Search results for ""The Book Guild Ltd""

A couple are shocked to discover the naked body of a woman in their garden. She has been strangled. Acting Inspector Beauregard, who has never led a murder investigation, doesn’t understand how or why the body of a woman ended up in the garden and seeks assistance from ex-detective inspector Clive Walsingham. Clive is now running a hotel in Carlow Valley, but when Beauregard asks for his help, he jumps at the chance. As intriguing details of the dead woman’s past emerge, suspicion falls upon a notoriously unscrupulous local businessman but, before he can build a case against him, Inspector Beauregard is called away to investigate the mysterious disappearance of Lord Westleigh’s daughter, leaving Clive to continue the investigation with the support of an abrasive Detective Constable. A seemingly innocent entry in the dead woman’s notebook, the strange behaviour of her family and the arrival of a mysterious guest at his hotel drag him deeper into the murky investigation. Clive has to use all his powers of deduction to uncover the truth. But, in doing so, he realises his own life is in serious danger.

Read more less

Charles, an anthropologist, is studying for his doctorate degree on the culture and traditions of the Herero tribe in Southern Africa. Before his departure from Durham University to undertake his research in Botswana and Namibia, he is recruited to become an informer for MI6 who are particularly interested in Chinese and Japanese corporations competing to exploit the substantial mineral wealth of both countries and their clandestine dealings with tribal elders and corrupt governmental officials. On arrival in Botswana, Charles is welcomed into a local village as the guest of a tribal chief but soon realises that blackmail, witchcraft and murder is endemic and starts to understand just how far the mineral corporations are prepared to go.

Read more less

It is 1967. A mysterious disease appears in an English town. People fall down suddenly, poleaxed, and many die. Is it caused by a bacterium, a virus, a poison? Nobody knows, and top doctors squabble over its cause. But then two junior doctors and a young anthropology student, who has recovered from the disease, join together. The three investigators continue their work to find out the cause of the disease, a virus whose worst effects are only shown in those who are very anxious. They think they have found the cause and the solution. But will they be in time? This is a gripping dystopian tale, very much relevant to events unfolding today and written by Emeritus Professor of Community Psychiatry at Imperial College, London, Peter Tyrer whose long-standing interest in the connections between mental and physical health informed the novel.

Read more less

This is an account of a year in the life of Peter Berry, an ordinary man living in a sleepy Suffolk village. Happily married and running a successful business, Peter's life changes when, at the age of fifty, he is given a terminal diagnosis of early-onset dementia. Since that day, he has learned to live with his very own 'dementia monster'. From depression and suicide attempts through to his determination to confront his dementia, Peter has embarked on a series of challenges to show that 'life isn't over with dementia, it's just a little different'. Peter has now raised thousands of pounds for dementia charities, cycling hundreds of miles in his quest to show that life is always worth living. When Peter meets Deb, recently retired, they embark on regular cycle rides and, as their friendship grows, Deb is able to look at her own life through the lens of Peter's dementia. In 'Slow Puncture', Peter tells the world what it is really like to live with a terminal condition and Deb learns to enjoy each day more fully. With a foreword by best-selling author Wendy Mitchell, author of 'Somebody I Used to Know', this is an inspirational look at both living in the present and coping with dementia.

Read more less

After almost a quarter-century as the BBC’s Chief Football Correspondent, Mike Ingham MBE shares a candid, comprehensive and sometimes controversial account of how the world of broadcasting and football changed beyond recognition throughout his career. His broadcasting experiences saw him attend eight World Cups, commentate on twenty-eight F.A. Cup Finals, work with ten full-time England managers, introduce Sports Report, present his own music show on BBC Radio 1, and he even covered Princess Diana’s funeral. He has enjoyed working with a who’s who of personalities from the world of football and has tales to tell about all of them… This book is a timely reminder of England’s campaigns in tournaments over the last half-century with a detailed and eyewitness account of what the atmosphere was really like over the years behind the scenes in the England camp. Mike Ingham MBE was the BBC’s Chief Football Correspondent for almost a quarter of a century and only the third person to hold this post after Brian Moore and Bryon Butler. In a radio career of over forty years, Mike attended eight World Cups, commentated on twenty-eight F.A. Cup Finals and worked with ten full-time England managers. Starting out as a DJ in a nightclub, music and football have been his twin obsessions and often the two worlds have bounced into each other as many of his musical heroes have also been football fans. The start of his broadcasting career at BBC Radio Derby coincided with the glory years for Derby County with Brian Clough and Dave Mackay and his final commentary for the BBC was at the Maracanã Stadium‎ in Rio for the World Cup Final of 2014. Shortly after his retirement Mike became the first broadcaster to be given a Lifetime Achievement by the Sports Journalists Association. What made this even more special for him was to be presented with this honour by four of the men he respected most of all in the industry, Hugh McIlvanney, James Lawton, Jeff Powell and Patrick Collins.

