The galley went rather quiet. A few of the pirate crew stared intently out of the portholes, embarrassed at their Captain’s mistake. But to everyone’s relief, instead of running somebody through, the Pirate Captain just narrowed his eyes thoughtfully. Practical solutions and simple interventions to help you de-stress and re-set your life. Find Out More

The Associate - John Grisham The Associate - John Grisham

Coach Kyle happened to see the man when he entered the gym, and he thought to himself that the guy was out of place. Probably a detective of some sort, maybe a narc lookingfor a dealer. It would not be the first arrest in or around the gym. That explains a lot,” he said. “I suppose it’s also why we’ve never glimpsed that giant compass in the corner of the Atlantic. I have to say, I’m a little disappointed.”

McAvoy had joined Kevin Brown, who was 47 at the time, in plotting to rob armoured vehicles near Sudbury. However, the pair were caught and McAvoy was given an almost unheard of life sentence, with the added bonus of being a Category A prisoner – the highest level of offender in the system – because of his associates and consequently escape risk. At a succession of other prisons, including Belmarsh, McAvoy sat “literally rotting” in the company of criminals; the 32 year old even shared a wing at one point with notorious Islamist terrorist, Abu Hamza. He was to spend eight years behind bars. Epiphany behind bars The Hollywood ending to what is already an amazing story was not to be; despite his formidable physique, the technical aspects of rowing on water meant the GB squad was out of reach after spending his prime in a cell. “I missed the boat,” he cuttingly remarks. He then landed upon Ironman – a combined 2.4 mile swim, 112 mile cycle, and 26.2 mile marathon – as the discipline best suited to his extreme endurance capacity. While McAvoy is forthright about “this overwhelming desire that I’m going to be successful in life at something” (to the extent that he gently dismisses the idea of marriage or family any time soon) he has also started seeing how he could use his story to inspire others. McAvoy is currently working with the William Watts Memorial Foundation, providers of sports facilities to underprivileged young people at risk of offending, along with his sponsors, Serco. McAvoy was clearly aged beyond his years by the experience, but perhaps the greatest influence was a disdain for a life of struggle that is led by so many. Marquis was only eleven, but clearly the best player on the court. He preferred shooting and scoring over passing and defending, and within two minutes he’d slashed through the lane, around and through and over much larger players, and scored six points. His average was fourteen, and if allowed to play more than half a game, he could probably score thirty. In his own young opinion, he really didn’t need to practice.

John McAvoy interview: Former criminal turned Ironman - Red Bull John McAvoy interview: Former criminal turned Ironman - Red Bull

This Is Your Brain During a 2k The 2k erg has always been and forever will be a daunting task. No matter how fast or strong, there’s no escaping the pain. The... 7 minute

David Mark is one of the most popular authors from The United Kingdom, who has written several highly successful books in the crime, mystery, and thriller genres. He is particularly famous for writing down the Aector McAvoy crime series. Before beginning his writing career, author Mark used to work as a journalist and spent around 15 years in the field. For the first seven years, he was associated with The Yorkshire Post as a crime reporter. He used to keep walking on the Hull streets very often in search of the reports of crime. Eventually, the region went on to become the setting for the plots of the novels written by author Mark in the Aector McAvoy series. The writing style of author Mark is very much influenced by the number of court cases that he covered during his journalist career. He also studied the jaded and defeatist police officers, the investigators who were both competent and incompetent according to the situation. By the time he was 18, he was immersed so deeply in the underworld that a prison sentence for the possession of a gun wasn’t enough to change his trajectory – indeed, it only made it worse. Jasper Jolly All across the USA, people are showing up dead. The deaths don't appear to be connected in any way until one particular death occurs and gets the Secretary of Defense's attention. He arranges for a task force to investigate. It’s an extraordinary, dreadful start to adult life, but it is, in McAvoy’s telling, only the first part. He attempts to put some distance between his past and his future, a perception which was seemingly at odds with the fact that, until 2009, he didn’t show any inclination to leave a criminal upbringing behind. It took the death of a friend to change it. McAvoy firmly believes that sport has provided an outlet for his desire for status and success. “I was always wanting to earn money and I was always incredibly driven and incredibly focused,” says McAvoy.