Showing results by narrator "Elliot Fitzpatrick" in All Categories

Agents of Influence reveals the secret history of an intelligence agency gone out of control, accountable to no one but itself and intent on subverting Western politics on a near-inconceivable scale. In 1985, 1,300 KGB officers were stationed in the USA. The FBI only had 350 counter-intelligence officers. Since the early days of the Cold War, the KGB seduced parliamentarians and diplomats, infiltrated the highest echelons of the Civil Service, and planted fake news in papers across the world.

It is a delicious literary irony that Mary E. Penn, a writer of ghost, crime and mystery short stories during the Victorian era, is a complete enigma. All that remain of her life are the 29 or so stories that were published or attributed to her. ‘In the Mist’ is set in the county of Cornwall. When two lovers jealously quarrel, the result appears to end in murder. But what exactly did happen?

Fyodor Mikhailovich Dostoyevsky was born in Moscow on 11th November, 1821, to distinguished multi-ethnic parents from a Lithuanian background. In this tale a man buys a down-and-out a drink and so begins a tale of friendship, of manipulation and ultimately of the truth.

Ted Hastings, the show's head of anti-corruption, has emerged as the beating heart of the series. This book reveals how the compelling drama reflects real crimes, events and figures, most notably that of Robert Mark and his battle against Met corruption. Starting with a bang – ‘I’ll put you all back in uniform’ were his first words to his team. New Met Commissioner Robert Mark – the inspiration for Ted Hastings – took on his entire corruption-riddled detective branch in his first brutal speech. The scale of the problem facing Robert Mark was institutionalised corruption in CID.

When the US president, Harry S Truman, declared the Truman Doctrine in March 1947, he could not have known that the resultant Cold War would persist for over forty years until the dissolution of the Soviet Union in December 1991. In addition to nuclear and conventional military friction between the Eastern and Western blocs, the struggle for dominance involved a remarkable range of activities including the space race, psychological efforts, espionage, even rivalry at sporting functions and technological events.

How do vaccines work? What is special about stem cells? How did we evolve from bacteria? The science of life can be dauntingly complex, and it can be hard to separate "good" science from "bad", fundamental truths from the much-hyped breakthroughs reported in the media. Packed with fascinating facts, How Biology Works demystifies both the core biology that may have eluded us at school, and the cutting-edge life science that makes the news, answering the questions that spark our curiosity.

Autumn has come to the small town of Glastonbury. Lance Bradley is contemplating his own idleness when he receives an unusual phone call from the disabled sister of an old friend. Apparently, Lance’s old friend Rupert has gone missing and there are some pressing debts left unpaid. Travelling to London, Lance falls victim to an unfortunatestring of events before he realizes the only way out is to dig deeper and uncover Rupert’s secret.

Following a controversial mission in Tajikistan, SAS loner Jamie 'Geordie' Carter has spent the past six months in Regiment purgatory. Now he's brought in from the cold and assigned to a new squadron. It's a fresh start for Carter. Or so it seems. But there are some bad apples in his troop, and troubling rumours about the company they keep. And when someone tries to silence him, Carter is unexpectedly pulled from the team. Instead, he's given an even more deadly assignment.

Linzi arrived at Green Valley Vineyard nine years ago, in need of a fresh start. In the lush emerald countryside and ripening grapes, she finally has a place to call home. But Linzi's world is rocked when the owner announces he is retiring, and his grandson is taking over. When Elliot Montgomery first sets foot at Green Valley, Linzi's worst fears are realised. He's stepped straight out of the boardroom in shiny shoes and a tailored suit. How will a numbers man like him ever understand the magic of what they do here?

From the moment I saw Ann, I knew she was perfect for me. Her beauty and her social connections would make my miserable life so much better. It didn’t matter that I didn’t love her. I would give her the lifestyle she craved, and she would give me the life I deserved. But soon my marriage vows were a noose around my neck. I longed to escape my beautiful, horrible wife. And then I saw her and I knew there was only one way out.

Meet Jez. Adulterous husband to Maxine, devoted father to Jamie. Promiscuous lover, university professor, pro-vice-chancellor for research - and a serial killer aiming to get to the top by any means necessary. His passion for murder parallels his love of music, and he matches each kill with its own special theme song to enhance the experience as he works towards assembling his very own top forty greatest hits. So when the vice-chancellor of lowly ranked Francis Drake University begins to sexually pester Jez's mistress Bella, it accelerates his plans for domination.

Jeremy Horton is a man denying his past, haunted by a dysfunctional childhood full of dark secrets—including the suspicious death of his younger sister. Married to lawyer Sarah and with children of his own, Jeremy keeps his eyes firmly focused on the present, never daring to glance in the rear-view mirror for fear of what he might see there. But when a chance encounter awakens the memories he’s fought so hard to suppress and the death of his estranged mother takes Jeremy back to his sleepy hometown, he decides to finally uncover the truth behind his sister’s death.

1853, Victoria, Australia. Five bushrangers led by the murderous outlaw Warrigal Anderson raid a small homestead. When they ride away, 19-year-old Toby O'Rourke's life is changed forever. His parents lay dead at his feet and his brother, Patrick, is badly wounded. But Toby O'Rourke is made of steel forged in the hardship of colonial life. Forced into adulthood, he and Patrick will seek to restore the family fortunes and outwit not only the rich businessman who conspired to rob them of their birth right but the vicious men who murdered their parents....

A young man has stopped breathing in a supermarket toilet. A pedestrian with a nasty head injury won't let the crew near him on a busy road. A newborn baby is worryingly silent. An addict urinates on the ambulance floor when denied a fix. This is the life of an ambulance paramedic. Jake Jones...

In many ways, we seem to be living in wintry times at present in the Western world. In this new book, Rowan Williams, former Archbishop of Canterbury and a noted scholar of Eastern Christianity, introduces us to some aspects and personalities of the Orthodox Christian world, from the desert contemplatives of the fourth century to philosophers, novelists and activists of the modern era, that suggest where we might look for fresh light and warmth.

Wyvern shifter Zidra and ice elf Kyrundar are members of a sacred order of elite warriors—and, according to Zidra, bitter rivals. While she seeks to prove she’s the best without aid, Kyrundar believes their friendly competition makes them ideal partners. Then Kyrundar follows Zidra into a trap, and his distraction costs her everything.

Daniel and Mal need some peace to recover from the horrors of their last case. They don't get it because a dead family needs justice. An abandoned child threatens to break Daniel's heart. Mal's past comes calling in the shape of an attractive young man. Did John Edwards slaughter his wife and daughters, then kill himself? Why did the little boy survive the massacre? What are the hippies next door hiding? The only certainty is that everyone is lying.

A train seems a very reliable mode to bring out the best in authors and sometimes the worst in their fictional characters. In this volume our narratives are usually set inside the carriage compartment where they are really up close and personal with each other. All our authors need to do is to light the touchpaper and stand well back.

Some people have basic needs of foods and materials that only theft can provide an answer for, and some others just pursue the taking of what they want, whenever they want and from whoever they want. These are their stories.

In the English language ‘bittersweet’ is that most pivotal of words. The mixture of sadness and happiness that suggest both but often bringing us smartly to earth, smack dab in-between them both, with little of either.