Caro Fraser Livres

Leo Davies QC seems to have it all. But behind the flourishing career is a troubled private life, and when will Leo learn not to mix business with pleasure?

Leo Davis is a charming and clever barrister in one of London's most prestigious chambers. When whispers begin about his lurid past, Leo sets out to woo respectable solicitor Rachel Dean. But Rachel's past is a lot darker and more frightening than Leo's.

Affairs, lusts and a sudden death thread through this hugely evocative multi- generational tale set in a grand country house in 1936.

The dark days of the war are over, but the family secrets they held are only just dawning. Set in 1940s London and Kent.

5 Caper Court is changing. The chambers are expanding. But will the arrival of a fresh group of tenants inspire a new start for everyone? Just out of yet another scandal, electrifying and libidinous Leo Davis has finally decided to settle down. He's going to sell up his Belgravia pad and buy a family home for his son, Oliver. And he's going to marry the lovely Camilla. Or is he? With Camilla working on a case halfway across the world, Leo is not so sure . . . Adriana, the stunning, glamorous and extremely wealthy owner of a multi-million pound Greek shipping line, has elected Leo as her lawyer. She knows he can win her case. Insatiable Adriana always gets what she wants and she is about to make Leo an offer he'll find hard to refuse. As the City steams in the sweltering August heatwave, temptation begins to ensnare the inhabitants of 5 Caper Court. The question is, who will fall captive to whose charms and who will be able to resist?

For all those who adore Joanna Trollope's cool, honest writing style comes the fifth novel in the hugely popular "Caper Court" series. Leo Davies QC - charismatic, attractive and sexually ambiguous - inspires powerful feelings. Feelings that sometimes border on obsession. There's Sarah - manipulative, scheming but sexy; Anthony, Leo's ex-pupil and close friend; Gideon, a civil servant on the make; and sweet, smitten Camilla, a junior lawyer in his chambers. Plenty of opportunities, then, for a ruthless, silver-haired sophisticate to have his fun. But Leo is beginning to feel rather jaded by his hedonistic lifestyle. Perhaps what he really needs is - love? Could it be that the legendarily cool Leo will fall? And, if so, for whom...?

Of the two pupil barristers at the chambers of 5 Caper Court, only one can win the coveted role of junior tenant. Penniless Anthony Cross is brilliant, hard- working, and longs to gain a foothold on this legal ladder to success. But his rival, Edward Choke - wealthy, good-natured, and not very bright - is also the head of chambers' nephew.

In the eminent chambers of 5 Caper Court, Leo Davies has a big case on his hands. He's representing a group of investors desperate to claim back the fortunes they unwittingly lost. They've staked everything on Leo's performance in court, blissfully unaware of the confusions of his private life which threaten to destroy their case.

Carla Tradescant loathes everything about her husband Alan. She loved him once, when he was a trendy, radical university lecturer. But now - a careworn headmaster in his early fifties - he has lost his appeal. As the school year begins, the allure of young English teacher Peter Barrett proves too much, and he and Carla embark on an ill-advised affair. Meanwhile, Alan finds he has a secret of his own, as his profligate past finally catches up with him... A superbly crafted, rich and satisfying novel of relationships.

The voices which are still talking at the end of someone's life don't tell the whole story. The ones that have fallen silent along the way, the people from forgotten parts of a person's past - they tell another kind of truth. Harry Day was a national literary treasure, revered for his poetry, novels and plays. But his personal life has remained something of a mystery. When Adam Downing, a young journalist, is appointed his official biographer, he finds that Harry's life holds an abundance of secrets. Adam is torn between wanting to protect Harry's reputation and his instincts as a journalist, which drive him to tell the truth at any cost. Even at the cost of losing the admiration and friendship of Harry's beautiful daughter Bella. For Harry's biggest secret involves Bella, the woman with whom Adam is falling in love.