Legend Press

Merry Christmas! is a moving, reimagined version of Dickens’ A Christmas Carol for the 21st Century. If that master storyteller were around today, he would surely be entertained by this clever rendition.Eddie Scarr, a modern facsimile of Scrooge, is angrier and more damaged than the original, but just as successful in his own milieu. He’s a Department for Work and Pensions enforcement officer whose sole reason for existing, it seems, is to make life as difficult as possible for would-be benefit fraudsters, and everyone else who crosses his path.At the age of seven Eddie was dumped in a care home by his older sister, following the death of their parents. The experience of this grim institution, with its uncaring ‘care parents’, not only deeply scarred him, but left him haunted to this day.A workaholic, he is driven in pursuit of cheats, even on Christmas Eve, despite being wracked with a vicious head cold. As he makes his way home to his cold apartment and equally cold bed, he has an alarming encounter with a former clients, whom he had previously hounded to death. Even more alarming encounters await him when he logs on to his computer at home. But will any of these encounters change him for the better? We can only hope.

Life exacts a price for Frances Thomas, a writer living an outwardly comfortable existence. Emotionally trapped by an intense empathy with the suffering of animals, she’s compelled to take action for those imprisoned in a laboratory. Always conscious of the cruelties of the world, she reads the wind where others, unaware, wait for the storm to break. Her clear-seeing and emotional identity with human and animal victims, causes the edges of her reality to be become blurred when a rescued dog and a long-dead German-Jewish girl in 1930s Berlin, whose story she is scripting for a film, become as one, threatening to break her.

The British Lord who became a legendary fugitive tells his story of murder and escape in this fictionalized account of the infamous scandal.On November 7th, 1974, a murder plot goes disastrously wrong. John Bingham, 7th Earl of Lucan, had intended to do away with his wife. Instead, it is their nanny, Sandra Rivett, who lies dead in the basement of their London home. The following day, Lord Lucan disappeared. And despite a global hunt, he was never seen again.Bingham had once been the most charismatic members of the British peerage. A frequent gambler, he was known as Lucky Lord Lucan—even though his losses often exceeded his winnings. Since his disappearance, he has become a legend of a very different sort. Here, in his own hand, is Lord Lucan’s confession to his grizzly crimes, and the story of his mysterious life. It is a strange tale of an Old Etonian Earl on the run; of how a man became a murderer; and how a life-long friendship soured into an enduring hate. Here, for the first time, is the full monstrous account of the life of Lord Lucan.

'Mysterious deaths, an intuitive octopus, and colourful characters in a Devonshire seaside town, make this an unmissable read' Tamar Hodes'Utterly addictive from the first page' Jonathan WhitelawDiana Parks is a beautician with a temper, and she’s not the only member of Ottersea WI who’s had enough of bullies and slimeballs. When the body of lecherous landlord, Raj Sumal, washes up on the beach, it’s up to Detectives Jim Paddon and Grace Brown to solve the mystery. They start to suspect Raj’s wife, Sukhi, who likes walking on the cliffs.Meanwhile, at Ottersea Oceanworld, Jane the Octopus hears people’s secrets and understands everything during a sweltering summer of strange deaths, new friendships, and a whole lot of ice cream.'Whimsical and amusing' Faith Martin'Wickedly subversive, sneakily funny, and then surprisingly moving' Carole Burns'As deliciously satisfying as a 99 cone, this is your new favourite summer read' M.H. Eccleston'A brilliantly witty mash-up of modern manners, seaside farce and a little casual murder' Philip Hoare

ONE WOMAN CLAIMS THE POWER TO TAKE CHARGE OF HER OWN DESTINY1838, England: When eighteen-year-old Frances Dickinson impulsively marries Lieutenant John Geils, all her hopes for her future are quickly shattered as she finds there is much about her husband she did not know. A cruel and violent man, John keeps Frances in isolation on his family’s estate, while spending her fortune and preying upon their maids.Frances yearns to break free from her marriage but the law is not on her side. Only when John’s abuse escalates can she set in motion a daring plan to secure her freedom.A story of gaslighting, control and one woman’s fight, An Idle Woman is the true story behind one of the most sensational divorce trials of the nineteenth century.‘Remarkable… an engaging and informative read’ Leah Moyes, author of A Polish Nurse‘Reading it felt like falling through the cracks of time and witnessing a terrifying fight for freedom first-hand’ Meg Ellis, @megsreadingspot‘Powerful, heartfelt and affecting… an important story that demands to be read’ Emma Alvey, @emmas.biblio.treasures

