Showing results by narrator "Des Dillon" in All Categories

The People of Sparks picks up where The City of Ember leaves off. Lina and Doon have emerged from the underground city to the exciting new world above, and it isn't long before they are followed by the other inhabitants of Ember. The Emberites soon come across a town where they are welcomed, fed, and given places to sleep. But the town's resources are limited and it isn't long before resentment begins to grow between the two groups.

Whether we are worried about the spread of COVID-19 or making a corporate budget, we depend on mathematical models to help us understand the world around us every day. But models aren’t a mirror of reality. In fact, they are fantasies, where everything works out perfectly, every time. And relying on them too heavily can hurt us. In Escape from Model Land, statistician Erica Thompson illuminates the hidden dangers of models.

Reflecting on the Beach Boys’ long, fascinating history, this book tells the story behind 50 of the band’s greatest songs from the perspective of group members, collaborators, fellow musicians, and notable fans. The band's music is as influential now as it was 50 years ago, and this retelling of how the iconic rock group found itself in the annals of pop culture couldn't come at a better time.

When Lily meets Albert, a refugee from Hungary, during the summer of 1944, they begin a special friendship. However, Lily and Albert have both told lies, and Lily has told a lie that may cost Albert his life.

Michael Dunlop is quite simply the greatest road racer on the planet. Brother of William, also an accomplished rider, son of the late Robert and nephew of the late great Joey Dunlop, Michael can fairly claim that racing is in his blood. Now for the first time he talks in depth about his family story, how he got involved in the family business and how he manages to keep getting back on his bike despite all he knows of the deadly risks he encounters every time he crosses the start line.

I was so happy when my son, Knox, began dating my best friend’s daughter. Our kids grew up together and we used to joke, as we sipped wine and watched them play, that they’d get married one day. But when Knox came home late after a party, zipping his hoodie up to hide the scratches I caught a glimpse of on his collarbone, a chill went down my spine. That night, our whole world shattered. Now, I hardly recognize my husband as he sweeps into action, calling in a hot-shot lawyer to defend our boy.

THE PAST NEVER DIES... When Jacqueline "Jack" Daniels still worked for Homicide in the Chicago Police Department, she had an adversary who became the most evil, and most formidable, villain she'd ever met. Alex Kork. A serial killer of extraordinary brilliance and cruelty. Jack was 100% sure that Alex was gone forever. But you can never be 100% sure about anything. Life is full of surprises. Death is also full of surprises. And death is coming. PINK LADY by J.A. KonrathThe bitch is back...

With the dragon “slayed” and corruption in the Church uprooted, Luciel returns to Yenice a hero, but a hero’s work is never done. His revolution is ambitious (too ambitious, some might say), and in the wake of change always comes resistance. As it turns out, dragons just might be the least of his worries when he realizes that the weeds he plucked might have only been a symptom of the City of Freedom’s underlying disease. Politics are a dangerous game and Luciel’s found himself stranded on the board, but is he a player or a pawn?

After signing divorce papers and leaving her New York life behind, Nova Walker needs refuge. She finds it in small-town Texas with her Aunt Gigi, along with the opportunity to earn her keep working in Gigi’s diner. Since she’s going to Arcadia Creek, Nova expects the cowboys, but she doesn’t expect the extremely attractive firefighter who—living up to his fiery title—seems to butt heads with her at every turn. With his charm and cocky attitude, Dusty Hayes—as hickish as they come in this backwater place—has a knack for pushing Nova's buttons and propelling her competitiveness into overdrive.

Cowerworth is the picture perfect neighbourhood. Its manicured lawns and low crime rates make it the ideal place to raise a family. But in a quiet suburb, someone is always watching. And all eyes are on the couple who have just moved in. Marcus and Gina are everything you could want in neighbours: polite and friendly. They seem to be the perfect fit. Except Marcus has a secret. And you're his next victim. You just don't know it yet.

