Search results for ""Author Christopher""

There are commentaries and there are books on preaching - but very few books that combine elements of both to enable the preacher or Bible teacher to prepare a series on specific sections of Scripture.This series gives the Bible teacher suitable tools to understand the context of Biblical books; doctrinal themes; the methods of interpretation; the key interpretation points and how to communicate that message for the hearer.Whilst very useful for preachers, this book is also aimed at equipping small group study leaders, youth workers and other Bible teachers.The books are purposefully practical. Section One contains 'navigation' material to enable you to access the text of Romans. Section 2 works systematically through a suggested preaching or Bible study series. Preaching outlines and Bible study questions are included for each passage.

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God invented marriage. So it seems rather obvious to look to our Maker for marriage instructions. Yet by nature we prefer to work it out for ourselves, starting with our own needs, hopes and desires. This book turns our thinking upside down. The author examines the Bible's teaching on marriage, while remaining firmly earthed in the twenty-first-century world where messing up, heartbreak, divorce and sexual chaos are distressingly common. Starting with God's grace applied to our pain and failure, the author centres on God's plan for sex and marriage, one of service. Whether you are an engaged couple preparing for marriage, or have been married for many years, this Biblical wisdom will help you grow your love and commitment both to one another and to God.

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Why does a good God allow innocent suffering? Why does a just God act unfairly? Why does a sovereign God let disease and evil run rampant? These are not questions asked from the onlooker's armchair, nor from the academic's desk, but from the anguish of the sickbed and the frustration of the wheelchair. The problem of pain is considered with the heart as well as the head. Christopher Ash leads us through the biblical story of Job as we wrestle with these questions today. He honestly explores the lonely and cruel nature of suffering and whether God can be found in the midst of it. He exposes the shortcomings of Job's friends who deny the possibility of innocent suffering, and are unaware of the roles that Satan, the fall and the cross have to play. With compassion and clarity he takes the reader through Job's long debate with God - towards a humbling and hopeful resolution.

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How did the intellectually intimidating, industrious architect of the New Labour project become its maligned and feckless undertaker? In this scathing, witty indictment of Gordon Brown's tenure as prime minister, Christopher Harvie says goodbye to Broon by exploring the Britain New Labour helped create. It is a place where the gap between rich and poor grows ever wider and manufacturing has been replaced by 'retail, entertainment and recreation' (for which read shopping, gambling and drinking). Now that the casino economy has veered wildly out of control, and our public utilities and industries have been auctioned to the highest bidder, Broonland is both an essential anatomy of a country on the brink of collapse and a caustic, darkly funny portrait of a decade that took Britain from boom through bust to busted.

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Charlie Asher is a pretty normal guy. A little hapless, somewhat neurotic, more of a Beta than an Alpha Male. Charlie's been lucky, though. He owns a building in the heart of San Francisco, and runs a second-hand store with the help of a couple of loyal, if marginally insane, employees. He's married to a bright and pretty woman who actually loves him for his normality. And she, Rachel, is about to have their first child. But normal service is about to be interrupted. As Charlie prepares to go home after the birth, he sees a strange man dressed in mint-green at Rachel's hospital bedside - a man who claims that no one should be able to see him. But see him Charlie does, and from here on out, things get really weird. . . .People start dropping dead around him, giant ravens perch on his building, and it seems that everywhere he goes, a dark presence whispers to him from under the streets. Strange names start appearing on his nightstand notepad, and before he knows it, those people end up dead, too. Yep, it seems that Charlie Asher has been recruited for a new job, an unpleasant but utterly necessary one: Death. It's a dirty job. But hey, somebody's gotta do it.

