As the acknowledged 'Queen of Crime' P.D. James was frequently commissioned by newspapers and magazines to write a special short story for Christmas. Four of the very best of these have been rescued from the archives and are published together for the first time. P.D. James's sparkling prose illuminates each of these perfectly formed stories, making them ideal reading for the darkest days of the year. While she delights in the secrets that lurk beneath the surface at enforced family gatherings, her Christmas stories also provide enjoyable puzzles to keep the reader guessing. From the title story about a strained country house gathering on Christmas Eve, another about an illicit affair that ends in murder, and two cases for James's poet-detective Adam Dalgliesh -- each treats the reader to James's masterfully atmospheric story-telling, always with the lure of a mystery to be solved. Views: 69
From Publishers WeeklyBestseller Cornwell's compelling 18th Kay Scarpetta novel (after The Scarpetta Factor), her strongest work in years, involves the chief medical examiner in a case that's both far-reaching in its national security implications and deeply personal. The story begins at the real Port Mortuary at Dover Air Force Base, where Scarpetta is assisting in developing techniques for virtual autopsies, then shifts back to her recently adopted home at Boston's Cambridge Forensic Center (CFC). A young man's mysterious death becomes even stranger after full-body scans reveal destruction so extensive it's as if a bomb went off inside his body. Scarpetta and husband Benton Wesley-along with her niece, Lucy Farinelli, and ex-cop turned CFC investigator Pete Marino-discover links not only to a government project with the ability to cause mass casualties but also to another grisly case currently under investigation. As Scarpetta's military past rears its head, the emotional damage the investigation of the cases is bound to wreak on Cornwell's steadfast heroine will leave readers eager for the next installment. Long-time fans will welcome the return after a decade to a first-person narration with direct access to Scarpetta's thoughts. (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved. From BooklistCornwell returns to form—somewhat—after the plodding Scarpetta Factor (2009). Told in the first person, the story finds Kay Scarpetta, now the chief medical examiner of the new Cambridge Forensic Center in Massachusetts, involved in a couple of cases: the mysterious sudden death of a man and the murder of a child (whose confessed killer seems to be innocent). Soon she begins to suspect the two cases are related—joined by a piece of high-tech hardware found in the first victim’s apartment—and before too long, she realizes she’s facing what could be her most clever foe yet. For the first time in a while, Cornwell seems genuinely interested in Scarpetta again, giving the novel that spark of life that has made the series so enjoyable for its many fans. The book is still a long way from the glory days of Postmortem (1991) and From Potter’s Field (1995), but it’s definitely a step in the right direction. Series fans who have felt a bit let down of late will be pleased. HIGH-DEMAND BACKSTORY: Print, radio, television, in-person, billboards, Twitter, Facebook, iPhone apps—about the only thing Putnam isn’t doing to promote Cornwell’s latest is a graffiti campaign. --David Pitt Views: 69
A brilliant crime novel set in the world of Scandinavian football by a
former Norwegian international and ex-Aberdeen FC and Besiktas player.
