Some of Agatha Christie’s earliest stories – including her very first – which show the Queen of Crime in the making… A macabre recurring dream … revenge against a blackmailer … jealousy, infidelity and a tortured conscience … a stolen gemstone … the haunting attraction of an ancient relic … a race against time … a tragic love triangle … a body in a box … an unexpected visitor from beyond the grave… Nine quintessential examples of Agatha Christie's brilliance are contained in this collection of early short stories - including the very first one she ever wrote - and provide a unique glimpse of the Queen of Crime in the making.

An exclusive novella, available only as an eBook, from the international bestselling master of suspense. The chilling account of a pivotal encounter between innocence and ultimate malice, Darkness Under the Sun is the perfect read for Halloween – or for any haunted night – and reveals a secret, fateful turning point in the career of Alton Turner Blackwood, the killer at the dark heart of What the Night Knows, the forthcoming novel by Sunday Times bestselling author Dean Koontz. There once was a killer who knew the night, its secrets and rhythms. How to hide within its shadows. When to hunt. He roamed from town to town, city to city, choosing his prey for their beauty and innocence. His cruelties were infinite, his humanity long since forfeit. But still…he had not yet discovered how to make his special mark among monsters, how to come fully alive as Death. This is the story of how he learned those things, and of what we might do to insure that he does not visit us. Darkness Under the Sun is as chilling as it is unforgettable. It is available exclusively for download in electronic book format.

A young man, broken down in the fog, witnesses a murder he is asked to conceal… A full-length novel adapted by Charles Osborne from Agatha Christie’s acclaimed play. When a stranger runs his car into a ditch in dense fog in South Wales and makes his way to an isolated house, he discovers a woman standing over the dead body of her wheelchair-bound husband, gun in her hand. She admits to murder, and the unexpected guest offers to help her concoct a cover story. But is it possible that Laura Warwick did not commit the murder after all? If so, who is she shielding? The victim’s young half-brother or his dying matriarchal mother? Laura’s lover? Perhaps the father of the little boy killed in an accident for which Warwick was responsible? The house seems full of possible suspects… THE UNEXPECTED GUEST is considered to be one of the finest of Christie’s plays. Hailed as ‘another Mousetrap’ when it opened on 12 August 1958 in the West End, it ran for 604 performances over the succeeding 18 months and has been staged many times around the world over the last 40 years.

A full-length Hercule Poirot novel, adapted from Agatha Christie’s stage play by Charles Osborne Sir Claud Amory’s revolutionary new formula for a powerful explosive is stolen. Locking his house-guests in the library, Sir Claud switches off the lights to allow the thief to replace the formula, no questions asked. When the lights come on, he is dead, and Hercule Poirot and Captain Hastings have to unravel a tangle of family feuds, old flames and suspicious foreigners to find the killer and prevent a global catastrophe. BLACK COFFEE was Agatha Christie’s first play*, originally performed in 1930 and made into a now rarely-seen film the following year. Combining her typically beguiling plot and sparkling dialogue with his own faithful narrative, Charles Osborne’s novelisation is ‘A worthy addition to the Christie canon’ (The Spectator)

One woman's search for the truth after scandal rocks her family, and the explosive family secrets she uncovers, in this complex, moving fourth novel from bestselling and award-winning author Jennifer Haigh. In THE LOST GOSPEL, Jennifer Haigh explores the repercussions of one family's history of silence, when a priest's sex scandal forces his family's untold past to surface. Art, Sheila, and Mike are siblings in a large extended Irish-American family from the Boston suburbs. Though their father is a non-believer, their mother is Lace Curtain Irish-Catholic, having raised her children to keep family secrets just that, secrets, in a home where most subjects are taboo. Sheila is concerned when Art, beloved priest leading a major Catholic parish outside Boston, seems to fall off the grid just days before Easter. Then the news breaks that he has been accused of sexual misconduct. The media coverage shatters the community and pits Art's family members against one another, leaving Sheila determined to uncover the truth and-she hopes-clear his name. Now that Sheila's in town and determined to help prove Art's innocence, she finds herself locking horns with her younger brother, Mike, who cannot shake the feeling that Art might be guilty. By turns disturbed by what Art might have done and furious at the seemingly unfair accusations, the truth remains elusive for readers in this artfully-crafted family drama.

