LONGLISTED FOR THE CWA INTERNATIONAL DAGGER 2018 When two Parisian women are murdered in their homes, the police suspect young accordionist Clément Vauquer. As he was seen outside both of the apartments in question, it seems like an open-&-shut case. Desperate for a chance to prove his innocence, Clément disappears. He seeks refuge with old Marthe, the only mother figure he has ever known, who calls in ex-special investigator Louis Kehlweiler. Louis is soon faced with his most complex case yet & he calls on some unconventional friends to help him. He must show that Clément is not responsible & solve a fiendish riddle to find the killer... ...

The Accordionist`s Son is a remarkably powerful & accomplished novel, exploring the life of David Imaz, a former inhabitant of the Basque village of Obaba, now living in exile & ill-health on a ranch in California. As a young man, David divides his time between his uncle`s ranch & his life in the village, where he reluctantly practises the accordion on the insistence of his authoritarian father. Increasingly aware of the long shadow cast by the Spanish Civil War, he begins to unravel the story of the conflict, his father`s association with the fascists & his uncle`s opposition & brave decision to hide a wanted republican. Caught betweeen the two men, the course of his own life is changed forever when he agrees to shelter a group of students on the run from the military police. Translated by Margaret Jull Costa. ...

In 1989, a North Korean dissident writer, known to us only by the pseudonym Bandi, began to write a series of stories about life under Kim Il-sung`s totalitarian regime. Smuggled out of North Korea & set for publication around the world in 2017, The Accusation provides a unique & shocking window on this most secretive of countries. Bandi`s profound, deeply moving, vividly characterised stories tell of ordinary men & women facing the terrible absurdity of daily life in North Korea: a factory supervisor caught between loyalty to an old friend & loyalty to the Party; a woman struggling to feed her husband through the great famine; the staunch Party man whose actor son reveals to him the absurd theatre of their reality; the mother raising her child in a world where the all-pervasive propaganda is the very stuff of childhood nightmare. The Accusation is a heartbreaking portrayal of the realities of life in North Korea. It is also a reminder that humanity can sustain hope even in the most desperate of circumstances
- & that the courage of free thought has a power far beyond those seek to suppress it.
...

In 1989, a North Korean dissident writer, known to us only by the pseudonym Bandi, began to write a series of stories about life under Kim Il-sung`s totalitarian regime. Smuggled out of North Korea & set for publication around the world in 2017, The Accusation provides a unique & shocking window on this most secretive of countries. Bandi`s profound, deeply moving, vividly characterised stories tell of ordinary men & women facing the terrible absurdity of daily life in North Korea: a factory supervisor caught between loyalty to an old friend & loyalty to the Party; a woman struggling to feed her husband through the great famine; the staunch Party man whose actor son reveals to him the absurd theatre of their reality; the mother raising her child in a world where the all-pervasive propaganda is the very stuff of childhood nightmare. The Accusation is a heartbreaking portrayal of the realities of life in North Korea. It is also a reminder that humanity can sustain hope even in the most desperate of circumstances
- & that the courage of free thought has a power far beyond those seek to suppress it.
...

When the mutilated body of Mayra Cabral de Melo is found in a dusty field, Detective Edgar ” Lefty” Mendieta has personal reasons for bringing the culprit to justice. Mayra, a well-known stripper, had no shortage of ardent, deluded & downright dangerous admirers, & Lefty himself is haunted by the night he spent in her company. As Mexico`s drug war ramps up, Lefty`s pursuit of a gallery of jealous & powerful suspects, all with a murderous glint in their eye, leads him to Samantha Valdes, the godfather`s daughter, who is battling to retain her father`s empire. & as the mystery deepens, the bodycount rises. ...

No man has ever loved a woman & not imagined her in the arms of someone else. Felix Quinn calls himself a happy man. He owns one of London`s oldest antiquarian bookshops. He is married to & adores the beautiful Marisa. But a childhood experience has taught him that loss is intrinsic to love, & Felix realises that he can only be truly happy if his wife is sleeping with another man. Enter Marius into Marisa`s affections. & now Felix must ask himself, is he really happy? By the winner of the 2010 Man Booker Prize. ...

The Activity globe is an attractive & information rich 30cm (12”) illuminated children`s globe mounted on a bright yellow plastic st&. This fun & educational globe shows a clear & colourful physical map of the world that is wonderfully illustrated with animals, peoples & places to find. A key card detailing all the numbered features of the globe is supplied. The ideal children`s introductory globe ...

Versatile adaptor which converts UK 2-pin & 3-pin plugs to the world's most widely used sockets (the EEC & American electrical systems). All the adaptor's plugs slot together for ease of packing. For instant use in: EEC Countries, USA, Canada, Australia, New Zeal&, Japan, the Far East, Norway, Morocco, Russia, Tunisia, Turkey, Central & parts of South America, & many islands of the Caribbean. Also suitable for use in parts of Brazil, Indonesia, India, Israel & Africa.N.B. This adaptor does not convert voltage. ...

Versatile adaptor which converts UK 2-pin & 3-pin plugs to the world's most widely used sockets (the EEC & American electrical systems). All the adaptor's plugs slot together for ease of packing. For instant use in: EEC Countries, USA, Canada, Australia, New Zeal&, Japan, the Far East, Norway, Morocco, Russia, Tunisia, Turkey, Central & parts of South America, & many islands of the Caribbean. Also suitable for use in parts of Brazil, Indonesia, India, Israel & Africa.N.B. This adaptor does not convert voltage. ...

Over the years, millions of school children must have written out their address in the same way -- their house number & street, their town, their country, their continent, planet Earth, the universe! Following this simplest of patterns, taking each line of the address as a starting point, Tim Radford explores our place in the scheme of things -- why we are attached to a particular geographical place & what significance do we have when faced with the realms of astronomy & astrophysics. Fascinating, entertaining & completely original, The Address Book tackles some of the most fundamental questions facing us, & allows us see ourselves completely afresh. ...