In a desert town on the road between L.A. and Vegas, all hell has broken loose . . .

In a bedroom community populated by good cops and bad cops, a retired police officer and his wife have been brutally tortured and slain. A "wildcase" with no apparent rhyme or reason, it has caught the attention of the FBI . . . and Hollywood billionaire, ex-Delta Force operative Rail Black, who called the slaughtered pair his friends.

With his frighteningly efficient skills and more money than he could ever spend, Rail believes in helping people he cares about--even if it means clashing with the government's enforcers. But this wildcase has toxic tendrils rooted in a distant past, snaking through a shady megachurch, through Sin City, and into shadowy places halfway around the globe. And the precious blood already spilled is nothing compared to the deluge to come--with Rail's own added to the mix if he gets too close.

His enemies are the most dangerous people in the world. So are his friends . . .

The sole heir to a media empire, Rail Black is larger than life, richer than almost anyone, and living in opulent seclusion in Beverly Hills. His "curse" is a need for excitement coupled with an oversized sense of justice, which impelled him into Delta Force. Now he helps people without options--and billionaires play by different rules.

Caught in gridlock on the world's busiest freeway, Rail comes to the rescue of a naked woman escaping from a van. But Kimberly York is no ordinary victim, and Rail has invited violence into his life . . . again--as a sudden, shocking murder pulls him into a decades-old international conspiracy of greed, rare treasures, and human depravity. But no matter how powerful and well-armed, his adversaries can't escape Rail's wrath as he races into the darkness surrounding the American government's most astonishing secret: the City of War.

A must for all cookery libraries and a real treat for those who love stories in a Christmas setting. This is the second book in the series 'The Dining Club of Interesting Occurrences'. The first book was described by fans as 'A fantastic blend of beautifully crafted stories and mouth-watering recipes'. Others described it as 'Taking me into culinary realms and tastes which I would never have entered had it not been for this book.' One reader stated that it had opened his (yes his!) eyes to menus from across the globe! The first book 'broke the mould' of cookery and fiction by combining fascinating stories and wonderful recipes together in one book. This second book brings a new perspective to the herbs and spices of the Christmas festive period. Each story is based within the Christmas period, from the first Sunday of and up until Epiphany - the 12th night. Each chapter also has a poem reflecting the particular day of Christmas in which the story is set: written by the members of the Dining Club. As before Lionel has crafted a selection of fascinating and succulent international recipes, building on the setting of the stories each one using a herb or spice so redolent of the Christmas period.

This book breaks the mould of cookery books and of fiction. It is a beautifully crafted set of short stories, written by Neil Russell-Jones, a well-published writer and author, each with a culinary theme that is reflected in menus of specially created recipes from a world-class chef - Lionel Strub. The stories and culinary themes span the globe: ranging from Wales, via Scotland through Greece to the Far East and from the Caribbean, through Hungary, Russia, via Kazakhstan to Canada. The recipes have been developed so anyone can re-create them in their own kitchen without expensive machinery or utensils. The book is set in a Dining Club where members regale each other with interesting tales over a meal, with appropriate refreshment. It encompasses buffets, full meals, picnics, and high tea. Some are humorous, others cover crime and mystery, each tale contains a 'twist' at the end; one tale contains a code which must be cracked and the first lucky solver will receive a prize... find out more in The Dining Club of Interesting Occurrences.

"It was just after midnight when the girl in the blue diamond necklace fell out of the sky." In Hollywood, an ex-con movie producer, fresh out of San Quentin, is lucky if he can get a valet to take his car at The Ivy. Teddy Chessman got his own studio. Why? Because Teddy controls the most important motion picture property to hit town since agents were invented. And attached to this expected critical and financial bonanza is the biggest female action star in the world, Valentine Jones. But good plans die horrible deaths, and foolproof ones, worse. And now, the guy who loaned Teddy the money to buy the joint-Rail Black, a former Delta Force operator with a private fortune-is forced to take possession of Teddy's dream. And the bad news is just beginning. Exploding from ninety years in the past-when gangsters and movie tycoons roamed Hollywood and scratched each other's wallets-Rail is sucked into a quicksand of unsettled scores, duplicity and death, where a couple of billion dollars in boxoffice seems like small change. From Southern California to New York, Venice, Havana, Mexico and Cyprus, Rail must disentangle the past from the present and come to terms with his feelings for Barrie Fontaine, a long dead woman-and extraordinarily brave pilot-he has never met. And somewhere, out there, is Matty Aspirins, a hitman on a mission all his own. Welcome to Beverly Hills is Burning. There will be no intermission. "Neil Russell is the king of adventure thrillers... BEVERLY HILLS IS BURNING is a tour-de-force of hot action, cool suspense, and steamy sex. ...a once-in-a-lifetime ride with producers, screenwriters, Mafia hitmen, and money. Lots of money. You'll love this book." Gayle Lynds, New York Times bestselling author of THE BOOK OF SPIES "What would happen if an incredibly gifted writer smashed together the best of Bond, Hammer and McGee? Could they create a new category of hero? "Turns out Neil Russell is that author. Rail Black is that hero and BEVERLY HILLS IS BURNING is that book. Not for the timid or PC crowd, "BURNING" is filled with intense sex, harsh language, graphic violence and a great story interweaving mysteries from 1930's Cuba with today's Hollywood. "Gangsters... Hollywood stars, starlets, sexual predators and producers do things that will make parts of you stand on end..." Myles Knapp, Thriller Reviewer, Bay Area News Group "Neil Russell's BEVERLY HILLS IS BURNING is everything a thriller should be. Former Delta Force operator, Rail Black is a contemporary knight errant, patrolling the seedy boulevards of La-La Land... reminding me of John D. MacDonald's iconic Travis McGee. "Description and dialogue are edged weapons, employed expertly... acerbic wit and indelible metaphors paint a mordant portrait of L.A. corruption as only a veteran Hollywood insider could. "Warning: This is a tough tale about bad people who use gutter language and do ugly things... You shouldn't wait a minute longer to dive in..." Robert Bidinotto, Bestselling author of HUNTER: A Thriller

Medical education and the tools used for assessment are continually evolving. Single Best Answer (SBA) questions are a relatively new method of assessment commonly encountered in final surgical exams. The key to success in any SBA-style examination is practice, practice and more practice. With nearly 300 structured questions, this book comprehensively covers the surgical curriculum. Each specialty-specific chapter contains a combination of clinical vignettes and knowledge-based questions of varying degrees of difficulty, both challenging the more able candidates as well as giving a realistic appreciation of the standard required to pass. Each question gives a detailed explanation of the correct answer to aid reflection and reinforce understanding. This book is the ideal revision aid for all undergraduate medical students preparing for their final examination in surgery. In addition, doctors studying for the Membership of the Royal College of Surgeons (MRCS) and the Professional and Linguistic Assessment Board (PLAB) examinations will also find this book extremely useful.