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'THE DREGS OF HIS STEADFAST OPTIMISM'The government of Boris Johnson represented a new low in British politics. Written during the final phase of an administration destined to fail, 'Boris Johnson Pfeffles and Piffles' describes what happened and when. Recalled are the false promises and self-serving arguments of a government that will be remembered by many for its corruption and incompetence. 'Boris Johnson Pfeffles And Piffles' is more than an almanac that insists we should not forget. Connections are made between long lasting underachievement of the UK economy, the Johnson fiasco and the increasingly gloomy prospects for the future. Combining humour and belligerent analysis, 'Boris Johnson Pfeffles And Piffles' digs into the hard to credit chaos created by myopic and irresponsible politicians. Author Howard Jackson is a proud Jeremiah slugger. With a wide grin and a few chuckles, he takes his two fists and assaults with relish the supposedly invisible hand of neoliberalism.

'BUT TEN YEARS AGO WAS THEN, AND BEFORE THAT THERE WAS ANOTHER PAST.''Long After This' remembers the music of Elvis Presley that author Howard Jackson sometimes loved and sometimes hated. In 'Long After This' the individual record albums are used to mark what was happening in the career of the singer but also events in the wider world and the life of the author. The memories of Jackson recall triumphs and tragedies and how a century and important years of change shaped both the idol and a fan.Without ever neglecting the music 'Long After This' insists upon the persistence of money and the impact of fate.'Jackson is the King of left wing Elvis fandom.' Tom Watson

Hailey Pittman suffers a violent and premature death. Her husband, Owen, discovers that Hailey was having an affair. Detective Sergeant Holly Jones thinks she knows what happened to Hailey. The Detective disagrees with those that say the circumstances of the death of Hailey were mysterious. Detective Sergeant Holly Jones, though, remains curious and wants to know much more about Owen. Secrets are uncovered but not only about Hailey. The mother of Owen and his brother have their own stories to tell.After Owen throws the funeral ashes of Hailey over a stone circle in the Lake District, odd and disturbing events soon occur inside his home. An unexpected ally helps Owen face what or who is now inside his home and creating chaos. Before Owen can prevail and return to the stone circle for revelation he or someone will have to decide just how much he needs to know about the past, his family and himself.

''CROOKS FOR WHOM GOOD TIMES WOULD NEVER BE ENOUGH, AND LOSERS LIVING LIVES AS LONELY AS THE DOLLARS IN THEIR POCKETS''''Offended Shadows'' remembers 40 movies that do not deserve to be forgotten. In each chapter a minor character from a film noir movie describes another character, usually but not always the hero or villain''Offended Shadows'' also adds imaginary scenarios and histories that complement and extend the Hollywood film noir imagination. In ''Offended Shadows'' characters from one movie will appear in other film noirs. More narrative spice is added to the fun by the presence of the Black Dahlia and the mysterious identity of her killer. And just what is supposed to be happening in Bridgeport, California?

Cora Tucker is waiting for her divorce. She is surviving by living a quiet life that consists of not much more than her job as an economics lecturer in a Liverpool college. She has few friends and a family that worries about her future. Next door neighbour Zuzanna Kowalski is murdered. Detective Sergeant Lewis thinks Cora is connected to the murder, especially when it is revealed that the accountancy firm of the separated husband of Cora launders cash for criminals.A parcel intended for Zuzanna is delivered to Cora by mistake. The parcel contains £50.000. Andrew, her separated husband, demands help from Cora to evade the police. Charming Mark, the criminal partner of Andrew, issues threats to Cora. Her mother is suspicious, and Detective Sergeant Lewis persists in her investigation.The life of Cora Tucker is no longer quiet. Somehow, though, she will have to survive.

