Lek - El comienzo A los veintiún años de edad, Lek, una campesina ordinaria y contemporánea del cinturón de arroz del norte de Tailandia, tuvo que ir a Pattaya a trabajar en la industria del ocio para ayudar a su madre viuda a pagar la hipoteca para salvar la granja de la ejecución hipotecaria y mantener a sus hermanos en la escuela. Este libro, El Principio, muestra cómo era su vida antes de tener que dejar su pequeño, trabajador, pero feliz pueblo y las únicas personas que había conocido. Describe los eventos que la hicieron feliz y los que la entristecieron en sus primeros años de vida, desde vivir con su abuela hasta sobrevivir con su esposo, Tom. En el último momento, algunos amigos dan un paso al frente para hacer que la transición de Lek a la vida en la ciudad sexual número uno de Tailandia sea un poco más fácil. La serie Detrás de la sonrisa es la historia de Lek, una chica de bar en Pattaya, Tailandia. Lek nació como el hijo mayor de cuatro hijos en una familia típica de agricultores de arroz en el cinturón de arroz del norte de Tailandia. Un día ocurrió una catástrofe inesperada: su padre murió joven con enormes deudas de las que la familia no sabía nada. Lek tenía solo veinte años y era la única que podía evitar la ejecución hipotecaria de la granja familiar y permitir que su hermana menor y sus dos hermanos continuaran con su educación. Sin embargo, la única forma que conocía era ir a trabajar al bar de su prima en Pattaya. ¿Puede una chica de un bar de Pattaya volver a ser una novia o esposa normal? Detrás de su Sonrisa es una mirada a una parte de Tailandia, un país conocido en todo el mundo como ”La tierra de las sonrisas”. Lek - El comienzo A los veintiún años de edad, Lek, una chica campesina ordinaria y contemporánea del cinturón de arroz del norte de Tailandia, tuvo que ir a Pattaya a trabajar en la industria del ocio para ayudar a su madre viuda a pagar la hipoteca para ahorrar. la granja de una ejecución hipotecaria y mantener a sus hermanos en la escuela. Este libro, El Principio, muestra cómo era su vida antes de tener que dejar su pequeño, trabajador, pero feliz pueblo y las únicas personas que había conocido. Describe los eventos que la hicieron feliz y los que la entristecieron en sus primeros años de vida, desde vivir con su abuela hasta sobrevivir con su esposo, Tom. En el último momento, algunos amigos dan un paso al frente para hacer que la transición de Lek a la vida en la ciudad sexual número uno de Tailandia sea un poco más fácil.

Школьная поездка Меган (том 3 из 27): Школа организует экскурсию, и ученики могут голосованием выбрать место, куда они хотят поехать. Меган смущена своим первым голосованием, но отправляется туда, куда она хочет. Ей нравится это путешествие, и она исследует все вокруг вместе со своим другом, тигромпризраком, Гррр. Меган словно переносится в далекие времена, но ей не страшно, потому что рядом с ней ее друг. Потом она обсуждает эта поездку со своим духом-наставником Вачинхиншей. В серию книг «Экстрасенс Меган» входит двадцать три новеллы о том как девочка постепенно начинает понимать, что у нее есть такие способности, каких нет ни у кого больше в ее семье. В первом томе Меган двенадцать лет. У нее есть две, казалось бы, непреодолимые проблемы. Мама напугана скрытыми способностями дочери и не только не помогает ей, но и активно ее уговаривает не пользоваться ими; и Меган не может найти наставника, который помог бы ей развить ее сверхъестественные экстрасенсорные способности. Ей хочется знать не только, что можно делать и как это делать, но и с какой целью она должна использовать свои особые способности. Меган — хорошая девочка, поэтому кажется вполне очевидным, что она хочет применять свои силы во благо, однако не всегда легко поступать правильно, даже если знаешь это. Эти рассказы о Меган понравятся всем, кто интересуется экстрасенсорными способностями, сверхъестественным и паранормальным, в возрасте от десяти до ста лет. Школьная поездка Меган (том 3 из 27): Школа организует экскурсию, и ученики могут голосованием выбрать место, куда они хотят поехать. Меган смущена своим первым голосованием, но отправляется туда, куда она хочет. Ей нравится это путешествие, и она исследует все вокруг вместе со своим другом, тигромпризраком, Гррр. Меган словно переносится в далекие времена, но ей не страшно, потому что рядом с ней ее друг. Потом она обсуждает эта поездку со своим духом-наставником Вачинхиншей.

Unos terroristas atacan simultáneamente las embajadas británica y estadounidense en Bangkok causando terribles daños, pero ¿quién es el responsable y cómo se evitará que lo vuelvan a hacer?

