The shadowy Gangster Squad was formed in 1946 with eight men operating out of two rusted old Fords. They had no office & made no arrests -- the idea was to remain invisible. By the time I met Sgt. Jack OMara most of the early members were dead so I set out to find the survivors. Based on the hugely popular Los Angeles Times column LA Noir: Tales from the Gangster Squad this is the dark-hearted true story of a group of men cleaning up the mean streets of post-War America. From hundreds of interviews with the original members of the team Paul Lieberman stitches together the story of Jack OMara his dangerous colleague Jerry Wooters (the killer cop thats what they called me) & their anything-goes war with arch-criminal Mickey Cohen & his budding rival Jack The Enforcer Whalen. A tale of stake-outs shoot-outs & even the famous Black Dahlia murder case this is ice-cool narrative non-fiction at its best -- & the basis for a huge Warner Brothers film of the same name starring Ryan Gosling Sean Penn Josh Brolin & Emma Stone. ...

Gerard Gallacher served as a police officer in Glasgow from the 1980s & three decades onwards. It was the time when drugs seized hold of the city & a new set of ruthless criminals were threatening to take control. There was still the usual violence of the city to deal with including domestic violence gang warfare & robbery but it was the huge increase in drug use that defined the times & led to many of the most notorious incidents in the citys criminal past. & Gerard Gallacher was in the thick of the action. As a detective Gallacher knew & dealt with all the major criminals of the times; including Arthur Thompson & his son Arthur Jnr Tam Mc Graw Paul Ferris Joe Hanlon & Bobby Glover. He gave evidence at Ferris murder trial he discovered that Arthur Thomson was a Security Services asset & was the first detective on the scene when Hanlon & Glover were murdered. He delivered the police warning to infamous criminal Frank Mc Phie to tell him that his life was in danger a warning that went unheeded. Gallacher was also involved in countless other high profile investigations including the notorious drugs feud between former friends Tony Mc Govern & James Stevenson which ended in assassination. This is a compelling account of a police career at the sharp end of the action by a detective who wouldnt toe the line. & as well as giving his forthright views on the less than exemplary conduct of some senior officers Gallacher now reveals what really happened behind the scenes in some of the countrys most high profile cases. ...

In 1980 my life as a ' Goodfella' came to an end...I traded my Brioni & Armani suits for T-shirts & jeans. I became a normal citizen. I became Joe Schmoe ' says Henry Hill author of GANGSTERS & GOODFELLAS & subject of WISEGUY which was the inspiration for the blockbuster film GOODFELLAS. After a quarter of a century of silence Hill can finally tell us the rest of the story Gangsters & Goodfellas picks up where Wiseguy left off taking readers on the crazy ride of Henry's life
- hiding out in the Witness Protection Programme doing prison time for drug charges testifying in high-profile heavily guarded mafia trials leaving his wife & children & eventually ending up in the entertainment business. Including an exclusive selection of photographs from Henry's personal collection Gangsters & Goodfellas also reveals Henry's lifelong struggle with addiction his 'business' relationships that have ranged from mob bosses to movie producers & how through everything he survived: ' Its been a hell of a journey & if I hadn't lived it myself I would never believe it. I survived the mob. I survived the government now I'm trying to survive Hollywood.
...

This humour-tinged romantic adventure follows the experiences of a young Scottish veterinary student called Doogie OMara who takes a year off his studies to get his head together following the death of his parents but also to escape the claustrophobic influence of the daughter of his elderly home-town vet who assumes that Doogie will not only become his partner but his daughters as well! Doogie sets out to start a job as a tour rep in Africa with hopes of finding time to study the wildlife too. Instead he finds himself on the Spanish island of Mallorca thust in at the deep end of the madcap package tour business
- a hapless fish out of water for whom the nearest thing to wildlife appears to be the hordes of rowdy holidaymakers pouring off the gannets (charter planes) from the UK. He is taken under the wing of Angie a world-weary rep whos taken all the knocks & has a fatherless toddler to prove it & is befriended by Catalina a pretty young Mallorcan girl working for the same tour company but from a country background similar to Doogies own. The outlook gets better still when Angie is posted to Ibiza & leaves Doogie her flat & her little car. Unfortunately she also leaves her toddler in the care of her dotty old neighbour to whom Doogie is now living next door. Problems are bound to arise & they do with Doogie right in the middle of them! Despite everything however his relationship with Catalina develops & when the time finally comes for him to leave the island Doogie must decide if there may be more to life than a secure though potentially claustrophobic career as a vet back in Scotl&.
...

