A young Sicilian immigrant rises through the ranks of the Mafia in this "mesmerizing" novel that "gives Puzo a run for his money" ( Publishers Weekly).Sicily, 1879: After successfully smuggling a severed human ear past the police, Silvio Randazzo completes his dangerous first rite of passage—from peasant boy to Mafia soldier. The ear is a chilling ransom demand from Antonino Greco, Italy's most famous and feared Mafioso. But it's not until Randazzo commits...

An art historian gets caught up in a deadly international standoff in this "inventive" political thriller ( The Guardian).What would happen if Greek extremists blackmailed Britain into returning ancient sculptures? And what if that blackmail involved not only Queen Elizabeth II, but also dark secrets about her uncle, the Duke of Windsor?When Edward Andover, Surveyor of the Queen's Pictures, receives a painting by Raphael from an anonymous collective...

An ambitious American pope makes powerful enemies—from the Italian Mafia to the US President—in this fascinating thriller that "could be next week's news" ( Daily Mail).What if the unused riches of the Catholic Church were called upon to combat global poverty?Following a tragic earthquake in Italy, Pope Thomas—the first American pontiff and a transformative leader—auctions off one of the Vatican's Renaissance masterpieces to aid in the recovery. Th...

'A beautifully evocative book coursing with wisdom and humour... I loved it.' – HELEN MACDONALD, author of H is for Hawk'Transports you into the world of penguins and gives a rare insight into life in Antarctica. I loved this book so much.' – LORRAINE KELLY'Had me hooked on Antarctic life.' – STEPHEN RUTT, author of The Waterlands'A cosy and heartwarming story of one person's relationship w...

A "compelling" history of German cultural and intellectual development from 1750 to the twentieth century ( Financial Times).From the end of the Baroque era and the death of Bach to the rise of Hitler, Germany was transformed from a poor relation among Western nations into a dominant intellectual and cultural force. By 1933, Germans had won more Nobel Prizes than the British and Americans combined. Yet this remarkable genius was cut down in its prime by Ado...

Queen’s Witness is a tense political thriller set on the edges of London’s criminal underworld that overlaps with Fleet Street and Westminster. After it appears that the government’s Witness Protection Programme has been broken, investigative journalist, Matthew Kent, is lured into making a dangerous error of judgment, when the ensuing spiral of violence and mystery threatens not only his life but also those of both his lovers.

Stolen gold and forbidden love intertwine in this riveting novel set during the last days of the Third Reich by "a superb writer and a masterful storyteller" ( Houston Chronicle).Walter Wolff, an officer in the US Army's art recovery unit, has been assigned to track down a priceless collection of gold coins stolen from a monastery in Austria. General Eisenhower believes the treasure could be melted down and used to finance the escape plans of high-ranking ...

This "ingenious work about the course of human history" examines why civilizations evolved so differently in the Americas and Eurasia ( Kirkus, starred review).By 15,000 BC, humans had migrated from northeastern Asia across the frozen Bering land bridge to the Americas. When the last Ice Age came to an end, the Bering Strait refilled with water, dividing America from Eurasia. This division continued until Christopher Columbus voyaged to the New World in the...

A mysterious painting holds the clues to a cache of priceless relics in this treasure hunt of "deepening suspense" à la The Da Vinci Code ( Library Journal).In financial trouble, Isobel Sadler considers selling a painting that's been in her family for generations. She can't imagine it's worth much . . . until someone tries to steal it.Mystified, Isobel turns to art dealer Michael Whiting for advice. He identifies the painting as a sixteent...

The story begins, as stories do in all good thrillers, with a botched robbery and a police chase. Eight Apuleian vases of the fourth century B.C. are discovered in the swimming pool of a German-based art smuggler. More valuable than the recovery of the vases, however, is the discovery of the smuggler's card index detailing his deals and dealers. It reveals the existence of a web of tombaroli -- tomb raiders -- who steal classical artifacts, and a network of dealers and smugglers w...

A compulsively readable blend of romance and drama based on actual events in Britain and France leading up to D-Day in 1944Matthew Hammond is a British military officer posted to the European theater during World War II. He sustained a serious injury on the front lines, so bad, in fact, that it cost him a lung. Now he is back in England, unable to fight, but he continues to serve his country by training new resistance fighters.One of the recruits under his c...

There are many books that discuss the coins from specific periods of Egyptian history, but none that considers the coins from the whole of that history. This work aims to provide such an account, covering the currency from ancient times, through the Ptolemaic , Roman, Byzantine, Arabic, and Ottoman periods to modern times. An important feature of the work is the illustration of a selection of about 150 coins and banknotes, which represent the major types throughout that history. Adjunct to...