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A thrilling Charlie Parker novel from bestselling author John Connolly.'Another creepy thriller from a modern master' - Daily MirrorRandall Haight has a secret: when he was a teenager, he and his friend killed a 14-year-old girl.Randall did his time and built a new life in the small Maine town of Pastor's Bay, but somebody has discovered the truth about Randall. He is being tormented by anonymous messages, haunting reminders of his past crime, and he wants private detective Charlie Parker to make it stop.But another 14-year-old girl has gone missing, this time from Pastor's Bay, and the missing girl's family has its own secrets to protect. Now Parker must unravel a web of deceit involving the police, the FBI, a doomed mobster named Tommy Morris, and Randall Haight himself.Because Randall Haight is telling lies . . .
At 6 7 and built like a bear, Clay Blaisdell is one big mother, but his capers are strictly small-time until he meets George Rackley. George introduces him to a hundred cons and the one big score that every small timer dreams of: kidnap.The Gerards are filthy rich, and their child, the last twig on the family tree, could be worth millions. And after all a baby can t ID you, so you can return it alive.There s only one problem: when the time comes for the deal to go down, George, the brains of the partnership, has died.Or has he?Now Blaze is running into the teeth of a howling storm and the cops are closing in. He s got a baby as a hostage, and the Crime of the Century just turned into a race against time in the white hell of the Maine woods.Lost for years amongst Stephen King s papers, and published for the first time ever in 2007, Blaze is a heartstopping thriller reminiscent of Steinbeck s Of Mice and Men with the power of a noir fable.
The seventh classic instalment in this genre-changing series of novels featuring Detective Inspector Martin Beck.On a quiet night a high-ranking police officer, Nyland, is slaughtered in his hospital bed, brutally massacred with a bayonet. It's not hard to find people with a motive to kill him; in fact the problem for Detective Inspector Martin Beck is how to narrow the list down to one suspect. But as he investigates Nyland's murder he must confront whether he is willing to risk his life for his job.Written in the 1960s, these masterpieces are the work of Maj Sjowall and Per Wahloo - a husband and wife team from Sweden. The ten novels follow the fortunes of the detective Martin Beck, whose enigmatic, taciturn character has inspired countless other policemen in crime fiction. The novels can be read separately, but do follow a chronological order, so the reader can become familiar with the characters and develop a loyalty to the series. Each book will have a new introduction in order to help bring these books to a new audience.
In 88 B.C., it seems as if the entire ancient world is at war. In the west, the Italian states are rebelling against Rome; in the east, Mithridates is marching through and conquering the Roman Asian provinces. Even in the relatively calm Alexandria, a coup has brought a new Pharaoh to power and chaos to the streets. The young Gordianus has been waiting out the chaos in Alexandria, with Bethesda, when he gets a cryptic message from his former tutor and friend, Antipater. Now in Ephesus, as part of Mithridates' entourage, Antipater seems to think that his life is in imminent danger. To rescue him, Gordianus concocts a daring, even foolhardy, scheme to go "e;behind enemy lines"e; and bring Antipater to safety. But there are powerful, and deadly forces, at work here, which have their own plans for Gordianus. Not entirely sure whether he's a player or a pawn, Gordianus must unravel the mystery behind the message if he's to save himself and the people he holds most dear.
The redoubtable Phryne Fisher is holidaying at Cave House, a Gothic mansion in the heart of Australia's Victorian mountain country. But the peaceful surroundings mask danger. Her host is receiving death threats, lethal traps are set without explanation, and the parlour maid is found strangled to death. What with the reappearance of mysterious funerary urns, a pair of young lovers, an extremely eccentric swagman, an angry outcast heir, and the luscious Lin Chung, Phryne's attention has definitely been caught. Her search for answers takes her deep into the dungeons of the house and into the limestone Buchan caves. But what will she find this time?
Abduction, intrigue and death - it's just not cricket! Phryne Fisher has plans for her Sydney sojourn - a few days at the Test match, a little sightseeing and the Artist's Ball with an up-and-coming young modernist. But these plans begin to go awry when Phryne's maid discovers her thoroughly respectable sister has left her family for the murky nightlife of the city's seamier side. And Phryne is definitely not the woman to say no when two delightful and handsome men come to her on bended knees, begging for her help in finding their friend innocent of theft. All in all, Phryne's plans for a simple day or two of pleasure watching young men in white are postponed for good!
