He has suffered tragedy in his life which serves to exaggerate his more introspective characteristics and, like many of us, has to look his demons in the eye from time to time and make tough choices.  This digital box set contains the first four mysteries in this bestselling series: The Case of the Screaming Beauty: Detective Inspector Graham is still reeling from a tragedy of his own when he is called into investigate a murder at the prestigious Lavender Bed and Breakfast. It has a rich, Tudor atmosphere, an enviously manicured lawn… And a deadly problem. The Case of the Hidden Flame: Inspector David Graham is hoping for peace and quiet when he leaves city life behind for a quaint island village — but a suspicious death soon derails his plans. Will eccentric characters, roiling sea undercurrents, and deceptive coincidences unravel to reveal the secrets of his latest mystery? The Case of the Fallen Hero: As he walks around the imposing Orgueil castle, Graham’s peaceful life comes to a shuddering halt when he finds a woman kneeling beside the body of a stricken man. Does the castle hold clues to the puzzle? The Case of the Broken Doll: A missing girl. A broken doll. Dark, deviant secrets. What Inspector finds as he investigates will rock the town, stirring memories long buried and forgotten. There are painful truths to face. Can he uncover what happened? Could the missing schoolgirl still be alive? What Amazon readers are saying: ★★★★★ “Character development was superb.” ★★★★★ “I literally could not put this book down.” ★★★★★ “Inspector Graham is right up there with some of the icons of British mysteries.” ★★★★★ “The scenery description, characterization, and fabulous portrayal of the hotel on the hill are all layered into a great English trifle.” ★★★★★ “These books certainly have the potential to become a PBS series with the likeable character of Inspector Graham and his fellow officers.” ★★★★★ “DI Graham is wonderful and his old school way of doing things, charming.” ★★★★★ “I know I have a winner of a book when I toss and turn at night worrying about how the characters are doing.” ★★★★★ "I really enjoyed the surprise twists at the end." ★★★★★ "Just finished it early this morning! What a great story!" ★★★★★ "Sweet, emotionally honest, with a lot of backbone in the characters and the writing." ★★★★★ “Please never end the series.” Buy the box set and start a series you won't want to put down!

    Until the fateful day in the wood . . . One night in 1960, the twins awake to find their father pulling their screaming mother from the house. She is to be committed to an asylum. It is, so their father insists, for her own good. It's not long before they, too, are removed from their London home and sent to Nightingales - a large house deep in the New Forest countryside - to be watched over by their cold-hearted grandmother, Mrs Mitcham. Though they feel abandoned and unloved, at least here they have something they never had before - freedom. The twins are left to their own devices, to explore, find new friends and first romances. That is until the day that Duncan doesn't come back for dinner. Nor does he return the next day. Or the one after that. When the bodies of other young boys are discovered in the surrounding area the police appear to give up hope of finding Duncan alive. With Mrs Mitcham showing little interest in her grandson's disappearance, it is up to Maisy to discover the truth. And she knows just where to start. The woman who lives alone in the wood about whom so many rumours abound. A woman named Grace Deville. The Woman in the Wood is a powerful, passionate and sinister tale of a young woman's courage, friendship and determination. Santa Montefiore and Penny Vincenzi fans will swiftly fall for Lesley Pearse's mesmerising novels - you'll want to read them again and again . . . 'Heart-warming and evocative, a real delight to read' Sun'A narrative that gallops along, this is quintessential Pearse that will delight her army of readers' Daily Mail 'Glorious, heartwarming' Woman & Home 'Evocative, compelling, told from the heart' Sunday Express

    But this is only the start of a nightmare that will unearth more bones, more victims and the terror that Abby might be among the dead.To stop the monster Marnie knows she must break the rules, but when the twisted killer turns his attention on her it becomes a fight not only for the truth but for her sanity and her survival.Can Marnie catch the murderer and solve her sister’s disappearance?  Robin Roughly is the best-selling author of the DS Lasser series. This is the first book in his thrilling new Marnie Hammond Series.

    Flurries of snow fall on the cobbled streets of Whitechapel and an abandoned baby, swaddled in a blanket, is found on a doorstep in Angel Lane . . .Named after the street on which she was found, Angel Winter was blessed to be taken from the harsh streets into a loving home. But fate deals a cruel blow and she’s torn from the only family she has ever known, and thrown onto the cobbles of Covent Garden to fend for herself.With winter closing in, Angel scratches a living selling mistletoe to the City gentlemen who pass through the market, hoping they will take pity on her as she shivers in the snow. The only way she can survive is to make her own luck. She will never sell the one treasure that could feed her for a month, the gold and ruby ring that was hidden in her swaddling – it could hold the key to the secrets of her past . . .

    Nothing will distract her from achieving her dreams!That is, until her very first guest, Daniel Fitzwilliam arrives – quite possibly, the most gorgeous man she’s ever seen. He’s only here for a week, but already Daniel has turned her world upside-down. And as the tide turns, it’s clear that Butterfly Cove has more than one surprise in store for Mia…

    . .While their men are at war the women of Great Paxford have fought hard to keep the home fires burning, but a new arrival threatens everything . . .Pat Simms has a secret she needs to keep, but the close scrutiny of her husband is near impossible to escape.Frances Barden has overcome every challenge these troubled times have thrown at her, but a new threat, one very close to home, has arisen.Steph Farrow made a vow, she promised to protect her farm and family while her husband was at war, but she never imagined this . . .Meanwhile, Teresa faces a tragedy she's powerless to stop.Even during the hardest times the women of the WI have prevailed, finding new love, happiness and purpose, but can they survive the enemy at their door?Don't miss any part of the story. Keep the Home Fires Burning - Part One: Spitfire Down! is available now. Search 9781785763588.The story's not over. An all-new novel is coming in 2018! To pre-order your copy now search 9781785764295.Perfect for fans of Call the Midwife, Granchester and Foyles War. If you adore the novels of Nadine Dorries, Diney Costello and Daisy Styles then this is an unmissable series for you.

    . .A heartwarming tale that will sweep you away for the summer from the bestselling author of The Cosy Teashop in the Castle.When Claire arrives for her cosy cottage retreat on the beautiful Northumberland coast, she prays that three weeks of blissful peace and summer sunshine will wash away the pain of the last year.Claire’s a survivor – she’s proud of the scars that prove it – and she’s determined to make the most of each and every day, to seize those little magic moments that give life its colour.Her plan for peaceful solitude goes awry when handsome, brooding Ed turns up in the cottage next door. The last thing Claire needs is the risk of getting hurt, but she soon discovers that Ed has emotional battle scars of his own.Will he prove the worst distraction? Or might he be just the perfect remedy?

    Enjoy one ebook episode a month or own the complete novel in ebook or paperback in October 2017.The story continues . . . The women of Great Paxford are no strangers to hardship, but as the war progresses they encounter challenges they never imagined.Pat Simms found a moment of happiness, but her husband's scheming brought that to an end. Yet Pat can't help but hope for another chance.Teresa thought all her troubles would disappear when she married Nick, but chance encounters with a young pilot leave her torn and conflicted.Still reeling from the death of her husband, Frances Barden worries she's made the wrong choice in sending her young ward away. Anything could happen to a boy at war time . . .And all the while the Campbell family struggle to hold their family together as illness takes a toll.Don't miss a minute of this enthralling new series. Keep the Home Fires Burning - Part One: Spitfire Down! is available for pre-order now. Search 9781785763564.Ready for the next instalment? Keep the Home Fires Burning - Part Three will be out in September and is available for pre-order now! Search 9781785763588.Perfect for fans of Call the Midwife, Granchester and Foyles War. If you adore the novels of Nadine Dorries, Diney Costello and Daisy Styles then this is an unmissable series for you.

    While Leah heads inside,Chris locks the car and goes in to order their drinks.She shouldn’t be long, after all they’ve only stoppedto stretch their legs.Minutes pass. Chris waits and waits, but Leah doesn’tcome back.When Sergeant Mel Daley and her boss, DetectiveInspector Harry Baker, arrive to begin a search for themissing woman, their investigation calls everything intoquestion. Is she alive? Did she leave the service stationwith someone else? Did Leah ever even leave Norfolk?While her husband becomes more frantic, the pairbegin to unravel a tangle of dark secrets from the past.

