English books

In Afghanistan, elite operative John Stratton leads a raid on a remote compound, leaving no survivors. Days later, in London, Stratton is contacted by an old friend in military intelligence with a curious message about being hunted by an assassin. When the officer vanishes, Stratton is drawn into a desperate race to secure a missing nuclear warhead that has been stolen from the Pakistan military. Against an unknown enemy, he begins a heart-stopping search for the bomb that will take him from a Taliban hideout just a few miles outside Bagram Air Base to the crowded streets of Manhattan. A terrifying and authentic vision of the special forces world by an ex-SBS operative, this is Duncan Falconer's most gripping thriller to date.

From the co-author of the two-million copy mega-bestseller The Rule of Four comes a riveting thriller with a brilliant premise based on the 2012 apocalypse phenomenon—perfect for readers of Steve Berry, Preston and Child, and Dan Brown. For decades, December 21, 2012, has been a touchstone for doomsayers worldwide. It is the date, they claim, when the ancient Maya calendar predicts the world will end. In Los Angeles, two weeks before, all is calm. Dr. Gabriel Stanton takes his usual morning bike ride, drops off the dog with his ex-wife, and heads to the lab where he studies incurable prion diseases for the CDC. His first phone call is from a hospital resident who has an urgent case she thinks he needs to see. Meanwhile, Chel Manu, a Guatemalan American researcher at the Getty Museum, is interrupted by a desperate, unwelcome visitor from the black market antiquities trade who thrusts a duffel bag into her hands. By the end of the day, Stanton, the foremost expert on some of the rarest infections in the world, is grappling with a patient whose every symptom confounds and terrifies him. And Chel, the brightest young star in the field of Maya studies, has possession of an illegal artifact that has miraculously survived the centuries intact: a priceless codex from a lost city of her ancestors. This extraordinary record, written in secret by a royal scribe, seems to hold the answer to her life’s work and to one of history’s great riddles: why the Maya kingdoms vanished overnight. Suddenly it seems that our own civilization might suffer this same fate. With only days remaining until December 21, 2012, Stanton and Chel must join forces before time runs out. Advance praise for 12.21 “Dustin Thomason, M.D., will invariably be compared to Michael Crichton, M.D., and 12.21 will be favorably compared to The Andromeda Strain. Both authors have written first-rate medical thrillers, the kind of fact-based fiction that is very scary but also very entertaining. Thomason knows his stuff, and it shows on every page. I truly could not put this book down.”—Nelson DeMille “The most exciting novel of its kind since the days of Michael Crichton, 12.21 takes us from the frontiers of modern neuroscience to the riddles of ancient Maya texts, with nothing less than the future of our civilization at stake.”—Vince Flynn “A fast-moving tale . . . Thomason displays an impressive depth of knowledge of both science and the ancient Mayan way of life. Along the way, he skillfully ramps up the action, one notch at a time. A winning book.”—Kirkus Reviews “Fascinating, terrifying for its potential realism. I loved how tightly everything fit together. I had to keep reading.”—Taylor Stevens, New York Times bestselling author of The Informationist “Fast, suspenseful . . . Michael Crichton fans will find a lot to like.”—Publishers Weekly

A special edition of E L James’s #1 New York Times bestselling novel, Fifty Shades Darker, that includes her own photos and caption commentary from the making of the film―and an excerpt from her forthcoming book, Fifty Shades Darker, As Told by Christian Grey. Daunted by the dark secrets of the tormented young entrepreneur, Christian Grey, Anastasia Steele has broken off their relationship. But desire for Grey still dominates her every waking thought, and when he proposes a new arrangement, she cannot resist. They rekindle their searing, sensual affair, and soon Ana is learning more about the harrowing past of her damaged, driven and demanding Fifty Shades than she ever thought possible. But while Christian wrestles with his inner demons, Ana must make the most important decision of her life. A decision she can only make on her own ...