Read more less

As a mine-owning family, the Howells are used to the trials and tribulations that the business can bring. But after a knife-wielding miner breaks in and accuses one of the family members of murder, they realise that their safety could be at risk... George and Elizabeth, and their children, Charlie, Francis, Charlotte, Anne and Alice are settled in their Northumbrian home, or so they thought... Told in five parts through the years 1844-1866, these chronicles visit the family at historical intervals, choosing momentous days to reflect the point reached in the family's rich history. We follow Charlie through his battles in the Crimean War; Francis, through his fights to make the mines safer, Charlotte, through her marriage to a substantial local landowner, Alice, through her involvement with a major mining disaster and Anne, through her marriage to a local firm clerk. Howell Grange is a northern history.

Read more less

Winner of the Society for Theatre Research Theatre Book Prize 2023 The director Peter Dews prophesied: “You’ll be alright when you’re forty, and even better when you’re fifty.” It turns out that Peter Dews was right, almost to the month. In a study of British theatre through a varied acting career spanning over sixty years, Oliver Ford Davies explores the many changes within the performing arts scene through his experiences on various stages, in a variety of productions, across the country. Davies charts the ups and downs of British theatre in the last sixty years, while offering a unique perspective on life behind the curtain and the daring journey from leaving behind an academic career and into acting. From Shakespeare to Shaw, Chekhov to Pirandello, this is the story of an actor initially struggling to make a mark before making his breakthrough at fifty, winning the Olivier Best Actor award and being propelled into thirty years of leading roles.

Read more less

Summer 1914. A London-based private detective, Sergeant Dagger, is employed by Celia Harrison, a suffragette, to discover why her husband, an army Captain, has committed suicide. Unconvinced by the official verdict of melancholia, Celia wants the truth - as do MI5, who also recruit Dagger.As WW1 breaks out, Dagger reluctantly joins the British Expeditionary Force, and sails to France with the first battalions. There he uncovers a web of deceit and hypocrisy lying at the heart of the British Army.Operating along the fast-moving front-line, Dagger sees the death of the first British soldier, flies with the Royal Flying Corp into occupied Belgium and fights at the Battles of Le Cateau and the Aisne.Later, reassigned to libertine Paris, Dagger, an amateur artist and poet, meets modernist icons Picasso, Cocteau and Apollinaire before discovering the identity of a mysterious painter called Fevert and helping MI5 solve one last problem.

Read more less

The lives of Vic Woods and Ruth Wolfe, working-class teenagers from Liverpool and London, are profoundly disrupted by the arrival of World War II. Ruth's journey leads her to aerial photographic interpretation, though her aspirations for advancement are denied, while Vic's wartime experiences with bomber command haunt him long after the war is over. Their post-war marriage and tumultuous relationship with their son, James, make for a gripping narrative of trauma, conflict and, ultimately, love.Set against the backdrop of World War II and the social upheaval of the late 1960s, Hungry Ghosts transports readers into the drama of two pivotal eras in history, exploring the intergenerational impact of war, particularly on the intricate relationships between fathers and sons.Hungry Ghosts is not just a war story; it's a timeless exploration of family bonds and the indelible scars left by war.

Read more less

After moving from New York to Edinburgh to live with his aunt, PJ very quickly discovered the parallel worlds of the living and the dead when he was forced to battle the evil Mackenzie Poltergeist at Greyfriars Kirkyard.Now, PJ and his fellow ghost-hunting friends are invited to stay in the picturesque fishing village of Pittenweem in Fife, a place which, unbeknown to them, has haunting echoes of its witch-hunting past.However, their holiday promises to be anything but peaceful, as witchcraft and superstition threatens to bring terror and chaos to the villagers and the Paranormal Pursuers must face off with the malevolent spirit of a young boy, Patrick Morton. Can they find a way to prevent him from reviving the dark and sinister past of Pittenweem before it's too late?

