'Atmospheric, creepy and impossible to put down.' the TIMES

'A compelling and moving story, expertly told, that will draw you in and keep you in its grip until the last page.' DAILY EXPRESS

'Magnificent ... his writing is evocative and perfect. His grasp of human loneliness and longing is beautiful and comforting.' MARIAN KEYES

'I raved about Holding two years ago ... A Keeper is even better. A powerful, very sad story, beautiful writing, two time frames that are perfectly balanced. Outstanding. Will easily be one of my books of 2018.' JOHN BOYNE

'A gripping, thoughtful tale about the search for identity, belonging and self-possession.' OBSERVER

'Moving and darkly funny.' GOOD HOUSEKEEPING

'Smart, well-written and thoroughly entertaining.' IRISH INDEPENDENT

'It's a sad and lovely book, brimful of tenderness and compassion, where the revelations of the past upturn the perceptions of the present.' SUNDAY EXPRESS

'Charming and tender, a complete joy.' SUNDAY MIRROR

'Perfectly crafted, a beautiful, gripping account of Irish memory and deceit. A terrific achievement.' ANDREW O'HAGAN

From the bestselling author of Holding comes a masterly tale of secrets and ill-fated loves set on the coast of Ireland.

Dear Lonely Leinster Lady,
I'm not really sure how to begin . . .

The truth drifts out to sea, riding the waves out of sight. And then the tide turns.

Elizabeth Keane returns to Ireland after her mother's death, intent only on wrapping up that dismal part of her life. There is nothing here for her; she wonders if there ever was. The house of her childhood is stuffed full of useless things, her mother's presence already fading. And perhaps, had she not found the small stash of letters, the truth would never have come to light.

40 years earlier, a young woman stumbles from a remote stone house, the night quiet but for the tireless wind that circles her as she hurries further into the darkness away from the cliffs and the sea. She has no sense of where she is going, only that she must keep on.

This compelling new novel confirms Graham Norton's status as a fresh, literary voice, bringing his clear-eyed understanding of human nature and its darkest flaws.

Ein Sommertag Ende der Achtziger, sechs junge Leute fahren ans Meer. Auf dem Rückweg ein schrecklicher Unfall: Es sterben ein junges Paar, das am nächsten Tag hätte heiraten sollen, und eine Brautjungfer; die andere überlebt schwer verletzt. Kaum blessiert sind Martin, der Arztsohn, und Connor, der eigentlich nicht zur Clique gehörte. Er saß am Steuer.
Der ganze Ort Mullinmore ist wie gelähmt. Und nach dem Prozess wird Connor nach England geschickt. Niemand weiß, dass er noch vor etwas ganz anderem flieht. Bald bricht er den Kontakt zu den Eltern ab. Connnors Schwester wird derweil von Martin umworben. Die beiden heiraten, und die Ehe wird für Ellen ein Unglück.
Zwanzig Jahre später betritt ein Gast eine Bar in New York. Er versteht sich sofort gut mit dem jungen Barkeeper. Dann stellen sie fest, was sie verbindet. Und jenseits des Atlantiks, in einem kleinen Ort im County Cork, löst dies eine dramatische Kette von Ereignissen aus.

Ein sehr irischer Familienroman voller Sehnsucht und voller Geheimnisse, ein Buch voller Dunkelheit und Licht.
Elizabeth Keane kehrt zum ersten Mal seit Jahren in die irische Heimat zurück. Ihre Mutter ist gestorben, Elizabeth muss den Haushalt auflösen. Auch ihre Mutter Patricia hatte als junge Frau den Ausbruch gesucht, mit einem Verlobten, den keiner je zu Gesicht bekam. Monate später war sie zurückgekehrt. Ohne Mann, und mit einem Säugling im Arm.
Wer ihr Vater war, hat Elizabeth nie erfahren. Doch dann findet sie unter den Hinterlassenschaften ihrer Mutter ein Bündel Liebesbriefe …
Elizabeth macht sich auf die Suche. Ihr Weg führt zu einer windumtosten Farm am Fuße einer Burgruine über der rauen Keltischen See….

Duneen liegt wirklich am Arsch der Welt, ganz, ganz unten im Süden Irlands. Große Dramen finden in dem schmucken, kleinen Ort nicht statt, und trotzdem könnten viele Leute hier ein bisschen glücklicher sein. Sergeant PJ Collins war nicht immer so dick. Brid Riordan hat früher nicht so viel getrunken. Und auch Evelyn Ross glaubte einmal, ihr Leben könnte einen Sinn haben.
Dann bricht der Tag an, als auf dem Grund der Burke-Farm Knochen gefunden werden. Menschliche Knochen. Und es ist vorbei mit der Ruhe, für PJ und einige andere in Duneen. Alte Wunden brechen auf, alte Lügen kommen ans Licht, neue Konflikte entbrennen, und während PJ zum ersten Mal in seiner Karriere einen richtigen Fall zu lösen versucht, überrascht er viele, die ihn zu kennen glaubten – am meisten sich selbst.
«Ein großartiger Roman mit schön konstruierter Geschichte und der tröstlichen Botschaft, dass man Liebe finden kann, selbst wenn alle äußeren Umstände dagegen sprechen.» (Evening Standard)

Ein Geheimnis, so dunkel wie die irische See: ein spannender und atmosphärischer Kurzkrimi von Bestsellerautor Graham Norton.

