Banana Pier is a pacy and disturbing novel set in the final frenzied days of Soviet communism in which fiction collides with fact. Moral ambiguities which underpin our society are revealed in a story of complex characters and unexpected links between Scotland, the Soviet Union and Northern Ireland, where global players are seen in their domestic settings and where some dialogue is in the Aberdeen dialect, Doric. It opens with a confused and obsessive tirade from Tommy MacHardy in conversation with journalist Ian Ross, who is investigating covert military activities in Ulster involving Brigadier Bell of TAGOil. Ross is determined to reveal the British government's role in Northern Ireland and its infiltration of paramilitary groups but attracts the attention of local detectives DI Bonnie Young and DS Dave Millar on the case of blackmail at TAGOil. The action switches between Scotland and the USSR where former Gordon Highlander, Coulthard, is introduced to small-time criminals Zhdanov and Dolgoruky, recent associates of computer expert and artist Alexei Grigoryev. Coulthard is purchasing 'scrap' hardware from disillusioned Soviet military officers but where are the weapons headed - and what has Coulthard got to do with the UK government? A gripping novel that will appeal to fans of political thrillers, Banana Pier is inspired by some of Alex's favourite authors, including John le Carre, Henning Mankell and James Hogg, whose work The Private Memoirs and Confessions of a Justified Sinner Alex's novel has been compared to.
In the year 1504 in the pretty town of Nuremberg the equally pretty artist, the painter Albrecht Durer, lives in harmony with the world until the arrival of strangers coincides with a series of terrifying events which shatter his peace and that of his fellow townsmen and women.
A paperback edition from a series about the world's most exciting vehicles, sure to appeal to boys of all ages and reading abilities. Visually exciting, highly informative, fun and accessible with photographs, illustrated diagrams and comic strips, this title is full of information on submarines from how they work to true stories from the World Wars. Includes three gatefold flaps that open up to reveal the inner workings of a submarine and the large variety of submarines which exist today. Internet-links offer a fascinating selection of recommended websites - with sound, animation, video clips and much more, which provide additional information for projects and homework.
Captain William Kinghorne navigated some of the most treacherous waters in the world. His life encompassed the Napoleonic Wars, smuggling in the North Sea, the brutal penal settlements of Macquarie Harbour and Port Arthur, the atrocities committed against the Aboriginal people of Tasmania, and the whaling industry of Jervis Bay. Turning his back on the sea, William ended his life as a pastoralist in the Goulburn district. His is a story of high adventure and achievement in an Australia that few would now recognize or acknowledge.... gripping and enlivened by a great deal of colour. The authors display a real capacity to bring their central subject to life and they do the same for those around him, presenting a `warts and all¿ study which brings out Kinghorne¿s strengths as well as his weaknesses. There are fascinating pictures of the challenges and dangers facing a seafarer who was involved with ferrying convicts and venturing into little known waters. This book blends sober analysis with narrative skills and imaginative powers and will reward all who read it.¿ Emeritus Professor Brian Fletcher, OAM, FAHA
Elect Alex is a short book offering a new interpretation of both the Bible and the Quran. Author Alex J. Clark Jr. emphasizes peace, love, and kindness as a solution to the many crimes he sees in the world around us.
A fantastic new science book, explaining chemistry in an informal, fun and informative way. 11 years + Written in a conversational style, this book offers children an approachable source of information on key subjects such as the periodic table, atom structure and radiation. Chemistry is brought home to the reader as the book describes the chemistry of everyday life - from the chemical processes that break down food while eating to the atmosphere. Complicated topics are kept fun with a variety of devices including comic strips, fact boxes and 'nerdy notes' - post-it notes with handy mnemonics written on them. Simple, fun experiments give children working examples to learn from. Ages:11+
James Chisholm was an important pioneer of colonial Australia, contributing to its business and banking, democratic processes and pastoral industry, yet historians have ignored him for two hundred years. He left his native Scotland as a young soldier and travelled half way around the world to a new land where from being a corporal in the Rum Corps he rose to become a leading merchant in Sydney. In a life characterised by faith, loyalty, family and self-improvement, this gruff but quietly spoken Scot, of 'genial and kindly disposition', commanded wide respect and made his mark on a new society."-- Back cover.
The Brahan Seer is a legendary figure known throughout Scotland and the Scottish Diaspora and indeed anywhere there is an interest in looking into the future. This book traces the legend of the Seer between the sixteenth and twenty-first centuries. It considers the seer figure in relation to aspects of Scottish Highland culture and society that shaped its development during this period. These include the practice and prosecution of witchcraft, the reporting and scientific investigation of instances of second sight, and the perennial belief in and use of prophecy as a means of predicting events. In so doing the book provides a set of historicised contexts for understanding the genesis of the legend and how it changed over time through a synthesis of historical events, oral tradition, folklore and literary Romanticism. It makes a contribution to the debates not only about witchcraft, second sight and prophecy but also about the relationship between 'popular' and 'elite' culture in Scotland. By taking the Brahan Seer as a case study it argues that 'popular' culture is not antithetical to 'elite' culture but rather in constant (and complex) interaction with it.
The Kronenburgh family has lived in Aldeburgh for generations. Nine children - competitive, unruly, secretive and dangerous. No one within the Kronenburgh family can be trusted, and nothing it what it seems. Phoebe - the oldest, forced to give up her promising musical career, and the love of her life, for her family; Gerald, brilliant mind but running from the past; Harry, addicted to danger; Bobby, in love with his brother's girlfriend; Kitty, focused on business success as a way to escape the family home; Billy, dead in mysterious circumstances while only a boy; and Amy, the youngest, with no morals. One by one, death visits the siblings - is there a snake in the midst who will stop at nothing to get what they want? And is something else watching them all?
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