The Revenge of Joe Wild is a young adult novel about a semi-literate 12-year-old boy growing up in mid-19th-century Southern Illinois, an outsider who can't fit in with the norms of society. When Joe is accused of murdering his friend Ervan Foster, he flees the authorities and goes on the run, vowing to one day return as an adult, find out who the real killer is, clear his name, and avenge Ervan's death. While on the run, Joe has many funny, dangerous, and eye-opening adventures which include joining the Union army and fighting in the American Civil War. When the war ends, Joe returns to his hometown, an armed and battle-tested 16-year-old. He confronts his accusers, but when Joe finds out the truth behind Ervan's murder, he makes peace with the man who falsely accused him, as well as with himself. In the great tradition of such 19th-century American authors as Mark Twain, James Fennimore Cooper, and Stephen Crane, The Revenge of Joe Wild is a humorous, tense, action-filled novel set against the dramatic backdrop of the Civil War, with themes involving racism, sexuality, and misinformation that are just as relevant in the 21st century as they were during the time of Joe Wild.

"Inheritance Tax Made Simple" offers practical measures that you can take to reduce the burden of inheritance tax (IHT). This applies whether you are concerned about the impact on your own money and assets, or you are receiving an inheritance which may be subject to IHT or cause you to be subject to IHT. The book is divided into four parts: Part 1: An overview of inheritance tax. Part 2: Planning to reduce any IHT burden during your lifetime. Part 3: Taking measures to reduce the burden of IHT on death. Part 4: Dealing with IHT issues if you are administering an estate. Inheritance tax touches some of the most sensitive areas of any legal subject, and dealing with it can often be unduly stressful, or come at a difficult time in your life or the lives of loved ones. It is the aim of this book to be helpfully straightforward and a thorough guide to this complex area of law, and to lessen such stresses as far as is possible. Erratum to first edition: Point (4) on page 14 should read: "In some cases there will be a nil-rate band to transfer where the death of the first spouse occurred before 21 March 1972.Prior to 21 March 1972, if a husband or wife left assets to his or her spouse (or anyone else) those assets were taxable. If the assets exceeded the nil- rate band in force at the time, there will be no nil-rate band available to transfer. If they were less than the nil-rate band at the time, there could be a partial or entire nil-rate band to transfer.

Dealing with probate comes at a difficult time when a stressful legal process is particularly unwelcome. Probate can certainly appear daunting in its complexity and can be expensive in solicitors' fees, but it is possible to simplify the process and minimise the cost by taking a logical approach. The essentials of probate work do not require special skill or expertise and it is therefore eminently feasible for most people without legal training to do the bulk of the work themselves. This means you can avoid paying expensive legal fees for select parts of the probate, making a saving of hundreds or even thousands of pounds. Probate Made Simple, written by a solicitor with over 15 years' experience in wills and probate, sets out the detailed and specific steps to follow in order to work on probate logically, ensuring that the reader completes everything in the the right order and at the right time and that no vital stages are overlooked. It also identifies areas of probate where the advice and indemnity cover of a solicitor is beneficial. Where the involvement of solicitors is necessary, essential inside information is provided to help the reader negotiate realistic legal fees, no matter the level of professional help required. Guidance on how to minimise and evaluate solicitors' quotes, and get the most out of legal professionals for less - with breakdowns of what typical probate tasks involve, and what charging methods solicitors employ - make the book an indispensable guide for getting fair legal services. In addition to this, over thirty template letters are provided as practical examples of the correct approach to follow when contacting banks, insurance firms, beneficiaries of the will, solicitors and others. Saving money on probate work in the simple ways outlined in this book could make a real difference to your inheritance and to the sums received by the other beneficiaries of a will. This is the book anyone going through this potentially expensive, stressful and opaque process needs to have to hand. Potential purchasers of the book are recommended to visit the author's website at www.willsprobateandmore.co.uk to make use of the extensive free probate information (available as PDF downloads) provided by the author.