Scabby Queen

'Gripping and moving. A literary triumph' Nicola Sturgeon 'A humane and searching story' Ian Rankin 'Kirstin Innes is aiming high, writing for readers in the early days of a better nation' A.L. Kennedy A NEW STATESMAN BOOK OF THE YEAR * A SCOTSMAN BOOK OF THE YEAR

The covid pandemic poses huge challenges for Scotland – but also a unique opportunity to rethink who we are as a country, where we are heading, and how to restructure our economy, culture, politics and relationships in addressing the deep disparities the virus has exposed. Bringing together the unique voices of some of our best creative writers, poets and commentators, this book makes a significant contribution to rethinking our future. It explores what 'after the virus' could look like, and how it might be possible. Here are the hopeful voices we need for a time of both uncertainty and exploration.

A beautiful debut novel set in the Outer Hebrides, The House Between Tides strips back layers of the past to reveal a dark mystery. In the present day, Hetty Deveraux returns to the family home of Muirlan House on a remote Hebridean island estate following the untimely death of her parents. Torn between selling the house and turning it into a hotel, Hetty undertakes urgent repairs, accidentally uncovering human remains. Who has been lying beneath the floorboards for a century? Were they murdered? Through diaries and letters she finds, Hetty discovers that the house was occupied at the turn of the century by distant relative Beatrice Blake, a young aristocratic woman recently married to renowned naturalist and painter, Theodore Blake. With socialist and suffragist leanings Beatrice is soon in conflict with her autocratic new husband, who is distant, and wrapped up in Cameron, a young man from the island. As Beatrice is also drawn to Cameron, life for them becomes dangerous, sparking a chain of events that will change many lives, leaving Hetty to assemble the jigsaw of clues piece by piece one hundred years later, as she obsessively chases the truth. In The House Between Tides, author Sarah Maine uses her skills as a storyteller to create an utterly compelling historical mystery set in a haunting and beautifully evoked location. 'Last night, debut author Maine dreamed of a contemporary spin on classic Gothic tropes. Orphan Hetty Deveraux has inherited a crumbling, wind-battered mansion on a remote Muirland Island in western Scotland, "on the edge of the world." The day she arrives to inspect her new property, however, local assessor James Cameron has found a skeleton beneath the floorboards. Who is it, and how long has it been there? Abandoned since the war, the house was the refuge of Theo Blake, a Turner-esque painter-turned-mad recluse and a distant relative of Hetty's. At loose ends since the deaths of her parents, Hetty hopes restoring the house will serve as a new beginning. Meanwhile, in 1910, Theo Blake brings his new bride to Muirland House, whose landscapes have inspired some of his most famous paintings. Maine skillfully balances a Daphne du Maurier atmosphere with a Barbara Vine-like psychological mystery as she guides the reader back and forth on these storylines. The two narrative threads are united by the theme of conservation versus exploitation: Muirland is a habitat for several species of rare birds, threatened in the 1910 plot by Blake's determination to kill and mount them for his collection and in the 2010 story by Hetty's half-formed plans to transform Muirland House into a luxury hotel. Local man Cameron wants to see the island preserved as "a precious place, wild and unspoiled, a sanctuary for more than just the birds." The setting emerges as the strongest personality in this compelling story, evoking passion in the characters as fierce as the storms which always lurk on the horizon. A debut historical thriller which deftly blends classic suspense with modern themes.' Kirkus 'Muirlan Island in Scotland's Outer Hebrides provides the sensuous setting for British author Maine's impressive debut, which charts the parallel quests of two women a century apart. [...] Vivid descriptions of the island's landscape and weather enhance this beautifully crafted novel.' Publisher's Weekly 'There is an echo of Daphne du Maurier's Rebeca in Sarah Maine's appealing debut noel, when human remains are found beneath the floorboards of a derelict mansion on a Scottish island... a highly readable debut.' Independent 'A tremendous accomplishment. So assured, so well-judged, and with such an involving story to tell, this might be the author's fifth or sixth novel, not her first. A literary star is born!' Ronald Frame, author of The Lantern Bearers and Havisham

Cullrothes, in the Scottish Highlands, where Innes hides a terrible secret from his girlfriend Alice, a gorgeous, cheating, lying schoolteacher. In the same village, Donald is the aggressive distillery owner, who floods the country with narcotics alongside his single malt; when his son goes missing, he becomes haunted by an anonymous American investor intent on purchasing the Cullrothes Distillery by any means necessary. Schoolgirl Jessie is trying to get the grades to escape to the mainland, while Grandpa counts the days left in his life. This is a place where mountains are immense and the loch freezes in winter. A place with only one road in and out. With long storms and furious midges and a terrible phone signal. The police are compromised the journalists are scum, and the innocent folk of Cullrothes tangle themselves in a fermenting barrel of suspicion, malice and lies...

