Force of Nature

Force of Nature is the next in the 'Mathew Hawk' series of thriller novel, from the pen of David Collenette.

A series of murders have been committed. They would all be dismissed as being totally disconnected from each other. Except for the fact that at the scene of each murder someone has left a mysterious symbol.

Roche and his team are at a loss at how to proceed. They are stuck and the only possible way out that he can think of is to put a call in to Matthew Hawk, who must travel to Israel in the possible hope of being able help him find out what has been going on.

It appears that the murders are not as random as they had first appeared. There is, after all, a link between the apparently senseless slayings. They are all linked to a specific area of scientific research.

And the truth is that the situation far worse than anyone could have possibly imagined.

But suddenly it seems that the tables are now turned and Matthew is the hunted rather than the hunter. A hired killer known as The Machine is seeking to kill Matthew. Roche does his best to help Matthew escape, but can he succeed in helping him?

In a mad, worldwide dash, Matthew manages, just, to keep one step beyond the grasp of the pitiless killer. Whilst still trying to help solve the mystery of why the murders were arranged and who arranged them, bringing the guilty parties to justice.

But can he and Roche find a sollution to what, exactly, has been going on? Will they prevail against all the odds? And who, exactly, are they really facing up against?

It's a fast paced thriller and will be a welcome holiday novel this summer.

It's published by The Book Guild at £8.99.

Ampheus

Ampheus is book one of the Four Realms series from Jonathan Forth. The series is a fantasy realm aimed at readers of 12 years and older.

Gorath is a Dark Lord. His ambition is to bring the Four Realms under his control. He has a frightening Horde army, the callous Janshei horsemen. These are supplemented by beasts taken from the caverns of Dern from the very depth of Gamura.

He is also seeking the totems from the other realms as this would give him power to conquer the Ancient World.
However, all will not be plain sailing for Gorath as the King of Terramis is a prod and noble man. He and his castle Ampheus will stand inj his path.

Gorath lays siege to the castle. His plans to capture the castle have inside help from a spy who dwells within the castle.

Ambassadors have been dispatched from Ampheus to seek assistance from the capital cities of the other realms. But before they can reach their destinations, they must evade the agents of Gorath who are plotting to stop them.

Lord Gorath has not counted on the fact that brave people are prepared to face up to him and strive to defeat him and his minions.

Will they be able to stop him?

It's an exciting and well-crafted story that bodes well for the rest of this series.

It's published by Matador at £9.99

The Seventh Train

The Seventh Train is the second novel from author Jackie Carreira.

It's a novelisation of her successful and award-winning play of the same name.

Elizabeth has decided to organise a railway trip . The fact that a passenger had decided to hurl themselves in front of a train, thus delaying Elizabeth's journey and of all other travellers that February Day, was perhaps a sign of things to come.

She was travelling alone. But unknown to her she was not travelling alone, or rather not as alone as she thought she was.

There was the woman selling coffee in the buffet who just loved to pigeonhole her customers, the found book that Elizabeth was trying to read, the train driver who had driven the train that a rather polite young man had stepped in front of, the young man had died, instantly. His problems were over, but the problems of the train driver were only just beginning.

On her journey she meets a wide variety of people, some who seem to be harmless, some who appear to be utterly barking mad. But as any seasoned rail traveller can tell you, it's not always easy to tell them apart and some of the apparently harmless ones are really troublesome.

And there are some people who seem intent on committing the ultimate rail travelling sin, trying to make other passengers think.

And what, exactly, is a seventh trainer? Is Elizabeth one of these? Does she want to be? Or not?

It's a quirky novel that contains humour, yet also some genuine pathos, too.

But who, exactly, was ms Mabel Heep?

It's published by Matador at £8.99. Maybe you should take it on your next train journey?

Me? I Kill People

Me? I Kill People is a debut crime novel from author Alan Jacobs.

Giles Penshurt is a wealthy man. However, Giles has obtained his wealth in a somewhat unconventional way. He obtained his wealth by killing people for money.

An apparently harmless computer nerd Giles had become a contract killer almost by accident. He found that he had an aptitude for murder but tried to ensure that he only ever killed people who deserved to die.

Although Giles is very careful the police realise that there is a contract killer on the lose and they are making every effort to find out who the killer is and to trap him and arrest him. Something that Giles just does want to happen to him for obvious reasons.

There's one particular police officer, Hazel Frazer, who is hot on his trail.

Matters become complicated when Hazel discovers his identity, but falls in love with him.

Giles manages to elude the police and flees to Brazil to hopefully avoid extradition.

Will Hazel's love for Giles prove her undoing? Will she be able to perform her duty in bringing Giles to justice or will she falter due to the call of her heart?

Or will Giles' life as a computer nerd and contract killer all come crashing down around his unprotected head?

This is a complex yet highly enjoyable thriller.

It's priced at a very reasonable £7.99 and is published by Matador. It'll be packed in many suitcases this summer, I think.

Flames of Obscurity

Flames of Obscurity is a fantasy thriller written by Elliot Spencer. It's set somewhere that is very like modern day Britain, but not quite.

Edward Sherborne has recently been elected as the Prime Minister of Anglony. 

His chief armed forces officer reveals to the new Prime Minister that all is not well in Anglony, that there is a mysterious and secretive sect that goes by the name of The Chancery. And he points out that he, not the Prime Minister, is the person who wields the power.

And, perhaps, worse, there are three traitors within the establishment who are known as the Rose, The Bird and The Dragon.

The Chancery have taken a risky decision, they have arranged the kidnapping of his young daughter as a way to attempt to force him to abide by their agenda. Which calls upon him to murder three people that The Chancery have decreed as traitors.

Prime Minister Sherborne has to come up with a solution. Can he destroy these enemies of the state and thus make sure his daughter is released safe and unharmed?

But then in a shocking turn of events he quickly learns of the true identity of the traitor known as The Rose which makes his question all of his beliefs.

The Prime Minister is desperate to save the life of his daughter. But who can he trust? His wife? His friend, Andrew MacPherson? Jane Banks, his Secretary of State? 

The Prime Minister also wants revenge against those responsible for kidnapping his daughter. But can he pull it off? And if so, how?

 

Bopping in Ballymalloy

Bopping in Ballymalloy is the third novel from Irish author, Dermod Judge.

The story is set the Ireland of the 1950s. And two people accidentally met up. Curly, who was fleeing hid failed career as a dancer in New York and Mary who is attempting to escape from the crushing boredom of Ballymalloy in the far West of Ireland.

Curly has a flashy car, an amazing collection of fantastic swing music and his moves on the dance floor really made an impact on Mary. In short, she is seduced by him.

