Never trust a pirate. The Blood Bell tolls, marking the death of the pirate king and the start of the Trials—a heart-stopping competition where the reward is the Bone Crown. Only one contender can claim the coveted island throne; each will gamble life and limb to win. Captain. Sister. Maiden. Csilla Abado yearns to prove her strength to the seasoned pirates who balk at her youth and to her elder sister who has always craved Csilla’s captainship. She will risk everything to become the first pirate queen, no matter the cost. Dealer. Son. Legacy. Kane Blackwater wants to leave behind the dirty gold and shady trades he’s made to keep his father’s ship, the Iron Jewel, alive. The Trials represent a new beginning—yet rumors of a secret heir are swirling, threatening his hopes of becoming the pirate king. Stowaway. Daughter. Storm. Lorelei Penny longs for nothing more than to avenge her mother’s death. Stowing away on the Iron Jewel was supposed to get her closer to the killer, but instead she finds herself caught up in the deadly battle where loyalty and desire collide. Csilla. Kane. Lorelei. Each on a mission. The sea, however, has other plans. Dark tides are rising, and if they aren’t careful, they’ll surely drown.

A gripping new novel from today's "most important African novelist". (The New York Times Review of Books), the internationally acclaimed author of North of Dawn A dozen years after his last visit, Jeebleh returns to his beloved Mogadiscio to see old friends. He is accompanied by his son-in-law, Malik, a journalist intent on covering the region's ongoing turmoil. What greets them at first is not the chaos Jeebleh remembers, however, but an eerie calm enforced by ubiquitous white-robed figures bearing whips. Meanwhile, Malik's brother, Ahl, has arrived in Puntland, the region notorious as a pirates' base. Ahl is searching for his stepson, Taxliil, who has vanished from Minneapolis, apparently recruited by an imam allied to Somalia's rising religious insurgency. The brothers' efforts draw them closer to Taxliil and deeper into the fabric of the country, even as Somalis brace themselves for an Ethiopian invasion. Jeebleh leaves Mogadiscio only a few hours before the borders are breached and raids descend from land and sea. As the uneasy quiet shatters and the city turns into a battle zone, the brothers experience firsthand the derailments of war. Completing the trilogy that began with Links and Knots, Crossbones is a fascinating look at individuals caught in the maw of zealotry, profiteering, and political conflict, by one of our most highly acclaimed international writers.

From The New York Times Best Seller author, Skeleton Creek is a fast-paced detective series that alternates between book and video. Sarah and Ryan stop at nothing to unearth the truth including digging graves for the crossbones.

“An atmospheric, smart, often terrifying read” from the author of the Isles of Scilly Mysteries—now optioned for television (Louise Penny, #1 New York Times–bestselling author). Alice Quentin is a psychologist with some painful family secrets, but she has a good job, a good-looking boyfriend, and excellent coping skills, even when that job includes evaluating a convicted killer who’s about to be released from prison. One of the highlights of her day is going for a nice, long run around her beloved London—it’s impossible to fret or feel guilty about your mother or brother when you’re concentrating on your breathing—until she stumbles upon a dead body at a former graveyard for prostitutes, Crossbones Yard. The dead woman’s wounds are alarmingly similar to the signature style of Ray and Marie Benson, who tortured and killed thirteen women before they were caught and sent to jail. Five of their victims were never found. That was six years ago, and the last thing Alice wants to do is to enter the sordid world of the Bensons or anyone like them. But when the police ask for her help in building a psychological profile of the new murderer, she finds that the killer—and the danger to her and the people she cares about—may already be closer than she ever imagined. With gripping suspense and a terrific new heroine, Kate Rhodes’s Crossbones Yard introduces a powerful new voice in crime fiction. “A first novel by the British poet Kate Rhodes is a fast-moving, entertaining mix of sex, suspense and serial killings.” —The Washington Post

Marvel's Captain America: Civil War pits hero against hero! Captain America and Iron Man lead two teams of heroes in a clash that will change the course of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Following the record-breaking success of Marvel's Captain America: The Winter Soldier, the First Avenger will jump into his next big screen solo adventure on May 6, 2016 in Marvel's Captain America: Civil War! Inspired by a classic Marvel comics storyline, the third cinematic Captain America adventure will put Cap against his fellow Avenger, Iron Man. Chris Evans will reprise his role as Captain America, joined by Robert Downey Jr. as Iron Man and Chadwick Boseman (42, Get On Up) as the Black Panther, a character who will make his big screen debut in the film. Marvel's Captain America: Civil War will be directed by Anthony and Joe Russo (Marvel's Captain America: The Winter Soldier) and produced by Kevin Feige.

Every month, a ragtag group of Londoners gather in the site known as Crossbones Graveyard to commemorate the souls of medieval prostitutes believed to be buried there—the "Winchester Geese," women who were under the protection of the Church but denied Christian burial. In the Borough of Southwark, not far from Shakespeare's Globe, is a pilgrimage site for self-identified misfits, nonconformists, and contemporary sex workers who leave memorials to the outcast dead. Ceremonies combining raucous humor and eclectic spirituality are led by a local playwright, John Constable, also known as John Crow. His interpretation of the history of the site has struck a chord with many who feel alienated in present-day London. Sondra L. Hausner offers a nuanced ethnography of Crossbones that tacks between past and present to look at the historical practices of sex work, the relation of the Church to these professions, and their representation in the present. She draws on anthropological approaches to ritual and time to understand the forms of spiritual healing conveyed by the Crossbones rites. She shows that ritual is a way of creating the present by mobilizing the stories of the past for contemporary purposes.

From Brian McDonald and Les McClaine comes Old Souls, a supernatural graphic novel about addiction, obsession, and the things we do for family. Chris Olsen has a good life. He has a regular job, a wife and daughter who love him, and a promising future. By any measure this is a good life, but it isn’t his first. When a troubling encounter with a homeless man triggers something inside Chris, memories of his past lives bubble to the surface. A lost Chinese boy, a wailing grandmother, and a love so powerful it never left his soul—all compete for his attention. Chris sinks deep into the seedy and seductive world of “grave robbers,” vagrants known for their ability to relive their former lives. But can he find closure to a tragic episode in his past without losing himself in the process?

* Bring Back A Lost Lover * Keep Enemies at Bay * Attract Fame and Fortune * See Into the Future * Avert the Evil Eye Voodoo, in its many guises, has millions of adherents, yet it remains shrouded in secrecy and sometimes fear. With the Voodoo Spellbook, Dr. Snake - a renowned practioner of Voodoo - guides the reader safely through this shadowy world. Voodoo does not shy away from human passions, but treats them honestly and with respect. Voodoo teaches the acolyte how to fullfil desires, mete out revenge, and gain personal power. With Dr. Snake's simple spells, the reader will learn how to gain love and sex, money and power, and health and well-being. And packaged with each kit is a Lucky Mojo Doll, which can be used as a Voodoo doll or as a mojo charm.

Can Captain Crossbones defeat Oliver the Terrible and find her missing treasure - all in time for dinner?This Read with Oxford Stage 6 book is for children who are reading independently. Read with Oxford offers an exciting range of carefully levelled reading books to build your child's reading confidence.