Nobody knows Bangkok like Royal Thai Police Detective Sonchai Jitpleecheep, and there is no one quite like Sonchai: a police officer who has kept his Buddhist soul intact-more or less-despite the fact that his job shoves him face-to-face with some of the most vile and outrageous crimes and criminals in Bangkok. But for his newest assignment, everything he knows about his city-and himself-will be a mere starting point.He's put in charge of the highest-profile criminal case in Thailand-an attempt to bring an end to trafficking in human organs. He sets in motion a massive sting operation and stays at its center, traveling to Phuket, Hong Kong, Dubai, Shanghai, and Monte Carlo. He draws in a host of unwitting players that includes an aging rock star wearing out his second liver and the mysterious, diabolical, albeit gorgeous co-queenpins of the international body-parts trade: the Chinese twins known as the Vultures. And yet, it's closer to home that Sonchai will discover things getting really dicey: rumors will reach him suggesting that his ex-prostitute wife, Chanya, is having an affair. Will Sonchai be enlightened enough-forget Buddha, think jealous husband-to cope with his very own compromised and compromising world? All will be revealed here, in John Burdett's most mordantly funny, propulsive, fiendishly entertaining novel yet.Praise for John Burdett and his Bangkok novels:'Cracking East meets West thriller introducing a half-Thai, half-American cop whose Buddhist beliefs are as important as his forensic skills. Terrific' Observer.'A fantastic new thriller with an avenging Buddhist cop as its central character' Mail on Sunday.'Read this book, savour the language - it's the last and most compelling word in thrillers' James Ellroy.'Impeccably researched, this is sometimes poetic, often exotic, and totally hardcore' Daily Mirror."e;Burdett's fever-dream mysteries, set in Bangkok, recast the police procedural as psychedelic peep show."e; The New Yorker."e;Burdett is purely and simply a wonderful writer."e; The Washington Post Book World.
Acclaimed bestselling novelist Kunihiko Hidaka is found brutally murdered in his home on the night before he's planning to leave Japan and relocate to Vancouver. His body is found in his office, in a locked room, within his locked house, by his wife and his best friend, both of whom have rock solid alibis. Or so it seems. Police Detective Kyochiro Kaga recognizes Hidaka's best friend. Years ago when they were both teachers, they were colleagues at the same high school. Kaga went on to join the police force while Osamu Nonoguchi left to become a full-time writer, though with not nearly the success of his friend Hidaka. But Kaga thinks something is a little bit off with Nonoguchi's statement and investigates further, ultimately executing a search warrant on Nonoguchi's apartment. There he finds evidence that shows that the two writers' relationship was very different than the two claimed. Nonoguchi confesses to the murder, but that's only the beginning of the story. In a brilliantly realized tale of cat and mouse, the detective and the writer battle over the truth of the past and how events that led to the murder really unfolded. Which one of the two writers was ultimately guilty of malice?
She drives to a secluded beauty spot on the Somerset coast.CCTV watches her arrive, but never sees her leave. Lynda is never seen again.Why would a woman with no reason to run leave her entire life behind? Missing and presumed dead, only Lynda knows the truth . . . Was it her decision? Or did someone make it for her? 'I can't remember a thriller containing so many twists and surprises. It grips from the start' The Times, Book of the Month
Now that she is finally and happily married to her long-term suitor Mr J.L.B. Matekoni, Mma Ramotswe of the No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency of Botswana might have expected life to grow more sedate. But the many problems that lead customers to Mma Ramotswe's door seem, if anything, to have multiplied, and no sooner has she settled her traditionally built person into the married state than she finds herself looking into several troublesome matters at once. There is, to begin with, a disturbing case of blackmail and theft from the Government catering college. Then, while on an errand for her husband to the Mokolodi Game Reserve Mma Ramotswe is seconded to investigate an unpleasant atmosphere that may be down to witchcraft, or something worse. There are sinister goings-on at a health clinic to be looked into, not to mention any number of small wrongs to be righted along the path to detective triumph. And all the time Mma Ramotswe has weighty questions of a philosophical nature to consider, such as whether it is right to find happiness in small things, such as a new pair of blue shoes, a slice of cake, or a red sunset over the Kalahari.
