Authorinsight.tv from Bookswarm

Raymond Khoury on latest novel The Devil’s Elixir

Authorinsight — Sun, 18 Dec 2011 12:38:51 +0000

FBI agent Sean Reilly and archaeologist Tess Chaykin, heroes of Raymond Khoury’s bestselling Templar novels, return in another edge-of-your-seat thriller that reaches from present day back to 1700s Mexico – and possibly beyond. What if there was a natural drug, previously lost to history in the jungles of Central America, capable of inducing an experience so momentous – and so unsettling – that it might shake the very foundations of Western civilization? What if powerful forces on both sides of the law got wind of that drug and launched a vicious, uncompromising pursuit to possess it? In Raymond Khoury’s million-copy-selling Templar novels, Reilly and Tess traveled the globe to unravel ancient mysteries with present-day ramifications. In The Devil’s Elixir, they find themselves dragged into a race – against the clock, against a brutal drug kingpin known as “El Brujo” – the sorcerer – and even against government authorities – to merge two divergent trails, one several hundred years old, the other as current as a heartbeat, that could drag humanity to the brink of self-destruction. Packed with the nonstop suspense and unexpected twists Raymond Khoury fans delight in, The Devil’s Elixir is destined for bestseller lists everywhere.

On location with Michael Calvin

Authorinsight — Sun, 18 Dec 2011 12:36:37 +0000

What is it like to win at Wembley? What happens behind locked dressing room doors? What makes a good football manager? What shapes a successful player? What turns a group of individuals into a team? What binds a football club to its fans? What good can football do in its community? Answers to these questions, and many more, can be found in Family: Life, Death and Football.

Award winning sportswriter Michael Calvin offers a unique insight into a promotion season. He turned up for the first day of pre season training, and was on the substitutes bench at Wembley, 333 days later. It is an intimate portrait of a distinctive football club burdened by its history. That club happens to Millwall, but the pressures and problems they face make them Everyman FC. They operate in a parallel universe to the Premier League. There are no huge budgets, no hyper-inflated egos. The players are family men, close to their roots. They understand who they are playing for, and why it matters. They remind us of the humanity football is in danger of losing, as it worships empty celebrity and the quick buck.

Calvin takes the reader into the dressing room, boardroom, and on to the streets. He reports from football’s front line. It is a book for the true fan, and the authentic football man.

The Economist on Megachange

Authorinsight — Sun, 18 Dec 2011 12:34:52 +0000

In 2050 there will be 9.3 billion people alive – compared with 7 billion today – and the number will still be rising. The population aged over sixty-five will have more than doubled, to more than 16 per cent; China’s GDP will be 80 per cent more than America’s; and the number of cars on India’s roads will have increased by 3,880 per cent. And, in 2050 it should be clear whether we are alone in the universe. What other megachanges can we expect – and what will their impact be? This comprehensive and compelling book will cover the most significant trends that are shaping the coming decades, with each of its twenty chapters elegantly and authoritatively outlined by Economist contributors, and rich in supporting facts and figures. It will chart the rise and fall of fertility rates across continents; how energy resources will change in light of new technology, and how different nations will deal with major developments in science and warfare. Megachange is essential reading for anyone who wants to know what the next four decades hold in store.

Chris Cleave on Gold

Authorinsight — Sun, 18 Dec 2011 12:31:06 +0000

Usually, this is where we’d tell you what this book is about.

But with Chris Cleave, it’s a bit different.

Because if you’ve read THE OTHER HAND or INCENDIARY, you’ll know that what his books are about is only part of the story – what really matters is how they make you feel.

GOLD is about the limits of human endurance, both physical and emotional.

It will make you cry.

GOLD is about what drives us to succeed – and what we choose to sacrifice for success.

It will make you feel glad to be alive.

GOLD is about the struggles we all face every day; the conflict between winning on others’ terms, and triumphing on your own.

It will make you count your blessings.

GOLD is a story told as only Chris Cleave could tell it. And once you begin, it will be a heart-pounding race to the finish.

Matthew Sweet on the West End Front

Authorinsight — Sun, 09 Oct 2011 11:17:42 +0000

The Ritz, the Savoy, the Dorchester and Claridge’s – during the Second World War they teemed with spies, con-artists, deposed royals and the exiled governments of Europe. Meet the girl from MI5 who had the gravy browning licked from her legs by Dylan Thomas; the barman who was appointed the keeper of Churchill’s private bottle of whisky; the East End Communist who marched with his comrades into the air-raid shelter of the Savoy; the throneless prince born in a suite at Claridge’s declared Yugoslav territory for one night only. Matthew Sweet has interviewed them all for this account of the extraordinary events that unfolded under the reinforced ceilings of London’s grand hotels. Using the memories of first-hand witnesses, the contents of newly declassified government files and a wealth of previously unpublished letters, memoirs and photographs, he has reconstructed a lost world of scandal, intrigue and fortitude.