London, 1817
An anthology of two short stories of the Captain Lacey Regency Mysteries.
In The Gentleman's Walking Stick, Lacey untangles a web of deceit involving a respectable society man, his only clue being a missing walking stick. (This story first appeared in the Regency fiction magazine, The Reticule in 2000.)
In The Disappearance of Miss Sarah Oswald, Lacey is asked to locate a man's missing daughter, though he senses that the family will be just as happy for her to remain missing.
The Disappearance of Miss Sarah Oswald was nominated for a Derringer Award for best short mystery in the year 2000. The story first appeared in Over My Dead Body! Mystery Magazine in Summer, 2000.
The first story runs 6000 words; the second, 5000 words. While these are standalone stories, the events fall in the series timeline anytime after The Sudbury School Murders. Views: 179
She is about thirty-three, speaks French fluently. . .[she ] is gay, sweet and ironic, but she has bursts of anger over nothing when she is confined to a straightjacket, writes James Joyce in one of the few surviving documents concerning his daughter. A gifted dancer, Beckett's lover, an aspiring writer—what little we know about Lucia Joyce effectively ends with a diagnosis of schizophrenia and subsequent hospitalization: after her death, her nephew Stephen, executor of the Joyce estate, burned her letters and medical records, erasing her not only from her father's legacy, but from her own existence in the world as well. To tell the story of a life redacted, Alex Pheby assumes not Lucia Joyce's lost voice, but the perspectives of the men around her, layering a series of narratives about those on the edges of her life to create a portrait of the lost woman in silhouette. As much a critique of male violence and the long history of misogyny in women's health, an... Views: 179
Find Out What Scott Really WroteGoing back to the original manuscripts, a team of scholars has uncovered what Scott originally wrote and intended his public to read before errors, misreadings and expurgations crept in during production. Quentin Durward is a young Scotsman seeking fame and fortune in the France of Louis XI in the fifteenth century. He knows little and understands less, but Scott represents his ignorance and naiveté as useful to \'the most sagacious prince in Europe\' who needs servants motivated solely by the desire for coin and credit and lacking any interest in France which would interfere with the execution of his political aims. In Quentin Durward Scott studies the first modern state in the process of destroying the European feudal system.By far the most important of Scott\'s sources for Quentin Durward is the splendid Memoirs of Philippe de Comines. Comines, who has more than a walk-on role in the novel itself, was trusted councillor of Charles the Bold of Burgundy until 1472, when Views: 179
China Bayles is looking forward to the annual chili cook-off in Pecan Springs. And when the event arrives, she takes along her fiance, giving both of them a nice break from China's visiting (i.e., meddling) mother. But then cook-off judge Jerry Jeff Cody dies of an allergic reaction--to a peanut. Everyone knows peanuts don't belong in a bowl of Texas chili ... and China knows something suspicious is afoot. Now, with rumors flying about foul play--and whispered stories about Jerry Jeff's womanizing ways things are heating up all over ... Views: 179
Stalked by an unknown enemyAgainst the Storm by New York Times Bestselling Author Kat Martin Houston photographer Maggie O'Connell is being followed. Desperate, she hires PI Trace Rawlins, a former army ranger. Trace agrees to help, but it soon becomes clear Maggie isn't telling him everything. What is she hiding? As Trace digs deeper to find the source of Maggie's threats, he's left wondering whether the danger comes from a mysterious stalker...or from the woman he's trying his hardest not to fall for. FREE BONUS STORY INCLUDED IN THIS VOLUME!Wyoming Cowboy Bodyguard by Nicole Helm Following her scandalous divorce, fans turned on country music "bad girl" Daisy Delaney. Now someone wants her dead. But former FBI agent Zach Simmons isn't letting this violent psychopath get any closer to Daisy. Because the bodyguard will do whatever it takes to protect the bad girl he's falling for... Views: 178
This novel is a powerful successor to Testimonies, Patrick O'Brian's first novel written for adults. It is set in that corner of France that became O'Brian's adopted home, where the long, dark wall of the Pyrenees runs headlong to meet the Mediterranean. Alain Roig returns to Saint-Féliu after years in the East and finds his family in crisis. His dour, middle-aged cousin Xavier, the mayor and most powerful citizen of the town, has fallen in love and plans to marry Madeleine, the young daughter of the local grocer. The Roig family property is threatened by this union, and Madeleine's relatives object on different grounds.