Haunted by her past. In danger from her present.Isolated, alone, vulnerable.Sometimes the danger is closer than you think.As a teenager, Sarah D'Villez famously escaped a man who abducted and held her hostage for eleven days. The case became notorious, with Sarah's face splashed across the front of every newspaper in the country.Now, seventeen years later, that man is about to be released from prison. Fearful of the media storm that is sure to follow, Sarah decides to flee to rural Wales under a new identity, telling nobody where she's gone.Settling into the small community she is now part of, Sarah soon realises that someone is watching her. Someone who seems to know everything about her . . .
FEATURED IN THE TIMES TOP 100 CRIME & THRILLERS SINCE 1945 THE GRIPPING & UNPUTDOWNABLE THRILLER FROM THE BESTSELLING CRIME WRITING SENSATION, PERFECT FOR FANS OF THE KILLING, JO NESBO AND SCANDI NOIR. She scratches at the walls until her fingers bleed. But there is no escaping the room. She doesn't know how long she's been there. She vows not to go mad. She will not give her captors the satisfaction. She would rather die. Copenhagen detective Carl M rck has been taken off homicide to run a newly created department for unsolved crimes. His first case concerns politician Merete Lynggaard, who vanished five years ago. Everyone says she's dead. Everyone says it's a waste of time. He thinks they're right.But she isn't dead... yet. Can they save her in time? Dark, mysterious and gripping, Mercy establishes Jussi Adler-Olsen as the master of the Nordic thriller.If you like Mercy, you'll love the rest in the Department Q series: Redemption, Disgrace, Guilt and BuriedPraise for Jussi Adler-Olsen:'The new 'it' boy of Nordic Noir' The Times 'Gripping story-telling' Guardian'This pitch-black novel will have readers hungry for more' Independent
The Woman in White famously opens with Walter Hartright's eerie encounter on a moonlit London road. Engaged as a drawing master to the beautiful Laura Fairlie, Walter is drawn into the sinister intrigues of Sir Percival Glyde and his 'charming' friend Count Fosco, who has a taste for white mice, vanilla bonbons and poison. Pursuing questions of identity and insanity along the paths and corridors of English country houses and the madhouse, The Woman in White is the first and most influential of the Victorian genre that combined Gothic horror with psychological realism.
A gripping thriller from David Baldacci, The Last Mile is perfect for fans of Lee Child and James Patterson.Memories can be a real killer.Melvin Mars awaits his fate on Death Row. He was one of America's most promising football stars until, aged twenty, he was arrested and convicted for the murder of his parents just as he was due to begin a very lucrative contract with the NFL.When Amos Decker, newly appointed special agent with the FBI, hears the news that Melvin was saved in the final seconds before his execution because someone has confessed to the killings, he persuades his boss to allow him to carry out an investigation into the Mars murders. There are facts about the case which don't add up, and as the investigation deepens, Decker and his team uncover layer upon layer of lies and deception which are rooted at a time in American history which most would rather forget, but some seem keen to remember. There is someone out there with a lot to hide, and a secret that everyone is looking for. A race against time ensues because, when revealed, that information threatens to tear apart the corridors of power at the very highest level.The case proves to be life-changing for both Mars and Decker in ways that neither could ever have imagined.The Last Mile is the second in the Amos Decker series, following Memory Man.
The Salmon of Doubt is Douglas Adams's indispensable guide to life, the universe and everything. It includes short stories and eleven chapters of a Dirk Gently novel that Douglas Adams was working on at the time of his death, and features an introduction by Stephen Fry.This sublime collection dips into the wit and wisdom of the man behind The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, uncovering his unique comic musings on everything from his school-trousers to malt whisky and from the letter Y through to his own nose, via atheism, hangovers and fried eggs.These hilarious collected writings reveal the warmth, enthusiasm and ferocious intelligence behind this most English of comic writers; a man who was virtually an unofficial member of the Monty Python team. Douglas Adams on his passion for P. G. Wodehouse, The Beatles and the perfect cup of tea alone make this a must-have collection and a remarkable sign-off from one of the best loved writers of all time.Start from the beginning of the surreal Dirk Gently series with Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency.
