Renowned as an age of artistic rebirth, the Renaissance is cloaked with an aura of beauty and brilliance. But behind the Mona Lisa's smile lurked a seamy, vicious world of power politics, perversity and corruption that has more in common with the present day than anyone dares to admit.

Growing up as a blonde, popular, West Country schoolgirl, the author was the unlikeliest convert to militant Zionism but learning of the cruelty the Jewish people faced throughout history turned her into their biggest champion. In this book, she examines her 40-year obsession with the Jewish people and recounts a love affair.

Contains two interlocking strands: the story of those who sought to know and understand our weather; and the story of its impact on us - our history, our culture, the way we think and behave. This work focuses on the people who volunteered and toiled for the cause, telling their stories by tracking them down to the places.

Many of our favourite brands now openly espouse 'ethical' credentials, so how is it that they can import billions of pounds' worth of goods from the developing world every year while leaving the people who produce them barely scraping a living? Are they being cynically opportunistic? The author travels the world to establish the truth.

Chief Inspector Reg Wexford has retired from the crime force. He and his wife, Dora, now divide their time between Kingsmarkham and a coach house in Hampstead, belonging to their actress daughter, Sheila. Wexford takes great pleasure in his books, but, for all the benefits of a more relaxed lifestyle, he misses being the hand of the law.

Venetia Lanyon has never been further than Harrogate. Then, in one extraordinary encounter, she meets a neighbour she only knows by reputation, the infamous Lord Damerel, and before long is egging on a libertine in his scandalous behaviour.