Natalie March is a respected surgeon enjoying a busy, productive life in Washington DC. As her demanding career has left little time for friends or romance, her deepest relationship is with her mother, Vera March, a Russian immigrant and MS patient confined to a rehabilitation center. Vera is still haunted by the fact that her Ukrainian parents, innocent of any wrongdoing, were sent to the gulag, Stalin’s notorious network of labor camps, when she was just a baby. All her life she has presumed that they perished there along with millions of other Russian citizens. Natalie would do anything to heal her mother’s psychic pain: it’s the one wound that she, a doctor, cannot mend. When a young Russian dancer named Saldana Tarasova comes to Natalie’s office claiming to be her cousin, and providing details about her grandmother that no stranger could know, Natalie must face a surprising truth: her grandmother, Katarina Melnikova, is still very much alive. She escaped from the labor camp, married a native Siberian, and had another child, Saldana’s mother. Natalie is thrilled to think that her Russian family is reaching out and that Vera may be able to reunite with her mother after so many years. In fact, Saldana has a darker motive for making contact. Suggesting that her family is in grave danger from Putin’s government, she pleads for Natalie’s help to defect. Unwilling to break the law, Natalie puts her off. Then the unthinkable happens, and Natalie is drawn step by step into a web of family secrets that will ultimately pit her against Russian security forces and even her own government. How far will Natalie go to find Katerina M. and satisfy her mother’s deepest wish? How much will she risk to protect her Russian family—and her own country—from a dangerous international threat? Masterfully plotted and beautifully written, FINDING KATARINA M. takes the reader on an extraordinary journey across Siberia—to reindeer herding camps, Russian prisons, Sakha villages, and parties with endless vodka toasts—while it explores what it means to be loyal to one’s family, one’s country, and ultimately to oneself.

One of the most extraordinary books ever written about chess and chessplayers, this authoritative study goes well beyond a lucid explanation of how todays chessmasters and tournament players are rated. Twenty years' research and practice produce a wealth of thought-provoking and hitherto unpublished material on the nature and development of high-level talent: Just what constitutes an "exceptional performance" at the chessboard? Can you really profit from chess lessons? What is the lifetime pattern of Grandmaster development? Where are the masters born? Does your child have master potential? The step-by-step rating system exposition should enable any reader to become an expert on it. For some it may suggest fresh approaches to performance measurement and handicapping in bowling, bridge, golf and elsewhere. 43 charts, diagrams and maps supplement the text. How and why are chessmasters statistically remarkable? How much will your rating rise if you work with the devotion of a Steinitz? At what age should study begin? What toll does age take, and when does it begin? Development of the performance data, covering hundreds of years and thousands of players, has revealed a fresh and exciting version of chess history. One of the many tables identifies 500 all-time chess greatpersonal data and top lifetime performance ratings. Just what does government assistance do for chess? What is the Soviet secret? What can we learn from the Icelanders? Why did the small city of Plovdiv produce three Grandmasters in only ten years? Who are the untitled dead? Did Euwe take the championship from Alekhine on a fluke? How would Fischer fare against Morphy in a ten-wins match? 1t was inevitable that this fascinating story be written, ' asserts FIDE President Max Euwe, who introduces the book and recognizes the major part played by ratings in today's burgeoning international activity. Although this is the definitive ratings work, with statistics alone sufficient to place it in every reference library, it was written by a gentle scientist for pleasurable reading -for the enjoyment of the truths, the questions, and the opportunities it reveals.

Year's Best Crime Novels: 2014, Booklist Dennis Lehane meets Smilla's Sense of Snow: a big discovery in the world of female suspense, about an edgy young woman with the rare ability to withstand extreme conditions Elisabeth Elo's debut novel introduces Pirio Kasparov, a Boston-bred tough-talking girl with an acerbic wit and a moral compass that points due north. Pirio Kasparov finds herself abandoned in the North Atlantic when the fishing boat she's on is rammed by a freighter. She somehow survives for nearly four hours in the freezing water before being rescued, but Pirio's friend, Ned, is not so lucky. He disappears without a trace. Pirio can't shake the suspicion that the boat's sinking was no accident, and begins to unravel a lethal plot that takes her to Northern Canada and the ice-cold waters of Baffin Bay. To survive, she must overcome a deadly betrayal from someone in her past, and, most importantly, learn to trust her own instincts above all else. Elisabeth Elo's mesmerising novel follows a dark and treacherous quest that brings to light some horrifying truths.

'When I wrote and recorded these songs originally, I never would have expected the fantastic audience response all these years later; it's amazing.' - Jeff Lynne The music of Jeff Lynne is beloved by fans all over the world and has been for three generations. Now, after a hiatus of nearly thirty years, the multi-award winning songwriter, producer and founder of ELO has made a triumphant return to touring. Since 2014, he has played across Europe and North America, the high point for Lynne being his dramatic homecoming for a crowd of 60,000 fans at Wembley. On 24th June 2017, London's historic stadium was transformed into one of the greatest rock'n'roll spectacles of all time, as Lynne performed his group's most extensive set list to date against a dazzling backdrop of pyrotechnics, lasers and a giant ELO spaceship. Now, in his first official book, Lynne reveals the meticulous planning leading up to the epic concert, and shares the stories behind a career-spanning catalogue of songs. In an exclusive new text, Lynne reflects on his formative years growing up and his eventual success with ELO hits such as 'Mr. Blue Sky', 'Evil Woman' and 'Livin' Thing'. From his memories of producing The Beatles' last single, 'Free as a Bird', to his anecdotes from inside one of the greatest supergroups, the Traveling Wilburys, Lynne also discusses his fascinating career outside of ELO. His narration guides the reader through hundreds of exclusive photographs taken specially for the making of this book. From backstage to front of house, Wembley or Bust is Jeff Lynne's account of a once-in-a-lifetime concert, and its significance within the greater story of his career as one of the most popular recording artists, songwriters and producers of all time. JEFFLYNNEBOOK.COM GENESIS-PUBLICATIONS.COM

ELO (Electric Light Orchestra) were formed by Roy Wood and Jeff Lynne of The Move as a fusion of rock and contemporary classical-style music, combining orchestral instruments, guitars, keyboards, and drums in the same line-up. Their aim was to continue from where The Beatles’ ‘I am the Walrus’ left off. After the release of their eponymous debut album in 1971 and a few live dates at home and in Europe, it became increasingly apparent that both leaders’ objectives were incompatible. Wood left Lynne in charge of the group to refine their sound, and their ambitious progressive rock epics gradually gave way to a more accessible style. Keyboard player Richard Tandy and drummer Bev Bevan were the only other constant members in an ever-changing line-up. By the end of the decade, the group were rarely out of the British and American charts. After disbanding in 1986, ELO Part II (minus Lynne) returned for two albums, but Lynne reclaimed the name with an album in 2001 followed by a long-awaited reappearance in 2014 as Jeff Lynne’s ELO. Electric Light Orchestra: Song by Song provides a brief biographical overview of the bands’ contributors in addition to a comprehensive examination of all the groups’ studio albums.