Named the Dolman Travel Book of the Year, The Dead Yard paints an unforgettable portrait of modern Jamaica. Since independence, Jamaica has gradually become associated with twin images—a resort-style travel Eden for foreigners and a new kind of hell for Jamaicans, a society where gangs control the areas where most Jamaicans live and drug lords like Christopher Coke rule elites and the poor alike.Ian Thomson's brave book explores a country of lost promise, where America's hunger for drugs fuels a dependent economy and shadowy politics. The lauded birthplace of reggae and Bob Marley, Jamaica is now sunk in corruption and hopelessness. A synthesis of vital history and unflinching reportage, The Dead Yard is "a fascinating account of a beautiful, treacherous country" (Irish Times). Views: 58
A brilliantly witty fairy tale with a furry tail ending!One girl. One boy. One spell to be broken.Ondine de Groot is a normal fifteen-year-old who lives with her family in the European country of Brugel. She has a pet ferret called Shambles. But Shambles is no ordinary ferret. . . He's Hamish McPhee, a boy cursed by a witch. A witch who happens to be related to Ondine.When Shambles turns back into Hamish temporarily, Ondine knows that she has to help him break the spell. He is the most gorgeous boy she has ever met and her one true love! He just can't remain a ferret forever. Can he? Views: 58
When Elliott and his brother move into the
old and crumbling Glebe House they don't expect to find themselves sharing it
with ghosts. But soon sinister events are unfolding. An old diary reveals
glimpses of the mansion's past and of a terrible tragedy. An old woman talks
to ghosts but is she in fact being controlled by them? And what of the
sinister East Wing a hideous labyrinth devised by a truly twisted mind? Can
Elliott and his family escape the clutches of Glebe House? Or will they end up
trapped in the endless maze of corridors, forever hunted by the dead? Views: 58
Best-selling poet Sophie Hannah returns with a wonderful collection of poems that explore and celebrate strong feelings: love, hate, anger, hope - and which strip away the veils of hypocrisy and pretence from all aspects of everyday life. From relationships to the world of work, motherhood and marriage, Sophie Hannah tells it how it is in her own inimitable style. Funny and moving, these poems combine traditional form and rhyme with a contemporary take on modern life that simultaneously raises a smile and provides thoughts to linger over. This collection also include A Woman's Life and Loves, eight poems set to music by the composer Gabriel Jackson that form a song cycle originally concieved as a contemporary and feminist response to the Schumann song cycle. Sophie Hannah's first book was greeted with amazement. The Poetry Review declared, 'Shall I put it in capitals? SOPHIE HANNAH IS A GENIUS.' Each subsequent collection has been formally more inventive, thematically more... Views: 58
Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio lived the darkest and most dangerous life of any of the great painters. The worlds of Milan, Rome and Naples through which Caravaggio moved and which Andrew Graham-Dixon describes brilliantly in this book, are those of cardinals and whores, prayer and violence. On the streets surrounding the churches and palaces, brawls and swordfights were regular occurrences. In the course of this desperate life Caravaggio created the most dramatic paintings of his age, using ordinary men and women - often prostitutes and the very poor - to model for his depictions of classic religious scenes. Andrew Graham-Dixon's exceptionally illuminating readings of Caravaggio'spictures, which are the heart of the book, show very clearly how he created their drama, immediacy and humanity, and how completely he departed from the conventions of his time. Views: 58
Heart of a KillerDavid RosenfeltA CAREER CASEJamie Wagner is a young lawyer who is happy to be flying under the radar at a large firm. It’s not that he isn’t smart. He is. It’s just that hard work, not to mention the whole legal thing, isn’t exactly his passion. But then he’s put on a case that turns his whole world upside down.A FAMILY TORN Sheryl Harrison is serving a thirty-year murder sentence for killing her husband, who she claims was abusive. The case is settled—there shouldn’t be anything for Jamie to do—except now Sheryl’s fourteen-year-old daughter, Karen, is sick. She has a congenital heart defect and will die without a transplant. Sheryl is a matching donor—and is willing to die to save her daughter. But suicide, no matter the motive, is illegal. Now Jamie is in way over his head.A TRIAL BY FIREWith Sheryl on suicide watch, Jamie’s only shot at saving Karen is to reopen the murder case, prove Sheryl’s innocence, and get her freed so that she can pursue her own plan. And time is running out…From BooklistHere’s what seems to be a winning combination: a popular and accomplished novelist, a likable hero, and two themes of overwhelming importance. The result? Readers will likely turn the last page and wonder what went wrong. The main plot involves assisted suicide. A woman jailed for murder wants to be killed and have her heart given to her dying daughter. Officialdom resists, so the case must go to court. Next, computers. They control everything, so someone controlling them can crash an airplane, burn a car, and melt down a nuclear-power plant. All these things—and more—happen here. The plots converge midbook, when Jamie Wagner, the lawyer hired by the prisoner who wants to die, finds himself battling a crazed computer maven. The wisecracking Wagner would be fine in a different novel, but here—in a book dealing with such portentous matters—he’s the wrong man. When things grow ominous, he jokes about his hatred of work and lack of ambition, scuttling the tone and keeping the reader distant from the plot. A good character and a gripping story, but they simply don’t mix. Stick with Rosenfelt, though; he can write, despite this misstep. --Don Crinklaw ReviewPraise for ON BORROWED TIME“An absolutely irresistible hook… No one who picks up this greased-lightning account will rest till it’s finished.” —Kirkus Reviews (starred review)“Outstanding...Anyone who enjoyed Dennis Lehane’s Shutter Island will love this thriller.” —Library Journal (starred review)“Excellent. All will marvel at the way Rosenfelt builds suspense.”