Read more less

Meike is seventeen and she uses a wheelchair. Already in life she's accepted that she'll always somehow be different'. But overnight, different becomes dangerous after the government announces disabled youngsters under the age of eighteen must spend the war in specially designated institutions.Suddenly Meike is on the run in the rural lanes she calls home, bordering Berlin. It is 1939 and the whole of Germany, it seems, wants to fight the world.Quietly, members of Meike's family distance themselves, but two unlikely allies stand by her. One is an elderly woman and a lifelong Catholic, forced to question her faith; the other is a fifteen-year-old boy Meike hardly knows. They begin a search for answers as they scramble to find Meike and, in a country they no longer recognise, themselves.

Read more less

In March 1940 Laura boards a ship and travels through the torpedoed waters of the Mediterranean to chase after Harry whom she has fallen in love with. He was out in Uganda, but has joined up to fight with the King’s African Rifles. Will she succeed in her quest? Strong-willed and proudly independent, she has many dramatic life-changing upheavals to face on the way to Uganda and beyond. Love at War is based on a true story, the loves, dramas and losses of a resourceful, exceptional girl.

Read more less

For the Love of a Life is a gentle but intricate international tale of love, set in modern-day China.Growing up in the aftermath of Mao's China as it breaks out of its past, Berenice, a beautiful young Chinese girl living in Beijing, finds herself struggling to overcome the abuse inflicted upon her when she was a child.As she tries to become a successful businesswoman, this trauma causes a series of events that eventually lead her to meet two very different men, both of whom will change her life. Caught between her own fears and the desires of others, can she find the happiness she craves or is she forever tainted?For the Love of a Life is an intimate and searching novel that explores the deepest emotions of a girl who wants both success and true love, but at what cost?

Read more less

When Damian's shipbuilder father is killed at Troy, Odysseus summons him to replace his father in building the wooden horse. Never dreaming of the slaughter that his creation would unleash, Damian now has the blood of innocents on his hands.And Troy is about to claim another victim.Deadly vengeance stalks the family of Princess Chrysothemis after her father, King Agamemnon, sacrificed his eldest daughter in return for a fair wind to Troy. When the vengeance has divine approval, the only way Damian can save Chrysothemis is to challenge the gods themselves.

Read more less

Even as the world ends, a family can still tear itself apart.Alice Fox is only six when her parents uproot her and their family to escape Britain's disintegrating cities. However, the seeds of their destruction have already been sown and travel north with them.In the Scottish Highlands, Alice will learn the skills she needs to survive this dangerous new world. But no matter how hard they try to escape it, the world outside draws its noose ever tighter around them.

Read more less

Craig Moore is a brilliant but introverted programmer, who finds himself thrust into a world of government intrigue and technological warfare when a letter arrives from the UK Defence Science and Technology Laboratory. Officials want Craig to assist them in their attempts to automate a recently developed tank, but the extent of Craig’s brilliance astounds them, and he is exploited on both sides of the Atlantic – both in the production of the tank and, later on, a prototype uncrewed helicopter. However, when his machines are used to exact vengeance on a terrorist group, the terrible, unexpected consequences, and the subsequent political fallout, leave officials looking for a scapegoat – with the machines’ inventor in the firing line. Dr Moore’s Automaton considers a critical issue of our time, delving into the complex web of responsibility involved in the development of autonomous vehicles, and the human toll of technological advancement.

Read more less

Church History in Leicestershire charts the story of religion in England from pre-Christian times to the twentieth century, viewed through events and the eyes and experiences of people in Leicestershire. Weaving together ecclesiastical, political and social strands it chronicles the tortuous tale of religion, churches and the people who worshipped there. Where did churches and chapels come from; who built them, when and why? What significance lies in their looks and names? What made people so devoted to them? Why do they still exist? The book covers sweeping religious and political movements, potentates of church and state, but centre-stage are the clergy, their parishioners, churches and chapels: how they thrived or perished, weathered plague and invasions, grappled with their consciences during the Reformation and Civil Wars, founded powerful new denominations and championed social reform when Leicester(shire) became a hub of Christian Socialism and Secularism. Closing sections reflect on the church’s past and future, as it faces debates as fundamental as any previously encountered.

Read more less

All language is artificial. And it has started to disappear. Ink had cut himself off after the death of his partner, Neav, a decade ago. However, he wakes one day to find he has no concept of the past and can only think of Neav in the present tense. Social media reports two dozen cases in a so-called ‘amnesia crisis’. Ink knows his new loss has nothing to do with memory. As does Ihlo. Ihlo, a votary in the Order, has sworn an oath to protect Klova – the artificial language that enables everyone to think, speak and know. She’s certain the impossible has happened: a corruption in the code. However, her sudden suspension forces her to act alone. As case numbers steadily rise, the Order’s security agency race to find the fault and stem the spread. Ink and Ihlo’s own desperate efforts to locate the source bring them together and cause them to confront loss and the vulnerability of truth through the lens of perception. When the corruption mutates, all are forced to ask: what next? Where will this end? Which concepts will we lose? What words will we have left?

