Sarah Singleton

It is the 1850's, and a young boy, Thomas, leaves his family to be apprenticed to a pharmacist, at the behest of his dead grandmother. He also inherits a magical box from her, which provides him entry into a mysterious garden. But while visiting it, he sees a ghostly vision of his grandmother, who tells him she was poisoned, and warns him that he must find the person responsible, and save her precious garden. For she was one of five members of an arcane guild, each of whom cultivated an individual garden, mastering the art of poison, perfume and medicine. The guild members jostle for power as, one by one, they are murdered... can Thomas solve the mystery, before he in turn is threatened?

The Poison Garden

Ellie is staying with her maternal grandparents for the summer, while her recently bereaved dad takes off on holiday with his new girlfriend. Upset by his apparent callousness, missing her mother, and jealous for her dad's attention, she begins to spiral into depression. Her grandparents suggest she joins a local theatre group, to meet people her own age and get away from the dark thoughts that threaten to engulf her. But then she gets roped into a séance at the theatre, and is the only one who actually sees a real ghost. Now a spirit is contacting her from beyond the grave - and as the dead boy's story unfolds, Ellie finds herself falling in love with him. But if she solves his mystery and helps release his soul, will he be lost to her forever?

Dark Storm

La casa prigioniera del tempo

In 1586 England, Elizabeth, whose family is hiding a Catholic priest from Protestant reformers, and Isabella, a girl of her own age who was similarly sheltered by "faery" folk 300 years earlier when Catholics accused Isabella's mother of witchcraft, work together to keep the persecutors away.

Heretic

Alexander McCall Smith

Tracy Chevalier

John Banville

Joanna Trollope

Julian Fellowes

Minette Walters

Terry Pratchett

Portraits of Unknown People

Imagined Lives

Otto, Jen and Charlotte have planned the trip of a lifetime to India for their gap year, before going their separate ways to university. For Charlotte, it's an opportunity to get involved in an environmental project and finally feel like she's doing something worthwhile; for Otto, it's the perfect opportunity to take some real photos to help his career as a photojournalistic; for Jen, it's the realisation of a lifelong dream. But when Otto discovers the body of a girl on the beach, things take a sinister turn as he finds himself a prime suspect in her murder. Together Otto, Charlotte and Jen start to unravel the mystery behind the girl's death. Can they discover the truth and clear Otto's name and even if they do will they be able to handle what they find as their dreams of paradise crumble around them…

The Island

Mercy and her sister Charity have never questioned their daily routine, each day unfolding exactly as the next. They live at night, sleep during the day and see their widowed father only rarely - their house shrouded in perpetual winter. Then one day, Mercy is woken to find a snowdrop on her pillow. A sign of spring, a subtle hint at a possible different future. A chance meeting with the mysterious Claudius sets her to questioning everything she has ever known - not least the truth behind her mother's death. Bit by bit Mercy traces her parents' story through the past, travelling back to see herself as a young child, silent witness to the dramatic events Claudius himself plays an enormous part in - only when she has pieced together the truth can her world begin to move on.

Century

Qarn

Charlotte is heading to a tiger sanctuary to do some voluntary work as part of her travels. But a fellow traveller working at the sanctuary starts to make her feel uncomfortable and she decides to ask Otto to visit her, pretending to be her boyfriend. When things start going wrong at the sanctuary, Charlotte fears a vendetta against her could be to blame. As tigers come under attack from poachers, the local authorities threaten to replace the sanctuary's management. Mark the journalist reappears, ostensibly covering the poaching crisis, but also delving into the background of the traveller who is making Charlotte's life a misery. But by now Otto and Charlotte's 'fake' relationship seems to be developing into something a little more serious... and how will Mark, and Otto's ex, Jen, feel about that?

The Stranger

Jacinth, Miranda and Jack live in different lands, yet are all connected. Only by combining forces can they turn around the curse that has befallen their families for generations. A group of knights violently wrested a revered relic from an African tribe long ago. Our three protagonists are each descended from a knight - and each of them has a duty to return the stolen lily which gave the knights amazing powers. Powers that have warped and darkened over the centuries, leaving only instability and death in their wake. But a renegade ancestor is determined to retain the lily's power and influence - whatever the cost - and all three children are in terrible danger...

Sacrifice

A young mother abandons her family to walk for a night with the fairies, and while she is gone, her environmentalist husband is seduced by a sinister creature from the Otherworld. In the heart of the city, goth boy Jo meets an eldritch elderly lady who tells his fortune and sends him out on a quest.

The Crow Maiden

It's the summer holidays and Amber is bored. So when she meets non-conformist Dowdie, she is bowled over. Dowdie lives in a commune known as the Community, and gradually, Amber finds herself drawn into it. She discovers that Dowdie is an Amethyst child - a child with special talents unrecognised by normal society - and that her father, James, the leader of the commune, believes Amber is one too. Meanwhile Amber also meets Johnny, a gorgeous loner who shares her interest in photography. But Johnny is very dismissive of the Community, a place Amber now holds dear. Torn between Johnny and her friend Dowdie, Amber finds herself being drawn into a world of dark and dangerous secrets. Secrets which can only end in death and disillusionment…

The Amethyst Child

Charlotte is heading to a tiger sanctuary to do some voluntary work as part of her travels. But a fellow traveller working at the sanctuary starts to make her feel uncomfortable and she decides to ask Otto to visit her, pretending to be her boyfriend. When things start going wrong at the sanctuary, Charlotte fears a vendetta against her could be to blame. As tigers come under attack from poachers, the local authorities threaten to replace the sanctuary's management. Mark the journalist reappears, ostensibly covering the poaching crisis, but also delving into the background of the traveller who is making Charlotte's life a misery. But by now Otto and Charlotte's 'fake' relationship seems to be developing into something a little more serious… and how will Mark, and Otto's ex, Jen, feel about that?

Sarah Singleton

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