In the picturesque Spanish village of Guzman, villagers have gathered for centuries in 'the telling room' to share their stories. It was here, in the summer of 2000, that Michael Paterniti listened as Ambrosio Molinos de las Heras spun an odd & compelling tale about a cheese made from an ancient family recipe. Reputed to be among the finest in the world
- one bite could conjure long-lost memories. But then, Ambrosio said, things had gone horribly wrong... Paterniti was hooked. Relocating his young family to Guzman, he is soon sucked into the heart of an unfolding mystery, a blood feud that

Includes:: accusations of betrayal & theft, death threats, & a murder plot. As the village begins to spill its long-held secrets, Paterniti finds himself implicated in the very story he is writing. The Telling Room is as surprising, evocative & wildly entertaining as the world it portrays.


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In the medieval Castilian village of Guzman (population: 80), villagers have gathered for centuries in the `telling room` to share stories & drink the local wine. It was here, in the summer of 2000, that Michael Paterniti found himself listening to a compelling tale about a cheese made from an ancient family recipe that was reputed to be among the finest in the world. Until, Ambrosio said, things had gone horribly wrong. Hooked on the story, Paterniti relocated his young family to the tiny hilltop village to find out more. But like many Spanish villages, Guzman was rife with gossip & old feuds, secret alliances & plotted vengeance & before long Paterniti was sucked into the heart of an unfolding mystery. When he learned that the cheesemaker had apparently plotted to murder his closest friend, the village began to spill its long-held secrets, & Paterniti found himself implicated in ways he never expected... ...

THE SUNDAY TIMES & NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLERThe Knights Templar were the wealthiest, most powerful
- & most secretive
- of

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Sifting myth from history, Piers Paul Read reveals the Templars ` the multinational force of warrior monks, in their white tunics with red crosses over chainmail. They were not only unique among Christian institutions but constituted the first uniformed standing army in the western world & became pioneers of international banking. Expropriated by Philip IV of France in 1307, & confessing under torture to blasphemy, heresy & sodomy, the Order was finally suppressed by Pope Clement V in 1312. In a narrative that incorporates the story of the crusades & the many colourful characters who had links with the Templars, Piers Paul Read examines the question of their guilt & identifies their relevance to our own times. `A highly readable & nicely paced book that draws on the lessons of modern historical scholarship while also communicating a sense of narrative excitement & drive` ` Evocative, measured & engaging` Evening Standard ` Magnificent in every way` Mail on Sunday ...

Shorlisted for the Costa Award for First Novel 2010 & a controversial No.1 bestseller in India, The Temple-goers introduces us to a sensational new story-telling talent
- & a shocking new side of Indian society. It tells the story of two young men from very different sides of the tracks: one cast adrift in a world of fashion parties, media moguls & designer labels, the other who reveals to him the city`s hidden & squalid underbelly. But when a body is found floating in the canal & one of them is accused of the murder, some deeply unsettling truths begin to emerge, exposing their friendship & the dark & troubled heart of the city in which they live.
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Because of the boyhood trauma of seeing his mother make love to another man in the presence of his dying father, Mizoguchi becomes a hopeless stutterer. Taunted by his schoolmates, he feels utterly alone untill he becomes an acolyte at a famous temple in Kyoto, where he develops an all-consuming obsession with the temple`s beauty. This powerful story of dedication & sacrifice brings together Mishima`s preoccupations with violence, desire, religion & national history to dazzling effect. ...

Jack Mc Nulty is a `temporary gentleman`, an Irishman whose commission in the British army in the Second World War was never permanent. In 1957, sitting in his lodgings in Accra, he urgently sets out to write his story. He feels he cannot take one step further, or even hardly a breath, without looking back at all that has befallen him. He is an ordinary man, both petty & heroic, but he has seen extraordinary things. He has worked & wandered around the world
- as a soldier, an engineer, a UN observer
- trying to follow his childhood ambition to better himself. & he has had a strange & tumultuous marriage. Mai Kirwan was a great beauty of Sligo in the 1920s, a vivid mind, but an elusive & mysterious figure too. Jack married her, & shared his life with her, but in time she slipped from his grasp. A heart-breaking portrait of one man`s life
- of his demons & his lost love
- The Temporary Gentleman is, ultimately, a novel about Jack`s last bid for freedom, from the savage realities of the past & from himself.



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When important information is leaked from inside the Venetian Questura, Commissario Guido Brunetti is entrusted with the task of uncovering which of his colleagues is responsible. But before Brunetti can begin his investigation, he is surprised by the appearance in his office of a friend of his wife`s, who is fearful that her son is using drugs. A few weeks later, Tullio Gasparini, the woman`s husb&, is found unconscious with a serious head injury at the foot of a bridge, & Brunetti is drawn to pursue a possible connection to the boy`s behaviour. But the truth is not straightforward. Following various contradictory leads, Brunetti navigates his way through a world of mysterious informants, underground deals & secret longstanding scam networks, all the while growing ever more impressed by the intuition of his fellow Commissario, Claudia Griffoni, & by the endless resourcefulness of Signorina Elettra, Vice-Questore Patta`s secretary & gate-keeper. With Gasparini`s condition showing no signs of improvement, & his investigations leading nowhere, Brunetti is steadied by the embrace of his own family & by his passion for the classics. He turns to Sophocles`s Antigone in an attempt to understand the true purpose of justice, &, in its light, he is forced to consider the terrible consequences to which the actions of a tender heart can lead. ...

Important information is leaking from inside the Venetian Questura, & Commissario Guido Brunetti is tasked with uncovering the culprit. But before Brunetti can begin his investigation, a friend of his wife’s comes asking for his help, fearful that her son is using drugs. A few weeks later, the woman’s husband is found unconscious at the foot of a bridge. Following various contradictory leads, Brunetti navigates his way through Venice`s underworld in an attempt to understand who is responsible for the vicious attack. But as he gets closer to discovering what happened, Brunetti is faced with a difficult truth: sometimes, it’s the best intentions that lead to the darkest of consequences... ...

Cesare is a seventy-seven-year-old widower & cynical troublemaker. He has lived his whole life by his own rules & has no intention of changing now. Aside from an intermittent fling with a nurse called Rossana, he spends his days avoiding the old cat lady next door & screening calls from his children. But when the enigmatic Emma moves in next door with her strange & sinister husb&, Cesare suspects there is more to their relationship than meets the eye. He enlists the other residents to help him investigate & soon discovers a new & unexpected sense of purpose that leads him to risk everything for a future he had never thought possible. Laced with humour & pathos in equal measure, this is a delightful book to savour, for young & old alike. ...