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Teenager Ruben, entrusted with a time travelling cube, must save the world... it's not just a toy. The Cube has been brought to Earth by a time-travelling, biomechanical, shape-shifting alien dude, from a badass murderous nation, from a dusty corner of the cosmos, who are hell-bent on the annihilation of all breathing life forms. This alien nation needs somewhere new to live and Earth fits their requirements almost perfectly, once they have evicted the current tenants. The powerful object becomes the centre of a jealous and deadly power struggle and is nearly destroyed in a war between royal Hungarian twin brothers circa 898A.D. in Central Europe. Remains of the damaged Cube pass down through the generations, until it falls into the hands of young, twenty-first- century, Ruben Novak. Ruben is your average teenager about to spend his summer vacation surfing, swimming, and hanging out at the beach in L.A. with his girlfriend. His preordained destiny, written many hundreds of years ago, means the fun must stop and his gap year will have to wait. However, part of the alien cleansing process has already begun, with a ring of detonating spore bombs dumping deadly DNA-altering nano-particles high up in the upper atmosphere. The atomic clock is ticking, and Ruben hasn't even had breakfast yet. Guided by a powerful Overlord alien being, via the Cube, he will travel through time on five dangerous adventures to collect the remnants of the device needed to restore its full functionality and solve the ultimate puzzle: how to preserve life on Earth. At every twist and turn Ruben will be pursued by the mysterious and deadly Time-Warriors who are determined to take the Cube from him. They are a well-organised team of merciless henchmen whose actions are being directed, through time. Ruben's mission is critical; only he and the Cube will prevent the total annihilation of life on Earth

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The Suit unpicks the story of this most familiar garment, from its emergence in western Europe at the end of the seventeenth century to today. Suit-wearing figures such as the Savile Row gentleman and the Wall Street businessman have long embodied ideas of tradition, masculinity, power and respectability, but the suit has also been used to disrupt concepts of gender and conformity. Adopted and subverted by women, artists, musicians and social revolutionaries through the decades – from dandies and Sapeurs to the Zoot Suit and Le Smoking – the suit is also a device for challenging the status quo. For all those interested in the history of menswear, this beautifully illustrated book offers new perspectives on this most mundane, and poetic, product of modern culture.

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The most celebrated French storyteller of the nineteenth century, Guy de Maupassant was a master of the modern short story. Offering an intriguing picture of French life, the enduring appeal of his stories derives from understated artistry, extreme craftsmanship and the universality of his characters and their aspirations and misfortunes. In this insightful and compelling biography, the only one in English currently available, Christopher Lloyd situates Maupassant’s life and work in the literary and social context of nineteenth-century France. Lloyd skilfully introduces the reader to Maupassant’s most famous works, such as Boule de suif, Bel-Ami and Pierre et Jean, as well as highlighting the important stages and achievements of his life and legacy.

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Drawing on his extensive experience in pastoral ministry and spiritual direction, Christopher Chapman explores the parallels between personal growth and nurturing a garden. In human life as in the natural world, growth can often be a struggle. God, like a patient gardener, chooses to grapple with what stands in the way of our fruitfulness, but requires our cooperation if we are to come into fullness of life. Earthed in God digs deeply into the riches of scripture and the Christian spiritual tradition to find resources for our growth, flourishing and abundance.

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By 1943, Henri Lafont was the most powerful Frenchman in occupied Paris. Once a petty criminal running from the French police, when he found himself recruited by the Nazis his life changed for ever. Lafont established a motley band of sadistic oddballs that became known as the French Gestapo and included ex-footballers, faded aristocrats, pimps, murderers and thieves. The gang wore the finest clothes, ate at the best restaurants and threw parties for the rich and famous out of their headquarters on the exclusive rue Lauriston. In this vivid portrait, Christopher Othen explores how Lafont and his criminal clan rampaged across Paris through the Second World War - until the Allies liberated France, and a terrible price had to be paid.

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What’s behind a picture? The term “metadata” is used to describe the information that travels with a digital image file but is unseen within the image itself. In our networked digital environment, metadata is accessed by both human users and artificial intelligences. Software algorithms orchestrate what images we see and exchange while collecting the valuable data generated by our interactions. In our moment, dominated by image-based social media and surveillance, we are becoming increasingly aware that understanding the information that circulates unseen around photographic images is just as important as seeing what they represent. This fascinating, fully-illustrated publication explores new paradigms for understanding the ecology of the photographic image through the work of an international selection of contemporary artists and visual activists. This includes not just the tags or descriptors attached to image files, but the power relationships, biases, and economic interests that are not always visible in the image itself.

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In I Never Knew That About New York Christopher Winn digs beneath the gleaming towers and mean streets of New York and discovers its secrets and its hidden treasures. Learn about the extraordinary people who built New York into one of the world's great cities in just 400 years. New York is one of the most photographed and talked about cities in the world but Winn unearths much that is unexpected and unremembered in this fast moving, ever changing metropolis where history is made on a daily basis!

