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The King of Nazi Paris: Henri Lafont and the Gangsters of the French Gestapo
by Christopher OthenHenri Lafont was a petty criminal who became the most powerful crook in Paris thanks to the Nazi occupation of France. A chance encounter in a prison camp led to a life of luxury running a ruthless mob of gangsters who looted the city on behalf of the Nazis who recognised Lafont’s talent for treachery and deceit. Lafont recruited ‘the French Gestapo’, a motley band of sadistic grotesques that included faded celebrities, ex-footballers, pimps, murderers, burglars and bank robbers. They wore the best clothes, ate at the best restaurants, and did whatever they pleased. They lived on the exclusive rue Lauriston where they mixed with celebrities and Nazi officers, while down in the cellar of their building, the rest of the gang tortured resistance prisoners. Then the Allies came, and a terrible price had to be paid.
The Diary That Changed the World: The Remarkable Story of Otto Frank and the Diary of Anne Frank
by Karen Bartlett“A meticulous account of the fascinating, convoluted and sometimes ugly publishing history of the world’s most famous diary. Karen Bartlett’s book is all the more relevant at a time of untruths and fake news.” – Caroline Moorehead, bestselling author of Village of Secrets: Defying the Nazis in Vichy France***When Otto Frank unwrapped his daughter’s diary with trembling hands and began to read the first pages, he discovered a side to Anne that was as much a revelation to him as it would be to the rest of the world.Little did Otto know he was about to create an icon recognised the world over for her bravery, sometimes brutal teenage honesty and determination to see beauty even where its light was most hidden.Nor did he realise that publication would spark a bitter battle that would embroil him in years of legal contest and eventually drive him to a nervous breakdown and a new life in Switzerland. Today, more than seventy-five years after Anne’s death, the diary is at the centre of a multi-million-pound industry, with competing foundations, cultural critics and former friends and relatives fighting for the right to control it.In this insightful and wide-ranging account, Karen Bartlett tells the full story of The Diary of Anne Frank, the highly controversial part it played in twentieth-century history, and its fundamental role in shaping our understanding of the Holocaust.At the same time, she sheds new light on the life and character of Otto Frank, the complex, driven and deeply human figure who lived in the shadows of the terrible events that robbed him of his family, while he painstakingly crafted and controlled his daughter’s story.
Gun Barons: The Weapons That Transformed America and the Men Who Invented Them
by John Bainbridge, Jr.“A dazzling epic of inventors, wars, arms, and men.” – Daniel Mark Epstein, author of The Lincolns: Portrait of a Marriage“Deeply researched, rich in insight, Gun Barons widens our understanding even as it enchants us with its masterful prose.” – Jim Rasenberger, author of Revolver: Sam Colt and the Six-Shooter That Changed America“John Bainbridge, Jr. cuts through the myths, romance, and propaganda to deliver true accounts of inspired drive and monomania, of catastrophic mistakes and vaults of genius.” – Doug J. Swanson, author of Cult of Glory: The Bold and Brutal History of the Texas Rangers“This book proves that guns have shaped, and continue to shape, our world.” – Howard E. Wasdin, author of Seal Team Six: The Incredible Story of an Elite Sniper“A compelling tale of action and ingenuity.” – James Grant, author of John Adams: Party of One***It’s the nineteenth century. As America prepares for civil war, five men living within ninety miles of one another will change the course of history. The invention and refinement of the repeating firearm—the precursor to today’s automatic weapons—means life in America and beyond will never be the same again.In this riveting work of narrative history, veteran reporter John Bainbridge, Jr. vividly brings to life the five charismatic and idiosyncratic men at the heart of the story: the huckster and hard-living Samuel Colt; the cunning former shirt-maker Oliver Winchester; the constant tinkerer Horace Smith; the resilient and innovative businessman Daniel Wesson; and the skinny abolitionist Christopher Spencer. As the men competed ferociously, each trying to corner the market for repeating weapons, invention and necessity collided in a perfect storm: America was crashing violently towards furious sectarianism, irrevocable tensions, and, of course, bloodthirsty war.Though capable of firing many times without reloading, astonishingly, the new guns faced a government backlash for using too much ammunition. Sold directly to soldiers, sometimes just as they were walking into battle, they quickly became coveted possessions, both during the Civil War and in the conquering of the West—and thus America’s romance with personal firearms was born.Wide-ranging and vividly told, this is a gripping story of tenacity, conviction, innovation, and pure heartless greed.