In 1950s Ireland this situation cannot go unnoticed and Mary suffers considerable shame. In an attempt to ameliorate this situation he has to arrange for her to get the only thing that she really wants, entry into the harsh and unforgiving world of the professional dancer. A world he thought he'd fled from.

Curly works hard to train her as a jazz dancer and he makes sure she is entered into a dance competition that offers her an escape route from Ballymalloy, a ticket out of there!

But how does it work out for these two people? Because there are some people who are not very pleased with the idea of jazz making inroads into the island of Ireland.

But there are some people who think otherwise.

This book is a very well written story, set during a time when things were far simpler when American culture, including music, really did rule the world. And when as Buick in the tight lanes of Ireland was a sight to behold.

It's published by The Book Guild at £8.99.

The Boy From Rod Alley

The Boy From Rod Alley is a account of a childhood of the 1930s.

Author John Loveday was born in 1926. And this is his story.

It's not long since the Great War (which had yet to be renamed as World War 1) and former soldiers are seen riding about on their ex-army bikes, there are many women widowed by the terrible conflict and there are men who, although they returned physically from the Trenches had left something of their psyche behind them. Shell-shocked, they were called.

We learn that a blue bag in a bath of water was the best treatment for a boy who had been stung all over by a swarm of furious wasps, read about a female classmate called Edith who had St Vitus' Dance, plus she who would insist on chewing on her little blackboard until it had all but disappeared and was eventually replaced by the teacher.

There was Mrs Hart who had problems with odoriferous pupils, but Mrs Hart was good for telling her pupils history stories with a local, Norfolk, connection. John remembers her specially as she didn't read these stories from books but recounted them from memory.

He tells us of his family, how angry his father was when the Post Office decided to change the name of their lane from Rod Alley to the "posher" Post Office Terrace. But of course, the residents knew that it was still really called Rod Alley.

The family ere quite well off, as they owned and operated and agricultural engineering workshop and a foundry.

He tells of the local pool, both loved and feared, of the characters of the village, of the houses great and small where the people that he knew lived out their lives.

It's a charming and very well written book. There are no illustrations apart from a charming painting executed by the author on the cover.

The book is published by Matador at £9.99.

A Piddle of Puppies

A Piddle of Puppies You'll be entering an absolutely amazing world of animal rhymes with this second illustrated children's book from Andrea Prior. (You'll find the link to the review of Andrea's previous book, A Parcel of Pigs, here https://thatsbooks.blogspot.com/2017/05/a-parcel-of-pigs.html)

Children aged 5 to 9 (and their adults too, so, please don't be shy!) will absolutely adore this book.

There are odd, interesting and unusual names.

What, exactly would be a mischief of mice? Could you ever see a crossing of zebras? (Well, you can if you read this book!)

What would a shiver of sharks do, let alone look like?

And how could you cope with a piddle of puppies?

The rhymes are equally as good in this book as they were in the previous book and it will be a great book for shared reading.

However, there's a serious side to these books, too. They are designed to help children develop their reasoning skills, their spelling, pronunciation and memory recall, too.

At £8.99 you really cannot afford to miss buying this book.

It's published by Matador.

Princess Areeena and the Crystal Fairies

Princess Areeena and the Crystal Fairies is a book for children and their families that is probably one of the most important books of its kind in recent years. It's aimed at readers aged between 5 to 7.

It's Princess Arebeena's birthday and she is given the task of completing a treasure hunt.

Isabella, her best friend, is accompanying her as they set out on an exciting and thrilling adventure to locate hie missing tiara.

But will she find other things along the journey, too? And if she does, what will they be?

The book is superbly written and is very well illustrated and tells a thrilling tale that all children (and their adults!) will like.

However, there's a serious point to this book, as it is designed to help children have a positive attitude to life and also toward other people and creatures, too.

And shows them that sometimes you just have to be as brave as you can and face up to dangers and difficult situations.Including a lady dragon with purple eye shadow and lipstick!

The book is the first in a new series of books about the Crystal Fairies and it is published by Matador at £6.99. It's ideal for shared reading by parents, grandparents and other assorted adult relatives.

Him or You

Him or You is the third book from N L Collier and it follows on from his novel Home Before the Leaves Fall.

Franz Becker has managed to survive his first months as a fighter pilot and he is joined by his best friend Karl von Leussow. It's now the autumn of 1916.

Karl is soon able to transfer his marksmanship skills to his newer weapon and he is reunited with his older brother. A rivalry soon grows, caused by the increasing scores of Karl.

It is the aim of every German pilot to shoot down enough enemy aircraft tp earn the highly desirable Blue Max, though there's more of a chance of dying with a score of zero enemy kills, to be perfectly honest.

The German pilots are aware that their Albatros fighter planes are far superior to the fighter planes that the enemy possess. But even so the Albatros planes are still fairly fragile and also flammable.

Many pilots are doomed to a fiery death, others are consumed with a fear of facing the enemy in combat.

But how long can Franz and Karl continue to fight through the war, as their experiences begin to tell on their minds? And when will the war finally come to an end?

It's unusual to see the German side of the First World War covered in a fictionalised account and, once again, N L Collier has provided his readers with a extremely readable novel.

It's published by Matador at £9.99.

My Dream Mile

My Dream Mile is a very important memoir. It is written by Charlotte Hagen. She had recently graduated from a teaching college, was enjoying dinner with a friend when she hears a loud bang.

She is rushed to hospital in an ambulance and is in a coma after she has suffered from a devastating brain haemorrhage. The "bang" she heard.

When she awakes from her coma she must undergo months of serious rehabilitation work. He needs to relearn all that she knew. She has to learn how to eat, talk an walk all over again.

It's not an easy process and Charlotte goes through times when she feels deep despair, but also there are times when she feels great hope, too.

The memoir is subtitled My Fight Back to Life and that is exactly what it is, her spirited efforts to regain her life.

Charlotte finds herself helping other people with disabilities such as Kirsten who was 15 and had a broken back, the result of a car accident.

She also falls in love with and marries Stig, the neuro-psychologist doctor involved with testing her in the early days of her recovery.

With the help of her family members, the dedicated medical staff, hospital staff, friends and care workers Charlotte is able to work toward her recovery.

It's a truly inspirational book and it deserves to be owned by everyone who has suffered from a serious life changing incident such as a stroke, plus those who work with such people.

It's published by The Book Guild at £8.99.

Temporoparietal

Temporoparietal is a new novel from Kris Ellis.

It takes a look at the life and times of the protagonist, a young man called Matt Pearce.

Matt has OCD, is something of an educational low achiever, a move buff and a fan of the works of Jack Kerouac.

