New Releases by Stef Penney

After her magnificent historical epic, The Beasts of Paris, Stef Penney returns to her heartland in this tense thriller set in a small Scandinavian town. Nordland. A region in the Norwegian Arctic; a remote valley that stretches from the sea up to the mountains and the glaciers. It is May. In Nordland it''s a time of spring and school-leavers'' celebrations - until Daniel, a popular teenage boy, goes missing. Conflicting stories circulate among his friends, of parties and wild behaviour. As the search for Daniel widens, the police open a disused mine in the mountains. They find human remains, but this body has been there for decades, its identity a mystery. The story is told through characters impacted by these events. Misanthropic Svea, whose long life in the area stretches back to the heyday of the mines and beyond, has cut all ties with her family, except for her granddaughter, Elin, a young misfit. Elin and her friend Benny, both impacted by Daniel while alive, become entangled in the hunt for answers, while Svea has deep, dark secrets of her own.

Enter the world of Haussmann''s newly built City of Light: a dazzling, panoramic novel of love and survival set during the Siege of Paris in 1870. A diverse group of memorable characters find themselves in Paris during the build up to the Franco-Prussian War of 1870. Dreamer Anne is half-Haitian, possessed of incredible gifts, but with a past she tries to bury; Lawrence is desperate to spread his wings, develop his talents as a photographer, and escape the restrictions of his Canadian upbringing; Ellis, an American army surgeon, has lived through the trauma of the American Civil War and will do anything to avoid further violence. We join these characters and others as they live through, and are buffeted by, momentous historical events that will change them forever. The Franco-Prussian War ends in a devastating defeat for the French after the Siege of Paris, in which countless Parisians die of starvation and cold during a bitter winter. This terrible time is quickly followed by yet more horror: the socialist revolution of the Paris Commune that seizes the government, briefly, until it is brutally crushed by the French Army. Against this backdrop our characters meet, struggle, grow, fight their demons, lose their hearts, find love. The reader witnesses the ebb and flow of history as the characters confront a changing world around them. And although set in the nineteenth century, the novel explores questions that are uniquely contemporary: issues of gender, sexuality, inequality, and race.

Sometimes you have to travel to the farthest edge of the world in order to find your true place in it... A panoramic historical epic and an unforgettable love story from the author of The Tenderness of Wolves, for fans of Kristin Hannah, Sarah Perry, and Barbara Kingsolver A whaler''s daughter, Flora Mackie first crossed the Arctic Circle at the age of twelve. Years later, in 1892, determination and chance lead her back to northern Greenland as a scientist at the head of a British expedition, defying the expectations of those who believe a woman has no place in that harsh world. Geologist Jakob de Beyn was raised in Manhattan. Yearning for wider horizons, he joins a rival expedition. Jakob and Flora''s paths cross. It is a fateful meeting, where passion and ambition collide and an irresistible attraction is born. The violent extremes of the north obsess them both: perpetual night and endless day; frozen seas and coastal meadows, and the strange, maddening pull it exerts on the people trying to make their mark on its vast expanses - a pursuit of glory whose outcome will reverberate for years to come.

