Books

Cassie Herbert is fat and there's no getting away from that despite how Cassie tries to avoid it and dreams of being everything she isn't - thin, popular, attractive and happy. When she finds herself in the wrong place at the wrong time, poor Cassie ends up in hospital, with a brain injury and that's when things begin to get really weird, family secrets come to light and the past begins to unravel itself causing the Herbert family to face up to things they'd rather not admit to. Meanwhile, her parents' new neighbour has a secret of her own which has far reaching consequences for one family member and the new bloke in the flat downstairs begins to have some very strange dreams which cause his and Cassie's lives to become inexplicably entangled. But is it all for the good, and will Cassie be coming home for Christmas to discover if dreams really do come true? Find out in Jane Murray's third seasonal novella, written with a little bit of magic!

Norris has been here before. He knows he's lived eight other lives and what's more, he can remember them all. He's not proud of them, especially not the one when he left his pal, Jimmy Morgan, at the mercy of German soldiers in the second world war. The discovery that he's been reincarnated as a cat isn't going to help his resolution to make amends to his old friend when he finds himself, by a strange quirk of fate, adopted from an animal rescue centre by Jimmy Morgan's grand-daughter. Once settled into Jimmy's home, Norris realises that all is not well in the old man's life and he's got himself involved in criminal activity at the behest of his late wife's family who are blackmailing Jimmy because they know he's in debt. When Norris discovers all this, he knows the only way he can apologise to Jimmy for letting him down in the past, is to try to help him in the present. But how exactly can he do this when he's a cat and when Jimmy's small time criminal activities place his grand-daughter, Stella, in danger? Dawn Treacher's speculative fiction tale explores the possibility that your cat really is cleverer than you in a tale of magical realism that'll make you wonder exactly what your cat is thinking!

Matthew Hartmann is a detective, and a Christian. With a wife, a beautiful daughter, whom they both dote up, his career, his belief, he seems to have everything until he is prevented from investigating a series of deaths and he stumbles upon old, dark secrets that lurk within the town he has been brought up in. Suddenly, places and people he has known all his life take on a sinister appearance and the emergence of evil forces becomes apparent to the young detective. When his wife and his child are killed in what seems to have been an accident, Matthew turns to Father Hector, the old Catholic priest who brought Matthew up as almost the closest thing to a son he would have and together, they realise that satanism and unholy cults threaten the very existence of not just Matthew's town, but the Christian kingdom and the wider world. When he is dragged into the fight between good and evil, Matthew not only believes he has God on his side, but also, the Sinner's Redemption, but will it be enough to save humanity? Matthew Decker's debut novel came to him in the form of a dream which he dreamt repeatedly until he decided to start writing it down and this dark and horrifying tale is the result. Fans of tense, good versus evil horror stories will devour this book just as evil and satanic cults are capable of devouring mankind.

You remember Christmases from your childhood, don't you? The garish, shiny wrapping paper, leaving a mince pie for Santa and a carrot for the reindeer, the Christmas hamper being delivered, gawdy trees, paper chains, flashing coloured lights around the window, tinsel hanging from the fireplace, holly and mistletoe hanging over the front door. Yes? Well, that's what this compilation of short stories, poems and photography hopes to recreate for you in it's pages. A good, old fashioned celebration of Christmas from some of our shining stars! 

Ava’s job as a mortuary technician in the small, desert town of Killorn is certainly an unusual one, and becomes even more so when strange, disarming events begin to happen to her. The string of weird happenings culminates in bodies going missing from the mortuary where Ava works and the involvement of the local police. Meanwhile, Ava is not only feeling unnerved, but she begins to get downright scared when it seems that someone may be out to harm her. Suspicion grows and her former lover, Nick, sees to be one of those she points the finger at. Meanwhile, matters are complicated further when suspicion falls on the local Native American reservation, one that Ava and Ernest, her boss, visit regularly when assisting at funerals. It is at a reservation funeral that Ava meets a shaman who has been haunting her dreams and who crosses her path more than once when she begins an affair with his fellow tribesman, Grey. Despite Grey’s growing attraction to Ava, he cannot protect her from the frightening events that keep happening to her and when Red, the town’s sheriff cannot produce a logical explanation for what is going on, the only possible answer would be that Ava is being haunted. But by whom and why can the police nor the shaman help her to escape from whatever it is in her past that is putting her in danger in the present? Bodies of Evidence is the second psychological thriller from K.E. Jennings, who signed with Provoco in 2023. Her first novel, THE ONLY ONES LEFT, enjoyed much acclaim, marking her as a force to be reckoned with in the world of psychological, supernatural thriller writing.

