THE BEST OF SCOTTISH BOOKS

Brand New from Lisa Hobman

Can you live your dreams and also find your destiny?

Since having to drop out of her design degree, Bella Douglas has been unlucky in just about everything life has thrown at her.

She’s lost more jobs than she cares to remember and to top it off she’s still single, despite her Granny Isla’s best attempts to set her up with every eligible bachelor in the Scottish Highlands.

Currently PA to her best friend, aka, Lady Olivia MacBain, at Drumblair Castle, Bella is yet to find a role that sets her soul on fire. But when disaster strikes for Olivia, Bella steps into the breach to rescue her bestfriend from a fate worse than a bad interior designer.

When Bella and her Granny find themselves homeless, they relocate to the castle where a handsome new neighbour brings mystery, intrigue and a spark of romance.

Is Bella finally on the track to find true happiness? Or do more catastrophes lie ahead? And does true love hide where you least expect it?

Praise for Lisa Hobman:

‘Involving and intriguing!’ Sue Moorcroft

‘Heart-warming and sometimes heart-wrenching journey of discovery’ Heidi Swain

‘I love it! – A feel-good, uplifting story of lost love and second chances…’ Holly Martin

‘I loved the book. It’s a captivating story with a relatable heroine and beautifully vivid settings. A perfect holiday read!’ Darcie Boleyn

‘Simply gorgeous’ Jessica Redland

‘A really uplifting, feel-good read about hope and love that really did warm my heart.’ Kim Nash

‘A gorgeous, heart-warming romantic journey, reminds us to never give up on love…’ Lucy Coleman

‘You will fall in love with this story of fresh starts and mending broken hearts’ Mandy Baggot

‘Be prepared to fall in love over and over again.’ Nancy Barone

‘What a beautiful read’ Sarah Bennett

Brand New from Lisa Hobman

Can you live your dreams and also find your destiny?

Since having to drop out of her design degree, Bella Douglas has been unlucky in just about everything life has thrown at her.

She’s lost more jobs than she cares to remember and to top it off she’s still single, despite her Granny Isla’s best attempts to set her up with every eligible bachelor in the Scottish Highlands.

Currently PA to her best friend, aka, Lady Olivia MacBain, at Drumblair Castle, Bella is yet to find a role that sets her soul on fire. But when disaster strikes for Olivia, Bella steps into the breach to rescue her bestfriend from a fate worse than a bad interior designer.

When Bella and her Granny find themselves homeless, they relocate to the castle where a handsome new neighbour brings mystery, intrigue and a spark of romance.

Is Bella finally on the track to find true happiness? Or do more catastrophes lie ahead? And does true love hide where you least expect it?

Praise for Lisa Hobman:

‘Involving and intriguing!’ Sue Moorcroft

‘Heart-warming and sometimes heart-wrenching journey of discovery’ Heidi Swain

‘I love it! – A feel-good, uplifting story of lost love and second chances…’ Holly Martin

‘I loved the book. It’s a captivating story with a relatable heroine and beautifully vivid settings. A perfect holiday read!’ Darcie Boleyn

‘Simply gorgeous’ Jessica Redland

‘A really uplifting, feel-good read about hope and love that really did warm my heart.’ Kim Nash

‘A gorgeous, heart-warming romantic journey, reminds us to never give up on love…’ Lucy Coleman

‘You will fall in love with this story of fresh starts and mending broken hearts’ Mandy Baggot

‘Be prepared to fall in love over and over again.’ Nancy Barone

‘What a beautiful read’ Sarah Bennett

Brand New from Lisa Hobman

Can you live your dreams and also find your destiny?

Since having to drop out of her design degree, Bella Douglas has been unlucky in just about everything life has thrown at her.

She’s lost more jobs than she cares to remember and to top it off she’s still single, despite her Granny Isla’s best attempts to set her up with every eligible bachelor in the Scottish Highlands.

Currently PA to her best friend, aka, Lady Olivia MacBain, at Drumblair Castle, Bella is yet to find a role that sets her soul on fire. But when disaster strikes for Olivia, Bella steps into the breach to rescue her bestfriend from a fate worse than a bad interior designer.

When Bella and her Granny find themselves homeless, they relocate to the castle where a handsome new neighbour brings mystery, intrigue and a spark of romance.

Is Bella finally on the track to find true happiness? Or do more catastrophes lie ahead? And does true love hide where you least expect it?

