Search results for ""John Blake Publishing""

This unique insight into RAF Reaper operations in Afghanistan, Iraq and Syria is based on unprecedented research access to the Reaper squadrons and personnel at RAF Waddington in Lincolnshire and Creech Air Force Base in Nevada, USA. The author has observed lethal missile strikes against Islamic State jihadists in Syria and Iraq alongside the crews involved. He has also conducted extensive interviews with Reaper pilots, sensor operators, mission intelligence coordinators, and spouses and partners. The result is an intimate portrait of the human aspect of remote air warfare in the twenty-first century.

Read more less

The Number 1 football series - over 1 million copies sold!Sterling is the exciting tale of a boy who followed his passion and became one of the most dynamic young players in world football, winning the hearts of fans along the way. In this uplifting story relive Raheem Sterling's whirlwind journey from playing for Liverpool to winning the Premier League with Manchester City and battling to the World Cup semi-finals with Harry Kane, Gareth Southgate and the other England heroes.

Read more less

NOW A MAJOR AMAZON PRIME DOCUMENTARY SERIES'A real-life page turner more intriguing than anything on Netflix..' Matt Nixson, Mail on Sunday'[A story] almost too mad to make up, too good not to tell.' Ben Dirs, BBC World NewsIn July 1978, two bodies were discovered in the sea off Guatemala. They were found to be the remains of Chris Farmer and his girlfriend Peta Frampton, two young British graduates. Having been beaten and tortured, then thrown, still alive, into the sea, their bodies had been weighted down and dumped from the yacht on which they had been crewing. For nearly forty years, no one was charged with these brutal murders.This is the shocking and compelling story of how Chris's sister, Penny, and her family tracked down his and Peta's killer. For decades they painstakingly gathered evidence against Silas Boston, the yacht's American owner, working alongside police in the UK and the USA, as well as the FBI, until he was finally arrested and charged with two counts of murder in 2016. Astonishingly, Penny was able to track down Boston's son, whose bravery in testifying against his own father was the key to bringing down Chris and Peta's killer after so many years.Dead In The Water is the story of a murder almost unimaginable in its cruelty and one ordinary woman's unwavering determination to find justice for her brother.Chosen by O, The Oprah magazine, as one of its top twenty best true crime books of all time.'[A] moving debut... This engrossing, heartbreaking story is sure to appeal to true-crime fans'. Publishers Weekly

Read more less

'I am the Guv'nor's daughter - but what does that mean?'Lenny McLean, better known as The Guv'nor, was a legendary and sometimes terrifying figure: a bare-knuckle fighter, bouncer and, in later life, an actor. He was a formidable force in the East End and across London, but behind his towering demeanour was a loving father who provided a safe haven for his children. For his only daughter, Kelly, his status brought with it a reputation both to live up to, and sometimes escape.Kelly experienced the old East End way of life, often lived just outside the law, first-hand and equally the uncertainty that came with her father's mood swings and the 'black dog' that followed him around, despite their close bond. The connection between father and daughter became even more apparent as Kelly began to battle her own mental health issues that, as a mum to two young children, would threaten to destroy her life.In this incredibly frank and poignant memoir, Kelly McLean provides a unique insight into life growing up as the daughter of one of the last old-school fighters, featuring many previously untold stories. This is the story of East End life from a woman who has seen it, lived it, and sometimes been plagued by it.

Read more less

In this revealing memoir of childhood, the author shows not only what affected his family, but also reveals a large slice of social history concerning the lives of all ordinary working-class people struggling to live in the slums of the East End of London in those pre-Welfare State days. He writes with sympathy, and sometimes anger, of the overcrowded houses with families of anything up to eight children, as his own had, living in just two or three rooms with outside W.C. and water tap; of the reliance on charity and the soup kitchen for food; of trying to eke out what little income they had by buying stale bread and cracked eggs or other cheap food from the many itinerant street sellers.Yet this is also a chronicle of what was a turbulent time in British history, and especially in the East End, with its then still large Jewish and Irish populations. So here too is an eyewitness account of the Depression, and of the provocative marches by Sir Oswald Mosley's British Union of Fascists through the area, culminating in the Battle of Cable Street that saw the marchers turned back by the efforts of Jewish, Irish, communist and socialist protestors. Above all, however, Norman Jacobs writes with affection of the area and its extraordinary mix of peoples, as well as the now-vanished aspects of everyday life, such as the music hall, the two-valve radio, and the first Cup Final to be played at Wembley.

Read more less

Tell Me You're Sorry, Daddy is the moving true story of one man's horrific campaign of abuse against his own daughter, which continued for more than seven years of her childhood, and has had effects which continue to this day.32 years after the abuse began, Caryn Walker finally saw her father in court in 2011, charged with 24 counts of abuse against her. As she awaited the verdict, she looked at the man who robbed her of so many years, who never showed any remorse, and realised that she was the one who was strong, she was the survivor. Caryn knew that it was time for her to tell her full story - and that of her dead sister, Jennifer. Against all the odds, she fought. And she won.

