Mark never heard the Mauser shot for the bullet came ahead of the sound. There was only the massive shock in the upper part of his body, and then he was hurled backwards with a violence that drove the air from his lungs.The earth opened before him, and as he fell, there was a sensation of being engulfed in a swirling vortex of blackness and he knew for just a fleeting instant of time that he was dead'

Have you ever wondered why there is a light in your fridge but not in your freezer? Or why 24-hour shops bother having locks on their doors? Or why soft drink cans are cylindrical, but milk cartons are square? The answer is simple: economics. For years, economist Robert Frank has been encouraging his students to ask questions about the conundrums and strange occurrences they encounter in everyday life and to try...

A delightful manual which instructs stray kittens and homeless cats in how to obtain, captivate, and dominate the families of their choice.

New spies with new loyalties, old spies with old ones; terror as the new mantra; decent people wanting to do good, but caught in the moral maze; all the sound, rational reasons for doing the inhuman thing; the recognition that we cannot safely love, or pity, and remain good "patriots" -- this is the fabric of John le Carré's fiercely compelling and current novel A Most Wanted Man. A half-starved young Russian man in a...

Agatha Raisin, retired PR supremo, has been spurned at the altar by the man of her dreams, her attractive neighbour James Lacey. So temporarily deserting the sleepy Cotswold village of Carsely, she pursues her fleeing fiancé to north Cyprus where, instead of enjoying a romantic honeymoon, they witness the killing of an obnoxious tourist in a disco. Can the duo forget their differences and resume their...

In the delightful Cotswold village of Carsely, the air is heady with romance. Agatha Raisin is convinced that the new vet has taken a shine to her. But before she can get anywhere, handsome Dr Paul Bladen is accidentally killed while attending to Lord Pendlebury's horse. So was it really an accident? All the evidence points that way, but the circumstances are decidedly suspicious.

Under the watchful eye of Detective Chief Superintendent James Langton, Anna is given her first case. But is it a full-blown murder investigation or purely a missing person's case? An ominous pool of blood and no victim lead Anna on a desperate hunt for a man who has disappeared without trace.As Anna becomes obsessed with seemingly irrelevant details, Langton fears that she is losing control of the case.

Jack Parlabane is an investigative journalist who is not averse to breaking the law for a good story. Scottish parliament is in catatonic shock after experiencing its first dose of Westminster sleaze and the Catholic Church of Scotland is taking advantage of the politicians' discomfort. Behind the scenes the truth is obscured. Aware he's missing out on a great story; Parlabane discovers that contacts and a way with words...

A LONG-LOST LIBRARY. A PRICELESS MANUSCRIPT. A DEADLY SECRET ... About to depart on his first vacation in years, Edward Wozny, a hot-shot young banker, is sent to help one of his firms most important and mysterious clients. When asked to un-crate and organise a personal library of rare books, Edward's indignation turns to intrigue as he realises that among the volumes there may be hidden a unique...

Originally published as part of a contest between Mary Shelley, her husband Percy Bysshe Shelley, and Lord Byron,Frankenstein has since captured countless imaginations. When Dr. Victor Frankenstein learns the secret of imparting life to inanimate matter, he is eager to test his theories. The bones he collects to construct his human subject become a gruesome, frightening creature, endowed with supernatural size...

Best-selling novelist and award-winning audiobook narrator Alison Larkin changes the gender of Dicken’s most famous character in this dazzling new recording of Great Expectations. It's still the same thrilling story of youthful innocence, unexpected escape from cruel poverty, an old woman jilted at the altar, a beautiful, haughty, damaged young woman, and a mysterious financial gift that transforms the life of a...

Eamonn Lynch stares at the letter announcing the imminent arrival of his father, Dermot. His first thought is: I’ll make an excuse, I’ll put him off. But it is too late. Dermot is already here, in southern Spain, and soon he’ll discover that Eamonn lives in an unfinished building site; that Laura’s left him; and that it’ll be just the pair of them for two long, hot weeks. Eamonn doesn’t seem to know what to make of his father’s arrival.

Rebecca was Daphne du Maurier's most famous and best-loved novel. But what happened next? Married to the sophisticated, wordly-wise Maxim, the second Mrs de Winter's life should be happy and fulfilled. But the vengeful ghost of Rebecca, Maxim's first wife, continues to cast its long shadow over them. Back in England after an absence of over ten years, it seems as if happiness will at last be theirs.

