New Releases by Jim Thompson

Joe Wilmot can''t stand his wife Elizabeth. But he sure loves her movie theater. It''s a modest establishment in a beat-down town--but Joe has the run of the place, and inside its walls, he''s king. Without the theater, he''d be sunk. Without his leadership, the theater would close in a heartbeat. If it isn''t the life Joe imagined for himself, at the very least, it''s livable. Everything changes when Joe falls for the housemaid Carol, and the two can''t keep it a secret from Elizabeth. Elizabeth won''t leave Joe the theater unless he provides for her...but he''s put all his money into the show house. Carol and Joe''s only hope is the life insurance policies they''ve taken out on each other. If one of them were to be presumed dead, they''d have more than enough money to solve all their problems... No one knows murder better than Jim Thompson and in this incisive foray into the dark dealings of the mid-20th century movie industry, he doesn''t disappoint, in the riveting story of a love triangle gone horribly wrong, and just how far one man will go to hold on to a desperate dream.

In trouble more often than not, guilty of assault, manslaughter, and honorably discharged from the military by the skin of his teeth, David "Bugs" McKenna can''t seem to help doing the right thing at the wrong time--or the wrong thing, every chance he gets. But when he drifts his way into Ragtown, Texas, things seem to finally be turning around for Bugs. He gets his first job in years as the hotel detective of the landmark Hanlon Hotel. But now that Bugs owes deputy sheriff Lou Ford a favor, things are likely to get ugly, fast--and odds are, it''ll have something to do with the bombshell wife of his Bugs'' new employer... In WILD TOWN, Jim Thompson returns to the characters from THE KILLER INSIDE ME that made his reputation, in a virtuoso, multi-character portrait of how one man''s life can take a turn for the worse.

In The Killer Inside Me, America''s "Dimestore Dostoevsky" Jim Thompson goes where few novelists have dared to go, giving us a pitch-black glimpse into the mind of the American Serial Killer years before Charles Manson and Brett Easton Ellis''s American Psycho, in the novel that will forever be known as the master performance of one of the greatest crime novelists of all time. Everyone in the small town of Central City, Texas loves Lou Ford. A deputy sheriff, Lou''s known to the small-time criminals, the real-estate entrepreneurs, and all of his coworkers — the low-lifes, the big-timers, and everyone in-between — as the nicest guy around. He may not be the brightest or the most interesting man in town, but nevertheless, he''s the kind of officer you''re happy to have keeping your streets safe. The sort of man you might even wish your daughter would end up with someday. But behind the platitudes and glad-handing lurks a monster the likes of which few have seen. An urge that has already claimed multiple lives, and cost Lou his brother Mike, a self-sacrificing construction worker fell to his death on the job in what was anything but an accident. A murder that Lou is determined to avenge — and if innocent people have to die in the process, well, that''s perfectly all right with him.

A classic crime novel about a kidnapping scheme gone wrong from Jim Thompson''s, America''s "Dimestore Dostoevsky." William "Kid" Collins was once a respected boxer. Now he''s a drifter, on the run after escaping from a mental institution. One afternoon he meets Fay, a beautiful young widow. She is smart and decent — at least when she''s sober. Soon Collins finds himself involved in a kidnapping scheme that goes drastically wrong almost before it even begins. Because the kid they''ve picked up isn''t like other kids: he''s diabetic and without insulin, he''ll die. Not the safest situation for Collins, a man for whom stress and violence have long gone hand-in-hand. After Dark, My Sweet once again displays Jim Thompson as the undisputed master of American noir. The basis of James Foley''s critically acclaimed film of the same name, with the sweep of an epic tragedy, Thompson''s classic limns the dangerous territory of honest people all-too-easily sucked into wickedness, with no way out but down.

Jim Thompson''s classic The Grifters is one of the best novels ever written about the art of the con, an ingeniously crafted story of deception and betrayal that was the basis for the critically acclaimed film by Stephen Frears and Martin Scorcese. To his friends, to his coworkers, and even to his mistress Moira, Roy Dillon is an honest hardworking salesman. He lives in a cheap hotel just within his pay bracket. He goes to work every day. He has hundreds of friends and associates who could attest to his good character. Yet, hidden behind three gaudy clown paintings in Roy''s pallid hotel room, sits fifty-two thousand dollars — the money Roy makes from his short cons, his "grifting." For years, Roy has effortlessly maintained control over his house-of-cards life — until the simplest con goes wrong, and he finds himself critically injured and at the mercy of the most dangerous woman he ever met: his own mother.

War changed Clinton Brown. Permanently disfigured by a tragic military accident, he''s struggling to find satisfaction from life as a rewrite man for Pacific City''s Courier. Shame has led him to isolate himself from closest friends and even his estranged, still faithfully devoted wife, Ellen. Only the bottle keeps him company. But now Ellen has returned to Pacific City, and she''s ready to do whatever it takes to get Brown back. Even if it means exposing his deepest secret ... a painful truth Brown would do anything to stop from coming to light. He''d kill a whole lot of people just to keep this one thing quiet--and soon enough, the bodies just happen to start piling up around him... THE NOTHING MAN is Thompson at his most psychologically astute, in a deeply suspenseful and tragic portrait of one man''s journey through the dark side of the Postwar Boom.