He finds himself in a bit of a bind. A relationship with an abused teen goes south, north, east and west and in a bit of a panicked existential crisis Matt leave not only his home but also his entire country.

He flees to the USA and decides to take a Greyhound bus trip across the USA.

Why does he do this? To escape from his abused teen called S? In part. But he also feels a desire to make a sort of a pilgrimage to the last resting place of his hero, Jack Kerouac.

Kris is a former Youth Counsellor and bases his novel on "real young people of today."

It's a heady mixture of old school head trips and modern cyber chic.

It's due out on 28th July and is published bu Matador at £7.99/

Adventures of Pepper the Ginger Dog

Adventures of Pepper the Ginger Dog is a wonderful new illustrated children's book written by Jessica Knowles and illustrated by Sophie Cope.

It tells the story of Pepper who is a very adventurous ginger coloured dog.

Ginger has one desire in life. He wants to have a den all of her own. Her owner, Maggie-May who is six and a bit of a tomboy loves the countryside and she advises Pepper to go to Brambeberry Wood. 

Ginger and her animal companions set off across the golf course and some farmland in order to reach the woods.

But they meet with Mrs McClair who is a fiercely territorial farmer who hates the idea of any animals being on her farm! In fact, she chases animals off her farm using her blue tractor who seems as menacing as she does!

Can Ginger and her companions make it to the woods, somehow circumventing the furious Mrs McClair?

This is a charming book for children and every parent or grandparent needs to have a copy.

It's published on 28th July at £7.99, by The Book Guild.

Please Miss, We're Boys

Please Miss, We're Boys is a memoir that outlines what it was like to be a "Miss" (a female teacher) back in the 1960s.

This is the story of Susan Elkin who, in 1968 at age 21, is thrust straight out of a somewhat sheltered teacher training college into the midst of a difficult inner London boy's secondary school.

She has pretty much zero experience, is a somewhat naive young lady with a propensity to wear short skirts and she is facing boys from Deptford, London.

The boys she deals with are typical of inner city boys, they are brash, outspoken, rude, coarse of tongue but also touched with a charming vulnerability.

She concludes that what they would benefit from is some good teaching. And she sets out to make sure that this happens.

With the backing of a group of disparate helpers, colleagues who are honest, open, forthright and a little bit off the wall, she manages to pull it off, finding ways to get the lads to take it easy, to sit down and to get down to some learning and some working.

The book is filled with stuff that has a resonance for me. The children read Erich Kastner's Emil and the Detectives, as did I at about the same time in my secondary school, although we never had a teacher who like Mr O'Riordan who "just blew up."

It's an amazing well-written memoir which tells the reader a good deal about the school but also a good deal about the Deptford of the late 1960s and early 1970s.

It's published by The Book Guild at £9.99 on 28th July.

The Buttercup Field

The Buttercup Field is the debut novel from author D J O'Leary.

Warren "Tolstoy" Pearce inherits the manor house of his godfather, he also inherits the cricket field. But along with his inheritance there is also a major problem that comes attached to it.

For the land he now owns borders the Buttercup Field, which is a small strip of land that separates his cricket field from the road.

Jack Bentley, a local farmer, has laid claim to this piece of land on the behalf of the parish council, who fully intend to use the land for residential development.

The villagers are up in arms over the proposals, but despite their spirited opposition, it looks as if the plans to develop the land will go ahead, any way.

But a small candle of hope flickers when a public enquiry is called to look into the matter.

Both sides prepare their arguments, but then documents come to light that cast a shadow of doubt over the whole proceedings. The documents purport to dispute the real ownership of the land.

Who, then, is the real owner of the Buttercup Field? Who, ultimately, will be the victor? Jack Bentley, the parish council and the developers? Or someone else entirely?

And why were two furtive figures spotted, at the dead of night, digging in the field, by Ned, a retired farm worker?

It's a warm and humorous book which is also of a very human scale.

This book has been in the writing for 29 years and I, for one, am glad that it has finally ripened to full maturity!I do hope we don't have to wait 29 years for the next book by D J O'Leary!

It's published by Matador at £8.99 and deserves to be on the best seller's lists.

Master of Starlight

In Master of Starlight we meet the protagonist Leon Dabrowski. He is not merely a physicist, he is an exceptionally gifted physicist, a genius, in fact.

He realises that he has made an utterly astounding discover at the nuclear research centre where he works. He knows that, if his work is applied, that the world is on the very point of obtaining unlimited energy for everyone for the foreseeable future.

He and his colleagues are expecting awards, accolades and praise for the work that they have achieved.

But none of this happens and they find themselves thrust into a dark and alien world of industrial espionage. In fact they are treated almost as if they were a class of criminal rather than as highly respected scientists.

Then his fiancee, a gifted mathematician, Magda Tomala is kidnapped and finds herself held a captive in a sexual fantasy complex that is hidden deep underground.

Leon abandons his work to help a special unit of the Polish police to smash an international sex trafficking gang. 

He goes undercover and finds himself working covertly to spy on an emerging cult society in London, researching the truth aouit a highly organised world in which prostitutes are supplied for the wealthy.

By now the tables are turned on Leon. No longer the hunter he is now the hunted and everyone wants to know where Leon is. An oligarch who he is in the employ of, his work colleagues and the madam of a brothel with links to the Russian Mafiya. Some of the people who are seeking him are very dangerous people in deed. But there's more to the situation than meets they eye. For one of the hunters holds a secret about Leon's early life. A secret that is potentially shocking.

But can Leon prevail against them all and perhaps even learn to use what he learns to his own advantage?

A retired nuclear engineer, this is Keith Short's first novel and it's published by Matador at a very reasonable £7.99.

It's probably destined to be in the holiday luggage and read on beaches all over the world this summer.

Duty and Delusion

In her debut novel Duty and Delusion, author Shawna Lewis explores real-life community issues.It's set in the recent past.

The recession has just begun to be felt and money is becoming short.The treasurer to the village hall is in hospital, urgent repairs are required and there are also some bills that require settling.

The chair of the committee, Belinda, can best be described as long-suffering. She's careful and dutiful but she is also beginning to seethe with resentment toward those in the village who don't recognise all the hard work she does. Who believe that she is of no importance.

She is very determined to make some fairly big changes in her life and she begins to work against her antagonists to bring her enemies down.

Her husband needs to travel away from home to find owrk and her part time job at the library might be under threat due to budget cuts.

She finds  handsome young illegal immigrant living in the loft f the village hall and she takes an interest in him. Maternal, of course, as her own son is about to leave hal land her daughter has sert her heart on being a centre of attention and the school. But not in a way likely to make any normal mother proud of her.

