Search results for ""quercus publishing""

The great Norse Myths are among the most dramatic and unforgettable stories in all human history. These fascinating, fantastical tales have inspired centuries of art, culture and literature, including the storytelling of Tolkien, Neil Gaiman, George R. R. Martin's Game of Thrones, Wagner's Ring Cycle and Marvel Comics.The Norse Myths takes us on a thrilling journey through the Norse cosmos, from the creation of the world to Ragnarok, the final world-destroying conflict; via the Nine Worlds, and the exploits of the mighty gods and goddesses - mystical Odin, malicious Loki, mighty Thor and more - and their quarrel with the giants. Bringing to life the magical world of monsters and mythical creatures, The Norse Myths also introduces the adventures of humankind: folk heroes and tricksters; Sigmund's great battle in the Volsung Saga; the exploits of Kings and Princes; Viking exploration and settlement of new lands including Iceland, Greenland, America; and Viking life in the Mediterranean and the East. As well as a treasure trove of these epic stories of heroism and cruelty, squabbles and seductions, The Norse Myths is a comprehensive study of their origins, survival and interpretations - as academically important as it is exhilarating.

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The fully annotated, fully filthy, fully hilarious book from the Number 1 podcast sensation My Dad Wrote a PornoBelinda blinked, it wasn't a dream, the job interviewer had just asked her to remove her jacket and silk blouse...So begins Belinda Blinked, Rocky Flintstone's now-legendary porno (sorry, erotic novel), and so began My Dad Wrote a Porno, the outrageously funny podcast begun by Rocky's son and two friends and now adored by legions of fans, having been downloaded over ten million times.Now the steamy book that became a podcast sensation is a book again: the ultimate annotated edition of Belinda Blinked, with all the original text, all the podcast team's baffled, delighted and disgusted commentary, and huge amounts of new material, including - character profiles- analysis of the themes and motifs of the novel- a detailed look at the ins and outs of the pots and pans industry- a quiz- illustrations: how exactly do you grab someone's cervix?- Rocky's own response to his new-found fame. All that, plus of course the pleasure of holding the real text of Belinda Blinked in your hands; relive the initial interview, the tombola, the fundraising party for the Asses and Donkeys Trust, and so much more. My Dad Wrote a Porno: the book is the funniest, naughtiest, strangest book of a podcast of a book you'll ever read.This book contains adult content and is not suitable for those under the age of 18

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THE 12 MILLION COPY BESTSELLING AUTHOR OF THE LEWIS TRILOGY, THE ENZO FILES AND THE CHINA THRILLERSAWARD WINNING AUTHOR OF THE CWA DAGGER IN THE LIBRARY 2021'Peter May is one of the most accomplished novelists writing today.' Undiscovered Scotland'No one can create a more eloquently written suspense novel than Peter May.' New York Journal of BooksPETER MAY MIXES MURDER, MYSTERY and MEMORY . . . AND MARKS HIS RETURN TO THE OUTER HEBRIDESA man stands bewildered on a deserted beach on the Hebridean Isle of Harris. He cannot remember who he is. The only clue to his identity is a folded map of a path named the Coffin Road. He does not know where this search will take him.A detective from Lewis sits aboard a boat, filled with doubt. DS George Gunn knows that a bludgeoned corpse has been discovered on a remote rock twenty miles offshore. He does not know if he has what it takes to uncover how and why.A teenage girl lies in her Edinburgh bedroom, desperate to discover the truth about her scientist father's suicide. Two years on, Karen Fleming still cannot accept that he would wilfully abandon her. She does not yet know his secret.Coffin Road follows three perilous journeys towards one shocking truth - and the realisation that ignorance can kill us.LOVED COFFIN ROAD? Read the first book in Peter May's acclaimed China thrillers series, THE FIREMAKERLOVE PETER MAY? Buy his new thriller, THE NIGHT GATE

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'Wonderfully imaginative' Bernard Cornwell, author of The Last Kingdom. Perfect for fans of Simon Scarrow and Bernard Cornwell. Meet James Keane of the 27th Foot: an ill-disciplined card sharp and ladies' man - and one of the finest soldiers of Wellington's army. Keane's task, assigned directly by Wellington, is the creation of an intelligence unit operating behind the French lines. He and his company are trusted with the secrets of the generals - and viewed with hostile suspicion by regular troops. In a bid to recruit men with uncommon skills, Keane springs soldiers from military jails and liberates them from their regiments. It's up to him to form this band of blackguards into an elite unit. Deep in enemy territory, they must negotiate with dangerous guerilla groups and forge new routes for their army if they are to succeed - and survive. Based on the true activities of the first British military intelligence unit, Keane's Company presents an unusual and fascinating picture of the Peninsular War: a nineteenth-century Dirty Dozen and a worthy companion to Sharpe.

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Few writers had to confront so many of the last century's mass tragedies as Vasily Grossman. He is likely to be remembered, above all, for the terrifying clarity with which he writes about the Shoah, the Battle of Stalingrad and the Terror Famine in the Ukraine. An Armenian Sketchbook, however, shows us a very different Grossman; it is notable for its warmth, its sense of fun and for the benign humility that is always to be found in his writing. After the 'arrest' - as Grossman always put it - of Life and Fate, Grossman took on the task of editing a literal Russian translation of a lengthy Armenian novel. The novel was of little interest to him, but he was glad of an excuse to travel to Armenia. This is his account of the two months he spent there. It is by far the most personal and intimate of Grossman's works, with an air of absolute spontaneity, as though Grossman is simply chatting to the reader about his impressions of Armenia - its mountains, its ancient churches and its people.

