Stephen Ronson in conversation with Sarah Stewart Taylor

Join us for a night of historical crime fiction! Stephen Ronson will be celebrating his new book The Blitz Secret, in conversation with Sarah Stewart Taylor! ''A brilliant noir thriller set in the darkest days of the Second World War'' - Stephen Leather A totally gripping WWII thriller, perfect for fans of Kate Quinn, Robert Harris and Rory Clements. London is under attack. Secrets and spies hide in the shadows. Who can you trust when every night could be your last? London, 1940: Farmer John Cook would rather avoid the city at the best of times. But as he watches Nazi bombers passing overhead in the moonlight, he knows he is exactly where he needs to be. A young woman has disappeared during an air raid and Cook links her to a network of spies. As his search continues, he realises more is at stake than he could have imagined... Occupied France: Lady Margaret is playing a dangerous game. To the German high- command she is a valuable prize. To the British, she has become the enemy, unless she can do the impossible: gain the trust of those at the heart of the Nazi war machine and betray their secrets. With the fate of Europe in their hands, will Cook and Margaret make the ultimate sacrifice to keep each other's secrets safe and save innocent lives? Stephen Ronson grew up in Sussex, and spent a large part of his childhood exploring the woods and fields around Uckfield, many of which were still dotted with reminders of WW2 - pill boxes, tank traps, nissen huts, and graffiti left by soldiers awaiting D-Day. He is a passionate student of local history, and when he learnt about Auxiliary Units - groups of men who were instructed to lay low during the predicted nazi invasion and lead the fight back - he knew he had to write about a Sussex farmer, one with a love of the land, and a natural desire and ability to get the job done. Many of the locations and characters in the John Cook series are inspired by real places and real people. In particular, Stephen was inspired by his grandparents, Eric, Bessie, Peter and Vera, each of whom did their bit on the home front. Nowadays, Stephen divides his time between Vermont, USA, and Uckfield, East Sussex. When he's not writing, he can be found renovating his house, or walking the woods and the fields. Sarah Stewart Taylor is the author of the Sweeney St. George series, set in New England, the Maggie D’arcy mysteries, set in Ireland and on Long Island, and Agony Hill, the first in a new series set in rural Vermont in the 1960s. Sarah has been nominated for an Agatha Award and for the Dashiell Hammett Prize and her mysteries have appeared on numerous Best of the Year lists. A former journalist and teacher, she writes and lives with her family on a farm in Vermont where they raise sheep and grow blueberries.