For the first time since Scott's ill-fated race to Antarctica against Amundsen in 1913, a handful of teams from around the world have been granted permission to race each other, on foot, across Antarctica -- starting on New Year's Day and dragging their food, their tents (and their rubbish) with them. This time, however, a hardnut Norwegian team and various trios of ex-special forces soldiers will be up against double-Olympic Gold medallist James Cracknell and TV presenter Ben Fogle. In 2005 James and Ben rowed the Atlantic together (16 hours a day at the oars, for 50 days). This time, they tackle a challenge that is hard-wired into the British psyche: the race for the pole. And in a last-minute twist, they will also be taking with them a member of the public as their third team member. This is classic boys' own, British adventure in the making for Father's Day -- published alongside six one-hour programmes to be broadcast on BBC 2 on Sunday nights (in the Long Way Down slot).
Alan Sugar was born in 1947 and brought up on a council estate in Clapton, in Hackney. As a kid he watched his dad struggle to support the family, never knowning from one week to the next if he'd have a job. It had a huge impact on him, fuelling a drive to succeed that was to earn him a sizeable personal fortune. Now he describes his amazing journey, from schoolboy enterprises like making and selling his own ginger beer to setting up his own company at nineteen; from Amstrad's groundbreaking ventures in hifi and computers, which made him the darling of the stock exchange, to the dark days when he nearly lost it all; from his pioneering deal with Rupert Murdoch to his boardroom battles at Tottenham Hotspur FC. He takes us into the world of The Apprentice, and describes his appointment as advisor to the government and elevation to the peerage. Like the man himself, this autobiography is forthright, funny and sometimes controversial.
When Chief of Police, Kate Burkholder, is called to a farm in the Amish community of Painter’s Creek, nothing could prepare her for the horror and tragedy she encounters. Solly and Rachel Slabaugh, and his brother Abel, have drowned in the hog pit leaving the four children as orphans. As the investigation progresses, it seems that the Slabaugh deaths were not an accident, and the case suddenly becomes a murder enquiry. Agent John Tomasetti and Kate have worked together before, and now he is called back to Painter’s Creek to help seek out the perpetrators of what appear to be serious hate crimes against the Amish. Whether these crimes and the Slabaugh murders are linked is hard to establish because the Amish are very proud and private people who do not enjoy involvement from outside. As the case deepens, Kate develops a bond with the children, particularly the 15-year-old daughter, Solome. Maybe she is reminded of herself at that age, and maybe there’s something about this case which stirs up memories for her. The events surrounding the deaths puzzle her – something doesn’t feel right. As more information comes to light, a tragic incident turns into something much more shocking.
After their thrilling exploits in Matthew Reilly’s bestseller Seven Ancient Wonders, supersoldier Jack West and his loyal team of adventurers are back, and now they face an allbut impossible challenge. For a mysterious ceremony in an unknown location has triggered a catastrophic countdown that will climax in the destruction of all life on Earth. But there is one last hope. If Jack’s team can find and rebuild a legendary ancient device known only as the “Machine”, they might be able to ward off this coming Armageddon. The only clues to its location, however, are held within the fabled Six Sacred Stones, long lost in the fog of history. And so the hunt begins . . . From Stonehenge in England, to the deserts of Egypt, to the spectacular Three Gorges region of China, The Six Sacred Stones will take you on a nonstop rollercoaster ride through ancient history, modern military hardware, and some of the fastest and most mindblowing action you will ever read.
I WANT THEM TO SUFFER, AND I WANT THEM DEAD ... Carly Chase is traumatised ten days asfter being in a fatal traffic accident which kills a teenage student from Brighton University. Then she receives news that turns her entire world into a living nightmare. The drivers of the other two vehicles involved have been found tortured and murdered. Now Detective Superintendant Roy Grace of the Sussex Police force issues a stark and urgent warning to Carly: She could be next. The student had deadly connections. Connections that stretch across the Atlantic. Someone has sworn revenge and won't rest until the final person involved in that fatal accident is dead. The police advise Carly her only option is to go into hiding and change identity. The terrified woman disagrees - she knows these people have ways of hunting you down anywhere. If the police are unable to stop them, she has to find a way to do it herself. But already the killer is one step ahead of her, watching, waiting, and ready ...
