M. E. Thomas is a high-functioning non-criminal sociopath. She is charismatic, ambitious and successful. You would be charmed by her if you met her, might even be seduced by her. You would not realise that she is studying you to find your flaws, that she is ruthlessly manipulative, has no empathy and does not feel guilt or remorse. But she does like people — she likes to touch them, mould them and ruin them. She could be your friend or your boss. She could be you... Now she writes with breathtaking honesty about her life, from the confusion of trying to fit in as a child to her growing need for power over others, from her successful stratagems at work and in love to the disasters that brought her greater understanding of herself and the motivation to control her behaviour — most of the time. She also draws on the latest research to explain why at least one in twenty-five of us are sociopaths — and shows why that's not a bad thing. By turns fascinating, shocking and funny, Confessions of a Sociopath is a gripping insight into the mind of a self-confessed predator.

Specially designed for young adult and adult learners, this four-level beginner Mandarin Chinese course employs a communicative and integrated approach to Chinese language learning. Emphasis is placed on pair work, group work and on a variety of speaking and listening activities to help students become confident Chinese language speakers.

George Wilson, M.D., a radiology resident in Los Angeles, is about to enter a profession on the brink of an enormous paradigm shift, foreshadowing a vastly different role for doctors everywhere. A new smartphone app is being developed that is far more than a mere reference tool, rather it is a fully customizable personal physician capable of diagnosing and treating patients more efficiently than the real thing. It is called iDoc. George's initial collision with this incredible innovation is devastating. He awakens one morning to find his fiancee dead in bed alongside him, not long after she participated in an iDoc beta test. Then several of his patients die after undergoing imaging procedures. All of them had been part of the same beta test. Is it possible that iDoc is being subverted by hackers — and that the US government is involved in a cover-up? Despite threats to both his career and his freedom, George relentlessly seeks the truth, knowing that if he's right, the consequences could be lethal.

In London, the snow is falling and Christmas is just around the corner — but Allegra Fisher barely has time to notice. She's pitching for the biggest deal of her career and can't afford to fail. And when she meets attractive stranger, Sam Kemp, on the plane to the meeting, she can't afford to lose her focus either. She learned to shut off her emotions long ago and only her sister and best friend Isobel knows why. But when Allegra finds herself up against Sam for the bid, their passion quickly turns sour. In Zermatt in the Swiss Alps, a long-lost mountain hut is discovered in the snow after sixty years and the last person expecting to become involved is Allegra — she hasn't even heard of the woman they found inside. But it soon becomes clear the two women are linked and, as she and Iz travel out to make sense of the mystery, hearts thaw and dark secrets are uncovered, long buried by the snow. With glamorous locations and heart-breaking twists, Christmas in the Snow is all you need in your stocking for a truly decadent Christmas holiday. The perfect gift — even if it's just to yourself.

Don't imagine for one moment that I'm not watching you... The Metropole Hotel, Brighton. After a heady New Year's Eve ball, a woman is brutally raped as she returns to her room. A week later, another woman is attacked. Both victims' shoes are taken by the offender... Detective Superintendent Roy Grace soon realises that these new cases bear remarkable similarities to an unsolved series of crimes in the city back in 1997. The perpetrator had been dubbed 'Shoe Man' and was believed to have raped five women before murdering his sixth victim and vanishing. Could this be a copycat, or has Shoe Man resurfaced? When more women are assaulted, Grace becomes increasingly certain that they are dealing with the same man. And that by delving back into the past — a time in which we see Grace and his missing wife Sandy still apparently happy together — he may find the key to unlocking the current mystery. Soon Grace and his team will find themselves in a desperate race against the clock to identify and save the life of the new sixth victim... The sixth novel in the multi-million copy bestselling Roy Grace series from #1 author Peter James.

Amid the tragic unfolding mayhem of the morning of 9/11, failed Brighton businessman and ne'er-do-well Ronnie Wilson sees the chance of a lifeline: to shed his debts, disappear and reinvent himself in another country. Six years later the discovery of the skeletal remains of a woman's body in a storm drain in Brighton leads Detective Superintendent Roy Grace on an enquiry spanning the globe, and into a desperate race against time to save the life of a woman being hunted down like an animal in the streets and alleys of Brighton. A reissue of the fourth novel in the multi-million copy bestselling Roy Grace series, from #1 author Peter James.

As the decisions made in the corridors of power bring the world to the brink of oblivion, five families from across the globe are brought together in an unforgettable tale of passion and conflict during the Cold War. When Rebecca Hoffmann, a teacher in East Germany, finds herself pursued by the secret police, she discovers that she has been living a lie. Her younger brother, Walli, longs to escape across the Berlin Wall to Britain to become part of the burgeoning music scene. In the United States, George Jakes, a bright young lawyer in the Kennedy administration, is a fierce supporter of the Civil Rights movement — as is the woman he is in love with, Verena, who works for Martin Luther King, Jr. Boarding a Greyhound bus in Washington to protest against segregation, they begin a fateful journey together. Russian activist, Tania Dvorkin, narrowly evades capture for producing an illegal news sheet. Her actions are made all the more perilous as her brother, Dimka, is a rising star in the heart of the Communist Party in the Kremlin. From the deep south of America to the vast expanses of Siberia, from the shores of Cuba to the swinging streets of Sixties London, Edge of Eternity is a sweeping tale of the fight for individual freedom in a world gripped by the mightiest clash of superpowers anyone has ever known.