Xavier is a tragic figure, damned by what he perceives as a lack of feeling; Madeleine is to be his salvation. Unfortunately she does not return his affection, and, as the feasts and harvest festivals of Saint-Féliu are played out, she finds herself falling in love with Alain. Views: 178
The lovely young orphan Sedela Craven is very excited to hear that the Marquis of Windlesham is returning home from active service in the Duke of Wellington's Army in France at the end of the long war against Napoleon Bonaparte.He, however, lingers on in London with his beautiful lover Lady Esther Hasting, an exquisite yet unscrupulous woman who is unfaithful to him while striving to ensnare him into marriage for his riches and his celebrated title.Informed of this by her Nanny, Sedela dresses up as the Windles's family ghost, Lady Constance, who appears as a warning whenever the family is in danger.Entering the Marquis's bedroom at midnight through a secret passage she warns him that he is in grave peril from a woman who is unfaithful to him with a man he trusts as his friend.To his fury the Marquis soon discovers that the 'ghost' spoke the truth when he catches Esther in bed with his friend.It is only back at his estate preparing with Sedela for a lavish party for his... Views: 178
Determined to reinvent himself and explore new territory in his work, Gore Vidal published a provocative satirical work destined to be on a collision course with social conventions in 1968. Written as a diary, Myra Breckinridge, someone determined not to be possessed by any man, recounts her day as she lives it out in the Hollywood of the '60s. Feminism, transsexuality, and a host of cinematic jokes abound. Views: 178
Having enjoyed her tour of the Scottish countryside, Lady Violet Belmaine is reluctant to return to London. Her escort, Hugh St. Sevier, suggests a detour to the Lakes, where his former army connections have invited him to renew old acquaintances. Violet is happy to enjoy the breathtaking scenery, but all is not right with St. Sevier's friends. Their host's estate is struggling, several marriages from the old regiment appear to be faltering, and somebody is intent on making a bad situation worse. From slashed portraits to sheep trampling the garden, St. Sevier's former comrades are engaged in some sort of rural war against an unknown foe. Sebastian MacHeath arrives to help solve the mystery, but his presence only makes matters more tense. Violet refuses to leave without putting the puzzle pieces together, no matter how dangerous the process or how shocking the eventual solution Views: 178
The mighty saga of three generations cursed by a bloodstained fortune, set in the 19th century. Views: 178
Amanda Grange continues her series of much-loved Jane Austen retellings with "Captain Wentworth's Diary". It is 1806, and the Napoleonic wars are ravaging Europe. Frederick Wentworth, a brilliant young man with a flourishing career in the navy, is spending his shore leave in Somerset, where he meets and falls in love with Anne Elliot. The two become engaged, but Anne's godmother persuades Anne to change her mind, leaving Wentworth to go back to sea a bitter and disappointed man. Eight years pass, and peace is declared. Wentworth is no longer a young man with his way to make in the world, but a seasoned captain with a fortune at his disposal. He is ready to marry anyone with a little beauty who pays a few compliments to the navy - or so he says - until he sees Anne. Anne's bloom has faded, yet she has the same sensibilities and superior mind she had eight years earlier, and before he knows it, he is falling in love with her all over again. Can there be a happy outcome for them this time around, or have they lost their chance of love forever? Views: 177
A death. An inheritance. A problem left behind.Emma's family never approved of her marriage. So, when her husband's questionable behaviour threatens ruin for those nearest and dearest to her, whatever she decides to do had better be done on the quiet. After all, once she's put the matter to rights, her family need never know what deep pit her marriage brought them to the edge of. Do they? Except Nella has her own opinion on the matter, and Major Barnaby is getting antsy. Can she convince her brother-in-law to risk his reputation and help her bring a resolution? Because time is fast running out. Views: 177