Squirrel is not like most dogs. Born a stray, she must make her own way in the world, facing busy highways, changing seasons, and humans both gentle and brutal. Her life story, in her own words, is marked by loss, but also by an inspiring instinct to survive. And when it seems she will roam the woods and country roads alone forever, Squirrel makes two friends who, in very different ways, define her fate.At once heartrending and hopeful, Ann Martin’s exquisite story of a dog’s life is told with her trademark grace and insight.

Luciel arrives at the City in the Sky, hopeful he can retrieve what he’s lost. All is not as it seems, though, as Neldahl holds many secrets in unlikely places. How many of the city’s curious features are merely the proclivities of Lord Reinstar, and how many speak to conspiracy? The S-rank isn’t sure he wants to know, so it’s a good thing he has plenty to occupy him, like hitting the books, practicing magic, and exploring the labyrinthine halls of the Sorcerer’s Guild.

There have always been deaths in the small town of Eriston over the years - more than can easily be explained. People dying in their houses, behind locked doors. Sean Cole thought he'd spotted a pattern. Thought he was on the trail of a killer. Now he's dead, too. When his daughter, Rebecca, returns to the town, she realises that her father might have been onto something. But can she find the murderer before he finds her? Because if she can't, her father's shabby old Victorian house is no place to hide.

Saint Weirdo returns to the Holy City, and surely a few months of peace and calm await the masochist healer back on his own turf. This time, for sure! Yeah, right. Luciel’s homecoming is less a vacation and more a pitstop on his never-ending list of responsibilities as an S-rank healer. The enigma that is Estia and her connection to the mysterious Lihzalea loom in the background, as all the while the Church continues to reel under the changes its newest S-rank brought so suddenly.

Zoe Nolan disappeared from Manchester University in 2011. Her story was sad, certainly, but hardly sensational, Joseph Knox thought. As a crime writer, he felt that dead girls were everywhere, and the missing ones just didn't cut it. He wouldn't have given her any more thought were it not for Evelyn Mitchell. Another writer struggling to come up with a new idea, Evelyn attended one of Joseph's publicity events, and she was wondering just what happened to all the girls who go missing.

The world now has its first sage in over a century! Luciel returns at last from his extended stay in the City in the Sky with wondrous powers in hand, and this displeases a very particular faction within the Church of Saint Shurule. Red carpets were never the timid S-rank’s style, but an armed platoon isn’t exactly what he had in mind for his homecoming either. To make matters worse, just about everywhere Luciel turns is yet another plot in the making.

People disappoint us but what if God does too? Physiotherapist Esther Macdonald is living the Australian dream, and it doesn't surprise her. After all, her father has always said, "Follow Jesus and be blessed." But at 28, her world shatters. Everyone assures her God will come through for her, but what happens when he doesn't? Has she offended God? Is her faith too small?

Golf is for rich, pretentious jerks who need something to do while they gossip. That’s always been my opinion. So when my best friend lands me an interview with Miles Day—the youngest golfer to ever win the Masters—I almost say no. But the six-figure salary attached to the position is too good to pass up. Miles gives me the job as his assistant with one caveat—don’t fall in love with him. Easy. So easy that I laugh in his face when he so much as suggests the possibility. Except… the more time I spend with Miles, the harder it is to resist his charming smile and glittering green eyes.

There’s no time to lose. Luciel and the gang make for Grandol with all haste, on a heroic quest to save a damsel in distress… not. The hapless healer is in no rush to go sticking his neck out for others, but he’s not one to break a promise to an all-powerful dragon. When they arrive, though, things don’t exactly go as planned, and a detour takes Luciel on yet another rescue mission—this time at an auction.

Charlotte was supposed to be looking after the children, and she swears she was. She only took her eyes off of them for one second. But when her three kids are all safe and sound at the school fair, and Alice, her best friend Harriet’s daughter, is nowhere to be found, Charlotte panics. Frantically searching everywhere, Charlotte knows she must find the courage to tell Harriet that her beloved only child is missing. And admit that she has only herself to blame.