' This receptacle was found in the wall beside the fireplace. It has been suggested you may wish to restore it to its proper place.' When a redundant church is bought by a young pagan couple the local fundamentalist minister reacts with fury. In an isolated community on the Welsh border a modern witch hunt begins. Diocesan exorcist Merrily Watkins is expected to keep the lid on the cauldron...but what she finds out will seriously test her beliefs. Also there's the problem of the country solicitor who won't be parted from his dead wife. The mystery of five ancient churches all dedicated to St Michael slayer of dragons. & a killer with an old tradition to guard... ...

The seventh book in Robert Jordan's internationally bestselling epic fantasy series THE WHEEL OF TIME now reissued with a stunning ...

Christmas Eve 1194. Sir John de Wolfe gratefully escapes his wife Matildas party to examine the body of a canon who has been found hanged. Suicide is suspected but it is soon apparent theres more to this case than meets the eye. As always Johns investigations are hampered by his brother-in-law Sheriff Richard de Revelle. But when a local lord is killed John begins to suspect the cases are linked & that Sir Richards reasons for delaying the investigation may be more serious than his usual acts of petty vengeance. Desperately trying to deflect Sir Richards plots against him John is soon at loggerheads with Matilda & even his mistress Nesta. But as he digs deeper he uncovers a deadly conspiracy that could cost him far more than the women in his life.. . ...

For longtime Ya-Ya fans as well as the lucky ones discovering Wells for the first time comes Wellss new standalone novel about the pull of first love the power of home & everyday magic. My name is Calla Lily Ponder. I was born in 1953 in La Luna Louisiana." So begins Calla Lilys journey through her magical childhood in La Luna a small town named after the sparkling river from which Calla draws her strength time & time again. Its in La Luna where Calla Lily discovers her talent for fixing peoples hair--learned at the side of her talented & loving mother--but also the transformative gift of first love. A series of tragic events leads Calla to search for a fresh start in a beauty school in New Orleans the wild & colourful city that allows Calla to flourish into adulthood & to realize her "healing hands" can do much more than fix damaged hair." ...

A highly entertaining wonderfully colourful story now revealed to be written by one of our favourite historical novelists. In mid seventeenth-century England the nation was in upheaval. In the Dorset countryside one sunlit afternoon a young girl -- illicitly bathing in a stream -- first fell in love with a passing stranger. Her parents called her Dorcas but he called her Campion & thats what she longed to be then & forever. She had one gift left for her by her unknown father -- a pendant made from gold banded by tiny glowing stones & at its base was a seal engraved with an axe & the words: St Matthew. So when she flees before the unbearable worthy suitor who is forced upon her after her forbidden meeting she takes this & the delicate lace gloves with her & hopes to find her father & her lover. There are four of these intricately wrought seals -- each owned by a stranger each holding a secret within. & when all four seals are united then the holder will have access to great wealth & power. That is Campions inheritance. But to claim this & find again her summer love she must follow the course her fathers legacy charts for her. It is a road full of both peril & enchantment. A Crowning Mercy was first published in 1983 under the name Susannah Kells. It has been out of print for 10 years. Harper Collins are delighted to be able to re-publish it. ...

The New York Times" & " Washington Post" bestseller that changed the way millions communicate. "[" Crucial Conversations"] draws our attention to those defining moments that literally shape our lives our relationships & our world... This book deserves to take its place as one of the key thought leadership contributions of our time". (from the Foreword by Stephen R. Covey author of " The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People"). " The quality of your life comes out of the quality of your dialogues & conversations. Here's how to instantly uplift your crucial conversations". (Mark Victor Hansen cocreator of the numbered 1 " New York Times" bestselling series " Chicken Soup for the Soul"[registered]). The first edition of " Crucial Conversations" exploded onto the scene & revolutionized the way millions of people communicate when stakes are high. This new edition gives you the tools to: prepare for high-stakes situations; transform anger & hurt feelings into powerful dialogue; make it safe to talk about almost anything; & be persuasive not abrasive." ...

The Heinemann Plays" series offers contemporary drama & classic plays in durable classroom editions. Many have large casts & a mixure of boy & girl parts. " The Crucible" is a study of the events which led to the 1692 Salem witchcraft trials & a parable for 1950s Mc Carthyism in the USA." ...

Arthur Miller's classic parable of mass hysteria draws a chilling parallel between the Salem witch-hunt of 1692
- one of the strangest
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Aberdeen 1631. University librarian Robert Sim takes receipt of a gift of books recently arrived from overseas mysterious works on alchemy & hermetics
- the pursuit of ancient knowledge. By nightfall he has been brutally murdered. His colleague & good friend Alexander Seaton is left with the task of hunting for clues as to his killers motive as well as locating the missing books. What did Sim discover in the package & what makes these books so dangerous? Crucible is a fantastic historical thriller that imagines deep-rooted deceptions & a secret whose revelation spells danger for anyone who comes close.
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Urban conflagrations such as the Great Chicago Fire in 1871 & the Great Boston Fire of 1872 terrorized the citizens of nineteenth-century American cities although rebirth in the aftermath offered a chance to shape the future. Ultimately urban dwellers & planners created sweeping changes in the methods of constructing buildings planning city streets engineering water distribution systems underwriting fire insurance & firefighting itself. The practical knowledge gained from fighting nineteenth-century fires gave form & function to modern fire protection efforts. Changes in materials & building design resulted directly from tragedies such as fires in fireproof hotels. Thousands of buildings burned millions of dollars were lost the fire insurance industry faltered & a tradition of volunteerism died out before municipal authorities accepted the necessary changes. The great fires formed a crucible of learning for firefighters engineers architects & underwriters. Bruce Hensler shows how the modern American fire service today is a direct result of the lessons of history. ...