From the backstreets of Manchester comes a new pulse-pounding gangland saga. You've got to fight for everything when you start with nothing Susan Knight has a good life. So she turns a blind eye to the gambling winnings her husband Donny puts through the books at her salon. After all, he needs some way to unwind. At work, he is headteacher at Second Chance, an alternative provision school for kids who have nowhere else to go. Being the headteacher gives Donny respect, money, and charm. But respect can be lost, money can be stolen and charm can only go so far. The kids at the school all have a story to tell - as do the staff. Drugs, debt, violence and threat are part of their everyday lives. Donny's got this far by never playing by the rules. But to keep winning, you have to keep chancing it all. To stay at the top means risking everything. Susan knows Donny walks a fine line - but if he stumbles too far on the wrong side of the tracks can she stand by him? And for Donny, if he loses Susan, he knows he might be pulled back into the life that's been waiting for him all this time...

Tracks

Literature & Fiction

Woods, Karen

Genre Fiction

HarperNorth

Tease

Literary

Betrayal, family loyalties, secrets: not all gangsters live in the east end. Two families run this part of Manchester: the Johnsons and the Bennetts. With the head of the Johnson family banged up, the Bennetts have made their move. But power comes at a price... Now Charlie Johnson is out of prison and he wants his empire back. But the Bennetts have had a taste of the money and the control. Charlie's sons want to strike now and destroy their rivals but Charlie wants to wait. He has a personal score to settle. Charlie's wife Janey hates that her controlling husband is home from prison and is hatching a plan to leave him, but she knows he won't let her go easily - not with the secrets she carries. She needs allies - and through her daughter and her passionate affairs, she may have found the way out she needs. But for all of them, getting what they want will mean risking everything.

Vice: A gritty crime thriller from ‘the Northern Martina Cole’

The Deal

The Con: A pulse-pounding thriller from the Manchester crime writing queen

All families have secrets. Some protect. Others destroy. Three sisters. A last wish from their dying mother. Can they forgive her? Brenda Smith shouldn't feel lucky - she's only got months to live, if that. But knowing this means she's got one final chance to make peace with the grown-up daughters she's not seen since she did something terrible decades back. Emily, her eldest daughter, moved on. She's got a good job, nice family and a daughter of her own on the cusp of adulthood. Appalled by how her own mother tore the family apart, she could never do the same - or could she? Teresa, the middle child, learnt the hard way that she could only rely on herself - and if she wanted nice things, she'd have to go out and get them, by any means possible. She's not proud of some of her choices - and it looks like it's time for her to pay the price. And Shannon, the youngest? No one's been able to reach her for years. She left home to outrun her pain but some things can never be escaped, only confronted. Will facing the truth set them free - or shatter even more lives?

The Truth: All families have secrets. Some protect. Some destroy.

Romance

Quiet streets hide the worst crimes Manchester's Manor Estate is the kind of place people want to live - smart houses, neighbours who look out for you. But what if you don't want to be seen? Behind the tidy front gardens and glossy painted doors it seems everyone's got something to hide. Love, hate, addiction, jealousy - on a street where everyone's watching, you can't keep a secret forever. For these families, it's time to find out what is really happening on home territory. Someone's selling their soul, someone's selling their body, and someone's going to pay...

The Watch

The Trade: A gripping thriller from the dark side of Manchester, new for 2025

This book presents a series of guided, easy-to-follow workshops aimed at children of a primary school age and upwards, working under supervision but not necessarily in the classroom. Each project will build confidence with techniques and materials, encouraging the child to engage with more challenging ideas once they understand the usefulness and relevance of the skills they have already acquired. The projects move from simple 2-D designs exploring colour and form right up to more complex 3-D forms mixing techniques and media. Each project contains options for experimenting with other media.

Creative Textiles Projects for Children

Children's Books

Arts, Music & Photography

A&C Black

This is a general introduction for readers of all levels, to craft projects using textile techniques. 
Basic techniques are introduced, and the reader is then encouraged to experiment with the chosen medium, creating their own piece of work. Works by featured artists and designers provide inspiration, with tips on how similar styles and effects can be achieved. Each section also includes plenty of stimulating ideas for source and reference material.
Topics covered include: images on fabric; creating fabrics; wireframe construction; 3D wire construction; using a heat tool; materials manipulation; adapting traditional techniques; joining, seaming, bonding, layering; mould-making, casting and forming.

Creative Textile Art: Techniques and projects

Arts & Photography

Decorative Arts & Design

A&C Black Visual Arts

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Books by Woods, Karen