One of the chief pleasures of writing novels is the opportunity to learn about new and fascinating things in the name of research. My next book will be set, in part, in Georgia, and before going there I've been spending a few days reading about the place and its rich,...

A week ago a German-born, British-educated lawyer called Michael Little was arrested at Kennedy Airport as he flew into New York. Mr Little is 61, once served in the Royal Marines, and lives in the English countryside with his wife, who was with him on the flight and...

A year on from successfully having them frozen, the Egyptian state has yet to recover a penny of the £85 million of assets thought to belong to Hosni Mabarak in the UK. Staff at its specially established Illicit Gains Department, despairing of any prospect of cooperation from the...