Search results for ""transworld""

'This is one of Pratchett's best books. Hilarious and highly recommended' The TimesThe Discworld is very much like our own - if our own were to consist of a flat planet balanced on the back of four elephants which stand on the back of a giant turtle, that is . . ._________________'It was the usual Ankh-Morpork mob in times of crisis; half of them were here to complain, a quarter of them were here to watch the other half, and the remainder were here to rob, importune or sell hotdogs to the rest.'Insurrection is in the air in the city of Ankh-Morpork. The Haves and Have-Nots are about to fall out all over again.Captain Sam Vimes of the city's ramshackle Night Watch is used to this. It's enough to drive a man to drink. Well, to drink more. But this time, something is different - the Have-Nots have found the key to a dormant, lethal weapon that even they don't fully understand, and they're about to unleash a campaign of terror on the city.Time for Captain Vimes to sober up.

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It starts on a summer evening, with the kind of magic found only in Paris. Once a year in the City of Light, a lavish dinner takes place outside a spectacular landmark. Selected by secret invitation, the guests arrive dressed in white, and when the night is over, hundreds of white paper lanterns bearing everyone’s fervent wishes are released into the sky. Amid this wondrous White Dinner, a group of close friends stand at the cusp of change.Jean-Philippe and Valerie are high-flying, successful and devoted to their young family. But a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity in China may lead to separation – and temptation.Bernadetta and Gregorio run an Italian clothing empire in Milan, but Gregorio has a weakness that will ignite a crisis in their company, and their marriage.Screenwriter Chantal and Indian tech entrepreneur Dharam arrive as friends, but their paths will be set on dramatically different courses before the night ends.A transformative year of successes and heartbreaks is to come, until the next White Dinner . . .Danielle Steel is famous for her inspirational stories about family, love and life. Her novels will be enjoyed by readers of Penny Vincenzi, Jodi Picoult and Diane Chamberlain.

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'One taste, and you'll scour bookstores for more' Daily MailThe Discworld is very much like our own - if our own were to consist of a flat planet balanced on the back of four elephants which stand on the back of a giant turtle, that is . . . 'Death has to happen. That’s what bein' alive is all about. You're alive, and then you're dead. It can't just stop happening.'But it can. And it has. Death is missing – presumed gone. Which leads to the kind of chaos you always get when an important public service is withdrawn. If Death doesn't come for you, then what are you supposed to do in the meantime? You can't have the undead wandering about like lost souls - there's no telling what might happen!Particularly when they discover that life really is only for the living . . . ___________________The Discworld novels can be read in any order but Reaper Man is the second book in the Death series.

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Some secrets are best kept hidden...Nick Paleologus is summoned to resolve a dispute that threatens to tear his family apart. His father, Michael, is a retired archaeologist and supposed descendant of the last Emperors of Byzantium. Michael has received a hugely generous offer for the family home in Cornwall, but refuses to sell - and refuses to divulge why. But soon the stalemate between Nick's siblings and their father is tragically broken. And only then do they discover why their father was bound to protect the house at all costs. Their desperate efforts to conceal the truth drag them into a deadly conflict with an unseen and unknown enemy. Soon, Nick realises the only chance they have of escaping from their persecutor's trap is to hunt this ruthless adversary down. But the hunt involves excavating a terrible secret from their father's past. And once that secret is known, nothing will ever be the same again.

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For actor Toby Flood, Brighton is the final week of a long tour. One night he is visited at the theatre by his estranged wife, Jenny, who, visibly scared, thinks she is being stalked. She asks Toby, for old times' sake, to find out what is going on.Alarmingly he discovers a sinister connection with Jenny's new partner. Spurred on by a desire to win Jenny back, Toby begins to ask some difficult questions. Before he fully understands the risks he is running, he finds himself caught up in a mysterious - and dangerous - tangle of family rivalries and murderous intent. Suddenly the prospects for his survival start to look very far from good...

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Tristram Abberley was an acclaimed English poet of the 1930s whose legendary reputation was sealed when he died fighting for the Republicans in the Spanish Civil War. Nearly fifty years later, his sister Beatrix is brutally murdered in her seaside cottage. Her family are stunned by the crime - especially Beatrix's niece, Charlotte Ladram. But Charlotte has little time to mourn her aunt as fifty years of secrets begin to unravel. Beatrix is the victim of a dark conspiracy, one that her loved ones are powerless to defeat. A harrowing quest for answers begins, one that uncovers a shocking tale of wartime greed and treachery, and a vendetta seemingly without end...

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1931. The new, luxurious transatlantic liner Empress of Britain is on her eastward passage. Among the first-class passengers on board are two English confidence tricksters, making a discreet exit from a scam they have left behind them in the United States. A chance meting on deck brings them a tempting new target in the shape of the beautiful and wealthy heiress, Diana Charnwood.It's a trick they've pulled before, with some success. Charm the daughter into an engagement to marry, then get the father to buy you off. So confident are they of success, in fact, that they make a pact: whichever of them wins Diana Charnwood's love will share his fortune with the other. But a violent death is to interrupt their neat little scheme. And they find themselves stumbling into something much darker than either had suspected...

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Agent Nick Stone expects his latest mission to be a straightforward part of the fight against Osama Bin Laden's network of terror. Despatched to Malaysia, all he needs to do is assassinate a suspicious biochemist. But there are complications. Not least the attractive woman he is working alongside.Target neutralised, Stone returns to the USA to find turmoil in his personal life. He is guardian to a teenage girl who is haunted by her traumatic past and attempting to numb it with a heavy drug dependency. Stone knows he is the only one who can help her but her scars run deeper than he thinks.Before long, the conspiracy he has uncovered unravels to reveal a doomsday threat against the populations of New York, London and Berlin. And Stone faces the ultimate trade-off: the life of someone he loves, against those of millions he doesn't even know...

