If you liked Perfume by Patrick Süskind, then you'll love The Secrets of the Chess Machine. Löhr's magical novel of murder and intrigue in the age of enlightenment will grip you from the very first page

Solid, briskly paced historical fiction

A wonderful romp…full of intrigue, betrayal, violence, chases, sexual tensions and unexpected encounters

Jean Plaidy conveys the texture of various patches of the past with such rich complexity

Jean Plaidy's books are a celebration of women's spirit throughout history

It is hard to better Jean Plaidy when she's in form... both elegant and exciting as she steers a stylish path through the feuding Plantagenets

In The Lizard Cage, Connelly peels away much of the political rhetoric and gives us the human story, which is both fragile and resilient.

Connelly is fluid and well-paced, and her fictive prison world, set in the actual political hellhole that is present-day Burma, is as affecting as any UN statistical report about the conditions of life in that ruined country.

Much more fun than the reader has any right to expect

It's as fresh as if it were written this morning and as classic as Jane Austen. I'm very happy to have met it

A good story, flourishing characters, and the most persuasive narrative voice

A classic tale of the triumph of youthful naivety over middle-aged cynicism

Classic coming of age novel