An enthralling story of one woman’s determined grab for freedom after WW2 from a talented new Australian voice. ‘PART CABARET, PART BURLESQUE, AND LIKE NOTHING YOU’VE EVER SEEN BEFORE! GENTLEMEN, AND LADIES IF YOU’VE DARED TO COME, WELCOME TO ... THE VICTORY!’ 1945: After the thrill and danger of volunteering in an all-female searchlight regiment protecting Londoners from German bombers overhead, Evelyn Bell is secretly dismayed to be sent back to her rigid domestic life when the war is over. But then she comes across a secret night-time show, hidden from the law on a boat in the middle of the Thames. Entranced by the risqué and lively performance, she grabs the opportunity to join the misfit crew and escape her dreary future. At first the Victory travels from port to port to raucous applause, but as the shows get bigger and bigger, so too do the risks the performers are driven to take, as well as the growing emotional complications among the crew. Until one desperate night ... 1963: Lucy, an unloved and unwanted little girl, is rescued by a mysterious stranger who says he knows her mother. On the Isle of Wight, Lucy is welcomed into an eclectic family of ex-performers. She is showered with kindness and love, but gradually it becomes clear that there are secrets they refuse to share. Who is Evelyn Bell? PRAISE FOR KERRI TURNER 'The Daughter of Victory Lights is a rich and vibrant story, comprising of a double narrative. Kerri Turner's latest charts the lives of an enterprising mother and her daughter, ten years later. A story of passion, love, friendship, family, loyalty aspiration, ambition, heroism, tragedy and recovery, The Daughter of Victory Lights is a bedazzling historical fiction title.' - Mrs B Book Reviews 'Beautifully plotted storylines and engaging characters resulting in a spectacular novel. The Daughter of Victory Lights took my breath away.' - Better Reading ‘An impressive debut ... one of the strengths of the novel is the tapestry it creates of everyday life in an era of great turbulence.’- Queensland Times on The Last Days of the Romanov Dancers

A PopSugar Best Book of the Year! Readers of Heather Morris’s The Tattooist of Auschwitz and watchers of The Queen’s Gambit won’t want to miss this amazing debut set during World War II. A young Polish resistance worker, imprisoned in Auschwitz as a political prisoner, plays chess in exchange for her life, and in doing so fights to bring the man who destroyed her family to justice. Maria Florkowska is many things: daughter, avid chess player, and, as a member of the Polish underground resistance in Nazi-occupied Warsaw, a young woman brave beyond her years. Captured by the Gestapo, she is imprisoned in Auschwitz, but while her family is sent to their deaths, she is spared. Realizing her ability to play chess, the sadistic camp deputy, Karl Fritzsch, decides to use her as a chess opponent to entertain the camp guards. However, once he tires of exploiting her skills, he has every intention of killing her. Befriended by a Catholic priest, Maria attempts to overcome her grief, vows to avenge the murder of her family, and plays for her life. For four grueling years, her strategy is simple: Live. Fight. Survive. By cleverly provoking Fritzsch’s volatile nature in front of his superiors, Maria intends to orchestrate his downfall. Only then will she have a chance to evade the fate awaiting her and see him punished for his wickedness. As she carries out her plan and the war nears its end, she challenges her former nemesis to one final game, certain to end in life or death, in failure or justice. If Maria can bear to face Fritzsch—and her past—one last time.

A floating prison is home to Earth's unwanted people, where they are forgotten... but not yet dead, in this wild science fiction adventure Deep space penal colony Oubliette, population: scum. Lena "Horror" Horowitz leads the Daughters of Forgotten Light, one of three vicious gangs fighting for survival on Oubliette. Their fragile truce is shaken when a new shipment arrives from Earth carrying a fresh batch of prisoners and supplies to squabble over. But the delivery includes two new surprises: a drone, and a baby. Earth Senator Linda Dolfuse wants evidence of the bloodthirsty gangs to justify the government finally eradicating the wasters dumped on Oubliette. There's only one problem: the baby in the drone's video may be hers. File Under:Science Fiction [ Banged Up |Out of Mind |Girls Gone Bad | Moppet in Space ]

1911: Sydney, Australia. From the moment the tumours appeared on her face, Maggie Bright knew she would never live a normal life. Abandoned by her mother and then given away by her father, she spent her childhood learning to become the 'Lagoon Creature': part acrobat, part clown, part circus hand. It's not a bad life -Rafferty Braun, the ringmaster, provides her with an ongoing education, and now, as a young woman, she has the kind of freedom her condition could have easily taken away from her. As much as she tries not to, however, Maggie can't help wishing for more. Charlotte Voigt could not be more different. The talented tightrope walker is a star of the circus, with the entertainment world at her slipper-clad feet. She is also a liar. When an opportunity arises to try on Charlotte's identity for her own, Maggie doesn't hesitate. She wants to know what it feels like to be admired, to be accepted, to be beautiful. And the circus's sudden decision to cross Australia via wagon provides her with the perfect cover. Each new town or remote settlement brings the women closer to understanding one another. Resentments begin to fade, but in their place are secrets that could undo the delicate trust they've built: Maggie, with her alternative life pretending to be the glamorous tightrope walker; Charlotte lying about her background, her family, and the reason she reappeared with the circus after several years' absence. The sawdust road will test their willpower. The truth will determine their futures.

Charles Green had survived the Great Depression in impoverished Mississippi and World War II in Southeast Asia, and was well into a successful career as a pastor when he faced a period of paralyzing fear. From concern for his family's financial security and his church's growth to anxiety for the safety of his children, fear became a constant, unwanted companion, only leaving his side for brief moments during prayer and worship. Writing with transparency and humor, Dr. Green tells the story of his early life, conversion, ministry and battle with fear, anxiety and depression--a battle that culminated in a dramatic deliverance that can only be attributed to the grace of God. As Dr. Green writes, "My deliverance did not come because I had discovered a secret formula." Instead, it was achieved after consistently applying key biblical principles that led to a breakthrough.