Author:Benjamin Black
'The emperor's mistress had been murdered, and the world had been taken hold of and turned upon its head'
Prague, 1599. Christian Stern, a young doctor, has just arrived in the city. On his first evening, he finds a young woman's body half-buried in the snow.
The dead woman is none other than the emperor's mistress, and there's no shortage of suspects. Stern is employed by the emperor himself to investigate the murder. In the search to find the culprit, Stern finds himself drawn into the shadowy world of the emperor's court - unspoken affairs, letters written in code, and bitter rivalries. But there's no turning back now...
Black is a master of high-class crime fiction, literary noir in the tradition of Georges Simenon and Raymond Chandler
—— GuardianAn atmospheric evocation of a city frozen by winter and riddled with intrigue
—— Daily MailThis is an intriguing excursion into different historical territory
—— Sunday TimesMonumental, DeLillo at his chilling best. Concentrates on the inner life of the people who shaped the Kennedy assassination. He constructs the very human faces behind a monstrous event, creating fiction which trespasses on reality
—— Time OutAn audacious blend of fiction and fact
—— The TimesSure Derek Miller's novels are smart and full of heart and savvy and hilarious, but even more than all of this, he's fun. He's as dedicated as any writer I know to the proposition that readers should enjoy themselves, should delight in the experience of life and language. If our hearts get broken along the way, so much the better.
—— Richard Russo, winner of the Pulitzer PrizeEngaging characters, a cracking plot and some interesting insights
—— GuardianAt once an absorbing thriller and a beautifully observed study of the relationship between mother and teenage daughter
—— Refinery29Rich with emotional depth
—— Evening StandardHealey thoughtfully explores complex problems facing young women and families today and in Lana she has created a masterpiece of inarticulacy
—— Daily Express, Four StarsAn enjoyable novel about the complicated bonds of family life
—— Mail on SundayA sharp and sympathetic description of the whole strange business of and having a teenage child - and of being one
—— Reader's DigestA sobering journey into the underworld of the human psyche
—— Irish IndependentHealey broadens the remit of the thriller...the author has managed a double feat here, creating a psychological thriller that meshes the homely with the gothic...the novel builds to a climax and the moving final sentence is formally and emotionally the perfect resolution
—— Literary ReviewQuirky, humorous and entirely engrossing
—— Sunday MirrorIt's as gripping as its predecessor
—— ElleBeautifully written
—— Good HousekeepingA sensitive study of a mother-daughter relationship
—— Woman & HomeA gripping tale ... a deeply affecting account of one woman's quiet but unyielding refusal to allow hope to succumb to helplessness and despair
—— The Irish TimesI adored the forensic detail of Healey's writing and the wry, sharp take on millenial family life
—— Daily MailAuthentically and empathetically written
—— Daily TelegraphThere's a winning irreverence to Healey's writing
—— Guardian[A] satisfying, cathartic mystery
—— Jenny Colgan , GuardianA fast-paced, gripping read
—— CloserGripping
—— BellaThe achievement of this follow-up lies its finely drawn mother/daughter pairing and sharp take on the nitty-gritty of contemporary familial relationships...the desperate love of a parent for a child they cannot know is wonderfully true to life
—— GuardianThe novel's real strength, though, lies in its examination of such intimate familial ties and the incredulity that in a world of Google Earth, rolling news and endless online discussion groups, something - a mystery - could still go unmapped. And the conundrum isn't even so much where Lana has been, but how parents can connect with their children in such dilemmas, and how many of life's problems cannot be immediately or easily solved
—— Financial TimesCourageous...intriguing...entertaining
—— ObserverA beautiful exploration of mental health and love
—— StylistThe sequel to Beartown is finally here, and it does not disappoint.
—— Hello Giggles, USThis is a tale of the pitfalls of group mentality as well as the loss of an
innocence we all take for granted - and it will grip you from start to finish.
Just as the cult TV hit Friday Night Lights wasn't just about high-school
football, this sequel to Beartown is about more than small-town hockey.
Us Against You is a story of hopes, dreams, loyalty, friendship, and - after
someone is left for dead - the lengths people will go to for the love of the game.
We have a rare book for you. [Us Against You] is not only about hockeyand sports. It's about everything that makes a man a man.
—— Pravo, Czech RepublicBackman uses an abundance of thrilling hints about upcoming events,
and it works. You simply have to continue reading. The story is
wonderful, deeply touching and very thought-provoking, and hats off
again to the author's ability to portray people and trends in society. The
novel plays on your entire register of emotions, and you live and breathe
alongside the many different characters, all of which are precisely and empathetically depicted.
A beautiful and brutal drama.
—— Kristeligt Dagblad, Denmark"Fredrik Backman is one of Sweden's best authors. He's mastered how
to depict a village and its citizens so that you both love and hate them.
/.../ Backman writes with emotion, and it goes straight to your heart. /.../
As always with Backman, there's still hope for humanity, because wherethere is violence and hatred, there is also forgiveness and love."
Us Against You is an excellent novel that's easy to read and skillfully
handles great themes. /.../ The world created by Backman lives andbreathes and the characters are both human and complex.
Backman keeps you hooked from the first to the last page. For allBeartown fans, Us Against You feels like coming home.
—— Hebban, NetherlandsFredrik Backman writes wonderfully about men, with a love and
understanding for the ones who would rather solve conflicts with theirfists. It's hard not to love it.
Backman knows how to construct a thrilling plot, and what he writes
engages. /.../ And when he hits his stride among the emotions, the
sentimental turns into an asset - like a hockey puck straight to the heart.
The perfect book for the beach.
—— Daily MailThe most authentic, gripping presidential thriller ever.
—— EssenceThe perfect book for the beach: a big, fast-paced, twisty engrossing thriller packed with spectacular detail of what it is really like to be President of the United States.
—— Daily Mail IrelandFast-paced is too inadequate a description for this dark, suspense-filled tale.
—— GuardianBoth a first-rate thriller and fascinating insight into the goings on within the White House.
—— Trucker magazineA page-turner from start to finish
—— The People's FriendInsightful and gripping
—— Good Living (ASDA)A top-notch thriller.
—— Sun