Search results for ""The Book Guild Ltd""

In the dead of night, Danny Deacon rushes to his daughter's bedside, finding her in a coma following a street robbery. Desperate for answers, he discovers the Police know exactly who carried out the attack, but they can''t arrest them due to lack of evidence. The only solution is for him to take the law into his own hands.The line between justice and revenge becomes blurred as Danny races against time to hunt down his daughter's attackers before his own murky past catches up with him.

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A Time to Care offers a hard-hitting insider's account of the impact of the coronavirus pandemic in residential care homes around Britain.A deeply personal story with much wider resonance, it lays bare what you don't know and what care home operators don't want you to know. Describing the toll inflicted by the pandemic on residents and staff alike, it also recalls the courage and generosity inspired by extraordinary circumstances.A Time to Care is a challenge, a call to action, and a plea for you not to look away. It sheds light on the day-to-day experiences of care home residents, calling for greater recognition of care staff and the work they do. Above all, it asks you to care.

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The Cotswold Manor Hotel welcomes an eclectic mix of guests, and on one fateful Friday evening, two witnesses overhear an argument in a neighbouring room, followed by a loud thud. The next morning, the maid discovers the room has been vacated; all that remains is a dried bloodstain on the carpet.Detective Chief Inspector Chloe Taylor attends the scene, and soon after, a body is discovered in the lake on the hotel grounds, launching a murder inquiry. It soon becomes clear that the case is much bigger than she initially thought when one of her key suspects is linked to a terrorism investigation. A DCI from the Counter Terrorism Unit is quickly assigned to work alongside her.As the investigation progresses, they are confronted by lies and deceit, suspicious characters, fake identities, and a case that threatens to spiral out of control. As DCI Taylor wrestles with the murder case and the politics of working with CTU, the mounting pressure leads her to make impulsive ch

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1580.Nelan Michaels docks at Plymouth after sailing around the world aboard the Golden Hind. He seeks only to master his mystical powers the mark of the salamander, that mysterious spirit of fire and reunite with his beloved Eleanor.After delivering a message to Francis Walsingham, he's recruited into the service of the Queen's spymaster, where his astral abilities help him to predict and thwart future plots against the realm.But in 1588, the Spanish Armada threatens England's shores.So how could the fledgling navy of a small, misty isle on the edge of mainland Europe repulse the greatest fleet in the world?Was the Queen right when she claimed it was divine intervention, saying, He blew with His winds, and they were scattered!'?Or was it an entirely different intervention the extraordinary conjunction of coincidences that Nelan's astral powers brought to bear on that fateful Midnight of Eights?

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When famous actress Vanessa Forsyth is found dead in her dressing room, with a bullet hole in her head and a gun on the floor, everyone assumes she has taken her own life. It is only a matter of time, however, before DI Ronnie Twist and her sergeant, Luke Carter, discover that the film star was murdered. As suspicion falls on Vanessa’s family and friends, the police discover that more than one person had reason to want her out of the way. And as the net closes around her own family, Vanessa’s neighbour and protégée, Billie, finds that those she trusts most have more secrets than she ever imagined. Set in the market town of Beverley, The Narcissist is the third Twist in the Tale novel.

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Sophie Miller knows she’s not cool and is dreading starting secondary school. Her worst fears prove founded when she’s targeted by bully Demelza Rice on her first day. To add to her problems, her family are seriously embarrassing. Parents’ night arrives and, just as she predicts, they completely humiliate her. As Sophie struggles to stand up to her enemy, everything seems to unravel: her mum gets a job, making her feel abandoned, her best friend’s mum runs away and, worst of all, her best friend starts going out with Sophie’s brother. Feeling desperate, she acts out of character and lands herself in trouble, but the question is, will Sophie be brave enough when it really matters? This is a story that proves it’s OK to be different and shows that with a little help from friends and family you can achieve anything.

