After one of Cromwell’s commissioners is brutally murdered, Matthew Shardlake is drawn into an investigation that becomes darker than he could have ever imagined . . . England, 1537. It is a time of revolution that sees the greatest changes in England since 1066.

Henry VIII has proclaimed himself Supreme Head of the Church. The country is waking up to savage new laws, rigged trials and the greatest network of informers it has ever seen. And under the orders of Thomas Cromwell, a team of commissioners is sent throughout the country to investigate the monasteries.

There can only be one outcome: dissolution. But on the Sussex coast, at the monastery of Scarnsea, events have spiralled out of control. Cromwell’s commissioner, Robin Singleton, has been found dead, his head severed from his body.

His horrific murder accompanied by equally sinister acts of sacrilege. Matthew Shardlake, lawyer and long-time supporter of Reform, has been sent by Cromwell to uncover the truth behind the dark happenings at Scarnsea. But Shardlake’s investigation soon forces him to question everything that he hears, and everything that he intrinsically believes .

Dissolution – CJ Samson – 9781035012282

The post DISSOLUTION appeared first on Le Bookshop.

She is a curator, who spends her time dressing the rooms of historic buildings to bring them to life. But in the lush private quarters of a medieval palace, she finds herself so transfixed by the reign of an almost-forgotten King that the edges of her life begin to blur. He is a reluctant ruler with no hunger for power, rushed to the throne after the untimely deaths of his older brothers.

But it isn’t long before whispers begin to fly around the court. And with the growing belief that the King is not fit for the throne comes the idea that another might rule in his stead.

Laced with desire and longing, it is a playful, stirring meditation on history and storytelling: on what makes a King ‘Great’, and a life meaningful.

May We Feed the King – Rebecca Perry – 9781803513867

The post MAY WE FEED THE KING appeared first on Le Bookshop.

Norfolk, AD 990. Deep in the Fens, an order of holy sisters lives in quiet isolation, cut off from the outside world by a treacherous marsh known as the mere. Convent healer Hilda and her fellow nuns follow God’s path under the steely guidance of their abbess.

But when a young servant boy goes missing in the marsh, rumour and division spread like wildfire through the community and the abbess’s grip falters. Where is the boy? Who took him? Why can he not be found?Then, newly arrived Sister Wulfrun has a vision: a curse is upon them and change must be brought. As the convent is swept up in a fight for its very survival, Hilda finds herself caught in her own battle between her conscience and her growing feelings for the enigmatic Wulfrun .

Mere by Danielle Giles – 9781035051243

The post MERE appeared first on Le Bookshop.

London, 1883. The brutal murder of Rose Parmiter, beloved cook at Evergreen House, shatters the sanctuary Rebecca Harris has built for vulnerable women and children. As grief grips the household, unsettling events begin to stir – echoes of a past that refuses to stay buried.

The malign legacy of the Everley family, who called Evergreen House home, casts a sinister shadow, and when two more lives are claimed, dread spreads through the refuge. Rebecca must draw out the poison of the past before Evergreen’s promise of hope is consumed by darkness.

The Surgeon’s House – Jody Cooksley – 9780749031824

The post THE SURGEON’S HOUSE appeared first on Le Bookshop.

The St. Louis World’s Fair, 1904: A miniature city of palaces and pavilions that becomes a backdrop for romance, betrayal—and murder.

Cousins Grace and Lillie have been best friends since birth, despite Grace’s vastly inferior social status ever since her mother married for love instead of wealth. When Lillie invites Grace to the biggest event of the century—the legendary World’s Fair, also known as “The Ivory City”—Grace hopes her fortunes might be about to change. But when a member of their party is brutally killed at the fair, and suspicion falls on Lillie’s brother Oliver, Grace must prove Oliver’s innocence before her beloved cousins’ family is ruined forever.

Along the way, she’ll discover that the city’s wealthy elite—including Oliver’s handsome but irritable friend Theodore—aren’t quite who they appear to be. And amidst the glitz, glamor, and magic of the City lurks a danger that just may claim her life.

The Ivory City – Emily Bain Murphy  – 9781454957829

The post THE IVORY CITY appeared first on Le Bookshop.

The story of three women, told in part through the stories of the dolls they carried….

Sissy, born 1961: Sissy’s relationship with her beautiful and volatile mother is difficult, even dangerous. But her life is also filled with beautiful things. Including a new Christmas present, a doll called Ethel. Ethel whispers advice and kindness in Sissy’s ear, and in one especially terrifying moment, maybe even saves Sissy’s life.