Another runaway adventure with glamorous heroine Phryne Fisher!When Phryne Fisher arranges to go to Ballarat for a week, she eschews the excitement of her Hispano-Suiza for the sedate safety of the train. But as the passengers sleep, they are all overcome by chloroform poisoning.In the morning Phryne is left to piece together all the clues: a young girl suffering from amnesia, the body of an old woman missing her emerald rings and rumours of white slavery and black magic... the last thing Phryne was expecting of this train journey was that she will have to use her trusty Beretta .32 to save lives!
Another runaway adventure with glamorous heroine Phryne Fisher!Whether foiling kidnappers' plans, walking the wings of a Tiger Moth or simply deciding what to wear for dinner, Phryne handles everything with her usual panache and flair!Here, the 1920's most glamorous detective flies even higher, handling an abduction and a murder with style and ease... all before it's time to adjourn to the Queenscliff Hotel for breakfast. Whether she's flying planes, clearing a friend of homicide charges or saving a child from kidnapping, she handles everything with the same dash and elan with which she drives her red Hispano-Suiza.
As civil war between Caesar and Pompey engulfs the Roman world, Gordianus the Finder receives an anonymous message informing him of the death of his son Meto who has been acting as a double agent for Caesar. The search for Meto's fate brings Gordianus to the besieged seaport of Massilia, which is stubbornly holding out against Caesar's troops. As famine and slaughter threaten the blockaded city, Gordianus is drawn into the intrigues of exiled Romans and duplicitous Massilians. His only friend in the city, Hieronymous, has been made the doomed scapegoat elected by city officials to bear the sins of the populace and save them all from annihilation. Meanwhile, Gordianus is constantly frustrated in his efforts to find out what happened to his son - and when he witnesses the fall of a young woman from a precipice outside the city called the Sacrifice Rock, then the plot begins to thicken...
It is 48 BC.For years now the rival Roman generals Caesar and Pompey have engaged in a contest for world domination. Both now turn to Egypt, Pompey planning a last stand on the banks of the Nile, while Caesar's legendary encounter with the Egyptian queen will spark a romance that reverberates down the centuries. But Egyptitself is torn apart by the murderous rivalry between the goddess-queen and her brother King Ptolemy.Into this hothouse atmosphere of intrigue and deception comes Gordianus the Finder, innocently seeking a cure for his wife Bethesda in the sacred waters of the Nile. But soon he finds himself engaged in an even more desperate pursuit - to prove the innocence of his son, who stands accused of murder. The judgement of Caesar will determine the fate of Gordianus's son; the choice Caesar makes between Cleopatra and Ptolemy will determine the future of the world. Saylor presents a bold new vision of Caesar and Cleopatra, amid bloodshed and battle, in a setting of Egyptian mystery.
THE SUNDAY TIMES NUMBER ONE BESTSELLER.The twenty third instalment of the NUMBER ONE BESTSELLING DCI Banks Series. The Alan Banks mystery-suspense novels are the best series on the market. Try one and tell me I'm wrong. - Stephen KingTwo young girls.Two unspeakable crimes.Fifty years separate them - their pain connects them.When the body of a 15-year-old is found in a remote countryside lane, beaten and broken, DI Annie Cabbot is brought in to investigate how the child could possibly have fallen victim to such brutality.Newly promoted Detective Superintendent Alan Banks is faced with a case that is as cold as they come. Now in her 60s, Linda Palmer was attacked aged 14 by celebrity entertainer Danny Caxton, yet the crime has never been investigated - until now.As each steps closer to uncovering the truth, they'll unearth secrets much darker than they ever could have guessed . . .