Praise for Lisa Hobman:

‘Involving and intriguing!’ Sue Moorcroft

‘Heart-warming and sometimes heart-wrenching journey of discovery’ Heidi Swain

‘I love it! – A feel-good, uplifting story of lost love and second chances…’ Holly Martin

‘I loved the book. It’s a captivating story with a relatable heroine and beautifully vivid settings. A perfect holiday read!’ Darcie Boleyn

‘Simply gorgeous’ Jessica Redland

‘A really uplifting, feel-good read about hope and love that really did warm my heart.’ Kim Nash

‘A gorgeous, heart-warming romantic journey, reminds us to never give up on love…’ Lucy Coleman

‘You will fall in love with this story of fresh starts and mending broken hearts’ Mandy Baggot

‘Be prepared to fall in love over and over again.’ Nancy Barone

‘What a beautiful read’ Sarah Bennett

The discovery of a long-forgotten physic garden and the restoration of an old weathered Celtic cross on a coastal headland on the beautiful Scottish island of Mull led the authors of this book on a fascinating voyage into the history of one branch of a famous medical family – the Beatons.

The story explores the Beatons’ arrival from Ireland in the early 12th century, when they joined the court of what was to become the Lords of the Isles. Trained in the classical Gaelic tradition, over the years their expertise led them to minister to Lords, Lairds and Kings of Scotland. At some point, one of the Beaton physicians came over to Mull in the entourage of chiefs of the Maclean clan and subsequently was awarded land – at Pennycross in the south of the island.

This book looks at the contemporary historical setting, the type of medicine practised by the Beatons, the use they made of herbal treatments (a use which has not disappeared to the present day) and the almost unbelievable survival of Gaelic manuscripts from their library.

A shy but talented footballer navigates challenging friendships and anxiety at school in this touching tale from acclaimed author Eve Ainsworth.

A shy but talented footballer navigates challenging friendships and anxiety at school in this touching tale from acclaimed author Eve Ainsworth.

Lily always feels a little bit left out. Shy and anxious, she finds school really hard, particularly as most of the other girls all seem so confident. Most of the time, Lily wishes that she could just disappear. But during a game of football in PE, Lily’s teacher spots her natural talent and invites Lily to join the local girls’ team, where she starts to make friends with some of the other players. Finally, she thinks she’s found a place where she fits in, but will a vicious argument with one of her teammates put all her progress in jeopardy?

In this acclaimed book, Alistair Moffat tells the story of a part of Scotland that has played a huge role in the nation’s history and moved poets, painters and writers as well as ordinary people for hundreds of years.

The hunter-gatherers who first penetrated the virgin interior, the Celtic warlords, the Romans, the Northumbrians and the Reivers, who dominated the Anglo-Scottish borderlands for over 300 years, have all had their part to play in the constantly evolving life of the area. It is the people of a place that make its history and Alistair Moffat’s book is a testament to those who have made the Borders their home, and who have created the traditions, myths and romance that define it so strongly.

A fractured account of family abuse, secrets, and the cost of pursuing the truth.In the most private spaces, the most intimate betrayals occur. Belén López Peiró places us squarely in the tenderest of times: young teenagehood, in a home about to be ruptured by sexual assault. In this home, for this young woman, your assailant is your uncle, and also a police commissioner. The people who shelter you will reject you: your mother is his sister-in-law, your beloved aunt his wife and your cousin and friend his daughter. And the truth of what happened will depend entirely on you. Why Did You Come Back Every Summer is a document of uncertainty, self-doubt, and the appearance of progress when there is none. A chorus of voices interrupt and overtake each other; interviews and reports are filed. The truth will be heard but how and by whom? Loyalties will shift and slip. And certain questions have no easy answers. What do you owe to your family? What do they owe you? How far will you go to get yourself back?

The Scots have always had a reputation for clarity of thought and also for the vigour with which it is put into words.

This collection spans the entire gamut of a nation’s recorded thought and experience from Roman Scotland to the present day. It covers a vast range of subject matter and demonstrates a remarkable variety of moods and tones, from the literary to the colloquial and bawdy. Packed with sharp observation and humour, it sounds other notes too. Meditative, triumphant, tragic, accusing, tender – and often hilarious – it reveals the spirit of Scotland in a truly unique way.

Young children will love these colouring books featuring simple illustrations of a variety of Scottish themes.

