Cat O’ Nine Tales is the sixth collection of irresistible short stories from the master storyteller illustrated by the internationally acclaimed artist, Ronald Searle, creator of Molesworth. These twelve yarns are so satisfying because they are ingeniously plotted, include richly drawn characters and have deliciously unexpected conclusions. They feature the mad, the bad and the dangerous to know as well as some more poignant and telling characters. Many of these stories came to Archer while he was incarcerated for two years in five different prisons, and so they have a prison theme. Others were inspired since he was released, but all in all they confirm his position as one of the best storytellers alive today.

In the looking glass world of the old Soviet reality, the future is certain. But the past is unpredictable and the truth a negotiable commodity. Into this changeable environment comes young Zhenya Gorevich, struggling to embrace a supposed Communist utopia. When his mother confesses the unlikely secret of his parentage, he determines to escape Russia and find his long-lost father. On a pillock’s progress, as trying as anything endured by Dostoyevsky’s Prince Myshkin, the hapless Gorevich journeys from his dreary home town of Vitebsk to Moscow and, eventually, to swinging London and the 1966 World Cup in an effort to reclaim his birthright. Culminating with the 1966 World Cup in England, Martin Sixsmith delightfully combines the riotous tradition of Russian satire with his own wry humour in the story of one man’s circuitous journey through life.

Giorgio Bramante, a Roman archaeology professor, was master of the hidden world beneath the earth – until the day he lost his young son, Alessio, to a group of students intent on re-creating a centuries-old ritual to a long-banished god. His rage knew no bounds and, in a frenzy, he beat one of the students to death. Released from prison fourteen years later, Giorgio is bent upon a terrifying revenge on all those he blames for the loss of his son. Inspector Leo Falcone, a member of the original investigating team, is one of his targets. And Nic Costa, watching Falcone move relentlessly into the man’s merciless grip, realizes the answer must lie in solving a cold case that, like the forgotten Alessio Bramante, has long been regarded as dead and buried for good.

Ibiza: paradise for the clubbers, hedonists and sun-seekers, but for Honey Ballantyne it is the only home she has ever known. With the responsibility of running a hotel on her shoulders, and two hippy-dippy parents whose idea of a hard day’s work is a yoga class without their clothes on, Honey feels trapped. When her first love, Edouard, returns to the island from London and truths about her parents start to unravel, Honey is forced to realize that before she can make decisions about her future she must reconcile herself with the past...

Lizzie Miller, the smart and witty East Coast girl clinging for dear life to the bottom rung of the Hollywood ladder has been promoted. No more coffee runs and sorting thumb tacks by colour for, as First Assistant, Lizzie is now making decisions and learning the ins and outs of The Business. And unlike other air-heads, she vows not to be wooed by the glamour and mystique of La-La land, though with a smart and wealthy boyfriend, and diamonds galore, it's getting harder for Lizzie to keep her pumps firmly on the ground. Full to the brim with schmoozing, snubbing, wheeling and dealing, The First Assistant is a wry and witty glimpse of life behind the Hollywood curtain.

Avalon High, Ellie's new school, is pretty much what she'd expected. There's Lance, the hunky footballer. Jennifer, the cute cheerleader. Marco, the troublemaker. And then there's Will — the most gorgeous guy Ellie's ever met. She can hardly believe he likes HER. When Will says he thinks he's met Ellie before, things start getting a little weird. A feeling that grows as Ellie discovers the strange bonds that entwine Will, Lance, Jen, Marco — and herself. As darkness turns to danger, can Ellie stop the horrific chain of events that is about to engulf them all...

A brand spanking new, rejacketed B format edition featuring a letter from Jackie Collins to her fans... Daughter of one of the world’s richest and most powerful men, wildly beautiful Lucky Santangelo is set on continuing the family tradition... Sex and the rich fruits of crime are her aphrodisiacs. Power is the ultimate thrill – power over the Santangelo empire, power over the men of her choice. Moving in the fast lane from Las Vegas to New York, Beverly Hills to a Greek island paradise, Lucky takes up where Chances left off. Winning is all that matters – and luck has nothing to do with it.

«A brand spanking new, rejacketed B format edition featuring a letter from Jackie Collins to her fans... Lucky Santangelo – she’s ruthless, wild... and dangerous. In «Chances» she showed how deadly a woman can be. In «Lucky» she showed what she had to do to win – one hundred per cent of the time. Now she’s reaching for the ultimate prize – control over a major Hollywood studio. Control over the destinies of some of the richest and most powerful people on earth. Lucky Santangelo is the «Lady Boss». And what Lucky Wants, Lucky always gets...»

