Everything is falling to pieces for Francesca Thayer. Her beautiful, old house is full of leaks and in need of total restoration. Then her relationship with lawyer Todd collapses and he moves out. As the owner of a struggling art gallery she can't possibly manage the mortgage alone, so she is forced to do the one thing she never imagined she would: she advertises for lodgers. First arrives Eileen - a young, attractive schoolteacher. Then comes Chris, a newly- divorced father and graphic designer. Last to arrive is Marya - a famous cookery author who is hoping to rebuild her life after the death of her husband. And so Francesca finds that her house has become a whole new world - and that her accidental tenants have become the most important people in her life. Over their year together, the house at 44 Charles Street fills with laughter, heartbreak and hope. And Francesca discovers that she might be able to open her heart again after all...
Maria Grazia Griffini Book order (chronological)






Impossible
- 398 pages
- 14 hours of reading
Brought together by their mutual interest in art, Sasha, a widowed art gallery owner with grown children, and Liam, a successful artist nine years her junior, find new meaning in their lives through their relationship with each other.
The Private Patient
- 416 pages
- 15 hours of reading
"When the notorious investigative journalist Rhoda Gradwyn booked into Mr Chandler-Powell's private clinic in Dorset for the removal of a disfiguring and long-standing facial scar, she had every prospect of a successful operation by a distinguished surgeon, a week's peaceful convalescence in one of Dorset's most beautiful manor houses and the beginning of a new life. She was never to leave Cheverell Manor alive. Dalgliesh and his team are called in to investigate the murder, and later a second death, which are to raise even more complicated problems than the question of innocence or guilt."--Jacket
The house
- 512 pages
- 18 hours of reading
A workaholic attorney, Sarah Anderson finds her life transformed by an inheritance from an elderly client and by a magnificent mansion, built in the 1920s by a wealthy Frenchman, a legacy that leads Sarah to architect Jeff Parker.
Miracle
- 181 pages
- 7 hours of reading
It is New Year's Eve when the storm of the century hits northern California. In a quiet neighborhood in San Francisco, the lives of three strangers are about to collide. For Quinn Thompson, what happens in the storm's wake will bring down a barrier he has built around himself since his wife's death. For neighbor Maggie Dartman, it will spark friendship at a time when she needs it most. And for Jack Adams, a carpenter who will repair Quinn's and Maggie's homes, the storm brings an opportunity: to help two people and to be repaid with the greatest gift of all. As three lives come together and a unique friendship is forged, something extraordinary begins to happen--Maggie, still grieving a loss, slowly comes alive again--and Jack finally shares a painful secret he has hidden for years. But at the center of the friendship is Quinn. A man who has scaled heights of success in business, Quinn is now adrift, waiting as builders put the finishing touches on his newest passion, a 180-foot yacht he plans to sail around the world. Looking back at all he missed with his family while he built his empire, Quinn is consumed by guilt, focused only on escaping to the sea. But as his plans near completion, and his friendship with Maggie begins to change, Quinn faces a choice--between a safe haven and an adventure of the heart. The choice he makes will affect other lives as powerfully as his own.
Johnny Peterson could light up a room with a word or a smile. He had a future filled with promise--until he stepped into a car on prom night and, in an instant, it was all taken away. In the months that followed, Johnny's family and his high school sweetheart, Becky, struggle to put together the pieces of their shattered lives. No one is more devastated than Johnny's mother, Alice, but amid the heartache, something miraculous is about to happen. When a sudden illness sends Alice to hospital, a glorious vision comes to her--there, standing before her, is Johnny himself, gently urging his bewildered mother to be strong for her splintered family.Through a season of hope and healing, Johnny will walk by his mother's side, leading his parents, his girlfriend, his sister and his brother out of their grief. But as Alice is about to discover, Johnny has returned not just to help those he loves, but to uncover a purpose even he cannot comprehend--one that will change them all forever.