Contents feature:

Castles * Unicorns * Scottish Country Dancers * Bagpipes * Loch Ness Monster * Seashore * Farmyard * Boats and trains * Forth Rail Bridge * Woodland and animals * Scottish food and produce * Lochs and rainbows * City scenes * Tartan * Winter sledging

Young children will love these colouring books featuring simple illustrations of a variety of Scottish animals. Contents feature:

Puffin * Ducks * Garden birds * Hedgehog * Hare * Owls * Capercaillie * Wildcat *Geese * Eagle * Scottie Dog * Pine marten * Squirrel * Badgers * Deer * Butterflies * Salmon * Highland Cow * Sheep * Farm animals * Clydesdale horse * Otters * Beavers * Seals * Seagulls * Dolphins * Haggis

Acclaimed historian Alistair Moffat sets off in the footsteps of the Highland clans and their definitive conflicts. In twelve journeys he explores places of conflict, recreating as he walks the tumult of battle. As he recounts the military prowess of the clans he also tells of their lives, their language and culture before it was all swept away.

From the colonisers who attempted to ‘civilise’ the islanders of Lewis in the sixteenth century through the great battles of the eighteenth century – Killiekrankie, Dunkeld, Sheriffmuir, Falkirk and Culloden – this is a unique exploration of many of the places and events which define the country’s history. The disaster at Culloden in 1746 represented not just the defeat of the Jacobite dream but also the unleashing of merciless retribution from the British government which dealt the Highland clans a blow from which they would never recover. Locations included are:

Prestonpans – Glenfinnan – The Isle of Lewis – Edinburgh – Inverlochy – Tippermuir – Mulroy – Killiecrankie – Dunkeld – Sherriffmuir – Falkirk – Culloden Moor – Arisaig & Morar

Investigative journalist Shona Sandison is attending the wedding of her closest friend and former colleague, Vivienne. But the night before the wedding, Vivienne’s reclusive school friend, Dan, jumps from a roof to his death. Shona is the only witness to the suicide – and so the only person who saw the occult tattoos covering Dan’s body, and heard the unsettling, mystical phrases he was uttering.

Compelled to look further into the tragic incident, Shona sets off on a quest to find out why Dan killed himself and what happened to Vivienne’s missing brother 20 years prior. Despite knowing that investigating Viv’s family will mean she could lose her friend forever, Shona travels to a small, forgotten town in the north of England to investigate an insular group of classmates who have held a dark secret for decades.

Haunting and hypnotic, The Hollow Tree is a return to Philip Miller’s dark world of subterfuge, betrayal, and fragile justice.

Are those little voices in our heads our friends, or our enemies? What if they’re neither, what if they’re both?

In this captivating and comic one-person play written by Gary McNair, the classic story of Jekyll and Hyde is turned on its head to reveal the depths of one man’s psyche and the lengths we will go to hide our deepest secrets. What will happen to a curious mind as it’s left to its own devices?

Originally presented at Reading Rep, this edition was published to coincide with the opening of Jekyll and Hyde at The Royal Lyceum Theatre Edinburgh in January 2024.

Investigative journalist Shona Sandison is attending the wedding of her closest friend and former colleague, Vivienne. But the night before the wedding, Vivienne’s reclusive school friend, Dan, jumps from a roof to his death. Shona is the only witness to the suicide – and so the only person who saw the occult tattoos covering Dan’s body, and heard the unsettling, mystical phrases he was uttering.

Compelled to look further into the tragic incident, Shona sets off on a quest to find out why Dan killed himself and what happened to Vivienne’s missing brother 20 years prior. Despite knowing that investigating Viv’s family will mean she could lose her friend forever, Shona travels to a small, forgotten town in the north of England to investigate an insular group of classmates who have held a dark secret for decades.

Haunting and hypnotic, The Hollow Tree is a return to Philip Miller’s dark world of subterfuge, betrayal, and fragile justice.

Meet Molly the hare, Olive the owl and Dexter the fox, stars of a delightful new series for toddlers from Kate Greenaway Medal-winning artist Catherine Rayner.

Molly the hare loves hide-and-seek. ‘You two hide,’ she tells Olive the owl and Dexter the fox, and then she begins to count: ‘5, 4, 3, 2, 1 – ready or not here I come.’ But when she opens her eyes, Molly finds the pair straight away! Soon Molly announces Olive and Dexter have to hide properly. Now she has the opposite problem: her friends have hidden too well… Wherever can they be?

This is the first in Catherine Rayner’s adorable new picture-book series – delivering the charm of the 100 Acre Wood in an irresistible package for toddlers.

‘Catherine Rayner has a marvellous gift for capturing the souls of animals in a few, rich washes of colour.’ Daily Telegraph

Follow the adventures of Molly the hare, Olive the owl and Dexter the fox in a delightful series for toddlers from multi award-winning author and artist Catherine Rayner.