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'If you have never entered the curious world of Bryant and May, you're in for a treat.' THE TIMESIt was the kind of story that barely made the news.When 91-year-old Amelia Hoffman died in her top-floor flat on a busy London road, it's considered an example of what has gone wrong with modern society: she slipped through the cracks in a failing system.But detectives Arthur Bryant and John May of the Peculiar Crimes Unit have their doubts. Mrs Hoffman was once a government security expert, even though no one can quite remember her. When a link emerges between the old lady and a diplomat trying to flee the country, it seems that an impossible murder has been committed.Mrs Hoffman wasn't the only one at risk. Bryant is convinced that other forgotten women with hidden talents are also in danger. And, curiously, they all own models of London Bridge.With the help of some of their more certifiable informants, the detectives follow the strangest of clues in an investigation that will lead them through forgotten alleyways to the city's oldest bridge in search of a desperate killer.But just when the case appears to be solved, they discover that Mrs Hoffman was smarter than anyone imagined. There's a bigger game afoot that could have terrible consequences. It's time to celebrate Bryant and May's twentieth anniversary as their most lunatic case yet brings death and rebirth to London's most peculiar crimes unit.

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The Psalms can be sung, spoken or read – but they were written to be prayed. Until we pray them from the heart we miss their purpose. The two volumes of Teaching Psalms aim to get the reader’s heart engaging with this beautiful book of the Bible. If you love, or want to love, or think perhaps you ought to love the Psalms, these volumes are for you. Volume 1 acts as a handbook: – How to pray the Psalms – How to teach the Psalms – The difficulties we face in the Psalms – Integrating the Psalms into the Bible story Volume 2 picks up on the groundwork laid and begins with an overview of the structure of the Psalter. It then goes through the book of Psalms, giving an introduction to each one. It does not seek to compete with a commentary in that it does not approach each verse individually; however it offers what few commentaries attempt – a careful look at the message behind the book as a whole.

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With the rapid development of the Internet of Things, a gap has emerged in skills versus knowledge in an industry typically segmented into hardware versus software. Practitioners are now expected to possess capabilities across the spectrum of hardware and software skills to create these smart devices.This book explores these skill sets in an instructive way, beginning at the foundations of what makes “smart” technology smart, addressing the basics of hardware and hardware design, software, user experiences, and culminating in the considerations and means of building a fully formed smart device, capable of being used in a commercial capacity, versus a DIY project. Practical Smart Device Design and Construction includes a set of starter projects designed to encourage the novice to build and learn from doing. Each project also includes a summary guiding you where to go next, and how to tie the practical, hands-on experience together with what they have learned to take the next step on their own.What You'll Learn Practical smart device design and construction considerations such as size, power consumption, wiring needs, analog vs digital, and sensor types and uses Methods and tools for creating their own designs such as circuit board designs; and wiring and prototyping tools Hands-on guidance through their own prototype projects and building it alongside the projects in this book Software considerations for speed versus ease, security, and basics of programming and data analytics for smart devices Who This Book Is ForThose with some technical skills, or at least a familiarity with technical topics, who are looking for the means and skills to start experimenting with combined hardware and software projects in order to gain familiarity and comfort with the smart device space.

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Never heard before real stories of soldiers who fought in WW2 'Extraordinary ...If they had not made our war their war also, victory might not have come in 1945' DAILY TELEGRAPHIn this powerful and moving narrative, Christopher Somerville skilfully links personal testimonies to present an epic which embraces comedy and tragedy, pride and degradation, close comradeship and stark racial prejudice, devotion to the benign Mother Country and a burning desire to see the back of her. Many of the veterans had never previously talked of their experiences, even to close loved ones. They cover such topics as attitudes to Britain before and after the war, why Commonwealth citizens offered to fight, and how some volunteers were inspired by their wartime service while others were thoroughly disillusioned. The result is a rare and faithful memoir to the five million Commonwealth citizens who fought for the Allies and the 170,000 who died or went missing.

