-
Lost Men
I finally decided I had to get out of London after my mother-in-law walked in on me wanking. It was four days after Jane's memorial service, and Debbie had stayed on in the house because she wanted to be near her daughter's things a while longer... She rushed back out with a loud cry; I followed shortly (after I'd pulled up my tracksuit bottoms) and found her in her room where all I could think to say was to make clear that I had been looking solely at pictures of Jane. Which was true.' Each of the stories in Lost Men encounters its characters at moments when they are floundering, some in the wake of crisis, others on the verge of major discovery. Each one asks in a different situation - what do people seek when they are utterly lost? Clever, dark, absurd and poignant, but always irreverently funny, Chakraborti is an original storyteller with a quietly assured voice.
-
Island of A Thousand Mirrors
Below me the island glistens verdant green. I imagine what it holds. Such things of horror and exhilaration as are seldom gathered together I turn my head from the window as fear and liberation beat in equal measures through my bloodstream. Straddling opposite sides of the long and brutal civil war in Sri Lanka, two girls one Sinhala, the other Tamil navigate their histories, sibling rivalries and adolescent heartbreaks, the burdens of exile and belonging, and the harsh demands of survival.Written in stirring prose that evokes the beauty of the island country and the bloodshed that has destroyed it, Nayomi Munaweeras debut novel is a haunting tale of lives distorted by terrible violence.
-
Impeachment
Her strong sense of self reduced by an overpowering love-sickness that she can do little to contain, Avidha finds her commitment to the cause beginning to thin. After all the Bhopal gas tragedy is no longer news. The dwindling band of her activist-friends – journalists, lawyers and NGO members - with whom she has been fighting the Supreme Court verdict effectively nullifying Union Carbide’s legal and moral responsibility towards the gas-leak survivors, have their own problems and different thresholds for compromise. Impeachment is an insightful portrayal of the complex power dynamics between the representatives of the Indian legal system, the educated liberal classes who lent support to the survivors of Bhopal, and those same victims – who do not have the financial means or the legal knowledge to defend themselves.
-
The Edge Of Desire
When journalist Shruti Ranjan, newly-wed wife of the Deputy Commissioner of Kishanganj in the lawless Bihar of the 1990s is brutally raped by a ‘politically sheltered local goon’ all of her attempts at getting justice are crushed by a corrupt and complicit state government. That’s when the charismatic Sharad Malviya, a leading member of the Opposition party, offers her an unlikely solution: his party’s ticket to contest the Lok Sabha elections. Left with little to choose from, Shruti agrees, only to realize that being catapulted to an enviable position of power in an all-man’s world comes at a price. Caught between her mentor and her spouse – both upright but ultimately flawed men – and a host of envious others who continue to cast aspersions on her character, she struggles to address the larger problems of the country. Taunted for being a ‘Draupadi’ she makes the curse her identity and resolutely fights her fate…
-
Flame: The Story of My Mother Shahnaz Husain
‘This is the story of my mother who was born a flame; a flame so bright that not all the flood waters of the world could douse a single spark…’ Universally recognized as much for her flaming tresses and her inimitable style as for her stupendous and sustained global entrepreneurial success, Shahnaz Husain is a legend in the world of cosmetology and pioneering Ayurvedic beauty treatments. Starting with a small beauty clinic in the veranda of her home set up with the help of her devoted husband and daughter, Shahnaz Herbals employs over 1800 people today, with exports to sixty countries and a range of over 250 high-selling products. Born into an aristocratic family, Shahnaz is seen as never before through her childhood, her adolescence and the charmed years of her early married life. In this warm and affectionate biography, shot through with vividly-remembered anecdotes of her vivacious mother’s years of struggle and the close-knit family life they all shared, her daughter, Nelofar Currimbhoy, provides a fascinating insight into the personal and professional life of this remarkable woman. Beautifully recreating the incredible ups and the inevitable downs of her mother’s extraordinary life, knowing her as only a daughter can, Nelofar Currimbhoy has infused her writing of this amazing journey with something of that special Shahnaz Husain spirit.
-
Carte Blanche 007: The New James Bond Novel
""The face of war is changing." "The other side doesn't play by the rules much anymore." "There's thinking, in some circles, " "that we need to play by a different set of rules too ..."" " " James Bond, in his early thirties and already a veteran of the Afghan war, has been recruited to a new organization. Conceived in the post-9/11 world, it operates independent of MI5, MI6 and the Ministry of Defense, its very existence deniable. Its aim: To protect the Realm, by any means necessary. A Night Action alert calls James Bond away from dinner with a beautiful woman. Headquarters has decrypted an electronic whisper about an attack scheduled for later in the week: "Casualties estimated in the thousands, British interests adversely affected." And Agent 007 has been given "carte blanche" to do whatever it takes to fulfill his mission . . . The new thriller by Master of the Mind Game JEFFERY DEAVER featuring JAMES BOND as you've never seen him before.