The eighth novel in the critically acclaimed Inspector Alan Banks series.'Robinson is steadily ascending toward the pinnacle of crime fiction.' Publishers WeeklyDetective Inspector Banks had seen crimes just as savage in London, but somehow the murder of a teenage girl seemed all the more shocking in the quiet Yorkshire village of Eastvale. Deborah Harrison had been found one foggy night in the churchyard behind St Mary's, strangled with the strap of her school satchel. But Deborah was no typical sixteenyearold. Her father was a powerful financier who ran in the highest echelons of industry, defence and classified information. And Deborah, it seemed, enjoyed keeping secrets of her own . . .'Atmospheric . . . distinguished by a deep understanding of human nature and its foibles.' Time Out
Noel Langley – Serenade for Baboons The Doctor cannot understand why his neighbours only listen to the local Witch Doctor. After all – he teaches modern medicine. But when terror takes hold of him, this dark and savage tale of revenge begins to bite – superstitions sometimes exist for a reason . . . Pan Macmillan are proud to present a brand new reissue of the first ever edition of The Pan Book of Horror Stories. Fiendish, fantastic and downright chilling, these tales were originally selected for Pan by legendary horror anthologist Herbert van Thal. Fifty years on, they are as compelling, evocative and macabre as ever. Highlighted by a new introduction from Johnny Mains, ‘A Brief History of the Horrors’, the legacy of this astonishing collection – that became a defining influence on the genre – is self-evident. We have made an exclusive few available digitally, so choose your next nightmare here . . .
Bram Stoker – The Squaw In this story, we encounter the wrath of the iconic cat from the front cover of The Pan Book of Horror Stories. And so does Elias P. Hutcheson – whose inflated boasts and careless attitudes are soon crushed . . . Pan Macmillan are proud to present a brand new reissue of the first ever edition of The Pan Book of Horror Stories. Fiendish, fantastic and downright chilling, these tales were originally selected for Pan by legendary horror anthologist Herbert van Thal. Fifty years on, they are as compelling, evocative and macabre as ever. Highlighted by a new introduction from Johnny Mains, ‘A Brief History of the Horrors’, the legacy of this astonishing collection – that became a defining influence on the genre – is self-evident. We have made an exclusive few available digitally, so choose your next nightmare here . . .
Cooler than Bond. Deadlier than Bourne. The second spy thriller in the David Trevellyan series. Obliged to leave New York City in the aftermath of his previous mission, David Trevellyan is summoned to the British Consulate in Chicago. To the same office where, just a week before, his new handler was attacked and shot by a Royal Navy Intelligence operative gone bad. Assigned the task of finding the rogue agent, and putting an end to his treacherous scheme, Trevellyan soon finds that once again his only hope of saving countless innocence lives lies not within the system, but in his instinctive believe – you’re bound to do what’s right, whatever the personal cost may be.
Stephanie Calman moves on from bad motherhood, failed grownupness to the ultimate in tricky relationships: that of mother and daughter. In typically candid Calman style she serves up a painfully acute examination of the human condition, softened by the bellylaugh of recognition that will seize all who read her. As a generation finds itself parenting its parents while still trying to haul up its children, she has – once again – hit the zeitgeist firmly over the head.
Nelson Mandela is one of the most inspiring and iconic figures of our age. Now, after a lifetime of taking pen to paper to record thoughts and events, hardships and victories, he has opened his personal archive, which offers an unprecedented insight into his remarkable life. Conversations With Myself gives readers access to the private man behind the public figure: from letters written in the darkest hours of Mandela's twentyseven years of imprisonment to the draft of an unfinished sequel to Long Walk to Freedom. Here he is making notes and even doodling during meetings, or recording troubled dreams on the desk calendar of his cell on Robben Island; writing journals while on the run during the antiapartheid struggles in the early 1960s, or conversing with friends in almost seventy hours of recorded conversations. In these pages he is neither an icon nor a saint; here he is like you and me. An intimate journey from the first stirrings of his political conscience to his galvanizing role on the world stage, Conversations With Myself is a rare chance to spend time with Nelson Mandela the man, in his own voice: direct, clear, private.
As bass player with the Specials, in his secondhand suit and pork pie hat, Horace Panter was a member of one of the most innovative and exciting bands to come snarling out of the punk era. Founded by Jerry Damners, their fusion of punk, reggae and ska created a new musical fashion, spearheaded by their own record label Two Tone. They stood for unity and racial harmony in a polarised society. They even got British men dancing again. In Ska'd for Life Horace takes the reader on a musical odyssey with the Specials from their early days on Coventry's punk circuit to chart storming success with singles like 'Too Much Too Young' and the eerily prescient 'Ghost Town', released as the race riots saw Toxteth and Brixton go up in flames. Written with wry humour, taking an affectionate look at a band whose sublime music remains influential today, this is a must for all Specials fans. 'I found myself laughing out loud whilst revisiting some long forgotten memories . . . It was a fantastic journey and I thank Horace for sharing it' Lynval Golding
Pronounced as the greatest goalscoring talent since Jimmy Greaves, seventeenyear old Robbie Fowler was immediately catapulted to fame and fortune. The thin, babyfaced Toxteth lad, who had trampled the same streets as the rioters, was now a millionaire, an idol and inspiration to every kid who kicked a football. Yet his incredible potential was never quite realised. Injuries and persistent rumours of drug abuse and depression meant that though Fowler remains one of the most celebrated of Premiership stars, he never became the worldbeater so many predicted. This is a fascinating and unbelievably frank insight into the beautiful game, taking us behind the closed doors of professional football to expose what really happens at both club and international level. This is a truthful and candid account of an incredible career, examining not just the records and the glory, but the low points and the miseries of a footballing life that many people now believe somewhere, somehow went wrong. Brilliance and controversy have stalked Robbie Fowler from his five goal performance in only his second full game for Liverpool, to his snorting of the touchline in the Merseyside derby. In this utterly compelling autobiography, Robbie Fowler looks back on what was, what wasn’t and what might have been. This is the story of one of the game’s true icons, and the story of the modern game itself.