«A moon rock missing for thirty years... Five buckets of blood-soaked sand found in a New Mexico canyon... A scientist with ambition enough to kill... A monk who will redeem the world... A dark agency with a deadly mission... The greatest scientific discovery of all time... What fire bolt from the galatic dark shattered the Earth eons ago, and now hides in that remote cleft in the southwest United States known as... Tyrannosaur Canyon? The stunning new masterwork from the acclaimed bestselling author recently hailed by «Publishers Weekly» as 'better than Crichton'.»

A beautiful Italian girl driving home in an open top sports car, a little boy playing on a south Coast beach and the Senior Steward of the Jockey Club on his way to a press reception in Baltimore. One after the other they suffer the same nightmare ordeal — kidnapping. But there is one thing connecting these particular cases. For the Italian girl is a jockey and the little boy an only son of a race horse owner. A picture of the person behind this interanational chain of crime starts to emerge — a lover of Verdi, a man with a cool and calculating brain and an aficionado of the racing world. Andrew Doublas, brought in to advise and help the vicitms and their families, proceeds with all his customary diplomacy and courage. Only to find himeself playing a dangerous part: the role usually reserved for his clients...

Flame-haired Cedar’s dog Stinky has gone missing and the house feels thuddingly empty. Her puddle of people usually consists of three, but since her brother Barnaby ran away it has been just Cedar and her mother. And Stinky. But when a mysterious boy called Kite finds the dog, Cedar discovers through him a new and liberating world of daring acrobatics. Kite is about to turn Cedar – and her life – upside down!

For Oxford, the arrival of twenty-seven American tourists is nothing out of the ordinary... until one of their number is found dead in Room 310 at the Randolph Hotel. It looks like a sudden – and tragic – accident. Only Chief Inspector Morse appears not to overlook the simultaneous theft of a jewel-encrusted antique from the victim’s handbag... Then, two days later, a naked and battered corpse is dragged from the River Cherwell. A coincidence? Maybe. But this time Morse is determined to prove the link...

Chief Superintendent Strange’s opinion was that too little progress had been made since the discovery of a corpse in a North Oxford flat. The victim had been killed by a single stab wound to the stomach. Yet the police had no weapon, no suspect, no motive. Within days of taking over the case Chief Inspector Morse and Sergeant Lewis uncover startling new information about the life and death of Dr Felix McClure. When another body is discovered Morse suddenly finds himself with rather too many suspects. For once, he can see no solution. But then he receives a letter containing a declaration of love...

How can the discovery of a short story by a beautiful Oxford graduate lead Chief Inspector Morse to her murderer? What awaits Morse and Lewis in Room 231 of the Randolph Hotel? Why does a theft at Christmas lead the detective to look upon the festive season with uncharacteristic goodwill? And what happens when Morse himself falls victim to a brilliantly executed crime? This dazzling collection of short stories from Inspector Morse’s creator, Colin Dexter, includes six ingenious cases for the world’s most popular fictional detective – plus five other tantalizingly original tales to delight all lovers of classic crime fiction.

Life at Avalon High is far from dull for Ellie. Not only is she a star of the track team — she's also dating the super-hot class president, Will. Who just happens to be the alleged reincarnation of King Arthur. Ellie isn't sure her boyfriend can really be legendary King A — and Will isn't sure either. But their doubts could stop the Merlin Prophecy — an age of enlightenment — coming about. And whatever they believe, it's definitely true that their lives are in grave danger...

«When «Summer Fling» Luke uses the L word (Living Together), Lizzie is only too happy to move in with the love of her life in his mother's Fifth Avenue pied-à-terre. But Lizzie's not as lucky in her employment search. As her best friend, Shari, finds the perfect job, Lizzie struggles through one humiliating interview after another, until Shari's boyfriend Chaz lands Lizzie a receptionist's position at his father's posh law firm. The non-paying gig at a local wedding-gown shop Lizzie manages to find all on her own. But Lizzie's notoriously big mouth gets her into trouble almost at once — first at the law firm, where she becomes too chummy with a society bride, and then with Luke when she brings up the M word (Marriage). Soon Lizzie finds herself jobless and homeless all over again. Can Lizzie save herself and find career security (not to mention a committed relationship) at last?»

This series of readers for children aged 6-12 offers a great mix of entertaining stories and factual titles. Key features The series reinforces the basic structures and vocabulary found in most primary courses Each reader has a wordlist or picture dictionary.