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Winter takes us on an intimate tour of the artists, poets, composers, writers, explorers, scientists and thinkers who helped shape a new and modern idea of winter. We learn how literature heralds the arrival of the middle class; how snow science leads to existential questions of God and our place in the world; how the race to the poles marks the human drive to imprint meaning on a blank space. Offering a kaleidoscopic take on the season, Winter is a homage to an idea of a season and a journey through the modern imagination.

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David 'The Hayemaker' Haye is the former WBA world heavyweight champion and the former undisputed (WBA, WBC and WBO) world cruiserweight champion. Haye is one of British boxing's most celebrated and successful ring champions of the modern era and has won twenty-three of twenty-five professional fights. He has twice been shortlisted for BBC Sports Personality of the Year and is now recognised as the face of British and world boxing. Haye was involved in the biggest heavyweight title clash for nearly a decade when he fought Wladimir Klitschko in July 2011, with the fight televised live in over 140 countries. Although Haye ultimately lost his belt, following a twelve-round points decision, his charismatic approach has reminded fight fans of a time when the heavyweight championship was the greatest prize in sport. This is the authorised story of how Haye reached this point, and details the ten-year rise of the boxer from a precocious World Amateur Champion. Crafted by close confidant Elliot Worsell, Making Haye offers behind-the-scenes, never-before-told insights into some of the most pivotal ring wars of David Haye's turbulent, and at times controversial, professional boxing career.

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'One of the most extraordinary stories of World War II - a howitzer of a tale that more people should know about' Daily Mail

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'An important book' Martin Wolf, Financial Times (BOOK OF THE YEAR)The clear-eyed, definitive history of the modern American economy and the decline of the American Dream, from the Pulitzer Prize-winning columnist behind The New York Times's "The Morning" newsletter.Two decades into the twenty-first century, the stagnation of living standards has become the defining trend of American life. Life expectancy has declined, economic inequality has soared, and, after some progress, the Black-white wage gap is once again as large as it was in the 1950s. How did this happen in the world's most powerful country? And what happened to the "American dream"-the promise of a happier, healthier, more prosperous future-which was once such an inextricable part of our national identity?Drawing on decades of writing about the economy for The New York Times, Pulitzer Prize-winning writer David Leonhardt examines the past century of American history, from the Great Depression to today's Great Stagnation, in search of an answer.To make sense of the rise and subsequent fall of the American dream, Leonhardt tells the story of the modern American economy as an ongoing battle between two competing forms of capitalism: one that envisions prosperity for most, and one that serves the individual and favors the wealthy. In vivid prose, Ours Was the Shining Future traces how democratic capitalism flourished to make the American dream possible, until the latter decades of the twentieth century when, bit by bit, the dream was corrupted to serve only the privileged few.Ours Was the Shining Future is a sweeping narrative full of innovation and grit, human drama and hope. Featuring the trailblazing figures who helped shape the American dream-Frances Perkins, Paul Hoffman, Cesar Chavez, Robert Kennedy, A. Philip Randolph, Grace Hopper, and more-this engaging history reveals the power of grassroots democratic movements from across the political spectrum. And though the American dream feels lost to us now, Leonhardt shows how Americans-if they commit themselves to transforming the economy, as they did in the past-have the power to revive the dream once more

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''Totally spellbinding!'' 5* reader review''The most enthralling book I''ve read'' 5* reader review''Such a powerful and moving story'' 5* reader review**********Spain, 1939Following the wishes of her parents to keep her safe during the war, a young girl, Julia, enters a convent in Barcelona. Looking for a way to maintain her links to the outside world, she volunteers to help in a maternity clinic. But worrying adoption practices in the clinic force Sister Julia to decide how far she will go to help those placed in her care.England, 2012Six months after her parents'' shocking death, 34-year-old journalist and jazz enthusiast Ruby Rae has finally found the strength to pack away their possessions and sell the family home. But as she does so, she unearths a devastating secret that her parents, Vivien and Tom, had kept from her all her life.********SEE WHAT EVERYONE

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'I enjoyed it SO much!' MARIAN KEYES'With glorious characters and a dreamy setting, I couldn't have loved this book more' THE SUN, ***** 5 STARSJess Bright, single mum and journalist, feels her life has stalled. So when she's offered a writing job in Paris for the summer, she leaps at the chance to go. Hasn't she always felt that she left a piece of her heart in the city years before?Her subject is the iconic artist Adelaide Fox, whose personal life has been steeped in scandal and intrigue. Now approaching eighty, she's ready to tell her side of the story - and serve up some scalding-hot revenge in the process.Amidst a stormy working relationship, Jess and Adelaide must face up to their pasts. As passionate affairs, terrible betrayals and life-changing secrets surface, there may be more surprises in store than either of them dared imagine . . .Set in the city of love, with two unforgettable protagonists, I REMEMBER PARIS is a glorious, life-affirming novel about second chances, unlikely friendships and finding your way back to yourself.'Escapist, romantic and a little bit scandalous, this is Lucy Diamond at her page-turning best' VERONICA HENRY'As multi-layered, rich and enjoyable as a giant mille-feuille. You will adore it' MILLY JOHNSON'Heartfelt and escapist' WOMAN & HOME'Lucy's best book yet' 5* READER REVIEW'I loved it!' KATIE FFORDE'Escapist, romantic and scandalous' SUNDAY POST'Such a treat' 5* READER REVIEW'Escapist, thoughtful' MY WEEKLYREADERS LOVE LUCY DIAMOND'I love all of Lucy's books' 5* reader review'Lucy writes with such warmth and sympathy' 5* reader review'Pure escapism' 5* reader review'So uplifting' 5* reader review'I can't put Lucy's books down' 5* reader review

