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	<title>Narrative theme: Sense of place &#8211; The Bell Bookshop</title>
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	<description>Henley-on-Thames</description>
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	<title>Narrative theme: Sense of place &#8211; The Bell Bookshop</title>
	<link>https://www.bellbookshop.co.uk</link>
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		<title>The First Act of Summer</title>
		<link>https://www.bellbookshop.co.uk/product/the-first-act-of-summer/</link>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Emma]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Thu, 18 Jun 2026 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate>
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					<description><![CDATA[<h2>From the Costa-shortlisted, beloved author of<em> All My Mothers</em>, Joanna Glen</h2><h2>Is it ever too late to figure out who you were meant to be?</h2>]]></description>
										<content:encoded><![CDATA[<h2>From the Costa-shortlisted, beloved author of<em> All My Mothers</em>, Joanna Glen</h2>
<h2>Is it ever too late to figure out who you were meant to be?</h2>
<p>As children, Hester and Elias were inseparable. Every year, their families would spend the summer together at their beach huts on a wild and windswept sandbank, where the two of them never left each other&#8217;s side.</p>
<p>But childhood friendships can stretch and warp as you grow up, and in the summer of 1976, the year they turned 14, Hester did a terrible thing that would shatter both of their lives.</p>
<p>For her 60th birthday, Hester goes back to her family&#8217;s beach hut to hide from the husband she wants to leave and the daughters she&#8217;s never fully understood. It is here that she finally faces up to what she did that fateful summer, wondering whether it&#8217;s ever too late to become the person you were meant to be. And if there&#8217;s still a chance of finding Elias again&hellip;</p>
<p><strong>From the Costa-shortlisted author of <em>The Other Half of Augusta Hope</em>, <em>All My Mothers</em> and <em>Maybe, Perhaps, Possibly</em>, this is a raw and sweeping novel about the power of a dark secret, the resilience of love and the possibility of redemption.</strong></p>
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		<title>The Lost Chateau</title>
		<link>https://www.bellbookshop.co.uk/product/the-lost-chateau/</link>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Emma]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Thu, 04 Jun 2026 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate>
				<guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.bellbookshop.co.uk/?post_type=product&#038;p=54925</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[<h2>A secret lies behind every door&#8230;</h2>]]></description>
										<content:encoded><![CDATA[<h2>A secret lies behind every door&hellip;</h2>
<p>The Dordogne, 1936</p>
<p>Amid tangled gardens and crumbling walls, Chateau Rousseau guards its secrets well.</p>
<p>Pushing open its faded door, Thirza Caruthers arrives to care for her great-aunt. She&#39;s made a promise &#8211; unaware of what awaits.</p>
<p>As the skies darken above Europe, the chateau begins to reveal its secrets: stories of forbidden love, devastating betrayal, and a child who vanished years ago.</p>
<p>But in uncovering the truth, Thirza may lose herself forever.</p>
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		<title>The Book Game</title>
		<link>https://www.bellbookshop.co.uk/product/the-book-game-2/</link>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Emma]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Thu, 04 Jun 2026 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate>
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					<description><![CDATA[<p>'A wonderfully clever and howlingly funny thriller' <strong><em>The Spectator</em></strong></p><p>&#39;Glitters with secret agendas, hidden lies and sun-soaked desires&#39; <strong>Emma Stonex</strong></p><p>&#39;Whip-smart and made me laugh out loud. Magnificent&#39; <strong>Joanna Cannon</strong></p><p>&#39;Thorny and sexy&#39; <strong>Beth Morrey</strong></p><p>&#39;Pulsing with heat and intrigue&#39; <strong>Marianne Levy</strong></p>]]></description>
										<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>&#8216;A wonderfully clever and howlingly funny thriller&#8217; <strong><em>The Spectator</em></strong></p>
<p>&#39;Glitters with secret agendas, hidden lies and sun-soaked desires&#39; <strong>Emma Stonex</strong></p>
<p>&#39;Whip-smart and made me laugh out loud. Magnificent&#39; <strong>Joanna Cannon</strong></p>
