Author: Paul Fraser Collard
Publisher: Headline
ISBN: 1472222709
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 371
Book Description
JACK LARK: SOLDIER, LEADER, IMPOSTER. The third book in the gripping military adventure series for fans of Bernard Cornwell, Matthew Harffy and Simon Scarrow. 'Paul Collard has become one of the most readable figures in Historical Fiction' Parmenion Books 'Paul Fraser Collard commands the genre of historical action adventure with as much aplomb as Jack Lark commands his troops' Matthew Harffy 'If you loved Bernard Cornwell, then you'll love this' The Founding Fields Bombay, 1857. Jack Lark is living precariously as an officer when his heroic but fraudulent past is discovered by the Devil - Major Ballard, the army's intelligence officer. Ballard is gathering a web of information to defend the British Empire, and he needs a man like Jack on his side. Not far away, in Persia, the Shah is moving against British territory and, with the Russians whispering in his ear, seeks to conquer the crucial city of Herat. The Empire's strength is under threat and the army must fight back. As the British march to war, Jack learns that secrets crucial to the campaign's success are leaking into their enemies' hands. Ballard has brought him to the battlefield to end a spy's deceit. But who is the traitor? THE DEVIL'S ASSASSIN sweeps Jack Lark through a thrilling tale of explosive action as the British face the Persian army in the inky darkness of the desert night. THE DEVIL'S ASSASSIN: JACK LARK BOOK 3 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ READERS CAN'T GET ENOUGH OF JACK LARK: 'The Devil's Assassin is yet another win from a writer at the top of his game.' 'Life and death on the frontline is so viscerally described that you can smell and taste the blood and powder' 'Everything you need in an historical military novel. Intrigue, deception, the horror of combat, revenge...' 'Jack Lark is a hero I'll happily follow' 'Jack Lark is one of my favourite literary creations of the modern swathe of historical fiction.'
The Devil's Assassin
Author: Paul Fraser Collard
Publisher: Headline
ISBN: 1472222709
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 371
Book Description
JACK LARK: SOLDIER, LEADER, IMPOSTER. The third book in the gripping military adventure series for fans of Bernard Cornwell, Matthew Harffy and Simon Scarrow. 'Paul Collard has become one of the most readable figures in Historical Fiction' Parmenion Books 'Paul Fraser Collard commands the genre of historical action adventure with as much aplomb as Jack Lark commands his troops' Matthew Harffy 'If you loved Bernard Cornwell, then you'll love this' The Founding Fields Bombay, 1857. Jack Lark is living precariously as an officer when his heroic but fraudulent past is discovered by the Devil - Major Ballard, the army's intelligence officer. Ballard is gathering a web of information to defend the British Empire, and he needs a man like Jack on his side. Not far away, in Persia, the Shah is moving against British territory and, with the Russians whispering in his ear, seeks to conquer the crucial city of Herat. The Empire's strength is under threat and the army must fight back. As the British march to war, Jack learns that secrets crucial to the campaign's success are leaking into their enemies' hands. Ballard has brought him to the battlefield to end a spy's deceit. But who is the traitor? THE DEVIL'S ASSASSIN sweeps Jack Lark through a thrilling tale of explosive action as the British face the Persian army in the inky darkness of the desert night. THE DEVIL'S ASSASSIN: JACK LARK BOOK 3 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ READERS CAN'T GET ENOUGH OF JACK LARK: 'The Devil's Assassin is yet another win from a writer at the top of his game.' 'Life and death on the frontline is so viscerally described that you can smell and taste the blood and powder' 'Everything you need in an historical military novel. Intrigue, deception, the horror of combat, revenge...' 'Jack Lark is a hero I'll happily follow' 'Jack Lark is one of my favourite literary creations of the modern swathe of historical fiction.'