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From strategist, speaker and podcaster Alice Benham comes The Digital Marketing Handbook - an expert guide covering the fundamentals of marketing, filled with case studies and interviews with industry insiders. There's so much marketing expertise out there but how should people know what to listen to? How to implement it? Or where to start? By covering the fundamentals of marketing, this book will act as a north star for small business owners looking to grow. Like Alice herself, the book is honest, practical, engaging and actionable - no fluff or complication allowed - and will help you build a community, get visible and make sales. Rooted in theory but with real-life experiences and case studies from entrepreneurs who have made digital marketing work for them, the book will leave you with the clarity and systems to take your business to the next level. An indispensable resource for small business owners, freelancers, entrepreneurs and marketing students.<

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**A Summer 2024 pick in the Times Literary Supplement and the Financial Times**Andrey Kurkov is often called Ukraine''s greatest living writer, and it is a gift for crime fiction fans that he writes in this genre New York TimesA very intriguing and atmospheric novel by a highly accomplished writer . . . A fascinating read in the light of contemporary events Alexander McCall Smith, Bestselling Author of The No. 1 Ladies'' Detective AgencyKyiv, 1919. The Soviets control the city, but White armies menace them from the West. No man trusts his neighbour and any spark of resistance may ignite into open rebellion.When Samson Kolechko''s father is murdered, his last act is to save his son from a falling Cossack sabre. Deprived of his right ear instead of his head, Samson is left an orphan, with only his father''s collection of abacuses for company.Until, that is, his flat is requisitioned

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LONGLISTED FOR THE WARWICK PRIZE FOR WOMEN IN TRANSLATION 2023"One of Hungary's most important twentieth-century writers" New York Times"Magda Szabo's fiction shows the travails of modern Hungarian history from oblique but sharply illuminating angles" EconomistEszter Encsy is an acclaimed actress, funny and outrageous, quick-witted but callous. Yet even flushed with the success of adulthood, Eszter craves acceptance of herself as she really is and of the person she has been. The only child of an impoverished aristocrat and a harried music teacher failing to make ends meet, Eszter grew up poor and painfully aware of it in a provincial Hungarian town. The feelings of resentment and envy acquired during her fraught childhood have hardened into an obsessional hatred for one person, the beautiful, saintly and pampered Angela, Eszter's former classmate and the wife of the man who becomes her lover. Set against newly communist 1950s Hungary, The Fawn embraces the lies and falsehoods people were obliged to live with in those nightmarish times, and displays Szabo's uncanny ability to convey how the past can haunt and consume us.Translated from the Hungarian by Len Rix.

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***Shortlisted for the 2023 STANFORD TRAVEL BOOK OF THE YEAR******A Financial Times Travel Book of the Year 2022***"Enchanting" Independent"Fatland distinguishes herself from the stereotypes" Guardian "Fatland is a sensitive and insightful chronicler of quotidian lives and a compelling narrator" Observer"Erika Fatland ascends to new heights with her fascinating journey" Wanderlust"An engaging snapshot of the current residents of this high-altitude battleground . . . Fatland is a lovely writer with a sympathetic eye for the absurd" Financial TimesAn ambitious and magnificent new travelogue by internationally bestselling, prizewinning writer Erika Fatland.The Himalayas meander for more than two thousand kilometres through many different countries, from Pakistan to Myanmar via Nepal, India, Tibet and Bhutan, where the world religions of Islam, Buddhism and Hinduism are interspersed with ancient shamanic beliefs. Countless languages and vastly different cultures exist in these isolated mountain valleys. Modernity and tradition collide, while the great powers fight for influence.We have read about climbers and adventurers on their way up Mount Everest, and about travellers on a spiritual quest to remote Buddhist monasteries. Here, however, the focus is on the communities of these Himalayan valleys, those who live and work in this extraordinary region. As Erika Fatland introduces us to the people she meets along her journey, and in particular the women, she takes us on a vivid and dizzying expedition at altitude through incredible landscapes and dramatic, unknown histories. Skilfully weaving together the politics, geography, astrology, theology and ecology of this vast region, she also explores some of the most volatile human conflicts of our times.With her unique gift for listening, and for storytelling, she has become one of the most exciting travel writers of her generation.Translated from the Norwegian by Kari Dickson

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THE CHINESE "LORD OF THE RINGS" - NOW IN ENGLISH FOR THE FIRST TIME.THE SERIES EVERY CHINESE READER HAS BEEN ENJOYING FOR DECADES - 300 MILLION COPIES SOLD."Western fantasy has JRR Tolkien, but we Asian fantasy authors have Jin Yong's stories in our DNA. The debt we owe him is immeasurable" SHELLEY PARKER-CHAN"If you haven't read Jin Yong's work, you haven't yet fully experienced the fantasy genre" FONDA LEECHINA , 1237 A.D.Genghis Khan is dead, but the Mongolians, led by his son, continue their assault on the Central Plains.A new generation of martial artists has emerged to face this threat, foremost among them Guo Jing and his wife Lotus Huang. And a new danger stalks the land, with all the fury of a woman scorned - Blithe Li, the Red Serpent Celestial. It is an encounter with this pitiless foe that reunites Guo Jing with Penance, the son of his treacherous sworn brother, Yang Kang. He resolves to lift the boy from a life of vagrancy and initiate him into the martial world.Placed under the care of the Quanzhen Sect at their temple in the Zhongnan Mountains, Penance stumbles across the mysterious history behind this most respected martial school. What he uncovers sends him on a journey that will force him to come to terms with his father's past and the secrets of his own heart.Translated from the Chinese by Gigi Chang