Bill, (Lord) Rowcester was well and truly in the gumbo. With the benefit of hindsight he could see that setting himself up as a Silver Ring bookie might not have been his smartest move ever. Particularly when being down on his dibbs threatens his oncoming nuptials with the sterling Jill Wyvern. Lucky for Bill he had the land-lease of Jeeves. Lucky indeed that the fish-fed mastermind's formidable genius was at liberty to take...

The Number One international bestselling author of Jurassic Park, Congo and Sphere takes on global warming in this gripping and critically acclaimed thriller. In Paris, a physicist dies after performing a laboratory experiment for a beautiful visitor. In the jungles of Malaysia, a mysterious buyer purchases deadly cavitation technology, built to his specifications. In Vancouver, a small research submarine is leased for use in...

Random House presents the audiobook edition of Texas Ranger by James Patterson, read by Christopher Ragland. Texas Ranger Rory Yates fights for his life, and his freedom, as he investigates his ex-wife's murder in this stunning thriller Officer Rory Yates is called home to settle deadly scores. His skill and commitment to the badge have seen him rise through the ranks in the Texas Ranger division, but it came at a cost...

Habit 3: Put First Things First is about the day-in, day-out, moment-by-moment doing it-the difference between managing time and managing ourselves. After becoming proactive (with Habit 1) and defining goals (with Habit 2), Dr. Stephen R. Covey teaches listeners how to master self-management by developing integrity and intention based on those goals. This habit explains the importance of becoming...

At any one time, hundreds of thousands of people feel stuck professionally and don't know what to do to get out of their rut. In today's complex business world, the brutal reality is that there are no guarantees for success. Surprisingly, many of us are unconsciously conditioned to fail although, ironically, it's not all that difficult to dramatically reverse the odds. John Assaraf has developed a unique and amazing formula...

Collected and edited by Arthur B. Reeve In the introduction to this selection of tales of the macabre, anthologist Arthur Reeve writes: "What is the fascination we feel for the mystery of the ghost story? Man is incurably fascinated by the mysterious. If all the ghost stories of the ages were blotted out, man would invent new ones. For, do we not all stand in awe of that which we cannot explain, of that which, if it is not...

When the bizarrely mutilated body of a young woman is found near the tiny isolated Norfolk village of Manham, it isn't just the fact that she was a friend that disturbs Dr David Hunter. A one-time high-profile forensic anthropologist, he was once all too familiar with the different faces of death, until a devastating personal tragedy made him abandon his former life and career. Now hidden away as a country...

John Dewey was America's most influential philosopher. Dewey's views are known as pragmatism, which emphasizes action and results. He believed that knowledge and ethics, as well as art and religion, live only in the daily practice of one's life. Philosophy isn't a system of beliefs but a practical, empirical method of inquiry. It is one with education, which continually develops and renews the capacity for new habits.

A New York Times Book Review Editor's Choice Finalist for the J. Anthony Lukas Book Prize In the wake of Donald Trump's victory in the 2016 presidential election, a deeply reported look inside the conservative movement working to undermine American democracy. Donald Trump is the second Republican this century to triumph in the Electoral College without winning the popular vote. As Zachary Roth reveals in...

Alice Roberts has been travelling the world - from Ethiopian desert to Malay peninsula and from Russian steppes to Amazon basin - in order to understand the challenges that early humans faced as they tried to settle continents. On her travels she has witnessed some of the daunting and brutal challenges our ancestors had to face: mountains, deserts, oceans, changing climates, terrifying giant beasts and volcanoes.

The action-packed second book in the Night Angel series, from international bestseller Brent Weeks - an astonishing and epic tale of magic, violence and revenge. Kylar has rejected the assassin's life. In the wake of the Godking's violent coup, both his master and his closest friend are dead. His friend was Logan Gyre, heir to Cenaria's throne, but few of the ruling class survive to mourn his loss.

Logan Gyre is king of Cenaria, a country under siege, with a threadbare army and little hope. He has one chance—a desperate gamble, but one that could destroy his kingdom. In the north, the new Godking has a plan. If it comes to fruition, no one will have the power to stop him. Kylar Stern has no choice. To save his friends—and perhaps his enemies—he must accomplish the impossible: assassinate a goddess.