The Dream takes up the story of Lek, her family and friends from two years further down the line. In the past, it has always been Lek who issued the ultimata, but this story opens with her having received one and it throws her. She is offered the fulfilment of her oldest dream, but can she take it? The fulfilment of any dream requires sacrifices, but is Lek prepared to make them now that her goal is within her grasp? It is a tough one, which means a hard time for her, although her family and friends are behind her as always. Which way will she go? The instinct to follow her dream and the inertia of a comfortable life in the village, as she gets older vie for supremacy in her mind. As is usual in this series, nothing is hidden from the reader, we are privy to all of Lek's agonizing thoughts. The Behind The Smile Series is the story of Lek, a bar girl in Pattaya, Thailand. Lek was born the eldest child of four in a typical rice farming family in the northern rice belt of Thailand. A catastrophe occurred out of the blue one day – her father died young with huge debts that the family knew nothing about. Lek was just twenty years of age, and the only one who could prevent the foreclosure of the family farm, and allow her younger sister and two brothers to continue their education. However, the only way she knew how was to go to work in her cousin’s bar in Pattaya. Can a Pattaya bar girl ever go back to being a regular girlfriend or wife? 'Behind The Smile' is a look into one part of Thailand, a country known around the world as 'The Land of Smiles'. The Dream takes up the story of Lek, her family and friends from two years further down the line. In the past, it has always been Lek who issued the ultimata, but this story opens with her having received one and it throws her. She is offered the fulfilment of her oldest dream, but can she take it? The fulfilment of any dream requires sacrifices, but is Lek prepared to make them now that her goal is within her grasp? It is a tough one, which means a hard time for her, although her family and friends are behind her as always. Which way will she go? The instinct to follow her dream and the inertia of a comfortable life in the village, as she gets older vie for supremacy in her mind. As is usual in this series, nothing is hidden from the reader, we are privy to all of Lek's agonizing thoughts.

Lek - The Beginning At twenty-one years of age, Lek, an ordinary, contemporary, farm girl from the northern Thai Rice belt, had to go to Pattaya to work in the leisure industry to help her widowed mother pay off the mortgage to save the farm from foreclosure and keep her siblings in school. This book, The Beginning, shows what her life was like before she had to leave her small, hard-working, but happy village and the only people she had ever known. It depicts the events that made her happy and those that saddened her in her early life from living with her grandmother to surviving with her husband, Tom. At the very last moment, some friends step up to make Lek's transition to life in Thailand's number one sex city just that little bit easier. The Behind The Smile Series is the story of Lek, a bar girl in Pattaya, Thailand. Lek was born the eldest child of four in a typical rice farming family in the northern rice belt of Thailand. A catastrophe occurred out of the blue one day – her father died young with huge debts that the family knew nothing about. Lek was just twenty years of age, and the only one who could prevent the foreclosure of the family farm, and allow her younger sister and two brothers to continue their education. However, the only way she knew how was to go to work in her cousin’s bar in Pattaya. Can a Pattaya bar girl ever go back to being a regular girlfriend or wife? Behind The Smile is a look into one part of Thailand, a country known around the world as 'The Land of Smiles'.

The Lady in the Tree continues straight on from book three, Maya - Illusion. Lek is still in business with her old friend Ayr and they mean business as well, especially when rivals from nearby try to intimidate them. The two friends come up with a daring solution, which they can't even discuss with their friends, family or husbands. Soom is still at university in Bangkok and doing well in spite of having problems of her own, let alone looming final exams, which political upheaval in the capital threatens to disrupt. Craig continues to write, but he realises all of a sudden that he has bigger problems than finishing and selling his books. An old friend and an old lady give the three women some remarkably similar and accurate advice, but where will it get them? The Behind The Smile Series is the story of Lek, a bar girl in Pattaya, Thailand. Lek was born the eldest child of four in a typical rice farming family in the northern rice belt of Thailand. A catastrophe occurred out of the blue one day – her father died young with huge debts that the family knew nothing about. Lek was just twenty years of age, and the only one who could prevent the foreclosure of the family farm, and allow her younger sister and two brothers to continue their education. However, the only way she knew how was to go to work in her cousin’s bar in Pattaya. Can a Pattaya bar girl ever go back to being a regular girlfriend or wife? 'Behind The Smile' is a glimpse into one part of Thailand, a country known around the world as 'The Land of Smiles'. The Lady in the Tree continues straight on from book three, Maya - Illusion. Lek is still in business with her old friend Ayr and they mean business as well, especially when rivals from nearby try to intimidate them. The two friends come up with a daring solution, which they can't even discuss with their friends, family or husbands. Soom is still at university in Bangkok and doing well in spite of having problems of her own, let alone looming final exams, which political upheaval in the capital threatens to disrupt. Craig continues to write, but he realises all of a sudden that he has bigger problems than finishing and selling his books. An old friend and an old lady give the three women some remarkably similar and accurate advice, but where will it get them?

Теперь, когда Лек достигла того, о чем мечтала пятнадцать лет, она начинает задумываться, стоило ли оно того.

Stepping Stones picks up the story of Lek, her family and friends in the village of Baan Suay four years on from where The Lady in The Tree finished. Lek and Ayr are still looking to expand, but especially Lek's career in the political arena, where she finds evidence of disturbing activity. Craig is still trying to write a best seller and Soom has graduated from university. In Stepping Stones, we are introduced to the Champunot family from Bangkok, the members of which have a profound effect on Lek, Craig and Soom - one which none of them will ever be able to forget. Stepping Stones reveals more in-depth details of life in a Thai family that has been affected by the inclusion of a falang like how they deal with the strange mixture of traditional and modern Thai life that that situation often creates. The Behind The Smile Series is the story of Lek, a bar girl in Pattaya, Thailand. Lek was born the eldest child of four in a typical rice farming family in the northern rice belt of Thailand. A catastrophe occurred out of the blue one day – her father died young with huge debts that the family knew nothing about. Lek was just twenty years of age, and the only one who could prevent the foreclosure of the family farm, and allow her younger sister and two brothers to continue their education. However, the only way she knew how was to go to work in her cousin’s bar in Pattaya. Can a Pattaya bar girl ever go back to being a regular girlfriend or wife? Behind The Smile is a look into one part of Thailand, a country known around the world as 'The Land of Smiles'. Stepping Stones picks up the story of Lek, her family and friends in the village of Baan Suay four years on from where The Lady in The Tree finished. Lek and Ayr are still looking to expand, but especially Lek's career in the political arena, where she finds evidence of disturbing activity. Craig is still trying to write a best seller and Soom has graduated from university. In Stepping Stones, we are introduced to the Champunot family from Bangkok, the members of which have a profound effect on Lek, Craig and Soom - one which none of them will ever be able to forget. Stepping Stones reveals more in-depth details of life in a Thai family that has been affected by the inclusion of a falang like how they deal with the strange mixture of traditional and modern Thai life that that situation often creates.