Read more less

No turkey. No fruit to make a decent pudding. No money for presents. Your children away from home to keep them safe from bombing; your husband, father and brothers off fighting goodness knows where. How in the world does one celebrate Christmas? That was the situation facing the people of Britain for six long years during the Second World War. For some of them, Christmas was an ordinary day: they couldn't afford merrymaking - and had little to be merry about. Others, particularly those with children, did what little they could. These first-hand reminiscences tell of making crackers with no crack in them and shouting 'Bang!' when they were pulled; of carol-singing in the blackout, torches carefully covered so that no passing bombers could see the light, and of the excitement of receiving a comic, a few nuts and an apple in your Christmas stocking. They recount the resourcefulness that went into makeshift dinners and hand-made presents, and the generosity of spirit that made having a happy Christmas possible in appalling conditions. From the family whose dog ate the entire Christmas roast, leaving them to enjoy 'Spam with all the trimmings', to the exhibition of hand-made toys for children in a Singapore prison camp, the stories are by turns tragic, poignant and funny. Between them, they paint an intriguing picture of a world that was in many ways kinder, less self-centred, more stoical than ours. Even if - or perhaps because - there was a war on.

Read more less

`As he stood in the tunnel with his teammates behind him and the pitch ahead of him, Andres smiled to himself. He re-positioned the armband one last time and closed his eyes.' Andres was always smaller than his friends, but he refused to let that stop him becoming one of the most skilful footballers ever. Iniesta tells of how his talent and hard work shone through as he became captain of Barcelona, and went on to score the winning goal in the World Cup final. Ultimate Football Heroes is a series of biographies telling the life-stories of the biggest and best footballers in the world and their incredible journeys from childhood fan to super-star professional player. Written in fast-paced, action-packed style these books are perfect for all the family to collect and share.

Read more less

TV's top fugitive hunter investigates the UK's worst unsolved murdersRoughly ten per cent of all murders in the UK go unsolved. Here, Britain's top ex-undercover cop shines new light on cases up and down the country in search of answers.Peter Bleksley's life has been devoted to investigating. As an undercover detective for the Metropolitan Police and in his ability to get to the bottom of a case was legendary as he dealt with some of the world's most feared criminals. His success rate in solving murders as a serving officer was one hundred per cent.Using the investigative skills gained from decades of experience and access to archives and contacts in the force, Bleksley shines new light on investigations that ran aground, often despite extensive media coverage and police resources. Often he discovers glaring errors made by investigators and forensic teams that will shock many of the general public. Now a renowned policing and crime expert seen on the BBC and as the Chief on Channel 4's Hunted, Bleksley's knowledge and experience is peerless. On the Run is a comprehensive and fascinating investigation into murders of the most callous kind, finding the human story behind the headlines as he hunts down the killers on the run from justice.

Read more less

Born Georgios Kyriacos Panayiotou, George Michael was raised in a family of Greek Cypriot immigrants in North London, and dreamed of stardom when he was a little boy. At just twelve years old he met Andrew Ridgeley and the two of them went on to achieve stunning success in the early 1980s with Wham!, creating music that remains popular to this day. Yet despite the enormous success of Wham!, George wanted more, and so set about recreating himself as a serious solo artist, reaching heights of even greater success. Ironically, however, even from the early days he was plagued with insecurity about his sexuality, which, combined with the calamity of losing his first lover to AIDS and his mother to cancer, plunged him into a lifelong struggle with drug addiction. He died, at the tragically early age of just fifty-three, on Christmas Day 2016. George Michael's life and career brought him international fame, and his sudden and unexpected death shocked the world. His unrivalled popularity as an artist, however, and the music he made, have turned him into one of the immortal greats of pop music. As Emily Herbert shows in this new biography, his legacy is not just his music, but his many extraordinary, and often anonymous, acts of charity.

Read more less

After Sarah's body was found, abducted and murdered by convicted paedophile Roy Whiting, her mother, Sara, spoke of how she had survived those terrible times. Now, seventeen years later, Sara wants to tell the full story of how she coped then, and how she has survived. Through a series of letters to her beloved daughter, she takes the reader on a heart-breaking but uplifting journey through every parent's worst nightmare in a moving account of the ultimate emotional survival. It is a story for the little girl who was taken, but a reminder to us all that hope never dies - and love never ends.

Read more less

Over the Easter weekend in 2015, an audacious gang of criminals robbed a safe depository in London's Hatton Garden, the centre of the UK's diamond trade. Shortly before, electrical cables under nearby Kingsway had caught on fire, disrupting the emergency services in the area. Coincidence? Alarms at Hatton Garden Safe Deposit Ltd went off, but the police ignored them. The burglars were caught on CCTV taking jewellery worth up to $200 million. They had used specialist equipment, taking days to tunnel through the walls of the vault. Within a month nine suspects had been arrested and valuables seized from their homes. They were aged between forty-three and seventy-six, including a father and son. The question was, were they the same gang that had made a similar daring raid in Hatton Garden safe netting GBP1.5 million over the Christmas holiday in 2004? The culprits then were never caught. In this fascinating investigation of the case and its aftermath, Gordon Bowers digs deep into the history of heists around the world and questions the motives and methods behind diamond theft.

