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Sunday Times Bestsellers 2023: Here are the 11 books that sold most copies in the UK this year

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Led by a controversial royal memoir, all these successful books sold at least 215,000 copies.

It's the label that every author dreams of having on the front of their book: "Sunday Times Bestseller".

The newspaper produces weekly sales charts for hardback and softback book sales in the UK.

And they recently announced which books sold the most in 2023.

Here are the top 11. You can see the full list here .

1 . Spare by Prince Harry, The Duke of Sussex

The book that everybody was talking about in 2023 inevitable tops the charts with an amazing 700,962 copies sold in hardback. "For the first time, Prince Harry tells his own story, chronicling his journey with raw, unflinching honesty. A landmark publication, Spare is full of insight, revelation, self-examination, and hard-won wisdom about the eternal power of love over grief." | Contributed

2 . Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus

Assisted by a major Apple TV series starring Brie Larson, Lessons in Chemistry was the best selling work of fiction in 2023, thanks to shifting 466,628 paperbacks. "Chemist Elizabeth Zott is not your average woman. In fact, she would be the first to point out that there is no such thing. But it's the early 1960s and her all-male team at Hastings Research Institute take a very unscientific view of equality. Forced to leave her job at the institute, she soon finds herself the reluctant star of America's most beloved cooking show, Supper at Six." | Contributed

3 . The Last Devil To Die: The Thursday Murder Club 4 by Richard Osman

The popularity of television host Richard Osman's series of crime novels set in a retirement village shows no sign of letting up anytime soon. The fourth book was another hit, with 419,456 hardbacks sold. "Shocking news reaches the Thursday Murder Club. An old friend in the antiques business has been killed, and a dangerous package he was protecting has gone missing. As the gang springs into action they encounter art forgers, online fraudsters and drug dealers, as well as heartache close to home." | Contributed

4 . The Bullet That Missed: The Thursday Murder Club 3 by Richard Osman

A total of 387,181 paperback sales gives Pointless host Richard Osman a second entry in the top five with the third in his fun series of crime novels. "It is an ordinary Thursday and things should finally be returning to normal. Except trouble is never far away where the Thursday Murder Club is concerned. A decade-old cold case leads them to a local news legend and a murder with no body and no answers. Then, a new foe pays Elizabeth a visit. Her mission? Kill...or be killed." | Contributed

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The week’s bestselling books, June 23

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Hardcover fiction

1. James by Percival Everett (Doubleday: $28) An action-packed reimagining of “The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn.”

2. All Fours by Miranda July (Riverhead Books: $29) A woman upends her domestic life in this irreverent and tender novel.

3. Table for Two by Amor Towles (Viking: $32) A collection of stories from the author of “The Lincoln Highway.”

4. Eruption by Michael Crichton, James Patterson (Little, Brown & Co.: $32) A history-making rupture and military secrets converge on Hawaii’s Big Island in a thriller from two bestselling legends.

5. The Paris Novel by Ruth Reichl (Random House: $29) An adventure through the food, art and fashion scenes of 1980s Paris.

6. Funny Story by Emily Henry (Berkley: $29) Two opposites with the wrong thing in common connect.

7. You Like It Darker by Stephen King (Scribner: $30) The legendary storyteller’s latest collection of short stories, many never before published.

8. The Women by Kristin Hannah (St. Martin’s Press: $30) An intimate portrait of coming of age in a dangerous time and an epic tale of a nation divided.

9. Real Americans by Rachel Khong (Knopf: $29) A novel of American identity that spans three generations in one family.

10. Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver (Harper: $32) The story of a boy born into poverty to a teenage single mother in Appalachia.

Hardcover nonfiction

1. The Demon of Unrest by Erik Larson (Crown: $35) An exploration of the pivotal five months between Abraham Lincoln’s election and the start of the Civil War.

2. The Friday Afternoon Club by Griffin Dunne (Penguin Press: $30) The actor-director’s memoir of growing up in Hollywood and Manhattan.

3. The Creative Act by Rick Rubin (Penguin: $32) The music producer’s guidance on how to be a creative person.

4. Miss May Does Not Exist by Carrie Courogen (St. Martin’s Press: $30) A biography of comedian, director, actor and writer Elaine May, one of America’s greatest comic geniuses.

