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If You Wake at Midnight
This is the story of the greatest scandal inflicted on British servicemen and women in modern times: drug-induced violence and suicide – and an officer determined to find the truth.
It was supposed to be a wonder drug that would save the world from malaria. But soon after Lariam was brought to international markets in the late 1980s, users of this handy, once-a-week pill began to experience shocking side-effects. Yet over the coming decades, as the drug became implicated in ever-increasing acts of unexplained violence, homicide and suicide, the Ministry of Defence continued to force Lariam on tens, or perhaps hundreds, of thousands of unsuspecting people deployed to some of the world’s most dangerous places.
Enduring years of Lariam-induced nightmares, former soldier Andrew Marriott realised something was horribly wrong; not just with the drug itself but with the institutions responsible for its use and safety. So began a journey towards the truth, a truth that vested interests in the United Kingdom and around the globe were determined to conceal.
In a unique exposé of an entirely preventable pharmaceutical disaster, Marriott turns a spotlight on the murky world of clandestine military and industrial research in the United States in which Lariam was developed. With other survivors, including some very courageous women, he undertakes a forensic examination of a scandal extending to the upper echelons of government and the armed forces. A culture of betrayal and dishonour had imperilled those defending our country to the most insidious and silent form of friendly fire.
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Imperfect Recollections
Welcome to the fascinating world of general medical practice in Australia.
This book is a collection of stories from the author’s rich and varied career spanning over 40 years.
During that time, he has been a country GP, delivering babies and doing anaesthetics, a retrieval doctor with the Royal Flying Doctor Service of Australia, worked in the emergency departments of various hospitals and followed his passion of motor sport medicine, especially internationally in the fields of Formula 1 and World Rallying.
The stories are both funny and poignantly sad. They are told in the style that invites the reader to sit down, share a glass of something with the author and tell a few tales, like old friends.
Many of us see ourselves or people we know in these pages… You may be right or you may be wrong, but then that would be telling! -
In Demand, in Command
A comprehensive, insightful and practical guide to transforming your customer value and costs of service. Great, you're in demand! You have a brilliant product, excellent services, and competitive pricing. But that only gets you a seat at the table. If you really want to stay ahead of the game and be in command of a modern, always-connected world, you need a winning digital customer experience strategy. In Demand, in Command is essential to anyone that considers the growth, allegiance, and advocacy of customers at lower operating costs as paramount. Increasingly, there is a need to stand out from the crowd and not be easily imitated by others. This book gives you immediate access to shrewd, insightful and comprehensible advice on customer strategy, digital optimisation and organisational transformation. Packed with thought-leading expertise, proven 'how to' techniques, and real-life experiences, it enables you to accelerate improvements in your customer insight, service performance, business margins and competitiveness. In Demand, in Command is as much about the people and processes that drive your desired business growth, as it is about digital technologies. Put simply - if you sell to, or serve the public in any shape or form, this book is a must for you.
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In My Father’s Arms
There is something peculiar about holding on to someone’s hands. Likewise, a hug or to be found in the arms of someone that means a lot to you is a feeling which is hard to express or utter into words. The feelings and emotions linger even when that hug or touch is over. The past is the past, so is the present or what might unfold in the future. That’s what we have been taught and may also teach others. In My Father’s Arms unfolds and looks at individuals’ perspectives of a father. It also unlocks the door of their past on those memories which they dearly cherished. Those memories are some of the building blocks for their current present, which might be unfolding while trying to navigate and adjust the foundation laid to present a lasting future. Remember that you are not alone, whatever your current circumstance may be, and whichever story may resonate with you when reading or listening to this book. May you be surrounded in this life’s journey by others who cherish not only your present story or your prospect future but also value your precious past.
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Infiniti
Like many other books, this book is about a journey. But unlike other books, the destination of the journey is the point where the parallel lines meet. The narrator is locked inside the book. The only way he can get out of it is by persuading one of the other characters in the book to finish off the writing process for him. But before he can do this, he has to make a journey.
On his travels, there are a number of waypoints where he must stop and collect materials which are pasted into the book. When the book is completed, he can leave the book by delivering it to the individual whom he will meet at the point where the parallel lines meet.
This journey, which is accomplished across his lifetime, takes him from the birth of Christ to the near future, with the author bending time by complex double time schemes, riddles and mathematical formulae. Every waypoint appears incredible at first, but we are in the world of weaving narrative into fiction but not fantasy. Every one of the waypoints is historical fact.
There is no trickery. The narrator does indeed take us to the point where the parallel lines meet. It had been staring at us in the face all along. -
Irish Fireworks
As a firefighter, confronting life and death scenarios is a daily reality. Trained to tackle the perils of fire from various perspectives, these brave individuals often encounter situations far more intense than the typical house fire, demanding not only courage but also quick thinking and ingenuity.
