Old School Ties

Tyler Brykman returns home form a business trip to find the mutilated bodies of his wife and two children. Morgan Strongbow and Sara Rydell are assigned to the case even though Sara may not be fully recovered from the life-threatening wound she received solving their previous case. Brykman immediately becomes their primary suspect until he tells them he was in Europe. As soon as Strongbow and Sara corroborate Brykman's alibi, they turn their attention to his partner, a manipulative bully named Ronald Mazarovic. When Mazarovic's wife and children meet the same fate as Tyler Brykman's, the police are certain they have their man. The problem is, Mazarovic also has an alibi for the times when both homicides took place. Could the two attorneys have plotted the murders together and acted as each other's alibis? Or might someone be trying to take revenge on Brykman and Mazarovic for an series of events that took place decades earlier when the two were in grammar school. Betrayal. Bullies. Manipulation. Rape. Revenge. Old School Ties has all of the mind bending plot twists that readers of Veiled Threats, the first installment of Lloyd Frankland's Chicagoland Detective Series, have come to expect.

Dek Johnson's first day at secondary school became a nightmare that turned into the most defining day of his young life. Now, at forty-six and with a lifetime of self-doubt, Dek's boring, middle-aged world is about to be turned upside-down when a chance encounter drags him back to a past he has chosen to forget.

'A hilariously funny and bonkers book which I thoroughly enjoyed' ANNE GLENCONNER 'A witty, waspy, parody that hits its targets - hilarious' HELEN LEDERER The next in Daisy Waugh's hilarious Tode Hall series: a gloriously witty tale of toffs, terror and old school ties . . . The Todes are heading to Italy - and taking murder and mayhem with them. Close to Rome, set among ancient ruins and freshwater springs, languishes the magnificent Villa Rospo, a jewel in the Tode family portfolio, and one they had virtually forgotten - until Sir Ecgbert and Alice decide it's the perfect place for their honeymoon. Now suddenly everyone wants a piece. Sir Ecgbert's brother Esmé sees it as an opportunity to restore his lost fortunes by turning it into a luxury eco wellness hub. His business partner Charlie Tysedale only wants it to escape from his dreaded bestselling-author wife. India Tode sees in it the ideal holiday home, while Sir Ecgbert envisages a yoga retreat. Professional freeloader and everyone's old school chum, Piers Slayer-Wilson-Tite, has his eye on making it his personal love-nest. Meanwhile, some of the locals have excellent reasons for keeping it just the way it is. When the body of Piers's wife, Elizabetta, is discovered floating among grapefruits in the spring at the bottom of Villa Rospo's famous gardens, there's only one thing everyone agrees on . . . that there's absolutely no need to call the police. Praise for the Tode Hall series: 'Sharp, funny . . . the best sort of murder mystery' Tatler 'A perfect antidote to all the real-life craziness going on' Daily Mail 'I couldn't put it down' Santa Montefiore 'Deliciously entertaining' Andrew Wilson 'An irresistible champagne bubble of pleasure and laughter' Rachel Johnson 'A perfect antidote to wintry gloom' The Literary Review 'What a triumph!' Antonia Fraser 'A masterclass in how to write a rollicking good read' Sarah Vine 'A jolly farce that never takes itself too seriously' Red Magazine 'Fizzles, crackles and sparkles' Elizabeth Buchan 'A work of sublime silliness' Simon Brett 'An effervescent madcap whodunnit' Metro 'A marvellous rollicking read' Mary Killen 'She's skewered her targets brilliantly' Imogen Edwards-Jones

Friends and enemies reunited! A brilliantly entertaining novel from the author of THE SECRET SHOPPER'S REVENGE. Your school days are supposed to be the best days of your life - and Tracey Mortimer has no argument with that. Sixteen years ago she was the most popular girl in school, ruled her own gang, and dated the cutest boy in her year. Now it's all rather different: she's 33, stuck in a dull marriage that's only tolerable because her husband is rarely at home. And although she dearly loves her two children, a life of kids TV and alphabetti spaghetti is hardly exciting... Then Tracey spots an advert from a TV company wanting to make a reality-style show on a perfect school reunion - giving Tracey the chance to re-live the good old days. But not all her old school classmates remember their school days quite as Tracey does. Tracey made Suzanne Sharp's life hell - so what better way to get her own back than revenge, live on national television...

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 . . .

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.

“The best book on writing ever published” (Patricia T. O’Conner, author of Woe Is I). When Robert Graves and Alan Hodge decided to collaborate on this manual for writers, the world was in total upheaval. Graves had fled Majorca three years earlier at the start of the Spanish Civil War, and as they labored over their new project, they witnessed the fall of France and the evacuation of Allied forces at Dunkirk. Soon the horror of World War II would reach British soil as well, as the Luftwaffe began bombing London in an effort to destroy the resolve of the English people. Graves and Hodge believed that at a time when their whole world was falling apart, the survival of English prose sentences—of writing that was clear, concise, and intelligible—had become paramount if hope were going to outlive the onslaught. They came up with forty-one principles for writing, the majority devoted to clarity, the remainder to grace of expression. They studied the prose of a wide range of noted authors and leaders, finding much room for improvement. Successful communication could mean the difference between war and peace, life and death, and they were determined to contribute to its survival. The importance of good writing continues today, as obfuscation, propaganda, manipulative language, and sloppy standards are all too common—and this classic guide is just as useful and important as ever. Note: This edition restores the full, original 1943 text. “To see what really expert mavens can do in applying their rule-based expertise to clearing up bad prose, get hold of a copy of The Reader Over Your Shoulder.” —The Atlantic

Skinned Knees and ABCs critically analyzes schools as sites for applied behaviour systems. It delves deep into the origin of various behavioural theories that affect these institutions and utilizes scientific theories in mathematics, behavioural economics and psychology (social, cognitive and educational) to examine the complexities, failures and successes of school systems. The book discusses the complex and chaotic nature of schools and the fundamental psychological constructs which form the basis for curriculum and behavioural designs. It also highlights the problems and peculiarities faced by students, parents and educators and suggests alternatives and solutions through real-life case studies. Drawing on in-depth research and theoretical know-how, the book will be of interest to students, teachers and researchers of school education, organizational behaviour, behavioural sciences and applied psychology. It will also be of interest to parents of school-going children, school management heads, policy makers and educators.