The book is one of drama on a grand scale a Renaissance epic as Christendom emerged from the shadows of the calamitous 14th century. The sweeping tale involves inspired & corrupt monarchs the finest thinkers the most brilliant artists & the greatest beauties in Christendom. Here are the stories of its most remarkable women who are all joined by birth marriage & friendship & who ruled for a time in place of their men-folk: Lucrezia Turnabuoni (Queen Mother of Florence the power behind the Medici throne) Clarice Orsini (Roman princess feudal wife) Beatrice d Este (Golden Girl of the Renaissance) Caterina Sforza (Lioness of the Romagna) Isabella d Este (the Acquisitive Marchesa) Giulia Farnese (la bella the family asset) Isabella d Aragona (the Weeping Duchess) & Lucrezia Borgia (the Virtuous Fury). The men play a secondary role in this grand saga; whenever possible the action is seen through the eyes our heroines. These eight women experienced great riches power & the warm smile of fortune but they also knew banishment poverty the death of a husband or the loss of one or more of their children. As each of the chosen heroines comes to the fore in her turn she is handed the baton by her sister & Leonie Frieda recounts the role each woman played in the hundred-year drama that is THE DEADLY SISTERHOOD. ...

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to be the strongest boy in the world? Or the fastest? Or even the noisiest? Two ordinary young boys are about to find out! When the castle walls of Max & Finlays den start crumbling away little do the best mates know that everything is about to change.. . Trapped inside the wall is the ancient god Hercules & he needs the boys help! The friends must complete a terrifying challenge every day for seven days & can choose only one of Hercules amazing superpowers at a time to help them. In this third fantastic Superpowers" adventure Max & Finlay have to find a way to move a whole stable full of smelly poo! What superpower can defeat the poo as well as the horrible surprise that awaits them?" ...

How to become an Undercover Pirate...1) Have a pirate captain as your ancient ancestor 2) Find a message in a bottle & a magic gold doubloon 3) Get whisked back in time to join a pirate crew 4) When you get home DONT TELL ANYONE. Remember
- youre undercover! Theres a new pirate aboard the Sea Wolf & hes popular with the crew but Sam is suspicious
- why is the new recruit so interested in Captain Blade? & how can Sam convince his friends that theyre falling into a deadly trap?

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What are the lives of modern day pirates like outside of the attack skiffs? How do they spend their money? What clothes do they wear & what is their drug of choice? Deadly Waters takes us to the heart of Somalia where Jay Bahadur the intrepid 25-year-old author has ventured where most journalists fear to tread. As the 'go to' journalist for all major media & with unparalleled access to all the major players from government officials to local residents
- & of course the pirates themselves
- Bahadur sets out to discover who is behind the masked menaces who appear on the news. Exploring the politics & history of the self-governing region of Puntland Bahadur looks at the challenges facing this troubled mini-state as piracy rises
- & examines how the UN & other bodies are attempting to deal with the scourge of every sea-faring nation. Evocative & incisive Deadly Waters is a highly original analysis of the international pirate crisis.


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A naked teenage girl is found dead near the beautiful Byzantine Yoros Castle in Turkey. She has stabbed herself through the heart but there is evidence of bizarre sexual practice. In another part of Istanbul a young boy sems to have committed suicide in similar circumstances. What dark rituals could have compelled them to fatal self-abuse? Inspectors Cetin Ikmen & Mehmet Suleyman follow an internet trail that leads them to an underworld of Goth nightclubs & Satanic worship. But even those murkey shadows hide more than they reveal & the answers to an ever increasing number of suspicious deaths is more shocking & terrible than they could ever have imagined. ...

It is the early 1970s in the Highlands of Scotland & for 16-year-old Simon Crimmons theres really not much to do. He can hang around with his pals or his first-ever girlfriend Nikki he can dream about a first motorbike to get him out of the Port & among the hills but in truth hes going nowhere. The only local drama & romance is provided by the rural railway & Simon ends up working on the trains by chance thrown into a community of jaded older men. But that summer he is introduced to a world far more glamorous & strange. He meets the louche bohemian Alex & his dark gorgeous sister Varie: all that remains of the doomed family of the great house at Broken Moan where their father Andrew Bultitude is Commander of the Pass. When Simon falls in love with the otherworldly Varie he is suddenly given a freedom & mobility that is both thrilling & vertiginous. With The Deadmans Pedal Alan Warner returns to the landscapes of Morvern Callar & his early novels: a world where the real & the surreal grim trade unionists & the crazed aristocracy live under the shadows of the same great mountains along the same railway line. A demented comedy a wild romantic fling
- The Deadmans Pedal" is another thrillingly imagined adventure by one of our finest novelists."
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This title is shortlisted for the James Tait Black Fiction Prize. For 16-year-old Simon Crimmons there is not a lot to do. Going nowhere fed up with school he leaves to work as a driver on the trains. That summer he is introduced to a world of grown-up glamour strikes & girlfriends. When Simon falls for the ethereal aristocratic Varie he finds freedom & adventure but will it be at a price? Too 'posh' for the railways too 'working class' for Varie Simon must navigate what it means to be a man as his world is turned upside down. ...

Retired Professor of Linguistics Desmond Bates is going deaf. Its a bother for his wife who has an enviably successful new career & is too busy to be endlessly repeating herself. Roles are reversed with his aging father who resents his sons attempts to help him. & then theres Alex a student whom Desmond has agreed to help after a typical misunderstanding at a party. But her increasingly bizarre requests cannot all be blamed on his defective hearing. So much for growing old gracefully... ...

Investigator & sports agent Myron Bolitar is poised on the edge of the big-time. So is Christian Steele a rookie quarterback & Myron's prized client. But when Christian gets a phone call from a former girlfriend a woman who everyone including the police believes is dead the deal starts to go sour. Suddenly Myron is plunged into a baffling mystery of sex & blackmail. Trying to unravel the truth about a family's tragedy a woman's secret & a man's lies Myron is up against the dark side of his business
- where image & talent make you rich but the truth can get you killed.
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The history of Deal has been shaped by its position on the extreme eastern coastline of Kent. Close to France it was of such significant naval importance that Henry VIII chose to erect a castle here on the concentric circle plan. Revolutionary at the time it is beautifully preserved today. Barracks were established here from 1861. This corps of the British Army was infamously bombed by the IRA in 1989 & the School of Music departed seven years later. Many literary references to Deal refer to its villainous populace which was often associated with smuggling. Today chic cafes shops & holiday cottages reveal an atmosphere of quiet prosperity. Pepys & Cobettes derogatory terms of pitiful & detestable are a world away from modern Deal. Instead as the images collected here show through time the town has become a hidden gem of idyllic existence. ...