Books published by Hodder & Stoughton

A letter writing workshop. Five strangers. Countless secrets bursting in between the pages.When French bookseller Esther loses her father, she decides to place an ad in a newspaper, inviting struggling readers to join her secret letter writing workshop.To Esther's surprise, applications pile in by the dozens - and before long, an elderly lady, a disillusioned businessman, a disheartened couple and an awkward teenager find themselves sharing stories, seeking advice, and forging new friendships.As Esther's students uncover the hopes, dreams and fears that were hiding behind the pen, Esther, too, finds herself thrown into a new world full of unexpected adventures.

A TIMES BEST COMEDY BOOK OF 2021 'Phil Wang makes me laugh out loud with every single thing he does and this book is no exception' JAMES ACASTER'An hilarious breath of fresh air' AMY SCHUMER'Phil Wang is as original a writer as he is a comedian. Sidesplitter is predictably hilarious but also quietly moving' SATHNAM SANGHERA'A razor-sharp dissection of cultural connections, divides and differences. And yes, it's side-splittingly funny' ADAM KAY'But where are you REALLY from?' Phil Wang has been asked this question so many times he's finally written a book about it. In this mix of comic memoir and observational essay, one of the UK's most exciting stand-up comedians reflects on his experiences as a Eurasian man in the West and in the East. Phil was born in Stoke-on-Trent, raised in Malaysia, and then came of age in Bath - 'a spa town for people who find Cheltenham too ethnic'. Phil takes an incisive look at what it means to be mixed race, as he explores the contrasts between cultures and delves into Britain and Malaysia's shared histories, bringing his trademark cynicism and wit to topics ranging from family, food, and comedy to race, empire, and colonialism.

'Clever, compelling, canine and utterly mesmerising' - Helen LedererStupendo the dog has died. But that's just the beginning of his story.To love and protect. The code of the good dog is clear. When single mother Tuesday took on mongrel pup Stupendo, she made a friend for life. Through the best and the worst of times, Stupendo has been there for her. Ever faithful, ever loyal, ever true. Nothing could break their bond. Until last week. Stupendo doesn't know why Tuesday is suddenly ignoring him or why his doggy antics no longer seem to soothe Baby William. It takes his worst enemy - the cat next door - to break the news that Stupendo has become a ghost. Somehow left behind on Earth, Stupendo knows he has unfinished business. Enlisting the help of the community of animals in the neighbourhood, Stupendo must get to the bottom of the very human sadness that hangs over his old home and keeps him from saying goodbye to Tuesday.Praise for SAYING GOODBYE TO TUESDAY:'An emotional, lovely read, just perfect for animal lovers. It was a joy to read, although have tissues handy' - Rachel Wells, bestselling author of Alfie the Doorstep Cat'Pawfection. It's emotional and joyful and utterly compelling' - Alex Brown'A gorgeous, ingenious story' - Amanda Brookfield'This isn't just a story about a dog, it's a story about the very meaning of life, told from a unique and bold perspective. Filled with joyful bittersweetness and clear-eyed wisdom it made me both laugh and cry and its message of hope will stay with me for a long time to come' - Alexandra Potter

An ecclesiastical and theological history of beards, 3,000 BC to the present.

Children are born intuitive eaters in a society where diet culture dominates. Parents are concerned about how to best feed their children, and nearly everyone is offering solutions on how to tackle the childhood obesity epidemic. But these solutions miss the most important thing: a healthy relationship with food.The absence of this healthy relationship can lead to disastrous consequences: weight cycling, low self-esteem and eating disorders can result from this fear-based approach to food that has become the norm for us all.How to Raise an Intuitive Eater is a compassionate guide for parents to help improve the health, happiness and wellbeing of their children. Based on their experiences working with parents and children, Sumner Brooks and Amee Severson understand that parents want their kids to live their best lives in the bodies they were born to have.

