The Conrad Press strana 4 z 4

‘Crown & Dagger’combines two ingenious detective stories set in Edinburgh involvingdiscontented historian Max Quillan. ‘Stolen Honours’ seesMax back in Edinburgh where he spent his youth. The Honours of Scotland (theoldest Crown Jewels in the world) are stolen from Edinburgh Castle by activistsfor Scottish independence. Arrests are made but the Honours remain hidden. Max’s lady-friend Rosie is the KC defending the activists, and her best friendDCI Helen Dyer is leading the police investigation. He manages to annoy both bydiscovering where the jewels are hidden during an entertaining journey whichlinks the colourful history of the Jewels to the current political climate inScotland. ‘To Kill aCrimewriter’ uncovers a plot to kill four famous crime writers who all live inEdinburgh. Arthur Conan Doyle, who was born in the city, is being honoured at adinner at which the writers are speakers. Max picks up a discarded menu onwhich someone has sketched methods of murder against the names of the writers. When the first actual attempt is made along the same lines, Max sets out tofind out which of the dinner guests might be responsible. Links to a recentlyreleased murderer suggest he is being used as a proxy killer in a chillinggame. When Max finally unmasks the evil mentor it brings disastrousconsequences to someone he holds dear.

‘Le Boulevard de la Solitude’, a story of love and hate, is set in Paris in the1980s with its distinctive character – exhilarating, daunting. When Paul Mortimerarrives there, he is dazed by culture shock. Finding a job in a large company,he befriends a brilliant young director Rachel Cziffra who introduces him intoParisian society. Her husband, Fabrice, is a successful ‘high-tech’ businessmanand a future member of the French Parliament. Immensely rich, they live in the16th arrondissement, the so-called ‘Golden Triangle’, and own amagnificent chateau in Normandy. Yet,Fabrice’s fortune is based on corruption, and when he leaves Rachel for abeautiful Moldovan call-girl, he falls under the influence of a criminal gang. The ensuing divorce destroys them both. Eventually Rachel becomes the victim ofa murder attempt, disappears and is presumed dead. Paul is left searching forher. ‘Le Boulevard de la Solitude’ vividly captures the essence of Parisian society atthat time – from the ‘metro, work and sleep’ lives of commuters to thesplendour of the upper classes in the rich quarters. John Malicorne’scharacters exist in an illusionary world of hierarchies, codes and rituals - aprehistoric dreamtime tribe, harbouring an inner malaise.  Theplot plays out with the effervescent sordidness of Paris as a backdrop.

'Walking the Hamster to the Fountain' is an extremelyentertaining, well-researched book which chronicles, in lively andunforgettable detail, some of the thousand-year history of the English villageof Hempstead, Essex, from the Norman Conquest to the Kray twins. Firmlygrounded in English history, the book is packed with stories of country life,parsons, celebrities, arson, political and intrigue. It will appeal to allthose who enjoy disappearing down historical 'rabbit holes'. The title comes from an interview with a former resident,recalling hot summers between the wars when the wells dried up and people hadto 'walk into Hempstead to the fountain' for water. When the interview wastranscribed, the computer produced the titular hamster. 'Greedy vicars, a school bullyturned merchant, child brides, hellfire preachers, eccentric generals, familycurses and dynamic women. Thiswide-ranging and thoroughly researched work weaves vibrant personal storiesinto a national and sometimes international narrative. This is local social history at its finest.'---Dr Elizabeth Goodwin, SeniorLecturer, Late Medieval and Early Modern Studies, York St. John University

‘Italian Hills,Farewell’ is an intriguing and unforgettable first novel. It is the story ofone woman remembering her troubled life in 1920s fascist Italy. Rita is an Italianpeasant from the northern mountains, with very little education. She is naive,feels she belongs nowhere and allows herself to be exploited by ‘well-wishers’with political motives. When the secret police become interested in her, sheflees but, in helping a woman with a new baby, she falls foul of the woman’shusband. The tension rises and she knows that she must somehow escape fromItaly at all costs.