    As a girl, she saw her aunt, Anne Boleyn, go to the scaffold. Now she might see yet another Queen suffer the same fate. She has to decide. To serve her mistress would be treason, to abandon her would mean the doom of a good lady. She knows her duty is to serve her family, but what about her heart and her conscience? In a world where any indiscretion can lead to death, where competition corrupts any friendship, and where your family is ready to abandon you, Catherine must stay ahead of the ever-changing rules. The King is becoming a monster, ready to turn on those he claimed to love. As a lady-in-waiting, Catherine sees first hand the danger of the Tudor court. She finds her dreams changing from grandeur to the peaceful existence of a country life. However, when you are part of the great Howard family, the illegitimate daughter of the King, and cousin to the future Queen of England, there is no place for you but court.

    Enjoy one ebook episode a month starting in July or own the complete novel in ebook or paperback in October 2017. If you loved the ITV series Home Fires, this will delight you. If this is your first visit to Great Paxford, welcome! We guarantee you'll never want to leave! 1940, Great Paxford, Cheshire. In Britain's darkest hour, an extraordinary community of women strive to protect the Home Front. When a spitfire crashes in their village, every one of their lives will change forever . . .Frances Barden thought the day her husband died would be her darkest day, but as her factory is shut down and her husband's secret child arrives at her door, she learns her greatest challenge is only just beginning.Pat Simms received a respite when her abusive husband went to war, but now he's home Pat doesn't know who to turn to . . .Newlyweds Teresa and Nick should be happy, but the plane crash on their wedding day may just be the start of their troubles.Meanwhile, the life of the Campbell family will never be the same following a terrible tragedy.Through it all the Women's Institute provides support and camaraderie. But is their combined strength enough to get them through the war? Don't miss the next instalment in this compelling series. Keep the Home Fires Burning - Part 2: A Woman's Work . . . is out in August and available for pre-order now! Search 9781785763571 Perfect for fans of Call the Midwife, Granchester and Foyles War. If you adore the novels of Nadine Dorries, Diney Costello and Daisy Styles then this is an unmissable series for you.

    Evil Under the Sun: On holiday in Devon, Poirot becomes embroiled in the murder of a glamorous American starlet.Sad Cypress: A poison pen letter begins a chain of events which is to end in tragedy.Murder in Mesopotamia: When death occurs at an archaeological site in the Iraqi desert, Poirot is on hand to dig for clues.Lord Edgware Dies: Lord Edgware is found brutally stabbed, his wife the prime suspect. But did she murder him?Hallowe’en Party: The sleuth investigates the death of a girl drowned in an apple-bobbing tub on All Hallows’ Eve.Murder on the Links: Summoned urgently to France, Poirot finds his wealthy client dead. Can he trace the killer?Five Little Pigs: A bride-to-be hires Poirot to solve a sixteen-year-old case and prove her mother innocent of murder.These BBC Radio 4 full-cast dramatisations find Poirot pitting his ‘little grey cells’ against a variety of cunning criminals. Based on Agatha Christie’s original novels, these superb adaptations feature a host of distinguished actors including Iain Glen, Fiona Fullerton, Stephanie Cole and Stephen Tompkinson.Duration: 13 hours 45 mins

    But Silus’ has darker ambitions, for Albinus to follow in his footsteps in the army. But, as the conflicts between father and son come to a head, a growing threat comes down from the vengeful Germanic tribes to the north. Just as Albinus and Licina are about to marry, their settlement is raided by barbarians and Silus and his veteran comrades are brutally killed, while Licina is kidnapped by the raiders and taken to their king as a gift. Believing her to be alive, Albinus sets out on a quest to find Licina, finally fulfilling his father’s wishes as training as a soldier, even as he is spurred to avenge his father’s death. As the barbarian hordes gather and plan major rebellion against the Romans, Albinus finds a new fighting spirit within him and grows in stature among the legionaries. Licina meanwhile has a fight of her own, to escape from slavery and find Albinus. Time is running out, as the northern tribes head for Rome, decimating everything in their path… With historically accurate details and including characters from legend, Adam Lofthouse’s novel recounts the brutal battles between the Romans and the Germanic tribes, while also telling the heart-wrenching coming-of-age narrative of one young soldier within the Roman camp. Adam Lofthouse has for many years held a passion for the ancient world. As a teenager he picked up Gates of Rome by Conn Iggulden, and has been obsessed with all things Rome ever since. After ten years of immersing himself in stories of the Roman world, he decided to have a go at writing one for himself. The Centurion’s Son is Adam’s first novel. He lives in Kent, with his wife and three sons.

    Beaten, desperate, and broken, Gaby realizes the only way to escape from her violent husband is to kill herself — on paper. Gaby is dead, and Riley Locklin is born, residing in the tranquil coastal town of Chesswick Bay Montauk where she hopes to start over and meets a man who shows her bruises aren't kisses. Meanwhile, back home, Kyle is doing everything in his power to prove Gaby isn’t dead. But…police find her burnt-out car and remains? Kyle isn’t buying it; he knows she’s still alive. He launches his own full investigation to find his wife — and he’ll stop at nothing to claim her back. A female Detective assigned to his wife’s case doesn’t like him very much after discovering a domestic violence report - scorned by the history of her mother’s domestic abuse, she’s determined to send Kyle down for his wife’s murder. And then he finds her. Will Gaby finally take a stand?This book contains themes that some readers may find disturbing. Contains possible triggers.For every copy of this book sold 10p will be donated to The Katie Piper Foundation: www.katiepiperfoundation.org.uk

    She’s only gone and got married again and has flown off on honeymoon, sending Evie to stay with a godmother she’s never even met in an old, creaky house in the middle of nowhere. It is all monumentally unfair.But on the first night in her godmother’s spare room, Evie notices a strange message scratched into the windowpane, and everything she thought she knew gets turned upside down.After a ghastly night’s sleep Evie wakes up in 1814, dressed as a housemaid, and certain she’s gone back in time for a reason. A terrible injustice needs to be fixed. But there’s a housekeeper barking orders, a bad-tempered master to avoid, and the chamber pots won’t empty themselves. It’s going to take all Evie’s cunning to fix things in the past so that nothing will break apart in the future…Absorbing, brilliant storytelling from the author of The Secret Hen House Theatre, The Farm Beneath the Water and The Jasmine Green Series for younger readers.

    They turned to adoption and their dreams came true when they were approved to adopt a little girl from birth. They named her Evie. Seven years later, the family has moved to Yorkshire and grown in number: a wonderful surprise in the form of baby Ben. As a working mum it's not easy for Zoe, but life is good. But then Evie begins to receive letters and gifts. The sender claims to be her birth father.He has been looking for his daughter. And now he is coming to take her back...

    Sometimes his two worlds would collide with shattering consequences.Bestselling biographer Sean Smith has gone back to the neighbourhoods of North London to trace the astonishing journey of a sensitive but determined boy who grew up to be one of the biggest British pop stars of all time.Along the way, he talks to those close to George, revealing the real man – funny, articulate, intelligent and generous spirited – who hid behind the powerful image he created.He reveals the complex relationship with his high-achieving Greek-Cypriot father; the unconditional love of his mother; his teenage relationships with girls; and his first tragic love affair with another man.George’s career began falteringly with a schoolboy band, exploded with Wham! before he became a solo phenomenon. But at the height of his fame, the world seemed to turn against him. Smith describes his despair at losing the two people who mattered most, how he sought consolation in drugs, his notorious ‘coming out’ and how he ended up in jail.His health failed him and he died heartbreakingly alone on Christmas Day, 2016.Affectionate yet honest and moving, George is both a celebration of George Michael’s music and a lasting tribute to a decent and much-loved man.

    He knows he is a lucky man. Life changing injuries forced Jack into semi-retirement, but he now spends his days fulfilling what has become a lifetime passion; investigating reports of paranormal activity. These cases have led to his experiencing a number of unexplained incidents; though he also has his own cross to bear when it comes to the bizarre. Since the accident which almost ended him, Jack has developed a tendency to experience out-of-body events, and these unaccountable bouts of astral projection are now presenting questions of their own.When a young woman turns up at Jack's door, claiming her home is infested with troublesome spirits, his investigation leads to a haunted cottage, the restless dead, and the revelation of a maleficent force that will forever change Jack's perception of reality.

    It is a recipe for womanhood that changes with the whim of the seasons and the political climate. It is a feverish fistful of musings, a comedy of errors, an instruction manual, a compass, an overheard conversation in the ladies' loo, whispered secrets over a (second) bottle of wine. It is a lamentation, an homage to fellow women, at once a celebration of things to come and a mourning of things lost. It is a redefinition of what it is to be magical and otherwordly. It exposes the complex and contradictory impulses of the human spirit, the ugly tangle of emotions we must deal with in ourselves and also as a wider society. With frankness, humour and a decided fuck-you to fear, Vanessa digs deeper than she ever has to find something resembling sorcery.