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An unputdownable, edge-of-your-seat thriller full of twists and turns from Sunday Times bestselling author Simon Kernick - the UK's answer to Harlan Coben. Guaranteed to keep you gripped. Perfect for fans of David Baldacci, Stuart MacBride and Peter James.'Simon Kernick writes great plots, great characters, great action' -- Lee Child'Simon Kernick writes with his foot pressed hard on the pedal. Hang on tight!' -- Harlan Coben'Simon Kernick uses every trick in the book to keep the action breakneck' -- Time Out'Highly recommend this book. I couldn't put it down' -- ***** Reader review'What an amazing read, it had me hooked!' -- ***** Reader review'From the first page to the last this story keeps you on the edge' -- ***** Reader review'Thriller writing at its best' -- ***** Reader review'Kept me engrossed all the way through' -- ***** Reader review*******************************************************************************************ONE NIGHT STAND. ONE DEAD GIRL.You wake up in a strange room on a bed covered in blood.You have no idea how you got there.Beside you is a dead girl. Your girlfriend.The phone rings, and a voice tells you to press play on the room's DVD machine.The film shows you killing your girlfriend. Then you're told to go to an address in East London where you're to deliver a briefcase and await further instructions.There's no way out.If you're to survive the next 24 hours, you must find out who killed your girlfriend, and why. Before they come for you too...

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Spring, 1648.When Thomas Hill, a bookseller living in rural Hampshire, publishes a political pamphlet he has little idea of the trouble that will follow. He is quickly arrested, forced on a boat to Barbados and condemned to life as a slave to two of the island’s most notoriously violent brothers.In England war has erupted again, with London under threat of attack. When news of the king’s execution reaches the island, political stability is threatened and a fleet commanded by Sir George Ayscue arrives to take control of the island for Cromwell. The threat of violence increases. Thomas finds himself witness to abuse, poison, rape and savage brutality. When a coded message from Ayscue to a sympathiser on the island is intercepted, Thomas is asked to decipher it. A disastrous battle seems inevitable.But nothing turns out as planned. And as the death toll mounts, the escape Thomas has been relying on seems ever more unlikely…

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Ex-special forces soldier Nick Stone is recuperating in Switzerland. His latest mission cost the life of one of his closest friends. And the woman he went to bed with last night has left without saying goodbye. When she fails to reappear, Stone begins his quest to find her. Once in Africa and in the heart of a very dirty Congo war, it isn't long before the past comes knocking on the door. One bloody twist leads to another and Stone finds himself catapulted into the dark, brutal world he thought he's managed to leave behind.

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1882. When the creak of the garden gate one autumn afternoon sounds the arrival of an unexpected stranger, William Trenchard is puzzled, but not alarmed. He cannot possibly know the destruction this visitor will wreak on all he holds dear. The stranger is James Norton, who claims to be the man William's wife Constance was once engaged to, and who was reported to have committed suicide eleven years ago. Trenchard fears the loss of his wife's affections, but he is forced to plumb the depths of his own despair before the dark secrets of the Davenall family can finally - shockingly - be revealed...

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In the brave new Japan of the 1870s, Taka and Nobu meet as children and fall in love; but their relationship will test the limits of society.Unified after a bitter civil war, Japan is rapidly turning into a modern country with rickshaws, railways and schools for girls. Commoners can marry their children into any class, and the old hatred between north and south is over - or so it seems. Taka is from the powerful southern Satsuma clan which now dominates the country, and her father, General Kitaoka, is a leader of the new government. Nobu, however, is from the northern Aizu clan, massacred by the Satsuma in the civil war. Defeated and reduced to poverty, his family has sworn revenge on the Satsuma. Taka and Nobu's love is unacceptable to both their families and must be kept secret, but what they cannot foresee is how quickly the tables will turn. Many southern samurai become disillusioned with the new regime, which has deprived them of their swords, status and honour. Taka's father abruptly leaves Tokyo and returns to the southern island of Kyushu, where trouble is brewing. When he and his clansmen rise in rebellion, the government sends its newly-created army to put them down. Nobu and his brothers have joined this army, and his brothers now see their chance of revenge on the Satsuma. But Nobu will have to fight and maybe kill Taka's father and brother, while Taka now has to make a terrible choice - between her family and the man she loves ...

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As the 1982 school year begins, Jack Sheffield returns to Ragley village school for his sixth year as headteacher. Nora Pratt celebrates twenty-five years in her coffee shop, Ronnie Smith finally tries to get a job, and little Krystal Entwhistle causes concern in the school Nativity play. It's the time of ET and Greenham Common,. Price William's birth, Fame legwarmers and the puzzling introduction of the 20p piece. Meanwhile, for Jack, the biggest surprise of his life is in store...

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After a vicious plague swept through the world of Pern, there are no longer enough dragons to fight off the current onslaught of Thread, the deadly spore that falls like rain from the skies and devours everything organic in its path. Pern's last best chance to rebuild the decimated dragon population lies with a group of young dragonriders and their dragons left stranded on an unexplored island. Leadership of these dragons and riders falls to Xhinna, female rider of a blue dragon, who, as the most experienced dragonrider in the new Weyr, must earn the respect of all who follow her, as not everyone is ready to accept a female wingleader. She must solve the problem of how to get sufficient numbers of dragon eggs, although her newfangled ideas, like letting green dragons mate and lay eggs to hatch new dragons, cause uproar. All the while she must protect her people and baby dragons from the predators and, worse, traitors or all hope for Pern will be lost!

