Showing results by author "Ben" in All Categories

One morning in February 1952, a journalist called Ian Fleming sat down at his desk and set about creating a fictional secret agent. James Bond was born and would go on to become one of the most successful, enduring and lucrative creations in literature. But Bond's world of glamour and romance, gadgets and cocktails, espionage and villainy wasn't entirely drawn from imagination: Fleming's background and his experiences as an intelligence officer during the Second World War were all formative parts in the creation of the world's most famous spy.

When the 102-year-old inventor of an amazing new hunting product is murdered, the clues point toward the Endicotts, a controversial reality-show family. Did one of the members do something desperate to claim the invention as their own and boost their waning popularity? Blanco County game warden John Marlin intends to find out, if he can prevent his best friend from having a deadly run-in with the prime suspect. Stag Party is the eighth novel in Ben Rehder's hilarious Blanco County mystery series.

An unidentified wild creature is on the loose in Blanco County, and, over the protests of game warden John Marlin, the locals have convinced themselves they're dealing with a mythical vampirish beast called a chupacabra. It doesn't help Marlin's cause when a dead body turns up with a fang-like wound in its neck.

Alex Dunn owned one of the most valuable collections of hobo nickels in the world, and it appears somebody killed him for it. Now Roy Ballard and Mia Madison are hired by the insurance company to track the collection down, which means they might reveal the identity of the killer in the course of their investigation. But the more they dig, the more suspects they uncover, including Dunn's children, his ex-wife, and a buxom masseuse who takes a hands-off approach to the services she offers.

Ben Timberlake has spent a lifetime in pursuit of the ultimate rush. This is an account of his near-execution in wartime Yugoslavia, his time in the SAS, combat in Iraq, encounters with a gambling-obsessed 9/11 hijacker, veterans blissed out on MDMA, as well as exploring hook-ups in the world of extreme sex and battling a heroin habit on a remote Scottish island. In this pilgrimage on the road of excess Ben looks at the social, biological, religious and personal factors that drive people to the edge and has a whole lot of fun along the way.

Perpetual Chess features weekly conversations with the chess world's best players, trainers and accomplished amateurs about their careers, current projects, best practices and the latest in chess news. Learn more at PerpetualChessPod.com

On opening day of dove season in Blanco County, Jimmy Ray Gladstone is confronted, then shot, by an attractive stranger with an unusual physical characteristic. But who is she, and how did she know about the robbery Jimmy Ray and his brother Russell had been planning? Game Warden John Marlin will have to figure it out on his own, because the sheriff’s office is stretched thin, Jimmy Ray has a head injury and isn’t making much sense, and Russell is nowhere to be found.

In Buck Lake, Colorado, the resident dog catcher, Collins, is on the verge of retirement. But something strange lurks in the woods, about to ruin his plans.... After 30 years, Collins is ready to be done with small-town animal control. His replacement, Blair, is a Gen Z vet student who hates mansplaining; they don’t get along. But on the eve of his retirement, Collins gets a call that changes everything. There’s been a report of a vicious wild dog on the loose.

Discover the timeless healing power of nature and learn how to restore your health, energy and balance—naturally. In this inspiring 3-in-1 audiobook collection, the author Ben Gabriel combines ancient wisdom, modern science and practical guidance to create the ultimate guide to natural healing. Packed with easy-to-follow remedies, plant profiles and wellness insights. This book will empower you to take control of your well-being—safely, naturally and effectively.

It's the week before deer hunting season, as close to a statewide holiday as you get in Texas, and the locals are getting restless. Game Warden John Marlin has his hands full with poaching complaints coming in faster than he can write out-of-season tickets. Then a call of a different sort comes in. A man dressed up in some sort of deer costume has been shot at the Circle S ranch, and witnesses are reporting a massive wild-eyed buck prancing about the pasture in a lovesick frenzy.

