Showing results by publisher "Quercus" in All Categories

When pillar-of-the-community Harry Stewart dies of a sudden heart attack, the whole village is devastated - except for his maligned wife, Karen, the only one who really knew the abusive alcoholic Harry had become. Suddenly freed from this oppressive marriage, Karen is nonetheless wracked with guilt about her final argument with her husband and sees the presence of her spoiled stepdaughter, Sophia, as a suitable purgatory. Her only comfort in her grief and isolation is William, the sympathetic local vicar.

Lawrence and Jo have enjoyed a strong marriage, the envy of their friends. Even after 30 years they have lots to say to each other, many interests in common, and, until recently, a good sex life. But Lawrence seems wary and restless. Something's wrong. Just how wrong, Jo is about to discover... Can they use their years of history - all the things they've shared - to overcome a devastating betrayal?

A field guide for parents about the secret lives of 21st-century teenagers - from relationships to self-harm, from drugs to sexting - and how you can help them and yourself through these turbulent years.

Oenone didn't set out to become an influencer. The word barely existed when she started posting on Instagram at university to document her 'fitness journey' after a toxic relationship came to a messy end. In this humorous meditation on her digitized life, Oenone chronicles the pits and peaks of coming of age online. Grappling with modern-day issues on a public stage - from body image and personal boundaries to the limitations of online activism, Bad Influence examines what happens when your day-to-day reality becomes #content - and that #content pays your bills.

A warm and heartfelt WW2 saga of hope, love and female friendship, and how women pull together through good times and bad. Perfect for fans of Dilly Court and Nadine Dorries. In 1940s Hampshire the war is settling into its stride, bringing dark days for many. Eighteen-year-old Connie Baxter works as an usherette at the Criterion Picture House in Gosport. Here she meets Vera, a cleaner at the cinema, and her niece, Babs, who sells ice creams and dreams of being in the spotlight.

Whether you're becoming a mum for the first time or you have children who are growing up faster than you could have ever imagined, motherhood can feel like the most joyful and yet the most daunting of times. But you're not alone. From the moment I knew my first baby was a girl I started to plan, hope and dream. I couldn't wait to experience that special bond, but I wondered how I'd feel about being a working mum, how I'd hold on to the person I am.

Nancy de Freitas is the glue that holds her family together. Caught between her ageing, ailing mother, Frances, and her struggling daughter, Louise, a frequent user of Nancy's babysitting services, it seems Nancy's fate is to quietly go on shouldering the burden of responsibility for all four generations. Her divorce four years ago put paid to any thoughts of a partner to share her later years with. Now it looks like her family is all she has. Then she meets Jim.

Bernt Lund harbours a sickness. He is a monster: in the mind of society, in the mind of his nine-year-old victims' parents, and in the mind of his fellow inmates. Lennart Oscarsson has a situation. The worst scenario imaginable for the head of Aspsås prison's department for sexual crimes. These two men's actions are about to hand DCI Ewert Grens the most profoundly sickening and impossibly sensitive case of his career, and in Stockholm's history.

Lily and Freddy have a wonderful relationship: passionate and fun. Freddy taught her to love again after the death of her father. But then Freddy becomes tense, snappy and distracted. Is he having an affair? The truth turns out to be much worse.... Freddy is addicted to gambling. He owes hundreds of thousands of pounds to loan companies; he's been helping himself to money from his own company, which has now gone bust; and, worst of all, his wife's money - given to him to invest - is gone. Devastated, Lily leaves him and moves to stay with her sister.

Evie has just started her second year at University. She is young, beautiful and popular. She should be having the time of her life, except she has something to hide - a one-night-stand with her English professor, Simon. Not wanting any of his other students to be used in the same way, Evie reports their relationship to University HR. But hours later, Village Vixen, the student gossip blogger, is baying for blood. She's found out about the accusation and is firmly on Simon's side.

In his mid-20s, Jimmy was bored, boring, unfulfilled and underachieving. He wasn't exactly depressed, but he was very sad. Think of a baby owl whose mum has recently died in a windmill accident. He was that sad. This audiobook tells the story of how Jimmy turned it around and got happy, through the redemptive power of dick jokes.

Shyness can make us feel isolated, and it's inherently difficult to talk about, yet half of all humans consider themselves shy. Shyness is not weakness, nor a shameful secret. Let's own our shyness and work with it in the face of the loud, outgoing idea of success. It's time for a softer, more considered approach. Shy people have unique qualities and skills, so let's nurture and appreciate them. This book gives shy people the support and understanding they need to step out of the shadows. Together we can unleash the shy potential in our society.

Anna Bella Nor is just two weeks away from revealing her controversial research on the evolutionary origin of birds when her supervisor Lars Helland is found dead with his tongue and a copy of her thesis in his lap. As the police investigate the most brutal and calculated case they've ever known, Anna remains convinced someone is trying to stop her research coming to light. She must fight to prove her innocence and fight for her life.

When Inspector Akyl Borubaev of Bishkek Murder Squad arrives at the brutal murder scene of a young woman, all evidence hints at a sadistic serial killer on the hunt for more prey. But when the young woman's father turns out to be a leading government minister, the pressure is on Borubaev to solve the case not only quickly but also quietly, by any means possible. Until more bodies are found.

Scream queen Quinn has had it with scary movies. After years as Hollywood's horror It Girl, she's sick of the tabloids and the off-screen drama. So she's decided: one last film, before quitting for good. All that stands in her way is leading man Teddy James. Reality TV star and renowned playboy Teddy has looks to kill for, but absolutely no talent. AKA, Quinn's worst nightmare. That's until they stumble - literally - across a dead body on set.

In an overcrowded Stockholm underground station, a father and his two boys are late for their train. Joel, the youngest, is howling in his pushchair, and his seven-year-old brother, Kristoffer, refuses to take the lift. A woman approaches and offers to lead Kristoffer up the stairs. Reluctantly his father agrees, but when he arrives on the platform Kristoffer and the woman have vanished without a trace. Many years later Joel, now an adult, goes missing in suspicious circumstances.

A heartwarming saga from the best-selling author of The Workhouse Waif. Eighteen-year-old seamstress Kathryn Flynn lives in Whitechapel, London, struggling to support her widowed mother and younger siblings. But when her work starts drying up and her mother falls ill, she is forced to consider desperate measures.... Then she meets 'Squire', an older city gentleman, who falls instantly in love with her and offers to take her under his wing. 'Squire' could give Kathryn the life she's always wanted...but is there something darker lurking beneath his kindness?

Annie Delancey is happily married with three grown children. But she guards a secret. Aged eighteen she had a baby boy, and gave him up for adoption. Out of the blue, she receives an official-looking letter from Social Services. Herson wants to make contact. As the son she has never known comes back into her life, his presence begins to expose the cracks in the family that Annie now has to try, desperately, to hold together.

A breathtaking missing persons thriller set under the menacing peaks of the Pyrenees. Five years after their disappearance, the village of Monteperdido still mourns the loss of Ana and Lucia, two 11-year-old friends who left school one afternoon and were never seen again. Now, Ana reappears unexpectedly inside a crashed car, wounded but alive. The case reopens, and a race against time begins to discover who was behind the girls' kidnapping. Most importantly, where is Lucia, and is she still alive?

John Meyer Frey is sentenced to death by the state of Ohio. John Meyer Frey dies awaiting execution on death row. John Meyer Frey, six years later, is found alive in Sweden. Detective Superintendent Ewert Grens now has a dead man in his custody, an impossible mystery on his hands, and the most explosive case of his career in front of him.