Eleven-year-old Isabelle hasnt spoken in nine months & as December begins the situation is getting desperate. Her mother has stopped work to devote herself to her daughters care. Four psychiatrists have already given up on her & her school will not take her back in the New Year. Her parents are frantically trying to understand what has happened so they can help their child but they cannot escape the thought of darker possibilities. What if Isabelle is damaged beyond their reach? Will she never speak again? Is it their fault? As they spiral around Isabelles impenetrable silence she herself emerges as a bright young girl in need of help yet too terrified to ask for it. By the talented young author of FIREWORKS this is a compelling ultimately uplifting novel about a family in crisis showing the delicate web that connects a husband & wife parents & children & how easily it can tear. ...

In far-flung locations around the globe an unparalleled sequence of international events took place between December 1 & December 12 1941. In this riveting book historian Evan Mawdsley explores how the story unfolded. He demonstrates how these dramatic events marked a turning point not only in the course of World War II but also in the direction of the entire century. On Monday December 1 1941 the Japanese government made its final decision to attack Britain & America. In the following days the Red Army launched a counterthrust in Moscow while the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor & invaded Malaya. By December 12 Hitler had declared war on the United States the collapse of British forces in Malaya had begun & Hitler had secretly laid out his policy of genocide. Churchill was leaving London to meet Roosevelt as Anthony Eden arrived in Russia to discuss the postwar world with Stalin. Combined these occurrences brought about a new war" as Churchill put it with Japan & America deeply involved & Russia resurgent. This book a truly international history examines the momentous happenings of December 1941 from a variety of perspectives. It shows that their significance is clearly understood only when they are viewed together." ...

After a long period of resting life is looking up for Charles Paris who has been cast as the Ghost of Hamlets Father & First Gravedigger in a new production of Hamlet. But rehearsals are fraught. Ophelia is played by Katrina Selsey who won the role through a television talent show. Hamlet himself is also played by a reality TV contestant Jared Root
- & the two young stars have rather different views of celebrity & the theatre than the more experienced members of the cast. But when the company reach the first staging post of their tour the Grand Theatre Marlborough matters get more serious with one member of the company seriously injured in what appears to be an accident & another dead. Once again Charles Paris is forced to don the mantle of amateur detective to get to the bottom of the mystery.
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From the capture of Sidney Reilly the Ace of Spies by Lenins Bolsheviks in 1925 to the deportation from the USA of Anna Chapman the Redhead under the Bed in 2010 Kremlin & Western spymasters have battled for supremacy for nearly a century. In Deception Edward Lucas uncovers the real story of Chapman & her colleagues in Britain & America unveiling their clandestine missions & the spy-hunt that led to their downfall. It reveals unknown triumphs & disasters of Western intelligence in the Cold War providing the background to the new world of industrial & political espionage. To tell the story of post-Soviet espionage Lucas draws on exclusive interviews with Russias top NATO spy Herman Simm & unveils the horrific treatment of a Moscow lawyer who dared to challenge the ruling criminal syndicate there. Once the threat from Moscow was international communism; now it comes from the siloviki Russias ruthless men of power. ...

In the wake of a series of unfortunate experiences house-sitting in the Cotswolds Thea Osborne accompanied by her spaniel Hepzibah is perhaps over-optimistic about the English summertime & the possibilities of her latest assignment house-sitting for transatlantic reptile breeder Harriet Young. However the region s bucolic charms prove to be more than deceptive as Thea is thrust once more into the heart of a Cotswold mystery. Despite the ease with which Thea s new assignment in the secluded village of Cranham begins she soon finds a dark side to the characters she encounters. From the elderly Donny Davis to the enigmatic figure of Edwina Thea begins to realize that Harriet Young s beloved geckoes are not the only cold-blooded creatures at large in Cranham. Family intrigue murder & suicide combine to give Thea a decidedly challenging summer in the Heart of Engl&. ...

When a new NASA satellite detects evidence of an astonishingly rare object buried deep in the Arctic ice the floundering space agency proclaims a much-needed victory...a victory that has profound implications for U.S. space policy & the impending presidential election. With the Oval Office in the balance the President dispatches White House Intelligence analyst Rachel Sexton to the Arctic to verify the authenticity of the find. Accompanied by a team of experts including the charismatic academic Michael Tolland Rachel uncovers the unthinkable
- evidence of scientific trickery
- a bold deception that threatens to plunge the world into controversy...

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The multi-million pond Stratton Park racecourse in Wiltshire faces ruin in the hands of a squabbling family. Lee Morris architect builder & father of six healthy sons is reluctantly drawn into the turmoil. As the Strattons fight for control in the boardroom Lee finds himself forced to take sides. Until the day a massive explosion on the racecourse threatens his own & his childrens lives. Suddenly it isnt just the future of Stratton Park thats at stake...A writer of champion class
- The Times"."
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Set against a vibrant sixties backdrop this is the story of two bright young things: Eliza an ex-deb making a splash in the world of fashion & Matt a working-class boy carving out a serious name for himself in property. Their story begins with a love affair closely followed by a marriage followed by a baby. But whilst their relationship is at first fuelled by passion its not of the enduring kind & soon what started out with such promise descends into a harrowing divorce case & an epic custody battle. With everything at stake for both Eliza & Matt & neither party willing to give up their little girl without a fight its high drama in the courts. Let battle begin... ...

Set against a vibrant sixties backdrop this is the story of two bright young things: Eliza an ex-deb making a splash in the world of fashion & Matt a working-class boy carving out a serious name for himself in property. Their story begins with a love affair closely followed by a marriage followed by a baby. But whilst their relationship is at first fuelled by passion it's not of the enduring kind & soon what started out with such promise descends into a harrowing divorce case & an epic custody battle. With everything at stake for both Eliza & Matt & neither party willing to give up their little girl without a fight it's high drama in the courts. Let battle begin... ...

Fully endorsed by OCR & revised to match the 2005

Specification this series has been carefully revised by experienced

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