Answered Prayers
- 326 pages
- 12 hours of reading
In her 56th bestselling novel, Danielle Steel explores themes of family, friendship, and personal transformation through the journey of Faith Madison. On the surface, Faith embodies the ideal New Yorker—stylish and accomplished, with a seemingly perfect life as a mother and wife in Manhattan. However, beneath this façade lies a painful secret stemming from her childhood, compounded by the recent death of her stepfather, a man who always felt just out of reach. This loss triggers a profound journey of self-discovery for Faith. At the funeral, she reconnects with Brad Patterson, her brother's childhood best friend, who brings back cherished memories. Their bond, once forged in childhood, reignites as they navigate their respective griefs and the complexities of their adult lives. Faith, yearning for independence, decides to pursue a law degree against her husband’s wishes, which leads to marital strife. Amidst this turmoil, her correspondence with Brad becomes a lifeline, allowing them to share laughter and support across the miles. As their friendship deepens, both Faith and Brad find the courage to confront their pasts and embrace their dreams. Faith begins to believe in herself and prepares to reveal her long-held secret, while Brad contemplates a decision he has long delayed. With poignant insights into relationships and the healing power of second chances, Steel crafts a moving narrative about love, loss, and the transf
Special Delivery
- 217 pages
- 8 hours of reading
Tells the story of Jack Watson, a wealthy Beverly Hills businessman and widower, who falls in love with his daughter-in-law's mother and together they discover a relationship marked by challenges and surprises.
Commander Adam Dalgleish is called in to investigate the murder of one of the trustees of the Dupayne Museum.
Irresistible Forces
- 372 pages
- 14 hours of reading
Meredith and Steve struggle with their marriage as their jobs have them on opposite sides of America.
The Sittaford Mystery
- 224 pages
- 8 hours of reading
In a remote house in the middle of Dartmoor, six shadowy figures huddle around a table for a seance. Tension rises as the spirits spell out a chilling message: Captain Trevelyan . . . dead . . . murder. Is this black magic or simply a macabre joke? The only way to be certain is to locate Captain Trevelyan. Unfortunately, his home is six miles away and, with snowdrifts blocking the roads, someone will have to make the journey on foot. . . .
Slaves of Obsession
- 368 pages
- 13 hours of reading
The year is 1861. The American Civil War has just begun, and London arms dealer Daniel Alberton is becoming a very wealthy man. His quiet dinner party seems remote indeed from the passions rending America. Yet investigator William Monk and his bride, Hester, sense growing tensions and barely concealed violence. For two of the guests are Americans, each vying to buy Albertons armaments. Soon Monk and Hesters forebodings are fulfilled as one member of the party is brutally murdered and two others disappear along with Albertons entire inventory of weapons. As Monk and Hester track the man they believe to be the murderer all the way to Washington, D.C., and the bloody battlefield at Manassas, Slaves of Obsession twists and turns like a powder-keg fuse and holds the reader breathless and spellbound
Sein strahlendes Licht
- 327 pages
- 12 hours of reading
At once a loving legacy and an unsparing depiction of a devastating illness, Danielle Steel’s tribute to her lost son is a gift of life, hope, healing, and understanding to us all. “This is the story of an extraordinary boy with a brilliant mind, a heart of gold, and a tortured soul. It is the story of an illness, a fight to live, and a race against death. I want to share the story, and the pain, the courage, the love, and what I learned in living through it. I want Nick's life to be not only a tender memory for us, but a gift to others. . . . I would like to offer people hope and the realities we lived with. I want to make a difference. My hope is that someone will be able to use what we learned, and save a life with it.”—Danielle Steel From the day he was born, Nick Traina was his mother's joy. By nineteen, he was dead. This is Danielle Steel's powerful, personal story of the son she lost and the lessons she learned during his courageous battle against darkness. Sharing tender, painful memories and Nick's remarkable journals, Steel brings us a haunting duet between a singular young man and the mother who loved him—and a harrowing portrait of a masked killer called manic depression, which afflicts between two and three million Americans.
In 1940 a young girl fallsin love with a dashing yong pilot, only to find their wants and needs are totoally different.