5. The Wager by David Grann (Doubleday: $30) The story of the shipwreck of an 18th century British warship and a mutiny among the survivors.

6. What This Comedian Said Will Shock You by Bill Maher (Simon & Schuster: $30) The host of HBO’s “Real Time” has written a vivisection of American life, politics and culture.

7. Atomic Habits by James Clear (Avery: $27) The self-help expert’s guide to building good habits and breaking bad ones via tiny changes in behavior.

8. The Anxious Generation by Jonathan Haidt (Penguin Press: $30) An investigation into the collapse of youth mental health.

9. The Wide Wide Sea by Hampton Sides (Doubleday: $35) An epic account of Capt. James Cook’s final voyage.

10. An Unfinished Love Story by Doris Kearns Goodwin (Simon & Schuster: $35) The historian weaves together memoir and history in recounting the emotional journey she and her husband embarked on in the last years of his life.

Paperback fiction

1. Not in Love by Ali Hazelwood (Berkley: $19)

2. A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas (Bloomsbury: $19)

3. Happy Place by Emily Henry (Berkley: $19)

4. Just for the Summer by Abby Jimenez (Forever: $18)

5. The Three-Body Problem by Cixin Liu, Ken Liu (Transl.) (Tor: $19)

6. Big Swiss by Jen Beagin (Scribner: $17)

7. Lady Tan’s Circle of Women by Lisa See (Scribner: $19)

8. Trust by Hernan Diaz (Riverhead Books: $17)

9. The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho (HarperOne: $18)

10. My Year of Rest and Relaxation by Ottessa Moshfegh (Penguin: $18)

Paperback nonfiction

1. The Hundred Years’ War on Palestine by Rashid Khalidi (Metropolitan Books: $20)

2. All About Love by bell hooks (Morrow: $17)

3. The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron (TarcherPerigee: $19)

4. Slouching Towards Bethlehem by Joan Didion (Farrar, Straus & Giroux)

5. World Travel by Anthony Bourdain, Laurie Woolever (Ecco: $22)

6. Everything I Know About Love by Dolly Alderton (Harper Perennial: $19)

7. The Eater Guide to Los Angeles by Eater (Abrams Image: $20)

8. What an Owl Knows by Jennifer Ackerman (Penguin: $19)

9. Kitchen Confidential Annotated Edition by Anthony Bourdain (Ecco: $24)

10. Meditations by Marcus Aurelius (Modern Library: $11)

More to Read

The week’s bestselling books, June 30

June 26, 2024

The week’s bestselling books, June 16

June 12, 2024

The week’s bestselling books, June 9

June 5, 2024

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The Los Angeles Times bestsellers list comes courtesy of the California Independent Booksellers Alliance (CALIBA). Established in 1981, CALIBA is a mutual benefit 501c(6) nonprofit corporation dedicated to supporting, nurturing and promoting independent retail bookselling in California.

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The Sunday Times 50 Best Crime and Thriller Books

February 11, 2015

The Sunday Times has pulled together the best 50 crime and thriller novels of the past five years, from 2010-2015. From Lee Child to Gillian Flynn, Gerald Seymour to C J Sansom, these are the books that have made our hearts race and our pulses jump.

Split into the twenty-five best crime books and twenty-five best thrillers, the list below has been compiled by The Sunday Times ‘s regular crime fiction and thriller reviewers, Joan Smith and John Dugdale .

See the list online at www.thesundaytimes.co.uk/book , or you can view it on their digital special edition which has the first chapters of all the books on the list.

We wanted to celebrate this fantastic selection of crime books and have collected them together here for you to enjoy, in no particular order.

Best crime books:

The Vault by Ruth Rendell

The Ghost Riders of Ordebec by Fred Vargas

Hypothermia by Arnaldur Indridason

1. The Vault by Ruth Rendell Chief Inspector Reg Wexford has retired. Wexford takes great pleasure in his books, but, for all the benefits of a more relaxed lifestyle, he misses being the law. But a chance meeting in a London street, with someone he had known briefly as a very young police constable, changes everything.

2. Ghost Riders of Ordebec by Fred Vargas Commissaire Adamsberg takes a case far outside of his jurisdiction: the disappearances of evildoers who have been visited by a band of ghostly horsemen.