A breathtaking thriller which weaves history and religion with action, adventure and apocalypse… Luke Hayward is adrift. Blacklisted out of academia, he is in no position to refuse when a client asks for his expert help in recovering some lost Isaac Newton papers. But a chance discovery in a dusty attic plunges Luke into a race to uncover the truth behind some seemingly random scribblings - a race which pits Luke against a fundamentalist madman with dangerously powerful friends. Luke discovers connections between Oxford, London and the Old City of Jerusalem in a breathless chase to uncover a secret hidden in the eccentric ramblings of a mathematical genius; a secret that, in the wrong hands, could be used to spark the holy war to end all holy wars…

A 100% official Strictly Come Dancing novel, featuring the dancers, stars and judges you love! What if an ordinary girl's Strictly dreams became a glittering reality? Meet Amanda Roberts: a production runner on the set of Strictly Come Dancing, desperate to fit into the world of the dazzling and the beautiful. And when she discovers all the backstage drama, Amanda wonders if she is tough enough to survive. But then things start to change… And incredibly she finds more GLITZ, more MAGIC and more ROMANCE than she could possibly have imagined. Prepare to be dazzled as you tango into the glamour and mayhem of the world behind the glitter ball. PREPARE TO BE SHIMMERED!

A diverse and entertaining collection of writing examining and celebrating the British Countryside, from falconry to foraging and from the musings of a nighttime angler to tips for seasonal drinking. LAND Stuart Maconie (Radio 2) on hill walking / Wainwright walks Nick Small (CAUGHT BY THE RIVER regular) how to get nature into your garden, no matter how urban it is Richard King (Loops magazine editor) on the Winter Solstice and on the Summer Solstice John Wright (www.wild-food.net/ on the basics of getting started in foraging Bill Drummond (Damsons in Distress) Dan Kieran (Crap Towns/I Fought The Law) on falconry RIVER / INLAND WATERS John Andrews (CAUGHT BY THE RIVER regular) on winter pike fishing Jon Berry (CAUGHT BY THE RIVER regular) writing about the night from a fishermen's perspective, the sounds, shadows, the hallucinatory effects of sleep deprivation when the sun rises COASTLINE Ian Vince (The Lie of the Land) on the Jurassic coast and fossils Martin Noble (British Sea Power) the Exmoor to Dartmoor coastal walk Nick Hand (http://www.slowcoast.co.uk/) on what you see when cycling the entire coastline of the UK Michael Smith (BBC4 Drivetime) on the coastline in the north of England ISLAND LIFE Sarah Boden (The Observer) on fleeing London to move and become a sheep farmer on Eigg

The eagerly-awaited sequel to Shadowmagic. Having returned to the real world from Tir Na Nog at the end of the last book, our hero Conor finds himself arrested for the murder of his father. When he explains to the cops that his dad is safe and well and enjoying life as king of a land of elves, imps and banshees they understandably think he is a nutcase. That is until he is rescued by Celtic warriors on horseback and taken back to Tir Na Nog, accidentally bringing a policeman with him. Once safely back in The Land, Conor finds that all is not well. His father is dying, the girl he loves is betrothed to another and a rather confused American cop is wandering around causing havoc. It falls to our young hero, and his band of friends, to find a cure for the king. On their epic journey they encounter one of the most mystical and dangerous races in The Land, the shapeshifting Pooka, and find their fates linked in ways they could never have imagined. The Prince of Hazel and Oak is a stunning fantasy adventure that takes fans of Shadowmagic further in to the land and brings back many of the favourite characters from the first book.