'Right up there with C J Sansom… A brilliant historical thriller' Philip Gwynne Jones'The twists and turns are brilliantly done' Sarah Ward'A joy for the senses… see the smoke and grime of Tudor London' Chris Lloyd1558: The body of Thomas Seymour is found hanging naked in an oak tree at Hatfield House, the home of Elizabeth Tudor, the Queen’s sister. But Thomas Seymour was supposedly beheaded nine years to the day on Tower Hill. How did he return from the dead, only to die again?Doctor John Dee and Margaretta, assisted by his pupil Christopher, are charged with unravelling the mystery. But then there is a kidnapping, a ransom threat and more bodies appear.Amongst secrets and rumours, the scandal of the Seymour Affair threatens to resurface. Elizabeth’s road to the throne could be ruined and with that comes the fall of the Tudor Dynasty.Can John Dee keep Elizabeth’s secret before it casts a shadow over them all?'Thrilling and intriguing' S. W. Perry'A joy to read. Well researched and fast paced' Leslie Scase'G J Williams knows how to keep a reader hooked' Adele Jordan

‘I’m a doctor, not a bloody superhero,’ insists Saxon de Carey, expedition medic and fellow of All Saints College, Cambridge. But as Earth faces destruction by an imminent solar flare, Saxon confronts a world changed forever since he discovered the tomb of Tehuti, last of the Ancient Egyptian Gods.What powers have the tomb’s mysterious relics unleashed? Where are his missing students? Is the ancient prophecy coming true? Is he the fabled stepu destined to save Earth from destruction?As his career implodes, Saxon must face the ShemsuHor priests whose ancestors once served the ancient deities. While some want to help save civilisation, others yearn for zep tepi, the mythical first time, and plan to inherit an Earth cleansed of humans, ready for the second coming of their gods.Sarah Brewer’s globe-hopping adventure explores how the search for immortality corrupts, yet life only has meaning because it must come to an end.

A compelling story of family, secrets, identity, and a reminder that love and life can surprise you… right until the very end. When Alina’s son, Fin, traces his long-absent birthfather, it’s the catalyst for decades of secrets to implode in Alina’s neatly ordered life.

With the sudden appearance of Rory, and the ever-present pull of a very different life in Bangladesh, she’s left reeling.Three relationships, all of them built on half-truths. All Alina can truly be sure of, is that you can choose your family, you just can’t choose who they will turn out to be.

FROM INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLING AUTHOR OF FEMICIDE1.5 MILLION COPIES SOLD WORLDWIDE‘Overpowered me with the same never-wracking construction as Dan Brown’s The Da Vinci Code’ Alex Schulman‘Pascal Engman is the master of the new generation’ David LagercrantzTwo bodies are discovered in a Stockholm park, one a policeman and the other an unidentified young woman. With the police believing the woman to be nothing more than unfortunate collateral damage, they focus on the murder of the police officer. But Detective Vanessa Frank takes a different approach and her investigation turns out to be more personal than she could have imagined.WINNER OF THE PETRONA AWARD 2023‘The absolute hottest Swedish crime novel of the autumn’ Camilla Läckberg‘Completely impossible to put down’ Sara Blædel‘An unfailing ability to build up tension’ DN‘With cliffhangers and an exciting, credible plot, he manages to build up a pace in the story that never lets go’ Aftonbladet‘Just keeps getting better and The Widows is his best yet’ Anders Kapprakt, Swedish Crime Academy‘An exciting contemporary Swedish thriller about terrorism in a cold December Stockholm’ BTJ