3. Hypothermia by Arnaldur Indridason One cold autumn night, a woman is found hanging from a beam at her holiday cottage. At first sight, it appears like a straightforward case of suicide. Maria had never recovered from the death of her mother two years previously and she had a history of depression. But then the friend who found her body approaches Detective Erlendur .

The Collini Case by Ferdinand von Schirach

Darkside by Belinda Bauer

Mercy by Jussi Adler-Olsen

4. The Collini Case by Ferdinand von Schirach For thirty-four year, Fabrizio Collini has worked diligently for Mercedes Benz. He is a quiet and respectable person until the day he visits one of Berlin’s most luxurious hotels and kills an innocent man. Young attorney Caspar Leinen takes the case.

5. Darkside by Belinda Bauer It is freezing mid-winter on Exmoor, and in a close-knit community where no stranger goes unnoticed, a local woman has been found murdered in her bed. This is local policeman Jonas Holly’s first murder investigation. But he is distracted by anonymous letters, accusing him of failing to do his job.

6. Mercy / The Keeper of Lost Causes by Jussi Adler-Olsen Copenhagen detective Carl Morck has been taken off homicide to run a newly created department for unsolved crimes . His first case concerns Merete Lynggaard, who vanished five years ago. Everyone says she’s dead. Everyone says it’s a waste of time. He thinks they’re right. The voice in the dark is distorted, harsh and without mercy.

Bleeding Heart Square by Andrew Taylor

Blue Lightning by Ann Cleeves

The Frozen Dead by Bernard Minier

7. Bleeding Heart Square by Andrew Taylor 1934, London. Into the decaying cul-de-sac of Bleeding Heart Square steps aristocratic Lydia Langstone fleeing an abusive marriage. However, unknown to Lydia, a dark mystery haunts the place.

8. Blue Lightning by Ann Cleeves Murder can strike more than once…

9. The Frozen Dead by Bernard Minier When it comes to crime, France is the new Scandinavia – an isolated, snow-bound valley and a series of strange murders set the scene in this gripping French bestseller.

Heartstone by C J Sansom

The House at Sea's End by Elly Griffiths

The Death of Lucy Kyte by Nicola Upson

10. Heartstone by C J Sansom It’s Summer, 1545. England is at war. Henry VIII’s invasion of France has gone badly wrong, and a massive French fleet is preparing to sail across the Channel…

2. The House at Sea’s End by Elly Griffiths Strongly plotted, fast-paced crime fiction with a quirky, engaging heroine – third in a terrific series featuring forensic archaeologist Dr Ruth Galloway.

12. The Death of Lucy Kyte by Nicola Upson When bestselling crime author Josephine Tey inherits a remote Suffolk cottage from her godmother, it comes full of secrets.

Splinter by Sebastian Fitzek

Bed of Nails by Antonin Varenne

Cell 8 by Roslund & Hellstrom

13. Splinter by Sebastian Fitzek What if we could permanently erase our most terrifying experiences from memory? And what could go wrong?

14. Bed of Nails by Antonin Varenne The side of Paris the tourists don’t see…

15. Cell 8 by Roslund & Hellstrom A capital crime. A chilling conspiracy.

Thirteen Hours by Deon Meyer

Dogstar Rising by Parker Bilal

Black Water Rising by Attica Locke

16. Thirteen Hours by Deon Meyer They killed her best friend. Now they are chasing Rachel Anderson through the streets of Cape Town. The young tourist doesn’t dare trust anyone – except her father, back home in America.

17. Dogstar Rising by Parker Bilal The launch of a major new detective series set in modern-day Cairo – moving between its labyrinthine back streets, and its shining towerblocks – and featuring Makana, an exiled Sudanese private investigator, escaping his own troubled past.

18. Black Water Rising by Attica Locke On a dark night, out on the Houston bayou to celebrate his wife’s birthday, Jay Porter hears a scream. Saving a distressed woman from drowning, he opens a Pandora’s Box. Not the lawyer he set out to be, Jay long ago made peace with his radical youth, tucked away his darkest sins and resolved to make a fresh start.

