Bill Wallis

When the chairperson of a prestigious literary prize dies suspiciously, fellow judge Robert Amiss summons Baroness 'Jack' Troutbeck to step into the breach. Whilst the judges continue cutting down the short-list, the killer is cutting down the judging panel, but Jack Troutbeck saves the day.

A senior civil servant, Sir Nicholas Clark, has been murdered. Who could possibly want him dead? Detective Superintendent James Milton finds the whole situation puzzling.

In the little town of St Denis in the Perigord a fire is raging in a local barn. When police chief Bruno arrives on the scene there is a strong smell of petrol, indicating an arson attempt. A violent death follows and Bruno is drawn into an investigation centring on plans by a Californian wine producer to set up a wine-making business.  Book 2 of series

David Golder, born into poverty, clawed his way to fabulous wealth. Now an ageing businessman, his health is starting to fail him. When his wife and daughter betray him he contemplates revenge!

When a diplomat dies in Istanbul, the suspicious circumstances attract the attention of Special Branch. Seymour, a Special Branch Officer, discovers that the victim may have been involved in a political operation.

Naples, 1913. Newly arrived British junior consul Scampion enjoys the latest craze: bicycle racing. But after a race he is fatally stabbed - unremarkable in Naples, except his wallet is not taken. And that’s when Seymour, from the Foreign Office, is sent to investigate.

Daniel Rooke is Astronomer with the First Fleet landing on the shores of New South Wales. He sets up his observatory as the newcomers struggle to establish a settlement for themselves . Gradually Rooke gets to know the local Aboriginal people and establishes a special bond with one child in particular.

Since his wife's death, Major Ernest Pettigrew (Ret'd) isn't interested in the modern world. But when his brother's death, and a love of Kipling, sparks a friendship with the widowed village shopkeeper, Mrs Ali, the Major is forced to confront the realities of the 21st century. Richard & Judy Bookclub

Filth (Failed In London, Try Hong Kong) is a successful lawyer when he marries Elisabeth in Hong Kong soon after the war. But Elisabeth is different - a free-spirit, with a lust for survival and an affinity with the Far East. No wonder she is attracted to Filth's hated rival at the Bar - the brash, forceful Veneering.

Gareth Cadwallader Owen is the Mamur Zapt - the head of the Khedive's Secret Police, and is married to Zeinab, a pasha's daughter. It's not a comfortable perch, as agitation for political and social restructuring grows and a state of emergency in Egypt is declared.

Monsieur Pamplemousse attends the filming of Claude Chavignol's culinary TV show. The audience's enjoyment stops abruptly when Claude starts choking - he has been poisoned and dies on live TV.

This story keeps the magic of Christmas alive. It is about the magical childhood of Santa Claus.

Set against the exotic background of fin-de-siecle London, this is a tale of corruption and intrigue in which Wilde comes across the corpse of 16-year-old Billy Wood, posed by candlelight in a dark attic room. He sets out to solve the crime with the help of Arthur Conan Doyle.

Robert at last feels settled in his personal life as he contemplates marriage to Rachel, but he is not entirely happy with his lot at work. Ideological battles and rampant eccentricity are poisoning the atmosphere at the paper!

Horace Rumpole often speaks of the great murder trial which revealed his talents as an advocate and made his reputation down at the Bailey when he was still a young man. Here for the first time, the sensational story of the Penge bungalow murders case is told in full.  Book 18 of series.

In these seven Christmas stories, the call of justice (and a bit of excitement) leads Rumpole as far afield as a health farm in Norfolk and, nearer to home, a pantomime at the Tufnell Park Empire.  Book 21 of series.

Fraud, deceit, deception, lying, bankruptcy, infidelity: these are just some of the recurrent themes that concern Jeffrey Archer in his fourth collection of short stories.

Uncle Montague lives alone in a big house and his regular visits from his nephew give him the opportunity to relive some of the most frightening stories he knows. But as the stories unfold, a newer and more surprising narrative emerges, one that is perhaps the most frightening of all.

Thanks to Twinklestar, the lightning-shy reindeer, Santa and his caravan have come crashing down in a storm just two weeks before Christmas and the ruthless Gerold Geronimus Goblynch plans to turn the holiday into his personal moneymaking scheme. Santa will have to face Goblynch and his Nutcracker goons if he's ever to rescue Christmas!

Alfred was the only monarch to be voted a 'great Briton' in a recent BBC poll. David Horspool shows how the Alfred of myth and history are inextricably linked. Alfred's historical achievements combine with the myth to restore a 'popular' Alfred, the only British king to be called 'great'.

For anyone who has ever felt that perhaps their education was lacking the depth and variety of the good old days, this book contains everything you wish you knew in an easily digestible form.

This is the life story of Harry Patch, 'The Last Fighting Tommy', from his childhood in rural Somerset, to his enlistment in the army and the horror of the Western Front.