“It is said that every life has its roses and thorns; there seemed, however, to have been a misadventure or mistake in Stephen’s case, whereby somebody else had become possessed of his roses, and he had become possessed of somebody else’s thorns in addition to his own.”Published originally in weekly instalments, Hard Times is focusing on Mr Gradgrind’s flawed model of upbringing and its lifelong impact on the wellbeing and destinies of his children. The novel, in fact, follows two opposing ways an individual can be formed. On the one hand, there is Tom and Louisa whose numerous misfortunes are predetermined by their father’s insistence on knowing bare facts without reaching for the substance. They are ill-equipped for the real world and, as a result, Louisa suffers emotionally having had a marriage of convenience, while Tom intentionally devises to incriminate another for his own misdeed. On the other hand, there is Mr Gradgrind’s student Sissy, whose guardian he becomes upon her father’s disappearance. Despite Mr Grandgrind’s scorn, she approaches things with a genuine sensibility that helps her to lead a happier and more fulfilled life. The readers are prompted to ponder throughout the novel whether Mr Gradgrind will eventually acknowledge his failure as a parent.Hard Times is an unusually short novel for Dickens and the only one not to feature London scenes. Instead, it is set in the North and beside addressing the issues of education, it also exposes the harsh daily living conditions of regular working-class people and the negative side of industrialisation. The author captures the zeitgeist of a new era where the old and new ways have to coexist and where many are continuously being left behind either by being deprived financially or spiritually. While maxims and cold facts are effective for scientific progress and the operations of complex machinery, they are not a prerequisite for human happiness. The volume’s solid subject matter is intertwined with the gripping elements of suspense that will undoubtedly appeal to a diverse audience.The Legend Classics series:Around the World in Eighty DaysThe Adventures of Huckleberry FinnThe Importance of Being EarnestAlice's Adventures in WonderlandThe MetamorphosisThe Railway ChildrenThe Hound of the BaskervillesFrankensteinWuthering HeightsThree Men in a BoatThe Time MachineLittle WomenAnne of Green GablesThe Jungle BookThe Yellow Wallpaper and Other StoriesDraculaA Study in ScarletLeaves of GrassThe Secret GardenThe War of the WorldsA Christmas CarolStrange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr HydeHeart of DarknessThe Scarlet LetterThis Side of ParadiseOliver TwistThe Picture of Dorian GrayTreasure IslandThe Turn of the ScrewThe Adventures of Tom SawyerEmmaThe TrialA Selection of Short Stories by Edgar Allan PoeGrimm Fairy TalesThe AwakeningMrs DallowayGulliver’s TravelsThe Castle of OtrantoSilas MarnerHard Times

Finalist for The Ngaio Marsh Best Crime Novel 2023Shortlisted for the NZ Booklovers Award for Best Adult Fiction‘Intriguing, intelligent, and entertaining… I loved it’ Liz NugentNothing in Stan Andino’s unremarkable life could prepare him for the day he discovers his wife naked, except for a black apron, bleaching out a stain from the carpet that only she can see. A CT scan one week later explains the seemingly inexplicable; Carmen Andino has a brain tumour.As Stan and their teenage sons grapple with the diagnosis and frightening personality changes in their wife and mother, Austin Lamb, a close friend and local doctor, does everything possible to assist the family in crisis.Months later, Austin’s wife’s body is discovered at the bottom of Browns Bay cliffs by Eliot Bard.But who is lying, and who is telling the truth?‘Insists that you keep reading into the small hours’ Paddy Richardson‘Peppered with twists and turns’ Yrsa Sigurðardóttir‘A masterful anatomy of a friendship shattered by illness and violent death’ Liam McIlvanney‘Propels you along on a roller-coaster ride’ Vanda Symon‘A compelling and deliciously unsettling read’ North and South‘A masterful thriller’ Style Magazine

NEW UPDATED EDITION celebrating 50 years of Dr Who.

Who Goes There is the sequel to Nick’s hugely popular Doctor Who memoir, Dalek I Loved You. It’s a travel book with Doctor Who at its core. Nick travels England and Wales, seeking locations used in the show, both Classic (pre-relaunch) and New.

Being an odd kind of show, its locations too are odd. This is no glamorous trip. Dungeness Nuclear Power Station, anyone? A flooded china clay pit in Cornwall? As he travels, so Nick discovers another side to our well-trodden country, which is no less evocative. Then he goes to the pub. As in Dalek I Loved You, the travel writing is backed up by Nick’s childhood reminiscences and contemporary musings.

A companion website offers photographs from the trip, a Google map of the locations and details of the nearest pub. In this innovative way, readers are invited to follow in his footsteps. Scariest of all, given two other books in the pipeline (both humour books, for Arcturus Publishing), Nick has just 21 days in which to write it. Really. Who Goes There isn’t just for Who fans — it’s for anyone who fancies a trip off the beaten path. And a very funny book.

