"For many Meanies, the solace of a nice cup of tea is offset by the pain of having to discard a perfectly good teabag after only one use. But short of hanging up used teabags to dry, what’s the alternative?" Tips for Meanies presents a host of alternative uses for common or garden household goods. Who knew you could use the humble teabag to make organic fertilizer or to retain moisture at the bottom of a plant pot? Or that shampoo is so good for removing stains and ideal for washing delicates? With the wit and wisdom of Jane Thynne accompanied by full color illustrations by veteran illustrator Martin Honeysett, this is the perfect gift book for the Meanie in all our lives.

Tips for Meanies: Thrifty Wisdom from the Oldie

Business & Money

Thynne, Jane

Personal Finance

RANDOM HOUSE UK

Rich with political intrigue and authentic period details, this historical crime novel--the first of three--is perfect for fans of Roberta Rich, Charles Todd and Robert Harris. In Berlin, 1933, British actress Clara Vine finds herself dangerously involved with the British intelligence service. Clara Vine, a half-Jewish Anglo-German, uses her unique access to the upper echelons of pre-war Nazi society to spy for her native Britain. The novel richly fuses fact and fiction with a cast of real Nazis and their British admirers, such as the Mitford sisters and the Duke and Duchess of Windsor. Clara Vine, through her friendship with Eva Braun, finds herself enmeshed in a plot to assassinate Hitler. The setting of pre-war Germany is a treasure trove, and the irresistably fresh perspective of Nazi wives puts a new spin on an ever-fascinating era, fraught with glamour, political tension, tragedy and romance.

The Scent of Secrets

Literature & Fiction

Genre Fiction

Doubleday, Canada

In the enthralling sequel to The Scent of Secrets, British actress/spy Clara Vine returns, moving gracefully through the treacherous upper echelons of Nazi high society. Rife with political intrigue and authentic period details, this novel is perfect for fans of Jacqueline Winspear and Eva Stachniak. Clara Vine, a half-Jewish Anglo-German, uses her unique access to the wealthy elite of pre-war Nazi society to spy for her native Britain. In this second installment of her story, Clara, an ambitious young actress, insinuates herself into the lives of the Nazi wives through her association with the famous Ufa Studios. Her close friendship with Magda Goebbels makes her an attractive asset to the British intelligence service. Richly weaving the historical record with lush fictional details and a tantalizing love story, a cast of real Nazis and their British admirers--such as the Mitford sisters and the Duke and Duchess of Windsor--comes to life in this series.

The Pursuit of Pearls

The third in the sensational series starring British actress/spy Clara Vine, who maneuvers through the treacherous social hierarchy of the Nazi elite. Berlin, 1937. The city radiates glamour and ambition. But danger lurks in every shadow. . . . Anna Hansen, a bride-to-be, is a pupil at one of Hitler's notorious Nazi Bride Schools, where young women are schooled on the art of being an SS officer's wife. Then, one night, she is brutally murdered and left in the gardens of the school. Her death will be hushed up and her life forgotten. Clara Vine is an actress at Berlin's famous Ufa studios by day and an undercover British Intelligence agent by night. She knew Anna and is disturbed by news of her death. She cannot understand why someone would want to cover it up, but she soon discovers that Anna's murder is linked to a far more ominous secret. With the newly abdicated Edward VIII and his wife, Wallis, set to arrive in Berlin, and the Mitford sisters dazzling on the social scene, Clara must work in the shadows to find the truth and send it back to London. It is a dangerous path she treads, and it will take everything she has to survive. . . .

