I saw the glint of the fish knife in his hand as he started to run… I flinched instinctively to avoid him, but he ran straight past me and lunged instead at the man on the steps. It was all over quickly before I even realised what was happening. I heard the businessman gasp softly and then he went down, silently to his knees. The stranger is still breathing, but Alice can see the life draining from him. Her mind races as she continues to fight for his life, almost in tears with the effort. Convinced it must have been a bungled mugging, Alice’s conviction crumbles when the man is killed with a bullet to the head within minutes of the first attack. Who has killed this random stranger? And why? Death in Leamington is more than a crime story; it is a riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma. Set in the genteel Regency town of Royal Leamington Spa, the murder of an elderly foreign visitor sets off an intricate chain of events, surprising literary encounters and one too many unexplained and gruesome deaths. Inspector Hunter and his new assistant DC Penny Dore race to solve the murders, but as the body count mounts and each new lead evaporates; Hunter becomes more and more convinced that there are darker forces involved. Death in Leamington will appeal both to those who enjoy solving a crime mystery and those with an interest in history, art and music. The story is a celebration of the literary and folk heritage of this elegant Warwickshire town, incorporating many of the characters from its history, and a few literary ghosts from its past, including quotations from works as diverse as The Faerie Queene, The Scarlett Letter, Alice in Wonderland and even Shakespeare’s Queen Mab puts in an appearance. "I’ll leave you, the reader, to solve the mystery but the enigma I will not explain – its 'dark saying' must be left unguessed." Edward Elgar

Secret Royal Leamington Spa explores the lesser-known history of the town of Leamington Spa through a fascinating selection of stories, unusual facts and attractive photographs.

A new series of bespoke, full-coverage resources developed for the 2015 A Level English qualifications. Endorsed for the AQA A/AS Level English Literature B specifications for first teaching from 2015, this print Student Book is suitable for all abilities, providing stretch opportunities for the more able and additional scaffolding for those who need it. Helping bridge the gap between GCSE and A Level, the unique three-part structure focuses on texts within a particular time period and supports students in interpreting texts and reflecting on how writers make meaning. An enhanced digital version and free Teacher's Resource are also available.

John Betjeman was undoubtedly the most popular Poet Laureate since Tennyson. This book explores his identity through such Victorianism via the verse of that period, but also its architecture, religious faith and - more importantly - religious doubt.

The Leamington Italian Community intertwines personal and family stories with both empirical and intuitive writing to offer new historical insights into the complex social, economic, and psychological causes and effects of the migration phenomenon. Walter Temelini meticulously reconstructs the history of immigration and settlement in Leamington, Ontario, of Italians from the southern regions of Lazio, Molise, and Sicily. He explains how, despite their regional differences, three generations between 1925 and the 1990s forged a cohesive, socially conscious, and unique agricultural community by balancing their inherited values and their newly adopted Canadian economic opportunities. Temelini's groundbreaking research draws on testimonial and documentary evidence gathered from in-depth interviews with hundreds of residents, as well as on original archival information and Italian-language histories translated by the author and previously unavailable to English-speaking readers. He concludes his study with an investigation into the award-winning novel Lives of the Saints by Nino Ricci, one of the community's most celebrated descendants. Drawing parallels between Ricci's narrative and the development of the community, Temelini demonstrates that ethnicity can be transformed successfully into a powerful universal archetype, and a creative force of identity. A pioneering and authoritative work, The Leamington Italian Community creates an intimate portrait within a global framework, delving into issues both timely and timeless, that will interest and inform the general and specialized reader alike.