Bajo la Estrella Polar es una nueva epopeya histórica de la premiada autora de La ternura de los lobos, especialmente recomendada para fans de Donna Tartt, Sarah Waters o Jessie Burton. Flora Mackie cruzó por primera vez el Círculo Polar Ártico a la edad de doce años. En 1889, esta hija de un capitán ballenero de Dundee (Escocia), apodada por la prensa «La Reina de las Nieves», se propuso convertirse en científica y exploradora. Tras luchar con ahínco para hacerse respetar, su determinación y una serie de circunstancias fortuitas la conducen de nuevo al norte de Groenlandia al frente una expedición británica, pese a que muchos opinan que no hay lugar para una joven en ese inhóspito mundo dominado por hombres. El geólogo Jakob de Beyn nació y se crio en Manhattan. Deseoso de ampliar sus horizontes, se une a una expedición rival encabezada por el ambicioso Lester Armitage. Será en el Ártico donde su camino y el de Flora se crucen fatídicamente. Flora, Jakob y Armitage comparten una pasión obsesiva por el Polo Norte, una región en la que se dan los contrastes más violentos: la noche perpetua y el día infinito; el mar helado y las praderas costeras; la deslealtad y el heroísmo. En su afán implacable por liderar la exploración del Ártico, Armitage conduce a sus hombres a una misión cuyo trágico desenlace seguirá dando que hablar durante años. Tras La ternura de los lobos, novela galardonada con el Premio Costa al Mejor Libro del Año, Stef Penney regresa al Ártico con una narración deslumbrante acerca del amor y la supervivencia. The Guardian Un relato magnífico y bellamente escrito que inoculará en el lector el ansia de viajar y enamorarse de las regiones árticas. The Times Una épica historia de amor ambientada en la imponente belleza de los páramos árticos. Red Magazine Es una novela que trata tantos temas interesantes, que no sé por dónde empezar: la protagonista femenina, las dificultades de los expedicionarios para conseguir patrocinadores, el choque cultural entre los esquimales y los occidentales… y, finalmente, es una historia de amor entre estos dos personajes que no podrán compartir más que breves momentos el uno junto al otro, pero se querrán siempre. From Isi

Der Bestseller aus Großbritannien Privatdetektiv Ray soll eine verschwundene junge Frau finden – Rose Janko. Doch verschwunden ist sie schon vor sechs Jahren. Warum hat damals niemand nach ihr gesucht? Warum jetzt? Die Familie schweigt, denn die Jankos sind eine Roma-Familie, die ganz unter sich bleibt – und vom Unglück verfolgt scheint, so sehr, dass man munkelt, es liege ein Fluch über der Familie ... Ray nimmt den Auftrag widerstrebend an. Was er bei seinen Nachforschungen über die Jankos erfährt, bestärkt sein Unbehagen. In der ganzen Familie scheint nur der 14-jährige JJ wissen zu wollen, was damals mit Rose geschah. Ray wird immer tiefer in ein Netz aus Geheimnissen und Lügen hineingezogen, und als er dicht davor ist, das Rätsel, das die Familie umgibt, zu lösen, wird ihm das beinahe zum Verhängnis.

Prisvinnende Stef Penney er endelig tilbake med nok en stilfull kriminalroman. «De usynlige» er satt i England på 1980-tallet. Privatdetektiv Ray Lovell blir hyret til å spore opp en kvinne som ingen har sett siden hun giftet seg inn i en omreisende sigøynerfamilie 7 år tidligere. Stef Penney vant Costaprisen for sin debutroman “I ulvens skygge” i 2006, som ble en bestselger over hele verden. Tidligere hadde hun skrevet og regissert to filmer. «De usynlige» er hennes andre roman. «Et blinkskudd fra en forteller på det aller høyeste nivå ... en nytelse fra start til slutt.» - Lars Brix Nielsen, Weekendavisen

Porté par une construction éblouissante qui entremêle différentes voix, un roman épique, ample, violent, dans la tradition des plus grandes œuvres naturalistes. Un livre phénomène, doublement couronné par le prestigieux Costa Book Award comme meilleur premier roman et meilleur livre de l''année, un voyage étourdissant dans les étendues glacées du Grand Nord canadien. 1867. Alors qu''un terrible hiver a pris en tenailles le petit village de Dove River, un trappeur est retrouvé mort dans sa cabane, égorgé et scalpé. Dans cette communauté d''origine écossaise qui s''accroche désespérément aux convenances de la mère patrie, le choc est terrible. Surtout pour Mme Ross qui a découvert le corps et constaté dans la foulée la disparition de Francis, son fils adoptif. Doit-elle le signaler à Donald Moody, le naïf dépêché par la Compagnie de la baie d''Hudson pour identifier le coupable au plus vite ? Et a-t-elle raison de se méfier de ce mystérieux Sturrock, un aventurier bien décidé à retrouver un objet précieux qui aurait été légué par le défunt ? Incapable de croire à la culpabilité de son fils, Mme Ross va se lancer dans une course éperdue, avec pour seule compagnie Parker, un énigmatique trappeur indien habitué à survivre dans les milieux les plus hostiles...

