Böcker av Michael Wood

'Excellent plotting. The twists keep on coming making this an irresistible read' Michael J. Malone, author of A Song of Isolation

'She is the perfect heroine' Elly Griffiths The addictive new crime thriller featuring DCI Matilda Darke. Perfect for fans of Angela Marsons. 'DCI Matilda Darke is going places' James Oswald Some cases won't die. A young boy walks into a police station in France. He claims to be Carl Meagan - a missing child from Sheffield whose name is still whispered as a warning to kids who stay out after dark. Some children won't be found. On her way home from the supermarket, nine-year-old Keeley Armitage vanishes without trace. Her family is overcome with shock and DCI Matilda Darke can't help but focus on memories of the Carl Meagan case that almost ruined her career. Some killers won't be stopped. As Matilda investigates, she peels back the layers of grief and sadness that surround Keeley's family. Until she is left with an unimaginable choice: betray those closest to her or let a violent killer walk free...

Your life is in his hands.In the gripping new serial killer thriller from Michael Wood, Matilda Darke faces a vicious killer pursuing his own brand of lethal justice. Perfect for fans of Angela Marsons and Helen Fields.There's a killer in your house.The Hangman waits in the darkness.He knows your darkest secrets.He'll make you pay for all the crimes you have tried desperately to forget.And he is closer than you think.DCI Matilda Darke is running out of time. Fear is spreading throughout the city. As the body count rises, Matilda is targeted and her most trusted colleagues fall under suspicion. But can she keep those closest to her from harm? Or is it already too late?

A single-volume history told in a new way: mingling grand sweep narrative with deep-core, local, personal stories - all woven together with landscape history and the author's own travel journals.

Making Sense of Statistics provides a thorough, but accessible, introduction to statistics and probability, without the distractions of mathematics. There are exercises and case studies from a variety of areas of application, and an accompanying website from which interactive spreadsheet models and data files can be downloaded.

From one of today's most distinguished critics, a beautifully written exploration of one of the twentieth century's most important literary criticsAre literary critics writers? As Michael Wood says, "e;Not all critics are writers-perhaps most of them are not-and some of them are better when they don't try to be."e; The British critic and poet William Empson (1906-84), one of the most important and influential critics of the twentieth century, was an exception-a critic who was not only a writer but also a great one. In this brief book, Wood, himself one of the most gifted writers among contemporary critics, explores Empson as a writer, a distinguished poet whose criticism is a brilliant literary performance-and proof that the act of reading can be an unforgettable adventure.Drawing out the singularity and strength of Empson's writing, including its unfailing wit, Wood traces the connections between Empson's poetry and criticism from his first and best-known critical works, Seven Types of Ambiguity and Some Versions of Pastoral, to later books such as Milton's God and The Structure of Complex Words. Wood shows why this pioneer of close reading was both more and less than the inventor of New Criticism-more because he was the greatest English critic since Coleridge, and didn't belong to any school; and less because he had severe differences with many contemporary critics, especially those who dismissed the importance of an author's intentions.Beautifully written and rich with insight, On Empson is an elegant introduction to a unique writer for whom literature was a nonstop form of living.

Almost 400 years after his death, William Shakespeare is still acclaimed as the world's greatest writer, and yet the man himself remains shrouded in mystery. In this absorbing historical detective story, the acclaimed broadcaster and historian Michael Wood takes a fresh approach to Shakespeare's life, brilliantly recreating the turbulent times through which the poet lived: the age of the Reformation, the Spanish Armada, the Gunpowder Plot and the colonization of the Americas. Drawing on an extensive range of sources, Michael Wood takes us back into Elizabethan England to reveal a man who is the product of his time - a period of tremendous upheaval that straddled the medieval and modern worlds. Using a wealth of unexplored archive evidence the author vividly conjures up the neighbourhoods of the Elizabethan London where Shakespeare lived and worked during his glittering career. Full of fresh insights and fascinating new discoveries, this book presents us with a Shakespeare for the twenty-first century: a man of the theatre, a thinking artist, playful and cunning who held up a mirror to his age, but who was also, as his friend Ben Jonson said, 'not of an age, but for all time'.