В шикарном универмаге в Багдаде взрывается бомба, убивая и калеча десятки невинных покупателей и сотрудников. В течение короткого времени новая, безжалостная порода террористов-смертников ставит в тупик семь полицейских сил мира, поскольку начинается террор, казалось бы, не связанный с религией или политикой. На помощь вызываются компьютерные эксперты китайского правительства и британский SAS, но смогут ли они раскрыть причину этих случайных взрывов до того, как общественность испугается?

«Воодушевляющее будущее» - «Что скрывает улыбка», том 2 В «Daddy's Hobby», первой книге серии «Что скрывает улыбка», Лек познакомилась с мужчиной, Крейгом, который вернулся к ней, а потом увез с собой, знакомиться с мамой. Ее мечты, похоже, начинают сбываться, но не все так гладко, как они оба надеялись. Вернется ли она в кошмар, из которого ей только что удалось сбежать? Крейг пообещал Лек воодушевляющее будущее, если она отбросит опасения и останется с ним, и этот том продолжает историю с того момента, как они вернулись из Уэльса. Это - продолжение трогательной истории жизни Лек, как она учится быть «нормальной» девушкой, а не хитрой барной «девочкой», какой ей приходилось быть в Паттайе. А это, поверьте мне, непросто! Серия «Что скрывает улыбка» - это история любви, начавшейся на фоне секс-индустрии Таиланда, но продолжающейся в деревне.

After the devastating effect her rampage had on her own life and the citizens of Bangkok in her early days as a medical student there, Lily's life quietened, and she settled down to her studies. After two years, she won a scholarship to work in Great Ormond Street Children's Hospital in London and moved there without Ron, who continued his education in Bangkok. 'Tiger Lily of Bangkok in London' picks up her story in her second of two years as a student doctor at the hospital. She loves her job there, and gets on well with the staff and children patients alike, but she has no friends outside work. On one of her days off, she reads an article in the Sunday Times about organised paedophile rings in London involving the very establishment of the country itself and it incenses her. She can either ignore it or get involved. The Tiger is on the Prowl Again! After the devastating effect her rampage had on her own life and the citizens of Bangkok in her early days as a medical student there, Lily's life quietened, and she settled down to her studies. After two years, she won a scholarship to work in Great Ormond Street Children's Hospital in London and moved there without Ron, who continued his education in Bangkok. 'Tiger Lily of Bangkok in London' picks up her story in her second of two years as a student doctor at the hospital. She loves her job there, and gets on well with the staff and children patients alike, but she has no friends outside work. On one of her days off, she reads an article in the Sunday Times about organised paedophile rings in London involving the very establishment of the country itself and it incenses her. She can either ignore it or get involved. Her first reaction is to avoid re-arousing the Demon that had possessed her in Bangkok only a couple of years earlier, but when she meets fellow victims of child abuse, the die seems cast. This story is not for the squeamish, but does not describe acts of child abuse. It does, however, make frequent references to notorious scenes of child abuse, especially the infamous 'Meat Rack' on Piccadilly Circus in central London. Many of the issues raised are still under police enquiry at the time of writing, although few people expect anything to come from them. Shame on our so-called leaders, who would rather protect the powerful abusers than the powerless abused!

Умирающий мужчина рассказывает историю о самом удивительном человеке, которого он когда-либо встречал, - блестящем советском лингвисте, которого он называет Юрико. Это история о любви, дерзости, шпионах и опасности, действие которой происходит в Японии, Германии, Турции, США, Канаде и Великобритании, но в основном в Советском Союзе семидесятых годов. Две девушки, родившиеся за тысячи километров друг от друга в Казахстане и Японии сразу после Второй мировой войны, встречаются и похожи друг на друга как горошины в стручке. Они также ладят как сестры и поддерживают связь до конца своих дней. Однако одна из них хочет помочь своей израненной в боях стране, а другая - уехать из нее на Запад. Для достижения обеих целей они придумывают дерзкий и опасный план, о котором сообщают Андропову, шефу советского КГБ. Он называет его ”Операция ”Юрико”, и план приводится в действие, но есть ли у него хоть малейший шанс на успех? Кукушка Андропова” основана на ”правдивой истории”, рассказанной автору одним из главных героев.

Тигровая лилия из Бангкока когда расцветают семена мести. Лили была счастливой девочкой, и так продолжалось до тех пор, пока дядя не начал издеваться над ней с одиннадцати лет. Она стала застенчивой и интровертной, вела одинокую жизнь, пока не переехала в Бангкок, чтобы учиться в университете. Однако мысли и прошлое не оставляли ее в покое, поэтому после занятий она начала искать мужчин, которых подозревала в педофилии, и мстить им. Она стала мстительной ”Тигровой лилией Бангкока”, наводящей ужас на общество, но как долго она сможет скрываться от полиции, и не хочет ли она втайне попасться, чтобы ее история стала достоянием общественности?

Уэйн родился на отдаленной ферме в северном Уэльсе дикой, штормовой ночью. Семья хотела, чтобы его роды прошли в больнице, потому что он должен был стать первым ребенком Гвинедда, но его мать и бабушка Рианнон решили, что это может быть очень опасно. Согласно семейной библии, все члены их семьи рождались на ферме ”Сад дракона” в течение 324 лет - и все они были либо ведьмами, либо колдунами...

