Books

Cillian Murphy and Jamie Bell appeared in Retreat, the pandemic-based film Janice Hallett co-wrote (Image: REX/Shutterstock) Having co-written a chilling horror film about survivors of a mysterious airborne disease trapped on a remote Scottish island, author Janice Hallett was struck by an uncanny sense of deja-vu a decade later as …

Atom Bomb God Father Oppenheimer, (Image: Getty) Amid a phalanx of eager reporters and the popping of photographers’ flash bulbs, Cillian Murphy strides purposefully towards the camera, lean and handsome in a dark suit, cigarette in hand. Only this time his familiar 1920s style tweed flat cap has been replaced …

1,000 horsemen storming at full gallop across the battlefield (Image: Getty) The last major German offensive on the Western Front was launched 105 years ago this weekend. The Second Battle of the Marne proved a decisive turning point in the First World War – though not for the reasons the …

Lesley Pearse and her new puppy, Barney, in Devon (Image: Lesley Pearse) My ruby King Charles Cavalier Stan had been my companion and dearest friend for 12 years. Without him, I think I would have gone loopy during lockdown. Alongside my writing, I was renovating a one-bedroom ground floor apartment …

Edward ‘Eddie’ Egan, pictured by his Hurricane in 1940 (Image: RAF ASSOCATION KENLEY & CATERHAM) When Grace Egan opened her door to a Post Office telegram boy on September 18, 1940, she knew it would be bad news about her son, Sergeant Pilot Edward “Eddie” Egan. And she knew it …

As a police hostage and crisis negotiator John Sutherland saved dozens of lives during his 25-year career — but he is still haunted by the one negotiation he could not resolve. The former senior Metropolitan Police officer, who has used his experiences to write a thriller series starring police negotiator …

Former Labour MP Chris Mullin (Image: Steve Bainbridge.) He never attained Cabinet rank or held one of the great offices of state. He was no mesmerising orator like his ally Tony Benn or an electoral colossus like Tony Blair. Earnest, bespectacled and slightly diffident, he did not exude charisma or …

Dan Jones releases his new book, ‘Essex Dogs’ (Image: Getty) It is the largest amphibious invasion so far in British history. Waves of determined men crammed into small boats, foundering against the tide as they approach the Normandy coast under a barrage of fire. Amid the screams and shouting, some …

A beautiful seaside town just three hours from London known for its sandy beaches and a range of things to see and do, had one very famous resident. Southwold, on the north Suffolk coast, is known for its pretty Georgian architecture and independent shops and cafes. This week the town …

This much-loved copy was discovered after a Wolverhampton library decided it was no longer fit for circulation. Specialists have identified it as one of just 500 released by Bloomsbury in 1997, with only 300 of those reaching libraries around the UK. The astute purchaser, whose identity has not been revealed, …