I write novels for adults, young adults (My Life as a Bench won the International Rubery Book of the Year), and children. Using my experience as an art student in Nottingham, I wanted to look at the dark side of Sex in the City. The sexual revolution of the 60s gave women freedom, but at what cost? Conviction rates for sexual assault remain depressingly low and our streets remain unsafe for women at night.
You won’t find a more innocent narrator than five-year-old Jack. He lives in “Room”, the only place he knows, with Ma, and the only other person he has met is “Old Nick” – the man who abducted, imprisoned, and now visits his mother at night. Inspired by the horrendous Fritzl case, Room is heart-breaking and compelling. Jack’s only contact with the outside world is via what he sees on TV until he has to escape. Following this nail-bitingly intense episode, you’ll be gunning for Jack and his ma as they try to move on with their lives.
A major film starring Brie Larson. Shortlisted for the Man Booker Prize. Shortlisted for the Orange Prize.
Picador Classics edition with an introduction by John Boyne, author of The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas.
Today I'm five. I was four last night going to sleep in Wardrobe, but when I wake up in Bed in the dark I'm changed to five, abracadabra.
Jack lives with his Ma in Room. Room has a single locked door and a skylight, and it measures ten feet by ten feet. Jack loves watching TV but he knows that nothing he sees on the screen…
Sexual abuse that occurs repeatedly over a long period can be particularly hard to understand. Sometimes it seems like the victim has gone back for more and may be complicit in some way. My Dark Vanessa illustrates how abusers (who are often older and more sophisticated) groom their victims and it shows how it can take years for the person who has suffered to understand what they have been through.
An instant New York Times and Sunday Times bestseller
SHORTLISTED FOR THE 2021 DYLAN THOMAS AWARD
'A package of dynamite' Stephen King
'Powerful, compulsive, brilliant' Marian Keyes
An era-defining novel about the relationship between a fifteen-year-old girl and her teacher
ALL HE DID WAS FALL IN LOVE WITH ME AND THE WORLD TURNED HIM INTO A MONSTER
Vanessa Wye was fifteen-years-old when she first had sex with her English teacher.
She is now thirty-two and in the storm of allegations against powerful men in 2017, the teacher, Jacob Strane, has just been accused of sexual abuse by another former student.…
Looking for clean romantic suspense with spiritual undertones?
Look no further than the Acts of Valor series by Rebecca Hartt. With thousands of reviews and 4.7-5.0 stars per book, this 6-book series is a must-read for readers searching for memorable, well-told stories by an award-winning author.
Emma O’Donovan is a pretty and popular 18-year-old whose life completely changes after she attends a couple of parties and the following day is found semi-conscious on her doorstep. Unaware of what she has been through the night before, Emma struggles to cope with the public shaming that ensues. This is a brilliant examination of consent, rape culture, and how hard it can be to speak out and seek justice.
'A soul-shattering novel that will leave your emotions raw. This story will haunt me forever. Everyone should read it' Guardian
In a small town where everyone knows everyone, Emma O'Donovan is different. She is the special one - beautiful, popular, powerful. And she works hard to keep it that way.
Until that night . . .
Now, she's an embarrassment. Now, she's just a slut. Now, she is nothing.
And those pictures - those pictures that everyone has seen - mean she can never forget.
For fans of Caitlin Moran, Marian Keyes and Jodi Picoult.
Privilege, entitlement, politics, and sleaze, it’s all here, along with the disturbing sense that many perpetrators get away with far too many misdeeds for most of their lives, while their victims’ lives are instantly thrown into crisis. It’s a solid, twisty psychological thriller with hints of the Bullingdon Club and Westminster bad behaviour.
“A nuanced story line perfectly in tune with our #metoo times.” —People, Book of the Week
“One of the season’s most buzzed-about thrillers.” —Bookish
“A strong choice for book clubs. Former political correspondent Vaughan makes an impressive debut with this savvy, propulsive courtroom drama.” —Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
“Vaughan offers gripping insight into a political scandal’s hidden machinations and the tension between justice and privilege…Absorbing, polished.” —Booklist (starred review)
“Skillfully interweaving the story of the unfolding scandal, Vaughan gradually reveals just how shockingly high the stakes are…Sinewy…engrossing, twist-filled.” —Publishers Weekly (starred review)…
Contrary to popular belief, the Atrahasis Epic is not merely a flood myth. In some ways it can be called a creation myth. However, it does not concern itself with the creation of the universe or even of the earth. Rather, the created work in question is one of culture…
This is an unusual novel about a woman who decides enough is enough. A predatory voyeuristic neighbour is the final straw for Bella (a woman who has suffered a lifetime of misogyny and abuse). Over one grisly weekend in Brighton she wreaks revenge on any man who happens to look as if they might mistreat her. The prose is stylish, sharp, and snappy but readers might balk at the explicit violence.
Bella lives alone in a basement flat. A man threatens rape and mutilation. Trapped and afraid, she finds a way out by adopting a hard and ancient logic. Once embarked on a murderous path of vengeance, there is no stopping her. This is a first novel.
I Came to Find a Girl is a psychological thriller about a young art student’s twisted “relationship” with famous artist and convicted serial killer Jack Flood.
A complex game of cat and mouse in the seedy streets of Nottingham, England, ends in death. Young artist Mia Jackson is compelled to watch the posthumous video diaries of Jack Flood – controversial bad boy of the London art world and convicted serial killer. Can Mia allow Drake Gallery to show Aftermathin their retrospective of his work? Muse or victim why was she allowed to survive?
Liveaboard sailor Cass Lynch thinks her big break has finally arrived when she blags her way into skippering a Viking longship for a Hollywood film. However, this means returning to the Shetland Islands, the place she fled as a teenager. When a corpse unexpectedly appears onboard the longship, she can…
This book is a spy novel with a satirical edge which will take you on a heart-pumping journey through the streets, mountains, jungles, and beaches of Colombia. Our Man in Havana meets A Clear and Present Danger.