Rock Hard by Bill Todd

This is the latest Danny Lancaster crime thriller from Bill Todd, the former editor of the Barnet & Potters Bar Times, who lives in New Barnet.

When Danny Lancaster gets a call from an old friend it looks like a chance to swap work and women worries in Brighton for a sunshine reunion. Danny hasn’t seen Pogo since they fought together in Afghanistan. They have war stories to retell, beers to drink.

But Pogo is broke, sick and in serious trouble. It started in Gibraltar smuggling cigarettes to pay his debts. Now his Russian boss has taken on a dangerous job for a mysterious businessman. A priceless package must be smuggled into Europe across the narrow straits from Africa.

But unseen eyes are watching. Lives are in danger. A game of Russian roulette is just the start of a deadly clash where two continents meet. The two friends are way out of their depth. And Danny must make a decision.

How far do you go to help the man who saved your life?

  • Available now from Amazon

Barnet Then and Now by Yasmine Webb

This is a fabulous photographic record of the changing face of Barnet, depicted in pairs of photographs – one historical image of a key building or road contrasted with a colour photograph of the same place today. Yasmine Webb has chosen a selection of sites which demonstrate the changing face of the borough over the last century or so.

Some places have survived the major developments of the 20th Century while others have disappeared completely under new buildings or roads. The author has carefully researched the changes that have taken place, and her informative captions make this a fascinating alternative history of Barnet.

  • Available now from The History Press.

Weak at the Knees by Jo Kessel

The first adult contemporary romance novel from Hendon-born journalist Jo Kessel, who published her first novel, Lover in Law, last year. Weak at the Knees is a story about love, loss and relationships and is set between Hendon and the heart of the French Alps.

Danni Lewis has been playing it safe for 26 years, but her sheltered existence is making her feel old ahead of time. When she experiences a bereavement, she throws caution to the wind and runs away to France in search of a new beginning – and ski instructor Olivier du Pape enters her shattered world.

But she must resist because he has a wife – and she’d made a pact to never get involved with a married man. But how do you choose between keeping your word and being true to your soul?

  • Available now from Amazon