Two Minutes to Midnight: 1953 – The Year of Living Dangerously
by Roger HermistonJanuary, 1953. It is eight years on from the most destructive conflict in human history and the Cold War has entered its most deadly phase. An Iron Curtain has descended across Europe, and hostilities between the United States and the Soviet Union have turned hot on the Korean peninsula, as the two powers clash in an intractable and bloody proxy war.Meanwhile, the pace of the nuclear arms race has become frenetic. The Soviet Union has finally tested its own atom bomb, as has Britain. But in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, the United States has detonated its first thermonuclear device, dwarfing the destruction unleashed on Hiroshima and Nagasaki at the end of the Second World War.For the first time the Doomsday Clock is set at two minutes to midnight, with the chances of a man-made global apocalypse becoming increasingly likely. As the Cold War powers square up in political and military battles around the globe, every city has become a potential battleground and every citizen a target. 1953 is set to be a year of living dangerously.
In the Shadows: The extraordinary men and women of the Intelligence Corps
by Lord Michael AschroftWith a Foreword by Lord Hague of Richmond The Intelligence Corps is one of the smallest and most secretive elements of the British Army. It has existed in various guises since the early twentieth century, but it was only formally constituted in July 1940. In this book, Michael Ashcroft tells the astonishing stories of some of its most courageous and ingenious figures, who have operated all over the world from the First World War to the present day. Whether carrying out surveillance work on the street, monitoring and analysing communications, working on overseas stakeouts, receiving classified information from a well-placed contact or interrogating the enemy in the heat of war, a hugely diverse range of people have served in the Corps, often supplementing their individual professional skills with original thinking and leadership in the name of the Crown. This book pays tribute to them and shows why, in the words of the 1st Duke of Marlborough, ‘No war can be conducted successfully without early and good intelligence.’
Behold the Dark Gray Man: Triumphs and Trauma: The Controversial Life of Sholto Douglas
by Katherine CampbellKatharine Campbell’s father Sholto Douglas was the hero of her childhood, an unconventional senior commander in the Royal Air Force described as ‘a gloriously contentious character’. Following childhood abandonment and poverty, Sholto rose through the ranks of the fledgling RAF in the First World War before taking on a crucial role in the Second as head of Fighter Command and going on to serve as Military Governor in Germany in the war’s devastating aftermath.But when Katharine was five years old, he began to be stolen away by strange night-time wanderings and daytime distress – including vivid flashbacks to his time signing death warrants in post-war Germany. The doctors called it dementia, but decades later, Katharine started researching her father’s story and realised that she had observed the undiagnosed consequences of post-traumatic stress disorder.PTSD is a hot topic today. We’re aware of the front-line soldier suffering from ‘shell-shock’ – but what about the senior officer giving the orders, who may be carrying hidden wounds accumulated over many years? We don’t expect our military leaders to have PTSD, nor is it something they often recognise or acknowledge in themselves, yet this secret burden likely affects a surprising number of those making important tactical decisions. A thought-provoking insight into the damage done by military conflict, Behold the Dark Gray Man is the story of a daughter’s search to understand the impact of war upon one of its most charismatic senior commanders.
Nuremberg: A personal record of the trial of the major Nazi war criminals
by Airey NeaveOn 18 October 1945, a day that would haunt him for ever, Airey Neave personally served the official indictments on the twenty-one top Nazis currently awaiting trial in Nuremberg – including Hermann Goering, Rudolf Hess, Julius Streicher and Albert Speer. With his visit to their gloomy prison cells, the tragedy of an entire generation reached its final act.Neave, a wartime organiser of MI9 and the first Englishman to escape from Colditz Castle, watched and listened over the months as the momentous events of the trials unfolded. He describes the cowardice, calumny and, in some cases, bravado of the defendants – men he would come to know and who in turn would become known as some the most evil men in history.Was the trial victors’ justice? Or was it civilisation’s infinitely painful verdict on the worst crimes ever committed?These questions, and many others, are answered in this definitive eyewitness record of the Nuremberg trials.
