Top list: True stories

Whoever Fights Monsters, a chronicle of one man's lifelong career tracking serial killers, introduces the FBI detective who pioneered psychological profiling as a way to catch some of the nation's most dangerous and deranged criminals.

A groundbreaking major bestseller in Italy, Gomorrah is Roberto Saviano's gripping nonfiction account of the decline of Naples under the rule of the Camorra, an organized crime network with a large international reach and stakes in construction, high fashion, illicit drugs, and toxic-waste disposal.

'Bad Apple is a must-read for lovers of thrillers!’ Reader Review, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

'I tore through this edge-of-your-seat, up-all-night thriller…Timely and gripping, don't miss this one.' – bestselling author Katy Brent

Trusted officer. Family man. Monster?

Becky Lawson’s life has been shattered.

When she discovered her husband, John – a trusted policeman – was a monster, she reported him. But her faith in the system was crushed when it didn't lead to any charges or consequences.

Now, John lives freely with a new girlfriend and her young daughter, while Becky battles guilt over missing the obvious signs.

Determined for justice, Becky hunts him down. But John wants her silenced – at any cost. Becky knows only one of them can survive, and she’ll do anything to make sure it’s her.

Becky must tread carefully though, because John isn’t the only bad apple lurking in the shadows…

A gripping heart-in-mouth psychological thriller that asks: What would you do if you found out the man you loved was rotten to the core? Perfect for fans of K.L. Slater, B.A. Paris and the Netflix hit TV series You.

___________

READERS ARE GRIPPED BY BAD APPLE!

‘I buzzed through this book in one sitting!’ Reader Review, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

‘An addictive read, filled with suspense and clever twists right to the unexpected ending.' Reader Review, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

‘I flew through this…a five-star read.’ Reader Review, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

‘This book was extremely captivating…so many twists and turns that kept me on the edge of my seat!’ Reader Review, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

‘The book explores themes such as trust and deception with everything else in between…I found myself eagerly flicking the page to see what would happen next!’ Reader Review, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

‘This was one of my favourite thriller books I have read…absolutely fantastic!’ Reader Review, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

‘A brilliant, twisty police procedural story.’ Reader Review, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

‘An incredible read. I laughed, I cried and my heart was truly touched by this beautifully written true story of hope and humanity at its best.’ Rosemary Conley CBE

'An extraordinary story. Truly Inspirational' Tim Vine

An astonishing story of kindness, self-learning, pain, unbelievable hope and the sheer power of love to change a life.

Christmas 1975 and Queen’s ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ is riding high in the charts. In a residential street just outside Cardiff, a persistent knocking breaks the stillness of the evening …

When Rob Parsons, a young lawyer, opens his door he finds a man standing before him clutching a bag of belongings and a frozen chicken. Rob and his wife, Dianne, invite him into their home, cook his chicken and offer him shelter for the night. What happens next is an astonishing story of human kindness, self-learning, incredible pain, unbelievable hope and the sheer power of love to change a life.

A Knock at the Door is the true story of Ronnie Lockwood, a homeless man who entered the home of a young couple, became a dustman and lived as part of their family for over 45 years until his death. But this is not just Ronnie’s story – it is also that of Rob and his family. Outwardly the two men’s lives were worlds apart – as Ronnie emptied rubbish bins, Rob flew on Concorde – and yet, they discovered they had similar struggles. Then the day came, at the lowest moment of the couple’s lives, when they turned to the homeless man for help.

But there were also remarkable turnarounds. Ronnie spent much of his spare time volunteering, including at a homeless centre, and ended up having a £1.6 million well-being centre named after him. Rob left his law practice and he and Dianne began a charity that touches the lives of millions of people.

You will have never read a story like this before, but at its heart is a simple message: whether we are a lawyer or a dustman – tomorrow doesn’t always have to be like yesterday.

’Indecently entertaining.’ A Daily Mail Book of the Week

An Amazon US Best Book of 2022

'A fascinating tale of poisons and poisonous deeds which both educates and entertains.' — Kathy Reichs

As any reader of murder mysteries can tell you, poison is one of the most enduring — and popular — weapons of choice for a scheming murderer. It can be slipped into a drink, smeared onto the tip of an arrow or the handle of a door, even filtered through the air we breathe. But how exactly do these poisons work to break our bodies down, and what can we learn from the damage they inflict?

