Book Description
What are sentencers' new statutory powers? How are they affected by case law and practice directions? What are their unstated aims and assumptions? What is their effect in real life? Who suffers from discrimination--women, ethnic minorities, the mentally disordered? What is the relevance of
public attitudes, stigma, dangerousness? This is the only textbook which sets out to ask and answer all these questions. ... Read more

Book Description
Nicola Walker was a member of the Cambridge Footlights and was in their 1990 National Tour. She has performed widely on stage. On film she has appeared in Four Weddings and a Funeral. Television work includes Dalziel & Pascoe, Jonathan Creek, A Dance to the Music of Time and Moll Flanders. She has also done a variety of radio recordings for BBC Radio 4. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (9)

A pretty decent book.
I read a couple of reviews about the book before I got it, and bought it anyway.I found the book to be quite good.I enjoyed the characters very much, and enjoyed the dynamic between the witch and her primary pursuer.The motivation for the witch is questionable, but nonetheless, the writing made this book very readable.

The ending was extremely poignant.

I recommend it for a nice, just before bedtime read.

Decent but Derivative
This is a decently written and constructed combination police procedural and thriller.The basic plot device is the discovery that a skilled solo assassin has infiltrated into Britain, probably with the intention of killing a prominent international leader at a major conference.The story follows the assassin in parallel with the efforts of security agencies to catch her.Older readers will recognize the story line from Frederick Forsythe's Day of the Jackal, published about 30 years ago.If you like Witch Hunt, you should read Forsythe's book, which is signicantly better.Even better, rent or buy a copy of the superior movie version starring Edward Fox and directed by the talented Fred Zinneman.A warning, the movie version should not be confused with a more recent and godawful Hollywood remake titled The Jackal, starring the inexcrable Bruce Willis.

This book will keep you up half the night...
Others have compared it to "The Day of the Jackal" and I would have to agree.Not one of Rankin's "Edinburgh" series, this was originally written under a pseudonym (Jack Harvey) and is a Special Services thriller.It begins with a bang -- literally -- off the coast of England -- a mysterious woman is coming into the country, and she's not exactly arriving at Heathrow.Through the plodding work of people who read newspapers carefully, and keep records of odd things that happen, a couple of branches of counter-terrorism/counter-espionage units suspect that a well-known paid assassin -- known to be responsible for some political assassinations -- has entered the country. The assassin is known as the Witch -- and she's a beautiful woman who uses sexuality and an ability to change her appearance to her advantage. One of the people involved in the hunt is a recent retiree, who has a serious grudge against the Witch, and knows a lot about how she functions because he's been trying to catch her for so long.Several junior members of these agencies -- both British and French -- are part of the team that follow up on a number of clues that may or may not lead to the Witch.There's a big summit of world leaders in London in a few days, and everyone is anxious to catch the Witch before the conference.

The action moves quickly in this procedural thriller -- you realize how little the anti-terrorist forces have to work with, and how much is a matter of perceptiveness and making the most of the little you have.This is the first of a three part series, and I intend to go on and read the next two.

An Early Mainstream Thriller from Scotland's Finest.
Oh, the blessings of being an author with too much time on his hands. I can just picture Ian Rankin sitting in the house (farm? cottage?) he and his wife bought in rural Dordogne, having whizzed through the manuscript for yet another increasingly well-written John Rebus novel and - having left behind all other employment across the British Channel and neither inclined to carpentry nor gardening - feeling his mind growing restless, in need of occupation. Now, wouldn't you have started looking for another outlet for your creative energy had you been in his spot?

The result of the aforementioned process, which Rankin describes in the foreword to a 2000 British compilation (alas, currently [???] unavailable in the U.S.) uniting all three volumes, were a series of thrillers he wrote under the pseudonym Jack Harvey: Jack for his newborn son, Harvey for his wife's maiden name.

"Witch Hunt" marked the beginning of Jack Harvey's unfortunately way too short-lived career.It is the story of a female assassin - the title character - who is pursued by various agents of the British and French governments, as well as retired secret service man Dominic Elder, who has both a private and a professional bone to pick with her. The plot moves at Rankin's trademark fast pace, from Witch's arrival on Britain's South Coast (leaving her calling card by blowing up both boats she'd used to cross the Channel from France ... with their crews inside) to her first order of "real" business in Scotland, then to London, where Witch implements her plan's second phase and where her hunters have meanwhile formed a reluctant coalition, to France and Germany, for two rookie agents' unlicensed investigation of the assassin's past, and ultimately back to London, for Witch's final coup, amidst a major international conference no less.