Michael has lived with his Thai wife in Thailand for twelve years and Spain for two, but failed to get her a residence permit for the UK. She was sent back to Thailand and he moved back to his home town of Barry in South Wales to try to 'get her from the inside. The chances are slim, and he sinks ever deeper into despair, even sleeping on the beach to save money. In truth, he starts to lose his mind with worry and loneliness. He won't even go to his family for help, because he feels that they have shunned him, but is he right? One day, a chance accident brings him into contact with four people who change his life forever, but who are they and where do they come from? His Alter Ego, Ralph, makes fantastic insinuations, but could they be true? Alien House is a fantasy, but the problems within the story are very real for thousands of couples.

Una atroz bomba explota en unos lujosos almacenes de Bagdad, matando y mutilando a docenas de compradores y empleados inocentes. En poco tiempo, una nueva y despiadada raza de terroristas suicidas deja perplejas a siete fuerzas policiales de todo el mundo, al tiempo que se desata un reino del terror, aparentemente sin relación con la religión o la política. Los expertos informáticos del gobierno chino y el SAS británico son llamados para ayudar, pero ¿descubrirán la razón de los atentados aparentemente aleatorios antes de que el público se asuste? Cuando un terrorista suicida hace estallar su chaleco en Scheherazade, unos grandes almacenes de lujo de Bagdad, la primera reacción de las autoridades iraquíes es tratarlo como un acto normal de terrorismo y entregarlo al capitán Allawi, de la Policía Nacional iraquí. Sin embargo, durante la inspección rutinaria de las grabaciones de las cámaras de seguridad de la tienda, un joven y avispado agente de policía se da cuenta de que el terrorista suicida no es todo lo que aparenta ser, lo que lleva la investigación por un camino que nadie había considerado posible. Las consecuencias de esta nueva forma de terrorismo son terribles. A continuación, en un breve espacio de tiempo, se producen otros seis crímenes con terroristas suicidas que resultan inexplicables si no se ven bajo el mismo prisma que el atentado de Bagdad. Esto lleva a las fuerzas policiales de otras seis ciudades: Marsella, Essen, Belfast, Nueva York, Londres y Los Boliches a trabajar juntos bajo el paraguas de la Interpol para acabar con esta nueva banda criminal. El giro se produce cuando la policía se da cuenta de que los motivos de los atentados suicidas son varios, pero como los autores son imprevisibles, resulta imposible detenerlos. Su única táctica viable es concentrarse en el origen de los atentados, aunque obviamente todos mueren en las redadas. El caso empieza a parecer desesperado. A pesar de los numerosos avances, las fuerzas policiales combinadas, vagamente dirigidas por el capitán Allawi, no logran ningún progreso serio, por lo que piden al gobierno chino la ayuda de sus expertos en Internet, ya que se cree que son los mejores del mundo. Los chinos, con la ayuda de las autoridades letonas y argentinas, localizan el probable cuartel general de la banda en el ”oeste de Inglaterra”, pero cuando sus homólogos británicos examinan los datos, los sitúan en el oeste de Gales. El SAS es llamado desde Hereford, cuando se da cuenta de que es probable que personal ex-militar esté involucrado en los atentados debido al estilo, la planificación y la precisión de los mismos. El SAS no tarda en reducir sus operaciones a una solitaria granja situada en las afueras de St. David`s, en Pembroke, al suroeste de Gales. Esto prepara el escenario para la batalla final para acabar con el liderazgo de la banda. Centro Muerto” es un thriller de acción trepidante que le mantendrá expectante hasta el final. La historia se desarrolla en nueve países y decenas de ciudades. Sin embargo, como dice el refrán, cuando se llama al SAS, se sabe que la cosa se pone seria. PUBLISHER: Tektime

Terrorists attack the British and American Embassies in Bangkok simultaneously causing horrific damage, but who is responsible and how will they be stopped from doing it again? Dead Centre II Four exceedingly large explosions destroy two important institutions in Bangkok without warning. Everybody in both buildings is killed, but none of the likely candidates claims responsibility.The British and American governments have an interest and the Royal Thai Police Force begins its own investigations, but they all show scant regard for each other`s inquiries. Cooperation is minimal.This means that the British have to get a team on the spot... a team that is experienced enough to get the job done with hardly any assistance, since they have no-one available. A team skilled in the use of unconventional methods.As the top brass is wondering how they are going to tackle this awkward situation, a member of the SAS, one of Britain`s most elite fighting units, remembers seeing Gareg, Bob and and Dave in an old-fashioned teak hotel on Koh Samui on his way back from a mission, so an agent from MI6 is sent to investigate.This is a fast-moving thriller set in Bangkok, Koh Samui and the Thai-Malaysian rain forests in the Thailand`s troubled south, reviving memories of the Irish Question and Separatism in the Seventies and Eighties. PUBLISHER: Tektime

