Author:Dorothy B. Hughes
'The new crime and espionage series from Penguin Classics makes for a mouth-watering prospect' Daily Telegraph
Los Angeles, the late 1940's. A serial killer stalks the foggy streets at night ...
Dix Steele, a former fighter pilot, moved to L.A. after the war, looking for a new life. But the city is gripped by fear of a murderer in its midst. Dix, however, is not scared. And when he bumps into his old friend Brub, now a detective on the trail of the culprit, he is excited to follow the police's progress. A dark and terrible truth is revealed, in a noir novel like no other.
Dorothy B. Hughes was in a class of her own. To be a female author of hard-boiled fiction back in the 1940s was unusual enough, but to write a first-person narrative from the viewpoint of a male serial killer was breaking new ground by anybody's standards. She marked out this territory years before most other writers even knew it existed.
—— Max Decharne, author of Hardboiled Hollywood: The Origins of Great Crime FilmsUnquestionably our best thriller writer ever
—— Graham GreeneMr. Ambler is phenomenal
—— Alfred HitchcockA thriller of the highest quality - ironic, witty, literate, ingenious, understated and unflaggingly suspenseful
—— New York Times Book ReviewAmbler is, quite simply, the best
—— The New Yorker'A taut and immersive story about a troubled, complex but ultimately enchanting character. Twisty and dark as the night itself, it is beautifully written, compulsive and impossible to put down. A triumph.'
—— Neil LancasterAnother corker from the author of The Memory Wood
—— SAGA magazineAn unsettling thriller
—— Woman & HomeThis is Sam Lloyd's third novel, though the plotting and characterisation show the sure touch of a veteran. This marks him out as one of the authors to watch over the next few years
—— SHOTSPRAISE FOR SAM LLOYD
—— :'Lloyd is a rare thriller talent'
—— Daily Mail'Remarkable. Stunning prose and compulsive reading. It's undoubtedly the best thriller I've read in a long, long time.'
—— Lesley Kara on THE MEMORY WOOD'I was pulled into The Memory Wood from the very first page?it grabs you by the throat and doesn't let you go. It's an intense, atmospheric, and truly original thriller.'
—— Shari Lapena on THE MEMORY WOOD'A truly chilling story.'
—— Woman & Home on THE MEMORY WOOD'Imagine Lucy Foley's The Guest List transported to a pristine tropical island occupied by travellers, where everyone is running away from something, and nothing and no-one is quite as it seems. The claustrophobic world of beach-bums, influencers and long-term ex-pats, each with their own agenda, is the perfect environment for a fast-paced closed-room thriller that demands to be read in one sitting - prepare to be submerged from the first page and not resurface until that unsettling final line.'
—— Charlotte Philby'Reading The Dive gave me the same wanderlust chills I got when I first read The Beach - Sara Ochs' stunning debut combines an exotic location to die for (literally), a host of itinerant characters with multiple secrets to hide and plenty of locked-room thrills. This is one sun-soaked, escapist thriller you won't want to miss!'
—— C. M. Ewan'A perfect debut thriller. The definition of an up-all-night page-turner.'
—— Michael WoodDive in - a perfect sunlounger read.
—— Chat magazineThis breathless thriller keeps you hooked.
—— Crime MonthlyA strikingly assured and accomplished debut. Sara Ochs clearly has a fine understanding of the conventions and possibilities of the psychological thriller. She has devised an intricate and satisfying puzzle here.
—— Irish ExaminerSet on a beautiful Thai island, danger is always lurking just below the surface in this brilliantly thrilling murder mystery.
—— Fabulous maagzine'The Retreat is designed to keep you guessing to the very end. A great one to read on holiday.'
—— The Herald'Just like The Sanatorium, The Retreat tells a twisty, chilling and tense tale in a location so vividly imagined, you feel like you're there too, among the guests. Long may Sarah Pearse continue to ruin the idea of luxury-resort travel for us all...'
—— Catherine Ryan Howard, No.1 Irish bestselling author of The Nothing Man'Thrilling, dark and full of suspense, The Retreat is a must for crime fans - you won't be able to put it down.'
—— Pick Me Up'Sarah Pearse has done it again! The Retreat is a heart-pounding, adrenaline-soaked thrill ride. Once you start reading, you won't be able to stop.'
—— Andrea Bartz, New York Times bestselling author of We Were Never Here'Be careful who you root for, as no character is safe in Sarah Pearse's new novel The Retreat. In the spirit of a true thriller, the tension is taut and the suspense is real as the pace builds to a heart stopping finale. A triumphant second novel, which is no mean feat.'
—— Sandie Jones, New York Times bestselling author of The Other Woman'Sarah Pearse is an expert at building tension and then holding us suspended until we're on our last nerve. The Retreat is utterly thrilling and destined to be yet another must-read from the queen of the murderous holiday read.'
—— Jo Spain, bestselling author of Dirty Little SecretsWonderfully atmospheric, frequently surprising and cleverly plotted. If you loved The Sanatorium, you'll never want to leave The Retreat.'
—— B. P. Walter, author of The Dinner GuestA story as unsettling as the island that serves as its setting. Don't trust anyone at The Retreat.
—— Stacy Willingham, New York Times bestselling author of A Flicker in the DarkDeliciously paced with rich worldbuilding, The Retreat teems with questionable motives, unspoken frustrations, and hair-raising cliffhangers. I absolutely could not put this book down!
—— Sarah Penner, New York Times bestselling author of The Lost Apothecary'Dazzling and inventive, like an Agatha Christie mystery split open by a heatwave. The Retreat is transporting, with an unforgettable setting and a complex web of secrets. I didn't want it to end.'
—— Flynn Berry, New York Times bestselling author of Northern Spy'The Retreat is a delightfully creepy thriller set in a fantastic gothic location. I loved it!'
—— G. R. Halliday, author of From The ShadowsWhat Harris does here is nothing short of masterful.
—— Irish TimesHarris displays an impressive grasp of the historical context without taxing his readers by showing his 'workings'.
—— Church TimesBased on real and fascinating history, this is Robert Harris's best since An Officer and a Spy
—— The TimesPacy and tense, and the pungently evoked past offers up some shrewd present-day parallels
—— Mail on SundayAn absolutely stunning historical novel and a ripping crime thriller at the same time. I've been recommending it far and wide and buying it for people for Christmas!
—— Dead GoodThe best historical fiction combines a gripping plot with meticulous research - leaving the reader inspired to learn more about the real-life protagonists. And the latest release from Robert Harris once more proves his mastery of the genre
—— SoldierI loved Act of Oblivion by Robert Harris, which achieves the astonishing feat of taking 17th-century events and people and telling their stories in 21st-century language without a single seam showing
—— Ben Macintyre , The TimesThrilling
—— Gregory Doran , The TimesThis is a novel that asks big historical questions. You could read it as a pure thriller, and it is one of Harris's most compellingly paced to date. You could read it as a piece of intelligent historical immersion. I think it is more; I think it is his best novel since Fatherland.
—— Sunday TimesIt's a belter.
—— The TimesIf only all historical thrillers could be this entertaining.
—— ObserverIn this tense and beautifully written account of the ensuing manhunt, Harris brings sympathy to characters on either side of the civil war that divided a nation.
—— Daily MailA brainy, compulsive page-turner.
—— Daily TelegraphA violent, gripping, globetrotting chase thriller
—— Daily MirrorHe’s my go-to person that I know will keep me entertained
—— Jane Garvey[A] rich, propulsive novel
—— Sunday Times