Wilbur Smith returns to his legendary Courtney Series with a brand new World War II thriller.

1943. The tide of the Second World War is turning. The Russian victory at Stalingrad - the bloodiest battle in history - has opened the door for the Allies. Now, they must strike decisively at the heart of Hitler's Reich. But military success cannot be guaranteed without total secrecy.

Special Operations Executive, Saffron Courtney, is sailing from the west coast of Scotland to New York on the Queen Mary. Her mission - to identify the mole in the British Embassy in Washington, DC before Churchill and Roosevelt begin the talks that will determine British and American military strategy in the wake of the Russian victory.

Haunted by the ghosts of her previous mission in the Low Countries, and w ith dangerous agents on her tail, Saffron must find the spy who could derail the Allied advance. Time is running out. Will Saffron complete her mission? Or will she succumb to the shadows of her past?

1. While we publish several books on the history of crime and criminal justice, this is the first book to set the agenda for an historically informed criminology. 2. This book has a dual market across criminology and history. 3. This book will be key reading for courses on the history of crime and criminal justice, and theories and concepts in criminology.

'Best historical novelist' - Stephen King 'A master storyteller' - Sunday Times 'Wilbur Smith is one of those benchmarks against whom others are compared' -The Times 'No one does adventure quite like Smith' - Daily Mirror A FAMILY IN TURMOIL. A COUNTRY IN RUINS. A nail-biting story of courage, bravery, rebellion and war from number one bestselling author, Wilbur Smith. The war is over, Hitler is dead - and yet his evil legacy lives on. Former Special Operations Executive, Saffron Courtney, and her beloved husband, Gerhard, only just survived the brutal conflict, but Gerhard's Nazi brother, Konrad, is still free and determined to regain power. As a dangerous game of cat-and-mouse develops, a plot against the couple begins to stir. One that will have ramifications throughout Europe. . . Further afield in Kenya, the last outcrop of the colonial empire is feeling the stirrings of rebellion. As the situation becomes violent, and the Courtney family home is under threat, Saffron's father, Leon Courtney, finds himself caught between two powerful sides - and a battle for the freedom of a country. BOOK 18 IN THE EPIC HISTORICAL SAGA OF THE COURTNEY FAMILY, FROM INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLER WILBUR SMITH

Based on extensive research in several international contexts, this volume provides a nuanced assessment of the historical evolution of private security and its fluid, contested and mutually constitutive relationship with state agencies, public policing and the criminal justice system. This book provides an overview of the history of private security provision in its multiple forms including detective agencies, insurance companies, moral campaigners, employers' associations, paramilitary organizations, self-protection and vigilantism. It also explores the historical evolution of private policing and security provision in a diverse set of temporal, national and international contexts and compares the interactions between public and private security bodies, structures, strategies and practices in different countries, cultures and settings. In doing so, the volume fills the existing gaps in historical knowledge about the emergence of private and public security organizations and provides a more robust understanding of changes in the division of responsibility for security provision, law enforcement and punishment between public and private institutions. This wide-ranging volume will be of great interest to scholars and students of history, criminology, sociology, political science, international relations, security studies, surveillance studies, policing, criminal justice and law.

1. While we publish several books on the history of crime and criminal justice, this is the first book to set the agenda for an historically informed criminology. 2. This book has a dual market across criminology and history. 3. This book will be key reading for courses on the history of crime and criminal justice, and theories and concepts in criminology.

