`A tense, creepy page-turner´ Ian Rankin, New Statesman `Malone is the master of twists, turns and the unexpected´ Herald Scotland _______ Annie surged forward, but she was too slow, too late. A hand came over and down, and she felt a sharp pain at the back of her neck. Then all became smoke, and silence. Hiding from the world in her little white cottage on the shores of a loch, Annie Jackson is fighting to come to terms with the world of the murmurs, a curse that has haunted female members of her family for centuries. While she is within the ancient, heavy stone of the old dwelling, the voices merely buzz, but the moment she steps outside the door they clamour to torment her all over again, bringing with them shocking visions of imminent deaths. Into this oasis comes her adoptive mother, Mandy McEvoy, begging for Annie's help. Mandy's nephew Damien has gone missing, after dropping off his four-year old son at his mother's home. Unable to refuse, but terrified to leave her sanctuary, Annie, with the help of her brother Lewis, is drawn in to a secretive, seductive world that will have her question everything she holds dear, while Lewis' life may be changed forever... The second book in the critically acclaimed Annie Jackson Mysteries series, The Torments is both a contemporary gothic thriller and a spellbinding mystery that deeps deep into a past that should, perhaps, remain undisturbed... _______ Praise for Michael J. Malone `An assured paranormal thriller in which the paranormal isn't even the scariest part...' Herald Scotland `A beautifully written tale, original, engrossing and scary... a dark joy´ The Times `A deeply satisfying read´ Sunday Times `A fine, page-turning thriller´ Daily Mail `Brilliantly creepy ... a spine-tingling treat´ Daily Record `Prepare to have your marrow well and truly chilled by this deeply creepy Scottish horror ... A complex and multi-layered story´ Sunday Mirror `Unsettling, multi-layered and expertly paced´ CultureFly `Disturbing but compulsive ... I loved it´ Martina Cole `Both thought-provoking and heartbreaking´ Foreword Reviews

Torment Part One is a dark, taboo, MC, contemporary romance. How did I get here? Broken, bruised, and mentally shattered.For most of my life, my older stepbrother, Shay, was my hero, my rock, and my best friend. The one I knew I could always rely on. For many years, I accepted everyone and everything around me. But as I grew up, the veil was lifted, and I slowly came to understand how f*cked up it all really is. These men, who I considered uncles and close family friends, are members of the dominant MC, The Celtic Beasts. Shay is not only a proud member. He is the one they send in to do their dirty work. For some reason, this tough, muscled, terrifying guy, needs me to ground and comfort him. But I have always had bigger plans. Bigger dreams. I don't want to be trapped here, in this life that is dark, bloody and violent. I want to get out, escape... but Shay has other plans for me. What do you do when your protector becomes the very root of your torment?**Warning: This book is meant for mature readers, 18+. Torment Part One is a dark romance and contains scenes and situations that may be upsetting for some readers. Includes several triggers and sensitive material such as: domestic abuse, profanity, gang violence, PTSD, depression, anxiety disorders, and sexual assault. Please do not read if you are uncomfortable with any of the above. Thank you.

Bruno Latour’s long term project is to compare the felicity and infelicity conditions of the different values dearest to the heart of those who have ‘never been modern’. According to him, this is the only way to develop an anthropology of the Moderns. After his work on science, on technology and, more recently, on law, this book explores the truth conditions of religious speech acts. Even though there is no question that religion is one of the values that has been intensely cherished in the course of history, it’s also clear that it has become immensely difficult to tune in to its highly specific mode of enunciation. Every effort to speak in the right key sounds awkward, reactionary, pious or simply empty. Hence the necessity of devising a way of writing that brings to the fore this elusive form of speech to render it audible again. In this highly original book, the author offers a completely different tack on the endless ‘science and religion’ conflict by protecting them both from the confusion with the notion of information. Like The Making of Law, this book is one more attempt at developing this ‘inquiry on modes of existence’ that provides an alternative definition of society.

من أجل الإيثار، أروي التجارب For altruism, I tell experiences لترتوي العقول والبصائر For brains and insights, to be irrigated يجمع النفيس منهم عِقدا Collects the precious of them as a necklace ذراته حروف، تسقي العقول كالـمطر Its atoms are letters, watering minds like rain لتُنجي النفوس من الـخَطَر to save the souls from danger عذابات متتالية تتطلب إحراز مَلَكات متنوعة Consecutive torments require the achievement of various talents لكي تبدأ مع نفسك الحياة To start with yourself your life