<p>&#39;Thorny and sexy&#39; <strong>Beth Morrey</strong></p>
<p>&#39;Pulsing with heat and intrigue&#39; <strong>Marianne Levy</strong></p>
<p><strong>What if your perfect life was a charade?</strong></p>
<p>It is August, and eight old friends have gathered at a country house for a writers&#39; retreat. By day, there is reading beside the pool or writing in the shady corners of the estate. In the evenings &#8211; drinks, dinner outdoors, games, midnight swimming.</p>
<p>But as temperatures rise in the stifling last days of summer, tensions do too. Old jealousies, new temptations and bitter rivalries bubble to the surface. By the end of the week, friendships &#8211; and lives &#8211; will have changed forever.</p>
<p>Astute, witty and page-turning, The Book Game is a novel about ambition, competition, regret and desire; about paths not taken and last chances suddenly seized; about the games people play. It asks what it means, in all senses, to be in the middle of life.</p>
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		<title>Meet Me at Sunset</title>
		<link>https://www.bellbookshop.co.uk/product/meet-me-at-sunset/</link>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Emma]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Thu, 21 May 2026 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate>
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					<description><![CDATA[<h2>The brand-new, sizzling novel from the bestselling author and <em>Sunday Times</em> bestseller</h2>]]></description>
										<content:encoded><![CDATA[<h2>The brand-new, sizzling novel from the bestselling author and <em>Sunday Times</em> bestseller</h2>
<h2><strong><em>Lies, seduction and secrets await under a Spanish sun&hellip;</em></strong></h2>
<p>When Camille Fontaine arrives in sun-drenched Majorca, she&#39;s running from a shattered love affair. But even amongst the palm trees and golden sands, she can&#39;t forget her past.</p>
<p>Surrounded by the glamorous and the guilty, Camille discovers she isn&#39;t the only one with secrets to hide. As the sun sets on their island paradise, can Camille and her fellow sunseekers escape their pasts and find happiness &#8211; or will their secrets destroy everything?</p>
<p><strong>&#8216;Glorious escapism!&#8217; SANTA MONTEFIORE</strong></p>
<p>&#39;Utterly engaging, <strong>deliciously escapist</strong>&#39; <strong>CATHY KELLY</strong></p>
<p><strong>&#39;Wonderfully escapist &#8211; marvellous&#39; ANTON DU BEKE</strong></p>
<p>___________________________________</p>
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		<title>Sister Europe</title>
		<link>https://www.bellbookshop.co.uk/product/sister-europe-2/</link>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Emma]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Thu, 30 Apr 2026 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate>
				<guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.bellbookshop.co.uk/?post_type=product&#038;p=55293</guid>

					<description><![CDATA['Sister Europe' tells the story of one wild night in Berlin as a ragtag group meet at the Hotel Interconti to celebrate an elderly author's venerable career (all under the resolute assurance that their wealthy host will provide a free and fancy dinner). Inevitably, boredom, hunger and horniness set in, and the gang - a young trans teen and her father; an ageing publisher and his flakey date; a dog, a troubled heiress and an Arabic Prince - are flung out on an exhilarating odyssey through the city's shadow and light. Sophisticated, sexy and exquisitely moving, it is a vivid tale of a scene all at sea, and a continent whorled with charm, caprice and the aches of history.]]></description>
										<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><b>&#39;<i>Sister Europe</i> is so ambitious and ethically interested that it makes it clear that Zink is one of our most important contemporary writers.&#39; </b><i>Guardian</i></p>
<p>As a Berlin night draws in around the pristine glass exterior of the Hotel Interconti, a ragtag group of friends, family, and potential lovers find themselves frustrated. By promise or threat, they have all gathered at a lavish celebration of an elderly author&#8217;s venerable career. But dinner is delayed, the speeches are a drag and the gang &#8211; a young trans teen and her father; an ageing publisher and his flakey date; a dog, a troubled heiress and an Arab Prince &#8211; begin to feel the pinch of boredom, hunger and horniness. Together they will make their bid for freedom, and will soon embark on an exhilarating odyssey through the city&#8217;s shadow and light. . .</p>
