The Trial of Lester Chan

The Trial of Lester Chan is a light-hearted novel from retired barrister Martin Wilson QC.

It examines what happens when Lester Chan, aka the Jewellery King of Hong Kong, is brought up on a charge of banking fraud, a QC of the middle orders, Jonathan Savage, is sent out to Hong Kong to mount the defence of Lester Chan.

It's going to be a bit of a change for Martin as his caseload usually consists of murder and the like. Plus he has never dealt with a case outside of Britain, before.

However, also thrown or drawn into this case is retired solicitor Frank Grinder, who is also working for the defence.

For the prosecution is Graham Truckett, who is serving as a member of the Legal Department of the Government of Hong Kong. Unfortunately for Truckett, he is totally and utterly out of his depth.

The trial judge, Mr Justice O'Brien, is overly pleased with his reputation for running an efficient court, but even Homer sometimes nods, and troubles within the home of Justice O'Brien might mean  that his attention is somewhat distracted.

And all set against the background of life in Hong Kong!

Martin Wilson QC based his novel on his experiences with dealing with a number of major law trials in Hong Kong.

The book is published by Matador at £9.99.

The Ears of a Cat

In his novel The Ears of a Cat Roderick Hart takes a look at a world very, very similar to our own.

It's the future, but not the far future, it's a very, very near future.

Over population is a topic that people are taking very seriously indeed.

But some are taking this far more seriously than most. In fact they are actually prepared to take the extra step, several pretty huge extra steps, to be perfectly honest, and to actually do something about it.

They are stuck for an idea of what to do. That is, until they find a source of a weaponised bird flu virus that has been turned into a lethal weapon in a laboratory.

All is going well, until their plot is uncovered by the German security services. Plus there is the added complication of their discovery by a freelance agent from the USA, who might not be as honest or as scrupulous as might be wished.

But can Gina Saito carry out their plans, especially as this would involve her own death in a land far from her own  homeland?

And what would happen if her plan was to succeed?

This is a novel that is filled with dark humour and many interesting diversions, from talks with a cat, to the testimony of a sex doll from Japan.

From the first page, which includes a murder on the street, to the last page, this novel is a heck of a ride.

It's published by Matador at £8.99 and will make an interesting Christmas gift for the SciFi fan in your life.

The Legacy of Crystal Island

The Legacy of Crystal Island is Book Two Truth and Courage by Colleen O'Flaherty-Hilder.

Orla has returned to Crystal Island. With her promised consort, Finn, Orla has been given the task of selecting new leaders who will govern the Earth's seven federations.

They will be the replacements for the Chief Generals who were under the control of the dangerous Shadow. The Chief Generals took planet Earth along a path that led to greed and destruction over a period of several decades.

Seven women and seven men are chosen to govern, and they will be ab le to access their buried Crystal Wisdom. But before this can happen the malign influence of the Shadow who is deeply embedded, must be removed for all time.

Will the planet be able to heal in order for it to evolve to the next stage?

It's a riveting read for fantasy fans and will make a neat Christmas present for them.

It's published by Matador at £9.99.

Kitchen Confidence

In Kitchen Confidence prize winning baker and expert cook Catherine Sloman shares her knowledge and passion for cooking with her readers.

Originally written as a special gift for her daughter Jessie to give her a taste of home cooking when she heads out into the big wide world of student life and beyond.

Catherine runs Kitchen Confidence cookery classes, operates a pop-up supper club and works as a private caterer, so she has developed considerable expertise in the field of good home cooking.

Whilst she was teaching people how to cook, Catherine became aware that there were a large number of people who, for a variety of reasons, had never really tried to cook, or had somehow lost confidence in their abilities to cook, or found that, due to a change in their circumstances, they needed to be able to learn to cook for themselves, perhaps alone.

Catherine realised that there needed to be a new type of cookery book which would be aimed at providing inspiration for both readers with very little experience as cooks or those who wanted to improve their skills and develop themselves as cooks.

The recipes in the book are all fully tested and absolutely delicious.

Catherine is an award winning baker and is a member of Bread Angels, which is involved with the teaching of baking skills and the sale of artisan breads https://breadangels.com/ she also blogs about her culinary adventures (under the name of Battenburgbelle) at http://www.battenburgbelle.com.

You can also learn more at https://www.kitchenconfidence.co.uk.

The book is published by Matador at £13.99 and is the perfect Christmas gift for the cook in your life.

Dancing the Skies

Dancing the Skies is an autobiographical accoount by former RAF pilot David Roome.

It records the flying career of RAF Group Captain David Roome who joined the RAF aged 18 as a pilot.

He flew the supersonic Lightning with 74 (Tiger) Squadron in Singapore until the eventual final withdrawal of UK armed forces in the year 1971.

He then took up a role as a trainer on the Folland Gnat for three years. After this he spent tours on the F-4 Phantom whilst flying with the RAF's Central Flying School's Advanced Squadron of Examining Wing.

His next tour of duty was as a member of the RAF's Tactical Evaluation Team, which was responsible for making assessments of the readiness of all RAF front-line stations and units for action, including war.

His next posting was to the HQ of the RAF's UK fighter force. After a short time there he was given command of a squadron of Phantom jets.

He returned to a staff position of No 11 (Fighter Group)  and in 1990 he became responsible for the detailed planning for the flypast of 168 aircraft over London on 15 September 1990 as a key part of the commemorations of the 50th Anniversary of the Battle of Britain. It was for this vital role that he was appointed OBE.

He next returned to the world of training in 1994, he eventually was made responsible for the day-to-day operations of all RAF flight training.

But that wasn't all that he did. He also became qualified in flying all of the RAF's fighter jets (all save two, the Javelin and the Swift)  and he flew and he displayed the RAF's historic jets. A role that he loved, naturally.

But that's not the end of his extraordinary story, including exactly what he said that startled an army cook in RAF Tengah, Singapore.

It's a fantastic, well written (and beautifully illustrated) memoir which is a must have Christmas present for the aircraft fan in your life.

It's published by The Book Guild at £12.99.

Whatever Happened to Barry Chambers?

Whatever Happened to Barry Chambers? is described as a dramatised memoir.

When he was just four years old Barry Chambers is deposited by his mother at The King's (The Cathedral School) Boarding House in Peterborough.

Shocked by the discovery that her husband is, in fact, a bigamist, she decides to make a new life for herself, eventually setting herself up as a successful fashion designer in London.

Barry's mother is both beautiful and also manipulative and she becomes married to a Jewish businessman. She decides to pretend that she and her son are both Jewish.

