CHRISTMAS WITH YOU by Sheila O’Flanagan published today by Headline

Sunday Times and Irish Times bestselling author Sheila O'Flanagan's festive short story collection CHRISTMAS WITH YOU is published in ebook and paperback in the UK and Ireland today by Headline, and on 1 November in Australia and New Zealand.

Sheila O'Flanagan's romantic and heart-warming CHRISTMAS WITH YOU is the perfect festive read for fans of Veronica Henry, Carole Matthews and Marian Keyes. These enchanting closely-linked short stories from the No. 1 bestselling author bring to life one unforgettable Christmas full of surprise twists, life-changing moments ... and love. CHRISTMAS WITH YOU was previously published as A SEASON TO REMEMBER, but is now released with two poignant new stories and a Q&A with Sheila added.

In her newsletter, Sheila said: “This makes it ideal for some Christmas self-gifting, or as a stocking filler for the reader in your life! There are two new stories included, as well as a Q&A with me. This is my personal favourite of all my short-story collections and I hope it will put you in a suitably festive mood!” You can subscribe to Sheila’s newsletter here on her website.

Tucked away in the Irish countryside, the Sugar Loaf Lodge is opening its door for the festive season. With snow falling on the mountains outside and warm fires roaring inside, it's the perfect place for guests to celebrate the happiest time of the year. But what if you've just had your heart broken? Or discovered that the man you're married to has lied to you? What if a secret from your past has finally come back to haunt you?

For some of the guests arriving at the Sugar Loaf Lodge, Christmas is looking far from tranquil. But can they find the magic and romance of the season within the walls of this beautiful hotel?

Sheila’s novel WHAT HAPPENED THAT NIGHT was published in hardback and ebook in June, hitting #2 in the Irish bestseller charts, and the paperback will be published in February 2018. Her previous novel THE MISSING WIFE, was a huge success, snatching the No. 1 bestseller spot in Ireland and No. 4 in the Sunday Times Paperback Fiction list in its first week of sales, as well as being a #1 Kindle Bestseller.

For a chance to win one of two copies of THE MISSING WIFE all you have to do is answer the following question: What is the name of the hotel in Sheila’s new collection CHRISTMAS WITH YOU?

Send your answers to competitions@headline.co.uk to be in with a chance to win a copy and find all the Ts&Cs here

THE MISSING WIFE will be published in the US on 6 February 2018 by Grand Central, and rights have been sold in the Czech Republic, Russia, Estonia, Norway and Germany, with Italian and other offers pending.

Sheila O’Flanagan is the much-loved author of many hugely popular novels, including THE MISSING WIFE, MY MOTHER’S SECRET, IF YOU WERE ME, ALL FOR YOU (winner of the Irish Popular Fiction Book of the Year Award) and BAD BEHAVIOUR, as well as the bestselling short story collections DESTINATIONS, CONNECTIONS and A SEASON TO REMEMBER.

In 2016 Hodder Children’s Books published THE CRYSTAL RUN, her first book for younger readers. The sequel THE CRYSTAL RUN: SHIELD OF LIES is released in March 2018.

Sheila was awarded the prestigious Irish Tatler Woman of the Year Award in 2003, and currently lives in Dublin with her husband. Her books have sold over 6.5 million copies in English alone.

See more on Sheila’s website.

Follow Sheila on Twitter

Praise for WHAT HAPPENED THAT NIGHT

‘A fabulous tale with refreshingly inspiring heroines ***** (5 stars)’ – Sarah Hughes, Heat

Praise for THE MISSING WIFE:

‘Another first class bestseller. I read the book in one sitting as it was so enjoyable, full of romance and kept you riveted until the last page. A must for all Sheila's fans.’ – Woman's Way

‘A lovely book that will keep you guessing right up until the end.’ – Bella

‘Insightful, witty and full of fun... This is touching, tense and clever writing.’ – Irish Independent

‘This GONE GIRL-esque novel will have you gripped until the very end ****.’ – Look

Paperback publication day for NEED YOU DEAD, the bestselling 13th Roy Grace mystery from Peter James

NEED YOU DEAD, the 13th novel in Peter James’ Roy Grace series, is published in paperback today by Macmillan. In its first week of publication, NEED YOU DEAD shot straight to number two on the hardback bestselling list and became a number one eBook bestseller, knocking Paula Hawkins’ INTO THE WATER off the top spot.

You can watch a brilliant Meet The Author interview with Peter James on BBC iPlayer.

In NEED YOU DEAD, Lorna Belling, desperate to escape the marriage from hell, falls for the charms of another man who promises her the earth. But, as Lorna finds, life seldom follows the plans you’ve made. A chance photograph on a client’s mobile phone changes everything for her.

