Books published by publisher Hodder and Stoughton Ltd

'In Stockwin's hands the sea story will continue to entrance readers across the world' - GuardianWith Bonaparte held to a stalemate in Europe, the race to empire is now resumed. Britain's ambitions turn to the Spice Islands, the Dutch East Indies, where Admiral Pellew has been sent to confront the enemy's vastly rich holdings in these tropical islands. Captain Sir Thomas Kydd joins reinforcements to snatch these for the British Crown.The two colonial masters of India and the East Indies face each other in mortal striving for the region - there can be only one victor to hold all the spoils. The colonial genius, Stamford Raffles, believes Britain should strike at the very centre of Dutch spice production, the Moluccas, rather than the fortresses one by one but is fiercely opposed. Kydd, allying himself to this cause, conspires to lead a tiny force to a triumphant conclusion - however the Dutch, stung by this loss, claim vengeance from the French. A battle for Java and an empire in the East stretches Kydd and Tyger's company to their very limits.*************Praise for Julian Stockwin's Kydd series'Paints a vivid picture of life aboard the mighty ship-of-the-line' Daily Express'This heady adventure blends fact and fiction in rich, authoritative detail' Nautical Magazine'Fans of fast-paced adventure will get their fill with this book' Historical Naval Society

The original writer of romantic suspense, Mary Stewart leads her readers on a thrilling journey across mid-century Europe in this tale of adventure and deception, sure to be loved by fans of Agatha Christie and Barbara Pym. Vanessa March's husband, Lewis, is meant to be on a business trip in Stockholm - so why does he briefly appear in newsreel footage of a fire at a circus in Vienna, with his arm around another woman? Vanessa flies to Austria to find her husband, inadvertently becoming involved in a mystery that spans three countries...and the famous dancing stallions of the Spanish Riding School. The moonlight flooded the meadow, blanching all colours to its own ghostly silver. The pines were very black. As the stallion rose in the last magnificent rear of the levande, the moonlight poured over him bleaching his hide so that for perhaps five or six seconds he was no longer an old broken-down piebald but a haute école stallion of the oldest line in Europe.

The incredible true story of the death of Jimmy Hoffa, the most famous hit in Mafia history. Now a major motion picture. The Irishman is an epic saga of organised crime in postwar America told through the eyes of World War II veteran Frank Sheeran, a hustler and hit man who worked for legendary crime boss Russell Bufalino alongside some of the most notorious figures of the 20th century. Spanning decades, Sheeran's story chronicles one of the greatest unsolved mysteries in American history, the disappearance of legendary union boss Jimmy Hoffa, and it offers a monumental journey through the hidden corridors of organized crime: its inner workings, rivalries and connections to mainstream politics. Sheeran would rise to a position of such prominence that in a RICO suit against the Commission of La Cosa Nostra, the US government would name him as one of only two non-Italians in conspiracy with the Commission. Sheeran is listed alongside the likes of Anthony 'Tony Pro' Provenzano and Anthony 'Fat Tony' Salerno. In the course of nearly five years of recorded interviews, Sheeran confessed to Charles Brandt that he handled more than 25 hits for the mob, and Brandt turned Sheeran's story into a true crime classic.

An updated edition of the international bestseller with inspirational stories and new resources to transform your life. Imagine a workplace where everyone chooses to bring energy, passion and a positive attitude to the job every day. In this engrossing parable, a fictional manager has the responsibility of turning a chronically unenthusiastic and unhelpful department into an effective team. Seattle's pike place fish is a world famous market that is wildly successful thanks to its fun, bustling, joyful atmosphere and great customer service. By applying ingeniously simple lessons learned from the pike place, our manager discovers how to energise and transform her workplace. Addressing today's most pressing work issues with an engaging metaphor and an appealing message, fish! offers wisdom that is easy to grasp, instantly applicable, and profound.

For the first time in unabridged audio download comes the perennial classic from Stephen King - timeless and topical. The house looked right, felt right to Dr Louis Creed. Rambling, old, unsmart and comfortable. A place where the family could settle, the children grow and play and explore. The rolling hills and meadows of Maine seemed a world away from the fume-choked dangers of Chicago. Only the occasional big truck out on the two-lane highway, grinding up through the gears, hammering down the long gradients, growled out an intrusive threat. But behind the house and far away from the road: that was safe. Just a carefully cleared path up into the woods where generations of local children have processed with the solemn innocence of the young, taking with them their dear departed pets for burial. A sad place maybe, but safe. Surely a safe place. Not a place to seep into your dreams, to wake you, sweating with fear and foreboding.

Mary Stewart's storytelling is as spellbinding as ever in her 12th novel, a Gothic romance featuring sparkling prose, delightful characterisation and classic intrigue. The rambling house called Thornyhold is like something out of a fairy tale. Left to Gilly Ramsey by the cousin whose occasional visits brightened her childhood, the cottage, set deep in a wild wood, has come just in time to save her from a bleak future. With its reputation for magic and its resident black cat, Thornyhold offers Gilly more than just a new home. It offers her a chance to start over. The old house, with its tufts of rosy houseleek and the spreading gilt of the lichens, was beautiful. Even the prisoning hedges were beautiful, protective with their rusty thorns, their bastions of holly and juniper, and at the corners, like towers, their thick columns of yews.

