SIMON MASON

Get the lowdown on the best fiction ever written. Over 230 of the world's greatest novels are covered, from "Quixote" (1614) to Orhan Pamuk's "Snow" (2002), with fascinating information about their plots and their authors - and suggestions for what to read next. The guide comes complete with recommendations of the best editions and translations for every genre from the most enticing crime and punishment to love, sex, heroes and anti-heroes, not to mention all the classics of comedy and satire, horror and mystery and many other literary genres. With feature boxes on experimental novels, female novelists, short reviews of interesting film and TV adaptations, and information on how the novel began, this guide will point you to all the classic literature you'll ever need.

Rough Guide 11s are a brand-new series of pocket books devoted to Britain's greatest football teams. This book will tell you everything you need to know about Arsenal, and quite a lot you don't need to know, but will enjoy finding out. This guide features 11 collections of everything to do with the Gunners, from the greatest players to the funniest signings (stand up John Jensen). whether you want to savour Bergkamp's 11 finest moments or wince at off the pitch Gooner action, this is essential reading for any fan. Included are Hat-trick heroes, Highbury rogues, greatest keepers, dodgiest perms and the miracle that is Thierry Henry! Read about European classics, north London derbies, frankly embarrassing defeats and skin-of-the-teeth victories. The guide has all the stories about bogey teams, nicknames and the cursed away kits, complemented by the fashions, songs, famous fans and most obscure pre-season tours.

Amy Roecastle is beautiful. Selfish. And missing.Vanished without a trace in the middle of the night, shes taken her ferocious dog - and something else, too. Something deadly.Amys best friend is lying to Inspector Singh, who has no leads and no idea.Cue Garvie Smith. Teenage slacker. Undeniable crime-solving genius.Garvies one step ahead of the investigation. But theres nothing simple where Amy is involved. And this time Garvies about to find himself in way over his head.

Meet Garvie Smith. Highest IQ ever recorded at Marsh Academy. Lowest ever grades. Whats the point? Life sucks. Nothing surprising ever happens.Until Chloe Dows body is pulled from a pond. His ex-girlfriend.DI Singh is already on the case. Ambitious, uptight, methodical - hes determined to solve the mystery - and get promoted. He doesnt need any assistance from notorious slacker, Smith. Or does he?

A TIMES TOP TEN CRIME AND MYSTERY BOOK FOR 2024 Ryan and Ray go from strength to strength and this their third outing is the best yet Simon Mason has created crime fiction s most entertaining double act in decades Mick Herron Oxford city of rich and poor where the homeless camp out in the shadows of the gorgeous buildings and monuments A city of lost things and buried crimes At three o clock in the morning Emergency Services receives a call This is Zara Fanshawe Always lost and never found An hour later the wayward celebrity s Rolls Royce Phantom is found abandoned in dingy Becket Street The paparazzi go wild For some reason news of Zara s disappearance prompts homeless woman Lena Wojcik to search the camps nervously for the bad tempered vagrant known as Waitrose a familiar sight in Oxford pushing his trolley of possessions But he s nowhere to be found either Who will lead the investigation and cope with the media frenzy Suave prize winning Oxford educated DI Ray Wilkins is passed over in favour of his partner gobby trailer park educated DI Ryan Wilkins no relation You wouldn t think Ray would be happy He isn t You wouldn t think Ryan would be any good at national press presentations He isn t And when legendary co

A dark and intense mystery featuring a private detective who is tasked with solving the disappearance of a lonely accountant

Mason has been mainlining Simenon for a while and it shows Mick Herron The very definition of unputdownable David Peace It s like the provincial British version of Maigret Clare Chambers The people I work with call me Finder I m a specialist a finder of missing people July 2015 Sevenoaks 12 year old schoolgirl Alice Johnson went missing while doing her paper round her bag found discarded on the pavement At 08 00 she was spotted standing in heavy rain at the side of the busy by pass At 11 00 she was seen talking to the driver of a black car in Tonbridge After that nothing Alice was never found Nine years later the body of another schoolgirl Joleen Price is pulled from a nearby lake and a local man named Vince Burns detained Convinced that Burns is guilty in both cases SIO Dave Armstrong calls in the Finder to investigate the earlier disappearance Interviewing those who thought they knew her the Finder gradually reveals a hidden Alice a girl of surprising contradictions Seeking answers from her divorced parents an over protective mother a negligent father the Finder is forced to consider violently opposing narratives Was the timid 12 year old a victim of the predator Burns as he himself hints Or was she carrying out a plan o