It’s the hotly anticipated sequel to the winner of the Roald Dahl Funny Prize, WITHERING TIGHTS – laugh your tights off as Tallulah Casey and her bonkers mates return for a new term at Dother Hall performing arts college. Boys, snogging and bad acting guaranteed! Yaroooo! Tallulah’s triumphant Heathcliff in ‘Wuthering Heights’ the comedy musical was enough to secure her place at Dother Hall performing arts college for another term. She can’t wait to see her pals again, Charlie and the boys from Woolfe Academy and maybe even bad boy Cain… Could the bright lights of Broadway be calling? And for who? Find out in the next Misadventures of Tallulah Casey. Praise for WITHERING TIGHTS: "I don't know how, but Louise Rennison has done it again. Tallulah is even funnier, warmer, and sweeter than her cousin Georgia Nicolson. I fell in love with Withering Tights, and you will too!" – Meg Cabot, author of The Princess Diaries and Abandon series

Shortlisted for the Roald Dahl Funny prize 2010 – The Clumsies are back in their third and most hilarious book yet! Full of the surreal invention and sparkling wit we’ve come to expect, this latest instalment will have everyone checking under their desks for talking mice… Howard's evil boss Mr Bullerton has decided to put on a Big Show at work – and he wants Howard to sing! Trouble is, Howard's singing is worse than awful… and Mr Bullerton knows it. Now Howard faces an epic humiliation. Can the Clumsies help by turning Mr Bullerton's concert into total chaos? Silly question.

Saddle up for the eleventh Pony Club Secrets adventure! Issie leaps to new heights with showjumper Comet, but will she ride to victory on Liberty? The penultimate book in a best-selling pony adventure series. Issie and Comet have travelled to Lexington, USA to take on the best riders in the world at the famed four-star horse trials. It’s Issie first experience of competing against adult professional riders and she begins to worry that she’s out of her depth. But then the competition gets even more exciting when Tara Kelly calls with the offer of a chance ride on another horse. With everything at stake does Issie have what it takes to win?

Just after ‘Bring Up the Bodies’ author Hilary Mantel won the Man Booker for ‘Wolf Hall’, she fell gravely ill. This is her remarkable hospital diary. Originally published in the London Review of Books, this diary by the acclaimed author Hilary Mantel explores in forensic detail her loss of dignity, her determination, the concentration of the senses into an animalistic struggle to get through, and the attendant hallucinations she was plagued by during her stay in hospital. With her health now improved, and the acknowledgement of the Man Booker prize-winning follow-up to ‘Wolf Hall’, ‘Bring Up the Bodies’ as one of our greatest works of fiction, ‘Ink in the Blood’ remains a significant testament to the traumas of illness, and one of the most incredible and haunting essays published in a very long time.

The brand new dramatic novel about the power of a father’s love, a little boy’s journey,and the desperate search for a place to call home, from Number 1 best-selling author Josephine Cox. Eight-year-old Casey’s mother Ruth is a cruel woman, with a weakness for other women’s husbands. Casey’s father is gentle and hard-working and, though Tom Denton has long suspected his wife of having sordid affairs, he has chosen to turn a blind eye to keep the peace. But then, out of the blue, Tom’s world is cruelly shattered when he receives two bits of devastating news. Because of this, Tom realises that from now on their lives must change, forever. Tom is made to fight for his son, determined to keep him safe. But, when fate takes a hand, life can be unbearably cruel, and Casey is made to remember his father’s prophetic words… ‘It’s done. The dice is thrown, and nobody wins.’ But, unbeknown to Casey, there are three letters penned by his father, that may just change his destiny forever.

Renowned psychic Joan Charles reveals stories from her twenty-five years as a spiritual communicator. Looking in detail at the amazing psychic abilities of children, both passed and on this plane, Joan shares tales of love and loss, and secrets and lies, which go far beyond our Earthly experience. Joan had her first experience of the spiritual world at the age of four. One night, struggling to sleep, she lay in bed with a feeling of dread knotting her stomach and playing on her mind. As she lay there she saw a dark figure float past the open curtains. And immediately, in her mind, although only four years old, she knew she had just seen the Angel of Death. The next morning she kept quiet, and didn't say anything to anyone, keeping her experience to herself, even as she heard her dad say that her Uncle John had died suddenly in the night. This was Joan’s first, and very personal, experience of the extraordinary abilities a child can have. What follows are a collection of the other remarkable experiences Joan has had as she has come to terms with her talents and discovered those of many other, amazing, psychic children. At a time when so many of us are searching for meaning, Joan encourages us to look at the natural and loving messages that surround us; messages that can add a richness to our daily lives and relationships, giving us guidance and hope. Packed with incredible anecdotes and heart-warming stories, this book will amaze and move you in equal measures.

