In the Sixties, Athene Forster is the most glamorous girl of her generation. Nicknamed the Last Deb, she is also beautiful, spoilt and out of control. When she agrees to marry dashing young heir Douglas Fairley-Hulme her parents breathe a sigh of relief. But within two years rumours have begun to circulate about Athene's affair with a young salesman. Thirty five years on, Suzanna Peacock is struggling with her glamorous mother's legacy. At odds with her father and his second wife, struggling in a stalled marriage, she returns to the place of her birth to find that the ghost of her mother, in differing ways, still haunts them all. The only place she finds comfort is in her shop, The Peacock Emporium, a coffee shop-cum-curio store, decorated in her own image, which provides a haven for other misfits in the town. There she makes perhaps the first real friends of her life, including Alejandro, a male midwife, escaping his own ghosts in Argentina.But the spectre of Athene and the shop itself combine to set in place a chain of tragic events, forcing Suzanna to confront the feelings she has disguised for so long — and her family, in their varying ways, finally to deal with the events of the past. And Suzanna discovers the key to her history, and her happiness, may have been in front of her all along.

The Leopard is happy to be sandy-yellow and greyish-brown all over. But when he goes to the speckly-spickly forest, he begins to wonder if spots would be better...

Do you want a practical guide to astronomy? Would you like to be able to observe and understand the sky at night? Teach Yourself Astronomy is a comprehensive and straightforward guide to the 'science of the sky'. Assuming no prior knowledge, this book will ensure you grasp the basics of this fascinating science. You will soon learn how to observe the sun, moon, planets and other bodies such as comets and, with the help of star charts, you will be able to impress with your knowledge of the sky at night.

Liza McCullen will never escape her past. But the unspoilt beaches and tight-knit community ofSilverBay offer the freedom and safety she craves — if not for herself, then for her young daughter, Hannah. Until Mike Dormer arrives as a guest in her aunt's hotel, and the peace ofSilverBay is shattered. The mild-mannered Englishman with his too-smart clothes and disturbing gaze could destroy everything Liza has worked so hard to protect: not only the family business and the bay that harbours her beloved whales, but also her conviction that she will never love — never deserve to love — again.

«The 1936 Berlin Olympics brought together athletes, politicians, socialites, journalists, soldiers and artists from all over the world. But behind the scenes, they were a dress rehearsal of the horrors of the forthcoming conflict. Hitler had secretly decided the Games would showcase Nazi prowess and the unwitting athletes became helpless pawns in his sinister political game. «Berlin Games» explores the machinations of a wide cast of characters, including sexually incontinent Nazis, corrupt Olympic officials, transvestite athletes and the mythic figure of Jesse Owens. By illuminating the dark, controversial recesses of the world's greatest sporting spectacle, Guy Walters throws shocking new light on the whole of Europe's troubled pre-war period.»

The perfect pattern for close-knit friendships, this novel is refreshing in its warmth and you'll be imediately welcomed in.

Sometimes love can be a pain in the neck...

Adam Ryan went playing in the woods with his two friends. He never saw them again. Their bodies were never found, and Adam himself was discovered with his back pressed against an oak tree and his shoes filled with blood. 20 years on, Rob Ryan — the child who came back — is a detective in the Dublin police force. He`s changed his name.

The legendary Stephen King unleashes a new blockbuster from his crime noir alter-ego Richard Bachman.

«John Connolly, bestselling author of seven brilliantly scary mystery novels, now turns his pen to the short story to give us a volume of chilling tales of the supernatural. In this macabre collection, echoing masters of the genre from M R James to Stephen King, Connolly delves into our darkest fears – lost lovers, missing children, subterranean creatures and predatory demons. Framing the collection are two substantial novellas – «The Cancer Cowboy Rides» charts the fatal progress of a modern-day grim reaper, while «The Reflecting Eye» is a haunted house tale with a twist and marks the return of private detective Charlie Parker, the troubled hero of Connolly's crime novels. This edition contains two additional stories – «The Cycle» and «Mr Gray's Folly» – not previously included. «Nocturnes» is a masterly volume to be read with the lights on — menace has never been so seductive...»

