Books with author Michael Hughes

Published to ravishing acclaim in the UK, a fierce and suspenseful reimagining of Homer’s Iliad set in mid-1990s Northern Ireland—a heart pounding tale of honor and revenge that “explodes with verbal invention, rapid juxtaposition, brutality and fun” (Times Literary Supplement).Northern Ireland, 1996.After twenty-five years of vicious conflict, the IRA and the British have agreed to an uneasy ceasefire as a first step towards lasting peace. But, faced with the prospect that decades of savage violence and loss have led only to smiles and handshakes, those on the ground in the border country question whether it really is time to pull back—or quite the opposite.When an IRA man’s wife turns informer, he and his brother gather their comrades for an assault on the local army base. But old grudges boil over, and the squad's feared sniper, Achill, refuses to risk his life to defend another man’s pride. As the gang plots without him, the British SAS are sent to crush the rogue terror cell before it can wreck the fragile truce and drag the region back to the darkest days of the Troubles. Meanwhile, Achill’s young protégé grabs his chance to join the fray in his place…Inspired by the oldest war story of them all, Michael Hughes’s virtuoso novel explores the brutal glory of armed conflict, the cost of Ireland’s most uncivil war, and the bitter tragedy of those on both sides who offer their lives to defend the dream of country.

A vivid and brutal reimagining of Homer's Iliad, set in the Troubles of the late 20th century. That was the start of it. A terrible business altogether. Oh, it was all kept off the news, for the sake of the talks and the ceasefire. But them that were around that part of the country remember every bit. Wait now till you hear the rest. Northern Ireland, 1996. After 25 years of conflict, the IRA and the British have agreed to an uneasy ceasefire, as a first step towards lasting peace. But if decades of savage violence are leading only to smiles and handshakes, those on the ground in the border country will start to question what exactly they have been fighting for. When an IRA man's wife turns informer, he and his brother gather their old comrades for an assault on the local army base. But the squad's feared sniper suddenly refuses to fight, and the SAS are sent in to crush this rogue terror cell before it can wreck the fragile truce and drag the whole region back to the darkest days of the Troubles. Inspired by the oldest war story of them all, this powerful new Irish novel explores the brutal glory of armed conflict and the bitter tragedy of those on both sides who offer their lives to defend the honour of their country.

A romantic mob comedy. It's the heydays of the Jersey mob. Who knew these guys could be this nuts!"Falling down funny! Like Borat's idiot cousin meeting the Sopranos!" - R. Clark, Senior Screenwriter, Film/TV, Team Lead Comedy This is a story mainly about Joey and Zoey. But first, there was mob boss, Big Paulie Pasquale, and his video will. In it he tells his crew to protect and provide work for his idiot nephew and godson, Joseph Blanconi: “JOEY BLANKS.” Grudgingly, they do so. Then they find that Joey has an upside. They can give him contracts to hit fellow mobster which he will screw up in such earnest but spectacular fashion that the target will realize there's a contract out and will either settle up the grievance, or flee the country, the only two mob outs. All is going well in Joey's world as he manages to mangle a few hit assignments, a few mob guys leave the country, and the crew is generally happy with Joey as their fallback guy. That is until Joey manages to lose five million dollars of mob money out of the back of his beaten up old Mazda hatchback. When he screws up THAT big, he ends up in waaaay over his head and on the run from unforgiving crime boss Vince Capellini. Good thing his gal Zoey is there to save his butt. Over and over she saves his butt. Can she do it again this time? Joey and Zoey scramble to recover the missing loot and trace the suitcase of cash to another hapless couple who drive an identical old blue Mazda hatchback. Archie and Loretta Carter are from the Okmulgee in the mid-west and haven’t got a clue who they’re dealing with in Jersey when they go on a spending spree with their newly-found mob money. Joey, through his trusty Hindi sidekick, Bindare Dundat, tracks the money to them and, with Zoey's help, they have to figure out how to get back the hundreds of thousands of Vince’s money that Archie and Loretta have already paid out and put down on everything from fur coats to condos before they can even TRY to give the money back. Then they just have to convince Vince to meet with them without shooting them so they can explain it all. Being that they are based in South Amboy, New Jersey, they set the up meeting at one of Joey’s favorite good luck places, the Pinball Museum at Asbury Park out on the Jersey shore. When Vince shows up with Big Angie and Carmine the Castrator in tow, someone had better be ready to do some fast thinking―and talking.In the end, Zoey ends up being the one who stands up to the Jersey mob, explains how she put together a plan to recover all the loot and basically saves the day ... and Joey’s butt. Again!