Containing four hilarious stories, The Quigleys is destined to become the first in a classic series. Written in a fresh, witty and original manner, each member of the family has their own story to tell, and their quirky escapades make this a book that will appeal to children and adults alike. The tales of Mum, Dad, Will and Lucy are funny, familiar and universally recognizable for every modern family.

The Quigleys are back in this second collection of stories. Funny and instantly recognisable, the family go on a camping holiday to France. Mum stars in the skipping competition at the local village fete, Will gets locked in his empty school at night, and Dad (unsurprisingly) loses the budgie. This work features four more hilarious stories from this irrepressible and warmly affectionate family.

The Quigleys are back in four more hilarious stories. Mum and Dad think the Quigleys need to move house but Will and Lucy don''t agree. They like the rosebushes outside the front door, even if they smell of cat. They like the big friendly bath with the hot tap that sometimes sticks. So they come up with a cunning plan.

Excellently lean and tense crime novel with a touch of the nouveau roman about it Ian Rankin Mason has been mainlining Simenon for a while and it shows Mick Herron The very definition of unputdownable David Peace It s like the provincial British version of Maigret Clare Chambers The people I work with call me Finder I m a specialist a finder of missing people July 2015 Sevenoaks 12 year old schoolgirl Alice Johnson went missing while doing her paper round her bag found discarded on the pavement At 08 00 she was spotted standing in heavy rain at the side of the busy by pass At 11 00 she was seen talking to the driver of a black car in Tonbridge After that nothing Alice was never found Nine years later the body of another schoolgirl Joleen Price is pulled from a nearby lake and a local man named Vince Burns detained Convinced that Burns is guilty in both cases SIO Dave Armstrong calls in the Finder to investigate the earlier disappearance Interviewing those who thought they knew her the Finder gradually reveals a hidden Alice a girl of surprising contradictions Seeking answers from her divorced parents an over protective mother a negligent father the Finder is forced to consider violently opposing narratives Was the timid 12 year old

Mason has been mainlining Simenon for a while and it shows Mick Herron The very definition of unputdownable David Peace It s like the provincial British version of Maigret Clare Chambers Bournemouth 2008 the height of the financial crash Don Bayliss a timid and well mannered accountant vanishes after leaving his office before a scheduled meeting His wife is both perplexed and distraught His clothes are found discarded at the mouth of Poole Harbour After seven years of searching with no firm leads the investigation is closed and Don is presumed dead Until sorting through his possessions his wife finds a garish business card of one Dwight Fricker and decides it must be of some importance Now more than eight years after his disappearance Dorset Police call in the Finder and the cold case is reopened The Finder begins with the last sightings of Don on the day he went missing hearing how he seemed in a hurry somewhat distracted He unearths a string of overlooked clues that lead him to face the unlikely friendships that Don had made the somewhat overbearing nature of Mrs Bayliss the secrets that haunted him in his home life and the mistakes that led to him being investigated at work The Case of the Lonely Accountant is a dark and rich mystery

An extraordinary true adventure story - how the bandits daughter Mu Guiying became a great general in Ancient ChinaANCIENT CHINA, ONE THOUSAND YEARS AGO.It began with a duel. When General Yang wanted to get rid of a troublesome bandit, he sent his fiercest warrior: his son, Captain Zongbao. But on his way through the forest to find the outlaw, Zongbao unexpectedly encountered the bandits teenage daughter, Mu Guiying, who challenged him to unarmed combat.And she was better.The fight launched Mu Guiyings astonishing journet from fearless outcast to the great defender of her country, as she masterminded the Chinese defence against the invading horsemen from the north.Simon Mason has written numerous books for younger readers, including The Quigleys, Moon Pie, and the YA crime thriller series featuring Garvie Smith: Running Girl, Kid Got Shot and Hey, Sherlock! He has always been fascinated by history, particularly by stories from around the world.

