Just over a century ago British troops were fighting a vicious frontier war against Pashtun tribeman on the North West Frontier – the great-great-grandfathers of the Taliban and tribal insurgents in modern-day Afghanistan.

Poor Winston’s too busy to play with his friends – he is off to the vet with a great big splinter in his paw, and there’s absolutely nothing worse than having a splinter in your paw, or so Winston thinks. But what Winston doesn’t see as he crosses the busy city is that unlike his friends, he’s one very lucky pup! If only he would look around and see the chaos he leaves behind him . . . but having a splinter can be very distracting.

Con Coughlin is a distinguished journalist and the author of three critically aclaimed books, including the international bestseller Saddam: The Secret Life. He is Defence and Security Editor of the Daily Telegraph, and writes for the Spectator and other periodicals. He is a regular commentator on world affairs for BBC news programmes and Sky News, and is a specialist on the Middle East and International terrorism. His most recent book, American Ally, was published in 2006.

Pamela Duncan Edwards grew up in the north of England but now lives in the USA. She is married with two grown-up sons and has a young grandchild. She worked as a children's librarian before becoming a writer and is passionate about the importance of books for children.

Winston Mawdsley Graham OBEwas an English novelist, best known for the series of historical novels about the Poldarks. Graham was born in Manchester in 1908, but moved to Perranporth, Cornwall when he was seventeen. His first novel, The House with the Stained Glass Windows was published in 1933.His first 'Poldark' novel, Ross Poldark, was published in 1945, and was followed by eleven further titles, the last of which, Bella Poldark, came out in 2002. The novels were set in Cornwall, especially in and around Perranporth, where Graham spent much of his life, and were made into a BBC television series in the 1970s.It was so successful that vicars moved or cancelled church services rather than try to hold them when Poldark was showing.

Michael Maloney is well known for his film work which includes Truly, Madly, Deeply, Notes on a Scandal and Hamlet. His television work includes New Tricks, Pinochet in Suburbia and Ancient Rome: Rise and Fall of an Empire.

Alan Monaghan was born in Dublin in 1980. He won the Hennessy New Irish Writing Award and the Prize for Emerging Fiction in 2002. The Soldier’s Song was his eagerly-awaited first novel, based on the short story that won him these prizes, followed by The Soldier's Return. The Soldier's Farewell completes the trilogy.

C. J. Sansom was educated at Birmingham University, where he took a BA and then a Ph.D. in history. After working in a variety of jobs, he retrained as a solicitor and practised in Sussex, until becoming a full-time writer. Sansom is the bestselling author of the acclaimed Shardlake series, and the Spanish Civil War thriller Winter in Madrid. He lives in Sussex.