Join Jamie, the son of a travelling droll teller, as he journeys across Cornwall, a land steeped in myth and legend. Along the way you will hear mysterious and exciting tales like what happened when Bodrugan took his soldiers to capture Richard Edgcumbe, why the ghost of Lady Emma was never seen again, what proper job King Arthur gave the Giant and how St Piran came to settle in Cornwall. These stories – specially chosen to be enjoyed by 7- to 11-year-old readers – sparkle with magic and explode with adventure. As old as the moors and as wild as the sea, they have been freshly re-told for today’s readers by storyteller Mike O’Connor.

The book is a contemporary compilation of important research in the area of microfinance and financial inclusion. It explores a plurality of views and experiences from different parts of the world while linking a variety of international research backgrounds. Accordingly the book will fill a gap in providing a carefully curated cross-sectorial selection of topics relevant to the development finance research community primarily but also industry practitioners who are interested in keeping abreast of developing research. Benefits in this regard also include being able to provide a platform to less established researchers offering them a voice in published form.

Shamans have long told stories of a naturally-occurring mineral possessing so much healing power it would cost the global pharmaceutical industry billions in profits if found. A brilliant but deranged physician covertly discovers a deposit of the stuff under the ground on old Cody McPherson's ranch in the Black Hills of South Dakota. The mineral is called montmorillonite, and "Doc" intends to lay his hands on it at any cost. Cody is murdered in a remote corner of his 8,400-acre ranch. His horse Boone is the only witness, and the two murderers go undetected. Hundreds of miles distant, Tom Larkin leaves Saint Paul, Minnesota on a quest to find himself, and just maybe save his marriage. Larkin's obsession with owning the dead rancher's land has set him on a collision course with the killers. His immediate obsession with Eva, an exotic local woman, leads Larkin into a passionate alliance that nearly destroys him and his marriage. Eva has an illegitimate child by Doc, who coerced her to betray Larkin. Finally, Eva makes a courageous stand. But did she wait too long? Using information Eva supplied to them, the killers have laid their trap for Larkin. Now his life is in play. Larkin breaks the law, his wife's heart and his personal code of ethics to stay alive. Along the way, he learns the painful difference between what he covets and what he holds most dear. Native Ground is a thought-provoking, yet thoroughly delightful romp through the mystical Black Hills, the erotic adventures of Eva Shepherd, and Tom Larkin's gut-wrenching journey in search of meaning in an anything-for-money world.