    But without Henry Condell and John Heminges, we would have lost half of Shakespeare’s plays forever! After the death of their friend and mentor, the two actors are determined to compile the First Folio and preserve the words that shaped their lives. They’ll just have to borrow, beg, and band together to get it done. Amidst the noise and color of Elizabethan London, THE BOOK OF WILL finds an unforgettable true story of love, loss, and laughter, and sheds new light on a man you may think you know.“THE BOOK OF WILL…unequivocally announces Gunderson as a playwright with whom to be reckoned. It is, quite frankly, one of the best plays I have ever seen. It will bring tears of both laughter and sorrow to all but the most jaded audience member’s eyes. It is, in a word, a triumph.” —Boulder Weekly (CO). “[Gunderson] has peopled the stage with lively, historically based characters…She paints a vivid portrait of the times in language sometimes formal, sometimes poetic and often…contemporary…She also gives a real feel for theater life and what it means to be an actor; you sense this is a work of both scholarship and love. …[THE BOOK OF WILL] serves as homage to those who sacrificed to make the first folio happen and to Shakespeare’s magnificent words.” —Westword (Denver, CO).

    It had become a silhouette barely distinguishable against the darkening twilight sky, but Lemp was close enough to see the foaming white wave thrown up by its bow. He smiled when the spray arched higher, signaling the ship had begun changing course again.“You’re right on schedule,” he said to the image in his eyepiece.Lemp’s pulse quickened with the knowledge that his war was about to begin . . .On September 1, 1939, the passenger liner Athenia set sail from Glasgow for Montreal by way of Belfast and Liverpool. She carried 1,100 passengers, nearly three-quarters of whom were women and children. On September 3, Athenia was torpedoed by a German submarine. In Without Warning, author Thomas C. Sanger tells the harrowing story of the sinking of the Athenia from the perspective of eight people: six passengers, Athenia’s chief officer, and the commander of the German U-boat.Based on accounts written by passengers, personal interviews with survivors and descendants of survivors, books, newspaper stories, and original documents, Without Warning honors the memory of Athenia’s passengers, both living and dead.

    The forces of war are building across Europe, but this pocket of England, where the rhythms of lives are dictated by the seasons and the land, remains untouched. Albert Sercombe is a farmer on Lord Prideaux's estate and his eldest son, Sid, is underkeeper to the head gamekeeper. His son, Leo, a talented rider, grows up alongside the master's spirited daughter, Charlotte--a girl who shoots and rides, much to the surprise of the locals. In beautiful, pastoral writing, The Horseman tells the story of a family, a community, and the landscape they come from.The Horseman is a return to the world invoked in Pears' first award-winning, extravagantly praised novel, In the Place of Fallen Leaves. It is the first book of a trilogy that will follow Leo away from the estate and into the First World War and beyond. Exquisitely, tenderly written, this is immersive, transporting historical fiction at its finest.

    These include hundreeds of his photographs, combined with clear mapping and old photos. A major feature is the inclusion of 14 suggested itineraries and mini indexes throughout. This is the definitive guide to the NC500 route which starts and finishes in Inverness and is based on years of exploring every byway in this vast and beautiful area. The route may be undertaken clockwise or anti clockwise. It winds its way westwards to Wester Ross to Applecross via the dramatic Bealach na Ba, before heading north to northwest Sutherland. it continues along the north coast to Caithness before returning to Inverness on the A9. The book covers the whole area in depth. Lavishly illustrated, includes archaeology, nature, history and all of the best places to visit. This 256 page book has over 750 images by Charles Tait as well as OS maps and old prints. The Introduction covers Natural History, Archaeology and History, followed by a detailed gazetteer of broken into convenient sections. The book is completed by information on Transport, Services, fourteen suggested itineraries, a Bibligraphy and an Index. It is 140x220mm in size and provides a comprehensive source of information to the visitor.

    Hitler invades France, a move that threatens all of Europe, and three lives intersect at Wickwythe Hall, an opulent estate in the English countryside—a beautiful French refugee, a take-charge American heiress, and a charming champagne vendeur with ties to Roosevelt and Churchill, who isn’t what he seems. There, secrets and unexpected liaisons unfold, until a shocking tragedy in a far off Algerian port binds them forever… Wickwythe Hall is inspired by actual people, places and events, including Operation Catapult, a sea action in which Churchill launched a bloody attack on the French fleet to keep the powerful ships out of Hitler’s reach. Over 1,000 French sailors, who just days before fought side-by-side with the British, perished. Humanizing this forgotten piece of history, Wickwythe Hall takes the reader behind the blackout curtains of upper-class England, through the bustling private quarters of Churchill's Downing Street, and along the tense back alleys of occupied Vichy, illustrating what it took to survive in the dark, early days of World War II.

    Would you pay someone to bear your sorrow? Lady Celeste is overwhelmed with grief when her infant son dies. Desperate to find relief, she begs a passing peddler to buy her sorrow. Jean, the cynical peddler she meets, is nobody’s fool; he does not believe in superstitions and insists Celeste include the valuable ruby ring on her finger along with the nail in return for his coin. Jean and Celeste both find themselves changed by their transaction in ways neither of them anticipated. Jean finds that bearing another’s sorrow opens him to strange fits of compassion, a trait he can ill afford. Meanwhile Celeste learns that without her wedding ring her husband may set her aside, leaving her ruined. She determines to retrieve it before he finds out—without reclaiming her sorrow. But how will she find the peddler and convince him to give up the precious ruby ring?If you like realistic medieval fiction with evocative prose, compelling characters and a unique story, you’ll love this incredible, introspective journey into the south of France in the 12th Century, based on an actual medieval belief. Winner of the Royal Palm Literary Award for Historical Fiction."J. A. McLachlan is a terrific writer -- wry and witty, with a keen eye for detail.” ~ author Robert J. Sawyer"Strong, character-driven fiction -- McLachlan makes you both care and think. You can't ask for more.” ~ author Tanya Huff

    Each of these tiny stories was inspired by an event, an overheard conversation, a piece of art or just a fleeting glance of something worth thinking about further.Collected in one volume, Carson's postcards present a panoramic view of contemporary Belfast -- its coffee shops, streets and museums and airports -- and offer it to the wider world. Even as they seem to spring from a writer's solitary perspective, taken together, these observations and their distribution speak of human connectedness. Like a pleasant surprise in the mail, this collection reminds us how many friendships are born and strengthened in a story shared.Illustrated by Benjamin Phillips.

    He was also truly eccentric--a thrice-married jazz aficionado who kept a menagerie of exotic pets--and almost totally unqualified for espionage.Yet he had a gift for turning practically anyone into a fearless secret agent. Knight's work revolutionized British intelligence, pioneering the use of female agents, among other accomplishments. In telling Knight's remarkable story, Agent M also reveals for the first time in print the names and stories of some of the men and women recruited by Knight, on behalf of MI5, who were asked to infiltrate the country's most dangerous political organizations.Drawing on a vast array of original sources, Agent M reveals not only the story of one of the world's greatest intelligence operators, but the sacrifices and courage required to confront fascism during a nation's darkest time.

    It was an experience that changed my life for ever. Up until that time I had not really travelled anywhere at all, apart from one touring visit to Holland with a band I was singing with before the war, and I had certainly never been in an aeroplane. But I wanted to make a difference, to do my bit.'And she did.Written with her daughter, Virginia Lewis-Jones this is a powerful and life-affirming account of the time she spent with troops in wartime Burma. Based, in part on a diary she kept, alongside unpublished personal letters and photographs from surviving veterans and their families, it explores why it was such a life-defining event for her and shows how her presence helped the soldiers, airmen and others who heard her sing.

    Set in idyllic Italy, it's the perfect holiday read, for fans of Louise Douglas and Hannah Richell.When Kit loses her mother in tragic circumstances, she feels drawn to finally connect with the father she has never met. That search brings her to the Thousand Lights Hotel, the perfect holiday escape perched upon a cliff on the island of Elba. Within this idyllic setting a devastating truth is brought to light: shaking the foundations upon which the hotel is built, and shattering the lives of the people within it.A heartbreaking story of loss, betrayal, and redemption, told with all the warmth and beauty of an Italian summer.

