Archive
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Brandreth to speak at festival
Scholar, wit, former MP andtheatre buff Gyles Brandreth will be the star of a new Evening With... show organised by Henley Festival. The event at the town's Kenton Theatre on February 15 is expected to be a sell-out, with tickets at £22 and £15. Mr Brandreth
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Review: Bar Meze, London Road, Headington
Strange things, olives. Only a couple of years ago I used to recoil from the things, but now I just can't resist nibbling on them, especially when they're doused in oil, nestling in a neat little tray alongside a hefty sundried tomato and a pickled mild
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Makes sense
You know THIRTEEN SENSES are a great band -- why else would more than fifty A&R men descend on distant Truro, Cornwall, just to catch one of their shows? Fortunately you don't have to travel to England's Celtic fringe to catch this exciting Cornish
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Stewart Steven
Stewart Steven, former editor of the Mail on Sunday, was an old-fashioned, down-to-earth journalist who started his career in the Oxford Mail's Abingdon office. Mr Steven, pictured left in 1956, was born in Hamburg in 1935. He was brought to Britain after
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Alan Taylor
A former head chef of an Oxford University college has died -- just over a week after the death of his wife. Alan Taylor, former head chef at Wadham College, died at the John Radcliffe Hospital, Oxford, last week (13 January). He was 83. His 93-year-old
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Residents angry at parking ban
Villagers banned from parking cars in a field they used for decades say the move could lead to accidents on the road outside their homes. South Oxfordshire District Council has told them to keep their cars off the playing field next to their homes in
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Colin nets film role
Music for the surprise blockbuster film Big Fish was recorded by a Wallingford businessman. The film, which stars Albert Finney and Ewan McGregor, has been a smash in the US and is tipped as an award winner. It is being released in the UK today (January
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Review: Tales of county life: from gripes to ghosts
Books on local history often fall into three categories: specific and thick with detail, based on a particular theme, or generalised and random in content. Three new books on Oxfordshire fit this pattern. Brian Read's Henley Rural: The History of Henley
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FOOTBALL: Swindon tamed by Rover
ROVER Oxford Ladies climbed up to third place in the South West Combination with a 3-1 win in their local derby against Swindon Town. In a tightly-contested first half, Swindon looked the better of the two sides, going ahead in the 19th minute with a
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ANGLING: Medley turns up 7.7.0 chub
MEDLEY is still producing some exceptional chub for specimen anglers prepared to put in the time and effort. Fred Healey, from Sussex, caught a huge chub weighing in at 7lb 7oz, a new personal best, plus others of 4.4.0, 5.8.0 and 5.11.0. All took boilies
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Huge asylum centre could double in size
The planned asylum centre near Bicester could double in size because the Government cannot find enough sites for others around the country, a councillor fears. The Home Office said it had looked at more than 400 sites to house more of the controversial
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Family soldiers on after pay error
A soldier claims he has not been paid by the Army since November, after an error classified him as absent without leave. Lance Corporal Derek Hindmarsh, 36, a soldier for 18 years, his wife Heather and their son John, three, have been struggling to pay
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CROSS COUNTRY: Hannah wins again
CHERWELL'S Hannah England shrugged off the effects of a trip to Spain to win her fourth successive title at the Oxfordshire Schools' Cross Country Championships at Radley College. The 16-year-old only returned home the previous day after finishing fifth
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Dr Philip Barwood
A GP who practised in Abingdon for more than 30 years has died at the age of 91. It was only by chance that Dr Philip Barwood, who ran a surgery in Stert Street with Dr Patrick Vivian, came to Abingdon. After recovering from TB contracted during the Second
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Review: Lost in Translation (15)
Famous American movie star Bob Harris (Bill Murray) is in Tokyo to shoot a lucrative commercial for a popular Japanese brand of whisky. Bill Murray and Scarlett Johansson Despite constant attention from his host, the obsequious Ms Kawasaki (Takeshita)
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Career drives ahead
Trainee mechanic Chris Martin, 19, has been named Apprentice of the Year at Banbury-based Prodrive -- one of the world's leading motorsport companies. Chris Martin Mr Martin joined Prodrive in September 2002 and was one of six apprentices competing for
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Athletics: Middleton's silver is pick for Radley
RADLEY began their warm-up to the outdoor track and field season with a fine performance at the Southern Indoor Championships at Bedford. In all, Radley collected five medals, with under 15 athlete Stacey Middleton taking pride of place with a silver
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Panto with a twist
A panto with a twist, loosely based on the story of Robin Hood, opens tonight in Kennington. Marie Hadaway as Robin and Derek Skipper as maid Marian But in Kennington Amateur Dramatic Group's production, Robin Hoodwinked, the beautiful Maid Marian is
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Market could move
Traders hope Bicester's Friday market could get its long-wanted move. Market traders have been keen to move from Market Square to Sheep Street because they say it will be better for trade and safer for customers, and release much-needed parking spaces
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Brewery aims for refreshing change
The first barrels of Brakspear bitter and special ale are expected to roll out of the pub company's new home in Witney in June Brakspear stopped brewing in Henley 18 months ago to concentrate on running its pub chain. Production was taken over by Cheshire-based