Publisher: Headline
ISBN: 1472222709
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 371
Book Description
JACK LARK: SOLDIER, LEADER, IMPOSTER. The third book in the gripping military adventure series for fans of Bernard Cornwell, Matthew Harffy and Simon Scarrow. 'Paul Collard has become one of the most readable figures in Historical Fiction' Parmenion Books 'Paul Fraser Collard commands the genre of historical action adventure with as much aplomb as Jack Lark commands his troops' Matthew Harffy 'If you loved Bernard Cornwell, then you'll love this' The Founding Fields Bombay, 1857. Jack Lark is living precariously as an officer when his heroic but fraudulent past is discovered by the Devil - Major Ballard, the army's intelligence officer. Ballard is gathering a web of information to defend the British Empire, and he needs a man like Jack on his side. Not far away, in Persia, the Shah is moving against British territory and, with the Russians whispering in his ear, seeks to conquer the crucial city of Herat. The Empire's strength is under threat and the army must fight back. As the British march to war, Jack learns that secrets crucial to the campaign's success are leaking into their enemies' hands. Ballard has brought him to the battlefield to end a spy's deceit. But who is the traitor? THE DEVIL'S ASSASSIN sweeps Jack Lark through a thrilling tale of explosive action as the British face the Persian army in the inky darkness of the desert night. THE DEVIL'S ASSASSIN: JACK LARK BOOK 3 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ READERS CAN'T GET ENOUGH OF JACK LARK: 'The Devil's Assassin is yet another win from a writer at the top of his game.' 'Life and death on the frontline is so viscerally described that you can smell and taste the blood and powder' 'Everything you need in an historical military novel. Intrigue, deception, the horror of combat, revenge...' 'Jack Lark is a hero I'll happily follow' 'Jack Lark is one of my favourite literary creations of the modern swathe of historical fiction.'
Dance of the Assassins
Author: Herve Jubert
Publisher: Harper Collins
ISBN: 0060777176
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 407
Book Description
A sorceress and a police detective track a reborn Jack the Ripper through historically recreated cities, from Victorian London to Montezuma's Mexico City.
Publisher: Harper Collins
ISBN: 0060777176
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 407
Book Description
A sorceress and a police detective track a reborn Jack the Ripper through historically recreated cities, from Victorian London to Montezuma's Mexico City.
The Devil's Assassin
Author: Paul Fraser Collard
Publisher: Hachette UK
ISBN: 1472222709
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 371
Book Description
JACK LARK: SOLDIER, LEADER, IMPOSTER. The third book in the gripping military adventure series for fans of Bernard Cornwell, Matthew Harffy and Simon Scarrow. 'Paul Collard has become one of the most readable figures in Historical Fiction' Parmenion Books 'Paul Fraser Collard commands the genre of historical action adventure with as much aplomb as Jack Lark commands his troops' Matthew Harffy 'If you loved Bernard Cornwell, then you'll love this' The Founding Fields Bombay, 1857. Jack Lark is living precariously as an officer when his heroic but fraudulent past is discovered by the Devil - Major Ballard, the army's intelligence officer. Ballard is gathering a web of information to defend the British Empire, and he needs a man like Jack on his side. Not far away, in Persia, the Shah is moving against British territory and, with the Russians whispering in his ear, seeks to conquer the crucial city of Herat. The Empire's strength is under threat and the army must fight back. As the British march to war, Jack learns that secrets crucial to the campaign's success are leaking into their enemies' hands. Ballard has brought him to the battlefield to end a spy's deceit. But who is the traitor? THE DEVIL'S ASSASSIN sweeps Jack Lark through a thrilling tale of explosive action as the British face the Persian army in the inky darkness of the desert night. THE DEVIL'S ASSASSIN: JACK LARK BOOK 3 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ READERS CAN'T GET ENOUGH OF JACK LARK: 'The Devil's Assassin is yet another win from a writer at the top of his game.' 'Life and death on the frontline is so viscerally described that you can smell and taste the blood and powder' 'Everything you need in an historical military novel. Intrigue, deception, the horror of combat, revenge...' 'Jack Lark is a hero I'll happily follow' 'Jack Lark is one of my favourite literary creations of the modern swathe of historical fiction.'