**Now a major Netflix film directed by Martin Scorsese and starring Robert De Niro, Al Pacino, Joe Pesci and Harvey Keitel**~The Irishman is an epic saga of organised crime in post-war America told through the eyes of World War II veteran Frank Sheeran, a hustler and hitman who worked for legendary crime boss Russell Bufalino alongside some of the most notorious figures of the 20th Century.Spanning decades, Sheeran's story chronicles one of the greatest unsolved mysteries in American history, the disappearance of legendary union boss Jimmy Hoffa, and it offers a monumental journey through the hidden corridors of organized crime: its inner workings, rivalries and connections to mainstream politics.Sheeran would rise to a position of such prominence that in a RICO suit against The Commission of La Cosa Nostra, the US Government would name him as one of only two non-Italians in conspiracy with the Commission. Sheeran is listed alongside the likes of Anthony "Tony Pro" Provenzano and Anthony "Fat Tony" Salerno. In the course of nearly five years of recorded interviews, Sheeran confessed to Charles Brandt that he handled more than twenty-five hits for the mob, and Brandt turned Sheeran's story into a page-turning true crime classic.

Welcome to Caraval, where nothing is quite what it seems. Scarlett has never left the tiny isle of Trisda, pining from afar for the wonder of Caraval, a once-a-year weeklong performance where the audience participates in the show. Caraval is magic. Mystery. Adventure. And for Scarlett and her beloved sister, Tella, it represents freedom and an escape from their ruthless, abusive father. When the sisters' long-awaited invitations to Caraval finally arrive, it seems their dreams have come true. But no sooner have they arrived than Tella vanishes, kidnapped by the show's mastermind organiser, Legend. Scarlett has been told that everything that happens during Caraval is only an elaborate performance. Nonetheless, she quickly becomes enmeshed in a dangerous game of love, magic and heartbreak. And whether it's real or not, she must find Tella before the game is over and her sister disappears forever.

'The Best Thriller Writer Alive' Ken FollettThere's one last change for justice . . .They dreamed of changing the world. Instead they're facing a mountain of debt and no hope of a future.Mark, Todd and Zola are starting to realise it's not even worth graduating from law school. They're better off hanging out at The Rooster Bar, plotting how to dodge the loan sharks.But maybe there's another way. Maybe they know enough about the law to pass as lawyers. Because it turns out the crooked hedge fund billionaire who owns their law school also runs the bank that arranged their student loans.And it's time justice was served. Even if it means taking on the FBI to do it . . .Praise for The Rooster Bar'Scintillating storytelling' - The Sunday Times'A buoyant, mischievous thriller . . . This reliable best-selling author is feeling real pleasure, and not just obligation, in delivering his work' - New York Times'A wild, hard-to-put-down romp' - Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

The dream chooses the dreamer, not the other way around - and Lazlo Strange, war orphan and junior librarian, has always feared that his dream chose poorly. Since he was five years old he's been obsessed with the mythic lost city of Weep, but it would take someone bolder than he to cross half the world in search of it. Then a stunning opportunity presents itself in the person of a hero called the Godslayer and a band of legendary warriors, and he has to seize his chance or lose his dream forever. What happened in Weep 200 years ago to cut it off from the rest of the world? What exactly did the Godslayer slay that went by the name of god? And what is the mysterious problem he now seeks help in solving? The answers await in Weep, but so do more mysteries - including the blue-skinned goddess who appears in Lazlo's dreams. How did he dream her before he knew she existed? And if all the gods are dead, why does she seem so real? In this sweeping and breathtaking new novel by National Book Award finalist Laini Taylor, author of the New York Times best-selling Daughter of Smoke and Bone trilogy, the shadow of the past is as real as the ghosts who haunt the citadel of murdered gods. Fall into a mythical world of dread and wonder, moths and nightmares, love and carnage.

By land and water shall it go home, and lie hidden in the floating stone until by fire it shall be raised again. Arthur has raised the sword and claimed his birthright as High King of Briton, determined to unite the many tiny kingdoms that make up his country. Now he sits upon his throne at Camelot with Merlin by his side, his most trusted adviser. But Merlin is growing old, and his sight is dimming. He knows that Mordred, child of Arthur's unknowing union with his half-sister Morgause, will be Arthur's downfall. But he cannot see the future clearly enough to know why, or how - or when. And he's distracted: his gifted young apprentice, Niniane, is more than meets the eye. As Merlin teaches her to control her powers, he seems to lose his own. Merlin has secured Arthur's place in history. Now he must take his own. The Arthurian Saga, begun in The Crystal Cave, The Hollow Hills and The Last Enchantment, continues in The Wicked Day, the story of Arthur's last battle....

Best friends James Bowen and street cat Bob have been on a remarkable journey together. In the years since their story ended in Bob: No Ordinary Cat, James, with Bob's help, has begun to find his way in the world. Along with the adventures and the fun there have been tough times, too, but through moments of real danger and sometimes illness Bob has always been there as James' protector and guardian angel. For the Love of Bob is the incredible story of James and Bob's life-saving friendship, and the lessons James has learnt from his street-wise cat.