Quando Rose se casou com o atraente Ivo Janko, integrante de uma família de ciganos nômades, muitos se perguntaram o que os dois tinham em comum. Rose é quieta e tímida. Ivo é taciturno, porém carismático. Depois que ela desapareceu, boatos diziam que ela fugira por causa de um filho que nasceu com o problema genético da família. Mas o pai de Rose, Leon, não tem tanta certeza disso. Ele quer saber a verdade e contrata um detetive particular para descobri-la. É aí que entra Ray Lovell, um detetive que, embora pouco renomado, tem a vantagem de ser descendente de ciganos. Lovell concorda em pegar o caso. No entanto, sete anos após o desaparecimento de Rose, ele teme que tenha se passado tempo demais. Além disso, sua investigação é dificultada pelas únicas pessoas que poderiam ajudá-lo: a família Janko. Trata-se de um clã fechado, e a última coisa que desejam é um estranho se metendo em seus assuntos particulares. Ray não consegue entender a relutância deles em ajudar. Qual é o motivo de não quererem que Rose Janko seja encontrada?

In a hospital bed, small-time private detective Ray Lovell veers between paralysis and delirium. But before the accident that landed him there, he’d been hired to find Rose Janko, the estranged daughter of a traveling Gypsy family, who went missing seven years earlier. Half Romany himself, Ray is well aware that he’s been chosen more for his blood than for his investigative skills. Still, he’s surprised by the intense hostility he encounters from the Jankos, who haven’t had an easy past. Touched by tragedy, they’re either cursed or hiding a terrible secret—the discovery of which Ray can’t help suspecting is connected to Rose’s disappearance… Seamlessly toggling between Ray’s past and present, and the perspective of the missing woman’s young nephew JJ, Stef Penney builds a gripping page-turner that doesn’t let go until its shocking end.

Con un ritmo vertiginoso propio de una novela de suspense y una atmósfera hipnótica , La ternura de los lobos conquistó el favor de la crítica y obtuvo el codiciado Costa Book of the year Award. Antes de que los rigores del invierno se ciernan sobre Dove River, un poblado fundado por pioneros escoceses en el noreste de Canadá, una mujer halla el cadáver de un trampero local al mismo tiempo que su hijo, de diecisiete años, desaparece en una excursión de pesca. Los hechos atraen hasta aquel remoto lugar a un variado grupo de personas dispuestas a esclarecer el crimen, o a beneficiarse de él, desde un joven delegado de la poderosa Hudson Bay Company -que ejerce el monopolio del lucrativo comercio de pieles-, hasta un curtido y arruinado periodista. Cuando la señora Ross decide emprender ella misma la búsqueda de su hijo, adentrándose en el bosque acompañada de un taciturno pero experto rastreador, se ponen en marcha también una serie de personajes cuyas insólitas historias confluyen hacia un destino común en el majestuoso e imponente marco de la tundra nevada. Inmersos en un paisaje inhóspito de una belleza áspera e impenetrable y conscientes de su vulnerabilidad, los hombres y mujeres que conforman esta hermosa e inquietante novela deberán saldar cuentas con el pasado antes de afrontar los desafíos del presente. La crítica ha dicho... «Magnífico debut de una escritora con enorme dominio del lenguaje, la ambientación y los personajes.» Kirkus Reviews «La prosa convincente y cautivadora de Penney ilumina unos personajes que son, cada uno a su manera, inadaptados, y cuyos complejos puntos de vista construyen las múltiples capas de esta intensa novela.» Publishers Weekly «Una fascinante historia llena de intriga.» The Sunday Telegraph «Un notable debut literario [...] brillante y sutil.» The Scotsman «Una obra literaria en la que uno se deja atrapar con gratitud.» The Guardian

In de nog ongerepte natuur van Canada in de tweede helft van de 19e eeuw gaat een vrouw samen met haar indiaanse gids op zoek naar haar zoon die is vertrokken om de moordenaar van zijn vriend op te sporen.