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The Sunday Times BestsellerWhen Swiss-born Hugues Martin sees a small, run-down hotel in New York for the rough diamond it is, he transforms it into a beautiful boutique hotel of impeccable elegance, run with the precision and attention to detail he learned through his hotelier training in Europe.Renowned for its unparalleled service, the Hotel Vendôme soon becomes the ideal New York refuge for the rich and famous, as well as a perfect home for Hugues’ beautiful wife and their young daughter. But when his wife tires of his obsession for the hotel, she walks out on him for a notorious rock star, leaving Hugues a single parent to four-year-old Heloise.Heloise and her family live happily amid a colourful, exciting and sometimes mysterious milieu of celebrities, socialites, politicians, world travellers and hotel employees – and their inevitable intrigues.As unexpected challenges arise, the hotel is the centre of their world. And when Heloise grows us, she longs to follow in her father’s footsteps and one day run the Hotel Vendôme. The lessons she learned at his side will carry her through it all, in a story no reader will forget.

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No player has been more synonymous with the glory years of Manchester United Football Club over the past two decades than right-back Gary Neville. An Old Trafford regular since he attended his first match at the age of six, captain of the brilliant 1992 FA Youth Cup-winning team that became known as 'Fergie's Fledglings', outspoken representative of MUFC, Neville is the ultimate one-club man. He has been at the heart of it all and, at the end of an amazing career, is now ready to tell it all.Authoritative, insightful, fearless and never less than 100% honest, no-one has better credentials for documenting the story of United under Sir Alex Ferguson. Neville reveals the behind-the-scenes secrets of his early days with the likes of Giggs, Scholes and his best mate David Beckham; what it was like to play with Cantona, Keane and Ronaldo; the Treble in 1999; and of course an entire career of playing for the greatest manager in the game.Then there are all his experiences with England, from being the youngest starter at Euro 96 when football came home, to the ups and downs of five major championships and seven managers - Venables, Hoddle, Wilkinson, Keegan, Eriksson, McClaren and Capello. There are opinions and analysis on Gazza, Rooney, WAGs and the true story of the FA and Rio Ferdinand.For twenty glorious years, Gary Neville has worn his heart on his sleeve. This is his story.

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'Armageddon only happens once, you know. They don't let you go around again until you get it right'People have been predicting the end of the world almost from its very beginning, so it's only natural to be sceptical when a new date is set for Judgement Day. But what if, for once, the predictions are right, and the apocalypse really is due to arrive next Saturday, just after tea? You could spend the time left drowning your sorrows, giving away all your possessions in preparation for the rapture, or laughing it off as (hopefully) just another hoax.Or you could just try to do something about it.

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Fans of Lisa Jewell, Cara Hunter and Karin Slaughter will devour this menacingly dark and disturbing thriller with an unnatural twist from bestselling author Sharon Bolton. Guaranteed to entrance and get right under the skin...'Spine-tingling suspense!' -- LISA GARDNER'A killer twist' -- Financial Times'Bolton knows precisely how to ratchet up the tension and tell a cracking story' --Guardian'Frisson-generating... dark, psychological crime' -- Independent'Brilliant and captivating' -- ***** Reader review'Addictive...you can't put it down!' -- ***** Reader review'A galloping tale of mystery and tension' -- ***** Reader review'Amazing book, had me on the edge of my seat' -- ***** Reader review*************************************************************************************SHE'S BEEN WATCHING US FOR SOME TIME NOW...Sometimes I wish that she'd just leave me in peace . . .Psychologist Evi has taken on a new patient: a grieving mother who lost her daughter in a fire two years ago - but who is convinced her little girl is still alive.Meanwhile, the new vicar in town is not feeling welcome. Disturbing events seem designed to scare him away.And all the while, a young boy keeps seeing a solitary girl playing among the graves in the churchyard.But who is she, and what is she trying to tell him?

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Harvard professor Robert Langdon receives an urgent late-night phone call while on business in Paris: the elderly curator of the Louvre has been brutally murdered inside the museum. Alongside the body, police have found a series of baffling codes. As Langdon and a gifted French cryptologist, Sophie Neveu, begin to sort through the bizarre riddles, they are stunned to find a trail that leads to the works of Leonardo Da Vinci - and suggests the answer to a mystery that stretches deep into the vault of history.Unless Langdon and Neveu can decipher the labyrinthine code and quickly assemble the pieces of the puzzle, a stunning historical truth will be lost forever...Origin, the spellbinding new Robert Langdon thriller from Dan Brown, is out now

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This breathtaking and exhilarating thriller from bestselling author Sharon Bolton packs a real punch: gruesome, atmospheric and utterly compelling, it relentlessly drives the reader on in their search uncover the truth. It twists and it turns and is taut with mystery and suspense...Perfect for fans of Lisa Jewell, Cara Hunter and Karin Slaughter.'Really special' -- LEE CHILD'Chilling and mesmerising' -- TESS GERRITSEN'Probably one of the best thrillers that you will read all year' -- Choice Magazine'Brilliant story, brilliant writer' -- ***** Reader review'A brilliantly fast-paced crime novel' -- ***** Reader review'A real page-turner' -- ***** Reader review'I was totally riveted' -- ***** Reader review'A totally engaging book' -- ***** Reader review*************************************************************************************WHAT'S YOUR WORST NIGHTMARE?She can't stop shivering. But this isn't cold. This is terror.A savage murder on London's streets, 120 years to the day since Jack the Ripper claimed his first victim. A crime with all the hallmarks of a copycat killer.Detective Constable Lacey Flint has never worked a murder case, until now. When another mutilated victim is found she agrees to be the bait to lure out the monster.But this killer is one step ahead, and already fixated on Lacey...