Wayne was born on a remote farm in north Wales on a wild, stormy night. The family had wanted his delivery in hospital because he was going to be big and Gwynedd’s first baby, but his mother and grandmother, Rhiannon, thought that might be very dangerous. All of their family had been born on the farm, The Dragon's Garden, for 324 years according to the family bible - and they were all either witches or warlocks… Wayne Gamm was born on a remote farm on a Welsh mountainside to sheep farmers on the 21st. of June. His mother and her mother, who were both witches, had been shown that he would be a big baby with unusual powers. They didn’t know exactly what that meant, but they thought it better for Gwynedd to have him at home, because they both felt that there might be trouble from Wayne if he perceived doctors, nurses or the midwife as a threat, which he might do, if his mother was screaming or someone slapped his bottom to start his breathing. Wayne gave his first real demonstration that he could change fate when he caused his father, Sam, to fall after a noisy argument with his mother, but that was only the start of it. He causes both his teachers and fellow pupils at school to fear him, which leads to his ostracisation. However, Wayne will not believe that he is cause of these twists of fate, both good and bad, depending upon his , mood, because he has no conscious control over his ability. If people make him happy, if good things are going on around him, they get better, but if someone upsets him or the atmosphere is bad, then it can only get worse. He grows up lonely and in denial on his mountain as a shepherd boy, after the college headmaster effectively excludes him from school. Eventuality, he makes friends with some racing pundits in the local pub and they start to bring him out of himself because it leads to more winnings. One day, he meets a man on the mountain who is a clown in a circus. He gives him two free tickets to any venue. While there he ‘miraculously’ cures a seemingly lame horse, and several weeks later he is offered a job as a stable-boy in the circus by the horse’s owner and he is soon travelling with them. While travelling in Spain, he learns to play the guitar and teams up with his boss’ daughter to sing songs to the waiting punters at the entrance of the circus. Later they go on holiday to New York and land professional bookings because of magical intervention. Emma is interested in Wayne's powers and entreats him to teach her about them. However, this means admitting that he doesn't have the cofidence required to control them. Gradually, he gains that confidence as their love blossoms. The owner of one of the pubs where they play offers to be their manager. The book closes with offers of work in the USA and the prospect of the wedding of Wayne and Emma the following year. Wayne Gamm, the son and grandson of white witches, is a reluctant warlock, but he learns that Fate cannot be changed, only twisted.

'Life In Annwn' continues on directly from where 'A Night In Annwn' left off. Willy has passed over and he is at last with the wife that he has missed for a decade or more, his beloved Sarah. However, right from the off, life in Annwn (the ancient Welsh word for Heaven) is not what he had been expecting for nearly all of his time on Earth, or The Surface, as she calls it, as Annwn is underground. Life In Annwn continues on directly from where A Night In Annwn left off. Willy has passed over and he is at last with the wife that he has missed for a decade or more, his beloved Sarah. However, right from the off, life in Annwn, the ancient Welsh word for Heaven, is not what he had been expecting for nearly all of his time on Earth, or The Surface, as she calls it, as Annwn is underground. His first surprise is when Sarah takes him to an inn to recover from the ordeal of his funeral, but it doesn't stop there. Every 'day' reveals new surprises, until what is mysteriously called The Block comes down and he experiences Life After Death as it really is. Life In Annwn is a surprise in its own right, but it is also a comical look at an alternative reality that just could be closer to The Truth than anything else you have ever read! Life In Annwn is a must read, because it could change the way you view things forever.

A vicious bomb explodes in a posh department store in Baghdad, killing and maiming dozens of innocent shoppers and staff. Within a short time, a new, ruthless breed of suicide bombers has seven of the world's police forces stumped, as a reign of terror, seemingly unrelated to religion or politics, breaks out. Chinese government computer experts and the British SAS are called in to help, but will they uncover the reason for the apparently random bombings before the public becomes spooked? When a suicide bomber detonates his vest in Scheherazade's, an up-market department store in Baghdad, the first reaction of the Iraqi authorities is to treat it as a normal act of terrorism and hand it over to Captain Allawi of the Iraqi National Police. However, while routinely inspecting the video footage from the store's security cameras, a sharp-eyed, young police officer notices that the suicide bomber is not all that he makes himself out to be and this leads the investigation down a path that no-one had ever considered possible before. The consequences of this new form of terrorism are horrific. Then, over a short space of time, six other crimes involving suicide bombers occur that are inexplicable unless thy are seen in the same light as the Baghdad bombing. This leads the police forces of six other cities: Marseille, Essen, Belfast, New York, London and Los Boliches to work together under the umbrella of Interpol to put an end to this new criminal gang. A twist comes when the police realise that there are several motives for the suicide bombings, but because the perpetrators are unpredictable, it makes apprehending them impossible. Their only viable tactic is to concentrate on the source of the bombers themselves, although they obviously all die in the raids. The case starts to look hopeless. Despite numerous breaks-through, the combined police forces, loosely headed by Captain Allawi, fail to make any serious headway, so they ask the Chinese government for the assistance of their Internet experts, because they are widely believed to be the best in the world. The Chinese, with some help from the Latvian and Argentine authorities, trace the gang's probable headquarters to 'West England', but when their British counterparts examine the data, they pinpoint it to West Wales. The SAS is called in from Hereford, when it is realised that ex-military personnel are probably involved in the bombings because of the style, the planning and the precision of the attacks. The SAS soon narrow their operations down to a lonely farmhouse located outside St. David's in Pembroke, southwest Wales. This sets the scene for the final battle to stamp out the leadership of the gang. 'Dead Centre' is a fast-paced action thriller that will keep you guessing until the end. The story takes place in nine countries and dozens of cities. However, as the saying goes, when the SAS are called in, you know it's getting serious!

