Ever had to sit next to someone unpleasant on the bus for a long time? Did they stare at you for the whole journey without blinking, whilst extracting a reluctant object from their nose? And did they smell bad? Well, he's in the story. Can you imagine what it would be like to have a cat sink its claws into your neck whilst it gnawed into your throat? He's in the book too. These and other similar issues are just some of the situations encountered by detectives as they dig up the dirt investigating a kidnapping. As they prepare to interview acquaintances of the suspect (Jack King) where they would compare times and places, they couldn't possibly have prepared themselves for the insane people they were about to meet. The first of these was 'the guy from the bus, ' a little retarded and would make the detectives earn their pay to get any sense out of him. He also had a whimsical habit of blowing his house up, lets hope the detectives don't go inside. Enter vicious red haired brute. This was the local neighbour and extra from Lord of the Rings and her name was Laurel. Finally the detectives would have to deal with the elderly eccentric relatives who'd lost more than their marbles. Meanwhile Jack King blissfully unaware of any wrong doing, carried on with his usual routine in life. Lately that consisted of chasing a white rabbit through countless gardens, fighting large cat with one hand, ogling at beautiful girls in pyjamas or nurses, before the police came after him. But all this would pale into insignificance when he went to hospital and was accosted by woman assassin with gun as he lay naked on the bed.

*Detailed indexes by star, director, genre, country of origin, and theme *Lavishly illustrated with over 450 photos *Comprehensive selection of international cinema from over 50 countries *Over 9,000 films reviewed *Up-to-date information on video availability and pricing *Appendices with award listings, TLA Bests, and recommended films

This is an aphabetical critical guide to films, based on Time-Out reviews since the mid-1980s. It covers every area of world cinema, including: classic silents and 1930s comedies, documentaries and the avant garde, French or Japanese, the Hollywood mainstream and B-movie horrors. Features include cast lists and other key creative personnel, more than 110 obituary notes from 2001/2002 and indexes covering film by country, genre, subject, director and actor. This new edition includes a new Time Out readers' top 100 film poll, plus 2001/2002 Oscar and BAFTA awards, as well as prizes from the Berlin, Venice and Cannes festivals.

The bestselling guide to all things Ambridge is back Bringing together a wealth of fascinating facts, amusing insights and expert trivia about characters, controversies and country customs – now fully revised and updated to include recent developments – this unofficial companion is the perfect gift for avid addicts and keen newcomers alike.

A guide to series fiction lists popular series, identifies novels by character, and offers guidance on the order in which to read unnumbered series.