Meanwhile Barry is raised as an Anglican at his boarding school, has to cope with being lonely, being bullied, cope with a sexual predator at the school, plus deal with his "lovable rogue" of a step-father and the rather erratic behaviour of his mother.

This all helps to make Barry grow up rather confused about his identity, plus leaving him somewhat vulnerable to being attracted by the wrong set of people.

Why did Barry decide to write his memoir? At his mother's funeral he realised that his mother had decided to virtually airbrush him and his sister Penny from history.

The discovery of his mother's own writings on her early married life compelled Barry (who is Professor Emeritus of Allergy and Clinical Immunology at Imperial College, London) to face up his pent-up emotions of his rather troubled childhood by telling his side of the story.

The book is well illustrated with a collection of photographs from the family archives.

It's a painful but extremely illuminating account of a dysfunctional family.

It's published by The Book Guild at £10.99 and will make a superb Christmas gift for the person who enjoys well written autobiographies.

Trust Me, I'm a Care Worker

Trust Me, I'm a Care Worker is a collection of recollections from Chris Bulteel's time as a care worker.

Gloucester born Chris attended the Cathedral school where he later served as a chorister. After leaving school he entered the catering industry, having a wide and varied career covering catering and hotel management

At age 26 he became a town councillor, eventually serving as Mayor of Wimbourne, in Dorset.

After moving to Poole, he became Sheriff of Poole, later repeating the role he served in Wimbourne, becoming Mayor Poole.

He was a member of many committees, chairing several, until he eventually became Chair of Dorset Fire Authority. All the while whilst he was serving the public in these vital roles he was also working in the catering industry.

At least until he was 54 when he left the catering industry and his life took a sudden and unexpected turn when he became a care worker.

The book looks at how people who are being cared for are still, first and foremost, people and how they often face their adverse situations with true spirit and courage.

Chris reveals that his time spent in his second career as that of a carer helped to teach him understanding of people and humility.

The book is mainly written in the form of extracts from his diary and charts his colourful second career.

He met a wide and varied range of people who were his clients, and his colleagues. There was one of his first clients, George, who suffered from a deep depression, amongst other problems, risk assessments and what this had to do with a pot of aqueous cream BP,  the real and very cogent reasons why Clarissa demanded that only male carers attended to her needs. Also learn what happens when a patient is being lifted in an electrically powered hoist and there's a power cut. 

Chris believes that it's important to celebrate and highlight the great work that car workers do. He hopes that others might be inspired by reading his book to take up careers as care workers, as he did.

I think it would make a nice Christmas gift for people who are care workers or who are considering entering that field.

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

Copernicus! What HAVE You Done?

Copernicus! What HAVE You Done? is collection of very humorous poems from Don Behrend.

Don takes a fresh, new and amusing look at some topics that are (usually) treated with more reverence.

Don's poems examines topics like the sciences, music, the arts, literature and the like. But all with a less than reverential twist.

Learn how other scientists might have reacted to Copernicus,  a different take on the works of Kepler, what really happens in a novel by Dickens, how many works Bach composed.

Enjoy a different take on matters theological (including Bible stories newly retold) Mathematics, philosophical conundrums, plus matters artistic.

It's a modestly sized book that contains some wonderful ideas and will be a welcome find in the Christmas stocking of anyone who is intellectually gifted, yet doesn't take life or themselves too seriously.

It's published by Matador at £7.99.

Good Question

Good Question is a debut crime novel from V. R. Lyons.

Sue and Jeff are lovely people. They are kindhearted, lovely, decent and nice. Everyone likes them. But Terry had inadvertently brought risk and genuine physical danger to Sue and Jeff.

They are employed in an old Victorian grocery store which, over the time of their employment there, they have grown to view with a great deal of affection and loyalty.

But they are horrified to discover that the apparently innocent grocery store is merely just a front for criminal activity.

Their discovery puts them in a quandary and a dilemma. What could they do about the situation they have discovered? What should they do about it? After all, the livelihoods of people they know are now at risk.

They need to decide where they really stand. Exactly how decent are they, as a couple?

They are confronted by people who know how to use violence to get what they want and they are prepared to use it. But what, exactly, will be the outcome?

Does nice confront nasty? And if it does, who wins? Who is really nice, who is really nasty?

There are more than enough twists and turns to keep you guessing and this is a fine debut crime novel. Hopefully it will be the first of many.

It's published by Matador at £8.99 and should be in the Christmas stocking of mystery and thriller lovers everywhere.

Shamus Dust

In Shamus Dust Janet Rogers takes her readers back to the war damaged City of London of 1947.

It's Christmas time and a murder has been committed in the Square Mile.

It looks to be a so-called vice killing an a member of the City council wants to get to the bottom of the matter, or to hide his own involvement in the case, so he decides to hire a private detective.

The private detective who he hires is an American, called Newman.

Newman has lived in Britain for a couple of decades and perhaps isn't keen on taking the case which is on the recommendation of a former client.

But take the case he does.

As he works on the case, using his undoubted knowledge and skills as a detective, Newman begins to realise that the case is far more complex than it might have first appeared. That often happens when more deaths begin to occur in a "simple" case.

But what can Newman do? What should he do?

And what on earth did this have to do with archaeology?

Janet Roger's debut novel is what can only be described as a genuine tour de force. It's as if Raymond Chandler's Philip Marlowe had got bored with his life in Los Angeles and travelled to England and lived under the pseudonym of Newman and was asked to investigate a murder. Or series of murders.

Janet Roger takes her readers back to 1947, when the war was over, yet the damage still in many places yet to be repaired, exposing a great deal.

If you have a mystery fan to buy a Christmas present for, then this will be it.

It's published by Matador at £11.99.

101 Positive Pictures

101 Positive Pictures In his book, Robert Valentine brings his readers a small, but perfectly formed, book of happiness which is illustrated with some highly inspirational cartoons by Robert Valentine.

The book will be able to inspire readers wit its beautifully coloured illustrations and ts visual affirmations.

All of us, no matter who we are, can never fully escape our own minds. How we deal with our own thoughts, how we process these thoughts can have a major impact on our lives, either for ill or for good.

However, 101 Positive Pictures is for people of all age groups and it's aim is a simple, yet noble on. To help you create for yourself a happier, more fulfilling life.

The images are colourful, engaging and by employing the simple affirmations therein, you will be able to apply the steps in your everyday life and to make some vital changes in your life and how you live it.

It's published by Matador at £12.99.