Someone to Watch Over Me by Yrsa Sigurdardottir

Frozen Moment by Camilla Ceder

Critical Mass by Sara Paretsky

19. Someone to Watch Over Me by Yrsa Sigurdadottir Chilling Icelandic crime from the internationally bestselling author of Last Rituals and Ashes to Dust .

20. Frozen Moment by Camilla Ceder One cold morning in December, in a small rural town on the Swedish coast, Ake Melkersson is on his way to work when his car breaks down. Luckily he spots a garage nearby, but as he approaches he realises something is wrong.

21. Critical Mass by Sara Paretsky The sixteenth V.I. Warshawski thriller from one of America’s greatest female crime writers, combining contemporary issues, the fight against injustice and fast-paced suspense.

August Heat by Andrea Camilleri

Hour of the Wolf by Hakan Nesser

The Night of the Mi'raj by Zoe Ferraris

22. August Heat by Andrea Camilleri The tenth novel in Camilleri’s engrossing mystery series featuring the irrepressible Inspector Montalbano.

23. Hour of the Wolf by Hakan Nesser The master of Swedish crime fiction returns with the winner of the prestigious Scandinavian Glass Key Award.

24. Night of the Mi’raj by Zoe Ferraris A compelling page-turner with a wonderful central character, which also gives a fascinating insight into the closed world of Saudi Arabia.

W is for Wasted by Sue Grafton

25. W is for Wasted by Sue Grafton Two dead bodies changed the course of my life that fall. One of them I knew and the other I’d never laid eyes on until I saw him in the morgue. The first was a local PI of suspect reputation. The other was on the beach six weeks later. No identification only a slip of paper with Private Investigator Kinsey Millhone’s name and number in his pocket.

Best thriller books:

An Officer and a Spy by Robert Harris

A Delicate Truth by John le Carré

Gone by Mo Hayder

1. An Officer and a Spy by Robert Harris Paris, 1895: an army officer, Georges Picquart, watches a convicted spy, Alfred Dreyfus, being publicly humiliated in front of a baying crowd. Dreyfus is exiled for life to Devil’s Island; Picquart is promoted to run the intelligence unit that tracked him down.

2. A Delicate Truth by John le Carré A counter-terror operation, codenamed Wildlife, is being mounted in Britain’s most precious colony, Gibraltar. Its purpose: to capture a high-value jihadist arms-buyer. Its authors: an ambitious Foreign Office Minister, and a private defence contractor who is also his close friend.

3. Gone by Mo Hayder Night is falling as murder detective Jack Caffrey arrives to interview the distraught victim of a car-jacking. What he hears horrifies him. The car was taken by force, and on the back seat was a passenger. An eleven-year-old girl. Who is still missing. Before long the jacker starts to communicate with the police.

61 Hours by Lee Child

Ghostman by Roger Hobbs

Before I Go To Sleep by S J Watson

4. 61 Hours by Lee Child It’s winter in South Dakota. Blowing snow, icy roads, a tired driver. A bus skids and crashes and is stranded in a gathering storm. Jack hitched a ride in the back of the bus. A life without baggage has many advantages. And crucial disadvantages too, when it means facing the arctic cold without a coat. But he’s equipped for the rest of his task.

5. Ghostman by Roger Hobbs In a daring operation, two crooks-for-hire rob an Atlantic City casino. But their heist goes horribly wrong, and only one of them makes it out alive.

6. Before I Go To Sleep by S. J. Watson Memories define us. So what if you lost yours every time you went to sleep? Your name, your identity, your past, even the people you love – all forgotten overnight. And the one person you trust may only be telling you half the story. Welcome to Christine’s life.

Alex by Pierre Lemaitre

Truth by Peter Temple

Dead Lions by Mick Herron

7. Alex by Pierre Lemaitre In kidnapping cases, the first few hours are vital. Police Commandant Camille Verhoeven has nothing to go on: no suspect, no leads, no hope. But as he begins to understand more about Alex, he starts to realise she is no ordinary victim…

8. Truth by Peter Temple A teenage prostitute is found with her neck broken in an apartment in a wealthy area, three men are found tortured and murdered… Head of Homicide Stephen Villani faces the moral decline of a society and of himself.