She has a chance meeting with a woman by the name of Marnie. Marnie has lived a life that is full and varied, if not a little tough at times. This meeting brings about changes in their lives as they travel upon different, but similar pathways.

Each finds something to be jealous about the other woman's life, but curiously enough, as Marnie's life begin to improve, the life of Belinda seems to be getting worse, rather than better.

It's a novel that is quirky and moving and is a good first novel from an author who will hopefully have more novels published in the near future.

It's published by Matador at £10.99.

An Extra Shot

An Extra Shot is a continuation of the romance of Freddie and Jo-Jo.

What o you think you might do if you had a second chance, a second shot, if you will, at the teenage love that you thought had passed you by all those years ago?

You may have met them in their previous book, Another Shot in which they nearly reconciled but didn't quite make it.

Freddie was thinking of taking his life under a train, but he is saved by his best friend, Jack Sparrow, whilst Jo-Jo is alone in a hotel room, all but consumed by a dark secret that she has harboured fo most of her life.

Amy, Jo-Jo's daughter, convinces her mum to meet up with Freddie, again. He persuades Jp-Jo to go away with him for a long weekend in Devon in the West Country. It works, because they return home with their love reignited.

But will the secret that Jo-Jo harbours be enough to kill their romantic story once and for all, if she reveals it to Freddie?

Is the love of these two people enough to pull them through and to keep them together?

This story from Stephen Anthony Brotherton is semi-autobiographical and based on a first love relationship that he had at the ages that Freddie and Jo-Jo had when they were teenagers. (REVIEWERS NOTE Like Stephen I am an alumni of Wolverhampton University, interestingly enough.)

The book is published by The Bookguild on 28th July and costs £7.99.

It's aimed at readers of romantic fiction and should fit nicely in the holiday suitcases this summer.

Dreamcats II

In Dreamcats II (the sequel to Dreamcats) we learn of a world where humans and animals have exchanged places.

Felinestow is now under the control of a benign cat, Mayor Tina. But the former mayor, Claptrap, still years for power.

Cousins Elsa and David find themselves residing in the home of ex-police cat George. But soon George's brother Harry arrives.

He is visiting the town of Felinestow to take the chairship of a religious conference. But even before the conference can start, a dreadful disaster strikes!

With things in Felinestow in a state of flux with struggles to keep the peace, Mayoer Tina must send George and Claptrap on a high profile diplomatic mission to seek assistance for the town and its populace.

Can they get the help that is required? Will peace once again reign in the town?

This is a charming fantasy novel for children of ages, written by Christopher Best, a retired editor and financial journalist and writer.

It's published by The Book Guild at £8.99.

Appetite for Risk

In Appetite for Risk we read Jack Leaver's story that is inspired by real events that took place in the aftermath of the war in Iraq.

John Pierce is a former Royal Marine who has a new but struggling business in the UK. It's proving difficult for him to generate enough income to support his wife and young family so he decides to use his connections in the capital of Iraq to see if he can use the situation in Iraq, a country desperate for rebuilding work to be undertaken after years of bitter conflict.

In 2004 he finds himself in Baghdad to get into the reconstruction gold rush. But when the whole country is falling rapidly into a full insurgency, he has to rely on his own Royal Marine training, his natural talents and the skills of his own local contacts to avoid becoming just another victim of the fighting.

Soon Pierce finds that he is treading on toes and he is in trouble with the government at home and he is soon in the midst of allied covert operations against Al-Qaeda operatives in Iraq.

Can this former bootneck make it through the ver-mounting chaos in Iraq to return home to his wife and family with his life intact and with some funds to show for his efforts?

Jack Leavers is a former Royal Marine Commando with over three decades of experience in the Royal Marines and latterly in private security, corporate investigations and anti-maritime piracy operations. and these experiences shine through in his powerful and hard hitting thriller.

The book is published by The Book Guild at £9.99 and will make an ideal summertime read.

Twenty Tiny Tales

Twenty Tiny Tales and a few tails is an amazing collection of 22 short stories that are truthful, witty, humorous and also heart-warming.

You'll be taken on 22 different journeys to places you have dreamt of, places you might have heard of, places you might know well. Or places that you might think you know well, for debut author Elaine J. Bradley's imagination and skill as a writer will make you see the familiar in a completely new light.

You'll visit the museum of childhood, which might produce an effect that you were not anticipating. Pretty much like what happened to poor Sadie. (That story sent a shiver down my spine.)

You'll visit the idyllic flower power era, a time of free love, flowers and pacifism, now epitomised by a flower shop called Flower Power, owned and operated by Clara, a child of the sixties, described by locals as an ageing hippy.

She owned and ran a 1967 VW camper van, for use as a delivery van, painted in suitable colours and images.

But what exactly was happening at the shop? And why was there such an interest in the goings on there?

There are stories of befriendings, of friends in desperate needs of assistance, hauntings that might be more than they seem at first sight (or should that be site? No matter!) Another story, Dicing With Death, that sent a shiver up and down by spine.

It's published by Matador at £9.99 on 28th July and you really need to buy this book for your holiday reading. But it's probably best not to read it last thing at night! Unless,of course, you like to be scared?

Never Again -Moving on From Narcissistic Abuse and Other Toxic Relationships

Never Again -Moving on From Narcissistic Abuse and Other Toxic Relationships is a new and very important book from Dr Sarah Davies who is a Chartered Counselling Psychologist.

It draws from her experiences as a practitioner working with patients at her Harley Street, London, practice. However, she also brings to bear her own personal experiences coping with a narcissistic abuser.

It's designed not as a text book but as an easy to use self-help guide to understand and move on from toxic, abusive relationship.

It will show readers how to identify if they are the subject of an narcissistic abuser, plus the complicated ramifications of being in such a relationship.

Dr Davies also shares tools that will be required to help the victim of such an abusive partner to move on, and to hopefully end destructive relationship patterns for good.

The book also tells you exactly what is entailed here, Narcissistic Personality Disorder or NPD.

The person who has NPD might show the following traits: An overwhelming sense of grandiosity, with expectations of preferential treatment or service from other people, or institutions. 

They'll generally require a lot of positive regard and positive feedback, plus admiration and worship from others.

They are arrogant, selfish, but are often anxious, too. They lack genuine empathy for others, lacking in any fellowfeel toward other people, they cannot accept blame when anything goes wrong, they like to use blame transfer when they need to blame others when they have done wrong or made a mistake.

They often have problems with addictive behaviour and are unable to form or maintain any meaningful long term relationships.

They can be aggressive, and subjected to unreasonable rages and cannot control their anger. They also have problems accepting responsibility for problems and can be very manipulative.