    There’s a lot of history. His father’s marriages, his mother’s death; one brother in exile, another in denial; everything said, everything unsaid. And now his father (the best of men, the worst of men) has taken a decision which will affect them all and has asked his three sons to join him on one final journey across Europe.But Louis is far from sure that this trip is a good idea. His older half-brothers are wonderful, terrible, troublesome people. And they’re as suspicious as they are supportive . . . because the truth is that they’ve never forgiven their father for the damaging secrets and corrosive lies of his past. So how much does Louis love his dad – to death? Or can this flawed family’s bond prove powerful enough to keep a dying man alive?Let Go My Hand is a darkly comic and deeply moving twenty-first-century love story between a son, his brothers and their father. Through these vividly realized characters, it asks elemental questions about how we love, how we live, and what really matters in the end. Frequently funny, sometimes profound, always beautifully written, this intimate and life-affirming novel shows the Booker-longlisted author of Self Help at his brilliant best, and confirms his reputation as one of Britain’s most intelligent and powerful writers.

    That's why there is no such thing as "they all lived happily ever after"How do we love? With romance. With work. Through heartbreak. Throughout a lifetime. As a means, but not an end. Love in all its forms has been an abiding theme of Jeanette Winterson’s writing. Here are selections from her books about that impossible, essential force, stories and truths that search for the mythical creature we call Love.Selected from the books of Jeanette WintersonVINTAGE MINIS: GREAT MINDS. BIG IDEAS. LITTLE BOOKS.A series of short books by the world’s greatest writers on the experiences that make us humanFor the full list of books visit vintageminis.co.ukAlso in the Vintage Minis series:Eating by Nigella LawsonJealousy by Marcel ProustBabies by Anne EnrightDesire by Haruki Murakami

    Highlights of the trip include a treacherous cruise to French Polynesia, a horrifying trek in South Africa, a murderous train-ride across Ukraine and a vengeful killing in Mumbai. But back home in the UK, life isn’t so easy either. Dead bodies turn up on the backstreets of Glasgow, crime writers turn words into deeds at literary events, and Lady Luck seems to guide the fate of a Twickenham hood. Showcasing the range, breadth and vitality of contemporary crime-fiction genre, these 28 chilling and unputdownable stories will take you on a trip you’ll never forget. Contributions from: Ann Cleeves, C.L. Taylor, Susi Holliday, Martin Edwards, Anna Mazzola, Carol Anne Davis, Cath Staincliffe, Chris Simms, Christine Poulson, Ed James, Gordon Brown, J.M. Hewitt, Judith Cutler, Julia Crouch, Kate Ellis, Kate Rhodes, Martine Bailey, Michael Stanley, Maxim Jakubowski, Paul Charles, Paul Gitsham, Peter Lovesey, Ragnar Jónasson, Sarah Rayne, Shawn Reilly Simmons, Vaseem Khan, William Ryan and William Burton McCormick 'The diverse storytelling styles and takes on familiar genre tropes add up to an entertaining buffet for mystery fans’ Publishers Weekly ‘I loved the variety of writing styles, the skill that tops the list of evidence and the differing locations as we criss-crossed the globe from the streets of Glasgow to a trek in South Africa as these writers pooled their stories to produce one of the most satisfying collections of short stories I have had the pleasure of reading' Cleopatra Loves Books 'An absolutely cracking anthology which provides a wonderful introduction to the short story, with a mix of crimes to make you smile, cringe, gasp and nod' Jen Meds Book Reviews 'A mystery tour which takes you across the world and back again, across the boundaries of right and wrong, across the whole spectrum of human emotions, all wrapped up in a bloody red bow. Highly recommended. A brilliantly witty, dark and captivating collection’ The Book Trail 'This is a must-read book. Don’t miss out!' Damp Pebbles 'This is an excellent collection of stories that you can either read one after the other, or, as I did – dipping in and out and reading a mixture of authors both known and new to me’ My Reading Corner 'This is an excellent collection of high quality crime stories, ranging from psychological thrillers to crime scene investigations, providing something for everyone – and the chance to get out of your usual ‘crime reads’ comfort zone’ Off The Shelf Books

    He turns to disgraced detective James Brindle for help.When further attacks occur the shattered community becomes the focus of an accelerating media that favours immediacy over truth. Murder and myth collide in a folk-crime story about place, identity and the tangled lives of those who never leave.

    The Real Reader's Quarterly

    Within are some of the most senior officers of the Allied army, guarded by almost two hundred Italian soldiers and a vicious fascist commando who answers directly to "Il Duce" Mussolini himself. Their unbelievable escape, told by Mark Felton in Castle of the Eagles, is a little-known marvel of World War II.By March 1943, the plan is ready: this extraordinary assemblage of middle-aged POWs has crafted civilian clothes, forged identity papers, gathered rations, and even constructed dummies to place in their beds, all in preparation for the moment they step into the tunnel they have been digging for six months.How they got to this point and what happens after is a story that reads like fiction, supported by an eccentric cast of characters, but is nonetheless true to its core.

    From childhood, she and her mother have used herbs to cure the sick. But Jane will soon learn that her sheltered life in a small village is not safe from the troubles of the wider world.From his father’s beatings to his uncle’s raging sermons, John Sharpe is beset by bad fortune. Fighting through personal tragedy, he finds his purpose: to become a witch-finder and save innocents from the scourge of witchcraft. Inspired by true events, Widdershins tells the story of the women who were persecuted and the men who condemned them.

    Japan, with all her treachery and greed, remains unsubdued. We must now devote all our strength and resources to the completion of our task, both at home and abroad.”Arthur knows that he is not, like many of his fellow conscripted airmen, about to be demobbed. He is to be sent to the Far East as a member of 31 Squadron RAF, which is equipped with a fleet of battered Dakotas ferrying supplies into remote jungle bases and bringing out a wretched human cargo from Japanese internment camps.Even after the Japanese surrender, it’s grim work for Brownlow and fellow crew members. They keep a stiff upper lip, but harmony is threatened with the arrival of a subversive Glaswegian docker Jock Patterson and his mutinous message.However, life is not without its lighter moments – and wireless operator Freddie falls in love with Nelli who, following her release from internment, is working with the RAF. Her Dutch origins hint at the country’s history under colonial rule. Resentment at centuries of colonisation, first by the West then by the Japanese, is coming to the surface, and the RAF men are soon to feel the backlash in the most horrific way possible.Freddie is dropped off by ‘U for Uncle’ at a base near where Nelli’s father has been detained, but the Dak fails to return to pick him up.What shocking news is about to emerge from Bekasi, where 'Uncle' forced landed? Can Wing Commander Brian Macnamara deal with the poisonous Patterson and get the squadron’s mission completed? How do men react when they discover a loved one at home has betrayed them? Will the conscripted men of 31 Squadron ever be able to cope in Civvy Street again?Ian Hall’s impressive Storm at Sunset portrays the RAF’s little-appreciated work in the aftermath of the Second World War – its all-too human face and the political and military backlash that affected even their essentially humanitarian mission.

    SUPERSAURS. This is the world that Bea Kingsley lives in, a world where humans live side by side with supersaurs, sometimes in peace but often in conflict. Bea is the daughter of explorer parents who went missing when she was just a baby. So when her grandmother suddenly takes her on a trip to the remote Indonesian islands of Aru, Bea starts asking some big questions. But the more questions Bea asks, the more trouble she and her grandmother find themselves in. Was the journey to the islands a big mistake?The adventure starts here...

    With charming illustrations by James Newman Gray, this adorable story will keep little ones entertained before bedtime.

    27-year-old American detective and heiress, Slim Moran, is hired by a British spymistress to find Marie-Claire, a spy long presumed dead. Slim soon realizes that scores from the last war have not been settled. She races to find out what happened to this deeply troubled lost spy because if Marie-Claire is not dead, she will be soon.

    Kate sailed to New Zealand in 1912 to work and travel. Peter, an engineer, went into business to manufacture his seed sowing machine.Production had just started when war broke out in 1914. Peter joined the Royal Field Artillery, seeing action in Gallipoli and The Somme. Kate delayed her return to Britain.Could their love survive this terrible war and the events of Messines?

    Her husband Brigius, a Briton who now serves Rome, is torn when the imperial prince Caracalla arrives in northern Britannia with his unit of vicious, dangerous Numidian cavalry, causing trouble and endangering the couple's once peaceful life. Heedless of the danger to both them and their world, the pair see only one way to ensure the continuation of peace in the north, and it carries a horrifying risk.From two acclaimed authors of Historical Fiction set in the world of Rome, The Bear and the Wolf is a tale for all ages sure to enthrall. Originally penned for the Alderney Literary Festival, this short story is available at this time only in eBook form.

    When her son is presented with the chance of exceptional care in her final months, he finds the offer hard to resist. Winifred is assigned to Margaret’s care. She’s a Helper: a new kind of carer that’s capable, committed and completely tireless – because she’s a synthetic human being. Under Winifred’s care Margaret’s health improves beyond everyone’s expectations, and Winifred begins to learn from Margaret what it means to be alive. After all, she has a lifetime of experience to pass on – and in a world where youth is the ultimate prize, perhaps it takes a robot to recognise the value of old age. But how will Winifred use what she learns from Margaret – and what does she truly want from her?

