Stupid Cupid
Four couples, four disastrous relationships. That's why they need Cupid, in the human (ish) form of Valentine Degas, to sort out their love lives. It's Valentine's (or Cupid's) job to sort them out and get them all in the right relationship along with the help of his best friend, Jesus. (Yes, you read that right)! Valentine thinks he's got it all sorted out but he hasn't bargained for good old fashioned human frailties and people's abilities to mess up their lives without even trying. Plus, he's got a rather wonky set of arrows that don't often hit the right target at the right time. Coupled with a forthcoming promotion to Jesus's righthand man, when the Archangel Michael gives in his notice, Valentine has his work cut out making sure the course of true love runs smoothly. Will his eight friends end up with the right people? And more importantly, at least to Valentine, will he get his promotion?
Jane Murray's novella is a Valentine's Day treat of light hearted, tongue in cheek humour coupled with humankind's innate ability to mess up well, almost everything. A wonderful, funny, sad, look at relationships in a cleverly plotted speculative fiction.
St. Barnabus' church in Middlehurst runs a fortnightly Knitting Circle, which is well attended until one of the group is murdered in the choir stalls during one of the Knitting Circle sessions. When investigating officers D.I. Jack Cunliffe and D.C. Gil Brennan arrive, they discover the dead woman, Lorraine Prendergast wasn't particularly well liked and a number of potential killers soon cross paths with Jack and Gil. Meanwhile, a new arrival in the village, in the shape of ex Detective Chief Inspector, Grayson Mulvaney, begins to take an interest in the events at church and becomes a friend of the verger, who herself is on the suspect list as the potential killer - until a second murder takes place in the village. Panic begins to set in when it is revealed the second woman was also a member of the Knitting Circle. Who is killing off the old ladies of Middlehurst and who is going to be the next victim? Join D.I. Cunliffe and D.C. Brennan as they race against time, and a very clever killer to protect the remaining members of the Knitting Circle. The Knitting Circle is the first cosy crime, murder mystery novel written by established author, Jane Murray, who is better known for her seasonal Christmas novellas and Valentine's Day novels. Jane also writes psychological Thrillers under her pseudonym D.C. Cummings - the Devil's House is out now and the second novel in the trilogy, The Devil's Advocate is currently in progress. A second Jack and Gil Murder Mystery is planned soon.
Caroline and Jack appear to be the perfect couple, content with quiet evenings at home and weekend walks in the countryside, enjoying their uneventful life. Every Thursday night, Jack normally returns home from his London job like clockwork - until one night, he doesn’t. His disappearance marks the start of Caroline’s discovery that Jack may not be who he seems. So, alongside her best friend Jude, they follow the clues he left behind, hoping they will lead to him. Their quest takes them to the Lake District, where they find themselves at the centre of a mystery greater than they had imagined. In trying to find Jack, they may have stepped into a danger from which they cannot escape . Finding Jack is Ella Blackthorn 's debut novel for Provoco; an 'unputdownable' murder mystery that will have you wanting to read more from this new, talented author!
Eleven years have passed since the fateful events of a Christmas party changed Anthony Crawford's young life forever. Having inherited his stepfather’s business empire, Anthony now is older, married to Katherine and the father of a daughter, Charlotte. His friendship with his childhood friend, Harry Hewson-Greaves, is as strong as ever, but a fight with a stranger changes Anthony's and Harry's trajectory forever. A string of events - Harry's father's death - seemingly suicide but raising the suspicions of the police; Anthony's mother's drinking; Katherine's decision to send Charlotte away to school, all conspire to create pressure and tension in Anthony's life, and he turns to Isobel Stark for solace. But when Isobel is threatened by newspaper journalist Lionel Luff, things take a more sinister turn and Anthony becomes embroiled in a series of events that make him question everything he holds dear and he begins to wonder where the truth ends and deception begins. When Harry disappears, accused of his father's murder, the reappearance of Heinrich Werner, the stranger with whom Anthony fought, threatens to blow apart Harry's life and the repercussions this has for Anthony and his future make him realise that you can never quite hide away from the secrets of scandals past. The second book in the Crawford Chronicles is the luscious and explosive continuation of J.F. Howard's debut novel, A Scandal of Secrets and sets the foundation for an enthralling saga taking us from pre-war England in the 1930's to the present day. A compulsive, page turning historical fiction murder mystery that will leave you wanting more!
Ewan Heighway is not happy - with anything, so it seems. When he's called back to work in the office as opposed to working from home, aka the pub, he's disappointed - until his nemesis Polly, who is also his boss, sacks him. A chance meeting with a colleague as he's clearing out his desk gives Ewan the opportunity to do something completely different - and which will involve him making regular trips up the M1 to his birthplace in Yorkshire. The new job - a driving job, means Ewan can rekindle some of the acquaintances of his past and meet the woman who's caring for his elderly mother. However, Ewan suspects Stella, the carer, of something more than simply looking after Louisa, his mother. He suspects her of trying to steal his birth right - namely, the bungalow where he grew up. Amidst his suspicions, the echoes of his youth, his long-suffering wife and not quite as long-suffering (because he's only just turned eighteen) son, Ewan becomes embroiled in a situation that fast becomes uncontrollable - just like Ewan's drinking habits and flatulent bottom, but against all odds, will Ewan rescue his inheritance and keep what's rightly his? More importantly, will Ewan actually learn something in the process? Mark Liam Piggott's first novel for Provoco is a jolly romp through the Jam Generation - the disillusioned, fifty something's convinced the grass is greener on the other side. If only they could find the other side! A hilarious coming of age novel with a difference!
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