'A cracking storyteller, who can create fascinating characters, a twisty plot and wonderful surprise endings' ANN CLEEVES There is more to solving a crime than following the clues. Welcome to Chief Inspector Gamache's world of facts and feelings. The discovery of a dead body in the woods on Thanksgiving Weekend brings Chief Inspector Armand Gamache and his colleagues from the Surete du Quebec to a small village in the Eastern Townships. Gamache cannot understand why anyone would want to deliberately kill well-loved artist Jane Neal, especially any of the residents of Three Pines - a place so free from crime it doesn't even have its own police force. But Gamache knows that evil is lurking somewhere behind the white picket fences and that, if he watches closely enough, Three Pines will start to give up its dark secrets... Ten million readers. Three pines One inimitable Chief Inspector Gamache 'One of the most interesting detectives in crime fiction' THE TIMES

'A clever concept that has you gripped until the last page' Hattie Brett, GraziaShe sees much more than you think . . .Five years ago, Laurel Lovejoy had it all. The high-powered city job, the loving husband, the perfect daughter. Now, she is forty and alone, and working for a courier service. But she has discovered that being a delivery driver comes with a superpower: it makes her invisible. People accept her presence without question. They go about their lives, unaware of just how much she sees - how much she knows.Laurel is particularly fascinated by the residents of Paradise Found, an exclusive gated cul-de-sac. She sometimes even finds her way there when she's not working, using her days off to soak up as much information about the inhabitants and their lives as she can. Everyone needs a hobby.Then one day Laurel sees something in one of the houses - something that blows her whole world apart, and will have devastating consequences for everyone involved . . .Perfect for fans of Clare Mackintosh, Adele Parks, Lisa Jewell and The Girl on the Train, THE COURIER will keep you up all night with your eyes glued to the page!YOUR FAVOURITE AUTHORS LOVE THE COURIER:'Gripping, immersive and fast-paced. Full of surprises and suspense' Helen Cooper, author of The Downstairs Neighbour'[An] unnerving thriller. I was hooked from page one' Sophie Flynn, author of All My Lies'Slammed me with twists and turns I didn't see coming' Polly Phillips, author of My Best Friend's Murder'Had me on tenterhooks from beginning to end' C E Rose, author of The House on the Water's Edge'Will have you hooked from page 1' Hannah Begbie, author of Blurred Lines

**SHORTLISTED FOR THE JANE WENHAM-JONES AWARD FOR COMEDY IN THE 2022 ROMANTIC NOVEL AWARDS**The new romantic comedy from the author of Adult Virgins Anonymous.Tamsyn Rutman is at yet another wedding, for yet another cousin. She wouldn't mind - the food's pretty good, the location is fabulous and there's a moderately famous singer crooning away - but what is a Jewish wedding if not the perfect opportunity for the bride to do a bit of matchmaking on behalf of her single, workaholic cousin? Tamsyn's not at the table with her parents and her family, she's sitting next to Ari Marshall.Ari is everything Tamsyn doesn't want for herself, and everything her family want for her. Stubbornly determined not to fall into the trap of someone else's happily ever after, Tamsyn decides to focus on work, and while interviewing London's hottest new chef, finds herself being swept off her feet . . . by someone her family definitely wouldn't approve of.But somehow, Ari and Tamsyn keep crossing paths, and she's about to find out that in love, and in life, it's not always easy to run away from who you really are...

Loved House of Cards?Terribly gripping, ***** Cedrick'Utterly fascinating.' ***** Perlustra'Absolutely brilliant.' ***** BertrandHe thought the worst was behind them. The primaries done and dusted. The Presidency within arm's reach.He couldn't have been more wrong.Not only were the primaries rigged; they had revealeda web of lies that was but the tip of a huge iceberg.But where there's a will, there's a way...

'Both heartbreaking and heartwarming' - ***** Amazon reviewer'Emotional, charming and uplifting' -***** Amazon reviewerA message in a bottle. One summer. A family to reunite.Lou suffers from a rare type of dementia and dies in her fifties. She leaves behind a message in a bottle, charging her husband Joe with a challenging task: he has two months to reunite their patchwork family whose members have fallen out with each other.Luckily for him, Lou has thought of everything and helps him along with a list of family activities and recipes. Slowly but surely, they all find their way back to each other: Joe's son Cyrian and his two daughters Apple and Charlotte. Cyrian's second wife who can't stand Apple because she isn't her own. Joe's stunning daughter Sarah who has lost the love of her life and seeks solace in one-night stands.But Joe is running out of time. Will his efforts pay off before it is too late? And most importantly: what's in the mysterious letter?