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The second novel of the galaxy-spanning Sun Eater series merges the best of space opera and epic fantasy, as Hadrian Marlowe continues down a path that can only end in fire. Hadrian Marlowe is lost. For half a century, he has searched the farther suns for the lost planet of Vorgossos, hoping to find a way to contact the elusive alien Cielcin. He has not succeeded, and for years has wandered among the barbarian Normans as captain of a band of mercenaries. Determined to make peace and bring an end to nearly four hundred years of war, Hadrian must venture beyond the security of the Sollan Empire and among the Extrasolarians who dwell between the stars. There, he will face not only the aliens he has come to offer peace, but contend with creatures that once were human, with traitors in his midst, and with a meeting that will bring him face to face with no less than the oldest enemy of mankind. If he succeeds, he will usher in a peace unlike any in recorded history. If he fails...the galaxy will burn.

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The old county of Sussex is one of the most beautiful in England, but beneath its rural idyll lies a history that is surprising and often shocking. Local author and historian Christopher Horlock brings us some of the county's strange and mythical tales, bringing together a whole range of places, events and people that are seldom mentioned in standard histories or guides. Interesting remains, strange happenings, hoaxes, witchcraft and unusual memorials are featured, along with some new reminiscences on smuggling. Several little-known hill figures are featured, plus some famous individuals not usually associated with Sussex, including Guy Fawkes, Vincent van Gogh and John F. Kennedy. It’s an unusual mix of the curious, the quaint and the mysterious, where even those who know Sussex well will find something new and surprising.

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The Hellenistic pike-phalanx was a true military innovation, transforming the face of warfare in the ancient world. For nearly 200 years, from the rise of the Macedonians as a military power in the mid-fourth century BC, to their defeat at the hands of the Romans at Pydna in 168BC, the pike-wielding heavy infantryman (the phalangite) formed the basis of nearly every Hellenistic army to deploy on battlefields stretching from Italy to India. And yet, despite this dominance, and the vast literature dedicated to detailing the history of the Hellenistic world, there remains fierce debate among modern scholars about how infantry combat in this age was actually conducted. Christopher Matthews critically examines phalanx combat by using techniques such as physical re-creation, experimental archaeology, and ballistics testing, and then comparing the findings of this testing to the ancient literary, artistic and archaeological evidence, as well as modern theories. The result is the most comprehensive and up-to-date study of what heavy infantry combat was like in the age of Alexander the Great and his Successors.

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Statistical Thermodynamics An accessible and rigorous approach to thermodynamics and statistical mechanics In Statistical Thermodynamics: An Information Theory Approach, distinguished physicist Dr. Christopher Aubin delivers an accessible and comprehensive treatment of the subject from a statistical mechanics perspective. The author discusses the most challenging concept, entropy, using an information theory approach, allowing readers to build a solid foundation in an oft misunderstood and critically important physics concept. This text offers readers access to complimentary online materials, including animations, simple code, and more, that supplement the discussions of complex topics in the book. It provides calculations not usually provided in comparable textbooks that demonstrate how to perform the mathematics of thermodynamics in a systematic way. Readers will also find authoritative explorations of relevant theory accompanied by clear examples of applications and experiments, as well as: A brief introduction to information theory, as well as discussions of statistical systems, phase space, and the Microcanonical Ensemble Comprehensive explorations of the laws and mathematics of thermodynamics, as well as free expansion, Joule-Thomson expansion, heat??engines, and refrigerators Practical discussions of classical and quantum statistics, quantum ideal gases, and blackbody radiation Fulsome treatments of novel topics, including Bose-Einstein condensation, the Fermi gas, and black hole thermodynamics Perfect for upper-level undergraduate students studying statistical mechanics and thermodynamics, Statistical Thermodynamics: An Information Theory Approach provides an alternative and accessible approach to the subject.