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Pianist Max Silento has been murdered, but who did it? It wasn’t Scarlet – she would have made it look like a death of natural causes, and then DI Ronnie Twist and her sergeant, Luke Carter, wouldn’t be poking around. Scarlet would do almost anything for retired judge Ada, but going to jail was never part of the bargain. Unable to confide in her manipulative employer and benefactor, Scarlet knows one of her new-found family must be to blame… but what could the motive possibly be? Who is the killer in the seemingly perfect Rosewood family? As the police net closes in around her, Scarlet puts her home-grown detective skills to use in a race against time to uncover the killer before she is arrested herself. Set in the market town of Beverley, this is the second Twist in the Tale novel.

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Britain''s answer to Marilyn Monroe. This tag was to hang around Diana Dors'' neck during the 1950s. As Diana would often point out she had been working professionally a lot longer than Monroe. Her first appearance was in 1946 in The Shop at Sly Corner, while still a student at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art. Diana, like Marilyn, was blonde, curvy and sexy, but that''s where the comparison ended. Her range as an actress encompassed everything from comedy to Greek tragedy.She was a real person a quality that endeared her to the public, but above all, she was a survivor.Diana was also a talented writer compiling two autobiographies of herself, as well as her three A - Z books. Diana had a prolific career covering every facet of the entertainment industry - theatre, cabaret, film and TV.Passport to Fame is a comprehensive study of Diana''s work across her 40 years of filmmaking. The book is also an invaluable source of reference to the fil

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1454. Tensions are rising between the Houses of York and Lancaster. On the brink of civil war, unease and distrust fill the air, and nobody can be trusted.Bethany Mortimer, in search of a miracle cure for her impending blindness, leaves her manor and her bereaved father to visit the Holy Shrine at Walsingham. Feeling that she has little to lose, she breaks the bonds of familiarity and sets out on an adventure. Along the way her life is changed forever when her path crosses that of Sir William Oldhall, Richard Duke of York and their kinsman Pip Harsyck.Surprised at a request to deliver a sealed letter to the House of the Friars Minor at Little Walsingham, Bethany believes that she is carrying news of great political importance, little does she know that what she is carrying is something of far greater significance. Something that can unravel the mysteries of her lineage and something that Queen Margaret of Anjou will stop at nothing to get.

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A coming-of-age story of a beautiful, precocious, headstrong young woman whose life is marked by tragedy.Savannah,born in 1870, grows up in a loving family at Longridge Hall, surrounded by wealth and privilege. One summer, at the age of seventeen, her reckless behaviour and determination to win the wager set by her school friends leads from an ill-judged liaison with a servant to the man of her dreams, a young Irishman whose attentions hide an ulterior motive.Savannah's journey to self-discovery involves heartbreak, pain and loss.

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His life's a mess, his wife's betrayed him and he's being framed for murder. Daniel Kendrick must find the killer before he loses everythingAfter three months in prison on remand for killing the psychopath that murdered his baby, surgeon Daniel Kendrick is finally acquitted and returns to work. However, his life once again spirals into a harrowing nightmare when he is ensnared in a twisted game of deception and betrayal.Framed by a sadistic serial killer for the chilling deaths of two of his own patients, Daniel finds himself in a desperate race against time to find the real killer. But in his pursuit of the truth, things take a dark turn when he exposes a horrifying illegal underworld of human body trafficking.In the second in the Daniel Kendrick series, Daniel must stop the ruthless perpetrators before he loses his wife, his career and his next patient.

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Don't touch it's poisonous, thirteen-year-old Jess Ponder, the Schools' Secret Agency Double A-Star' agent, tells schoolmate and master of the forged sick-note, Leo Sleepwell, when he sees a trail of dried, gold saliva on the seal of an envelope. The letter it contained was sent to Jess by the notorious Nine-carat, aka The Man with the Golden Tongue'.The head of the agency pulls Jess from the mission to locate Ms Higson, developer of the Plascrylics Aspitator, which could rid the world of its discarded plastic. Jess is just too valuable to risk losing. However, ignoring advice to return to school and improve her algebra, Jess persuades Leo to accompany her to Italy, then Hong Kong, to track down Nine-carat and thwart his dastardly plan to use the Plascrylics Aspitator as a weapon.So begins a fast-paced, James Bond-inspired adventure where Jess must contend with not only Nine-carat's evil intentions, but also his mischievous monkey, a martial arts-mad man in flares,