Asian Shorts came about because of a sequence of events on one weekend in May 2015. A friend was telling me that he had several short stories with Asia as a backdrop, I was saying that I had a few as well, another friend sent me an email that he wanted to write a short on Pattaya, and one of my Thai cousins sent me her latest photo, the one on the cover of this book. It was like somebody was trying to tell me something, or several were anyway. The nineteen stories by nine authors in this anthology were sent to me in one month, but are as varied as their writers. The stipulation was that Asia or an Asian had to feature strongly in the story. We have stories featuring Cambodia, China, Laos, Malaysia, Pakistan, Thailand, the USA and Vietnam, by Asian and non-Asian authors who live in or come from Britain, Malaysia, Thailand, the USA and Vietnam. Some of these writers are well-known as writers, some are better known in other spheres, some have written a lot before and been published in the traditional sense, others are travelling the Indie Publishing path and for yet others this is the very first time they or you will have seen their stories in print of any kind. You can read more about each author by visiting the web sites that they have given after their stories. I thoroughly recommend that you do this as what you will find out about the authors will surprise you, I guarantee it.

When the Seeds of Revenge Blossom.Lily was a happy little girl, which lasted until an 'uncle' started to abuse her from the age of eleven. She became shy and introverted, leading a lonely life until she moved to Bangkok to study at university. However, her thoughts and her past would not leave her alone, so, after classes, she began to seek out men she suspected of paedophilia and exact her own peculiar type of revenge on them.She became the vengeful ‘Tiger Lily of Bangkok’ terrifying society, but how long could she keep evading the police, and did she secretly want to get caught anyway so she could make her story public?Synopsis:Lily was born in eastern Isaan near the Mekong River, the only daughter of Chinese-Thais who owned a shop in their small village.Her parents had a close friend that Lily called Uncle who used to smile at her and take her gifts as a small child. However, when she was just eleven years old the nature of the gifts changed and there was always a price to pay for them that Lily hated.Dare she upset her parents by telling them of her abuse? An accident of fate at school gave Lily the idea how to put an end to the problem once and for all and her parents came to realise what had been going on in their daughter's life after she bit off his penis. Soon after the incident, Lily's father died. Some said from shame. Lily herself was given compensation which she wanted to use to change her life. Her decision was to go to University in Bangkok. It was there that she realised that the compensation, which had seemed a fortune in the village, would not be enough to fund her University life in full and she descended into the seamier side of Bangkok life.A serial killer is taking the life of men in Bangkok and the city is rightly scared. Not only are the men marked in death but a trademark flower is left at the scene of each killing. The press says this is the most frightening serial killer since the cannibal child killer, Si Ouey Sae Urng of the 1950's. Fear haunts the city and no-one knows who will die next or how the victims are chosen. The police are baffled and the citizens cower behind closed doors fearful for their lives.It is Lily entrapping and murdering closet paedophiles, who have been attracted to her in her guise as an innocent schoolgirl.One day, she meets a boy who seems to truly care for her and she decides to give up her nightly pursuits, but can she?In the second volume, Tiger Lily of Bangkok in London, she resumes her quest to avenge abused children.

Heng Lee hirtelen nagyon furcsán kezdi érezni magát, így felkeresi a helyi sámánnőt, történetesen a nagynénjét. Aki néhány vizsgálat elvégzése után úgy ítéli, hogy Hengnek nincs vére. De hogy fogja ezt előadni a családjának és mihez fognak ezzel kezdeni? Heng Lee egy kecskepásztor a távoli hegyekben Észak-Thaiföldön, az észak-keleti Csíengráj tartományban, nagyon közel a laoszi határhoz. Ez egy szűk és összetartó közösség, ahol mindenki ismeri a másikat. Heng hirtelen megbetegszik, de a kecskéket azért még ki tudja vinni, míg egy nap el kell menjen a helyi sámánnőhöz, mert kezd ájuldozni. Nincs orvosdoktor a környéken és a legtöbb embernek évszázadok óta megfelelt a Sámán. A Sámánnő vesz néhány mintát és arra a következtetésre jut, hogy Heng veséje nem működik és nincs már sok hátra az életéből. A harc megkezdődik Heng életének megmentéséért, de más erők is munkába lendülnek. Mivé válik Heng, családja és a közösség többi tagjából, ha megfogadja a Sámánnő tanácsát?

A dying man recounts the story of the most amazing person he has ever met, a brilliant, Soviet linguist whom he calls Youriko. It is a tale of love, daring-do, spies and danger set in Japan, Germany, Turkey, the USA, Canada and the UK, but mostly in the Soviet Union of the Seventies. Two girls, born thousands of miles apart in Kazakhstan and Japan just after World War II, meet and are like peas in a pod. They also get on like sisters and keep n touch for the rest of their lives. However, one wants to help her battle-scarred country and the other wants to leave hers for the West. They dream up a daring, dangerous plan to achieve both goals, which Andropov, the chief of the Soviet KGB, is told about. He dubs it Operation Youriko and it is set in motion, but does it have even the remotest chance of success? Andropov’s Cuckoo is based on a ‘true story’ related to the author by one of the protagonists. The story starts with William, an octogenarian widower, who misses his wife terribly, in a sanctuary in southern Spain. He is waiting to die and is looking forward to it in order to be reunited with his wife Youriko. He does not have long, but decides that his brave wife's story should be told, although she would not allow it when she was alive. First we meet a Japanese family that was caught up in the blast at Hiroshima, and then we meet their daughter, Youriko, who has been radicalised against the American occupying forces. Next we meet a Soviet, Kazakhstani family, who were also involved in the war. The wife is a government agent who stirs the workers in her area to produce more, and we meet her daughter. Through the Japanese Communist Party visits to the area, the Russian and the Japanese families meet and get on. The girls especially. In fact, they actually look alike too. The girls hatch a plan to switch lives, though the Japanese girl sees no future in the USSR. She wants to go to America. The switch is made, and The Russian girl, now known as Youriko takes a job in the Japanese Foreign Office. Then she moves to the Diplomatic Corps, all the while spying for her boss Andropov, the head of the KGB. She falls from grace when she becomes disillusioned with her work and tries to escape to see her double, who is now in Canada. She is captured and held in the dreaded Lubyanka prison, before she is given a show trial and sent to a camp. When she gets out, Andropov takes pity on her and sets her up as the boss of a 'honey trap' spy ring. While doing this job, she falls in love with a British exchange student, and spends the rest of the book fleeing the country on horseback through the Caucasus into Turkey, where she hands herself over to the British Embassy. After a thorough debriefing, she is allowed to remain in the UK, so she goes to surprise the love of her life during a class. Youriko and William live a long life together in Andalusia, until she dies. The last chapter of the book sees him dying and calling his wife's name as she stands before him welcoming him back into her arms. The doctor is the one who finds the manuscript and gets it published.