Lotus in the Sand

Lotus in the Sand is a novel from Peter Maroza.

It poses an interesting question. Which should a person chose? Honour or revenge?

Hamish McFarlane is an Afghan war veteran, who is disillusioned and jaded. He has tried to escape his troubled past by entering battle scarred Iraq.

There is a brutal terrorist assault on an oil company in Iraq and Hamish is sent in to carry out an assessment on the security there.

However, his investigations start to throw up some worrying anomalies. Although at first it seems to have been a terrorist attack, some things just do not seem to add up. The deeper his investigation digs, the more complex and downright sinister the whole matter becomes. He begins to fear for his won life and the lives of his nearest and dearest.

More people become involved and more people die and Hamish realises that he no longer knows who he can, or should, trust.

His search for the truth takes him into the mountainous Kurdistan, back inot the streets of Baghdad and even into the very heart of the British establishment.

But what will Hamish do? Will he succeed?

It's a stunning book and draws heavily on the experiences of the author's time working for s private security company in Iraq for some years.

It's published by The Book Guild at £9.99 and will be a great Christmas gift for the thriller lover in your life.

NA GÀIDHEIL

NA GÀIDHEIL is a book by Catrìona Zappert which is an illustrated introduction to Scottish Gaelic for children.

It's aimed at children, parents, grandparents, teachers and adults who want to learn Gaelic or who want to help other people to learn Gaelic.

Learning a new or different language can be a bit difficult at first, but it's the intention of Catrìona that this book will serve as a simple introduction to gently introduce the reader to some basic Gaelic words that they can build on in later books.

Catrìona says that Gaelic is in her blood. She points out: "As my great grandparents on the Finlayson side were Gaels and on my mother's side, too, some of the Drummonds were also Gaelic speakers, so I feel very strongly about learning and teaching the language."

The illustrations within this book takes the reader on a magical journey through the Gaelic fairy realm of the mystical country of Scotland and introduces them to the Gaels, a family of Scottish fairies, an some of the Gaelic place names in Scotland.

You'll meet magic, unicorns, enchantment and by employing some simple phonetics, you'll be able to learn some Gaelic words that you can use around the home.

Catrìona is learning Gaelic herself and she practices it with her daughter who is six years old. She says: "I love to hear her speak the language."

The book is published by Matador and costs £9.99. It will make an absolutely stunning Christmas gift to any person who wishes to learn the Gaelic of Scotland.

It will be a very helpful book. Or "Bidh e na leabhar gu math cuideachail."

Three Little Mermaids

Three Little Mermaids is a new book for children from Louisa MacVeigh. Lilly, Claire and Nina are all given an invitation to the birthday party of Princess Kikki.

They have to think really, really hard about what kind of birthday present they would get for her. But it was not easy for them, after all what would you buy fora Mermaid Princess who already has everything under the sea?

The three Mermaids all set off on a special quest to find the perfect present for their Mermaid Princess.

Whilst they are searching they meet some fascinating new sea creatures and discover a shipwreck which is chock full of treasures.

But they need to find a present to show Princess Kikki how much they value her friendship. Can they do this?

If they do, what will they find for her?

This is a book that's aimed at children of ages three and over, it's a well-written and nicely illustrated and carries some important messages about the importance of friendship.

It's published by Matador and costs £7.99 and will be an ideal Christmas present.

Aya and Papaya Keep Trying

Aya and Papaya Keep Trying is another well written and well illustrated book for children from MQ.

Aya wakes up smiling. Why? Because she knows that today is the day when she and her family will be going to spend a day on the beach!

Aya busily collects all the important things that she will need for her day at the beach. She then fetches Papaya because it is time for everyone to leave for their day at the beach.

When she is at the beach, Aya builds a nice big castle. But something is wromg! A huge wave comes up the beach and perhaps the sea is hungry, because it eats poor Aya's sand castle, bit by bit!

Of course, this makes Aya very sad. But then Aya is no longer that sad, because she has had a brilliant idea. The idea to build the biggest and strongest sandcastle that the whole world has ever known!

But does she succeed in her ambition? To find out, you'll need to buy this right and sunny book that helps teach children about persisting in their ambitions.

It's another great stocking filler.

It's published by Matador at £9.99.

Aya and Papaya Learn to Imagine

Aya and Papaya Learn to Imagine is anther in this wonderful series of books for children.

Aya awakens to the sound of raindrops pitter pattering gently on her bedroom window. When she draws her curtains back, she sees that the day looks kind of grey.

She and her best friend Papaya splash about outside in the puddles, having a lot of splashy fun. But eventually Aya starts to feel tired. She feels sad, because everything is very wet and she has nothing that she can do.

However, along comes her clever big brother, Faz. He helps Aya learn to use her imagination and to think of new ways that she can have fun.

Its a wonderful illustrated story that will be ideal Christmas gift for children and mums and dads, too!

It's created by MQ and is published by Matador at £8.99.

The Sun Shines Through

The Sun Shines Through is an amazing book from Sharon King.

It's a gripping memoir of Sharon's true account of love, loss, cancer and cannabis oil.

It covers the years between 2012 and this year, 2019, and tells the true story of a married couple who were both diagnosed with cancer in the same year, 2013 and their attempts to take control of the situation and cure themselves.

The book is made up from written diary entries, posts on social media accounts and from personal memories.

It's an engaging account of what they both went through, written with power, clarity and humour.

He had lung cancer whilst she had breast cancer and they decided to employ cannabis oil in their treatments of their diseases.

It's a book that will make you smile and also cry. It will make you angry, too. Why didn't the health professionals realise that Jasper had lung cancer that turned out to be Stage 4 and incurable until he only had four months to live?

How are self employed people such as entertainers like Jasper and Sharon supposed to live if they are seriously ill, yet not actually diagnosed with the serious illness that is affecting them?

Sharon acknowledges that whilst cannabis oil is not a panacea it certainly does deserve to be considered as a potential medicinal treatment.

If you are interested in cannabis oil, how people can survive cancer and the loss of a loved one, this book is a must purchase. And every doctor and nurse in the country should be gifted a copy of this book to help them work with cancer patients and their families and friends.

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

Star Matters II

In Star Matters II by David John West we read what happens when a special code is sent out that informs the military authorities that the Prime Minister of Britain has been contacted by Gayan star people.

However, as might be expected, the US President desires to be in control of the entire situation, but all might not be quite as simple as it appears.

Because, whilst the Gayans appear to be nice, peaceable and reasonable people, the Gayans have enemies who are far from being nice, peaceable and reasonable people.

