The war in Afghanistan is over ten years old. It has cost countless lives and hundreds of billions of pounds. Politicians talk of progress, but the violence is worse than ever. In this powerful and shocking exposé from the front lines in Helmand province, leading journalist and documentary-maker Ben Anderson (HBO, Panorama, and Dispatches) shows just how bad it has got. Detailing battles that last for days, only to be fought again weeks later, Anderson witnesses IED explosions and sniper fire, amid disturbing incompetence and corruption among the Afghan army and police. Also revealing the daily struggle to win over the long-suffering local population, who often express open support for the Taliban, No Worse Enemy is a heartbreaking insight into the chaos at the heart of the region. Raising urgent questions about our supposed achievements and the politicians’ desire for a hasty exit, Anderson highlights the vast gulf that... Views: 106
Thomas B. Costain's four-volume history of the Plantagenets begins with THE CONQUERING FAMILY and the conquest of England by William the Conqueror in 1066, closing with the reign of John in 1216.The troubled period after the Norman Conquest, when the foundations of government were hammered out between monarch and people, comes to life through Costain's storytelling skill and historical imagination."Brilliant, swift-moving, full of action, rich in color." (B-O-M-C News)THE CONQUERING FAMILY is the first in A History of the Plantagenets, and is followed by THE MAGNIFICENT CENTURY. Views: 104
An extraordinary history of resistance and the fight for Indian independence—the little-known story of seven foreigners to India who joined the movement fighting for freedom from British colonial rule.Rebels Against the Raj tells the story of seven people who chose to struggle for a country other than their own: foreigners to India who across the late 19th to late 20th century arrived to join the freedom movement fighting for independence from British colonial rule. Of the seven, four were British, two American, and one Irish. Four men, three women. Before and after being jailed or deported they did remarkable and pioneering work in a variety of fields: journalism, social reform, education, the emancipation of women, environmentalism.This book tells their stories, each renegade motivated by idealism and genuine sacrifice; each connected to Gandhi, though some as acolytes where others found endless infuriation in his... Views: 103
Mr Marble is in serious debt, desperate for money to pay his family's bills, until the combination of a wealthy relative, a bottle of Cyanide and a shovel offer him the perfect solution. In fact, his troubles are only just beginning. Slowly the Marble family becomes poisoned by guilt, and caught in an increasingly dangerous trap of secrets, fear and blackmail. Then, in a final twist of the knife, Mrs Marble ensures that retribution comes in the most unexpected of ways ...First published in 1926, C. S. Forester's gritty psychological thriller took crime writing in a new direction, portraying ordinary, desperate people committing monstrous acts, and showing events spiralling terribly, chillingly, out of control. Views: 102
Marjorie had never seen a dead body until she got home one tranquil summer evening and found her sister Dot lying on the kitchen floor in a pretty dress, with her head in the oven. She looked peaceful, as if she was asleep. Their mother suspects, however, that Dot's death was far from natural. What's more, she knows who the killer is - and she is determined to make him suffer. So slowly and meticulously, she plots her revenge. After all, who would suspect a neatly dressed, grey-haired widow of anything? And what could possibly go wrong?The Pursued, C. S. Forester's dark, twisted tale of murder, lust and retribution, was written in 1935, but its typescript manuscript was lost. More than seven decades later, it has now been rediscovered and is published for the first time. It is a novel years ahead of its time; rewriting the traditions of crime fiction to create a gripping psychological portrayal of obsession, jealousy, torment and the grim underside of suburban London life. Views: 102
Casey Schillinge is a vivacious young woman on the verge of making her mark on the world. While backpacking, she is struck down by a tropical disease and suffers cardiac failure. But at the eleventh hour, Casey receives a life-saving heart transplant and a rare second chance to begin again. Three years later, Casey has become a withdrawn shell of her former self: she is estranged from her loved ones, afraid of open spaces and rides the line between legitimate and criminal work. The worst of her troubles come in the form of violent night terrors; so frightening that she resorts to extreme measures to keep herself from sleeping. When she can take no more, she embarks on a desperate search for the source of her dreams. In so doing, she makes a shocking discovery surrounding the tragic fate of the donor whose heart now beats inside her chest. As she delves deeper into the mystery of her donor, she realizes her dreams are not a figment of her imagination, but a real life nightmare. Views: 102
How do you bring down a President who will stop at nothing to stay in power?Ruslan sets out on his most ambitious and most dangerous quest, a campaign to depose the strongman who rules his post-communist homeland.He quickly assembles a fractious coalition of rivals and former enemies. But they must confront some very dangerous people: men with blood on their hands who know they can never allow their grip on power to slip.Ruslan discovers that he has placed himself and his family in the firing line in an increasingly desperate fight to the finish. It is a case of destroy or be destroyed, and both sides know it.Praise for the previous Ruslan Shanidza novelsThe Price of Dreams'...will keep you turning the pages...Prepare to be sucked in with gripping characters and political intrigue until the very end.' OnlineBookClub.org Official Review'Highly enjoyable, gripping page turner, solid story... Views: 102
Baker muses on the creative process via his obsession with John Updike.From the Trade Paperback edition. Views: 102
Ten years ago, I walked away from Bonne Terre. No explanations. No good byes. Leaving behind Juliette Tremblant who had no business giving her heart to the likes of me. Now, I'm coming back to town a rich man to try and repair the mistakes I've made. Juliette is not the heart-broken girl I left behind. She's Chief of Police and, she's in trouble – real trouble. And I'm the only one who can help her. She might be immune to my wealth and my charm, but she can't resist my touch. The fire that burned between us is as hot and sweet as it ever was. Can I convince her that gambling on us is a safe bet? Or am I all out of luck? Views: 101
Having turned phone sex into the subject of an astonishing national bestseller in Vox, Baker now outdoes himself with an outrageously arousing, acrobatically stylish "X-rated sci-fi fantasy that leaves Vox seeming more like mere fiber-optic foreplay" (Seattle Times). "Sparkling."--San Francisco Chronicle. Views: 101