The Father: A son's judgement on his Nazi war criminal father
by Niklas FrankNiklas Frank was just seven years old when his father, Hans Frank, Hitler’s legal adviser and Governor General of occupied Poland, was executed at Nuremberg as a Nazi war criminal. Throughout his life, Niklas has attempted to come to terms with the enormity of the crimes his father committed, and this remarkable book traces how after years of research he uncovered the extent of the horror unleashed by the man who was known as the butcher of Poland.The Father is an extraordinary account of a scarred son struggling to comprehend the depravity of the acts that were committed by his father. Whereas other descendants of Hitler’s henchmen and co-collaborators have tried to explain or to forget the crimes of their forebears, Niklas’s disgust for his father’s actions is unremitting. This book is his attempt to seek revenge.Featuring forewords by Philippe Sands and Sir Ian Kershaw, The Father is by turns shocking, twisted and heart-rending; a devastating settling of accounts written by a son addressing his father as he pictures him burning in the eternal fires of hell.
A Spy Called Cynthia: And a Life in Intelligence
by AnonymousElizabeth Thorpe, codenamed Cynthia, was a glamorous American socialite recruited by MI6 to obtain intelligence from the Polish Foreign Ministry and from the Italian and Vichy French embassies in Washington. Her method was to seduce whatever targets could provide her with vital intelligence, a practice in which she hardly ever failed, enabling her to secure first the French and then the Italian naval codes. In the landings in North Africa, she was credited with having saved the lives of hundreds of Allied soldiers.This unique account by a British spymaster of his relationship with Cynthia, detailing his subsequent involvement with Kim Philby and the Cambridge spies and his dealings with his counterparts in the CIA and French intelligence, was entrusted by him to a junior colleague on the basis that it was not to be published until everyone in it was dead. Necessarily anonymous and impossible to fully verify, though most of it undoubtedly did happen and is part of the historical record, A Spy Called Cynthia provides a special insight into the world of intelligence and one of its most effective practitioners.
Losing Afghanistan: The Fall of Kabul and the End of Western Intervention
by Dr Brian Brivati“Those who wonder how the international community failed so dramatically in Afghanistan need look no further … Losing Afghanistan explores the arguments for and against intervention and highlights the difficulty of establishing unity of purpose and effort in such demanding circumstances. Above all, it poses a question: how can we in the West claim we know so much, yet demonstrate in Afghanistan that we understand so little?” – General (retd) Sir Jack Deverell OBE, former Commander-in-Chief of Allied Forces Northern Europe“A wonderful book of insightful essays on Afghanistan from an outsider lens.” – Ezatullah Adib, head of research at Integrity Watch Afghanistan and national country representative at the World Association for Public Opinion Research“The strategic question posed by these brilliant essays is: how can the doctrine of liberal intervention be reframed to ensure the West intervenes overseas to manage future humanitarian calamities for reasons beyond just national security?” – Brigadier (retd) Justin Hedges OBE***When Taliban forces took Kabul on 15 August 2021, it marked the end of the Western intervention that had begun nearly twenty years earlier with the US-led invasion.The fall of Afghanistan triggered a seismic shock in the West, where US President Joe Biden announced an end to America’s involvement in conflicts overseas. In Afghanistan itself it produced terror for the future for those who had worked with and grown up under the coalition-supported administration.Now, with the country spiralling into economic collapse and famine, Losing Afghanistan is a plea for us to keep our gaze on the plight of the people of Afghanistan and to understand how action and inaction in the West shaped the fate of the nation.Why was Afghanistan lost? Can it be regained? And what happens next? Edited by international development expert Brian Brivati, this collection of twenty-one essays by analysts, politicians, soldiers, commentators and practitioners – interspersed with powerful eyewitness testimony from Afghan voices – explains what happened in Afghanistan and why, and what the future holds both for its people and for liberal intervention.
