Search Results for: true story

Disease is the true serial killer of human history: the horrors of bubonic plague, cholera, syphilis, smallpox, tuberculosis and the like have claimed more lives and caused more misery than the depredations of warfare, famine and natural disasters combined.

Murderous Contagion tells the compelling and at times unbearably moving story of the devastating impact of diseases on humankind – from the Black Death of the 14th century to the Spanish flu of 1918-19 and the AIDS epidemic of the modern era. In this book Mary Dobson also relates the endeavours of physicians and scientists to understand and identify the causes of diseases and find ways of preventing them.

This is a timely and revelatory work of popular history by a writer whose knowledge of, and enthusiasm for, her subject shines through her every word.

A major source for the BBC drama The Reckoning


Winner of the 2015 Gordon Burn Prize and the 2015 CWA Non-Fiction Dagger


Shortlisted for the Orwell Prize and the James Tait Black Prize


‘An astonishing account’ Observer


‘A compulsive, colourful and chilling read’ Sunday Times


‘An extraordinary book’ Mail on Sunday


Dan Davies spent more than a decade on a quest to find the real Jimmy Savile, and interviewed him extensively over a period of six years before his death. Dan also interviewed scores of people, many of them unobtainable while Savile was alive.


Jimmy Savile was cynical, calculating and predatory. He revelled in his status as a Pied Piper of youth and used his power to abuse the vulnerable and underage, all the while covering his tracks by moving into the innermost circles of the establishment.


IN PLAIN SIGHT is a devastating and definitive account of a national figure turned national disgrace.

An autobiography from golf’s freshest, most individual voice

Ian Poulter is one of golf’s most charismatic figures, with an appeal extending way beyond his sport. Here he tells his inspirational story, from his early rejection as an Spurs youth player, right through to his match-winning contributions to successive European Ryder Cup Triumphs.

Poulter went from an Assistant Professional staffing the club shop to a global superstar, turning pro when he still had a handicap of 4 but the drive and self-belief to make it to the top.

His infectious optimism, will power and flair have ensured he remains one of the biggest names on the tour. As well as insights into the crucial moments in his career, and the life of a professional golfer, he talks about his passions outside the game, including his own riotous brand of clothing. Just as Poulter’s appearance on the scene came as a refreshing antidote to a sport that was staid and stuffy, so his own book is as forthright and passionate as Poults himself.

An astonishing true story of mountaineering survival

On 5 January 2003, former Special Forces soldier Ken Jones was caught in a devastating avalanche as he climbed in the frozen wilderness of Romania’s Transylvanian Alps. Flung from a cliff, he regained consciousness to find himself shrouded in darkness, separated from his supplies, suffering from overexposure in the sub zero-temperatures and in horrendous pain from a broken leg and shattered pelvis. Heavily frostbitten and bleeding internally, Ken dragged himself to safety over three agonizing days only to discover that his true ordeal had yet to begin.

His account of life saving surgery and his battle to walk again is a classic tale of triumph over adversity and what it means to never give up. Heart stopping and inspiring to the very last page, Ken Jones’s story of endurance and survival is an unforgettable testament to the strength of the human spirit.

It is the night of 28 March 1942. Royal Navy and British commandos are poised to assault the German-held port of Saint-Nazaire in what will be one of the most audacious and daring raids of the Second World War. The plan is simple: to drive an old destroyer, packed with three tons of explosive, at full speed into the outer gate of the Normandie dock. The aim is to destroy the base from which the formidable battleship Tirpitz would be able to devastate the convoys supplying Britain from the United States.  ‘Operation Chariot’ was to be dramatically successful, but at a great cost. Fewer than half the men who went on the mission returned. In recognition of their valour, eighty-nine decorations were awarded, including five Victoria Crosses. 

Into the Jaws of Death is the true story of how the decisive courage of a small group of men changed the course of the war.

The Sunday Times No.1 bestseller.

‘Sixty special forces against 100,000 – a feat of British arms to take the breath away’ Frederick Forsyth.

They were branded as cowards and accused of being the British Special Forces Squadron that ran away from the Iraqis. But nothing could be further from the truth. Ten years on, the story of these sixty men can finally be told.

In March 2003 M Squadron – an SBS unit with SAS embeds – was sent 1,000 kilometres behind enemy lines on a true mission impossible, to take the surrender of the 100,000-strong Iraqi Army 5th Corps. From the very start their tasking earned the nickname ‘Operation No Return’.