It was supposed to be only a temporary job -- something to pay the bills until Dusty could get his feet back on the ground and raise enough money for medical school. After all, there''s nothing wrong with being a bellboy at a respectable hotel like the Manton -- that is, until she came along. Marcia Hillis. The perfect woman. Beautiful. Experienced. Older and wiser. The only woman to ever measure up to that other her -- the one whose painful rejection Dusty can''t quite put from his mind. But while Dusty has designs on Marcia, Marcia has an agenda of her own. One that threatens to pull the Manton inside-out, use Dusty up for all he''s worth and leave him reeling and on the run, the whole world at his heels. A richly-imagined crime narrative of the Oedipal and betrayal, A Swell-Looking Babe is Thompson at his very best -- a cornerstone in Thompson''s enduring legacy as the Dimestore Dostoyevsky of American fiction.

An introduction to the physical characteristics, behavior, range, habitat and conservation status of lions. Each book is full of factual information, color photographs as well as a glossary and links to conservation organization organizations.

It is now over one hundred years since the Azusa Street Revival in Los Angeles, California, and with that the beginning of the Pentecostal movement. Some sixty years later we have the beginning of the Charismatic Movement as churches in the mainline denominations started to adopt aspects of Pentecostal theology and practice. Since these beginnings the subject of prophecy has been catapulted high up the agenda for evangelicals. What is the nature of prophecy? How can the true be distinguished from the false? What is the relation between the prophecy of the old and new testaments? And especially, should we expect that the prophetic gift that was given to the New Testament churches is still to be experienced by the churches of today?

Practical, complete coverage of game design basics from design process to production This full-color, structured coursebook offers complete coverage of game design basics, focusing on design rather than computer programming. Packed with exercises, assignments, and step-by-step instructions, it starts with an overview of design theory, then progresses to design processes, and concludes with coverage of design production. Jim Thompson, Barnaby Berbank-Green, and Nic Cusworth (London, UK) are computer game designers and lecturers in animation and computer game design.

This structured course book is the perfect introduction to the exhilarating world of game design. Richly illustrated with screengrabs and artwork, the book includes step-by-step tutorials that present all aspects of designing and developing dynamic computer games. Including practical exercises and assignments.

The Double-Goal Coach is filled with powerful coaching tools based on Jim Thompson''s Positive Coaching Alliance. These strategies reflect the "best-practices" of elite coaches and the latest research in sports psychology.Hundreds of workshops have shaped these tools for maximum effectiveness and ease of use. The lessons and activities can be used in the very next practice to make sports fun and to get the best from players. The Double-Goal Coach provides the framework for coaches and parents to transform youth sports so sports can transform youth -- allowing young athletes to enjoy sports while learning valuable life lessons.

Bishop Jim Thompson''s well-known greeting of ''Good morning!'' is familiar to millions of BBC Radio 4 listeners. His broadcasts for ''Thought for the Day'', a slot in the Today programme, reflect the key concerns of our times - coping with crime and wrong-doing, understanding God''s will for the world, and the response to disasters and suffering - with sensitivity, hope and humour. This selection of the Bishop''s ''Thoughts for the Day'' from the past ten years serves as a vivid reminder of recent events and of the broadcasts themselves. We''re drawn close by the warm anecdotes of children and animals, and we''re encouraged to ponder as we read of people coping in difficult circumstances, in the city and in the countryside, in the United Kingdom and abroad.

The years that followed the bloody Great War, which divided the nation, up through the start of the twentieth century were a remarkable era of growth and prosperity for the towns and villages of Cape Ann. Swift-sailing schooners manned by hardy and able seamen from the fisheries of Gloucester ranged far out into the Atlantic. Millions of tons of granite laboriously cut from the bountiful quarries of Rockport were shipped to ports near and far. Essex shipyards, fueled by the demands of the Gloucester fisheries and the Rockport granite industries, turned out new and larger ships in even greater numbers. Tourism became a major industry, as dozens of the famous and grand North shore hotels were erected along the shores of Gloucester, Rockport, Magnolia, and Manchester-by-the-Sea. Coincidentally, the years from 1865 to the early twentieth century were a time when stereo photography and stereoscopic images, especially stereoview cards, enjoyed immense popularity. Cape Ann was fortunate to have several outstanding stereo photographers and publishers during this grand era, and they produced many excellent views of the Cape''s natural wonders, its commercial activities, and the life and times of its industrious townspeople.

Is Manuela Aloe a gift from heaven or the girlfriend from hell? From the moment Britt Rainstar starts seeing the curvaceous heiress, he finds himself menaced by vicious dogs, stalked by pistol-packing skeletons, and attacked by an unseen assailant in a hospital lobby. Couldn''t Manny just send flowers?

Coaching is more art than science, but coaches seldom have the time or training to develop their talents beyond the X''s and O''s. Creative Coaching provides coaches innovative and effective approaches and solutions to tough challenges. The kind of artistry that produces wins. What sets Lynch''s coaching method apart is his unique, collective approach. Coaches learn to teach, guide, and motivate in a more reciprocal relationship with athletes. Respect and authority are earned not by a title or by disciplinary measures but by a clear vision and effective communication that prompts athletes to exert maximum effort toward their shared goals and develop their own decision-making skills -- all of which has a direct performance pay-off.

Pat Cosgrove was a convict in the state''s vilest prison, and Doc Luther gave him his freedom. Cosgrove had never been loved, and Luther gave him two mistresses--one of them the beautiful Mrs. Luther. Cosgrove owed Luther his life . . . and now Luther was going to collect.

This series of meditational chapters centres round the Bishop of Stepney''s favourite psalms. He illustrates and shares with the reader the strengths, insights and guidance with which they have provided him. The Bishop is well known for his courage and compassion on issues in the Anglican Church.