George Tiffin

Pithy put-downs, hard-boiled snarlings, words of love and regret... All the Best Lines presents 500 memorable movie quotes, embracing both one-liners ('My name is Pussy Galore') and slices of snappy dialogue from pictures as diverse as When Harry Met Sally and Pulp Fiction. Arranged under such timeless themes as Dreams, Friends, Libido and Memories, the quotes juxtapose films and stars from every era and every genre. Dotted throughout the text are feature capsules focusing on themes and stories in the movies from Goldwynisms to Mae West, plus a generous scattering of cinema anecdotes, making the book both a joy to browse and an authoritative reference. Lavishly illustrated with full-colour photographs, All the Best Lines will delight and entertain you in equal measure, reacquainting you with your favourite movies and introducing you to some forgotten classics.

Marlene Dietrich, Marilyn Monroe, Catherine Deneuve... Feted, adored and desired, successful movie actresses are icons of modern culture. But what was it that made them true stars? Was it looks, talent, drive, personality – or just plain luck? What was the first captivating image or unforgettable line that etched them indelibly on our collective memory – and transformed the screen actress of the passing movie credit into the screen goddess of eternal legend? In a sequence of elegant pen-portraits, George Tiffin takes a microscope to the movies and the moments that established 75 female icons of cinema. These penportraits are supplemented by quotes, notes and anecdotes, including script excerpts from key scenes. From Oscar-winners to ingénues, and from grande dames to femmes fatales, A STAR IS BORN is a seductive celebration of the eternal feminine at the heart of the movie business – and an informal and engaging history of cinema itself.

A photo shoot in the Thames, playing dead: a corpse for the gallery walls. This is Mercy Alexander’s work. Enigmatic, glamorous, beautiful — not many people know the real Mercy. She’s been an image far too long. But Rose knows, her friend from childhood, her soulmate. A prostitute. Then Rose meets a terrible death and Mercy must confront what she has long feared: that Rose has been selling herself at the city’s grandest brothel, and now someone has ended her life for kicks. But the only witness to Rose’s death has disappeared and Mercy must turn to someone for help who himself has much to hide . . .