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Why are extraordinary creatures disappearing from the Banana Sanctuary for Amazing Animals? When explorer Billy Banana mysteriously vanishes while on a mission to rescue the world's deadliest and smelliest Amazonian frog, his son Arthur is left home alone. Can Arthur save their beloved sanctuary from the clutches of Aunt Hernia and her gang of terrifying underworld villains?With the help of cousin Rubella, the pair of young eco-warriors desperately try to foil Hernia's dastardly plot to turn the sanctuary into flats. Easier said than done when your master plan involves a zombie sloth that only wants to eat brains, a penguin with an attitude problem and a miniature gorilla who refuses to be squeezed into a pair of pyjamas for an important meeting!

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How James Bond Saved My Life is a unique self-help memoir. The author takes you on a journey through cinema, delving into the significance of cinematic role models and how cinematic characters can empower and inspire young minds, be it Bond, Batman or Wonder Woman.David shares his experiences as a non-verbal school child requiring speech therapy and his childhood growing up in Northern Ireland during the Troubles to establish the significance of cinema. David intertwines personal anecdotes from his past, the bullying at school, and his struggle in learning to speak, with his professional expertise as a qualified youth worker and film tutor to present a compelling case for the importance of switching off from the everyday world and tuning into the world of cinema.

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It's January 1982, and Britain will soon be at war with Argentina. But that's not why Terry's life is falling apart. Forty-five and recently redundant from the only job he's ever had, he and his wife Pat are forced to sell their home and move into a static caravan.The only chink of light is the unlikely success of the White Hart darts team, but Terry's teammates face problems of their own: Phil suspects his wife is having an affair, while Tom's is depressed about their inability to conceive. Then Terry's son reveals some surprising news, and Terry makes a visit to the doctor that leaves him with no choice but to consider what matters most in his life.Slings and Arrows is a funny and moving novel about love, family, friendship and darts.

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Cape Town, in the 1960s.Love across the colour bar is a criminal offence punishable by imprisonment.John Terreblanche, a police reporter seeking redemption, tells the story of a Xhosa nurse, Promise Madiba, a Dutch doctor, Willem Jansen, and a Malay prostitute, Marja de Koning, who engage in a passionate love triangle in the shadow of the Sharpeville massacre, as South Africa lurches towards becoming a Republic.Violent yet tender, Immorality Act spans from Indonesia to Cape Town and is a moving account of the impact of apartheid, racism and colonialism on lives in the twentieth century, as well as a celebration of the ungovernability of the human spirit.

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Jumping up of a sudden, Wild Bill let fly:Dang it if I ain't a snap-happy joy-jiggered delight-diddlin' son-of-a-gold-digger!And we're off to America, announced Bertrand cheerfully. We are going to visit the great United States.In Bertrand and Wally Go to America, our intrepid insects go to the USA.To New York City, where they meet Barnstorm Beetle, a Manhattan mobster, the Hood for robbing but in the manner of a Robin Hood! And to Tuxedo, Arizona the Wild West of Budge Cassidy and the Tapdance Kid and the cool cowboy cricket Squint Eatwood.Featuring fun illustrations by Brian P Ceney, this book is suitable for readers aged twelve and above, but would also suit grown-ups under close supervision, of course!

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Recovering from injuries received in the desert, Luftwaffe fighter ace Jochen Murville dreams of playing the piano and living in Sweden with Gerda, the Jewish woman whose escape from Germany he engineered. However, his engagement to Lotte still stands no matter how much her Nazi beliefs horrify him.Germany is being bombed night and day and Hitler, when Jochen meets him, seems deluded. Where is the country going? With the Russians advancing on Berlin and the end approaching for the Nazi Reich, will Jochen escape the cataclysm?Following on from the events of The Best One There and inspired by the character of Hans-Joachim Marseille, The End of It is a powerful and gripping study of the downfall of the Third Reich and of the fate of a humane man as it collapses.

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In an age of revolution, revolt and reinvention, Leon Odling is reduced to stoking coal in a fiery hellhole. His troubles are doubled when he encounters the Governor's enchanting, wilful daughter.For her part, Eliza Elvidge is smitten with the stoker. She must have him whatever the cost.Drawn into a sinister world of lost boys and subversive science, neither could have known how high a price must be paid. By them both.