Brenda Quinn's cat has gone missing, and who better to find him that the village's own Green Fingered Sleuth, retired vicar Cedric Malleson. After an initial meeting with Brenda, Cedric and his trust sidekick and friend, Tanya, discover there is more to Brenda's cat's disappearance than meets the eye. But what is the link between a missing cat, a missing person, an elderly gentleman falling down the stairs and then, the disappearance of Reubens, Cedric's own cat? To take Cedric's mind off missing cats, his daughter, Scarlett, arranges for him to take ownership of an allotment, where she can develop her father's YouTube career into vegetable growing and the organic lifestyle. However, Cedric soon finds out that allotment life isn't so much of a relaxing enterprise as he thought, when he finds himself in the midst of a deadly plot. Join Dawn Treacher's Green Fingered Sleuth in the second book in the series of cosy crime, murder mysteries which are proving to be such a great success. Dawn's debut - The Seeds of Murder is also available from Provoco.

Cedric Malleson's wife, Carolina, is missing. Everyone believes she simply left Cedric because she didn't want to be a vicar's wife any longer. Now retired, and with time on his hands, Cedric's mind begins to wonder why. Why did Carolina leave? Did she leave because she wanted to, or because she had to? His thoughts prompt him to begin writing a detective novel, a cosy, murder mystery. His daughter, Scarlett, encourages him to take over the task of gardening, something Carolina used to do when they were together. Little does Cedric realise that whilst he is writing his detective novel and doing the garden, he could be nurturing the seeds of murder. Dawn Treacher joined Provoco in 2023, already enjoying success as an author an illustrator of children's novels. The Seeds of Murder is her debut cosy, murder mystery novel and more are planned for the futures!

Malia lives with Cole, her little boy. They are always together and live a very quiet life because absolutely everyone else is the world has gone, including Malia's beloved husband Josh. Malia can't think too deeply about what has happened, or why she and Cole are the only people left on the planet. The thought scares her, so she lives what she perceives to be a 'normal' existence until one day, she is messaged by someone on defunct social media channels. In a desperate attempt to connect to this man, Malia strikes up an online friendship with Ian, in Australia. That's when even more strange and unnatural things start to happen. Dark entities and crows begin to threaten Malia and Cole's very existence, which Malia desperately tries to cling onto while Ian is trying to get to her and her son. Will he make it? Will Malia and Cole survive and who are the dark entities that threaten the only ones left? The Only Ones Left is the debut novel of K.E. Jennings, who signed for Provoco in 2023. We're pleased to announce that the pre-order launch date is 15th February and publication day is 28th March, 2024. More books from this talented, new author are planned for later in the year and into 2025. K.E's website will be live soon.

Anthony Crawford is young, rich, and lazy. With aspirations to take the film world by storm, he never quite seems to motivate himself enough to do anything about it - until he meets the beautiful Cecile. Wife to Robert Ford, who is Anthony's stepfather’s business associate and close confident, Cecile is older, wiser, and wants Anthony to be her next little plaything, but will an affair with her be Anthony's making or his downfall? The oncoming Christmas season provides a perfect opportunity for Anthony's mother and stepfather to throw a party, but what happens to turn a glittering, dreamlike celebration, the pinnacle of the social calendar of the rich and famous, into Anthony's personal nightmare, and more importantly, will he survive? A SCANDAL OF SECRETS is a cleverly presented murder mystery set in the environs of 1920's English high society and is JOHN F HOWARD'S debut novel. He is currently busy writing the sequel, with the working title PAST SECRETS.