Among the million plus British and Empire soldiers that fell in the slaughter of The Great War were an elite band of International Rugby players. Tragically, over 130 caps from England, Scotland, Wales, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa and France - lost their lives on land, in the air and at sea. Even their legendary strength, fitness and courage were not enough to spare and save them. The book will contain a brief history of International Rugby up to and including The First World War and there will be biographies of each player along with their individual and team photographs. Details of the manner of their death, their burial place and any memorials will also be included, alongside their international playing record. Nigel McCrery is best known for his crime writing but his previously published works reflect his interest in The Great War, notably All The Kings Men, a best seller and successful film starring David Jason.

WITH A FOREWORD BY NIGEL McCRERY, CREATOR OF SILENT WITNESS

Going beyond the popular TV show, this is the true story of forensic science from those who solve crimes without witnesses.

How do you identify a serial killer?

What are the tell-tale signs of guilt?

Can we now solve the unsolvable?

Since even before the first season of Silent Witness in 1996, forensic science has played an increasingly important role in the investigation of violent crimes.

With a boom in cold-blooded cases throughout the 1980s, police began to rely on DNA evidence to help them find perpetrators and since then forensic science has taken off as a powerful tool in solving murders. Bestselling true crime author Wensley Clarkson takes us beyond the headlines to examine the real-life stories where forensics have played a crucial role. He speaks to experts who have worked on the most gruesome, most chilling and most shocking crime scenes and explains how notorious criminal cases from across the world were solved.

And he shows how the silent witness is often the one who screams the loudest.

Never in the field of human conflict was so much owed by so many to so few Seventy-five years on the unforgettable words of Winston Churchill ring as powerfully as they did in August 1940 when the young men of the RAF stood as the last line of defence against Hitlers far more powerful Luftwaffe. This emotional yet factual book describes the three and a half months (10 July 31 October 1940) battle day-by-day and covers the essential details of every one of the 540 young pilots who died in this critical campaign that saved Britain from invasion by the Nazis. Thanks to the authors painstaking research we are given a short biography of each pilots and learn of their actions and the manner of their deaths, their squadrons and planes. The result is a unique record and fitting memorial of the courage and sacrifice of this select band of heroes. The text is enhanced by photographs of the individuals themselves.

Professional football was officially suspended at the outbreak of the Second World War in September 1939\. With their contracts terminated, players were free to join the Armed Forces and, by April 1940, 514 were enlisted in the Army, 84 in the RAF and 31 in the Royal Navy. Many others were involved in war work; one factory in Oldbury boasted 18 West Bromwich Albion players. Of those who joined up 80 were to die. These included English International Tom Cooper who had played for Liverpool, Derby County and Port Vale, Alan Fowler of Swindon Town who died after D Day serving with the Dorsets, and Herbie Robert of Arsenal. Many were household names as Gareth Bale and Wayne Rooney are today. In this powerful and evocative memorial book the author traces the footballing and military careers of these talented men who sacrificed all for King and Country.

During the First World War many sportsmen exchanged their sports field for the battlefield, switched their equipment for firearms. Here acclaimed author and screenwriter Nigel McCrery investigates over forty Oxbridge rowers all of whom put down their oars and gave their lives for their country. Complete with individual portraits, these brave men are remembered vividly in this poignant work and, together with a new memorial to be unveiled at the 2017 Boat Race, there is no more fitting tribute to these men who made the ultimate sacrifice.

Specializing in covert reconnaissance, counter-terrorism and hostage rescue, the SAS is one of the world's most famous, feared and respected elite fighting forces. This book tells the full, fascinating story of the regiment, from formation in the sand dunes of Africa during World War II to present action in the Middle East, and incorporates jungle, desert and urban warfare, counter-terrorism and an insider's view at the selection and training methods employed by this usually secretive unit. As well as an insightful foreword by Andy McNab – one of the most famous members of the SAS – this revised, updated edition includes completely new chapters, features and information, including Key Missions in WWII, The Battle of Mirbat, Iranian Embassy Siege, Kenyan Hotel Rescue and Victoria Cross Awards.

In this chilling thriller from the creator of the hit BBC drama Silent Witness DCI Mark Lapslie is singled-out by a twisted killer. Perfect for fans of M.J. Arlidge and Angela Marsons. You will never have felt pain like it in your life. I want you to know ... there's nothing you can do to stop it - nothing you can tell me, nothing you can offer me... A woman screams in pain. Twenty-seven times, until she dies. The sound file was sent to DCI Mark Lapslie from an anonymous email address. Why is she screaming? Why would someone record that horrifying noise? And why send it to him? He soon learns that the file was sent from the hospital where he is being treated for synaesthesia - a neurological condition that cross-wires his senses so he tastes sound - and where his new girlfriend works. When a body is discovered, the most shocking murder scene Lapslie has ever encountered forces him to realise there is a violent killer out there, a killer whose method of choice is torture. Will Lapslie find the killer? Who will have to die before he does? Discover the other books in the DCI Mark Lapslie series: Core of Evil, Tooth and Claw, Thirteenth Coffin and Flesh and Blood.

