New Releases by Kevin Brooks

Originally published: London: Penguin, 2010.

Magical realism and gritty mystery meet in Brooks''s provocative dissection of family, friendship, and faith. "A tense psychological thriller...hard-hitting."--Publishers WeeklyDawn Bundy lives in a cave. In her head. Where''s she''s been hiding for two years. Hiding behind headphones. From the two hottest girls at school, in their impossibly short skirts and unbearably tight tops, their skin close enough to touch. Not talking to her mother, not about what matters. Not thinking of her dad, the drug addict, the ex-con, born-again but far gone. Two years is a long time. Enough for the cave to grow so small that her breath feels like stone in her throat. Two years is no time at all. Nowhere near enough to forget. To pretend that nothing happened. Deep one perfect morning.

We all tell stories. It''s one of the most natural ways to share information, as old as the human race. This book is not about a new technique, but how to use something we already know in a new way. Stories help us gather and communicate user research, put a human face on analytic data, communicate design ideas, encourage collaboration and innovation, and create a sense of shared history and purpose. This book looks across the full spectrum of user experience design to discover when and how to use stories to improve our products. Whether you are a researcher, designer, analyst or manager, you will find ideas and techniques you can put to use in your practice.

“Peopled with singular protagonists and downright scary villains, this bleak-yet-romantic tale is a whirlwind ride for the right reader.” —Publishers Weekly (starred review) On a storm-ravaged night, a nineteen-year-old girl is kidnapped, raped, and killed. Three days later, her two younger brothers set out in search of her murderer. Cole, seventeen, is a dark-eyed devil who doesn’t care if he lives or dies, while Ruben, fourteen, is a strange child who sometimes, inexplicably, experiences sensations above and beyond his own. This is the story of the boys’ journey from their half-Roma home on a London junk lot to the ghostly moors of Devon, where they hope and fear to find the truth about their sister’s death. It’s a long road, cold and hard and violent. It’s The Road of the Dead. “Fans of Brooks’s Martyn Pig, Kissing the Rain, Candy and Lucas, won’t be disappointed by this thrilling, gritty story and it’s memorable, heart-breaking characters.” —Kirkus Reviews “Brooks’s feel for mood and setting is as masterful here as in his taut, noir Martyn Pig. A haunting, tense drama builds from the first line and only lets up for scenes of brutal, vivid violence that bring readers back down to earth.” —School Library Journal “Brooks succeeds on every level with this enthralling mystery/thriller that will keep readers turning pages well past bedtime. The descriptions are poetic, and the dialogue is lyrical but realistic.” —Horn Book

Dawn Bundy is fifteen. She doesn�t fit in and she couldn�t care less. Dawn has other things on her mind. Her dad disappeared two years ago and it�s all God�s fault. When Dawn�s dad found God, it was the worst time ever. He thought he�d found the answer to everything. But that wasn�t the end of it . . .

Just like old times. Just the five of them. Saturdaynight. Nicole asked. How could Pete say no?But past hurts among the former childhoodfriends soon surface, and the party''s over beforeit ever begins. The group splinters off into thedarkness. Into the noise and heat and chaos ofthe carnival.The next morning, a girl is missing. Pete doesn''tknow what--or who--to believe: Could one of theold gang be to blame? Could one of their ownbe a killer?

J''ai sauté de côté et son poing m''a loupé d''un cheveu. Emporté par son élan, il m''a dépassé et je l''ai poussé dans le dos. Poussé, tout simplement. Un geste instinctif de défense. Rien de plus. Je l''ai à peine touché. Ensuite, il a valdingué dans la pièce et s''est cogné la tête contre la cheminée, puis il est tombé et n''a plus bougé. J''entends encore ce bruit. Le bruit de l''os qui s''est brisé sur la pierre. Je savais qu''il était mort. Je l''ai su tout de suite. Un cadavre. Un héritage. Une petite amie un peu trop sympa. Un flic fouineur. De quoi faire un parfait roman policier. Sauf que là, ce n''est pas de la littérature, mais la vraie vie de Martyn, 17 ans. Et depuis que son père s''est fracassé la tête contre la cheminée, cette vie tournerait plutôt au cauchemar.

Johnny Delgado is on his first case, but on a council estate as rough as his, he soon finds himself out of his depth and in big trouble. Suggested level: junior secondary.

"The story of a boy, a girl and a lot of cash.""Theres no summer in here. All weve got is horseracing on the TV, a roomful of stale air and three living corpses Dad, Grandad and Grag who, apart from the occasional sly fart, havent made a sound in the last half hour.""Its the last Saturday of the month again and Gilmore Black is spending the day at his dads. Theres no reason to think that this monthly visit will be any less boring than usual, but when a crazy girl bursts into the hou

Meet Martyn Pig. His name may be bad, but his life is worse.Martyn''s life is miserable, and it always has been. His mother is gone. His father hates him. But at least things can''t get any worse. Or so he thought.When his father dies in a sudden accident, Martyn realizes that for the first time in his life, he has a choice. Sure, he could report what happened - and move in with his horrible Aunty Jean. Or he could get rid of the body and move on with the rest of his life. So Martyn comes up with a foolproof plan to hide the body. Hey, what could go wrong?

Je m''appelle Martyn Pig. Martyn avec un Y, Pig avec un seul G. Martyn Pig, autrement dit, Martyn Cochon. Depuis que ma mère est partie - il y a des années - je vis seul avec mon père. Un sale ivrogne, un gros plein de bière. Mais je n''ai pas voulu sa mort. C''est arrivé par accident. J''avais treize ans à l''époque. Alex, elle, en avait quinze. Elle était jolie. Très belle même. Et moi, je n''étais qu''un gamin empoté. C''est peut-être pour cela que tout a dérapé... Rien n''avance en ligne droite, rien n''est jamais simple. Et surtout pas mon histoire.