"Redemption and grief, and the love that exists even when people are gone." -The Bookbag Not alive. Not dead. Somewhere in between lie the Beautiful Dead. It's been months since Darina has seen her undead boyfriend and her heart is breaking all over again. The wait is slowly driving her crazy. All she wants to do is be with Phoenix, to feel his arms wrapped around her. But to earn the pleasure of that embrace, Darina must track down the crazed killer that shot Summer Madison. Was it a random shooting? Or was the gifted singer the victim of an obsessive fan? As time runs out, Darina will risk her own life to discover the truth. But if she solves Summer's murder, Darina knows it only brings her one step closer to losing Phoenix forever... "Compelling characters coupled with a powerful mystery. A real page turner." -Julia Eccleshare, Lovereading4kids

Alva and Irva are identical twins - but one is shy and the other very outgoing. They become obsessed with making models out of plasticine, their home city perfectly copied. They seem destined to spend their lives unknown, until an earthquake ravages the city and they become heroes. Strange and somewhat eerie, this book is definitely a challenge, but worth it. It delves into the psyche of twins, but with tenderness and understanding. Extract We spent much time in the attic looking out of the window (despite Mother's protestations) onto Veber Street, wondering about all the life there. And one day I decided, and Irva cautiously agreed, to make a model of the street, not just a quick model that would take a few hours to build, but a complex work that would take weeks and perhaps even months to finish: a highly detailed miniturisatio of exactly what was seen from our window. It was constructed entirely from red blocks of plasticine which we purchased with Grandfather from the Mison's toy shop. How we struggled to see them properly for the first time. How plasticine helped to understand.

“AS ENTERTAINING AS SARUM AND RUTHERFURD’S OTHER SWEEPING NOVEL OF BRITISH HISTORY, LONDON.” –The Boston Globe “Engaging . . . A sprawling tome that combines fact with fiction and covers 900 years in the history of New Forest, a 100,000-acre woodland in southern England . . . Rutherfurd sketches the histories of six fictional families, ranging from aristocrats to peasants, who have lived in the forest for generations. . . . But the real success is in how Rutherfurd paints his picture of the wooded enclave with images of treachery and violence, as well as magic and beauty.” –The New York Post “THE FOREST IS MICHENER TOLD WITH AN ENGLISH ACCENT.” –St. Louis Post-Dispatch “TALES OF LOVE AND HONOR, DECEIT AND VIOLENCE, INHERITANCE AND LOSS.” –San Jose Mercury News

Named one of the Best Books of the Year by the Washington Post, Booklist, BookPage, Library Journal, and Library Reads A New York Times Book Review Editors’ Choice Selection An IndieNext Selection A People Magazine Pick of the Week Winner of the Rome Prize Winner of the American Initiative for Italian Culture “The Bridge” Book Award Longlisted for the International DUBLIN Literary Award Longlisted for the Andrew Carnegie Medal for Excellence (Fiction) "Raw and beautiful. . . . What rises and shines from the page is Todd Aaron, a hero of such singular character and clear spirit that you will follow him anywhere. You won’t just root for him, you will fight and push and pray for him to wrest control of his future. You will read this book in one sitting or maybe two, and, I promise, you will miss this man deeply when you are done.” ―Ann Bauer, Washington Post Sent to a “therapeutic community” for autism at the age of eleven, Todd Aaron, now in his fifties, is the “Old Fox” of Payton LivingCenter. A joyous man who rereads the encyclopedia compulsively, he is unnerved by the sudden arrivals of a menacing new staffer and a disruptive, brain-injured roommate. His equilibrium is further worsened by Martine, a one-eyed new resident who has romantic intentions and convinces him to go off his meds to feel “normal” again. Undone by these pressures, Todd attempts an escape to return “home” to his younger brother and to a childhood that now inhabits only his dreams. Written astonishingly in the first-person voice of an autistic, adult man, Best Boy―with its unforgettable portraits of Todd’s beloved mother, whose sweet voice still sings from the grave, and a staffer named Raykene, who says that Todd “reflects the beauty of His creation”―is a piercing, achingly funny, finally shattering novel no reader can ever forget.

The sudden death of Guy Brouard after his morning swim shocks the residents of Guernsey. A generous patron and benefactor of the island since his arrival there a decade ago, his demise puts a question mark over many cherished projects. When a young American woman is charged with the murder, her brother seeks help from the only contact he has in the UK - Deborah St James. Deborah is horrified to find that her old friend has been arrested and persuades her husband Simon to accompany her to Guernsey to avert this miscarriage of justice. There they find a tangled web of deceit and betrayal, with its origins in wartime occupation. In solving the crime, they must rely on their long-standing friendship with Inspector Lynley; they must also learn painful lessons about loyalty and trust, and the loving tyranny of family ties.