… The window’s so small I can’t see what happens next. But what I do know is that Kim is dead. And I know this, too — that I helped to kill her. Kim, my lovely, only, best friend.

Five years ago Maura fled life in Dowerby and took on a new identity, desperately trying to piece her life back together and escape the dark clouds that plagued her past. But then a reporter tracks her down, and persuades her to tell her story, putting her own life in danger once again.

Layer upon layer of violence and deceit make up the full picture for Maura to see and the reporter to reveal. Hidden secrets are uncovered that have been left to settle, for far too long. But in life some things can’t be left unsaid, and eventually the truth will out. Whatever the consequences.

'Very powerful writing. Sophie draws her reader in immediately and combines wit and poignancy to very powerful effect… Excellent.' --Katie Fforde'This is a beautifully written book… The characters are quite simply brilliant.' --Vanity Case Books'An extraordinary story…A born storyteller with a gift for characterisation, she writes with warmth, lovely earthy detail and a pathos which keeps a lump lodged in the throat…echoes of Victoria Wood.' --The Daily Mail'a brave, bold, warm, rich, amusing, engaging novel' --Hello! MagazinePhilippa Smith is in her forties and has a beautiful newborn baby girl. She also has no husband, and nowhere to turn. So she turns to the only place she knows: the beginning.Retracing her life, she confronts the daily obstacles that shaped her very existence. From the tragic events of her childhood abandonment, to the astonishing accomplishments of those close to her, Philippa learns of the sacrifices others chose to make, and the outcome of buried secrets.Philippa discovers a celebration of life, love, and the Golden era of television. A reflection of everyday people, in not so everyday situations.

'Wildest of All is a sex-and-death struggle spanning generations, portraying three women in search of an authentic life. It's a sharp and compelling tale that doesn't flinch from the big questions.' Thomas LegendreThe Donnelly family are a tight-knit bunch, but when one of their own dies suddenly, the mother, the daughter-in-law, and the daughter, despite being united in grief, are each sent hurtling in wildly different directions.From the churches of Glasgow to the nightclubs of London, can they find their way back to each other before it's too late? And in the wake of a parent’s death, who exactly is responsible for looking after whom?Lynch brings us an emotive journey, following Sissy, Anne and Jude as they navigate the roles of motherhood and family in the wake of the loss of a husband, father and son.What Reviewers and Readers Say:'A deeply moving and thought-provoking story about family ties, what breaks them, what heals and the wounds we all pick up as life swirls on.' Lucy Cavendish'P.K. Lynch does it again with her second novel, demonstrating her skills as an author with real depth to her writing.' Matt Bendoris'P. K. Lynch’s second novel is both disturbing and exhilarating, filled with joy and pain, humour and bitterness, and a group of characters who live, breathe, and illuminate Sissy Donnelly’s world in the aftermath of her father’s death. Wildest Of All delivers a magical and moving climax for readers of the modern world.' Ruby McCann'A terrific read. I have nothing but envy for anyone who begins this book, because they have it all to come.' Roy Williams