The TV show 'Breaking Bad' is not just habit forming but dangerous. Walter White was killed, and Jesse Pinkman has had to rebuild a new and perhaps innocent life in Alaska. But, without taking crystal meth or contravening the law, fans of the hit TV show now at least have an excuse or another reason to 'go break bad.' And those who are not fans? Well, you have to start somewhere, especially if you have a curious nature. 'Breaking Bad' was more than a hit TV show. Walter White and his adventures deserve to be remembered.'Go Break Bad' avoids the format of the other books written about the TV hit 'Breaking Bad'. Rather than work through the shows chronologically and offer thematic analysis for each episode, 'Go Break Bad', like Combo and Skinny Pete on the streets in ABQ, searches for the street corners. It lingers in places where it is not expected.'Go Break Bad' is driven by different and at times what might appear to be unrelated topics. Main men like Franz Kafka, William Shakespeare, Samuel Beckett and Herman Melville make an appearance but within 'Go Break Bad' there is plenty of room for the unexpected. The odd but illuminating connections include motor transport, economic theory, nuclear weaponry, education, the work ethic, left wing politics, the family, Hollywood cinema and more. 'Go Break Bad' can be read using natural daylight or at night on the roadside and under the glow from a streetlamp. Whichever way you read 'Go Break Bad' worry about what might be on the road ahead.

'IT DOES NOT MATTER WHO IS IN POWER. WE HAVE TRIED EVERYTHING. NONE OF IT WORKS' It is May 2018 and below the equator the summer is over. Argentina is in the middle of another economic crisis and the Government is being given budgetary warnings by the International Monetary Fund. Inflation is high and the value of the Argentinean peso is falling. One Englishman returns to South America after an absence of ten years.NO TALL HEELS TO TANGO remembers a 3000 mile journey made by a seventy year old lone traveller around a troubled Argentina. He visits Buenos Aires, wanders south to Patagonia and then travels north to the towns below the Andes. The Englishman meets people who want to talk about politics and football. Sometimes, though, they remember high heels and the tango and wonder whatever happened.

'THE BEST WE CAN DO IS WONDER AND ENJOY BEING PUZZLED'Books on Jack the Ripper can be hard work. Authors have felt obliged to pack information around a chronological account of the murders. Participants in the events appear and reappear leaving a reader confused. Often an unconvincing suspect is identified. Light Work is different and serious, but sometimes sardonic. The story or legend of Jack the Ripper is separated into self-contained topics. The range within Light Work is wide and contains some surprises - London smog, music hall entertainers, Irish revolutionaries, female political radicals, a Texan serial killer, modern Jack the Ripper tours, and even a surreal visit to a lake filled with corpses. 'Light Work' offers a fresh, independent and common sense perspective on the events in Whitechapel in 1888.

'Nightmares And Lying Rogues, is the third and final movie book by Red Rattle Books author Howard Jackson. It complements the previously published collections, 'Horror Pickers' and 'Mean And Dark'. Howard Jackson again provides independent thought and analysis on a wide-ranging selection of films that includes both the famous and obscure.In 'Nightmares And Lying Rogues' half of the reviews address horror movies. The other half are movies from the Film Noir and Western genres. All the selected films are rooted in the dark, neurotic and sinister.Both the selection of movies and the opinions about them contain surprises, and each of the reviewed movies has a link to a contemporary political issue.This time Howard Jackson attempts to make sense of what we have been told by both movie-makers and politicians and to understand the nightmares they leave behind.

Mavis, Mike, George and Dave are scavengers. They search English towns that were abandoned after the mysterious apocalypse that created the cannibalistic slow lumps. Food and petrol are scarce. On a desperate raid Mike and Dave discover Jen in a toilet in the ruined seaside town of Southport. Jen joins the group. She suggests the scavengers travel to an Army Camp in Northumberland that is run bt her husband.Scavengers are barred from Army Camps but their desperate existence and the prospect of rewards from the grateful husband persuade Mavis and the group to head across country. The English uplands, though, are controlled by violent bandits, and there is always the risk of an attack from the infected slow lumps. There will also be sinister surprises.

