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Ken Follett’s next epic heads to Victorian Britain, where strict morals meet secret passions

By The Associated Press

NEW YORK (AP) — Ken Follett’s next historical epic is a story of forbidden romance set during a time of official propriety, the Victorian age.

Follett’s “The Deep and Secret Things” will be published Sept. 21, 2027, Hachette Book Group and Hachette UK announced Wednesday. His novel follows the life of a noblewoman from South Wales, Helena Bowen, and her attraction to a charming, but disreputable acquaintance, Johnnie.

“I love stories set in the Victorian era because of the shocking contrasts,” Follett said in a statement. “Britain was richer than any country had ever been, but the London slums were places of grim poverty. Moral rules were strict, but rich men had mistresses and destitute women turned, in desperation, to prostitution. Dresses were gorgeous and parties were lavish, but the children of the poor started work at the age of seven.”

The 76-year-old Follett is one of the world’s most popular authors, with sales nearing 200 million copies, according to his publishers. His novels, which have spanned from the Dark Ages to modern times, include “The Pillars of the Earth,” “Eye of the Needle” and “World Without End.”

Ten years later, the cult of ‘The Nice Guys’ keeps growing

By The Associated Press
NEW YORK (AP) — When “The Nice Guys” debuted 10 years ago, the writing was on the wall for the big-screen comedy. It came out sandwiched between “Captain America: Civil War” and “X-Men: Apocalypse.” It opened against “Angry Birds.” The cartoon birds, Ryan Gosling has lamented, “just destroyed us.” “They’re just so angry,” Gosling once sighed. And yet, marking its upcoming 10th anniversary this month, “The Nice Guys” has established itself as one of the most beloved comedies of the last decade — a decade in which Hollywood studios largely left the genre for dead. A 1970s-set comic noir directed and co-written by Shane Black, “The Nice Guys” paired Gosling and Russell Crowe as private eyes in a Los Angeles crime caper that, a decade later, keeps getting better. “There’s a lot of interest in ‘The Nice Guys’ today that wasn’t there when it opened. And the box office will attest to that,” Black deadpanned in a recent interview. “But people find these things. I think there’s kind of a joy of finding a movie on streaming or rental and then suddenly kind of realizing: How did I miss this? And ‘The Nice Guys’ was easy to miss.”
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