Martin Davies Books

Mrs Hudson must step into action once more.It's summer in London, and things are quiet. But while Holmes and Watson chafe at their inactivity, a train, carrying a vital encoded communication, is entering a tunnel in an obscure region of the Balkans – never to be seen again.The case of the disappearing train is only the beginning of the nation’s difficulties. The missing message must be found and decoded, and a diplomat’s wife must be rescued from the clutches of a pernicious blackmailer.The nation is in danger, and if a diplomatic scandal of disastrous proportions is to be avoided, Sherlock Holmes’ brilliance may not be enough…From the Richard & Judy-featured author of The Conjuror’s Bird, back by popular demand, the first new Holmes & Hudson novel for several years.

This is the definitive guide to successful study as an international postgraduate student. Chapters cover all the core academic skills, including time management, reading, referencing, critical thinking, doing research, and writing and speaking for assessment. The book features a wealth of examples, activities and checklists to help students hone their skills. The 2nd edition features: - New content on writing critical reviews and case study reports, managing digital sources and using electronic databases - Additional activities on referencing and critical thinking - Practical pointers to help students hit the ground running and quickly get to grips with the expectations and conventions of postgraduate study

Old lies, new threats. The chickens have come home to roost... December in London, and Maximilian Cortado, the world famous violinist, has disappeared, the only clue being the unexpected delivery to his townhouse of a basket containing a live hen. When it emerges that a number of other notable members of society have been receiving similarly unexplained fowl, the deliveries begin to appear more sinister. Sherlock Holmes, however, seems more intrigued by a trivial incident in Sussex, where someone has been damaging Christmas trees intended for a local stately home. So when he is asked by the wife of a famous artist to investigate a robbery carried out twenty-three years before, Mrs Hudson sees an opportunity to assist. At the centre of that mystery is the Christmas Canary, a solid gold decoration of mesmerising beauty, hand-crafted for the fifth Lord Empingham. For years it had graced the top of the Christmas tree at Frawling Hall - until its mystifying disappearance broke the seventh Lord's heart. Fowl deeds are afoot, but can Mrs Hudson restore the canary to its perch before it's too late? A wonderfully evocative caper based in the legend of Sherlock Holmes, perfect for fans of M. R. C. Kasasian and M. C. Beaton.

This successful guide to social work theory and practice has now been fully revised and a substantial amount of new material has been added in order to make it even more comprehensive.

Even Sherlock Holmes needs help sometimes... Londoners are turning out for the unveiling of the Malabar Rose-a rare and remarkable ruby-and the British debut of the Great Salmanazar. A magician and illusionist extraordinaire, Salmanazar is the talk of Europe-since whenever he appears abroad, daring thefts of famous jewelry coincide with his performances. But after a special representative of the Home Secretary begs Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson to help guard the Malabar Rose, it vanishes under the most baffling of circumstances. Suspecting that the Great Salmanazar has used smoke-and-mirrors on Scotland Yard, the formidable Mrs. Hudson is called upon to give a lesson in criminal deduction to that most logical of minds-the great Sherlock Holmes.

"September in London, and the city basks in a glorious Indian summer. Sherlock Holmes has more work than he can handle, and when the Home Office asks him to sniff out a plot by Russian assassins on radical politician George Dashing, Holmes and Watson find themselves distracted by more pressing cases. Meanwhile, there is scandal at the home of Dashing's great political rival, Sir Henry Catanache. When Sir Henry's housemaid goes missing, leaving only a pool of blood behind, his son is the prime suspect. Can Sherlock discover the truth? Or will the Catanache family be rescued by Laurence Martin, a detective newly arrived in London who is dazzling society with some remarkable triumphs? Martin proves a surprising and enigmatic figure, and Mrs Hudson and Flotsam, her intrepid helper, soon find themselves as intrigued by the detective as they are by the crime..."--Publisher

The Blackwell Encyclopedia of Social Work provides a concise guide to 400 topics relevant to the practice of social work in the 21st Century. It brings together 250 top authors and covers all service user groups.

This text provides students with step-by-step guidance on all aspects of the research process. Both qualitative and quantitative methods of research are discussed with real life examples demonstrating good and bad practice.

"The Conjurer's Bird" is a beautiful story in the spirit of" Possession "that is as exciting as "The Club Dumas," inspired by one of the great puzzles of natural history: that of the Mysterious Bird of Ulieta. Seen only once, in 1774, by Captain Cook's second expedition to the South Seas, a single specimen was captured, preserved, and brought back to England. The bird was given to famed naturalist Joseph Banks, who displayed it proudly in his collection until its sudden, unexplained disappearance. Two hundred years later, naturalists continue to wonder if the world will ever get another glimpse of the elusive bird. Were it not for a colored drawing done by the ship's artist, there would be nothing to say that the bird had ever existed. "The Conjurer's Bird" is a gripping literary mystery and passionate love story that tackles the intrigue surrounding the celebrated Banks, his secret affair with an enigmatic woman known only as "Miss B," and the legendary bird that becomes a touchstone for their love. Seamlessly spanning two time periods, "The Conjurer's Bird" is at once the story of this romance and of a present-day conservationist named Fitz, who is drawn into a thrilling and near-impossible race to find the elusive bird's only known remains. An Alternate Selection of the Book-of-the-Month Club and Quality Paperback Book Club "From the Hardcover edition."

On the coast of southern Spain, an English father sits waiting for his son. It is many years since Benedict, then still a child, set out with the famous scholar Antioch on a mission to find and collect the mysterious beasts of the East. In all those years there has been no word, and the expedition is assumed lost. But the boy's father is not the only person asking questions on the harbourside that summer, and as he learns more about his son's companions, he comes to realise that the fate of the expedition has implications for people far richer and more powerful than himself. The Unicorn Road tells of a journey into the unknown and of the secret motives and hidden passions of those it brings together. When Benedict is befriended by the interpreter, Venn, he becomes embroiled in an exotic, dangerous adventure. It is a story of love and honour, greed and cruelty and, ultimately, about the power of words themselves. As magically evocative as an ancient silk painting, The Unicorn Road is a novel of the medieval world which vividly and tenderly illuminates our own.