Dr Davies points out that because NPD is often linked to exceptionally early emotional and psychological damage it is a very difficult condition to treat.

The book also helps the victim of the NPD abuser to work on their self-esteem problems, learn what healthy boundaries are and learn how to enforce them, how to address unhelpful thinking, how to employ tools and coping strategies such as emotional regulation,  the use of mindfulness and the technique of grounding.

It's an important book and is a must have if you are a victim of an abusive NPD partner, spouse, family member or spouse, if you are a therapist dealing with NPD issues or, indeed, if you think you might have NPD.

It's published by Matador at £14.99. It just might be the best £14.99 that you will ever spend.

Pass the Pickled Porcupine & Other Wild Food Stories

Pass the Pickled Porcupine & Other Wild Food Stories is a new book from Graham Chalmers who is an expert hunter, fisherman and food forager.

Born in Zimbabwe in 1957 he was privileged with access to wilderness areas in Africa.

He eventually moved to South Africa and whilst earning degrees in business and law, he continued to develop his skills as a food expert and game cook.

In 2000 he moved to Britain and continued his interest in wild-sourced food i not only the UK but also Europe and America.

This book is a series of essays about a staggering 50 different types of wild foods, which also contains information about Graham's abilities as a forager,a hunter, a fisherman and a cook.

You'll learn about collecting hedgerow blackberries in Britain, and hunting Cape buffalo in South Africa.

Learn how to make Mopane Worm Stew, using dried mopane worms), how to make a delicious traditional biltong, learn that aardvarks are not, generally, eaten in Africa (despite what some books might try to claim), learn how to prepare an abalone, how to make impala chops teriyaki, how to cook bass, freshwater or Texan black.

You'll learn how to cook medallions of wild boar with banana, (ripe bananas are specified) how to fry crocodile steaks, and even more interesting meals besides.

The book contains some cautionary tales, including how mussels can kill you, even should you not eat one. Scary stuff, mussels!

The book makes a fascinating read for the amateur or the professional cook who will now know how to cope if the owners of an eating establishment comes into the kitchen with a mysterious delivery shouting: "I've just got a load of Ostrich meat. Do something with it, OK?" The recipe for Ostrich Stroganoff is on page 181.)

I feel that the book would have greatly benefited from illustrations (either line drawings or photographs) but there are none. A pity, but it's still a very interesting book that you should add to your collection of culinary books.

It's published by The Book Guild at £9.99.

Victoria to Vikings

Victoria to Vikings The Circle of Blood is a new historical novel from published author Trisha Hughes.

Although a work of fiction the book is filled with historical detail and it covers in great detail the Georgian and Victorian eras, up to the reign of Queen Elizabeth II.

It also examines in part two the Kings of England and of Denmark.

Queen Victoria is looked at in great detail. Under the reign of Queen Victoria, England, argues Trisha Hughes, achieved a rank on the international stage that it had never aspired to previously.

She also touches on another Queen of equal greatness, Queen Elizabeth II. She also indicates that the Prince Phillip her "Stalwart and loyal" husband also has a strong Viking heritage.

Although written as a work of fiction I would heartily recommend this book to any students of history as you will find that Trisha Hughes as already done all the work for you. But if you quote from her work, do remember to properly cite it!

It's published by The Book Guild at £8.99.

Arthursdale Boy Nidderdale Girl

Arthursdale Boy Nidderdale Girl is a memoir bu Frank Pedley. Frank is 85, a former soldier and a Wensleydale sheep enthusiast.

He was subjected to the kind of unofficial familial adoption that was once fairly common in Britain, but not so today. He was "adopted" by his Victorian grandparents, an action which rescued him from a probably fairly grim existence in the slums of industrial Leeds.

He was able to enjoy the benefits of a decent education at Tadcaster Grammar School. He also met with and became utterly enchanted with an attractive girl with brunette hair (in short pigtails) who wielded a large hockey stick. They were in the same form at school, which is how they met.

A family bereavement meant they were separated, but several years later they met again. But the circumstances were a little bit awkward. Frank was commissioned after passing out at Sandhurst, and was about to embark on an overseas tour of duty with his first regiment. Also, Ruth was engaged to be married.

Through the pages of this fascinating book we read of their long courtship and their long marriage and their life together, sometimes turbulent, sometimes not. Their marriage was brought to a conclusion only by her death in 2007.

The memoir is both poignant and utterly candid, more so than many autobiographies, it has to be conceded.

As well as his marriage and his family life Frank writers about hid experiences in Malaya, of his working life during the Cold War era. He was involved with the Cabinet level contingency planning for the recovery of the United Kingdom should the British Isles have suffered from a Russian nuclear attack.

He also describes the problems of restoring 17th century properties, sheep rearing and exhibiting at the highest national levels. He also writes very movingly on the dreadful horrors of the 2001 foot and mouth epidemic.

He also incorporate some of the evidence that he has gathered based on years of research into his family tree, going as far back as the 17th century and revealing several major surprises.

The book is well illustrated with many photographs.

It's a book that belongs in the rich history of biographies because it tells it like it is and is well-written. I feel that this book will become a standard reference work for many years to come.

It's published by The Book Guild at £17.99 in hardback.

The Artemis File

In The Artemis File author Adam Loxley the action starts at once. But what action?

George Wiggins meets an excitable woman in his local, but all was not quite what it seemed.

A national newspaper publish a crossword, which totally blows a covert intelligence operation known only to the secret services. Or so they had thought.

A CIA officer who had defected and was thought to be dead proves himself to be very much alive by passing an envelope to an utter stranger, only recently recruited as a mule. In a nearby pub. Though, curiously, the envelope appears to be empty of any content.

What, exactly, the hell is going on? Secret service operatives in Langley, Virginia, Tel Aviv and London burst into frantic action as they decide that they need to put into practice an operation to make certain that the details of a secret conspiracy that they had though buried some two decades ago.

If the secret comes out, governments will fall, the balance of power in the world will change. Probably for ever.

The established order of things is severe threat. Who are they? What do they hope to archive? And who, or what, is Artemis?

It's a spy novel thriller in the best sense of the term and it's published by Matador at £9.99.

Another great book to take on your holidays.

Aya and Papaya Meet the Big Little Creatures

Aya and Papaya Meet the Big Little Creatures is the second book about the adventures of Aya and Papaya written by MQ.

it's morning time, the sun is glimpsing through Ayua's window and she slowly opens her eyes and gives Papaya a big hug.

She leaps out of her bed and draws open the curtains. As she does this, she is smiling. why? Because she has remembered that her best friend, Samy, is coming to visit to play.

So it is tht Aya, Samy, Papaya and Bamboo decide to have a bit of an adventure by visiting the big castle which is at the end of the garden.