The enemies of the Gayan would like to annex our planet to become a part of their Spargar Empire.

They send a highly feared warrior to deal with the Gayans who made contact with the British Prime Minister and to either talk them round to his viewpoint, or deal with them by force.

Before First Contact can become a reality, Gayan and Spargar forces prepare to deal with planet Earth.

What will win out? A relationship based on enlightenment and mutual benefit? Or one of the Earth being beaten into becoming a race of slaves under the Spargar Empire?

How will Humanity deal with this existential threat to its very future?

This modern day space opera is  published by Matador at £9.99 and will make a nifty choice of Christmas present for the SciFi fan in your life.

Peter Pixie Visits the Rescue Centre

In Peter Pixie Visits the Rescue Centre younger readers (and their mummies and daddies) will learn all about Peter Pixie.

Peter Pixie lives in a toadstool which is right in the centre of a dark and big forest. Peter (along with all of the other Pixie children) has to attend Pixie school.

Travelling to the school isn't too bad as he rides on an acorn train with his best friend Jonathan, to the big oak tree school slap bang in the very heart of the forest.

When readers meet Peter it is a very special day for him because his class is to visit the Rescue Centre.

Whilst they are being shown around, a terrible calamity occurs! There is a real live emergency. A human is spotted and the human is hunting for mushrooms! The class of Pixie children are able to see a real rescue take place.

Will the members of the Pixie village manage to flee to freedom in time? What will happen to the human?

It's a fantastic story written and illustrated by author an artist Michael J. Woodward.

This book is published posthumously as Mr Woodward died prior to its publication.

It's published by Matador at £7.99 and will make a most excellent Christmas present for the little Pixies in your life!

Time Transfer

Time Transfer is a book by Mark Roland Langdale which is aimed at younger readers.

It's a magical story about football. But what if football had somehow lost its magic?

It follows the vicissitudes of two football clubs, Manchester United (which readers will have heard of) and another football club, Accrington Stanley (which most readers will probably not have heard of.)

When did the magic first appear in the FA Cup competition?  Was it there from the very beginning? Or when the first game was played at the Empire Stadium, which was to become more famous under its later name, Wembley Stadium?

But Mark Roland Langdale poses a more worrying question. When did the magic pour out of the FA Cup?

And can the Football Association ever bring the magic back?

It's a quirky, lively and very informative and readable book. It's highly likely that the book will appeal to older family members, too.

It's published by Matador at £9.99 and if your looking for a Christmas present for a football fan? This book will fit the bill.

Free From the World

In Free From the World author John Johnson takes his readers back into the 1960s, a time of great social change, including within the massive psychiatric hospitals that dominated mental health treatment at that time.

A new psychiatrist has come to Black Roding hospital, her name is Ruth and she is determined that she will bring progressive mental health attitudes to the hospital.

However, the staff at this large London area asylum are not keen on allowing her ideas to be progressed with.

They attempt to block her and thwart her efforts at every turn. She is forced to turn to some of the patients within the hospital for their assistance.

One of these patients is a man of middle age, Richard Simms. He is difficult to put into any one category. His treatment hasn't been helped by the fact that there seems to be no records of his life before he entered the hospital.

Rather than welcome Ruth's attention Simms seems, instead, to shun, her, echoing the hostile attitude toward her of the rest of the staff at the hospital.

Ruth decides to investigate his story and as she digs deeper, she discovers a series of dark events that can't be covered again, once they are uncovered.

Who can she trust? Who should she fear?

What if a patient does want to be released? What if they have good reasons for wanting to stay, to seek asylum there?

What if Ruth is walking into a dangerous situation without realising the perils she is unleashing?

This is a powerful and very impressive thriller and John Johnson is a name to watch out for in the future.

The book is published by Matador at £9.99 and will make an excellent Christmas present.

Ten for the Devil

Ten for the Devil is a novel from Trevor K. Bell. It tells the story of ten people who have been brought together by an offer that they could not refuse.

They have gathered together on one of the more remote Hebridian islands, to participate in what they have been told is a psychological experiment on fear. All under the guidance and control of Dr Crogil. Someone who is, apparently, unknown to the ten test subjects.

But they become trapped on the island by an increasingly violent storm. And they quickly learn that the true intentions of Dr Crogil might not be quite as innocent as they were lead to believe. In fact, they learn that Dr Crogil's intentions might be far more deadly that they could ever have imagined or feared.

Because, one-by-one, the lives of the ten terrified test subjects are being brutally snuffed out as they are murdered and it becomes clear that there is a plot to murder every last one of them. With each death a single line of the tradition rhyme about magpies that is displayed about the fireplace in the house is removed.

Unsurprisingly, the survivors mentally break down. They begin to accept that they have no options but to accept their fates.

The tensions amongst the diminishing survivors begins to mount. Who who is responsible for the murders of their compatriots? Could they possibly discover Dr Crogil before the entire rhyme is expunged from the wall?

And if they find him, what will happen then?

Will any of them survive?

This is a deeply riveting and psychological thriller and will make an excellent Christmas present for the murder mystery fan in your life.

It is published by The Book Guild at £8.99.

A Mummy Running

A Mummy Running is a wonderful new book from Graeme Longstaff and illustrated by Helen Williams.

It tells the story of a mummy who loves running. In fact, it would be fair to say that she absolutely adores running. She loves competing in and training for running in marathon races.

But all that changes when she becomes pregnant and gives birth to absolutely gorgeous twin boys, Ted and Bert. This means, of course, that her normal routine is disturbed and that she no longer has the time for training or for running.

However, Raych (that's mummy's name) begins to train again and, eventually, to run again. She hates to leave Ted and Bert behind, and Ted and Bert are also upset when mummy has to leave them when she goes out on her runs.

But they get used to seeing mummy don her brightly coloured fluorescent running jacket that she wears to stay safe whilst he is running.

They soon learn that mummy might run out of the house, but that she would very soon run back to them, again. 

In fact, when they began to talk, the twins would say: "Mummy running!" as she dashed out of the house.

But where does a mummy go when she does dash off for a spot of running? Who does she see when she goes out running? What route does she take? Where does mummy go?

But most important of all, does mummy get her cup of tea?

This charming and well illustrated story is based on the true story of a real mummy of twin boys who has a strong passion for running, Graeme's own wife.

It's a fun and quirky book that your children will love to be read from and shown the fantastic illustrations.It's published by The Book Guild at £6.99.

Voices from Punjab

Voices From Punjab is made up of a collection of 15 true life stories that celebrate the resilience and strength of Punjabi women who are living in the United Kingdom.