Read more less

In a world of boy bands and manufactured pop, Jake Bugg's simply-strummed tales of life on the council estate where he grew up have connected with music fans around the world. Bugg has turned the music industry inside out with the unexpected success of his country folk songs with a rockabilly twist. He's taken the sounds of the 1950s and 60s into the 21st century. But how did a teenager from Nottingham - a city whose music scene was previously notable for one hit wonders and novelty records - go from the bottom of the bill to the top in such a short space of time? Journalist David Nolan has immersed himself in the Nottingham music scene and tracked down the key players who helped Jake along the way. Here, for the first time, is Bugg's story, in this unofficial biography. Jake Bugg: is he The Council Estate Bob Dylan, The Cockiest Lonnie Donegan Wannabe in Nottingham or The King of the Clifton Delta? Maybe he's all three.

Read more less

Aled Jones, a choirboy with a remarkable voice, achieved more as a teenager than many adult singers do in a lifetime. His prodigious talent propelled him to international stardom; before he was 16, he had already sold more than 6 million records and had become a fixture on television and radio. He has worked alongside such musical greats as Leonard Bernstein, Andrew Lloyd Webber, Neville Marriner, Howard Blake and Mike Oldfield. Some of the high points of his early career included performances at the Hollywood Bowl and the wedding of Bob Geldof and Paula Yates, as well as singing privately for the Prince and the late Princess of Wales. Best known as a boy soprano for his hit 'Walking in the Air', Aled tells the full story of the effect it had on his life. Always refreshingly honest and self-effacing, Aled reveals how he faced up to life after his voice had broken and how he carved out a new career for himself on stage, record, television and radio. His story begins with his idyllic childhood on the Welsh island of Anglesey and his years as a chorister at Bangor Cathedral, during which his family provided wonderful support and encouragement as he rose to fame. He tells of his studies at the Royal Academy of Music and the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School. As an adult performer, Aled has released a series of best-selling albums. Today, he is most known for sitting alongside Lorraine Kelly as one half of the presenting partnership of ITV's breakfast programme Daybreak. He is a regular host of Songs of Praise and presents weekly radio programmes for Classic FM and BBC Radio Wales. Aled: My Story reveals the man behind the music in a frank, heart-warming and funny account of his life.

Read more less

Jimmy Tippett Jnr was born into gangster aristocracy. Son of legendary boxer and South London heavy, Jimmy Tippett, he grew up rubbing shoulders with the most notorious faces in London. The result was a lifestyle amongst the criminal elite - and with an upbringing like JImmy's, what could go wrong? He had the brains, the muscle and the balls to be a player, and when the work was done there were cars, cash, drugs, girls and high times. His reputation as a man never to be crossed was undisputed. But was Jimmy traveled deeper into the heart of the underworld, his judgement began to falter. Mired in cocaine and paranoia, his operation began to come off the rails. Friend and foe alike became targets, and the world he had known for so long threatened to tear him apart...

Read more less

Cara Delevingne is living the dream. Signed by Storm Models founder Sarah Loukas - the same woman who spotted Kate Moss - when she was just 17, Cara's career has reached dizzying heights. As the face of DKNY, Burberry and Chanel, Cara's startling blue eyes gaze down from billboards across the world. Known for her irreverent style and kooky sense of humour, Cara is no poster-girl for perfection. Rather, with her thick eyebrows and snubbed nose, she pushes the boundaries of modern-day beauty, embodying the edgy girl-about-town, kicking about with celebs like Rita Ora, Rihanna and Jake Bugg. The granddaughter of English Heritage chairman Sir Jocelyn Stevens, Cara can count Joan Collins and Conde Nast managing director Nicholas Coleridge among her godparents. But while her roots are far from gritty, it is Cara's wild side that garners the most column inches and makes her a constant source of fascination the world over. In this, the first unauthorised biography of the British beauty, Abi Smith reveals Cara's life behind the lens, exploring just how she manages to be both weird and wonderful.

Read more less

Doctor Who has had children hiding behind sofas since 1963. With it’s re-launch in 2005, it is now more popular than ever. Eleven actors have played the famous Time Lord, starting with William Hartnell, and it has been a career landmark for all of them. Indeed, no other role in television history is as iconic, demanding, or as anticipated by its legion of fans as that of the famous time traveller with two hearts. All the bizarre facts of Doctor Who are explained as the lives and careers of each Doctor are put under the spotlight and given credit they so richly deserve. Find out o Who was a bouncer for the Rolling Stones o Who was nearly blown up in the Second World War aboard the HMS Hood o Who played a transvestite barmaid before becoming a Dr Who heart-throb

