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Correctional
N.J. Crosskey
Twelve inmates, one chamber. It's time to face justice, live!
Saturday night – primetime. The nation settles down to watch a special edition of Justice Live – the most popular, and sadistic, reality show ever made. Twelve of the country's most notorious criminals are paraded in front of the cameras as the public vote to decide which one will face the horrors of the justice chamber. But correctional officer Cal Roberts has bigger things on his mind. Tonight, he plans to bring down celebrity guard Dax Miller, for good. Tonight is his chance to put things right, once and for all.
Correctional is a near-future dystopian novel that examines themes of inequality, poverty and the cycle of criminality, whilst simultaneously shining an uncomfortable light on our obsession with the macabre and sadistic.
Varanasi
Jae Watson
Following the break-up of her relationship and unsure of her life’s direction, Marianne leaves a London still reverberating from the terrorist bombings to travel for a year with the mysterious and beautiful Sara.
However, deep into the heart of chaotic and mystical India, events take a dramatic turn and, in the Holy City of Varanasi, Sara’s body is discovered floating in the Ganges. As the investigation ensues, unexpected and shocking revelations cast a new light on Sara and take Marianne on a painful but vital journey to uncover the truth about her friend and also her own life.
'A great novel, vibrant and colourful with a rich vein of insights, wit and wisdom' Geoff Mather
The Ash Museum
Rebecca Smith
Through ten decades and across three continents, The Ash Museum is an intergenerational story of loss, migration and the search for somewhere to feel at home.
1944. The Battle of Kohima. James Ash dies leaving behind two families: his ‘wife’ Josmi and two children, Jay and Molly, and his parents and sister in England who know nothing about his Indian family.
2012. Emmie is raising her own daughter, Jasmine, in a world she wants to be very different from the racist England of her childhood. Her father, Jay, doesn’t even have a photograph of the mother he lost and still refuses to discuss his life in India. Emmie finds comfort in the local museum – a treasure trove of another family’s stories and artefacts.
Little does Emmie know that with each generation, her own story holds secrets and fascinations that she could only dream of.
Farzaneh and The Moon
Matt Wilven
When N meets a charismatic outsider called Farzaneh, he realises that something has been missing in his life.
They fall for each other and begin an intense and passionate relationship. However, Farzaneh starts to isolate herself, becoming obsessed and embroiled in her mysterious connection with the moon.
N is forced to reappraise everything he knows, searching for meaning and identity while he violently collides with the limits of intimacy and love.
‘Matt Wilven's Farzaneh and the Moon captures all the frantic rhythms and passions of student life in its lively narrative, and adds a dark twist with its inflection of the obsessional and mystical’ Professor Philip Tew
Underwater Breathing
Cassandra Parkin
Cassandra Parkin stuns in her latest dark fiction, focusing on what constructs family dynamics and what happens when they fall apart.
'A glorious, emotional novel... I can't recommend it enough' Louise Beech
On Yorkshire’s gradually-crumbling mud cliffs sits an Edwardian seaside house. In the bathroom, Jacob and Ella hide from their parents’ passionate arguments by playing the ‘Underwater Breathing’ game – until the day Jacob wakes to find his mother and sister gone.
Years later, the sea’s creeping closer, his father is losing touch with reality and Jacob is trapped in his past. Then, Ella’s sudden reappearance forces him to confront his fractured childhood. As the truth about their parents emerges, it’s clear that Jacob’s time hiding beneath the water is coming to an end.
The Brazilian
Rosie Millard
'Hilariously observed… a much-welcomed comedy of manners.' Jane Green, New York Times Bestselling author
Perfect for fans of Rachel Johnson and Claire Sandy, The Brazilian offers a much-needed dose of celeb scandal for fans of Love Island and other reality TV shows.
Following a sensational scandal at one of London's most desired postcodes, Jane and Patrick decide to escape the gossip with a family holiday to Ibiza, their eight-year-old son George in tow.
Also on the island that week is a TV reality show involving an eccentric artist, a horny It Girl, a Brazilian footballer and a famous magician.
As hapless celebrities are picked off one by one, Jane is desperate to be on the programme, leaving childcare in the not so capable hands of a teenager.