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Summer 1963. Former ''POW'' Hugo, his wife Rene and young family set out from Cornwall to introduce their children to their Bavarian cousins at a family reunion. His belief: that if children are brought up to know one another, there will be no more wars. However, there is one thing he hasn''t taken into consideration - The Wall. The journey in a Morris Minor van is long and tedious. On the continent, memories of his wartime experiences are triggered, and Hugo finds that the ''ghosts'' of his past haunt him at every turn...

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When the Saxons, invited to settle in Britannia by King Wyrtgeorn, brutally murder the father and brother of Ceredig, the second son of a fifth century Romano-British chieftain, he flees the land of his birth.While the Saxons expand their control over Britannia, Ceredig grows up in Armorica, learning the ways of the Gewisse, and ultimately taking command of this elite force of warriors, who had remained loyal to his father, Elisedd.Despite ruling as a chieftain in Armorica, Ceredig remains determined to return to his homeland, avenge his father and brother's murder, and finally reclaim the lands his father had once ruled in southern Britannia.After over forty years in exile, Ceredig, his son and a force of Gewisse warriors return to Britannia, joining a large army of Britons who are preparing to take on the Saxons in battle at Badonbyrg.What happens next will go down in history

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“I, Archimedes the mathematician, son of Phidias the astronomer, prostrate myself before the goddess of wisdom. May Athena restore our people to her favour and see us through the descending storm…” So begins The Beast in the Labyrinth, a story of sly and pitiless ambition. Hieron, the tyrant of Syracuse, is struggling to chart a course between the warring empires of Rome and Carthage. His only close confidante is his eccentric cousin, Archimedes. But Hieron is ninety years old, and his nobles are scheming in the shadows. The two old men turn to Dion, the kingdom’s most brutal warrior. Surrounded by smiling enemies, and menaced by the rival empires, Dion’s mental stability comes under increasing pressure. Will he prove the kingdom’s salvation or its destruction?

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Cat Society is a witty and bonkers story of life and politics in Westminster – reimagining the debates, events and headlines of recent years had the world been run by cats. A lot changes. A lot doesn’t. The country is on the brink of bankruptcy, and backbencher Douglas Schnitty is disappointed with the thousands of homeless cats sleeping by the bins. He gets frustrated with higher powers who only seem to care about their own interests and preserving the country’s finances. He schmoozes and sabotages his way through the political elite, from assisting the bombastic Hector Perp Pahpousson to disrupting the plans of the Prime Minister. Can his conscience save him, and the slum cats, as events spiral out of control?

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Imagine a world where children get to make the rules… After zany scientist Max Splatter invents a breakfast cereal designed to boost children’s brainpower, strange things start happening. Follow three ordinary children, Patch Patterson, Fred Crosby and Romany Wishbone, as they discover astonishing new powers and begin getting their own back on the grown-ups who’ve been making their lives a misery. When the adults begin fighting back, the kids organise a rebellion to do battle with the prime minister, George Bourne-Tarool, and the entire British army…

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Are you thinking about going on holiday by yourself, but not sure where to start? There are many reasons why you might decide to holiday alone and it can be a really rewarding experience – but also quite daunting. With useful tips and advice, join Hannah as she uses up her annual leave on adventures from Devon and Jersey to Arizona and Nova Scotia. Filled with insights on choosing the right trip for you, here is your ultimate guide to making your solo holiday a success. Get ready to enjoy some quality ‘me time’ and create memories that will last forever.

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My life fell apart surprisingly quickly. In the end, that particular end, did I jump? Or did she offer me a last-minute reprieve? I call out as I run towards the lighthouse on the shoreline, between this place and the next. Am I lost or found? I just need to find out what’s real… What if the last night of your life never stops happening? The new book from the author of The Layers. A novella that explores themes of mental health, gender identity and truth; Darling Sorrow is a compelling story that might just have a happy ending.

