From a woman intent on revenge to a restaurant critic with a fear of the number thirteen, and from an unusual Italian aphrodisiac to a story of ghostly terror, these are darkly humorous tales of murderous lovers, duplicitous dealings and urban domesticity turned on its head. Funny, sad, but always shocking, each tale carries a twist that will haunt readers for days after they turn the final page . . . This 25,000 word collection, available exclusively in this ebook edition, includes: 12 Bolingbroke Avenue (First published in 1998) Number Thirteen (First published in 2010) Just Two Clicks (First published in 2004) Dead on the Hour (First published in 2006) Virtually Alive (First published in 1997) Meet Me at the Crematorium (First published in 2009) Venice Aphrodisiac (First published in 2011) Time Rich (First published in 2013) Christmas is for the Kids (First published in 1993) Views: 94
This new standalone thriller from the world's #1 bestselling author follows ex-Secret Service agent, Cain Lemaire, as he uncovers the dark secrets hidden beneath the Tokyo streets.The Bayou is a unique place to live and it provides a grit and passion to any who hail from it, including Cain Lemaire, an ex-Secret Service agent from New Orleans. Cain had the dream job he had always wanted, protecting the President, until a single night resulted in a scandal that lost him his post. Needing a new direction for his life and with help from his sister who works in Japan, Cain takes a job in Tokyo as head of security detail for a very successful and important CEO. What he thought was a simple security post unravels a tangled web of corruption, greed, and extortion, but now Cain is on his own and without the wealth of resources he had with the Secret Service. Years of training and international missions kick in as he races to find justice that only way a born and raised... Views: 88
Sarah Iles' latest young lover, Ian Aston, and the seedy gangland club he frequents both possess the intense attraction of the forbidden. When one night at the Monty they witness a fatal knifing, they unwittingly learn far too much for their own good of a deadly plot that could, if successfully executed, rearrange the city's criminal power structure. Immediately, the unfaithful wife and petty criminal become targets of both police and underworld observation. In Come Clean Bill James once again explores that no-man's-land of law enforcement, where human concern and naked expediency stand perennially at odds with each other. Views: 84
The Kidds' parents are in trouble once again and the kids must traverse the Australian Outback, recover a pair of stolen gems, and defeat treasure hunting pirates to save them!The Kidd family is on their way to Australia to find Lasseter's Gold when they are challenged by fellow treasure hunter Charlotte Badger, who challenges them to a race to the gold! But when the Kidds pull into port in Australia, their parents are suddenly arrested-they've been framed! It turns out Charlotte Badger is a pirate, and she's planted a priceless stolen black opal on the Kidds' ship, The Lost!Now Bick, Beck, Storm and Tommy have seven days to traverse the Australian Outback, find Charlotte Badger and her pirate cronies, and bring back the evidence that will prove their parents innocent. If they fail, their parents will be found guilty and thrown in prison...forever! Views: 82
Harpur & Iles to uncover a trail of illegal art trading and money laundering. "I found I had a flair for tag-along, street level stealth. It thrilled me. It killed me. Do you mind if I tell you how?" Thomas Wells Hart drifted into a dodgy career as a private investigator and grew clever at tailing suspects and all the other tricks of the game. Not quite clever enough, however. Coming across Hart's shot-up body, Detective Chief Superintendent Colin Harpur and Assistant Chief Constable Des Iles have to work out their own explanation as to how he came to be executed behind the wheel of a Ford Focus in a quiet suburban street. The trail will lead them through illegal art trading, big-bucks money laundering – and more murder. As ever, Iles suspects Harpur is hiding essential facts from him. As ever, Harpur is hiding essential facts from his boss. Will the mismatched pair manage to close the case? Views: 80
Britain, 1956. A young actress seemingly tries to commit suicide over a tangled love affair, but is taken to hospital and her life saved. The story is just the sort of thing that journalist Ian Charteris likes to cover: a poignant mix of near tragedy, possible thwarted romance, and glamour, needing sensitive but – of course – dramatic treatment. It should be a routine assignment, a welcome assignment. It would be, if it wasn’t for the identity of the young woman. She may – just may – be Ian’s sister. The unwelcome reminder of the past drags Ian back into memories of places and events he’d rather forget. As far as Ian is concerned, the past is a foreign country. And not just foreign. Fundamentally and cantankerously hostile. Vengeful, war-torn, dangerous. It is impossible to escape the past; the noose is already around Ian’s neck, and every step he takes it tightens . . . And this is not the only noose.Review“Superbly written, with James’ unique clipped, darkly funny dialogue and brilliantly provocative prose, this is a story that will haunt and disturb readers long after they’ve read the final page”. (Booklist Starred Review) “James spins an effective psychological tale of a man whose past shapes his future” (Publishers Weekly) Review“The unique and skilful way in which James uses words and his clever, diabolical plots are what make his Harpur and Illes cop series such a success. Another outstanding entry in this popular, highly original series” Starred Review of Play Dead (Booklist) Views: 78
Roy Grace, creation of the award-winning author Peter James, unearths a powerful criminal network in Find Them Dead.A Brighton gangster is on trial for conspiracy to murder, following the death of a rival crime family boss. As the jury file into Lewes Crown Court, twelve anonymous people selected randomly from fifty, there is one person sitting in the public gallery observing them with keen interest, and secretly filming them. Later, a group of the accused's henchmen sit around a table with the full personal details of each of the twelve jurors in front of them. They need to influence two of them – a jury can convict if directed on a 10-2 majority verdict but no less. But which two? When Roy Grace is called in to investigate a murder that has links to the accused and the trial, and the suspicion that an attempt has been made to intimidate jurors, he finds the reach and power of the accused's tentacles go higher than he had ever imagined. Views: 76
Good detective work allowed the pair to arrest and charge a fellow policeman, who murdered an undercover officer in an attempt to keep a crook–police racket secret. But their work is not yet done. Who ordered the execution? Why? Just how high did the conspiracy go? And – and most importantly – does the crooked power group behind the assassin still flourish?There are questions that remain to be answered – so when the home office decides to reopen the case, it is Harpur and Iles to whom the investigation is once more handed. Views: 74
In fact, Assistant Chief Constable Desmond Iles is extremely present in this the 25th of the Bill James series following his shady and sometimes violent police career. But he is absent from a crucial conference and therefore unable to give vital advice to a colleague from a different force, A.C.C. Esther Davidson. She is having big trouble from a local gang, the Guild, and proposes to put an out-located officer - that is, an undercover spy - into the criminal outfit. Iles might have been able to dissuade her if he'd been around. One of his own undercover officers was murdered not long ago and he has promised himself never to place anyone in such danger again. Esther goes ahead, with terrible consequences. Iles does, belatedly, try to help her, and there is even possibility of some sex between the two, but Iless real speciality is in nailing villains and not charming the fairer opposition, and so ultimately he ends up sticking with his real talents. Views: 73