Canadà, 1867. Mentre l''hivern deixa constància de la seva implacable duresa al petit poble de Dove River, un home és brutalment assassinat, i al mateix temps desapareix un noi de 17 anys. Les petjades que surten de la cabana de l''home assassinat porten cap al nord, més enllà del bosc i de la tundra. Enmig d''aquesta violència insospitada, comença a arribar gent a Dove River: periodistes, treballadors inexperts de la Hudson''s Bay Company, caçadors, comerciants ¿però volen resoldre el crim, o només explotar-lo i treure''n benefici? Els habitants (i els nouvinguts) de Dove River emprenen la recerca cap al nord, seguint les misterioses petjades, enmig d''un paisatge desolador només habitat per animals salvatges, fugitius i bojos. Alguns busquen un assassí, uns altres les germanes perdudes fa 17 anys i alguns fins i tot cerquen el rastre d''una tribu oblidada de nadius americans. Entre els que parteixen hi ha una dona que, sense saber-ho, farà el viatge més important de la seva vida. És la mare del jove, que sent la necessitat de netejar el nom del seu fill. Tot plegat, just abans que la neu caigui i cobreixi les petges del passat.

A brilliant and breathtaking debut that captivated readers and garnered critical acclaim in the United Kingdom,The Tenderness of Wolveswas long-listed for the Orange Prize in fiction and won the Costa Award (formerly the Whitbread) Book of the Year. The year is 1867. Winter has just tightened its grip on Dove River, a tiny isolated settlement in the Northern Territory, when a man is brutally murdered. Laurent Jammett had been a voyageur for the Hudson Bay Company before an accident lamed him four years earlier. The same accident afforded him the little parcel of land in Dove River, land that the locals called unlucky due to the untimely death of the previous owner. A local woman, Mrs. Ross, stumbles upon the crime scene and sees the tracks leading from the dead man''s cabin north toward the forest and the tundra beyond. It is Mrs. Ross''s knock on the door of the largest house in Caulfield that launches the investigation. Within hours she will regret that knock with a mother''s love -- for soon she makes another discovery: her seventeen-year-old son Francis has disappeared and is now considered a prime suspect. In the wake of such violence, people are drawn to the crime and to the township -- Andrew Knox, Dove River''s elder statesman; Thomas Sturrock, a wily American itinerant trader; Donald Moody, the clumsy young Company representative; William Parker, a half-breed Native American and trapper who was briefly detained for Jammett''s murder before becoming Mrs. Ross''s guide. But the question remains: do these men want to solve the crime or exploit it? One by one, the searchers set out from Dove River following the tracks across a desolate landscape -- home to only wild animals, madmen, and fugitives -- variously seeking a murderer, a son, two sisters missing for seventeen years, and a forgotten Native American culture before the snows settle and cover the tracks of the past for good. In an astonishingly assured debut, Stef Penney deftly weaves adventure, suspense, revelation, and humor into an exhilarating thriller; a panoramic historical romance; a gripping murder mystery; and, ultimately, with the sheer scope and quality of her storytelling, an epic for the ages.

1867. Winter has just tightened its grip on Dove River, an isolated settlement in Canada''s Northern Territory, when a man is brutally murdered. A local woman, Mrs. Ross, stumbles upon the crime scene and sees tracks leading from the dead man''s cabin north toward the forest and the tundra beyond. But soon she makes another discovery: her son has disappeared and is now considered a prime suspect. A variety of outsiders are drawn to the crime and to the township--but do they want to solve the crime or exploit it? One by one, searchers set out to follow the tracks across a desolate landscape, variously seeking a murderer, a son, two sisters missing for seventeen years, and a forgotten Native American culture before the snows settle and cover the tracks of the past for good.--From publisher description.