Learn how to unify Customer Experience, User Experience and more to shape lasting customer engagement in a world of rapid change. About This Book ? An introductory guide to Experience Design that will help you break into XD as a career by gaining A strong foundational knowledge ? Get acquainted with the various phases of a typical Experience Design workflow ? Work through the key process and techniques in XD, supported by most of the common use cases Who This Book Is For This book is for designers who wish to enter the field of UX Design, especially Programmers, Content Strategists, and Organizations keen to understand the core concepts of UX Design. What You Will Learn ? Understand why Experience Design (XD) is at the forefront of business priorities, as organizations race to innovate products and services in order to compete for customers in a global economy driven by technology and change ? Get motivated by the numerous professional opportunities that XD opens up for practitioners in wide-ranging domains, and by the stories of real XD practitioners ? Understand what experience is, how experiences are designed, and why they are effective ? Gain knowledge of user-centered design principles, methodologies, and best practices that will improve your product (digital or physical) ? Get to know your X’s and D’s—understand the differences between XD and UX, CX, IxD, IA, SD, VD, PD, and other design practices In Detail We live in an experience economy in which interaction with products is valued more than owning them. Products are expected to engage and delight in order to form the emotional bonds that forge long-term customer loyalty: Products need to anticipate our needs and perform tasks for us: refrigerators order food, homes monitor energy, and cars drive autonomously; they track our vitals, sleep, location, finances, interactions, and content use; recognize our biometric signatures, chat with us, understand and motivate us. Beautiful and easy to use, products have to be fully customizable to match our personal preferences. Accomplishing these feats is easier said than done, but a solution has emerged in the form of Experience design (XD), the unifying approach to fusing business, technology and design around a user-centered philosophy. This book explores key dimensions of XD: Close collaboration among interdisciplinary teams, rapid iteration and ongoing user validation. We cover the processes, methodologies, tools, techniques and best-practices practitioners use throughout the entire product development life-cycle, as ideas are transformed to into positive experiences which lead to perpetual customer engagement and brand loyalty. Style and approach An easy-to-understand guide, filled with real-world use cases on process, design, and techniques, helping you build a strong foundation in Experience Design.

Build your own enterprise applications and integration flows with JBoss and its products About This Book ? Build fast, smart, and flexible applications using JBoss ? Couple one or more JBoss products to effectively solve various business problems ? Explore the JBoss product ecosystem for improving the performance of your projects Who This Book Is For If you are a Java developer who wants to have a complete view of the JBoss ecosystem or quickly explore a specific JBoss Product, then this is the book you want. Integrators and consultants, familiar with JBoss, who want integrate several JBoss products within their ongoing project will also find this book useful. What You Will Learn ? Create new applications or integrate existing systems with JBoss products ? Setup and manage a JBoss domain ? Setup and manage a JBoss Fuse cluster with Fabric and Apache Karaf ? Create and deploy OSGi applications on JBoss Fuse containers ? Manage enterprise data with JBoss Datagrid ? Aggregate various data sources with JBoss Data virtualization to offer data as a service ? Optimize your business and workflows with both JBoss Business RulesManagement System and JBoss Business Process Management platforms. In Detail Have you often wondered what is the best JBoss product to solve a specific problem? Do you want to get started with a specific JBoss product and know how to integrate different JBoss products in your IT Systems? Then this is the book for you. Through hands-on examples from the business world, this guide presents details on the major products and how you can build your own Enterprise services around the JBoss ecosystem. Starting with an introduction to the JBoss ecosystem, you will gradually move on to developing and deploying clustered application on JBoss Application Server, and setting up high availability using undertow or HA proxy loadbalancers. As you are moving to a micro service archicture, you will be taught how to package existing Java EE applications as micro service using Swarm or create your new micro services from scratch by coupling most popular Java EE frameworks like JPA, CDI with Undertow handlers. Next, you will install and configure JBoss Data grid in development and production environments, develop cache based applications and aggregate various data source in JBoss data virtualization. You will learn to build, deploy, and monitor integration scenarios using JBoss Fuse and run both producers/consumers applications relying on JBoss AMQ. Finally, you will learn to develop and run business workflows and make better decisions in your applications using Drools and Jboss BPM Suite Platform. Style and Approach The book works through the major JBoss products, with examples and instructions to help you understand each product and how they work together.