When the body of a woman is found in a bath in Brighton, Detective Superintendent Roy Grace is called to the scene. At first it looks an open-and-shut case with a clear prime suspect. Then other scenarios begin to present themselves, each of them tantalizingly plausible, until, in a sudden turn of events, and to his utter disbelief, the case turns more sinister than Grace could ever have imagined.

December will see the re-issue by Orion of THE TRUTH, one of Peter’s earlier novels, twenty years after its original publication, in ebook and audio, with the paperback to follow in February 2018, and more titles to follow. Collectors won’t want to miss the opportunity to re-acquaint themselves with Peter’s classic storytelling, with new introductions from the author in each edition.

Also in 2018, Macmillan will publish the 14th Roy Grace novel in May as well as the highly-anticipated standalone ABSOLUTE PROOF in October 2018, in the UK and US.

The Roy Grace series has been translated into 37 languages, with 19 million copies of Peter James’ books sold worldwide. Peter travels to Germany this week to accept the first Rheinbach Glass Dagger Award for his crime fiction.

See much, much more on Peter’s website.

Do also check out the array of excellent crime writer interviews and information on Peter James TV.

Follow Peter on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

 Praise for Roy Grace:

‘James’s superior 13th novel … This skilful twister shows why James was awarded the 2016 CWA Diamond Dagger.’ — Publishers Weekly Starred Review

‘Sinister and riveting… Peter James is one of the best British crime writers, and therefore one of the best in the world.’ – Lee Child

‘Peter James is one of the best crime writers in the business’ – Karin Slaughter

‘Peter James is one of the most fiendishly clever crime fiction plotters’ – The Daily Mail

 ‘In my thirty-four years of policing, never have I come across a writer who so accurately depicts “The Job”’ – Detective Investigator Pat Lanigan, Office of the District Attorney, NYPD

Hodder to Re-issue Cold War Classic, THE TWENTIETH DAY OF JANUARY

Hodder will re-issue Ted Allbeury's classic spy novel, THE TWENTIETH DAY OF JANUARY.

Set in 1980, Ted Allbeury's THE TWENTIETH DAY OF JANUARY imagines Russia meddling in the election of a wealthy businessman to the US Presidency.

Hodder & Stoughton says the reissuing of the thriller next January is 'to coincide with the current political climate' and summarises the book accordingly: 'It’s 1980. The Cold War is at its height. Out of nowhere, wealthy businessman, Logan Powell, has become President-elect and is only weeks away from being sworn in to the most powerful position in the world. Meanwhile, British Intelligence has discovered that the Russians may have been involved in the election result.' 

Hodder & Stoughton audio editorial director Dominic Gribben said: "Ted Allbeury was one of the most consistently excellent and impressively prolific espionage fiction authors of the Cold War period and beyond. He deserves to be read more widely today." The publisher has also acquired UK and Commonwealth audio rights, from Juliet Pickering at Blake Friedmann, and will publish for the first time as an unabridged audiobook alongside the paperback reissue. THE TWENTIETH DAY was re-published in the US this year by Dover Editions.

Allbeury was a Lieutenant-Colonel in the UK Intelligence Corps during World War II, and later an executive in marketing, advertising and radio. He began his writing career in the early 1970s and became well known for his espionage novels, but also published one general novel, The Choice, and a short story collection, Other Kinds of Treason. His novels have been published in twenty-three languages, including Russian. He died in 2005. 

Author Deon Meyer says: "I discovered Ted Allbeury when I was about 15 years old. I am re-reading him now for the first time in 40 years and the amazing thing is that that the writing has not aged. He is still as smooth and as great a storyteller now as when I experienced him at 15. The Cold War was a fascinating time. Now with Russia showing aggression, it has become very topical again."

Lucy Clayburn is back! SHADOWS by Paul Finch published tomorrow by Avon

SHADOWS, the sequel to Paul Finch’s Sunday Times bestselling STRANGERS, is published tomorrow in paperback, ebook and audio by Avon. STRANGERS, the first book in the Lucy Clayburn series, was published last September by Avon.

As a female cop walking the mean streets of Manchester, life can be tough for PC Lucy Clayburn. But when one of the North West’s toughest gangsters is your father, things can be particularly difficult. When Lucy's patch is gripped by a spate of murder-robberies, the police are quick to action. Yet when it transpires that the targets are Manchester’s criminal underworld, attitudes change. Lucy is soon faced with one of the toughest cases of her life – and one which will prove once and for all whether blood really is thicker than water…

German rights are sold to Piper. Paul is also currently writing the next in his HECK series – watch this space!

About Paul Finch

A former cop and journalist, Paul was a writer for British TV crime drama, The Bill.  However, he is probably best known for his work in horror and thrillers. He has also written four Doctor Who audio dramas and his Doctor Who novel, HUNTER'S MOON, was published by Woodland Books in 2011.

