Featuring a wealth of unpublished material, Andrew Wilson’s biography of Marilyn Monroe presents the actress in a startling new light.  

Born Norma Jeane Mortenson, she had an uncertain and unforgiving upbringing. She grew up in Los Angeles and would dream about Hollywood, believing that acting would be her one-way ticket to happiness. Her dream was so powerful that she transformed herself into the ultimate goddess of the silver screen, and her image has been branded into the collective consciousness. Men lusted after her, and women wanted to be her. All her life, she just wanted to be loved.  

Told through 100 captivating snapshots, we are thrown into the  glamorous but dangerous world  of old Hollywood. We see a young Marilyn navigating  the highs and lows of the studio system  as she attempts to free herself from the constraints of Twentieth Century-Fox.  We also go behind the scenes of her marriages to teenage sweetheart Jim Dougherty, baseball star Joe DiMaggio and famous playwright Arthur Miller. We hear the voices of friends, lovers – and enemies.  

We hear of the friendships she formed with poets, philosophers, playwrights and political activists, and the years spent training with Lee Strasberg at the  Actors Studio.

In the concluding chapters, Andrew Wilson unpicks what happened on the night  Marilyn died after a suspected drug overdose. Were the Kennedys involved, or was she just let down by those closest to her?  

I Wanna Be Loved By You is a revealing and nuanced portrait of the life, death and afterlife of an icon who still fascinates us today.  

Concentrating on the complex relation between Ukraine and Russia, the book begins with the myth of common origin in the early medieval era, then looks closely at the Ukrainian experience under the tsars and Soviets, the experience of minorities in the country, and the path to independence in 1991. Wilson also considers the history of Ukraine since 1991 and the continuing disputes over identity, culture, and religion. He examines the economic collapse under the first president, Leonid Kravchuk, and the attempts at recovery under his successor, Leonid Kuchma. Wilson explores the conflicts in Ukrainian society between the country’s Eurasian roots and its Western aspirations, as well as the significance of the presidential election of November 1999.

An astonishingly beautiful setting on the island of Skye.

A tantalising new case for Agatha Christie to solve.

Praise for Andrew Wilson and his detective series featuring Agatha Christie:

‘I loved it. I loved the setting and the plot was SO clever. I stopped trying to outguess Andrew Wilson and just enjoyed the ride.’  – ELLY GRIFFITHS  

‘Fiendishly well-plotted, hugely entertaining  -  one feels Agatha Christie would have been delighted‘  -  LUCY FOLEY, bestselling author of  The Hunting Party

‘A heart of darkness beats within this sparkling series. Fizzy with charm yet edge with menace, Andrew Wilson’s Christie novels do Dame Agatha proud’  A. J. FINN, bestselling author of  The Woman in the Window

‘Beautifully written. Both lyrical and compelling. I felt as though I was walking by Agatha Christie’s side’  JANE CORRY

‘An  affectionate homage to Agatha Christie’s desert dramas  with a cheeky nod to Paul Bowles’  The Sheltering Sky.    A superior blend of fact and fiction . . . A must for connoisseurs of Golden Age crime fiction’    SEAN O’CONNOR

‘There is no reason why this excellent series shouldn’t run till the sun don’t shine‘  EVENING STANDARD

‘While Wilson tempts providence by inviting comparison with the real Agatha Christie, on the evidence of this book he succeeds admirably’  DAILY MAIL

‘He shares with the great Dame the gift of sheer readability’  S MAGAZINE

‘Five stars . . . Brilliantly plotted, stylishly written. A treat!’  AMANDA CRAIG

I’m Mrs Christie. I think you are expecting me?

Baghdad, 1928. Agatha leaves England for the far-flung destination, determined to investigate an unresolved mystery: two year ago, the explorer and the writer Gertrude Bell died there from a drugs overdose. At the time, the authorities believed that Bell had taken her own life, but a letter now unearthed reveals she was afraid someone wants to kill her…

In her letter, Bell suggests that if she were to die the best place to look for her murderer would be Ur, the archaeological site in ancient Mesopotamia famous for its Great Death Pit.

But as Agatha stealthily begins to look into the death of Gertrude Bell, she soon discovers the mission is not without its risks. And she has to use all her skills to try and outwit a killer who is determined to stay hidden among the desert sands…

‘A heart of darkness beats within this sparkling series. Fizzy with charm yet edge with menace, Andrew Wilson’s Christie novels do Dame Agatha proud’ A. J. FINN, bestselling author of The Woman in the Window

‘Beautifully written. Both lyrical and compelling. I felt as though I was walking by Agatha Christie’s side’ JANE CORRY

‘An  affectionate homage to Agatha Christie’s desert dramas  with a cheeky nod to Paul Bowles’  The Sheltering Sky.  A superior blend of fact and fiction, it’s a hugely entertaining riot of red herrings, poisonous plots and boiling passions under the white hot desert sun. A must for connoisseurs of Golden Age crime fiction’    SEAN O’CONNOR

‘There is no reason why this excellent series shouldn’t run till the sun don’t shine’ EVENING STANDARD

‘While Wilson tempts providence by inviting comparison with the real Agatha Christie, on the evidence of this book he succeeds admirably’  DAILY MAIL

‘He shares with the great Dame the gift of sheer readability’  S MAGAZINE

‘Five stars . . . Brilliantly plotted, stylishly written. A treat!’ AMANDA CRAIG

‘Do you have a secret side, Mrs Christie?’