In a fascinating blend of popular science, medical history, and narrative crime nonfiction, Dr Neil Bradbury explores this most morbidly captivating method of murder from a cellular level. Alongside real-life accounts of murderers and their crimes —some notorious, some forgotten, some still unsolved — are the equally compelling stories of the poisons involved: eleven molecules of death that work their way through the human body and, paradoxically, illuminate the way in which our bodies function.

Drawn from historical records and current news headlines, A Taste for Poison weaves together the fascinating tales of spurned lovers, shady scientists, medical professionals and political assassins, showing how the precise systems of the body can be impaired to lethal effect through the use of poison. From the deadly origins of the gin & tonic cocktail to the arsenic-laced wallpaper in Napoleon’s bedroom, A Taste for Poison leads readers on a fascinating tour of the intricate, complex systems that keep us alive — or don’t.

From the Sunday Times Bestselling author Dr Amanda Brown

Revisit the wold of The Prison Doctor, as she describes stories of her time spent with foreign national prisoners.

DANGER. DEPORTATION. DEATH.

These are just some of the fates facing the inmates at

Huntercombe prison.

Some have fled their homeland in fear of their lives.

Others are being sent to a country they left decades

ago. But Dr Amanda Brown is doing all she can for each

patient stuck in no-man’s land. They have little or no idea

of what awaits them outside, but she treats them with

kindness and respect. Whatever their crime, and whatever

their future holds, she is still their doctor.

A thrilling exposé recounting how members of Opus Dei—a secretive, ultra-conservative Catholic sect—pushed its radical agenda within the Church and around the globe, using billions of dollars siphoned from one of the world’s largest banks.

For over half a century, Banco Popular was one of the most profitable banks in the world—until one day, in 2017, when the Spanish bank suddenly collapsed overnight. When investigative journalist Gareth Gore was dispatched to report on the story, he expected to find yet another case of unbridled capitalist ambition gone wrong. Instead, he uncovered decades of deception that hid one of the most brazen cases of corporate pillaging in history, perpetrated by a group of men sworn to celibacy and self-flagellation who had secretly controlled Popular and abused their positions there to help spread Opus Dei to every corner of the world.

Drawing on unparalleled access to bank records, insider accounts, and exclusive interviews with whistle-blowers from within Opus Dei, Gore reveals how money from the bank was used to lure unsuspecting recruits—some of them only children—into a life of servitude. He also tracks the ascent of Opus Dei within the United States, exposing its role in bankrolling many right-wing causes, including the Supreme Court’s overturning of Roe v. Wade.

In an era of disinformation and deep fakes, here is a real-life conspiracy which hid in plain sight for more than sixty years. Gore tells a shocking story of money and power that spans decades and continents. Documenting Opus Dei’s secret history for the first time, this thrilling work of investigative storytelling raises important questions about the dark forces that shape our society.

Suzanne O'Malley takes a close look at the Andrea Yates murder trial and discovers medical misjudgment, professional negligence, misapplied law, and a revelation that led to the overturning of Yates's conviction.

It took a jury less than four hours to find Houston housewife Andrea Yates guilty of the drowning deaths of three of her five children—and a mere half hour to sentence the troubled woman with a stunning history of severe mental problems to life in prison. But beyond the media coverage of her heinous crimes, there is a story that only investigative reporter Suzanne O'Malley has fully illuminated.

This updated edition of Are You There Alone? features a new chapter on the appeal of the Yates case, as well as personal updates on both Andrea and Rusty Yates. Having drawn upon hundreds of interviews—with expert witnesses, close friends, family advisers, and Andrea and Rusty themselves—O'Malley has produced a riveting true-crime account that shatters our notions about criminal law, mental illness, death-penalty politics, and religious fanaticism in America today.

Following an intense chance meeting Mark leaves his wife to begin a new life with Cleo. What starts as a fairytale swiftly turns into a black comedy. Under the illusion she knows everything about the loveable rogue she has fallen for, Cleo is shocked to discover that he may not be so lovable after all. By the time realisation kicks in, Mark and Cleo are in the grips of a bad, mad love affair that neither of them seem able to walk away from.

The story which is based on true events (unfortunately) gives an alternative viewpoint on topics that are current yet still somewhat taboo. Mental health, odd OCD tendencies, anger, jealousy, emotional abuse, an occasional fight, drinking too much, eating too little, unwanted pregnancies and a s_ _tload of swearing. Thinking things can't get any worse, Cleo marches on, telling her story with a dry sense of humour and a 'just get on with it' attitude. Only things do get worse. Very much worse. Has she got the strength to deal with a woman's worst nightmare? After everything she has been through will this be the final nail in the coffin or the chance of a new life.