Read more less

Thrust into the international spotlight at the 2012 Olympic Games thanks to her moving performances of 'Abide with Me' at the opening ceremony and 'Read All About It (Part III)' at the closing ceremony, Emeli Sande is now an international superstar. However, her breakthrough came much earlier, in August 2011, with the release of her first single, 'Heaven', which peaked at number two on the UK Singles Chart. Since then Emeli has been unstoppable, releasing her debut album 'Our Version Of Events' in 2012 to critical acclaim - an album which went on to be the UK's bestseller in 2012. What many don't realise, though, is that Emeli is more than just a singer. An avid pianist and songwriter from an early age, Emeli has co-written songs for a huge number of artists including Tinie Tempah, Alesha Dixon, Cheryl Cole, Professor Green, Leona Lewis and even Susan Boyle. And while music has always been her first love, Emeli is a firm believer in the importance of education, and was studying for a degree in medicine at Edinburgh University before deciding that music had to take precedence, Winning the Critics' Choice Brit Award in 2012 has confirmed the young Scottish singer as one of the great musical talents of a very talented generation, and while publicly 2012 was a hugely successful year for Emeli, privately it was too as she married her long-term boyfriend Adam Gouraguine in his home country of Montenegro.

Read more less

From the medieval cobbles, through Dickensian iron and fog, to the neon lights and bustle of the twenty-first century, the ever-changing streets of London map out the vibrant stories, triumphs and struggles of everyone who ever called London home. From the Roman and Celts marching along the ancient Old Kent Road, to the rattling newspaper presses of Fleet Street, the game of Monopoly has painted London's story across cheerful coloured tiles. But those Monopoly streets live and breathe - they don't just illuminate our history. They open up whole new ways of thinking about it. The mobs have taken to our streets. The overlords have taken them back. Wars have spilled out into them. Lovers have snuck around them, and fires have raged through them. In a city of rags and riches, where folk hero Dick Whittington believed the streets were paved with gold, anything could happen - and everything has. You may think you know the history of London. You don't. Or at least, not entirely. This is the story of the capital as you've never, quite, heard it before.

Read more less

It is 1965, and Swinging London is coming into its prime years. The streets are alive with mods and rockers, playboys and good-time girls, all revelling in the blossoming artistic, creative and cultural energies of the decade. Amid the colour and chaos is a boy sporting drainpipe jeans, an immaculately tailored sports coat and a half-inch wide tie. A devoted fan of The Who, he looks the part in his pristine mod gear. As the lead singer of the Lower Third, his talent is shaping itself into something truly special. His name is Davie Jones. In ten years, he will be unrecognisable as fresh-faced boy of 1965, and in just over fifty years, his death will be mourned by millions, his legacy the story of the greatest rock star of all time. And through Bowie's transition from pop group member to solo performer, Phil Lancaster was by his side. As the drummer in Bowie's band, the Lower Third, Phil was there as the singer's musical stripes began to show, and was witness to his early recording techniques, his first experimental forays into drug-taking, and the band's discovery of his bisexuality in shocking circumstances.In this riveting - and often very funny - memoir, Phil tells the story of life alongside the insecure yet blazingly talented boy who became Bowie, at a critical crossroad of time and place in music history. What follows is an intimate, personal and important perspective on the genesis of one of the most iconic musicians of the twentieth century - one that gets under the skin of the man himself, before the personas and alter-egos masked the fascinating figure beneath them. At the Birth of Bowie is essential reading for anyone who knows what happened on Bowie's journey, but wants to understand how, and why, it ever began.

Read more less

When Kate married gangster Ronnie Kray, he introduced her to the most deadly criminals ever known. She persuaded them to talk about their crimes, fears and dreams. The result is a book offering an authentic, shocking and gripping insight into the criminal mind. In this true crime classic, Kate Kray delves into the world of some of Britain's most dangerous prisoners, conducting first-hand interviews with them in order to better understand their crimes. From cold contract killings to crimes of passion, this is a fascinating insight into the minds of murderers who have been punished with the longest sentence of all.

Read more less

Would British scientists really test sarin never poison on young volunteers and tell them it was research for a cure for colds? Would they really release E coli in Swindon and Southampton to try out germ warfare techniques? Even 50 years on, on-one's telling the whole story. Conspiracies and cover-ups, real or imagined, have shaped our world. Now leaked cables and declassified papers are rewriting the history of our times. More information must be good, but how do you tell truth from fiction? In this fresh, readable look at 50 conspiracy theories, Ian Shircore cuts through the fog and misinformation to deliver a balance analysis of the key facts behind the unsettling suspicions that litter our recent past. Today's new evidence - from WikiLeaks, freedom of information requests and declassified archives - has solved some classic mysteries. Yet it raises more questions than ever about the assassinations of the 1960s, the dirty secrets of the late 20th century and the earth-shaking events of recent years. Once you've see what WikiLeaks has revealed about the radioactive poisoning of Alexander Litvinenko, you won't be so sure about the British secret service. Once you've weighed the evidence yourself, you may well decide there was a Second Yorkshire Ripper, that cricketing hero Bob Woolmer was murdered and that rock icon Jim Morrison's death in Paris was anything but straightforward.

