With his compelling Centurions trilogy complete, Anthony Riches returns to his bestselling Empire sequence of novels with his storytelling skills polished to perfection. Set in the second century AD, The Scorpion's Strike continues the story of Marcus Aquila's fight for justice for a family ripped asunder by imperial assassins. Still seeking revenge, Marcus finds himself thrown back into the heart of the chaos that is shaking the Roman Empire to its roots. Fresh from their close escape from imperial betrayal in the German forest, Marcus and the Tungrians are ordered to Gaul, where an outlaw called Maturnus is wreaking havoc. Havoc that may be more than mere banditry, as deserters and freed slaves flock to his cause: rebellion is in the air for the first time in a generation. And if escape from Rome's memories is a relief for the young centurion, he soon discovers that danger has followed him west to Gaul. The expedition is led by Praetorians whom he has every cause to hate. And to fear, if they should discover who he really is. 'A masterclass in military historical fiction' Sunday Express on Retribution

The USS Rasher had an extraordinary record in World War II: she sank 18 enemy ships and destroyed 99,901 tons--the second highest tonnage of the war. Her fifth war patrol is the stuff of legends. In August 1944 during a single night surface attack on a Japanese convoy off the Philippines, she sank the escort carrier Taiyo and three marus, and later during that same patrol she sank another ship. Reading more like a novel than an operational history, this book covers all aspects of the Rasher's combat history in a way that both the general reader and veteran submariner will appreciate. Author Peter Sasgen is the son of a Rasher crew member, and from his father's perspective he follows the sub from the builder's way through eight action-packed patrols to war's end. His richly detailed descriptions of submarine operations include lively commentary by former shipmates and excerpts from patrol reports along with a close examination of patrol procedures, communications, life guarding, and other topics rarely covered in such detail. Sasgen also explores the essence of submarine combat--aggressive leadership--and its role in the Rasher's success.

On April 11, 2002, nearly a million Venezuelans marched on the presidential palace to demand the resignation of President Hugo Chvez, Led by Pedro Carmona and Carlos Ortega, the opposition represented a cross-section of society furious with Chvez's economic policies, specifically his mishandling of the Venezuelan oil industry. But as the day progressed, the march turned violent, sparking a military revolt that led to the temporary ousting of Chvez. Over the ensuing, turbulent 72 hours, Venezuelans would confront the deep divisions within their society and ultimately decide the best course for their country - and its oil - in the new century. An exemplary piece of narrative journalism, The Silence and the Scorpion provides rich insight into the complexities of modern Venezuela.

A hastily assembled strike force flies into Iraq to stop the release of an artificial virus by Saddam Hussein.

In the desert at Scorpions Pass, a girl sits by a bullet-riddled bus too frightened to cry. The violated body of her mother lies a few yards away. Her father, the bus driver, sits slumped over the wheel. His blood has mingled with that of twelve dead passengers. She can't see her older brother. In a few hours an army patrol stumbles onto the scene of what the morning newspapers will call The Massacre at Scorpion's Pass. In Israel in 1954 a five year old girl who had witnessed her family and nine others shot or bludgeoned to death was offered sympathy but little else. Her closest relatives swindled her out of a modest inheritance. And this was just the start of her troubles. Miri's story is one or survival, tenacity, boundless optimism and unfolds alongside the history of the State of Israel. Through an abusive marriage, estrangement from her children and an entanglement with organized crime, she obeys the command of a soldier who shielded her with his dying body; "Keep quiet or they'll kill you too!" After fifty years she found the courage to break her silence in "The Girl from Scorpions Pass"

"The book celebrates the intrinsic worth of all plants and animals in order to motivate people in a unified effort to preserve the Earth's rich array of life forms."--Cover.