You will meet Punjabi women involved in politics, leaders who have won awards for their leadership, inspirational philanthropists. But also "ordinary" Punjabi women, too.

They bring to the readership their personal experiences, including gender inequality, racism, sexism, and the differing family dynamics.

Learn about the highly valuable contributions that the Punjabi women of Britain have made to not only their community but also to the wider British society.

These stories are filled with the wisdom that these Punjabi women have learned throughout their lives and are now willing to share with you.

Read stories of how adversity was overcome, how families were able to obtain an education for their daughters in the Punjab when this was not encouraged, of charitable bodies that have been set up to empower women.

Read contributions from Lady Kishwar Desai, Dr Kamel Hothi, OBE, Kuljit Kaur Sharma, Kalbir Bains, Seema Malhotra MP and others.

This is a very important book and deserves to be in every school and every council library throughout the UK.

It is by Anita Goyal and Aastha Singania and published by Matador at £12.99. The author's royalties from the book's sale will go to help support the work of the Hemraj Goyal Foundation to support a livelihood project for vulnerable women and offer education for girls living in Punjab, India.

You can learn about the foundation at www.hgf.org.uk.

Vikings to Virgin

Vikings to Virgin is a book from author Trisha Hughes. You may have read her previous books Virgin to Victoria and Victoria to Vikings. If you haven't. you really should.

Although presented in a fictional format this is the real story of the Kings of England. Some of them reigned for many years, others had their reins cut short by illness, others because a rival for the Crown decided to have them murdered. Obviously being a King is not always the easy job that some commoners might think!

As Mel Brooks famously had a French King say: "It's good to be the King!" But in this book we learn that being a King (or a Queen, for that matter) had certain hazards, too.

This book is the first part of a new trilogy that will bring a new light upon the Vikings, the Normans, the Plantagenets, the Lancasters, the Yorks and the Tudors.

They were powerful, often brutal. The story of the Kings and Queens of England is shocking, heart wrenching, horrifying and, sometimes, funny, but perhaps not in ways that one might expect. Is that funny peculiar or funny ha ha? You can be the judge of that after you have read this stunning book.

Learn how their lives as princes and princesses shaped and moulded them for the roles in life that would be thrust upon them, then, sometimes, equally capriciously, it seems, snatched from them. Banishment if they were lucky, or the assassin's knife, sword or poison, if they weren't quite so fortunate. Or there was always the executioner's block and axe for when an example was to be made of them and their murder required some form of apparent legal propriety with which to bamboozle the citizenry and general populace.

The stories within this book are based on factual evidence where it is available and, when factual evidence is a little thin on the ground, helped along by well-researched and intelligent conjecture.

Read of the ruthlessness of the most bloodthirsty Viking, Ragnar Lodbrok. But read what happened when he met Northumbria's King Ella. But read on the learn of the dreaded fate that his vengeful sons meted out upon poor King Ella.

This book will be an ideal Christmas gift for the history buff or the lover of a good story, because as well as being a very skilful researcher, Trisha Hughes is an absolutely cracking storyteller!

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

That's Christmas: On The Board With Blowers

That's Christmas: On The Board With Blowers: On The Board With Blowers is a wonderful book that should be in the Christmas stockings of any cricketing fans. Written by Peter Baxter,...

The healthy approach to building a business… without sleazy sales talk!

A new book that defeats marketing myths and sleazy sales tactics holds the key to success for therapeutic businesses.

I’ve Got Your Back (Rethink Press) by Helen Bullen, who is an award-winning clinic owner and qualified Osteopath, teacher, and experienced business mentor, explores five key principles to help therapists turn their passion into a money-generating business.

Helen said: “I have a passion to help as many therapists as possible continue doing the job they love while making an income they want.

"I learnt early on that many of us, as therapists, receive little or no training when we complete our respective therapy qualifications, and often it can feel you've been left to work it all out for yourself.

"Many therapists have little interest in business, but we all need some knowledge to make it in the therapy world.”

Helen speaks from direct experience of starting her own successful business from scratch, with no experience of sales or marketing and feeling incredibly uncomfortable about some marketing techniques.

She added: “It's tempting to look for a magic template which will attract a steady stream of clients. But some marketing methods can feel as if you are tricking, even forcing, your client into buying from you. Not a nice way to feel. I certainly had to wrestle with my misconceptions on marketing before I started to get results.”

Helen’s answer to this marketing dilemma is her own five step system called Commit to Achieve. These are five clear principles based on self-care, understanding why you want to run your business, releasing any self-limiting beliefs around success, understanding how to make your business work for you and taking effective action.

Helen added: “Quick-fix methods will not guarantee you more clients. In fact, quite the opposite. There is no secret method to make the clients just roll in. Instead, there are methods that work. Methods that will take action from you for the lifetime of your business, both consistently and persistently. These methods are what I have used to create my own successful business and now I want to help other therapists achieve the same.”

It costs £12.99 and will make an ideal Christmas for the therapist in your life.

https://rethinkpress.com/product/ive-got-your-back-by-helen-bullen/

That's Christmas: Blood on His Hands A New DI Carmichael thriller!

That's Christmas: Blood on His Hands A New DI Carmichael thriller!: Detective fiction fans will be well blessed this Christmas, because you'll be able to buy them the latest DI Carmichael thriller from ...

An Adventure in Education

An Adventure in Education Derek Esp MBE never expected or intended to have a career in education. But he did and he had an adventurous career, too!

Whilst at university he enrolled on an Education course and he discovered that not only did he have passion for learning he also had a love for passing on knowledge by being a teacher.

In 1959 he was appointed to the role of Youth Officer for Central Shropshire, England's largest inland county.

Not only did he have a passion for imparting knowledge, he also found that he had a natural gift for leadership.

After his start in central Shropshire, he worked in three counties as an education officer. Eventually he moved on to other roles where he was responsible for leading a number of educational initiative and was also responsible for helping to develop some new schools.

His last role was that of Director of Education for the county of Lincolnshire.

After taking early retirement  from working in local government he became an educational consultant, taking leading roles in a number of national projects.

He decided to take an active role in local politics, becoming a county council member and he became the chairman of a county educational committee.

In his entertaining and thoughtful book he records how educational was subject to a wide range of reforms between 1960 to 1990.

He was involved in a number of initiatives including County Youth Drama competitions, working with youth workers, the development of many different educational programmes and new schools.

It is an interesting book that should be on the bookshelves of anyone who has an interest in the recent history of education.