Its exam season - but Five Mile is in shock. A teenage boy was shot last night, with no clear motive and no clues.Garvie Smith - reprobate, genius and waster - was just getting down to a spot of revision. But he knows hes the only one who has any idea where to look for the answers. Starting with his best friends girlfriend.Exams. What exams?

READERS ARE LOVING THE FINDER MYSTERIESFantastic! Best book I have read in months. Real detective work, no gimmicks, no hi-tech, just good people skills. Loved it. Couldnt put it down Unusual, gentle, compelling A remarkable story! A novel, not jut crime book The people I work with call me Finder. Im a specialist, a finder of missing people.This eBook omnibus of Finder mysteries from Simon Mason weaves three distinctly compelling tales. Spanning the suburbias of Kent, civic centres of Bournemouth and underworlds of Sheffield, the novellas comprise of characters long missing from their original lives, and follows the Finder as he seeks them out.In Missing Person: Alice, a 12-year-old schoolgirl goes missing while doing her paper round. Nine years later, the Finder is forced to consider violently opposing narratives of the girl: was the timid 12-year-old a victim of a predator, or was she carrying out a plan of her own?InThe Case of the Lonely Accountant, well-mannered accountant Don Bayliss disappears during the height of the financial crash. When the Finder searches for him seven years later, he discovers the secrets that haunted him in his home life, the mistakes that led to him being investigated at work, and through it all, the unlikely friendship he made.InThe Woman Who Laughed, there is a spate of murders of Black sex workers in northern cities, one of whom is Ella Bailey. When, five years after her death Ella is seen in Sheffield, the Finder begins a search that takes him back to Ellas past - reckoning with her wayward friends, abusive boyfriend and foster parents who are still reeling from the loss.Excellently lean and tense crime novel with a touch of the nouveau roman about it Ian RankinMason has been mainlining Simenon for a while, and it shows Mick HerronThe very definition of unputdownable David PeaceIts like the provincial British version of Maigret Clare Chambers

**CANT GET ENOUGH OF RYAN AND RAY? BUY THE LATEST BOOK, THE DANGEROUS STRANGER, NOW**SHORTLISTED FOR THE CWA GOLD DAGGER 2023[A] terrific crime novel Mick HerronAs great a contribution to the noble British genre of detective fiction as any writer for decades Stephen FryRyan Wilkins grew up on a trailer park, a member of what many people would call the criminal classes. As a young Detective Inspector, hes lost none of his disgust with privileged elites - or his objectionable manners. But he notices things; they stick to his eyes. His professional partner, DI Ray Wilkins, of affluent Nigerian-London heritage, is an impeccably groomed, smooth-talking graduate of Balliol College, Oxford. You wouldnt think they would get on. They dont. But when a young woman is found strangled at Barnabas Hall, theyre forced to. Rich Oxford is not Ryans natural habitat. St Barnabass irascible Provost does not appreciate his forceful line of questioning. But what was the dead woman doing in the Provosts study? Is it just a coincidence that on the night of her murder the college was entertaining Sheik al-Medina, a Gulf state ruler linked to human-rights abuses in his own country and acts of atrocity in others? As tensions rise, things arent going well. Ray is in despair. Ryan is in disciplinary measures. But their investigation gradually disentangles the links between a Syrian refugee lawyer now working in the college kitchens, a priceless copy of the Koran in the college collection and the identity of the dead woman. A Killing in November introduces an unlikely duo from different sides of the tracks in Oxford in a deftly plotted murder story full of dangerous turns, troubled pasts and unconventional detective work.What readers are saying about the DI RYAN WILKINS MYSTERIES5* Original and very entertaining5* I couldnt put this book down5* Excellent - kept me hooked until the last page5* A terrific new series

