Dark Island

From 1906 to 1925 Quail Island, in Lyttelton Harbour, was the site of New Zealand’s leprosy colony. The colony began by accident, as it were, after the discovery of a leprosy sufferer in Christchurch. As further patients arrived from across the country, it grew into a controversial and troubled institution – an embarrassment to the Health Department, an object of pity to a few, a source of fear to many. This remarkable narrative reveals a little-known aspect of New Zealand’s past, shedding light on the treatment of some of society’s most marginal, unfortunate and isolated people. Written in lucid, compelling prose, The Dark Island heralds the arrival of a significant historical voice.

Battle, intrigue and Druidism followed to their brutal conclusions in the dark pre-Christian world of the Celts... Henry Treece explores a period in British history when magic and murder were matter-of-fact and the 'civilising' influence of Rome had yet to make headway against the dark and powerful undertow of the Celtic spirit. Something of a cult classic author.

Like the "Dark Continent" of Africa, the dark island of Madagascar holds many chilling secrets. One of them is a long thought extinct species of dinosaurs living at the country's core.A massive earthquake rocks the mountain range within the Andringitra National Park. The splitting earth reveals a network of tunnels, hidden away for millennia. Responding to the series of violent upheavals, a pack of hypersensitive predators flee their subterranean home, frenzied and hungry they head for the surface. Former Navy SEAL Ian Hunt begrudgingly accepts an offer to lead an exploratory team. What they uncover is the find of a lifetime...if they survive long enough to tell anyone. Dinosaurs are alive and well at the heart of the DARK ISLAND.

This is a collection of unpredictable stories about love and cruelty, crimes, desperation, and hope from the man Irvine Welsh has described as 'the most arresting and original writer to emerge from these islands in years'.

Shortly after gaining independence from Britain, the island nation of Dominica implemented a farsighted policy protecting most of its biologically diverse rainforest as a national preserve. Former US Park Service Naturalist Michael Tritico traveled to Dominica intent on resting from his highly stressful confrontations in Louisianas ecological wars in hope of working as a volunteer in the new Dominican Park Service. Unfortunately, and unknown to him, people allegedly working for the Ku Klux Klan had also planned to travel from Louisiana to Dominica, though their intentions were much less benign. They had a plan for capturing the island, a scheme called Operation Red Dog. Although the invaders were stopped in New Orleans, US officials had alerted Dominican authorities to be on the lookout for any possible terrorists who might have slipped through the American dragnet. Michael was faced with these bizarre circumstances immediately after landing on the island. Despite interrogations and cryptic warnings from both Dominican and American officials, he attempted to pursue his original plans, experiencing grand moments during his nine days there, such as a beautiful tour of the Indian River and the islands first nocturnal zombie hunt. In this memoir, he recalls his time on the island and reflects on what it has to offer, considering his misadventures to be a divinely orchestrated episode meant to draw attention to a potential model the island of Dominica provides.

In this thrilling sixth installment of Scott Chantler's popular Three Thieves graphic novel series, the separate adventures of twins Dessa and Jared play out simultaneously and seem poised to intersect as the book ends. Dessa, along with Topper and Fisk, has managed a daring landing onto the flying island of Astaroth, where she hopes to find her long-lost brother. Instead, they discover a bizarre world where three children are being held by a mysterious and rarely seen man they call the Toymaker. Certain the Toymaker is Greyfalcon, Jared's kidnapper, Dessa is determined to track him down and confront him about her brother's location. Meanwhile, Captain Drake has unintentionally stumbled upon Jared himself and decides to hold the boy as bait to lure Dessa to him. But as he learns from Jared the particulars about the boy's abduction nine years ago, Drake is troubled. Why would such powerful people want to abduct a small peasant boy? The answer to that question is about to shock Drake --- and Jared! Readers of this award-winning fantasy-adventure series will be excited to find some of the pieces of the puzzle beginning to fall into place here. These fast-paced books, with loads of brilliantly depicted action scenes and just enough humor, are hugely appealing to both boys and girls. However, even as readers are getting pulled along by the high drama and exciting visuals, the complex storylines and intersecting character relationships will engage their critical thinking skills. As always, the cliffhanger ending will leave readers hungry for more.

A former WWII intelligence agent searches for redemption in this thriller by the New York Times–bestselling author of The Midnight Bell. It’s been nearly twenty years since Hugh Lomax set foot on the Greek island of Kyros. During World War II, British Intelligence sent him there on a mission to take out a high-tech German radar station. Aided by the local resistance, he succeeded—but was also captured and spent the rest of the war imprisoned. Now, he’s returned. But he is far from welcome. When he reunites with someone he thought an old friend, the man threatens to kill him. The local authorities make it clear that he should leave and never come back. Because although he thought he had helped save Kyros, Lomax soon learns that his former comrades believe he turned traitor in captivity—a betrayal that cost many lives. Unwilling to live with the betrayal, Lomax must delve into the violent past and dig into the unfamiliar present to find the man who stained his name with the blood of his friends. But this secret enemy is still watching his every move, waiting to silence him forever . . . Written before his novel The Eagle Has Landed took the world by storm, Jack Higgins’s adventure of war and treachery showcases his absolute mastery of combining plot, action, and vividly drawn characters into the perfect thriller.

Dark Sky Island, Lara Dearman’s follow-up to the first Jennifer Dorey mystery is sure to find fans in readers of Susie Steiner and Sharon Bolton. An inspector and journalist join forces to uncover long-buried secrets, simmering resentments, and a chilling murder in a tiny, remote island in the English Channel. The tiny island of Sark lies isolated in the dark waters of the Channel Islands. No cars are allowed. No streetlamps light its paths. It is the world’s only Dark Sky Island. This breathtaking patch of land seems the picture of tranquility—but at its heart lies a web of murder, deceit, and hidden danger. When bones are discovered on Derrible Bay and an elderly resident is violently murdered, DCI Michael Gilbert from the nearby island of Guernsey is called in to tackle the case. With his department under fire, he needs to find the killer—and fast. Joining him is newspaper reporter Jennifer Dorey, whose father died in a mysterious drowning off the island. As Michael struggles to crack the case and Jennifer launches her own investigation, the island’s residents are left reeling and soon, their dark secrets begin to unravel threatening everything. On an island steeped in superstition, where tales of hauntings and devil craft abound, Michael and Jenny race to discover the truth in Dark Sky Island, the second tantalizing installment of Lara Dearman’s Jennifer Dorey mysteries.