July 2012: The Games have arrived in London. Preparations have gone flawlessly & the stage is set for one of the greatest ever showcases of sporting excellence. But one man has a devastating plan. Having waited years for this chance he is now ready for vengeance. When Sir Denton Marshall a key member of the London Olympic organising committee is found decapitated in his garden Peter Knight head of Private London is called to the scene. Private are working with the organising committee on the security for the Games so Denton Marshall was a valuable client. But there is a more personal link: Marshall was also the fiance of Knight's mother. Having only recently lost close friends & colleagues at Private London in a fatal plane crash this is another torturous blow for Knight & threatens to push him over the edge. But it soon becomes clear that Denton Marshall's murder is no isolated incident & that the killer's number one target is the Games itself. As the most talented athletes in the world gather in London Knight knows he must find Sir Denton's killer. Thousands of lives are at stake... ...

St Ives Cornwall. A tranquil home to generations of writers & painters. So when glamorous newcomer Clarissa Trelawny is murdered the shockwaves resonate through the community. Who was she? Who would want to kill her & who is threatening the life of Barbara Pomeroys son Toby? ...

Margaret Mayfield is nearly an old maid at twenty-seven when she marries Captain Andrew Jackson Jefferson Early. He's the most famous man their Missouri town has ever produced: a naval officer & an astronomer
- a genius who according to the local paper has changed the universe. Margaret's mother calls the match a piece of luck". Yet Andrew confounds Margaret's expectations from the moment their train leaves for his naval base in San Francisco & soon she realizes that his devotion to science leaves little room for anything or anyone else. She stands by him through tragedies both personal & those they share with the nation. But as World War II approaches Andrew's obsessions take a darker turn forcing Margaret to reconsider the life she'd so carefully constructed."
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The Victorian & Edwardian eras in the run-up to 1914 marked the golden age of the English country house when opulence & formality attained a level that would never be matched again. The ease of these perfect settings for flirtation & relaxation was maintained by a large & well-trained staff of servants. Although those in service worked very long hours & had little personal freedom many were proud of their positions & grateful for the relative security these gave. Indeed the strictly hierarchical world below stairs could be more snobbish than that of a houses owners. Michael Paterson skillfully & entertainingly explores the myths & realities of this vanished world both upstairs & down. ...

What is happening in the brain when we drink too much alcohol get high on ecstasy or experience road rage? Emotion says internationally acclaimed neuroscientist Susan Greenfield is the building block of consciousness. As our minds develop we create a personalized inner world based on our experiences. But during periods of intense emotion such as anger fear or euphoria we can literally lose our mind returning to the mental state we experienced as infants. Challenging many preconceived notions Susan Greenfield's groundbreaking book seeks to answer one of science's most enduring mysteries: how our unique sense of self is created. ...

Manet Monet Pissarro Cezanne Renoir Degas Renoir Sisley Berthe Moriost & Mary Cassatt were all branded as lunatics but today this is a roll-call of great artists whose paintings evoke a unique atmosphere of harmony: languid landscapes flooded with light shop-workers dancing on their day off bars & gas-lit streets the sunlit beach at Trouville. We all know these dazzling pictures
- but how well do we know the Impressionists as people? This book tells their story. In a vivid & moving narrative Sue Roe shows how the early leaders of the group first met in the Paris studios & lived & worked closely together for nearly twenty years. Painting outdoors meeting in cafes they supported each other & shared emotional & financial difficulties. Defying the hide-bound rules of the salon they staged joint exhibitions & rebelled against artistic prejudice moral tyranny & social hierarchy. Often rejected by their horrified parents they led volatile & precarious lives: their wives were servants models flower-sellers & although their paintings today sell for millions they were barely able to support their families. This intimate colourful superbly researched account takes us into their homes as well as their studios & describes their love affairs & arguments heartaches & dreams as well as their canvases & theories. Over the years there were divisions & rows but in the end this constellation of talent shone through giving the world a new exhilarating form of art.
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Sometimes when the nightmare ends
- the terror is only just beginning. For Hannah Shapiro a beautiful young American student this
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SOMETIMES WHEN THE NIGHTMARE ENDS
- THE TERROR IS ONLY JUST BEGINNING... For Hannah Shapiro a beautiful young American student
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Heroism or cowardice? A stunning story of the First World War from a master storyteller. Told in the voice of a young soldier ...

A poignant story of the First World War from Childrens Laureate Michael Morpurgo Private Peaceful captures the memories of a young First World War soldier awaiting the firing squad at dawn. From his early childhood adventures in rural Devon to the battles & injustices of war that brought him to the Front Line Private Tommo Peaceful spends these lonely hours re-living his short but vivid past. A beautifully written novel which contrasts bittersweet childhood memories with the horrors of war. Told in the first person it alternates between past & present creating both humour & heartache & building tension for its dramatic & thought-provoking conclusion. ...