A Powerful book of adventure and faith" - FRANK SCHAEFFER - New York Times best selling author of fiction and nonfiction. With unexpected turns and a full dose of scholarly intrigue along the way, The Madonna Files is a contemporary religious thriller that explores the hidden secrets of Catholic Church. Five years in the making, The Madonna Files is "The most prophetic book of our times" The Madonna Files has been compared to Da Vinci Code, the historical fiction by Malachi Martin, The Shack, even G.K. Chesterson's Father Brown mysteries. Stephen Ryan's explosive debut novel challenges the prevailing orthodoxies of American history and Christianity, and reveals the dynamic presence of the Virgin Mary throughout the ages. On the quiet campus of M.I.T., a math professor is asked by the Vatican to determine the probability that six children are telling the truth. The children, from a small town in Bosnia, a town filled with sacred drama, say they see the Virgin Mary.

A Powerful book of adventure and faith" - FRANK SCHAEFFER - New York Times best selling author of fiction and nonfiction. With unexpected turns and a full dose of scholarly intrigue along the way, The Madonna Files is a contemporary religious thriller that explores the hidden secrets of Catholic Church. Five years in the making, The Madonna Files is "The most prophetic book of our times" The Madonna Files has been compared to Da Vinci Code, the historical fiction by Malachi Martin, The Shack, even G.K. Chesterson's Father Brown mysteries. Stephen Ryan's explosive debut novel challenges the prevailing orthodoxies of American history and Christianity, and reveals the dynamic presence of the Virgin Mary throughout the ages. On the quiet campus of M.I.T., a math professor is asked by the Vatican to determine the probability that six children are telling the truth. The children, from a small town in Bosnia, a town filled with sacred drama, say they see the Virgin Mary.

Compendium on the controvesial pop goddess explores every phase of Madonna's career and includes torrid accounts of her much-talked-about personal life.

On the quiet campus of M.I.T., a math professor is asked by the Vatican to determine the probability that six children are telling the truth. The children, from Medjugorje, a town in Bosnia filled with sacred drama, say they see the Virgin Mary. The children claim the Virgin Mary has given them ten secrets that include apocalyptic warnings for the entire world. On the other side of the world, as a Russian Freighter with a mysterious cargo vanishes off the coast of Iran, a letter goes missing from the Pope's apartment. The letter, known as the "Third Secret of Fatima," is the mostly closely guarded secret in Church history and contains a message so shocking that its revelation could change Christianity forever. A priest - a Vatican "Miracle Detective" - is asked to find the missing letter, and as the miracle detective closes in on the secret letter, world events begin to hurdle out of control. A dying Pope - A divided Church, a diabolical plot Has the world been warned? Stephen Ryan's explosive debut novel challenges the prevailing orthodoxies of American history and Christianity, and reveals the dynamic presence of the Virgin Mary throughout the ages. With unexpected turns and a full dose of scholarly intrigue along the way, The Madonna Files is a contemporary religious thriller that explores the hidden secrets of the Virgin Mary

'A trip down memory lane around the glorious streets of Bolton – a novel with a heart as big as Moss Bank Park' Sara Cox ‘A book for anybody who feels at all marginalised, small, bullied or lost’ Claudia Winkleman 'Fabulous Matt Cain and fabulous Madonna together at last – what a treat' Jenny Colgan ‘A glorious celebration of the queen of pop and a triumphant coming-of-age tale about the power of being true to yourself’ Juno Dawson 'It's a cracker!' Lorraine Kelly 'Beautifully and sharply drawn' Sunday Times Charlie Matthews’ love story begins in a pebble-dashed house in suburban Bolton, at a time when most little boys want to grow up to be Michael Jackson, and girls want to be Princess Diana. On his ninth birthday, Auntie Jan gives him a gift that will last a lifetime: a seven-inch single called ‘Lucky Star’. Casting Madonna in the role of his spirit guide, Charlie draws on the pop icon’s audacity and ambition to help him find the courage to overcome his own obstacles and become a success in life. His obsession sees him through some tough times, but in order to be truly happy, he’ll need to find his own inner strength.

A new novel by a towering presence in contemporary South African literature In 1971, nineteen citizens of Excelsior in South Africa's white-ruled Free State were charged with breaking apartheid's Immorality Act, which forbade sex between blacks and whites. Taking this case as raw material for his alchemic imagination, Zakes Mda tells the story of a family at the heart of the scandal -and of a country in which apartheid concealed interracial liaisons of every kind. Niki, the fallen madonna, transgresses boundaries for the sake of love; her choices have repercussions in the lives of her black son and mixed-race daughter, who come of age in post-apartheid South Africa, where freedom prompts them to reexamine their country's troubled history at first hand. By turns earthy, witty, and tragic, The Madonna of Excelsior is a brilliant depiction of life in South Africa and of the dramatic changes between the 1970s and the present.

Huberta Hellendoorn's book tells the story of a young married couple, Dutch immigrants newly arrived in New Zealand, whose first child, Miriam, is born with Down syndrome. Rather than being sad or negative, the book clearly demonstrates how their daughter is embraced into the family with love and optimism. While this book courageously depicts the hardships inherent in raising a child with special needs, it also celebrates the joys and the triumphs. Miriam's emergence as an artist is supported by her family, teachers and friends and her talent is acknowledged and fostered. Further, Miriam is depicted as a child and then a young woman of courage and determination and with a sense of humour and an enormous capacity for empathy and sensitivity. She is both loved and loving. This is a story of grace, inspiration and hope. A story of courage, determination and celebration of creativity, as well as a valuable and rewarding resource for families caring for a child with special needs and all professionals working with people who have a disability.

One stormy night in 1826, Old Bull, a Cheyenne Indian who had just seen the ocean for the first time, found himself trying to outrace a hurricane. Old Bull was the only one of his party to return, arriving home nearly naked, nearly hallucinating, riding a horse. Such is the beginning to the life of Jordan Coolwater, a distant relation to Old Bull, whom we meet as a boy in the 1970s, shooting turtles on a summer day, and being raised by his grandparents in the house of his great-great-grandfather, a survivor of the "Trail of Tears." Bearing the burden of his ancestry, Jordan Coolwater - from bored young boy, to thoughtful teenager, struggling artist, escaped convict, and finally, father - is the subject of Eddie Chuculate's collection of linked short stories. This is not only a portrait of a young Native American artist struggling with the two constants in his life, alcohol and art, but also a portrait of America, of its dispossessed, its outlaws, and its visionaries.

The bestselling book from two prizewinning, critically acclaimed contemporary chroniclers of San Francisco-a rich, illustrated, idiosyncratic portrait of this great city. In Spirits of San Francisco, #1 bestselling Cool Gray City of Love author Gary Kamiya joins forces with celebrated, bestselling artist Paul Madonna to take a fresh look at this one-of-a-kind city. Marrying image and text in a way no book about this city has done before, Kamiya's illuminating narratives accompany Madonna's masterful pen-and-ink drawings, breathing life into San Francisco sites both iconic and obscure. Paul Madonna's atmospheric images will awe: his wide-angle drawings offer a new perspective on the “crookedest street in the world” and vistas across the city. And Kamiya's engaging prose, accompanying each image, offers striking vignettes of this incredible city: witness his story of “Dumpville,” the bizarre community that sprang up in the 19th century on top of a massive garbage dump. Handsome and irresistible-much like the city it chronicles-Spirits of San Francisco is both a visual feast and a detailed, personal, loving, informed portrait of a beloved city.