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‘Somerville is one of our finest gazetteers of the British countryside. He brings his formidable knowledge to bear on his personal quest to explore the cathedrals in this entrancing book’The SpectatorChristopher Somerville, author of the acclaimed The January Man, pictured cathedrals as great unmoving bastions of tradition. But as he journeys among Britian’s favourites, old and new, he discovers buildings and communities that have been in constant upheaval for a thousand years. Here are stories of the monarchs and bishops who ordered the construction of these buildings, the masons whose genius brought them into being, and the peasants who worked and died on the scaffolding. We learn of rogue saints exploited by holy sinners, the pomp and prosperity that followed these ships of stone, the towns that grew up in their shadows.Meeting believers and non-believers, architects and archaeologists, the cleaner who dusts the monuments and the mason who judges stone by its taste, we delve deep into the private lives and the uncertain future of these ever-voyaging Ships of Heaven.‘Somerville paints word pictures of exquisite quality’Church Times

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AP Teachers’ #1 Choice!Ready to succeed in your AP course and ace your exam? Our 5 Steps to a 5 guides explain the tough stuff, offer tons of practice and explanations, and help you make the most efficient use of your study time. 5 Steps to a 5: AP Physics 2: Algebra-Based is more than a review guide, it’s a system that has helped thousands of students walk into test day feeling prepared and confident.Everything You Need for a 5: 3 full-length practice tests that align with the latest College Board requirements Hundreds of practice exercises with answer explanations Comprehensive overview of all test topics Proven strategies from seasoned AP educators Study on the Go: All instructional content in digital format (available online and on mobile devices) Interactive practice tests with answer explanations A self-guided, personalized study plan with daily goals, powerful analytics, flashcards, games, and more A Great In-class Supplement: 5 Steps is an ideal companion to your main AP text Includes an AP Physics 2: Algebra-Based Teacher’s Manual that offers excellent guidance to educators for better use of the 5 Steps resources

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Publisher's Note: Products purchased from Third Party sellers are not guaranteed by the publisher for quality, authenticity, or access to any online entitlements included with the product.The new Must Know series is like a lightning bolt to the brainDeveloping a good grasp of physics doesn’t have to be a frustrating experience. This book offers a unique approach to self-study that makes it easier to build new physics skills. Every school subject has must know ideas, or essential concepts, that lie behind it. This book will use that fact to help you learn in a unique way. Most study guides start a chapter with a set of goals, often leaving the starting point unclear. In Must Know High School Physics, however, each chapter will immediately introduce you to the must know idea, or ideas, that lie behind the new physics topic. As you learn these must know ideas, the book will show you how to apply that knowledge to solving physics problems.Focused on the essential concepts of physics, this accessible guide will help you develop a solid understanding of the subject quickly and painlessly. Clear explanations are accompanied by numerous examples and followed with more challenging aspects of physics. Practical exercises close each chapter and will instill you with confidence in your growing physics skills.Must Know High School Physics features: •Each chapter begins with the must know ideas behind the new topic•Extensive examples illustrate these must know ideas•Students learn how to apply this new knowledge to problem solving•250 practical review questions instill confidence•IRL (In Real Life) sidebars present real-life examples of the subject at work in culture, science, and history•Special BTW (By the Way) sidebars provide study tips, exceptions to the rule, and issues students should pay extra attention to•Bonus app includes 100 flashcards to reinforce what students have learned

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In the years before the war, Sylvie Charlot was a leading light in Paris fashion with many friends among musicians, artists and writers. Now she is largely forgotten. Spending time in Paris during a break in his acting career, Colin Mallory sees a striking portrait of Sylvie. Some think it is a late work by Edouard Vuillard but there is no signature or documentary evidence to support this view. The picture has some unusual qualities, not least the presence of a shadow of something that cannot be seen. Perhaps the picture was once larger. Colin feels an odd sense of connection with Sylvie, who seems to be looking at him, appealing to him, wanting to tell him something. Despite a warning not to pursue his interest in her portrait, he is determined to find out more about the painting, who painted it, and why it was hidden for many years. Colin's search takes him back to the film and theatre worlds of Paris and London in the 1930s - and to a house in present-day Sussex. As he uncovers the secrets of Sylvie's past, her portrait seems to take on a life of its own.

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Stephen Marling thought he knew his aunt Flora. But when he inherits her house in a quiet south London square a series of discoveries among her papers brings to light another person entirely. Who, for example, is 'Mr Magenta' and what part did he play in her life? In the process of uncovering the secrets of one life, Stephen is forced to re-evaluate his own and decide what he really wants. Was he right to turn his back on Nancy Steiner, the young actress he met in New York, when he came home to take up his inheritance? Interweaving past and present, the story takes him from a Brooklyn bookshop to a theatre in Marseille to a cottage on the east coast of England where the truth about Mr Magenta is finally revealed.

