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Find out moreSharon Bolton (previously S. J. Bolton) is the author of six critically acclaimed novels: this is her seventh novel and features the popular DC Lacey Flint and DI Mark Joesbury. She has been shortlisted for the CWA Gold Dagger for Crime Novel of the Year, the Theakstons Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year and the CWA Dagger in the Library. Sharon lives near Oxford with her husband and young son.
Click here to read our Q&A with Sharon Bolton about her book, The Craftsman.
May 2018 Book of the Month Deliciously and thrillingly creepy, The Craftsman is an intensely gripping, superb read. Thirty years ago Larry Glassbrook confessed and was imprisoned for a series of child murders. Florence Lovelady was at the beginning of her career when she was involved in the case, now Larry is dead, however hauntingly similar events start to surface. The first chapter has huge impact, a mystifying and unexpected blast hit me full on, and then gently faded into the background. Set in two time frames, with thirty years between them, the story is brisk, and I loved the fact that you are expected to keep up. Sharon Bolton balances the knife edge between reality and extraordinary with a beautiful subtlety. This is just so, so readable, once in, I didn’t want to stop, and found myself reading into the small hours, be warned though, reading at night doubles the chill factor. As I raced through the final few chapters, I almost didn’t want the journey to end, yet the last few words sent the most delightful icy goosebumps snaking down my arms. I highly recommend stepping inside the pages, just give yourself up to the glory of the The Craftsman... this I have no doubt, will be one of my favourite reads of the year.
Former detective Lacey Flint quit the force for a safer, quieter life. Or that's what she thought. Now living alone on her houseboat, she is trying to get over the man she loves, undercover detective Mark Joesbury. But Mark is missing in action and impossible to forget. And danger won't leave Lacey alone. When she finds a body floating in the river near her home, wrapped in burial cloths, she can't resist asking questions. Who is this woman, and why was she hidden in the fast-flowing depths? And who has been delivering unwanted gifts to Lacey? Someone is watching Lacey Flint closely. Someone who knows exactly what makes her tick...
A golden summer, and six talented friends are looking forward to the brightest of futures - until a daredevil game goes horribly wrong, and a woman and two children are killed. 18-year-old Megan takes the blame, leaving the others free to get on with their lives. In return, they each agree to a 'favour', payable on her release from prison. Twenty years later Megan is free. Let the games begin . . . Richard & Judy bestseller Sharon Bolton is back, with her twistiest thriller yet.
A TWISTY AND GRIPPING RICHARD AND JUDY BOOK CLUB PICK SHE'LL NEVER STOP RUNNING. BUT HE'LL NEVER STOP LOOKING. A year ago Felicity Lloyd fled England to South Georgia, one of the most remote islands in the world, escaping her past and the man she once loved. Can she keep running her whole life? Freddie Lloyd has served time for murder - and now he wants her back. Wherever she is, he won't stop until he finds her. Will he be able to track her to the ends of the earth? TOGETHER THEY'LL FIND THEMSELVES TRAPPED ON THE ICE AND IN DANGER. WHO WILL SURVIVE? * * * * * 'A deadly game of cat-and-mouse at the edge of the world.' Erin Kelly 'Powerfully atmospheric, unguessably twisty.' Elly Griffiths 'I'm a huge Sharon Bolton fan, and this is her best yet.' Lee Child 'THE SPLIT grips like permafrost.' JP Delaney
Optioned for television by the hit team behind KILLING EVE. 