When pirates attack a cargo ship off the Somalian coast & one of them is found to be a British-born Pakistani alarm bells start ringing at Londons Thames House. MI5 Intelligence Officer Liz Carlyle is brought in to establish how & why a young British Muslim could go missing from his well-to-do family in Birmingham & end up onboard a pirate skiff in the Indian Ocean armed with a Kalashnikov. After an undercover operative connected to the case turns up dead in the shipping office of an NGO in Athens it looks like piracy may be the least of the Services problems. Liz & her team must unravel the connections between Pakistan Greece & Somalia relying on their wits
- & the judicious use of force
- to get to the truth. & they dont have long as trouble is brewing closer to home: the kind of explosive trouble that MI5 could do without.. . Stella Rimington former Director General of MI5 returns with a tense & heart-stopping spy thriller where the secrets are deep the stakes are high & the enemy is always just out of sight.

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Rip van Winkle is an amiable man whose home & farm suffer from his lazy neglect; a familiar figure about the village he is loved by all except his wife. One autumn day he escapes her nagging to wander up into the mountains & there after drinking some liquor offered to him by a band of very strange folk he settles down under a shady tree & falls asleep. He wakes up twenty years later & returns to his village to find that not only is his wife dead but war & revolution have changed many things. He on the other hand although older is not appreciably wiser & soon slips back into his idle habits. The Legend of Sleepy Hollow tells of conscientious schoolmaster Ichabod Crane. Orderly & strict in school out of school his life is disorderly & his head full of fearful fantasies. He is in love with the beautiful Katrina but has a rival for her hand a dashing young hero who together with his prankster friends plays on Ichabods superstitions notably with the story of a headless horseman who haunts the region. Tragedy strikes when their hapless victim encounters just such an apparition when returning home one dark & especially dismal night.. . Three equally compelling stories The Spectre Bridegroom The Pride of the Village & Mountjoy complete this collection of classic tales from the inspired pen of Washington Irving one of Americas greatest writers. ...

Acclaimed Parisian chef Stephane Reynaud writes beautiful recipes that combine his passion for traditional French cooking with his enthusiasm for modern cuisine. His range extends from simple home cooking to more complex intricate dishes. In Ripailles which loosely translates into English as 'feast' Stephane presents the very best of the French kitchen & delves into the origins of French cuisine. With a unique & delicious array of recipes this is the most comprehensive French cooking collection you will find."" ...

Ripley had kept his name & reputation clean amazingly clean considering. It would be most embarrassing for him if his interest in the Buckmaster Gallery were made public. The gallery is staging another Derwatt exhibition. But now an American collector claims that the expensive masterpiece he bought three years ago is a fake it is of course. & he wants to talk to Derwatt. But he inconveniently is dead. Ripley needs the perfect solution. But not everyone's nerves are as steady as his. Especially if it comes to murder... ...

Tom Ripley is quietly living a life of luxury at his chateau at Villeperce & as ever is keeping one step ahead of the law
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For the legions of dedicated Ripleys fans & anyone else on the planet who loves the unbelievable the latest annual in the bestselling series is a feast of delights. Following hot on the heels of last years best-selling edition Ripleys Believe It or Not! 2013" offers an entirely new compendium of bizarre facts & features including the largest crocodile ever captured the village in China where three million snakes are bred each year & the national sport that uses a headless goat as a ball! As well as the jaw-dropping images & strange stories are intriguing interviews with some of the astounding individuals who feature in the book informative Ripleys Research boxes mind-boggling lists fascinating black & white photos from the Ripley archive submissions from Ripley fans around the world
- & a brand new Ripleys Weird Records feature."
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Packed full of fascinating facts & strange tales about utterly unbelievable but totally true stories this new book celebrates the incredible & the bizarre in our world today. Ripleys Incredibly Strange" is a 384-page extravaganza with a wealth of extraordinary images & interviews with many of the amazing individuals featured in the book. Be shocked & amazed at the extraordinary feats & incredible tales. Marvel at the wedding dress made from cream cakes the artist whos a horse the man who traded a paperclip for a house & even a knitted Ferrari! Illustrated throughout with full-colour photographs this book is a must-have for anyone intrigued by the weirder aspects of our planet & its inhabitants." ...

One for the grown-ups this quirky new Ripleys book is filled with bizarre & hilarious Believe It or Not" stories trivia & lists
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Packed full of the most amazing facts & unusual-but-true tales this new book celebrates all that is weird & wonderful in our world today. Featuring a wealth of amazing images throughout Ripley's Believe It or Not! Simply Shocking! is a 384-page extravaganza featuring among many others the man who pulled a minibus along with his eyelids the extreme sportsman who kayaked down a 120-ft waterfall the office chair racing championships a dentist with no hands & a surfing rat! Illustrated throughout with full-colour photographs this book is a must-have for anyone intrigued by the weirder aspects of our planet & its inhabitants. ...

Packed full of fascinating facts & strange tales about unbelievable but totally true stories this new book celebrates the remarkable & the bizarre in our world today. Ripley's Utterly Crazy!" is a 384-page extravaganza featuring a wealth of breathtaking images & amazing individuals. Be shocked & amazed at the extraordinary feats & incredible tales. Marvel at the Electric Man who can power lightbulbs & fry fish with his bare hands a jet-powered bar stool a man with bright blue skin & cats that glow in the dark! Illustrated throughout with full-colour photographs this book is a must-have for anyone intrigued by the weirder aspects of our planet & its inhabitants." ...