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This is the third novel from award-winning novelist Christopher Hinz. Beginning where the critically acclaimed Liege-Killer and Ash Ock ended, The Paratwa chronicles the lives of the Irryan colonists as they prepare for the imminent attack of the fierce and vicious Paratwa assassins. Facing the threat of their dark enemies, Gillian must also cope with his inner turmoil, as the madness of his nature threatens to consume his life. He discovers that he is a genetically modified creature whose purpose is to serve the needs of others, and the course of his destiny is not in his own hands. File Under: Science Fiction [ Grand Finale | Both Sides Now | Ashes to Ash Ock | Biodyssey ]

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'A delight . . . a glorious, witty and life-affirming ragbag of autobiography, cultural commentary and hard-won wisdom.' ANDREW TAYLOR, author of The Shadows of London'Perceptive, wise and illuminating . . . an unmissable farewell.' Barry Forshaw, FINANCIAL TIMES'The most hilarious, life-affirming book you’ll read this year.' SAGA magazine'Wit and wisdom that make every page turn . . . what a fine talent the world has lost.' STARBURSTThis is the memoir Christopher Fowler always wanted to write about 'writing'.It's the story of how a young bookworm growing up in a house where there was nothing to read but knitting pamphlets and motorcycle manuals became a writer - a 'word monkey' - and pursued a sort of career in popular fiction. And it's a book full of brilliant insights into the pleasures and pitfalls of his profession, dos and don'ts for would-be writers, and astute observations on favourite (and not-so-favourite) novelists.But woven into this hugely entertaining and inspiring reflection on a literary life is an altogether darker thread. In Spring 2020, just as the world went into lockdown, Chris was diagnosed with terminal cancer. And yet there is nothing of the misery memoir about Word Monkey. Past and present intermingle as, in prose as light as air, he relates with wry humour and remarkable honesty what he knows will be the final chapter in his story.Deeply moving, insightful and surprisingly funny, this is Christopher Fowler's life-affirming account of coming to terms with his own mortality.'A remarkable book by a remarkable writer: amazingly entertaining and informative and also, for obvious reasons, one of the most moving.' SIMON MASON, author of the DI Wilkins Mysteries'Wonderful . . . there is no bitterness here, but a hearty celebration of how art defines a life, with dark humour on the right occasions and the deliberate aim to leave a positive message . . . his enthusiasm is infectious and sobering when you are aware that he was dying as he wrote these pages.' Maxim Jacubowski, CRIME TIME

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In every detective’s life there are cases that can’t be discussed, and throughout the Bryant & May novels there have been mentions of some of these such as the Deptford Demon or the Little Italy Whelk Smuggling Scandal.Now Arthur Bryant has decided to open the files on eleven of these previously unseen investigations that required the collective genius and unique modus operandi of Arthur Bryant and John May and the Peculiar Crimes Unit - investigations that range from different times (London during the Great Smog) and a variety of places: a circus freak show, on board a London Tour Bus and even a yacht off the coast of Turkey. And in addition to these eleven classic cases, readers are also given a privileged look inside the Peculiar Crimes Unit (literally, with a cut away drawing of their offices), a guide to the characters of the Peculiar Crimes Unit, and access to the contents of Arthur Bryant’s highly individual library.

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In Which Mr May Makes A Mistake And Mr Bryant Goes Into The DarkOn a rainy winter night outside a run-down nightclub in the wrong part of London, four strangers meet for the first time at 4:00am.A few weeks later the body of an Indian textile worker is found hanging upside down inside a willow tree on Hampstead Heath. The Peculiar Crimes Unit is called in to investigate. The victim was found surrounded by the paraphernalia of black magic, and so Arthur Bryant and John May set off to question experts in the field. But the case is not what it appears. When another victim seemingly commits suicide, it becomes clear that in the London night is a killer who knows what people fear most. And he always strikes at 4:00am.In order to catch him, the PCU must switch to night shifts, but still the team draws a blank. John May takes a technological approach, Arthur Bryant goes in search of academics and misfits for help, for this is becoming a case that reveals impossibilities at every turn, not least that there's no indication of what the victims might have done to attract the attentions of a murderer that doesn’t seem to exist. But impossibilities are what the Peculiar Crimes Unit does best. As they explore a night city where all the normal rules are upended, they’re drawn deeper into a case that involves murder, arson, kidnap, blackmail, bats and the psychological effects of loneliness on Londoners. It's a trail that takes them from the poorest part of the East End to the wealthiest homes in North London - an investigation that can only end in tragedy…