Lillian, born 1925: Born in her ancestral lands in a time of terrible change, Lillian clings to her sister, Blanche. And her doll, Mae. When the sisters are forced to attend an “Indian school” far from their home, Blanche refuses to be cowed by the school’s abusive nuns. But when tragedy strikes the sisters, the doll Mae finds her way to defend the girls.

Cora, born 1888: Though she was born into the brutal legacy of the “Indian Wars,” Cora isn’t afraid of the white men who remove her to a school across the country to be “civilized.” When teachers burn her beloved buckskin and beaded doll Winona, Cora discovers that the spirit of Winona may not be entirely lost…

A Council of Dolls – Mona Susan Power – 9780063281103

The post A COUNCIL OF DOLLS appeared first on Le Bookshop.

October, 1922. Ruby Vaughn accompanies her elderly employer, Mr Owen, to Manhurst Castle in the wild Scottish Borders on the pretext of appraising rare manuscripts, but the truth is darker. Haunted by the loss of his son in the Great War, Mr Owen has come seeking contact through a séance led by a mysterious trio known as The Three Fates.

However, as the candle smoke from the séance clears, Ruby finds a body and discovers that she and Mr Owen are the prime suspects for the murder. To clear their names, they must unravel buried secrets and confront a killer willing to silence them – forever.

The Secret of the Three Fates – Jess Armstrong – 9780749031732

The post THE SECRET OF THE THREE FATES appeared first on Le Bookshop.

Watching over the village of Haltington is an ancient carving in the ground, known to locals simply as the Face. It was first etched into the chalk when lives were ruled by superstition and stories; by fear of the unknown, of the shadows. For centuries, the inhabitants of Bone Cottage have tended to it.

But now that the Great War has decimated the population of even this most isolated of places, the Face stands neglected and overgrown. When enigmatic outsider Kit moves into the cottage, the villagers are suspicious of her androgynous appearance and bohemian ways. In defiance of their disapproval, the vicar’s unmarried sister-in-law Florence finds herself inexplicably drawn to Kit, and the friendship that grows between them becomes a light in the dark for her.

But the Face calls things to it, and now Florence and Kit are in its path…

The Naked Light – Bridget Collins – 9780008424084 (Hardback)

The post THE NAKED LIGHT appeared first on Le Bookshop.

When the Nazis take Rome, thousands go into hiding. One priest will risk everything to save them. September 1943: German forces occupy Rome.

SS officer Paul Hauptmann rules with terror. An Irish priest, Hugh O’Flaherty, dedicates himself to helping those escaping from the Nazis. His home is Vatican City, a neutral, independent country within Rome where the occupiers hold no sway.

He gathers a team to set up an Escape Line. But Hauptmann’s net begins closing in and the need for a terrifyingly audacious mission grows critical. By Christmas, it’s too late to turn back.

Based on a true story, My Father’s House is a powerful thriller from a master of historical fiction. It is an unforgettable novel of love, sacrifice and what it means to be human in the most extreme circumstances. ‘A spectacular, thrilling novel’ Sunday Times’So urgent, so incredibly alive…

A searing and beautiful example of storytelling’s infinite importance’ Donal Ryan’Impressive and pleasurable…evokes a city in peril with wonderful vitality’ Financial Times

LONGLISTED FOR THE DUBLIN LITERARY AWARD 2024
SHORTLISTED FOR THE WALTER SCOTT PRIZE FOR FICTION 2024

My Father’s House – Joseph O’Connor – 14.90 € – 9781529919646

The post MY FATHER’S HOUSE appeared first on Le Bookshop.

AD 500. An island in the Thames. Isla has a secret: she has learned her father’s sophisticated sword-making skills at a time when even entering a forge is forbidden to women. Her sister, Blue, has a secret, too: at low tide on the night of each new moon, she visits the bones of the mud woman, drowned by the elders of her tribe who wanted to make a lesson of someone who wouldn’t hold her tongue.

When the local Seax overlord discovers Isla’s secret there is nowhere for the sisters to hide, except across the water to the walled ghost city, Londinium. Here Blue and Isla find sanctuary in an underworld community of squatters, emigrants, travellers and looters, led by the mysterious Crowther, living in an abandoned brothel and bathhouse. But trouble pursues them even into the haunted city.

Dark Earth takes us back to the very founding of Britain to explore the experience of women trying to find kin in a world ruled by blood ties, feuds and men in quest of a nation.

Dark Hearth – Rebecca Stott – 9780008209254

The post DARK EARTH appeared first on Le Bookshop.