Impossible Victory: How Iraq Defeated ISIS
by Haider al-Abadi“A remarkable inside story of the war from the perspective of the Iraqi Commander-in-Chief. Fascinating, very readable, and recommended.” – Jeremy Bowen, BBC Middle East editor “Impossible Victory is the definitive memoir of Iraq’s effort to save its people and many other would-be victims from the most destructive terrorist organisation in history.” – Lieutenant General H. R. McMaster, former US national security advisor and author of Battlegrounds: The Fight to Defend the Free World “This book … casts a historical light on a decisive era.” – Jean-Yves Le Drian, French minister for Europe and foreign affairs *** By 2014, the world had grown weary of Iraq and its troubles. The Americans had all but gone and the media had turned its gaze towards Syria, but Iraq’s problems were far from over. That same year, ISIS put Iraq back on the map as they crossed the border from Syria and rampaged through the country, kidnapping, raping and killing, all in the name of enforcing their murderous interpretation of Sharia law. Terror had arrived and was taking the region in its grip. Saddam Hussein, the occupation, sectarian war, corruption and political instability had collectively laid the groundwork for further violence, and Iraqis were about to see the worst of it. It was against this backdrop that Haider al-Abadi became Prime Minister. What would likely be the most formidable task of his life lay ahead of him: to help unify his homeland’s fractured military and politics and, slowly, to turn the tide on ISIS, ultimately achieving what once seemed an impossible victory. This is the definitive and fascinating true story of how the people of Iraq took on and eventually defeated ISIS, told by the country’s former Prime Minister, Haider al-Abadi.
The Women Behind the Few: The Women’s Auxiliary Air Force and British Intelligence during the Second World War
by Sarah-Louise Miller“Richly illuminating, this is a powerful and deeply engrossing history of the women whose unsung war work was consigned for so many years to the shadows.” – Sinclair McKay, author of The Secret Life of Bletchley Park“Vividly written and based on superb research, this is undoubtedly one of the best books on the role of women at war so far.” – Michael Smith, author of The Secrets of Station X“Captivating … I was hooked from page one.” – Lucy Fisher, author of Women in the War“A compulsively readable group portrait of women who operated in almost every aspect of British intelligence. Meticulously researched and compellingly written – a triumph!” – Professor Richard J. Aldrich, author of GCHQ“At the beginning of the Second World War, the prevailing view was that women didn’t have the education, intellect or ability for intelligence work. With a lively mix of personal testimony and scholarly analysis, Sarah-Louise Miller shows how in fact women performed superb work in the WAAF, restoring them to their rightful place in the full narrative of the conflict.” – Taylor Downing, author of Spies in the Sky“The vital contribution of the enterprising and courageous women who helped to win the battle of the air in the Second World War is brought to life in Sarah-Louise Miller’s important and absorbing book.” – Wendy Moore, author of Endell Street“An animated, in-depth account of the crucial role of the Women’s Auxiliary Air Force in the intelligence services during the Second World War … An important and welcome addition to scholarship on wartime women.” – Professor Penny Summerfield, University of Manchester“A rip-roaring read.” – Professor Michael Goodman, King’s College London***‘Never in the field of human conflict was so much owed by so many to so few.’The courageous pilots of the Royal Air Force who faced the Luftwaffe in the Battle of Britain, affectionately known as ‘the Few’, are rightly hailed as heroes. Recently, efforts have been made to recognise the thousands who supported RAF operations behind the scenes. And yet one group remains missing from the narrative: the Women’s Auxiliary Air Force.The Women Behind the Few explores the Second World War from the perspective of the WAAFs working behind the scenes to collect and disseminate vital intelligence – intelligence that resulted in Allied victory.WAAFs worked within the Dowding System, the world’s most sophisticated air defence network, as well as in the Y Service, intercepting German communications. Throughout the Blitz, they used radar to aid Fighter and Bomber Commands in protecting Britain’s civilians.WAAFs also assisted with the Allied offensive bombing campaign and were behind the discovery of the terrifying German V-weapons. Their work was critical ahead of the Normandy landings and they were present in their hundreds at Bletchley Park.In this thrilling book, Sarah-Louise Miller brings the women of the force back to life, celebrating their wartime contribution to British military intelligence. Hidden behind the Few but vital to their success, WAAFs supplied the RAF with life-saving information. Here, for the first time, is their story.
