Most Popular Books by Matt Johnson

Christopher Hitchens was for many years considered one of the fiercest and most eloquent left-wing polemicists in the world. But on much of today''s left, he''s remembered as a defector, a warmonger, and a sellout—a supporter of the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq who traded his left-wing principles for neoconservatism after the September 11 attacks. In How Hitchens Can Save the Left, Matt Johnson argues that this easy narrative gets Hitchens exactly wrong. Hitchens was a lifelong champion of free inquiry, humanism, and universal liberal values. He was an internationalist who believed all people should have the liberty to speak and write openly, to be free of authoritarian domination, and to escape the arbitrary constraints of tribe, faith, and nation. He was a figure of the Enlightenment and a man of the left until the very end, and his example has never been more important. Over the past several years, the liberal foundations of democratic societies have been showing signs of structural decay. On the right, nationalism and authoritarianism have been revived on both sides of the Atlantic. On the left, many activists and intellectuals have become obsessed with a reductive and censorious brand of identity politics, as well as the conviction that their own liberal democratic societies are institutionally racist, exploitative, and imperialistic. Across the democratic world, free speech, individual rights, and other basic liberal values are losing their power to inspire. Hitchens''s case for universal Enlightenment principles won''t just help genuine liberals mount a resistance to the emerging illiberal orthodoxies on the left and the right. It will also remind us how to think and speak fearlessly in defense of those principles.

When the author of a book about secret government operations goes missing – along with his agent, and the manuscript itself – Police Inspector Robert Finlay is thrust into a complex and terrifying investigation. The final instalment in a searingly authentic series. ''A taut, knife-edge thriller you won''t put down till the last full stop'' M R Hall ''Matt Johnson''s real-life experiences shine through in the vivid plotting and authentic action'' Rob Sinclair ''Another fast-moving and beautifully detailed page-turner from a master thriller writer'' Robert Daws ____________________ Robert Finlay has finally left his SAS past behind him and is settled into his new career as a detective, but when the author of a book about secret operations goes missing, along with his agent and an explosive new manuscript, it''s clear that Finlay''s troubles are far from over. With his friend and former colleague, Kevin Jones, in trouble, and police complaints branch gunning for them both, Robert teams up with MI5 agent Toni Fellowes to find out who''s behind the growing conspiracy. Their quest soon reveals a plot that goes to the very heart of the UK''s security services. End Game, the final part in the critically acclaimed Robert Finlay trilogy, sees our hero in an intricate and terrifyingly fast-paced race to uncover the truth and escape those who''d sooner have him dead than be exposed. ____________________ ''A compelling mix of highly credible detail, tactics, procedures, and all striated into the political games that the intelligence services play. Highly Recommended'' Shots Mag ''Gripping stuff'' New Welsh Review ''Matt Johnson is a brilliant new name in the world of thrillers'' Peter James ''This tense, edge-of-the-seat writing will keep fans frantically turning the pages as they race towards the conclusion'' Amanda Jennings ''Utterly compelling and dripping with authenticity'' J S Law ''Five shining gold stars of brilliant'' The Quiet Knitter ''Nothing is clear-cut in a gripping labyrinthine plot, which – despite thrills and spills aplenty – never falls short of believable'' David Young

Ever notice that all watch ads show 10:10 as the time? Or that all fast-food restaurants use red or yellow in their logos? Or that certain stores are always having a sale? You may not be aware of these details, yet they''ve been influencing you all along. Every time you purchase, swipe, or click, marketers are able to more accurately predict your behavior. These days, brands know more about you than you know about yourself. Blindsight is here to change that. With eye-opening science, engaging stories, and fascinating real-world examples, neuroscientist Matt Johnson and marketer Prince Ghuman dive deep into the surprising relationship between brains and brands. In Blindsight, they showcase how marketing taps every aspect of our mental lives, covering the neuroscience of pain and pleasure, emotion and logic, fear and safety, attention and addiction, and much more. We like to think of ourselves as independent actors in control of our decisions, but the truth is far more complicated. Blindsight will give you the ability to see the unseeable when it comes to marketing, so that you can consume on your own terms. On the surface, you will learn how the brain works and how brands design for it. But peel back a layer, and you''ll find a sharper image of your psychology, reflected in your consumer behavior. This book will change the way you view not just branding, but yourself, too.