Warning: Sex, Drugs, and Rock & Roll! Fearless young photographer Maddy Garfield shoots love-insand police riots in the turbulent 1960s and deals with bikers, rock stars,arrogant diplomats, egotistical actors, and enigmatic Rastas in the '70s. Butevery time she encounters charismatic director Jake Morgenstern, who gave her amind-blowing first kiss, her unfulfilled desire for him grows,fueling her fantasies. Will her path lead back to her first love? ‘Lenswoman in Love’ provides aninsider’s view of the most colorful and creative decades of the twentiethcentury. It will resonate deeply with those who experienced those vibranttimes—and anyone who wishes they had.  ‘… the Sixties and Seventies, from the West Coast to SwingingLondon—seen through the eyes of a passionate and talented young photographer. Her camera takes her inside recording studios and onto film sets, and her hearttakes her on a journey of soulful self-discovery. Read on!’—STEVEN REA, author of ‘The Hollywood Book Club’

Whether you skipped college or need a refresher or supplementto what you learned, humanities professor Joseph Manca shows how acollege-level liberal arts education can be essentially free and accessible in‘Free Thinking: How to Educate Yourself in the Liberal Arts’. Professor Manca provides listings and commentaries to help you study and enjoyhigh-quality texts, works of art, films, and classical music. Thebook lays out a curriculum that, like college, one can follow over four years,or at your own pace. The chapters are arranged—not along the lines oftraditional academic departments—but more like life itself, with categoriessuch as love and desire, utopia and dystopia, and our relationship to thenatural world. This is not a traditional Canon, but is instead a lively listingof stimulating fiction, nonfiction, and important artworks and music.

‘In SafeHands’ is aheartwarming and charming story about Caro, a sixty-something British divorceewho moves to rural Connecticut looking for a peaceful place to start over.  When JeanieBlackman, a neighbour in distress, unexpectedly turns up on the doorstep of hernew home, Caro’s plans for tranquility are disrupted. She quickly becomes drawninto local activities by the boisterous Jeanie and a series of bizarre eventssoon fill her days. It’s far from her idea of a quiet country idyll. But it’smeeting the ruggedly handsome Ted Nichols that unsettles her most. She’s vowednever to date again, and it takes all her willpower to stay away from him.

‘The Hero Virus’ tells the thrilling story of Chris Taylor,who is hanging on to life by a thread. Recently widowed, his only reason tocarry on is his faithful Labrador, but even that doesn’t stop his willingnessto gamble with death every day. When his companion suffers a violent demise,Taylor thinks he has nothing left to live for, until he discovers he haschanced upon a precious gift… he has become very ill.  The illness gives him special powers and, fairly soon, theauthorities are swooping on to the ever-increasing list of cases. The HeroVirus might be different to other illnesses, but it’s no less dangerous. Theeffect it has on the world, though, is wildly different to any other virus thathas come before. The unique reaction of the human body to infection means thateveryone wants it. And some will do anything to get it.  How do you stop a pandemic when there are people who willkill for the virus? How do you stop people getting infected when they’rewilling to die for it? How do you stop the infected when they have abilitiesnobody has ever seen before?

'Words are Friends' is a splendidlymeasured collection of poems, where the author never strays from the poeticqualities of rhyme and structure. The book is notable for its excellentvariety. Some of the poetry is written in an absorbing story-telling style,such as 'The Awning', which tells the story of two Cubs who are chased whenthey decided to swing on the grocer's shop awning, whilst 'Salty Spray'describes the author's joy at living in a cabin by the sea, and details withphotographic clarity the charismatic environment. The variety continues with'The Ombudsman' having trouble with his in-tray.

Queen Isabella,1295-1358, wife of King Edward 11, as seen through her own eyes.  A strong, intelligent,and beautiful woman, she suffers many humiliations because of her husband’shomosexuality.  For many years shebravely tolerates this as best she can until her position becomes utterlyintolerable. At that point, having returned to France, the land of her birth,she begins an affair with the exiled knight, Sir Roger Mortimer. Together, theytake a huge gamble by invading England, intent on overthrowing Edward’s malignfavourite, Hugh Despenser.

‘Daniel’sUncle’ is a Middle Grade children’s book that adults willalso enjoy, is the story of a thirteen-year-old boy whose parents aretragically killed in a skiing accident. He ends up spending his summer holidaysat an uncle’s in Scotland on the banks of Loch Ness. His uncle is a biteccentric but extremely clever and Daniel slowly begins to enjoy his timethere.  He discovers more andmore out about his uncle and thus a mad adventure begins where he finds a lostCity, a nineteenth-century explorer, an alien race and the joys of technology. The blend of whimsical adventures with underlying themes ofpersonal growth and healing makes the story both engaging and emotionallyresonant. Daniel’s life will never be the same again as he finds hisbrain gaining untold powers! ‘Daniel’sUncle’ is the first book to be published by the author, Martin Smith. Martinlives close to the beautiful Peak District and has worked in engineering invarious forms since leaving school. He enjoys a quiet life with his dog in aquaint stone cottage. Martin also enjoys riding his motorbikes and strongly believeslife is for living.