<p>Sophisticated, sexy and exquisitely funny, <i>Sister Europe</i> is the remarkable new novel from one of the most singular, brilliant writers working today: a vivid tale of growing up, growing old and getting down.</p>
<p><b>&#39;Nell Zink is a writer of extraordinary talent and range. Her work insistently raises the possibility that the world is larger and stranger than the world you think you know&#39; Jonathan Franzen</p>
<p>&#39;To stay out late in Zink&#8217;s world, loitering, is a pleasure. Her voice is cool and fastidious, but she has a screwball quality &#8211; a comic sensibility rooted in pain.&#39;</b><i> <b>New York Times</b></i></p>
<p><b><i>&#39;</i>An extraordinary talent&hellip; Zink is in the company of not only Jonathan Franzen, but also Donna Tartt, Philip Roth and Tom Wolfe&#39; <i>Daily Telegraph</i></p>
<p>&#39;A novel that fizzes with repartee and off-kilter cleverness&#39;<i> Daily Mail</i></b></p>
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		<title>Madame Matisse</title>
		<link>https://www.bellbookshop.co.uk/product/madame-matisse-2/</link>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Emma]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Thu, 30 Apr 2026 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate>
				<guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.bellbookshop.co.uk/?post_type=product&#038;p=55329</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[This is the story of three women - one an orphan and refugee who finds a place in the studio of a famous French artist, the other a wife and mother who has stood by her husband for nearly forty years. The third is his daughter, caught in the crossfire between her mother and a father she adores. Amelie is first drawn to Henri Matisse as a way of escaping the conventional life expected of her. A free spirit, she sees in this budding young artist a glorious future for them both. Ambitious and driven, she gives everything for her husband's art, ploughing her own desires, her time, her money into sustaining them both, even through years of struggle and disappointment. Lydia Delectorskaya is a young Russian emigree, who fled her homeland following the death of her mother. After a fractured childhood, she is trying to make a place for herself on France's golden Riviera, amid the artists, film stars and dazzling elite.]]></description>
										<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><b>&#8216;An immersive tale of muses, betrayal, sex and bad behaviour</b>&#39; <i>Daily Mail</i></p>
<p><b>&#39;Deliciously immersive . . . Think of [Haydock] as the art world&#8217;s answer to Philippa Gregory . . . I took Madame Matisse on a wet, grey holiday and it swept me into a world of startling, splashy colour&#39; <i>Spectator</i></b></p>
<p><b>A GUNSHOT. A BETRAYAL. THREE LIVES HANG IN THE BALANCE&hellip;</b></p>
<p>Growing up with liberal parents in Paris just before the turn of the century, Am&#233;lie is a free spirit. When she meets an enigmatic young artist, she is drawn to the life of colour and passion he seems to promise.</p>
<p>Together, they share struggles and triumphs, heartbreak and joy, until they arrive on France&#8217;s sun-soaked Riviera. With them comes Marguerite, Matisse&#8217;s headstrong but courageous daughter.</p>
<p>But there too they meet Lydia, a young Russian emigree, who has fled her homeland following the revolution. Lydia also has her dreams. Her passions. And her ambition.</p>
<p>As their lives entangle, each woman must ask herself: what is she willing to sacrifice to follow her heart?</p>
<p><b>&#39;A stunning act of literary, historical and artistic reimagining, woven with incredible skill &#8211; and so beautifully written. It will stay with me for a long while&#39; Donal Ryan</p>
<p>*****</p>
<p>What readers say:</b></p>
<p>&#8216;Well I adored this. Beautiful and resilient female characters that came to life off the page vividly and passionately. <b>A sweeping story</b> spanning the years that was <b>addictive and intriguing</b>.</p>
<p>&#8216;Features <b>lush, evocative pros</b>e that draws readers into the emotional depths of its characters&#8217;</p>
<p>&#8216;A <b>triumph</b>&hellip; this novel is a must-read for fans of historical fiction, art history, and anyone captivated by the voices of women long silenced by history.&#8217;</p>
<p>&#8216;This epic tale takes us from the narrow, dirty streets of Paris to the days of the Russian Revolution, with some time in China, to the hot French Riviera of the 1930s and the French Resistance of World War II. It is<b> rich, it is beautiful</b> and on more than one occasion it made me cry&#8217;</p>
