China, the world's most populous nation, has always exerted great influence on the traditional kingdoms and modern states of Southeast Asia. Today, history and culture continue to shape the modern relationship.In this concise volume, Martin Stuart-Fox charts the history of relations between China and Southeast Asia across two millennia, examining patterns of diplomacy, commercial networks, and migration, and explaining how these have varied over time. He shows how China's tradition...

Stolen whisky, drug dealers, bent cops, social influencers and yakuza mobsters. And Robbie Gould is caught in the middle. 1964. A hoard of the finest Scotch whisky ever made – the legendary Dalziel Double Proof – goes missing. 2023. Albie, youngest son of the wealthy Dalziel family, vanishes. His desperate mother turns to Robbie Gould, a disgraced reporter with a reputation as a 'psychic crimebuster'. Broke and unemployed, Gould is in no position to turn down the job. He throws himself int...

This is about the current president of the United States, Donald J.Trump /aka (in my book), 'Devious Donald' and 'Tweety Bird'. From his humble grandfather's early deceptions to his father's horrendous business tactics, to his mingling with well known 'mobsters', through two divorces, several bankruptcies and huge tax write-offs enabling him to become wealthy and finally emerging as the most unpopular President in the history of the United States.Donald is clearly way over his head...

In a prison run with cold, mechanical precision, a governor who believes every criminal is undone by one fatal mistake finds his orderly world shattered by a midnight visitor at gunpoint. Calm, intelligent, and armed with a forged reprieve, the intruder forces a deadly negotiation, then turns the governor's own routines into tools for a daring rescue plan. As the two men test each other's nerve, they veer into a fierce debate about crime, punishment, and the psychology of criminals. From t...

As night falls on the prison, the Governor prepares for another execution—just another day of routine. But when a visitor arrives with a forged reprieve and a silenced revolver, the Governor finds himself held hostage in his own office. The intruder, a cunning criminal mastermind, demands the immediate release of his partner in crime, a condemned murderer scheduled to hang at dawn.Refusing to surrender to panic, the Governor stalls for time by recounting the stories of fourteen new...

Digital transformation across the public sector has stalled. After over 25 years of considerable time, money, and effort at national, state, and local levels, we’re still not 'there' yet. The reason is that successive waves of investment in digital transformation have focused largely on improving the transactional functions and activities of government. They have failed to embrace a bigger challenge - the need for governing and government to rethink a new 'theory of the business' - which t...

On a snowbound Christmas Eve, the exclusive Clue Club gathers to discuss murder, justice, and the dark puzzles of crime. Its members—lawyers, doctors, actors, politicians, novelists, and a clergyman—debate notorious cases under the stern eye of a Criminal Court judge, while the club's regular waiter, an ex-prisoner, silently reminds them of the world they dissect so glibly. But the evening turns sinister when his replacement steps forward: calm, observant, and far more formidable than he s...

Stolen whisky, drug dealers, bent cops, social influencers and yakuza mobsters. And Robbie Gould is caught in the middle.1964. A hoard of the finest Scotch whisky ever made – the legendary Dalziel Double Proof – goes missing.2023. Albie, youngest son of the wealthy Dalziel family, vanishes. His desperate mother turns to Robbie Gould, a disgraced reporter with a reputation as a 'psychic crimebuster'.Broke and unemp...

This volume arose out of a deep concern to assist people in their struggle to lead a flourishing life. Fractured, stressed, relationally broken and spiritually empty people may instinctively reach for the supposed panacea of happiness. But happiness is often a transitory state. More stable and worthwhile than the pursuit of happiness is leading a flourishing life. But what is flourishing? Is spirituality necessary for human flourishing and, if so, in what ways might spirituality provide a ...

**A horror story about friendship, growing up, and finding a place in the world: Gremlins meets The Breakfast Club by way of Stephen King and Stranger Things.“Moody and atmospheric, with sardonic humor; a meaty slice of horror.”—Kirkus Reviews“This is an intense, descriptive, and intellectual thriller that will appeal to older teenagers who enjoy horror and suspense novels.”—School Library Journal**In the summer of 1982, ...

A scathing attack on Wall Street's illegal ties to Nazi Germany before WWII—and the postwar whitewashing of Nazi business leaders by the US governmentPrior to World War II, German industry was controlled by an elite group who had used their money and influence to help bring the Nazi Party to power. After the Allies had successfully occupied Germany and removed the Third Reich, the process of reconstructing the devastated nation's economy began under supervision of t...

Stolen whisky, drug dealers, bent cops, social influencers and yakuza mobsters. And Robbie Gould is caught in the middle.A hoard of the finest Scotch whisky ever made – the legendary Dalziel Double Proof – goes missing.Albie, youngest son of the wealthy Dalziel family, vanishes. His desperate mother turns to Robbie Gould, a disgraced reporter with a reputation as a 'psychic crimebuster'.Broke and unemployed, Gould is in ...