Helen Beamish verbringt ihren Ruhestand in einem kleinen Haus an der irischen Küste. Es könnte so schön hier sein, wäre da nicht ihre sauertöpfische Schwester Margaret, die vor drei Jahren zu Besuch kam und seitdem keine Anstalten macht, wieder zu gehen. Vom Garten aus hat man einen herrlichen Blick aufs Meer. Eines Tages, als Helen auf der Terrasse liegt, sieht sie einen Mann ins Wasser gehen. Kurz darauf schläft sie in der warmen Nachmittagssonne ein. Als sie aufwacht, ist der Mann verschwunden, nur seine Kleidung liegt noch am Strand. Ihm muss etwas zugestoßen sein, da ist Helen sich sicher ...

Quick Reads 2022
Helen is a retired teacher living on the Irish coast. She enjoys the peace and quiet - despite the burden of Margaret, her unpleasant sister. Margaret arrived three years ago for a short holiday, but somehow managed to stay and worm her way into Helen's life.

One day, Helen sees a man struggling in the sea and decides to investigate. She doesn't quite know what it is, but something about it feels very strange...

**NOW A MAJOR TV DRAMA SERIES**

'A gentle comic crime story' The Guardian

'Poised and perceptive' Sunday Times

'a beautiful piece of writing with a great story and fantastic, full bodied characters. All this with glorious West Cork as its setting...irresistible.' Kathy Burke

'... a deftly plotted story as moving as it is compelling' Sunday Mirror

'Deeply accomplished ... brilliantly observed' Good Housekeeping

'... one of the more authentic debuts I've read in recent years ... in such an understated manner, eschewing linguistic eccentricity ... in favour of genuine characters and tender feeling ... this is a fine novel' John Boyne, Irish Times

'It's funny and wonderfully perceptive' Wendy Holden

'It is beautiful and yet devastatingly sad' Daily Express

'Strenuously charming ... surprisingly tender' Metro

'Heartwarming and observant' Stylist

The remote Irish village of Duneen has known little drama; and yet its inhabitants are troubled. Sergeant PJ Collins hasn't always been this overweight; mother of two Brid Riordan hasn't always been an alcoholic; and elegant Evelyn Ross hasn't always felt that her life was a total waste. So when human remains are discovered on an old farm, suspected to be that of Tommy Burke - a former love of both Brid and Evelyn - the village's dark past begins to unravel.

As the frustrated PJ struggles to solve a genuine case for the first time in his life, he unearths a community's worth of anger and resentments, secrets and regret.

Darkly comic, touching and at times profoundly sad. Graham Norton employs his acerbic wit to breathe life into a host of lovable characters, and explore - with searing honesty - the complexities and contradictions that make us human.

'Graham Norton's new novel has me in floods... His gift for characterisation is positively Binchy-esque! Such nuance and warmth! It's GORGEOUS' MARIAN KEYES

'Beautifully written. Fasten your seatbelts, it's going to be a bumpy read. Utterly fantastic.' LIZ NUGENT

'Full of heart and humanity and I loved every single page. What a storyteller!' ELIZABETH DAY

'Graham Norton's examination of small-town Irish lives continues in his deeply moving third novel. He is a magnificent writer.' JOHN BOYNE

'[Graham Norton is a] king of the page turners... A total triumph' ANNE GRIFFIN

Shame and longing can flow through generations, but the secrets of the heart will not be buried for ever.

It is 1987 and a small Irish community is preparing for a wedding. The day before the ceremony a group of young friends, including bride and groom, drive out to the beach. There is an accident. Three survive, but three are killed.

The lives of the families are shattered and the rifts between them are felt throughout the small town. Connor is one of the survivors. But staying among the angry and the mourning is almost as hard as living with the shame of having been the driver. He leaves the only place he knows for another life, taking his secrets with him. Travelling first to Liverpool, then London, he makes a home - of sorts - for himself in New York. The city provides shelter and possibility for the displaced, somewhere Connor can forget his past and forge a new life.

But the secrets, the unspoken longings and regrets that have come to haunt those left behind will not be silenced. And before long, Connor will have to confront his past.

Graham Norton's powerful and timely novel of emigration and return demonstrates his keen understanding of the power of stigma and secrecy - with devastating results.

'I defy anyone not to snort, howl and recoil' The Sunday Times


'Full of wicked asides, tart observations and sharp remarks that could only have originated in Graham Norton's witty brain.' Terry Wogan


Looking around the room I saw what life really was. It was made up of my passions. I saw my life reflected back at me. People I liked, people I loved, people I had shared half a century with. All the stories of my life were together in that one room and it made me very happy.

Who wouldn't want a friend like Graham Norton? A little bit naughty, full of frank advice, bursting with gossip about the world's biggest stars - but most of all with an emphatic love of life and all its joys, big and small.

Join him - glass of wine in hand, faithful doggy friend by your side - and delve in as he shares the loves of his life.

Graham Norton, whose impish charm and quick wit has earned him a place in our hearts, looks back at his life so far. In his own words, SO ME is 'a real romp through a journey from living in a cockroach-infested council flat in Hackney to buying Claudia Schiffer's townhouse in Manhattan, from my mother dragging me to school to me dragging her to Sharon Stone's house for New Year's brunch'.



From a not-so miserable Irish childhood to dropping out of Cork University and joining a commune of hippies in San Francisco, from his disastrous attempts at becoming a serious actor to the rise of his comedy career in London, this is a hilarious, insightful and moving account of a colourful life.