It is just before the outbreak of World War I and Britain must enlist the aide of Russia. Czar Nicholas’s nephew is to visit London for secret naval talks with Lord Walden, who has lived in Russia and has a Russian wife, Lydia. But there are other people who are interested in the arrival of Prince Alexei: the Waldens’ only daughter, Charlotte – willful, idealistic, and with an awakening social conscience; Basil Thompson, head of the Special Branch; and, above all, Feliks Kschessinky, the ruthless Russian anarchist. No one could have foretold that Lydia should recognize Feliks, or that she might put her own daughter’s life at risk for his sake. As the secret negotiations progress, the destinies of these characters become ineluctably enmeshed. And as Europe prepares for the catastrophe of war, the final private tragedy which will shatter the complacency of the Waldens is acted out.
Battered and broken by three years of fighting, Stephen Ryan returns to Ireland – to the woman he loves, and in the hope of a return to his old life. But, instead, he finds the seeds of a new conflict are being sown in Dublin. Sinn Fein is resurgent, and more determined than ever to gain independence for Ireland. Stephen’s own brother is among those who are prepared to fight for their cause, and there is growing civil unrest at the shocking losses of the First World War and the threat of conscription looming over Ireland. With the mood of the whole country changing, Stephen must ask himself if he has chosen the right side. All he knows is that he cannot stay at home. Despite his wounds, and his growing addiction to the morphine he needs to ease his pain, Stephen feels compelled to return to the front, where he has some hope of laying his ghosts to rest and where at least he knows where his loyalties lie. But war is deceitful – whether at home or abroad – and Stephen eventually finds himself dragged into a complex web of deceit and violence. He must think fast, as everything that he holds dear is threatened – this new Ireland has new, unpredictable rules.
After alleged serial killer Edgar Roy is apprehended and locked away in a psychiatric unit, private investigators Sean King and Michelle Maxwell are called in by Roy’s lawyer—an old friend of Sean King— to look into the case. But their investigation is derailed before it begins: while en route to their first meeting with the lawyer, King and Maxwell discover his dead body. A rash of terrifying events begins to unfold and it is up to King and Maxwell to uncover the truth: is Roy a killer or not? But the more they dig into his past, the more they are bombarded with obstacles, half-truths, and dead ends that make filtering the facts nearly impossible. As each new theory brings a new revelation, King and Maxwell will be pushed to the limit. Could this deadly case be the one that leaves the duo permanently parted?
Lexi and Mia are inseparable from the moment they start high school. Different in so many ways – Lexi is an orphan and lives with her aunt on a trailer park, while Mia is a golden girl blessed with a loving family, and a beautiful home. Yet they recognize something in each other which sets them apart from the crowd, and Mia comes to rely heavily on Lexi’s steadfast friendship. Mia’s beloved, and incredibly good-looking, twin brother Zach, finds life much less complicated than his sister. Jude thought she’d never have to worry about her son, that he’d always sail through life easily achieving whatever he, and his family, wanted and expected – but then he fell in love. The summer they graduated is a time they will always remember, and one they could never forget. It is a summer of love, best friends, shared confidences and promises. Then one moment one night changes them all forever. As hearts are broken, loyalties challenged and hopes dashed, the time has come to leave childhood behind and learn to face the future.
EXCLUSIVE TO E-BOOK: BONUS NOVELETTE For three Las Vegas women, the Strip is an adults-only playground, a neon-splashed boulevard where excitement, seduction, and betrayal never go to sleep: Kristin Fox - the bestselling writer of controversial and sexy bestsellers who hungers for passion outside the pages of her money-making fiction. Jennifer Payne – the insightful marriage and family therapist who has an answer for every relationship problem except the one happening in her own bedroom. Billie Shelton – the casino showroom headliner who has been saved, remade, and quietly shattered by a darkly obsessive Svengali husband. And they share one magnificent man: Cam Lawford, the ultimate stud-for-hire who has gone from roaring crowds in sports stadiums to willing and generous women in luxury hotels. But who knew the business of sex and satisfaction could be such a dangerous game? J.J. Salem lays bare the high-octane glamour and gritty reality of a world where lovers and gamblers play to win. THE STRI is a wild, wicked, and gloriously promiscuous novel that will keep you up all night.