'THE HORROR GENRE, MORE THAN ANY OTHER IN POPULAR CINEMA, IS CONCEPTUAL.' Howard Jackson takes a break from writing his own acclaimed horror fiction to examine and discuss forty horror films - some famous, some overlooked and the merely popular. The films included in the collection range from 1945 to the present day and include selections from around the world. Although good humoured the criticisms pick at various gloomy themes such as death, the impact of time, the struggle for identity, human frailty, male narcissism, unreliable reality, faith, destiny, obsession, good and evil and much more. 'Horror Pickers', though, is not gloomy but affirmative. Horror films may have blood and gore but Jackson discovers an alternative and satisfying world full of intelligence and ideas. 'Marvellous and entertaining. Jackson is well read and thoughtful. He picks at the films until he finds surprises that will make viewers and readers think again. His review of 'Amour' makes 'Horror Pickers' an essential read.' Crime Chronicles

YOUR ALL LIARS Matt has spent twenty years trying to forget his violent and dissolute youth. But Rory, a friend from the distant past, is shot and murdered. Days before the murder of Rory there is another incident. After being beaten up the ex-brother-in-law of Matt commits suicide. Hannah the ex-wife of Matt then receives threatening telephone calls. Old friends reappear from the past and tell their stories. Matt hears about a secret crime and a valuable missing manuscript written by Nobel Prize winning American author Theodore Thornburg. Matt and his ex-wife Hannah need to work together to if the manuscript is to be found. But Matt is not sure what is the truth and who can be trusted. Amidst accusations and the deceits of the others even Matt has to tell lies.

'I'M NOT A BAD FELLA.''NO, YOU'RE NOT. YOU'RE A NICE FELLA.'Joe walks into a bar and sees his sister, Alex, talking to Turkish gangster, Talip. Alex is in trouble with big time drug dealers. Joe agrees a deal with Talip that prevents his sister from going to prison. But the deal changes the life of Joe. He becomes involved in kidnapping, prison violence, drug dealing, robbery and murder. Joe is led to the wrong and into a vicious and amoral world where he can trust no one including the person he is pledged to protect, his own sister.LED TO THE WRONG is the fourth crime novel by Red Rattle Books author Jim Lawler. It has the same satisfying mix of sly style and bold surprises that makes his books different, readable and memorable.'Plenty of twists and surprises, Lawler mixes sharp, cynical dialogue and hard hitting set pieces. There are many satisfying moments.'Crime Chronicles

In HORROR PICKERS Howard Jackson examined and dissected forty horror films. This time in MEAN AND DARK he also adds a few film noir favourites to the mix. All the selected movies have baffled people in trouble. But in examining the films Howard Jackson makes a bold attempt to explain what really haunts and perhaps inspires us. The combination of gloomy ideas, defiant opinion, perceptive analysis and sly humour makes MEAN AND DARK an addictive read and a must for film fans.As before, the collection of films that Howard Jackson probes for meaning and ideas ranges from 1945 to the present day and includes dark and chilling cinema from the USA, Europe, the UK, South America, Scandinavia and Asia. The list incluses familiar favourites and some surprises.Praise for HORROR PICKERS'A wonderous collection of horror film criticism, delivers exquisite insight into our favourite fright flicks.'David Saunderson, The Spooky Isles.'Marvellous and entertaining.'Crime Cronicles

'Killing women is mad, even if he is family.' Spencer Calbeck returns to Choke Bay, the Yorkshire coastal village where his father killed two women and committed suicide. He arrives for the engagement party of Lauren to Ron. Lauren is a nurse, and Ron works at the Coast Guard Station. Lauren is the girl that Spencer loves. Choke Bay is an almost deserted village, dominated by empty cottages rented by tourists in the summer. Unable to decide his future Spencer has to face the past and his memories. He meets not just those who survived but the others, those who were slain and who, like Spencer, cannot forget the violence of the past. 'Stunning, a marvellous mixture of supernatural horror and unrequited love.' Crime Chronicles