Read more less

'Birds do it, bees do it, even educated fleas do it...' So wrote Cole Porter in his famous song from 1928, 'Let's Do It, Let's Fall In Love'. To which Bruce Montague, author of this enlightening and amusing collection, silently replied, 'Yes, but how do they do it?' Birds, Bees and Educated Fleas is an amusing A - Z of the courtship and mating habits of animals - including Homo sapiens sapiens. From well-hung South American drakes to shy camels arranging secret love trysts, female chameleons whose skin darkens when they're no longer in the mood to giraffes who swing their hips and swish their tails when they're feeling frisky, oysters that can change sex pretty much at will to stud rhinoceroses that can copulate three or four times a day for a week, this is a wide-ranging, light-hearted but well-researched look at the world of animal love and lust. Arranged alphabetically by species, here is the perfect handbook for any peeping Tom or Tomasina who wants to know what goes on in the animal world behind the - metaphorical - bedroom curtains.

Read more less

The Prodigy have sold 25 million records and single-handedly reinvented the crossover between dance and rock music, with legendary songs such as 'Firestarter', 'Omen' and 'Breathe'. However, long before they became a stadium-filling rock monster, The Prodigy were prowling the underground of the UK rave scene, first as a blistering demo of tunes by the 'prodigious' teenage Liam Howlett, then latterly with their breakthrough masterpiece, Music for the Jilter Generation. Martin Roach was present throughout the band's early years and documented their rise to fame from the underground into the bright lights of music superstardom. Containing hours and hours of exclusive interviews, the book chronicles the band's early years in minute detail, speaking the each band member and all the key playes along the way. With a new introduction and fresh interview with band members putting these classic early phase in the context of their historically important career, this book is a must-buy for the millions for Prodigy fans eager to learn about the band's formative days.

Read more less

In Tangled Vines, bestselling true crime author John Glatt reconstructs the rise of the prestigious Murdaugh family and the shocking double murder that led to the downfall of its patriarch, Alex Murdaugh.Among the lush, tree-lined waterways of South Carolina low country, the Murdaugh name means power. A century-old, multimillion-dollar law practice has catapulted the family into incredible wealth and local celebrity--but it was an unimaginable tragedy that would thrust them into the national spotlight. On June 7th, 2021, prominent attorney Alex Murdaugh discovered the bodies of his wife, Maggie, and son, Paul, on the grounds of their thousand-acre hunting lodge. The mystery deepened only months later when Alex himself was discovered shot in the head on a local roadside.But as authorities scrambled for clues and the community reeled from the loss and media attention, dark secrets about this Southern legal dynasty came to light. The Murdaughs, it turned out, were feared as much as they were loved. And they wouldn't hesitate to wield their influence to protect one of their own; two years before he was killed, a highly intoxicated Paul Murdaugh was at the helm of a boat when it crashed and killed a teenage girl, and his light treatment by police led to speculation that privilege had come into play. As bombshells of financial fraud were revealed and more suspicious deaths were linked to the Murdaughs, a new portrait of Alex Murdaugh emerged: a desperate man on the brink of ruin who would do anything, even plan his own death, to save his family's reputation.

Read more less

'A book every quiz lover should have in their collection.' - Shaun WilliamsonWhether you're a Pointless armchair aficionado, nostalgic for the days of Going for Gold, or a bona fide Mastermind...THIS IS THE BOOK FOR YOU!!Fingers on Buzzers! is an interactive, kaleidoscopic, bonanza celebration and history of the British quiz from Lucy Porter and Jenny Ryan, the presenters of the podcast Fingers on Buzzers.For quiz fans everywhere, Fingers on Buzzers! is a nostalgic celebration of our great British obsession - from the early days of TV quiz shows to our more recent love of the pub quiz - incorporating a huge host of pop quizzes for the whole family to enjoy.

Read more less

Discover the most memorable moments in football history in this fascinating Ultimate Football Heroes collection!From the invention of the modern sport all the way to the present day, bestselling author and football expert Tom Palmer picks ONE HUNDRED of the most thrilling and significant goals, games, and players from more than 150 years of the Beautiful Game.Featuring Pele's World Cup, Maradona's Hand of God, John Barnes' Maracana magic, and the Lionesses' European Championship triumph, this is an endlessly fascinating treasury of stories for fans of all ages.

Read more less

Shortlisted for the True Crime Awards 2023 Best New True Crime Author The murder of Sarah Payne, Adam the Thames Torso, the London bombings, the Night Stalker and the poisoning of Alexander Litvinenko... The solving of all these cases can be linked to one man: Ray Fysh, a Charlton Athletic fan from Woolwich, a natural raconteur and also one of the finest forensic detectives the country has ever seen.Ray began work for the Met Police in the 1970s when forensic investigation was seen as little more than a geeky side show, only in existence to confirm or eliminate evidence. But by the mid 90s Ray and his team had made huge progress in their field, contributing to the UK becoming a world-leading innovator in forensic techniques, with Ray himself being named as Special Adviser to the Forensic Science Service. As the SA, Ray worked alongside Senior Investigating Officers from day one of a case, directing his team to identify forensic opportunities and harvest case-cracking clues.As Ray looks back over his career at the cases he worked on, the reader is given unparalleled insight into the highs and lows of an astonishing career, the historic classist snobbery of the Met and the stunning realities of crime and forensics