The Trial of Vladimir Putin
by Geoffrey RobertsonVladimir Putin's war against Ukraine has cost hundreds of thousands of lives and is fundamentally an attack on democracy. Under international law, the invasion of a United Nations member state which poses no imminent threat to the invader amounts to the serious crime of aggression. But can Putin be prosecuted? And if so, will he ever be held to account? This remarkable book, by one of the world's most celebrated human rights lawyers, shows how the Nuremberg trials of Nazi leaders validate the prosecution of Putin. Ironically, Putin's defence hinges on a doctrine invented by George W. Bush to justify his invasion of Iraq, which Geoffrey Robertson exposes as contravening international law. If Putin fails to attend court, Robertson argues that he could be tried fairly in his absence, ensuring a verdict that will give pause to China and other countries which look to destroy democracy. This brilliant deep dive into international law offers a unique perspective on an unjust war, highlighting why democracy is not safe unless Putin can be put – at least metaphorically – behind bars.
Before We Go To War With China And North Korea: The Unmastered Lessons Of America's Wars Against Confucian Asia, From Pearl Harbor To The Fall Of Saigon
by David WilliamsEssential reading for those concerned about Trump’s America.A war with China and North Korea is not inevitable, but neither is an American victory should such a war come. To prepare Americans for all eventualities, we might want to learn more about how East Asians think and fight.In such matters of grave seriousness, our past may become our prologue. We have engaged in five wars with Confucian Asia since Pearl Harbor. As we have had one victory, one stalemate and three defeats, it is time to master the lessons of these struggles before we go to war with China and North Korea.
Gun Shy: The True Story of the Army Dog Scared of War
by Alison Stokes Angie McDonellVidar, the army search dog, has spent half his life sniffing out enemy weapons and bombs on the front line of the war in Afghanistan. His keen nose saved the lives of hundreds of soldiers, finding roadside bombs which could have killed British troops. But after two years of loyal service, Vidar became ‘Gun Shy’ – a term used to describe dogs who are frightened of loud noises. Whenever he heard bombs exploding or even the sound of helicopters flying above, he would curl up in the corner, shaking with fear.His army days were numbered… and his future looked uncertain. Until Angie, an army medic who befriended him during her tour of Afghanistan, made it her duty to give him a safe haven at her Welsh home.
Princes Gate: A Dci Frank Merlin Novel (The DCI Frank Merlin Series #1)
by Mark Ellis‘A historically astute, skilfully developed crime drama.’ Kirkus ReviewsWhen a brilliant emigré scientist is killed by a hit-and-run driver and the body of a female employee of the American Embassy is washed up in the Thames, DCI Frank Merlin and his team investigate. Merlin's investigations soon ruffle feathers at the Foreign Office as the American ambassador, Joseph Kennedy, is a well-known supporter of appeasement, and many powerful and influential Britons favour the pursuit of a negotiated peace settlement with Hitler.The death of another embassy employee leads Merlin into some of the seedier quarters of wartime London. His investigations are hampered by interfering superiors fearful of their impact on Anglo-American relations. This at a time when, to many, America represents Britain's only hope of salvation.Capturing the atmosphere of Britain in January 1940 Princes Gate is an enthralling detective novel.
Stalin's Gold: A Dci Frank Merlin Novel (The DCI Frank Merlin Series #2)
by Mark EllisDecember 1938. Moscow. Josef Stalin has lost some gold. He is not a happy man. He asks his henchman Beria to track it down. September 1940 London. Above the city the Battle of Britain rages and the bombs rain down. On the streets below, DCI Frank Merlin and his officers investigate the sudden disappearance of Polish RAF pilot Ziggy Kilinski while also battling an epidemic of looting unleashed by the chaos and destruction of the Blitz. Kilinski's fellow pilots, a disgraced Cambridge don, Stalin's spies in London, members of the Polish government in exile and a ruthless Russian gangster are amongst those caught up in Merlin's enquiries. Sweeping from Stalin's Russia to Civil War Spain, from Aztec Mexico to pre-war Poland, and from Hitler's Berlin to Churchill's London a compelling story of treasure, grand larceny, treachery, torture and murder unfolds. Eventually as Hitler reluctantly accepts that the defiance of the RAF has destroyed his chances of invasion for the moment, a violent shoot-out in Hampstead leads Merlin on the final truth....and Stalin to his gold. Stalin's Gold is the latest in the Frank Merlin Series, and follows on from Princes Gate.