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Sharks Are Scary Aren’t They? depicts the emotional journey of Charlie Parker, a fearful twelve-year-old boy, and Jane Jones, a retired dentist and scuba diver, who meet by chance on a beach. Despite the years that separate them, they discover they are more alike than they could have imagined. Sharing the world through the eyes of sharks, hearing about the struggles and dangers they face and how they are on the brink of extinction, brings our two friends closer together. In this book there are stories of shark encounters, the majesty of the underwater world and how the impact of human activity and plastic pollution is affecting their habitat. Most of all, the two characters learn about the power of the human spirit to change in the face of adversity.

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Middle East and Counter-Terrorism expert Anthony Paice uses research and analysis to trace the underlying causes of the Iraqi takeover of Kuwait in 1990, adding his own personal experiences of the events. He reveals how neither London nor Washington had their eyes on the ball in the months leading up to the invasion and missed opportunities to prevent it. The successful liberation of Kuwait, he contends, allowed American and British authorities to bury mistakes and hide behind bland denials – including that a special operation had compromised BA flight 149, leading to the detention of hundreds of passengers. This book explores this position and goes on to show how Western miscalculations have led to further sorry situations in the Middle East, culminating in the precipitate withdrawal of forces from Kabul in August 2021 and the disgraceful betrayal of the Afghan people.

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Wispy Fescue runs a detective agency with his colleagues, Strangely Drye and Miss Wanda Cushway. They’ve had a few unlikely successes, but recently there’s been a conspicuous lack of wires looking for their services. If they’re ever to make a name for themselves, they need a high-profile case – and soon. Wispy’s chance presents itself with the conviction of Miss Josephine Leighton, the prospective parliamentary candidate for Lewisham West, who is found guilty of murdering her fiancé in a preposterous miscarriage of justice. He and his colleagues are tasked with finding crucial evidence to overturn the conviction. Their mission takes them from Norfolk across England and over the Channel, and they take every opportunity to indulge in the local gastronomy on their travels. With only thirteen days until the sentencing, can Wispy find the real killer and save Josephine from the hangman’s noose?

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Jean Barr opens the antique chest she inherited from her great-great-uncle Alexander and unravels the strands of his life as an evangelical Presbyterian minister in late nineteenth century Italy, unpacking the cover-ups in Britain’s history of Empire, and bringing to light the ingenious but ordinary ways in which a handful of families, even today, continue to shore up their wealth. She uncovers a series of marriages that placed Alexander within shouting distance of a network of powerful families stretching over generations, families whose staying power has been rooted in hoarding and passing on land and capital. This is the backdrop to Alexander’s extraordinary life. It enabled him to flourish in Italy and, in his final years, to become a cheerleader for a dictator. The Legacy: A Memoir is a telling of family history as world history.

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When human remains are found deep in an Irish peat bog, the National Museum of Ireland takes charge and their bog body specialist, Carrie O’Neill, begins to investigate. She notices unexpected features on this well-preserved body and later tests suggest an intriguing history. As Carrie tries to make sense of all she learns, speculation sends people reeling. Repercussions ripple throughout the world, pulling Carrie into the ensuing controversy. She finds herself caught up in events that she has not foreseen and cannot control. The more she delves into the mystery that is the talk of every TV show, the more she is warned off. Fear and outrage mount as she prepares a much-anticipated exhibition of their precious discovery. The Find raises one almighty question that will shake up everything we think we know. "With great attention to detail, beautiful prose, and strong vivid characters – Holmes takes us on a fascinating journey where archaeology and religion meet in explosive tensions to reveal hidden dangers, historical mysteries and difficult choices. A page-turner from start to finish." Dr Emma Tollefsen, bog body scientist.