'Filled with intrigue and suspense. The Craftsman is spellbinding.' - Clare Mackintosh 'Sharon Bolton at her absolute finest. Beautifully dark and disturbing.' - Jenny Blackhurst 'Darkly gothic and brilliantly original, The Craftsman will have you spellbound.' - JP Delaney 'An absolutely terrific crime novel that takes your darkest fear and makes it reality.' - Elly Griffiths ********************** Devoted father or merciless killer? His secrets are buried with him. Florence Lovelady's career was made when she convicted coffin-maker Larry Glassbrook of a series of child murders 30 years ago. Like something from our worst nightmares the victims were buried...ALIVE. Larry confessed to the crimes; it was an open and shut case. But now he's dead, and events from the past start to repeat themselves. Did she get it wrong all those years ago? Or is there something much darker at play? ********************** Praise for The Craftsman 'Grisly and comeplling.' - Sarah Hilary 'Utterly terrifying and gripping.' - Sabine Durrant, author of TAKE ME IN 'An original, dark, and twisted tale and the words just sparkle on the page.' - Niki Mackay 'I dare you to read it after dark. The Craftsman is a blood-chilling thriller that will cast a spell on you.' - Mark Edwards,No.1 Kindle bestseller 'Fabulous, utterly unique storyline, that will effortlessly stand out in the crowd of thrillers. It'll give you the creeps.' - Helen Fields 'Pitch perfect creepiness, air punching female empowerment and sinister mysteries kept me hooked to the very last page.' - Holly Seddon 'The Craftsman goes to some very dark places, and will have readers looking nervously over their shoulders with every page they turn.' - Mick Herron 'A brilliant blend of rich crime thriller with a hint of the gothic. Dark, disturbing and with women who totally rock, with the Craftsman Sharon Bolton has proven herself to be a master Craftsman herself. Buy it. Read it. Tell your friends. Then sleep with the light on.' - Sarah Pinborough
'A real race-through read. Bolton's writing is pacy, and features a brilliant twist I wish I'd written' Clare Mackintosh, bestselling author of I See You (in Shortlist) 'For once, the description impossible to put down is full merited, for this is an absolute page-turner' Daily Mail Just before dawn in the hills near the Scottish border, thirteen passengers on a hot-air balloon flight witness a brutal murder. Within the next hour, all but one of them will be dead. Alone, scared and trusting no-one, she flees for her life, running to the one place she feels safe. But she's seen the killer's face, and he's seen hers - and he won't rest until he's eliminated the last witness to his crime . . . 'With Dead Woman Walking, Sharon Bolton exceeds her own high standards of excellence. It grips from the start . . . The plot merges skilfully, with many splendid twists along the way' The Times 'Bolton is a gripping storyteller with fine, haunted characters' Peter James 'Crepuscular, uncanny mystery' Guardian 'Bolton establishes a forbidding atmosphere . . . A slippery, devious narrative in which things are not always what they seem' Crime Scene
What is dignity in and at work? How is it experienced differently by different groups of working people?Are there enduring divisions of dignity: unequal access to what is accepted to be a fundamental human right?How can we ensure that continued opportunities are available for the creation, maintenance and restoration of dignity at work?This edited collection of papers investigates the concept of dignity and what it means to people in their working lives: how we are perceived and valued as people in the workplace.Contributors to over a century of social and organizational analysis have talked about dignity at work, but the discussion has tended to take place under headings such as citizenship, satisfaction, mutuality, pride in work, responsible autonomy and ontological security, or to focus on mismanagement, over-long hours, a poor working environment, workplace bullying and harassment as the central facilitator of indignity at work.Dignity in and at work is a far more complex phenomenon than these representations would suggest. Neither is it enough to suggest that equal opportunity, work life balance and anti-bullying policies restore dignity to work, valuable interventions though they are in themselves. The papers featured in this edited collection suggest that we see dignity reordered and experienced in different ways depending on our own circumstances and viewpoints.
Famous killers have fan clubs. Hamish Wolfe is charming, magnetic and very persuasive. Famed for his good looks, he receives adoring letters every day from his countless admirers. He's also a convicted murderer, facing life in prison. Who would join such a club? Maggie Rosie is a successful lawyer and true-crime author. Reclusive and enigmatic, she only takes on cases she can win. Hamish is convinced that Maggie can change his fate. Maggie is determined not to get involved. She thinks she's immune to the charms of such a man. But maybe not this time . . . Would you?