Merlin at War: A Dci Frank Merlin Novel (The DCI Frank Merlin Series #3)
by Mark EllisWar rages across Europe. France is under the Nazi thumb. Britain has its back to the wall. In London, Scotland Yard detective Merlin investigates a series of disturbing events – a young girl killed in a botched abortion, a French emigré shot in a seedy Notting Hill flat, a mysterious letter written by a British officer, gunned down in Crete.With action spanning Buenos Aires, New York, Cairo and Occupied France, Merlin and his team are plunged into a dark world of espionage, murder, love and betrayal.
Hope for the Innocent (Hope Stapleford Mystery)
by Caroline DunfordIt is 1939 - World War II is looming, Oswald Mosley has awoken fascist sympathies among the British aristocracy and, in London, socialites are gathering for the start of the Season. Enter astute, Oxford graduate Hope Stapleford, whose quick wit, love of books and keen observations set her apart from her peers. Her rebellious friend, Bernadette, has persuaded her to take part in the Season, and Hope expects little more than a round of dull engagements and dreary introductions. But when an innocent, young debutante goes missing from their very first house party, feared to have been kidnapped or worse, Hope's curiosity is piqued. With Bernie and their new acquaintance, the amiable rogue Harvey, Hope soon finds herself thrust into a web of political intrigue that threatens the very heart of the nation...
A Death at the Races
by Caroline Dunford'A perilous predicament for the ever-resourceful Euphemia. Highly entertaining.' - Penny Kline, author of The Sister's Secret'Euphemia is charming and witty and completely adorable. Loved it.' - Colette McCormick, author of Ribbons in Her HairIt is early 1914, the world is on the brink of war and newly-weds Bertram and Euphemia Stapleford have just returned from their honeymoon. But Euphemia's duty lies with her King and country and she is ordered to accompany spymaster Fitzroy as his navigator in an unofficial car rally across Europe. Their task is to collect top-secret information at a dead drop en route from Hamburg to Monaco. Masquerading as Fitzroy's younger brother, Euphemia endures the most terrifying journey of her life. Before the race has even begun Fitzroy's life is put in danger and further violent attempts to sabotage their mission soon follow. When British double agent Otto begs them to help prevent the assassination of one of the Kaiser's relatives, they don't know who to trust. For it is impossible to tell who is actively hostile, as opposed to merely competitive, in a race in which so many lives are at stake...
A Death on Stage (Euphemia Martins Mystery 16): A dramatic tale of theatrical mystery
by Caroline Dunford'A sparkling and witty crime debut with a female protagonist to challenge Miss Marple' LIN ANDERSON, Award winning Scottish crime authorA Death on Stage - the sixteenth edition of the nail-biting Euphemia Martin Mysteries! Riddled with adventure, espionage and suspense_______________It is 1914.War is underway.A group of French actors has become trapped in Britain and some of them are seeking political asylum, among these is a mathematician with whom Euphemia's friend, Mary, has been corresponding. He joined the troupe with the express intention of making it to Britain and to Mary before the war began.Euphemia's new commander sends her undercover to the theatre where the company is finishing its run, and he instructs Fitzroy to remain on medical leave. But Fitzroy has never been one to obey orders. Meanwhile, Euphemia's husband, Bertram, lies critically ill in hospital and Euphemia must employ all her strength to stay focussed on her mission. With actors and agents playing roles both on and off stage, the toughest challenge is knowing who to trust..._______________Readers LOVE Caroline Dunford's compelling crime novels!'Impeccable historical detail with a light touch' Lesley Cookman, The Libby Serjeant Series'Euphemia Martins is feisty, funny and completely adorable' Colette McCormick, Ribbons in Her Hair'A rattlingly good dose of Edwardian country house intrigue with plenty of twist and turns and clues to puzzle through along with the heroine of the book, Euphemia Martins' Booklore.co.uk
The Stone Rose: The Rose Trilogy (The She-Wolves Trilogy #3)
by Carol McGrath'A real tour de force of gripping writing, rich historical detail and complex, fascinating characters. Superb!' NICOLA CORNICK on The Stone Rose_________________EARLY READERS ARE GRIPPED BY THE STONE ROSE!* 'Springs to vivid life for the reader . . . A compulsive read' ANNE O'BRIEN* 'An enticing and intriguing tale of a woman who is driven to desperate and ruthless lengths to protect those she loves' ALEXANDRA WALSH* 'Carol McGrath really got into Isabella's head . . . Enlightening' SHARON BENNETT CONNOLLY* 'Bold and compelling' JENNY BARDEN* 'A novel that's a definite page-turner' LIZ HARRIS_________________London, 1350. Agnes, daughter of a stonemason, is struggling to keep her father's trade in a city decimated by plague. And then she receives a mysterious message from the disgraced Queen Isabella: mother of King Edward III, and widow of Edward II. Isabella has a task that only Agnes can fulfil. She wants her truth to be told.Much has been whispered of the conflicts in Isabella and Edward's marriage. Her greed and warmongering. His unspoken love for male favourites. But as Agnes listens to Isabella, she learns that she can be of help to the queen - but can either woman choose independence, follow her own desires, and survive? The sweeping third instalment of Carol McGrath's acclaimed She-Wolves Trilogy: the gripping series exploring the tumultous lives and loves of three queens of England - and of three women who lived in their shadow.Based on the extraordinary true story of the female stonemason who carved a queen's tomb!
