Five Rites

The kidnapping of Margaret Rotheram as a child was, in many ways, the making of her.

A curious statement, yes. But it was a truthful one. For her new family moved in illustrious spheres of influence which brought Margaret, who is an especially gifted and intelligent child, to the notice of a very special and highly elite organisation which is known, rather prosaically, as the "Organisation."

They monitored Margaret until the time was right for them to make their move.

For a while, Margaret works as an Operative for the Organisation. It became clear that she was the best of the best and the fact that she outperforms everyone else meant that she quickly rose through the ranks of the Organisation.

However, it is not all smooth sailing for the Organisation, as it has accumulated enemies throughout the years of its existence. And these enemies will stop at nothing to destroy Margaret and her Organisation.

Leigh David's novel starts with the kidnapping of a Russian living in London and continues at breakneck speed with many flashbacks to the war years and familial betrayals, and the machinations of a variety of various intelligence agencies. a world in which human life is expendable and which no one should be trusted.

But then, came the heist. Probably the biggest heist in the history of the world.

Could it be pulled off? And if it could be done, what then?

This is a breathtaking book and a real high octane corker of a thriller.

It is published by The Book Guild at £8.99.

Munich The Man Who Said No!

Munich the Man Who Said No! is a novel from David Laws.

It is set against the back drop of the 1938 Munich Conference.

An American foreign news correspondent gatecrashes the conference to make a protest at what he perceived as the surrender of the British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain to Adolf Hitler, the leader of Germany.

However, before he can make his feelings known to Chamberlain, he is knocked unconscious. And is never seen alive again.

70 years later his granddaughter who has a degree in history from Cambridge University, is determined to find out what her grandfather had been trying to accomplish in Munich and what actually happened to her grandfather.

And she is determined to learn the truth, no matter what obstacles are placed in her path.

But what exactly is going on? Who can Emma trust? Who can anyone trust?

This is a complex and intriguing debut novel from author David Laws.

It is published by Matador at £8.99.

Sid the Madeiran Wall Lizard

Sid the Madeiran Wall Lizard is a debut novel from author Heather Heath Gorton.

It is aimed at children up to age 7 to help teach them about wildlife, the habitats they live in and how such creatures are precious.

It's also a very entertaining story about Sid the Madeiran Wall Lizard who lives on the island of Madeira and who is having a bit of a problem with keeping his feet cool under the blazing sun that shines down on the island.

He tries a variety of methods, increasing his knowledge throughout this entertaining story until he finally hits on the ideal sollution, with the assistance of his good friends Steph, Bert and a little mouse called Pete, and some frog friends, too!

It is an illustrated book and is an ideal read along book.

It is published by Matador at £6.99.

How big can Virtual Reality get?

Winning the Weight Battle

Winning the Weight Battle is a startling new book on obesity and weight loss from Ian B. Stark.

Mr Stark makes a claim that, on the face of it, might seem absurd. He argues that a lack of sugar is a cause of the increase in obesity.

He has studied physiology for 40 years and he issues a challenge to the media for what he calls a regular misrepresentation of the science of sugars.

He points out that sugar is actually a necessary element that allows us to participate in fast exercise which, in turn is the element which improves our hearts and, ultimately the rest of our bodies.

He points out that there have been recent studies of large population groups that actually prove the benefits of eating sugars and, yes, even chocolate.

His book is very well argued and his claims regarding the foods we eat, what types of exercise we should participate in and what meals are important, are all backed by solid facts within his book.

At the age of 71 he was healthy enough to be able to play football and he is still a keen runner, what Ian Stark has to add to the diet and exercise debate should be taken note of.

The book is published by Matador at £10.99.

Beyond the Arch

Beyond the Arch is a stunning debut novel from David Evered. It is set against the background of the changing attitudes of the latter years of the 1960s.

 Peter Bowman is a successful solicitor. However, a series of utterly bewildering events including the metaphorical death of his marriage and the very real death of a close personal friend and turning up late, again, for one of his own dinner parties led to an extraordinary set of consequences that totally disrupted his life.

He decides to quit working as a solicitor (at least for a while) and to follow his ambition of writing fiction.

Which takes him on a series of bewildering journeys during which he faces some new challenges and meets new loves and some new tragedies, too.

He leaves the familiar surroundings of his life in the North East of England for France, where he lives with a freelance journalist called Sally.

Sally is a bit of a mystery herself, with something of a troubled past.

He begins on his first baby steps of writing a novel. But can he, a survivor of a previous generation, really escape the restrictions that his own background have placed upon him?

Can he really embrace the new "With it" movement that burst upon the unsuspecting public in the late 1960s?

Does Peter succeed in his ambition?

Or does something even more wonderful happen to him?

It's an incredibly moving novel and although it is not a romance it is filled with love.

It's published by Matador at £9.99.

Home Before the Leaves Fall

Home Before the Leaves Fall is a novel about the Great War by author N L Collier.

However, it is different to many of the other novels set during the Great War, or Wold War One as that conflict is also known.

This is because Collier has taken the interesting step in his debut novel to set the novel from a German perspective.

As war breaks out all over Europe German university student Franz Becker takes the decision to give up his academic life -at least for the present time- and to enlist in the Kaiser's Army.

He feels sure that the army life will enable him to escape from his safe and predictable life. However, not everyone in Germany agrees with him .For example his best friend, Karl von Leussow is sickened by the idea of a European conflict. And Karl should know about this type of matter. After all, hadn't his family supplied the Prussian Army with members of the officer class for many generations?

Despite his misgivings (Karl is aware exactly how bloody and brutal war can actually be) Karl also joins the army in order to defend his country.

Along with the other new recruits they both receive six weeks of barely adequate training and they are bundled off to join in the fighting at Ypres. The fighting was terrible and the carnage unthinkable.

The shock at what he is witnessing has a major impact on Franz, but he swiftly learns that he must fight or die. So, he fights.

He proves to be a good solider and his promotion up the ranks is rapid. He is then put under considerable pressure to make the change to join the officer class, but he knows of the dangers of becoming an officer and declines to take the commission.

Karl, with a background in hunting, becomes a sniper, which causes his friend Franz some angst.

After seeing aircraft above the trenches more frequently, Franz decides to transfer to the Air Service, but Karl decides to remain earthbound.

After his acceptance into the Air Service the two friends decide to enjoy a leave together.

The novel is extremely well written and pulls no punches. The one thing the reader will begin to understand is that there's probably no difference between the soldiers, no matter what side they are on.

It is published by Matador at £7.99.