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Join Bruno, France's favourite country cop, on his latest adventure as he fights to keep St Denis safe. Set in the beautiful Périgord region, The Dordogne Mysteries are the perfect combination of mystery and escapism.It is summer in St Denis and Bruno is busy organising the annual village concert. He's hired a local Périgord folk group, Les Troubadours, to perform their latest hit 'A Song for Catalonia'. But when the song unexpectedly goes viral, the Spanish government, clamping down on the Catalonian bid for independence, bans Les Troubadours from performing it.The timing couldn't be worse, and Bruno finds himself under yet more pressure when a specialist sniper's bullet is found in a wrecked car near Bergerac. The car was reportedly stolen on the Spanish frontier and the Spanish government sends warning that a group of nationalist extremists may be planning an assassination in France. Bruno immediately suspects that Les Troubadours and their audience might be in danger.Bruno must organise security and ensure that his beloved town and its people are safe - the stakes are high for France's favourite policeman.

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*A memoir and self-help manual by one of the country's most treasured comedians - for anyone who feels stuck in a rut but doesn't have the tools or self-belief to shake things up*In his mid-twenties, Jimmy was bored, boring, unfulfilled and underachieving. He wasn't exactly depressed, but he was very sad. Think of a baby owl whose mum has recently died in a windmill accident. He was that sad. This book tells the story of how Jimmy turned it around and got happy, through the redemptive power of dick jokes.Written to take advantage of the brief window between the end of lockdown and Jimmy getting cancelled for saying something unforgivable to Lorraine Kelly, this book is as timely as it is unnecessary. Because you might be interested in Jimmy's life but he's damn sure you're a lot more interested in your own, Before & Laughter is about both of you. But mainly him. It tells the story of Jimmy's life - the transformation from white-collar corporate drone to fake-toothed donkey-laugh plastic-haired comedy mannequin - while also explaining how to turn your own life around and become the you you've always dreamt of being. At just £20, it's cheaper than Scientology, quicker than therapy, and significantly less boring than church.Before & Laughter contains the answers to all the big questions in life, questions like:· What's the secret to happiness?· Is Jimmy wearing a wig?· What happened with that tax thing?· What's the meaning of life?· Is Jimmy's laugh real?· Can those teeth bite through vibranium?And for readers in the West Country: yes, there are pictures (actually, sorry, there are no pictures, but there's a book about a hungry caterpillar you'll love).Because it's Jimmy Carr - recently scientifically proved to be the funniest comedian in the UK - there are jokes, jokes and more jokes throughout. If laughter really was the best medicine, the NHS would be handing out this book in Nightingale Hospitals.Fascinating, thoughtful and insightful - are all words that appear in the book.

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From bestselling author, racer and stunt driver Ben Collins - the man who was The Stig - comes a story of spies, speed and hard-driving genius: a driver's love letter to one of the world's best-loved machines.Aston Martin's first, wickedly fast models were forged at a time when Ferrari's premises at Maranello was nothing but a ploughed field. This book celebrates a century of innovators who kept the fire burning brightly for over a century, from the visionary pioneers Martin and Bamford to modern-day design guru Adrian Newey; from a glamorous web of pre- and post-war spies and racing drivers, to David Brown and the achingly beautiful DB models beloved of Bonds past and present.Ben Collins explores the car with the double-o prefix from a unique perspective behind the wheel, carving through country lanes in his father's V8 Vantage, driving Aston Martins in four James Bond movies and competing against them in the legendary Le Mans 24-hour race.Ultimately, this is a very British success story: of a triumph of engineering that has burned brightly from the Roaring 20s to the 2020s, and an iconic car that never says die.

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Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor were a Sixties supercharged couple in an era of supercharged couples. As a pairing they were fantasy figures, impossibly desirable. Liz supple and soft, in perfumes and furs - yet with something demonic and lethal about her. Dick, in turn, with his ravaged, handsome face, looked as though lit by silver moonlight - poised to turn into a wolf. Roger Lewis uses this glamorous and damaged pair as the starting point to tell the story of an age of excess: the freaks and groupies, the private jets and jewels and the yachts sailing in an azure sea; the magnificent bad taste and greed. It is about the clash of worlds: the filth and decay of South Wales and the grandeur and elegance of Old Hollywood; the fantasies we have about film stars and the fantasies the Burtons had about each other.

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"Catherine Cusset's book caught a lot of me. I recognised myself" DAVID HOCKNEY"A perfect short exposé of Hockney's life as seen through the eyes of an admiring novelist" Kirkus Reviews"Hers is an affirming vision of a restless talent propelled by optimism and chance" New York TimesWith clear, vivid prose, this meticulously researched novel draws an intimate, moving portrait of the most famous living English painter. Born in Bradford in 1937, David Hockney had to fight to become an artist. After leaving home for the Royal College of Art in London his career flourished, but he continued to struggle with a sense of not belonging, because of his homosexuality, which had yet to be decriminalised, and because of his inclination for a figurative style of art, which was not sufficiently "contemporary" to be valued. Trips to New York and California - where he would live for many years and paint his iconic swimming pools - introduced him to new scenes and new loves, beginning a journey that would take him through the fraught years of the AIDS epidemic. A compelling hybrid of novel and biography, David Hockney: A Life offers an insightful overview of a painter whose art is as accessible as it is compelling, and whose passion to create has never been deterred by heartbreak or illness or loss.Translated from the French by Teresa Lavender Fagan

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Hitler gave voice to a cry that came from the heart of a nation. Originally published in 1943, Darkness over Germany is a poignant and timely reminder of how high youth unemployment and the disenfranchised working class gave Hitler a savage worship. Between 1934 and 1938 Buller interviewed hundreds of men and women in Germany. This book is the result as Buller explores the deep sense of injustice felt by hundreds of German men and women which led to the ensuing Nazi ideology, and which could have been written today.