Dead in the Water: A gripping second World War 2 crime novel
by Mark EllisSummer, 1942.The Second World War rages on but Britain now faces the Nazi threat with America at its side.In a bombed-out London swarming with gangsters and spies, DCI Frank Merlin continues his battle against rampant wartime crime. A mangled body is found in the Thames just as some items of priceless art go mysteriously missing. What sinister connection links the two?Merlin and his team follow a twisting trail of secrets and lies as they investigate a baffling and deadly puzzle .Praise for the DCI Frank Merlin series:'Masterly . . . compelling . . . one of the most attractive characters to emerge in recent detective-thriller fiction' ANDREW ROBERTS, SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLING AUTHOR'Against the backdrop of Blitz-hit London, this stylish thriller sees Scotland Yard's Frank Merlin investigate a tangled conspiracy' SUNDAY MIRROR
Hitler’s Defeat In Russia
by Lieutenant-General Władysław AndersTo both professional soldiers and historians, the causes of the German catastrophe in Eastern Europe in the years from 1941 to 1945 will ever remain an absorbing problem. Why did Hitler’s hitherto invincible Wehrmacht—which between September 1939 and June 1941 had knocked over like tenpins the far from negligible armies of Poland, France, and Yugoslavia, had driven three-hundred-odd thousand British from the continent in a campaign of a few brief weeks, and had spread the rule of Hitler’s Reich from Brest to Crete and from Arctic Narvik to the desert sands of Tripoli—why did this Wehrmacht come to a dead halt before Moscow within six months of launching its all-out assault on the Soviet Union? Why, once again in the autumn of 1942, did the Wehrmacht suffer such an overwhelming defeat at Stalingrad—after occupying nearly half of European Russia, reducing the Red armies to less than two and one half million men at the beginning of 1942, and planting the swastika on Mount Elbrus in the Caucasus, more than 1,000 miles from its advanced base in Poland?These are questions General Anders attempts to answer in the present analytical study of the Russo-German war—and, in my opinion, he succeeds to the full, with amazing clarity and unanswerable logic.-Foreword.
Emotions, Decision-Making, Conflict and Cooperation (Contributions to Conflict Management, Peace Economics and Development #25)
by Manas Chatterji Urs LuterbacherThe role of emotions is important in explaining conflicts and their resolution. Witness the emotions surrounding the outbreak of wars past and current and their endings. In order to introduce the perspective of emotions as an explanatory scheme of conflict escalation and crises, a comparison to classical conceptions such as the pursuit of power or commercial and financial interests is warranted. On first glance these two explanatory schemes seem to be at opposite extremes. However, new approaches to decision-making and rationality and challenges to the traditional expected utility model make these two conceptions much more compatible. The new perspective of rank dependent expected utility and the closely related notion of utility functions, which can both represent risk averse and risk preferring attitudes in decision-making go a long way in incorporating emotions within otherwise rational choices. One can thus build models that account more easily for conflict escalations but also for conflict resolution. These theoretical considerations are investigated within empirical cases of civil wars and shown to be effective in explaining the origins but also the breakdown of conflicts.