'This has knocked the wind out of me.''Don't come up to Leeds as a vampire. I won't let you in the house.' Dot has three jobs, a fragile daughter Sarah and a judgemental mother Binnie. Her ex-husband Tom is murdered, and Adam a colleague disappears mysteriously. This means more much needed money for Dot. But the police are interested in Dot and what happened to the two men. Dot meets Chris a handsome young man. Chris wants to know what has happened to Adam. Binnie notices that Chris is a little strange. She buys garlic and a crucifix. Dot, though, will need more than old superstitions to avoid destruction and dangerous seduction.'A marvellous slow burn and very different vampire tale.' Crime Chronicles

Campaigning journalist Rose Pemberton has discovered that in Scotland the Government has commissioned a private company to develop something sinister and secret. Rose is murdered, and Tim, her husband, is the framed suspect. Tim heads to Scotland hoping to reveal the secret that will prove his innocence. While he is pursued by the police and Army there are mysterious deaths and the Government declares an emergency. In Scotland Tim meets his pursuers, and they all discover that the world has a terrible future. 'The best British zombie novel ever 'Undead Underneath' manages to satisfy zombie fans and be very different.' Crime Chronicles.

Ex-bank robber Harry Dunn returns home to Liverpool. He wants a quiet life. But Ms Mint thinks Harry should return to his security job in Saudi Arabia where he can help British Intelligence. Meanwhile his ex-wife Pearl, who betrayed Harry, and Roy and Ritchie, who stole the money Harry robbed from the bank, need hard case Harry to protect them in a gang war. And, if a decrepit mother to look after is not enough to keep Harry busy, there is a badly dressed crazed assassin from Belarus who is called Victor, and he wants to kill Harry. "'Hate Until Warm' is a cracking hard-case thriller. The opening is stunning and this alone would make the book an essential read" Crime Chronicles.

Welcome to the latest horror ride from RED RATTLE BOOKS, publishers of horror feasts, 'Dracula's Midnight Snacks', 'Zombie Bites' and 'How To Defend Yourself Against Scorpions'. 'Nightmares Ahead' contains 31 horror stories intended to 'harrow the mind' and a final bonus story to help the reader recover.Be warned, the thought provoking signposts to sensation of these stories cannot be trusted.'Nightmares Ahead' will chill, shock, surprise and delight. Bodies that behave oddly, zombies, vampires, ghosts, serial killers and mythical creatures, all haunt and torment both the guilty and the innocent - anyone that is on the wrong road at the wrong time.'Nightmares Ahead' is the first complete collection of horror stories by Howard Jackson.His other books have all been published by RED RATTLE BOOKS.'Challenging, disturbing and brilliant. The writing has plenty of style'.Crime Chronicles

'I meant a real policeman, not you, Nathan.' Nathan Wrench is a police detective and a tortured soul. Self-destructive Nathan has a complicated relationship with everyone, especially his girlfriend, Esther Welles. She reports Nathan to the authorities. Esther alleges that Nathan is corrupt and that Nathan and his boss, Superintendent Carl Hart, are controlled by local gangster, Alex McGrath. When Esther is discovered murdered, an out of control Nathan becomes the main suspect. Nathan reacts but his response causes more problems. 'James Elroy meets The Catcher In The Rye. Original, tense and violent, dark and funny.' CRIME CHRONICLES

'Nothing stinks or burns like dead zombies. I arrived, saw the black smoke and the bright red flames and I knew.' Zombies cause death and destruction and make brutal the humans obliged to fight them. The stories in Zombie Bites explore the consequences of destruction and examine the inevitable decay, social and personal, that occurs in the resistance to the apocalypse. Zombie Bites follows the successful and praised Dracula's Midnight Snacks, which contained original vampire stories. Again, horror expert, David Saunderson of Spooky Isles, invited horror fans to submit stories. The stories chosen should appeal to all zombie fans. Teenage angst, Americans abroad, high finance, schizophrenic confusion, lonely despair, familial dependency, treacherous Nazis, football, political schemers and sexual deviants are all featured. Even Elvis Presley and Penelope Cruz make surprise appearances. 'Original and worthwhile, Zombie Bites has a wide range of subjects and themes and some very good writing.' CRIME CHRONICLES.