Spanning nearly two decades, this is a raw and honest account of an unconventional love story, funny, sad, jaw dropping and completely addictive. Cleo James lifts up the carpet where society sweeps things they would rather not talk about and brings them out in the open. Shameless and unapologetic with an ending you won’t see coming however hard you look.

The bestselling Richard and Judy Book Club pick and BBC Radio 2 Book Club Pick.

For readers of Circe and The Handmaid’s Tale, Kiran Millwood Hargrave's The Mercies is inspired by real historical events – a story about the strength and courage of women.

‘Dark, dramatic and full of danger’ - Daily Mail

The storm comes in like a finger snap . . .

1617. The sea around the remote Norwegian island of Vardø is thrown into a vicious storm. A young woman, Maren, watches as the men of the island, out fishing, perish in an instant.

Vardø is now a place of women . . .

Eighteen months later, a sinister figure arrives. Absalom Cornet has been summoned to bring the women of the island to heel. With him travels his young wife, Ursa. In her new home, and in Maren, Ursa encounters something she has never seen before: independent women. But where Ursa finds happiness, even love, Absalom sees only a place flooded with a terrible evil, one he must root out at all costs . . .

A story about how suspicion can twist its way through a community, about a love that could prove as dangerous as it is powerful.

‘Gripping’ - Madeline Miller, author of Circe

‘Took my breath away’ - Tracy Chevalier, author of Girl With a Pearl Earring

‘A beautifully intimate story of friendship, love and hope’ - Douglas Stuart, author of Shuggie Bain

‘Something rare and beautiful’ - Marian Keyes, author of Again, Rachel

‘Chilling and page-turning’ - The Times

In this engaging account, historian Arash Azizi examines the life of commander Qassem Soleimani. Ultimately, Azizi uses the story of this one important figure to make sense of the global ambitions of Iran, a country whose actions are much talked about but seldom understood.

*Read it before you watch it – now a major TV series for Paramount+*

‘The final double twist is well worth waiting for’

My Weekly

‘Hooks you in to the drama straight away’ The Sun

Every marriage has its secrets…

Beth and Tom Hardcastle are the envy of their neighbourhood – they have the perfect marriage, the perfect house, the perfect family.

When the police knock on their door one evening, Beth panics. Tom should be back from work by now – what if he’s crashed his car? She fears the worst.

But the worst is beyond imagining.

As the interrogation begins, Beth will find herself questioning everything she believed about her husband.

They’re saying he’s a monster. And they’re saying she knew.

___________

READERS ARE GRIPPED BY THE SERIAL KILLER’S WIFE

‘400 pages gone in the blink of an eye!’ ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

‘Fast-paced and chilling’ ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

‘From start to finish this is a page turner – I could barely catch my breath’ ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

‘This book blew me away’ ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

‘Plenty of suspense, twists and turns – and an ending I did not predict!’ ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

‘This is one hell of a thriller’ ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

‘What a belting good story’ ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

‘Such an addictive read’ ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

‘Twists and turns – even on the last page!’ ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

‘Once I picked it up I didn’t put it down. Read in one sitting!’ ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

‘Addictive! A page turner that you cannot put down’ ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

‘I gobbled this up at speed’ ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

A cautionary tale about the life of former kingpin Azie Faison, who has become the fabric of street legend

Faison was a ninth grade dropout who earned more than $100,000 a week selling cocaine in Harlem, New York, during the peak of America's "War on Drugs" between 1983 and 1990. Faison, along with two partners, was an urban prince with cars, jewels, and people -- in awe of this million-dollar phenomenon -- at his feet. His legacy has been praised by hip-hop's top names in their lyrics, and his life was the basis for the urban cult classic film Paid in Full starring Mekhi Phifer, Wood Harris, and rapper Cam'ron and produced by Jay-Z's Roc-A-Fella Films.

In Game Over, Azie brings forth a powerful memoir of New York's perilous drug underworld and music industry, with an intellect and wisdom to empower and challenge the street culture he knows so very well.

In this vivid firsthand account we gain unique access to the inner workings of Stalin's Central Women's Sniper School, near Podolsk in Western Russia.

