Books published by Hachette Books Ireland

'It is in great simplicity that great beauty is revealed, and only then may we discover where God truly hides.'In this moving exploration of the path to understanding God's presence, Liam Lawton considers how we bring spiritual awakening and consolation into our lives, in every circumstance.Taking inspiration from the gentle, age-old wisdom of the Book of Ecclesiastes - 'There is a time for everything, and a season for everything under the sun' - he begins his journey of reflection and contemplation.Over its course, Liam shares remarkable stories of God's revelation in ordinary human life and of the people and events that have touched him during his years of ministry, along with fascinating perspectives on his own spiritual awakening.'These pages reveal a God who does not intrude upon human living but rather is available to enter into the very depth of it and become present to those who wish for 'eyes to see and ears to hear'. Here are stories of pain and beauty, challenge and consolation, but, above all, inspiration'

A life-affirming, poignant story of two women with nothing in common except their friendship - from the No.1 BESTSELLING AUTHOR ROISIN MEANEY. Perfect for readers of Cathy Kelly and Sheila O'Flanagan.The friendship starts with a letter...from aspiring writer Sarah to blunt but witty journalist Helen, complaining about Helen's most recent book review. And there begins a correspondence that blossoms into a friendship which spans over two decades.As the years pass, the women exchange details of loves lost and found, of family joys and upheavals. Sarah's letters filled with thoughts on her outwardly perfect marriage and her aching desire for children, and Helen's on the struggle of raising her young daughter alone.But little do they realise that their story began long before Sarah penned that first letter - on one unforgettable afternoon where, during a distraught conversation on a bridge, Sarah changed the course of Helen's life forever.This is the story of Helen and Sarah, and the friendship that was part of their destiny.

Marie Fleming became a household name in Ireland with her trail-blazing campaign for the right to die with dignity, when she took a landmark case against the Irish State to lift the ban on assisted suicide. But behind the Multiple Sclerosis sufferer's brave fight lay a remarkable life story known to few.From her young years growing up in Donegal, as she struggled to keep her family together after her mother left, to her battle to keep her own baby - born when Marie was still a teenager - to her later quest for education and self-betterment against the odds, An Act of Love is an unforgettable story of ambition, of sorrow, and of life lived to the full. In it, she also describes coming to terms with MS and the ordeal of her later court case.Completed just before Marie's death in late 2013, most of all, this is a story of the power of abiding love.

Maeve Binchy fans will love THE NO. 1 BESTSELLER Roisin Meaney's warm storytelling and unforgettable characters. The residents of Roone are getting ready for a summer of love, secrets and drama. After a bumpy start, Nell and James have finally said 'I do' and everything seems to be falling into place. Nell is getting comfortable in her new role as stepmother to James' sixteen-year-old son Andy, she's finally mending fences with her father and she's ready to look to the future.Then Nell's ex-fianc Tim - her husband James' brother - comes back to Roone, a place he's never liked, and she begins to feel uneasy. As the summer days roll by, and Tim seems in no hurry to return to his wife and daughter, Nell is finding it more and more difficult to enjoy her new beginning.But when the little island of Roone is rocked by the disappearance of a young child, Nell realises that life can change in a single moment. Will happiness be restored before the autumn comes?

In The Great and the Good, Ireland's leading football pundit and legend of the game John Giles looks back on more than fifty years of football, at developments in the game from the post-War period to the present day, the great players who drove it forward, the visionary managers and their teams, and the age-old question of what makes a player good and what makes one great.From his earliest days, John Giles can recall pondering the subject. 'You'd hear about certain 'great' players, such as Stanley Matthews, but no one would ever explain why they were great. And it's a thing that has always frustrated me: trying to define what makes a player great, and what separates the great from the good.'Now the man himself brings us the answers and celebrates the great ones, from Stanley Matthews, Tom Finney, Dave Mackay, John Charles, Johnny Haynes and Jimmy Greaves to Pele, Franz Beckenbauer, John Robertson, Diego Maradona, Marco van Basten, Lionel Messi, Paul Scholes and many more. It will include a section on Irish players including detailed analysis of such greats as Roy Keane, Liam Brady and Paul McGrath. And, finally, Giles names the player he considers the greatest of them all.

He thought he was in control. But he was wrong. And after the final blows of the knife, she stole his last breath with a kiss...Will criminal psychologist Dr Kate Pearson uncover the identity of this vicious killer before it is too late?At a hotel room in Dublin, the butchered body of art dealer Rick Shevlin, arranged with artistic precision like the Hanged Man from a Tarot card, is found.Meanwhile, in a quiet suburb, Sandra Regan clings to her sanity as a shadowy presence moves through her home.What connects them?Criminal psychologist Dr Kate Pearson is sure that the killer has struck before and will again - soon. As Kate and DI O'Connor are plunged into an investigation which spreads to Rome and Paris, they uncover a vicious trail of sexual power and evil. But will they uncover the killer's identity before she claims another victim?