Read more less

Amy has been sent to live with her aunt at Meadow Hill Manor in Belper, Derbyshire, to help her ‘recover’. Rumours abound that the house is haunted, but Amy doesn’t care. It’s just another place to live and Amy is determined not to care about anything. What would be the point? Amy’s obsession with shutting the world out is interrupted when she hears strange noises in the house. Here she finds herself drawn to a mysterious, magical power hidden within the building. Should she ignore it, or should she face her fears and embrace this strange, new magic? Heart-warming and unique, The Butterflies of Meadow Hill Manor is a moving fantasy fiction which sensitively weaves themes of grief and anxiety along with friendship and discovery to deliver a truly magical story.

Read more less

This is the continuing lurid story of Natalie Klein and her eccentric collection of associates, namely the clergyman next door, who can’t stand any noise and whose children turn to crime and drugs, the Frenchman who knocks out the clergyman’s two front teeth, the twin brothers who fight in the hall, while Natalie pops amphetamines and talks at length about Russian literature when she is doing so, and her sister, Hilary, who goes to great lengths to stop her taking amphetamines. In Too Much Bloody Noise we meet more unforgettable characters through the clergyman, such as the Rocker who never uses the definite article, and who can’t stop making rock ‘n’ roll movements as he talks; the beauty the clergyman falls in love with; and her foul-tempered, crazy Irish undertaker father, McManus, who tries to bring him into the business.

Read more less

It is 1922 and the aftermath of a horrific war hangs over a talented group of artists as they begin their freshman year at the Slade School of Fine Art. Artistic ambitions burn bright for Paul Crowley and Jack Trevelyan. The desire to be the greatest artists of their generation is urging them on, but not – they hope – at the cost of their friendship. For the group of talented artists around them, the struggle to establish themselves brings new challenges amid the din of the Roaring Twenties. Conscious of having been spared the horror of the trenches, they strive to make their mark and become the celebrated clique of their generation.

Read more less

I am not my thoughts. My thoughts are not me. Jonathan Stetson’s life has not turned out the way he envisaged. Just shy of forty, his limited theatre work has dried up and he finds himself alone, broke and depressed, waiting tables just to get by. Consumed by addiction and self-loathing, he attempts to reconcile with his estranged and highly successful older brother in a bid to get his life and career back on track. When his advances are met with resistance, Jonathan spirals further into his own dysfunction and twisted sense of reality, developing an obsessive interest in his brother’s family, especially his young nephew, as he struggles to come to terms with a world that continues to reject him…

Read more less

Great loves, great theatre roles and great betrayals; rarely have the secrets and seductions of the theatre world been explored with such intensity. Michael Driscoll, the finest actor of his generation, is tempted by magnificent roles and manipulated when he accepts them. He reaches the dizzy international heights before his Faustian bargain catches up with him. Set in apartheid-era South Africa, The Play’s the Thing shows that it is when the world is at its most dishonest that we need the truth of theatre the most.

Read more less

One night on a mountain, history holds its breath as two young Spartans wrestle… One is the head of Sparta’s elite youth secret service, the Krypteia; Leon is looking for a lieutenant. The other was abandoned on the mountain as a baby with a weak leg; Lycon kneels to no one. Bonded by war, they will fight to save all Greece from the deadliest Persian invasion ever. If they lose, Western history will take an entirely different course. Combining an impressive knowledge of ancient Greek culture, history and warfare with a gripping story of camaraderie and friendship, The Wolf Cub of Sparta is the perfect read for anyone fascinated by Greek myth and the heroes and heroines behind the legends.

