On the morning she will never forget suburban teenager Cynthia Archer awakes with a nasty hangover & a feeling she is going to have an even nastier confrontation with her mom & dad. But when she leaves her bedroom she discovers the house is empty with no sign of her parents or younger brother Todd. In the blink of an eye without any explanation her family has simply disappeared. Twenty-five years later Cynthia is still haunted by unanswered questions. Were her family murdered? If so why was she spared? & if they're alive why did they abandon her in such a cruel way? Now married with a daughter of her own Cynthia fears that her new family will be taken from her just as her first one was. & so she agrees to take part in a TV documentary revisiting the case in the hope that somebody somewhere will remember something
- or even that her father mother or brother might finally reach out to her... Then a letter arrives which makes no sense & yet chills Cynthia to the core. & soon she begins to realise that stirring up the past could be the worst mistake she has ever made...
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Nadine Gordimer is one of our most telling contemporary writers. With each new work she attacks
- with a clear-eyed lack of sentimentality
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The queen of delicious simple food is back! If you love tasty well-prepared food but don't have time to slave over a hot stove Donna Hay's sumptuous new book is the answer to your prayers. This is the only cookbook you will need when you're time poor & after flavoursome food
- it's food for every cook every food-lover & every occasion. In her Assembled Dinners & Fast Flavours chapters Donna shows you how to pull store-bought ingredients together to make easy mouth-watering meals. Take heart from the simple combinations which only need a couple of ingredients & a few minutes to let the intense flavours unfold. Hate the thought of endless washing up? The One Pot chapter teaches you to prepare gastronomic delights in one pan. If you're planning ahead the Some Now Some Later chapter hosts a list of tasty recipes suitable for freezing something Donna is delighted to have re-discovered as a working mum. All this plus cheat's notes short cuts & hints on food styling from one of the world's leading cookbook writers.
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Popular Buddhist teacher Chdr"n has a surprise for her many readers & students: textual commentary. Her newest book comments at length on an eighth-century text by the Indian Buddhist sage Shantideva. Its a guidebook for developing bodhichitta an awakened mind that expresses itself in compassionate action to alleviate suffering. The lengthy text will certainly be unfamiliar to beginners but Ch"dr"n is a wise choice for an escort. She is a clear teacher explaining key terms (the Sanskrit term klesha for example may be translated as neurosis or affliction) & making things simple & characteristically plainspoken (" When we are distracted we cant remember anything weve studied or read"). She is also the right kind of motivator telling readers immediately whats in it for them: this book can inspire those who want to make the world a better place. Readers will need a helpful teacher & patience to take up the challenge offered by the long Buddhist text which has been important in Ch"dr"ns own study. Its not a book for beginners or a good introduction to Ch"dr"ns own body of accessible work. But for those wanting depth & greater awareness of the Buddhist canon this book opens a door" ...

Eva Montgomery is at the peak of her career when she is viciously attacked by a stalker. While still traumatised she makes the biggest mistake of her life
- one she can never turn back from. Sixteen years later Eva has managed to rebuild her life in a way that seemed impossible after the attack. Her home in Dorset high on the cliffs overlooking the sea is as elegant as she is but bears none of the scars. To an outsider her world seems perfect in every way. Then the past invades the present
- with shattering consequences. Hurt frightened & confused Eva struggles desperately to put right the terrible mistake she made sixteen years ago & finally break free from a past that nearly destroyed her.

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No Way Down" is the the gripping terrifying story of a brutal struggle for survival on the upper slopes of the Himalayan K2 the worlds most hostile terrain by Graham Bowley. K2 August 1st 2008. Thirty climbers are attempting the summit of the most savage mountain on Earth. They make it. But before they start their descent an ice shelf collapses sweeping away their ropes. It is dark. Their lines are gone. They are low on oxygen. & it is getting very very cold. How many will make it down alive? "A gripping hour-by-hour dissection of events in the Western Himalayas over three deadly days. A fitting shelfmate to the modern classic " Into Thin Air". A cracking read". (" Sunday Times"). " Stories of heroism sadness & extraordinary endurance against all the odds [are] woven into a thrilling drama". (" Daily Mail"). " Unputdownable. A portrait of extreme courage folly & loss leavened by a small dose of survival.. .as complete a version of the calamitous story as will probably ever emerge". (" Financial Times"). " The best mountain-disaster memoir since " Into Thin Air"". (" Mail on Sunday"). Graham Bowley was born in England in 1968. He is a reporter for the " New York Times". He lives in Manhattan with his wife & their two daughters & son." ...

Amber is shocked when her brother falls to his death from a tower block. She's convinced it wasn't an accident & so begins her journey to discover the truth & bring some kind of justice for Connor. With twists turns & a fabulous multi-layered plot Bernard Ashley has created a thrilling & engrossing tale. Set in south east London this is a incredibly gritty & absorbing novel. ...

One woman's struggle against great odds with a heart tragically divided. Having spent her childhood with a cold unfeeling stepmother Lily Clair's life is changed for ever when she is sent as general maid to old friends of her family. Soon into the dull routine comes Joel handsome son of a wealthy entrepreneur & for Lily young & vulnerable their meeting is a revelation. Riding high on the crest of her new-found happiness she cannot be prepared for the violent attack that comes in the night or for its devastating life-changing consequences. But live with the consequences she must as with a heart torn she deals with one hand of fate after another. Building to an unforgettable climax set against a plague-ravaged rural England Lily Clair's story is one of love passion betrayal tragedy & longing. In her search for happiness she is a woman you will never forget.. . ...

In his powerful & shocking expose critically-acclaimed documentary filmmaker Ben Anderson shows just how bad the ruinous war in Afghanistan has got. Detailing battles that last for days only to be fought again weeks later & disturbing incompetence among the Afghan army & police he raises urgent questions about our recent & current strategies in Afghanistan. A product of five years unrivalled access to the troops often amid the worst violence the conflict has seen this is the most intimate & horrifying account of Afghanistan you will read. ...

Written & illustrated by a fresh new talent this is the story of a likeable well-meaning & irrepressible dog & the mystery surrounding his name. Simple short & punchy this is a picture book children (and adults) will want to read again & again. ...