In the cold dakness of space, the voracious alian tyranids travel from world to world, consuming all in a futile attempt to slake their hunger for bio-matter. Lying directly in theirpath is the industrial planet Tarsis Ultra, where Captain Uriel Ventris and the Ultramarines of Fourth Company stand shoulder to shoulder with their battle-brothers from the Mortifactors Chapter. As war rages and the situation looks bleak, Uriel must accept the barbaric traditions of his allies and act against the ancient tactics laid down in the holy Codex Astartes if there is to be any chance of destroying the alien menace. Previous Titles: Nightbringer - 9781849708609 Dark Hunters: Umbra Sumus - 9781849708449

"Dangerous, sexy, and heart wrenching!" Farrell Black is dirty, dangerous, and holds nothing sacred. Growing up on the mean streets of London, he clawed his way to the top of a criminal empire with nothing but sheer force of will and the determination to need no one. Ever. Then he met Jenna Carver, and all bets were off — until the day she walked out of his life without a backward glance. Leaving him was the hardest thing she’d ever done. As a kid, Jenna knew how people looked at her. Like she was stupid. Worthless. Poor. So she spent her life working to become someone else. Then she met Farrell Black, and their all-consuming passion blew a hole in everything she thought she knew about herself. Until she was forced to make a terrible choice. Now Jenna is back in London for her father's funeral, desperate to avoid the one man who can banish her hard-earned reason in favor of red-hot ecstasy. But when her father’s death is tied to an abuse of power at the highest levels, she has no choice but to ask Farrell for help. As they work together to find answers to a puzzle that could have dangerous implications, desire threatens to undo them both — and forces Jenna to choose between keeping the secret of a lifetime and having the one man who can command her body and soul. _____________________________ ★★★★★ "Dark and edgy...I am sold." ★★★★★ "Holy hotness!" ★★★★★ "Best MOB STORY EVER." ★★★★★ "The heart of a lion. The body of a god. The tenacity of a bull. Farrell is the BOSS of the London mob." ★★★★★ "Are you ready for your next book boyfriend because here he is!" ★★★★★ "I swooned HARD."

"Hot and intense to the very last word!!!" Farrell Black is dirty, dangerous, and holds nothing sacred. Growing up on the mean streets of London, he clawed his way to the top of a criminal empire with nothing but sheer force of will and the determination to need no one. Ever. Then he met Jenna Carver, and all bets were off — until the day she walked out of his life without a backward glance. Leaving him was the hardest thing she’d ever done. As a kid, Jenna knew how people looked at her. Like she was stupid. Worthless. Poor. So she spent her life working to become someone else. Then she met Farrell Black and their all-consuming passion blew a hole in everything she thought she knew about herself. Until she was forced to make a terrible choice. Now Jenna is back in London for her father's funeral, desperate to avoid the one man who can banish her hard-earned reason in favor of red-hot ecstasy. But when her father’s death is tied to an abuse of power at the highest levels, she has no choice but to ask Farrell for help. As they work together to find answers to a puzzle that could have dangerous implications, desire threatens to undo them both and forces Jenna to choose between keeping the secret of a lifetime and having the one man who can command her body and soul. Then Farrell and Jenna find themselves on the run, fugitives from the law as they work to unravel a threat that could have catastrophic consequences for mankind. From London to Italy to Paris, Farrell and Jenna have no choice but to fight more than one hidden adversary - and hope they live long enough to get a second chance at love. _______________________________ ★★★★★ "This is indeed a gripping series. This boxed set is a must have." ★★★★★ "Loved this set of books, it was impossible to put down." ★★★★★ "Sleep was willingly sacrificed haha!" ★★★★★ "The story was captivating from the start, suspense the whole way through. Def a must read." ★★★★★ "Super hot and intense to the very last word!!!" ★★★★★ "Romantic, dirty, and suspense all in one… I am hooked!" ★★★★★ "Was pulled into the story right from the get go and couldn't put it down till I was done!" ★★★★★ "5 stars are not enough…"