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Determination, drive, dedication
Yvonne Cubbage freely admits she is a woman in a man's world, but has never let it hold her back. Yvonne Cubbage, general manager of Ford Hartwell After 21 years working with Hartwell in Oxfordshire, she has risen to become general manager of the Ford
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Pick up a new career with your shopping
Shoppers are being encouraged to take away a new career with their shopping as the NHS recruitment bus tours county supermarkets. Oxfordshire Mental Healthcare NHS Trust is searching for recruits for Littlemore Hospital, and The Warneford Hospital and
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Hit-and-run links probed
Police are making inquiries to see if there is any connection between a car abandoned after a fatal hit-and-run accident and a man impersonating a jockey. They now believe the blue Honda Civic -- one of two vehicles which struck 14-year-old Jenny Koester
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TV probes murder
A television documentary about Rachel McLean, the Oxford University student murdered by her boyfriend in 1991, is to be screened on ITV1 on Monday. New Zealander John Tanner walked free from prison last August after serving 12 years of a life sentence
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Some to win, some to lose
A controversial new pay and grading package that will see some council staff suffer pay cuts of between £2,000 and £7,000, while others gain, has been approved. The new structure at the Vale of White Horse District Council comes into operation in April
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Amnesty lectures start
THE annual Oxford Amnesty Lectures begin on Wednesday. The theme of this year's series of debates is asylum and immigration. Speakers include Slavoj Zizek, philospher and former presidential candidate in Slovenia. Caryl Phillips, novelist and playwright
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TV probes murder
A television documentary about Rachel McLean, the Oxford University student murdered by her boyfriend in 1991, is to be screened on ITV1 on Monday. New Zealander John Tanner walked free from prison last August after serving 12 years of a life sentence
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CRICKET: Academy forms link
GARY Palmer, the former Somerset all-rounder and ex-Oxford University coach, says his new cricket academy will be "a finishing school for undiscovered talent". The Cricket Coach Master (CCM) Academy is aimed at talented youngsters between the ages of
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ADVICE FOR JOB HUNTERS: Dodgy excuses won't wash
Research published by fish4jobs.co.uk reveals that jobseekers should be cautious when trying to think of an excuse to attend a job interview. The two most common excuses are calling in sick and a doctor's appointment. But when fish4jobs asked bosses in
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Review: Dave Gorman's Googlewhack Adventure by Dave Gorman (Ebury Press, priced £10.99)
Whiling away the hours on the internet search engine Google as a result of a chance email from an Australian, Dave Gorman begins a seemingly pointless mission around the globe. The reason? To seek out what are known as 'Googlewhackers', which are when
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Review: The Server, Spencer Vignes (Pitch, £7.99)
This book was inspired by the Burt Lancaster film The Swimmer, in which an executive on the verge of a nervous breakdown swims his way through the swimming pools of his neighbours in California. Vignes's dreams of being a Wimbledon star have come to nothing
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Postcolonialism: A Very Short Introduction, by Robert J.C. Young (OUP, £6.99)
Young, an Oxford don, has an interesting stab at explaining the political, social and cultural after-effects of decolonisation by presenting situations, experiences and testimony rather than abstract theory. Looking at the status of aboriginal people,
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Review: Upon Dark Waters
Robert Radcliffe (Little, Brown, £14.99) This is that rare thing, a novel on the Second World War that should appeal to both male and female readers. Radcliffe's novel not only shows the hellish life of those on the Atlantic convoys, when the German Enigma
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Review: Millennium People by J.G. Ballard (HarperCollins, £16.99)
Middle-class people of the 21st century will become a dysfunctional lot indeed if they ever get to resemble the creatures described in J.G. Ballard's Millennium People (HarperCollins, £16.99). A seemingly docile group of such people, living in a comfortable
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Replica firearms law 'weak'
Thames Valley Chief Constable Peter Neyroud wants a new law on replica guns made tougher. Legislation which came into force on January 20 makes it an offence to carry imitation firearms or weapons in public. Replica guns are often indistinguishable from
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Review - Siegfried by Harry Mulisch (Penguin, £16.99)
What if Hitler had had a son of his own, though did not want to acknowledge the fact, and asked another couple to bring up the child as their own? Hitler's personal agenda would be paramount, of course, and so the fate of the child would depend on the
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Degree costs 'may double'
The cost of studying for a degree at Oxford University could double under plans to scrap rent subsidies if university top-up fees are introduced. The university's conference of colleges is considering charging the full rent on college rooms, and diverting
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Museum's 'bunker' faces delay
A decision on the controversial scheme to extend the Ashmolean Museum in Oxford is likely to be delayed following a chorus of criticism about its "ugly" design. An artist's impression of the extenson People living in the St John Street conservation area
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Deals back on road
Followers of Oxford's music scene have known it for some time, but now the secret is well and truly out. Oxfordshire noise-mongers Winnebago Deal are the future of rock. The band -- two cool-looking fellas in their 20s, both called Ben -- have captured
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Some to win, some to lose