It is to be published by Matador on November 28th at £8.99.

Hedgehog Christmas

In Hedgehog Christmas David Hills brings you a heartwarming story of a new adventure for a young boy called Alistair and his good friend, Hamish the Hedgehog.

It's set just before Christmas and Alistair returns home one day to discover that there is an unusual and very sparkly box on the table in the family dining room. It was sent to him by Hamish.

In the box, Alistair finds Oscar, who is a small but very fun filled rabbit, called Oscar.

Upon the eventual arrival of Christmas Eve, Oscar insists on taking Alistair out into the snow-bedecked garden to play. Oscar takes Alistair through a hjole in the garden where they are faced with a gigantic door made of ice.

Mr Tilly, Hamish's rat friend and Hamish greet them at the doorway and instantly the friends are all off on an incredible Christmas adventure.

There's a hedgehog sledding race, an absolutely splendid Hedgehog Christmas party and the wonderful opportunity to have an audience with the Queen of the Hedgehogs in her sparkling palace!

Then Alistair wakes up in bed, in his own bedroom. So, it was all as dream, was it? Perhaps not. But to learn what happens next, you'll need to read the book.

It's published by The Book Guild at £6.99 and it has got to be on your Christmas book gift list for Christmas 2019!

The Knobbly, Wobbly, Bobbly Celeriac

The Knobbly, Wobbly, Bobbly Celeriac s a highly entertaining bit very educational book that is aimed at inspiring children and their parents to get into some healthy eating habits.

Children will learn about the vegetables that are available, but in a fresh and very fun-filled way.

There are rhymes to help the vegetables come alive to the children and a whole load of fantastic, yet fairly simple, recipes for Mums, dads and Children (under guidance from adults, of course!) to try out for themselves.

Read along whilst Alex and Morgan and their mum learn all about different and new vegetables, how to select them, how to prepare them and how to cook them.

The illustrations in the book are bright and colourful and the book was written by Alexandra Campbell in cooperation with Purely Nutrition Ltd.

It is published by Matador at £9.99 and really should be under every Christmas tree this year.

It's Complicated

It's Complicated is a book about the searching for true love. How complicated, exactly, could it be? How difficult? Well, it turns out that for Michelle, a woman with two children and who is in her middle years, it is both complicated and difficult.

Michelle's life has been destroyed when she discovers that the love of her life, her partner is actually a cheating rat.

So, Michele decides that she'd like to dip her toes back into the dating pool.

But now, years after she last dated, the situation is vastly different. And she decides to surf the online dating websites in her searches for companionship and, hopefully, love.

She meets, or communicates, with many different men. There are men who are tedious, who are overly committed to their jobs to the exclusion of everything else in their lives, including love. No wonder they are on a dating site.

There are sports fanatics, the mentally deluded, men who are trying to operate a scam on the hapless women they try to get their claws into on the dating sites.

Michelle was horrified to discover a sub-set of the men on the dating sites who were leading a double life, pretending to be single on the dating sites, whilst pretending to be a loving, dutiful husband to the wife back at home.

And when questioned about their marital status, would come out with the old cliche: "It's complicated."

It's a book that veers from being utterly hilarious to quite moving. Michele Paul has written a very entertaining book that is all the more interesting because it's not fiction, it's actually a memoir!

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

Brexit - The Benefit of Hindsight

In Brexit - The Benefit of Hindsight Industry expert Peace E.  Ani presents readers with an illuminating analysis of the likely economic impact of Brexit.

It's three years on from the most important referendum vote in a generation (the last such an important referendum vote was the first European Referendum in 1974) there have been many different Brexit Secretaries, several rejected deals, much debate that has generated more heat than light, yet the fundamental question remain, according to the author, what, exactly, does Britain want from Brexit?

Some people claim that the financial sector in the UK will be most at risk, which would have a knock on impact on the rest of the British economy.

Despite being able to access the Single Market, a substantial proportion of the financial services industry actually voted to leave.

The author points out that, far from being informed by xenophobia or anti-immigration sentiments, recent research indicates hat the leave vote was based on a rational analysis and assessment of the costs and the benefits of continued EU membership for Britain. As for the financial sector this was also influenced by "post-crisis regulatory reform."The industry, points out Peace E.  Ani, was disproportionately impacted by Brexit due the "divergence of business models within the industry, based on the relative reliance on domestic, international or European trade."

As a financial services professional with in excess of 15 years' experience in the industry, Peace E. Ani is well placed to ask these very important questions and posit some answers to them.

Questions such as: What does the UK want from Brexit? will our economy suffer? Or could there be some benefits for Britain in a post-Brexit world?

The book is published by Matador and should be required reading for everyone be they pro-Brexit or anti-Brexit.

It is published by Matador at £8.99.

Triton

In Triton we go on a journey of sex, booze and rock 'n' roll, in the Devonshire countryside of the 1950s.

Johnny, Len and Danny are three typical teen lads of their era. Well, of any era, to an extent. Their lives revolve around sex, their motorbikes and rock 'n' roll music.

Johnny is a mechanic who is very keen to leave home, but he know that, twelve months down the line, National Service will come knocking on whatever door he is living behind.

However, he has his treasured Triton motorbike on which he lavishes his attention to take his mind off the stuff he cannot do anything about.

Then there is Len. Len is a bit different from his mates. He is an ex-public schoolboy, who has found himself sent off the the Royal Navy, (not a usual national Service posting, it must be said) and as for Danny? He is working as a farm labourer without, it appears, a care in the whole world.

The three lads enjoy their lives to the full, with bikes, booze and birds.

But what if there was a dark secret that lurked beneath the surface, a dark secret that was unspeakable and which could blow their cosy existence apart?

This is a very moving an thoughtful book that looks at some difficult yet important themes.

It is written by Morgan Smith who is an award-winning author. She has enjoyed writing since her childhood.

The book is published by The Book Guild at £9.99.book

Son of a Jacobite

In Son of a Jacobite author Professor T. J. Lovat employs research into his own family's history to write this historical work of fiction.

It's April, 1746. Thomas Lovat was born on the last day of the Jacobite Rebellion that took place at Culloden.

As he was being born, his father was breathing his last, killed on the field of battle.

The rest of Thomas' life is coloured and deeply affected by the loss of his father and also by the impact of the subsequent Highland Clearances.

Thomas grew up aware of his heritage and also of the hurt and anger that the events had engendered. He was a somewhat confused young man, as he grew into his adulthood.