Publisher: Hachette UK
ISBN: 1472222709
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 371
Book Description
JACK LARK: SOLDIER, LEADER, IMPOSTER. The third book in the gripping military adventure series for fans of Bernard Cornwell, Matthew Harffy and Simon Scarrow. 'Paul Collard has become one of the most readable figures in Historical Fiction' Parmenion Books 'Paul Fraser Collard commands the genre of historical action adventure with as much aplomb as Jack Lark commands his troops' Matthew Harffy 'If you loved Bernard Cornwell, then you'll love this' The Founding Fields Bombay, 1857. Jack Lark is living precariously as an officer when his heroic but fraudulent past is discovered by the Devil - Major Ballard, the army's intelligence officer. Ballard is gathering a web of information to defend the British Empire, and he needs a man like Jack on his side. Not far away, in Persia, the Shah is moving against British territory and, with the Russians whispering in his ear, seeks to conquer the crucial city of Herat. The Empire's strength is under threat and the army must fight back. As the British march to war, Jack learns that secrets crucial to the campaign's success are leaking into their enemies' hands. Ballard has brought him to the battlefield to end a spy's deceit. But who is the traitor? THE DEVIL'S ASSASSIN sweeps Jack Lark through a thrilling tale of explosive action as the British face the Persian army in the inky darkness of the desert night. THE DEVIL'S ASSASSIN: JACK LARK BOOK 3 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ READERS CAN'T GET ENOUGH OF JACK LARK: 'The Devil's Assassin is yet another win from a writer at the top of his game.' 'Life and death on the frontline is so viscerally described that you can smell and taste the blood and powder' 'Everything you need in an historical military novel. Intrigue, deception, the horror of combat, revenge...' 'Jack Lark is a hero I'll happily follow' 'Jack Lark is one of my favourite literary creations of the modern swathe of historical fiction.'
Death in the Devil's Acre
Author: Anne Perry
Publisher: Ballantine Books
ISBN: 0345514041
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 290
Book Description
When a doctor is found brutally murdered in the lurid section of London aptly named “Devil’s Acre,” even its most hardened residents are stunned. But shock soon turns to horror when Inspector Thomas Pitt discovers three more bodies with the same gruesome “calling card”: a stab wound in the back and a rather inexpertly executed mutilation. As Pitt and his wife, Charlotte, race against time to find the killer, a treacherous mystery unfolds. And no one, not the lowest brand of ruffian or the most established aristocrat, will escape unscathed.
Publisher: Ballantine Books
ISBN: 0345514041
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 290
Book Description
When a doctor is found brutally murdered in the lurid section of London aptly named “Devil’s Acre,” even its most hardened residents are stunned. But shock soon turns to horror when Inspector Thomas Pitt discovers three more bodies with the same gruesome “calling card”: a stab wound in the back and a rather inexpertly executed mutilation. As Pitt and his wife, Charlotte, race against time to find the killer, a treacherous mystery unfolds. And no one, not the lowest brand of ruffian or the most established aristocrat, will escape unscathed.
The Devil's Breath
Author: David Gilman
Publisher: Delacorte Press
ISBN: 0375891331
Category : Young Adult Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 402
Book Description
WHEN AN ASSASSIN bursts from the shadows to try to kill him on the dark, windswept grounds of his boarding school in England, Max Gordon realizes his life is about to change forever. After learning that his explorer father is missing, Max is determined to find him, no matter what dangers may lay in his path. A secret clue his father left behind leads Max to the inhospitable wilderness of Namibia, where he soon discovers a potentially massive ecological disaster masterminded by Shaka Chang, a very powerful and completely ruthless man—a man Max fears may have put his father in mortal danger. Max needs all the help he can get. Because whoever is behind his father’s disappearance is determined to get rid of Max, too. For good.
Publisher: Delacorte Press
ISBN: 0375891331
Category : Young Adult Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 402
Book Description
WHEN AN ASSASSIN bursts from the shadows to try to kill him on the dark, windswept grounds of his boarding school in England, Max Gordon realizes his life is about to change forever. After learning that his explorer father is missing, Max is determined to find him, no matter what dangers may lay in his path. A secret clue his father left behind leads Max to the inhospitable wilderness of Namibia, where he soon discovers a potentially massive ecological disaster masterminded by Shaka Chang, a very powerful and completely ruthless man—a man Max fears may have put his father in mortal danger. Max needs all the help he can get. Because whoever is behind his father’s disappearance is determined to get rid of Max, too. For good.
