Wild Cards

Jonathan Whitelaw (Author)

The Village Hall Vendetta

There's a fine art to murder... Hal Mulberry has long dreamt of owning the iconic painting, Buttermere at Dawn. And now the entrepreneur has got his hands on it, he's determined to bring it back to the Lakes where it belongs and put it on show, turning Penrith Village Hall into a cultural hotspot - with the painting at its heart. Journalist Jason Brazel is delighted to get the exclusive. Even if his mother in law, Amita, thinks he's making a fuss about an ugly piece of modern art. But when Amita uncovers a theory that the painting is cursed, she wonders just what Hal is bringing to their door: hex, hoax or dirty-deal? While the great and the good gather for the unveiling, someone's got murder on their mind. And it's up to Jason and Amita to find who is trying to put people out of the picture ... permanently.

Andrew Barrow (Author)

The Tap Dancer

'My favourite novel and one I wish I'd written.' ALAN BENNETT Winner of the McKitterick Prize for best first novel by an author aged over 40, and the Hawthornden Prize for imaginative literature. Everyone craves retirement from the Civil Service, don't they? That time for an ageing patriarch to enjoy the fruits of a well-earned pension and the respect of his family; maybe even to indulge in a love of music halls and metropolitan life. If only people would listen and do as they were told... His fourth son William, the long-suffering narrator, is the constant butt of his father's jokes and victim of his brothers' indifference. But as death, divorce and other darker dramas follow, father and son slowly establish a strange harmony.

Rosemarie A. D'Amico

Artificial Intentions

Kate Monahan is back in this thrilling sequel to Options, the first Kate Monahan mystery. After the unfortunate chain of events at TechniGroup Consulting that left her injured and unemployed, Kate is close to hitting rock bottom. She's working at a new job that she hates, just to get by. She's been through a lot, but she's trying to persevere. What other choice does she have? And then Kate gets a call for help that changes her life. She immediately boards a private jet for Manhattan, where nothing is what it seems. Kate finds herself tossed into a pile of puzzle pieces - a tragic series of events within the unexpected realm of corporate enterprise. She is faced with difficult decisions that will test her strength, her loyalty, and even her love. Will Kate persevere to the end of this dangerous journey - or will she end up dead?