ARCAM
DCI Jack Robson believes he is hunting a kidnapper …
Away from his London posting, Robson is asked to lead an investigation in the south-west of England. But what begins as a baffling local kidnapping mystery, quickly escalates into something far more sinister.
In pursuit of the perpetrators, DCI Robson joins forces with Inspector Emma Wilson and the rest of the regional CID team. Together, they attempt to make sense of the lack of evidence or motive, eventually getting drawn to the tiny island of Steep Holm, in the Bristol Channel.
As the investigation progresses, Robson, Wilson and their colleagues find themselves facing something far beyond normal detective work. Unthinkable connections lead them to a conspiracy, so great it could change the course of humanity. The question is, can they intervene before it’s too late to prevent the appalling future that potentially lies ahead …
A Small Boy Smiling
As a small boy I loved to ride his bike, play football with friends and to laugh. I loved life and was always smiling.
When I was eight years old, I was targeted by a group of predatory paedophiles who subjected me to 18-months of horrific sexual abuse. I was too ashamed and scared to tell anyone what had happened...not my parents, friends or family.
In my new book, A Small Boy Smiling, I recount a remarkable story of survival and overcoming the trauma, guilt and shame of childhood sexual abuse, teenage alcoholism, sexual anorexia, and post traumatic stress disorder. My lifelong search for peace, love and healing culminates in personal spiritual awakening and a desire to help other survivors of sexual abuse to discover their own healing.
My search for healing inspired him to explore a variety of healing pathways which included conventional trauma therapies for PTSD in the UK; to Spain where I enjoyed an exhilarating month long pilgrimage along the 500-mile Camino to Santiago de Compostela; to Brazil where I experienced profound healing on a meditation retreat; and on numerous visits to India where I have studied spiritual philosophy, meditated in ashrams, and trekked the Himalayas.
However the initial catalyst for my healing was (and still is) Alcoholics Anonymous. I went to my first AA meeting at age 20 and have now been sober for over 25 years. My book includes a chapter by trauma therapist, Sarah Paton Briggs, about our therapy sessions together. Soulful Space: Reflections on my therapy work with Matt, has been very well received by my readers, many of whom are survivors.
A Small Boy Smiling is my story of how I’ve overcome my demons to reclaim my smile and learn to love and laugh again as an adult.
The Best Husband and Wife Joke Book Ever!
Basically it's what the cover suggests - jokes about wives, husbands and marriage! I suppose you could say it's 'old school' type humour, the kind of jokes that the likes of Bernard Manning, Frank Carson, Chubby Brown used to tell, though quite a few comedians/stand ups do still tell these kind of jokes. The book is split into two parts, the first containing jokes about wives, the second containing jokes about husbands. I've actually spun a lot of the jokes so that the husband is the brunt of the joke so that the book will appeal to women (who appreciate this kind of humour) as well as men. I also came up with a lot of the jokes myself. Below is the blurb from the back of the book
They say marriage is made in heaven, but then again so is thunder and lightning, and no doubt if you were to ask those that came up with the jokes in this book they’d probably tell you that their marriage was made in hell!
Split into two parts - Husband - Wife / Wife - Husband - this book contains the best jokes there are about marriage. Some are old, some are new, some are re-written and some are blue, and if you’re married (or divorced) you’ll resonate with them. And if you’re thinking of getting married you may well think again by the time you’ve finished the book!
*Contains strong language adult humour.
Civil Service Fast Stream Tests
Civil Service Fast Stream Tests, 2nd Edition, is the ULTIMATE book for passing the FAST STREAM Civil Service Qualifying Tests. This book provides clear and detailed information on everything you will need to know in terms of the Civil Service Test and how to successfully pass the initial recruitment stages, including: the core competencies, the initial testing, e-tray exercises, group exercises and interviews. This is the most comprehensive guide to passing the Fast Stream tests on the market and successor to the best-selling Civil Service Fast Stream Tests book.
Numerical Seasoning
Numerical Reasoning Tests: Beginner, Intermediate and Advanced, 2nd Edition, is the ULTIMATE book for passing Numerical Reasoning Tests at all levels. Containing concise and easy-to-understand breakdowns of different questions types from a basic level right through to an advanced level of maths, this guide will not only help you practice and test your math skills, it’ll help you learn. Packed full of questions, each with fully worked solutions, this is the ULTIMATE guide on the market to helping you full prepare for your numerical reasoning test.