Read more less

A REVISED AND UPDATED EDITION - FROM THE BESTSELLING AUTHOR OF THE CAT WHISPERERCats are fascinating creatures; they live so closely with us, but can be difficult to fathom. Yet they do give us clues as to how they are feeling and what they are thinking - it is up to us to decipher them. Who would have guessed that, just as we thought, our cats have their own personalities which need an individual approach because no two cats are the same. In Claire Bessant's new update of her original bestselling book, she explores new ideas and findings to help us to understand and appreciate our own individual cats, to figure out how they approach life and to help us to figure out how we can bond with them more closely.How to Talk to Your Cat will help all cat owners and lovers to appreciate the dynamic between our two very different species to learn how to understand our own cats. The key to success is, of course, to learn to think like a cat!

Read more less

From the million-copy bestselling author Toni Maguire comes a new true story of neglect, abuse and survival. Amy had a happy childhood until the sudden death of her mother when she was ten years old. Eventually abandoned by her father, she found herself falling prey to the evil that lurked in her school and on the streets. Addicted to heroin by the age of twelve, Amy attempted to get clean in the hopes of reconciling with her father and his new wife. But unable to rid herself of her addiction, she fell into a world of hard drug use, homelessness, imprisonment and abusive relationships. At Amy's lowest ebb, she found the strength to turn her life around. Abandoned Child is her incredible story of survival, and how finding self-worth and love from the right person changed her future.

Read more less

The definitive look at England's epic Euro 2020 journey! Centred around England's phenomenal Euro 2020 journey, England's Heroes takes a deeper look at how the national side's elite spine (Pickford, Maguire, Sterling and Kane) took their country all the way to the final at Wembley. Discover how the boys who grew up in different parts of the country and were always playing against each other at club level, all came together as one fantastic team under the guidance of Gareth Southgate, and became the pride of the whole nation!Ultimate Football Heroes is a series of biographies telling the life stories of the biggest and best footballers in the world and their incredible journeys from childhood fan to superstar professional player. Written in fast-paced, action-packed style these books are perfect for all the family to collect and share.

Read more less

With a foreword by Carl FogartyJoey Dunlop's story is one of towering triumphs and desperate tragedies in almost equal measure. Born poor - dirt poor - with no running water, no electricity, he was the definition of the everyman hero, earning the title 'King of the Roads' in what must be considered one of the world's most extreme sports - motorcycle road racing. And as well as being voted Northern Ireland's greatest ever sportsman, he remains the most loved and most successful road racer of all time. Joey Dunlop won the hearts and minds of millions during his thirty-one-year career, culminating in his greatest triumph in the year 2000 at the Isle of Man TT when, grey-haired, bespectacled, and approaching fifty years of age, he reclaimed his reputation as the greatest TT rider in history by defeating a whole new generation of talent and regaining the F1 crown for the first time in twelve years.But in road racing, tragedy is never very far away. Joey lost his life in a racing accident in July of 2000. It was just weeks after his final TT victory. More than 60,000 people attended Joey's funeral. Over twenty years after his untimely death, the sport has never truly recovered from his loss. Everyone with an interest in motorcycling knows the legend of Joey Dunlop but now, for the first time, they can get to know the man himself. This definitive new biography is the most comprehensive ever written on the man. In turns hilarious, triumphant and tragic, this is Dunlop's story as it has never been told before - by those who were part of it.

Read more less

The No.1 football series - over 1 million copies sold!Wonder-kid Jadon Sancho's journey towards stardom has only just begun! Despite being born in 2000, and having to move abroad away from family and friends to play football, the young man didn't let that get in the way of his dreams. Discover how he grew from shy Manchester City youth player to a dazzling winger for Dortmund - full of technique, creativity, pace and trickery. And now with his big money move to Manchester United complete and a spirited Euro 2020 campaign behind him, the sky is his only limit!Ultimate Football Heroes is a series of biographies telling the life stories of the biggest and best footballers in the world and their incredible journeys from childhood fan to superstar professional player. Written in fast-paced, action-packed style these books are perfect for all the family to collect and share.

Read more less

The No.1 football series - over 1 million copies sold!Norwegian international Erling Haaland is the rising star of Europe. Having already smashed Messi, Ronaldo and Harry Kane's record of quickest player to twenty Champions League goals, 'The Terminator' is proving to be a ruthless, efficient, goalscoring machine. At such a young age, the world is his playground. Discover how he's caught the eye of the footballing world and whether he'll pip Mbappe to a Ballon d'Or!Ultimate Football Heroes is a series of biographies telling the life stories of the biggest and best footballers in the world and their incredible journeys from childhood fan to superstar professional player. Written in fast-paced, action-packed style these books are perfect for all the family to collect and share.