La Londra vittoriana nasconde accuratamente i suoi peccati e i suoi segreti. Solo il tenace ispettore Thomas Pitt riesce a portarli alla luce, con la determinazione del segugio di razza e l'aiuto di un'arma segreta: sua moglie Charlotte. Figlia di ottima famiglia, Charlotte svolge per conto del marito indagini delicate nei salotti della buona borghesia, arrivando dove un poliiziotto non potrebbe mai avere accesso. In questa raccolta, che comprende tre dei casi più complessi dell'ispettore, si rivela tutta la bravura di Anne Perry, autrice amatissima dai giallisti di tutto il mondo per la sua capacità di ridar vita a un'epoca affascinante e torbida come quella della Londra dell'Ottocento.
Cielo aperto
- 464 pages
- 17 hours of reading
Fin da bambina, Cassie ha sognato di pilotare un aereo, nonostante la disapprovazione della famiglia, proprietaria di un campo d'aviazione. Ma Nick, il giovane socio del padre, segretamente innamorato di lei, l'asseconda e l'aiuta a diventare una provetta pilota. Cassie, però, sposa un astuto industriale che, sfruttando la sua bravura, la trasforma in una celebrità, con all'attivo record mondiali e imprese rischiose. Nel frattempo - siamo negli anni Quaranta - Nick parte per la guerra e Cassie realizza di non essere felice...
Vowing never to love again after a disastrous marriage, Melanie Adams encounters surgeon Peter Hallam, and as their powerful feelings for each other develop, Melanie must choose between her career, Peter, and her family.
The House on Hope Street
- 295 pages
- 11 hours of reading
In "The House on Hope Street," Liz Sutherland navigates life after the tragic loss of her husband, Jack. As she raises their five children, including one with special needs, Liz finds strength in their love and support. A new friendship with Dr. Bill Webster brings hope as she learns to cherish life's small miracles amidst her grief.
Jewels
- 480 pages
- 17 hours of reading
On the eve of Sarah Whitfield's 75th birthday, she stands at the window of her chateau in France, waiting for her family to join her. Her memories take her back to the 1930s in New York, to her early marriage and subsequent shameful divorce. She is persuaded by her parents to join them on a trip abroad in the growing turmoil of pre-war Europe.There she meets Wiliam, Duke of Whitfield. Older than Sarah, and fourteenth in line to the British throne, he sparks her intellectual curiosity and makes her laugh. They make their home in a beautiful crumbling French chateau until they are parted by the war. Afterwards they are able to return to the chateau and establish the jewel collection which leads to the House of Whitfield, jewellers to the crowned heads of all Europe. Together they produce a family of four, each of whom is drawn into the family business.JEWELS is the story of a great house of gems, a rare family, and an extraordinary marriage. Once again, Danielle Steel explores the lives of people facing challenges we recognise as our own, against the backdrop of war, passion and international intrigue.
Fine things
- 384 pages
- 14 hours of reading
Sent to open the smartest department store in California, Bernie Fine becomes aware of the hollowness of his personal life. Despite his success he grows increasingly disenchanted with his existence - until five-year-old Jane O'Reilly gets lost in the store, and Bernie meets her mother.
Jane Marple Murder Mystery: Murder Is Announced
- 275 pages
- 10 hours of reading
Promoted on both sides of the Atlantic as Agatha Christie's 50th book and published in 1950 by William Collins, A Murder is Announced is a staple of crime fiction and is often considered the best of all the Miss Marple novels. The villagers of Chipping Cleghorn, including Jane Marple, are agog with curiosity over an advertisement in the local gazette which reads: ‘A murder is announced and will take place on Friday October 29th, at Little Paddocks at 6.30 p.m.’ A childish practical joke? Or a hoax intended to scare poor Letitia Blacklock? Unable to resist the mysterious invitation, a crowd begins to gather at Little Paddocks at the appointed time when, without warning, the lights go out…
Three women who were inseparable during their college years meet again after 20 years at a ranch in Wyoming to find courage, healing and truth as they reach out to one another and rekindle old relationships.