The Sunday Times bestseller and debut novel from Graham Norton.'Poised and perceptive' Sunday Times'... a deftly plotted story as moving as it is compelling' Sunday Mirror'Deeply accomplished ... brilliantly observed' Good Housekeeping'... one of the more authentic debuts I've read in recent years ... in such an understated manner, eschewing linguistic eccentricity ... in favour of genuine characters and tender feeling ... this is a fine novel' John Boyne, Irish Times'It's funny and wonderfully perceptive' Wendy Holden'It is beautiful and yet devastatingly sad' Daily Express'Strenuously charming ... surprisingly tender' Metro 'Heartwarming and observant' StylistThe remote Irish village of Duneen has known little drama; and yet its inhabitants are troubled. Sergeant PJ Collins hasn't always been this overweight; mother of two Brid Riordan hasn't always been an alcoholic; and elegant Evelyn Ross hasn't always felt that her life was a total waste. So when human remains are discovered on an old farm, suspected to be that of Tommy Burke - a former love of both Brid and Evelyn - the village's dark past begins to unravel. As the frustrated PJ struggles to solve a genuine case for the first time in his life, he unearths a community's worth of anger and resentments, secrets and regret.Darkly comic, touching and at times profoundly sad. Graham Norton employs his acerbic wit to breathe life into a host of lovable characters, and explore - with searing honesty - the complexities and contradictions that make us human.

The inside story of the Oxford AstraZeneca vaccine, from two of the leading scientists who created it.

With 350 word puzzles inspired by Wordle, you can settle down screen-free with pencil and paper to practise your game play with Word Fall 1! It's perfect for those screen-free hours before bedtime!

During the Coronation of King Charles III and Queen Camilla, the Christian Church will take centre stage once again, as the established religion in England. But why does the Church have such prominence in state affairs, and should it keep this privileged position in 21st Century, multi-faith Britain?In 1953, millions across the world watched the first televised coronation of a British monarch. What they witnessed was a deeply religious, medieval Christian ritual. Elizabeth II's reign was profoundly shaped by her faith, expressed not only in her coronation vows but also in her 70 years as Queen, from her role as supreme governor of the Church of England, to her annual Christmas broadcasts, her encounters with Popes, Islam and the other religions. Like her late husband, Prince Philip, the Queen's faith was described as her 'strength and stay' amid the turmoil of a nation becoming increasingly secular at the same time as her subjects became increasingly more varied in their religious beliefs. During Queen Elizabeth's coronation she was anointed by the Archbishop for her role in serving the country as Queen. But what part will Christianity play in the reign of King Charles III, who as Prince of Wales once said he'd prefer to be defender of faith? Plans for the coronation are now in full swing and speculation is mounting as to whether this is the moment to jettison an ancient rite and reinvent the Coronation to appeal to multicultural Britain, or whether our nation ought to embrace tradition and reassert its Christian heritage in the new Carolean age. Defenders Of The Faith explores the powerful connection between religion and the British monarchy from its earliest times, through to the Reformation, the Civil War, and the reconfigured wholesome family monarchy of Victoria and her successors, down to Her Late Majesty Queen Elizabeth II -- and into the future when the new Defender of the Faith is crowned.

From the author of the Vorrh Trilogy comes an epic odyssey following a group of mercenaries hired to deliver a church's ultimate power-a sacred oracle-as the decadence of carnival gives way to the gravity of lent and the mystic landscape grows ravenous.

King's classic story, adapted into the movie Stand By Me, now available for the first time from Hodder in standalone form, as part of their exciting Stephen King reissue programme for 2021.

For fans of ITV's 'Des', starring David Tennant as Dennis Nilsen.Only one TV interview with a serial killer has ever been recorded in a British jail and broadcast. This is the exclusive story of that dramatic event, carried out by award-winning documentary maker Mike Morley with Dennis Nilsen, then the country's most prolific murderer.In what became front page news, Morley overcame two eleventh hour government attempts (in the High Court and Court of Appeal) to stop ITV in the UK screening any extracts of the Nilsen interview. Controversially, the court ruled no more than 4 minutes of a four-hour interrogation should ever be shown.The Dennis Nilsen Tapes: In Jail with Britain's Most Infamous Serial Killer covers those full four hours, plus two days spent face to face with Nilsen in Albany Prison and two years of graphic correspondence and confessions from the infamous Scottish serial killer.With fresh insight from world famous psychological profilers and a leading pathologist, Morley completes almost three decades of investigation into what turned the former chef, policeman and civil servant into one of the world's most notorious murderers and necrophiles.

