Suzanne Smith

Boys with everything to live for ... A community betrayed ... The whistle-blower priest who paid the ultimate price Glen Walsh and Steven Alward were childhood friends in their tight-knit working-class community in Shortland, on the outskirts of Newcastle, New South Wales. Both proud altar boys at the local Catholic church, they went on to attend the city's Catholic boys' high schools: Glen to Marist Brothers and Steven to St Pius X. Both did well: Steven became a journalist; Glen a priest. But when Glen discovered another priest was sexually abusing boys, he reported the offending to police, breaking his vows to the Catholic 'brotherhood' in the process. Just weeks before he was due to give evidence at a key trial against the highest cleric to ever be charged with covering up child abuse, Father Glen Walsh was dead. Two months later, his friend Steven also died, only weeks before he was to marry the love of his life. Ensuing investigations revealed that at least 60 men in the region had taken their own lives. Why? What had happened, and why were so many from the three Catholic high schools in the area? By six-time Walkley Award-winning investigative reporter Suzanne Smith, The Altar Boys is the powerful expose of widespread and organised clerical abuse of children in an Australian city, and how the cover-up in the Catholic Church in Australia extended from parish priests to every echelon of the organisation. Focusing on two childhood friends, their families and community, this gripping and explosive story is backed by secret documents, diary notes and witness accounts, and details a deliberate church strategy of using psychological warfare against witnesses in key trials involving paedophile priests.

The Altar Boys

When Marco struts into Gigi's grill, Alex wonders if she has found the one. When he takes the seat next to her and strikes up a conversation, She is immediately aroused by the heat of his animal magnetism. There is something she sees in his vulnerable, piercing green eyes that touches her heart. She realizes that she wants this handsome man to be more than just her bedmate. She wants him to be her soulmate. Marco was instantly smitten the moment he fixed his eyes on Alex. There was something about her warm, sympathetic gaze that filled him with hope. Maybe he had a chance to overcome the bitterness and despair that had blighted his life. Perhaps finally some measure of happiness is within his grasp. The love between them quickly blossoms, but there is a dark cloud on the horizon. For no reason Marco can see, Alex suddenly becomes sullen and withdrawn. He worries that she is slipping away from him. The idea of losing her affection and being forced to retreat back into the cold, black, pit of despair, is more than he can stand. He only knows one way to deal with the pain he is feeling. Can their love survive the turmoil and grow into something good once more?

The Brute and I

To visit THE STRAND homepage, CLICK HERE—Read more excerpts and see pictures of locales that inspired the book. During a secret meeting in a Miami hotel room, aspiring politician Bobby Coulter accepts a bribe from a drug trafficker in exchange for future political favors, when a chance interruption by the housekeeping staff leads to an act of horrendous violence. This catalyst sets in motion repercussions that will one-day rock Florida´s political foundation. Twenty years later, finds Allen Pearson—a likeable guy just trying to do a good thing—in collaboration with real estate developer Celeste Dillon to restore the Strand Theater. Celeste has allowed Allen to operate his antique auction in the historic building for a nominal percentage of the profits, in order to jump-start the revitalization effort in Tampa´s blighted downtown area. But as Allen concetrates on the auction, he finds himself ensnared in a DEA sting and the mark of someone practicing Santeria voodoo. Meanwhile, for Celeste´s long-term plan to work, she must secure a $38 million HUD loan and convince Tampa´s City Council to co-sign the note. The sticking point is the "criminal element" that plagues the area. But Celeste, as neurotic as she is beautiful, has sinister plans for the Strand and for the homeless population that prowls the city´s streets. Allen´s efforts to even the score with the drug smugglers lead to his discovery of Celeste´s true agenda, which threatens to destroy all he´s worked for. Then the unthinkable happens—an environmental catastrophe shuts down the water supply to the Tampa Bay area, forcing the evacuation of thousands of residents. The governor enacts an emergency order, which causes downtown property values to soar. The HUD loan appears to be a certainty, but Allen now posesses information about the deal that could put his life, and the lives of those he loves, in danger. Filled with gritty and often hilarious characters, THE STRAND is Suzanne Smith´s debut novel—a darkly humorous suspense thriller, with many bizarre twists that lead to a surprising conclusion.

The Strand

Lindsay Taylor

Doodle girl lives inside sketchbook with a group of friends and a magic pencil. She uses this to create adventures by transforming doodles into fantastical lands, full of amazing animals! In this story help her and her friends solve the monkey mystery on a tropical island.

Doodle Girl and the Monkey Mystery

Doodle Girl uses her magic pencil to create adventures by transforming doodles into fantastical lands, full of amazing animals! On their latest outing, Doodle Girl and her friends find a curly, curvy shape. What is it supposed to be? Whilst trying to work it out, they find a sad, lonely mammoth high up on a mountain. What's he doing there? Will Doodle Girl be able to help him? And what is the curly curvy shape going to be? Find out in this gorgeous book, full of creativity and fun with a giant, free doodling poster. 'A lovely way to encourage children to doodle, and to imagine what mundane things could become' Parents in Touch

Suzanne Smith

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