Norway’s most powerful football agent, the charismatic and ruthless
Arild Golden, is found brutally murdered. Rumours circulate about
infidelity and secret deals, about billions that cannot be traced and
stories about talented African footballers who are dumped without papers
when they fail to make the grade in the professional game. The lawyer
Steinar Brunsvik, a former player for Ajax and the Norwegian national
team, as asked to represent murder suspect Taribo Shorunmo. Shorunmo is a
former footballer living in Norway without a visa. Brunsvik discovers
that his own football career has a connection to Golden’s murder and
realises he caught in the middle of a dirty game that could prove fatal. Views: 69
When a six-year-old girl is kidnapped off a residential street in broad daylight, every cop in River City must rise to heroic levels. Detectives scramble to solve the kidnapping. Patrol officers comb the streets looking for the missing girl. Racing against time, every cop on the job focuses on finding her. Before it is too late. Before they fail her.About the AuthorFrank became a police officer in 1993. During his career, he has served as a patrol officer, corporal, detective (his favorite job), sergeant, lieutenant, and captain. He has written and taught courses in Report Writing and Sexual Assault Investigation at the Basic Law Enforcement Academy. He has also written several college courses in police subject matter. Many of Frank's stories take place in the fictional setting of River City, a mid-sized city in Eastern Washington, with recurring characters. His first River City novel, Under A Raging Moon, was originally published in 2006. The second, Heroes Often Fail, was originally published in 2007. Over fifty of his short stories have been published in ten different anthologies, as well as print and online magazines. His story "Good Shepherd" was a finalist for the 2006 Derringer Award. In 2007, his story "The Worst Door" was a finalist for this same award. Most recently, his story "Dead Even" was a finalist for the 2009 Derringer Award. Views: 69
Sarah Clark's life is irrevocably changed at the age of 14 when her English teacher, Mr Carr, seduces her after class. Their affair is illegal, erotic, passionate and dangerous – a vicious meeting of minds and bodies. But when Mr Carr's wife discovers the affair, he has to choose between them and moves to another city with his family.Sarah is devastated and from that day on her life is defined by a series of meaningless, self-abasing sexual encounters, hoping with each man that she will experience the same delicious feelings she had with Mr Carr.Seven years later Daniel Carr walks back into Sarah's life and she is drawn once again into the destructive relationship. Is Sarah strong enough to "tame the beast"?First published by Brandl & Schlesinger in 2004, now re-released in Picador, this dazzling debut from one of Australia's most gifted young writers is destined to become a cult classic.From Publishers WeeklyShortly after 14-year-old Sarah Clark meets Daniel Carr, her 38-year-old English teacher, in Australian Maguire's debut, boundaries are eliminated and academics take a back seat to a different kind of education. Their increasingly sadistic trysts end when Daniel takes a job in Brisbane, leaving emotionally hobbled and sexually insatiable Sarah to search for Daniel's replacement. And search she does, bedding, by her estimate, hundreds of men before trying her hand at a relationship with childhood friend Jamie. But when Daniel reappears years later, Sarah is as helpless as a child and encourages him to indulge in all of his violent fantasies. Sections of the book pulse with sexual energy, though Maguire turns ethereally cerebral during moments of animal carnality ("In the expression of physicality, in the tearing of flesh and the intermingling of fluids, there is honesty"). Though some readers may have trouble reading passages involving sexual violence, Maguire keeps the prose crackling and the dialogue lively ("[Y]ou look like the six week old corpse of a crack addict who died from syphilis") from the first page to the last. (Sept.) Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. Review“Emily Maguire [is] the new bad girl of erotic fiction...” (Esquire (UK))“Emily Maguire embodies the great romantic myth of the writer who emerges from nowhere, fully formed.” (Sydney Morning Herald)“A thought-provoking and often searing first novel.” (The Age (Australia))“...powerful and compelling...” (Kirkus Reviews) Views: 69
For almost forty years, Robert B. Parker's inimitable private investigator Spenser has been solving cases and selling millions of books worldwide. Now, for the first time, see how it all began as the Mystery Writers of America Grand Master sheds light on Spenser's formative years spent with his father and two uncles out West. This is an event book for every fan of Spenser, and a revelation for teens about to discover an American icon. Views: 69
In his house at R’lyeh, Cthulhu waits dreaming…
What are the dreams that monsters dream? When will the stars grow right? Where are the sunken temples in which the dreamers dwell? How will it all change when they come home?
Within these pages lie the answers, and more, in all-new stories by many of the brightest lights in dark fiction. Gathered together by Ross E. Lockhart, the editor who brought you The Book of Cthulhu, The Children of Old Leech, and Giallo Fantastique, Cthulhu Fhtagn! features nineteen weird tales inspired by H. P. Lovecraft. Views: 69
