International football meets the world of espionage & counter-terrorism in a nail-biting action thriller! Jake Bastin is in Milan for an international football tournament. His dad will be the TV commentator
- but Jake knows this is a front. He is sure his dads there on MI6 business. If only Jake could get close to the action... Instead he is stuck at a frenzied photo shoot for a priceless South African diamond. In all the chaos a massive diamond heist takes place. Brutal assassinations quickly follow in retaliation. & Jake finds himself playing centre forward in another high-profile scandal. But this time its personal. Hale combines his passion for football James Bond & writing in Striker". He lives in London with his dog Pele & continues to play & watch football nearly every weekend."
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Close Reading 11-14 provides a wide selection of of extracts from novels old & (especially) new with accompanying interpretation/ comprehension-type questions. In addition the ' Taking A Closer Look' section in each chapter focuses on a specific language feature from the passage & provides further explanations & practice exercises on that aspect of language. The book has specific links with Knowledge About Language (by the same authors) but can also be used independently of that title either as a st&-alone classroom textbook or a resource for individual pupils needing interpretation practice. ...

Ravishingly photographed romantic beyond reason this book devoted to the most celebrated gardens of southern Italy captures the inexhaustible lure of one of the most beautiful places on earth: Campania the sun-kissed region that is home to Naples Capri & the Amalfi Coast. Erstwhile pleasure dome to the Roman emperors & still Italy's most glamorous seaside getaway this province has been a top destination for garden appassionati for decades. Bewitched by the natural splendours of the region author & photographer Robert I.C. Fisher has created a 200-page celebration of twenty-four of southern Italy's finest gardens. In Ravello the rampageous roses of Villa Cimbrone once warmed the famously chilly heart of Greta Garbo while off the coast of Positano the private Li Galli islands were the last home of Rudolf Nureyev. In Sorrento Lord Astor's garden is a monument to English exoticism & on Capri Graham Greene discovered his legendary retreat. Understanding that the potent allure of gardens is not only about plants & species Fisher also tells the stories of some of the fascinating people who dedicated their lives to creating & nurturing these treasures. The gardens' special magic is captured in lush mouth-watering photographs whether it be of turn-of-the-century Sorrento picture-perfect Positano medieval Amalfi or isl&-in-the-sky Ravello. Prepare for enchantment as through these bougainvillea-bright pages you visit the garden Shangri-La that is Campania. ...

The third consecutive No.1 bestselling crime novel from the author of the DI Logan Mc Rae series & Birthdays for the Dead. The first body is chained to a stake: strangled & stabbed with a burning tyre around its neck. But is this a gangland execution or something much darker? Someone's leaving little knots of bones outside Detective Inspector Logan Mc Rae's house but he's got more pressing things to worry about. Rival drug gangs are fighting over product & territory; two teenage lovers are missing; someone's crippling Asian immigrants; & Logan's been lumbered with an ambitious new Detective Sergeant a mountain of paperwork & the unwelcome attention of his superiors & the local crime boss. When another body turns up it looks as if the similarities between these murders & the plot of a bestselling novel are more than just a coincidence. & perhaps those little knots of bones are more important than they look... ...

Pete Goss became a national & international hero when he rescued French yachtsman Raphael Dinelli as his boat sank beneath him in the round-the-world single-handed sailing race the Vendee Globe on Christmas Day 1996. In doing so Pete scuppered his own chances in the race but was awarded the Legion d Honneur by Frances president & made a friend for life in Dinelli. Close to the Wind is his own story of the race & its dramas his revolutionary boat Aqua Quorum his thoughts & emotions during four months of solitude at sea the extraordinary surgery that he had to perform on his own elbow & the aftermath of the rescue in the Southern Ocean. ...

In this exhaustive guide to macro photography respected author & photographer Adrian Davies takes a comprehensive approach to the subject covering every aspect of the multi-faceted & often complicated world of close-up photography. Everything about Adrians approach is both practical & diverse with optimal output always in mind. His coverage of equipment for example goes beyond cameras to cover the application of flatbed & film scanners for close-up shots (2D 3D reflective & translucent subjects). Seperate sections cover cameras & equipment lenses lighting workflow & image processing. in addition a seperate section on special subjects covers techniques for shooting both common macro subjects (including insects fossils & coins) as well as a range of technical elements such as shiny surfaces texture & polarised light. The appendix

Includes:: a technical discussion on depth of field including detailed tables & a range of optical formulae. Clear concise & comprehensive & packed with stunning images this is a must-have purchase for all photographers looking for professional quality macro results.

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Its 1931. The new luxurious transatlantic liner Empress of Britain is on her eastward passage. Among the first-class passengers ...

This is a powerful tale of love the loss of innocence & the importance of family in difficult times by the acclaimed author of The Death of Bees winner of the Commonwealth Book Prize 2013. ' There are no strangers in Rothesay Michael. Everyone knows who you are & always will. It's a blessing but it's also a curse.' Eleven-year-old Michael Murray is the best at two things: keepy-uppies & keeping secrets. His family think he's too young to hear grown-up stuff but he listens at doors; it's the only way to find out anything. & Michael's heard a secret one that might explain the bruises on his mother's face. When the whispers at home & on the street become too loud to ignore Michael begins to wonder if there is an even bigger secret he doesn't know about. Scared of what might happen if anyone finds out & desperate for life to return to normal Michael sets out to piece together the truth. But he also has to prepare for the upcoming talent show keep an eye out for Dirty Alice his arch-nemesis from down the street & avoid eating Granny's watery stew. Closed Doors is the startling new novel from the acclaimed author of The Death of Bees. It is a vivid evocation of the fears & freedoms of childhood in the 1980s & a powerful tale of love the loss of innocence & the importance of family in difficult times. ...

At the centre of the Earth in a world that no one knows exists Will is in trouble. His enemy the Styx are close behind. Theyll pursue him to the ends of the world
- any world. Meanwhile Drake
- with help from the unlikeliest of allies is preparing to fight the Styx from above. But will his daring plan bring him closer to victory.. .or to certain death?

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Harry is back assigned to the LAPD's Open-Unsolved Unit with his former cop ally & partner Kizmin Rider. These detectives are the Closers. They are thrown into a politically sensitive & dangerous case when a white supremacist is connected to the 1988 murder of a mixed race girl. The police department has changed but one thing hasn't
- Harry's nemesis Irving. The former Deputy Chief has been pushed from power & given a virtually meaningless new role. Full of vengeance Irving calls Harry a 'retread'. He watches from the sidelines like an injured bear hoping Harry will make a mistake.. .
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