In Civil War, Peter Ackroyd continues his dazzling account of England's history, beginning with the progress south of the Scottish king, James VI, who on the death of Elizabeth I became the first Stuart king of England, and ends with the deposition and flight into exile of his grandson, James II. The Stuart dynasty brought together the two nations of England and Scotland into one realm, albeit a realm still marked by political divisions that echo to this day. More importantly, perhaps, the Stuart era was marked by the cruel depredations of civil war, and the killing of a king. Ackroyd paints a vivid portrait of James I and his heirs. Shrewd and opinionated, the new King was eloquent on matters as diverse as theology, witchcraft and the abuses of tobacco, but his attitude to the English parliament sowed the seeds of the division that would split the country in the reign of his hapless heir, Charles I. Ackroyd offers a brilliant — warts and all — portrayal of Charles's nemesis Oliver Cromwell, Parliament's great military leader and England's only dictator, who began his career as a political liberator but ended it as much of a despot as 'that man of blood', the king he executed. England's turbulent seventeenth century is vividly laid out before us, but so too is the cultural and social life of the period, notable for its extraordinarily rich literature, including Shakespeare's late masterpieces, Jacobean tragedy, the poetry of John Donne and Milton and Thomas Hobbes' great philosophical treatise, Leviathan. Civil War also gives us a very real sense of the lives of ordinary English men and women, lived out against a backdrop of constant disruption and uncertainty.

In its first year as a daily cartoon blog on Facebook, Off The Leash developed a regular daily following of half a million dog lovers from around the world, and has become a place where people who are passionate about pooches share anecdotes, pictures and jokes. Capturing the secret thoughts and dreams of dogs, Rupert Fawcett's cartoons are brilliantly observed — and touchingly true to life. As well as the best dog photos sent in by fans of Off The Leash, A Dog's Best Friend rounds up a new selection of touching, hilarious drawings of dogs of every size, shape and breed doing what they do best: stealing beds, out-smarting cats and questing for the perfect stick...

LIFE IS A ZERO-SUM GAME Predatory Thinking is a masterclass in how to outwit the competition, in ordinary life as well as in business. It is the philosophy that has underpinned Dave Trott's distinguished career as a copywriter, creative director, and founder of some of London's most high-profile advertising agencies. Drawing on Eastern and Western philosophy, and colourful characters from Picasso and Socrates to Warren Beatty, this book represents a lifetime of wisdom learned at the creative cutting edge. A brilliant advertising copywriter and a great team leader. His ideas are equally applicable to writing a novel, making a film, launching a product, managing a football team, instituting life changes and any activity you can imagine. Genius' Sunday Times.

The mission is to enter one of the most dangerous countries in the world. The target is one of the toughest to reach. The result could be momentous — or it could be Armageddon. There is no margin for error. Us government operatives Will Robie and Jessica Reel have to prove they are still the best team there is. But are they invincible when pitted against an agent whose training has been under conditions where most would perish? An old man is dying in an Alabama prison hospital, it seems there is one more evil game he has still to play. And it's a game which comes close to home for Reel and Robie. But this time the stakes might be way too high.

Virtual romance becomes a terrifying obsession in Want You Dead... Single girl, 29, smouldering redhead, love life that's crashed and burned. Seeks new flame to rekindle her fire. Fun, friendship and — who knows — maybe more? When Red Westwood meets handsome, charming and rich Bryce Laurent through an online dating agency, there is an instant attraction. But as their love blossoms, the truth about his past, and his dark side, begins to emerge. Everything he has told Red about himself turns out to be a tissue of lies, and her infatuation with him gradually turns to terror. Within a year, and under police protection, she evicts him from her flat and her life. But Red's nightmare is only just beginning. For Bryce is obsessed with her, and he intends to destroy everything and everyone she has ever known and loved — and then her too...

Everyone has an accent, though many of us think we don't. We do have our likes and dislikes about the way other people speak, and everyone has something to say about 'correct' pronunciation. But where did all these accents come from, and why do people feel so strongly about them? Are regional accents dying out in Britain, Australia and the United States as the English language becomes globalized? And perhaps most importantly of all: what went wrong in Birmingham? From reconstructing Shakespeare's accent to the rise and fall of Received Pronunciation, You Say Potato travels the world in search of the stories of spoken English. Actor Ben Crystal explores the world of stage, screen and popular culture, while linguist David Crystal explains the history and mechanics of what is taking place right under our very ears. The generation gap between father and son introduces a unique double perspective, bringing this book neatly to older and younger readers alike. Witty, authoritative and jam-packed full of fascinating facts, You Say Potato is a celebration of the myriad ways in which the English language is spoken — and why our accents often speak louder than words.