A visceral thriller from the creator of the hit BBC drama Silent Witness, introducing synaesthetic detective DCI Mark Lapslie. I've looked into the eyes of women who have banged nine-inch nails into the skulls of their victims with hammers ... we evaluate them, trying to determine whether they have actually changed, or whether there's still a core of evil within them... Before his diagnosis, DCI Mark Lapslie thought everyone was like him. Now he knows he suffers from synaethesthesia - a rare neurological condition that has cross-wired his senses. The sickening clamour of sounds he can taste has smothered his marriage and stifled his career. At the scene of a fatal traffic accident, Lapslie's interest isn't in the recently deceased driver, rather the desiccated corpse found lying next to him. Something about the body stirs a fleeting recollection at the back of Lapslie's mind... he can't quite put his finger on it, but he can almost taste it... Memories haunt Violet Chambers. Taking tea with her friend Daisy, she knows it's time to move on. As Daisy falls to the floor, eyes streaming, face burning, Violet calmly waits. Black hellebore is remarkably potent. It won't be long now. Discover the other books in the DCI Mark Lapslie series: Tooth and Claw, Scream, Thirteenth Coffin and Flesh and Blood.

From the creator of BBC drama Silent Witness, comes the gripping sixth instalment in the acclaimed DCI Mark Lapslie series. When Isabel, a British university student, travels to a remote Spanish town it isn't only to enjoy the atmosphere. It's also to trace how and why her family name might have derived from the town, a quest her father, Sebastian made nine years ago, not long before his death in a car accident. But as Isabel, aided by local guide Mauricio, starts digging into her family's possible links with Alarcon, she's unprepared for the dark secrets uncovered; secrets that the current ruling nobility of Alarcon are keen to keep buried. Ten days into her stay in Alarcon, Isabel mysteriously disappears, presumed dead. Inspector Mark Lapslie and DC Emma Bradbury are sent out to investigate alongside the local Spanish police. A possible gangland link is suspected - Isabel's stepfather in Valencia is a retired British gangster and a mob-hitman from Malaga is identified in Alarcon at the time of Isabel's disappearance. But Mauricio, suspects the Mayor's son, Dario, is the real culprit - to uncover the truth, Lapslie and Bradbury must delve into the murky, chequered past of Isabel's gangland stepfather while also following in her footsteps through Alarcon's dark and tempestuous history.

After the terrible losses of The Great War, twenty years later the Second World War resulted in the death of some of the finest sporting icons. This book honours the ninety international rugby players who lost their lives. Fifteen were Scottish, fourteen English, eleven Welsh and eight Irish. Australia and New Zealand suffered with ten and two internationals killed respectively and France eight. Germany topped the list with nineteen. In the same way that the Authors best-selling Into Touch remembered the 130 Internationals lost in the First World War, Final Scrum gives an individual biography of each of the ninety with their international and club playing record as well as their backgrounds, details of their military careers and circumstances of their death. We learn where they are buried or commemorated together with at least one photograph of each player. Rugby enthusiasts will find this book a fascinating and moving record of the sacrifice of the finest young men of their generation who fought in the second worldwide conflict of the 20th Century.

A crime scene. A murder. A mystery. The most important person on the scene? The forensic scientist. And yet the intricate details of their work remains a mystery to most of us. Silent Witnesses looks at the history of forensic science over the last two centuries, during which time a combination of remarkable intuition, painstaking observation and leaps in scientific knowledge have developed this fascinating branch of detection. Throwing open the casebook, it introduces us to such luminaries as 'The Wizard of Berkeley' Edward Heinrich, who is credited with having solved over 2000 crimes, and Alphonse Bertillon, the French scientist whose guiding principle 'no two individuals share the same characteristics' became the core of identification. Along the way, it takes us to India and Australia, Columbia and China, Russia, France, Germany, Spain and Italy. And it proves that, in order to solve ever more complicated cases, science must always stay one step ahead of the killer.