Read more less

Harry Stone, chancer and property developer, sets his sights on buying Marine House, a Regency mansion on Brighton seafront. Converted into flats it will make him money. But he is finding it difficult to scrape together £2.5m, not least because he owes it big time to a crime lord. The vendor, Lady Ruth Jackson, won’t sell to him; she has heard of his dubious past But Stone is not going to let the chance go. Shady stock market deals, diamonds traded from the Caribbean, and dropping sweeteners to Lady Ruth’s children, come easily to him as part of his twisted scheming and plotting. With a growing health problem, Stone tries to entice Claire, his onetime PA, back to help him chase his dream. But Claire is battling growing insecurity in her relationship with her wealthy partner, and when she finds a sneaky moneymaking scam Stone is running right under her nose, what retribution will she extract? Stone watches helpless as his last chance to get Marine House vanishes. Until one day there is a knock on his front door…

Read more less

“Sit back and watch.” “Watch what?” “Why, the trees grow, of course.” “That’ll take a lifetime.” “Perhaps.” Zach has always been different. Now aged eleven and starting secondary school he wants nothing more than to be like other children. But when the school bully discovers that Zach famously went missing in Sherwood Forest for four years of his life, the teasing starts. If only Zach could remember what happened to him in the forest, he might be able to defend himself. With the help of his enigmatic form teacher and his friends, Zach attempts to solve the mystery of his lost years in the woods. He uncovers a centuries-old environmental conflict and magic that could change the world.

Read more less

He’s sitting at a table with Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr, George Martin and some of his best mates. How did a regular Watford lad get here? After the catastrophic death of his father when he was four, through a troubled upbringing on a council estate, Stevie was heading for trouble. A chance entry into a tough naval school set him on the right path. On graduating, he discovered music, bought a saxophone and throughout the 1970s and 1980s toured the world with the Q-Tips, Adam Ant, and with Paul McCartney making a short film. In the 1990s, he became a tour manager for many top acts, including Chuck Berry, Fats Domino, Rod Stewart, the Everlys and BB King. He also worked for British servicemen – taking entertainment to the troops in war zones including the Falklands, Bosnia and Croatia. A lifetime of travel and experience gave Stevie a wonderful life, and so many hilarious stories of life on the road. Did he get paid for most of it? Well, that’s another story…

Read more less

Deter and Lincoln are both on board the Sanctum ship the White Swan. It is luxurious and reminds Deter of her past life in New York. Lincoln has the best medical care and they have made new friends, but as time goes on she begins to wonder, are they guests or prisoners? In New York, Angus and Roller are building an army. They have limited resources and as the Establishment hold over the people tightens, they are forced to shelter underground. As food supplies and morale start to drop, they realise that time is running out. Treading a fine line within her new role at the Sanctum, Amery juggles loyalties in order to keep Deter safe. The battle for power must be decided.

Read more less

Joanna is approaching the end of her forties and the empty nest syndrome looms. She consoles herself with gin and chocolate, realising that apart from raising her son Jack, she has achieved absolutely nothing. Somewhat on the plus side of plump and barely five feet tall, she finds it difficult not to envy her younger, prettier sister. Such elevated elegance seems so unfair – as does Hannah’s successful marriage. Joanna, in contrast, has remained in a loveless marriage for the past thirty years, stuck in a rut with the most miserable man on the planet but not having the impetus to get out. It takes an embarrassing but hilarious encounter in the supermarket to make her realise what she’s been missing. It’s exactly the push she needs to make her change her life. With a little encouragement, Joanna starts to regain her independence, finally leaving her grumpy husband to enjoy life as a single woman. As she attempts to rebuild her own future, her family and friends continually surprise her with their own revelations. Life is never dull, laughter never far away; can Joanna finally find true happiness within herself at last?

Read more less

The latest episode in the life of Natalie Klein, about whom Eleanor Berry has frequently written - this time her lust for one of her many psychiatrists. This tale takes us through the doors of Harley Street and beyond. We follow the life of Natalie Klein, fearless predator in the name of lust, as she attempts to entrap her prey in her tangled web, causing scandal from the hairdressers of Mayfair to the consulting rooms of Harley Street. A woman who likes to have a stalwart stock of doctors, Natalie sets her sights at Ted Curruthers, with black humour. But does she succeed...?

Read more less

Living alone in his single bedsit in Marylebone, young Daniel Felton is a young man in trouble. As his financial problems mount, feeling increasingly threatened and desperate, he needs to get away from London fast. With some helpful assistance from his concerned cousin, he finds a welcome bolt hole down in deepest Cornwall. At first ‘The Chough Cottage’ in Tregarris seems a welcome sanctuary. However, it’s not too long before events catch up with him, taking a sinister turn for the worse. Daniel seems to have enemies everywhere, with even the cottage itself seeming to possess malevolent dark secrets of its own…

Read more less

It’s the end of the seventeenth century. Alix is a middle-class French girl, due to marry a nobleman. Vivien is a rebellious ‘poor’ girl from Delaware. Both have been dealt a bad hand in life. When unexpected events steer them away from the destiny chosen from them, their paths cross when they are swept away to join the crew of a pirate ship named for its figurehead, a Mermaid preparing for war with a sword in one hand and a knife in the other. Finding themselves in the middle of a quest for vengeance, can Alix and Vivien ever find peace? Together they will discover adventure, love and pain. Together they will discover their inner strength. Together, they will become Mermaids.