9. Dead Lions by Mick Herron When a Cold War-era colleague is murdered far from his usual haunts, a team of disgraced MI5 spies under the leadership of irascible Jackson Lamb uncovers a shadowy tangle of secrets that lead to a man who hides his dangerous powers behind a false identity.

The Expats by Chris Pavone

A Deniable Death by Gerald Seymour

A Foreign Country by Charles Cumming

10. The Expats by Chris Pavone Kate Moore is an expat mum, transplanted from Washington D. C. In the cobblestoned streets of Luxembourg, her days are filled with play dates and coffee mornings, her weekends spent in Paris or skiing in the Alps. Kate is also guarding a secret – one so momentous it could destroy her neat little expat life.

11. A Deniable Death by Gerald Seymour An epic novel of high courage and low cunning, of life and death in the moral maze of the post-9/11 world.

12. A Foreign Country by Charles Cumming Winner of the CWA Ian Fleming Steel Dagger 2012 for Best Thriller of the Year.

Doctor Sleep by Stephen King

Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn

The Last Child by John Hart

13. Doctor Sleep by Stephen King The instantly riveting Doctor Sleep picks up the story of the now middle-aged Dan, working at a hospice in rural New Hampshire, and the very special twelve-year old girl he must save from a tribe of murderous paranormals.

14. Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn Nick Dunne’s wife Amy suddenly disappears on the morning of their 5th anniversary. The police immediately suspect Nick. Amy’s friends reveal that she was afraid of him. He swears it isn’t true. A police examination of his computer shows strange searches. He says they aren’t his. Then there are the persistent calls on his mobile phone.

15. The Last Child by John Hart A thirteen year old boy turns vigilante to investigate the abduction of his twin sister.

The Dispatcher by Ryan David Jahn

Natchez Burning by Greg Iles

Norwegian by Night by Derek B Miller

16. The Dispatcher by Ryan David Jahn The phone rings. It’s your daughter. She’s been dead for four months.

17. Natchez Burning by Greg Iles The stunning new Penn Cage thriller in which a shocking murder from the 1960s finds new life – and victims – in the present.

18. Norwegian by Night by Derek B Miller He will not admit it to Rhea and Lars – never, of course not – but Sheldon can’t help but wonder what it is he’s doing here… Eighty-two years old, and recently widowed, Sheldon Horowitz has grudgingly moved to Oslo, with his grand-daughter and her Norwegian husband.

The Carrier by Sophie Hannah

The Lock Artist by Steve Hamilton

Innocent by Scott Turow

19. The Carrier by Sophie Hannah An overnight plane delay is bad. Having to share your hotel room with a stranger is worse. But that is only the beginning of Gaby Struther’s problems. Gaby has never met Lauren Cookson. So how does Lauren know so much about her? How does she know that the love of Gaby’s life has been accused of murder? Why is she telling her that he is innocent? And why is she so terrified of Gaby?

20. The Lock Artist by Steve Hamilton Prize-winning crime author Steve Hamilton’s hugely commercial mainstream breakout tells the extraordinary story of a safe-cracker trying to unlock the key to his past.

21. Innocent by Scott Turow The eagerly anticipated sequel to the huge bestselling landmark legal thriller Presumed Innocent .

Dare Me by Megan Abbott

The Litigators by John Grisham

Bad Monkey by Carl Hiassen

22. Dare Me by Megan Abbott There’s something dangerous about the boredom of teenage girls. Coach said that once. She said it like she knew, and understood.

23. The Litigators by John Grisham The Litigators is a tremendously entertaining romp, filled with the kind of courtroom strategies, theatrics and suspense that have made John Grisham the world’s favourite storyteller.

24. Bad Monkey by Carl Hiaasen Andrew Yancy–late of the Miami Police and soon-to-be-late of the Monroe County sheriff’s office–has a human arm in his freezer. There’s a logical (Hiaasenian) explanation for that, but not for how and why it parted from its shadowy owner.

Djibouti by Elmore Leonard

25. Djibouti by Elmore Leonard ‘The 85-year-old writer reminds us just why his critical standing is so high … Leonard has found his mojo again, and has us in the palm of his hand’ – The Independent .

Is your favourite book in there? How many have you read? Let us know!

