Readers love THE PLAYERS
'Totally riveting... Perfect.
'I was transported every time I picked up this highly imaginative story'
'Everything I love about historical fiction'
'This is historical fiction at its best'
'Good to see female characters having strong roles'
'I would recommend it to anyone who enjoys history, literature and a "jolly good read"'

Who will save them from the gallows?
England, 1685. Decades after the end of the civil war, the country is once again divided when a pretender to the throne incites rebellion against King James II. Angered, the king orders every captured rebel to be hanged, drawn and quartered.
As the country braces for carnage, the formidable Lady Jayne Harrier and her enigmatic son, assisted by the reclusive daughter of a local magistrate, contrive ways to save men from the gallows.
Secrets are kept and surprising friendships formed during the dark days of the Bloody Assizes, in a dangerous gamble to thwart a brutal king's thirst for vengeance...
'Fascinating ... told with the masterful skill of a true storyteller' Anne O'Brien
'An immersive joy that will stand the test of time' Elizabeth Chadwick

Wolf Hall meets Demon Copperhead in a sharply ambitious, brilliantly imagined and hugely entertaining story of intrigue, deceit, revenge and ambition

**NAMED AS BEST HISTORICAL FICTION BOOK OF THE YEAR BY THE SUNDAY TIMES**
**PICKED AS A BOOK OF THE YEAR 2025 BY THE GUARDIAN, SUNDAY TIMES, DAILY MAIL, AND THE I**
**SHORTLISTED FOR THE WINSTON GRAHAM HISTORICAL PRIZE**
**LONGLISTED FOR THE HWA GOLD CROWN 2026**

‘Wickedly funny ... the filthy, clever, immersive picaresque you didn’t know you needed’ Guardian, The best fiction of 2025
‘I read it with the dedicated fervour of a kid discovering literature for the first time’ Yael van der Wouden
‘Funny, moving, filthy and original’ The Times
‘So alive I felt Harkin might be a time traveller’ Maggie Shipstead
‘The most enjoyable historical novel I’ve read in years’ Spectator

________________________________________

Kill the pretender. Do not let it be known that there was a pretender to kill.

The year is 1483 and England is in peril. The much-despised Richard III is not long for the throne, and the man who will become Henry VII stands poised to snatch the crown for himself. But for twelve-year-old John Collan, living in a remote village with his widowed father, these matters seem far away.

But history has other plans for John.

Stolen from his family, exiled – first to Oxford, then to Burgundy, and then Ireland – and apprenticed to a series of unscrupulous political operators, he finds himself groomed for power; not as John Collan, but as Edward Plantagenet, 17th Earl of Warwick – and rightful heir to the throne.

Far from home at the Irish court, preparing for a war that will see him become king or die trying, John has just his wits – and the slippery counsel of his host’s daughter, the unconventional Joan – to navigate the choppy waters ahead.

Seething with revenge and machination, sparkling with wit and humanity, and roaring with adventure and bravado, The Pretender is the captivating true story of a young man tossed into the chaos of history as it happens.

**Praise for The Pretender**
‘A brainy, heartfelt delight’ Guardian, 50 hottest books to read now
‘Witty, poignant, wildly engaging, and with a huge heart’ Sarah Waters
‘Touching and hilarious’ The Times, 80 best books to take on holiday
‘Like a Plantagenet Adrian Mole’ Jenny Colgan
‘A rollicking account of a befuddled boy’s pillar-to-post existence as a political pawn’ New York Times
‘The real deal – nimble, vibrant, playful, and daring’ Kiran Millwood Hargrave
‘Ambitious, mischievous and brilliantly written’ Daily Mail
‘I blazed through full of wonder and admiration’ Emma Stonex

Wolf Hall meets Demon Copperhead in a sharply ambitious, brilliantly imagined and hugely entertaining story of intrigue, deceit, revenge and ambition

1483.
The English throne is in peril.
Peasant boy and pretender John Collan is faced with two options.
a) Become king
b) Die trying
What could possibly go wrong?

**WATERSTONES FICTION BOOK OF THE MONTH**
**THE TIMES TOP TEN BESTSELLER**
**NAMED AS BEST HISTORICAL FICTION BOOK OF THE YEAR BY THE SUNDAY TIMES**
**PICKED AS A BOOK OF THE YEAR 2025 BY THE GUARDIAN, SUNDAY TIMES, DAILY MAIL, AND THE I**
**SHORTLISTED THE HWA CROWN AWARD**
**SHORTLISTED FOR THE WALTER SCOTT PRIZE**
**SHORTLISTED FOR THE WINSTON GRAHAM HISTORICAL PRIZE**

Seething with revenge and machination, sparkling with wit and humanity, and roaring with adventure and bravado, The Pretender is the captivating true story of a young man tossed into the chaos of history as it happens.

________________________________________

‘A bold and brilliant comedy of royal intrigue’ Guardian
‘Funny, moving, filthy and original’ The Times
‘So alive I felt Harkin might be a time traveller’ Maggie Shipstead
‘I read it with the dedicated fervour of a kid discovering literature for the first time’ Yael van der Wouden
‘The most enjoyable historical novel I’ve read in years’ Spectator
‘Witty, poignant, wildly engaging, and with a huge heart’ Sarah Waters
‘Like a Plantagenet Adrian Mole’ Jenny Colgan
‘A rollicking account of a befuddled boy’s pillar-to-post existence as a political pawn’ New York Times
‘The real deal – nimble, vibrant, playful, and daring’ Kiran Millwood Hargrave
‘Ambitious, mischievous and brilliantly written’ Daily Mail
‘I blazed through full of wonder and admiration’ Emma Stonex

MESTRA -THE NEW SHORT STORY BY MADELINE MILLER OUT 29 SEPTEMBER

**OVER 3 MILLION COPIES SOLD**
**A 10th ANNIVERSARY SPECIAL EDITION, FEATURING A NEW FOREWORD BY THE AUTHOR**

WINNER OF THE ORANGE WOMEN'S PRIZE FOR FICTION
THE INTERNATIONAL SENSATION
A SUNDAY TIMES AND NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER

'Captivating' DONNA TARTT
'Beautifully descriptive and heart-achingly lyrical' DAILY MAIL
'Ravishingly vivid' EMMA DONOGHUE

Greece in the age of heroes. Patroclus, an awkward young prince, has been exiled to the court of King Peleus and his perfect son Achilles. Despite their differences, Achilles befriends the shamed prince, and as they grow into young men skilled in the arts of war and medicine, their bond blossoms into something deeper - despite the displeasure of Achilles's mother Thetis, a cruel sea goddess. But when word comes that Helen of Sparta has been kidnapped, Achilles must go to war in distant Troy and fulfill his destiny. Torn between love and fear for his friend, Patroclus goes with him, little knowing that the years that follow will test everything they hold dear.

'A book I could not put down' ANN PATCHETT
‘An exciting, sexy, violent Superman version of The Iliad’ GUARDIAN
‘Sexy, dangerous, mystical’ BETTANY HUGHES