On 6 June, 2004, Frank Gardner & cameraman Simon Cumbers were in a quiet suburb of Riyadh, filming a piece on Al-Qaeda when they were confronted by Islamist gunmen. Simon was killed instantly. Frank was brought down by a shot in the shoulder, then the leg. As he lay in the dusty street, a figure stood over him & proceeded to pump 4 more bullets into him at point blank range... Blood & Sand is the story of a man who was left for dead but
- & against all odds
- survived. & not only did Frank Gardner survive but, drawing on his journalistic calling, he has given us an extraordinary, terrifying account of the whole, literally life-shattering, experience
- from what it's like to be shot to the excruciating months of recovery. But his book is more than about this one incident & its aftermath. It is about a journey that began 25 years ago with a chance meeting on a London bus with the veteran Arabian explorer Sir Wilfred Thesiger, who inspired in the young Frank what would become a lifelong passion for the Arab world. This abiding interest would lead him to travel throughout the Middle East, experiencing at first hand peoples, places & cultures that few have encountered
- a colourful world of scorpion-infested Bedouin tents, of Cairene hash dens & vibrant Egyptian slums. It's a journey that would eventually lead, via the world of banking, to Frank becoming a journalist with the BBC. & it was this passion that would, in the wake of the world-changing events of 9/11, send him on the journey that came to dominate
- & so very nearly end
- his life: his coverage of the phenomenon that is Al-Qaeda. Written with honesty, integrity & humour, this is a powerful, haunting account of survival, of over-coming adversity & a determination to carry on
- a moving & inspiring personal story that reveals a deep understanding of the Islamic world & an insider's compelling analysis of the on-going ' War on Terror' & what it means in these uncertain times.






...

It was on 6 June 2004 that BBC security correspondent Frank Gardner & cameraman Simon Cumbers were ambushed by Islamist gunmen in a quiet Riyadh back street. Simon was killed outright. Frank was hit in the shoulder & leg. As he lay in the dust, a figure stood over him & pumped four more bullets into his body at point-blank range. Against all the odds, Frank Gardner survived. Ten years on from that horrendous attack, although partly paralysed, he continues to travel the world reporting for the BBC. His acclaimed, moving & inspiring memoir is now brought up to date with a new chapter recalling his return to Saudi Arabia for the first time since he was shot. This new anniversary edition is a reaffirmation of his deep understanding of
- & affection for
- the Islamic world in these uncertain times.

...

Over sixteen extraordinary days in October & November 1956, the twin crises of Suez & Hungary pushed the world to the brink of a nuclear conflict & what many at the time were calling World War III. Blood & Sand is a revelatory new history of these dramatic events, for the first time setting both crises in the context of the Arab-Israeli conflict, & the treacherous power politics of imperialism & oil. Blood & Sandtells this story hour by hour, with a fascinating cast of characters including Gamal Abdel Nasser, Anthony Eden, Dwight D. Eisenhower, Nikita Khrushchev, Christian Pineau, Imre Nagy & David Ben-Gurion. It is a tale of conspiracy & revolutions, spies & terrorists, kidnappings & assassination plots, the fall of the British Empire & the rise of American hegemony. Blood & Sand is essential to our understanding of the modern Middle East & resonates powerfully with the problems of oil control, religious fundamentalism & international unity that face the world today. ...

Thought-provoking & eye-opening, BLOOD & SILK is an accessible, personal look at modern Southeast Asia, written by one of the region`s most experienced outside observers. This is a first-hand account of what it`s like to sit at the table with deadly Thai Muslim insurgents, mediate between warring clans in the Southern Philippines & console the victims of political violence in Indonesia
- all in an effort to negotiate peace, & understand the reasons behind endemic violence. Peering beyond brand new shopping malls & shiny glass towers in Bangkok & Jakarta, Michael Vatikiotis probes the heart of modern Southeast Asia. Why are the region`s richest countries such as Malaysia riddled with corruption? Why do Myanmar, Thailand & the Philippines harbour unresolved violent insurgencies? How do deepening religious divisions in Indonesia & Malaysia & China`s growing influence affect the region & the rest of the world? Vatikiotis tells the story of modern Southeast Asia using vivid portraits of the personalities who pull the strings, mixed with revealing analysis that is underpinned by decades of experience in the countries involved, from their silk-sheathed salons to blood-spattered streets. The result is a fascinating study of the dynamics of power & conflict in one of the world`s fastest growing regions.
...

