{"title":"Books by A. J. West","description":null,"products":[{"product_id":"9780715654514","title":"The Spirit Engineer","description":"WINNER OF THE HWA DEBUT CROWN AWARD‘A fiendishly clever tale of ambition, deception, and power’ DERREN BROWNBelfast, 1914. Two years after the sinking of the Titanic, high society has become obsessed with spiritualism, attending séances in the hope they might reach their departed loved ones.   William Jackson Crawford is a man of science and a sceptic, but one night with everyone sitting around the circle, voices come to him – seemingly from beyond the veil – placing doubt in his heart and a seed of obsession in his mind. Could the spirits truly be communicating with him or is this one of Kathleen’s parlour tricks gone too far?Based on the true story of Professor William Jackson Crawford and famed medium Kathleen Goligher, and with a cast of characters including Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and Harry Houdini, The Spirit Engineer conjures a haunted, twisted tale of power, paranoia and one ultimate, inescapable truth...","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56296769487221,"sku":"9780715654514","price":9.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9780715654514_f4746774-7b52-48de-ac68-2e4af8a847ff.jpg?v=1786014841"},{"product_id":"9781916788596","title":"The Betrayal of Thomas True","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eSet in the buried streets of Georgian London and the outrageous underworld of the molly houses, a carpenter hiding a double life, searches for a traitor who is betraying the secrets of the mollies. The devastatingly beautiful, brutal, raucous and tender historical thriller – a Top Ten \u003c\/b\u003e\u003ci\u003e\u003cb\u003eSunday Times \u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cb\u003ebestseller!\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e**WINNER of the CWA Historical DAGGER 2025\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e‘Heartbreaking, beautiful, lyrical. I was captivated … you won't want to put it down’ \u003cb\u003eCatriona Ward\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e‘Utterly thrilling’ \u003cb\u003eElizabeth MacNeal\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e‘An immersive, illuminating and exceptionally entertaining novel’ \u003cb\u003eMatt Cain\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e‘Stunning and powerful … You’ll never forget \u003ci\u003eThomas True’ \u003c\/i\u003e\u003cb\u003eJanice Hallett\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e‘A clever mystery, a powerful love story … affected me more than anything I’ve read in a long time’ \u003cb\u003eGareth Brown\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e**WINNER OF THE HWA DEBUT CROWN**\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e**THE TOP TEN \u003c\/b\u003e\u003ci\u003e\u003cb\u003eSunday Times \u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cb\u003eBESTSELLER**\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e**SHORTLISTED for Booksellers Association Author of the Year**\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eThe \u003c\/b\u003e\u003ci\u003e\u003cb\u003eonly\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cb\u003e sin is betrayal…\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003eIt is the year 1715, and Thomas True has arrived on old London Bridge with a dangerous secret. One night, lost amongst the squalor of London's hidden back streets, he finds himself drawn into the outrageous underworld of the molly houses.\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003eMeanwhile, carpenter Gabriel Griffin struggles to hide his double life as Lotty, the molly's stoic guard. When a young man is found murdered, he realises there is a rat amongst them, betraying their secrets to a pair of murderous Justices.\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003eCan Gabriel unmask the traitor before they hang? Can he save hapless Thomas from peril, and their own forbidden love?\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003eSet amidst the buried streets of Georgian London, \u003ci\u003eThe Betrayal of Thomas True\u003c\/i\u003e is a brutal and devastating thriller, where love must overcome evil, and the only true sin is betrayal…\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e‘Quite simply divine … had me in all sorts of tears’ \u003cb\u003eJennie Godfrey\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e‘A vivid exploration of a largely forgotten aspect of London’s past … as compelling as West’s debut’ \u003ci\u003e\u003cb\u003eThe Times\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e‘A darkly thrilling romp that simmers with sinister menace and illicit temptation’ \u003cb\u003eSusan Stokes-Chapman\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e‘An unforgettable combination of historical thriller, love story and heartbreaking tragedy’ \u003ci\u003e\u003cb\u003eHeat\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e‘Ingeniously plotted, vivid and memorable’ \u003ci\u003e\u003cb\u003eHistorical Novel Society\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e‘Electric … an unputdownable read’ \u003ci\u003e\u003cb\u003eAttitude Magazine\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e   \u003cbr\u003e‘An epic adventure of love in a time of danger’ \u003cb\u003eHallie Rubenhold\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e‘An exuberant, moving story’ \u003cb\u003eRosie Andrews\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e‘Vivid, impressive and utterly immersive … I was weeping by the final pages. Masterful’ \u003cb\u003eD.V. Bishop\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e‘A devastating story told with great power’ \u003cb\u003eChristopher Stephens\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e‘You are instantly immersed in the perilous, hot, exciting, plot-swirling world of Mollies’ \u003cb\u003eFelice Picano\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e‘You’ll smile, you’ll gasp, you’ll cry’ \u003cb\u003eEssie Fox\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e‘Hugely entertaining’ \u003cb\u003eAnna Mazzola\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e‘Bursting with memorable characters and stunning imagery’ \u003cb\u003eSean Lusk\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e‘Brilliantly researched and lavishly written’ \u003cb\u003eEmma Stonex\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e‘Like a modern Fielding’ \u003cb\u003eKate Griffin\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e‘Hypnotic. A hurtling tale of deception and self-discovery’ \u003cb\u003eJames Cahill\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e‘Very, very good’ \u003cb\u003eStephen Fry\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e‘There has never been a book that made me cry … until today’ \u003cb\u003eSuzie Edge\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e‘Fierce, funny, and fabulous … an important and deeply moving story’ \u003cb\u003eJonathan Harvey\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e‘A beautiful, dark love story set in the fetid streets of Georgian London … unputdownable’ \u003cb\u003eGareth Russell\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e‘A beautifully told story that broke my heart and energised my soul’ \u003cb\u003eTracy King\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e‘The wit of Wilde still lives!’ \u003cb\u003eGyles Brandreth\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e‘A gripping epic tale … a powerful new voice in historical fiction’\u003cb\u003e Gill Paul\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e‘A picaresque gay romp through 18th-century London, with a dark and troubling heart’ \u003cb\u003eAnnie Garthwaite\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56309559886197,"sku":"9781916788596","price":9.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9781916788596_4abedbf1-70f4-416c-857b-2948728439a1.jpg?v=1786030851"},{"product_id":"how-queer-bookshops-changed-the-world","title":"How Queer Bookshops Changed the World","description":"Independent bookshops are the unsung heroes of queer liberation, providing friendship, solidarity and sanctuary through the ages.   'A terrific read!' Jane Cholmeley, author of A Bookshop of One's OwnTravelling from Shakespeare and Company in Paris to Gay’s the Word in London to the Oscar Wilde Memorial Bookshop in New York, A.J. West has written the first history of these remarkable spaces. Tracing their evolution from under-the-counter operations to beloved out-and-proud institutions, West reveals how they stood at the vanguard of LGBTQ+ rights, offering support through the AIDS crisis and bringing the fight to Section 28.   How Queer Bookshops Changed the World celebrates cherished shops past and present, the ground-breaking books they championed when others wouldn’t, and the booksellers who demonstrated courage and community through it all.   'I have savoured every chapter, practically every sentence.' James Cahill, author of Tiepolo Blue'Perfectly captured and inspirational.' Robin Ince, co-host of BBC Radio 4's The Infinite Monkey Cage'A crucial history of love, struggle, solidarity and liberation.' 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She inherited murder…1917.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAs the Great War rages on the continent, Everest Macdonald is summoned to her father's deathbed and entrusted with a final urgent request: she must uncover the truth behind the murder of her uncle, the celebrated Victorian actor William Terriss, a crime that has haunted her family for twenty years. In 1897, Terriss was stabbed to death outside London’s Adelphi Theatre, a killing that shocked Victorian society. The murderer was swiftly arrested and confined to Broadmoor, the case declared closed. Yet, years later, a sealed package of evidence is passed to Everest by her dying father, which casts doubt on the official verdict and the haste with which it was reached. Drawn back to wartime London, with her husband and children left behind, Everest begins her investigation, following a trail that leads her into the world of late-Victorian theatre, where fame and fortune mask obsession, envy and cruelty. With time running out and her father’s strength failing, Everest must uncover what really happened on the night Terriss died, and shed light on the unsettling legacy he left behind.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eBased on an extraordinary true story, The Deadly Inheritance of Everest Macdonald is a dark, atmospheric historical mystery and a compelling adventure, as an unlikely investigator risks everything to pursue one of the most notorious killings of the Victorian stage.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e‘A quite extraordinary story. You'll find it hard to believe and impossible to put down. A.J. West ... my kind of writer!’\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eGyles Brandreth\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e‘Everest Macdonald is a hero for the ages: fearless, formidable, and with a wit that could outfox any foe! A hugely evocative tale of madness, betrayal and revenge’ Stephanie Bramwell-Lawes\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e‘A twisty, fiendishly clever mystery story … I love the vivid period detail, the one-of-a-kind characters, and the settings that feel so real. Totally unputdownable!’ Gill Paul\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e‘A glorious cocktail of historical fact, Christie-esque sleuthing and Victorian melodrama. From Argyll to the far-flung islands of the British Empire, the indomitable Everest Macdonald blazes a unique trail through fact and fiction to a truly dramatic denouement' Alis Hawkins\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e‘Gripping, tumbling, witty, audacious and beautifully written’ Kate Griffin\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e‘A.J. West skilfully conjures the most atmospheric story to rival any theatre show: a grand production of illusions, of dark secrets, and betrayals’ Essie Fox\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e‘A breathless, continent-spanning whodunnit set in London's theatrical underworld. Everest Macdonald is a menopausal mystery-solver to make Wilkie Collins proud. My jaw dropped when I realised how much of it was true!’ V.V. James\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e‘A cracking mystery … Everest Macdonald is a funny and utterly charming woman detective dealing with mystery, murder and the trials of midlife’ Suzie Edge\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e‘Introducing Everest Macdonald. Determined, indomitable, smart and ingenious. A.J. West has created a masterpiece of historical fiction’ David Harry, The London Spy\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003ePRAISE FOR A.J. WEST* WINNER of the CWA Historical Dagger** WINNER of the HWA Debut Crown** Shortlisted for Booksellers Association Author of the Year*\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e‘Utterly thrilling’ Elizabeth MacNeal\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e‘Immersive, illuminating and exceptionally entertaining’ Matt Cain\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e‘A rare gem of a novel’ Susan Stokes-Chapman\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e‘Had me in all sorts of tears’ Jennie Godfrey\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e‘Heartbreaking, beautiful, lyrical’ Catriona Ward\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e‘Really very, very good’ Stephen Fry\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e‘Hypnotic. A hurtling tale of deception and self-discovery’ James Cahill\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e‘A devastating story told with great power’ Christopher Stephens\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e‘A thriller and a vivid exploration of a largely forgotten aspect of London’s past’ The Times\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e‘Affected me more than anything I’ve read in a long time. 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