Thursday 25 January 2024

Forthcoming Books from Penguin Random House (Incl Century)

January 

The Woman on the Ledge is by Ruth Mancini. A woman falls to her death from a London bank's twenty-fifth-floor roof terrace. You're arrested for her murder. You tell the police that you only met the victim the previous night at your office party. She was threatening to jump from the roof, but you talked her down. You've got nothing to do with tragedy. You're clearly being framed. So why do the police keep picking holes in your story? Even your lawyer doesn't seem to believe you. It soon becomes obvious that you're keeping secrets. But who are you trying to protect? And why?

One happy couple. Two divided families. A wedding party to die for. On the private island of Castle Fiore - surrounded by the glittering waters of Lake Garda - the illustrious Heywood family gathers begrudgingly for their son Laurence's wedding to Italian influencer Eva Bianchi. But as the ceremony begins, a blood-curdling scream brings the proceedings to a devastating halt. With the wedding guests trapped as they await the police, old secrets come to light and family rivalries threaten to bubble over. Everyone is desperate to know...Who is the killer? Murder on Lake Garda is by Tom Hindle.

Holmes, Marple and Poe is by James Patterson & Brian Sitts. Brendan Holmes, Margaret Marple and Auguste Poe run the most in-demand private investigation agency in New York City. The three detectives make a formidable team, solving a series of seemingly impossible crimes - from a priceless art theft and a decades-old unsolved murder, to mysterious disappearances that expose corruption and bribery at the highest levels of power. But it's not long before their headline-grabbing breakthroughs, unconventional methods - and untraceable pasts - attract the attention of the NYPD and the FBI. After all, it's no surprise that there's a mystery or two to unravel in the city that never sleeps . . . not least, who really are Holmes, Margaret and Poe?

February 2024

The List of Suspicious Things is by Jennie Godfrey. Yorkshire, 1979. Maggie Thatcher is prime minister, drainpipe jeans are in, and Miv is convinced that her dad wants to move their family down South. Because of the murders. Leaving Yorkshire and her best friend Sharon simply isn't an option, no matter the dangers lurking round their way; or the strangeness at home that started the day Miv's mum stopped talking. Perhaps if she could solve the case of the disappearing women, they could stay after all? So, Miv and Sharon decide to make a list: a list of all the suspicious people and things down their street. People they know. People they don't. But their search for the truth reveals more secrets in their neighbourhood, within their families - and between each other - than they ever thought possible. What if the real mystery Miv needs to solve is the one that lies much closer to home?

The 24th Hour is by James Patterson and Maxine Paetro. Trouble is never far away . . . The Women’s Murder Club is out celebrating an engagement at San Francisco’s finest restaurant when a blood-curdling scream interrupts the festivities. They soon discover a young woman who has been the victim of a violent assault. Sergeant Lindsay Boxer makes an arrest. Assistant District Attorney Yuki Castellano takes the case. But assigning blame is made impossible due to the victim’s chaotic version of events – and the shocking reason behind her ever-changing memory. As Yuki argues the toughest case of her career, Lindsay must chase down a high-society killer whose target practice may leave the Women’s Murder Club short a bridesmaid . . . or two.

Nicole Oruwari has the perfect life: a handsome husband, a palatial house in the heart of Lagos and a glamorous group of friends. She left London and a troubled family past behind to become part of a community of expat wives. But when Nicole disappears without a trace after a boat trip, the cracks in her so-called perfect life start to show. As the investigation turns up nothing but dead ends, her aunt Claudine flies to Nigeria to take matters into her own hands. As she digs into her niece's life, she uncovers a hidden truth. But the more she finds out about Nicole, the more Claudine's own buried history threatens to come to light. The Lagos Wife is by Vanessa Walters.

The Ghost Orchid is by Jonathan Kellerman. Some secrets are worth killing for. In an upscale Bel Air property, two lovers are found dead in a swimming pool. The man is the playboy heir to a business empire, and the woman is his even wealthier married neighbour. An illicit affair is the perfect motive. But the house is untouched - no forced entry, no forensic evidence - and so LAPD homicide lieutenant Milo Sturgis and asks psychologist Alex Delaware to help unpick the case. It quickly becomes clear that both victims had troubled pasts. Now Alex and Milo must confront LA's darkest side as they unravel a trail of deadly secrets . . .

How do you catch a killer who leaves no trace? In New York City, a sniper dubbed 'The Longshot Killer' is taking out impossible targets. Nothing links the victims - except the brutal circumstances of their deaths. Detective Michael Bennett quickly develops a profile of the killer. Great with a gun. Probably ex-military. A profile that his new partner, Rob Trilling, fits to a terrifying degree. With Trilling taking ever more suspicious absences from duty, Bennett must find out the truth - before the Longshot Killer strikes again. Crosshairs is by James Patterson and James O Born.

March 2024

Prima Facie is by Suzie Miller. ‘This is not life. This is law.’ Tessa Ensler is a brilliant barrister who's forged her career in criminal defence through sheer determination. Since her days at Cambridge, she’s carefully disguised her working class roots in a male-dominated world where who you know is just as important as what you know. Driven by her belief in the right to a fair trial and a taste for victory, there’s nothing Tessa loves more than the thrill of getting her clients acquitted. It seems like Tessa has it made when she is approached for a new job and nominated for the most prestigious award in her field. But when a date with a charismatic colleague goes horribly wrong, Tessa finds that the rules she’s always played by might not protect her, forcing her to question everything she's ever believed in.