HOW TO DEFEND YOURSELF AGAINST SCORPIONS offers for the first time in the English Language an extensive selection of the very best stories from the formidable talent of Argentinean author, Fernando Sorrentino. Acclaimed throughout his 55 book career for his imagination, craftmanship and sheer style, Fernando Sorentino is a fabulous addition to the bold tradition of Jorge Luis Borges, Julio Cortazar and Marco Denevi. His stories contain mystery, humour, realism, horror and allegorical fantasy.

'Telegraph For Garlic' contains analysis of the Bram Stoker classic 'Dracula' by previously published French and English academics whose range represents the various strands of literary theory. It also includes revealing extracts from the novel and the Bram Stoker short story 'Dracula's Guest' 'Telegraph For Garlic' has been published alongside 'Dracula's Midnight Snacks', a collection of short vampire horror stories. 'Telegraph For Garlic' is the successor to the earlier Red Rattle publication 'Frankenstein Galvanized'.

Vampires tempt and terrify and the stories contained in 'Dracula's Midnight Snacks' warn about horror but promise wicked delight.Horror expert, David Saunderson of 'Spooky Isles', invited vampire fans to submit stories for consideration. As well as tentative young Argentinean gentleman heroes, we have porn stars and plastic surgeons in Los Angeles, cowboys and Comanche raiders, a vampire on disability benefit, a defiant feminist, black and white silent cinema, Victorian professional wrestling, an alienated sixties rock and roller and a nightmarish New York that almost overpowers our favourite anti-hero.'Dracula's Midnight Snacks' is half of the two-part follow up to 'Frankenstein Galvanized', published last year by Red Rattle Books. 'Dracula's Midnight Snacks' accompanies 'Telegraph For Garlic' which contains academic analysis of the novel, 'Dracula', by Bram Stoker.

In 1896 at Canudos, in the North East of Brazil, the new Republican Government slaughters thirty thousand people and wipes out the millenarian movement led by the priest Antonio Conselheiro.In 2008 Alfred a retired civil servant, decides to visit the site of the battle. Put his foot down on what is no more than a lonely spot on threadbare land. Alfred has no affinity with Brazil and no fondness for travelling outside his own country.Innocent Mosquitoes tells how, despite himself, Alfred visits Canudos in the backlands of Brazil. His weakness for whimsey and fantasy soon invokes the canine philosopher Quintas Borba, the ex-President Getuolio Vargas, notorious bandit Lampiao and other famous Brazilian ghosts. They help Alfred complete his 11,000 mile journey and understand his compulsion to commemorate alone the tragedy that happened in distant Bahia.Innocent Mosquitoes describes honestly, amusingly and movingly what Alfred saw and learnt on a journey where the naive met the innocent and the not so innocent.

'NO MONEY HONEY' is an entertaining and a provocative look at some of the personalities of 2012. Written by a left-wing Elvis fan, it serves as a quirky reminder of what happened in a year that was difficult but never dull. 'NO MONEY HONEY' includes a wide range of topics and mixes political indignation, high seriousness and rock and roll. 'Jackson brings together the two sides of one fascinating coin as he explores politics through the voice of rock and roll.' Annajoy David, Red Wedge. 'Jackson is the king of left-wing Elvis fandom. He uses his status to create a satisfying demolition of the Tories.' Tom Watson, M.P.

'Serious students of horror should check out 'Frankenstein Galvanized', an interesting variety of responses to Shelley and the themes of her work' Ron Charles, Washington Post'A handsome edition with much thought provoking discussion, I'd recommend this one' Peter Sutton, Times Literary Supplement.