Welcome to a country that has a higher casualty rate than Iraq. Wander streets considered the deadliest in the world. Wake up each morning to another batch of corpses
- sometimes bound, often mutilated
- lining the roads; to the screeching blue light of police sirens & the huddles of `red journalists` who make a living chasing after the bloodshed. But Honduras is no warzone. Not officially, anyway. Ignored by the outside world, this Central American country is ravaged by ultra-violent drug cartels & an equally ruthless, militarised law force. Corruption is rife & the justice system is woefully ineffective. Prisons are full to bursting & barrios are flooded with drugs from South America en route to the US. Cursed by geography, the people are trapped here, caught in a system of poverty & cruelty with no means of escape. For many years, Alberto Ace was the only foreign correspondent in Tegucigalpa, Honduras`s beleaguered capital, & he witnessed first-hand the country`s decent into anarchy. Here, he shares his experiences in a series of gripping & atmospheric dispatches: from earnest conversations with narcos, taxi drivers & soldiers, to exposes of state corruption & harrowing accounts of the aftermath of violence. Provocative, revelatory & at time heart-rending, Blood Barrios shines a light on the suffering & stoicism of the Honduran people, & asks the international community if there is more that they can do.

...

Blood Brothers is the only known novel by German social worker & journalist Ernst Haffner, of whom nearly all traces were lost during the course of the Second World War. Told in stark, unsparing detail, Haffner`s story delves into the illicit underworld of Berlin on the eve of Hitler`s rise to power, describing how these blood brothers move from one petty crime to the next, spending their nights in underground bars & makeshift hostels, struggling together to survive the harsh realities of gang life, & finding in one another the legitimacy denied them by society. ...

When you`re a cop in Marseilles, threats of violence & revenge go with the territory. Usually they come to nothing, but when friends & colleagues start turning up dead it soon becomes clear that someone from Jacquot`s past has a score to settle & intends to see it through. But this killer is different. To sweeten the revenge, & cause the greatest pain, it`s always the target`s nearest & dearest who die. When Jac discovers that he`s in the firing line, he knows that unless he can track down the killer then someone he loves will pay the ultimate price. ...

Exactly 150 years after the Norman Conquest of England in 1066, history came extremely close to repeating itself when another army set sail from the Continent with the intention of imposing foreign rule on Engl&. This time the invasion force was under the command of Louis the Lion, son & heir of the powerful French king Philip Augustus. Taking advantage of the turmoil created in England by the civil war over Magna Carta & by King John`s disastrous rule, Prince Louis & his army of French soldiers & mercenaries allied with the barons of the English rebel forces. The prize was England itself. The invasion was one of the most dramatic episodes of British history. This is the first ever book on the subject. Blood Cries Afar tells a dramatic & violent but overlooked story, with a broad appeal to those interested in the history of England & France, the Middle Ages & war in an age of kings, knights, castles, battles & brutality. ...

Joe Clayton thought the dangers of his undercover career were behind him. He was wrong. One grey October morning, while working in a quiet Bristol street, he hears the voice of the man who has sworn to destroy him. Minutes later Joe is running for his life again. Desperate for sanctuary, he heads for the small Cornish town of Trelennan, & the home of Diana Bamber, widow of a former police colleague. But Diana reacts strangely to his arrival, & gradually Joe discovers that Trelennan is far from the idyllic, law-abiding resort it claims to be. The town is in the grip of one man. Leon Race doesn`t welcome strangers, especially ex-cops who start asking questions about missing women. Soon Joe is caught up in another undercover role, but as he penetrates the web of secrets that ensnares the town`s elite, his own secret is at risk of discovery. & all the time his old enemy is circling... ...

Joe Clayton thought the dangers of his undercover career were behind him. He was wrong. One grey October morning, while working in a quiet Bristol street, he hears the voice of the man who has sworn to destroy him. Minutes later Joe is running for his life again. Desperate for sanctuary, he heads for the small Cornish town of Trelennan, & the home of Diana Bamber, widow of a former police colleague. But Diana reacts strangely to his arrival, & gradually Joe discovers that Trelennan is far from the idyllic, law-abiding resort it claims to be. The town is in the grip of one man. Leon Race doesn't welcome strangers, especially ex-cops who start asking questions about missing women. Soon Joe is caught up in another undercover role, but as he penetrates the web of secrets that ensnares the town's elite, his own secret is at risk of discovery. & all the time his old enemy is circling... ...