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Eye of the Beholder is a cult classic that inspired both French and English film adaptations. Joanne Eris has a bad habit of marrying men that wind up dead. An unnamed private detective, simply known as "The Eye" is hired to investigate the death of her husband. The novel charts the development of the detective's dangerous obsession with a femme fatale, as he pursues her across the United States.

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Book Two of the Inspector Frank Stave Investigations, a German detective trilogy set in post-WWII Hamburg. More than 150,000 copies sold.Hamburg, 1948It is a year of extremes. After a bitterly cold winter of starvation, the bombed city groans under excruciating heat. And Chief Inspector Frank Stave is confronted with a new case.In the ruins of a shipyard, the corpse of a boy is found and Stave's hunt for the killer leads him into the world of "wolf children" - orphaned children who have fled from the Occupied Eastern Territories and are now united in gangs.When two more bodies are discovered Stave is under even increasing pressure as he struggles to keep his personal life together too . . .Praise for the Frank Stave Investigations'Undoubtedly the most powerful work of crime fiction I have read this year' Independent'Vivid and harrowing' Sunday Times'Police procedural, romance, thriller The Murderer in Ruins has a bit of everything and it's one hell of a read.' BücherReader reviews for The Wolf Children'This is writing at its best. A well crafted murder hunt set in haunting landscape of post war Hamburg. Cay Rademacher has again written a book that will stay in my memory for a long time' *****'Another atmospheric, well-researched novel from Rademacher. He has a remarkable ability to bring characters to life in the space of a paragraph' *****'A bit of a goldilocks book. Not too heavy, not too light, not too long, not too short. Just about right' *****Translated from the German by Peter Millar

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Commissario Soneri returns home for a hard-earned autumn holiday, hoping to spend a few days mushroom picking on the slopes of Montelupo. This isolated village relies on the salame factory founded in the post-war years by Palmiro Rodolfi, and now run by his son, Paride. On arrival, Soneri is greeted by anxious rumours about the factory's solvency and the younger Rodolfi's whereabouts. Not long afterwards, a decomposing body is found in the woods. In the shadow of Montelupo, carabinieri prepare to apprehend their chief suspect - an ageing woodsman who defended the same mountains from S.S. commandos during the war.

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'Nicholson is a subtle and addictive writer who deserves to be a household name . . . [with] his remarkable eye for detail and for the weaknesses of human nature' ObserverThis is our own familiar world rendered pacy, funny, emotionally on the button and hugely entertaining.Belinda wistfully reflects how much better at sex she is now than when she was in her twenties. She's thought about taking a lover, but ultimately could never do that to her husband Tom. So imagine her despair when she discovers he's having an affair... And what about Tom, and his lover Meg? It's not easy for them either. Alongside this knot of middle-aged lovers is a tangle of younger ones, as Belinda's flirty daughter Chloe tries to set up Jack with shy Alice, without realizing that Jack actually has a crush on her. Nicholson casts an unflinching eye on men's attitude to sex, on women, love and family life.

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'One of the greatest anti-heroes ever written' LEE CHILDBernie Gunther returns to his desk on homicide from the horrors of the Eastern Front to find Berlin changed for the worse. He begins to investigate the death of a railway worker, but is obliged to drop everything when Reinhard Heydrich of the SD orders him to Prague to spend a weekend at his country house. Bernie accepts reluctantly, especially when he learns that his fellow guests are all senior figures in the SS and SD. The weekend quickly turns sour when a body is found in a room locked from the inside. If Bernie fails to solve this impossible mystery not only is his reputation at stake, but also that of Reinhard Heydrich, a man who cannot bear to lose face.

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In a remote part of Iceland, a boy and his friend Barður join a boat to fish for cod. A winter storm surprises them out at sea and Barður, who has forgotten his waterproof as he was too absorbed in 'Paradise Lost', succumbs to the ferocious cold and dies. Appalled by the death and by the fishermen's callous ability to set about gutting the fatal catch, the boy leaves the village, intending to return the book to its owner. The extreme hardship and danger of the journey is of little consequence to him - he has already resolved to join his friend in death. But once in the town he immerses himself in the stories and lives of its inhabitants, and decides that he cannot be with his friend just yet. Set at the turn of the twentieth century, Heaven and Hell is a perfectly formed, vivid and timeless story, lyrical in style, and as intense a reading experience as the forces of the Icelandic landscape themselves. An outstandingly moving novel.

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She loves him. She's happy. But could she be happier? 'Capturing humour in the small, perfectly skewered moments of everyday life, this is a story of small, largely middle-class lives enclave, made golden by the light that Nicholson shines on them' Sunday Times'Nicholson is a subtle and addictive writer who deserves to be a household name' Observer Maggie and Andrew are lovers who live apart - Maggie in the country, Andrew in town. When Andrew is offered a job close to Maggie, moving in with her is the obvious next step. Or is it? Is this the man she wants to spend the rest of her life with? Maggie panics. She ends their relationship, devastating Andrew. But when he turns the tables on her, she begins to see him differently. Meanwhile, Maggie's Sussex neighbours are living through their own intense dilemmas. The stories of Maggie and other characters entwine in a continuous dance over seven golden days of high summer - a human kaleidoscope that captures how passionate yet mundane, painful yet comic our everyday lives can be.These are seven golden days of summer ... time enough for relationships to change for ever...