Woman in the Shadows: A Novel

Perfect for fans of Jacqueline Winspear, Charles Todd, Robert Harris, and Susan Elia MacNeal, here is the next thrilling historical novel featuring Clara Vine, the British actress and special agent who glides through the upper echelons of Nazi society, covertly gathering key intelligence—and placing herself in mortal peril. In the spring of 1939, the drums of war beat throughout Europe, but nowhere more ferociously than in Berlin. The film studio where Clara Vine works is churning out movies, but each day that she stays in Germany is more dangerous than the last. Spying on the private life of the Third Reich, passing secrets to contacts in British intelligence, falling into a passionate affair—any of these risky moves could get Clara shot. So she is wholly shaken when someone close to her is murdered instead. The victim is Lottie Franke, an aspiring costume designer and student at the prestigious Faith and Beauty finishing school that trains young women to become the wives of the Nazi elite. While the press considers Lottie’s death in the Grunewald forest the act of a lone madman, Clara uncovers deeper threads, tangled lines that seem to reach into the darkest depths of the Reich—and to a precious discovery that Hitler and his ruthless cohorts would kill for. Previously published in the U.K. as Faith and Beauty Praise for Jane Thynne’s first Clara Vine novel, The Scent of Secrets “A brilliant tale of spies and secrets, of intense psychological drama, of edgy climax and one extraordinary heroine.”—Beatriz Williams, New York Times bestselling author of A Hundred Summers “A compelling story of love and betrayal in Hitler’s Berlin . . . Peppered with real-life characters, this series offers a fascinating glimpse of the extraordinary world of the Nazi wives.”—Daisy Goodwin, author of The American Heiress “An alluring blend of thrills, suspense, historic detail, and seduction.”—Susan Elia MacNeal, author of the Maggie Hope series “An extraordinary, absorbing read with an array of characters so real you’re there with them as war looms, and a pace that sweeps you from page to page. This is indeed a winner!”—Charles Todd, author of Inspector Ian Rutledge Mysteries

The Pursuit of Pearls: A Novel (Clara Vine)

British & Irish

Ballantine Books

Set in Europe, in 1938, during the tense run-up to war, and perfect for fans of Jacqueline Winspear, Charles Todd, Robert Harris, and Susan Elia MacNeal, this gripping historical novel features the half-British, half-German actress (and wholly covert spy) Clara Vine, who finds herself enmeshed in a dangerous game of subterfuge. The colorful, lively streets of Paris come as a welcome relief to Clara Vine after the dour countenance of Berlin, where bunkers and bomb shelters are being dug, soldiers march the streets in their high boots, and Jewish residents rush to make it home before curfew. Though Clara is in Paris to make a film, her true work is never far from her mind. Approached by a British intelligence officer, Clara is initially confounded by his request: Get close to Eva Braun and glean as much as she can about the Führer’s plans and intentions. Clara has already established friendships with several high-ranking Nazi wives, but Eva Braun is another matter altogether. Hitler keeps his “secret” girlfriend obsessively hidden, fiercely guarding their relationship as well as Eva’s delicate psychological state. From the gilded halls of the decadent City of Light to the cobbled, quaint streets of Munich, and even to the chilling, rarefied air of the Berghof, Hitler’s private mountaintop retreat, Clara flirts with discovery at every turn—and a dangerous, devious plot unfolds. Previously published in the U.K. as A War of Flowers “A brilliant tale of spies and secrets, of intense psychological drama, of edgy climax and one extraordinary heroine.”—Beatriz Williams, New York Times bestselling author of A Hundred Summers “A compelling story of love and betrayal in Hitler’s Berlin . . . Peppered with real-life characters, this series offers a fascinating glimpse of the extraordinary world of the Nazi wives.”—Daisy Goodwin, author of The American Heiress “An alluring blend of thrills, suspense, historic detail, and seduction.”—Susan Elia MacNeal, author of the Maggie Hope series “An extraordinary, absorbing read with an array of characters so real you’re there with them as war looms, and a pace that sweeps you from page to page. This is indeed a winner!”—Charles Todd, author of Inspector Ian Rutledge Mysteries Look for special features inside. Join the Random House Reader’s Circle for author chats and more.

The Scent of Secrets: A Novel (Clara Vine)

Perfect for fans of Kristin Hannah’s The Nightingale and Jacqueline Winspear’s Journey to Munich, here is the next exciting historical novel featuring Clara Vine, the actress and British spy in prewar Germany who maneuvers through the treacherous Nazi society gathering intelligence—and discovering a deadly secret. Berlin, 1937. Clara Vine’s star is on the rise. The British-born, half-German actress is about to take her first leading role in a movie produced by the Nazis’ official film studio. Even as she moves through the upper echelons of the Third Reich, Clara never stops acting. At cocktail parties hosted by Joseph and Magda Goebbels, she collects key information for Britain, risking her life for the cause. But soon it is another young woman’s life, and its abrupt end, that draw her attention. Clara knew Anna Hansen as a dancer and artist’s model in the heady days of the cabaret scene. Then she became engaged to an SS officer. Attending one of Hitler’s notorious Bride Schools, she was being groomed as the perfect Nazi wife. When she is found murdered on the school grounds, her death is hushed up, one casualty among many in the lead-up to war. But Clara cannot fathom why Anna’s death would be concealed. Was it simply an embarrassment to the regime, or did Anna know something that hastened her demise? Clara must tread carefully to unravel the truth—for the Gestapo is one step behind her. Previously published in the U.K. as The Winter Garden