A C# beginners guide to the core parts of the C# language! About This Book ? Learn C#, Visual Studio, and Object Oriented Programming ? See practical examples of all the core C# language features so that you can easily master them yourself ? Use the C# programming language to work with code and data, which can be applied to other programming languages as well ? Complete a variety of programming assignments for hands-on practice, as you move through the course Who This Book Is For This book will appeal to anyone who is interested in learning how to program in C#. Previous programming experience will help you get through the initial sections with ease, although, it’s not mandatory to possess any experience at all. What You Will Learn ? Learn C#, Visual Studio, and object-oriented programming ? Learn all the core C# language syntax with hands-on working examples ? Learn everything from basic variable assignments to complex multidimensional arrays ? Go through practical examples of all the core C# language features so that you can easily master them yourself ? Use the C# programming language to work with code and data, which can be applied to other programming languages as well In Detail Beginning C# Hands-On - The Core Language teaches you core C# language and syntax in a working Visual Studio environment. This book covers everything from core language through to more advanced features such as object-oriented programming techniques. This book is for C# beginners who need a practical reference to core C# language features. You'll also gain a view of C# through web programming with web forms, so you'll learn HTML, basic CSS, and how to use a variety of controls, such as buttons and drop-down lists. You'll start with the fundamentals of C# and Visual Studio, including defining variables, interacting with users, and understanding data types, data conversions, and constants. You'll move on to checking conditions using if/else blocks, and see how to use loops to do things such as repeat blocks of code. After covering various operators to evaluate and assign control structures, you'll see how to use arrays to store collections of data. By the time you’ve finished the book, you’ll know how to program the vital elements of the core C# language. These are the building blocks that you can then combine to build complex C# programs. Style and approach A comprehensive book that blends theory with just the right amount of practical code implementations, to help you get up and running with the C# programming language. You’ll also get to work with other tools and technologies that complement C# programming. Each core part of the C# language is coded as you learn, and code output is tested every time to verify the syntax is working as expected, so it’s easy for you to learn directly from the working code examples.

Learn how UX and design thinking can make your site stand out from the rest of the internet. About This Book ? Learn everything you need to know about UX for your Web Design. ? Design B2B, B2C websites that stand out from the competitors with this guide ? Enhance your business by improving customer accessibility and retention. Who This Book Is For If you’re a designer, developer, or just someone who has the desire to create websites that are not only beautiful to look at but also easy to use and fully accessible to everyone, including people with special needs, UX for the Web will provide you with the basic building blocks to achieve just that. What You Will Learn ? Discover the fundamentals of UX and the User-Centered Design (UCD) Process. ? Learn how UX can enhance your brand and increase user retention ? Learn how to create the golden thread between your product and the user ? Use reliable UX methodologies to research and analyze data to create an effective UX strategy ? Bring your UX strategy to life with wireframes and prototypes ? Set measurable metrics and conduct user tests to improve digital products ? Incorporate the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) to create accessible digital products In Detail If you want to create web apps that are not only beautiful to look at, but also easy to use and fully accessible to everyone, including people with special needs, this book will provide you with the basic building blocks to achieve just that. The book starts with the basics of UX, the relationship between Human-Centered Design (HCD), Human-Computer Interaction (HCI), and the User-Centered Design (UCD) Process; it gradually takes you through the best practices to create a web app that stands out from your competitors. You’ll also learn how to create an emotional connection with the user to increase user interaction and client retention by different means of communication channels. We’ll guide you through the steps in developing an effective UX strategy through user research and persona creation and how to bring that UX strategy to life with beautiful, yet functional designs that cater for complex features with micro interactions. Practical UX methodologies such as creating a solid Information Architecture (IA), wireframes, and prototypes will be discussed in detail. We’ll also show you how to test your designs with representative users, and ensure that they are usable on different devices, browsers and assistive technologies. Lastly, we’ll focus on making your web app fully accessible from a development and design perspective by taking you through the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG). Style and Approach This is an easy-to-understand step-by-step guide with full of examples to that will help you in creating good UX for your web applications.