In Between The Wars Mr Somervell examines those twenty-one years of uneasy peace which elapsed between the First and Second World Wars, and analyses the gradual deterioration in international relations which marked the period. The victorious, all-powerful Allies of 1919, by founding the League of Nations with its prospects of open diplomacy and its machinery for negotiation, hoped to set up new standards of behaviour between sovereign states and eliminated war as a method of settling disputes. How were these good intentions thwarted? Why did a second catastrophe engulf Europe in 1939? Mr Somervell ranges widely over world events of the inter-war years in his search for answers to these questions. He shows how in most countries democracy, that form of Government which the creators of the Versailles Treaty fervently hoped to secure in the world, seldom imposed a rational will on its statesmen; on the contrary, public opinion inclined to the extremes of apathy and hysteria. He also demonstrates how the discoverers of misapplied science offered tempting new weapons to fanatical dictators avid for world power. We have just lived through the war that resulted from that epoch of muddle and drift; now is the moment for us to examine it critically as a chapter of history. Mr Somervill offers us valuable help in his detached and lucid survey.

In Between The Wars Mr Somervell examines those twenty-one years of uneasy peace which elapsed between the First and Second World Wars, and analyses the gradual deterioration in international relations which marked the period. The victorious, all-powerful Allies of 1919, by founding the League of Nations with its prospects of open diplomacy and its machinery for negotiation, hoped to set up new standards of behaviour between sovereign states and eliminated war as a method of settling disputes. How were these good intentions thwarted? Why did a second catastrophe engulf Europe in 1939? Mr Somervell ranges widely over world events of the inter-war years in his search for answers to these questions. He shows how in most countries democracy, that form of Government which the creators of the Versailles Treaty fervently hoped to secure in the world, seldom imposed a rational will on its statesmen; on the contrary, public opinion inclined to the extremes of apathy and hysteria. He also demonstrates how the discoverers of misapplied science offered tempting new weapons to fanatical dictators avid for world power. We have just lived through the war that resulted from that epoch of muddle and drift; now is the moment for us to examine it critically as a chapter of history. Mr Somervill offers us valuable help in his detached and lucid survey.

'That time is upon us. I can feel it coming. That evil barbarian will not be satisfied until he has engulfed the whole world in war and death. I fear for us all.' In a triumphant return to his much-loved Courtney series, Wilbur Smith introduces us to the bravest new member of the famed family, Saffron Courtney. Saffron grows up on a sprawling Kenyan estate, under the watchful eye of her father, prominent businessman and distinguished war veteran Leon Courtney. Her childhood is idyllic, until a family tragedy forces her to grow up much faster than necessary. As she grows into a spirited teenager, her thirst for knowledge and adventure leads her to England, where she finds herself inevitably drawn into the heart of the gathering storm in the lead up to World War II. Gerhard von Meerbach is the privileged and idealistic younger brother of Konrad von Meerbach, heir to an industrial fortune, and vocal supporter of the Nazi Party. Gerhard struggles to stay true to his principles in an increasingly cruel world. His friendship with a Jewish man places him in danger, and forces him to take a stand against the forces of evil that have overtaken his country and his family. But, unknown to him, he is caught in a trap that could cost him everything he holds dear. As the Second World War looms over them all, Saffron and Gerhard's worlds will collide - but will there be more to unite them than tear them apart? A love story in the time of heroes, War Cry is the latest breath-taking episode in Wilbur Smith's epic account of one beloved family.

Based on extensive research in several international contexts, this volume provides a nuanced assessment of the historical evolution of private security and its fluid, contested and mutually constitutive relationship with state agencies, public policing and the criminal justice system. This book provides an overview of the history of private security provision in its multiple forms including detective agencies, insurance companies, moral campaigners, employers' associations, paramilitary organizations, self-protection and vigilantism. It also explores the historical evolution of private policing and security provision in a diverse set of temporal, national and international contexts and compares the interactions between public and private security bodies, structures, strategies and practices in different countries, cultures and settings. In doing so, the volume fills the existing gaps in historical knowledge about the emergence of private and public security organizations and provides a more robust understanding of changes in the division of responsibility for security provision, law enforcement and punishment between public and private institutions. This wide-ranging volume will be of great interest to scholars and students of history, criminology, sociology, political science, international relations, security studies, surveillance studies, policing, criminal justice and law.