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43 Comments

Quinton Jardine writes amazing books. Mo Hayder is absolutely awesome too.

Tana French!

Tana French should be on here. Complex characters, exciting plots and beautifully written

Barbara Nadel, Kate Ellis, Aline Templeton, Christopher Fowler, P. D. James, though Allingham is still re-readable.

Someone suggested L J Ross – really, seriously? I made the mistake of reading one, utterly dreadful, makes the average Mills & Boon look like Shakespeare. I can’t think of a worse written book or one with so many clichés or such a ludicrous ‘plot’.

I loved reading through everyone’s comments – made my list of things to read even longer!!

Good list but no Stuart MacBride and m j Aldridge , they are great reads . Will try go through this list though .

No Donna Leon? Her Commissario Brunetti is the best.

Mr Mercedes is excellent. Julia Wong

I’ve only read 4 of these,looking forward to reading more

Henning Mankel , my favorite and I have read everything he wrote. I cannot fibd an author to match his writing. John Silva is my second favorite and surprused he is not listed nor is Jo Nesbo.

I don’t see any LJ Ross books on this list. Her DCI Ryan series are an addictive read.

Angela Marsons Kim Stone series is excellent.

yes i agree the best crime book for me was..steamboat Barry on amazon

Very good information. From Belgium.

Great list I have read all available Elly Griffiths I like Charles Todd and all so Diana Gabaldon and all sorts of other books. I look forward to some recommendations.

No Kolymsky Heights?

I would agree. I have read it 3 times and bought it for all of my friends!

Has anyone heard of Rachel Caine who wrote Stillhouse Lake? It’s quite gripping.

Great list. Includes my favourites Indridason (no. 1) , Ferraris, Bilal, John Hart, I loved all Gillian Flynn except “Gone Girl”, & Jussi Adler-Olsen. I would include Michael Robotham, John Verdon, Jo Nesbo, Michelle Rowe, Hjorth Rosenfeldt, Karin Slaughter, Ragnar Jonasson and Maurizio De Giovanni.

No Ian .Rankin! Can’t believe it. Looks like some good ones though.

How about Peter May ?

Look at a new author on Amazon Kindle Frank Kaye. It’s perhaps not the best ever written book but the plot and the detail is a gripping read.

I tend to stick to certain authors, but this list wll encourage me to try others. MJ Arlidge and Michael Robotham are my favourites, always reliable.

Only read 5 but now can look out for others.unfortunately here in Zimbabwe we are limited to the quantity and choice which is imported. I live in a retirement village and “I AM PILGRIM” was sent to me by my daughter in Singapore.

I am Pilgrim is one of the best book I have ever read. Period.

Tess Gerristen, Playing with fire

I have been reading Hidden Casino a Ryan James Casino crime thriller gripping read on amazon kindle

Where is Mr Mercedes for God’s sake?! That should surely be on the list!

Hi Fionn! Mr Mercedes was published after this list was created – but we love it too!

Jo Nesbo. I have read many but the king of crime is Nesbo with Harry Hole series. Never dull!!

I can’t believe not one of Ian Rankin’s books are included in this list. Has nobody even read him? What about the Inspector Rutledge novels? Can’t remember author right now, but to me, these 2 are the best of the best. But I am going to start taking your list into consideration – maybe I will prove myself wrong.

All good but no James Ellroy? He is a total master.

no James Lee Burke or Philip Kerr. I don’t think so

No Agatha Christie! This must be a biased list based on snob values.. Also, what about the two Peters, James and Robinson; Val McDermid. I could go on and on. Very disappointing to someone who has read thousands on crime novels in my 70 years.

These books are just from the past five years so unfortunately Agatha Christie couldn’t qualify. When we do a top 50 crime novels of all time, I’m sure she’d feature very heavily. Can’t say why the others weren’t included – the list was created by The Sunday Times.

SORRY MO HAYDER IS ON THE LIST BUT TRY JTELLISON

I CANT FIND SHARON BOLTON THE QUEEN OF CRIME MO HAYDER XXX M R HALL ?????

i can’t find NicciFrench can you tell me way? dick Olsthoorn utrecht, The Netherlands

Especially Bernard Minier&Camilla Ceder

Great list. I’ve read some. Can’t wait to read the others.

