In May 2000 the British nuclear hunter-killer submarine HMS Tireless limped into Gibraltar using emergency propulsion and with her nuclear reactor shut down. Days earlier, while traversing the Straits of Sicily the crew had discovered a crack in one of the nuclear reactor pipes, requiring the immediate shutting down of the reactor to prevent a potential reactor accident, an operation never before conducted on a British submarine at sea. Th e previous six days had been a difficult time for the crew of the submarine. Initial indications of a nuclear reactor defect had quickly escalated into a full scale potential nuclear reactor accident at sea, requiring decisive action by the crew to make the reactor safe, to identify the defect and attempt to repair the reactor, and then to surface the submarine and to sail her safely back to the nearest safe harbor using emergency propulsion machinery designed for very limited use. The resulting lack of electrical power resulted in the crew having to sacrifice lighting, air-conditioning, bathing facilities and even hot food until their return to harbor, and to suffer in the excessively hot interior of the boat. Throughout, there remained the fear of exposure to deadly radiation and the uncertainty that the reactor might still be one step away from a major accident. For one man onboard, this episode formed the culmination of a 25 year naval engineering career almost fated for this moment. Charge Chief Stephen Bridgman, the senior nuclear propulsion technician, had needed all of his engineering knowledge and experience in the identification and eventual repair of the submarine reactor, subsequently being awarded an MBE together with a colleague for his services to naval engineering for his actions. This book provides an insight into a remarkable naval career starting as a 16 year old Stoker on the final proper British aircraft carrier HMS Ark Royal in 1977, through the Falklands War, being selected for naval technician training and submarine service, submarine training, submarine patrols in the supposed post cold-war period, the Kosovo conflict, progression through the ranks, submarine refi t and refueling through to the nuclear reactor accident onboard HMS Tireless. While there are countless accounts of naval life during wartime, this book tells the unique story of life as a British naval rating in the modern era, starting from the lowest level at a time of decline for the Royal Navy in the late 1970s, and paralleling the major political and military events of the 1980s and 1990s.

Looking for an escape from childhood abuse, Reymundo Sanchez turned away from school and baseball to drugs, alcohol, and then sex, and was left to fend for himself before age 14. The Latin Kings, one of the largest and most notorious street gangs in America, became his refuge and his world, but its violence cost him friends, freedom, self-respect, and nearly his life. This is a raw and powerful odyssey through the ranks of the new mafia, where the only people more dangerous than rival gangs are members of your own gang, who in one breath will say they'll die for you and in the next will order your assassination.

'There is no one writing better police procedurals today.' Daily Telegraph Is time running out for DI Joe Faraday? The discovery of a headless corpse on the rocks below the cliffs on the Isle of Wight is only the beginning of a journey for DI Joe Faraday. It's a journey which takes him right to the heart of the grim trade in human cargo from the crippled societies of the Balkans. From cheap labour to prostitution, Portsmouth, like every other city in the UK is home to untold human misery; a black economy built on illegal immigration. Joe Faraday is determined to find the real criminals that lie behind the tabloid hysteria. DC Paul Winter on the other hand is determined only to find a way out of the disciplinary action that threatens his entire career. A burgeoning relationship with a young prostitute isn't exactly helping his cause. And for Winter, it's beginning to look as if time is running out... Why readers love Graham Hurley: 'There is no one writing better police procedurals today.' Daily Telegraph 'Well-written and plotted, utterly convincing and really exciting... Excellent' Daily Mail 'One of the great talents of British police procedurals... every book he delivers is better than the last' Independent on Sunday Fans of Ian Rankin, Peter James and Peter Robinson will love Graham Hurley: Faraday and Winter 1. Turnstone 2. The Take 3. Angels Passing 4. Deadlight 5. Cut to Black 6. Blood and Honey 7. One Under 8. The Price of Darkness 9. No Lovelier Death 10. Beyond Reach 11. Borrowed Light 12. Happy Days Jimmy Suttle 1. Western Approaches 2. Touching Distance 3. Sins of the Father 4. The Order of Things * Each Graham Hurley novel can be read as a standalone or in series order *

George Raven served as a police officer in Essex for thirty years, rising to the rank of Detective Superintendent. In this autobiography he looks back on a colourful career, recounting stories of fascinating manhunts, gruesome murders, violent encounters and heartrending tragedies – as well as plenty of amusing and not-so-amusing incidents as he worked alongside officers who ranged from the excellent to the incompetent. Raven’s conclusion in retirement is that police recruitment standards and performance have deteriorated alarmingly over the years, while public perception and trust now stands at its lowest since the British police force was founded. In this entertaining account of his life in the force, he examines the reasons and challenges politicians to address the serious problems facing the police in the 21st century. ‘Politicians pass more and more laws, dream up more and more regulations and issue more and more directives to the police, to tie their hands and make enforcing both the good and the ridiculous laws they pass an almost impossible task.’

Tony Shaw was born in 1918. He saw service in Europe in the Second World War, rising rapidly to the rank of Major in the Royal Army Service Corps. He received an MBE for his war service. The end of the war saw him posted to the military government of Malaya where he was made Lieutenant Colonel shortly before joining the Malayan Civil Service. In the MCS Tony served as a District Commissioner in Terengganu, then in various posts in Singapore including Governor's Secretary and Clerk to the Council of Ministers. In the late 1950s Tony returned to the UK and in 1960 received an OBE for his services to World Refugee Year. He later went on to be the first Director of International Students House in Park Crescent London. He served there for over twenty years before retirement, when he finally took up his pen to write this highly readable memoir.

Kurt Vonnegut once wrote that strange travel plans are dancing lessons from God. If that be true, God found some great entertainment in Shannon Mallory, who for 18 years had the strangest travels throughout Africa. These memoirs are the story of those travels, the story of a young man and his family dodging some circumstances beyond belief: being forced out of Namibia when it was under South African occupation; getting black-listed and kicked out of South Africa for courting the underdog during the years of apartheid; living in the midst of Idi Amins bloody regime in Uganda; and experiencing close brushes with death on many an occasion. Mallorys account of his years in Africa is colorful and descriptive. He takes the reader on a journey not only of his own but of Africa itself: its history, its people, its spirituality, and its pleasant and unpleasant political past. Shannon writes freely as an insider about the churchs influence on that great continent much of it negative and how it has affected not only religious but social and political life there as well, and he calls on the church for accountability for its actions. This book is compelling, informative, enthralling, and raw, a must-read for lovers of Africa, lovers of travel, lovers of political and social justice, and lovers of a good story well told.

John McCarthy MBE, of McCarthy & Stone, is a self-made multimillionaire. He and his family have been long-term members of The Times Rich List. One of the best examples of the self-made man, John started working life at fifteen as a "chippy". Every venture he has embarked on, he has achieved with drive and success. His legendary reputation is as the most successful builder of retirement homes across Europe. He has also built and skippered winning ocean-racing yachts. He has owned and run a top polo team. He became a big game hunter and avid game bird shooter, underwater diver, skier and squash player. He makes other septuagenarians look really old. In this book John McCarthy recounts his fascinating life story so far. But these are not just the interesting memoirs of a successful man. John's tussles with bankers and lawyers, planners and politicians, Government red tape and political autocracy, competitors and recalcitrant employees tell a story that has real relevance to all aspiring entrepreneurs in whatever field of endeavour. John McCarthy's rules of engagement and how to build a billion pound company are as topical now as they were when he did it.