What were you doing when you were 22? Where were you in the world? What did you want to do with your life? Ben Parkinson was a six-foot-four-inch paratrooper. He was in Afghanistan fighting for his country. He wanted to always be a soldier, to be a father and to get home in one piece. But we don't always get what we want. So the question is: how do we react when that happens? Easy: you find something new to fight for.

Annie has always had high hopes for her future. But the reality of her life just isn’t measuring up. She loves her fiancé, Greg–doesn’t she? She’s going to get her degree and open her own business–won’t she? Then, a strange old woman shows up outside her house, and she seems to know a lot about Annie. An awful lot. Annie could tell the old woman to get lost. Yet there’s something about her Annie just can’t shake. And what she learns could change her life forever–but is it the life she envisioned?

Ben Judah is an acclaimed foreign correspondent, but here he turns his reporter's gaze on home, immersing himself in the hidden world of London's immigrants to reveal the city in the eyes of its beggars, bankers, coppers, gangsters, carers and witch-doctors. From the backrooms of its mosques, Tube tunnels and nightclubs to the frontlines of its streets, Judah has supped with oligarchs and spent nights sleeping rough, worked on building sites and talked business with prostitutes; he's heard stories of heartbreaking failure, but also witnessed extraordinary acts of compassion.

Julian Harris is haunted by dreams in which he becomes a monster—an evil beyond comprehension. Sometimes it feels like something is trying to get inside him. Or maybe it is already there, waiting for the chance to escape into the waking world. Godthorne, Julian’s picture-postcard hometown, hides a darkness of its own. Fifteen years ago, five girls vanished from its streets. Now another schoolgirl is missing. The man blamed for the original crimes is long dead. So is this the work of a copycat, or something far stranger?

1972: Elijah and Joanna Ingham were found bludgeoned to death, blood smeared across their walls in cryptic symbols. Their daughters vanished into the night. 2016: Nine-year-old Erin Jackson disappeared in Harwood Forest. Her father, Tom, searches desperately, uncovering ties between his missing child, the forest, and the Ingham murders.

At fourteen, Abigail has no answer to the question of who she really is. Her life has been consumed by caring for her damaged mother. When tragedy strikes, she is uprooted from her bleak city flat and sent to live at her estranged uncle’s country estate. Silenus House is a maze of shadowed corridors and echoing rooms, filled with artifacts that hint at sinister histories. For the first time, Abigail has the chance to experience the childhood she has been denied. But the estate’s wealth comes with a darkness she cannot ignore.

The Privacy Podcast by Miden explores the future of privacy, identity, and trust in a digital world being reshaped by blockchain and AI. Hosted by Ben Schiller, The Privacy Podcast dives into one of the most critical questions facing technology today: How do we build a more private, secure, and trustworthy internet? A former journalist with over a decade of experience covering crypto and emerging technologies, including six years at CoinDesk, Schiller brings a sharp editorial lens to conversations at the intersection of privacy, blockchain, and digital rights. At its core, this podcast is ...

The holidays are over, but the digital chaos remains. Your inbox overflows with 3,427 unread emails. Your phone storage screams at 98% capacity. You mindlessly scroll for hours yet feel more disconnected than ever. This short listen practical guide transforms your overwhelming digital mess into an organized system in just one week.

The Real Pigeons are great crime-fighters – because most people ignore pigeons. But when a video of the pigeons goes viral, they are suddenly FAMOUS. It's much harder to solve mysteries when everyone is always watching! Can they figure out who's behind a slime crime, how a flock of rolling pigeons vanished into thin air, and why anyone would try to catch Frillback in a cage?

The REAL PIGEONS are all about pigeon powers. But what happens when a CURSED HOLE opens up in the park, a TONGUE MONSTER terrorises the city, and the pigeons discover that their powers have suddenly DISAPPEARED? There's only one thing to do, and that is for the Real Pigeons to figure out where their powers come from... so that they can hopefully get them back!