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As he explores his sexuality, Pete, a gay photographer, experiences the cruelties and injustices of a world completely at odds with the tenets instilled in him during childhood. While sharing a Notting Hill squat during a seemingly endless summer with friends Mel and Baz, he meets Brad, a mysterious American, at a happening in Chalk Farm. Travelling to California in search of Brad, Pete, seeking love and adventure, ventures halfway around the world looking for answers only to find them back home once he crosses over The Opal Causeway. Set in the early 1970s, The Opal Causeway is a coming-of-age novel embracing historical, environmental, racial, social and sexual themes still so relevant today. "A pleasure to read … so pitch perfect on important social issues. The historical theme of the Gay Liberation movement is neatly told, both in US and in UK." Alan Mahar, former Publishing Director of Tindal Street Press

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‘A third presence has arrived in my marriage. Ms Alzheimer’s – I think of her as a hideous, brain-eating monster – has come to live with us. Permanently.’ In April 2017, Susan’s husband Nicholas was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s. This was followed by 28 months of relentless, rapid decline culminating in Nicholas’ death in August 2019. The Alzheimer’s Diaries (originally published as a blog) charts the progression of his illness, from diagnosis to the funeral. Susan dubbed the illness ‘Ms Alzheimer’s’ and describes the hateful impact on the man she loves. According to Alzheimer’s Research UK one person in 14 over the age of 65 has dementia, and in this thought-provoking account, Susan unflinchingly shares her story.

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When Tia reluctantly agrees to look after Bindu, her peevish, grumpy granddaughter, during half term, the last thing that she expects is to spend the week unravelling the theft of a seventeenth century painting Head of a Girl, ‘Hedova’. Hoping to start a new and more exciting life, Robert sets himself up as an art thief. His first target? A picture from the Whitler Gallery, where Tia and her recently widowed colleague Douglas work. Follow Douglas and Tia, an unlikely detective duo, as they investigate the theft and race frantically across the city to prevent the painting from being destroyed. Can Robert prove that he’s got what it takes to embark on a life of crime? And can Tia and Douglas save Hedova? What’s Going on at The Whitler? is a gentle detective story with elements of humour and fantasy, all punctuated by commentary from a Greek chorus of talking portraits for a unique twist.

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It is 1811 and Dr Robert Willan, a Quaker, leaves his practice in London, where he has dedicated his life to treating the poor, for Funchal, Madeira. There, he hopes that the year-round warm climate will help improve his health and enable him to return to his work and the service of God. During his harrowing course of treatment, he meets a group of unforgettable characters whose warmth, eccentricity and kindly humour provide medicine for the soul. Now known as ‘the father of dermatology’, Willan’s life is recounted in KG Fleury’s witty, often humorous style while vividly describing an island occupied by military forces, the ravages of consumption and the traumatic remedies that Willan must endure. At heart this is not a story of illness and suffering; rather it is a gentle, heart-warming tale of the power of true friendship and love.

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“I haven’t even heard of Edward the Elder.” “Few people have. Edward is a forgotten King of England and deserves much more credit than he has received. Let me tell you about him.” History is Leo’s favourite subject in school, and when he learns of the Saxon King, Edward the Elder, son of Alfred the Great and his amazing achievements he can’t help but be fascinated. Edward has ambitions to not only be King of Wessex but to regain the land taken by the Vikings during his father’s reign. To achieve this, he has the support of his sister the warrior Queen of Mercia, Athelflaed. Meanwhile, the Saxons at Maldon in Essex are threatened by Viking invaders and the prominent leading family there, who become tied up with these dramatic events, become closely connected to King Edward. The Forgotten King is a historical novel reflecting the life and times of the true first king of England, in all but name, bringing to life a lesser-known area of English History to transport readers back in time.

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Since the rise in deaths through Covid-19, there has been an increase in the need for personal, heartfelt ceremonies to celebrate the end of life. More and more people are questioning traditional ideas and realising that there are choices out there. Drawing upon her years of experience in working in the funeral industry, Sarah Chapman uniquely collates all the key information needed into a single comprehensive resource. This must-have guide will holistically support you from the moment someone dies to their funeral, while also empowering you to plan your own end-of-life care and ceremony. This step-by-step guide will take away the fear and uncertainty you may feel when faced with arranging the funeral of a loved one. It gives you back control in creating a fitting ceremony to celebrate their life, while also providing you with the tools to plan your own funeral in a way that is unique to you. It will help you to decide on the legacy you would like to leave for future generations, and you may even decide to plan your own living ceremony before you die.