One lesbian escapade and an explosive row over hair removal later, the contestants of Ibiza or Bust leave the island with more than sand in places they never knew existed...
Broadcast
Liam Brown
The idea behind MindCast is simple.
We insert a small chip into your skull and then every thought, every feeling, every memory is streamed live, twenty-four hours a day.
Trust me – within a few months you'll be the most talked about person on the planet.
When David Callow is offered the lead role in a revolutionary new online show, he snatches at the opportunity.
Rapidly becoming a viral sensation, David is propelled to stratospheric levels of celebrity. However, he soon realises the downside of sharing every secret with the world.
A prisoner to both his fame and his own thoughts, David seeks to have the chip removed, only to discover the chilling secret lurking at the heart of MindCast, and the terrifying ambition the show's creator has for him.
The Art Teacher
Paul Read
'A fast-paced and gritty read.' --The Daily Mail
'An impressive feat' --Publishers Weekly
'This is a superb debut... gritty, disturbing and pacy. It opens with thrilling intensity and never lets up.' --Alex Lake, author of After Anna
Patrick Owen managed seven years at Highfields Secondary School without punching a pupil in the face.
Unknowingly drawn into a war against his own pupils, Patrick's patience finally snaps as he finds himself the number one target with the boy the school just can't seem to expel.
When one of his Art students needs his help, she unwittingly pulls Patrick further into the line of fire, altering their lives forever.
With the media circling and rumours of his involvement reaching new highs, Patrick must escape the world he lives in, or face the consequences.
Tale of a Tooth
Allie Rogers
Told in the voice of an intelligent, passionate and unusual child, Tale of a Tooth is an immersive and compelling look at the impact of domestic abuse on a vulnerable family unit.
Four-year-old Danny lives with his mother, Natalie, in a small Sussex town. Life is a struggle and when they are threatened with a benefits sanction, salvation appears in the form of a Job Centre employee called Karen. But Karen's impact is to reach far beyond this one generous gesture, as she and Natalie embark on an intense relationship.
'An extraordinary story of the bond between a mother and her son. Four-year-old Danny's voice is utterly convincing, heartbreaking and ultimately full of love and hope' Catherine Hall
A Child Called Happiness
Stephan Collishaw
A story of love, race, power and consequences that spans generations
Three days after arriving in Zimbabwe, Natalie discovers an abandoned newborn baby on a hill near her uncle’s farm.
Years earlier, the hill was home to the Mazowe village where Chief Tafara governed at a time of great unrest. Faced with taxation, abductions and loss of their land at the hands of the white settlers, Tafara joined forces with the neighbouring villages in what becomes the first of many uprisings.
A Child Called Happiness is a beautiful and emotive work of historical fiction. This is a story of hope, resilience and reclamation, proving that the choices made by our ancestor’s can echo for many generations to come.
The Square
Rosie Millard
Jane has the ideal life: loving husband, beautiful house and delightful son. Her fashionable dinner parties are perfect - and so are her secret assignations with her neighbour's husband, Jay. From Tracey and her ‘New Money’ lottery winnings to eccentric artist Philip and his pornographic portraits, the residents of North London's most privileged enclave The Square are a very satisfied bunch. To raise money for communal fencing, the Residents' Association decides to hold a Talent Show, produced by Jane and hosted by TV celebrity Alan Makin. But when the show lurches into public disarray, reputations are shattered and everyone has to learn to live with a far less glossy reality than before.
The Wacky Man
Lyn G. Farrell
My new shrink asks me, 'What things do you remember about being very young?' It's like looking into a murky river, I say. Memories flash near the surface like fish coming up for flies. The past peeps out, startles me, and then is gone...
Amanda secludes herself in her bedroom, no longer willing to face the outside world. Gradually, she pieces together the story of her life: her brothers have had to abandon her, her mother scarcely talks to her, and the Wacky Man could return any day to burn the house down. Just like he promised.
As her family disintegrates, Amanda hopes for a better future, a way out from the violence and fear that has consumed her childhood. But can she cling to her sanity, before insanity itself is her only means of escape?