The quiet of Danis hiding place in the dark graveyard was disturbed by the sound of someone panting close by. Instantly awake he saw a wild looking figure: a tall thin creature who stood starting at him poised for flight. Mamo is sold into slavery after his mothers death & escapes. Dani is on the run from his rich but controlling father. The two boys come from very different worlds but are drawn together as they learn to survive on the city streets." ...

Garbage Pail kids a series of stickers produced by Topps in 1985 were designed to parody overly saccharine Cabbage Patch Kids. Each sticker card features a Garbage Pail Kid character depicted in a grotesque & biting image christened with a humourous character name involving wordplay. The series was the creation of Pulizer Prize-winning cartoonist Art Spiegelman who in collaboration with other successful artists turned the cads into a pop-culture phenomenon. Garbage Pail Kids will feature all 206 rare & hard-to-find stickers from Series 1 through 5 originally release in 1985 & 1 986 & contains an introduction by Spiegelman. Garbage Pail Kids

Includes:: a limited edition set of four rare & unreleased stickers is packaged in a wax-coated jacket & is guaranteed to appeal to die-hard collectors as well as a new generation of fans.

...

A personal & horticultural tour of the 400-year-old gardens at Chatsworth House in Derbyshire. The Duchess of Devonshires anecdotal text takes the reader on a stroll through a garden that

Includes:: parterres & vistas water in all its forms rockeries & trees a working kitchen garden & statuary as well as planted borders. The history of the garden is described incorporating the creation the changes & the restorations both the Duke & Duchess have made in the spirit of the place". The Duchess of Devonshire has lived at Chatsworth since 1950."

...

When The Prince of Wales bought Highgrove House in 1981 the surrounds consisted of a brown path which ran around the house a lawn & a few thorn bushes. Twenty years later he has transformed the land adjoining the house into several exquisite gardens which embody his gardening ideals & organic principles. With help from some of Britain's finest designers including The Marchioness of Salisbury Rosemary Verey Miriam Rothschild & Sir Roy Strong the Prince of Wales has created highly individual gardens which have now with his own ideas reached maturity. The Prince of Wales describes the thinking behind each garden the mistakes & the triumphs & his plans for the future. Lavishly illustrated with photographs which capture both the scope & detail of each garden this book will delight & inspire both gardeners & horticulturalists at every level. ...

Do you really know whats going on away from the bird feeder? Discover the private lives of your bird table regulars in this fascinating expose of the drama behind their everyday survival. There are profiles of over 50 birds with key information for identifying & learning about their different plumage song food & ways you can attract them to your garden. However this book goes further than just the general profile revealing the more secretive & intimate aspects of their existence such as: unusual feeding behaviour; territorial conflict; strange relationships with man; & breeding & nesting oddities. With over 200 colour photographs & artworks to help you identify your winged visitors Garden Bird Confidential" is a must for all nature lovers." ...

The ideal portable companion the world-renowned Collins Gem series returns with a fresh new look & updated material. This is the perfect pocket guide for keen birdwatchers & nature enthusiasts to identify the diverse range of birds that inhabit their gardens. Authoritative text & beautiful photographs show the distinguishing features of each bird including information on each species' feeding behavioural habits breeding voice & population. An extensive introduction provides information on nesting sites water pests & predators. This new edition builds on the strengths of the unrivalled original covering all birds most likely to be found in our gardens. ...