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Nestled between the rolling green hills of Northamptonshire is a patch of ancient English native and non-native woodland that has its own story to tell. Journey through the wood and witness snapshots of moments in time through the seasons, at different times of day, in warm summer sunshine and winter storm, all over the course of a calendar year. Observe the wood’s beasts and birds; both small, large, bold, and secretive. The wood’s many plants and trees are recorded, and there is something of their mostly forgotten uses and their folklore. Along the way, the wood’s ever-changing character is captured meandering its passageways, through its many rooms and below its changing ceiling. The wood’s rich supply of stories, new and old, are also revealed as well as its secrets and surprises. There is magic in the wood, often glimpsed and fleeting. And the wild too. Of the Wood captures something of that magic and wild within the pages of its story.

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Rhodesia, 1972. Tessa Harmand is nine-years-old when a humiliating experience forever alters her naïve perception of the society in which she lives, forcing her to question her own attitude to her black compatriots – an attitude she’s inherited from her elders. Nathan Owen is twelve-years-old, dark haired and inscrutable. To Tessa, he is a dead-pan, distant ghost flitting into view and then dissolving in a blink… but an odd conversation with him only serves to heighten Tessa’s new and unwelcome awareness of the political uncertainty. As the first whisperings of the armed struggle that will transform Rhodesia into Zimbabwe gradually invade Tessa’s daily life, the adults in her world remain oddly dismissive, even as civil war becomes an inescapable reality. Tessa comes to realise that white dominated Africa belongs in the past; her optimism for the inevitable political change is shocking to a generation desperate to preserve what it has. But amid the chaos of a country fighting itself to reforge its identity, can Tessa hold on to what’s most important?

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The Cheerleader brings London to its knees, striking without mercy, killing a succession of people who appear to be unconnected to each other… or are they? Surrounded by death, newly transitioned London Underground worker Raagavi Saranthan cannot understand why all those around her are being violently murdered. Especially as it is those who have caused Raagavi misery who seem to be the victims of the mysterious Cheerleader. Enter Rachel Cortes, a DCI who seems to follow no laws, nor answer to anyone. Fuelled by her sheer disdain for everyone and everything, Cortes must investigate the psychological world of a killer intent on vengeance for all the right reasons. Nothing is off limits as depravity, sexuality and corruption merge with a sound moral compass complete with upstanding values. There is no line that the Cheerleader will not cross. Raagavi’s world is in the hands of all but herself. Through all of this, Rachel Cortes must navigate an investigation where a simple slight or misspoken truth results in the ultimate penalty. Can Cortes get to the bottom of the case or is the strangely supportive Cheerleader creating a better world?

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Liam is breezing through life. Not even a national lockdown can phase him and why would it? He can simply sit it out; watch the world go by from the safety of his apartment balcony. It’s a good plan and it would have worked too had it not been for the bearded homeless guy hanging out on the park bench below. When Liam mistakenly crosses him, there is no stopping the series of darkly comic events that follow and that will change Liam’s life forever. Praise for Andy Tilley’s previous novel, Recycling Jimmy: “Recycling Jimmy is energetic, imaginative, relentlessly and unabashedly vulgar, and at times, funny enough to make a cranky reviewer laugh out loud. This belongs on every eccentric fiction fan’s short list of oddball black comedies...” Booklist

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In affluent post Edwardian Melbourne, the lives of two sisters are irrevocably altered as the secrets and misdemeanours of their parents’ generation have a devastating impact on theirs. As the belle-epoch and the age of deference are shattered by a conflict begun in Europe, Agnes and Sarah will be challenged as volunteer nurses in a theatre of war that is like no conflict ever previously experienced. Meanwhile, others back home will be forced to confront the sins of their past…

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Despite the often-unimaginable horrors of war, bonds of family and friendship can hold us together… Peter Barth was born in Hamburg during the Second World War. Sound and Fury explores war-time memorabilia, tape-recorded conversations, photographs and letters, to uncover amazing stories about his three closest families during the war. All three families lived close by in Hamburg. Towards the end of July 1943, the RAF bombed the city, creating an enormous firestorm and killing 45,000 people. The families survived and were scattered around Europe. His father and cousin were sent to the siege of Leningrad, both returned severely wounded. The Koschel family moved to Krakow. When the Red Army moved west, they had to flee. They came close to being caught in the RAF firestorm of Dresden. Meanwhile the Barths were refugees in a pretty village close to Bergen-Belsen, the horror of which only emerged when it was liberated by the Allies. Just north of there, the Cap Arcona (with Uncle Adam on board) was anchored in the Bay of Lübeck with two other ships, after rescuing thousands of refugees and wounded soldiers. The SS took command and packed the ships with thousands of concentration camp victims. The day before the German forces surrendered, RAF planes bombed and sank them. No one knows why.

