British Literary Fiction

LONGLISTED FOR THE 2025 BOOKER PRIZE “Seascraper shimmers, salt-flecked and rippling. It swells with tense, memorable moments…Poignant, authentic, and hopeful.” —The Spectator “In two words: Short. Brilliant.” —The Times (London) Twenty-year-old Thomas Flett lives a slow...

When your life flashes before your eyes, where would you stop? No one can change the past, but the Midnight Train can take you there. The chance to re-live the moments that meant most. To see what kind of person you really were. For Wilbur his best days were with Maggie, the love of his life. On...

'The Queen of Christmas' WOMAN. Cosy up and escape to twinkling Manhattan with a collection of the #1 bestselling author of hit festive movie romcom, SOMETHING FROM TIFFANY'S most heartwarming and romantic New York Christmas tales. Take a stroll along snowy Fifth Avenue past the holiday windows, enjoy a little impromptu ice skating beneath the Rockefeller Christmas tree, followed by steaming hot chocolate and peppermint fudge. Uncover the mystery behind an intriguing letter found in Central Park, locate the true owner of a lost little blue box or stand atop the Empire State Building with ...

At the opening of his third novel in an ongoing adventure series by Patrick O'Brian, Jack Aubrey is cruising off Cape Sicie when his friend Stephen Maturin (more serenely situated in Sussex) is informed of the Board's decision regarding Aubrey's prize money, taken after victorious engagement with a Spanish squadron at Cape Santa Maria. The money, five million pieces of eight, is not, as is the custom of war, to be divided among the crews of the four victorious vessels.

Victorian London 1874… In public halls and darkened parlours, the fever for spiritualism is at its height… A stranger in the great Metropolis, Josiah Abbs must solve his first case at Scotland Yard. A grieving architect has been murdered. Seemingly, he disturbed an intruder. Only Inspector Abbs believes the truth is darker and more complicated. London is seeping over its green borders like a blot of dark ink… Some thrive here among the teeming, heart of Empire. Others are silently sinking, caught in a mystery of lies and loss. When two cases tangle, Abbs will risk everything to ...

Ruby Lennox begins narrating her life at the moment of conception, and from there takes us on a whirlwind tour of the 20th century as seen through the eyes of an English girl determined to learn about her family and its secrets.

As complex, turbulent and spectacular as the gas giant on which it is set, this novel from Iain M. Banks is space opera on a truly epic scale. “An enormously enjoyable book, full of wonderful aliens, a sense of wonder and subtle political commentary on current events.” –Publishers...

A village mystery… A Victorian Christmas Inspector Josiah Abbs is off to Norfolk, reunited for Christmas with his sister, Hetty. He’s anticipating a quiet week, while he weighs up his future. But beneath the surface, life in sleepy Aylmer is not all it seems. Someone is playing malicious tricks on the villagers. A tragic accident has shocked friends and neighbours. With little time to act, and determined to protect Hetty, Abbs feels compelled to uncover the truth… An Inspector Abbs mystery novella – linking the first and third novels in the series. .

Samuel Pickwick, founder and chairman of the Pickwick Club, engages three fellow members to accompany him on a journey. By coach they’ll travel to the outreaches of London to explore, observe, and report back on the quaint wonders of the English countryside. What transpires is a picaresque romp of misadventures, hair-raising challenges, and romantic follies entangling the fates of a riot of colorful characters - a passel of villains, spinsters, poets, and sportsmen - and the unworldly Pickwick himself, who has much to learn about life outside his gentleman’s club.

In the vein of Downton Abbey, Jane Austen's beloved but unfinished masterpiece--often considered her most modern and exciting novel--gets a spectacular second act in this tie-in to a major new limited television series. Written only months before Austen's death in 1817, Sanditon tells the story...