<p>&#8216;The scope of this book is terrific. <b>The writing is superb</b>. The characters are totally, utterly believable, with all their biases and peccadilloes&#8217;</p>
<p>&#8216;An<b> extraordinary </b>story, about Henri Matisse and his work of course, but more-so these three remarkable, resilient women&#8217;</p>
<p>&#8216;Once again, Sophie Haydock claims the lead in my<b> Book of the Year</b> listing. I loved it&#8217;</p>
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		<title>The House of Boleyn</title>
		<link>https://www.bellbookshop.co.uk/product/the-house-of-boleyn/</link>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Emma]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Thu, 23 Apr 2026 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate>
				<guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.bellbookshop.co.uk/?post_type=product&#038;p=55115</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[When nobleman Thomas Boleyn, lord of Hever Castle, is called to London in 1509 to present himself to a newly anointed King Henry VIII, he sets in train events that ensure the Boleyn name will never be forgotten. Years later, as Henry VIII relentlessly pursues Thomas' daughter Anne Boleyn to be his queen, Hever Castle becomes her escape, a place where her trusted attendants and her father must advise, protect and support her. Lavish gifts are sent by the King and the Boleyn family is given ever greater prominence at court, their glory shining over everything and everyone. Until ambition turns the family on itself, enemies outside the castle circle closer and danger begins to stalk the corridors of Hever. And as Henry's gaze moves elsewhere when Anne cannot give him the heir he so desperately seeks, the family faces a terrible, bloody fate. But as long as Hever still stands, hope still exists.]]></description>
										<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><b>HEVER CASTLE HOLDS ALL THE BOLEYN SECRETS &#8230;</b></p>
<p> When nobleman Thomas Boleyn, lord of Hever Castle, is called to London in 1509 to present himself to a newly anointed King Henry VIII, he sets in train events that ensure the Boleyn name will never be forgotten.</p>
<p> Years later, as Henry VIII relentlessly pursues Thomas&#39; daughter Anne Boleyn to be his queen, Hever Castle becomes her escape, a place where her trusted attendants and her father must advise, protect and support her. Lavish gifts are sent by the King and the Boleyn family is given ever greater prominence at court, their glory shining over everything and everyone. Until ambition turns the family on itself, enemies outside the castle circle closer and danger begins to stalk the corridors of Hever. And as Henry&#39;s gaze moves elsewhere when Anne cannot give him the heir he so desperately seeks, the family faces a terrible, bloody fate.</p>
<p> But as long as Hever still stands, hope still exists.</p>
<p> <b>Combining drama, danger and passion, Tracy Borman brings the Boleyn family&#39;s three-decade rise and precipitous fall to vivid life using their world at Hever, family and servants alike, as never written before. The result is a powerful and emotional novel of family, fate and history.</b></p>
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		<title>Evil in High Places</title>
		<link>https://www.bellbookshop.co.uk/product/evil-in-high-places-2/</link>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Emma]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Thu, 23 Apr 2026 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate>
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					<description><![CDATA[Munich, 1936. All eyes are on the Bavarian capital for the upcoming Olympic games. As athletes fight for gold and the Nazis fight for power, Detective Sebastian Wolff faces a battle of his own. A famous actress has disappeared and Wolff has been ordered to find her, fast. But Elena Lang is no ordinary film-star: she is the mistress of Joseph Goebbels - Hitler's right-hand-man in the party that Wolff despises. But corruption runs deep in Munich and Elena is just the first to go missing. In a search that will take him from high society to the city's darkest corners, Wolff is about to learn just how easily the hunter becomes the hunted: this is a city on the brink of war, and some enemies are better left alone.]]></description>
										<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><b>The action-packed new WW2 thriller from the award-winning author of <i>Munich Wolf </i>and <i>A Cold Wind from Moscow</i>, perfect for fans of Robert Harris, C.J. Sansom and Philip Kerr.</b></p>