Peter Haskell has everything.. power, position, a career and a family that mean everything to him and for which he has sacrificed a great deal. Compromise has been key, and integrity is the base on which he lives. Olivia Thatcher, the wife of a famous senator, is trapped in a web of duty and obligation, married to a man she once loved and no longer even knows. Peter and Olivia meet in Paris, after bomb threat at the Ritz. Their lives become briefly enmeshed.. 5 days in Paris is all they have ... they go back to their separate lives, but nothing is the same. They both pursue their lives despite challenges, compromise, and betrayal, until they realize they must stand fast against compromise and face life's challenges head on
Accident
- 305 pages
- 11 hours of reading
In one tragic moment everything changed. Her daughter's life. Her marriage. Her world.
Appointment with Death
- 224 pages
- 8 hours of reading
Among the towering red cliffs of Petra, like some monstrous swollen Buddha, sat the corpse of Mrs Boynton. A tiny puncture mark on her wrist was the only sign of the fatal injection that had killed her. With only 24 hours available to solve the mystery, Hercule Poirot recalled a chance remark he’d overheard back in Jerusalem:‘You do see, don’t you, that she’s got to be killed?’ Mrs Boynton was, indeed, the most detestable woman he’d ever met… Agatha Christie was born in Torquay in 1890 and became, quite simply, the best-selling novelist in history. She wrote 80 crime mysteries and collections, and saw her work translated into more languages than Shakespeare. Her enduring success, enhanced by many film and TV adaptations, is a tribute to the timeless appeal of her characters and the unequalled ingenuity of her plots. ‘Twice as brilliant as 'Death an the Nile', which was entirely brilliant.’THE OBSERVER
To Love Again
- 304 pages
- 11 hours of reading
In Rome, Isabella and her husband, Amadeo, have created an idyllic marriage and the House of San Gregorio, the most exciting name in European high fashion. But in an act of terrorism, Amadeo is kidnapped and taken from Isabella forever. Fleeing to New York, she fights to build a new life for herself and her son, as they discover new worlds and a new life together.
Kate is only eighteen when she meets Tom Harper, one of America's biggest pro-football stars. They share an idyllic and glamorous first love. But the bullet that suddenly ends Tom's career also ends their life together. A failed suicide attempt will leave him mentally and physically disabled forever. Kate will be left alone, heartbroken, and pregnant with their son. Soon she will have another chance at love, but it will mean learning to let go of the past and learning to trust again.
Scruples
- 592 pages
- 21 hours of reading
Scruples is the novel that created publishing history, the first-and widely acknowledged to be the very best-novel ever written about the staggeringly luxurious life of a Beverly Hills boutique and the people who work in it. Scruples was translated into twenty languages and made Rodeo Drive famous around the world. The New York Post said that " Scruples was born to be a smash bestseller. . . It has more inside information about the worlds of high fashion and Hollywood than you'd find in a dozen manuals." With Scruples , Judith Krantz earned her reputation as a blazingly talented and original storyteller. she takes her readers behind the scenes of wealthy and fame to show them the real people and the real emotions that exist at the core of even the most high-powered lives. Scruples is the leader of her #1 best-selling novels.
From shattered dreams to lasting love. Every time Samantha went back to the flat, John's words rang through her head- 'I can't live with you any more- I've got to get out.' He's been seeing another woman, and now she was promising him the one thing Sam couldn't give: a child. The man she had shared her life with, her love and laughter had lied to her. When the agency gave her four months on a ranch she thought they were crazy. Did they think a holiday would change her? She knew she was wild and untamable, a lone free Palomino- until she met the man who could break any horse on the range and entered a world of endless and enduring love...
Cards on the Table
- 224 pages
- 8 hours of reading
Hercule Poirot, along with three other top detectives, is invited to a bridge party where they are challenged to spot four murderers
A superb collection of treats for mystery lovers, featuring both the indomitable English gentlewoman, Miss Marple, and the inimitable Belgian detective, Hercule Poirot.


























