Bolivia's preeminent fiction writer eclipses the successful English translation of American Visa with a riveting murder mystery.From Publishers WeeklyIn this leisurely, character-driven study set in 1952 from Bolivian author de Recacoechea (American Visa), a train ride across the high Andean plain serves as the stage for a high-stakes card game, a quick sexual encounter and murder. The dramatic trip across the Antiplano from La Paz, Bolivia, to the Chilean seaport of Arica only incidentally recalls Agatha Christie's classic Murder on the Orient Express. The large cast mirrors the political and social scene, including an older businessman and his teenage wife, a skirt-chasing college student, a revolutionary disguised as a priest, expatriates from Ireland and Russia, and a deadly one-legged mine worker who struck at the floor with his crutches à la Long John Silver, his favorite fictional character. More Camus than mystery thriller, this novel delights like strong coffee savored in a cosmopolitan cafe. (Apr.) Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. About the AuthorJuan de Recacoechea was born in La Paz, Bolivia, and worked as a journalist in Europe for almost twenty years. After returning to his native country, he helped found Bolivia's first state-run television network and dedicated himself to fiction writing. His novel American Visa won Bolivia's National Book Prize; was adapted into an award-winning film. Adrian Althoff is a freelance journalist and translator based in La Paz, Bolivia and Washington, D.C. Views: 28
"The traditional British cozy is alive and well. Delicious. I was hooked from the first paragraph.” – Rhys Bowen, award-winning author of Her Royal Spyness “Death of a Cozy Writer, G. M. Malliet’s hilarious first mystery, is a must-read for fans of Robert Barnard and P. G. Wodehouse. I'm looking forward eagerly to Inspector St. Just’s next case!” – Donna Andrews, award-winning author of The Penguin Who Knew Too Much “A house party in a Cambridgeshire mansion with the usual suspects, er, guests-a sly patriarch, grasping relatives, a butler, and a victim named Ruthven (what else?)-I haven’t had so much fun since Anderson’s ‘Affair of the Bloodstained Egg Cosy.’ Pass the tea and scones, break out the sherry, settle down in the library by the fire and enjoy Malliet’s delightful tribute to the time-honored tradition of the English country house mystery.” – Marcia Talley, Agatha and Anthony award-winning author of Dead Man Dancing and six previous mysteries “Death of a Cozy Writer is a romp, a classic tale of family dysfunction in a moody and often humourous English country house setting. A worthy addition to the classic mystery tradition and the perfect companion to a cup of tea and a roaring fire, or a sunny deck chair. Relax and let G. M. Malliet introduce you to the redoubtable Detective Chief Inspector St. Just of the Cambridgeshire Constabulary. I’m sure we’ll be hearing much more from him!” – Louise Penny, author of the award-winning Armand Gamache series of murder mysteries *** From deep in the heart of his eighteenth century English manor, millionaire Sir Adrian Beauclerk-Fisk writes mystery novels and torments his four spoiled children with threats of disinheritance. Tiring of this device, the portly patriarch decides to weave a malicious twist into his well-worn plot. Gathering them all together for a family dinner, he announces his latest blow – a secret elopement with the beautiful Violet… who was once suspected of murdering her husband. Within hours, eldest son and appointed heir Ruthven is found cleaved to death by a medieval mace. Since Ruthven is generally hated, no one seems too surprised or upset – least of all his cold-blooded wife Lillian. When Detective Chief Inspector St. Just is brought in to investigate, he meets with a deadly calm that goes beyond the usual English reserve. And soon Sir Adrian himself is found slumped over his writing desk – an ornate knife thrust into his heart. Trapped amid leering gargoyles and concrete walls, every member of the family is a likely suspect. Using a little Cornish brusqueness and brawn, can St. Just find the killer before the next-in-line to the family fortune ends up dead? Views: 28
Eleisha Clevon has begun a correspondence with fellow vampire Rose de Spenser. Both reluctant predators, they venture outside only when the hunger becomes unbearable, trying not to draw attention to themselves-and feel guilty when ending human lives. But Eleisha has learned a way to draw blood from her victims without killing them. She wants to share this knowledge with like-minded vampires and create a haven where they can exist together-and forge a united front against Julian Ashton, a vampire who has been hunting down and destroying his own kind… Views: 28
For fans of Jojo Moyes, David Nicholls, and Sophie Kinsella, here is a Pride and Prejudice for the modern era: Londoners Kim and Harry can’t see eye to eye…until the life of the person they both love most hangs in the balance.Kim and Harry are total opposites who happen to have the same favorite people in the world: Kim’s older sister, Eva, and her young son, Otis. Kim has never seen what her free-spirited big sister sees in a stuck-up stockbroker like Harry and has spent her childhood trying to keep him out (must he always drive the most ostentatious cars and insist on charming everyone he meets?), while Harry’s favorite occupation is winding Kim up. Both Harry and Kim are too stuck in their prejudices to care about what’s really going on beneath the surface of each other’s lives. They’ll never understand each other—until the worst of all tragedy strikes. Faced with the possibilities of losing the person they both... Views: 28