In Daddy's Hobby, volume one, Lek met a man, Craig, who actually did come back for her, and then took her home to meet his mother. Her dreams seem to be coming true, but not everything is running as smoothly as they had both hoped, so will she wake up and be back in the nightmare she thought she had just put behind her? In Daddy's Hobby, Craig had promised Lek an exciting future, if she threw caution to the wind and went with him, and this volume picks up the story as they are flying back from Wales. Behind The Smile - The Story of Lek, a Bar Girl in Pattaya, Thailand Book Two: An Exciting Future This second book continues Lek's story from where book one left off and covers the next few years of her life. It gives more information about life in a rural Thai village and what is like to live there for a woman like Lek, whose mind has been expanded by working in a popular tourist city for ten years and meeting foreigners from all over the world. The question that this book poses is whether Lek would be able to shoehorn herself back into the rigid village society that she once loved so much and will the others accept her after what she has been doing.

Lek begins to wonder whether everything that she had hoped for for fifteen years was all worth it now that she had achieved her goals. Lek was born the eldest child of four in a typical rice farming family. She did not expect to do anything any different from the other girls in her class in the northern rice belt of Thailand. Typically that would be: work in the fields for a few years; have a few babies; give them to mum to take care of and get back to work until her kids had their own children and it would be her turn to stop working to take care of them. One day a catastrophe occurred out of the blue – her father died young and with huge debts that the family knew nothing about. Lek was twenty and she was the only one who could prevent foreclosure. However, the only way she knew was to go to work in her cousin's bar in Pattaya. She drifted into the tourist sex industry. The second book, ‘An Exciting Future’, tells of Lek’s attempts to settle down and this, the third book, picks up the story of Lek's life six or seven years after that. At forty-ish, it is time to take stock of her life. She looks back on her past and wonders whether it was all worth it. Should she feel bitter about what has happened to her or should she move on and try to forget her past? Should she just try to erase it, whitewash it out, like so many women did or should she feel proud of what she has accomplished? Lek is plagued by mixed emotions and tries to seek an explanation that she can live with for the rest of her life.

William Jones, a sheep farmer from the Brecon Beacons, had led a happy life, until his wife, Sarah, died young. It left him devastated and seemingly bent on self-destruction. His daughter, Becky tried to help, but even she was losing patience with her father. One evening, he is certain that he has died and been put out of his misery, but it was not to be. He recovered. However his life was never to be the same again. He had discovered Annwn where his wife lived, and his newly found vitality changed his life and that of all those with whom he came into contact. A Night in Annwn The Story of William Jones' Near-Death Experience William Jones, a sheep farmer from the Brecon Beacons, had led a happy life, until his wife, Sarah, died young. It left him devastated and seemingly bent on self-destruction. His daughter, Becky tried to help, but even she was losing patience with her father. One evening, he is certain that he has died and been put out of his misery, but it was not to be. He recovered. However his life was never to be the same again. He had discovered Annwn where his wife lived, and his newly found vitality changed his life and that of all those with whom he came into contact. A Night in Annwn is a love story that spans the greatest divide - that between life and death; a look at a near-death experience and a new take on the mythological Welsh Heaven, which is Annwn. Be prepared to see another side of Welsh Celtic mythology, but you will never think of death in the same way again. That is guaranteed!

Heng Lee starts to feel very strange all of a sudden, so he calls in to see the local shaman, who happens to be his aunt. She carries out a few tests and decides that Heng has no blood, but how is he going to tell his family, and what will they do about it? Heng Lee is a goatherd in the remote mountains north-east of Chiang Rai in northern Thailand, very close to the border with Laos. It is a tight-knit community where everyone knows one another. Heng gets sick all of a sudden, but not too sick to take the goats out, until one day he has to go to see the local shaman, because he has started fainting. There are no medical doctors in the vicinity and the Shaman has been good enough for most people for centuries. The Shaman takes some specimens and comes to the conclusion that Heng’s kidneys have stopped functioning and so has little time left to live. The battle is on to save Heng’s life, but there are other forces at work too. What will become of Heng, his family and the rest of the community, if he takes the Shaman’s advice?