A controversial new pay and grading package that will see some council staff suffer pay cuts of between £2,000 and £7,000, while others gain, has been approved. The new structure at the Vale of White Horse District Council comes into operation in April
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Festival will be diverse
A new music festival in west Oxfordshire may attract up to 15,000 people later this year. The Wychwood Music Festival, to be held from August 6 to 8, is being organised by Graeme Merifield, of Wychwood Music in Corn Street, Witney. Last year he set up
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Rugby: Henley gear up for relegation crunch
Henley Hawks face a make-or-break basement battle away to bottom side Manchester in National League 1 tomorrow. The disappointing defeat at home to fellow strugglers Penzance last weekend has left Henley with a fight on their hands to avoid the drop.
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Traffic lights vandal sought
A man is wanted by police for endangering lives by repeatedly vandalising traffic lights in Carterton. Police believe the man is responsible for tampering with lights at the junction of Upavon Way, Burford Road and Monahan Way five times in the past four
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Don't put shelter near us
Residents who feel a youth shelter near their homes will devalue their property have asked for it to go somewhere else. They asked Thame Town Council not to put it on Queen Elizabeth Circle, close to their Lea Park Estate homes. Dr Tyrell Gillman, speaking
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Tennis: Tim aims to bounce Czech
British No 1 Tim Henman (left) believes he might have finally hit upon the right formula for Grand Slam success after linking up with new coach Paul Annacone. Pete Sampras's former mentor has instilled a sense of confidence and aggression into Henman's
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Review - Taking Sides
History has never awarded an entirely clean slate to the great conductor Wilhelm Furtwngler for his conduct during the years of Nazi rule in Germany. He stayed there when so many others in the artistic community left, prospering mightily as Hitler's favourite
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'Give us a crossing'
The campaign for a school crossing on a busy road in Wantage has gained all party support on the Vale of White Horse District Council -- and now the county council will be urged to take action. Conservatives Pam Westwood and Ginny Stock called on the
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Schools get GCSE goals
Oxfordshire schools are to face tough new GCSE targets following the county's poor showing in national exam tables. Oxfordshire County Council is close to an agreement with the Government that anticipates a big improvement in the performance of the county's
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GREYHOUNDS: Bookies splash out
THE Oxford Stadium bookmakers may have their flashy s and a good lifestyle - but they are not shy when it comes to handing out a few quid for charity. The men on the rails at Cowley are again set to dig deep for a children's charity meeting at Oxford
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Hockey: Trigg fires treble to gun down Bicester
South League Captain Will Trigg hit a hat-trick as Abingdon recorded only their second South League Division 1 victory of the season with a 3-2 win over local rivals Bicester at Cooper School to move off the bottom. Trigg opened the scoring midway through
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ICE HOCKEY: Andrews ruled out
OXFORD City Stars' Adam Andrews faces a spell on the sidelines following a recurrence of his Achilles problem. He will be missing as Stars return to league action against basement boys Solent & Gosport at the Oxpens Ice Rink tomorrow (6pm). Netminder
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SCHOOLS SPORT: Daly twins storm in
TWIN sisters Kim and Kelly Daly produced another notable double act in the Vale of White Horse Schools Cross Country Championships at Radley College. Two years ago the youngsters from Our Lady's Convent, Abingdon, finished first and second in the under
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Fresh attempt to save Horton
Campaigners are stepping up their bid to secure the future of Banbury's Horton Hospital. Members of the Keep The Horton action group have launched a publicity drive to prevent the hospital being downgraded from a general hospital status to little more
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£3.4m award pleases mum
A mother has welcomed a £3.4m damages award, granted after her son was born with severe disabilities as a result of 'sub-standard' treatment at The Horton Hospital in Banbury. Maria Breen with son Oliver Davies Oliver Davies, now eight, was starved of
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Athletics: Danielle leads way as Oxon storm home
Oxfordshire girls put in some superb performances to take the under 11s' Southern Region Sportshall Athletics team title at Portsmouth, against six other regional teams. Notable performances came from Danielle Anderson (Oxford City), who came first with
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Football: Small-King returns
Striker Shane Small-King returns as AFC Wallingford seek their 14th straight win in the Seagrave Haulage League Premier Division when they travel to Cobham tomorrow. Small-King was cup-tied for the Berks & Bucks Senior Trophy defeat by Didcot Town
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Football: West fires warning shot
Thame United boss Mark West has warned his rivals he will resist any attempts to prise away defenders James Saulsbury and Tony Joyce from the Ryman League Division 1 North club. Oxford City - managed by ex-Thame boss Andy Sinnott - have put in a seven-day
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Football: Craig shown the door by Chippy
Chipping Norton Town have booted out defender Craig Dore following a row with the management team. Dore is understood to have expressed his dissatisfaction with the club's recent dip in form, and now he has been released. Chippy chairman Nigel Harrison
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Interview: Jason Spaceman -- sound for the soul
Jason Spaceman is not so much a musician as a cultural visionary. A purveyor of sound for the soul, Spaceman - aka - Jason Pierce -- is the rightful heir to the psychedelic throne formerly occupied by The Beatles, Hawkwind, The Grateful Dead's Jerry Garcia
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Ready for the big time!