Winner of British Fantasy Award 2002 & 2007, and the International Horror Guild Award 2007.

Visit Paul's blog here, or read more about Paul on the Blake Friedmann website. 

Follow Paul on Twitter  where you can treat yourself to a taste of the new novel — Paul’s been tweeting out snippets of the new novel for the past fortnight — and Facebook and see his most recent Facebook Live event, a conversation with Ash Cameron, here.

Praise for Paul Finch and his novels:

 ‘Finch is a born storyteller and writes with the authentic voice of the ex-copper he is.’ – Peter James

‘An ingenious and original plot. Compulsive reading.’ – Rachel Abbott

‘A deliciously twisted and fiendish set of murders and a great pairing of detectives.’ – Stav Sherez

‘Avon’s big star…part edge-of-the-seat, part hide-behind-the-sofa! An excellent series.’ – The Bookseller

‘An explosive thriller that will leave you completely hooked on Heck.’ – We Love This Book

‘Edge-of-the-seat reading…Heck is formidable – a British Alex Cross.’ – The Sun

TONY PARK’S THRILLER THE CULL OUT IN SOUTH AFRICA AND AUSTRALIA — & PUBLISHED IN THE UK TOMORROW.

Tony Park’s THE CULL is already thrilling readers in Australia and South Africa, where Pan Macmillan publish, and Pan Macmillan UK will publish the ebook for British readers tomorrow, 19 October 2017, with a print edition following on 22 March 2018. As Publisher’s Weekly says ‘Park excels at capturing the wilds of the continent, as well as its political and commercial pressures’ and THE CULL encapsulates all this in another pacy thriller that taps into urgent contemporary issues – this time the deadly battle against the poaching of endangered wildlife.

Crime Review has described Tony Park’s writing as ‘riveting’, saying that ‘Park is now required reading’ and the Australian Daily Telegraph (Australia) recently gave THE CULL a Starred Review, describing it as ‘a fascinating insight into a life-and-death struggle — for humans as well as animals.’ Tony also appeared on South African news channel SABC2 this week to talk about the book, its issues, and the inspirational people tackling real-life poaching in Africa.

In THE CULL by Tony Park, former mercenary Sonja Kurtz returns, hired by business tycoon Julianne Clyde-Smith to head an elite squad whose aim is to take down Africa's top poaching kingpins.But as the body count rises, it becomes harder for Sonja to stay under the radar as she is targeted by an underworld syndicate known as The Scorpions. When her love interest, safari guide and private investigator Hudson Brand, is employed to look into the death of an alleged poacher at the hands of Sonja's team, she is forced to ask herself if Julianne's crusade has gone too far.

From South Africa's Kruger National Park to the Serengeti of Tanzania, Sonja realises she is fighting a war on numerous fronts, against enemies known and unknown.

Tony Park grew up in Australia and fell in love with South Africa on a short trip in 1995: he and his wife now divide their time between two homes, one in Sydney and another in South Africa on the border of the Kruger National Park. Author of 14 bestselling thrillers and several non-fiction titles, he has worked as a newspaper reporter in Australia and England, a government press secretary, a public relations consultant, and a freelance writer. He is also a major in the Australian Army Reserve and served six months in Afghanistan in 2002. His work has been sold in translation in seven countries. His fifteenth novel CAPTIVE will be published in 2018.

You can find out more about Tony Park on his website and his Facebook page and you can follow him on Twitter (especially if you want to see some marvellous images of African wildlife) on @tonyparkauthor.

PRAISE FOR THE CULL:

‘A stunning and realistic testament to the locale in which it is set… a nail-biting, on-the edge-of-your-seat thrill ride which fans new and established will no doubt be pleased with. An awe-inspiring read.’ – Mrs. B’s Book Reviews

‘THE CULL provides a fascinating insight into a life-and-death struggle — for humans as well as animals.’ — Bruce McDougall, Daily Telegraph (Australia)

MORE PRAISE FOR THE AUTHOR:

'Tony Park is one of Australia's best thriller writers and his African-based novels are consistently entertaining and thought-provoking.' -- Canberra Times

'Park's heroes are tough, blokey types – soldiers and coppers - and his heroines sassy and smart, but Africa always steals the show…a great way to spend a winter evening, transported to somewhere warm and exotic.' -- Georgia Gowing, The Independent Weekly

'He just gets better and better. His descriptions of the southern African bush and mountain jungles are so vivid you can just about feel the sun on your skin and smell the dust and animals.' -- Frank Walker, Sun Herald

'If you like action adventures, with a spy theme, some education – either travel or technological - and a little romance, then this guy's for real… What puts this into the top echelon of the genre is that the people, even the heroes, are fallible human beings.' -- June Joyce, Waikato Times