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Generation Kill is about the young men sent to fight their nation's first open-ended war since Vietnam. Despite the flurry of media images to come of the recent wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, you have never really met any of these people, who serve as front-line troops. For whatever reason, the media simply doesn't get them. As we all know, news accounts of the last two wars focused almost exclusively on battlefield imagery of high-tech weapons wreaking astounding destruction, comply with analysis from retired army grandees and other experts, punctuated by the odd heart-warming patriotic sound-bite. The troops themselves play a role in the media's presentation of recent wars rather like extras in The Triumph of the Will. They are everywhere yet somehow invisible. When they speak you get the sense that what they are saying has been carefully scripted. Now Generation Kill tells the soldiers' story in their own words.The narrative focuses on a platoon of 23 marines, many of them veterans of Afghanistan, whose elite reconnaissance unit spearheaded the blitzkrieg on Iraq. This is the story of young men that have been trained to become ruthless killers. It's about surviving death. It's about taking part in a war many questioned before it even began.Evan Wright was the only reporter with First Recon, which operated well ahead of most other forces, usually behind enemy lines. They were among the first marines sent into the fight and one of the last units still engaged on the outskirts of Iraq, even after the city centre fell. Generation Kill is not just a combat chronicle but an inside look at how people fighting in war actually experience it. It is both an action narrative like Black Hawk Down and a detailed portrait of a generation at war along the lines of Band of Brothers. It is not a book you are going to forget in a hurry...

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This riveting and action-packed historical thriller from bestselling author Douglas Jackson is real edge of your seat stuff! Perfect for fans of Simon Scarrow and Ben Kane.Readers are loving Gaius Valerius Verrens! "Absolutely incredible." - 5 STARS."Gripping, violent and captivating." - 5 STARS."The best Roman historical series I've yet read. Just pips Ben Kane and Conn Iggulden." - 5 STARS **************************************************************Gaius Valerius Verrens returns to Rome from the successful campaign against Boudicca in Britain. But he is not the man he once was - scarred both physically and emotionally by the battles he has fought. And neither is Rome the same city as the one he left.The Emperor Nero grows increasingly paranoid. There is talk of a new threat, one found within the walls of Rome itself. A new religious sect, the followers of Christus, deny Nero's divinity and are rumoured to be spreading sedition.Nero calls on Valerius to seek out this rebel sect and to capture their leader. Failure would be to forfeit his life, and the lives of twenty thousand Judaeans living in Rome. But as Valerius begins his search, a quest which will take him to the edge of the empire, he will discover that success may cost him nearly as much as failure.Gaius Valerius Verrens's adventures continue in Avenger of Rome.

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With two tours of Iraq under his belt, Sergeant Dave Henley knows what modern war looks like. But nothing can prepare him for the posting to Forward Operating Base Senzhiri, Helmand Province, Afghanistan. This is a battlezone like he's never seen before.He's in charge of 1 Platoon, a ragbag collection of rookies who he must make into a fighting force - and fast. But this is a brutal, unforgiving conflict which takes no prisoners. Their convoy is ambushed on the way to the FOB, leaving two men grievously wounded - before they've fired a shot.Back at home, Dave's wife, Jenny, seven months pregnant, must try to hold together the fragile lives of the families left behind, who all wait for the knock on the door and the arrival of bad news...

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-------------------------------'A genuine voice of our times' The Times'Riveting, moving and utterly feel-good' Daily Mail-------------------------------Once broken up, can a family ever be mended again?Jolyon Chadwick, a famous television presenter, takes his new girlfriend Henrietta home meet his extended family - and also to meet Marie, the mother who deserted him and his father many years ago, now re-appeared and seeming to want forgiveness.Jolyon, however, is not in the mood for forgiveness - although his father Hal, now married to his cousin and childhood sweetheart, feels a lingering guilt about Marie and wants them all to be friends. And Henrietta, still vulnerable from the break-up of her own parents' marriage, is not sure whether she can move on.Enthralling and heartwarming, The Prodigal Wife is perfect for fans of Santa Montefiore, Victoria Hislop and Erica James.

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Sunday Times bestselling author Simon Kernick, the UK's answer to Harlan Coben, brings us this spine-tingling, compelling and captivating thriller that you won't be able to put down. Real edge-of-your-seat stuff!'The pace is breakneck, the plot twists like a hooked eel...The sort of book that forces you to read so fast you stumble over the words' - Evening Standard"Simon Kernick writes with his foot pressed hard on the pedal. Hang on tight!" - Harlan Coben"Simon Kernick writes great plots, great characters, great action" - Lee Child'Totally submerged myself in this from beginning to end.' -- ***** Reader review'Yet another excellent page turner from the master of suspense'-- ***** Reader review'If you like your thrillers non-stop, this is one to savour.' -- ***** Reader review*********************************************************************************************NO ONE TO TRUST.When writer Rob Fallon goes out one night and ends up with his best friend's girlfriend, Jenny, he feels guilty before anything has even happened.NOWHERE TO RUNBut guilt quickly turns to shock when two men break into Jenny's apartment, abduct her, and try to kill Rob. When Rob reports this to the police, no one believes him. And when he speaks to Jenny's father, he says she's on holiday abroad.NO PLACE TO HIDERob knows Jenny's life is in danger and starts asking questions. Soon he's the target of brutal killers who are as terrifying as they are elusive. But what do they want? And what does it have to do with an ordinary girl like Jenny?Either Rob finds out or he's dead. It's that simple ...