    What she learned made her rethink the man who had raised her. The tale begins with his childhood in the Australian outback, and follows his immigration to English and enrollment in the British forces in 1914. After being injured in France, he is hired by the British Foreign office, which sends him to Berlin as a passport clerk in the 1930s. For the next ten years, he lives in a world of intrigue and espionage as the Nazi regime grows stronger around him. This is a compelling inside look at the rise of Nazism in the 1930s, from subtle changes in the people's everyday behaviour to Hitler's sinister consolidation of power. It is an eyewitness account of an era we all read about, but rarely experience with such a personal touch. Having promised not to release the story until after his passing, Darlene Harrington now shares her father's remarkable life, which will change the way we understand the Second World War and the impact one person can have on history....

    Bravado is his memoir of working class masculinity from 1991 to 1999 as seen by a sheep in wolf’s clothing.Bravado explores the graphic nature of maleness and the extent it will go to succeed. This show is not for the weak-hearted – it includes graphic accounts of violence, abuse, assault and sex.

    But Vlad isn't very brave at all. He's even a little bit scared of the dark!All Vlad wants is some friends and he thinks he knows just where to find them… Human school!So off Vlad goes, along with his pet bat Flit.But how will Vlad keep his true identity secret from his new friends? Not to mention keeping them hidden from his family!Life just got a lot more complicated...A gentle and funny story of a little vampire who wishes he was human - this is DIARY OF A WIMPY KID meets Hotel Transylvania.

    He had just broken up with a prostitute and had written about cutting women's stomachs open.At the same time, a few yards from his refuge, a woman was knifed, as part of a spate of prostitute murders, which one coroner said was by someone who had considerable anatomical skill and knowledge.Richard A. Patterson sets out a compelling case for English poet Francis Thompson as the prime suspect for Jack the Ripper in this must-read for Ripperologists the world over.

    In these stories and more, Rusticles offers a meandering tour through backroads bathed in half light, where shadows play along the verges and whispers of the past assault daydreams of the present. Walk the worn pathways of Hilligoss.

    To make matters worse, she comes from a family of secret Jews. When she is raped as a teenager, she knows she probably will not be able to make a good marriage, so she becomes the mistress of a much older nobleman. During this time she falls in love with poet/player William Shakespeare, and they have a brief, passionate relationship--but when the plague comes to England, the nobleman abandons her, leaving her pregnant and without financial security. In the years that follow, Emilia is forced to make a number of difficult decisions in her efforts to survive, and not all of them turn out well for her. But ultimately, despite the disadvantaged position she was born to, she succeeds in pursuing her dreams of becoming a writer--and even publishes a book of poetry in 1611 that makes a surprisingly modern argument for women's equality.

    

    You won't be able to put it down once you get started."- Chris Jericho, Talk is Jericho (Westwood One)"Fink is one of, if not the foremost authority on all things AC/DC… [Bon: The Last Highway] reads as a cross between an Agatha Christie–like novel and CSI–influenced approach to dissecting the physical evidence and outstanding questions related to the public story revolving around Bon’s death. I cannot recommend this book enough. Whether you love AC/DC, just like them or are just interested in rock ’n’ roll in general this is an amazing story."- Metal Geezers"Bon: The Last Highway by Jesse Fink is one of the most impressive biographies I've ever read. It is an absolute masterpiece that features more sources and research than most college textbooks. I was floored by the amount of effort and research that Jesse poured into this project."In the case of Bon Scott, both his tragic death and (potentially) his greatest lyrical work have been totally distorted for the sake of the legends that surround AC/DC. Jesse's book is one long re-examination of those legends, and he makes mince-meat out of most of the band's official stories... his work here is profoundly impressive."- Play That Rock’n’Roll "After being made aware of the previous poor attempts to tell Bon's story, I decided to read Bon: The Last Highway. Fink's book deserves 10 out of 10 for effort in gathering all the information possible.... Theory Two [about how Bon died] could not be any closer to the truth. I know, because I was there."- Joe Fury, Bon Scott's friend who went to the hospital in London when Bon was declared dead-on-arrivalBooks of the Year - Planet Rock (UK)Books of the Year - Herald Sun (Australia)Books of the Year - Loud Online (Australia)Books of the Year - All Music Books (USA)Books of the Year - InQuire, University of Kent (UK)Praise for Bon: The Last Highway by Jesse Fink:"A fascinating portrait of a troubled man with a serious alcohol addiction... the literary equivalent of a road movie." - Ronan McGreevy, Irish Times"One of 2017's most essential rock reads." - al.com (Alabama)"Over the years Bon Scott has become an untouchable rock god; but this book digs deeper. It's something that hasn't really been done before... it's a whole new look on the troubled frontman and a fine biography." - Jyrki "Spider" Hamalainen, Vive Le Rock (UK)"After being made aware of the previous poor attempts to tell Bon's story, I decided to read Bon: The Last Highway. Fink's book deserves 10 out of 10 for effort in gathering all the information possible.... Theory Two [about how Bon died] could not be any closer to the truth. I know, because I was there." - Joe Fury, Bon Scott's friend who went to the hospital in London to identify Bon's body"Hand-on-heart clarity and the haze of memory merge here to do justice to what is both a celebratory and cautionary tale... you will learn much on this road trip. You already know the soundtrack."- RTE (Republic of Ireland)"Jesse Fink is a very courageous writer... a fact-rich, exciting book that reads in places like a crime story. Investigative journalism at its best." - Metal Glory (Germany)"Just like the object of his desire (it is his second book on AC/DC), Fink is prone to perfectionism. He meticulously dedicates himself to the last three years in the life of Ronald Belford Scott ... Fink's book is a real gift for the fans of the tragically and much too early deceased singer." - Classic Rock (Germany)"Of the 20-plus books written about AC/DC, this one comes closest to the truth about how former singer Bon Scott died and his uncredited legacy as a songwriter... not just for fans, this is equal parts cautionary tale and meticulously researched document." - Courier Mail (Australia)"Fink's book meticulously explores the man and the many myths about Scott's life and death, and his hell of a ride in between." - Herald Sun (Australia)"A literary masterpiece." - Soundanalyse (Germany)"One of the most important publications on AC/DC... Fink has become something of an AC/DC detective and shines light on parts of the AC/DC story which have always been dimly lit. Music fans around the world have been waiting for this book - and it does not disappoint." - Denis Gray, Australian Rock Show"I read this book in seven hours, with a 20-minute break for dinner, and put it down almost breathless at the non-biased, staggering research. Bon: The Last Highway is probably one of the best books I've ever read - on anything! And I read a lot. This book goes up to 11! Extremely well done. A magnificent book." - Paul Chapman, guitarist, UFO"Crossing continents and tracking key figures down, Fink's work is impressive; his book is exhaustively investigative and engrossing." - Exclaim "Painstakingly researched." - Dangerous Minds"Phenomenal." - Sirius XM VOLUME "Debatable""Brilliant writing, many revelations. A must-read. Astonishingly good reporting." - Lori Majewski, SiriusXM VOLUME "Feedback""A great page-turner... a riveting read." - The Rockpit (Australia)"Jesse Fink is not the first writer to suggest there's something fishy about the official version of [Bon] Scott's death and its aftermath, but no one else has offered such a plausible or exhaustively researched alternative theory... vindicating old-school journalistic rigour, Fink compiled a vast testimony from multiple sources and invites the reader to decide where the truth lies, Rashomon-style. This is no easy task: key witnesses are either dead, like [Alistair] Kinnear, or their memories are clouded by the fog of war, like UFO's Paul Chapman and Pete Way. But as with his previous book, the absence of co-operation from the AC/DC inner circle has been to Fink's benefit... [he has] effectively undertaken the detective work that wasn't conducted at the time. It's a dense, tangled tale but Fink reveals the humanity behind the myth: Bon was a flawed, conflicted character, trapped in a persona, who ultimately chose the path he took and got unlucky." - Keith Cameron, MOJO"The most extensively researched book on AC/DC ever... it's outstanding. If you thought you knew Bon Scott, think again. This is as close as anyone is ever gonna get to the complete truth behind the legend, warts and all." - B.J. Lisko, Canton Repository, Ohio"The most in-depth investigation into what happened to Bon Scott on the night of his death you'll ever read." - Rich Davenport, Rich Davenport's Rock Show"This one-man investigation, born of respect for the truth and for Scott as a human being, blazes a new trail." - Joe Bonomo, author of AC/DC's Highway To Hell (33 1/3 Series)"Jesse Fink has done rock fans a great service. He dispels the many myths about how AC/DC's Bon Scott lived and died, and in doing so, brings to life one of the most influential, memorable, and complex figures in rock history." - Greg Renoff, author of Van Halen Rising"Fink leaves no stone unturned in this deep biography of Bon Scott." - Publishers Weekly "Amazing... the most in-depth researched book on Scott's final years ever written. The story of Bon's last days on earth has never been properly told...until now. This book is good enough it has me waiting for the movie." - Classic Rock Revisited

    189 days, 10 hours and 55 minutes rowing around the clock, fighting death and destruction every step of the way before finally arriving beneath the iconic span of the Golden Gate Bridge with his friend and rowing partner Chris Martin.Dawson details his epic adventures propelling his tiny boat one stroke at a time for thousands of miles across the most hostile route of the greatest ocean on earth, overcoming failure, personal tragedy and all of the challenges mother nature could throw at him.

