Mr. Freddie was a middle-aged man trapped in an imperfect world, his only desire to get the most out of life and make money in the city of London. London, being the most enviable capital of the world, was to become Mr. Freddie's home for the greater part of his life. He was a man that had ideas, a cool individual who embarked on ideas with a kind of innovation. He set up the GBP1m-a-year bankers' brothel in the shadow economy and operated it for five years from a beautiful terraced house located in a quiet mews of Holborn in the heart of the city. All the women working at the bankers' brothel worked as prostitutes on a part-time basis. Drivers would drive the city bankers to the brothel from city strip clubs on the promise of sex and drivers would receive commission. Payment via credit card was offered at an increased rate by cardboys. In the United Kingdom, it is very difficult for a person to operate a brothel without breaking the law. Mr. Freddie was arrested and the brothel was closed down. He was found guilty by a jury and sent to prison.

Chris Stewart is haunted by an old secret. Betrayed by her husband and supported by her daughter, Alice, and best friend, Babs, she struggles to keep the past at bay. However, when she discovers that she is pregnant by another man, Chris's life is shattered. In Letter to an Unborn Child, C.A. Pearson follows Chris's descent into despair and attempted suicide. the story is a harrowing account of a journey into that other world which is the human psyche: Pearson's sensitive account helps us to understand that it is love that destroys but that, ultimately, it is only love that can heal.

It is generally accepted that a single act, even a very ordinary event can change an individual's life for ever. Certainly, young Johnny Locksley finds this to be true. For him the catalyst proves to be none other than the Helianthus annus, the golden Sunflower. His search to find advice on how to purchase and cultivate the plant goes awry when he encounters a rival beauty and a temptation that he is powerless to resist. He finds himself led not into a garden but into a web of love, loss and a dangerous adventure played out beneath a Southern sun. .

The year is 1997. Cleo Howard is at a very awkward age, she's sure she's an adult, so why won't everyone realise this? Why won't her chest realise this? Why is maths so hard? When will she stop feeling sad that her dad doesn't live with her and her mum? Music and men are her twin fascinations and she thanks Almighty Lemmy for metal and mates. Her diary, which you now hold in your hands, is home to her deepest thoughts, fondest wishes and often what she had for tea.

The first ever story to contain all the words in the dictionary. Elixir is a fantastical romp through the English language. Follow the adventures of vertically-challenged Elgin as he abandons his demeaning job as an elf to search for the elixir of life. But strange things await him on his quest; for as Elgin is seeking his destiny in the West Country, a power-hungry Inuit entomologist is bent on destroying the world's food supply with his army of giant invertebrates. Unconventional, hilarious, unremittingly alliterative and at times somewhat disturbing, 'Elixir' is set to become a cult comedy classic.

A stunning tale of a submarine disaster. In 1948, Naval Intelligence discovered that the Soviets were building a large submarine fleet, all much faster and deadlier than the German U-boats. Britain's fleet of escort vessels would be outclassed. The government ordered two of our existing slow T class submarines to be adapted to go faster, and then tried out against our existing frigates. The anti-submarine trials were a disaster, not helped by the stormy relationship between two people each brilliant in their field: the young mathematician boffin, Dr Alison Maynard; and her boyfriend Tom Seago, maverick navigator of one of the sub-chasing frigates. For a gripping read, full of passion, danger, ingenuity and moments of cliffhanging fear, look no further.

Harry Brennan gets nervous playing his buddies at golf for a tenner. Imagine how he feels when he has to face a deadly rival in a three-pronged shoot-out on the links, for a prize like no other. The twists and turns of this ingenious and unique comic gem will keep you entertained and agog right to the final, totally unexpected twist. Golf dub membership is falling fast. This book will change all that. What really goes on in the clubhouse and on the putting greens is a revelation and will have you laughing, crying and gasping in disbelief. And everyone will want to be a member at West Belby. For years Graham Jones wrote regular columns in the Times education section. He made the obscure and remote world of Further Education funny and relevant and had a loyal following of readers. In his first novel at the age of 69, he brings the same qualities of a lively style and off-beat sense of humour to golf dub politics and manners. And the result is amazing. You'll love the characters; you'll love their stories; you'll love this book.

A helter-skelter ride of emotions that takes the reader through an 18-month period that drastically changes the life of a 10 year-old boy in 1950s England. Living in a city but having the nature and mind of the countryside, his story will have you laughing and crying from one chapter to the next. From the terror of an escaped bull to a girl with 'Kingfisher eyes'. Can a 10 year old boy be in love with a beautiful Welsh teacher who wears tight skirts, stockings and high heels? Can a father's love withstand the cruellest of life's blows? And what happened to the missing girl? Laughter, fear, humiliation, love and despair, Stix meets them all.

"A chilling and hard-hitting first novel" - The Herald. At the age of thirty, Campbell Johnstone is a failure. He's stuck behind the bar of a shabby pub, watching from the sidelines while everyone else makes a success of their lives. The most visible is Eve Sadler, a childhood friend and rising Hollywood star. When Campbell tries to rekindle their relationship, he longs for the glitter of her success to rub off on him - but a single shocking night changes everything, in ways he could never have predicted. When the dust settles, Cam's life is transformed. The recognition he'd given up on is within reach - but at what cost? The Last Treasure Hunt explores our obsession with fame and celebrity with great intelligence and sly wit - it's a modern media morality tale with bite.