Michael Wood retraces Alexander the Greats amazing journey from Greece to India, searching for the truth behind the legend and experiencing the tremendous scale of his achievements. Using the ancient historians as his guides, Wood follows Alexanders journey as closely as possible, crossing deserts and rivers, from Turkey to war-torn Afghanistan. As the journey progresses, he recreates the drama of Alexanders epic marches and bloody battles. All along the way he finds proof of the survival of the legends surrounding Alexander, a leader whose life has excited the worlds imagination for the 2,000 years. 'Wood tells a glorious story with some very dark shadows.' New York Times 'Wood is a perceptive, entertaining and enthusiastic companion.' Sunday Times 'Wood is a lively storyteller.' The Washington Post

Twenty of the most crucial moments in Britain's history.BBC History Magazine asked a selection of leading historians to choose and describe the twenty most important turning points in British history from AD 1000 to 2000. Collected together, their choices present a new way of looking at our nation's story. From the Danish invasion of Britain in 1016, to the Suez crisis in 1956, the key moments include victories (or defeats) both at home and abroad, plague, reform and even revolutions that have reshaped the British way of life. Each contribution brings the past to life, offering new perspectives and food for debate: did the Battle of Agincourt change England's role in Europe? What was the impact of American independence on Britain? Was 1916 more important than 1939? Thought-provoking and inspiring accounts.

In The Story of India, Michael Wood weaves a spellbinding narrative out of the 10,000-year history of the subcontinent. Home today to more than a fifth of the world's population, India gave birth to the oldest and most influential civilization on Earth, to four world religions, and to the world's largest democracy.Now, as India bids to become a global economic giant, Michael sets out on an epic journey across this vibrant country to trace the roots of India's present in the incredible riches of her past. The Story of India is a magical mixture of history and travelogue, and an unforgettable portrait of India - past, present and future.

The Spanish conquest of the Americas in the 16th century was one of the most important and cataclysmic events in history. Spanish expeditions endured incredible hardships in order to open up the lands of the 'New World', and few stories in history can match these for drama and endurance.In Conquistadors, Michael Wood follows in the footsteps of some of the greatest of the Spanish adventurers travelling from the forests of Amazonia to Lake Titicaca, the deserts of North Mexico, the snowpeaks of the Andes and the heights of Machu Picchu. He experiences the epic journeys of Cortes, Pizarro, Orellana and Cabeza de Vaca, and explores the turbulent and terrifying events surrounding the Spanish conquest of the Aztec and Inca empires.Wood brings these stories to vivid life, highlighting both the heroic accomplishments and the complex moral legacy of the European invasion. Conquistadors is Michael Wood at his best - thoughtful, provocative and gripping history.

The village of Kibworth in Leicestershire lies at the very centre of England. It has a church, some pubs, the Grand Union Canal, a First World War Memorial - and many centuries of recorded history. In the thirteenth century the village was bought by William de Merton, who later founded Merton College, Oxford, with the result that documents covering 750 years of village history are lodged at the college.Building on this unique archive, and enlisting the help of the current inhabitants of Kibworth, with a village-wide archeological dig, with the first complete DNA profile of an English village and with use of local materials like family memorabilia, Michael Wood tells the extraordinary story of one English community over fifteen centuries, from the moment that the Roman Emperor Honorius sent his famous letter in 410 advising the English to look to their own defences to the village as it is today. The story of Kibworth is the story of England itself, a 'Who Do You Think You Are?' for the entire nation. It is the subject of a six-part BBC tv series to be shown in autumn 2010.

Inspired by a temple astrologer (who had accurately predicted his marriage and the birth of his two daughters), the writer and broadcaster Michael Wood travelled on a magical journey through south-east India.

In 1086, Domesday Book, perhaps the most remarkable historical document in existence, was compiled. This tremendous story of England and its people was made at the behest of the Norman king William the Conqueror. It was called Domesday, the day of judgement, because 'like the day of judgement, its decisions are unalterable'. In Search of the Roots of England is not only a study of the ancient manuscript but an attempt to analyse the world that Domesday Book so vividly portrayed. By skilful use of the Domesday record historian Michael Wood examines Norman society and the Anglo-Saxon, Roman, and even the Iron Age cultures that preceded it. 'Wood is a perceptive, entertaining and enthusiastic companion.' Sunday Times 'Wood is a lively storyteller.' Washington Post

What does literature know? Does it offer us knowledge of its own or does it only interrupt and question other forms of knowledge? This 2005 book seeks to answer and to prolong these questions through the close examination of individual works and the exploration of a broad array of examples. Chapters on Henry James, Kafka, and the form of the villanelle are interspersed with wider-ranging inquiries into forms of irony, indirection and the uses of fiction, with examples ranging from Auden to Proust and Rilke, and from Calvino to Jean Rhys and Yeats. Literature is a form of pretence. But every pretence could tilt us into the real, and many of them do. There is no safe place for the reader: no literalist's haven where fact is always fact; and no paradise of metaphor, where our poems, plays and novels have no truck at all with the harsh and shifting world.