Actress and writer Mary McEvoy has struggled with depression for many years, trying to reconcile her life in the public eye with private pain. Many things have helped Mary to come to terms with her depression: the rituals of farming life in Co. Westmeath, the excitement of the stage, the love of friends and family. Ultimately, Mary has found her way through, and it's the little things that have really helped: the beauty of the world around her, the quiet pleasures of sweeping the yard, or cooking a simple meal.In Ordinary Beauty, Mary celebrates life's seemingly insignificant moments and invests them with fresh beauty and meaning, as well as a wry humour. Never has 'living in the moment' been so enjoyable, or so comforting.

'A compelling memoir. Absorbing and graced with a deceptive lightness of touch, [Hanging with the Elephant] is clever and brilliantly pieced together. Harding writes like an angel' Sunday TimesFrom the No.1 bestselling author of Staring at Lakes, Talking to Strangers and On Tuesdays I'm A Buddhist'In public or on stage, it's different. I'm fine. I have no bother talking to three hundred people, and sharing my feelings. But when I'm in a room on a one-to-one basis, I get lost. I can never find the right word. Except for that phrase - hold me.'Michael Harding's wife has departed for a six-week trip, and he has been left alone in their home in Leitrim. Faced with the realities of caring for himself for the first time since his illness two years before, Harding endeavours to tame the 'elephant' - an Asian metaphor for the unruly mind. As he does, he finds himself finally coming to terms with the death of his mother - a loss that has changed him more than he knows.Funny, searingly honest and profound, Hanging with the Elephant pulls back the curtain and reveals what it is really like to be alive.

The year is 1953. As the Cold War divides the world, two childhood friends - now foes - carve out an existence. Karl, haunted by the past, teaches history in his home town of Hallstatt, while Max, driven by power and wealth, leads the Fratres, an extreme branch of the Catholic Church -with control of the Vatican his ultimate goal.When Karl is called to Rome to expose the corruption that has infiltrated the Church, the two men are destined to meet again. The past must be put to rest. But at what cost?From Moscow to CIA Headquarters to a Budapest prison, Sons of Cain is an epic tale of lust, power and corruption where deception is a way of life.

When steady, dependable artist Eve Cole finds herself sitting by a pool in Florida with an ex-conman, hatching a plan to steal back a painting reportedly worth eleven million euro, she has to ask herself how the hell she wound up here.Her life has always been ordered, safe, predictable. Now, it's anything but, and if planning an art heist isn't enough, she also finds herself falling for the (admittedly gorgeous) ex-con, Larry.Because everyone knows no conman is ever truly reformed, right? Especially not one with as many secrets to hide as Larry.As plans for the robbery get underway, Eve quickly discovers that in love, as in art, it's not always easy to spot the real thing when it comes along. Sometimes, you just have to listen to your heart.

Former Republic of Ireland and Premier League footballer Jason McAteer shares the highs and lows from his long and colourful career ...The fighting McAteers: that's how the McAteer family of title-winning boxers were known throughout Birkenhead, across the Mersey from Liverpool. But for eleven-year-old Jason McAteer, growing up in the shadow of Liverpool FC, football became the dream. After signing with Bolton Wanderers at the age of twenty-one, the call to the international scene followed with the Republic of Ireland and, soon after, to his beloved Liverpool FC. The dream had become a reality. From his time with the Irish World Cup squad of 1994 to those tumultuous days in Saipan in 2002; on through his decision to leave Liverpool for Blackburn Rovers; his move to Sunderland, and the depression he fell into after finishing his professional career with Tranmere Rovers, Jason McAteer looks back with characteristic honesty and humour on his life - the jokes, the matches, and the personalities.This is the real Jason McAteer: a little bit bruised, a little bit battered. But still fighting.

I've always been 'the clever one'. So clever that I got 10 As in my Junior Cert. So clever that everyone knows I'm destined for great things. But my family chooses to ignore how clever I am when I tell them that all this is going to end badly.'This' being my sister Fiona's announcement that she is having a baby (father: Big; occupation: shady scumbag). At first, I swore I wouldn't help her. After all, if she wants to be a pramface, that's her problem. But I didn't realise how much I'd love baby Harvey, and want to do everything in my power to protect him.Mam is doing her usual act of pretending everything's fine. My brother Cian is in a world of his own. My shiny happy best friend Mark thinks I should stay out of it.But I can't. So I try to figure out a way to get Big out of our lives for good. And once my plan is in motion, I can't go back. No matter how much I sometimes want to.

When her perfect marriage turns out to be a lie, she goes in search of a man from her past...

When Desmond Doyle finds his girlfriend dead in the bath, having cut her wrists, he is devastated. But there are inconsistencies with how suicide wounds would be inflicted and he quickly comes under suspicion and is arrested for murder. Though soon released, Detective Inspector Harry Kneebone is convinced of Doyle's involvement.As they await the coroner's verdict, Doyle attempts some semblance of normality by returning to his job as curator for a new restaurant that will display original art. When he meets up with artist Gina Harding, he is deeply disturbed by paintings she has been strangely compelled to create in recent days. He recognises in them the likeness of his girlfriend's death scene. Can they shed light on Daphne's death, or is it all a bizarre coincidence?As Doyle's grip on what is real and unreal becomes increasingly uncertain, a chain of events unfold that lead him to doubt his own sanity. Falling Slowly is a compelling and fast-paced psychological drama that questions the nature of perception and experience, as one man struggles to uncover a dark truth.

