Internet and web technology penetrates many aspects of our daily life. Its importance as a medium for business transactions will grow exponentially during the next few years. In terms of the involved market volume, the B2B area will hereby be the most interesting area. Also, it will be the place, where the new technology will lead to drastic changes in established customer relationships and business models. In an era where open and flexible electronic commerce provides new types of services to its users, simple 1-1 connections will be replaced by n-m relationships between customers and...

In the 1950's, Stan Cummings, Bill Hardy and Jimmy Buxton grew up together in the Lancashire town of Ramscliff. Their world was centred around the old cotton mills, and especially the River Irk which flows through a deep gorge in the town. Now it is 1994. Stan and Bill are both teachers at Ramscliff High School, but Jimmy is now a Detective Sergeant in the local police force. When Stan finds a girl's body in the river, Jimmy is put in charge of the case. Two more murders follow, and Stan, who spends a lot of time down by the river, is seen as the chief suspect: initially by a hostile Chief...