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The defenestration of a ruthless theatre impresario's young son was definitely not the best way to end the play's first night party. And the crime scene itself was most unusual: a locked bedroom, with no sign of forced entry, no prints or traces of blood, just a sinister, life-size puppet of Mr Punch lying on the floor...Everyone at the party - from the dodgy producer and rakish male lead to the dour set designer and the assistant stage manager (the wild daughter of a prominent civil servant) - is a suspect. It's a perfect case for Bryant and May and the Peculiar Crimes Unit but the Home Office, wary of the PCU's eccentric methods and intensely aware of the potential political embarrassment, wants them off the investigation. The elderly detectives are not so easily deterred, however. Delving into the history of London theatre and the gruesome origins of 'Punch and Judy', they uncover a maniacal killer is at work - one who must be caught before it's curtains for everyone!

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Sudoku X is a brand new and irresistible twist on the sensational worldwide puzzle craze. It offers something new that no other Sudoku puzzle has offered before, the instantly recognisable 'X' formed by the diagonals.This first Sudoku X book includes 100 puzzles, varying in difficulty, and also in shape and size. As well as the classic 9-by-9 grid, there are 6-by-6 and 8-by-8 grids - all featuring Sudoku X's unique diagonal gameplay. This book will be a must-have for seasoned gamers looking for a new challenge but it also includes a full how-to section making it accessible to players who are new to Sudoku.Sudoku X is the essential fix for the millions of Sudoku addicts, both in the UK and overseas.

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This is a bawdy tale. Herein you will find gratuitous shagging, murder, spanking, maiming, treason, and heretofore unexplored heights of vulgarity and profanity,. . . If that's the sort of thing you think you might enjoy, then you have happened upon the perfect story!'So speaks Christopher Moore, one of America's funniest and bestselling authors, regarded as highly as classic satirists such as Terry Pratchett and Douglas Adams.Read Fool and discover for yourself why this book has dominated bestseller lists across the world, and why it has reduced millions of grown men and women to tears of helpless laughter...

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For those turning sixty, this new edition of Christopher Matthew's tribute to A. A. Milne's classic poems contains fresh material as well as the old favourites.'A wonderful present to sixty-year-olds' Auberon Waugh, Daily TelegraphWhen Christopher was six, the poems of Milne were always on hand to reassure him that other children were just as puzzled and naughty and silly as he was, and that grown-ups could be even sillier. When he turned sixty, he decided it was high time there was an equally reassuring volume for those of his generation who were not only more confused than ever, but were losing their teeth, their hair and, all too often, their car keys. What he did twenty years ago was to take some of Milne's best-loved poems from Now We Are Six for an older audience, with results that are often hilarious, sometimes rueful and always thought-provoking. Some verses are about realising one is not as young as one once thought, and not feeling quite as chipper as one once did; while others address some of the more disconcerting problems of modern life such as mobile telephones on trains, unsocial behaviour, traffic jams and the internet.

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In a world at war, the Dream Archipelago is a neutral zone, and therefore an alluring prospect to the young men on both sides of the conflict. In this interlinked collection of short stories and novellas, Christopher Priest explores war, relationships and forms of reality. Each tale is a truimph of quiet, steady craftsmanship, a model of ingenious design and subtle implication, and as a group they further enrich each other by interlocking cleverly, symmetrically and sometimes sinisterly.