The O’Briens, a family of dedicated firefighters from Chicago, are well-versed in the risks of their profession. They embrace these hazards as part of their commitment to serving their community. However, beyond the flames, they sometimes find themselves entangled in unexpected predicaments, requiring them to adapt and tackle danger from new angles. Despite the challenges, they’ve consistently emerged from these ordeals a little scorched but always ready to respond to the next emergency.
Yet, it’s in the realm of personal relationships where the O’Briens encounter their greatest challenges. Matters of the heart prove to be the most perilous for this family of firefighters, testing their resilience and bravery in ways they never anticipated.
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Isaiah’s Mountain
May 1901. Jo stands alone, ready to meet her fate, as British soldiers come thundering up the dusty track of her farm. She has not raised a white flag, it is pointless; the British are burning homesteads to the ground. Choked by the acrid smell of farmlands and livestock, blazing in the valley, Jo struggles to find her voice and the words she needs to save her home.
A strange twist of events transports Jo back to a time when, as a young teacher in the tiny Karoo town of Kweek Valley, she was drawn into the troubled world of a boy named Lukas Bester. A time past when nothing was as simple as it seemed and the truth lay silent and festering beneath the surface of the pious community. A time when she was Joanna Shepherd, an entirely different person…
If she is to survive, Jo has to find the words which uncover the truth as she navigates her way through grief, betrayal and the violence of war.
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Jake the Crocodile
In today's society it is easy for adults and children alike to get swept up in social media expectations around what somebody should look like. It is also incredibly easy to jump to conclusions and make judgements about others.
Jake the Crocodile is about taking a step back to not only look at the outside of a person (or crocodile!) but what is on the inside.
It is more important than ever to teach our children to be empathic and Jake will form a special place in your child's heart so they stop and think about their judgements of other people and take the opportunity to see past external appearances to open a whole new world of opportunity for friendship.
Imagine a world where we didn't judge and people were valued for their individual characteristics. Jake will help your child see that there is beauty in everyone, if you just take the time to look.
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James Grant
This story of James Grant, his family and the class they belong to is not of our time. That class still exists and its prosperity is unabated. But its position in the American national psyche is greatly diminished, its glitter dulled by the passage of time – and a change in the mores of society as a whole. But I have written it because I believe the foibles of the human heart and its redeeming strengths possess a universality which overcomes the angst of changing times. I have set the stage in an unfamiliar time to mine. Whether my characters that stride upon that cluttered stage would remain credible in a stark, modern setting, I cannot judge. I had no one in particular in mind in devising them. They are as the ghosts that populate our dreams – a compendium of hints and reflections of those who have crossed our consciousness in the ill-remembered past.
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Joint Enterprise
On a winter’s night, in a grubby alleyway, in a northern town, Josh, a 17-year-old A Level student, is found stabbed to death.
The police investigation soon focuses on the four people who were in the alleyway with him that night – Josh’s girlfriend, Naomi and three members of a local gang, involved in drugs and violence.
The three gang members are charged but the police start to look more closely at Naomi. New evidence emerges which seems to point to Naomi.
Could Naomi be complicit with the gang? Is she a victim or a suspect? Or are the police looking in the wrong place? Soon her lawyers become Naomi’s only hope of a life beyond this nightmare.
An emotional exploration of the impact of a murder on family and friends combined with the roller coaster ride of twists and turns which make for a high-profile criminal investigation and trial.
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Joseph
Joseph is a book that tells the real-life story of a single mother coping with the pressures of life and bringing up a child with autism. The author, Philomena Scully, captures a world that is relatable to other parents – the main audience that the book has been written for.
It shares a variety of honest and funny stories, covering common topics that she has struggled with over the years while supporting and loving her son despite the extreme differences that her new life entailed. It also illustrates simple techniques and tips to help ordinary parents who are finding themselves in same situation.
Its written from the heart with a simple structure that people can learn from. It lays bare the trials and tribulations she encountered and how she accepted that autism is a different way of life through the love of her son.
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Jupiter
The story of Isaac Marcu Moritz and the great affliction of his childhood caused by a lightning bolt launched by Jupiter, god of the sky, the father of gods and men, and the patron of Rome.
The bolt kills his aged mentor whose knowledge of history and languages is transferred to the traumatised mind of the boy. He is plagued throughout his life by visions and torment of Rome’s ancient rulers and gods.
Growing up on the family farm his skill in the capture of flies by hand learned by watching his grandmother’s action while at the packing table leads to success in rural land sales and a posting in a university entomology research program of hand-fly-capture. He establishes Snap-Zap-Solutions with the aim of eradicating the pestilence to improve the human condition.
Will he ever understand himself enough to empathise or forever live in abeyance wondering who or what is really driving his life?