A remote tropical island. Countless dangerous secrets. No way to call help. Missing persons specialist Frankie Elkin is on an isolated island off the coast of Hawaii. Her mission: to find Lani, the missing sister of a Death Row serial killer known as the Beautiful Butcher who is awaiting execution in just three weeks’ time. According to the Beautiful Butcher’s sources, Lani is being held captive by her millionaire ex-boyfriend on the island. The only way to gain access is for Frankie to go undercover. But can Frankie really trust the word of a serial killer? Plus, this island is no paradise with deadly creatures and suspicious co-workers at every turn, and an incoming tropical storm about to cut her off from the outside world. Could this be Frankie Elkin’s most dangerous case yet? Still See You Everywhere is by Lisa Gardner.

No1 Lawyer is by James Patterson and Nancy Allen. Stafford Lee Penney is the best defence lawyer in Mississippi - he's never lost a case. Until now. Hot on the heels of his latest courtroom victory, his wife is brutally murdered. Devastated, Stafford Lee spirals into a losing streak that forces him to abandon his once brilliant career. But his wife's killer is still on the loose and they seem determined to frame Stafford Lee for their crimes. Rising from rock bottom, he makes a bold return to court - to defend himself in the biggest murder trial this town has ever seen. Stafford Lee must crack the toughest case of his career. And this time, it's personal.

April 2024

A Beginner's Fuide to Breaking and Entering is by Andrew Hunter-Murray. Property might be theft. But the housing market is murder. My name is Al. I live in wealthy people's second homes while their real owners are away. I don't rob them, I don't damage anything... I'm more an unofficial house-sitter than an actual criminal. Life is good. Or it was - until last night, when my friends and I broke into the wrong place, on the wrong day, and someone wound up dead. And now... now we’re in a great deal of trouble. Featuring crooked houses, dodgy coppers and a lot of lockpicking, A Beginner's Guide to Breaking and Entering is a gripping thriller about what it's like to be young, skilled, unemployed - and on the run.

Richmond, London. Six attractive houses are tucked away in an exclusive and very upmarket gated community: Riverside Close. Surrounded by flowers and shrubbery, they're sealed off from the busy main road and the realities of urban life. At weekends, with the gate locked, the residents enjoy the sound of birdsong, the whirr of mowers, the occasional snatch of opera through an open window. Everyone knows each other. Everyone gets on. That is, until the Kenworthies arrive. With their four big gas-guzzling cars, their noisy children and their plans to build a swimming pool in their garden, they quickly offend every one of their neighbours. When Charles Kenworthy is found dead on his porch, the bolt of a crossbow through his chest, Daniel Hawthorne is called in. But how do you solve a murder when everyone has the same motive? Close to Death is by Anthony Horowitz.

Private Monaco is by James Patterson and Adam Hamdy. The clock is ticking. To save her life you must take another. When Jack Morgan is invited to the luxurious Monaco coast to set up a new Private office, it seems like the perfect opportunity to relax in an iconic destination. But the vacation is quickly cut short when Jack's partner Justine is abducted. The kidnappers send Jack clear instructions - and a gun. If he wants to see the woman he loves again, he must take a life in exchange for hers. Jack soon becomes entangled in a dangerous conspiracy that will come to a head at the Monaco Grand Prix. Hours from disaster, Jack must find Justine and her kidnappers - and put a stop to whatever they have planned next.


May 2024

London, 1833. Doctress Hester Reeves has been offered a life-changing commission. But it comes at a price. She must leave behind her husband and their canal-side home in Kings Cross and move to Tall Trees – a dark and foreboding house in Fitzrovia. If Hester can cure the ailing health of its owner, Gervaise Cherville, she will receive payment that will bring her everything she could dream of. But on arriving at Tall Trees, Hester quickly discovers that an even bigger task awaits her. Now she must unearth secrets that have lain hidden for decades – including one that will leave Hester’s own life forever changed…House of Shades is by Lianne Dillsworth.

'Where is Greg Downing?' Sports Agent Myron Bolitar is in his new office on the top of a skyscraper in New York when two FBI agents ask him this very question. The man they refer to is a top basketball player and Myron's former client and old rival. Greg's DNA, they tell him, has been found at the scene of a high-profile double-murder, and he is now their main suspect. It can't be Greg, Myron tells the two agents: the reason he is Myron's 'former' client is because Greg is dead. He died three years ago of a heart attack. Myron went to his funeral and gave the eulogy. So how can a man who's already dead be wanted for murder? But the closer Myron and his sidekick Win get to the truth about Greg Downing, the more dangerous their world becomes. Secrets, lies, and a murderous conspiracy lie at the heart of Think Twice by Harlan Coben.

June 2024

The Switch is by Lily Samson. Two couples. Elena and Adam are housesitting in Wimbledon and are instantly seduced by their new upscale surroundings. Sophia and Finn are their beautiful, enigmatic neighbours who invite them into their world. One twisted game. When Sophia proposes a wicked game to Elena whereby they will swap partners in secret, it's not long before Elena starts to experience a sexual awakening that blossoms into an illicit love affair. But Sophia's plans are far more complex and dangerous than Elena could ever have imagined.. Who will survive.

When coroner-turned-private investigator Clay Edison is approached to work on a fraud case, he uncovers more than he bargained before: a decades-old scheme targeting the vulnerable. His investigation leads him to a strange town in the remote California wilderness where the residents don't care much for outsiders. They certainly don't like Clay asking questions. And they'll do just about anything to keep him quiet. . .The Lost Coast is by Jonathan and Jessie Kellerman.

The Suspect is b Rob Rinder. When the UK's favourite breakfast TV presenter dies live on air in front of millions of viewers, the nation is left devastated.  More devastated still when it becomes clear that her death was not an accident. The evidence points to one culprit: celebrity chef Sebastian Brooks. But junior barrister Adam Green is about to discover that the case is not as open-and-shut as it first seemed. And although her angelic persona would suggest otherwise, she was not short of enemies in the glittery TV world . . . Can Adam uncover the truth?


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