Bøger af Simon Rae

A box is left on Marcus' doorstep in the rain. Fussy Aunt Hester has told Marcus not to open the front door under any circumstances. But she's out - and just this once can't hurt ...can it? Except the parcel isn't embroidery supplies for Aunt Hester. Or fishing tackle for Uncle Frank.

When a young girl is found strangled in a pillbox (military blockhouse) on the edge of an isolated village, it looks like a tragic but uncomplicated sex crime--especially as Jed, the local boy with whom she was last seen, has disappeared. But when Jed's blood-soaked jacket is found in another pillbox further along the river bank, it becomes clear that the case is more complicated. Chief Inspector Dalliance and DS Riley set about untangling a skein of leads, and in the process discover that the respectability of an idyllic English village conceals dark undercurrents. An exclusive swingers' club includes members of the political elite, while the younger generation seems hell-bent on a nihilistic exploration of sexual boundaries. In the meantime, as the community prepares for its annual Morris Dancing festival, another body is found. The page-turning plot reaches a dramatic climax with the prime suspect leading Dalliance and Riley a merry dance through village streets thronged with handkerchief-waving, stave-wielding Morris men.

W. G. Grace burst onto the cricket scene in the 1860s with spectacular force. He dominated the game until the end of the century, and influences it to this day. He was the world's first sporting superstar, rivalled as a public figure only by Gladstone and Queen Victoria herself. His staggering achievements as both batsman and bowler made him the greatest draw cricket had ever known. Though often depicted as an overgrown schoolboy, W. G. was extremely shrewd and ruthlessly exploited the power his immense popularity gave him. A notorious 'shamateur', he amassed great wealth through cricket, while remaining the standard-bearer for the Gentlemen against the Players for forty years.Researched in archives from Grimsby (where Grace once scored 400) to Australia, Simon Rae's new biography offers a radical analysis of Grace's career, and reviews the more controversial aspects of his conduct, including verbal and physical altercations, both on and off the field, and his kidnapping of an Australian cricketer from Lord's. But W. G. Grace: A Life provides more than a fresh look at the cricketer. It focuses on Grace's formative family background; his intensely competitive relations with his two famous brothers, 'E. M.' and Fred; his career as a doctor, and his ambitions and bereavements as a father. Drawing on little-known diaries and letters, and unique access to Grace's own library, Simon Rae builds up a convincing psychological portrait of the man behind the most famous beard in English history.

From tales of carolling and snatched mistletoe kisses to 'The Worst Christmas Dinner, Ever', there's something here to amuse and interest Christmas lovers, grinches, and everyone in between.