Read more less

The biography of the record-breaking world championAfter equalling Michael Schumacher's records in both race wins, and world titles, in 2020, Lewis Hamilton became the joint-most successful racing driver of all time - and the most dominant and successful Briton ever to drive in Formula 1.Hamilton's debut season in 2007 won him fans around the world, and his place in Formula 1 history was sealed the following year when he became the youngest ever world champion. In the years since, he has created headlines on and off the track with his rivalries with Max Verstappen, Nico Rosberg and Sebastian Vettel and relationships that have landed him on the front pages of the tabloids. However, despite the media glare, he has continued to prove his incredible talent and tenacity and remains utterly dominant in his sport.In this insightful biography, bestselling sports author Frank Worrall traces the slipstream of Hamilton's incredible career as the fastest driver on the planet. This is the story of the young man who went from being the rookie Sir Jackie Stewart said 'has rewritten the rule book' to a world champion many times over, and become Britain's greatest ever sportsman in the process.

Read more less

FROM THE SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLING AUTHOR OF DEAR LIFE'I am a junior doctor. It is 4 a.m. I have run arrest calls, treated life-threatening bleeding, held the hand of a young woman dying of cancer, scuttled down miles of dim corridors wanting to sob with sheer exhaustion, forgotten to eat, forgotten to drink, drawn on every fibre of strength that I possess to keep my patients safe from harm.'How does it feel to be spat out of medical school into a world of pain, loss and trauma that you feel wholly ill-equipped to handle? To be a medical novice who makes decisions which - if you get them wrong - might forever alter, or end, a person's life?In Your Life in My Hands, television journalist turned junior doctor Rachel Clarke captures the extraordinary realities of life on the NHS frontline. During the historic junior doctor strikes of 2016, Rachel was at the forefront of the campaign against the government's imposed contract upon young doctors. Her heartfelt, deeply personal account of life as a junior doctor in today's NHS is both a powerful polemic on the degradation of Britain's most vital public institution and a love letter of optimism and hope to that same health service.

Read more less

THE ULTIMATE GUIDE FOR SURVIVING LIFE IN PRISONCharles Bronson knows more about life in prison than anyone else in Britain - on either side of the bars. Jailed originally in 1974, his life since then has been once unbroken stretch of over forty-five years, much of it in solitary confinement, moved repeatedly as prison after prison failed to contain his explosive temper. It would be enough to break an ordinary man - but Bronson is no ordinary man, and this is no ordinary prison diary.Written by our most notorious prisoner, Behind Bars is Bronson's irreverent, hard-hitting and darkly funny guide to life in Britain's penal institutions. From the correct way to brew vintage prison 'hooch' and how to keep the screws from finding it, to taming techniques for prison wildlife that may be your only friends on long stretches in solitary; from the fastest way to win a canteen fight to how to plan a prison wedding, this book tells you everything you need to know - and a few things you don't - about what goes on behind the locked doors of Britain's historic (and sometimes pre-historic) jail cells. Don't get nicked without it.

Read more less

The No.1 football series - over 1 million copies sold!Luka Modric is the boy who overcame his small size to become the world's most creative midfield playmaker. During a childhood playing football in the streets of war-torn Croatia, Luka discovered he didn't need to be big to be the best - he could make a football do anything he wanted, and he could open defences with passes none of his friends would even have tried. Ever since, his rise to stardom as Real Madrid's Number 10 has been unstoppable.Ultimate Football Heroes is a series of biographies telling the life-stories of the biggest and best footballers in the world and their incredible journeys from childhood fan to super-star professional player. Written in fast-paced, action-packed style these books are perfect for all the family to collect and share.

Read more less

I opened my mouth and it came. It wasn't a cry, or even a sob. It came from deep in my soul... It was the sound of a mother helpless to save her child from danger. I asked the same unanswered questions over and again. Where was he? Where was my Damien?On 2 November 1996, sixteen-year-old Damien Nettles went out for the evening in his home town of Cowes on the Isle of Wight. CCTV recorded him in a chip shop at 23:40 and on the High Street just after midnight. He has never been seen since.His mother, Valerie, has spent over two decades desperately trying to find out what happened to her son. Arrests have been made, and suspects released without charge. Despite years of research by journalists and a private investigator, Damien's vanishing remains a mystery.In this hugely moving and compelling account, Valerie Nettles tells the full, perplexing story of her son's disappearance. Someone must know what happened to Damien. Will the truth ever emerge from the shadows?

Read more less

'I WANTED TO SEND A MESSAGE TO THE CARTELS. WE KNOW WHO YOU ARE. WE KNOW WHAT YOU'RE DOING. WE'RE GOING TO MAKE IT HARD FOR YOU.BUT AS I WOULD SOON FIND OUT, THEY WERE GOING TO MAKE IT HARD FOR ME, TOO.'Infiltrating cartels and bringing down international drug lords since his days in 1980s Chicago, Jack Riley was one of the best agents the Drug Enforcement Administration had ever had. But when he moved to the border town of El Paso, he was on the front line of the battle against Mexican cartels waging war just miles away. His brief was to capture the DEA's deadliest target: El Chapo.For over twenty years, Riley had seen the fear and bloodshed that Joaquín 'El Chapo' Guzmán Loera and his Sinaloa Cartel had caused, whilst the availability of drugs on American streets had exploded. Soon after arriving in El Paso, Riley found himself entangled in America's most deadly feud, and a bounty on his head. . .Drug Warrior is a thrilling journey into a life spent at the heart of America's drug wars, including the opioids crisis now ravaging its heartland, and a unique insight into the DEA's operation to finally bring its long-time nemesis to justice.