‘A gorgeous, sweeping epic’ ANN NAPOLITANO

'A master of prose'WASHINGTON POST

‘One of my favourite writers' ROXANE GAY

‘Spectacular’ JOANNE SEFTON

‘I didn’t want it to end’ SARA SHERIDAN

A breathtaking historical novel following the incredible construction of the Panama Canal and casting light on the unsung people who lived and laboured in its shadow – by acclaimed author Cristina Henríquez.

It is said that the Canal will be the greatest feat of engineering in history. But first, it must be built.

Ada Bunting, a bold sixteen-year-old from Barbados, arrives alone in Panama as a stowaway alongside thousands of other West Indians seeking work in the grand building project of the Canal. Francisco, a local fisherman, resents the foreign nations clamouring for a slice of his country, but nothing is more upsetting for him than his son Omar’s decision to work as a digger. For Omar, whose upbringing was quiet and lonely, this job offers a chance to finally find connection and independence. Scientist John Oswald has come from further afield. He has journeyed to Panama in pursuit of one goal: eliminating malaria. But everything hangs in the balance as his wife Marian falls ill herself.

When John witnesses an act of bravery and compassion from Ada one day, he hires her on the spot as a caregiver for his wife. This fateful decision sets in motion a sweeping tale of ambition, loyalty, and sacrifice.

Breathtaking and impossible to put down, The Great Divide explores the lives of the labourers, fishmongers, journalists, protesters, doctors and soothsayers who lived alongside the construction of the Canal – those rarely acknowledged by history even as they carved out its course.

'Henríquez writes gorgeously, creating indelible characters whom you’ll never want to leave' Justin Torres, author of Blackouts

‘A masterful weaving together of different lives… I can't stop thinking about it’ Hester Musson, author of The Beholders

‘Henríquez writes beautifully … Stunning’ Haleh Agar, author of Out of Touch

One Australian woman is hospitalised every three hours and two more lose their lives each week as a result of family violence. But for some women there is a punishment far more enduring than injury or their own death.

Look What You Made Me Do is a timely exploration of the evil inflicted by vengeful fathers who have killed their own children simply to punish partners for ending unrewarding, often abusive relationships.

Drawing on her own experience as a court reporter, award-winning crime writer Megan Norris examines the revenge murders of eighteen children to shine a light on the ultimate act of family violence and the shattering legacy of grief such crimes have on surviving mothers.

From the 2018 execution-style shooting murders of Sydney teenagers, Jack and Jennifer Edwards whose angry dad was granted a licence to kill despite his long-standing history of domestic violence – to the premeditated murders of Brisbane mum, Hannah Clarke and her three children whose car was torched by her vengeful ex – this book shows it is not only women who are at risk when family violence turns deadly.

‘Megan Norris has been a trailblazer. The events so accurately described in this book provide powerful insights into widespread patterns of power and control, and the profound harms that can result.’ DR DEBBIE KIRKWOOD, Author of Just Say Goodbye

‘It’s through sharing these stories that we can lift the sense of shame that clouds victim-survivors, and debunk the myths around intimacy, power and control... We must continue to create change and push for law reform.’ MARK WOOLLEY, Small Steps 4 Hannah

Suzanne O'Malley takes a close look at the Andrea Yates murder trial and discovers medical misjudgment, professional negligence, misapplied law, and a revelation that led to the overturning of Yates's conviction.

It took a jury less than four hours to find Houston housewife Andrea Yates guilty of the drowning deaths of three of her five children—and a mere half hour to sentence the troubled woman with a stunning history of severe mental problems to life in prison. But beyond the media coverage of her heinous crimes, there is a story that only investigative reporter Suzanne O'Malley has fully illuminated.

This updated edition of Are You There Alone? features a new chapter on the appeal of the Yates case, as well as personal updates on both Andrea and Rusty Yates. Having drawn upon hundreds of interviews—with expert witnesses, close friends, family advisers, and Andrea and Rusty themselves—O'Malley has produced a riveting true-crime account that shatters our notions about criminal law, mental illness, death-penalty politics, and religious fanaticism in America today.

A #1 New York Times bestseller and the eagerly anticipated sequel to the Pulitzer Prize–winning Angela’s Ashes, this masterpiece from Frank McCourt tells of his American journey from impoverished immigrant to brilliant teacher and raconteur.