"It was a dark and stormy night." Paul Clifford leads a double life. By day he is a fashionable man about town, the toast of genteel society. By night, he is 'Captain Lovett', a dashing masked highwayman, robbing unsuspecting travellers on moonlit roads with his band of fellow brigands. When Clifford falls in love with the beautiful, auburn-haired Lucy, the daughter of a wealthy squire, he wonders if he should abandon his life of vice. But there are many obstacles in his path: his sly love rival Lord Mauleverer, dark secrets from the past, and the threat of the hangman's noose... Views: 28
Sonny's been an outsider all his life. He has never fit into either world: the Moscondagas on the Reservation see him as white; whites see him as Indian. So far, Sonny's managed to harness his anger -- what he calls "the monster" -- in the boxing ring. But Sonny wants out of the Res. He's headed for New York City, where nobody can tell him what to do.Sonny doesn't count on stepping into the middle of a drug war when he gets there -- or on tangling with a tough Harlem boxer-turned-cop named Alfred Brooks. Brooks seems to think that Sonny's got the talent to make it to the top -- to be a contender. But first Sonny's got to learn to be smart, take control of his life, and beat the monster. Only it isn't as easy as it sounds.... Views: 28
A corrupt prime minister uses current anti-terror laws to Orwellian extremes in this "sophisticated, engrossing, and important political thriller" (The Washington Post). In a near-future England, there are still concerns about terrorism, the press is still feisty, and the prime minister is about to call a general election. But unknown even to most government officials, new technology and anti-terror laws have been used to establish unprecedented control over the lives of ordinary citizens. A top-secret data-mining system known as Deep Truth combs through personal records, identifying law violators as well as anyone disposed to "antigovernment" beliefs. David Eyam was once the prime minister's head of intelligence, but after a mysterious fall from grace, he was killed by a terrorist bomb while on vacation in Colombia. Now his former lover, Kate Lockhart, has been named the benefactor of his estate. But Eyam has left her more than just... Views: 28
Scientist, mathematician, traveler, soldier-and spy-Rene Descartes was one of the founders of the modern world. His life coincided with an extraordinary time in history: the first half of the miraculous seventeenth century, replete with genius in the arts and sciences, and wracked by civil and international conflicts across Europe. But at his birth in 1596 the world was still dominated by medieval beliefs in phenomena such as miracles and spontaneous generation. It was Descartes who identified the intellectual tools his peers needed to free themselves from the grip of religious authority and in doing so he founded modern philosophy.In this new biography, A. C. Grayling tells the story of Descartes' life, and places it in his tumultuous times-with the unexpected result that an entirely new aspect of the story comes to light. In this new biography, A. C. Grayling tells the story of Descartes' life, and places it in his tumultuous times-with the unexpected result that an entirely... Views: 28
Samantha Foster and Jessica Brown are destined to meet. But one lives in the 20th century, and the other in the 21st...It is April 1916 and thousands of men have left home to fight in the war to end all wars. Jessica Brown's father is about to be one of those men. A year later, he is still alive, but Jess has to steal to keep her family from starving. And then a telegram arrives – her father has been killed in action. Four generations later, Sam Foster's father is admitted to a hospital's intensive care unit with a suspected brain haemorrhage. A nurse asks if she would like to take her father's hand. Sam refuses. All she wants is to get out of this place, stuck between the world of the living and the world of the dead, as quickly as possible. But what is causing the vivid and terrifying dreams she keeps having? Back in 1914, Jess moves to London and starts working as a maid for Major and Mrs Osborne. When the major's only surviving son, Tom, comes home on leave, they start a... Views: 28
Everything that glitters isn’t old, but try telling that to Lalana George. She’s starry-eyed after winning a date with her favorite rap star. It’s champagne wishes and caviar dreams as she enters the sparkling world of hip-hop royalty. But once the sparkle fades, she realizes her idol might not be what he seems. Logan Thomas is a perfect example of why you shouldn’t judge a book by its cover. At first glance, he’s just another blue collar worker, but a closer look reveals he’s a handsome and successful business owner who knows how to treat a lady. He understands what Lalana needs before she’s able to recognize it herself. Will Lalana realize the truth in front of her eyes, or will she fall victim to the seduction of fame and fortune? As Lalana learns how to trust her own heart, will she be able to hold onto the man of her dreams? Views: 28
All Beth Gallatin has really wanted out of life is to settle down in one town, with one man, and raise a family. But with her father's roaming ways, she's always been denied that dream; instead, she found solace in reading romantic books. With her father's passing, she can, for the first time, dare to claim the rugged Montana frontier as her home. Nick Lassiter has loved Beth since she first came to town, but she's always seemed to think of him more as a brother. Just when he finally gets Beth to consider him, however, a challenger threatens the affection growing between them. But neither Nick nor Beth is prepared when they must face the consequences of Nick's complicated past. As a past fraught with unwise choices and guilt invades their world, can Nick and Beth find a love that will last forever? Views: 28