For most people in Southwest Florida, the name Buckingham is just one more dot on a map--a rural area east of U.S. Interstate 75. But for a few years, it was so much more. Starting in 1942, it was the site of the Buckingham Army Air Field--home to some 16,000 men and women supporting the United States'' World War II efforts. Airplanes roared in the skies over Lee County and reflected off the azure waters of the Gulf of Mexico as tens of thousands of young men trained as aerial gunners. Learning to target and bring down enemy aircraft with their guns was critical to America''s success in both the European and Pacific theaters. On the ground, trucks rumbled across the mammoth base, soldiers marched in review under the hot Florida sun, and an entire town sprang up on what was once swampland. Barracks were built, along with stores, nightclubs, churches, and even a hospital with its own baby ward. Today the memories of Buckingham Army Air Field can be found hiding in plain sight, including a working airport that was once the heart of the base.

A revelatory guide on how to build, sustain and grow a brand. A brand is either beloved, or it’s noise. We live in a fast-paced world of immediate gratification where consumers can listen to any song, watch any movie, or read any article, with the touch of a few buttons. They are peppered with hyper-personalized targeting for products that can be ordered seamlessly and arrive within hours. And if your brand isn’t the first to come to mind, they’ll click that button and it’ll be delivered by someone else. So how do you make sure your brand connects with consumers? Branding that Means Business draws from the authors’ experience and business literature as well as psychology, sociology, and even anthropology to show readers that while any brand serves the business, the mechanisms that enable it are all about connecting with people. Readers will learn how to create, maintain, and operationalize their brand, and think creatively about how to differentiate their product and most importantly, make consumers fall in love with it.

Jesus is not a life coach or a blessing dispenser—but we often treat him like he is. We get burned out on some caricature of Jesus (a caricature that often bears an uncanny resemblance to ourselves) and become mired in anxiety, pride, or despair. Getting Jesus Wrong presents the biblical Christ and reassures disillusioned people that this ...

"Reflections on…The Proverbs of Solomon" is a companion eBook to Matt Johnson''s album by the same title. A "musical audiobook" devotional tool, "Reflections on…The Proverbs of Solomon" features improvised piano music with Matt''s narration. Using this eBook during each 15-minute guided meditation allows the listener to reflect daily on the ancient wisdoms found in the Proverbs and easily cycle through the entire book of Proverbs each month.

Optimize your talent by removing the obstacles in their path Capacity is a proven system for bringing the best out of your team-and yourself. Matt and Chris Johnson set the mark on how to succeed in the future with their energizing message, humorous stories and their generational differences. As the world speeds-up faster and faster, organizations and their people try to keep up. This pressure to do more with less has reached epidemic levels of concern and organizations are panicking on how to recruit, retain and attract the best talent for the future. Burnout, low engagement, and overwhelming stress are jeopardizing organizations’ ability to scale and win. As outdated performance models of the past crumble under pressure, Matt and Chris show you how to build and protect your most valuable asset—YOUR PEOPLE. What if you could beat the clock and expand your capacity by 6 hours per week? Or 11? Think about the organizational impact if your workforce were given fresh capacity to perform, lead, and grow. This book offers a clear, workable solution for organizations functioning in the real world: by paring it down to three performance pillars they must have to succeed—focus, energy, and drive. Ever organization sets initiatives, but many remain unfinished because their capacity to do so fails before it starts. This framework is different: these changes bring the type of benefits that cause transformation. Giving your people what they need makes buy-in irrelevant, and allows them to perform at their highest potential. Not only can it work, but it is the only thing that will work over the long term. By making your organization a great place to work, you retain your best talent and attract more like it. With dedicated resources, focus, sustainable effort, and comprehensive strategy, your top performers will be equipped to drive your organization to the top. Among Capacity’s Key Points: Learn what top performers need to produce their very best work Discover the biggest factor influencing your team’s FOCUS, ENERGY and DRIVE Prevent burnout and stimulate innovation by allowing your people to have a bigger container Adopt a strategy of expanding capacity to exceed your high-performance goals Deeply personal, but organizational focused. Capacity is an engaging and even life changing book Capacity is the next big paradigm shift for the future of training and development—as we shift to the world of the knowledge worker, it is not information or talent that wins, it’s is whoever has the largest capacity that will win. Capacity is your secret weapon to winning the performance war.

