Kirjahaku

I've revised and updated the first edition to commemorate the 30th anniversary of Tiananmen Square, the bleeding heart of the nation. I concentrate on the period from the end of the Cultural Revolution in 1976 to the massacre in 1989. Instead of a dull, factual historical account, I try to present the atmosphere and colour of Chinese daily life, from early morning tai chi and dim sum to Cantonese opera, snake dinners and ox penis soup. However, I don't gloss over the seamy side: forbidden love, false arrests, forced abortions and public executions. China is presented in all its bewildering complexity -- not only the "Chinese Dream" but also the "Chinese Nightmare". Just what is myth and what is reality?

For the first time, the books in the trilogy are now available all together and in print after appearing separately on Kindle (I have made some minor modifications). In The Girl with the Fish Tattoo, Morose is enlisted to help investigate a series of terrorist bombings which have led to anti-Muslim riots and a right-wing nationalist backlash. Everyone assumes a political explanation but Morose is less convinced. And just how does the sexy biker girl with the piranha tattoo fit in? The Girl who Swam with Sharks represents an exotic interlude from the political thriller style of the other two books and is more like a traditional whodunit. Morose travels to Thailand to rescue his older brother Endeavour who has been arrested and accused of helping his young Thai girlfriend murder her rich American husband. Finally, in The Girl who Cried Wolf, Morose is recalled from exile in Iceland to defuse the Croydon Missile Crisis. After refusing to cooperate with rendition and extradition, Uncle Kenny, who is seeking re-election as Prime Minister after four years in office, is threatened with rogue drone missiles by the American Ambassador. What should Kenny do with Julian St. James, the founder of the radical FidelNews.com website, who has leaked top secret US military documents and is accused of raping a student in Sweden? Also, can Morose solve the curious incident of the wolf which did not howl in the night? At least Morose is not alone and is ably assisted by his trusty sergeant, Louise, by the ambiguous founder of Manchester's No. 1 Transsexuals' Detective Agency, Eddie, and by the lovable Icelandic Criminology student, D ra.

For this second revised edition, I have updated some of the content, added some new material and corrected a few typing errors. After the plethora of Zen-related titles in recent years, Zen and the Art of Table Tennis seeks to examine links which up to now have been largely ignored - the links between this ancient Eastern lifestyle and a game noted for its combination of mental and physical agility. Part One explores the nature of Zen, analysing those aspects which seem to appeal most to Western followers. Part Two traces the history of table tennis from its humble parlour-game beginnings to the rise and dominance of Asia. Part Three attempts to reach a synthesis - does table tennis have anything to learn from Zen? Finally, an eleventh chapter ventures into a danger zone which other Western Zen publications tend to avoid - into Zen's moral vacuum. The enlightened wisdom of Obi-Wan Kenobi is counterbalanced by the dark force of Darth Vader, a dark side which manifested itself historically in Zen Nazis and Zen war-time atrocities.