Woman in the Shadows: A Novel (Clara Vine)

Faith And Beauty

Magna Large Print Books

Product Description 
A chance discovery inside a vintage typewriter case reveals the gripping story of two sisters on opposite sides of World War II in this captivating novel for readers of Lilac Girls and The Women in the Castle. 
 New York, present day: On a whim, Juno Lambert buys a 1931 Underwood typewriter that once belonged to celebrated journalist Cordelia Capel. Within its case she discovers an unfinished novel, igniting a transatlantic journey to fill the gaps in the story of Cordelia and her sister and the secret that lies between them. 
 Europe, 1936: Cordelia's socialite sister Irene marries a German industrialist who whisks her away to Berlin. Cordelia, feistier and more intellectual than Irene, gets a job at a newspaper in Paris, pursuing the journalism career she cherishes. As politics begin to boil in Europe, the sisters exchange letters and Cordelia discovers that Irene's husband is a Nazi sympathizer. With increasing desperation, Cordelia writes to her beloved sister, but as life in Nazi Germany darkens, Irene no longer dares admit what her existence is truly like. Knowing that their letters cannot tell the whole story, Cordelia decides to fill in the blanks by sitting down with her Underwood and writing the truth. 
 When Juno reads the unfinished novel, she resolves to uncover the secret that continued to divide the sisters amid the turmoil of love, espionage, and war. In this vivid portrait of Nazi Berlin, from its high society to its devastating fall, Jane Thynne examines the truths we sometimes dare not tell ourselves.\nAdvance praise for The Words I Never Wrote 
"In sumptuous prose, Jane Thynne limns the lives of two sisters ripped apart by the moral choices they made in a time of war. Dramatic, fast-paced, and emotional, 
The Words I Never Wrote puts the interior details of women's lives in stark relief against the dramatic backdrop of Europe in World War II, helping readers understand the difficult choices that women made." 
--Elizabeth Letts, author of The Perfect Horse: The Daring U.S. Mission to Rescue the Priceless Stallions Kidnapped by the Nazis 
 "Haunting, taut, and compelling, this portrait of two upper-class British sisters divided by World War II is a kaleidoscopic story of love and betrayal whose characters are never quite what they seem. It will capture your attention immediately and keep you thinking for a long time to come." 
--Lynne Olson, author of Madame Fourcade's Secret War 
 Review 
"Jane Thynne's latest novel is magnificent. In her first standalone, she expertly intertwines the stories of three different women with secrets--two sisters on opposite sides in World War II, and the present-day young photographer who pieces their stories together. Thynne works with a journalist's talent for choosing the telling historic detail--including cameos by the ambassador to Germany's daughter Martha Dodd and double-agent Kim Philby--combined with a novelist's sense of how those details come together to shape a relevant and timeless story." 
--Susan Elia MacNeal, author of the Maggie Hope mystery series 
" 
The Words I Never Wrote threads its way through layers of twentieth-century history, weaving a pattern of love, loss, hope, and tragedy against a backdrop of conflict. Two sisters separated both ideologically and geographically are brought together once more when a half-finished manuscript describing their lives surfaces more than half a century later, allowing their stories to be unpicked and re-sewn together in a deeply moving narrative. Highlighting the power of the written word to bear witness to the seismic shifts of history, this is complex material beautifully stitched. I couldn't recommend it more highly." 
--Elizabeth Fremantle, author of The Poison Bed and Queen's Gambit 
"A gripping account of sisters divided by war. . . . Thynne's depiction of prewar Berlin is superb." 
--Daisy Goodwin, author of Victoria 
"Thynne memorably portrays how the bond shared by two sisters can be fractur

The Words I Never Wrote (Thorndike Press Large Print Peer Picks)

Thorndike Press Large Print

August, 1938. Paris is a city living on its nerves and the threat of war hangs heavy as a distant thunderstorm on a summer's day.British actress, Clara Vine, is in Paris to film her latest movie, having left Berlin under a cloud. Joseph Goebbels has become increasingly suspicious that Clara has been mingling in Berlin society and passing snippets of information to her contacts in the British Embassy. It would have been absurd, if it hadn't also been true... With war becoming increasingly likely, Clara is approached by an undercover British operative, Guy Hamilton, who asks her to perform a task for her country: to befriend Eva Braun, Hitler's girlfriend, and to pass on any information she can gather. Clara knows that to undertake this task is to put herself back in danger. But she also knows that soon she may have to do everything in her power to protect her country...

A War of Flowers

Simon Schuster Ltd

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