**CANT GET ENOUGH OF RYAN AND RAY? BUY THE LATEST BOOK, THE DANGEROUS STRANGER, NOW**DEEP DECEPTION. TWISTED FATE.Move over morse Val McDermid A superb seriesSunday TimesThames Valley has a new Superintendent - DCS Wainwright - young, charismatic and ruthless, charged with pushing through big reforms. Her in-tray is full of problems - and at the top of the pile is the problem of Wilkins and Wilkins.Trailer park boy DI Ryan Wilkins, interesting looking in baggy trackies and over-large lime-green puffa. In his personnel file is a handwritten note scribbled by the outgoing Super: Do not, repeat not, give him responsibility. And posh boy DI Ray Wilkins, improbably handsome in navy blazer and tan chinos: Thinks too highly of himself. More experience needed at the wet end. Their previous investigations - though somehow successful - were models of disorder and dysfunction. The new Super needs to take action.Theres been a shocking murder in the heart of Oxford, the stabbing of a security guard during an attempted armed robbery. Meanwhile, an elderly professor of linguistics goes missing from his home in cosy Iffley Village.The high-profile murder investigation can be safely handled by reliable detective DI Hare. The entry-level enquiry into the wandering academic can be given to the problem duo, with instructions to keep it simple. But when the body of the professor is found, still dressed in his pyjamas and dripping wet, spreadeagled on a hotel lawn miles from home, things get a little unexpected for the Wilkinses. Will Ray keep on top of the brief? Will Ryan keep it together?PRAISE FOR SIMON MASON Terrific Mick HerronThis moody, atmospheric novel is full of surprisesSunday Times (Crime Book of the Month)[W]ell plotted and very funnySunThis has a TV series written all over itDaily Mail

**CANT GET ENOUGH OF RYAN AND RAY? BUY THE LATEST BOOK, THE DANGEROUS STRANGER, NOW**Simon Mason has created crime fictions most entertaining double act in decades Mick HerronAs great a contribution to the noble British genre of detective fiction as any writer for decadesStephen FryOxford. A city of lost things - and buried crimes. At three oclock in the morning, Emergency Services receives a call. This is Zara Fanshawe. Always lost and never found. An hour later, the wayward celebritys Rolls Royce Phantom is found abandoned in dingy Becket Street. The paparazzi go wild. For some reason, news of Zaras disappearance prompts homeless woman Lena Wojcik to search the camps, nervously, for the bad-tempered vagrant known as Waitrose, a familiar sight in Oxford pushing his trolley of possessions. But hes nowhere to be found either. Who will lead the investigation and cope with the media frenzy? Suave, prize-winning, Oxford-educated DI Ray Wilkins is passed over in favour of his partner, gobby, trailer-park educated DI Ryan Wilkins (no relation). You wouldnt think Ray would be happy. He isnt. You wouldnt think Ryan would be any good at national press presentations. He isnt. And when legendary cop Chester Lynch takes a shine to Ray - and takes against Ryan - things are only going to get even messier.What readers are saying about Lost and Never Found 5* An engaging detective double act5* Best in the series so far5* Set in present day Oxford, it is Morse times two

**CANT GET ENOUGH OF RYAN AND RAY? GET THE LATEST BOOK, THE DANGEROUS STRANGER, NOW**Move over Morse. Simon Mason Oxford crime novel breathes fresh life into the police procedural Val McDermidAs great a contribution to the noble British genre of detective fiction as any writer for decades Stephen FryA DI RYAN WILKINS MYSTERYA SHOCKING DISAPPEARANCEA four-year-old girl goes missing in plain sight outside her nursery in Oxford, a middle-class, affluent area,her mother only a stones-throw away.A TRIGGERING RESPONSERyan Wilkins, one of the youngest ever Detective Inspectors in the Thames Valley force, dishonourably discharged three months ago, watches his former partner DI Ray Wilkins deliver a press conference, confirming a lead.A DARK WEBRay begins to delve deeper, unearthing an underground network of criminal forces in the local area. But while Rays investigation stalls Ryan brings his unique talents to unofficial and quite illegal inquiries which will bring him into a confrontation with the very officials who have thrown him out of the force.Praise for the DI Ryan Wilkins MysteriesMason has reformulated Inspector Morse for the 2020sThe TimesStart now and avoid the rushGuardian