Police Inspector Robert Finlay takes on a ruthless criminal gang, as he and his new partner Nina investigate a sex-trafficking ring ... the second instalment in the addictive, searingly authentic Robert Finlay series. **NUMBER ONE BESTSELLER** ''Nothing is clear-cut in a gripping labyrinthine plot, which – despite thrills and spills aplenty – never falls short of believable'' David Young ''Terse, tense and vivid writing'' Peter James ''The magic mix of jeopardy, emotion and action. I could not put it down'' Louise Voss ____________________ Reeling from the attempts on his life and that of his family, Police Inspector Robert Finlay returns to work to discover that any hope of a peaceful existence has been dashed. Assigned to investigate the Eastern European sex-slave industry just as a key witness is murdered. Finlay, along with his new partner Nina Brasov, finds himself facing a ruthless criminal gang, determined to keep control of the traffic of people into the UK. On the home front, Finlay''s efforts to protect his wife and child may have been in vain, as an MI5 protection officer uncovers a covert secret service operation that threatens them all... Aided by new allies, he must not only protect his family but save a colleague from an unseen enemy ... and a shocking fate. Deadly Game is a stunning, terrifying and eye-opening thriller from one of the most exciting new names in crime fiction. ____________________ ''Utterly compelling and dripping with authenticity. This summer''s must-read thriller'' J S Law ''From the first page to the last, an authentic, magnetic and completely absorbing read'' Sir Ranulph Fiennes ''A genuine page-turner, very well written, and just flows from one scenario to the next. It is clear the author lived through these times and this is evident in knowledge and description. Excellent'' Ian Patrick ''It''s this normality about Finlay that appealed to me and kept me reading. The believability of the story. The authenticity'' Rebecca Bradley ''Gripping stuff'' New Welsh Review ''Finlay''s first-person narrative voice is punchy and to the point, and the switching between him and the third person points of view carries the story along smoothly. Mention should be made of the interesting supporting cast that add layers of intrigue into the narrative and compels the reader to look out for these thrillers from Matt Johnson. Highly Recommended'' Shots Magazine ''This tense, edge-of-the-seat writing will keep fans frantically turning the pages as they race towards the conclusion'' Amanda Jennings ''A top-notch thriller with a dark heart and an emotional soul'' Liz Loves Books '' Deadly Game combines spy thriller and police procedural extremely well and should certainly be destined for the shelves of anyone into their conspiracy thrillers'' Crime Fiction Lover

"This resource is principally designed for teacher librarians and information technology teachers, to assist with teaching copyright concepts to secondary school students. Our focus is on the use and creation of copyright materials by students"--P. 1.

A past that won''t stay buried threatens a new life. 2001. Robert Finlay, an ex-SAS police officer on London''s Royalty Protection team, anticipates a less stressful life with his new family after returning to uniform policing. But his carefully concealed past returns to haunt him when former Army colleagues are murdered. Drawn into a wicked game of cat and mouse, Finlay must confront his demons and test his long-buried skills against a determined, unidentified enemy. As the body count rises, Finlay is forced to protect the people he loves. But is it too late? A taut, action-packed thriller for readers of Lee Child and Brad Thor.

All three instalments of the action-packed, emotive Robert Finlay series of thrillers Tense, grippingly authentic thrillers featuring Police Inspector Robert Finlay, who must overcome his traumatic past to mete justice and stay alive ... by the number-one bestselling author and ex-police officer Matt Johnson BOOK ONE – Wicked Game LONGLISTED for the CWA John Creasey (New Blood) Dagger award 2001. Age is catching up with Robert Finlay, a police officer on the Royalty Protection team based in London. He''s looking forward to returning to uniform policing and a less stressful life with his new family. But fate has other plans. Finlay''s deeply traumatic, carefully concealed past is about to return to haunt him. A policeman is killed by a bomb blast, and a second is gunned down in his own driveway. Both of the murdered men were former Army colleagues from Finlay''s own SAS regiment, and in a series of explosive events, it becomes clear that he is not the ordinary man that his colleagues, friends and new family think he is. And so begins a game of cat and mouse – a wicked game – in which Finlay is the target, forced to test his long-buried skills in a fight against a determined and unidentified enemy. Wicked Game is a taut, action-packed, emotive thriller about a man who is willing to do anything to protect the people he loves. But is it too late? BOOK TWO – Deadly Game Reeling from the attempts on his life and that of his family, Police Inspector Robert Finlay returns to work to discover that any hope of a peaceful existence has been dashed. Assigned to investigate the Eastern European sex-slave industry just as a key witness is murdered. Finlay, along with his new partner Nina Brasov, finds himself facing a ruthless criminal gang, determined to keep control of the traffic of people into the UK. On the home front, Finlay''s efforts to protect his wife and child may have been in vain, as an MI5 protection officer uncovers a covert secret service operation that threatens them all... Aided by new allies, he must not only protect his family but save a colleague from an unseen enemy ... and a shocking fate Deadly Game is a stunning, terrifying and eye-opening thriller from one of the most exciting new names in crime fiction. BOOK THREE – End Game Robert Finlay seems to have finally left his SAS past behind him and is settled into his new career as a detective. But when the author of a book about secret operations goes missing, along with his agent and an explosive new manuscript, it''s clear that Finlay''s troubles are far from over. With his friend and former colleague, Kevin Jones, in trouble, and police complaints branch gunning for them both, Robert teams up with MI5 agent Toni Fellowes to find out who''s behind the growing conspiracy. Their quest soon reveals a plot that goes to the very heart of the UK''s security services. End Game, the final part in the critically acclaimed Robert Finlay trilogy, sees our hero in an intricate and terrifyingly fast-paced race to uncover the truth and escape those who''d sooner have him dead than be exposed. ''Utterly compelling and dripping with authenticity. This summer''s must-read thriller'' J S Law ''Nothing is clear-cut in a gripping labyrinthine plot, which – despite thrills and spills aplenty – never falls short of believable'' David Young ''Terse, tense and vivid writing. Matt Johnson is a brilliant new name in the world of thrillers'' Peter James ''From the first page to the last, an authentic, magnetic and completely absorbing read'' Sir Ranulph Fiennes ''Johnson, a former solider and Metropolitan Police officer, is at his best in detailing bureaucratic maneuvering'' Publishers Weekly

