A rich, labyrinthine tale of love, literature, passion, and revenge, the novel returns to the world of the Cemetery of Forgotten Books and the Sempere & Sons bookshop. It begins just before Christmas in Barcelona in 1957, one year after Daniel and Bea from the author's bestselling 'The Shadow of the Wind' have married. They now have a son Julian and are living with Daniel's father at the bookshop. Their partner in crime Fermín has been busy preparing for his wedding to Bernarda in the new year. However, something appears to be bothering him. Just when it seems as if luck is finally smiling on them, a mysterious figure with a pronounced limp enters the shop. He insists on buying the most expensive volume on display, a beautifully illustrated edition of 'The Count of Monte Christo', and then proceeds to inscribe the book with the words 'To Fermín Romero de Torres, who came back from the dead and who holds the key to the future'. This visit leads back to a story of imprisonment, betrayal and return of a deadly rival. Who is this man and what does he want of Fermín? The answer lies in a terrible secret that has lain hidden for two decades, an epic tale of imprisonment, betrayal, murder and love that leads back into the very heart of the Cemetery of Forgotten Books. A wonderfully atmospheric historical mystery, this is a book about books for bibliophiles. 286pp in paperback with reading group notes. Illus.

For Michael and Nancy, the carefree days of innocence were drawing to an end, bringing the hardest test of their love for each other. He was the handsome heir to the mighty Hillyard business empire. She was just 21, beautiful and an orphan from nowhere. One fateful day after graduation, they sealed a bond for years to come - a vow of love that would have to prove itself in the face of terrible tragedy, doubt and despair. First published way back in 1978, it was made into a film in 1979 and is still regarded as one of this super bestselling novelists' finest books. These are easy reads and very hard to put down. 264pp, paperback.

Described as 'the perfect pick-me-ups for grey days', the Bath-based, Nottingham-born author has now written 18 novels. This one is a bittersweet, big-hearted take on family dynamics, grief and how to make happiness a priority. When faced with the sudden death of his brother, Dan's mission is clear. He puts together a project to help pick up the pieces and support his grieving sister-in-law Zoe, and her young children. This is Dan's promise - to ensure his family's happiness, and to try and live up to the man his brother was, but tying up loose ends brings a shocking secret to light and calls into question everything Dan knew about his older brother. With more than just his promise on the line, Dan is faced with an ultimatum - should he tell the truth and risk his family's fragile happiness, or will his brother's secrets end up becoming his own? When things fall apart, love can hold us together... 'When Patrick Sheppard dies suddenly, his brother Dan tries to help out by creating a spreadsheet and awarding himself points for spending time with his nieces and nephews, helping out with his brother's property developing business and spending time with his parents. When sorting out the business accounts Dan finds out a secret which will change everything...' - online review. 466pp, paperback.

In the turbulent days of Germany in the 1930s, Kassandra von Gotthard met the man who would change her life, Dolff Sterne. She was the beautiful wife of a wealthy Berlin banker. He was a famous Jewish writer. Together they shared a love that happens only once in a lifetime, but theirs was a love fated to end in tragedy. The terrible day came when Dolff was wrenched from her arms by Nazi soldiers, leaving her heartbroken and humiliated. Kassandra decided that her life was no longer worth living. All that she leaves for her descendents is her memory of pain and a diamond signet ring, a ring that will carry the destiny of the von Gotthards to new lives and new loves. First published in 1980 and regarded as one of her finest books, now happily reprinted, this novel has also been made into a film. 409pp, paperback.

Pop Larkin, junk-dealer, family man and Dragon's Blood connoisseur, manages to sell a nearby crumbling country home to city dwellers Mr and Mrs Jerebohm for a pretty bundle of notes. Now he can build his daughter Mariette the pool she has long been nagging him for. But the Larkins' new neighbours aren't quite so accepting of country ways, especially Pop's little eccentricities. In fact, it's not long before an accident in a wobbly boat becomes an incident, and Pop finds himself up before a magistrate. 'Pop is as sexy, genial, generous, and boozy as ever. Ma is a worthy match for him in all these qualities.' - The Times. 121 page Penguin paperback.

Brought up in a suffocating, emotionless home in the north of England, Clara finds freedom when she wins a scholarship and moves to London. There she meets Clelia and the rest of the brilliant and charming Denham family. They dazzle Clara with their gift for life, and she longs to be part of their bohemian world, but while she will do anything to join their circle, she gives no thought to the chaos that she might cause. Choosing languages at London University rather than science, young Clara has a romantic dalliance in Paris. 244pp, paperback.

Simon Camish is an unhappily married successful barrister who meets Rose Vassiliou at a dinner party given by friends in their London home. Rose has been made a ward of court by her wealthy parents in order to prevent her from marrying Christopher Vassiliou, a young Greek whose parents are considered unsuitable and who is only interested in Rose for her money. Now separated from her Greek husband, Rose lives alone with her three children and despite all the efforts and sneers of her friends, she refuses to move from her crumbling house in a decaying neighbourhood to which she has become attached. Simon becomes attracted to this woman of remarkable integrity and courage and unexpectedly meets Christopher Vassiliou at a drinks party and they fall into conversation. Simon starts to doubt whether Rose is being entirely honest with him. The novel explores the themes of identity, idealism, ambition, responsibility and personal morality in late 1960s London. 482pp, paperback.

It is 1979 and three old Cambridge friends are brought together at a party to celebrate New Year's Eve and the end of a decade. Esther, Liz and Alix first met in Cambridge in the early Fifties, a time when their futures held glittering promise, but with the dawn of the Thatcher era, everything changed. Now middle-aged, how will these confident women cope with the personal and professional challenges they will come to face? With Drabble's trademark vivid descriptions, subtle asides and sly comments, we enter a world of the wealthy, the successful in the media, academia, politics and medicine in the late 70s and early 80s. 504pp, paperback.

A gripping story of sibling rivalry. Louise, beautiful and sophisticated, marries wealthy novelist Stephen Halifax. Sarah, recently graduated from Oxford, is thrown back into family matters. Louise's life becomes one of parties, gossip columns and glamour. Sarah, now living in London, begins to discover a newfound freedom, only glimpsing her sister's fashionable life, but as rumours of infidelity in Louise's marriage surface, Sarah finds that her sister, beneath her cool exterior, may not be the woman she thought she was. One wonders if Margaret Drabble bases any of this on herself, since she is the younger sister of the novelist A. S. Byatt. First published in 1963, another well written contemporary picture of young women's lives. 213pp, paperback.

Set consists of The Needle's Eye, Radiant Way, Jerusalem the Golden, Summer Bird-Cage, Peppered Moth and Millstone. Buy all six paperbacks and save even more.