There must be a thousand people in the vicinity of Westminster Bridge on this beautiful evening . . . in approximately thirty minutes' time, many of them will be dead.Mark Joesbury, of Scotland Yard's Covert Operations Unit, is undercover. Embroiled in a terrorist gang's plans for a deadly attack at the heart of the capital, he's risking everything to stop them. But as they prepare to target London's most iconic landmarks, it's no longer just countless strangers he's fighting to save. Because they've also got the woman he loves, DC Lacey Flint...
'A dark and haunting thriller. It creeps under your skin and doesn't let you go' Paula Hawkins, author of The Girl on the TrainWhat's the worst thing your best friend could do to you?Admittedly, it wasn't murder. A moment's carelessness, a tragic accident - and two children are dead. Yours.Living in a small island community, you can't escape the woman who destroyed your life. Each chance encounter is an agonizing reminder of what you've lost - your family, your future, your sanity.How long before revenge becomes irresistible?With no reason to go on living, why shouldn't you turn your darkest thoughts into deeds?So now, what's the worst thing you can do to your best friend?
Twelve-year-old Barney Roberts is obsessed with a series of murders. He knows the victims are all boys, just like him. He knows the bodies were found on river banks. And he's sure the killer will strike again soon. But there's something else, a secret he'd rather not know, a secret he is too scared to share...And who would believe a twelve-year-old boy anyway? Like This For Ever is published as Lost in the US.
Good grief! – talk about tense (practically unbearable towards the end of this book). S.J. Bolton has again delivered a cracking, addictive thriller. This one is set in the rarefied atmosphere of Cambridge University where far too many female undergraduates are, seemingly, committing suicide. DC Lacey goes undercover to investigate. This is her 5th crime book and her 1st sequel, to Now You See Me. Listen to an audio extract by clicking on the orange arrow below. Dead Scared by S J Bolton by Random House Audiobooks
'Bolton knows precisely how to ratchet up the tension and tell a cracking story' - GUARDIANThey say that snow covers everything that is mean and sordid and ugly in the world...but beneath the carpet of white, the ugliness remains.11 November 2012, London. Long-smouldering feelings come to a head in a burst of shocking violence. A young Muslim man is brutally murdered by a masked gang. There is just one witness to the horrific crime: DC Lacey Flint. Or at least that's what she thinks...
A 2016 World Book Night selection. Shortlisted for the Theakstons Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year Award 2012. May 2012 Book of the Month. S.J. Bolton, known to her friends as Sharon, has become established as one of England's foremost crime writers. She is right up there with Martina Cole - or for that matter - the male American James Patterson. In fact, in 94 chapters, this book races along as quickly as the best that Patterson has delivered. Young policeman Lacey Flint is personally, and thus emotionally, involved in her first murder case - and so, as the reader, are you.
May 2011 Book of the Month. CWA Gold Dagger Finalist 2010. Set in an isolated and isolating community, this is a children-in-peril narrative with a powerful twist. An outstanding British thriller from a new star of the genre - as creepy as Karin Slaughter, as addictive as Tess Gerritsen, but in a league of her own.
Winner of the prestigious Mary Higgins Clark Award 2010 English rural gothic at its best, creepy, truly frightening and definitely not for those with an aversion to snakes. At the centre is a reclusive vet, an intriguing new heroine in her second mystery. The climax is hair-raising, best not read late at night. A totally gripping tale, as is her first, Sacrifice. Comparison: Mo Hayder, Tess Gerritsen, Alex Kava.
This is an incredible first novel, one of the best I’ve read in this area for a long time. With shades of Wicker Man, it tells of an isolated community in the Shetland Islands, of eerie legends, murders, illegal money-making and strange beliefs. Gripping and disturbing, I do urge you to read it. Comparison: Mo Hayder, Tess Gerritsen, Karin Slaughter.
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