Anthony Burgess said that the virtue of historical fiction is its vice - the flatfooted affirmation of possibility as fact. It is possible that Shakespeare met Marlowe, as he does in Sure Uncertainty. It is possible that Marlowe's untimely death caused some of his unpublished plays to end up in the hands of Shakespeare. And it is true, strangely, that William Shakespeare and Christopher Marlowe were born on exactly the same date. Is this a coincidence, or the reason why Will Shakespeare wants to avenge the murder of Kit and prevent Marlowe's godson from becoming involved in Catesby's plot to blow up Parliament? And yet, if the brutal killing of Marlowe was twelve years before the Gunpowder Plot, how else are these two incidents linked?

Guardsman Jonjo Thompson, a foot soldier in the early days of war, finds himself behind enemy lines, with no support, little resources and on a mission so secret that even he won't find out what it is until he's the last man standing. This is not just a story of heroism. It is a tribute to the innocent tractability and selfless courage of the ordinary soldier. Unexceptional men, made otherwise by exceptional circumstances. Churchill said: "Never give in; never, never, never." This is the story of what happens when courageous men decide not to give in.

It's the world's oldest secret...... ...and the world is about to find out Covenant of Silence

An old friend of the Daly family is murdered in a crowded Romford betting shop and yet there are no witnesses. The police are convinced that this is a vigilante killing of a paedophile and the only way to prove them wrong is for Jack Daly to find out who killed Bernie Woolaston and why. The cold-blooded murder triggers a chain of events that takes Jack back to the east end of London - back to that perilous world where his life could be in danger if the wrong person finds out who he really is. Not everybody is who they seem in this fifth book in the Jack Daly series and, in a bloody and taunt ending, Jack comes face-to-face with his past. Deathbed Confessions is Peter Larner's most popular novel and followers of the Jack Daly series of mysteries have waited eight years for the sequel. If you liked Deathbed Confessions, then you will love Deathbed Betrayal.

It's the world's oldest secret....... ...., and the world is about to find out Covenant of Silence David Hallet is awaiting trial for the murder of Nelson Kosoto, who is suspected of killing Hallet's daughter. He clearly had a motive and his DNA was found at the crime scene, a house that Hallet denies ever visiting. He has no alibi but the murder weapon has never been found. The murder squad and the CPS are confident of a conviction until H division arrests someone else for the same murder. The case against Hallet is collapsing and forensic officer Cally Boyce is suspected of planting DNA evidence. Cally's boyfriend, Tyler Watson, is a brilliantly talented molecular biologist. His own work begins to cast doubt on the reliability of the DNA evidence as a dark, underlying conspiracy begins to reveal itself. Cally is convinced of David Hallet's innocence and that, in Leroy Livingstone, H division has the real killer. But, just when a confession by Livingstone secures the release of the original prime suspect, Cally begins to doubt her own judgement. A chance telephone call leads to a meeting with a member of Livingstone's gang, who convinces her that Hallet may, indeed, be the killer. Meanwhile, Tyler's own work with DNA is in danger of undermining Cally's investigation, but it is leading him towards a dark secret, hidden in the depths of time. It's the world's oldest secret - and the world is about to find out. Can Cally and Tyler break the Covenant of Silence?

A bombing in London kills fourteen people. Detective Inspector Ashley Bertoni survives but faces early retirement. His forensic officer, Cally Boyce, loses everything in the explosion - her partner and only love, Tyler, her best friend, Galen and her memory. Cally saw the bomber, but global amnesia prevents her from remembering anything leading up to, or since, the explosion. Special Branch suspect animal rights activists of the attack, but Bertoni is convinced it is connected to experiments Tyler had been conducting into the recurrence of identical DNA. This evidence could reveal a secret shrouded by a vow of silence and buried since the beginning of time. To escape the nightmare, Cally knows that the vow of silence has to be broken and retribution must follow. It is the oldest secret in the world...and the world is about to find out.