But how can they get there, safely? For they must be very courageous and walk past the big little creatures who live in the garden.

Whilst they make their journey through the garden the friends learn valuable lessons about treating others with kindness and respect and also they learn about bravery, too.

This fantastic children's book is created by MQ, written by And Abey and stunningly illustrated by Leo Antolini.

It's published by Matador at £8.99 and this charming book should be owned by all parents and grandparents.

Norman Snodgrass Saves the Green Planet

Norman Snodgrass Saves the Green Planet is a book from Sue Bough. It tells the story of Norman. Norman is an ordinary sort of a chap. He is somewhat overweight and a bit clumsy, he usually spends his time avoiding being teased by his Poggle classmates. For they are all Poggles.

He is somehow given the great honour of looking after Spong, the class pet. Who Norman manages to lose. He has to enter the weird Green Planet to attempt to track Spong down and return him to the school.

During his searching he meets up with a strange and mysterious scientist, a professor, and Norman learns that all is not well and that a series of deadly hazards are putting their planet at risk.

So, what's a Poggle to do? This Poggle, Norman Snodgrass, decides that not only is he going to find and save Song, he is going to embark on a dangerous, perilous and highly risk mission to Save The Planet!

Can Norman find Spong? Can he save the entire planet? Will he become a hero to his fellow classmates?

Read this book and find out!

It's an environmentally aware book for children and costs £7.99 and is published by Matador.

Sue has also illustrated the book throughout.

'Cinderella', I Wish!

'Cinderella', I Wish! is a powerful and very compelling true life story from Dominique Deveraux's ife.

As a young black child she was living a very enjoyable life with her white foster parents who loved and adored her.

But then disaster strikes, as Nanny dies and she has to be removed from the home where she knew only love and she enters a new world of heartache and troubles.

She is placed into a new home, but rather than love and compassion she is subjected to abuse and misery.

Her life dissolves into one of trauma and fear. She is subjected to abuse, suffers domestic violence and even witnesses murder.

Can Dominique learn to be her own true self, again? Can she find love in her own heart for not only others but also for her own self, too?

Can she deal with people who lie to get what they want, use violence and threats to control those they pretend to love?

There's a lot for her to contend with, an unexpected but welcome pregnancy, the problems of living with ME and the career changes this creeping, vile disease can bring about (REVIEWER'S NOTE: I have personal experience of this little understood but potentially devastating health complaint)  and a variety of other issues that seem to prove the old adage that what doesn't kill us makes us stronger.

It's an amazing memoir and from an almost little orphan girl without a glass slipper or a prince to an agony aunt and a key manager for 30 years in Children's Social Care Management, I think that Dominique did very well indeed with her life. Just proves that nobody needs a glass slipper, after all!

The book is published by Matador at £9.99.

How to Become a Football Agent: The Guide

This is the second edition of How to Become a Football Agent: The Guide, is written bu Dr Erkut Sogut LL.M, Jack Pentol-Levy and Charlie Pentol-Levy.

The three experts behind behind Football Agent Education have brought all of their experience and their network to put together a guide of critical information that every football agent must know in order to ave any measure of success for his or her clients and themselves.

There are unique insights, detailed information and hints and tips on how to be a successful football agent that you just will not find anywhere else.

It's built on their highly successful first book and now contains expanded chapters, more practical guidance and examples.

There's a highly informative forward by footballing ace legend Robert Pires, plus insightful comments and advice from top working agents who represent the top flights of elite footballers, too.

It now includes the valued opinions of four members on FIFA's select football agent commission. There are also real examples of contracts and a number of relevant case studies for readers to learn from.

The authors are very clear about the role of the modern agent. Long gone are the days when the agent just turned up, got the contract signed aand went away again to repeat the same performance next season. Now a successful and motivated agent must take active steps to work with their clients all year round, building their client into a top international brand and encouraging them to make the most of their potential as an international athlete.

If you are a footballer, the parent of a young footballer, an agent or a manager of a football team, this is a book that you must have a copy of.

It's published by Matador on 28th July at £13.99.

Mama's Got a Brand New Bag

Mama's Got a Brand New Bag is the debut novel of Hope Lovejoy.

It tells the story of Mama and her brand new bag. It's a stoma bag. She required a stoma bag because a surgeon, who was tasked with the simple job of removing a polyp from her intestines made a catastrophic blunder that caused the rupture of her colon.

So now, after a different and perhaps more competent, surgeon has cleaned her insides up and repaired the damage and inserted a coma, Aki is facing life with a stoma.

It gurgles, it grumbles and causes Aki no end of concerns common to most stoma patients. What if it bursts when I am out? What of the dreadful fuggy smell it gives off? What if I roll over in the night and squash it, causing it to burst? And if this happens at 3am, the clean up crew (husband and wife) have to spring into action.

Although the novel is written in a way that is intended to amuse, it does so in a way that does not take away the dignity of the protagonist, Aki who is Japanese, or her husband, Peter, who is English.

The novel takes  jaundiced look at surgeons who do not make mistakes and who try to blame everyone else  when things go wrong.

If you have a brand new bag, you might find comfort in this highly original and thought provoking book.

It's published by Matador at £9.99

Against the Odds

Against the Odds is subtitled: Elizabeth Studdert, a life in carving. It tells the fascinating life story of Elizabeth Studdert who is  truly original sculptor.

You might not have heard of Elizabeth Studdert I certainly hadn't, but this book, by her sister, author and journalist, Caroline Studdert, sets out to correct this bewildering paradox, a sculptor who is both highly gifted yet, relatively unknowing.

The story of Elizabeth Studdert, from the slightly "regal" Waterford aristocratic society (the family were not actually viewed as fitting in, being 'outsiders') to her marriage to a Roman Catholic which was considered by some as less than suitable, the complications that an Anglo-Irish heritage could bring, to the financial problems that she faced and the problematic relationship with her mother, the book looks at the various difficulties that Elizabeth overcame in order to be what she wanted to be, a sculptor.

The examples of Elizabeth's works in a variety of materials from soapstone to alabaster, to wood, metal and resins are truly remarkable. And they are from sizes tiny to titanic, one might say.

They show a fluidity in style and form that means each piece of art is imbued with its own living soul, raw emotions radiate from every piece.

Some of the sculptures the viewer might want to become, some of the sculptures the viewer may very well feel they already are.

I'd love to own a piece of art from Elizabeth Studdert. The next best thing, however,is a copy of this hardback book from Matador, at a very reasonable £15.00.