<p><b>&#39;Master of the wartime thriller&#39; </b><i>Financial Times</i><br /><b>&#39;A cracking historical thriller&#39; </b><i>Irish Independent<br /></i><b>&#39;Electrifying and atmospheric&#39; </b>Conn Iggulden, bestselling author of the <i>Nero </i>trilogy</p>
<p><b>HOW DO YOU CATCH A KILLER WHO BELIEVES THEY&#39;RE ABOVE JUSITCE?<br /></b><br />Munich, 1936. All eyes are on the Bavarian capital for the upcoming Olympic Games. As athletes fight for gold and the Nazis fight for power, Detective Sebastian Wolff faces a battle of his own.</p>
<p>A famous actress has disappeared and Wolff has been ordered to find her, fast. But Elena Lang is no ordinary film-star: she is the mistress of Joseph Goebbels &#8211; Hitler&#39;s right-hand-man in the party that Wolff despises.</p>
<p>But this is a country on the brink of war, and corruption runs deep. In a search that will take him from high society to the city&#39;s darkest corners, Wolff will soon learn just how fine the line is between justice and jeopardy&#8230;</p>
<p><u>Praise for Rory Clements:</u></p>
<p>&#39;Atmospheric and <b>gripping&#39;</b> <i>The Times</i><br />&#39;A <b>dramatic, twisty thriller&#39; </b><i>Daily Mail</i><br />&#39;A <b>masterpiece </b>of spies, intrigue and political shenanigans&#39; <i>Sunday Express </i><br /><b>&#39;Fast-paced, tense detective WW2 novel . . .</b> keeps you on the edge of your seat&#39; 5-star reader review<br />&#39;5 stars isn&#39;t a high enough rating . . . <b>one of the best novels I&#39;ve read&#39; </b>5-star reader review<br />&#39;An <b>unputdownable</b> historical fiction thriller!&#39; 5-star reader review<br />&#39;One of <b>the best writers</b> around&#39; 5-star reader review</p>
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		<title>The Killing Stones</title>
		<link>https://www.bellbookshop.co.uk/product/the-killing-stones-2/</link>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Emma]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Thu, 23 Apr 2026 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate>
				<guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.bellbookshop.co.uk/product/the-killing-stones-2/</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[<i>The Killing Stones</i> sees the return of Detective Jimmy Perez, who is investigating a shocking murder in Orkney - complicated further by the fact that the victim is a childhood friend of Perez's.]]></description>
										<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><b>&#39;Fantastic. Ann Cleeves is a stone cold genius&#39; </b>&#8211; <b>Marian Keyes, <i>Sunday Times</i> bestselling author of <i>My Favorite Mistake</i></p>
<p>&#39;Everything Ann Cleeves writes is incredible&#39; </b>&#8211; <b>Richard Osman, No. 1 bestselling author of<i> The Thursday Murder Club</i></b></p>
<p>For the first time since the beloved Shetland series, Detective Jimmy Perez is back. He&#39;s traded the stark beauty of Shetland for the wild isolation of Orkney, but the darkness of human nature follows him everywhere.</p>
<p>When a ferocious storm rages across the islands, it leaves behind more than just damage: it uncovers the body of Archie Stout, a popular, larger-than-life member of the community.</p>
<p>The murder weapon? A Neolithic stone, bearing cryptic, ancient inscriptions.</p>
<p>Now living in Orkney with his partner, Willow, and their young son, Perez is drawn into a case that is chillingly personal-Archie was a friend from his own childhood. And the island is full of familiar faces, all of whom are potential suspects in the killing.</p>
<p>Perez must immerse himself in the lives of the islanders, separating truth from local legend before a desperate killer can strike again . . . and threaten the new life he&#39;s desperately trying to build.</p>
<p>&#39;<u><b>Expertly plotted</b></u> and mesmerizing&#39; &#8211; <b>Mick Herron</b>, author of <i>Slow Horses</i></p>
<p>&#39;<u><b>Bold and dramatic</b></u>, with a restless love of landscape&#39; &#8211; <b>Val McDermid</b>, author of <i>Past Lying</i></p>
<p>&#39;Like snuggling up with dear friends . . . a complex mystery with <u><b>vivid setting and beloved characters</b></u>&#39; &#8211; <b>Tess Gerritsen</b>, author of <i>The Summer Guests</i></p>
<p>&#39;<b>A masterpiece</b> in character and location. Welcome back, Jimmy Perez!&#39; &#8211; <b>M. W. Craven</b>, author of <i>Nobody&#39;s Hero</i></p>
<p>&#39;Unmatched elegance, <u><b>ingenious plots</b></u>, and deep characters. Worth every minute&#39; &#8211; <b>David Baldacci</b>, author of <i>The 6:20 Man</i></p>
<p>&#39;Jimmy Perez is a fine creation&#39; &#8211; <b>Peter Robinson</b>, author of the DCI Banks series</p>
<p><i>The Killing Stones</i> by Ann Cleeves sees the return of Detective Jimmy Perez</p>
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