From the co-author of the No.1 bestselling Wilbur Smith novel, War Cry The Leopards of Normandy trilogy concludes as Duke William prepares to take England, and his rivals, by storm. This real-life game of thrones lead to the defining the moment of English history: Hastings, 1066, and is a must-read for fans of Conn Iggulden, Bernard Cornwell and Ken Follett. 'An exciting mix of medieval betrayal, violence and sex' Wilbur Smith It began with a promise. It will end at Hastings. William of Normandy, sworn heir to the English throne, is no longer the boy Duke but a loyal and proven warrior. Few dare challenge him, but England is an irresistible prize. The handsome, ambitious Harold Godwinson and the Viking Hardrada are both determined to stake a claim. William faces his greatest ever battle: deny his own destiny or conquer the land he was born to rule. History will be written in the blood of those who fall. Readers love The Leopards of Normandy trilogy 'A wonderful end to a magnificent trilogy' 'I now know where Game of Thrones got most of its plot from' 'Well written, compelling, action, good characters - you name it - this is seriously worth reading!' 'History brought vividly to life' 'Wonderful storytelling and historical detail'

The action-packed new book in the Courtney Series and the sequel to Courtney's War.

The war is over, Hitler is dead - and yet his evil legacy lives on. Saffron Courtney and her beloved husband Gerhard only just survived the brutal conflict, but Gerhard's Nazi-supporting brother, Konrad, is still free and determined to regain power. As a dangerous game of cat-and-mouse develops, a plot against the couple begins to stir. One that will have ramifications throughout Europe...

Further afield in Kenya, the last outcrop of the colonial empire is feeling the stirrings of rebellion. As the situation becomes violent, and the Courtney family home is under threat, Leon Courtney finds himself caught between two powerful sides - and a battle for the freedom of a country.

Legacy Of War is a nail-biting story of courage, bravery, rebellion and war from the master of adventure fiction.

**From the co-author of the No.1 bestselling Wilbur Smith novel, WAR CRY** The fate of England hangs in the balance of a fight between brothers... In DEVIL, David Churchill writes with the immediacy of Conn Iggulden, the epic ambition of Bernard Cornwell and the plotting of CJ Sansom. The Leopards of Normandy trilogy tells the story of William the Conqueror in all its wild, intoxicating, unfailingly dramatic glory. The noble families of Europe are tearing themselves apart in their lust for power and wealth. Emma, Queen of England, is in agony over the succession to her husband Canute's throne ... while her brother, the Duke of Normandy's sons battle in the wake of his death. Robert, the younger son, has been cheated of Normandy's mightiest castle and sets out to take it by force. He emerges from a bloody siege victorious and in love with a beautiful - and pregnant - peasant girl. Robert's child will be mocked as William the bastard. But we have another name for him... Conqueror. David Churchill paints a world seething with rivalry and intrigue, where assassins are never short of work. The fight for the Royal Crown of England continues in the second and third books of the Leopards of Normandy trilogy, DUKE and CONQUEROR. What readers are saying about DEVIL: 'This is a most remarkable book, full of wonderful storytelling and historical details. Absolutely outstanding, immaculate and thrilling' 'An exciting and well-told story, backed up by first class research, an extreme attention to detail and strong characterisation which also fits with the historical record. I thoroughly enjoyed it from cover to cover'

The history of modern crime control is usually presented as a narrative of how the state wrested control over the governance of crime from the civilian public. Most accounts trace the decline of a participatory, discretionary culture of crime control in the early modern era, and its replacement by a centralized, bureaucratic system of responding to offending. The formation of the 'new' professional police forces in the nineteenth century is central to this narrative: henceforth, it is claimed, the priorities of criminal justice were to be set by the state, as ordinary people lost what authority they had once exercised over dealing with offenders. This book challenges this established view, and presents a fundamental reinterpretation of changes to crime control in the age of the new police. It breaks new ground by providing a highly detailed, empirical analysis of everyday crime control in Victorian provincial cities - revealing the tremendous activity which ordinary people displayed in responding to crime - alongside a rich survey of police organization and policing in practice. With unique conceptual clarity, it seeks to reorient modern criminal justice history away from its established preoccupation with state systems of policing and punishment, and move towards a more nuanced analysis of the governance of crime. More widely, the book provides a unique and valuable vantage point from which to rethink the role of civil society and the state in modern governance, the nature of agency and authority in Victorian England, and the historical antecedents of pluralized modes of crime control which characterize contemporary society.