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FROM THE SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLING AUTHOR OF SNAP'Extraordinarily powerful and evocative . . . will leave you breathless.' Daily MirrorVOTED CRIME NOVEL OF THE YEAR when it was first released, and still the most gripping, powerful thriller debut you will read this year.___Steven Lamb is 12 when he writes his first letter . . . to a serial killerEvery day after school, whilst his classmates swap football stickers, twelve-year-old Steven digs holes on Exmoor, hoping to find a body. His uncle disappeared aged eleven and is assumed to have fallen victim to the notorious serial killer Arnold Avery - but his body has never been found.Steven's Nan does not believe her son is dead. She still waits for him to come home, standing bitter guard at the front window while her family fragments around her. Steven is determined to heal the widening cracks between them before it's too late - even if that means presenting his grandmother with the bones of her murdered son.But when Steven realises this is an impossible task, he crafts a careful letter to Arnold Avery in prison. And there begins a dangerous cat-and-mouse game between a desperate child and a bored psychopath . . .Readers love Blacklands:'A dark, gripping story . . . full of tension' *****'A truly chilling and disturbing read' *****'An intelligent crime thriller that seeps with atmosphere' ******Belinda Bauer's pulse-pounding new thriller, EXIT, is out now*

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In the summer of 1967, not long after the Six Day War, three young Palestinian men ventured into the town of Ramla in Israel. They were cousins, on a pilgrimage to see their childhood homes, from which they and their families had been driven out nearly twenty years earlier. One cousin had the door slammed in his face, one found that his old house had been converted into a school. But the third, Bashir, was met at the door by a young woman named Dalia, who invited him in...This poignant encounter is the starting point for the story of two families - one Arab, one Jewish - which spans the fraught modern history of the region. In the lemon tree his father planted in the backyard of his childhood home, Bashir sees a symbol of occupation; Dalia, who arrived in 1948 as an infant with her family, as a fugitive from Bulgaria, sees hope for a people devastated by the Holocaust. Both are inevitably swept up in the fates of their people and the stories of their lives form a microcosm of more than half a century of Israeli-Palestinian history.What began as a simple meeting between two young people grew into a dialogue lasting four decades. The Lemon Tree offers a much needed human perspective on this seemingly intractable conflict and reminds us not only of all that is at stake, but also of all that is possible.

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NOW UPDATED to include material on the Discworld books up to Raising Steam.Most of us grow up having always known to touch wood or cross our fingers, and what happens when a princess kisses a frog or a boy pulls a sword from a stone, yet sadly some of these things are now beginning to be forgotten. Legends, myths, fairytales: our world is made up of the stories we told ourselves about where we came from and how we got there. It is the same on Discworld, except that beings which on Earth are creatures of the imagination - like vampires, trolls, witches and, possibly, gods - are real, alive and in some cases kicking on the Disc. In The Folklore of Discworld, Terry Pratchett teams up with leading British folklorist Jacqueline Simpson to take an irreverent yet illuminating look at the living myths and folklore that are reflected, celebrated and affectionately libelled in the uniquely imaginative universe of Discworld.

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Heard the one about the airline that has introduced 'corpse cupboards' on new planes to cope with the number of people who die in the air? Heard the story about the First Class air hostess who got fired for sitting on the face of a passenger during a long haul flight? Heard about the amount of knickers and false teeth that are left behind in the body of the plane? Heard how pissed-off stewards put laxatives in your drinks? Heard about the pilot who ran out of runway? Heard of the disabled passengers who miraculously walk again?No? Then you haven't read Air Babylon.Do you know the best place to have sex on a plane? Do you know how to dress for an upgrade? Do you know that one drink in the air equals three on the ground? Do you know who is checking you in? Who is checking you out? Do you know exactly what happens to your luggage once it leaves your sight? Is it secure? Are you safe? Do you really know anything about the business that you entrust your life to several times a year?Air Babylon is a trawl through the highs, the lows, and the rapid descents of the travel industry. It catalogues the births, the deaths, the drunken brawls, the sexual antics, and the debauchery behind the scenes of the ultimate service industry - where the world is divided into those who wear the uniform and those who don't...

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Bryan Sykes, the world's first genetic archaeologist, takes us on a journey around the family tree of Britain and Ireland, to reveal how our tribal history still colours the country today.In 54BC Julius Caesar launched the first Roman invasion of Britain. His was the first detailed account of the Celtic tribes that inhabited the Isles. But where had they come from and how long had they been there? When the Romans eventually left five hundred years later, they were succeeded by invasions of Anglo-Saxons, Vikings and Normans. Did these successive invasions obliterate the genetic legacy of the Celts, or have very little effect?After two decades tracing the genetic origins of peoples from all over the world, Bryan Sykes has now turned the spotlight on his own back yard. In a major research programme, the first of its kind, he set out to test the DNA of over 10,000 volunteers from across Britain and Ireland with the specific aim of answering this very question: what is our modern genetic make-up and what does it tell us of our tribal past? Are the modern people of the Isles a delicious genetic cocktail? Or did the invaders keep mostly to themselves forming separate genetic layers within the Isles? As his findings came in, Bryan Sykes discovered that the genetic evidence revealed often very different stories to the conventional accounts coming from history and archaeology. Blood of the Isles reveals the nature of our genetic make-up as never before and what this says about our attitudes to ourselves, each other, and to our past. It is a gripping story that will fascinate and surprise with its conclusions.