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A Gentleman in Moscow: The worldwide bestseller, now a major TV Series starring Ewan McGregor Kindle Edition

OVER 4 MILLION COPIES SOLD A Showtime/Paramount+ series starring Ewan McGregor as Count Alexander Rostov From the number one New York Times -bestselling author, a beautifully transporting novel about a man who is ordered to spend the rest of his life inside a luxury hotel 'A wonderful book' - Tana French 'This novel is astonishing, uplifting and wise. Don't miss it' - Chris Cleave 'No historical novel this year was more witty, insightful or original ' - Sunday Times , Books of the Year '[A] supremely uplifting novel ... It's elegant, witty and delightful - much like the Count himself.' - Mail on Sunday , Books of the Year 'Charming ... shows that not all books about Russian aristocrats have to be full of doom and nihilism' - The Times , Books of the Year On 21 June 1922, Count Alexander Rostov - recipient of the Order of Saint Andrew, member of the Jockey Club, Master of the Hunt - is escorted out of the Kremlin, across Red Square and through the elegant revolving doors of the Hotel Metropol. Deemed an unrepentant aristocrat by a Bolshevik tribunal, the Count has been sentenced to house arrest indefinitely. But instead of his usual suite, he must now live in an attic room while Russia undergoes decades of tumultuous upheaval. Can a life without luxury be the richest of all? A BOOK OF THE DECADE, 2010-2020 ( INDEPENDENT ) THE TIMES BOOK OF THE YEAR 2017 A SUNDAY TIMES BOOK OF THE YEAR 2017 A MAIL ON SUNDAY BOOK OF THE YEAR 2017 A DAILY EXPRESS BOOK OF THE YEAR 2017 AN IRISH TIMES BOOK OF THE YEAR 2017 ONE OF BARACK OBAMA'S BEST BOOKS OF 2017 ONE OF BILL GATES'S SUMMER READS OF 2019 NOMINATED FOR THE 2018 INDEPENDENT BOOKSELLERS WEEK AWARD 'A wonderful book' - Tana French 'This novel is astonishing, uplifting and wise. Don't miss it' - Chris Cleave 'No historical novel this year was more witty, insightful or original ' - Sunday Times , Books of the Year '[A] supremely uplifting novel ... It's elegant, witty and delightful - much like the Count himself.' - Mail on Sunday , Books of the Year 'Charming ... shows that not all books about Russian aristocrats have to be full of doom and nihilism' - The Times , Books of the Year On 21 June 1922, Count Alexander Rostov - recipient of the Order of Saint Andrew, member of the Jockey Club, Master of the Hunt - is escorted out of the Kremlin, across Red Square and through the elegant revolving doors of the Hotel Metropol. Deemed an unrepentant aristocrat by a Bolshevik tribunal, the Count has been sentenced to house arrest indefinitely. But instead of his usual suite, he must now live in an attic room while Russia undergoes decades of tumultuous upheaval. Can a life without luxury be the richest of all? A BOOK OF THE DECADE, 2010-2020 ( INDEPENDENT ) THE TIMES BOOK OF THE YEAR 2017 A SUNDAY TIMES BOOK OF THE YEAR 2017 A MAIL ON SUNDAY BOOK OF THE YEAR 2017 A DAILY EXPRESS BOOK OF THE YEAR 2017 AN IRISH TIMES BOOK OF THE YEAR 2017 ONE OF BARACK OBAMA'S BEST BOOKS OF 2017 ONE OF BILL GATES'S SUMMER READS OF 2019 NOMINATED FOR THE 2018 INDEPENDENT BOOKSELLERS WEEK AWARD

• Print length 378 pages
• Language English
• Sticky notes On Kindle Scribe
• Publisher Cornerstone Digital
• Publication date 9 January 2017
• File size 5842 KB
• Page Flip Enabled
• Word Wise Enabled
• Enhanced typesetting Enabled
• See all details

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About the author, product details.

