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.

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.

“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

Retired ‘herb’ smuggler Jack Lee lands in Bombay. Meeting with his guru, he is bestowed with shaktipat: spiritual energy transmitted from guru to disciple. Also, a connection between Nageshwar and ‘Eightball’ Barnett, a former quasi-governmental operative, is eventually revealed and the ultimate purpose of the leela, or cosmic play, is made clear.

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.

The richly illustrated book is the first part of a series on the history of uniform. This particular installment is an historical treatise on the origins, development and diffusion of the Death's Head badge among military units throughout the Western World, from the 17th century onward. It describes the different occurrences of this potent symbol and tries to shed some light on the reasons and motivations involved in the choice and implementation of so charged an image as the skull and crossbones. It tries to attenuate some of the justified aversion incurred since the Second World War and the use the Nazis made of the emblem, as it delves into the noble and honorable motives usually associated with the struggle against oppression, connected to the Death's Head during the nineteenth century. The sheer number of occurrences documented and illustrated (101) in the book is enough to generate some astonishment and will surely spark the curiosity of the reader. Most people are not aware of the use of skulls by any military unit other than the SS, let alone its employment by such irreproachable regiments as the Queens Royal Lancers. Even those interested in military history will probably not have realized the measure of proliferation the Skull & Bones badge has known nor the significance attached to it. A few of the instances I have discovered in my research will generate some interest as well, as these were not yet widely known or put together in a extensive study. For example, until now, the oldest known use of the emblem was usually attributed to the Prussian Von Ruesch hussars of 1741. I have been able to push back this date by a hundred years with my ‘discovery’ of the Von Menzel Pandurs and especially the Cronberg Cuirassiers of the Thirty Years War. Another point of interest is the depiction of many colorful and sometimes even extravagant uniforms of irregular units or even individual officers. For instance the attire of the (in)famous Baron de Géramb of 1810 stands out, but also the somewhat theatrical outfit of Josef Zienkowics of 1830, is of particular interest to uniformologists and historians of fashion alike. As the image of the skull and bones gains popularity among the numerous adherents of countless subcultural lifestyles, the interest in the subject also grows significantly outside the more usual circles of militaria buffs. Other proposed titles in this series: • The Sense of Uniform, Why are armies in uniform? • The Origins • The Fringe, Cords, ribbons and plumes • Headgear • Fashion, How do uniforms and civilian fashions interact? • Cavalry • Infantry • Guards • Navy and Marines

Read the Book. Watch the Videos. Uncover the Mystery. Part text, part video, all spine-tingling mystery. New York Times Best Seller author, Patrick Carman's Skeleton Creek returns to thrill. Strange things happen in Skeleton Creek - and when they do, Ryan writes them down and Sarah captures them on video. They've solved old mysteries. They've followed clues all over the country and underground. They've investigated secret societies. They've found their answers. Or so they thought. Because there are still some secrets that Ryan and Sarah haven't uncovered yet. And there's still a shadowy figure standing in their path...someone who doesn't want Ryan and Sarah digging up any more of the past.

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.