Read more less

How far back in time would you go to save your sister’s life? Adam is living with the guilt of being responsible for his sister’s death. After running away on the anniversary of her death, he finds himself transported back in time to Northumberland in the sixth century where he is mistaken for the great hero Beowulf. Caught up in a blood feud between the Angles and Celts, Adam is shocked to find that the spirit of his sister lives on in the body of another. As he struggles to overcome his own demons and fight the monsters he finds, both real and imaginary, he uncovers a plot to kill the one person who can lead him back to redemption. Can he act in time? Can Adam fight the monsters and save his sister?

Read more less

Fenella Kelly, widow, artist and guest house owner, faces eviction; her mortgage is about to expire. Her mother Marjorie wishes she would accept Charles Peake’s offer for Bayview, so that they can all move on… Especially incontinent, wheelchair bound Grandmother Norah, who should be in a care home. So why won’t Fenella agree? After all, Tom is moving to the other side of the island and Marjorie has a flat overlooking the Mooragh Park and lake. Marjorie resents spending time at Bayview, a place too steeped in memories. While Fenella remains stubbornly resistant to selling, she has in fact been questioning her humdrum life. Painting tourist scenes and catering for greedy guests is all very well, but celibacy is dreary, whilst the unexpected return of Peter Quilliam to the island has stirred dormant desires. While Fenella daydreams, Marjorie seethes, until an unexpected guest comes to stay. Nothing will be the same again.

Read more less

Cast in the form of an autobiography covering period between 1940 and 2015, After the Order of Melchizedek is, in effect, an account of the Church of England as she was during the second half of the 20th century. Anecdotal, humorous and allusive, much of the material is drawn from Adrian Leak’s life as an Anglican priest including chapters on life at Oxford University, at York Minster and three country parishes. “Melchizedek gives us a glimpse of the Church of England in the second half of the 20th century, seen through the eyes of a priest whose contrasting ministries in council estate, rural parishes, and cathedrals ancient and modern, describe a mostly vanished church and different world. It is a timely warning to the Church of England not to discard completely its care for everyone, whether they go to church or not.” – Nigel McCulloch, former Bishop of Manchester

Read more less

Pursuing a dream instilled by early David Attenborough television adventures, a young man from the industrial northwest of England is advised at school to become a veterinary surgeon as a first step towards a career working with wild animals in Africa. His misgivings about the values and justification of domestic veterinary practice are contrasted with a passion for wilderness and wildlife conservation. Early experiences in the vivid Uganda of Idi Amin are juxtaposed with life in a grey Pennines veterinary practice. Eventually arriving as a veterinary officer in newly independent Botswana he finds adventure with wild animals as a veterinarian and later as an ecologist, survey pilot, game capture operator and even a safari hunter, becoming a passionate conservationist… all while starting the first veterinary practice in the country.

Read more less

We used to get standing ovations. Now we get ovations for standing. The last place in which that great lady of the theatre Elspeth Quest wishes to spend her final years is Dustingford Hall, rest-home for retired actors and entertainers. Yet failing health and worse investments have led her to become a charity case here. She blanches at the sight of various actors and actresses, in various degrees of physical and mental decline, with whom she has worked over the years but never really wished to see again. (Not to mention tap-dancers, ventriloquists, impressionists, contortionists!) Telling them all she is only here until her town house in Kensington has completed major structural improvements, she wonders how she is ever going to survive. Or, more importantly, explain her permanent stay. But all these performers, who once lived purely for the present are now talking only of the past. As though simply waiting to die. When she observes the residents jeering en masse at a TV talent show, Elspeth sees her opportunity. She tells them to stop living in the past – they still have their talents – they should put on one tremendous final show for family, friends and trustees. And for themselves. It’s Christmas, for heaven’s sake. (And of course she will produce, direct and star!) But will it truly give them all a new lease of life – or will they die trying? Praise for Their Exits and Their Entrances: "Funny and touching – brilliantly distinctive characters." David Lister, The Independent. "A feel-good novel of considerable substance that will be loved by fans of The Thursday Murder Club." Petra Fried, BAFTA-winning producer. The Misfits. End of the F***ing World. "Laugh-out loud on London Transport funny." Carolyn Pickles, Actress. Broadchurch. Harry Potter. Canterville Ghost. "A truly charming read. A tale of ‘dramatic’ twists and turns." Francine White, Show business journalist "Unpredictable, unsentimental, unputdownable." Daniel Peak, BAFTA-winning writer. Not Going Out. Code 404. Horrible Histories. "Witty, touching and profound. No murders but plenty of ‘corpsing’. Mendelson’s best yet." Paul Harrison, BAFTA-winning director. Ballykissangel. A Touch of Frost.

