‘Stephen Moss delights once more - lyrical and informative by turns, he conjures - with breathless eloquence - another feathered beauty of our skies.’ Benedict Allen Discover the fascinating lives of some of the most brilliant musical minds and master choreographers in the avian world. Even with its beautiful iridescent plumage and magical gift to mimic both human and natural sounds, this common garden bird can often be overlooked. But as they come together in their thousands to display their unique ability to perform dazzling aerial manoeuvres known as murmurations, starlings are nothing short of breathtaking. This is the captivating story of how starlings have shaped our world, from influencing agriculture and inspiring musicians such as Mozart and writers such as Shakespeare, to their impact as an invasive species in North America, South Africa, Australia and New Zealand. With beautiful illustrations throughout, and an expert guide to the most magnificent murmurations in the UK, this eye-opening biography reveals the hidden secrets of one of our most talented and luminous birds.

Colorado 1899 Kate Ryan has always had a streak of justice in her. When she decides to apply to the Pinkerton Detective Agency, nothing will stand in her way. Initially hired in a clerical position, she quickly works her way up to field agent with the help of her mentor, Louise Foster. When Louise is injured, Kate gets her first assignment and the opportunity of a lifetime. Henry Maguire has been undercover in the household of wealthy entrepreneur Arthur Wingate. Employed as a ghostwriter to pen the man’s memoir, Henry is also searching for clues to a lucrative counterfeiting scheme. When Henry’s “wife” shows up, he’s taken aback by the attractive woman who isn’t Louise. Now he must work with a female agent he doesn’t know and doesn’t necessarily trust. And because he has another reason for coming into Wingate’s world, Kate Ryan is unavoidably in his way. The Starling features a fake marriage, mystery, adventure, and romance with light steam. Kate Ryan is the daughter of Matt and Molly from The Wren. The Starling is the first of five novels featuring the second generation of Ryans in the Wings of the West series. Although it’s Book 8 in the Wings series, it can most definitely be read as a standalone. While the series has interconnecting characters, each novel can be read as a standalone Book One: The Wren Book Two: The Dove Book Three: The Sparrow Book Four: The Blackbird Book Five: The Bluebird Book Six: The Songbird (Novella) Book Seven: Echo of the Plains (Short Story) Book Eight: The Starling Book Nine: The Canary Book Ten: The Nighthawk Book Eleven: The Swan (Coming Soon)

A sequel to The Lucy Effect (AuthorHouse 2015), The Starling's Magic finds Paddy Lieber, a freewheeling Liverpudlian entrepreneur in the beautiful city of 1927 Leningrad - where he becomes the subject of a hoax. The theft of a painting from the Hermitage museum, The Leningrad Starling, a revered icon considered to have healing powers, is pinned on Paddy and he is used by high- ranking Soviet officials as a pawn in their corrupt game of political and financial intrigue. Is there magic in the air for those caught up in the dramatic events? Random incidents lead to catastrophic consequences for some, but for others it's new found joy. How much is an external magic part of this as opposed to the individual's perception of events, or are they one and the same? The Starling's Magic is a fast-moving tale with twists and turns. Will Hahyoo, tasked with security at Lieber Enterprises and others get to the bottom of the scam and manage to free Paddy before darker forces in Leningrad close in and make it impossible? Lightened and spiced with the wit and humour of Paddy and his secret lover, the novel is about the love, passion, goodness and courage of ordinary people - Russian, Irish, Chinese, German and English - transcending systems of control and evil. The Starling's Magic is a story for our troubled times.

Eric Starling shot to fame landing a two-seater bi-plane on a Calais street in darkness. From this inauspicious start he became one of that select breed who pioneered commercial flying in Scotland. This is his story.

Occasionally, a reader will happen upon a book that is excellent as a bedtime sleeping aidbut not this one. With nearly five score different events, happenings, and adventures with dozens of related and pertinent rabbit trails lending credence to the excursions, the reader will be thumb ready to eagerly flip a page, seeking the outcome of the last daring deed of the adventuresome author. Wide is the variety of decent and noble escapades at a time when seat belts were unknown, standing up in the center aisle of the school bus for six miles was permitted, and unwritten laws of the land promoted unlimited homemade adventures and the unshackled variety of down-to-earth fun. Youthful minds, unabashedly, often ran rampant in the myriad of rare adventures that were available to pursue. We attempted many and lived to tell about our assorted and varied shenanigansmost of them with a grin!