Read more less

Complete your collection with these limited Classic Football Heroes International editions - now with a bonus World Cup chapter!This is the rollercoaster story of how Ronaldo grew up to become a superstar striker for Brazil, Barcelona and Real Madrid. Struck down by illness on the day of the 1998 World Cup final, he showed world-class skill and determination to come back four years later and single-handedly destroy Germany in the 2002 final to prove, once and for all, that he was one of the greatest strikers ever.

Read more less

Complete your collection with these limited Classic Football Heroes International editions - now with a bonus World Cup chapter!Jurgen Klinsmann: deadly goal-poacher, Tottenham Hotspur hero, world champion. After helping to beat England in the 1990 World Cup, the German striker came to play for Tottenham Hotspur - but it took a long time for Spurs fans to grow to love him. Yet with his competitive spirit, humour and his amazing talent for conjuring a goal from thin air, he quickly became a North London legend. This is his exciting story.

Read more less

'Liverpool Champions of Europe. Stevie was on top of the world.'Gerrard tells of how a young boy from Merseyside would go on to captain his club for over a decade, inspiring their legendary Champions League and FA Cup wins along the way. This is the story of Steven Gerrard, Liverpool s greatest ever player.Ultimate Football Heroes is a series of biographies telling the life-stories of the biggest and best footballers in the world and their incredible journeys from childhood fan to super-star professional player. Written in fast-paced, action-packed style these books are perfect for all the family to collect and share.

Read more less

Self-described as a 'spotty, chubby, ginger teenager' with a love for Damien Rice and Nizlopi, Ed Sheeran was never an obvious bet to become a global superstar. And yet that's exactly what he's achieved, winning plenty of awards (and hearts) along the way. But how did a young musician go from selling CDs from his rucksack to becoming the millennial record-breaking international stadium act? Tracing his story from his bohemian childhood in Yorkshire and Suffolk to the release of his third album Divide, music journalist David Nolan chronicles Sheeran's musical life and times. Featuring exclusive interviews with friends, relatives, musical collaborators and key figures in his rise to stardom, Divide and Conquer tells the story of how Ed Sheeran went from school drop-out to one of the world's most successful musicians.

Read more less

In the summer of 1995, the Bosnian town of Gorazde, found itself under attack from Serbian forces despite being designated a Safe Area by the United Nations. Members of the Royal Welch Fusiliers, sent to the area as UN Peacekeepers, began to be taken hostage. Richard Westley, then a thirty-three year old Major, knew he had to act quickly and decisively to have any chance of saving the lives of Gorazde’s 45,000 inhabitants. That he did, and was awarded a Military Cross for his gallantry and leadership.Richard’s reflections on a horrendous period of modern history are harrowing and unforgettable. However, they are also human, from the gallows humour of the SAS troop to his recollections of the friendship with Selma, a female Muslim interpreter, which sustained him. Two decades on, his story is as relevant as ever, and serves as a true warning about what can happen when the world fails to react with sufficient collective strength.

Read more less

Inspector Ken Wharfe, the first royalty protection officer to publish a memoir, was a crucial figure in the life of Diana, Princess of Wales, for nearly seven years. In that time, he became a close friend and trusted confidant who shared her most private moments. His first-hand contradicts many of the so-called 'facts' about the Princess and provides an affectionate, if not always uncritical, insight into this complex, troubled, but ultimately fascinating woman. Here is the authentic voice of a man who played an important role during Diana's most trying times, and in her beloved sons' formative years, and who shows himself to be an exceptionally perceptive observer of the events that unfolded around the Princess. After Inspector Wharfe resigned his position in 1993 (making headline news), Diana announced her withdrawal from public life and axed her Scotland Yard protection - a decision her former 'top cop' believes led ultimately to her death. This account presents the most intimate portrait of Diana to date, as well as a fitting tribute to one of the outstanding figures of our age.

Read more less

Imagine being alongside one of the greatest bands in the history of rock, touring the world and being there as they perform at some of the best and biggest music venues in the world. Peter Hince didn't have to imagine: for more than a decade, he lived a life that other people can only dream of as he worked with Queen as head of their road crew. In 1973, Queen was the support act for Mott the Hoople, for whom Peter was a roadie. Back then, Queen had to content themselves with being second on the bill and the world had not yet woken up to the flamboyant talent of Freddie Mercury. Peter started working full time for Queen just as they were making A Night at the Opera, the album which catapulted them to international stardom. In this intimate and affectionate book, Peter recalls the highlights of his years with the band. He was with Freddie when he composed 'Crazy Little Thing Called Love'; he was responsible for making sure that Freddie's stage performances went without a hitch - and was often there to witness his famed tantrums! He was also party to the sex, drugs and rock 'n' roll which are invariably part of life on the road with a rock band.

Read more less