At the dawn of the French Revolution, the men, women, and children of Paris have one hope to escape the guillotine: the masked and mysterious Scarlet Pimpernel. But who is this daring swordsman and quick-thinking master of disguise? London’s privileged, self-obsessed Sir Percy Blakeney. When his estranged wife, Marguerite, falls prey to French envoy Chauvelin’s blackmail, she unwittingly exposes the Pimpernel...

Six years ago, the Assassin in White, a hireling of the inscrutable Parshendi, assassinated the Alethi king on the very night a treaty between men and Parshendi was being celebrated. So began the Vengeance Pact among the highprinces of Alethkar and the War of Reckoning against the Parshendi. Now the Assassin is active again, murdering rulers all over the world of Roshar, using his baffling powers to thwart...

For years, the Stranger House has stood in the village of Illthwaite, offering refuge to travellers. People like Sam, a brilliant young mathematician, who believes that anything that can't be explained by maths isn't worth explaining. And Miguel, a historian running from a priests' seminary, who sees ghosts. Sam is an experienced young woman, Miguel a 26-year-old virgin. But both want to dig up bits of the past that...

From the 11th storey of a Los Angeles high-rise, Nate looks out on the city - the traffic, the trees and the beach beyond. He breathes deeply. And then he moves one foot off the ledge and into thin air. But before he can jump, gunshots ring out from within the building. A robbery is in progress. And Nate, with nothing to lose but the life he was about to give up, decides to intervene. What happens next plunges Nate into...

David Sedaris's remarkable ability to uncover the hilarious absurdity teeming just below the surface of everyday life is elevated to wilder and more entertaining heights than ever in this new book of stories. Sedaris proceeds from bizarre conundrums of daily life - the etiquette of having a lozenge fall from your mouth into the lap of a fellow passenger or how to soundproof your windows with LP covers against...

A Nearly Normal Family is the stunning psychological thriller from M. T. Edvardsson and asks what would you do if your child was suspected of murder, how far would you go to protect them? Do you want to know the truth? If you loved A. J. Finn’s The Woman in the Window or J. P. Delaney’s The Girl Before, you will love this. Every murder case starts with a suspect. What if the suspect is your daughter? Would you believe...

The delicious true story of the early chocolate pioneers, by the award-winning writer and direct descendant of the famous chocolate dynasty, Deborah Cadbury. In Chocolate Wars best-selling historian and award-winning documentary maker Deborah Cadbury takes a journey into her own family history to uncover the rivalries that have driven 250 years of chocolate empire-building. Beginning with an account...

There are five stories in this fine collection: "An Account of Some Strange disturbances in Aungier Street" by J S Le Fanu This is one of my favourite ghost stories and the best of the lot for causing the spine to tingle. Two students move into an old house that, although supposed to be unoccupied, is haunted by a former owner - a very terrifying old fellow who seems intent on doing them some unspeakable evil.

In April 2006 the elite 3 Para Battle Group was despatched to Helmand Province on a tour that has become a legend. All that summer the Paras were subjected to relentless attacks. Two years later the Paras are back. The enemy has been forced to adopt new weaponry and tactics. But how much progress are we really making in the war against the insurgents? And is there an end in sight? In this searing account of 3...

Originally written for Dickens' weekly magazine, Household Words, this short novel follows the fate of Sissy Jupe, a warm-hearted circus child, and the family that adopts her. Deserted by her ailing father, Sissy is taken into the cold household of the Gradgrind family, which operates a school. The "eminently...

A junkie lies dead in an Edinburgh squat, spread-eagled, cross-like on the floor, between two burned-down candles, a five-pointed star daubed on the wall above. Just another dead addict - until John Rebus begins to chip away at the indifference, treachery, deceit and sleaze that lurks behind the facade of the Edinburgh familiar to tourists. Only Rebus seems to care about a death which looks more like a murder every...

The exciting new thriller from Andy McNab, again following Nick Stone as he prepares for his next mission. Aborting an officially sanctioned assassination attempt at the Houses of Parliament when he realizes who the target is, Secret Intelligence Service ‘deniable operator’ Nick Stone is given a chilling ultimatum by his bosses: fly to Panama and complete the task, or he and Kelly, the eleven-year-old girl in his guardianship...