Published to ravishing acclaim in the UK, a fierce and suspenseful reimagining of Homer's Iliadset in mid-1990s Northern Ireland--a heart pounding tale of honor and revenge that ""explodes with verbal invention, rapid juxtaposition, brutality and fun"" (Times Literary Supplement).Northern Ireland, 1996.After twenty-five years of vicious conflict, the IRA and the British have agreed to an uneasy ceasefire as a first step towards lasting peace. But, faced with the prospect that decades of savage violence and loss have led only to smiles and handshakes, those on the ground in the border country question whether it really is time to pull back--or quite the opposite.When an IRA man's wife turns informer, he and his brother gather their comrades for an assault on the local army base. But old grudges boil over, and the squad's feared sniper, Achill, refuses to risk his life to defend another man's pride. As the gang plots without him, the British SAS are sent to crush the rogue terror cell before it can wreck the fragile truce and drag the region back to the darkest days of the Troubles. Meanwhile, Achill's young protégé grabs his chance to join the fray in his placeInspired by the oldest war story of them all, Michael Hughes's virtuoso novel explores the brutal glory of armed conflict, the cost of Ireland's most uncivil war, and the bitter tragedy of those on both sides who offer their lives to defend the dream of country.

Refusing to inform on his best friend for pulling the school fire alarm, Sam accepts the blame & and the consequences. He's sent to the local fire station to do chores every day. While there, the firefighters take a liking to him and he to them, and soon he's learning all he can about the life of a firefighter, what they do, and why. The knowledge Sam acquires not only helps to save lives and property, but they're life-lessons he'll use forever.

Refusing to inform on his best friend for pulling the school fire alarm, Sam accepts the blame and the consequences. He's sent to the local fire station to do chores every day. While there, the firefighters take a liking to him and he to them, and soon he's learning all he can about the life of a firefighter, what they do, and why. By the end of the book, the knowledge Sam acquires not only helps to save lives and property, but they're life lessons he'll use forever.

A romantic retro mob comedy. It's the 1990s, the heydays of the Jersey mob. Who knew these guys could be so nuts?And Joey? You never met no one like Joey! "Falling down funny! Like Borat's idiot cousin meeting the Sopranos!" - R. Clark, Senior Screenwriter, Film/TV, Team Lead Comedy This is a story mainly about Joey and Zoey. But first, there was mob boss, Big Paulie Pasquale He has left a video will. In it he tells his crew to protect and provide work for his idiot nephew and godson, Joseph Blanconi: “JOEY BLANKS.” Grudgingly, they do so. Then they find that Joey has an upside. They can give him contracts to hit fellow mobster which he will screw up in such earnest but spectacular fashion that the target will realize there's a contract out and will either settle up the grievance, or flee the country, the only two mob outs. All is going well in Joey's world as he manages to mangle a few hit assignments, a few mob guys leave the country, and the crew is generally happy with Joey as their fallback guy. That is until Joey manages to lose five million dollars of mob money out of the back of his beaten up old Mazda hatchback. When he screws up THAT big, he ends up in waaaay over his head and on the run from unforgiving crime boss Vince Capellini. Good thing his gal Zoey is there to save his butt. Over and over she saves his butt. Can she do it again this time? Joey and Zoey scramble to recover the missing loot and trace the suitcase of cash to another hapless couple who drive an identical old blue Mazda hatchback. Archie and Loretta Carter are from the Okmulgee in the mid-west and haven’t got a clue who they’re dealing with in Jersey when they go on a spending spree with their newly-found mob money. Joey, through his trusty Hindi sidekick, Bindare Dundat, tracks the money to them and, with Zoey's help, they have to figure out how to get back the hundreds of thousands of Vince’s money that Archie and Loretta have already paid out and put down on everything from fur coats to condos before they can even TRY to give the money back. Then they just have to convince Vince to meet with them without shooting them so they can explain it all. Being that they are based in South Amboy, New Jersey, they set the up meeting at one of Joey’s favorite good luck places, the Pinball Museum at Asbury Park out on the Jersey shore. When Vince shows up with Big Angie and Carmine the Castrator in tow, someone had better be ready to do some fast thinking―and talking.In the end, Zoey ends up being the one who stands up to the Jersey mob, explains how she put together a plan to recover all the loot and basically saves the day ... and Joey’s butt. Again!