She is the greatest assassin her world has ever known.But where will her conscience, and her heart, lead her? After a year of hard labor in the Salt Mines of Endovier, eighteen-year-old assassin Celaena Sardothien has won the king's contest to become the new royal assassin. Yet Celaena is far from loyal to the crown — a secret she hides from even her most intimate confidantes. Keeping up the deadly charade — while pretending to do the king's bidding — will test her in frightening new ways, especially when she's given a task that could jeopardize everything she's come to care for. And there are far more dangerous forces gathering on the horizon — forces that threaten to destroy her entire world, and will surely force Celaena to make a choice. Where do the assassin's loyalties lie, and who is she willing to fight for?

With the end of the Second World War, a new world was born. The peace agreements that brought the conflict to an end implemented decisions that not only shaped the second half of the twentieth century, but continue to affect our world today and impact on its future. In 1946 the Cold War began, the state of Israel was conceived, the independence of India was all but confirmed and Chinese Communists gained a decisive upper hand in their fight for power. It was a pivotal year in modern history in which countries were reborn and created, national and ideological boundaries were redrawn and people across the globe began to rebuild their lives. In this remarkable history, the foreign correspondent and historian Victor Sebestyen draws on contemporary documents from around the world — including Stalin's briefing notes for the Potsdam and Paris peace conferences — to examine what lay behind the political decision-making. Sebestyen uses a vast array of archival material and personal testimonies to explore how the lives of generations of people across continents were shaped by the events of 1946. Taking readers from Berlin to London, from Paris to Moscow, from Washington to Jerusalem and from Delhi to Shanghai, this is a vivid and wide-ranging account of both powerbrokers and ordinary men and women from an acclaimed author.

One single act of kindess becomes an endless reign of terror... Tom Bryce did what any decent person would do. But within hours of picking up the CD that had been left behind on the train seat next to him, and attempting to return it to its owner, he is the sole witness to a vicious murder. Then his young family is threatened with their lives if he goes to the police. But supported by his wife, Kellie, he bravely makes a statement to the murder enquiry team headed by Detective Superintendent Roy Grace; a man with demons of his own to contend with. And from that moment the killing of the Bryce family becomes a mere formality — and a grisly attraction. Notice of Kellie and Tom's deaths has already been posted on the internet. You can log on and see them on a website. They are looking good dead.

Brandon Sanderson's New York Times bestselling epic teen adventure is now available in paperback. More than anything, Joel wants to be a Rithmatist. Rithmatists have the power to infuse life into two-dimensional figures known as Chalklings. Rithmatists are humanity's only defense against the Wild Chalklings. Having nearly overrun the territory of Nebrask, the Wild Chalklings now threaten all of the American Isles. As the son of a lowly chalkmaker at Armedius Academy, Joel can only watch as Rithmatist students learn the magical art that he would do anything to practice. Then students start disappearing — kidnapped from their rooms at night, leaving trails of blood. Assigned to help the professor who is investigating the crimes, Joel and his friend Melody find themselves on the trail of an unexpected discovery — one that will change Rithmatics — and their world — forever.

Cinder is back and trying to break out of prison — even though she'll be the Commonwealth's most wanted fugitive if she does — in this second installment from Marissa Meyer. Halfway around the world, Scarlet Benoit's grandmother is missing. It turns out there are many things Scarlet doesn't know about her grandmother, or the grave danger she has lived in her whole life. When Scarlet encounters Wolf, a street fighter who may have information as to her grandmother's whereabouts, she is loath to trust this stranger, but is inexplicably drawn to him, and he to her. As Scarlet and Wolf unravel one mystery, they encounter another when they meet Cinder. Now, all of them must stay one step ahead of the vicious Lunar Queen Levana.

A rerelease of the classic comic in honor of the centenary of Tove Jansson's birth As springtime dawns in Moominvalley and the first northern crocus opens, Moominpappa and Snorkmaiden, glamorized by the prospects of movie stars and gambling, insist the whole family take a trip down to the Riviera. Reluctantly Moomin and Moominmamma agree to go along, and the Moomins set off on a grand adventure, complete with butlers, luxury shops, indoor swimming pools, and duels at dawn. With their innocent curiosity about everything, the Moomins prove the perfect foil for the cynical, world-weary residents of the Riviera. Tove Jansson's Moomin on the Riviera is a classic Moomin story reworked in full color, with a kid-friendly size, price, and format. A delight for the whole family!

«Moomin's tail gets its fifteen minutes of fame «Another classic Moomin story reworked in full color, with a kid-proof but kid-friendly size, price, and format.» One day Moomin notices that his tail seems to be thinning. Worried that Snorkmaiden will no longer love him if his tail goes bald, he consults the family doctor and several tail specialists, and even gets an X-ray. Nothing helps! Finally Moominmamma cooks up a magic potion, and it works like a charm, but now Moomin's lustrous new tail is, well, solid gold! Moomin becomes the toast of society, and the target of numerous journalists and money-making schemes. «Moomin and the Golden Tail» takes a long hard look at the consequences of fame. Tove Jansson's flawless cartooning is brought to life in a whole new way within these pages. A delight for the whole family!»