Fierce Kingdom

An electrifying literary thriller introduces an unforgettable mother and son, whose simple trip to the zoo one afternoon is transformed into three hours of terror and survival after gunshots ring out. What would you do to protect the ones you love? After school on a late October day, Joan has taken her four-year-old son, Lincoln, to one of his favourite places on earth: the zoo. Just before closing time, as they need to go home, she hears some loud pops like firecrackers. Not thinking much of it, they head for the exit...until Joan realizes the eerie human emptiness means danger, then sees the figure of a lone gunman. Without another thought, she scoops up her son and runs back into the zoo. And for the next three hours--the entire scope of the novel--she does anything she can to keep Lincoln safe. Both pulse-pounding and emotionally satisfying, Fierce Kingdom is a thrill ride, but also an exploration of the very nature of motherhood itself, from its saving graces to its savage power. At heart it asks how you draw the line between survival and the duty to protect one another? Who would you die for?

OBSERVER THRILLER OF THE MONTH ‘A page-turning, adrenaline-soaked read . . . an eloquent and meditative insight into motherhood and what it means, its many small trials and wonders.’ Alison Flood, Observer 'An outdoors version of Emma Donoghue's Room... Fierce Kingdom works flawlessly as a thriller with expert pacing and a well-judged ending, but its most remarkable feature is its portrayal of motherhood' The Sunday Times ‘I devoured it in one breathless sitting. Outstanding.’ Clare Mackintosh, author of I Let You Go and I See You ‘It tore at every maternal fibre in my body. I couldn’t put it down.’ Fiona Barton, author of The Widow ************ Lincoln is a good boy. At the age of four, he is curious, clever and well behaved. He does as his mum says and knows what the rules are. 'The rules are different today. The rules are that we hide and do not let the man with the gun find us.' When an ordinary day at the zoo turns into a nightmare, Joan finds herself trapped with her beloved son. She must summon all her strength, find unexpected courage and protect Lincoln at all costs – even if it means crossing the line between right and wrong; between humanity and animal instinct. It's a line none of us would ever normally dream of crossing. But sometimes the rules are different. ************ ‘Fierce Kingdom is a bold exploration of the ferocity of a mother’s love - riveting and beautiful, and all too real. You’ll find yourself asking, what would I do? It’s brilliant.’ Shari Lapena, author of The Couple Next Door ‘Unbearably tense and yet beautifully written, Fierce Kingdom demands to be read in one sitting. After finishing, I pulled my loved ones a little closer.’ Paula Daly, author of The Mistake I Made 'I was absolutely captivated by this book. So, so tense, but wonderfully written. The perfect book.’ Gillian McAllister, author of Everything But The Truth

One of the New York Times Book Review's Best Crime Novels of 2017 “Warning: you'll finish this in one sitting.” —TheSkimm “Expertly made thriller . . . clever and irresistible.” —The New York Times An electrifying novel about the primal and unyielding bond between a mother and her son, and the lengths she’ll go to protect him. The zoo is nearly empty as Joan and her four-year-old son soak up the last few moments of playtime. They are happy, and the day has been close to perfect. But what Joan sees as she hustles her son toward the exit gate minutes before closing time sends her sprinting back into the zoo, her child in her arms. And for the next three hours—the entire scope of the novel—she keeps on running. Joan’s intimate knowledge of her son and of the zoo itself—the hidden pathways and under-renovation exhibits, the best spots on the carousel and overstocked snack machines—is all that keeps them a step ahead of danger. A masterful thrill ride and an exploration of motherhood itself—from its tender moments of grace to its savage power—Fierce Kingdom asks where the boundary is between our animal instinct to survive and our human duty to protect one another. For whom should a mother risk her life?

"A pinch of Potter blended with a drop of [Cassandra Clare's] Infernal Devices." --JUSTINE MAGAZINE "Plot twists so good they will leave you reeling." --TRACI CHEE, New York Times bestselling author of The Reader IT'S TIME FOR HER POWER TO RULE. As Henrietta nervously awaits her marriage to Lord Blackwood, she discovers that Sorrow-Fell is not a safe haven from the bloodthirsty Ancients. It's a trap. So with her friend Maria and Magnus, the young man who once stole her heart, at her side, Henrietta plots a dangerous journey straight into the enemy's lair. Some will live. Some will die. All will be tested. In this stunning conclusion to the Kingdom on Fire series, Henrietta must choose between the love from her past, the love from her present, and a love that could define her future. The fate of the kingdom rests on her decision: Will she fall or rise up to become the woman who saves the realm? Praise for Jessica Cluess's A Shadow Bright and Burning, Kingdom on Fire, Book 1: "This is a novel that gives off light and heat." --The New York Times "Vivid characters, terrifying monsters, and world building as deep and dark as the ocean." --VICTORIA AVEYARD, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Red Queen "Devastatingly magical and monstrously romantic." --STEPHANIE GARBER, New York Times bestselling author of Caraval "Unputdownable. I loved the monsters, the magic, and the teen warriors who are their world's best hope! Jessica Cluess is an awesome storyteller!" --TAMORA PIERCE, #1 New York Times bestselling author

