NAME: Lynch, Andrew (b. 16.10.1958); a.k.a. ‘Mr Bolsover’ CAREER: civil servant, librarian, columnist, local councillor, revolutionary RECREATIONS: shooting squirrels, skinning rabbits, cooking with rats ADDRESS: present whereabouts unknown; last sighted in South Downs woodland close to the A275 PROFESSIONAL INTERESTS: cataloguing systems, hermits, badger welfare, troglodytes, revolutionary politics But a Who’s Who entry can reveal only so much. Like all the great political lives – Churchill, Disraeli, Gladstone, Genghis Khan – Bolsover’s is one of incident, drama and passion. From the calm of Uckfield library to the demands of high office, a life on the run and a final confrontation with the authorities, The Making of Mr Bolsover is a moving, epic tale of a modern misfit and a political biography like no other.

An author whose debut novel, The Navigation Log, garnered him comparisons with Waugh and Maugham, Martin Corrick now returns with a story even more dazzling. By Chance is both suspenseful and thought-provoking, a philosophical tale that is rivetingly readable. “The events that resulted in Bolsover’s presence at the Alpha Hotel are closely related to his memories of his wife.” James Watson Bolsover is an apparently normal middle-aged man, a shy yet soulful engineer turned technical writer who for many years shared a passionate marriage with his lovely wife, Katherine. Bolsover’s wife and his deep interest in his work made his life perfect, but then–by chance, misfortune, bad luck–he lost Katherine and, with her, his innocence. Now he travels by sea to a remote island and checks into what seems to be an ordinary hotel; in this safe haven he hopes to understand the past and start afresh. But we quickly discover that all of the hotel’s occupants, like Bolsover himself, have uncertain histories: All of them are “someone else,” seeking to leave their former lives behind. As Bolsover grows accustomed to his new surroundings–and close to a new woman–the truth of his life trickles out like blood from a wound. He is not quite the simple fellow he seems, but a man who has carefully shielded his own history not only from others but also from himself. Culpability, identity, morality, and luck–all these play a part in a story that echoes our own lives. Writing in terse, elegant, and irresistible prose, Martin Corrick proves himself a new British master. By Chance is an unforgettable novel that combines intelligence with emotion, and lingers in the mind. Praise for Martin Corrick’s The Navigation Log: “Deeply moving . . . This remarkable first novel owes the maturity of its tone . . . to an elegiac vision that reaches beyond death to [a] powerful network of connections that encircle the present and the past.” –The New York Times Book Review “The main delight of this book is its loving re-creation of time and place. Corrick has an uncanny ability to enter into the life of the thirties and to draw out details that reveal both the sweetness and the blandness of country life.” –Baltimore Sun “The Navigation Log flies like an arrow, swift and true. You may weep, but you will also thrill.” –James Salter, author of Last Night “Corrick’s ear for dialogue . . . adds humour and pace to the account of parallel lives in the realms of earth and sky.” –The Times Literary Supplement “Carefully crafted in the manner of Waugh and Maugham . . . rich with period ambience and dry wit.” –Publishers Weekly

A set of perfectly puzzling British whodunits featuring Detective Inspector Sloan—from a CWA Diamond Dagger winner and “most ingenious” author (The New Yorker). Over the course of twenty-four crime novels set in the fictional County of Calleshire, England, and featuring the sleuthing team of shrewd Detective Inspector C. D. Sloan and his less-than-shrewd sidekick, Detective Constable William Crosby, award-winning author Catherine Aird maintained the perfect balance between cozy village mystery and police procedural. These three entertaining crime novels offer “the very best in British mystery” (The New Yorker). Last Respects: A local fisherman finds a body in the river—but the coroner’s report reveals the victim didn’t die from drowning. Now Calleshire’s most successful pair of puzzle-solving policemen must plumb the depths of this mystery and haul in a murderer. Harm’s Way: When a crow drops a severed human finger, Sloan begins the search for the body that goes with it—and the list of people who have gone missing from Great Rooden’s farming country is lengthy. With Constable Crosby lending a hand, it’s up to Sloan to point the finger at the culprit. A Dead Liberty: A crime of passion, a poisoned meal, and a jealous woman who would kill before she would be spurned—it might all fit if only the accused would talk. But Lucy Durmast refuses to utter a single word. With Lucy’s lips sealed, Sloan has no choice but to listen to his intuition.

Contains cases reported in the issues of The Estate gazette.