A brilliant and enthralling debut historical thriller in the vein of C.J. Sansom. London, 1563. England is a troubled nation. Catholic plots against the young Queen Elizabeth spring up all over the country. The herald William Harley – known to everyone as Clarenceux - receives a book from his friend and fellow Catholic, Henry Machyn. But Machyn is in fear of his life... What secret can the book hold? And then Clarenceux...

Joining a former colleague who needs help rescuing four kidnapped girls, Sam Dryden discovers that his friend has been secretly working to develop a world-changing technology that murderous adversaries would claim for their own agendas.

Armpit and X-Ray are living in Austin, Texas. It is three years since they left the confines of Camp Green Lake Detention Centre and Armpit is taking small steps to turn his life around. He is working for a landscape gardener because he is good at digging holes, he is going to school and he is enjoying his first proper romance, but is he going to be able to stay out of trouble when there is so much building up against him?

A suburban wife and mother of two - with a dark and dangerous past.

A promising photographer who now panders to celebrity-obsessed rich kids.

A detective who can't let go of a cold case . . .

Three ordinary people, who discover that when the past refuses to stay buried, the American dream can be a nightmare . . .

Here are the stories of 13 key Shakespeare plays: Romeo and Juliet, Hamlet, Twelfth Night, King Lear, Richard III, Othello, Macbeth, The Tempest, Henry V, Julius Caesar, The Merchant of Venice, The Taming of the Shrew and A Midsummer Night's Dream. Timson presents the complex plots in a clear, entertaining and informal style, presenting the main characters in the context of the famous lines.

When Elisabeth Sladen debuted as journalist Sarah Jane Smith in the 1973 Doctor Who story ‘The Time Warrior’ she had no idea the character would become one of the most popular in the series’ history.

An astonishing new masterpiece from the Nobel and twice Booker Prize-winning author of Disgrace and Summertime After crossing oceans, a man and a boy – both strangers to each other – arrive in a new land. David, the boy, has lost his mother and Simón vows to look after him. In this strange new country they are assigned a new name, a new birthday, a new life.Knowing nothing of their surroundings, nor the...

Dallas, November 2, 1963. Wayne Tedrow, Jr., has arrived to kill a man. The fee is $6,000. He finds himself instead in the middle of a cover-up following JFK’s assassination. There follows a hellish five-year ride through the sordid underbelly of public policy via Las Vegas, Howard Hughes, Vietnam, CIA dope dealing, Cuba, sleazy showbiz, racism and the Klan. This is the 1960s under Ellroy’s blistering lens, the icons of...

The gift of heaven on earth. It will become the biggest story in the world... When the residents of a small town on Lake Michigan start receiving phone calls from the afterlife, they all become the subject of widespread attention. Is it the greatest miracle ever or a massive hoax? Sully Harding, a grief-stricken single father, is determined to find out. This is a story about the power of belief - and a page-turner that...

"The world had teeth and it could bite you with them anytime it wanted. Trisha McFarland discovered this when she was nine years old. Trying not to be terrified. Trying not to think that sometimes when people got lost in the woods they got seriously hurt. Sometimes they died. And all because she needed to pee..." This is the story of a girl who gets lost on an outing in the Northeast woods. In her panic to get back on...

From an Aurora Award-winning author comes a new fantasy epic in which one mage must stand against a Deathless Goddess who controls all magic. Only in Tananen do people worship a single deity: the Deathless Goddess. Only in this small, forbidden realm are there those haunted by words of no language known to woman or man. The words are Her Gift, and they summon magic. Mage scribes learn to write Her words...

The first work of fiction by a President of the United States -- a sweeping novel of the American South and the War of Independence. In this ambitious novel, Jimmy Carter brings to life the Revolutionary War as it was fought in the Deep South. This is a saga that will change the way we think about the conflict. He reminds us that much of the fight for independence took place in that region and that it was a struggle of...

At the dawn of the French Revolution, the men, women, and children of Paris have one hope to escape the guillotine: the masked and mysterious Scarlet Pimpernel. But who is this daring swordsman and quick-thinking master of disguise? London's privileged, self-obsessed Sir Percy Blakeney. When his...