Use the two popular web development stacks, Node.js and MongoDB, to build full-featured web applications About This Book ? Learn the new ECMAScript along with Node 8 and MongoDB to make your application more effective. ? Get the up-to-date information required to launch your first application prototype using the latest versions of Node.js and MongoDB. ? A practical guide with clear instructions to designing and developing a complete web application from start to finish using trending frameworks such as angular4 and hapi Who This Book Is For The book is designed for JavaScript developers of any skill level who want to get up-and-running using Node.js and MongoDB to build full-featured web applications. A basic understanding of JavaScript and HTML is the only prerequisite for this book. What You Will Learn ? Work with Node.js building blocks ? Write and configure a web server using Node.js powered by the Express.js framework ? Build dynamic HTML pages using the Handlebars template engine ? Persist application data using MongoDB and Mongoose ODM ? Test your code using automated testing tools such as the Mocha framework ? Automate test cases using Gulp ? Reduce your web development time by integrating third-party tools for web interaction. ? Deploy a development environment to the cloud using services such as Heroku, Amazon Web Services, and Microsoft Azure ? Explore single-page application frameworks to take your web applications to the next level In Detail Node.js builds fast, scalable network applications while MongoDB is the perfect fit as a high-performance, open source NoSQL database solution. The combination of these two technologies offers high performance and scalability and helps in building fast, scalable network applications. Together they provide the power for manage any form of data as well as speed of delivery. This book will help you to get these two technologies working together to build web applications quickly and easily, with effortless deployment to the cloud. You will also learn about angular 4, which consumes pure JSON APOIs from a hapi server. The book begins by setting up your development environment, running you through the steps necessary to get the main application server up-and-running. Then you will see how to use Node.js to connect to a MongoDB database and perform data manipulations. From here on, the book will take you through integration with third-party tools to interact with web apps. You will see how to use controllers and view models to generate reusable code that will reduce development time. Toward the end, the book supplies tests to properly execute your code and take your skills to the next level with the most popular frameworks for developing web applications. By the end of the book, you will have a running web application developed with MongoDB, Node.js, and some of the most powerful and popular frameworks. Style and approach A practical guide with clear instructions to designing and developing a complete web application from start to finish

Learn the art of designing, implementing, and managing Cisco's networking solutions on datacenters, wirelessly, security and mobility to set up an Enterprise network. About This Book ? Implement Cisco's networking solutions on datacenters and wirelessly, Cloud, Security, and Mobility ? Leverage Cisco IOS to manage network infrastructures. ? A practical guide that will show how to troubleshoot common issues on the network. Who This Book Is For This book is targeted at network designers and IT engineers who are involved in designing, configuring, and operating enterprise networks, and are in taking decisions to make the necessary network changes to meet newer business needs such as evaluating new technology choices, enterprise growth, and adding new services on the network. The reader is expected to have a general understanding of the fundamentals of networking, including the OSI stack and IP addressing. What You Will Learn ? Understand the network lifecycle approach ? Get to know what makes a good network design ? Design components and technology choices at various places in the network (PINS) ? Work on sample configurations for network devices in the LAN/ WAN/ DC, and the wireless domain ? Get familiar with the configurations and best practices for securing the network ? Explore best practices for network operations In Detail Most enterprises use Cisco networking equipment to design and implement their networks. However, some networks outperform networks in other enterprises in terms of performance and meeting new business demands, because they were designed with a visionary approach. The book starts by describing the various stages in the network lifecycle and covers the plan, build, and operate phases. It covers topics that will help network engineers capture requirements, choose the right technology, design and implement the network, and finally manage and operate the network. It divides the overall network into its constituents depending upon functionality, and describe the technologies used and the design considerations for each functional area. The areas covered include the campus wired network, wireless access network, WAN choices, datacenter technologies, and security technologies. It also discusses the need to identify business-critical applications on the network, and how to prioritize these applications by deploying QoS on the network. Each topic provides the technology choices, and the scenario, involved in choosing each technology, and provides configuration guidelines for configuring and implementing solutions in enterprise networks. Style and approach A step-by-step practical guide that ensures you implement Cisco solutions such as enterprise networks, cloud, and data centers, on small-to-large organizations.