An Old School Tie

The fourth book in the acclaimed William Dougal crime series, from the bestselling author of The American Boy and The Ashes of London. James Hanbury is a reformed character. Or he would like to be. He plans to marry into respectability: his bride Molly is both rich and of good family. But alas, on the very day of their return from honeymoon, Molly is electrocuted. Accident or murder? The villagers of Charleston Parva believe that it's murder, and accuse her husband of having expeditiously dispatched her as soon as he had his hands on her money. Local feelings grow tense. Hanbury appeals for help to his old friend and adversary, Dougal, who is himself far from convinced of Hanbury's innocence. After all, he knows better than anyone that Hanbury is capable of murder . . .

Until his retirement in 2011, Dr Martin Stephen was High Master of St Paul's School, and before that of Manchester Grammar School, two of the most academically successful independent schools in the world, bar none. As such, he is uniquely placed to write a study of that extraordinary phenomenon, the English public school, institutions that are as admired in some quarters as they are despised and vilified in others. His book, however, is no hagiography, and pulls no punches when it comes to the author's views on the failings of private educational establishments, while also showing that their benefits can be, and increasingly are, harnessed for a much wider good. His own long and influential experience within that world allows him to expose a world that is rarely less than baffling to outside observers, and frequently reviled; his often scathing and satirical view of public schools make his book a must read for anyone who is thinking of putting little Tarquin down for Eton or, conversely, for anyone who would like to see the places razed and their ruins sown with salt. But, as the author writes, 'If you are English and reading this now, a public school boy or girl is influencing your life.' 'A fascinating and important book which explains how public schools have become some of the most successful schools in the world' - Lord Baker of Dorking, former Secretary of State for Education 'Martin Stephen cannot write a boring line. By turns utterly horrifying and hilariously funny, [his book] is also academically fascinating, and . . . a rip-roaring good read' - Jilly Cooper

Now available in paper, The Ivory Tower and Harry Potter is the first book-length analysis of J. K. Rowling's work from a broad range of perspectives within literature, folklore, psychology, sociology, and popular culture. A significant portion of the book explores the Harry Potter series' literary ancestors, including magic and fantasy works by Ursula K. LeGuin, Monica Furlong, Jill Murphy, and others, as well as previous works about the British boarding school experience. Other chapters explore the moral and ethical dimensions of Harry's world, including objections to the series raised within some religious circles. In her new epilogue, Lana A. Whited brings this volume up to date by covering Rowling's latest book, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix.

Strange and sinister things are happening in the City of Sails. A private eye with a briefcase full of scandalous photos is clinically assassinated in a basement car park. A businessman who seems to have it all plummets to his death from the Harbour Bridge. And a clue is discovered to the mysterious suicide of a teenage girl at an exclusive school ball. When a magazine decides to investigate, it calls on the services of occasional journalist and failed gigolo Reggie Sparks. Soon Reggie finds himself chasing a story in which blackmail and double dealing are the order of the day and some secrets are dark enough to kill for. Highly original, gripping, deftly plotted and blackly humorous, and featuring a rogue' gallery of weird and wild characters, Old School Tie is the thriller NZ fans of crime fiction have been waiting for......