'Robyn Young realistically evokes the brutal world of the late fifteenth century, and interweaves a gripping tale with a highly original take on Richard III and the Princes in the Tower. Provocative and grounded upon impressive research, this is historical fiction of a high calibre. More, please!' Alison Weir1483: A secret war is born...Jack Wynter is trapped in sun-baked Seville, sent there by his father with a locked box he's been told to guard with his life. A vital task, or just a ruse to get an illegitimate son out of the country?But, then, when his father is arrested for treason, Jack finds himself at the heart of a deadly conspiracy. Seeking answers to the mystery he has inherited, Jack returns to England, where his half-brother, Harry, broods bitterly over their father's apparent preference for a bastard son and young Prince Edward is due to become king... unless his uncle, Richard of Gloucester, makes a play for the throne. Jack Wynter is coming home, to a realm of danger, intrigue and war. Somehow, he is connected to a secret that stretches across Europe, and beyond. A secret with the power to kill him - or make him.Sons of the Blood is the first in an epic new series from the Sunday Times bestselling author. Look out for part two, Court of Wolves.
We first met Flavia Albia, Falco's feisty adopted daughter, in The Ides of April. Albia is a remarkable woman in what is very much a man's world: young, widowed and fiercely independent, she lives alone on the Aventine Hill in Rome and makes a good living as a hired investigator. An outsider in more ways than one, Albia has unique insight into life in ancient Rome, and she puts it to good use going places no man could go, and asking questions no man could ask.Even as the dust settles from her last case, Albia finds herself once again drawn into a web of lies and intrigue. Two mysterious deaths at a local villa may be murder and, as the household slaves are implicated, Albia is once again forced to involve herself. Her fight is not just for truth and justice, however; this time, she's also battling for the very lives of people who can't fight for themselves.Enemies at Home presents Ancient Rome as only Lindsey Davis can, offering wit, intrigue, action and the further adventures of a brilliant new heroine who promises to be as celebrated as Marcus Didius Falco and Helena Justina, her fictional predecessors.
The perfect book for fans of serial killer thrillers and crime writers such as Peter James, Mark Billingham and Peter RobinsonHe didn't intend to let her get so closeBut Robert Naysmith's girlfriend Kim has become important to him. So he decides to tell her his deadly secret. He wants her to recognise the power he holds.He hopes he won't have to kill herDetective Inspector Harland hasn't forgotten the serial killer who got away from him. But with nothing to go on, he fears he will never bring him to justice.Until he is seconded to investigate the brutal murder of a woman in her Bristol home. A random attack, a murderer who has carefully covered his tracks . . . alarm bells start ringing.Then Harland meets Kim. One last game of life and death is about to begin.Praise for Fergus McNeil 'A chilling game of cat and mouse that should keep you awake long after bedtime. DI Harland is a welcome addition to the growing ranks of British detectives' Peter Robinson, bestselling author of the DCI Banks series 'Let's welcome Fergus McNeill to the ranks of British Crime fiction innovators; he has found a darker shade of noir' Quintin Jardine, bestselling author of the Constable Bob Skinner series 'Creepy, compelling and completely convincing' Erin Kelly, bestselling author of He Said/ She Said 'A gripping first novel' Irish Independent
Mary Stewart, one of the great British storytellers of the 20th century, transports her readers to rural Northumberland for this tale of romance, ambition, and deceit - a perfect fit for fans of Agatha Christie and Barbara Pym. 'There are few to equal Mary Stewart' Daily Telegraph'Mary Stewart is magic.' New York TimesWhitescar is a beautiful old house and farm situated in Roman Wall country. It will make a rich inheritance for its heirs, but in order to secure it, they enlist the help of a young woman named Mary who bears remarkable resemblance to missing Whitescar heiress, Annabel Winslow. Their deception will spark a powder-keg of ambition, obsession and long-dead love.The ivy had reached for the tree and only the tree's upper branches managed to thrust the young gold leaves of early summer through the strangling curtain. Eventually the ivy would kill it . . . 'One of the great British storytellers of the 20th century' Independent'The Ivy Tree has the ideal thriller blend of plot, suspense, character drawing and good writing' Daily Express
'Edith's fall takes the form of a psychological chiller, but there is also something larger, the poignancy of her struggle not to go under. She is betrayed by such ordinary dreams' New York TimesEdith Howland's diary is her most precious possession, and as she is moving house she is making sure it's safe. A suburban housewife in fifties America, she is moving to Brunswick with her husband Brett and her beloved son, Cliffie, to start a new life for them all. She is optimistic, but most of all she has high hopes for her new venture with Brett, a local newspaper, the Brunswick Corner Bugle.Life seems full of promise, and indeed, to read her diary, filled with her most intimate feelings and revelations, you would never think otherwise. Strange, then, that reality is so dangerously different . . .
