The author tracks his Scots-Irish roots from the Irish Sea kingdom of Dal Riata in the 500's to McGee's Town (Balmaghie), Scotland in the 900's and on to McGee's, Colorado in the 1880's. He writes of his ancestors as they immigrate to America, participate in the Westward Movement, fight in the Civil War, experience the gold rushes of Colorado, the Great Depression, World War II and more recent events. The impact of these events on one family and its descendents is the story of America. History sings to us from the pages of this book.
1812: Matthew Hawkwood, soldier turned spy, is stranded behind enemy lines, in America, a country at war with Britain.Heading for the safety of the Canadian border, Hawkwood’s route takes him to Albany, where the chance sighting of a former comrade-in-arms—Major Douglas Lawrence—within a consignment of British prisoners stymies to his plans. For as the two men make their escape they uncover an American plot to invade Canada. If it is successful, the entire continent will be lost. The British authorities must be warned.Pursued by a relentless enemy, Hawkwood and Lawrence set off across the snow-bound Adirondack Mountains; the land the Iroquois call ‘The Hunting Grounds’. But they are not alone.Buried deep in Hawkwood’s past is an old alliance – one that could save both their lives and help turn the tide of war…
Hawkwood’s in America for this gripping, action-packed follow up to the bestselling Ratcatcher – for fans of Bernard Cornwell, Conn Igulden and Patrick O’Brian
An extraordinary picture of life in the Old West of 19th century Colorado mining towns as seen through the poetry of a talented woman. The poems touch universal human concerns: The laments of lost youth and of getting older, poems of love and of grief, of nature and of maternal experiences. In addition, there are stories of the times: the suicide of a local prostitute, a “Hiawatha”-like Indian story, a humorous story of a cowboy whose demise resulted because “he ate his pie with a fork” and mining stories from Leadville, Cripple Creek and other places. Some of the writings are almost unbearably poignant and others will bring out-loud laughter.
Adventures in 86 countries. Intelligence Officer in Germany during the Cold War. Vietnam-era U.S. Army veteran. Diplomat. Corporate President at age 40. Fatherhood. Grief after the death of his wife of 40 years and the death of his son at age 48 when he wrote, “Grief is a temporary insanity that the sane can barely imagine” and finding love again later in life, “I feel lucky that the magic of love could happen at my age and I marvel at the capricious nature of life”. The 85-year old author remembers his life of adventure and personal accomplishment with humor and thought-provoking reflections on life and history. His inquisitive mind and descriptive writing provide an interesting reading experience. This is an adventure story, it is a love story and it is a story of grief and loss. The book-ending “Thoughts of An Old Man” may be pondered long after you have finished reading. Jim McGee is a graduate of UCLA, Wayne State University and Harvard University School of Business. This is his sixth book.
For a French prisoner of war, there is only one fate worse than the gallows: the hulks. Former man-o-wars, now converted to prison ships, their fearsome reputation guarantees a sentence served in dreadful conditions. Few survive. Escape, it’s said, is impossible. Yet reports persist of a sinister smuggling operation within this brutal world, and the Royal Navy is worried enough to send two of its officers to investigate. When they disappear without a trace, the Navy turns in desperation to Bow Street for help. It’s time to send in a man as dangerous as the prey. It’s time to send in Hawkwood.
October 1812. Napoleon and his Grand Army have advanced to the gates of Moscow. Meanwhile in London, former soldier Matthew Hawkwood finds himself seconded to a shadowy Home Office department. His chequered past makes him dangerous and unpredictable, but his superiors think he is perfect for a crucial mission.
Hawkwood is back in the second adventure in the rollicking historical series featuring the enigmatic Bow Street Runner. Death can be a lucrative business. But it’s the corpses the body-snatchers leave behind, horribly mutilated and nailed to a tree, which sets Bow Street Runner Matthew Hawkwood on their trail. A new term at London’s anatomy schools stokes demand for fresh corpses, and the city’s "resurrection men" vie for control of the market. Their rivalry takes an ugly turn when a grave robber is brutally murdered and his body displayed as a warning to other gangs. To hunt down those responsible, Hawkwood must venture into London’s murkiest corners, where even more gruesome discoveries await him. Nowhere, however, is as grim as Bedlam, notorious asylum for the insane and scene of another bizarre killing. Sent to investigate, Hawkwood finds himself pitted against his most formidable adversary yet, an obsessive genius hell-bent on advancing the cause of science at all costs.
One of London’s famous Bow Street Runners is on a secret mission in Napoleon’s Paris in this thriller with “terrific period atmosphere and action” (The Times, London). October 1812: Britain and France are still at war. France is engaged on two battlefronts—Spain and Russia—and her civilians are growing weary of the fight. Rebellion is brewing. Since Napoleon Bonaparte appointed himself as First Consul, there have been several attempts to either kill or overthrow him. All have failed, so far! Meanwhile in London, Bow Street Runner Matthew Hawkwood has been seconded to the foreign arm of the Secret Service. There, he meets the urbane Henry Brooke, who tells him he’s to join a colleague in Paris on a special mission. Brooke’s agent has come up with a daring plan and he needs Hawkwood’s help to put it into action. If the plan is successful it could lead to a negotiated peace treaty between France and the allies. Failure would mean prison, torture and a meeting with the guillotine.
