginning. Now the bloodied bodies of young women are showing up all over California, and, as Gideon tries to find the killer, it's clear that Daisy is in more danger than they ever realised...

Alison has it all. A doting husband, adorable daughter, and a career on the rise - she's just been given her first murder case to defend. But all is never as it seems...  Just one more night. Then I'll end it.  Alison drinks too much. She's neglecting her family. And she's having an affair with a colleague whose taste for pushing boundaries may be more than she can handle.  I did it. I killed him. I should be locked up.  Alison's client doesn't deny that she stabbed her husband - she wants to plead guilty. And yet something about her story is deeply amiss. Saving this woman may be the first step to Alison saving herself.  I'm watching you. I know what you're doing.  But someone knows Alison's secrets. Someone who wants to make her pay for what she's done, and who won't stop until she's lost everything....  Blood Orange is by Harriet Tyce.

 March 2019

Past Life is by Dominic Nolan.  Detective Abigail Boone has been missing for four days when she is finally found, confused and broken. Suffering retrograde amnesia, she is a stranger to her despairing husband and bewildered son.  Hopelessly lost in her own life, with no leads on her abduction, Boone's only instinct is to revisit the case she was investigating when she vanished: the baffling disappearance of a young woman, Sarah Still.  Defying her family and the police, Boone obsessively follows a deadly trail to the darkest edges of human cruelty. But even if she finds Sarah, will Boone ever be the same again?

The Big Kahuna is by Janet and Peter Evanovich.  FBI Agent Kate O'Hare plays by the rules. Charming con man Nicholas Fox makes them up as he goes along. They're working together to tackle the out-of-bounds cases ordinary FBI agents can't touch. And their relationship? Well, there hasn't been so much explosive chemistry since Nitro was introduced to Glycerin.  Next up: the mysterious disappearance of the Silicon Valley billionaire known as the Big Kahuna. His model wife and shady business partner are more interested in gaining control of his company than in finding him. They need a dead body... not a living Kahuna.  The only lead is the Kahuna's drop-out son, who's living the dream in Hawaii. To get close to him, Kate and Nick go undercover as a married couple in the surfer community. For Kate, there is nothing more horrifying than setting up house with Nick Fox. If they don't catch a break soon, waves aren't going to be the only thing she'll be shredding (or bedding).

May 2019

You could say that it started with vanity.  We believed that we were special.  But the truth is we were simply vulnerable.  One of them is lying.  One of them is guilty.  No one is safe.  Months after landing their dream job, five brilliant young minds are sent on a remote retreat.  But when one of them disappears, they are forced to question why they were brought there in the first place., and how far they’d go to get what they want.  And for the first time in their lives, they realise that too much knowledge can be deadly.  Call me a Liar is by Colette Mcbeth.

Never be Broken is by Sarah Hilary.  Children are dying on London's streets. Frankie Reece, stabbed through the heart, outside a corner shop. Others recruited from care homes, picked up and exploited; passed like gifts between gangs. They are London's lost.   Then Raphaela Belsham is killed. She's thirteen years old, her father is a man of influence, from a smart part of town. And she's white. Suddenly, the establishment is taking notice.  DS Noah Jake is determined to handle Raphaela's case and Frankie's too. But he's facing his own turmoil, and it's becoming an obsession. DI Marnie Rome is worried, and she needs Noah on side. Because more children are disappearing, more are being killed by the day and the swelling tide of violence needs to be stemmed before it's too late.

The Unique Heart is by Kaite Welsh. Sarah Gilchrist has no intention of marrying her dull fiance Miles, the man her family hope will restore her reputation and put an end to her dreams of becoming a doctor, but when he is arrested for a murder she is sure he didn't commit she finds herself his reluctant ally. Beneath the genteel facade of upper class Edinburgh lurks blackmail, adultery, poison and madness and Sarah must return to Edinburgh's slums, back alleys and asylums as she discovers the dark past about a family where no one is what they seem, even Miles himself. It also brings her back into the orbit of her mercurial professor, Gregory Merchiston - he sees Sarah as his protegee, but can he stave off his demons long enough to teach her the skills that will save her life?

June 2019

Pieta has a secret.  Ten years ago, Pieta was kidnapped from outside a London nightclub by a man who said he wouldn't kill her if she kept her eyes closed for 48 hours. Pieta survived the weekend but was left emotionally and physically scarred by the experience. Now living in Brighton, she is a mother and journalist with a good life - until she is tasked with interviewing Callie, a woman who has the same story and scars as she does. Pieta has never told anyone what she did to escape with her life but now she may have to...  Jody has a secret.  Fifteen years ago, policewoman Jody made a terrible mistake that resulted in a prolific serial killer known as The Blindfolder escaping justice. Only his newest victim, Callie, is willing to talk publicly about her ordeal. When Jody finds out journalist Pieta was also once kidnapped by him, she realises how she can catch him. But that would mean endangering at least two innocent people...  Callie has a secret.  As the newest victim of the man known as the Blindfolder, Callie knows all eyes are on her to tell her story and give the police the information they need to catch this man. But does Callie know more than she is willing to tell?  They kept quiet to protect themselves.  Will they tell all to save or sacrifice each other?  Tell Me Your Secret is by Dorothy Koomson.


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