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It is 1962. The first avocado pears are appearing at the greengrocers, people are thinking about carpeting their lavatories and boxing in their banisters, and Ronnie Glover, housepainter, husband and father, is feeling the first vague stirrings of discontent with his life. Then, out of the blue, the fabulous, sophisticated (and married) Jacqueline bursts into his life and teaches him to tango. She seems to offer everything he ever dreamt of. But is it all too good to be true? What can a woman who has traveled the world want with a man who carries a stub of pencil behind his ear? And are the Ten O'Clock horses of Ronnie's painful childhood awake and sniffing the wind?

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Two of the finest early Spensers in a single volume - this is Classic Robert B. Parker. In the first novel, Promised Land, Harvey Shepard's wife has run away. Spenser has been hired to find her. A seemingly easy mission: go to Cape Cod, find the missing woman, then sit back and enjoy the sun. But it seems there is more to this case than meets the eye. Who are the shady figures Pam Shepard has been seen with? And why does Harvey keep showing up with bruises? Both Pam and Harvey are in over their heads, and soon Spenser will be too. In the second novel, Looking for Rachel Wallace, Spenser is hired to protect Rachel Wallace, the outspoken feminist. Left-wing lesbian meets muscles and machismo. Chalk meets cheese. It is not long before Rachel fires him. Then she disappears. Spenser feels it is his duty to save her. And once he has made up his mind then no bigot, Klansman, or family will get in his way. He will not stop until he finds Rachel Wallace.

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Martin Luther King left an indelible mark on 20th-century American history through his leadership of the non-violent civil rights campaigns of the 1950s and 1960s. The election of Barack Obama as America's first black president in November 2008 has spawned a renewed interest in King's role as an agent and prophet of political change in the United States. Writing with verve and clarity but also with acute insight, Godfrey Hodgson traces King's life and career from his birth in Atlanta in 1929, through the campaigns that made possible the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965, to his assassination in Memphis in 1968. Hodgson sheds light on every aspect of an extraordinary life: the Black Baptist milieu in which King grew up, his theology and political philosophy, his physical and moral courage, his insistence on the injustice of inequality, his campaigning energy, his repeated sexual infidelities. Martin Luther King is a rounded and fascinating portrait of a Christian prophet and the most brilliant orator of his age, the central message of whose life and ministry was that Americans would never be fully free until they accepted that black and white Americans must be equal.

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WINNER OF THE 2011 CWA INTERNATIONAL DAGGER. A NEW YORK TIMES TOP 5 BESTSELLER. AND SOON TO BE A HOLLYWOOD BLOCKBUSTER - SCANDINAVIAN CRIME DOES NOT GET MORE EXPLOSIVE.'Extraordinarily compelling' Daily Mail'Three Seconds is just about how long it feels it takes to read Three Seconds . . . Terrific' Time OutONE MURDER.Piet Hoffmann is the Swedish police force's best undercover operative. Not even his family know of his double identity. Yet when a drug deal with the Polish mafia goes fatally wrong, his secret life begins to crumble around him. TWO MEN. Detective Inspector Ewert Grens is charged with investigating the drug-related killing. Unaware of Hoffmann's true identity, he believes himself to be on the trail of a dangerous psychopath. THREE SECONDS. Hoffmann must desperately maintain his cover; else he is a dead man walking. But, in the doggedly-perceptive Ewert Grens, he has just made the most relentless of enemies.Can't get enough of DCI Ewert Grens? Then check out Cell 8, named by the Sunday Times as one of the 60 Best Thrillers and Crime Novels of the Past 6 Years.

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An accessible biography of one of the most influential figures of recent times based on new, original research.Che Guevara is something of a symbol in the West. But for the rest of the world he is different: a charismatic revolutionary who redrew the political map of Latin America and gave hope to those resisting colonialism everywhere. In The Story of Che Guevara Lucía Álvarez de Toledo follows Che from his birth in Rosario and his early years in his parent's maté plantation, to his immortal motorcycle journeys across South America, his role at the heart of Castro's new Cuban government, and through to the unforgiving jungle that formed the backdrop to his doomed campaigns in the Congo and Bolivia. Based on interviews with Che's family and those who knew him intimately, this is an accessible biography that concentrates on the man rather than the icon. With the political developments in Latin America in the twenty-first century, his influence can be seen to be even greater than it was during his lifetime and The Story of Che Guevara is a perfect introduction to an extraordinary man.

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As usual, all is abnormal in Dr Siri Paiboun's morgue in downtown Vientiane. Siri and his team are investigating the case of the Three Epees: three women skewered by a sword through their hearts. A culprit has been apprehended, tried and sentenced to death in a week's time. But Siri isn't sure they have the right man. Unfortunately, the number one, and only, coroner of Laos isn't in a position to help anyone - not even himself. As his 74th birthday dawns, Siri finds himself incarcerated in prison by the Khymer Rouge, facing torture and starvation. As usual, his curiosity is to blame for his predicament, but this time it looks as though his inquisitiveness could be the end of him. Could Dr Siri's next outing be from beyond the grave?

