Book picks similar to
A Fine Boy For Killing by Jan Needle


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The Alchemist of Paris


M.C. Dulac - 2016
    A word that was rich and alluring, a word describing something I knew to be wrong, but which I knew was exactly what lay in the pages before me. Alchemy.’- Diary of Elise du Bois, Paris, France, 1820 Paris, present day. Research student Ellie Forrest arrives in Paris to find a house for her client, the mysterious Mr. Worth. But the house disappeared from the city records two hundred years before, almost as if someone has been trying to hide it. The only clue to its location lies in a nineteenth-century diary written by a young maid, Elise du Bois. In 1820, Elise du Bois writes of her arrival in Paris to work for Albert Price, a mysterious scientist and adventurer, who keeps strange hours and shuns daylight. As Elise du Bois crosses the city in search of powders for Price’s experiments, she begins to suspect that her master is an alchemist and soon finds herself caught in a dangerous game of greed, betrayal and deceit.Just when Elise du Bois thinks she has found the truth, she uncovers a world of alluring secrets, wondrous inventions - and immortal love, spanning the centuries. However with all of Paris in pursuit of the famous alchemist, is Elise too late to stop the disaster that is already in motion?Back in the present day, Ellie Forrest reaches the end of the diary. Is this fantastical tale true? Could the elixir of life and gold really exist? And who exactly is Mr. Worth, the reclusive scientist, who has sent her on this journey?Moving between the 21st and 19th centuries, ‘The Alchemist of Paris’ is a story of mystery, adventure and imagination.

The Sunbird / River God / The Seventh Scroll (Boxed Set)


Wilbur Smith - 1998
    Beneath the red cliffs of Botswanaland a magnificent unknown civilization has remained buried for millennia. But the magic of uncovering a lost culture is harshly interrupted by the violence of terrorists, love, intrigue and the breathtaking secrets of centuries.

The Homecoming


Anna Smith - 2004
    Nonetheless in this close community friendships go deep and the pub of an evening is a cheery place, at least until too much drink is taken. Fifteen years ago, Joe McBride left Westerbank under a cloud, and in his absence life has moved on, the secrets he took with him disturbing only occasionally those who were caught up in them. But now Joe McBride is coming home, a changed man, and one who needs to face up to the past before it's too late. The truth about the mysterious death of a young girl fifteen years ago is about to come out, and nothing in Westerbank will ever be quite the same again.

The Cruel Sea


Nicholas Monsarrat - 1951
    First published to great acclaim in 1951, The Cruel Sea remains a classic novel of endurance and daring.

HMS Ulysses


Alistair MacLean - 1955
    Now reissued in a new cover style.The story of men who rose to heroism, and then to something greater, HMS Ulysses takes its place alongside The Caine Mutiny and The Cruel Sea as one of the classic novels of the navy at war.It is the compelling story of Convoy FR77 to Murmansk – a voyage that pushes men to the limits of human endurance, crippled by enemy attack and the bitter cold of the Arctic.

The Devil's Own: Sergeant Jack Crossman and the Battle of the Alma


Garry Kilworth - 1998
    Crossman is determined to whip his men into shape and not only survive, but win.

Matthew's Prize


Marcus Palliser - 1999
     He dreams of the sea. But his dream of an honest trade is wrecked on the Essex shoals. Swept away to the Spanish Main, Matthew is plunged into a bloody life of pillage and prize money. Struggling to adhere to his own code of honour yet seduced by life at sea, Matthew carries in his heart the hope of reclaiming his rightful legacy. Furthermore, he longs to be worthy of the hand of woman he loves – the woman he left behind in Whitby. Fierce sea battles, lawless privateers, naval skirmishes and ruthless slave traders combine in a story of adventure and high drama during one of the most colourful periods in maritime history. Matthew’s Prize is the first book in the Matthew Loftus series. Marcus Palliser left his job as Director of Communications at a big computer corporation to live on a small yacht and sail the Mediterranean. He crossed the Atlantic single-handed before returning to Britain to write a series of elegant and well-received historical seafaring novels. The three books in the series, Matthew's Prize, A Devil of a Fix and To the Bitter End, explore life in the Caribbean at a time when it was filled with pirates and warring imperial powers, and have a fresh and invigorating perspective backed up by painstaking historical research. Endeavour Press is the UK's leading independent digital publisher. For more information on our titles please sign up to our newsletter at www.endeavourpress.com. Each week you will receive updates on free and discounted ebooks. Follow us on Twitter: @EndeavourPress and on Facebook via http://on.fb.me/1HweQV7. We are always interested in hearing from our readers. Endeavour Press believes that the future is now.