-
Calico Joe
Thirty years have passed since eleven-year-old Paul Tracy watched his troubled father, Warren, a pitcher for the New York Mets, clash with his childhood hero, the Cubs' golden-boy Joe Castle, in a contest from which no winners emerged. Now the news that his father is dying brings the memory of that day flooding back. Deciding that it's time to face up to what really happened on that baseball field in 1973, father and son make their way to Calico Rock, Arkansas, where either redemption or rejection awaits them. About the Author John Grisham has written twenty previous novels including the YA series of Theodore Boone, a collection of stories and The Litigators. Ford County, and one work of nonfiction, The Innocent Man. He lives in Virginia and Mississippi.
-
The Map
London, 1953. Classics scholar August Woodthorpe, son of a prominent American politician, has stumbled upon an extraordinary artefact: an ancient book - a chronicle - that once belonged to an infamous alchemist burned at the stake in 1646. Within the ancient text is a map - an intricate, ingeniously designed labyrinth that will lead August on a spectacular journey to three mazes secreted within France, Spain, and Germany. And at the heart of one of these mazes is hidden the elixir of eternal life. But Western Europe is still reeling from the shock of war, and if he's to survive his perilous quest, August must translate ancient codes, decipher deadly riddles, and expose a mystical secret three hundred years old - even as he outwits Spanish militants and German spies.
-
Buried Secrets
Nick Heller returns in an explosive new thriller. When PI Nick Heller moves back to Boston to set up his own agency, he soon gets an urgent case even closer to home than expected. Alexandra Marcus - teenage daughter of hedge fund titan Marshall Marcus - has been kidnapped. But it's no ordinary kidnapping - and it's not even clear what they want. She's been abducted by professionals and buried alive in an underground casket. A video camera is streaming her desperate pleas live over the internet. With only a limited supply of food and water, her time is quickly running out. A close friend of the family, Nick is more determined than ever to catch the perpetrators. But when Marshall is arrested for fraud, Nick uncovers some powerful enemies and a conspiracy that reaches up to the very highest levels of government. Faced with opponents wellprotected by wealth and position, Nick must play a dangerous game if he hopes to flush out those responsible before Alexa is buried for good.
-
Lenobia's Vow
Before becoming Zoey's favourite professor and the House of Night's powerful horse mistress, Lenobia was just a normal 16-year-old girl - but with enough problems to last a lifetime. In 1788, Lenobia's father places her on a ship bound for New Orleans. An evil bishop, skilled in Dark magic, makes the same journey. His appetite for beautiful young women forces Lenobia to remain hidden, but she secretly visits the ship's stables, where a handsome young man and his horses capture her attention. Can they make it to the New World before the bishop discovers her true identity and a powerful evil breaks loose? And will Lenobia follow her heart, even if it puts lives at risk?
-
Cat and Mouse
A murderer named Gary Soneji patiently waits in the basement of Alex Cross's home in Washington. He has come to kill Cross and his family. That's just the beginning of the greatest page-turner in years. Two mind-numbing killers -- one operating up and down the East Coast of America, one in Europe -- believe Cross is their only worthy opponent. They dare to ask the ultimate question: Is Alex Cross about to die? You won't put CAT & MOUSE down until the question is answered. Alex Cross is back -- with a cast of characters more sinister and deadly than ever. Gary Soneji, a dying prison escapee, is looking for revenge on Cross, while another insane killer is pursued by Thomas Augustine Pierce -- a brilliant and relentless detective who may even be better than Cross. As the bodies pile up, and Cross is nearly murdered in his own home, the game of cat and mouse leads to one final trap...and it's anyone's guess who will survive.
-
The Boss is NOT Your Friend
A Handbook For Indian Managers To Survive All Things Organizational Appalled by the latest Radia revelations about your corporate heroes? Sick of the ‘nurturing talent like tiny plants' spiel doled out by most management manuals? Wondering why they never acknowledge the ugly truth about success: that the trick is either to use your cunning and flattery to rise to the ranks of those who lay down the rules, or at least learn how to massage the egos of the rule makers? Here finally is a candid, hands-on guide to surviving in the Indian corporate world, complete with a questionnaire to help you identify the particular malevolent subspecies your boss can be classified under. Designed as a handbook for the Indian executive to survive and prosper, the wisdom it contains is pertinent – if not very nice. About the Author Vijay Nair wears the diverse and multiple hats of Organization Coach and Consultant, Fiction Writer/ Critic, Columnist and Theatre Director. He has a Postgraduate Diploma in Personnel Management and Industrial Relations from XLRI, Jamshedpur. In 2004, Vijay was awarded the British Council Charles Wallace Award and was the Writer in Residence at the University of Kent, Canterbury from January to March 2005. In 2006, Vijay's first novel Master of Life Skills was published by HarperCollins India. In 2007, he was sponsored by the US State Department to attend the International Writers Program hosted by the University of Iowa. He was also the writer in residence at City of Asylum, Pittsburgh in the same year. Vijay has just completed his second novel, The Colour of Kurinji.
