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Throughout another year of bluster and bedlam in Westminster, John Crace's brilliantly acerbic political sketches have once more provided the nation with a much-needed injection of humour. In A Farewell to Calm, Crace introduces an infectiously funny selection of his finest pieces from 2020-21, taking in everything from a summer of unfathomable U-turns to Christmas COVID confusion and from lockdown-lifting to Brexit blithering.

Sam Cooper has a happy life: a good job, a blossoming relationship. Yet, there's something he can never forget - the image seared into his mind of his mother, Laurie, dying when he was a child. His father allowed his grief to tear them apart, and Sam hasn't seen him in years. Until an unexpected call from Firwood hospital, asking Sam to come home, puts in motion a chain of devastating events. On his deathbed, Sam's father makes a shocking confession.

As Detective Dan Lockhart is called to a wealthy London street to investigate Natasha’s death, he’s startled by the similarity to a previous case. Noticing the cable-tie restraints and the tiny scratches on Natasha’s wedding finger, Dan already knows what he will find if he looks in her mouth - the metal ball which choked her to death. Months earlier, Kim Hardy was found in the same position in a run-down hotel across the city - an identical silver ball in her throat. But Kim’s murderer was caught and sent to prison - did they arrest the wrong man?

It’s 1969 and 19-year-old Nick Lovell is jobless, broke, and in keeping with the times, blissfully nonchalant about his circumstances. That is until Berit Bergstrom, a model with her image plastered on nearly every double-decker bus in London, shows up on his doorstep looking for a place to stay and a shoulder to cry on.

An idealist in less-than-ideal times, Chisolm’s military orders have taken him to the Bunker, an underground fortress in West Germany where intelligence and war footing operations convene. Within the impenetrable concrete walls, he finds a complete lack of military protocol, a total disregard for the stakes of the game, and a life of soul-crushing absurdity. Under constant threat of Russian annihilation, those assigned to the Bunker grapple with the inescapable futility of their posting. Chisolm struggles to maintain his moral compass in the face of disturbing apathy and chaos.

When the body of wealthy businessman Charles Stott is found dead on Wimbledon Common, covered in bruises just feet away from his luxury home, Detective Dan Lockhart is called to investigate the shocking scene. Examining the sickeningly disfigured body before him, Lockhart knows he’s dealing with a brutal killer. Looking more closely, he notices something on the victim’s neck: a small, crudely drawn symbol in black ink. It seems the murderer has marked his victim, but why? Dan needs to get inside the perpetrator’s mind, so he contacts psychologist Dr. Lexi Green.

When a fire burns the local community centre to the ground, our small town is abuzz with questions. I am the only witness, but when the man I saved flees the scene, the journalist in me knows this blaze was no accident. Then the police find something that makes my blood run cold: a skeleton amongst the ashes.

When a vicar is reported missing just days before Christmas and two churches are burned to the ground, the police know there is only one person that can help them solve the case: Head of the Ritualistic Behavioural Crime unit, Dr Harrison Lane. An expert on ritualistic and religious crime profiling, Harrison uses tracking skills taught to him by his Native American stepfather to follow the trail of clergymen’s bodies displayed in sinister effigies that warp scenes from the New Testament.

Dr Harrison Lane, Head of the Ritualistic Behavioural Crime unit, is called in to investigate. What he finds makes his blood run cold. A girl has been sculpted by plastic surgery to become the image of a perfect mermaid. Harrison has dedicated his life to tracking down those who hide behind spiritualism and religion to do evil – but this case will test his skills, and his nerve, to the limit. A cold, calculating psychopath is preying on vulnerable women dying to achieve perfection, and instinct tells Harrison that it’s only a matter of time before more mermaids are found.

Harrison Lane, Head of the Ritualistic Behavioural Crime unit, is called to investigate the brutal assault of an African healer. The two attackers are normally law-abiding parishioners from the nearby Catholic church. Behind bars, the men claim they were acting in self-defence after the man used 'voodoo magic' to curse their church, sending a wave of sudden deaths and sickness through the panicked congregation.

When two students at ancient Durham University make a gruesome discovery, Dr Harrison Lane, Head of the Ritualistic Behavioural Crime unit, is summoned to investigate. A young student has been murdered, satanic symbols etched across their chest, and Harrison is disturbed to see the upside-down hangman’s cross, the devil’s symbol of justice. To Harrison, there’s no justice here, and he vows to uncover the truth.

When Head of the Ritualistic Behavioural Crime Unit, Dr Harrison Lane, is called to desolate Wicken Fen to assist with a murder investigation, he can’t believe what he sees. Curved iron horseshoes hold down the body of a young, athletic man, and birch leaves rest delicately upon his torso, but it’s what lies above the leaves that interests Harrison…

"I'm greeted by the strangest sight. A small dark-haired boy is standing there. It's like he's a human parcel, delivered to my front door. "My name is Luke," he says." When Johnny meets Lauren in a bar in Santa Cruz, there's an instant connection. On an American road trip with best friend Will, Johnny promises to return to the girl who has stolen his heart. Until tragedy strikes, forcing Johnny to fly back home without ever seeing Lauren again. Six years later, Johnny is living his life in London, even if he's never forgotten the girl with the grey eyes and dark hair.

The handsome Virgo, Marquis of Fane, has a reputation as a bit of a ladies' man and doesn't care for the high-society socialites chasing after him and his fortune. His passions are racehorses and art, and he sets his sights on a painting called 'The Virgin of the Lilies'. But while investigating the painting’s dubious provenance the Marquis encounters Cyrilla, the shy and beautiful daughter of the artist and is instantly, utterly bewitched.

A social introvert, Lady Dorinda Burne has always felt uncomfortable around lots of people due to a skin condition which has always marked her as the ‘ugly sister’. She is forced on a trip to Singapore to chaperone her sister Lettice, who is set to marry the intelligent and charming Maximus Kirby. However, Dorinda soon finds herself head over heels for Maximus. lost for words when he’s around. Having to overcome drastic hurdles and more challenges than she could have anticipated, Dorinda is forced to face her fears to find a new life, better than she could ever have hoped for.

The day Rodney Hawkhurst rides onto her father's grand estate, Lizbeth Gillingham is a wild eighteen-year-old, with tangled red hair, dirt on her apron, and an archer's bow in her hand. A chance encounter leads to a clandestine kiss, leaving the tomboy Lizbeth wondering if the life of a sophisticated lady could be so bad if she was on the arm of Rodney Hawkhurst... But Rodney has not come to see Sir Gillingham about Lizbeth. He has come to borrow money for a daring sea voyage, and to ask for the hand of Phillida, Lizbeth's elegant sister.

Forging Queer Leaders explores the unique and inspiring developmental experiences of LGBTQ+ leaders, the amazing capabilities they bring to teams, and what that means for everyone pursuing positive and inclusive organizational strategy. With stories from the armed forces, lawyers, entrepreneurs, authors, academics, thought-leaders, medical professionals - you name it - this shows how queer folk everywhere are harnessing their hard-won power and resilience to excel.

In the early hours of a chilly autumn morning, Harrison Lane races to shadowy Fenton Woods. Beneath an ash tree is the lifeless body of a young boy – four guttered candles surround him, a makeshift cross pushed into the earth nearby. Harrison tenses – who would want to hurt an innocent child? As head of the police’s Ritualistic Behavioural Crime unit, Harrison uses his unique tracking skills to assess the scene.