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The Psalms of David
Of the scores of gift editions of the Book of Psalms, one of the strangest and most beautiful is The Psalms of David, with illuminations by James S. Freemantle An Englishman born in India in 1859, Freemantle traveled widely in the Middle East during his years in the British Army before marrying a woman named Clara in 1906. Around the time they were married, Freemantle began work on this painstakingly rendered book as a gift for her. Nearly every page is filled with illustrations of magnificent Indian and Middle Eastern flora and fauna (including poinsettias, mimosas, canna lilies, kingfishers, storks, and pheasants) and of Brahmin temples and Christian and Jewish holy sites--even a gigantic iceberg. Almost 30 years after he began, Freemantle finished the book. In the foreword to this new edition (first published in 1982), Freemantle's son Stephen writes that his father was "not a religious man." Regardless of the precise nature of Freemantle's beliefs, his exuberant illuminations testify to his great love of his wife, of the world, and of the Psalms. --Michael Joseph Gross.
Price: $7.99
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Dead Men Living
Dead Men Living marks the return of Charlie Muffin (you've got to love an ex-spy with a name like that) to the minefield of diplomatic negotiations between England and Russia. It's a territory that, even with the end of the cold war, remains tortuously difficult to transverse. The need to step carefully is equally apparent in Charlie's personal life: newly reunited with Natalia, the ex-KGB agent (and mother of their 5-year-old daughter) who years ago managed Charlie's false defection, he's finding it more difficult than ever to draw need-to-know lines between work and family. It's a decision that gets no easier when the thawing Siberian tundra reveals a World War II grave with an American soldier, a British soldier, and a Russian woman, stripped of all identifying marks. Charlie, Natalia (now in the Interior Ministry), and American agent Miriam Bell step warily into a dance of discovery, only to find that powerful, faceless persons are calling the steps. What were the Allied soldiers doing near Gulag 98, one of Stalin's most infamous prison camps? What decades-old secret could be so important that England, America, and Russia seem to be working overtime to keep it under wraps? Charlie's investigative journey into the past will take him into a world of looted Nazi art, terrified Russian exiles, and diplomatic wrangling. Brian Freemantle (Little Grey Mice, Comrade Charlie) does a neat job of sketching the interdepartmental turmoil that informs a new era of international cooperation. With the roles of good guy and bad guy--so familiar, so comforting--in constant flux, it's everyone for him- or herself. He's not as adept as le Carré (but who is?) at unraveling the mysteriously tangled threads of espionage--too often, the reader is simply told that Charlie has "figured something out," and the villains in the matter are duller than they have any right to be. But Freemantle's observations are generally adept and well phrased: "Charlie had never liked being a part of diplomatic house-tidying; the dirt always had the habit of bulging the carpet under which it was swept." As Muffins go, Freemantle has served up a pretty tasty text. --Kelly Flynn.
Price: $22.96
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Kings of Many Castles: A Charlie Muffin Thriller
Television audiences around the world witness in horror the Moscow assassination attempt upon the American and Russian presidents. The captured gunman is revealed to be the son of one of Britain's most infamous nuclear defectors, which brings the shuffling, believe-nothing Charlie Muffin into the investigation. Within hours, the death of the Russian leader and the diagnosis that the American's president's wife will be maimed brings the pressure on the combined American, Russian and British investigators to a melting point. Only Charlie Muffin refuses to accept the defector's son was the sole shooter and he doesn't endear himself to anyone--including ex-KGB debriefer Natalia Fedova and mother of Muffin's daughter-and must risk his life and his love to prove his case. From the corridors of power in Russia to the offices of MI5, Charlie must once again challenge higher authorities to bring justice to all. In perhaps his most intense thriller to date, Brian Freemantle once again uses his unique understanding of international espionage and intrigue to remarkable results. .
Price: $1.67
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The Namedropper
The new thriller from the master storyteller - Harvey Jordan is The Namedropper, a multi-millionaire who steals other people's identities to strip them of their assets. Following an ill-judged affair, Jordan finds himself cited in a divorce action by one Alfred Appleton, as well as being sued for criminal conversation a multi-million dollar marriage-wrecking damages claim. So Jordan plans his own type of revenge the identity-stealing kind and in so doing discovers the murky depths of Appletons past . . ..
Price: $8.49
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The BUZZ: 50 Little Things That Make a Big Difference to World-Class Customer Service
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Triple Cross
When Moscow's Organized Crime Bureau chief Dimitri Danilov teams up once more with William Cowley, head of the FBI's Russian desk, their attempt to thwart a unified global mafia makes for Brian Freemantle's most unique and explosive Danilov/Cowley thriller yet. Their mission: to stop the Mafias of the U.S., Russia, and Italy from forming themselves into an organized crime conglomerate with the power to, quite literally, rule the world. Their investigation reaches right into the seat of the U.S. government, when the FBI agent nephew of the House Speaker is blown up in a car bombing. And it becomes very personal indeed when it's proved the Russian capo di tutti i capi was responsible for the murder of Danilov's lover. But before they can begin to solve the crimes, Danilov and Cowley have to get themselves together-their good cop, bad cop command of a multinational investigation team risks disastrous failure when Danilov decides upon personal, murderous retribution for his lover's death. Cowley, himself threatened by the exposure of his near alcoholism and with his career on the line, has no choice but to cross his partner and friend and prevent the Russian's professional suicide. With Triple Cross, Brian Freemantle proves again his mastery of international intrigue and thrills. With double cross after double cross, the mobs stay contemptuously ahead of a pursuit that ventures from America to Moscow to Rome. But will Danilov and Cowley be able to surmount their personal demons and bring the mobsters to justice? They're on the verge of bringing down international crime when Danilov, both in and out of control, springs the Triple Cross. .
Price: $4.71
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Bomb Grade
British intelligence agent Charlie Muffin might have a silly name, but don't be fooled--he's one smart, tough cookie. Sent to Moscow to advise the government on the theft of nuclear material, he finds a combination of organized crime and bureaucratic stupidity that adds up to lethal anarchy. Heading the Russian anti- corruption unit is the mother of Muffin's 5-year-old daughter, which complicates his life when he goes undercover as an arms buyer and tries to stop the delivery of 250 kilos of plutonium to the Iraqis. Freemantle's last Muffin is No Time for Heroes..
Price: $9.74
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