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Can love overcome death? A pharmacy storage room. The grim sight of the body of a youngster, eyes frozen into black holes and face livid. From the top of his ear spreads a bloody gunk – it’s clear that the Grim Reaper has taken his bounty. Nurse and pharmacist Sanna Blinck has had to learn to live her life as a strong, independent woman. Being a widower and an entrepreneur has meant honing her instincts and relying on her own gut. When her life is turned upside down by a vortex of events after coming upon the scene of a crime, she finds that the ghosts of her past have come to life. Using her wits to gain the trust (and love) of the policeman in charge of the murder investigation, Sanna will use everything at her disposal to get to the bottom of the case.

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It is summer of 1938, in the Czech spa town of Karlovy Vary. Life for the Dusek family – and their six-year-old son Jan – has been stable, unhurried, and full of promise. But times are changing. An idyllic childhood gives way to impending invasion and looming war. Jan’s parents choose to leave everything behind, to face an uncertain future. A following vivid and hazardous journey across Europe is often seen by Jan as an adventure rather than a danger. The family settle in England just two weeks before the start of World War Two, ready to put the past behind them as they build a new life in a new land. It is summer of 2019, as Jan returns to Karlovy for the first time in 80 years. An International Film Festival is in progress. How much more has the world changed? What remains the same? What other timeless and terrible challenges will bring about further immigration, settlement and belonging? Can the only strengthening shield be the power of love?

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WHAT WE BELIEVE ABOUT OURSELVES CAN MAKE OR BREAK US Two sixteen-year-old girls. Formerly best friends. Laura longs to be loved, the problem is, she doesn’t believe she’s worthy of it. Her attempts to find Mr Right have only led to a bad girl reputation and a person she no longer recognises as herself. After a devastating incident at a summer party Laura is forced to re-evaluate her life. Jess is gorgeous and smart with a good girl reputation, but all is not perfect in Jess’s world. The death of her baby brother leads to her mum’s breakdown, and as Jess struggles to come to terms with her new reality she develops obsessive compulsive disorder. Through the hurt, betrayal, loss and heartbreak, Laura and Jess’s lives become entangled again, in a story that’s real and compelling. There’s one thing that both Jess and Laura will come to understand: no matter what has happened in their pasts, it doesn’t have to define their future.

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It’s the late postgenomic era and the loss of habitable landmass has led to severe limits on human birth. In the drive for species perfection, fewer and fewer can breed, and the long-simmering tension between the reproductive ‘haves’ and ‘have nots’ is coming to the boil. A young woman’s body is found, and Detective Cooper-Clark (Coop to his friends) thinks it a routine case: yet another victim of the ‘red-dirt cocktail’ of drugs, disease and despair. But when he discovers the female had recently miscarried an illegal pregnancy, the case turns anything but routine. Convinced the lost baby is the key to the murder, Coop finds himself sucked into the dirty waters of state-sponsored eugenics and to the heart of an existential struggle for control over human reproduction.

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Kabul 2005: the body of Waheed, a UN agency driver, is found in a vehicle riddled with bullet holes. Gil Moncrief, an agency advisor already struggling over his wife's mysterious disappearance, searches for Waheed's killer in a city of intrigue and insecurity where police have no modern methods of detection or interest in solving the case. Through his search, Gil comes up against the ruthless men involved in schemes of bootlegging, corruption, kidnapping and heroin production. In the centre of it all is a small plastic figure of Elvis that dangles from the windscreen; the key to unmasking the killer. DS Macdonald weaves an intricate mystery influenced by his own experiences while travelling and working in Afghanistan.

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