A profoundly moving celebration of love under the darkest of circumstances

From the moment they met in 1940 in Ravensbrück concentration camp, Milena Jesenska and Margarete Buber-Neumann were inseparable. Czech Milena was Kafka's first translator and epistolary lover, and a journalist opposed to fascism. A non-conformist, bi-sexual feminist, she was way ahead of her time. With the German occupation of Czechoslovakia, her home became a central meeting place for Jewish refugees. German Margarete, born to a middle-class family, married the son of the Jewish philosopher Martin Buber. But soon swept up in the fervor of the Bolshevik Revolution, she met her second partner, the Communist Heinz Neumann. Called to Moscow for his "political deviations," he fell victim to Stalin's purges while Margarete was exiled to the hell of the Soviet gulag. Two years later, traded by Stalin to Hitler, she ended up outside Berlin in Ravensbrück, the only concentration camp built for women.

Milena and Margarete loved each other at the risk of their lives. But in the post-war survivors' accounts, lesbians were stigmatized, and survivors kept silent. This book explores those silences, and finally celebrates two strong women who never gave up and continue to inspire. As Margaret wrote: "I was thankful for having been sent to Ravensbrück, because it was there I met Milena."

All David has ever known is to take orders, now that the Government has been scrutinised, David is now in the cross hairs. Journey on a rollercoaster ride as David tell his side of the story.

Massacres, invasions, plots. An Emperor on the edge. An Empire in peril.Caracalla is on the warpath. Time, he has decided, to put his enemies in their place. To invade the Parthians at the edge of the Empire. To destroy everything in his way. For Imperial Assassin Silus, this is a time of crisis. Forced to guard the Emperor as part of his elite bodyguard, Silus knows that the situation is untenable. As everything threatens to crumble, Silus must make the ultimate choice... and face the ultimate sacrifice. The question is simple: will he turn traitor, for the sake of the Empire and the sake of his conscience? Or is loyalty, and the life of his charge Tituria, more important? As innocents die, as blood flows, as the Roman legions march on an epic scale, one thing is clear. It's decision time. The thrilling climax to Alex Gough's bestselling series, perfect for fans of Anthony Riches, Ben Kane and Bernard Cornwell.

The runaway international No.1 bestseller that launched Tom Clancy's spectacular career - became a blockbuster film - and introduced Jack Ryan. THE HUNT IS ON... Silently, beneath the chill Atlantic waters, Russia's ultra-secret missile submarine, the Red October, is heading west. The Americans want her. The Russians want her back. With all-out war only seconds away, the superpowers race across the ocean on the most desperate mission of a lifetime.

"Superb...an appropriate homage"-Marilyn Stasio, New York Times The much-anticipated final installment in Ariana Franklin's popular Mistress of the Art of Death historical mystery series, finished by the author's daughter after her death. England. 1191. After the death of her friend and patron, King Henry II, Adelia Aguilar, England's vaunted Mistress of the Art of Death, is living comfortably in retirement and training her daughter, Allie, to carry on her craft-sharing the practical knowledge of anatomy, forensics, and sleuthing that catches murderers. Allie is already a skilled healer, with a particular gift for treating animals. But the young woman is nearly twenty, and her father, Rowley, Bishop of Saint Albans, and his patron, the formidable Queen Eleanor of Aquitaine, have plans to marry Allie to an influential husband . . . if they can find a man who will appreciate a woman with such unusual gifts. When a friend in Cambridgeshire falls ill, Allie is sent to Ely, where her path will cross with Lord Peverill, a young aristocrat who would be a most suitable match for the young healer. But when Allie arrives, all is chaos. A village girl has disappeared-and she's not the first. Over the past few months, several girls from the villages surrounding Ely have vanished. When the body of one of the missing is discovered, Allie manages to examine the remains before burial. The results lead her to suspect that a monstrous predator is on the loose. Will her training and her stubborn pursuit of the truth help her find the killer...or make her the next victim? A richly detailed, twisty thriller, Death and the Maiden is historical mystery at its finest-and a superb final episode in Ariana Franklin's much-loved, much-acclaimed series.

"The guilty one is not he who commits the sin, but he who causes the darkness." "So long as ignorance and poverty exist on earth, books of the nature of Les Miserables cannot fail to be of use," says Victor Hugo in the preface of his famous novel. Certainly, Les Miserables is French history recounted through the personal stories of its main characters. The tale offers philosophical insight on the good deeds that can happen even amidst ignorance and poverty. This handsome leather-bound volume is a beautiful addition to any classic literature library with specially designed endpapers, gilded edges, and a ribbon bookmark so you will never lose your place.

The first book in Bernard Cornwell's bestselling series on the American Civil War. It is summer 1861. The armies of North and South stand on the brink of America's civil war. Nathanial Starbuck, jilted by his girl and estranged from his family, arrives in the capital of the Confederate South, where he enlists in an elite regiment being raised by rich, eccentric Washington Faulconer. Pledged to the Faulconer Legion, Starbuck becomes a northern boy fighting for the southern cause. But nothing can prepare him for the shocking violence to follow in the war which broke America in two.

Operator No.5, America's Secret Service Ace, appeared in 48 novels in the classic pulp magazine bearing his name. From April 1934 to November 1939, Jimmy Christopher fought villains from inside the United States and invaders from without. With World War II looming on the horizon, the Operator No.5 novels became a reflection of the times, showcasing American fears of technology and oppression. In The Dawn that Shook the World, Jimmy Christopher leads a band of agents into Europe, battlling a dictator with plans for world dominations (shades of Adolph Hitler ) One of the bloodiest pulp magazines ever produced, Operator No.5 has a well-deserved reputation for thrill-a-minute action and peril. If you like pulp fiction, you'll love Operator No.5.