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One of the most remarkable stories in the history of Special Forces' operations - Daily ExpressIn the bleak moments after defeat on mainland Europe in winter 1939, Winston Churchill knew that Britain had to strike back hard. So Britain's wartime leader called for the lightning development of a completely new kind of warfare, recruiting a band of eccentric free-thinking warriors to become the first 'deniable' secret operatives to strike behind enemy lines, offering these volunteers nothing but the potential for glory and all-but-certain death. Churchill's Secret Warriors tells the story of the daring victories for this small force of 'freelance pirates', undertaking devastatingly effective missions against the Nazis, often dressed in enemy uniforms and with enemy kit, breaking all previously held rules of warfare. Master storyteller Damien Lewis brings the adventures of the secret unit to life, weaving together the stories of the soldiers' brotherhood in this compelling narrative, from the unit's earliest missions to the death of their leader just weeks before the end of the war.

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LONGLISTED FOR THE MAN BOOKER PRIZE 2015 AND WINNER OF THE 2016 DSC PRIZE FOR SOUTH ASIAN LITERATUREA stark and unflinching novel by a spellbinding storyteller, about religion, love and violence in the modern world.A train stops at a railway station. A young woman jumps off. She has wild hair, sloppy clothes, a distracted air. She looks Indian, yet she is somehow not. The sudden violence of what happens next leaves the other passengers gasping.The train terminates at Jarmuli, a temple town by the sea. Here, among pilgrims, priests and ashrams, three old women disembark only to encounter the girl once again. What is someone like her doing in this remote corner, which attracts only worshippers?Over the next five days, the old women live out their long-planned dream of a holiday together; their temple guide finds ecstasy in forbidden love; and the girl is joined by a photographer battling his own demons.The full force of the evil and violence beneath the serene surface of the town becomes evident when their lives overlap and collide. Unexpected connections are revealed between devotion and violence, friendship and fear, as Jarmuli is revealed as a place with a long, dark past that transforms all who encounter it.

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Longlisted for the Man Booker International Prize 2016Clarisse Rivière's life is shaped by a refusal to admit to her husband Richard and to her daughter Ladivine that her mother is a poor black housekeeper. Instead, weighed down by guilt, she pretends to be an orphan, visiting her mother in secret and telling no-one of her real identity as Malinka, daughter of Ladivine Sylla. In time, her lies turn against her. Richard leaves Clarisse, frustrated by the unbridgeable, indecipherable gulf between them. Clarisse is devastated, but finds solace in a new man, Freddy Moliger, who is let into the secret about her mother, and is even introduced to her. But Ladivine, her daughter, who is now married herself, cannot shake a bad feeling about her mother's new lover, convinced that he can bring only chaos and pain into her life. When she is proved right, in the most tragic circumstances, the only comfort the family can turn to requires a leap of faith beyond any they could have imagined.Centred around three generations of women, whose seemingly cursed lineage is defined by the weight of origins, the pain of alienation and the legacy of shame, Ladivine is a beguiling story of secrets, lies, guilt and forgiveness by one of Europe's most unique literary voices.Translated from the French by Jordan Stump

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Now a major French film Au revoir là-haut - Prix Goncourt-winning masterpiece by the writer who brought you Alex, Irène and Camille."One of the most pleasurable reading experiences of recent years" - David Mills, The Sunday TimesOctober 1918: the war on the Western Front is all but over. Desperate for one last chance of promotion, the ambitious Lieutenant Henri d'Aulnay Pradelle sends two scouts over the top, and secretly shoots them in the back to incite his men to heroic action once more.And so is set in motion a series of devastating events that will inextricably bind together the fates and fortunes of Pradelle and the two soldiers who witness his crime: Albert Maillard and Édouard Péricourt.Back in civilian life, Albert and Édouard struggle to adjust to a society whose reverence for its dead cannot quite match its resentment for those who survived. But the two soldiers conspire to enact an audacious form of revenge against the country that abandoned them to penury and despair, with a scheme to swindle the whole of France on an epic scale.Meanwhile, believing her brother killed in action, Édouard's sister Madeleine has married Pradelle, who is running a little scam of his own...Translated from the French by Frank Wynne

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'As good an explanation as you will ever read of how the deindustrialisation of the 70s and 80s fuelled Brexit' The Times 'Magnificent . . . A fascinating insight into a decade that changed the nature of sport and changed the face of the country' Rory Smith, Chief Soccer Correspondent, New York TimesFeaturing many interviews with sportsmen, managers, miners, musicians, fans and local politicians, this deeply researched and moving investigation casts a new light on an era that read the last rites for the country's collective culture.

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'From your brain to your fingertips, you emerge from her book entertained and with a deeper understanding of yourself' Richard Dawkins'A masterful account of why our bodies are the way they are . . . this book really shines . . . Roberts's lightness of touch is joyous, and celebratory' Observer'Witty, personal and above all informed by passion and deep knowledge, this is the story of you, not just from conception onwards but from the millions of years of evolution that have shaped the way we are today' Adam Rutherford***SHORTLISTED FOR THE WELLCOME BOOK PRIZE***Alice Roberts takes you on the most incredible journey, revealing your path from a single cell to a complex embryo to a living, breathing, thinking person. It's a story that connects us with our distant ancestors and an extraordinary, unlikely chain of events that shaped human development and left a mark on all of us. Alice Roberts uses the latest research to uncover the evolutionary history hidden in all of us, from the secrets found only in our embryos and genes - including why as embroyos we have what look like gills - to those visible in your anatomy. This is a tale of discovery, exploring why and how we have developed as we have. This is your story, told as never before.