Lek was born the eldest child of four in a typical rice farming family. She did not expect to do anything any different from the other girls in her class in the northern rice belt of Thailand. Typically that would be: work in the fields for a few years; have a few babies; give them to mum to take care of and back to work until her kids had their own children and she could stop working to take care of them. One day a catastrophe occurred out of the blue – her father died young and with huge debts that the family knew nothing about. Lek was twenty and she was the only one who could prevent foreclosure. However, the only way she knew was to go to work in her cousin’s bar in Pattaya. She went as a waitress-cum-cashier, but when she realised that she was pregnant by her worthless, estranged husband, things had to change. She had the baby, gave it to her mother to look after and went back to work. However, now she needed real money to provide a better life for her child and to make up for spending its whole youth 500 miles away. She drifted into the tourist sex industry. The book relates some of her ‘adventures’, her dreams and nightmares and her ‘modus operandi’. It tries to show, from Lek’s point of view, what it really is like to be a Thai bar girl – the hopes and frustrations, the hopes and the let-downs, the hopes and the lies and deceit that are part of her every day life. One day she meets a man she likes and he likes her too. Nothing new there, it had happened hundreds of times, but she feels that it is different. They have a wonderful four weeks together and then he goes home – as they all had, leaving more promises and more hopes. This one returns, but real life with a real boyfriend is not as easy as she had dreamed it would be. They go through good and bad times, but will they stay together and for how long? After all she has been through, will she be able to be a regular girlfriend or even a wife again? Will she ever really be able to trust a man enough again either? Or would she be better off giving up her dreams and carrying on working in the bar? Lek begins to find out that getting what you wish for is not always as good as you thought it would be. 'Behind The Smile' refers to the fact that Thailand is known the world over as 'The Land of Smiles'.

Daisy's Chain Love, Intrigue and the Underworld on The Costa del Sol Daisy, the proud daughter of a wealthy ex-London gangster, John, and his Spanish wife, Teresa, grew up in Marbella on the Costa del Sol, aka, the Costa del Crime. She idolised her parents and sought to impress her ageing father by helping him run the family businesses after uni. However, a disastrous error of judgement ends in family tragedy, and her mother puts Daisy on a safer path of helping the local community as a penance. Daisy's Chain is a tragic tale with a pleasantly happy ending. Daisy's Chain - Synopsis John is a wealthy, single, ex-London East End gangster living on the Costa de Sol in southern Spain. The press have long called it the 'Costa del Crime', but he doesn't care as long as his quiet life is preserved. He has had enough of gang warfare. One day, his housekeeper and lover, Terri, announces she is pregnant - something they thought impossible because of their ages, John likes the idea of becoming a first-time father , so he marries Terri, and Daisy is born. He loves her, but has little time because of his business commitments. Never sure whether her father really loves her, she grows up trying to impress him, especially after hearing of his former hard-man reputation. After university, she begins to take over her father's businesses, However, she becomes ever more outrageous, until one day, she goes too far, landing her parents in hospital after a revenge attack on them from rivals, which she had caused by imprisoning and torturing one of their men. John dies from his injuries; Terri is badly hurt and their faithful bodyguard is shot. The reason for the ambush eventually comes to light, and the evidence points to Daisy. She struggles to avert the blame, and the bodyguard manages to keep her out of it, but Terri wants to teach her a lesson. The problem is, how do you punish a girl who has everything? Terri threatens to sell all the businesses and stop her allowance, unless she takes part in her mother's first solo venture, aided by the bodyguard. Daisy agrees and they set about renovating a disused church to house refugee mothers and their children. To her surprise, Daisy likes the job, and meets a young man who loves her, and shares her ideals.

Lek nació como la hija mayor de cuatro en una familia típica de productores de arroz. No esperaba hacer nada diferente de las otras chicas de su clase en el cinturón de arroz del norte de Tailandia. Normalmente eso sería: trabajar en el campo durante algunos años; tener algunos bebés; dárselos a mamá para que los cuide y volver a trabajar hasta que sus hijos tengan sus propios hijos y ella pueda dejar de trabajar para cuidarlos. Un día ocurrió una catástrofe inesperada: su padre murió joven y con enormes deudas de las que la familia no sabía nada. Lek tenía veinte años y era la única que podía evitar la ejecución hipotecaria. Sin embargo, la única forma que conocía era ir a trabajar al bar de su prima en Pattaya. Fue como mesera y cajera, pero cuando se dio cuenta de que estaba embarazada de su inútil y separado esposo, las cosas tuvieron que cambiar. Tuvo el bebé, se lo dio a su madre para que lo cuidara y volvió a trabajar. Sin embargo, ahora necesitaba dinero real para proporcionar una vida mejor a su hija y compensar el gasto de toda su juventud a 500 millas de distancia. Se metió en la industria del sexo turístico. El libro relata algunas de sus ”aventuras”, sus sueños y pesadillas y su ”modus operandi”. Intenta mostrar, desde el punto de vista de Lek, lo que realmente es ser una chica tailandesa de bar : las esperanzas y frustraciones, las esperanzas y las decepciones, las esperanzas y las mentiras y engaños que forman parte de ella todos los días de su vida. Un día conoce a un hombre que le gusta y ella también le gusta. Nada nuevo allí, había sucedido cientos de veces, pero ella siente que es diferente. Pasan cuatro semanas maravillosas juntos y luego él se va a casa, como todos lo habían hecho, dejando más promesas y más esperanzas. Este regresa, pero la vida real con un novio de verdad no es tan fácil como había soñado que sería. Pasan por buenos y malos momentos, pero ¿permanecerán juntos y por cuánto tiempo? Después de todo lo que ha pasado, ¿podrá volver a ser una novia normal o incluso una esposa? ¿Podrá alguna vez volver a confiar lo suficiente en un hombre? ¿O sería mejor que renunciara a sus sueños y siguiera trabajando en el bar? Lek comienza a descubrir que conseguir lo que desea no siempre es tan bueno como pensaba. ”Detrás de la sonrisa” se refiere al hecho de que Tailandia es conocida en todo el mundo como ”La tierra de las sonrisas”.