    Relive the magic of Harry's world with this hardcover guidebook featuring your favorite scenes and quotes from all eight Harry Potter movies!

    But everything crumbles when rebel insurgents near the Syrian border attack and kill her team, forcing her to hide. Rescued but traumatized, she finds she can no longer cope with who she once was, breaking down on national television during a live political debate.Sent to England to try to get her mojo back, her path crosses the Reverend Samantha “Sam” Savage, a charismatic vicar with an appetite for compassion and motor biking. Nonbeliever Joey is drawn to her, not knowing Sam is struggling with her own demons. Can their love grow through such adversity?

    Drawing on a range of sources that have never before come to light, Juliette Wells solves the long-standing bibliographical mystery of how and why the first Austen novel printed in America-the 1816 Philadelphia Emma-came to be. She reveals the responses of this book's varied readers and creates an extended portrait of one: Christian, Countess of Dalhousie, a Scotswoman living in British North America. Through original archival research, Wells establishes the significance to reception history of two transatlantic friendships: the first between ardent Austen enthusiasts in Boston and members of Austen's family in the nineteenth century, and the second between an Austen collector in Baltimore and an aspiring bibliographer in England in the twentieth.

    Bentley]The Island Mystery [George A. Birmingham]Four Max Carrados Detective Stories [Ernest Bramah Smith]The Wisdom of Father Brown, The Innocence of Father Brown [G.K Chesterton]The Secret Adversary [Agatha Christie]The Mysterious Affair at Styles [Agatha Christie]No Name [Wilkie Collins]The Woman in White [Wilkie Collins]Hunted Down [Charles Dickens]The Trial for Murder [Charles Dickens]The Mystery of Cloomber [Arthur Conan Doyle]The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes [Arthur Conan Doyle]The Spider [Hanns Heinz Ewers]The Middle Temple Murder [Joseph Smith Fletcher]Dead Men's Money [Joseph Smith Fletcher]The Red Thumb Mark [R. Austin Freeman]The Cat's Eye [R. Austin Freeman]The Honor of the Name [Émile Gaboriau]The Man Who Ended War [Hollis Godfrey]The Rome Express [Arthur Griffiths]Arson Plus [Samuel Dashiell Hammett]Desperate Remedies [Thomas Hardy]Green Tea [Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu]The Seven Secrets [William Le Queux]Eight Strokes of the Clock [Maurice Leblanc]The Phantom of the Opera [Gaston Leroux]The Lodger [Marie Adelaide Lowndes]The Affair at the Semiramis Hotel [A. E. W. Mason]The Mysterious Card Unveiled [Cleveland Moffett]The Mysterious Card [Cleveland Moffett]The Evil Shepherd [Edward Phillips Oppenheim]The Double Four [Edward Phillips Oppenheim]The Experiences of Loveday Brooke, Lady Detective [Catherine Louisa Pirkis]The Mystery of Marie Rogêt [Edgar Allan Poe]The Murders in the Rue Morgue [Edgar Allan Poe]The Black Cat [Edgar Allan Poe]The Green Eyes of Bâst [Sax Rohmer]Whose Body? [Dorothy Leigh Sayers]The Lady, or the Tiger? [Frank R. Stockton]Catherine: A Story [William Makepeace Thackeray]Tom Sawyer, Detective [Mark Twain]and more...

    Some, like the Isle of Man, resemble miniature nations, with their own language and tax laws; others, like Ray Island in Essex, are abandoned and mysterious places haunted by myths, ghosts and foxes. There are resurgent islands such as Eigg, which have been liberated from capricious owners to be run by their residents; holy islands like Bardsey, the resting place of 20,000 saints, and still a site of spiritual questing; and deserted islands such as St Kilda, famed for the evacuation of its human population, and now dominated by wild sheep and seabirds. In this evocative and vividly observed book, Patrick Barkham explores some of the most beautiful landscapes in Britain as he travels to ever-smaller islands in search of their special magic. Our small islands are both places of freedom and imprisonment, party destinations and oases of peace, strangely suburban and deeply wild. They are places where the past is unusually present, but they can also offer a vision of an alternative future. Meeting all kinds of islanders, from nuns to puffins, from local legends to rare subspecies of vole, he seeks to discover what it is like to live on a small island, and what it means to be an islander.

     May 1940: Royal Air Force pilot Harry Fitzgerald is one of millions of heroic Allied troops fighting against Nazi Germany. In the pitched heat of battle over the skies of Northern France, Fitzgerald is shot down by an enemy plane and captured. Miraculously, he escapes certain death but must make his way back to the Allied evacuation at Dunkirk to get back home. However, Fitzgerald is in the middle of a warzone. At a chateau turned hospital, he encounters two of his wounded comrades. Too sick to reach Dunkirk by themselves, they helplessly lie in wait as the German army advances. Fitzgerald knows he must save them, and with the assistance of the French nurse Solange, the refugees attempt to reach Dunkirk-before the Nazis can reach them. It’s a life-or-death mission through dangerous territory where nothing is guaranteed. In Dash for Dunkirk, authors Denis Caron and Fran Connor explore a world where loyalty and bravery face off against an unforgiving enemy. Bound together by duty and honor, war heroes push themselves to the limit through refugee-crowded streets, mechanical setbacks and enemy attacks. Will they reach safe harbor, or will the ultimate evil finally prevail? Praise for Dash for Dunkirk > "A wildly entertaining, action packed story not only about the reality of war, but also of loyalty, friendship, and romance. A must read! - Jordan Ebare, Avid Reader & Historical Fiction Enthusiast

    There is only Lady Day.”

    The post-Romantic myth of the dissolute drunken poet – exemplified by Thomas and made iconic by his death in New York – has fatally skewed the image of poets in our culture. Novelists can be stable, savvy, politically adept and in control, but poets should be melancholic, doomed and self-destructive. Is this just a myth, or is there some essential truth behind it: that great poems only come when a poet's life is pushed right to an emotional knife-edge of acceptability, safety, security? What is the price of poetry?In this book, two contemporary poets undertake a series of journeys – across Britain, America and Europe – to the death places of poets of the past, in part as pilgrims, honouring inspirational writers, but also as investigators, interrogating the myth. The result is a book that is, in turn, enlightening and provocative, eye-wateringly funny and powerfully moving.

    British bands, such as the Rolling Stones, Led Zeppelin, the Beatles, the Who, and David Bowie, as well as American musicians, including Chuck Berry, Jimi Hendrix, the Doors, and many more, not only contributed to but also helped define an era that roiled London to the core and transformed it to the Swinging City that gave birth to a worldwide cultural revolution.Through live performance images, intimate portraits, and candid captures of the scene, London Rock: The British Music Scene of the 1960s and 1970s brings the iconoclasts, tastemakers, and socialites of the era into stunning focus, painting an evocative picture of an inimitable time and place.

    The pieces in this multi-textured and moving volume are set against a backdrop of economic recession and social division, where mass media, the mass market and globalisation have made alienation a commonplace experience and where the solitary imagination drifts and conjures.The Unaccompanied documents a world on the brink, a world of unreliable seasons and unstable coordinates, where Odysseus stalks the aisles of cut-price supermarkets in search of direction, where the star of Bethlehem rises over industrial Yorkshire, and where alarm bells for ailing communities go unheeded or unheard. Looking for certainty the mind gravitates to recollections of upbringing and family, only to encounter more unrecoverable worlds, shaped as ever through Armitage's gifts for clarity and detail as well as his characteristic dead-pan wit. Insightful, relevant and empathetic, these poems confirm The Unaccompanied as a bold new statement of intent by one of our most respected and recognised living poets.'A writer who has had a game-changing influence on his contemporaries.' Guardian'Armitage is that rare beast: a poet whose work is ambitious, accomplished and complex as well as popular.' Sunday Telegraph'The best poet of his generation.' Craig Raine, Observer

    Wodehouse and the macabre edge of Roald Dahl.This rich collection gathers together his very best, all of them classics by a writer at the peak of his powers. With his trademark black humour, Saki subverts the conventions of Edwardian society and pops the bubble of upper-class pretension. He conjures up the child's point of view – the wonder of the forbidden place, the anger at injustices perpetrated by cruel adults, the delight of a carefully exacted revenge. And he sends shivers down the spine with his tales of the supernatural.