Caught in a ferocious ambush by thousands of die-hard fanatics from Saddam Hussein’s Fedayeen, plus the awesome firepower of the 5th Corps’ heavy armour, and with eight of their vehicles bogged in Iraqi swamps, M Squadron launched a desperate bid to escape, inflicting massive damage on their enemies. Running low on fuel and ammunition, outnumbered, outmanoeuvred and outgunned, the elite operators destroyed sensitive kit and prepared for death or capture as the Iraqis closed their deadly trap.

Zero Six Bravo recounts in vivid and compelling detail the most desperate battle fought by British and allied Special Forces trapped behind enemy lines since World War Two. It is a classic account of elite soldiering that ranks with Bravo Two Zero and the very greatest Special Forces missions of our time.

Since the beginning of time mankind has struggled with the big questions surrounding our existence. Whilst most people have heard of Socrates, Machiavelli and Nietzsche, many are less clear on their theories and key concepts.

In The Great Philosophers, bestselling author Stephen Law condenses and deciphers their fundamental ideas. Avoiding the technical jargon and complex logic associated with most books on philosophy, Law brings the thoughts of these great thinkers, from Confucius and Buddha to Wittgenstein and Sartre, to life.

From Charlaine Harris, no. 1 bestselling creator of Sookie Stackhouse, and Christopher Golden, bestselling co-creator of Baltimore, comes the riveting sequel to the graphic novel Cemetery Girl.

She calls herself Calexa Rose Dunhill. She has been living – hiding out – in Dunhill Cemetery ever since someone left her there to die. She has no idea who wants her dead or why, but she isn’t about to hand around for her would-be-killer to finish the job.

Despite her self-imposed isolation among the deceased, Calexa’s ability to see spirits and the memories she receives from them guarantees she’ll never be alone. The only living people she interacts with are Kelner, the cemetery’s cantankerous caretaker, and Lucinda Cameron, an elderly woman who lives in an old Victorian house across the street. With their friendship, Calexa has regained a link to the world beyond tombstones and mausoleums.

Until the night she witnesses a murder that shatters her life: a life now under a police microscope, as their investigation threatens to uncover Calexa’s true identity . . .

‘Cemetery Girl has a power all of its own’ – Fantasy Book Review

This is the incredible true story of the unbreakable bond forged between Treo, the world’s most highly decorated dog, and his handler Sgt. Dave Heyhoe

When Dave Heyhoe was sent to Afghanistan to help detect the Taliban’s murderous roadside bombs, he knew he’d need a special dog by his side. Luckily for him, his closest pal Treo, a staggeringly brave ball of energy and mischief was with him every step of the way.

The two friends had a miraculous understanding that helped them save countless lives but, as they embarked on a roller-coaster emotional ride, Dave realized he needed Treo more than he could ever have imagined.

Tear-jerkingly sad one moment, laugh-out-loud hilarious the next, It’s All About Treo is a moving and uplifting story that will melt the hearts of animal lovers everywhere.

A brand new graphic novel series by Charlaine Harris, no. 1 bestselling creator of Sookie Stackhouse, and Christopher Golden, bestselling co-creator of Baltimore.

Calexa Rose Dunhill was just fourteen when she woke in a cemetery. Bruised, bloody and left for dead, with no memory of her previous life, she took a new name from the headstones that surrounded her.

Now, three years on, Calexa still lives in Dunhill Cemetery, struggling with the desire to know her true identity – and the all-consuming fear of what she might discover when she does.

Then, when she witnesses a gang of teenagers staging a stunt that goes horribly, fatally wrong, Calexa Rose Dunhill discovers she has a unique ability. One she cannot control . . .

‘Cemetery Girl has a power all of its own’ – Fantasy Book Review

The best political biography of the year’ Jonathan Sumption, Spectator
‘Wonderful . . . A Life so nearly complete it need never be written again’ Ferdinand Mount, Times Literary Supplement
By the author of the Orwell Prize-winning Citizen Clem

Damned in coruscating verse by Shelley and Byron, his coffin hissed at during his funeral, Lord Castlereagh has one of the blackest reputations in British history. But as John Bew shows, this is but a half-drawn portrait. His gripping biography reveals a shy, inarticulate but passionate man; a towering political figure of implacable principles who redrew the map of Europe, fought a duel with a cabinet colleague and would tragically take his own life amid rumours of scandal and madness.