As in the Rebus novels, Rankin particularly excels in the creation of his male characters; they are three-dimensional and, all in their own ways, flawed and profoundly human(e). The book's few female protagonists strike me a bit too much as variations on the same theme (superwoman with varying degrees of femininity, or what passes for such in male eyes): while justifiable in the title character - especially if, as Rankin says, she was inspired by the "Elektra: Assassin" series - overall this made it a tad difficult for me to identify with either of them. For proof that Rankin, even then, could do much better, consider DC Clarke in the Rebus novels ... or Belinda, the (anti-)hero's companion in the second Jack Harvey novel, "Bleeding Hearts."Plot-wise, I don't necessarily think the final denouement of "Witch Hunt" is a let-down per se; although I would have wished it had been developed more fully, as had the private motivations of Dominic Elder and one of the rookies, French agent Dominique (!) Herault.

Still, Rankin's first Jack Harvey thriller is a major cut above average and a great introduction to the two following novels - and overall, while I'm happy enough for Rankin's success with Inspector Rebus and wouldn't want any story featuring Edinburgh's finest (and most hard-drinking) D.I. missing from my bookcases, in a way I regret that Rankin had to shelve Jack Harvey after only three books.

Cutting to the chase.
In Ian Rankin's "Witch Hunt," the chase is as compelling as the outcome."Witch" is the code name for a female terrorist who has wreaked havoc during her bloody career.She is an expensive hired assassin, and the only person who has come close to catching her is former British Intelligence Agent Dominic Elder.Elder has a huge "W" shaped scar on his back as a souvenir of his close encounter with Witch.There is fresh evidence that Witch has resurfaced and may be planning to kill a high-profile target in the near future.

Joining Elder in the hunt are two men from Special Branch named Greenleaf and Doyle.In addition, two novices, John Barclay and Dominique Herault, of British and French Intelligence respectively, are also eagerly putting their heads together to help find Witch before she strikes again.

Rankin concentrates on the personalities of his characters as much as he does on plot.Elder is bitter that Witch has eluded him in the past and he is anxious to get revenge.He is allowed back into the case partly because his former boss, Joyce Parry, still has feelings for Elder, who used to be her lover.Greenleaf and Doyle are uneasy partners who don't particularly care for one another.Barclay and Herault are both young and eager, looking for adventure and finding it in their first major investigation.

The search for Witch is complicated and time-consuming.It stretches across England, Scotland, France, and Germany.Every lead is followed up, especially since a summit is about to take place in London, with many dignitaries expected to attend.Unfortunately, Witch is so quick and clever that she always manages to stay a step ahead of her pursuers.Will they be able to run her to ground before she attempts her next assassination?

Although it is a bit long and meanders occasionally, I enjoyed "Witch Hunt."Rankin explores the intricacies of both police and intelligence work, showing that patience, persistence, and luck are all factors in a successful outcome.Witch is a fascinating uber-assassin, beautiful, changeable, brilliant, and ruthless.Rankin takes pains to humanize her, however, and we learn how she came to be one of the world's most sought-after killers.The ending is a nail-biter, filled with non-stop action and a few surprises to keep the reader off-balance.All in all, its dry humor, varied and well-drawn characters, sharp dialogue, and engrossing depiction of investigative techniques make "Witch Hunt" a winner. ... Read more

Book Description
This digital document is an article from Wines & Vines, published by Hiaring Company on September 1, 2002. The length of the article is 809 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: Worldbeat.(Office of Champagne, Reserve Maison Nicolas, marketing German wine in United Kingdom, death of Alfredo Grajales)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
Author: Larry Walker
Publication: Wines & Vines (Magazine/Journal)
Date: September 1, 2002
Publisher: Hiaring Company
Volume: 83Issue: 9Page: 15(1)

Article Type: Brief Article, Statistical Data Included

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Book Description
Follow the path of the awe-inspiring polar bear as it strives to survive in an age-old Arctic habitat threatened by global warming.

Huge, magnificent, and solitary, a polar bear moves through the frozen Arctic. Powerful hunter, tireless swimmer, tender mother, gentle playmate — she is superbly adapted for surviving, even thriving, in this harsh and icy climate. Written in poetic language interspersed with fascinating facts, Nicola Davies' breathtaking tale of this massive, stark white animal is brought to life in striking paintings by Gary Blythe. Just as the Inuit people have watched and learned from this amazing creature for generations, readers are invited to witness the majesty of Ice Bear. ... Read more