'Enthralling. Tense' Daily Mail 'An outdoors version of Emma Donoghue's Room' The Sunday Times 'Gripping. Unputdownable' Sun 'A powerful, unsettling book' Guardian 'Captivating and beautifully written' Daily Express 'Riveting and beautiful, and all too real.' Shari Lapena, author of THE COUPLE NEXT DOOR 'Tense, shocking, heartbreaking. So good.' C J Tudor, author of THE CHALK MAN 'It tore at every maternal fibre in my body. I couldn't put it down.' Fiona Barton, author of THE CHILD ************ Lincoln is a good boy. At the age of four, he is curious, clever and well behaved. He does as his mum says and knows what the rules are. 'The rules are different today. The rules are that we hide and do not let the man with the gun find us.' When an ordinary day at the zoo turns into a nightmare, Joan finds herself trapped with her beloved son. She must summon all her strength, find unexpected courage and protect Lincoln at all costs - even if it means crossing the line between right and wrong; between humanity and animal instinct. It's a line none of us would ever normally dream of crossing. But sometimes the rules are different. ************ 'A page-turning, adrenaline-soaked read . . . an eloquent and meditative insight into motherhood and what it means, its many small trials and wonders.' Alison Flood, Observer 'I devoured it in one breathless sitting. Outstanding.' Clare Mackintosh, author of LET ME LIE and I SEE YOU 'Unbearably tense and yet beautifully written. After finishing, I pulled my loved ones a little closer.' Paula Daly, author of THE MISTAKE I MADE 'I was absolutely captivated by this book. So, so tense, but wonderfully written. The perfect book.' Gillian McAllister, author of EVERYTHING BUT THE TRUTH Previously published as Fierce Kingdom.

Six-year-old Carmen Aguirre fled to Canada with her family following General Augusto Pinochet's violent 1973 coup in Chile. Five years later, when her mother and stepfather returned to South America as Chilean resistance members, Carmen and her sister went with them, quickly assuming double lives of their own. At eighteen, Carmen became a militant herself, plunging further into a world of terror, paranoia and euphoria. Something Fierce takes the reader inside war-ridden Peru, dictator-ruled Bolivia, post-Malvinas Argentina and Pinochet's Chile in the eventful decade between 1979 and 1989. Dramatic, suspenseful and darkly comic, it is a rare first-hand account of revolutionary life and a passionate argument against forgetting.

New York Times bestseller David Arnold's most ambitious novel to date; Station Eleven meets The 5th Wave in a genre-smashing story of survival, hope, and love amid a ravaged earth. When a deadly Fly Flu sweeps the globe, it leaves a shell of the world that once was. Among the survivors are eighteen-year-old Nico and her dog, on a voyage devised by Nico's father to find a mythical portal; a young artist named Kit, raised in an old abandoned cinema; and the enigmatic Deliverer, who lives Life after Life in an attempt to put the world back together. As swarms of infected Flies roam the earth, these few survivors navigate the woods of post-apocalyptic New England, meeting others along the way, each on their own quest to find life and love in a world gone dark. The Electric Kingdom is a sweeping exploration of art, storytelling, eternal life, and above all, a testament to the notion that even in an exterminated world, one person might find beauty in another.

From the author of the acclaimed book Fierce Conversations comes the antidote to some of the most wrongheaded practices of business today. · “Provide anonymous feedback.” · “Hire smart people.” · “Hold people accountable.” These are all sound, business practices, right? Not so fast, says leadership visionary and bestselling author Susan Scott. In fact, these mantras — despite being long-accepted and adopted by business leaders everywhere — are completely wrongheaded. Worse, they are costing companies billions of dollars, driving away valuable employees and profitable customers, limiting performance, and stalling careers. Yet they are so deeply ingrained in organizational cultures that no one has questioned them. Until now. In Fierce Leadership, Scott teaches us how to spot the worst “best” practices in our organizations using a technique she calls “squid eye”–the ability to see the “tells” or signs that we have fallen prey to disastrous behaviors by knowing what to look for. Only then, she says, can we apply the antidote.. Informed by over a decade of conversations with Fortune 500 executives, this book is that antidote. With fierce new approaches to everything from employee feedback to corporate diversity to customer relations, Scott offers fresh and surprising alternatives to six of the so-called “best” practices permeating today’s businesses. This refreshingly candid book is a must-read for any manager or leader at any level who is ready to take a long hard look at what trouble might be lurking in their organization - and do something about it.