In a triumphant return to his much-loved Courtney series, Wilbur Smith introduces us to the bravest new member of the famed family, Saffron Courtney.

Saffron grows up on a sprawling Kenyan country estate, under the watchful eye of her father, prominent businessman and distinguished war veteran Leon Courtney. Her life is idyllic and sheltered until a family tragedy forces her to grow up much faster than necessary – as she becomes a young woman her ambitions lead her to England for an education while her stubbornness and resilience draw her inevitably towards the complicated political machinations developing in the lead-up to WWII. Gerhard von Meerbach is the privileged and idealistic younger brother of Konrad von Meerbach, heir to the Meerbach Motor Works, and vocal supporter of Germany’s National Socialist Party and Hitler’s racial ideology. Gerhard struggles to stay true to his principles in an increasingly cruel world headed towards war. His friendship with a Jewish man puts him in a dangerous position, living as he does under the scrutinising gaze of the Gestapo.

As the Second World War looms over them all, Saffron and Gerhard’s worlds collide – but will there be more to unite them than tear them apart?

**From the co-author of the No.1 bestselling Wilbur Smith novel, WAR CRY* The Conqueror will rise... The Leopards of Normandy trilogy continues with DUKE, as William of Normandy inherits his father's title and assumes command of his lands. David Churchill's 'exciting mix of medieval betrayal, violence and sex' (Wilbur Smith) is sure to enthral fans of Bernard Cornwell and Conn Iggulden. Normandy, 1037. Sparks fly from clashing swords as the game of thrones plays out in bloodshed. Of those named guardian to the boy Duke, all seek advantage and power. Most wish the boy dead. Some will go to any lengths to make it happen. Across the sea, the struggle for the English crown has seen Queen Emma's beloved son killed. She has two more sons waiting in the wings but Godwin, Earl of Wessex - kingmaker and arch manipulator - has other plans. As the noble families of Europe murder each other in their lust for power and fortune, the boy stands apart. His name is William. His destiny is to conquer. Don't miss the final instalment of The Leopards of Normandy trilogy, as Duke William prepares to take England by storm in CONQUEROR. What readers are saying about DUKE: 'To read a novel linked by actual historic characters and events whilst still maintaining a racy narrative is quite something. A fantastic read' 'One of the best historical novels I have read. Well written, compelling, action-packed, good characters. This is seriously worth reading!'

The brand new Courtney Series novel from the legendary Wilbur Smith - the much anticipated sequel to the global bestseller War Cry.

In an epic tale of war and passion, two star-crossed lovers must fight for their countries in the hope they may survive the war and find each other amidst the ruins of Europe.

In War Cry, we were introduced to the newest member of the famous family, the brilliant and brave Saffron Courtney. Saffron meets and falls in love with the idealistic Gerhard von Meerbach, who is struggling to come to terms with the path his family and country are taking in 1930s Germany, only for them to be cruelly separated by the arrival of WW2. In Courtney's War, we follow Saffron and Gerhard throughout the war as they fight for their countries in the hope that one day peace will come and they will find each other once again.

Saffron spends the war as an agent in the Special Operations Executive, risking her life in daredevil missions behind enemy lines. To protect his family, Gerhard must hide his opposition to the war and the Nazi party, and work as a fighter pilot. Ultimately his opinions and hatred for the brutal regime will lead him into very dangerous waters...

A dramatic, compelling adventure, filled with truly gripping scenes of the brutality of war. It's also a story of love. Love for one's country and the undying love of two people for each other against all the odds.