On 14 June 2017, a 24-storey block of flats went up in flames.The fire climbed up cladding as flammable as solid petrol. Fire doors failed to self-close. No alarm rang out to warn sleeping residents. As smoke seeped into their homes, all were told to ‘stay put’. Many did – and they died.It was a disaster decades in the making.Peter Apps exposes how a steady stream of deregulation, corporate greed and institutional indifference caused this tragedy. It is the story of a ...

The asteroid heading for Earth is nearly a mile wide. If it struck, it would destroy all life but diverting it is all in a day's work for Stuart and his team. Then he has to do it again on a parallel Earth, then again and again. Hoping each time is the last, Stuart despairs as yet another Earth needs his help and he is drawn inexorably into the heart of the crisis.Are the asteroids an accident or an attack on Earth? Was his Earth the real target or just collateral damage?Th...

Are David and his friends ready for the Quest? Most would say they should wait another six or seven years until they're adults, but there's no more time.Worlds are being destroyed and theirs is already being influenced by the enemy. Luckily they have friends as well as enemies but who is going to take a group of young friends so seriously? However, their age does have some advantages. While adults worry about the dangers of visiting alternate worlds, learning to ride a bike is an a...

From the author of the Orwell Prize-winner SHOW ME THE BODIES: HOW WE LET GRENFELL HAPPEN, the gripping story of how housing defines a city's past, present and future'Apps set the gold standard with his Grenfell coverage. With Homesick, he dismantles the sham of UK housing policy – razor-sharp, stylish, and morally unflinching.' Darren McGarveyIn London, only those with vast cash deposits can get on the property ladder, private rents have spiralled...

'HUGELY IMPRESSIVE' - THE INDEPENDENT'AN ASTONISHINGLY FINE HISTORY' - COUNTRY LIFE'FASCINATING' - DAILY MAILThe history of the world's most successful military alliance, from the wrecked Europe of 1945 to Vladimir Putin's invasion of Ukraine.As they signed NATO into being after World War II, its founders fervently believed that only if the West's democracies banded ...

'Incredibly well sourced . . . One of the most plugged-in voices in modern warfare'TELEGRAPH'Blends vivid reporting with shrewd analysis'ECONOMIST'Truly excellent . . . a gripping tour de force. Every politician and military expert needs to read this book'IAIN DALE'Reads like a real-life geopolitical thriller . . . The fact it doesn't feel like scaremongering says a lot about t...

'Incredibly well sourced . . . One of the most plugged-in voices in modern warfare'TELEGRAPH'Blends vivid reporting with shrewd analysis'ECONOMIST'Truly excellent . . . a gripping tour de force. Every politician and military expert needs to read this book'IAIN DALE'Reads like a real-life geopolitical thriller . . . The fact it doesn't feel like scaremongering says a lot about t...

Wild Ways brings together all the latest studies of the behaviour of southern Africa’s rich and accessible mammal fauna, describing not only what mammals do, but also the often surprising reasons why they do it, and covers species as diverse as fruit bats, pangolins, lions, rats and whales. Well-established as an invaluable resource for visitors to parks and reserves, hikers, hunters, farmers and outdoor enthusiasts, this classic guide has now been thoroughly updated and revised, has a fre...

When you're fourteen, how do you save your world from the Great Decline and prepare for a quest to save a parallel world by stealing a nuclear bomb? It sounds ridiculous but David has some unique advantages.On his world, he is the Duke of Barabourne and highly favoured by the king. Being young lets him be receptive to new ideas and being lost on a parallel world, fostered and going to school there gave him plenty to think about.Of course, there are distractions. Being respo...

Mammals come in a huge variety of shapes and sizes, from tiny bats and mice to massive elephants and whales. This first book of mammals introduces a cross-section of often-seen mammals, as well as some of those that are less commonly found. A total of 58 species is presented in full-colour illustrations. Visual clues to each mammal’s size, its tracks and what it eats are shown alongside. Written by a mammal specialist, My first book of Southern African Mammals will appeal to young readers,...

Young people been kidnapped throughout the whole of history? It has to be stopped but where do the abductors come from?And Stuart has other problems nearer to home. Firstly, there's an ex-slave, from the time of Socrates, building a forge in the garden of the village pub. It's a shock when a village boy asks him if he's on his way to another planet and can he come along. It's even more of a shock to discover that he's been the friend of the Darrington family since 1897. Stuart and h...

21st-century schoolboys don't crew a warship about to go into battle. At least, not unless a temporal explosion tears the fabric of time so that Aodhan finds himself joining companions thrown forwards in time.David and Brian might be 18th-century teenage midshipmen ready for their ship to engage a French frigate, but they're not ready for a helicopter arriving to investigate and none of them is ready for the task before them.Follow their adventures as they struggle to close t...