The message is simple: excellent food is available at affordable prices. You just have to know what you're looking for - and where to find it.Shrewd Food is the definitive guide. Inspired by the hugely popular website shrewdfood.ie, set up in 2009 by dedicated foodie and home-cook extraordinaire Elizabeth Carthy - who knows first-hand the challenges of feeding a family on a budget - this collection of over one hundred recipes for every occasion also includes information on:Shopping for best-value and qualityShrewd cooking tips The shrewd cupboardSeasonal cookingOccasion cooking on a budget.In easy-to-follow recipes containing fresh, affordable ingredients, Elizabeth shares with us her knowledge of traditional Irish cuisine - learned from her mother - to shrewd recipes from Europe and the East, gathered during her many years living abroad.More than just a cookbook, Shrewd Food is a way of life.

The voices of Jane's mum and dad ring in her ears. These days, they never stop fighting. She squeezes her eyes shut and wishes she could do the same with her ears. She resorts to the only thing she knows to help her cope. When her best friend Leah questions her about the criss-cross marks on her arms, Jane blames the cat. And when Leah tells her that true best friends shouldn't keep secrets from each other, Jane knows that's only talk. Everyone has secrets, even Leah. She never mentions her brother Jack, sometimes it's as if he never even existed. And yet, his absence is so palpable you can almost touch it.Alison, Jack's mum, escapes into her dreams, where she becomes reunited with her dead son. It is less than a year since he was killed in a tragic road accident, for which she blames herself, and the pain still feels like an open wound in her chest. She struggles to hold herself together for the sake of her family, but the strain is telling, and when she and Jane's dad Dermot meet, it feels briefly that they are kindred spirits. But darker conclusions lie in wait.The Cut of Love explores two journeys of the heart, one of an adolescent girl, the other of a middle-aged woman. As their paths interweave, a remarkable story unfolds - at once modern and timeless -that is bitingly real, deeply tender and utterly unforgettable.

'A novelist who has a gift for conveying the charm of the ordinary' Irish Independent on Number One bestselling author Roisin MeaneyAs opening night nears for a local amateur production, the cast begin to realise that the real drama is taking place off-stage -- and in life there's no such thing as a dress rehearsal ...When Edward Bull agreed to direct the amateur production of Death by Dying, he thought it would take his mind off his wife's recent affair. He was soon to discover, however, that all the real drama was taking place off-stage ... Maria, trapped in a loveless marriage to an older man, makes an appalling discovery. If pushed, she knows she will do whatever it takes to protect her vulnerable son, Pat. But will she find the strength to do the one thing that would save them both? Her sister Ellen, scarred after a tragic motorbike accident, seeks comfort where she can find it. Will she finally come to terms with what happened . . . and, perhaps, open her heart to love again? Handsome, charming Robert glides through life. When Caroline threatens to take his sons away from him, however, he realises that everything he ever wanted was right under his nose. But is it too late? As the weeks pass, the cast members of Death by Dying are brought together and their lives intertwine. And, as opening night draws near, they learn that in life there's no such thing as a dress rehearsal.

Fr Michael Flaherty returned to the Island to hide from the world, knowing that those he loves are in danger just because he is alive.But try as he might, he can't escape his past - and, soon, a phone call in the night makes him realise that he has to face his enemy one final time to rid himself of the evil that threatens everything - and everyone - he holds dear.He finds himself in the middle of Jerusalem and in the middle of a fight for the greatest resource the city has - water. As the leaders of the Christians, the Muslims and the Jews argue over which of them owns the vast underground lake beneath the city, those at ground level are involved in a much more simple argument - who should live and who should die?As Michael struggles with his own salvation will he know who to trust and who to destroy?

Fans of Maeve Binchy will love the NO.1 BESTSELLER Roisin Meaney and this heart-warming story of love, friendship and fate set on Roone, a small island off the west coast of Ireland ... Nell Mulcahy grew up on the island so when the old stone cottage by the edge of the sea went up for sale, the decision to move back from Dublin was easy. But when Nell decides to rent out her cottage for the summer to help raise money her forthcoming wedding to Tim, she's unprepared for what's about to happen ... As she welcomes holiday-makers to her cottage, Nell must face some truths: about her upcoming wedding to Tim, and her friendship with his brother, James. And, meanwhile, her father delivers some astounding news which leaves Nell, her mother and the island reeling ... But will Nell make it down the aisle? One thing's for sure, it's a summer on the island that nobody will ever forget.

First book from the creator of hit TV series Can't Cope/Won't Cope

In her first book, Vogue Williams tells you in her trademark down-to-earth style Everything you need to know about recognising your own beauty, and making it work for you