Books published by Allison & Busby

Inspired by one family's extraordinary wartime story, for anyone enthralled by The Tattooist of Auschwitz1939. Three generations of the Kurc family strive to live normal lives despite the growing hardships they face as Jews. But as war rushes to meet them, they are cast to the wind and must find their way through a devastated continent to freedom.

1923. Mary Russell Holmes and her husband, the retired Sherlock Holmes, are enjoying the summer together on their Sussex estate when they are visited by an old friend, Miss Dorothy Ruskin, an archeologist just returned from Palestine. She leaves in their protection an ancient manuscript which seems to hint at the possibility that Mary Magdalene was an apostle--an artifact certain to stir up a storm of biblical proportions in the Christian establishment. When Ruskin is suddenly killed in a tragic accident, Russell and Holmes find themselves on the trail of a fiendishly clever murderer.

'You just gave me hope, Henry. And sometimes hope is enough to get you through anything'1986, The Panama HotelThe old Seattle landmark has been boarded up for decades, but now the new owner has made a startling discovery in the basement: personal belongings stored away by Japanese families sent to interment camps during the Second World War. Among the fascinated crowd gathering outside the hotel, stands Henry Lee, and, as the owner unfurls a distinctive parasol, he is flooded by memories of his childhood. He wonders if by some miracle, in amongst the boxes of dusty treasures, lies a link to the Okabe family, and the girl he lost his young heart to, so many years ago.With over a million copies sold worldwide, this captivating debut is a story of the sacrifices one boy makes for love and for his country.

The wedding of Simmy and Christopher is underway in a pub in Threlkeld, in the late summer. After the happy couple and most of the guests have departed, a young man is found mysteriously injured close by

Spring 1940. Maisie Dobbs is asked to investigate the disappearance of a local lad, a craftsman working on a government contract. As Maisie's inquiry reveals a possible link to the London underworld, the country braces for enemy invasion. And another mother is worried about a missing son - but this time the boy in question is one beloved by Maisie.

Mexico making a bid for global supremacy? Poland becoming America's closest ally? World War III taking place in space? It might sound fantastic but all these things can happen. This title offers a readable forecast of the changes we can expect around the world during the 21st century. It predicts where and why future wars will erupt.

What do fishermen really get up to when they abandon a warm bed before the crack of dawn, stuff a haversack with tins of assorted maggots, half a hundredweight of pulped bread and a folding campstool, and disappear into the drizzle? Thelwell presents his report.

When Juno Browne returns to the gorgeous town of Ashburton after a brief holiday with her cousin Brian, she's relieved to find that no one has been murdered in her absence. 'But it's not long before Sandy Thomas, the local reporter, is brutally slain. And Olly, Juno's young friend, has accidentally caught the killing on camera. Property developer Alastair Dunston, with whom the victim had been having an affair, is an obvious suspect. But the police investigation cannot link him to her murder . it seems that Juno's amateur sleuthing services will be called upon once again.

'As Rebecca Tope tells it, every rural idyll is blighted by underlying menace. Such is her writing skill, I'm inclined to believe her' Daily Mail

A UNIQUE, PERSONAL AND UNFORGETTABLE MEMOIR OF A FAMILY THAT WAS CHANGED FOREVER BY THE SECOND WORLD WARKitty Baxter was born in London in 1930, the daughter of a road sweeper and a cleaner and one of five children. On her ninth birthday, as the shadow of war loomed ever closer, Kitty became one of thousands of children evacuated to the countryside. This would be the first of three times that she was rehoused far from home over the course of the war. Kitty recalls the gruelling years she was cut off from her parents, her experiences living with strangers'' families in environments radically different to working-class London and how she navigated joyful moments and times of struggle and loss.One of the last generation of women from this era, Kitty''s voice remains as whip-smart as her irrepressible nine-year-old self who triumphed over the adversity of a most unusual childhood.

December 1864. As a cold winter wind scours the Worcestershire countryside, an excursion train comes through a tunnel in the Malvern Hills, only to be confronted by a blockage on the line ahead. The driver manages to slow the train down so that the impact is minimised, but the passengers are alarmed. The first person to alight is Cyril Hubbleday, the man in charge of the excursion. He walks to the front of the locomotive - and, as he is talking to the driver, fireman and guard, he is shot dead by a sniper. With Christmas around the corner, Inspector Robert Colbeck and Sergeant Victor Leeming are under pressure to solve the case quickly. However, between enemies in the shadows and an investigation hampered by heavy snow, their hunt for a cold-blooded killer is far from straightforward.

Staring on the maiden voyage of the Lusitania, American private detective George Dillman and intelligent young Englishwoman Genevieve Masefield, make a winning duo for these compelling whodunnits aboard the iconic luxury liners of the time.

A maritime mystery from Edward Marston, author of the bestselling Railway Detective series.

A maritime mystery from Edward Marston, author of the bestselling Railway Detective series.

'Anna Jacobs' books have an impressive grasp of human emotions' Sunday Times

A unique and personal memoir of a family that was changed forever by the Second World War.Kitty Baxter was born in London in 1930, the daughter of a road sweeper and a cleaner and one of five children. War broke out just as Kitty turned nine and she became one of thousands of children evacuated to the countryside. This would be the first of three times that she was rehoused far from home over the course of the war.Sometimes treated more like a servant than a small child, Kitty endured gruelling years cut off from her parents rather than a safe haven from war. She recalls her experiences living with strangers' families in environments radically different to working-class London and how she navigated joyful moments and times of struggle and loss.One of the last generation of women from this era, Kitty's voice remains as whip-smart as her irrepressible nine-year-old self who triumphed over the adversity of a most unusual childhood.

'As Rebecca Tope tells it, every rural idyll is blighted by underlying menace. Such is her writing skill, I'm inclined to believe her' Daily Mail

Bombay,1909. Genevieve Masefield and George Dillman make a living as detectives aboard the early twentieth century's most extravagant ocean liners.

A maritime mystery from Edward Marston, author of the bestselling Railway Detective series.Egypt, 1908. George Dillman and Genevieve Masefield, used to the grand opulence of the Cunard cruise line, are at first disappointed with the Marmora, a small, unimpressive ship owned by the P&O shipping line. Employed by P&O to be the ship's detectives, Dillman and Masefield expect to encounter the usual assortment of petty thieves and confidence tricksters.But this cruise is certain to be unique as the Duke and Duchess of Fife and their children are aboard and the detectives will provide security for the royals. And when a dead body turns up, the voyage proves to be one to remember. Keeping the demise of the poor victim a secret on such a small ship is tough enough but suspects abound, meaning Dillman and Masefield have their work cut out for them.Previously published under the name Conrad Allen, the Ocean Liner series casts off for a new generation of readers.