An intriguing Victorian mystery… The first case for Inspector Abbs. A wealthy spinster has been poisoned in the Devonshire town of Seaborough. Inspector Abbs and Sergeant Reeve are sent to investigate. With no apparent motive, they must uncover the secrets of the close-knit community. Untangling the past may provide the answer… but not before a second body is found. Their visit to Seaborough will change everything for the two detectives. Discovering the truth may even prove deadly…

With the emperor Napoleon at its head, an enormous French army is marching toward Brussels. The British and their allies are also converging on Brussels - in preparation for a grand society ball. And it is up to Richard Sharpe to convince the Prince of Orange to act before it is too late. In this, the culmination of Sharpe's long and arduous career, Bernard Cornwell brings to life all the horror and all the exhilaration of one of the greatest military triumphs of all time.

It is 1568 and Mary Queen of Scots flees to England in search of protection from Queen Elizabeth, but finds herself placed under arrest. One man, Two queens. Elizabeth’s most loyal subject and a man of great power and wealth, he is determined to find an answer to the dilemma his queen is facing. He must find a solution to prevent the Catholics from revolting and causing a civil war, while also keeping the Queen from harming a woman chosen by God to rule. Can his plans come to fruition, or will the trust he has placed in Elizabeth’s closest companion bring about his downfall? This short ...

Written some 40 years after Moby Dick, Melville's Billy Budd is a moving tale of good versus evil. Set aboard a British navy ship at the end of the eighteenth century, a young, innocent sailor's charm and good nature put the men around him at ease. Ship life agreed with Billy. He made friends quickly and was well liked, which infuriated John Claggart, the ship's cold-blooded superior officer.

Escape to the enchanting world of Victorian England with Abigail Adams’s spellbinding new novel, The Duke’s Forbidden Passion! Meet Lady Arabella Chester, the spirited and rebellious daughter of a powerful lord, determined to carve her own path. Her world turns upside down when she crosses paths with the notorious Duke of Edinburgh, Alexander Smith. This chance meeting ignites a magnetic attraction that defies their better judgment and societal norms. Experience the thrilling tension as Arabella and Alexander grapple with their forbidden love. Will they choose the luxurious life they ...

“Stunning: so clever, so gripping, so timely.” — Lucy Foley When four influential members are poisoned at London’s most exclusive private club, a young waitress is charged with their murder. Her personal life and upbringing are dissected, and five men begin to question how well they...

In October 1886, Edgar Drake receives a strange request from the British War office: he must leave his wife and his quiet life in London to travel to the jungles of Burma, where a rare Erard grand piano is in need of repair. On his journey to Burma, Edgar encounters prophets and thieves, soldiers and tale-spinners, and an enchanting woman as elusive as the surgeon-major who owns the piano will turn out to be. Edgar encounters a place more mysterious and dangerous than he could ever have imagined.

‘When you hide the truth from yourself, you keep the Devil’s secret...’ Sarah Kingsmoor has built a successful career as a family doctor in an idyllic market town. She lives in the cottage of her dreams, enjoys rewarding friendships, and leads the life she’s always wanted for herself. She’s convinced of this. One spring evening, Sarah stumbles upon a brutal mugging. Her intervention saves the victim’s life. And a series of events is set in motion which will jar Sarah loose from her comfortable existence, and change her forever. As she finds herself drawn increasingly closer to ...

A boy living in a labyrinth wonders what lies beyond its black walls. The gossamer-winged inhabitants of an alien world dream of being remembered for all time. A little boy abandoned by his parents must make his way to a river he is not even sure exists. These, and other stories, feature in this collection of ten literary science fiction and fantasy shorts set in worlds both distant, and nearby. Evocative, cryptic, atmospheric, and moving, and inspired by the writing of Margaret Atwood, Octavia Butler, Kim Stanley Robinson, and James Tiptree, Jr., Tales from the Stone Lotus. is author ...

London's Great Plague of 1665 devastated the city, as Europe's final bubonic outbreak killed thousands of helpless citizens. Daniel Defoe, author of the classic Robinson Crusoe, was five years old when the Plague swept through London, and grew up hearing many stories - some truthful, others exaggerated - of its deadly effects. Blending those anecdotes with his childhood recollections and factual data from government registers, Defoe wrote this comprehensive account of what happened to London in 1665.