Three clips from the first chapter of The Stranger's Companion, published by John Murray Press. 

(c) 2024 Mary Horlock (P)2024 Hodder & Stoughton Limited

Chapter 1, p.7

Chapter 1, p.6

Chapter 1, p.5

Loving Kane nearly destroyed Briar once . . . now that he's Alpha, he could be the end of her.

­Briar's life collapsed the day Kane abandoned her ­four years ago, leaving a trail of destruction in­ his wake. Now, she needs his help.

Briar has one shot to save her V-addicted brother, if she can solve a series of murders plaguing the city. It'll mean diving headfirst into the political minefield of the supernatural elite and going head-to-head with the new alpha. He's ­dangerous, he's devastating, and he just so happens to be the man who obliterated her ­world.

The deal: fake being his mate to solve the case. The cost: everything.

As catastrophe looms and old passions ignite, Briar ­is faced with the impossible choice between loyalty and love. While the killer is watching and­ waiting to strike . . .

Shadowed Moonlight by K.C. Harper, read by Stephanie Cannon

In his first memoir, beloved comedian and national treasure Bill Bailey shares stories of his life - and the animals he's met along the way.

Bill Bailey has always had dogs, including a Patterdale terrier called Rocky who would travel with him in the van to his first shows and occasionally join him on stage. Fast forward a few decades and Bill has shared his home with a variety of birds, dogs, frogs, chameleons and an armadillo called Tommy. 'We even had a giant chicken, a huge Malay cockerel called Kid Creole. After a few stand-offs he took against me. He had to go in the end, I was being stalked in my own back garden.'

That chicken apart, animals have always been at the heart of an extraordinary life as one of the nation's favourite comedians, actors, musicians and (thanks to Strictly) dancers: from terriers to the orangutans of Sumatra and the parrots that share his breakfast every morning in west London.
 
Full of the leftfield humour, wit and wisdom that has made Bill Bailey such a beloved performer around the world, My Animals and Other Animals is the story of Bill's life; but more than that, it's the story of how all of our lives are enriched by the animals who accompany us on that journey.

My Animals and Other Animals, written and read by Bill Bailey - Bill writes a tongue twister

My Animals and Other Animals, written and read by Bill Bailey - Bill struggles with Brazil

My Animals and Other Animals, written and read by Bill Bailey - Benedict Cumberbatch eats meal worms

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