In this collection of short stories, Vincent Cobb explores aspects of life that are both extraordinary and interesting, but often delve in to the otherworld of the supernatural. From the story of the remarkable but apparently ordinary Agnes Ward, whose discovery of cancer takes her on a journey out of this world, we meet Fred who is Dead. But no one has told him and he is dead, so he's a bit fuddled with the situation of his own funeral. Though things are going to get worse for him as the sins of the past catch up with all men. …

Meet the Honourable Thadeus Burke, son of a lord launching his career running an insurance business at Lloyd's of London. Yet, if Thadeus Burke hoped to find security and a quiet life, he could not have been more mistaken. For where the stakes are high, the cunning is low. The underworld finds its way into underwriting, and Thadeus finds himself drawn into the riddles and rewards of fighting crime. Mystery by mystery, Thadeus, his irrepressible sister Freddie, and the CID's Inspector Jackson follow cases from the world of horse racing to the world of jazz, from the early days of …

Aidan McRaney is a young man with secrets. After he has taken revenge - in company with Verdi Benson, 11 years his senior - on the man who violated and killed Aidan's 18-year-old sister Laurena, he decides he needs to escape for awhile. He leaves London to stay with his aunt and uncle in Dublin, where he meets Irish country singer Caitlan McKenna. She works in the bar near the quayside, where she sings. Caitlan has a boyfriend, but he is abusive. Aidan falls for the pretty 19-year-old girl. When Aidan rescues her from her greasy punk boyfriend, he is …

As a British Army officer in the Corps of Royal Engineers, Toby Woodbridge twice deployed to Afghanistan’s Helmand Province, and spent a total of eight months in the notorious District of Sangin. Employed as mentor to the Afghan National Police during his last tour in the town, Woodbridge spent over six months living, working, and fighting alongside members of that much maligned but critically important organisation, gaining a privileged view of their work and insight into their world. His experiences from those two tours provide the background for this unique perspective on the difficulties and dangers involved when working, living, …

As a young man from a loving, middle class family living in a small English village, Ben Rogers appeared to have it all ... but then he found drugs. As his life descends into chaos and despair, Ben begins to chronicle his daily struggles with the aid of a video camera. He was hopeful that one day his experiences could be used to educate others. Ben lost his battle against addiction and died when he was 34 as a result of medical withdrawal. His family decided to release the tapes in the hope that other families could benefit. The result …

In 1988, Harvard law graduate Tom Metzler is visiting London for the first time. Although on legal business, he finds time to visit the Natural History Museum where, among the cornucopia of treasures he witnesses something that changes his life forever: the sight of a stunningly beautiful young woman. He’s elated when their eyes meet and she fixes him with a winsome smile, but in an instant and as if by magic, she disappears. This vision of beauty reappears at Tom’s hotel later that evening. Tom’s delighted yet bewildered when she addresses him by name without the slightest introduction, and …