Matt Johnson, lead singer of seminal post punk band, The The, bares all in this meditation on creativity, love and loss, with writer James Wood. Cognitive Dissident may begin in the music biography tradition, but it quickly becomes something deeper. Born out of years of conversation and collaboration between Matt Johnson, the creative force behind THE THE, and writer Jason Wood (Executive Director at the BFI), it expands into a work that is philosophical, cultural, and socio-political in scope. The story traces Johnson''s period of reflection during The Inertia Variations project and follows the extraordinary creative rebirth that led to THE THE''s return: The Comeback Special tour, live album and film, the release of Ensoulment - their first new album in 25 years - and the acclaimed Ensouled world tour. Along the way, it illuminates Johnson''s evolution from the post-punk DIY scene to his many collaborations with producers, musicians, and cultural icons, as well as the influence of literature, art, and cinema that has always shaped his vision. Through these conversations with Matt Johnson - a working-class auto-didact who achieved success and ultimately career control on his own terms - this book by extension is also a meditation on family, friendship, creativity, conservation, gentrification, geopolitics, love and loss.

The South Fremont Cougars, a high school program in southeastern Idaho, won their first 3A boys basketball state title in March of 2015. Relive all of the excitement with a look back at the season from local sports editor Matt Johnson

This is minimalist storytelling. Fifty non-fiction stories on American life, work, dreams, and death told with the least number of words possible. Giving the reader a taste of the intangible thing that burns inside so many. A taste of the American spirit. Not some generic pseudo-patriotic bumper sticker spirit. But the thing that enabled this country and the people in it to forever change the course of human history. For better, and sometimes, for worse.This book is about America. Not the government, policy, or politics, but the people. People like Margaret Utinsky who rose from a wheat farm in St. Louis to become a secret agent during World War II. People like Chuck Taylor who leveraged a bad basketball career to make a bad basketball shoe the most famous in the world. And people like Glen Sherley who went from the confines of Folsom Prison to a record deal and tour with Johnny Cash. It''s about the people that made this country the most creative, tragic, and inspiring in history. These are their stories. These are American hearts.

"This book explores the history of the rivalry between these two foes, starting from the fifties and sixties when they would meet on a semiannual basis, all the way up until 2018 when they played a dramatic Monday Night Football classic. Join Tommy (a Packers fan) and Matt (a 49ers fan) as we go in-depth with these teams, including all seven of their playoff meetings" --

"Great Myths of Intimate Relationships provides a captivating, pithy introduction to the subject that challenges and demystifies the many fabrications and stereotypes surrounding relationships, attraction, sex, love, internet dating, and heartbreak. The book thoroughly interrogates the current research on topics such as attraction, sex, love, internet dating, and heartbreak Takes an argument driven approach to the study of intimate relationships, encouraging critical engagement with the subject Part of The Great Myths series, it''s written in a style that is compelling and succinct, making it ideal for general readers and undergraduates "--