From the creator of the hit BBC drama Silent Witness, comes the gripping second instalment in the acclaimed Mark Lapslie series, sees the DCI come under attack from all sides. Perfect for fans of M.J. Arlidge and Angela Marsons. By now he had knifed, strangled, blown up, drowned, bludgeoned and tortured ten people. Ten people that he had never even met, and had no knowledge of... Carl Whittley is seemingly a murderer without a motive. He's just tortured a beautiful, young TV presenter to death and now he's planning to blow an anonymous commuter to pieces. Who will be next? What is the motive behind the attacks? And how will he strike? DCI Mark Lapslie needs something to do. He suffers from a rare neurological condition that has forced him to leave his family and avoid the police station. For his superiors, he is nothing but a nuisance to be avoided - and the spate of unconnected murders is just what they need to send him into retirement. Carl wants every death to be different. More violent, bizarre and shocking. But as Lapslie gets on the scent and the force brings in a profiler, Carl makes a new plan. He hasn't killed a policeman yet . . . Discover the other books in the DCI Mark Lapslie series: Core of Evil, Scream, Thirteenth Coffin and Flesh and Blood.

The truth was buried along with their bodies . . . until now. FROM THE CREATOR OF BBC DRAMA SILENT WITNESS, COMES A GRIPPING AND SINISTER THRILLER THAT WILL HAVE YOU ON THE EDGE OF YOUR SEAT. During the murder investigation of a teenage boy, DCI Mark Lapslie's methods come under fire and, as a result, his prime suspect walks free. Meanwhile another body is discovered and Lapslie and his team quickly find themselves on the trail of a voracious serial killer. One year earlier, dedicated young journalist, Josie Dallyn stumbles over a chain of very similar cases. Whilst she is digging deeper and deeper into the truth behind the mysterious deaths, she is getting herself into more danger than she could have ever anticipated and her life is being threatened by some very dark forces. Perfect for fans of Angela Marsons and MJ Arlidge. *********** SEE WHAT EVERYONE IS SAYING ABOUT NIGEL MCCRERY AND THE DCI MARK LAPSLIE SERIES: 'DCI Mark Lapslie is Nigel's finest creation . . . Immaculately constructed and beautifully observed' Daily Mail 'What a brilliant book. I thoroughly enjoyed every part of this book, an interesting start and an ending to end all endings' Amazon Reviewer 'Had me gripped from start to finish' Amazon Reviewer 'Not for the feint hearted' Amazon Reviewer 'There is no way I'd ever have guessed who the killer was' Amazon Reviewer 'Highly original . . . one of the best crime fiction books of the year' Amazon Reviewer 'Gripping' Daily Mirror 'Perfect holiday book for all crime lovers out there!' Amazon Reviewer 'One you won't want to put down. My first Nigel McCrery book, but won't be my last. Highly recommended, but not for the feint hearted' Amazon Reviewer 'First time reader of this author and this book was outstanding' Amazon Reviewer 'A wonderful story. Beautifully crafted' Amazon Reviewer 'One of the most memorable monsters in modern crime fiction' Daily Express

A heart-stopping delve into the twisted mind of a serial killer from the creator of the hit BBC drama Silent Witness. Perfect for fans of M.J. Arlidge and Angela Marsons. Stretching along the shelf, standing upright, were twelve wooden coffins. Nine were closed, and three open . . . with little dolls standing inside them . . . It was supposed to be the most special day of her life - until the unthinkable happened. Leslie Petersen is shot dead on her wedding day. With the bride's killer vanished without a trace, the investigation into the murder grinds to a halt before it's even begun. But then, the decomposing body of an unidentified homeless man is found in an old Cold War bunker, and DCI Mark Lapslie makes a bizarre discovery. Hidden near the body is a shrine full of miniature wooden coffins. Each coffin contains a little doll, all dressed differently. One of the dolls is dressed as a bride - could this be a link to Leslie's murder? And if so, who do the other dolls represent? Can Lapslie and his team stop the countdown of the 'dying dolls' before it's too late? Discover the other books in the DCI Mark Lapslie series: Core of Evil, Tooth and Claw, Scream and Flesh and Blood.

Over 60,000,000 people died worldwide during the course of the Second World War and, in contrast to those slaughtered in The Great War, it was civilian populations that bore the brunt. They perished in the Holocaust, in internment camps, in bombed towns and cities and as collateral damage', in war zones, such as the Eastern Front and in Asia. Among this carnage were hundred of individuals of all nations who had competed in Olympic Games. Imagine the loss of so many of the world's greatest sportsmen and women of the present era. The author has painstakingly researched the lives, achievements and circumstances of death of almost five hundred athletes of the period. While many were household names at the time, this exceptional work honours these fallen Olympians and reminds us of the futility and wastefulness of war.