The Covenant Chronicles fuses Covenant of Silence and Covenant of Retribution into a single, chronologic story in three exciting parts. This new edition will appeal to both new readers and those who have already enjoyed either or both of the books. Part I - The Covenant of Stema assembles the historic chapters of the original book, beginning in 500 BC and lays the foundation for a pulsating mystery set in the present day. Part II - The Covenant of Silence - opens with a double murder and introduces forensic police officer Cally Boyce, who sets out to solve the murders but uncovers a religious sect that will stop at nothing to protect a secret dating back to the beginning of time. Part III - The Covenant of Retribution -- continues the story from the explosive outcome of Part II and lead the investigation to the Middle East in search of the truth. As the covenant of silence is unravels, an ancient manuscript and a sixth century bible provides clues to the solution. Time is running out, but when the silence ends, retribution can begin.

For the first time, the first three books in the Jack Daly crime thriller series are available in one volume. Lost in a hurricane finds Jack in a web of political intrigue as he joins a strange group of seemingly mad scientists intent on contolling the weather. Deathbed Confessions tells the story of two runaway brothers whose arrival in London erupts in violence. When their story resurfaces forty years later, Jack needs to discover what his late mother's involvement was. And, finally, the Unfolding Path, becomes personal as Jack faces his worst nightmare. When faced with a man who has nothing to lose Jack's Italian wife Ludo decides the only person to send is a man who has everything to lose.

It is only when our unsuspecting hero falls victim to a pernicious act of revenge that Jack Daly realises just how many enemies he has. The mercenary betrayal by work colleagues, the looming birth of his second child and a prophetic warning only serve to frustrate Jack and Italian wife Ludo as their holiday in Sorrento becomes a nightmare that all parents dread. A single, hateful, act of revenge threatens to wreck their marriage and take away their most prized gift, their 3-year-old son Giacomo. Just how many suspects can there be for such a detestable crime? Perhaps more than Jack and the team can handle. In this third Jack Daly mystery, the hesitant hero becomes immersed in the shadowy world of child abduction. As Editor of the specialist magazine Taken he is used to reporting on the disappearance of children to a voyeuristic public. So how will he cope when his day job becomes a dark reality? A man who has nothing to lose is a dangerous man. The only person to send against a man who has nothing to lose, is a man who has everything to lose. So who is to be sent on such a mission? Jack's lifelong friend and SAS officer Tonka Thompson who is facing a Court Martial hearing, or Ludo's artisan Mafia-linked brother Sebastiano? Or is our vacillate hero, the stoical but unremitting Jack, about to face his severest test alone? In spite of the subject matter, this taught thriller is still laced with the subtle observational humour which has become the distinguishing feature of previous Jack Daly adventures Lost in a hurricane and Deathbed Confessions. About the author: Peter Larner lives in Upminster and is a Company Director whose specialist subject is the Romantic poet John Keats. In his professional career Peter is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Transport and often speaks on the subject of road safety. But he draws on none of these experiences in the Jack Daly series of books. He describes himself as a story teller, rather than an author. One press review of Deathbed Confessions described the book as: 'Highly recommended', 'a cracker', and said it was 'begging to be adapted for TV'. Lost in a hurricane reached the top 100 in the Fiction/Humour section of the Amazon.co.uk Best Sellers list in October 2010.

Extreme weather conditions are the result of: A. Global warming B. Mother Nature C. El Nino D. A global conspiracy by the world's major powers to gain control of the weather. The answer is (D) and it's Jack Daly's job to ensure it remains a secret. But can he do that whilst A. Nursing a mother who is suffering from Alzheimer's disease B. Maintaining a relationship with his feisty Italian girlfriend. C. Creating bizarre tabloid stories under the guise of being a script writer for the TV weather readers. D. Avoiding a murder charge. There are no lifelines available to readers of this book. But you can discover how Jack solves the mystery by: A. Reading the book. B. Skimming the book and missing the best parts. C. Taking the author's mates Laurie and Graham down the pub and asking them. D. Stumbling upon the one true clue hidden at the centre of this mystery.