Prince Alexander Sergeevich Obolensky made his name on a cold January day at Twickenham in 1936, his achievements captured for posterity by the newsreels of the time. On his England debut, having already scored one exhilarating try, the striking blond winger collected a pass on the right and, path blocked, veered left at such a pace that a line of opponents were left grasping at thin air. It was a historic try, unrivalled in skill and speed - and it inspired England's first ever victory over the All Blacks.Born to a noble family in St Petersburg in 1916, he had been due a life of wealth and privilege, until revolution forced the Obolenskys to flee Russia. Arriving in Britain with just a handful of possessions, they were reduced to relying on handouts, little Alex's very education resting on the charity of others. But as the young boy began his new life in a strange country, it was his natural sporting ability that would bring him lasting fame. The controversial selection for England of a Russian-born prince was a huge story in the press, stirring up xenophobia as well as excitement at the 19-year-old Oxford student's sheer pace. His later exploits on and off the field would keep his name in the papers, yet Alex was destined to win only four international caps, despite touring with the Lions and appearing for the Barbarians. After joining the RAF to serve his adopted king and country, he died at the controls of a Hurricane in March 1940.Bringing a fascinating era to life, The Flying Prince explores the mystery and mythology surrounding Alexander Obolensky, and for the first time tells the full story of the sporting hero who died too young.*****'Well-researched . . . a pleasure to read. There are plenty of colourful characters' - THE TIMES'The fascinating tale of the Russian-born aristocrat who helped England beat the All-Blacks for the first time' JOHN AIZLEWOOD, I NEWS'A first biography from Hugh Godwin, rugby correspondent of the i, and a fine fist he's made of it too' - BEST RUGBY BOOKS 2021'Expertly fills in the gaps . . . Now we have a biography his story deserves' - THE RUGBY PAPER

Could love be the biggest adventure of all?Filmmaker Lily's life is all about work and adventure. So when she suffers an accident on her travels and finds herself recuperating in the quiet French seaside village where she spent her childhood, she can't wait to escape. Not least because Olivier - Lily's childhood friend and former crush, who she has spent the last thirteen years avoiding - is staying next door . . . Strong-minded masterbaker Olivier is happily settled in St Pierre, preparing to marry and put down roots. But Lily's return to the village risks turning his carefully-laid plans upsidedown, and as the pair rediscover their familiar rivalry and fun, sparks fly.Is Lily really as fearless and independent as she seems on the surface - or is she just running from the past? And what if Olivier is the only one who can teach her what it really means to be brave?Readers love Summer at the French Olive Grove:'Romantic . . . heartwarming and uplifting' - 5 STARS'The perfect summery read' - 5 STARS'Heartwarming, humorous and heartbreaking' - 5 STARS'Glorious setting . . . you can almost feel the warm sunshine on your skin' - 5 STARS'A stunning story . . . heart, love, loss and a delightful cast of characters' - 5 STARS

ONE BOY'S WISH. ONE EXTRAORDINARY LOVE STORY'A quietly beautiful and wonderfully human tale you will never forget' HeatSeven-year-old Jake's heart is failing and he doesn't want to leave his dad, Simon, alone. So he makes a decision: to find Simon someone to love before he goes.Beth is determined to forget the past. But even when she leaves New York to start afresh in a Lake District village, she can't shake the secrets that haunt her.Single dad Simon still holds a candle for the woman who left him years ago. Every day is a struggle to earn a living while caring for his beloved son. He has no time for finding someone new.But Jake is determined his plan will succeed - and what unfolds will change all three of them forever.'A touching love story' Kate Eberlen'A beautiful story that reminds us of the power and importance of love' Isabelle Broom'Gorgeously written and utterly life-affirming' Miranda Dickinson