Dexter the fox LOVES to play chase with Molly the hare and Olive the owl… But Molly keeps bounding away on her big feet, and it only takes one flap of her wings for Olive to swoop ahead. They’re just so quick: try as he might, Dexter can’t keep up! Whatever can he do? With each story starring a different member of this adorable trio, the Molly, Olive and Dexter books explore big emotional themes with gentle humour and gorgeous artwork; don’t miss the other stories in the series: Molly, Olive and Dexter and Molly, Olive and Dexter: The Guessing Game!

‘Catherine Rayner has a marvellous gift for capturing the souls of animals in a few, rich washes of colour.’ Daily Telegraph

‘Denise Mina is a one-of-a-kind storyteller’ James Patterson

“This is Marlowe.”

“Mr. Philip Marlowe?” She asked.

I glanced at the clock. It was exactly eleven am, as if she had been waiting by the phone for an appointed hour, following someone else’s orders to the letter.

“What, d’you think we’re a troupe of brothers? There is only me.”

It’s mid-September, a heatwave has descended on the parched hills of LA and Private Detective Philip Marlowe is called to the Montgomery estate, an almost mythic place sitting high on top of Beverly Hills. Wealthy twenty-two-year-old Chrissie Montgomery, set to inherit an enormous fortune, is missing.

She’s a walking target, ripe for someone to get their claws into. Her dying father, along with his sultry bottle blonde girlfriend, wants her found before that happens. They’ve hired Anna Riorden, Marlowe’s nemesis, too. The search takes them to the roughest neighbourhoods of LA through dive bars and Skid Row. And that’s before he finds the body at The Brody Hotel. Who will get to her first, Marlowe, Anne, or the men chasing her fortune? And does she want to be found?

Discover the rest of the inimitable Philip Marlowe series – nine classic Chandler adventures, from The Big Sleep to The Long Goodbye, available now in paperback and eBook from Penguin Books.

Readers love The Second Murderer:

‘I must congratulate Denise Mina for bravely stepping into the shoes of Raymond Chandler and continuing the tales of the much loved Philip Marlowe… I think the author has done a great job capturing the essence of Marlowe such as his duelling dialogue with other characters or his descriptions of the heat soaked LA landscape in midsummer. The Chandler sarcastic humour is also present….one line I cant seem to find but from memory was something like…” this place was so sleazy even the rats had to wipe their feet on the way out”. Brilliant! I encourage all fans of the genre to read this book. It is very well written and much like Chandlers books, the descriptions are so vivid you feel you are in each scene.’ Michael N., 5 stars

Throughout its existence, Glasgow has been a city of great complexity. From its tentative origins, under the watchful eye of St Mungo, Glasgow grew from the serene ‘Dear Green Place’ into a bustling trading hub that boomed during the Industrial Revolution and growth of the British Empire. At its peak, Glasgow was a place of unlimited opportunity and wealth creation throughout the 19th and 20th centuries. Flip that coin, though, and the city’s streets were home to mass poverty, crime and slum living. In recent decades, these streets – exuding Victorian fortitude still – have provided for and encouraged an inexhaustible line of talented creatives who have left powerful marks of their own on Glasgow’s story.

Through the eyes of a local, The Little History of Glasgow explores the city’s slow and steady economic rise, its calamitous collapse and its 21st-century reinvention as one of Europe?s most characterful cities.

Throughout its existence, Glasgow has been a city of great complexity. From its tentative origins, under the watchful eye of St Mungo, Glasgow grew from the serene ?Dear Green Place? into a bustling trading hub that boomed during the Industrial Revolution and growth of the British Empire. At its peak, Glasgow was a place of unlimited opportunity and wealth creation throughout the 19th and 20th centuries. Flip that coin, though, and the city?s streets were home to mass poverty, crime and slum living. In recent decades, these streets – exuding Victorian fortitude still – have provided for and encouraged an inexhaustible line of talented creatives who have left powerful marks of their own on Glasgow?s story.Through the eyes of a local, The Little History of Glasgow explores the city?s slow and steady economic rise, its calamitous collapse and its 21st-century reinvention as one of Europe?s most characterful cities.

From a comic mastermind comes this brilliant collection of stories

Three teenagers believe they are witches.

A woman defaces a local billboard.

A bored landlord tries to influence his son’s best friend.

A cul-de-sac WhatsApp group discusses eggs at length.

A heavily pregnant woman finds a way to time travel and a girl discovers joy on a stolen bicycle . . .

Each tale paints a life in miniature and offers an escape chute from the mayhem of modern life.