James McGee’s historical crime thriller introduces a Regency-era James Bond who uncovers a sinister Napoleonic plot against Britain. The year is 1811, and Bow Street Runner Matthew Hawkwood is ordered by Chief Magistrate James Read to investigate the double murder of a coachman and a naval courier on the Kent Road. Hawkwood initially wonders why Read is so concerned by this relatively mundane case, but before long, another body is discovered, and a higher agenda emerges—an attempt by the Emperor Napoleon to deliver a crushing military and psychological blow to Britain that could lead cause terror on the seas for years to come. . . . Gripping and fast-paced, the first book in the Hawkwood Mysteries is an impressively researched novel of suspense that features an enigmatic hero facing a dangerous threat to his homeland during the Napoleonic Wars.
The author recounts his life growing up in a small California town in the 1940s, serving in the Army and in the U.S. Foreign Service, on to Harvard University and becoming company President. Along the way he tells delightful and humorous stories about growing up, meeting and wedding the love of his life and his travels in 81 countries. He has exprienced more of the world than most of us and the reader travels with the author as he experiences life and explores our world. His often-adventurous life and his thought-provoking reflections on life and history, on love and grief -- and the powerful epilogue -- provide an interesting reading experience. The author is a gifted writer who conveys the joy -- and the anguish -- of life recounted with humility and gratitude. His other books are: A Journey Through Grief: Notes from a Foreign Country (ISBN: 1-4140-0283-1), A Voice of the Old West: Annie Beatrice McGee (ISBN: 1-4208-2013-3) and A Branch of a Tree: A McGee Family in History (ISBN: 978-1-4275-3126-7).
Supported by his death squads, President Solomon Mabato rules his East African fiefdom with ruthless efficiency. Thousands have died since he seized power in a brutal military coup. When David Holt, a British university lecturer, is arrested and held to ransom under sentence of death, Her Majesty's Government refuses to give in to Mabato's outrageous demands. Unable to secure Holt's release by conventional means, The British Prime Minister and his Director of SIS resort to drastic measures: the clandestine recruitment of a small team of freelancers. The contract: to spring Holt from the notorious Maboru Prison and fly him to safety. Keel is the man chosen to lead the snatch squad. Regular soldier turned mercenary and a veteran of wars in Africa, the Middle East and South East Asia, he knows this is tantamount to a suicide mission, but it's a challenge too inviting to turn down. And the money's good. But there are other factions at work. Hamilton Kemba, the man toppled by Mabato and now living in exile in Kenya, wants his country back. A previous invasion attempt failed. This time, Kemba chooses a different tactic. Intercepting Keel in Nairobi, he offers the mercenary and his team a secondary contract; to kill Mabato. When Keel declines, Kemba turns to another: the Zulu assassin, Qetuka. As the two independent missions converge, they trigger a chain of events in which violence, betrayal and sudden death are irretrievably linked. From the resulting carnage, very few participants will emerge unscathed.
Regency London is vividly brought to life in this extraordinary page-turner, the first in a series of historical thrillers featuring Bow Street Runner Matthew Hawkwood – a dangerous, sexy and fascinating hero.
Being able to cook like an Italian takes more than just having Italian recipes. Of course recipes are important, but understanding how an Italian thinks will improve the outcome. Then there are other factors to consider. Are you married to an Italian man and are you trying to impress his parents? If you are eating at an Italian home, how much should you eat? Pasta FaZool For The Soul is a great collection of unique Italian recipes and it has many heartwarming stories of an Italian family. Start today to cook and think like an Italian.
Despite the strong safety record of the national airspace system, serious disruptions occasionally occur, often as a result of outdated or failed equipment. Under these circumstances, safety relies on the skills of the controllers and pilots and on reducing the number of aircraft in the air. The current and growing pressures to increase the capacity to handle a greater number of flights has led to a call for faster and more powerful equipment and for equipment that can take over some of the tasks now being performed by humans. Increasing the role of automation in air traffic control may provide a more efficient system, but will human controllers be able to effectively take over when problems occur? This comprehensive volume provides a baseline of knowledge about the capabilities and limitations of humans relative to the variety of functions performed in air traffic control. It focuses on balancing safety with the expeditious flow of air traffic, identifying lessons from past air accidents. The book discusses: The function of the national airspace system and the procedures for hiring, training, and evaluating controllers. Decisionmaking, memory, alertness, vigilance, sleep patterns during shift work, communication, and other factors in controllers' performance. Research on automation and human factors in air traffic control and incorporation of findings into the system. The Federal Aviation Administration's management of the air traffic control system and its dual mandate to promote safety and the development of air commerce. This book also offers recommendations for evaluation the human role in automated air traffic control systems and for managing the introduction of automation into current facilities and operations. It will be of interest to anyone concerned about air safetyâ€"policymakers, regulators, air traffic managers and controllers, airline officials, and passenger advocates.
The Sunday Times bestselling historical thrillers. Meet Matthew Hawkwood: soldier, spy, lover. A man as dangerous as the murderers, spies and traitors he hunts on the crime-ridden streets of London at the height of the Napoleonic wars.
Cynical and world-weary, Crow's a pilot and a drifter. His skills honed flying helicopter gunships, he now earns a precarious living, ferrying relief supplies to refugee camps along Pakistan's north-west frontier. Until the arrival of a local resistance leader with a very lucrative job offer. All Crow has to do is airlift a critically ill Mujahideen field commander to hospital in Peshawar. Nothing to it, save for one slight snag. The pick-up point lies across the Durand Line, deep in Afghanistan. And there's a war on. But there's no denying the money's good and so, against his better judgement, Crow accepts the contract. The flight in proves remarkably easy; too easy, in fact. And when an unexpected welcoming committee turns his helicopter into a heap of charred metal, Crow finds his exit plan severely compromised. The only way out is on foot. Beset on all sides by bandits, Afghan warlords, heroin smugglers and Soviet Special Forces, Crow makes his run for the border. And that's only the beginning...
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