Rex Electi


W.P. Kimball - 2016
    He soon learns that every aspect of his life so far, including the staged deaths of his parents, has been arranged by the Senate Tribunal in an attempt to mold him into the perfect leader. Now there are only thirty candidates, including Caius, left competing to be the Emperor's heir. Success in a series of Trials will reunite him with his family and make him the most powerful man in the world, but failure will lead to a life of isolation and imprisonment hidden in the eaves of the palace. As Caius enters the trials, it becomes apparent that the tests themselves are not the problem: it is the twenty nine other candidates willing to do whatever it takes to win, including maim or kill their top competitors. Can Caius navigate the pitfalls of imperial politics and cutthroat competition, all while performing well enough to succeed in the trials fair and square?

I Am Gypsy: Proceeds Go To Hurricane Michael Relief


Cap Daniels - 2018
    I Am Gypsy explores this remarkable relationship from the unique perspective of the sailboat. This is the heartwarming and heartbreaking tale of how one sailboat comes of age, realizing her potential, while watching her families fall in love, grow, falter, and sometimes fail. Gypsy’s perception of the world blossoms from the innocence of her childhood, through the adventures of her rebellious adolescence, and finally, as she confronts her mortality in the face of a mighty hurricane. Hold on to the rail as Gypsy takes you on the unforgettable and emotional voyage of a lifetime. The proceeds of this book will directly go to aid the individuals, families, and small businesses of the Emerald and Forgotten Coast regions of the Panhandle of Florida, who were so devastatingly affected by the ravages of Hurricane Michael that made landfall on October 10, 2018.

Villa Normandie


Kevin Doherty
    The Normandy coastal village of Caillons is under German occupation, its villagers struggling to survive. With her husband forced into compulsory service for the German Reich, Jeanne Dupré, mother of two adolescent daughters, risks everything to lead the local Resistance cell.Life becomes even more dangerous with the arrival of British agent Daniel Benedict. He needs Jeanne's help to complete his mission, vital to Operation Overlord, the D-Day landings. But Jeanne is suspicious that they are not fighting for the same outcome. Their joint foe is Jürgen Graf, a Nazi oberleutnant set on wiping out the local Resistance. Aware that a spy is at large, Graf is on a ruthless mission to hunt Benedict down. With the help of a network of Catholic priests, Benedict penetrates the heart of the Nazis’ defences against Allied invasion, the Atlantic Wall. As the lives of Jeanne and Benedict become increasingly intertwined can they stay true to themselves? Will they have to sacrifice all in their fight for freedom..? ‘Villa Normandie’ is a moving historical novel, presenting an accurate picture of life under Nazi occupation. It is thoroughly detailed, meticulously researched and vividly authentic - depicting the turbulent world of the French resistance and the struggle of the French people for freedom.

STORM PASSAGE: Alone Around Cape Horn


Webb Chiles - 1977
    Alone at sea for 310 days on his 37-foot cutter EGREGIOUS, he covered 38,000 miles in five difficult passages. He became the first American to round Cape Horn alone, complete one of the longest solo passages of all time, and make the fastest solo circumnavigation ever in a monohull.He writes at the outset: 'I will know defeat, despair, fear, beauty, serenity and peace. I will be tested far beyond anything I have ever imagined.' And tested he was--by storms, three capsizes, hurricane force winds, cyclones, week-long calms, sleet, snow, frostbite. He endured to experience exhilaration and accomplishment in solitude , and the peace of being in supreme harmony with the sea-world around him."STORM PASSAGE is about the first of legendary writer/sailor Webb Chiles' now five circumnavigations, all made without sponsorship, shore teams, PR agents, or any means of calling for help. Many talk loosely about living on the edge. Webb Chiles has for decades.

Old Glory


Christopher Nicole - 1986
     Young Harry McGann is forced to flee Ireland for the unknown shores of America. On that voyage he meets Elizabeth Bartlett, who seems as far beyond his reach as the stars which guide him across the Atlantic. Through the years that follow, Harry finds himself involved in the formation of the American Navy. It is a world of intrigue, violence and untold dangers at sea. But always the memory of Elizabeth is there … and their paths are destined to cross again and again. ‘Old Glory’ is a tale of blistering naval battles and wild romance on the high seas. It is the first book in The McGann saga.