Two murders. Twenty years. Now the killer is back for more...DCI Matilda Darke has returned to work after a nine month absence. A shadow of her former self, she is tasked with re-opening a cold case: the terrifyingly brutal murders of Miranda and Stefan Harkness. The only witness was their eleven-year-old son, Jonathan, who was too deeply traumatized to speak a word.Then a dead body is discovered, and the investigation leads back to Matilda's case. Suddenly the past and present converge, and it seems a killer may have come back for more...A darkly compelling debut crime novel, this is the start of a brilliant series, perfect for fans of Louise Penny and Val McDermid.Praise for Michael Wood:'Crackling dialogue, dark wit and an exciting ending' Mark Edwards'DCI Matilda Darke is going places' James Oswald'I really enjoyed getting to know DCI Matilda Darke' Robert Bryndza'A beautifully written book with a dark heart and a secret that impacts on generations' Sarah Ward'A skilfully crafted and compelling debut that hooks from the off and will keep you guessing until the final page' M.R. Hall'Gripping, sad and unexpected' Alex Marwood

Certified strength and conditioning specialist and nutrition coach Michael Wood offers readers an inside look at how he trains his private clients using his unique step-by-step approach that follows the same nutrition and exercise strategies that have made him a nationally recognized expert in the field.The TBC30 plan gives readers a game plan for teaching the same science-based approach that has worked for Michael and his clients for more than 30 years. His 6 step plan will help change your mindset and eventually your behavior. The TBC30 plan includes a high-quality exercise regime with nine nutritional strategies which are woven together with the use of today's technology. Empower yourself to reach your health and fitness goals with Michael's invaluable TBC30 plan.Advanced Praise for TBC30"Michael Wood rightly characterizes physical activity as an essential ingredient for health and vitality, and addresses it holistically in the context of other lifestyle practices. He provides detailed, expert guidance to build more fitness into your routine, and more vitality into your life." David L. Katz, MD, MPH, FACPM, FACP, FACLM, Author, Cut Your Cholesterol"Getting fit is kind of like climbing Mount Kilimanjaro, as Michael Wood explains in TBC30. You don't just roll out of bed and do it-instead, you need to set goals, adjust your mindset, and follow a well-designed plan. Wood's wisdom and experience will provide you with the tools and motivation you need to improve your health and fitness." Alex Hutchinson, PhD, Journalist, @sweatscience, Best-selling Author, of Endure & Which Comes First, Cardio or Weights?"Michael separates himself from other leading experts in health and fitness through his no-nonsense, easy to understand writing and communication style. This makes applying the information on exercise and nutrition in his book much more likely to stick. This practical and structured approach will support the goal of achieving and maintaining a healthy lifestyle."Dr. Kyle McInnis, Dean, Merrimack College School of Health Sciences"No one is more qualified than Michael Wood, a world-class trainer and fitness expert, to motivate and empower Americans to make positive changes. Michael shares decades of experience and wisdom in his step-by-step TBC30 plan!"JoAnn E. Manson, MD, DPH, Chief, Division of Preventive Medicine at Brigham and Women's Hospital and Professor at Harvard Medical School"As an integrative medicine physician, looking at the whole person including diet, exercise and lifestyle is part of their prescription for achieving overall wellness. Michael's book, the TBC30 plan, fits the bill in terms of a solid exercise plan and methodology, I would recommend his book and services without hesitation." Erica Song, MD, Owner of Vibrant Life Medicine, Englewood, NJ"Michael is able to get inside your head to help you change your body."Sarah Bowen Shea, host of Another Mother Runner Podcast

As the Christmas season approaches, many will be busy taking part in activities that don't represent the reason for Christmas: the birth of Christ. From Creation to the Gospel, an Advent devotional written by Michael Wood, provides readers with an Advent calendar depicting the creation of Earth: from the temptation and Fall of Adam to the virgin birth and Jesus' ascension. Each day of the devotional covers promises in the Old Testament and promises fulfilled in the New Testament, with the goal of educating readers on who we are as God's creation. Michael encourages readers each day to remember that we are made in God's image, and according to God's plan: not just being believers of Jesus, but taking on the duties of Christians in spreading the gospel everywhere. As we learn what Jesus' life, death and resurrection mean at Christmastime, we can live it out in faith and action.

In this absorbing series of essays Michael Wood probes and plays with the dilemmas of twentieth century fiction - the myth of lost paradise, lost certainties, the suspension between contrary ideals, the lure of fantasy, the quest for the silence beneath speech.