The Devil You Know
Author: Elisabeth de Mariaffi
Publisher: Titan Books
ISBN: 1783297638
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 365
Book Description
Rookie crime beat reporter Evie Jones is haunted by the unsolved murder of her best friend in 1982. The suspected killer was never apprehended. Now twenty-two, Evie is obsessively drawn to finding the murderer. She leans on childhood friend David Patton for help - but why does every trail seem to lead back to David's father? As she gets closer to the truth, Evie becomes convinced that the killer is still at large - and that he's coming back for her.
Publisher: Titan Books
ISBN: 1783297638
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 365
Book Description
Rookie crime beat reporter Evie Jones is haunted by the unsolved murder of her best friend in 1982. The suspected killer was never apprehended. Now twenty-two, Evie is obsessively drawn to finding the murderer. She leans on childhood friend David Patton for help - but why does every trail seem to lead back to David's father? As she gets closer to the truth, Evie becomes convinced that the killer is still at large - and that he's coming back for her.
The Devil in Disguise
Author: Stefanie Sloane
Publisher: Ballantine Books
ISBN: 0345517423
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 322
Book Description
BONUS: This edition contains an excerpt from Stefanie Sloane's The Saint Who Stole My Heart. Filled with espionage and intrigue, Stefanie Sloane’s witty and sexy debut is a Regency historical—the first novel in a back-to-back Regency Rogues trilogy that features seductive spies and the ladies they must protect. Lord William Randall, the Duke of Clairemont, is a rake with little regard for society—a most unlikely suitor for Lady Lucinda Grey. But his latest assignment for the Young Corinthians, an elite spy organization, involves protecting her from a kidnapping plot. To do this, the notorious “Iron Will” must use his devilish charm to seduce Lucinda and convince her he’s worthy of her attention. William never planned to become enthralled by the lovely Lady Grey—or to lose his own heart in the bargain. Beautiful and fiercely intelligent, Lucinda has managed to gracefully sidestep even the most persistent suitors. Until the Duke of Clairemont, that is. She’s tempted by his sinfully sensuous mouth and piercing eyes, and finds it hard to resist the champion thoroughbred he offers her in exchange for the honor of courting her. Can she keep him at arm’s length when his touch begs her to let him so much closer?
Publisher: Ballantine Books
ISBN: 0345517423
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 322
Book Description
BONUS: This edition contains an excerpt from Stefanie Sloane's The Saint Who Stole My Heart. Filled with espionage and intrigue, Stefanie Sloane’s witty and sexy debut is a Regency historical—the first novel in a back-to-back Regency Rogues trilogy that features seductive spies and the ladies they must protect. Lord William Randall, the Duke of Clairemont, is a rake with little regard for society—a most unlikely suitor for Lady Lucinda Grey. But his latest assignment for the Young Corinthians, an elite spy organization, involves protecting her from a kidnapping plot. To do this, the notorious “Iron Will” must use his devilish charm to seduce Lucinda and convince her he’s worthy of her attention. William never planned to become enthralled by the lovely Lady Grey—or to lose his own heart in the bargain. Beautiful and fiercely intelligent, Lucinda has managed to gracefully sidestep even the most persistent suitors. Until the Duke of Clairemont, that is. She’s tempted by his sinfully sensuous mouth and piercing eyes, and finds it hard to resist the champion thoroughbred he offers her in exchange for the honor of courting her. Can she keep him at arm’s length when his touch begs her to let him so much closer?