-
Mumbai Roller Coaster
You Tug Too Long At A Tiny Thread, And Your Whole World Might Unravel. Everything had been going swimmingly for Rahul and Zeenat. OK, so they had to hide their relationship from disapproving parents, and could only meet at specified times up in that abandoned building. But at least they saw each other regularly, which is saying a lot here in Mumbai, where privacy can be a priceless commodity. Until Rahul went and spoiled it all by saying something stupid like—I found a body. And adding, I think I know who did it, so let’s try and get him. As events unfold with unstoppable momentum, Rahul and Zeenat grow to recognize the reach and power of their adversary, and understand that the only help they can call upon is from a poor twelve-year-old boy, who would himself be in desperate trouble if his connection to them was ever revealed. Soon their families are in as much danger as they are. Under such pressure, it seems inevitable that they will also lose each other. Will Rahul and Zeenat be able to save anything they love? What is the true nature of the organization they have uncovered? And, just as importantly, what will they learn about themselves during the trials by fire that follow, as old loyalties shift, and there are as many temptations as threats. About the Author Rajorshi Chakraborti is the author of three previous novels—Or the Day Seizes You, Derangements and Balloonists. He was born in Kolkata in 1977, and grew up there and in Mumbai. Until recently, he was based in Scotland, where he taught Literature and Creative Writing at the University of Edinburgh. He now lives in Wellington, New Zealand
-
Steve Jobs
Steve Jobs: The Exclusive Biography In the early summer of 2004, I got a phone call from Steve Jobs. It turned out that he wanted me to write a biography of him. This is a book about the rollercoaster life and searingly intense personality of a creative entrepreneur whose passion for perfection and ferocious drive revolutionized six industries: personal computers, animated movies, music, phones, tablet computing, and digital publishing. You might even add a seventh: retail stores, which Jobs did not quite revolutionize, but he did reimagine. Plus, he opened the way for a new market for digital content based on apps. This is also, I hope, a book about innovation. Jobs stands as the ultimate icon of inventiveness, imagination, and sustained innovation. He knew that the best way to create value in the 21st century was to connect creativity with technology, so he built a company where leaps of the imagination were combined with remarkable feats of engineering - Walter Isaacson, from the Introduction of Steve Jobs. About the Author Walter Isaacson, the CEO of the Aspen Institute, has been chairman of CNN and the managing editor of Time magazine. He is the author of Benjamin Franklin: An American Life and of Kissinger: A Biography, and the coauthor of The Wise Men: Six Friends and the World They Made. He lives in Washington, D.C., with his wife and daughter.
-
The Litigators
The Partners at Finley & Figg - all two of them - often refer to themselves as "a boutique law firm." "Boutique," as in chic, selective and prosperous. They are, of course, none of these things. What they are is a two-bit operation always in search of their big break, ambulance chasers who've been in the trenches much too long making much too little. Their specialties, so to speak, are quickie divorces and DUIs, with the occasional jackpot of an actual car wreck thrown in. After twenty plus years together Oscar Finley and Wally Figg bicker like an old married couple, but somehow continue to scratch out a half- decent living from their seedy offices in southwest Chicago. And then change comes their way. More accurately, it stumbles in. David Zinc, a young but already burned-out attorney, walks out of his fast-track career at a fancy downtown firm, goes on a serious bender and finds himself literally at the doorstep of our "boutique firm". Once David sobers up and comes to grips with the fact that he's suddenly unemployed, any job - even one with Finley & Figg - looks OK to him. With their new junior partner on board, F&F are ready to tackle a really big case, a case that could make them rich without requiring them to actually practice much law. An extremely popular drug, Krayoxx , the no. 1 cholesterol reducer for the dangerously overweight, produced by Varrick Labs, a giant pharmaceutical company with annual sales of $25 billion, has recently come under fire as several patients taking it have suffered heart attacks. Wally smells money. A little online research confirms Wally's suspicions - a huge plaintiff's firm in Florida is putting together a class action suit against Varrick. All Finley & Figg have to do is find a handful of people who had a heart attack while taking Krayoxx, convince them to become clients, join the class action, and ride along to fame and fortune. With any luck, they won't even have to enter a courtroom! It almost seems too good to be true.
-
Faking it
Newly Returned Indian, Tara Malhotra, forced to quit her job as a finance expert and tamely follow her husband to Mumbai on a job promotion and transfer back from the States, hates every minute of it. She decides to bring some excitement into her new, bejewelled but empty, high-society life by indulging her taste for contemporary Indian art and setting up her own gallery. So when the charismatic Roy Jordan tells her about a recently-stumbled-upon work by the legendary artist Amrita Sher-Gil, she sets her heart