Holden's Performance is the sprawling tale of Holden Shadbolt, a guileless and matter-of-fact man, who passes through the Australian landscape, seeing the world around him flickering by in black and white. He develops a reputation for silence and reliability, and for an amazing photographic memory, making him useful to men of power and women who appear to need protection. His life compels him from the straight tramlines of Adelaide to the irregularities of Sydney, and on to Canberra, where streets form ever-decreasing circles.Holden Shadbolt is surrounded by flamboyant characters: Frank McBee, ebullient ex-corporal, scrap dealer and tycoon; Vern Hartnett, earnest proof-reader and provider of a factual diet; the comely usherette next door, teacher of the facts of life; and finally Colonel Light, who beckons Holden to join his team of bodyguards to prime ministers.'Superbly written; extraordinarily wide-ranging and inventive.' Times on Sunday Views: 61
Disavowed spy Charlie Muffin wages war against his former employers Charlie Muffin has come back to England. The ex-spy, a veteran of twenty-five years' service to the crown, was last seen in Berlin, where an attempt on his life by his own Secret Service men led to an international embarrassment. They had expected Charlie—a disheveled, middle-aged man—to die easily. Instead, he disappeared. But after months on the run, dulling his instincts with alcohol and laziness, the strain of life in the shadows finally gets to Charlie. By now the heat back home must have died down, and he shouldn't have any trouble sneaking across the Channel. Now, he expects, he can finally be safe in England. Charlie Muffin is dead wrong. This ebook features an illustrated biography of Brian Freemantle including rare photos from the author's personal collection. Views: 61
May Fitzgerald suddenly has everything she's ever wanted. After years of feeling fat and frumpy and looking for love in all the wrong places, she finally has the life and man of her dreams. It all should be so perfect - she had followed her inner voice and it led her to the magical life she had dreamt of. But as her new life as a successful author starts to take off, May's old demons start to creep back to haunt her. Her insecurities begin to kick in and she starts to fall for the praise and glitter of fame. Her behaviour pushes her boyfriend to the edge and looks set to destroy their relationship. Can she turn it all around and prove that it really is possible to have it all? This is a story about making choices and not losing yourself, but most importantly, this is a story about following your dreams! Views: 60
During the First World War, a rich crop of legends sprouted from the battlefields and grew with such ferocity that many still excite controversy today. This book is the frist to examine the roots of those stories and reveal the truth. Some myths remain well-known. did an entire battalion of the Norfolk Regiment vanish without trace at Gallipoli in 1915? Did thousands of Russian troops actually pass through England with snow on their boots? In 1914, an acute spy mania gripped the British public, who imagined that the country was brimming with German spies. Xenophobia, denunciations and attacks on dachshunds were rampant. Amazingly, there was even talk of enemy aircraft dropping poisoned sweets to kill British children. Myths such as the Angel of Mons and teh Comrade in White were more innocent creations. With no radio or television, rumours of disaster were rife, and the apparition of mystical guardian spirits gave hope to the civilian population at home. Other stories, such as... Views: 60
Shortly after his arrival in the United States, a Japanese business tycoon mysteriously disappears. Then a valuable samurai sword, said to have belonged to the missing tycoon's family for generations, is stolen from an auction gallery in New York. Danger confronts them constantly as the Hardy Boys search for the solution to the puzzle. Views: 60
Essie Cobb, 90-year-old senior sleuth, and her three pals--Opal, Marjorie, and Fay are on the trail of mystery. They're determined to find out why one of their fellow residents at the Happy Haven Assisted Living Facility suddenly fell into a coma after winning the grand prize of one dollar at the weekly Bingo game. And when these ladies make up their minds to do something--watch out! Views: 60
Kate Winters, author of the popular mystery series The Masters, finds herself in a bit of a predicament – she doesn't seem to be able to write any longer. So when her old friend and wealthy widow Brenda invites Kate to spend the summer in Coyote, New Mexico, Kate decides that a summer in Coyote might be just what she needs to clear her writer's block.Leaving behind the Dallas heat – and her girlfriend Robin – Kate retreats to the high mountain desert and soon finds herself surrounded by Brenda's eccentric friends and artists. But it's the local sheriff, Lee Foxx, who soon grabs her attention. It doesn't take long for Kate to discover that Lee has a penchant for dating the young tourists that flock to the river canyon each summer – and that Lee has no intention of ever settling down.Then an unexpected visit by Kate's girlfriend sends everyone scrambling. Torn between safety and desire, Kate has no idea which way to turn. And as for Lee — she... Views: 60
Dr John Falconer, recently appointed partner to old Cornwallis, is invited to a garden party at Pine Hurst, seat of the local lord of the manor. It is an occasion arranged to celebrate the twenty-first birthday of Simon Steel’s eldest daughter Beatrice, who introduces him to her three sisters, one of whom, seventeen-year-old Rosie, takes it upon herself to conduct him around the extensive grounds of the house. In a moment of indiscretion, she lets slip her true feelings about Beatrice who, she says, has always been over-possessive about Pine Hurst and, since the death of their mother, has become insufferably dominating. At that time, even though she was then only in her ’teens, Beatrice had taken over the running of the house and now she ruled her father and the servants with an iron hand. What was particularly frustrating for Rosie, who could see no end to the tyranny, was that no man had so far shown any willingness to marry Beatrice and thus deflect her from the object of her passion.
As for Beatrice herself, her wanderings about the house and grounds convince her that no one could ever take the place of her most prized possession – although she constantly has to remind herself that it is her father who owns Pine Hurst. But she runs it and glories in being its mistress. Of course, he might decide to remarry – not that she would mind his taking another wife; it is the thought of another woman becoming mistress of the house that fills her with dread.
But then, unexpectedly, her father dies, and when the family meet for the reading of the will, she realises her security is threatened and that she must begin to lay plans to protect her position and allow her the freedom to continue as before.
The Obsession powerfully portrays a woman so driven by the need to protect her inheritance that she will sacrifice almost anything or anyone to ensure she does not lose it. Views: 60