—Publishers Weekly (Starred Review)DOWN TO THE WIRE “Dynamite…Sly humor, breathless pacing, and terrific plot twists keep the pages spinning toward the showdown.”—Publishers Weekly (starred review) “Rosenfelt’s Andy Carpenter novels are known for their breezy storytelling and humor...This one eschews humor to focus on the actions of ordinary people faced with extraordinary trials. It also employs a whiplash plot turn…an engaging suspense tale.” —Booklist “A terrific plot and a gripping narrative.” —The Toronto Sun “I am raving about this book…a page-turning thriller.”—Deadly Pleasure*DON'T TELL A SOUL“Stellar… Rosenfelt keeps the plot hopping and popping as he reveals a complex frame-up of major proportions with profound political ramifications both terrifying and enlightening.”—Publishers Weekly (starred review) “This fast-paced and brightly written tale spins along…Don’t Tell a Soul is a humdinger.”—St. Louis Post-Dispatch“High-voltage entertainment from an author who plots and writes with verve and wit…Rosenfelt ratchets up tension with the precision of a skilled auto mechanic wielding a torque wrench.”—Booklist (starred)“Rosenfelt has earned his crime-novelist pedigree.”—Entertainment Weekly“He delivers a fast, inventive stand-alone thriller you’ll never put down.”—Kirkus Reviews Views: 58
Review“Outstanding ... deftly inserts humor into what could easily have been an unrelentingly grim plot line.”—Publishers Weekly, Starred Review“Any crime fan who hasn’t discovered the Dr. Siri books should start here and then work back. This is the eighth and best , and it’s been far too long since book seven.” —Globe and Mail"Cotterill brings together all the elements that have made the stories so popular: a good mystery, plenty of humor, and a touch of the supernatural. A must for series fans."—BooklistPraise for the Dr. Siri series:"Unpredictable.... Tragically funny and magically sublime."—Entertainment Weekly"A wonderfully fresh and exotic mystery. If Cotterill had done nothing more than treat us to Siri's views on the dramatic, even comic crises that mark periods of government upheaval, his debut mystery would still be fascinating. But the multiple cases spread out on Siri's examining table are not cozy entertainments but substantial crimes that take us into the thick of political intrigue."—Marilyn Stasio, The New York Times Book Review"You get a real feeling for what Laos was like in the '70s. The humor is wonderful, too."—New York Post"The sights, smells and colors of Laos practically jump off the pages of this inspired, often wryly witty first novel."—Denver Post"A fresh and innovative detective who goes straight to the heart and soul, without any sappty sentiment. THe author gives us exotic locations; a world that few us know well; crisp, intelligent, and often-witty writing; and most of all a hero unlike any other."—Philadelphia Inquirer"A crack storyteller and an impressive guide to a little-known culture."—Washington Post Book World“This is the seventh and most sardonic of Mr. Cotterill’s Dr. Siri series, and it is not easy to cope with the combination of misery and merry melancholy that he employs. His writing, as always, is skillful and smooth and his plot is artfully strung together. The book fascinates as it chills.”—Washington Times"This wonderful series has consistently managed to convey the beauty and sadness of this damaged country through the wisdom and humor of its protagonist."—Boston Globe"I love this elegantly written series, set in Laos with clever, septuagenarian coroner Dr. Siri. This one, the seventh, is the best, but all of them are terrific.... A delightful mix of history and politics, and an excellent mystery."—Toronto Globe and Mail“It’s a rare treat to say that a book placed so far into a series is the best one. Authors more often than not run out of steam by the seventh book. Not Colin Cotterill.”—The Oregonian"Colorful."—Seattle TimesAbout the AuthorColin Cotterill is the author of seven previous mysteries featuring septuagenarian Dr. Siri Paiboun, all available in paperback from Soho Crime. Colin has received a Dilys Award win and a Barry Award nomination. He and his wife live in Chiang Mai, Thailand, where he teaches at the university. He is the 2011 Bouchercon International Guest of Honor. Views: 58
Have you ever looked at another couple and wondered, what if... ? Forgotten Desire offers five tantalising tales of couple that swap and share. Views: 58
Police officer Laura Langley's objective was clear: pose as art appraiser Ruby O'Toole and infiltrate suspected drug kingpin Joseph Merrill's organization. Yet thoughts of another man consumed her day and night. Joseph's mysterious employee Michael Corsi had a sensual stare that made Laura forget her purpose, his magnetism threatening her guarded heart. With the undercover investigation at stake, Laura had to resist the desire Michael awakened in her. Because she knew how deadly falling for a man who might be on the wrong side of the law could be. Then she discovered that she wasn't the only one masquerading. But with their covers nearly blown, would their passion survive another night? Views: 58