You can learn more about Elizabeth by visiting her website, here:- http://www.elizabethstuddert.co.uk/index.html

Courtier in the Royal House of Stuart

Courtier in the Royal House of Stuart this is an exciting historical novel from Leslie Hatton

It tells the story of an orphan boy called Toby Bennet who survives life in the back streets of the Black Friars area of London.

At the age of ten Toby saved the life of the Prince of Wales who was under attack from a maniac with a knife.

The Prince decides that he will reward Toby by bringing him into the royal household. The Prince arranges his education and promises the life of a courtier within the royal household. The House of Stuart.

But Oliver Cromwell has come to prominence and has wrought terrible destruction and caused terrible chaos the length and breadth of the kingdom.

When the king is taken prisoner and put on trial for treason, the prince must flee for his life, abandoning his country.

He spends the next twelve years exiled with his mother or his sister whom is Princess Mary of Orange either in Paris or Holland.

And all the while, loyal Toby is with him. There is romance for Toby, with a young lady's-in-waiting for Princess Mary

But there are several attempts to bring about the premature death of Toby and Toby learns that he is being pursued by a ruthless and secret adversary, someone who holds a dreadful secret and who wishes to see Toby dead.

But who is this person? And what is the secret that they hold?

It's a riproaring historical thriller from The Book Guild at £9.99.

The Madness Locker

The Madness Locker is a debut novel from the pen of E. J. Russell.

It's Christmas Day, 1986 and a corpse has been discovered in a wheelie bin in the Eastern suburbs of Sydney, Australia.

The remains are those of a widow who was 70 years of age.

The police swiftly go into action and launch a detailed and very intensive investigation, but despite their very best efforts, they fail to identify any potential suspects or a potential motive for the killing.

They find no clues, no forensic evidence and so reluctantly the police decide to file it as a cold case.

However, perhaps the police wee looking in the wrong places for clues to the murder?

E. J. Russell looks back to a time when, fifty years previously, the whole world had been in flames as innocent people were sent to places like Auschwitz merely because the Nazi Third Reich either did not like their political vies, their mental incapacity, their race or just because they were in the wrong place at the wrong time.

A young girl is arrested along with her family, they are forced to travel to Auschwitz on a three-day journey in a railway wagon. On arrival she is separated from her parents who she never sees again.

After years of suffering forced hard labour, near starvation and punishments "just because" the Russian army sweeps into Poland and she, along with the other pitiful survivors of Auschwitz are liberated.

After she recovers she believes that she knows who she blames for the loss of her parents and the years of abuse she suffered at the hands of her tormentors.

She sets out on a journey to track them down and to bring them to some form of justice.

Is there a link between her search for retributive justice and the corpse that was found in the wheelie bin?

If so, how did her nemesis track her down? And how and why did she have to die? How was she killed?

The beginning of this fictionalised account is a real event that took place in 2006 when a corpse was discovered in similar circumstances to those described in this novel.

It's a compelling and exciting thriller and worth every penny of the £9.99 price set by the publisher, Matador.

It will make a very good beach companion for the holidaymaking reader.

Memories of Now

Memories of Now is set in the wintertime. 

Seven old university friends have gathered together in a country hotel in Scotland.

They dine, they drink, they take walks. They reminisce.

They find themselves facing up to a number of issues from their shared and not shared pasts, they debate, they argue and they bicker as only old friends can who share a history of 35 years of lives lived.

Lives lived well and perhaps not quite so well as intended or hoped for.

As the snow falls on the Scottish countryside some of the friends learn truths that they would rather have not known.

They learn with considerable pain that things they thought they had always known as great truths were, all long, really nothing more than, at worst, great lies, or, at the very best, false assumptions or merely misunderstandings. And that what once tasted good now tasted sour.

Tajalli Keshavarz has written a very important book that is melancholic and which shines a strong beam of sunlight into the lives of seven old friends and lovers. And, after all, don't they say that sunlight is the best disinfectant?

 It's published by Matador at £10.00 and will be available from 28th July. 

Waves Aligning

Waves Aligning is a debut novel from African author Adaora O.

Having grown up in Nigeria Adaora O. brings to her readers a compelling and captivating novel that reveals what it is like to be a female growing up in a repressive environment in modern day Africa, which perhaps is not quite as modern as one might suppose.

The protagonist, Chinny, learns as she grows up that life doesn't just give you what you want or what you deserve. Especially if you are living in Eastern Nigeria and you are a female.

Her parents are hard working, yet not by any means describable as wealthy. They must make a choice. Who will they spend their meagre financial resources on educating in school? Chinny or her brother? Her brother who is entirely indifferent about the opportunities that education would provide. Yet Chinny was enthusiastic about education, so the inevitable decision to fund the education of her brother was even harder on Chinny.

But she has the friendship of Ejiofor to help her make it through her life as she meets with betrayal, poor health and tragedies and the looming spectre of a marriage she doesn't welcome and doesn't even want.

It seems that her life is a series of waves, constantly washing away her ambitions and dreams. Yet what might happen should the waves align? Will Chinny attain her dream of being able to sleep for as long as she wants?

This book is compelling, well-written and is a remarkable debut novel from an author I want to see more from.

It's published by Matador at £10.49 and should be in the suitcase of people who want an intelligent read to accompany them on their holidays. 

When Turtles Come Home

When Turtles Come Home is a wonderful memoir of the very rich and interesting life of Victoria Hoffarth.

Born in the Philippines Victoria's memoir is described as "thought-provoking" and that description only scratches the surface of this wonderful memoir.

What was it like to have to accompany a sick brother from the Philippines to New York City for him to visit some of the world's top consultants?

What was it like to work as a Kelly Girl for $2.50 an hour in hard but boring jobs during the 1960s? Actually, Victoria describes this part of her life in such a way that the reader understands that this was a happy part of her life as she learned to think like a native New Yorker. Though some of the lessons (such as how to behave when robbed in broad daylight by a gang of robbers whilst on a shopping trip) did impact her in negative ways. Though these were all part of the process of changing her from an adolescent into a somewhat brash and confidant adult.

The book touches on a variety of fascinating asides such as the story of Vicky Drake who hit on the unique idea of posing nude for her campaign posters for her 1968 attempt to become president of  Stanford University. She only just failed to win the election.

Victoria spent the next three decades gaining various degrees and a PhD, travelling to and from the Philippines to the USA and back, to Germany, the UK and also Canada.

She touches on the dreadful corruption of the Philippine government under the Marcos regimen and the dreadful problems caused when she had to inform the new hires in her government department that they no longer had jobs because Mrs Marcos decided that she needed the entire budget of their department to fund an extravagant shopping trip to New York city.