Teach Yourself Presenting will appeal to the vast number of people who fiind presenting difficult or frightening because they have not had the proper coaching. By virtue of its logical structure, all-encompassing content and clear but engaging writing it will take the terror out of presenting on any occasion. While the text will be simple and straightforward to meet the needs of those new to presenting, it will have sufficient richness and depth to challenge those with plenty of experience. Not only does it teach you how to present with impact and confidence in a business context it will also guide you through the everyday challenges of communicating in every way, from speaking at weddings to impromptu speaking in an informal setting. Everything in life is a presentation and this book shows you how to overcome nerves and anxiety to bring the 'wow' factor to your presentation. As companies increasingly regard public speaking as an essential management skill, the demand for books that offer sensible, practical advice will continue to grow.As a readable, stimulating title full of knowledge that can be put into use straight away, Teach Yourself Presenting with Impact & Confidence will have popular and enduring appeal.

Now Alisa is living in the 21st Century, ready to take on an ancient and powerful enemy. She will do whatever it takes to protect herself and her secret, even if it means destroying the people she loves. For Alisa, human weakness must be battled against. The last vampire, will not die ...

The US government is pursuing Alisa, intent on obtaining her vampire DNA. She has no choice but to go on the run, her blood is way too deadly and dangerous to be allowed into the public domain! Then Alisa makes a discovery that could mean she will finally know happiness, but it goes wrong she faces untold tragedy and danger. And all the time a powerful force is watching over Alisa. Someone who knows all that ever was, and all that will be ...

It's a dank January in the Worcestershire village of Black Swan Green and thirteen-year-old Jason Taylor — covert stammerer and reluctant poet — anticipates a stultifying year in the deadest village on Earth. But Jason hasn't reckoned with a junta of bullies, simmering family discord, the Falklands War, an exotic Belgian emigre, a threatened gypsy invasion and the caprices of those mysterious entities known as girls. BLACK SWAN GREEN charts thirteen months in the black hole between childhood and adolescence, set against the sunset of an agrarian England still overshadowed by the Cold War. Wry, painful, funny and vibrant with the stuff of life, it is David Mitchell's subtlest and most captivating achievement to date.

When Inspector Chen Cao agrees to do a translation job for a Triad-connected businessman he is given a laptop, a 'little secretary' to provide for his every need, medical care for his mother. There are, it seems, no strings attached... Then, a murder is reported: Chen is loath to shorten his working holiday, so Sergeant Yu is forced to take charge of the investigation. The victim, a middle-aged teacher, has been found dead in her tiny room in a converted multi-family house. Only a neighbour could have committed the crime, but there is no motive. It is only when Chen returns and starts to investigate the past that he finds answers. But by then, he has troubles of his own.

The Gingerbreadman — psychopath, sadist, convicted murderer and cake/biscuit — is loose on the streets of Reading. It isn't Jack Spratt's case. Despite the success of the Humpty Dumpty investigation, the well publicised failure to prevent Red Riding-Hood and her Gran being eaten once again plunges the Nursery Crime Division into controversy. Enforced non-involvement with the Gingerbreadman hunt looks to be frustrating until a chance encounter at the oddly familiar Deja-Vu Club leads them onto the hunt for missing journalist Henrietta 'Goldy' Hatchett, star reporter for The Daily Toad. The last witnesses to see her alive were The Three Bears, comfortably living out a life of rural solitude in Andersen's wood. But all is not what it seems. Are the unexplained explosions around the globe somehow related to missing nuclear scientist Angus McGuffin? Is cucumber-growing really that dangerous? Why are National Security involved? But most important of all: How could the bears' porridge be at such disparate temperatures when they were poured at the same time?

Life begins at fifty... Well, it certainly does for Hope, though not at all as she had planned. She reluctantly hits her half-century on New Year's Day and six months later she has lost her job, her husband and her mother. But Hope has guts — and a sense of humour. By the time she reaches fifty-one, she has acquired a taste for designer underwear, a Labrador puppy — and the memory of one perfect night in Paris. Who says fifty is over the hill?