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A tale of murder, artistic rivalry and literary trickery; a chinese puzzle of a novel where nothing is quite what it seems; a narrator whose agenda is artful and subtle; a narrative that pulls you in and plays an elegant game with you.The Dream Archipelago is a vast network of islands. The names of the islands are different depending on who you talk to, their very locations seem to twist and shift. Some islands have been sculpted into vast musical instruments, others are home to lethal creatures, others the playground for high society. Hot winds blow across the archipelago and a war fought between two distant continents is played out across its waters.THE ISLANDERS serves both as an untrustworthy but enticing guide to the islands, an intriguing, multi-layered tale of a murder and the suspect legacy of its appealing but definitely untrustworthy narrator.It shows Christopher Priest at the height of his powers and illustrates why he has remained one of the country's most prized novelists.Christopher Priest is a genre-leading author of SFF fiction. His novel, THE PRESTIGE, won a number of awards and was adapted into a critically acclaimed, Oscar-nominated film directed by Christopher Nolan (TENET, INCEPTION) starring Hugh Jackman (THE GREATEST SHOWMAN, X-MEN), Christian Bale (THE BIG SHORT, BATMAN BEGINS), Michael Caine (THE ITALIAN JOB) and Scarlett Johansson (MARRIAGE STORY, THE AVENGERS).

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Originally built to house the workers of Victorian London, Balaklava Street is now an oasis in the heart of Kentish Town and ripe for gentrification. But then the body of an elderly woman is found at Number 5. Her death would appear to have been peaceful but for the fact that her throat is full of river water. It falls to the Met's Peculiar Crimes Unit, led by London's longest-serving detectives, Arthur Bryant and John May, to search for something resembling a logical solution. Their initial investigations draw a blank and Bryant's attention is diverted into strange and arcane new territory, while May finds himself in hot water when he attempts to save the reputation of an academic whose knowledge of the city's forgotten underground rivers looks set to ruin his career. In the meantime, the new owner of Number 5 is increasingly unsettled by the damp in the basement of her home, the particularly resilient spiders and the ghostly sound of rushing water . . .Pooling their information to investigate hitherto undiscovered secrets of the city, Bryant and May make some sinister connections and realize that, in a London filled with the rich, the poor and the dispossessed, there's still something a desperate individual is willing to kill for - and kill again to protect. With the PCU facing an uncertain future, the death toll mounts and two of British fiction's most enigmatic detectives must face madness, greed and revenge, armed only with their wits, their own idiosyncratic practices and a plentiful supply of boiled sweets, in a wickedly sinuous mystery that goes to the heart of every London home.

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One night, Arthur Bryant witnesses a drunk middle-aged lady coming out of a pub in a London backstreet. The next morning, she is found dead at the exact spot where their paths crossed. Even more disturbing, the pub has vanished. Bryant is convinced that he saw them as they were over a century before, but the elderly detective has already lost the funeral urn of an old friend. Could he be losing his mind as well?Then it becomes clear that a number of women have met their ends in London pubs. It seems a silent, secret killer is at work, striking in full view...and yet nobody has a clue how, or why - or where he'll attack next. The likeliest suspect seems to be a mental patient with a reason for killing. But knowing who the killer is and catching him are two very different propositions. As their new team at the Peculiar Crimes Unit goes in search of a madman, the octogenarian detectives ready themselves for the pub crawl of a lifetime, and come face to face with their own mortality...

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When Eragon finds a polished stone in the forest, he thinks it is the lucky discovery of a poor farm boy; perhaps it will buy his family meat for the winter. But when the stone brings a dragon hatchling, Eragon soon realizes he has stumbled upon a legacy nearly as old as the Empire itself. Overnight his simple life is shattered and he is thrust into a perilous new world of destiny, magic and power. With only an ancient sword and the advice of an old storyteller for guidance, Eragon and the fledgling dragon must navigate the dangerous terrain and dark enemies of an Empire ruled by a king whose evil knows no bounds. Can Eragon take up the mantle of the legendary Dragon Riders? The fate of the Empire may rest in his hands...

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Darkness falls . . . Despair abounds . . . Evil reigns . . . Eragon and his dragon, Saphira, have just saved the rebel state from destruction by the mighty forces of King Galbatorix, cruel ruler of the Empire. Now Eragon must travel to Ellesméra, land of the elves, for further training in magic and swordsmanship, the vital skills of the Dragon Rider. It is the journey of a lifetime, filled with awe-inspiring new places and people, each day a fresh adventure. But chaos and betrayal plague him at every turn, and Eragon isn't sure whom he can trust.Meanwhile, his cousin Roran must fight a new battle back home in Carvahall - one that puts Eragon in even graver danger.Will the king's dark hand strangle all resistance? Eragon may not escape with even his life . . .

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