In January 1927,  Agatha Christie  is on an ocean liner bound for the Canary Islands.  She has been sent there by the British Secret Intelligence Service to investigate the death of an agent, whose partly mummified body has been found in a cave.

Early one morning, Agatha witnesses a woman fall from the ship into the sea. At first, nobody connects the murder of the young man on Tenerife with the suicide of a mentally unstable heiress. Yet, soon after she checks into the glamorous Taoro Hotel, Agatha uncovers a series of dark secrets . . .

‘The queen of crime is the central character in this audacious mystery, which reinvents the story of her mysterious disappearance with thrilling results’  GUARDIAN

‘Set on a luxury ocean liner and in an opulent hotel, this clever whodunit is a fitting tribute to Christie’ –THE LADY

 ‘A brilliant idea to turn a “lady novelist” into a sleuth . . . a fascinating blend of biography, intrigue and melodrama’ EVENING STANDARD
 
What readers are saying about  Andrew Wilson’s books:  

‘Wilson not only knows his subject but he deftly moves the tale away from mere literary ventriloquism and into darker territory. Great fun, too’  Observer

‘A crafty whodunit worthy of the queen of mystery herself . . . . Wilson does a superior job of balancing surprising plot developments with a sensitive portrayal of his lead’s inner life’  Publishers Weekly

‘The initial premise of the story is pure genius, and when the reader realises by the end of chapter one whose head they are inside, goose bumps are guaranteed to occur’  Greg, Goodreads, 4 stars

‘A darkly twisting tale of murder and manipulation’ Erin Britton, NetGalley, 4 stars

Agatha Christie, in London to visit her literary agent, boards a train, preoccupied and flustered in the knowledge that her husband Archie is having an affair. She feels a light touch on her back, causing her to lose her balance, then a sense of someone pulling her to safety from the rush of the incoming train. So begins a terrifying sequence of events. Her rescuer is no guardian angel; rather, he is a blackmailer of the most insidious, manipulative kind. Agatha must use every ounce of her cleverness and resourcefulness to thwart an adversary determined to exploit her genius for murder to kill on his behalf.

 ‘Wilson not only knows his subject but he deftly moves the tale away from mere literary ventriloquism and into darker territory. Great fun, too’ Observer
 
‘The queen of crime is the central character in this audacious mystery, which reinvents the story of her mysterious disappearance with thrilling results’ Guardian

‘A thoroughly clever entertainment and a fitting homage to the great author, but it has a chilling melancholy all its own’ The Tablet

What readers are saying about A Talent for Murder:

 ‘The initial premise of the story is pure genius, and when the reader realises by the end of chapter one whose head they are inside, goose bumps are guaranteed to occur’  Greg, Goodreads, 4 stars
 
‘A darkly twisting tale of murder and manipulation’ Erin Britton, NetGalley, 4 stars
 
‘This is a must-read for crime fiction fans, and Agatha Christie fans especially who will discover a new side to the Queen of Crime herself!’ Vincent, Goodreads, 5 stars
 
‘I enjoy Agatha Christie and this book did not disappoint. I devoured this book in two days’ Annie, Goodreads, 4 stars
 
‘Great mystery and action novel featuring Agatha Christie as you’ve never seen her before. Part biography/part thrill ride this is one novel I didn’t want to end’ Nikkia Neil, NetGalley, 5 stars
 
‘An intriguing homage that stirs the imagination of the amateur sleuth in all of us ? A Talent for Murder  is one novel that definitely deserves attention and praise’ Elspeth G. Perkin, Goodreads, 4 stars
 
‘This was a really good read especially for fans of Agatha Christie and even those who have never read her books’ Teresa, Goodreads, 4 stars
 
‘So, so enjoyable! Great for book club discussion due to the “real” mystery behind it’ Kaylee Mitchell, Goodreads, 5 stars
 
‘A fun read for Christie fans’Roman Clodia, NetGalley, 4 stars

‘I’ll admit to being totally drawn along by this novel; I couldn’t wait to keep reading and find out how it would all turn out.   I really would recommend this book as an interesting account of Christie’s missing eleven days; you will be entertained’ Kate Baty, 4 stars, NetGalley
 
‘An exciting novel, a must for all Christie fans! Did you see what was happening? Did you spot the red herrings? The obvious clues. No? I didn’t and that is probably what makes this a very clever novel’ Joanne D’arcy, NetGalley, 5 stars
 
‘A very enjoyable read, in the tradition of Christie herself, well researched and inventive ? plenty of unexpected plot twists to keep you on your toes. What fun!’ Lisa Friel, NetGalley, 4 stars
 
‘Unusual and entertaining’ Tina Stringer, NetGalley 4 stars
‘Entertaining, feasible plotting and an authentic narrative make this a highly enjoyable read’ J Graham, NetGalley, 4 stars