A special 10th anniversary edition of the standalone bestseller, Winter in Madrid, by the author of the much-loved Shardlake series, C. J. Sansom.1940: The Spanish Civil War is over, and Madrid lies ruined, its people starving, while the Germans continue their relentless march through Europe. Britain now stands alone while General Franco considers whether to abandon neutrality and enter the war. Into this uncertain world comes Harry Brett: a traumatized veteran of Dunkirk turned reluctant spy for the British Secret Service. Sent to gain the confidence of old school friend Sandy Forsyth, now a shady Madrid businessman, Harry finds himself involved in a dangerous game - and surrounded by memories. Meanwhile Sandy's girlfriend, ex-Red Cross nurse Barbara Clare, is engaged in a secret mission of her own - to find her former lover Bernie Piper, a passionate Communist in the International Brigades, who vanished on the bloody battlefields of the Jarama. In a vivid and haunting depiction of wartime Spain, Winter in Madrid by C. J. Sansom is an intimate and compelling tale which offers a remarkable sense of history unfolding, and the profound impact of impossible choices.
Raven Black is the first book in Ann Cleeves' Shetland series - filmed as the major BBC1 drama starring Douglas Henshall, Shetland.It is a cold January morning and Shetland lies buried beneath a deep layer of snow. Trudging home, Fran Hunter's eye is drawn to a vivid splash of colour on the white ground, ravens circling above. It is the strangled body of her teenage neighbour Catherine Ross. As Fran opens her mouth to scream, the ravens continue their deadly dance . . .The locals on the quiet island stubbornly focus their gaze on one man - loner and simpleton Magnus Tait. But when police insist on opening out the investigation a veil of suspicion and fear is thrown over the entire community. For the first time in years, Catherine's neighbours nervously lock their doors, whilst a killer lives on in their midst.Also available in the Shetland series are White Nights, Red Bones, Blue Lightning, Dead Water and Thin Air.
Looking Good Dead is the second bestselling title in the Detective Superintendent Roy Grace series from number one author Peter James.When a young woman's body is found butchered in Brighton, Detective Superintendent Roy Grace cannot help but think of his own missing wife and her unsolved fate.Elsewhere in the city, when Tom Bryce finds a disc left on a train, he simply tries to do the right thing - return it to its owner. But this attempted act of kindness makes him the sole witness to that same vicious murder.Learning that Tom has made a statement to Grace's team, the killers have to act. But when they plan the murder of the Bryce family, it's not just revenge - it's entertainment.
Dead Simple is the stunning first novel in the number one bestselling Roy Grace series from award-winning author, Peter James.Detective Superintendent Roy Grace's first major case is one he'll ever forget.It was meant to be a harmless stag-night prank. But a few hours later, the groom has disappearedand his friends are dead.With only three days to the wedding, Grace is contacted by the man's distraught fiancee to unearth what happened on that fateful night.Grace discovers that the one man who ought to know of the groom's whereabouts is saying nothing. But then he has a lot more to gain than anyone realizes, for one man's disaster is another man's fortune . . .
A vivid and gripping novel from 'the master of the modern spy thriller' (Mail on Sunday) which sees Alec Milius coaxed back into the secret world to face the uncontainable danger of 21st century terrorism...For six years, Alec Milius has escaped the past. In Madrid, he has rebuilt his life, but remains in exile and in danger.Slightly older, and much wiser, than the young spy who first impressed MI6, he has kept his fatal attraction to secrets. So when a prominent politician mysteriously disappears, Alec is lured back into the spying game.Only this time he operates without the protection of any official agency - isolated and expendable, with nobody to turn to if things go wrong. And they soon do.But when Alec is confronted with the nightmare of modern terrorism, he is given one last chance for redemption...
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