Read more less

Mary’s own story is here revealed and given value in its own right, not merely as ‘the wife of …’ or ‘the mother of …’. This remarkable woman deserves her own place in history. Mary Clegg was a spirited young woman from a liberal, non-conformist background in the East Midlands, the daughter of a head teacher and pioneering educationalist. He believed not just in the value of a broad education, but also in the importance of a stimulating learning environment. When Mary married one of her father’s former teaching staff, effectively relinquishing the chance of an independent career for herself, she focused on supporting her husband’s career and nurturing her three sons. However, Mary’s innate vitality could not be constrained by ‘domestic tasks’ alone. As war loomed again during the 1930s Mary’s humanitarian instincts were given full rein as she quite literally rescued and saved young lives, innocent victims of warped political ideologies in Europe.

Read more less

This is a story of adventure, romance and cultural history. It’s a story of travel to many parts of the world; performances for TV, in iconic sports arenas, private performances in Presidential palaces and for Royalty across several continents. Smell the aroma of old paint and sawdust mixed with horse dung and greasepaint make up. Experience the highs and lows, and immerse yourself in difficult and even tragic, happenings that were the prelude to the success of an act that intrigued and entertained for more than forty years. Mike Sanger invites you to become a part of his story; sharing his highs and lows to become immersed in the emotions of a life in show-business shared with his wife, and the beloved dogs that made it all possible.

Read more less

Back Stories is a collection of more than thirty, highly personal traveller’s tales, embracing adventure, comedy, disaster, romance, stupidity and a miscellany of mishaps, spanning more than five decades on the road. They range from being in Boston during 9/11, weathering a storm while sailing in Croatia, travelling the backroads of Kerry in a horse-drawn Romany caravan, being thrown in jail in Ecuador, experiencing a scary scuba dive in the Caribbean and finding work as a film extra in Athens. The longest story covers a year spent in a remote farmhouse in Calabria, living with a family who subsisted on produce they grew on a series of terraces. It portrays a way of life that is fast disappearing on the Mediterranean. From low budget journeys as a student, to longer intervals living in Italy, Switzerland, Vermont and New York, David Wickers has spent much of his life travelling. In his mid-thirties he discovered that, as a professional travel writer, he could be paid for his passion. For 17 years he was Chief Travel Correspondent on The Sunday Times and is currently Travel Editor for Good Housekeeping. He has received numerous awards, including being selected on four occasions as Travel Writer of the Year. David is married with three children, and lives in North London.

Read more less

Next Generation Indie Book Awards 2022 Finalist It’s the summer of 1938 and Veronica and her fascist boyfriend Billy attend a pro-German event hosted by the 5th Duke of Wellington. Amid the evening’s glamour and fervour, Veronica meets Sir Oswald Mosley and Diana Mitford, who invite her on a trip to Berlin. All over Europe, evil triumphs as good men do nothing, but for Veronica, doing nothing is no longer an option. As Europe edges towards war and the Nazis prepare to unleash the Kristallnacht pogrom on Germany’s Jews, the British government juggles appeasing Hitler with growing pressure to accept Jewish refugees. Veronica finds herself entering into a high-risk world of deadly intrigue and high-level political conspiracy to place herself at the very heart of darkness: Berlin under the Nazis. “A nail-biting plot set against the dramatic, real-life effort to help Jews escape from Nazi Germany.” – Jane Thynne, author of The Words I Never Wrote “Highly readable.” – Alex Gerlis, author of The Spy Masters “Complex, well-rounded characters, an engaging protagonist and an enthralling storyline make Without Let or Hindrance a must read for fans of historical thrillers.” – Adam Lebor, author of Kossuth Square