• ASIN ‏ : ‎ B01AYBWPUM
• Publisher ‏ : ‎ Cornerstone Digital; 1st edition (9 January 2017)
• Language ‏ : ‎ English
• File size ‏ : ‎ 5842 KB
• Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
• Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
• Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
• X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Enabled
• Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
• Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
• Print length ‏ : ‎ 378 pages
• 14 in 20th Century Historical Fiction (Kindle Store)
• 64 in Literary Fiction (Kindle Store)
• 140 in Literary Fiction (Books)

About the author

Amor towles.

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Customers find the story engaging, moving, and sensitive. They also say the characters are well developed and the narrative refreshing with nuance, subtlety, and reasoning. Readers describe the writing style as clever, passionate, and eloquent.

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Customers find the story engaging, wonderful, and absorbing. They also appreciate the intricate and satisfactory ending.

"...Moscow is an exceptional piece of literature: sensitive, educational, moving , and a word of caution: the novel's ending might leave you with a tear..." Read more

"...by the wonderful characters, the poetic prose and the wonderfully satisfying plot . I will seek out more of this author's titles from now on." Read more

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"...The beautiful writing brought forth evocative memories of his previous life allowing one to escape the Metropole, revisit the great Russian writers,..." Read more

Customers find the narrative refreshing, poignant, and funny. They also appreciate the philosophical reflection, lucid prose, and strong theme. Readers describe the book as a brilliant tale of endurance, and say it provides a stunning glimpse into Russian history.

"...in Moscow is an exceptional piece of literature: sensitive, educational , moving, and a word of caution: the novel's ending might leave you with a..." Read more

"...This novel is certainly more accessible than “classic literature ” but definitely asks more of the reader than the latest Jack Reacher novel..." Read more

"... Beautifully crafted with elegant prose. It is obvious that the author Amor Towles has researched his topic...." Read more

"What a delightful read! A personal tale during the background of Russia's transition from Czarist royal control through the initial optimism for..." Read more

Customers find the characters in the book well developed and engaging.

"I love everything about this book and was entranced by the wonderful characters , the poetic prose and the wonderfully satisfying plot...." Read more

"...I can't recall any dull or mediocre passages. The characters are credible and interesting . The plot maintains the reader's attention...." Read more

"...Moscow is an elegantly written book, about an elegant, clever, likeable character ...." Read more

"...I can see why it got so many 5 star ratings. The characters were all well developed and I fell in love with them all! I didn’t want it to end!" Read more

Customers find the book's recommendation insightful and fascinating. They also say it's whimsical and wise.

"...Count Alexander is intelligent , worldly, well-read, and nurtured in the finer things in life: great wine, gastronomic knowledge, and a lost..." Read more

"...heartwarming and highly recommended ." Read more

"Intriguing story, fascinating detail; whimsical, and wise too . Not for the speed reader. Bravo Mr Towles! I look forward to more." Read more

"I liked the history, the beautiful writing and wise thoughts and the ending." Read more

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News Analysis

Russia Sends Waves of Troops to the Front in a Brutal Style of Fighting

More than 1,000 Russian soldiers in Ukraine were killed or wounded on average each day in May, according to NATO and Western military officials.

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By Julian E. Barnes ,  Eric Schmitt and Marc Santora

Julian E. Barnes and Eric Schmitt reported from Washington, and Marc Santora from Kyiv, Ukraine.

May was a particularly deadly month for the Russian army in Ukraine, with an average of more than 1,000 of its soldiers injured or killed each day, according to U.S., British and other Western intelligence agencies.

But despite its losses, Russia is recruiting 25,000 to 30,000 new soldiers a month — roughly as many as are exiting the battlefield, U.S. officials said. That has allowed its army to keep sending wave after wave of troops at Ukrainian defenses, hoping to overwhelm them and break through the trench lines.

It is a style of warfare that Russian soldiers have likened to being put into a meat grinder, with commanding officers seemingly oblivious to the fact that they are sending infantry soldiers to die.

At times, this approach has proved effective, bringing the Russian army victories in Avdiivka and Bakhmut in eastern Ukraine. But Ukrainian and Western officials say the tactics were less successful this spring, as Russia tried to take land near the city of Kharkiv.

American officials said that Russia achieved a critical objective of President Vladimir V. Putin, creating a buffer zone along the border to make it more difficult for the Ukrainians to strike into the country.

But the drive did not threaten Kharkiv and was ultimately stopped by Ukrainian defenses, according to Western officials.

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