Sam Llewellyn

Extensive nautical lore, a taut plot and copious helpings of dirty politics help distinguish this adventure. English journalist Bill Tyrrell gives up the writing game when he inherits an old-fashioned cutter, crewed by a motley collection of teenage deadbeats. When his boat's rudder catches on the corpse of a Soviet sailor in a Thames estuary, the ensuing publicity reflects badly on Bill, his young charges and the organization that employs him to teach sailing to troubled teens. It turns out that several of the crew members knew the dead man: two go into hiding, and one is shot full of heroin and murdered. After a car runs him down, Bill's dormant journalistic instincts kick in, and the chase is on. Llewellyn ( Dead Reckoning ) unleashes a barrage of suspicious types: Bill's politically minded brother, suddenly keen to sell his share of the boat; his occasional lover, suddenly keen to handle the sale; and an enigmatic Russian woman, suddenly keen on Bill. All are likely killers, but Llewellyn manages to surprise with a resolution plucked from out of nowhere. His previous nautical adventures have generally been slack, insular affairs whose characters obsess about boats, love and money (in that order). In this one, a subtext of international politics twists the tensions just a little bit tighter.

Meet the Darling family. They are very, very rich. But in the beautiful nursery of their fabulously furnished luxury mansion, all is not well. The Darling parents are pretty ghastly. But their childr

In this aptly titled thriller, Llewellyn (Clawhammer) proves that you can flirt with several genres at once and still deliver a gritty, intelligent and original read. Narrator Fred Hope is a British former environmental activist who once went to jail for trying to stop a whale hunt; during that same exploit, his patrician wife, Helen, was paralyzed for life. Now Fred's Uncle Ernie, an unrepentant Communist, has been framed for arms smuggling, and his partner and stepbrother-in-law, Hugo, has hired out Fred's charter cruise boat for, of all things, a whaling expedition. This ruins Fred's reputation-but it gets worse: Hugo's client turns out to be the godson of Herman Goring and the leader of a neo-Nazi group called "Midgard," while one of the client's associates happens to have information proving that Hugo is a direct descendant of Czar Nicholas II. Gradually, Fred discovers evidence of a conspiracy stretching back to the youth of Uncle Ernie, whose story is told in a series of flashbacks. Though the novel begins slowly, it soon picks up as Llewellyn combines a number of story types-sea saga, mystery, family drama, social history, thriller, character study-into an amalgam not easily categorized. The resolution of the complicated plot is wildly unexpected, a punchy ending for a strong, well-written novel that's something far different, and far better, than the average thriller.

Primrose, Cassian and Daisy Darling are still on board the Kleptomanic - but the ship is hit by a Rogue Flying Nanny and chaos ensues. The children are deprived of: Papa Darling (but do they really care?); the Engineer, who vanishes with the keys to the ship; and their liberty (quelle horreur!). To right these very wrong wrongs, they must take over the Nanny State of Nananagua and deal with the incredibly feeble Lost Children of Ciudad Olvidada, the pompous ex-President Real Banana, and whatever it is that lurks in Nananagua''s green mountains. But the Darlings, of course, are not daunted in the least. They emerge triumphant, leaving Nananagua presidentless. Will Papa Darling become the country''s new leader? Or Pete Fryer perhaps? Or maybe the Captain? It could be none of the above, but only time will tell, and the Darlings are sure to have something to do with it.

The Darling children, Primrose, Daisy and Cassian have foresworn their wicked ways and plan a legit life in the land of milk, honey and lots of money - Florida. Trouble is, their luxury cruise liner is sinking. Papa Darling is feeling dangerously entrepreneurial. And the Captain, their glamorous long-lost mother, is confused - does she want Papa back, or is she in love with a burglar? Someone needs to take charge. And really, it has to be Daisy. They've got to make some money - and fast. But faced with Florida super-villain Gomez Elegante and his son Chico, even the little Darlings may have met their wicked match. The preposterously funny, proudly ridiculous sequel to the brilliant LITTLE DARLINGS. Another very good book about very bad children.

Segunda entrega de las aventuras de los hermanos Darling, que cada día son más malos… ¡y más divertidos! Los hermanos Darling ya eran unos niños muy malos. Pero ahora son aún peores. Tras encontrar a

Tercera entrega de las aventuras de los hermanos Darling; otro nuevo libro, muy muy bueno sobre unos niños muy, muy malos. Iris, Narciso y Prímula siguen a bordo del Cleptoman, cuando de repente irrumpen en sus vidas una Niñera Voladora y el caos se adueña de todo. A la velocidad del rayo, los tres hermanos ven desaparecer a Papá Darling (aunque les da igual), al Ingeniero (que se llevó las llaves del barco) y su propia libertad (horreur¡).

Guapos, educados y de buena familia, los hermanos Darling parecen los niños ideales… ¡pero son peligrosísimos! Iris, Narciso y Prímula, hijos de un rico hombre de negocios, siempre están al cuidado de frías niñeras. Y les encanta atormentarlas… Hasta que aparece una institutriz muy estrafalaria que les enredará en una alocada aventura: vivirán en el barco de unos ladrones torpes, perseguirán un raro objeto robado y se enfrentarán a unos saqueadores muy brutos. Rodeados de malhechores, los hermanos Darling encontrarán una salida a sus respectivos talentos y disfrutarán de lo lindo mintiéndose en tremendos problemas.