Quick-Fire Maths
This easy-to-absorb pocketbook has been designed to help those master the basics of Maths using these rapid maths tips and strategies. Packed full of tips, tricks and sample questions, this compact pocketbook is ideal for anyone to improve their mathematical learning and speed. Learn how to confidently improve your core maths skills, mental arithmetic and manage different mathematical formula with this essential pocketbook!
This pocketbook covers time-saving tips and tricks for improving your speed in mathematical calculations. Are you ready to become a maths expert?
Cold Steel on the Rocks
The prologue shows how the pirate Blackbeard buried a chest and then marked its position on a map. At the beginning of the next few chapters, the reader is shown how the map ends up in the hands of heavy metal band, Cold Steel.
The story begins in Japan, where Cold Steel’s world tour is going badly. A series of accidents onstage leads to their manager, Andreas P, agreeing to smuggle drugs as alternative income, because he anticipates Cold Steel are going into decline. Andreas is arrested at the airport and the band’s Spanish and Portugese shows are cancelled. On arriving in the UK, Cold Steel’s new manager, Johnny Faslane is forced upon them by the record company. Johnny has never managed a big band before, and has to find his feet quickly.
Johnny has to find equipment for the band, as their tour inventory has been impounded in Japan. He has difficulties, faces opposition from the support band, and Cold Steel constantly get into trouble. As the tour progresses, the band tell Johnny about the treasure map, and tell him they want to look for Blackbeard’s treasure after the tour.
In France, the band disappear and all end up getting arrested. Johnny and the record company give the band an ultimatum, give excellent performances at every subsequent concert, achieve platinum album sales or the treasure hunt will never happen. The band achieve their sales, just.
The band and Johnny travel to the Caribbean island of St Clements, a former French colony now run by a long-haired ex-pat called Henri Chevalier. He offers to help the band in return for any treasure found. The band head to an island similar to the one on the map. They find a buried chest, but it only contains rocks. They return to St Clements, make use of the local university's faculty dealing with piracy, and head to a new location. Their hunt takes them into Ancadian territory. Ancadia is a totalitarian island state and Henri warns them to be careful.
The band sail to an island where they think Blackbeard buried his treasure. They discover the treasure. Then, as they are just about to reach international waters, they are captured by the Ancadians and taken to their naval base. The band are interrogated and Maxwell sends the naval commander on a false trail, giving the band time to try and escape. They break out of prison, take back the treasure and escape in their ship.
After hiding the ship in creeks and rivers in the day, and sailing at night. They nearly clear Ancadian waters when they are attacked and sunk by an Ancadian gunboat. The treasure sinks as well. The band cling to a piece of wreckage and are finally rescued by a ship from St Clements.
Shortly after the band arrive back on land, the Ancadian navy surrounds St Clements, and demands the surrender of St Clements. Henri tries to gain international support, but the rest of the world sees no economic benefit in helping them.
Johnny decides that Cold Steel should perform a concert to capture the world's attention, appealing straight to the people to protest to their governments to help St Clements. As he sets about organising the concert, he becomes involved with a beautiful reporter, Rachel Shaw. He has to try and keep Cold Steel’s involvement with Ancadia secret in the face of her persuasive charms.
The concert is arranged on a shoestring, encountering many setbacks, and only just goes ahead. Following the band’s appeals during the concert, The American government forces the Ancadians to return to port, assuring St Clements that a negotiated settlement will happen.
The novel ends with the band being ordered back to the studio to record their next album.
A Better Place To Be
...A story about life, and what goes with it...
John and Claire Edghes have a wonderful marriage. John is a sweet and likeable man, whose love for his wife is unquestionable, as is her love for him. But when life deals John a devastating blow, as happens to far too many people, and his wife is taken from him, John's life corkscrews into an overwhelming and agonizing journey to the bottom of life. There, in the darkness of his despair, a homeless drunk in trouble with the law, he wakes up one day in a rehab center, where he is pushed to look at what he has become...
...Forced to face both his past and possible future, John must find the path to rise from the despairing quicksand and somehow manage to find a way to survive. The question is, without Claire, can he?
***[A Better Place To Be, was awarded the Bronze Prize for Literary Excellence from Ireland's DD International Literary Awards.]