SHORTLISTED FOR THE 2018 POLARI PRIZE'Life affirming and triumphant' Mark A. Radcliffe'Vivid and touching… this book left me haunted long after I put it down' Umi SinhaThe heat is oppressive and storms are brewing in Brighton in the summer of 1982. Little Gold, a boyish girl on the brink of adolescence, is struggling with the reality of her broken family and a home descending into chaos. Her only refuge is the tree at the end of her garden.Into her fractured life steps elderly neighbour, Peggy Baxter. The connection between the two is instant, but just when it seems that Little Gold has found solace, outsiders appear who seek to take advantage of her frail family in the worst way possible. In an era when so much is hard to speak aloud, can Little Gold share enough of her life to avert disaster? And can Peggy Baxter, a woman running out of time and with her own secrets to bear, recognise the danger before it’s too late?What Reviewers and Readers Say:‘A tender, beautifully paced and deeply moving debut… Little Gold herself is a wonderful centrepiece… and in Peggy Baxter, Rogers has offered up one of the most engaging heroines I have read in a very long time. This is a book about individual struggle that manages to be both life affirming and triumphant.’ Mark A. Radcliffe, author of Gabriel's Angel‘Such a wonderfully moving and atmospheric novel, full of very real and very touching relationships. A brilliant portrayal of the pain and wonder of leaving behind childhood, beautifully evocative of a Brighton summer in the 1980s.’ Catherine Hall, author of Days of Grace‘Reminiscent of Scout Finch, Little Gold is a great addition to literature’s endearing child characters. Vivid, touching, sad and frightening, this book exposes the dark underbelly of 1980s Brighton and left me haunted long after I put it down.’Umi Sinha, author of Belonging‘A gripping and yet tender novel, and the characters of Peggy Baxter and Little Gold are brilliantly handled. I was rooting for Little Gold from the start, and fascinated and moved by Peggy’s story. Brighton is so vividly depicted, too. It’s a great first novel.’ Bethan Roberts, author of My Policeman‘Opening Allie Rogers’ Little Gold I found myself engrossed in a vibrant, moving tale of one family’s struggle to get by. This is a book about survival, about the pluck and power of a singular child and the fundamental importance of friendship.’ Alison Smith, author of Name All the Animals'Little Gold is a step back in time, into a rich world with complex characters on meaningful inner journeys thatare quietly intriguing.' Hannah Hohman, ForeWord Reviews

Shortlisted for an Amazon Rising Star AwardLonglisted for the Guardian Not the Booker prize 2016Selected for WHSmith Fresh Talent 2017Wilven does a masterful job of keeping his readers as off-balance as his protagonist… an intense and satisfyingly off-beat examination of a man lost in a landscape of unresolved grief and his heroic fight to find his way back home.' — Melissa DeCarlo, author of The Art of Crash LandingVince stops taking his lithium when he finds out about his partner's pregnancy. As withdrawal kicks in, he can barely hold his life together.Somewhere between making friends with a blackbird in the back garden and hearing his dead son's footsteps in the attic, he finds himself lost and alone, journeying through a world of chaos and darkness, completely unaware of the miracle that lies ahead.Featuring a foreword from Dr Eleanor Longdon; Dr Longden's TED talk, Learning From the Voices in my Head, was featured on the front page of The Huffington Post and has been named by The Guardian newspaper as one of 'the 20 online talks that could change your life.'; It has been viewed over 3m times and translated into 36 languages.

Shortlisted for the Amazon Rising Star Award'The wartime mood evokes shades of Michael Chabon's Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay… A complex, well-crafted and absorbing debut that points to a promising future.' --Big IssueWhen we first meet Bobby, he is a shy, 12-year-old magician who falls in love with his best friend.William is consumed with self-hate and drinks to escape the memories of his father's sadness and his mother's death.Myles is writing letters to a mother he has never met.Three different people from three different times each explore the dark side of relationships, search for beauty in sadness and try to bear the burden of guilt from living in a world we are powerless to fix.

Jane has the ideal life: loving husband, beautiful house and delightful son. Her fashionable dinner parties are perfect — and so are her secret assignations with her neighbour's husband, Jay.
From Tracey and her ‘New Money’ lottery winnings to eccentric artist Philip and his pornographic portraits, the residents of North London's most privileged enclave The Square are a very satisfied bunch.
To raise money for communal fencing, the Residents' Association decides to hold a Talent Show, produced by Jane and hosted by TV celebrity Alan Makin. But when the show lurches into public disarray, reputations are shattered and everyone has to learn to live with a far less glossy reality than before.

Longlisted for the Guardian Not the Booker prize 2016
'An astonishing tour de force!' — The Daily Mail
'Book of the Year!' — Clio Gray, Baileys Women's Prize for Fiction-shortlisted author
A striking debut from the winner of the 2015 Luke Bitmead Bursary
BookMuse Recommended Read
My new shrink asks me, 'What things do you remember about being very young?' It's like looking into a murky river, I say. Memories flash near the surface like fish coming up for flies. The past peeps out, startles me, and then is gone…
Amanda secludes herself in her bedroom, no longer willing to face the outside world. Gradually, she pieces together the story of her life: her brothers have had to abandon her, her mother scarcely talks to her, and the Wacky Man could return any day to burn the house down. Just like he promised.
As her family disintegrates, Amanda hopes for a better future, a way out from the violence and fear that has consumed her childhood. But can she cling to her sanity, before insanity itself is her only means of escape?