    The pieces probably date from 1786 or 1787, around the time that Jane, aged 11 or 12, and her older sister and collaborator Cassandra left school. By this point Austen was already an indiscriminate and precocious reader, devouring pulp fiction and classic literature alike; what she read, she soon began to imitate and parody.Unlike many teenage writings then and now, these are not secret or agonized confessions entrusted to a private journal and for the writer's eyes alone. Rather, they are stories to be shared and admired by a named audience of family and friends. Devices and themes which appear subtly in Austen's later fiction run riot openly and exuberantly across the teenage page. Drunkenness, brawling, sexual misbehavior, theft, and even murder prevail. It is as if Lydia Bennett is the narrator.

    The ship was carrying 44 tons of gold bullion to the still-neutral United States via Canada in order to finance the war effort for Britain and its allies. Britain desperately needed that sunken treasure, but any salvage had to be secret since the British government dared not alert the Germans to the presence of the gold. Lieutenant Commander Guybon Damant was the most qualified officer to head the risky mission. Wild gales battered the wreck into the shape of an accordion, turning the operation into a multiyear struggle of man versus nature. As the war raged on, Damant was called off the salvage to lead a team of covert divers to investigate and search through the contents of recently sunk U-boats for ciphers, minefield schematics, and other secrets. The information they obtained, once in the hands of British intelligence, proved critical toward Allied efforts to defeat the U-boats and win the war.But Damant had become obsessed with completing his long-deferred mission. His team struggled for five more years as it became apparent that the work could only be accomplished by muscle, grit, and persistence. Using newly discovered sources, author Joseph A. Williams provides the first full-length account of the quest for the Laurentic’s gold. More than an incredible story about undersea diving adventure, The Sunken Gold is a story of human persistence, bravery, and patriotism.

    While the Allies organise their forces for a counterattack, another drama is being played out, the result of which could have resounding effects on the whole course of the war.Unknown to all but holders of the highest offices in the British government, a prominent political personality is seriously ill. Without a successful operation, he will be dead within six months.Only three surgeons in Europe are capable of performing the operation necessary to save his life. Two of which are German and the third, Dr Didrik Stenersen, is a prisoner in his own country – Norway. Churchill himself orders the rescue mission to bring Dr Stenerson and his entire medical team to London.The mission’s code name: Operation Valkyrie…Getting into Norway will be difficult and dangerous – but not as dangerous as getting out.Spies are lurking around every corner and the German foreign intelligence are on the hunt for a certain red-haired man…The Valkyrie Directive is a fast-paced thriller about perseverance and survival.

    Over the centuries they have followed their men to the front, helped them keep order in far-flung parts of the empire or waited anxiously at home. Army Wives uses first hand accounts, letters and diaries to tell their story.We meet the wives who made the arduous journey to the Crimean war and witnessed battle at close quarters. We hear the story of life in the Raj and the, often terrifying, experiences of the women who lived through its dying days. We explore the pressures of being a modern army wife - whether living in barracks or trying to maintain a normal home life outside 'the patch'.In the twentieth century two world wars produced new generations of army wives who forged friendships that lasted into peacetime. Army Wives reveals their experience and that of a new breed of independent women who supported their men through the Cold War to the current war on terror.Midge Gillies, author of acclaimed The Barbed-Wire University, looks at how industrial warfare means husbands can survive battle with life-changing injuries that are both mental and physical - and what that means for their family. She describes how army wives communicate with their husbands - via letters and coded messages, to more immediate, but less intimate, texts and Skype. She examines bereavement, from the seances, public memorials and deaths in a foreign field of the Great War to the modern media coverage of flag-draped coffins returning home by military plane.Above all, Army Wives examines what it really means to be part of the 'army family'.

    A journalist, commentator, historian, and the social conscience of a nation, his influence and reach extended far beyond that normally associated with a novelist. Although the subject of numerous books, none have sought to detail how the writer tried through his work to change the hearts of his readers. In this authoritative and highly readable new biography, Keith Hooper explores the nature and development of Dickens's faith, and the means by which it was expressed. This excellent study of Dickens's beliefs and struggles with the contemporary church gives new and valuable insight into his literary work.

    The Convention entered into force on 1 August 2014 and has currently been ratified by 22 states. This Convention constitutes a crucial development as regards the movement to combat gender-based violence, as it sets new legally binding standards in this area. This book provides a detailed analysis of the Convention and its potential to make an impact in relation to the specific issue of domestic violence. The book places the Istanbul Convention in context with regard to developments relating to domestic violence as a human rights issue. The background to the adoption of the Convention is examined, and the text of this instrument is analysed in detail. Comparative analysis is engaged in with reference to the duties that have been placed on states by other bodies such as the UN Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women and the European Court of Human Rights. Comparisons are also drawn with the Inter-American Convention on the Prevention, Punishment, and Eradication of Violence against Women and with the relevant provisions of the Protocol to the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights on the Rights of Women in Africa. An in-depth examination of the advantages of the adoption of the Istanbul Convention by the Council of Europe is provided along with a detailed analysis of the challenges faced by the Convention. The book concludes with a number of brief reflections in relation to the question of whether the adoption of a UN convention on violence against women may be a possible development, and the potential such an instrument holds, in the context of domestic violence.

    Socrates hangs out with his old gang - Plato, Glaucon, Thrasymachus and the rest - but also meets new characters including Madonna, George W. Bush, Richard Dawkins, Hamlet and an extremely well-meaning robot.Don't count on it teaching you any philosophy, but it might make you laugh if you have a sufficiently warped sense of humor.

    It’s a smorgasbord of short stories and poetry from great Yorkshire writers with nary a whippet or flat cap in sight. Some of them are no longer based in Yorkshire, and others would spit at you if you called them northern, but you get the idea. Yorkshire Art Circus kick-started the careers of many fledgling writers with their Writer Development Programme. When a cut in support for the arts forced YAC to close its doors the writers it had nurtured didn’t disappear. We did what any self-respecting group would do that never wanted to split up in the first place: We got the band back together. Circa Works is a not-for-profit collaborative born out of friendship, creativity and sheer bloody-mindedness. To hell with Greatest Hits. This is our Anthology.

    Anna Howland, the matriarch and American heiress, born in the 1870s to a prominent, liberal New England family marries an Italian prince and makes her home in Rome; her daughter Constanza, the favorite of the title, inherits her mother's beauty, intelligence, and wealth, along with her father's Catholicism, which she soon rejects in the course of her unconventional but first-rate education. When disaster strikes, Anna and the prince fall back on the conventional standards of behavior of their disparate cultures; Constanza, with her European upbringing, is free to develop her own moral code, to plot her own course in life, and she does so with fantastic daring, making an unconventional life for herself in England and on the continent at the time of the first world war and its aftermath. Her own daughter Flavia, introduced in A Favourite of the Gods, is the heroine of A Compass Error, which begins where the first novel concludes. Flavia too is a brilliant young woman, though both more brash and more faltering than her mother, studying in France for her entrance exam to Oxford when she becomes involved with a mysterious woman whose arrival at a sensitive moment in Flavia's adolescence will alter both her and her mother's lives forever.

    The story is based in an English hospital where David Polk is a patient. The story is written in the first person as David Polk, who tells of his recent birthday when he has just turned fifteen and how his life has been put on hold since being admitted into hospital. David's frustrations grow and his mischievous nature gets the better of him as he tires of the hospital routine. A quick and fascinating read that takes you into the mind of some mental health issues.

    As the Allies scrambled to counter the Axis armies, the British Eighth Army confronted the experienced Afrika Corps, led by German field marshal Erwin Rommel, in three battles at El Alamein. In the first battle, the Eighth Army narrowly halted the advance of the Germans during the summer of 1942. However, the stalemate left Nazi troops within striking distance of the Suez Canal, which would provide a critical tactical advantage to the controlling force. War historian Glyn Harper dives into the story, vividly narrating the events, strategies, and personalities surrounding the battles and paying particular attention to the Second Battle of El Alamein, a crucial turning point in the war that would be described by Winston Churchill as "the end of the beginning." Moving beyond a simple narrative of the conflict, The Battle for North Africa tackles critical themes, such as the problems of coalition warfare, the use of military intelligence, the role of celebrity generals, and the importance of an all-arms approach to modern warfare.

