Richard Mason

It's 1944 and in the little village of Norphlet, Arkansas, Richard and John Clayton are making plans for a quiet summer of fun. However, north of their town is a German Prisoner of War Camp, and just when everyone thinks the War with Germany is about over, there is an escape from the camp and a rabid, Gestapo Colonel leads five former SS Soldiers on a mission of destruction. As the POWs race south to attack the South Arkansas oil refineries, they end up camping in Flat Creek Swamp, just a few miles south of Norphlet. After stumbling upon their camp, the boys plot a daring capture of the POWs. However, that wild summer had a lot more going on than just German POWs on the run. A crazy vision by the boy's good friend, Ears, has everyone in town changing their name to "Jasper". And while all of that is going on, Homer Ray's, bullying causes the boys to try and stop the bullying for good with a trick to end all tricks. Yes, all the Norphlet characters are still part of this wild summer, as Big Six, Doc, Bubba, and Marshal Wing fit right into the story. As the summer of 1944 passes, the escapades of the two boys seem to run together as the boys try to balance the startling events in the little village, while plotting to capture the German POWs.

"Just try to resist.... A Continental Downton Abbey plus sex, with a dash of Dangerous Liaisons tossed in." --Seattle Times Piet Barol has an instinctive appreciation for pleasure and a gift for finding it. When his mother dies, Piet applies for a job as tutor to the troubled son of Europe's leading hotelier--a child who refuses to leave his family's mansion on one of Amsterdam's grandest canals. As Piet enters this glittering world, he learns its secrets and finds his life transformed. A brilliantly written portrait of the senses, History of a Pleasure Seeker is an opulent, romantic coming-of-age drama set at the height of Europe's Belle poque, written with a lightness of touch that is wholly modern and original.

'A sharply written story of love, money and erotic intrigue pulsing behind the staid canal fronts of nineteenth-century Amsterdam' Daisy Goodwin

Penguin Books reintroduces the timeless story of the love affair between a British artist and a Chinese prostitute. Robert is t he only resident of the Nam Kok hotel not renting his room by the hour when he meets Suzie at the bar. She becomes his muse and they fall in love. But even in Hong Kong, where many white expatriates have Chinese mistresses, their romance could jeopardize the things they each hold dear. Set in the mid-1950s, The World of Suzie Wong is a beautifully written time capsule of a novel. First published more than fifty years ago, it resonated with readers worldwide, inspiring a film starring William H olden, a ballet, and even a reggae song. Now readers can experience the romance of this groundbreaking story anew.

Young Richard's quest for the red scarf is accompanied by unlikely obstacles." Well, I guess you want to hear about the whole dang mess, don't you? Huh? Every little thing? Well - let's see - first off, this here pink scar on the top of my foot and the other one on the bottom happened at the end of summer and these pink scratches with the scabs on the side of my leg happened just a couple of weeks ago. Them two red looking holes was caused by something that happened right before Christmas, and none of them have got nothing to do with each other. Can you believe that? Well, it's true, cross my heart, and it still gives me the willies every time I think about it." In his debut novel, Richard Mason takes us back to southwest Arkansas during World War II through the eyes of Richard, an eleven-year-old with a dream. The dream seems simple enough--to buy a red scarf for Rosalie, the prettiest girl in school. However, buying a scarf doesn't usually include skunks, bobcats, robbers, fur brokers, stolen Christmas trees, and a cast of eccentric characters such as Peg, the one-legged tavern owner, his brother Wing, a one-armed marshal who swings a mean blackjack, and Bubba, a big man who wields an even bigger frying pan. The cast of characters is rounded out by Sniffer, a hound with decidedly bad instincts; Doc, the newsstand operator who styles himself after President Roosevelt; John Clayton, young Richard's best friend and partner in mischief; and Uncle Hugh, who befriends the boys after rescuing the accident-prone Richard from certain infection and carrying him home through the backwoods. Young Richard's quest for the red scarf is accompanied by unlikely obstacles, infused with a little holiday serendipity, and concludes a bittersweet season in a young boy's life. This holiday story fro Arkansas will teach readers the importance of fairness, resourcefulness and responsibility.

A truly thrilling murder mystery set partly in Cornwall, in the tradition of Du Maurier's REBECCA: dark, English and very much a classic. At 21, James Farrell has the world at his feet. A gifted violinist, his successful career seems assured. Until a chance encounter with Ella changes everything. Ella, bewitching, irresistible, haunted by the ghosts of her family's past - James cannot help falling in love with her, and she with him. But as the power and dangerous fragility of their relationship overwhelm them, James can only watch helplessly as the most beautiful thing in his life is strangled by deception, betrayal and ultimately murder ...

A stunningly incisive and poignant novel about family, duty and the challenging world of the mind. Joan McAllistair is about to embark on the 'Trip of a Lifetime' with her daughter Eloise; a journey back to her childhood South Africa and the family homestead in the old Boer Republic of the Orange Free State. For Eloise, the trip is partly a gift, partly a means of assuaging her guilt at moving her mother into a care home. For Joan, the discovery of her grandmother's journal transports her to the troubled times of the Anglo-Boer war. Eloise, in the meantime, has gambled her business's entire fortune on a promise made by an old lover. As their stories unravel, Joan takes increasing refuge in the landscape of her mind - in journeys to her own past. She also finds an unexpected friend in a lonely teenager who shares her fascination with history.