He leaves Britain and travels to the Middle East, where he meets and weds the first love of his life, who bears him a child.

Upon returning the Britain, Thomas joins the British Army and leaves for America, in the time prior to the American War of Independence. When the revolution flares up, Thomas finds himself conflicted as he struggles to come to terms with his oen Jacobite heritage and his sworn duties as an officer in the British Army.

It is a moving account with historical fact interwoven with intelligent and well thought out speculation to fill in the gaps of the historical narrative.

It is published by Matador on 28th November at £12.00.

Sorry, Luv, I'll Send Another Car

In Sorry, Luv, I'll Send Another Car by Nigel Springthorpe, we meet up with Andy Marshall.

Andy has spent three decades working as a civil servant, but his worsening health brought about a lengthy period of unemployment. following his unplanned and unwelcome early retirement.

But Andy has a family to look after and support, so the strain is beginning to tell on him.

Although his wife doesn't want him to do it, Andy decides to throw his lot in with a private hire firm that has seen better days and to begin to work as a driver for them.

This thrusts a bemused Andy into a bizarre new world where he spends every evening working with a mixed bunch of fellow drivers. A very mixed bunch, truth to tell!

And as for the strangers, sorry, I mean passengers, well, actually when you read the book you will see why I made that slip!

No two nights are ever the same and there's the little matter that, because of his new job, Andy gets to take a totally unexpected trip to Florida and the Caribbean.

It's a boom that is both amusing a very moving as Andy learns a lot more about life than he probably ever cared to know as he careers from one call out to another in his trusty Yellow Peril.

It's published by Matador at £9.99.

Agent Jack The True Story of MI5's Secret Nazi Hunter

In Agent Jack, The True Story of MI5's Secret Nazi Hunter,  a book by Robert Hutton, we go back to the early 1940s. In Europe Britain was standing alone, facing the menace of the might of Nazi Germany.

In June 1940 Hitler's next target was Britain. And whilst the vast majority of Britons would do anything they could to resist the invasion of Britain by Nazi Germany, there were some who not only would welcome such an attack, they were actually dedicated to helping to make sure of a German victory over their own country, so virulent was their antisemitism.

They were apparently ordinary Britons living seemingly ordinary lives, working in shops, offices and factories (some were even involved in important war work) but unknown to their neighbours and some friends and relatives, they were, in reality, dedicated to promoting the cause of Nazism in Britain and to helping sabotage the British war effort.

However, what they did not realise was that every move they made, every contact they undertook with their German 'spymaster' was actually all taken under the careful control of Eric Roberts, one of the most experienced and dedicated MI5 agents of his generation.

Formerly a bank clerk from Epsom, Eric Roberts had spent the years before World War Two dedicated to rooting out Communist infiltrators and members of the British Union of Fascists.

But at the onset of the Second World War, he became known as Agent Jack King and was given the dangerous task by spymaster Maxwell Knight of seeking out potential traitors and convincing them that he, Jack King, was a Gestapo agent.

It was called Operation Fifth Column and none of the traitors were ever aware that, rather than working for the Gestapo, they were actually working for MI5.

Jack King, working virtually by himself, built up a network of hundreds of Nazi sympathisers and was able to neutralise the impact that their treasonous behaviour would have had, should they have been recruited by a genuine Gestapo agent.

How did he do this? Eric Roberts had an amazing ability to convince people to place their trust in him.

Robert Hutton's book is very well researched and very well written and it casts a strong light on a hitherto unknown part of World War Two.


Why was it kept secret for so many years after the war? Hutton reveals these reasons.

This book is a must have for students of war history and the general reader.

It's published by Weidenfeld & Nicolson and the published price is £9.99, although it may be available for less on Amazon (check out the Amazon link to the right of book reviews) and other stores, also available as an e-book and an audio book.

I can heartily recommend this book as a must read.

ISBN-10: 1474605117
ISBN-13: 978-1474605113.

Hitler's Secret Weapons of Mass Destruction

Hitler's Secret Weapons of Mass Destruction is a book by Michael Fitzgerald.

It examines a number of "secret" weapons (often based on new technologies) that Hitler insisted were "miracle weapons" that would halt the advancing allied armies in their tracks, reverse the fortunes of the German armed forces and bring the ultimate victory that he had long promised the German people.

However, what were these "miracle weapons"? Were they real or fantasies within the mentally diseased mind of Hitler?

In his book Fitzgerald examines the remaining records and archives of both Germany and the allied armed forces and he proves that some of the weapons were real attempts to use science to create weapons that would defeat the allied forces. A problem faced by researchers such as Fitzgerald is that many of the records were destroyed in allied bombing campaigns or were destroyed by the German armed forces or taken by Soviet army units.

He looks at the rocket programme of the Germans, flying discs, so-called foo fighters, alternative energy production and much more besides.

He also takes time to debunk some of the more hysterical claims so beloved of conspiracy theory fanatics.

For example he makes a detailed examination of The Bell. He writes about what The Bell wasn't (it wasn't anything to do with anti-gravity for example) it might, he speculates, have been designed to breed uranium or plutonium or could have been an early type of particle accelerator. 

He shows that one of the apparent mysteries surrounding The Bell project was merely a mistake in transcribing the name of a female scientist involved in the project.

It's an interesting and informative book and is published by Arcturus Publishing and costs £7.99.

The Philosophy of Humour

The Philosophy of Humour is a book by senior academic, published comic author and poet Paul McDonald, who is a Senior Lecturer at Wolverhampton University.

In this book McDonald takes the reader through the various and multiplicious theories of comedy and humour.

There is no one, single unifying theory of what makes people laugh and it is the aim of this book to do that, at least to some extent.

It critically examines the philosophical approaches to humour of great minds down through the ages such as Plato, Aristotle, Cicero, Descartes Hobbes, Bergson, Kant, Schopenhauer, Kierkegaard, Freud and Bakhtin.

However, the book also dips in to several other disciplines such as psychology and psychoanalysis, the theory of literature, religion, cultural studies, philosophy.

However, this is not a dry, theoretical work as it offers the student/reader the opportunity to partake in humorous creative writing exercises.

The book is published by Humanities-Ebooks and costs £11.75 and is also available as an e-book via Amazon at £3.72.   

Tales of Mossycup Wood Frogbit and the Big Gloop

Tales of Mossycup Wood Frogbit and the Big Gloop is a wonderful children's book debut from Emma Jane Dunne.

At the heart of Mossycup Wood you will find Poggle Hollow few people know about its existence and those few people who do know about it, tend to try to keep it as a secret.