God's Assassins
Author: Gavin Baddeley
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 268
Book Description
Terrorism - the imposition of, or opposition to, government with the threat or fear of force - is mostly regarded as a modern horror, implemented by bombs, hijackings and assassinations. But the origins of terrorism occur far back in the Middle Ages, when the forefathers of the modern world's most uncompromising terrorists - al-Qaeda and the Palestinian suicide bombers, laid down their murderous creed. In the 11th Century, Europe was a region of feudal kingdoms at war, while the Middle East was much more pluralistic, placing less theological restrictions on the lives of individuals or the pursuit of knowledge. It was against this liberal environment that Pope Urban II launched his own version of a 'jihad' - a holy war against the decadent, unholy Islamic world. The reaction in the Islamic world was one of increasing fury, and we continue to reap its consequences centuries later. Islam would become increasingly militant as Muslim sects that preached intolerance and force gained ground. One such heretical sect was the Nizaris, a mystical order of warriors founded by a Persian named Hassan Bin Sabah, later known in the West as the Assassins. Hassan inspired fanatical loyalty in his followers and Assassin cultists were unafraid of capture and death. According to tales brought back to Europe by Marco Polo in 1295, the Old Man of the Mountains fed his followers with hashish before taking them to a secluded garden where they were indulged with forbidden pleasures - principally, the sexual favours of young women. On returning to normal consciousness, the Assassin was told he had experienced the heavenly garden of Paradise and would spend all eternity there, provided he lived in the service of the cult. Assassin cultists would therefore infiltrate enemy courts and army camps, reputedly remaining incognito for years, ready to commit murder upon their master's signal. It was the birth of strategic terrorism. In modern times the legend of the Assassins carries a more symbolic significance. Some intellectuals have drawn a parallel between Hassan Bin Sabah's maxim, "Nothing is true - everything is permissible", describing the dream-trance of the hashish eater, and the 1950s concept of "brainwashing": the belief in turning soldiers into sleeping assassins. Most chilling, however, is the Islamic fundamentalist belief in martyrdom through assassination. High on nothing but piety the suicide bombers, the followers of Osama Bin Laden, and the September 11th terrorists were promised that which their puritan creed denies them on earth - the sexual favours of "the 72 houris virgins] of heaven", as a reward for he who kills in the name of Allah. This illuminating study analyses the origins and history of terrorism, separating legend from truth to uncover the true roots of the fanatical terrorist acts the world has witnessed in the last decade. This will be essential reading for all historians, and for anyone who, up until now, may have thought that outrageous acts of terrorism causing untold civilian casualties, was a curse of the modern age.
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 268
Book Description
Terrorism - the imposition of, or opposition to, government with the threat or fear of force - is mostly regarded as a modern horror, implemented by bombs, hijackings and assassinations. But the origins of terrorism occur far back in the Middle Ages, when the forefathers of the modern world's most uncompromising terrorists - al-Qaeda and the Palestinian suicide bombers, laid down their murderous creed. In the 11th Century, Europe was a region of feudal kingdoms at war, while the Middle East was much more pluralistic, placing less theological restrictions on the lives of individuals or the pursuit of knowledge. It was against this liberal environment that Pope Urban II launched his own version of a 'jihad' - a holy war against the decadent, unholy Islamic world. The reaction in the Islamic world was one of increasing fury, and we continue to reap its consequences centuries later. Islam would become increasingly militant as Muslim sects that preached intolerance and force gained ground. One such heretical sect was the Nizaris, a mystical order of warriors founded by a Persian named Hassan Bin Sabah, later known in the West as the Assassins. Hassan inspired fanatical loyalty in his followers and Assassin cultists were unafraid of capture and death. According to tales brought back to Europe by Marco Polo in 1295, the Old Man of the Mountains fed his followers with hashish before taking them to a secluded garden where they were indulged with forbidden pleasures - principally, the sexual favours of young women. On returning to normal consciousness, the Assassin was told he had experienced the heavenly garden of Paradise and would spend all eternity there, provided he lived in the service of the cult. Assassin cultists would therefore infiltrate enemy courts and army camps, reputedly remaining incognito for years, ready to commit murder upon their master's signal. It was the birth of strategic terrorism. In modern times the legend of the Assassins carries a more symbolic significance. Some intellectuals have drawn a parallel between Hassan Bin Sabah's maxim, "Nothing is true - everything is permissible", describing the dream-trance of the hashish eater, and the 1950s concept of "brainwashing": the belief in turning soldiers into sleeping assassins. Most chilling, however, is the Islamic fundamentalist belief in martyrdom through assassination. High on nothing but piety the suicide bombers, the followers of Osama Bin Laden, and the September 11th terrorists were promised that which their puritan creed denies them on earth - the sexual favours of "the 72 houris virgins] of heaven", as a reward for he who kills in the name of Allah. This illuminating study analyses the origins and history of terrorism, separating legend from truth to uncover the true roots of the fanatical terrorist acts the world has witnessed in the last decade. This will be essential reading for all historians, and for anyone who, up until now, may have thought that outrageous acts of terrorism causing untold civilian casualties, was a curse of the modern age.
