Best Selling Books by Mike Phillips

A gripping new thriller from the master of crime... ''It''s a winner, involving bent MPs, snatched heiresses, sex, drugs, and double dealing'' Time Out In the 1980s, London is a melting pot of cultures, but race and class create sharp divisions. Black British journalist Sam Dean looks for stories, not missing persons. But when an old friend asks for help tracking down a White Conservative MP''s daughter, he feels he can''t say no. Especially as Virginia''s disappearance is tangled with the fate of Roy, a young mixed-race boy who reminds Sam of his own son. A trail of secrets leads Sam into the backstreets of Black British culture, to the crossroads of race and class where you''ll find seedy walk-up flats, betting parlours and smoky nightclubs. London''s answer to S.A. Cosby, Blood Rights is a riveting time capsule of London''s multi-cultural history wrapped up in a tense thriller.

CMMI-ACQ® (Capability Maturity Model® Integration for Acquisition) describes best practices for the successful acquisition of products and services. Providing a practical framework for improving acquisition processes, CMMI-ACQ addresses the growing trend in business and government for organizations to purchase or outsource required products and services as an alternative to in-house development or resource allocation. Modeled after CMMI®, Second Edition, which documented CMMI for Development, this book is the definitive reference for the current release of CMMI for Acquisition (version 1.2). In addition to the entire CMMI-ACQ model, the book includes tips, hints, cross-references, and other author notes to help you understand, apply, and find more information about the content of the acquisition process areas. The authors also have added two chapters to illustrate the application of CMMI-ACQ in industry (a case study from General Motors) and government. Whether you are new to CMMI models or are already familiar with one or more of them, you will find this book an essential resource for managing your acquisition processes and improving your overall performance. The book is divided into three parts. Part One introduces CMMI-ACQ in the broad context of CMMI models, including essential concepts and useful background. It then describes and shows the relationships among all the components of the CMMI-ACQ process areas, and explains paths to the adoption and use of the model for process improvement and benchmarking. Finally, two separate chapters describe special acquisition needs in a government environment and real experiences with CMMI-ACQ from industry. Part Two first describes generic goals and generic practices, and then, in twenty-two sections, details each of the CMMI-ACQ process areas, including specific goals, specific practices, and examples. These process areas are organized alphabetically by process area acronym to facilitate quick reference. Part Three provides several useful references, including sources for further information about CMMI and CMMI-ACQ, acronym definitions, a glossary of terms, and an index.

This big book is stuffed with the fastest, brightest, longest, funniest, weirdest, wildest, wettest, saddest, brainiest, and fascinating-est (yikes!) things in the world.

"This book is brutal, deep, cunning and unbearably beautiful"- The Independent A blistering, original thriller that examines the powerful link between identity, sacrifice, and possession, as a Black university professor plans a burglary to “liberate” an African sculpture from a London museum . . . University lecturer Gus knows that stealing the priceless Benin mask, the Dancing Face, from a museum at the heart of the British establishment will gain an avalanche of attention. Which is exactly what he wants. But such a risky theft will also inevitably capture the attention of characters with more money, more power, and fewer morals. Naively entangling his loved ones in his increasingly dangerous pursuit of righteous reparation, is Gus prepared for what it will cost him?

CMMI® for Acquisition (CMMI-ACQ) describes best practices for the successful acquisition of products and services. Providing a practical framework for improving acquisition processes, CMMI-ACQ addresses the growing trend in business and government for organizations to purchase or outsource required products and services as an alternative to in-house development or resource allocation. Changes in CMMI-ACQ Version 1.3 include improvements to high maturity process areas, improvements to the model architecture to simplify use of multiple models, and added guidance about using preferred suppliers. CMMI® for Acquisition, Second Edition, is the definitive reference for CMMI-ACQ Version 1.3. In addition to the entire revised CMMI-ACQ model, the book includes updated tips, hints, cross-references, and other author notes to help you understand, apply, and quickly find information about the content of the acquisition process areas. The book now includes more than a dozen contributed essays to help guide the adoption and use of CMMI-ACQ in industry and government. Whether you are new to CMMI models or are already familiar with one or more of them, you will find this book an essential resource for managing your acquisition processes and improving your overall performance. The book is divided into three parts. Part One introduces CMMI-ACQ in the broad context of CMMI models, including essential concepts and useful background. It then describes and shows the relationships among all the components of the CMMI-ACQ process areas, and explains paths to the adoption and use of the model for process improvement and benchmarking. Several original essays share insights and real experiences with CMMI-ACQ in both industry and government environments. Part Two first describes generic goals and generic practices, and then details the twenty-two CMMI-ACQ process areas, including specific goals, specific practices, and examples. These process areas are organized alphabetically and are tabbed by process area acronym to facilitate quick reference. Part Three provides several useful resources, including sources of further information about CMMI and CMMI-ACQ, acronym definitions, a glossary of terms, and an index.

Daniel grew up without a father. His mother told him that his father died the year he was born, and he had no reason to doubt her ... until now.

Behind the scenes of television production journalist-turned-investigator, Sam Dean, discovers greed, ugliness and murder. When a TV producer offers journalist Sam Dean the job of tracking down a suspect in the brutal murder of a young woman and her child, he''s reluctant to get involved. But when a colleague is stabbed to death on set, it''s clear something bigger is going on. And when threatening anonymous notes start arriving, Sam is forced to dig for the truth... Standing astride 1980s London''s sharp racial divides, An Image to Die For is a crime thriller perfect for fans of S.A. Cosby and Walter Mosley.

Broadcaster Trevor Phillips and his novelist brother retell the very human story of Britain''s first West Indian immigrants and their descendants from the first wave of immigration fifty years ago to the present day.

"Mike Phillips was born in Guyana, migrated to Britain as a child, went to school and grew up in London. Now he is one of the leading black writers in Europe. London Crossings is a portrait of the city and the role it played in remaking his identity and nourishing the creative process."--BOOK JACKET.Title Summary field provided by Blackwell North America, Inc. All Rights Reserved

In September 1971 Ion Rimaru stood trial for the murder of several women, accused of 23 very serious offences over a period of one year from May 1970: murders committed in extremely aggravated circumstances, with cruelty, premeditation, bestiality and sadism in four cases; attempted murders in six cases; rapes and attempted rapes; theft.

Iolanda Stireanu is a brilliant criminal investigator. She is also crippled by mental instability and the fact that she can''t leave her flat. Anatomical Clues is a gripping exploration of damaged psychologies, fear and greed in a constantly shifting social landscape. Like Iolanda, this tale will creep into your head and stay there. (Mike Phillips)