    It is also a tense, action-packed depiction of life in Nazi Germany and of desperate military and espionage activity behind enemy lines. After the severe depression of the 1920s, Jan, a young Pole, is forced to seek work just across the border. His father and sister are brutally killed during the German invasion of Poland, and his brother remains on their small farm to assist the partisans. As Nazi persecution increases, Jan is asked to make a desperate flight to safety with a young girl called Renate, his employer’s German-Jewish daughter who has been offered shelter on a farm near the Belgian border. After a frightening drive across wartime Nazi Germany, Jan eventually reaches England. Following specialist military training, he undertakes two missions: first with the partisans in Poland and then rejoining Renate to report on the build-up of German forces behind the Western front. In a dramatic climax, Jan and Renate are captured by the Gestapo and must escape in order to be smuggled across the border to Belgium and England. Peter Haden’s new novel is a work of fiction based on a real journey made by his uncle. Jan also draws from Peter’s own military experience to present accurate military action scenes, including weaponry, flying and seamanship. The book has a full measure of human interest alongside the military and espionage storylines, and will appeal to readers who enjoy espionage thrillers. It will also appeal to fans of romance and historical fiction, and those who have enjoyed Peter’s previous two books, The Angry Island (Piatkus Books, 1986) and The Silent War (Piatkus Books, 1990).

    Forty years of new archaeological research has laid bare a hive of diverse and disputatious communities of Picts, Scots, Welsh, Cumbrian and Cornish Britons, Northumbrians, Angles and Saxons, who expressed their views of this world and the next in a thousand sites and monuments.This highly illustrated volume is the first book that attempts to describe the experience of all levels of society over the whole island using archaeology alone. The story is drawn from the clothes, faces and biology of men and women, the images that survive in their poetry, the places they lived, the work they did, the ingenious celebrations of their graves and burial grounds, their decorated stone monuments and their diverse messages.This ground-breaking account is aimed at students and archaeological researchers at all levels in the academic and commercial sectors. It will also inform relevant stakeholders and general readers alike of how the islands of Britain developed in the early medieval period. Many of the ideas forged in Britain's formative years underpin those of today as the UK seeks to find a consensus programme for its future.

    Waking up alone in the depths of the magical Great Forrest with no memory of who he is or how he got there, Kandor’s day hasn’t gotten off to the best start. Lost and alone he finds a scroll detailing the reasons for his dire situation, and an already bad day somehow gets even worse. The personal bodyguard to King Athner of Cerminian, Kandor has embarked on a mission to thwart an enemy about to make a deadly move from the shadows. Athner has been poisoned by the power-hungry Morgana, and it’s up to Kandor to save his friend and King from not only losing his life, but the strong iron-clad grip that prevents the Kingdoms surrounding Cerminian from plunging into total chaos. Searching exotic lands in order to bring aid to Athner and foil Morgana’s insidious plan to usurp the throne and take power for herself, Kandor finds himself facing personal demons as he struggles with the burden of carrying the fate of the entire realm on his shoulders. Accompanied by his Dwarven ally Rockwood, the two embark on a great adventure across the Kingdoms as they contend with unforgiving blades, magical aggressors and political infighting that threaten to derail their quest before it can even begin.

    In the Autumn of that same year he, along with hundreds of other officers, was drafted into Whitechapel to hunt for the elusive Jack the Ripper. He met his first murderer in the infamous Mrs Pearecy, who wheeled her unfortunate victims around Kentish Town in a pram before dumping their bodies. In a career spanning thirty six years he met the most callous, fiendish, depraved and desperate criminals that walked the streets of London town. Some, like Jack the Ripper, you may have heard of. Others, like Lily Miers, the West End’s most prolific shoplifter, and Chicago May, The Worst Woman in the World’ you may not. Here, for the first time, GS Burroughs proposes a sensational solution to the unsolved murder of Emily Dimmock, in ‘The Camden Town Murder’ of 1907. In 1923, now employed by the Port of London Authority Police, Detective Inspector Scholes boarded the SS Morea and seized letters that proved the guilt of Mrs Edith Thompson in the murder of her husband in the ‘Ilford Murder Case.’ Edith Thompson and her lover Freddie Bywaters went to the gallows for their crime. But was Edith Thompson an innocent woman wrongly convicted, as some have suggested? Or a scheming, callous, murderous woman, responsible for the deaths of two men in the primes of their lives? For the first time in over ninety years, GS Burroughs examines the letters and asks: was Edith Thompson guilty?This is a fascinating, gruesome and often sensational account of some of the most desperate and enigmatic criminals you’ve probably never heard of.Until now.

    Kennedy carried on a lifelong love affair with England and the English. From his speaking style to his tastes in art, architecture, theater, music, and clothes, his personality reflected his deep affinity for a certain kind of idealized Englishness. In Union Jack, noted biographer Christopher Sandford tracks Kennedy’s exploits in Great Britain between 1935 and 1963, and looks in-depth at the unique way Britain shaped JFK throughout his adult life and how JFK charmed British society. This mutual affinity took place against a backdrop of some of the twentieth century’s most profound events: The Great Depression, Britain’s appeasement of Hitler, the Second World War, the reconstruction of Western Europe, the development and rapid proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, and the ideological schism between East and West. Based on extensive archival work as well as firsthand accounts from former British acquaintances, including old girlfriends, Union Jack charts two paths in the life of JFK. The first is his deliberate, long-term struggle to escape the shadow of his father, Joseph Kennedy, former U.S. Ambassador to Great Britain. The second is the emergence of a peculiarly American personality whose consistently pro-British, rallying rhetoric was rivaled only by Winston Churchill. By explaining JFK’s special relationship with Great Britain, Union Jack offers a unique and enduring portrait of another side of this historic figure in the centennial year of his birth.

    This was Britain’s first total war, engaging the whole nation, and the wireless played a crucial role in it. For the first time, news of the conflict reached every living room – sometimes almost as it happened; and at key moments – Chamberlain’s announcement of war, the Blitz, the D-Day landings – the BBC was there, defining how these events would pass into our collective memory. Auntie’s War is a love letter to radio. While these were the years when her sometimes bossy tones first earned the BBC the nickname ‘Auntie’, they were also a period of truly remarkable voices: Churchill’s fighting speeches, de Gaulle’s broadcasts from exile, J. B. Priestley, Ed Murrow, George Orwell, Richard Dimbleby and Vera Lynn. Radio offered an incomparable tool for propaganda; it was how coded messages, both political and personal, were sent across Europe, and it was a means of sending less than truthful information to the enemy. At the same time, eyewitness testimonies gave a voice to everyone, securing the BBC’s reputation as reliable purveyor of the truth.Edward Stourton is a sharp-eyed, wry and affectionate companion on the BBC’s wartime journey, investigating archives, diaries, letters and memoirs to examine what the BBC was and what it stood for. Full of astonishing, little-known incidents, battles with Whitehall warriors and Churchill himself, and with a cast of brilliant characters, Auntie’s War is much more than a portrait of a beloved institution at a critical time. It is also a unique portrayal of the British in wartime and an incomparable insight into why we have the broadcast culture we do today.

    Still reeling from the Russian revolution of 1917, disturbed by the development of militant workers movements at home, and deeply paranoid about the recent wave of Russian immigration to the UK, the British government tasked the intelligence services to look for evidence of espionage. Over the next decade, as the political pressure mounted, the spooks began to cast their net of suspicion wider, to include not only suspect Russians, but British aristocrats, Bloomsbury artists, ordinary workers, and even members of parliament. It was the biggest spying operation in British Intelligence's peacetime history to date, undertaken with enthusiastic support from anti-Red crusaders like Winston Churchill, and its ramifications were profound. On the strength of the evidence uncovered, Britain deported hundreds of Russians and broke off diplomatic links with Moscow for more than two years. This was the first Cold War, and it not only set the rules of engagement for Russia and Britain for decades to come, but also sent shockwaves through the British establishment, bringing down a government and ending careers. Drawing on a wealth of recently declassified and previously unseen material, Timothy Phillips uncovers a world of suspicion and extremism, bureaucracy and betrayal set against the sparkling backdrop of cocktail-era London. The Secret Twenties shines fresh light on a glamorous decade, and offers a gripping account of the lives of the first Soviet spies, the British Secret Services that pursued them and the double agents in their midst.