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Kosher sushi, kebabs, a second-hand bookshop and a bar: the 19th arrondissement in Paris is a cosmopolitan district where multicultural citizens live, love and worship alongside one another. This peace is shattered when Ahmed Taroudant's melancholy daydreams are interrupted by the blood dripping from his upstairs neighbour's brutally mutilated corpse. The violent murder of Laura Vignole, and the pork joint placed next to her, set imaginations ablaze across the neighbourhood, and Ahmed finds himself the prime suspect. But detectives Rachel Kupferstein and Jean Hamelot are not short of other leads. What is the connection between a disbanded hip-hop group and the fiery extremist preachers that jostle for attention in the streets? And what is the mysterious blue pill that is taking the district by storm? Karim Miské demonstrates a sharp eye for character and an evocative sense of place, moving seamlessly between the sensual streets of Paris and the synagogues of New York to reveal the truth behind a horrifying crime.

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''SEXY, SMART AND SCANDALOUS' Victoria FoxOne list, ten wishes, and absolutely no chance of actually falling in love . . . Reluctantly single Phoebe Henderson has spent twelve months trying to get over her cheating ex, but no amount of wine or extensive relationship analysis with best friend Lucy has seemed to help. Faced with a new year but no new love, Phoebe concocts a different kind of resolution: The List. Ten things she's always wanted to do in bed but has never had the chance (or the courage) to try. One year of no-strings-attached adventure. What could possibly go wrong?Between meddlesome colleagues, friends with benefits, getting frisky al fresco and maybe, possibly, true love, Phoebe's bucket list with a difference might be more than she bargained for . . .'FEARLESS' List'RAUNCHY AND HILARIOUS' Scottish Sun'A CRACKER OF A DEBUT' Sun

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The Factory is the law - but Wild Alan is about to discover that law does not mean justice. The gargantuan Factory of Gleam is an ancient, hulking edifice of stone, metal and glass ruled over by chaste alchemists and astronomer priests. As millennia have passed, the population has decreased, and now only the central district is fully inhabited and operational; the outskirts have been left for the wilderness to reclaim. This decaying, lawless zone is the Discard, and Wild Alan's home. Clever, arrogant and perpetually angry, Wild Alan is both loved and loathed by the Discard's misfits. He's convinced that the Gleam authorities were behind the disaster that killed his parents and his ambition is to prove it. But he's about to uncover more than he bargained for.'Anyone looking for a science fiction tale of grim darkness should definitely pick this one up'- Starburst

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Enjoy all your favourite films in an instant, told through hilarious infographics.In today's jet-fuelled, caffeine-charged, celebrity-a-minute world, who actually has the time to watch a film from start to finish? Let's face it, life's too short. Now, Film in Five Seconds lets you fast-forward to the best bits so you can enjoy all your favourite movie moments in - literally - moments. Design studio H-57 have taken over 150 iconic films and cut away all the useless details, boiling them down into ingenious pictograms and creating hilarious visual snapshots that are witty, provocative and to the point. From Batman to Bridget Jones, Grease to The Godfather, King Kong to The King's Speech, via slapstick, sci-fi and superheroes, you'll laugh out loud as you identify some of the greatest screen moments of all time. This is the perfect book for film buffs and anyone with a sense of humour or a short attention span.

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After coming through the blizzard that almost cost them everything, Jens and the boy are far from home, in a fishing community at the edge of the world. Taken in by the village doctor, the boy once again has the sense of being brought back from the grave. But this is a strange place, with otherworldly inhabitants, including flame-haired Álfheiður, who makes him wonder whether it is possible to love two women at once; he had believed his heart was lost to Ragnheiður, the daughter of the wealthy merchant in the village to which he must now inexorably return. Set in the awe-inspiring wilderness of the extreme north, The Heart of Man is a profound exploration of life, love and desire, written with a sublime simplicity. In this conclusion to an audacious trilogy, Stefánsson brings a poet's eye and a philosopher's insight to a tale worthy of the sagasmiths of old.

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Heidi Bradshaw is wealthy, beautiful, and well-connected. She's also a notorious gold digger only recently separated from her latest husband - and she's hired Spenser to act as her stand-in spouse.The Boston P.I. is to accompany Heidi to her private island to attend her daughter's wedding. It should be a straightforward job, but when his old nemesis Rugar - the Gray Man - arrives, Spenser realizes that something is amiss. As a storm strikes, cutting off the island, a kidnapping and a series of murders turn celebrations into chaos.With six dead bodies and more questions than he can handle, Spenser begins a search for answers - and the Gray Man.'One of the great series in the history of the American detective story' New York Times

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'I am in awe of Dan Simmons' Stephen KingThis story shall be about my friend (as at least about the man who was once my friend) Charles Dickens and about the accident that took away his peace of mind, his health, and, some might whisper, his sanity...In 1865 Charles Dickens, the world's most famous writer, narrowly escapes death in the Staplehurst Rail Disaster. He will never be the same again. A public hero for rescuing survivors, he slowly descends into madness as he hunts the individual he believes to be responsible for the carnage: a spectral figure known only as Drood.His best friend, Wilkie Collins, is enlisted for the pursuit. Together they venture into Undertown, the shadowy, lawless web of crypts and catacombs beneath London. Here Drood is rumoured to hold sway over a legion of brainwashed followers. But as Wilkie spirals ever further into opium addiction and jealousy of the more successful novelist, he must face a terrifying possibility: is Charles Dickens really capable of murder?Readers are loving Drood'Beautifully written, fiction heaven!' *****'One of my favourite reads ever' *****'A masterpiece' *****'Epic adventure' *****'Surprising - I enjoyed every page' *****

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