The Pogglewitts live there, they are small, very friendly and fun-loving people who have made nests for their homes in the oldest of the trees in the heart of the woods.

Their lives are full, but filled with wondrous things to do to help keep them happy. Waking up to the singing of the dawn chorus, watching the clouds as they float on by, collecting dust from butterflies,or singing to the minnows in the water.

It's a great book for children aged 4 to 7 and adults alike who will be utterly charmed by the stores and the colourful illustrations.

It's published by Matador at £9.99.

Hello

Hello is a debut book from Natalie Axander.

It helps children learn how to offer greetings in a wide variety of languages, in the guise of her hero Kevin as he daydreamingly travels around the world.

It's a well written and well illustrated book which will be great for children and adults to read together.

The illustrations were originated by Natalie Axander and drawn by ValEria Ko.

It's published by Matador at £6.99.

Aya and Papaya Discover What Makes Everyone Special

Aya and Papaya Discover What Makes Everyone Special is a new book in the splendid Aya and Papaya series of illustrated children's books, created by MQ.

It's a very special day for Aya and her best friend, Papaya, as they are going to take a ride on an 'plane to visit Aya's grandparents.

When they are at the airport waiting for their flight they see many different people who are from a lot of different places from all over the world.

Aya learns about them and comes to realise that everyone is special, but in their own, often totally unique, way.

Created by MQ, it's written and produced by Andy Abey, Anne Bleeker, plus the Qs.

The splendid and vivid illustrations are supplied by Leo Antolini.

It's due for publication by Matador on 28th August at £8.99.

Out of the Noise

Out of the Noise is a very interesting autobiography from Michael Fisher.

It tells the story of his early life, in the North Staffordshire town of Leek. The title of the book comes from an expression that locals use about their town, "Out of the Noise" it's a market town located between two hills and, as the expression goes, "Out of the Noise."

There are stories about the wonderful toys that his engineering father crafted by hand, the terrible December Disaster (the Christmas tree caught fire) and more interesting tales of growing up in a small market town in the north Midlands in a Moorlands town.

Read about seaside holidays of the type you probably went on yourself, street parties and the town's annual May Fair and a variety of special events, including the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II in 1953.

There's also some moving memories such as his uneasy relationship with his father as Michael grew inot an adolescent and a favourite auntie who provided him with loving support during these difficult times.

The book is also very well illustrated with a wide range of well reproduced photographs.

It's an evocative and very moving, poignant book and really must be on the reading lists of anyone with an interest in the social history of Britain.

It's published by The Book Guild at £9.99

The House is on Fire and the Kids Are Eating Ice Cream

The House is on Fire and the Kids Are Eating Ice Cream is a collection of poems which is for those who like their coffee black and their poetry even blacker.

There are poems about death, disaster and hangovers.

About buses that are filled with a whole panoply of weird creatures and characters, the poet's very own Cleopatra, or Morticia (of both types).

Of rabbits that panicked and rabbits that didn't. And why this might be the case.

There's a house fire, sleep, or lack of it and almost everything else, besides.

Thomas R. Langton has what can only be described as a mordant sense of humour and the ability to craft some excellent poems from premises that are at once mundane but also ethereal in their nature.

It's published by Matador at £8.99 on 28th August.

The Most Beautiful Thing in the World

The Most Beautiful Thing in the World is a book of poems by Micheal D. Winterburn, with illustrations by Dave Hill.

But! It's a very special book of poems, for they are all utterly hilarious and aimed at a younger audience.

However, that's not to say that parents, grandparents and older siblings will not enjoy the humorous poems in this book. In fact, I feel that the kids might need to hide their copy of the book!

You'll read about great grandma and her very flashy, very special double decker of a mobility scooter, the many and varied adventures of a humble and rather ordinary Pound coin, what happens on the summer holidays, read what might by the shortest example of poetry in the entire world, learn what happens when a seacher caught the tlass about spoonerisms, what it's like to live in a castle.

Read about a greedy black hole in outer space, why you should eat your greens, why you should keep an eye out for cats, there's a goat who considers grass to be gross and there's everything else from a ballerina to The Strid. What's a Strid? Read the book and learn!

It's published on 28th August by Matador at £6.99.

Aya and Papaya Find Happiness

In Aya and Papaya Find Happiness We follow the pair as they set out on a journey to find all about the meaning of what true happiness is all about.

It's created by MQ and written by Andy Abey, Anne Blecker and the Qs and is superbly illustrated by Leo Antolini.

When Aya woke up one day, something felt different, not quite right. But what was it?

When she was cleaning her teeth, Aya realised that she had lot something very precious and dear to her. She had lost her happiness!

She took Papaya with her on a quest to find her happiness. They searched high, they searched low.

They searched indoors and outdoors. 

Eventually, with the help of her mummy and daddy, Aya was able to find her happiness, again.

It's a lovely book for children and parents.

It's published by Matador at £8.99.

The Forgotten Past

In his new book, The Forgotten Past, Andrew Vinken takes a very interesting look at history.

The vast majority of history is what is called top down history, or history from above, as it is also known.

But Andrew Vinken's book on history is so much more than that.

On the first page I said to myself: "I did not know that!"

And some time later, when I noticed that I'd reached page 96 without so much as a break, I thought: "I'm hooked!"

Andrew's style is chatty, witty and urbane, yet he writes with just enough academic rigour to add a little something else to this book.

It's filled, really filled, with a very mixed stew of facts that are more than a little bit interesting, perhaps bizarre, inspirational and down right fun!

Find out who was the real first person to achieve powered flight. And the answer you are thinking? Sorry! That's not the Wright answer! And even the right answer is open to debate. Read the relevant section in the book to learn all about the pioneers of powered aviation.

Also, find out which TV presenter helped (inadvertently, perhaps) to solve a foul murder that was committed 131 years previously. And learn how they could tell the killer had mutilated the corpse after death!

Learn about how an unknown Titanic victim was finally identified in 2007, read the story of the Conscientious Objector who earned many medals for bravery, including the Victoria Cross, read about Knightly murders, about Regicide, the loin cloth wearing war hero, the origins of mineral waters as being of medicinal purposes, learn of the Cock Lane ghost, of the canine haunting of a Scottish estate, find out about the nice Goering brother, of parachute pioneers and much, much more besides. Including who really gave their name to America.

It will be published by Matador on 28th August for the bargain price of £8.99.

I must confess that I am looking forward to the next book by Andrew Vinken.

A "must buy" book for holidaymakers who want a good read to take with them on their summer holiday.