On an early morning walk, a young girl finds the body of her classmate, Tim Pieters, hidden amongst some bushes. The boy's family are desperate for answers but the killer is never found. Almost two decades later, political pressure sees the cold case reopened and Detective Ella Marconi inherits the job. Ella attacks the case with vigour, determined to shake off the memories of her last investigation, which ended with her being shot in the line of duty. But she knows it won’t be easy – after all this time the murderer is probably long gone and the memories of any witnesses are fading. Georgie Riley, the girl who found Tim’s body, is now a paramedic, trying to face up to her own demons. There's never been any reason to doubt her story, but when Ella receives an anonymous call insisting that Georgie has information about the Pieters’ case, she decides to dig deeper. As long-buried secrets and lies finally come to light, can Ella track down the killer before more people are hurt?
A powerful and compelling story which explores one of the most difficult decisions we might ever have to make. One morning in October, William Harris is confronted by the shocking disappearance of the woman he loves. Julia Seymour has vanished without trace – from his life, from her daughter’s and from her own. Her sudden departure seems to be both deliberate and final. But William is determined to find her. In the days that follow, he tries to piece together what might have driven her away. His search takes him to London, to India – and to Julia’s life before he met her. In the process, William discovers secrets about Julia’s past that challenge and disturb his view of all they shared together. Secrets that illuminate the present in ways he could never have expected. Praise for Catherine Dunne ‘A real touch of Jodi Picoult . . . a domestic setting . . . tension . . . and a little bit of darkness’ Arena Arts Review, RTÉ Radio 1
Unbeknownst to her identical twin Bennie Rosato, Alice Connelly is on the run from her drug-dealing confederates who are trying to kill her. Alice sees only one way out - to become Bennie. She slips a drug into her drink, and usurps her life. Not only does she sleep with her boyfriend, impersonate her at work - and steal her money, but she also warns the police that her evil twin is out to get her. Her plan works perfectly, because when Bennie emerges to fight back, everyone thinks she's Alice - including the police. Meanwhile, Mary DiNunzio, distracted by personal problems is also duped by Alice. The happy DiNunzio home is disrupted by the arrival of a sexy and mysterious cousin who claims to be a witch - and manages to put Mary's father under her spell! Bennie, with everything at stake, is fighting for her life - on all levels. She's reached breaking point. But when the chips are finally down, what will she do? Is blood thicker than water, and can an ordinary, law-abiding woman be driven to evil?
In a hidden studio in an area of Rome, where the Vatican liked to keep an eye on the city’s prostitutes, an art expert from the Louvre is found dead in front of one of the most beautiful paintings that Nic Costa has ever seen – an unknown Caravaggio masterpiece. But before long tragedy will strike Nic far closer to home. The main suspect’s identity is known, but he remains untouchable – protected in his grand palazzo by a fleet of lawyers and a sinister cult known as the Ekstasists. If Costa and his team can crack the reasons for the cult’s existence, he may well stand a chance of nailing his wife’s killer. But the mystery will take him right back to Caravaggio himself and the reasons he had to flee Rome, all those centuries before . . .
On a winter's evening in Notting Hill, Dawn Arrowood drives home after a doctor's appointment confirming her pregnancy. She is terrified. Her older husband has made it clear that he wants no children, and Dawn is not even sure that the child is his. But as Dawn arrives home, she is attacked as she gets out of her car. In the ensuing struggle, her assailant whispers in her ear 'I'm sorry'. And he cuts her throat. Gemma Jones and Duncan Kincaid are called to the crime scene. The gripping case that develops forces them to investigate 1960s Notting Hill and its racial tensions, the Russian mafia and a possible serial killer. . . And at the same time, Gemma, pregnant herself with Kincaid's child, has to cope with her own rollercoaster of emotions in a case that is rather too close to home for comfort.
London, 1019: a few months have passed since Thorgils has escaped the clutches of the Irish Church only to find himself at the centre of a capricious love affair with Aelfgifu, wife of Knut the Great, ruler of England, and one of the most powerful men of the Viking empire. A passionate relationship between two unlikely lovers begins to unfold, which forebodes uncontrollable consequences… When Thorgils is finally on the run again, he meets Grettir, an outlaw who is feared by most for his volatile and brooding behaviour. The two men become travel companions and sworn brothers – which binds them together beyond death. At the gates of Byzantium Thorgils' loyalty is put to the ultimate test... Sworn Brother continues an utterly compelling journey back in time to a world that is brimming with wonderfully crafted characters and their insatiable hunger for riches and renown.