Read more less

In the blink of an eye, Rachel Vincent can be anywhere. It’s easy for her because she’s dead. But what she can’t do is join the others in the warmly lit room beyond the glass and be at peace, until she remembers what happened to her on the day she died. Who killed her, and why? Her three-year-old daughter Molly was the only witness to the murder. She has buried all memories of the trauma, but after she and her father Ben move to rural Wales, she begins to be troubled by disturbing nightmares. Ben contacts Inspector Gardiner, who had been responsible for the murder case, and she suggests Molly sees a child psychologist. As Rachel, in the spirit world, starts to confront the events that led up to her death, she drops memories into Molly’s dreams. But who is the man with the tiger-butterfly tattoo who called at the house and became angry when Rachel refused to let him in? And why does Molly draw a picture of this man kissing her mummy by a Christmas tree? These memories cause Ben to confront his own demons. What secrets did his wife keep, he wonders, in those months before she was murdered?

Read more less

Whether it is the resuscitated corpse that visits a hotel gust in The House of the Dead or the maleficent returning warlock cocooning a tomb robber in Mad Allen, or the taking shape of a vague apprehension in A School Story, or a human sacrifice in Blood of the Lamb, Bell knows that what we fear most is the sensation of being afraid and that it is the reader’s imagination which conjures up the true phantoms of terror.

Read more less

A dead body is discovered at the Cape by a local volunteer coastguard Watchkeeper who decides in a spirit of Cornish self-reliance to pursue his own investigation of the affair, which is baffling the local police. In the guise of holidaymakers, he and his slightly sceptical wife follow the clues to the shores of Lake Geneva in Switzerland where the pieces of the jigsaw begin to fall into place. Constantly misled through their innocent proximity to the crime scene they are under hot pursuit. With the Cornish police now closing in on the investigation, can the couple escape before the conspiracy can take effect?

Read more less

LIVE MUSIC IS OUTLAWED. Set in the sun-scorched city of Wydeye, the totalitarian Authority controls its citizens through fear and cultivated dependence. Live music is deemed a threat to order and is forbidden by law. Punishment for participation is severe. Chase Newell discovers his sister is missing. His search for her leads him to the underground music Scene, with its ageless Troubadours who must risk their lives to perform in order to survive. To do this, they rely on Bluemantle. As the Authority’s control-obsessed leader, Governor Blix, and her evil-incarnate Chief of Command, Wulfwin, step up their efforts to seize the Troubadours and destroy the Scene, the risks escalate. While the Troubadours are forced to act, will the citizens of Wydeye wake up to Bluemantle’s invitation and find choice beyond the caves of their own making?

Read more less

Birger Edman, a burned-out Scandinavian dermatologist, moves to southern Turkey with Madeleine, his physiotherapist wife, to rebuild his life. While there he reluctantly becomes rich and a magnet for his greedy stepson, Carlos. Carlos, a budding economist, is brimming with business ideas and self-confidence, but Birger grows increasingly concerned about his projects and ethics. As Madeleine sides with Carlos, the family are on a collision course. When Carlos' business schemes spiral out of control, Birger must battle to save his own reputation and his marriage...

Read more less

Embarking on a cruise from Gibraltar and heading off to Barcelona, Rome and Pisa and Florence, eight passengers meet at dinner and, from that moment on, their lives are inextricably linked as they cruise between beautiful cities and historic sites. So, let's meet our companions for dinner... Nat Mbele, American businessman, who left his wife but found only guilt; Maude, retired schoolteacher, who has never previously left Scotland and now feels all at sea; Mark, divorced with two children, wants to expand his life, but will a cruise bring him the new horizons he is hoping for? Veronica, already living in the south of France, recently lost her third husband and has learnt that money is nothing without love; Retired barrister, Ralph, always on the lookout for a good time... especially if it involves sex, but at what cost? Liz, a spinster with a successful career in the city but a yearning for more; Darren, computer whizz kid from the East End, who struggles to fit in; and Charlotte, recently divorced, and far from over it... Thrown together, and crisscrossing the sea, all eight have a chance to change, but will they get their problems shipshape before the final port? Or could they be disembarking with more baggage than when they weighed anchor?

Read more less

A mother, having suffered two cot deaths, was wrongly accused of murdering her babies. "What if I had been on the jury...?" Things heat up in the courtroom when a juror is invited by the judge to cross examine the expert witness, a professor who says the chances of cot deaths are only one in seventy-two million. "Thus, it has to be murder." But, there's more to this case than meets the eye... Readers must depict fact from fiction in this compelling venture into the inner workings of a courtroom. Inspired by the teachings of Nassim Taleb, it is also an entertaining layman's introduction to probability and the use and misuse of mathematical evidence in a court of law.

Read more less