Eviscerated Panda - Vulgar Display of Panda is the third book that follows Reading's premier thrash band as they chase musical success and fulfilment. They play gigs in Camden, Coventry, Kentish town, Reading and High Wycombe. Often the need to also attend to the rest of their lives gate crashes their plans. Were it not for paid employment, families and the pursuit of women they would be a global success by now. They find some things are never easy, while some people are always easy. Phil revels in the attention of an interviewer, the Pandas record an album and Suzy's band management career sees her take on another group of men. Ian gets lucky, and then he gets lucky again and again. He'd like you to high five him right now. There's a metal pilgrimage to Wacken for some. The singer of another band troubles the Panda's womenfolk. A baby is born, some criminal activity occurs, a gig with a glam band bemuses. The near waking of a baby is averted by a story about Carrotlicker Tonguewiggle and chums (a band of bunny rabbits). There is a haircut, an engagement and peace made with old adversaries. If this all sounds too exciting rest assured there are also a great many band practices, cosy pub nights in the Green Man and a spot of shopping.The metal soap opera that is Eviscerated Panda continues...

A story of friendship, Armageddon and a dog called Fool... Steve Harris. An ordinary man with an ordinary job in an ordinary life, until one day, in the blink of an eye everything in his world changes. Steve works as a security officer for a pharmaceutical company. He also takes part in company medical trials to make extra cash. He is placed in a cryogenic pod as part of an experiment but when he wakes, a year has passed and he is alone. While asleep, a deadly virus that had been stored at the same facility has been unintentionally released by a paramilitary animal rights group. Which has wiped out 99.9% of the human race. Steve, who is now joined by the Labrador he finds living in the local pub (who he christens Fool), decides to try and make his way to the Greek island of Skiathos. On his travels Steve happens across a rather flamboyant character encamped in an Austrian ski lodge named Eddie Kelsall who reluctantly decides to join with Steve and Fool on their journey. This is the story of Steve, Eddie and Fool's journey from a small market town to a sunny Greek island and the dangers and challenges they face as they go from country to country making new friends and enemies along the way.

Jenny Quinn has a secret.

She just won a spot as a contestant on a prime-time TV baking show. It's only the second time in her marriage that she's kept something from beloved husband Bernard. And now she's got a chance of being crowned Britain's best baker.

But as her ordinary life collides with unexpected stardom, the other secret Jenny's been keeping - the one supposed to stay hidden forever - is in danger of surfacing.

Could Jenny Quinn's rise to fame also be her downfall?

This fast-paced suspense thriller is based around the bond of two brothers, orphaned and now living in Manchester, but the circumstances of being there conflict with David's recurring dream, in which he witnesses his parents' deaths every night. Mixed with a combination of unexplained occurrences and mysterious acquaintances, this ignites his natural curiosity to discover the truth for himself, but the spiraling consequences leave him fearing for his life and the safety of his brother. As he battles with the obsession of a one-sided love affair caused by the discovery of TAG, and his own innocence to sexuality. That tragically finds himself witnessing a brutal rape that he is unable to speak about, as he takes it upon himself to ascertain the proof for himself. Everything escalates out of control, as he discovers the true meaning behind his own existence, and the saga unfolds into one day of his life.

When the Chief Executive of the North Pennine Health Scheme is found dead, hanged by the rope of his stable bell, it is generally regarded as the suicide of a guilty man. One million pounds, missing from the health scheme's funds, was apparently withdrawn from the scheme's account by its Chief Executive...and then disappeared. But Police Sergeant Edward Decker thinks otherwise, Maxwell Bull, the late unlamented Chief Executive, was not the kind of man to kill himself. For a start he was much too arrogant and vain. The problem for Edward Decker is that Bull had so many enemies that it is difficult to know where to start. And the final solution is far removed from the one the policeman expected.

Phoenix, Arizona. 1962. JFK has been elected and the Cuban Missile Crisis shakes the United States. Fond of vast spaces, Scott Hatford is a young dreamer who treasures short moments of grace with a loving mother, and tries to escape the violence of a broken father returned from the war. One October night, exacerbated by jealousy, the father's fury transforms into wild intoxication. Mother and son decide to flee to New Mexico. Their fates are sealed on Route 66. Far From Phoenix is the odyssey of a teenager in the American West in the '60s. A story of hope, redemption and the power of dreams.

Richard Tempest is lost. His boring, prosaic existence has left him wondering if his life has nothing more to offer than teaching ungrateful students, fending off the political manoeuvring of his peers and occassionally indulging in obligatory, unimaginative, unsatisfying sex. That is until he meets the enchanting and mysterious Ligeia.He finds himself drawn into a darker, altogether more exhilarating, reality. Intoxicated by Ligeia's licentious lifestyle, Richard embarks on a journey of self-discovery that all-too-quickly threatens to spiral out of control. As he becomes increasingly infatuated with her, he is plunged into a seductive world that includes late-night sexual encounters in cemeteries, troilism and the occasional episode of terrifying violence. Theirs is a relationship that is as dangerous as it is exciting. Obsessed with sex, art and death, Ligeia leads him along a devastating path that is impossible for him to resist, where choices must be made that will change his life forever.