She touches on some issues that are general, globalism, liberalism, government corruption and the like, but also of more personal issues such as the devastating impact dementia can have on the family as well as the person diagnosed with dementia and how rules and regulations can make such issues even harder to bear and much more difficult to cope with.

The book is very well illustrated with a wide range of coloured photographs and images.

It's published by Matador at £12.99. 

Something to Tell You

Something to Tell You is the latest novel from David Edwards, who is a bestselling writer.

It's a Speculative Fiction novel and it tells the incredible story of what happens when the planet Earth comes under bombardment from a Higgs Boson particle storm.

This is the story of two families, that of Bert Leinster and his best friend Sam Murray.

The Central Control of the World Council declares that the only way for humanity to survive is for everyone to start living deep under the surface of the planet, where they will be protected by something called The Envelope.

The CCOW cajoles and persuades humanity to hide deep beneath the ground, but Bert is not so certain about the viability of this idea, but how can one man stand against the CCOW can challenge them? Bert certainly cannot do so, but he also cannot grasp why it is only himself who can see that the idea of the CCOW for everyone to have to love deep underground is a lie. And why lie about something like this?

However, it all changes for Bert when he meets Lily. Who, although a very definite her, is also a very definite real live plant. Who becomes his enemy as he fights to save humanity.

But can he save humanity? And if he can, or even if he can't, who or what is he trying to save it from?

And what happens next?

This is a very thought provoking book and is available in hardback from Matador at a very modest £9.99. A must for the holiday suitcase, I'd think.

Ronnie and Hilda's Romance

Ronnie and Hilda's Romance is a book about the romance of Ronnie and Hilda.

Ronnie and Hilda Williams met, completely by chance, in Lancashire in 1945, when they were both just 21 years of age.

This was when Ronnie as on home leave after taking part in some of the most harrowing and difficult campaigns of the Second World War, in Italy.

The romance of Ronnie and Hilda is told by their daughter Wendy Williams who used over 250 of the letters that were passed between the couple as the basis for this most moving love story.

Fully aware that Ronnie would be called upon to return to active service they took the decision to become engaged after knowing each other for less than a fortnight. Ten day, to be exact.

Until Ronnie's demob two years later in 1947, their letters were the main way the young couple used to learn about each other and to get to know one another.

It's filled with wonderful family anecdotes, humorous and serious and it is a warm and very human story.

It's also copiously illustrated with some lovely photographs.

You will also learn what films they watched, what they read, what they listened to and you'll also read the incredible story of Mr Bundle.

The book makes a lively read and is all the better for knowing that the people within its pages were all very real. Well, with the exception of Mr Bundle. And if you pay your £12.99 for the book, you'll learn all about the real people and the very charming story of the fictional Mr Bundle, too!

The book is published by Matador.

None So Blind

It's the year 499 and None So Blind a new novel from Xenon. Set in the Gea, a country that is united in an ethnic, linguistic and cultural sense, but is disunited by politics

There are 15 states that are independent of each other, and the history of Gea has been a long story of warfare between them. And also the nations that surround Gea.

But for the preceding 25 years Troia has brought the independent states into an Empire that is quite formidable.

But the current Emperor is not very good at being an Emperor. He is weak, inept and not very effective. People are becoming dissatisfied with his rule and people jockey for position as the stench of betrayal fills the air of the Empire.

There are plots against the Emperor and Diomedes, who is a swordmaster who is beyond the first blush of youth (to put it kindly)  is charged with the task of trying to unpick a viable plot against the Emperor. Diomedes is, however, a complex man and he is struggling with feelings of unrequited love for a woman who is, and things are getting a little complicated, here, the wife of a good friend, the life of whom is at risk.

It's an historical fantasy novel (the first in a series) which is set within a historical fantasy, which owes much to Classical Greek history.

The novel is extremely well-written and it takes you into the action from the first paragraph and will be a good read for people who like their fantasy to be heavy on factual possibilities and doing away with flying dragons and the like.

It's published by Matador at £9.99 and will make a great holiday read.

Between the Immensities

Between the Immensities is a new novel from Dorothy Davy, who was born in Bootle (which is near Liverpool) and who now lives in New Zealand where she practices as a CBT psychologist.

Dorothy uses not only her training but also her Scouse with to make this a most enjoyable and heart-warming read.

Psychologist Doctor Katherine Moore has spent the best part of four decades living and working in New Zealand.

But her life is set to change, yet again as she has finally bowed to the combined pressures from her sisters to return Liverpool (or more specifically, Bootle in Liverpool) to care for their elderly mother who is dying of terminal cancer.

Katherine moves into the council flat that is her mother's. Yet something does seem right. The "lovely gentle Liverpool mammy" that she knew has been replaced with someone far more negative and curmudgeonly.

Her various attempts to cope with her mother's attitude seems to cause her family no end of amusement.

But Katherine has tools at her disposal that her family member do not have. After all, isn't Katherine a trained and highly experienced Doctor of Psychology? Surely she can put her training an expertise of many long years of practice to the job of getting back into meaningful communication with her mother?

Gradually things between them and within the wider family start to change and suddenly family life is flipped in ways that probably couldn't have been expected.

Eventually mother and daughter get their stuff together and learn to love each other again and to become a formidable team. But who had been the thief amongst them? Surely not one of their own?

If you read this moving, truthful book, here's a fair warning, there will be tears in your eyes before the end.

What makes the book all the more interesting is that it is based on true events that shook the rational, scientific beliefs of Dr Davy to the core.

Its published by The Book Guild at £8.99.

Re-Tyred

Re-Tyred is an amazing memoir from author and retired university lecturer, Sara McMurry.

After she took her retirement she decided that she would become a voluntary teacher in India.

She brings to the page her experiences as a volunteer teacher in parts of rural India and also on the streets of Kolkata.

She takes her readers on an amazing journey from a small shop in the town of Jaisalmer in the desert region of north-west India, and where the shopkeeper gave her a philosophical fillip and a new take on the rest of her life. And, incidentally, inspired the title of the book.

She learned why there are so many vegetarian restaurants in Kerela, was moved by the plight of the disabled beggars who live in the shadow of the Taj Mahal, marvelled at the chaos that is rush hour in big Indian cities, visited poor people in not only the cities and towns but also the rural areas, too.

She learned that even the poor were more than willing to work, turning their hands to anything they could do, selling trinkets, postcards or cleaning shoes.

She also noted that amidst the great poverty there also exists great wealth, too, hovels where the poor lived and opulent palatial accommodations for the wealthy and the very rich.

And she met children who were eager to learn to improve themselves.

The book is well-written an illustrated with line drawn maps and some extremely good colour photographs.

It's a wonderful book which I can highly recommend.

It's published by Matador at £12.00.