Special Forces Major Brett Stone is team leader of an elite "Presidential A-Team" secretly operating from an Army Recruiting Station located in Graham, Washington. His team's primary duty is assassination/sniper and their secondary duty is rescue team. The team known only by a few people is called the "Phantom Warriors." They had just finished their first mission which took them to the Amazon Jungle to eliminate a Colombian drug lord and to rescue two American women from his home that the drug lord threaten to kill. They completed their mission successfully and now they train secretly in Graham, Washington while posing as Army Reserve Recruiters. Now Major Stone's "Phantom Warriors" receives their second mission which they must enter into North Korea to once again pull off an escape plan to rescue two American scientists' that the North Korean's had kidnapped and are forcing them to create a virus so deadly that the whole planet is in danger. Major Stone's "Phantom Warriors" have to find the scientists' once in North Korea and then rescue them. But they unexpectedly come across four little orphan girls that end up going on their mission. When the team finds the scientists' they are surprised to also find a South Korea Military Intelligence Officer who had been captured by North Korea and they also find a seventy-six year old United States Marine who still is a POW from the Korean conflict. The team then must make their way out of North Korea but before they leave the country, they have to blowup a research lab; get involved in several armed conflicts, which two team members are wounded, one critical; highjack an Air China airplane; face a North Korean MIG getting ready to shoot them from the sky and even witness two UFO sightings. This is another page turner of the "Phantom Warriors" and just like book one, it will be hard to put down.

It is a new millennium, and the United States is at war with Russia. Josh Saunders has just received the surprise of his life-his girlfriend Yuko is pregnant. But Josh and Yuko both know he lives for the battle that continues to rage outside his Texas home. Now he must somehow balance his new family responsibilities with his duty to his country. But for now, the sounds of war have quieted, and Josh busies himself helping his friends, Elliot and Kaliegh, prepare for their wedding-unaware that the Russian army is steadily advancing toward Texas to seize the oil and gas refineries along the coast. As Josh and his group struggle with the troubles that war leaves in its wake, only Josh's Russian comrade, Akbashev, is aware of the incredible capabilities of the Russian army. As Josh continues to fight a war that seems unending, every part of him wants to give up, but he is determined not to live in a country controlled by the Russians. Unfortunately, time is running out. In this modern military thriller, a Russian soldier must decide whether to leave and betray his American friend or stay with him to fight for the freedom of a nation he has grown to love.

February 1942. With the Nazis triumphant in Europe, North Africa and much of the USSR, control of the shipping lanes off the southernmost tip of Africa is an Allied imperative. At the urging of Prime Minister Jan Smuts, South Africa’s parliament has narrowly voted to join the British war effort, but the country remains bitterly divided.

Feisty university student Anna van der Vliet returns to her family farm near Cape Agulhas during the holidays. Noticing strange comings and goings in the area, she begins to suspect that her father, a prominent Member of Parliament, may be involved in a clandestine operation to aid the enemy. As a patriot, Anna feels compelled to inform the authorities, but what if this means betraying her family and lover?

Drawing on extensive historical research, Subversion is a unique tapestry of suspense, wartime intrigue and romance.

(Previously published as Featherstream by Ian Sutherland)

'The most extraordinary writer - a rare talent' NIKKI GEMMELL, internationally bestselling author 'A lyrical and mesmerising mythic quest story' SUNDAY EXPRESS 'Extravagantly beautiful writing' ADELAIDE ADVERTISER 'Unputdownable' SYDNEY MORNING HERALD 1942 - Japanese bombs rain down in Darwin, Australia. Motherless Molly Hook, the gravedigger's daughter, turns to the road, seeking the deep-country sorcerer who put a curse on her family. By her side are the most unlikely travelling companions: Greta, a razor-tongued actress, and Yukio, a fallen Japanese fighter pilot. As they journey from the vine forests to Australia's wild and magical monsoon lands, they will encounter grave danger and discover true love... Immerse yourself in a love letter to Australia from its best-loved writer.

Richard Sharpe triumphs in the last battle of the war, only to find himself in worse peril when charged to recover Napoleon's treasure. It is 1814. There are rumours that Napoleon is dead, or has run away, but Sharpe has one last battle to fight before he can lay down his sword. It is the battle for Toulouse. Little does he know it will be one of the bloodiest conflicts of the war. But Sharpe's war is not only the battle. Accused of stealing Napoleon's treasure, Sharpe must discover the unknown enemy who has tried to frame him - and his revenge is ingenious and devastating. Soldier, hero, rogue - Sharpe is the man you always want on your side. Born in poverty, he joined the army to escape jail and climbed the ranks by sheer brutal courage. He knows no other family than the regiment of the 95th Rifles whose green jacket he proudly wears.

A dark murder. A secret brought to light...June, 1797. From his headquarters at the Villa Mombello near Milan, the French revolutionary army's young general, one Napoleon Bonaparte, dictates peace terms to Europe's monarchies with breath-taking ease and arrogance. But when a series of malicious events at Mombello threaten to set Italy ablaze once again, and talk of a ghoul stalking in the night committing atrocities spreads like wildfire among the assembled guests, Napoleon forces failed magistrate Felix Gracchus out of retirement to solve the puzzling murders. Gracchus's unwilling escort in this military world is ambitious but underachieving young cavalry officer Dermide Vanderville. Aided by Napoleon's unruly tomboy sister Paolette, they set about unravelling the twisted skeins of intrigue and terrible secrets clogging the mansion's shadowy corridors. A rich and compelling debut historical mystery set around Napoleon Bonaparte's conquests, perfect for fans of C. J. Sansom, Paul Doherty and Ellis Peters. Praise for Blood and Fireflies 'A fantastic read. I recommend it unreservedly. You will probably end up reading it in one fell swoop' Paul Doherty