Frank McCourt’s glorious childhood memoir, Angela’s Ashes, has been loved and celebrated by readers everywhere for its spirit, its wit and its profound humanity. A tale of redemption, in which storytelling itself is the source of salvation, it won the National Book Critics Circle Award, the Los Angeles Times Book Award and the Pulitzer Prize. Rarely has a book so swiftly found its place on the literary landscape.

And now we have ’Tis, the story of Frank’s American journey from impoverished immigrant to brilliant teacher and raconteur. Frank lands in New York at age nineteen, in the company of a priest he meets on the boat. He gets a job at the Biltmore Hotel, where he immediately encounters the vivid hierarchies of this “classless country,” and then is drafted into the army and is sent to Germany to train dogs and type reports. It is Frank’s incomparable voice—his uncanny humor and his astonishing ear for dialogue—that renders these experiences spellbinding.

When Frank returns to America in 1953, he works on the docks, always resisting what everyone tells him, that men and women who have dreamed and toiled for years to get to America should “stick to their own kind” once they arrive. Somehow, Frank knows that he should be getting an education, and though he left school at fourteen, he talks his way into New York University. There, he falls in love with the quintessential Yankee, long-legged and blonde, and tries to live his dream. But it is not until he starts to teach—and to write—that Frank finds his place in the world. The same vulnerable but invincible spirit that captured the hearts of readers in Angela’s Ashes comes of age.

As Malcolm Jones said in his Newsweek review of Angela’s Ashes, “It is only the best storyteller who can so beguile his readers that he leaves them wanting more when he is done...and McCourt proves himself one of the very best.” Frank McCourt's ’Tis is one of the most eagerly awaited books of our time, and it is a masterpiece.

'All the staples of the prison memoir are here: sadistic guards and attempted break-out, the terrors of solitary confinement, the joys of freedom . . . The result is a truly gripping piece of testimony'

Sunday Telegraph

A darkly comic, sometimes shocking account of life in San Pedro, the world's most bizarre prison, through the eyes of one bemused Englishman.

When Thomas McFadden was arrested trying to smuggle five kilos of cocaine out of Bolivia, he was flung into San Pedro prison - the strangest penitentiary system in the world. Thomas was astonished to discover that corrupt politicians and major-league drug smugglers lived in luxury apartments in one wing, while the poorer sections of the prison were too dangerous to enter after dark. Prisoners had to pay for everything: their cells, their food and their clothing, not to mention the many bribes required by the police. To survive in San Pedro you needed an income - and so prisoners turned to the trade they knew best: manufacturing cocaine. Even the prison cat was addicted to crack.

Initially mistaken for a hated American, Thomas survived numerous attempts on his life as he tried to adjust. In Marching Powder he describes his journey from despised gringo to San Pedro's most famous inmate. After trying drug dealing, shopkeeping and becoming a Mormon pastor, he hit upon the idea of giving guided tours of the prison. Thomas became legendary on the South American backpacking circuit - which is how he met young lawyer Rusty Young. Rusty was so impressed by him that he moved into the prison for three months to write his story - discovering that behind the show Thomas put on was a much darker reality, where brutality and death were common currency, and sometimes even the strongest didn't survive.

Anyone who reads this will be delighted by the great common sense of Hudson’s observations and insights. A splendid book...chock-full of goodness and I can’t think of anyone I know who wouldn’t benefit from reading it.

Marcus Berkmann, Daily Mail

'A brilliant, brilliant book.'

Chris Evans

What is the connection between crawling through a jungle and your ‘to do’ list? What can ejecting out of a stealth bomber teach you about the importance of thinking the worst? What can surviving in extreme situations teach us about surviving everyday life?

John Hudson, Chief Survival Instructor to the British Military, knows what it takes to survive. Combining first-hand experience with 20 years of studying the choices people have made under the most extreme pressure, How to Survive is a lifetime’s worth of wisdom about how to apply the principles of survival to everyday life.

The cornerstone of military survival (surviving anything) is understanding the relationship between effort, hope and goals – a mindset that can be transposed anytime, anywhere. In How to Survive you will learn how this template for survival can be applied to any situation in your everyday life.

Through gripping first-hand accounts of near disaster and survival stories from across the extreme world you will learn that by following these principles you can develop the mindset that will allow you to make better decisions under pressure, which are as equally applicable to first dates and presentations as to climbing Everest and getting lost at sea.

'When it comes to survival and getting out of trouble, listen to this man. John is the real deal.' - Levison Wood