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Fall in love with Jilly Cooper, one of Britain's most popular authors, in this fabulously frothy rom-com. Fans of Jojo Moyes, Marian Keyes, Dolly Alderton and Jane Fallon will love this witty and whimsical read - the perfect dose of laugh-out-loud escapism!'Unputdownable' -- Marian Keyes'Joyful and mischievous' -- Jojo Moyes'The funniest and sharpest writer there is' -- Jenny Colgan'Flawlessly entertaining' -- Helen Fielding'An absolute delight to read' -- ***** Reader review'The pages just whizzed by and I'm gutted to have finished it' -- ***** Reader review'Frothy, light, humorous.....loving it' -- ***** Reader review'Couldn't put it down' -- ***** Reader review'Wonderful writing from Jilly, she really grabs you and pulls in you the book' -- ***** Reader review****************************************************************************************The trouble with the Mulholland family, Prudence decided, was that they were all in love with the wrong people. She'd been overjoyed when Pendle, her super-cool barrister boyfriend, invited her home for the weekend to meet his family.But home turned out to be a decaying mansion in the Lake District, and family were his glamorous, scatty mother who forgot the mounting bills by throwing wild parties, and brothers, Ace, dark and forbidding, and Jack, handsome, married and only too ready to take over with Pru if Pendle didn't get a move on.It was only when she noticed the way Pendle looked at Jack's wife Maggie that it began to dawn on Pru that there was more to this weekend than met the eye.It looked like a non-stop game of changing partners . . .

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A collection of five heart-stopping stories from the master thriller writer.A miracle in war-torn Siena that begins with the persecution of a young nun in the turbulent days of the sixteenth century and culminates in the bitter German retreat from Italy; a drug smuggling heist on an international flight where the Knock pit their wits against the smugglers; a brural urban murder, where a brilliant QC decides to defend the killers, resulting in a startling justice; an incandescent art scam at a famous London auction house, and a brilliantly plotted revenge that shatters the elegant world of the Old Masters - each story is a remarkable tour de force.And above all here is a brilliant novella, 'Whispering Wind', which begins with the single survivor of Custer's Last Stand at the battle of Little Big Horn. Then follows the rescue from rape and murder of a Cheyenne girl and a flight across the mountains and forests of the West, ending in a savage present-day manhunt in the wild lands of Montana.

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It was 1882 when Antoinette Giry, Maitresse du Corps de Ballet at the Paris Opera House, took her small daughter to the funfair at Neuilly. And there, in a cage, she saw a filthy manacled creature whose tormented eyes shone from a grotesquely deformed face. It was Antoinette Giry who saved him, freed him, cured his wounds and finally let him find a dwelling place in the labyrinthine depths of the Opera House. The creature - Erik - whose hideous face hid a brilliant brain of near-genius, was to become the Phantom of the Opera - magician, artists, musician, and lover. When he tried to lure the object of his adoration to his underground domain - it was to end in tragedy.It was Madame Giry who saved him once more, set him on a ship to the New World - and there Erik Muhlheim began a new and secret life, a life that began in misery and poverty but in which his incredible skills finally carved out an unexpected kingdom of power. And there it was he learned again of Christine, whose life had changed dramatically since that night in the Paris Opera House.Inevitably, their paths must cross again in the old sequence of tragedy and triumph.The Phantom, one of the most mysterious and romantic figures ever created, soars again in a world of his own making. Frederick Forsyth's magnificent and evocative story adds a new dimension to the legend of the Phantom.

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‘Possibly the most accurate picture of police work in crime fiction today… An absolute cracker’ – Mike RipleyDenton is having more than its fair share of crime. A serial killer is murdering local prostitutes; a man demolishing his garden shed uncovers a long-buried skeleton; there is an armed robbery at a local minimart and a ram raid at a jewellers.But Detective Inspector Jack Frost's main concern is for the safety of a missing eight-year-old. And soon after another girl is reported missing, her body is found . . . raped and strangled. Then Frost's prime suspect hangs himself in his cell, leaving a note blaming Frost for driving him to suicide. Frost may be coarse, insubordinate and fearless. But he’s also in serious trouble.

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Set in Europe through the World Wars, three generations of women share a story that will echo across time.The summer of 1915 was a time of prosperity and unease for the Wittgenstein family, and for eldest daughter Beata it was a time of awakening. By the glimmering waters of Lake Geneva, she met a young French officer and fell in love. As the years pass, Beata must watch in horror as Europe is once again engulfed in war. Her daughter Amadea is forced into hiding, and family and friends are swept away without a trace. Taking on daring missions behind enemy lines, Amadea discovers her place in an unbreakable chain between generations . . . between her lost family and the family of her future.

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In 1986 Brian Keenan and John McCarthy were forced to take a journey without maps. For the next four years they were incarcerated in a Lebanese dungeon. From the blank outlook of a tiny cell, with only each other and a few volumes of an ancient American encyclopaedia to sustain them, they could only wander the wide open spaces of their imagination. To displace the ugly confines of their existence, they envisaged walking in the High Andes and across the wastes of Patagonia.Five years after their return Brian and John chose to travel together again to see how the reality of Chile matched their imagination and to revisit their past experiences. They journeyed by every means available through vast empty deserts, verdant plains and barren tundra. Between Extremes is the story of that journey which once more found them far from home, in an unfamiliar landscape, but which for the first time allowed them to live by their own rules.