Sixteen-year-old Charlie Forkner, of Cowley, Oxford, is making it big in Mini-moto racing. Charlie gets up to speed on his powerful Super class Blata In 2002 he won the ACU Championship and last year (2003) he shone in the competitive Lucky Devils series
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Hospital seeks staff
An Oxford hospital is holding a job fair for over-50s on January 21 as part of a recruitment drive. The John Radcliffe Hospital, in Headington, is looking for new porters, housekeepers, catering assistants and domestic assistants. Visitors will be able
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Review: Blasted
When Blasted was first performed in 1996, it received a mauling from the critics. Just about every nauseous phrase in the book was used to question the production and the reasons for its being staged. Andrew King as Ian and Charlotte Cowell as Cate Eight
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Review: Cold Mountain
If there's one film which could stage an upset at next year's Oscars and pip The Lord Of The Rings: The Return Of The King to Best Picture, it's Anthony Minghella's adaptation of Charles Frazier's novel. Jude Law and Nicole Kidman star in the American
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Review - Runaway Jury (12A)
Justice may be blind, but when it comes to money - or more specifically, making obscene amounts of the stuff - the American legal system possesses perfect vision. Runaway Jury is the latest courtroom thriller based on a trashy bestseller by the king of
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ADVICE FOR JOB HUNTERS: First impressions count
Seven times more people choose January to look for a new job than in the summer months -- which makes winter a good time of year to get your CV in order, according to fish4jobs.co.uk. Recent national statistics show that job vacancies are on the increase
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Hospital meeting packed
Almost 300 people were turned away from a packed meeting at Didcot called by NHS managers to discuss a proposed overhaul of hospital services, including possible closure of some community hospitals in the county. Mary Wicks, chief executive of South East
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Ridgeway drivers campaign over ban
Off-road motorists are launching a campaign against Government action to ban them from the Ridgeway. Bikers on the Ridgeway Motorcyclists and 4X4 drivers who use Oxfordshire's stretch of the historic trail said they were fed-up with being blamed for causing
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Gun crime on rise across police area
Gun crime in the Thames Valley has escalated dramatically in the last year -- with the second biggest increase in the country. There were 362 offences in the year to April 2003 -- 95 more than during 2001-2002. Nationally only Leicestershire, where there
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Museum's 'bunker' faces delay
A decision on the controversial scheme to extend the Ashmolean Museum in Oxford is likely to be delayed following a chorus of criticism about its "ugly" design. An artist's impression of the extenson People living in the St John Street conservation area
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Cerato to make inroads in Europe
The new Kia Cerato four-door saloon has made its European debut at the International Motor Show in Brussels. The new Kia Cerato For the first time in this segment, the Korean car maker will be offering customers a choice of petrol and diesel engines in
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Posties poised to strike yet again
Postal deliveries in Oxford look set to be disrupted again, with workers gearing up for more strike action. After a series of wildcat disputes last year, local leaders of the Communication Workers' Union have asked permission from their national executive
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Review: Avenger by Frederick Forsyth
(Bantam Press, £17.99) Frederick Forsyth's latest book is full of soldiers' stories, and is itself a bit like a tank. It takes a while to get going, and great chunks of summarised history are welded on to the narrative, but it's designed with real expertise
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Review: The Scared Stiff by Donald E Westlake (Orion, £17.99)
Barry is a chancer, a sort of loveable rogue, while his wife, Lola, is his soul-mate. She shares his cavalier attitude to the law and when one more scam fails, the two come up with a cunning plan -- to fake Barry's accidental death and collect $600,000