The Devil's Alternative
Author: Frederick Forsyth
Publisher: Penguin
ISBN: 1101602163
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 469
Book Description
#1 New York Times bestselling author Frederick Forsyth delivers a frighteningly possible novel of international terrorism and impending war… As the Russian people face starvation, the Politburo is faced with a hard choice: negotiate with America for food, go to war for national survival, or deal with an uprising in the motherland. Through an informant, British Agent Adam Munro learns that the situation is growing dangerously tense, with powerful forces in the USSR maneuvering for supremacy. But even as East and West conduct delicate talks, events spiral out of control and threaten to undo every step taken. The world’s largest oil tanker is hijacked by terrorists, and a Ukrainian “freedom fighter” is rescued in a bloody catastrophe on the Black Sea. From Moscow to Washington, the stakes grow ever more perilous as the mad actions of a few threaten to engulf the entire world in nuclear war—unless Munro can stop them.
Publisher: Penguin
ISBN: 1101602163
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 469
Book Description
#1 New York Times bestselling author Frederick Forsyth delivers a frighteningly possible novel of international terrorism and impending war… As the Russian people face starvation, the Politburo is faced with a hard choice: negotiate with America for food, go to war for national survival, or deal with an uprising in the motherland. Through an informant, British Agent Adam Munro learns that the situation is growing dangerously tense, with powerful forces in the USSR maneuvering for supremacy. But even as East and West conduct delicate talks, events spiral out of control and threaten to undo every step taken. The world’s largest oil tanker is hijacked by terrorists, and a Ukrainian “freedom fighter” is rescued in a bloody catastrophe on the Black Sea. From Moscow to Washington, the stakes grow ever more perilous as the mad actions of a few threaten to engulf the entire world in nuclear war—unless Munro can stop them.
The Devil's Hand
Author: Jack Carr
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
ISBN: 1982123753
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 640
Book Description
"It's been twenty years since 9/11, two decades since the United States was attacked on home soil and set out to make the guilty pay with their lives. In the shadows, the enemy has been patient--learning, and adapting. And the enemy is ready to strike again. A new president offers hope to a country weary of conflict. He's a young, popular, self-made visionary...but he's also a man with a secret. Halfway across the globe a regional superpower struggles with sanctions imposed by the United States and her European allies, a country whose ancient religion spawned a group of ruthless assassins. Faced with internal dissent and extrajudicial targeted killings by the United States and Israel, the Supreme Leader puts a plan in motion to defeat the most powerful nation on earth. Meanwhile, a young PhD student has gained access to a bioweapon thought to be confined to a classified military laboratory known only to a select number of officials. A second-generation agent, he has been assigned a mission that will bring his adopted homeland to its knees."--Back cover.
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
ISBN: 1982123753
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 640
Book Description
"It's been twenty years since 9/11, two decades since the United States was attacked on home soil and set out to make the guilty pay with their lives. In the shadows, the enemy has been patient--learning, and adapting. And the enemy is ready to strike again. A new president offers hope to a country weary of conflict. He's a young, popular, self-made visionary...but he's also a man with a secret. Halfway across the globe a regional superpower struggles with sanctions imposed by the United States and her European allies, a country whose ancient religion spawned a group of ruthless assassins. Faced with internal dissent and extrajudicial targeted killings by the United States and Israel, the Supreme Leader puts a plan in motion to defeat the most powerful nation on earth. Meanwhile, a young PhD student has gained access to a bioweapon thought to be confined to a classified military laboratory known only to a select number of officials. A second-generation agent, he has been assigned a mission that will bring his adopted homeland to its knees."--Back cover.