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As she checked into the lush Beverly Hills Hotel, Tanya Harris dreaded being away from her husband, Peter, and three teenaged children. Dressed as pure Marin County mom among supermodels and movie stars, Tanya was here to do a major screenplay after years of writing stories and articles on the side, always putting her family first. And when Tanya steps into her temporary home, she is amazed at what she finds: lilies, orchids and roses. A pink marble tub. Her favorite chocolates, a cashmere robe, and slippers that fit perfectly. Things are going to be different in Bungalow 2.From her first day on the set, Tanya is thrust into an intoxicating new world, where friendships and romances come and go . . . and where she feels reborn, energized by the creativity and genius swirling around her. Suddenly she's working alongside A-list actors and a Hollywood legend: Oscar-winning producer Douglas Wayne, a man who always gets what he wants - and seems to have his sights set on her. Flying back to Marin County between shoots, struggling to reconnect with a family that seems to need her less and less, Tanya watches helplessly as her old life is pulled out from under her in the most crushing of ways. As her two lives collide, as one Award-winning film leads to another, Tanya begins to wonder if she can be a wife, a mother and a writer at the same time. And just as she confronts the toughest choice she has faced, she is offered another dazzling opportunity - one that could recast her story in the most amazing of ways, complete with an ending she never could have written herself. In Bungalow 2, Danielle Steel takes us into a world few ever see - a world of fame and fortune, celebrity and genius - daring to show us the real lives, real dreams, and real struggles hidden beneath the flash and glitter of Hollywood.

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A young woman's dream, an old man's gift, and the surprises that await us behind every closed door. . .The house on the hill outside San Francisco was magnificent, built in 1923 by a wealthy man for the woman he adored. When Sarah, a perfectly sensible lawyer, walks through its empty rooms, she is drawn to the once-grand mansion in a way she cannot explain.- to a drama that first unfolded in war-torn France, and to a history she never knew she had.Using an unexpected legacy, Sarah takes on the dilapidated house and its mysteries. With the help of architect Jeff Parker Sarah brings the exquisite house back to life, and as one relationship shatters and another begins, she discovers a whole new future.A novel of daring and hope, of embracing life and taking chances ...

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Mary, Tanya and Zoe had been inseparable in college. But in the twenty years or more that followed, the three had moved on with their lives, settled in different cities, and found successful careers and new roles as mothers and wives. At a sprawling ranch in Wyoming the three women, each by chance finding themselves alone for a few weeks one summer, come together and find courage, healing and truth, and reach out to each other again.Once they shared everything, but now pretence between them runs high. Mary, married for twenty-two years to a Manhattan lawyer, masks the guilt and fear that her husband will never forgive her for their son's death. Tanya, a singer and rock star, enjoys all the trappings of fame and success - a mansion in Bel Air, legions of fans, and a broken heart - for the children she wanted but never had, and the men who have takehn advantage of her. Zoe has her hands full as single mother to an adopted two-year-old, and as a doctor at an AIDS clinic in San Francisco, until unexpected news forces her to re-evaluate both her future, and her current life.But their friendship is still a bond they all treasure and share. For each of the women, a few weeks at the ranch bring healing and release. In The Ranch, bestselling author Danielle Steel brings reality to the meaning of friendship, with dramas whose truths we all share.

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A tale of two schools...At Bagley Hall, a notoriously wild, but increasingly academic, independent, crammed with the children of the famous, trouble is afoot. The ambitious and fatally attractive headmaster, Hengist Brett-Taylor, hatches a plan to share the facilities of his school with Larkminster Comprehensive - known locally, as 'Larks'.His reasons for doing so are purely financial, but he is encouraged by the opportunities the scheme gives him for frequent meetings with Janna Curtis, the dynamic new head of Larks, who has been drafted in to save what is a fast-sinking school from closure. Janna is young, pretty, enthusiastic and vastly brave - and she will do anything to rescue her demoralised, run-down and cash-strapped school.Neither parents nor staff of either school are too keen on this radical move, although some can see the possible financial advantages. For the students, however, it offers great opportunities to get up to even more mayhem than usual.------------------------------------'Simply enjoy the wicked pleasures Cooper does so well' The Observer 'A brilliantly refreshing read' Polly Vernon'The perfect beach companion' Daily Mail'I devoured it with as much joy as I would a bucket of pistachio ice cream' Daily Mail

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A bloody, brutal and breath-taking epic heroic fantasy by the Sunday Times bestselling author David Gemmell, perfect for fans of Joe Abercrombie, Duncan M. Hamilton and Conn Iggulden."Gemmell is past the point of needing recommending - he is an institution that becomes more valuable with each new novel." -- ENIGMA"Gemmell's premium-grade heroic fantasies stress the positive values of individualism...stirring, emotionally charged, superbly written." -- TIME OUT"A classic of its genre" -- ***** Reader review"Another masterpiece [-] couldn't put it down. Loved the characters and the twists and turns of the plot.Not many do it better than the master storyteller." -- ***** Reader review"A very good read, with several surprising twists. This book will keep you guessing until the end." -- ***** Reader review************************************************Even in death, Skilgannon the Damned's name lives on. Now, as an ancient evil threatens to flood the Drenai heartlands in a tide of blood, he returns...A thousand years after they fell in battle, two heroes - Druss and Skilgannon - are revered throughout the war-torn lands of the Drenai, where men and women live in abject fear of the dark sorceress known as the Eternal...But what if one such hero could be called back from the void? An ancient prophecy foretold that Skilgannon would return in his people's darkest hour. To most, this was a foolish hope. But not so to Landis Kan. Having found Skilgannon's ancient tomb, he gathers up the bones and peforms the mystic ritual.But the reborn hero is an enigma: a young man whose warrior skills are blunted and whose memories are fragmented. He is marooned in a world as strange to him as a dream, remote from all he knew and loved. Or nearly all - for Landis Kan has also experimented upon other bone fragments found in the hero's tomb resulting in a surly giant who possesses astounding strength but no memories. To Kan, he is a dangerous failure. To Skilgannon, this giant represents their last hope.As ageless evil threatens to drown the Drenai lands in blood, two legendary heroes will once again lead the way to freedom.

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From Manhattan high-society to warn-torn France, Mirror Image is a compelling story about the mysterious bond between twin sisters. For twins Olivia and Victoria, their bond was mysterious, marvellous, and often playful – a secret realm only they inhabited. Shy, serious Olivia, born eleven minutes before her sister, had taken over the role of mother in their lush New York estate. Free-spirited Victoria wanted to change the world, and embraced the women’s suffrage movement, dreaming of sailing to war-torn Europe. Then, in the girls’ twenty-first year, as the First World War escalates overseas, a fateful choice changes their lives forever . . .

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Shortly after Fiona's return to Fort Weyr, three Turns older and wiser, her queen, Talenth, is infected with the dreaded sickness that has consumed so many of Pern's precious fire-breathing dragons. Talenth's recovery and the recovery of all the other dragons of Pern is delivered by the unflagging efforts of Lorana and Kindan at Benden Weyr - but their one vital clue is only bought with the loss of all the dragons of Telgar Weyr. Fiona is sent to relieve the distressed weyrfolk of the now-dragonless Weyr. When her queen, Talenth, rises to mate, Fiona finds herself not only Telgar's senior Weyrwoman but in the center of the dilemma that confronts all Pern - how can the one thousand fighting dragons do the job of three thousand? And, if they can't, how long will it be before all of Pern is consumed by Thread?

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India Taylor lived in a world of manicured lawns and neatly-maintained calendars. With four wonderful children, India believed in commitment and sacrifice, just as she believed in Doug, the man she had married seventeen years before. She had chosen this life, not the award-winning career as a photojournalist she once had, and it was a choice she had never regretted - until she began to regret it with all her heart.India couldn't pinpoint the exact moment when the price of the sacrifices she she'd made began to seem high. But when she met Paul Ward, a Wall Street tycoon married to a bestselling author, India could share her dreams with him, and offer comfort when he suffered a heartbreak of his own. India hadn't planned to become Paul's friend, and anything more was unthinkable.When Paul urged India to reclaim her career, Doug was adamantly against it, determined to keep her tied to the home. But with Paul's encouragement India slowly, painfully, began to break free and find herself again.

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Everyone in Washington knows Madeleine and Jack Hunter. Maddy is an award-winning TV anchorwoman, and Jack is the head of her network and an adviser to the President on media issues. To the world, theirs is a storybook marriage. But behind the locked doors of their lush Georgetown home, a very different story emerges. For as Maddy's career soars, a bitter edge of control and jealousy has crept in, so that the woman the nation idolises lives in degradation and fear. The cruelty she experiences at Jack's hands leaves no bruises, no scars, only the wounds of fear, humiliation and isolation.Maddy's journey to healing begins when the President's wife offers her the opportunity to join her newly-formed Commission on Violence against Women. There Maddy hears chilling stories from terrified wives and girlfriends that sound eerily familiar. And there she meets Bill Alexander, a distinguished scholar and diplomat who also works on the commission. Bill suspects that something is terribly wrong in Maddy's marriage and, as she takes the first steps towards freedom, a remarkable series of events begin to unfold. White House headlines bring the country to a standstill, and a devastating tragedy occurs which forces Maddy to realise just how much she has lost - her confidence, her trust, her self-respect. As her journey comes to a close, she finds a strength she never knew she had...and a gift which will change her life forever.

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'One of his best works for a long time' Sunday Times'Another strong performance by a writer who know exactly what he's about' Publisher's Weekly'A cunningly constructed action thriller . . . the story is terrifying and timely and grips you to the end' Daily Telegraph_______________________________From the world-renowned, bestselling author of The Day of the Jackal and The FoxIt is 1999 and Russia is on the edge of total implosion.Social and moral order has collapsed. The only rule is imposed by mafia-like criminal gangs. And a visionary patriot whose voice rises above it all: Igor Komarov.It is in to this world that former CIA agent Jason Monk is plunged. Drawn out of retirement by the CIA's desperate bid to halt Komarov's meteoric rise, he must slip back in to Russia undetected and carry out a covert mission that the world depends on. With Komarov set to win the next election, Monk discovers a secret document that is smuggled in to the British Embassy in Moscow. Named The Black Manifesto, it reveals Komarov's horrifying and deadly secret agenda.With many Western leaders persuaded that Komraov can lead his country into a new age, and the election looming, time is running out. . .

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Sattareh Farman Farmaian, the daughter of a once-powerful and wealthy Iranian prince, was raised and educated in the 1920s and 1930s in a Persian harem compound, along with numerous mothers and more than 30 brothers and sisters. As a young woman, she broke with Muslim tradition and travelled to America, where she became the first Persian to study at the University of Southern California. Her new life in the West fired a vision to lift her own people out of backwardness and poverty, and she returned to Iran to found the Tehran School of Social Work. For more than 20 years, Sattareh and her students waged a war against poverty, disease and overcrowding, and then, soon after the collapse of the Shah's regime, she was forced to flee the country in fear of her life. In this account of her experiences, she provides an insider's view of Iran's journey through the 20th century and of the events which led up to, and followed, the Islamic revolution.

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