On Her Majesty's Frightfully Secret ServiceThere are more important things than being thirty-fifth in line for the British crown, and Lady Georgiana Rannoch knows her true love, Darcy O'Mara, is one of them. Luckily, the Queen agrees, but she has a little mission for Georgie before she can say "I do!" When Darcy runs off on another secret assignment, I am left to figure out how to travel to Italy sans maid and chaperone to help my dear friend Belinda, as she awaits the birth of her baby alone. An opportunity presents itself in a most unexpected way— my cousin the queen is in need of a spy to attend a house party in the Italian lake country. The Prince of Wales and the dreadful Mrs. Simpson have been invited, and Her Majesty is anxious to thwart a possible secret wedding. What luck! A chance to see Belinda and please the queen as I seek her permission to relinquish my claim to the throne so I can marry Darcy. Only that's as far as my good fortune... Views: 67
A short story about free man of color Benjamin January (of the Free Man of Color historical mystery series). In pre-Civil-War New Orleans, musician Benjamin January is tasked by his obnoxious mother to find the missing daughter of one of the city's free colored demi-monde - who may or may not have disappeared voluntarily. But if she was kidnapped, who did it, and how can she be rescued? Views: 67
'This first-time author is set to make her mark!' Sydney Morning Herald.'Historical Fiction at its Best.' Courier MailA Critically Acclaimed Best Seller, both in Australia and internationally, where it was translated into four languages, Temple of the Grail is a philosophical Tour de Force for history buffs and fans of the Medieval detective genre. Heresy, Hypocrisy, Murder... France, 1254 High on a mountain in the Pyrenees, the monastery of St Lazarus is a forbidding place. Behind its ramparts and battlements heretical acts are said to take place and there is the rumour of a secret - a secret so dangerous that its keepers will kill to keep it hidden.At the end of a bitter winter, a delegation headed by the ambitious Inquisitor Rainiero Sacconi arrives to investigate the monks of St Lazarus. Andre a Templar and his young scribe, Christian, have been sent by the King of France to oversee the investigation. But when monks begin to die in gruesome circumstances, Andre and Christian, with the antichrist at their heels and the inquisitor watching their every step, try to unravel the secret of St Lazarus and find themselves drawn into a fight, not only for their lives, but also for their souls.ReviewSydney Morning Herald.'This first-time author is set to make her mark!'The Blurb - Magazine for Australian Arts and Entertainment'Not only did I find this book tantalising, engaging and thought provoking - it allowed me the rare indulgence of reading something I was not going to rush through, finish and quickly move onto something else. I read parts of the novel again and felt very comfortable with all the characters and issues mentioned. It even made me investigate some topics of interest and allow my own knowledge to grow. I was extremely impressed with this secret little gem of a book, and I know anyone looking to read something dense with emotion, imagery and imagination will not be let down.'Goodreads'Finally! A well written, thoughtful murder mystery! Monks, murders, knights, inquisitors and a cracker ending!'Brisbane Courier Mail'Historic Fiction at its best.'From the AuthorAUTHOR INTERVIEW:Who is your target audience?AK: I write books that I would read myself and I like complex mysteries, multi layered thrillers that are textured; books that need your full attention. My goal is to engage the reader and to have him or her participate in the imaginative process. I also love playing around with language and usually try to tailor it to the era of my story. So, I guess this means that those who are after a fast read don't usually 'get' my books. I suppose I write for people who like milieu and atmosphere, who love language and historical mysteries tinged with the supernatural and religious.What do you hope your readers will get out of your books?AK: I hope that at the end of reading my books my readers will have questions about the world we live in, about history and what we consider truth and fiction, because they have been given a different perspective.Is there more coming?AK: I am writing the fifth book in the series right now, making my Quartet a Quintet: Ghost Club and the Devil's Alphabet is a story set in London in 1888 around two real historical characters George Albert Smith (the father of UK Cinema) and Douglas Blackburn (who invented short hand). They were both entertainers on the Brighton stage and are involved with mesmerism and hypnotism. They become entangled in a web of intrigue surrounding the death of a mutual friend when they stumbled unwittingly on a strange club that appears to be involved in the Jack the Ripper Murders. I'm having a lot of fun writing it!What makes your books unique/outstanding?AK: They are a series but they can be read in any order because they are only loosely woven together and so each book can stand alone. They interconnect like puzzle pieces. What is your writing process?AK: I work a 10 hour day. I have a rough sketch of what I'm going to write, the themes and characters and the plot and then I just write. After that I do a lot of editing and I end up with a multitude of drafts which eventually I hone into a book. I guess my books are narrative driven and that means I'm often surprised to find out things about my characters that I didn't know! How do you cope with criticism?AK: Well, that is very hard because we all love our work to be loved, but in truth it is unavoidable and it is even something you should be proud of! Yes! As writer we create concepts that may not fit with the concepts already living in the readers for various reasons. What writers should keep in mind is that if writing is to develop as an art then popularity can't be the focus. Writers like F. Scott Fitzgerald and Herman Hesse were ahead of their times and some of their books were terribly unpopular until the readers caught up with their work and then they were touted as geniuses. The truth is by the time a book becomes popular and is praised universally it is already outdated. That isn't to say that popularity isn't a great byproduct and a consolation! But it should not be the main focus of writing in my view. When I see a criticism that is very emotive, I realise that at least I have touched something in that person because I have been frustrated with a book myself, which many years later I have picked up and have found life changing! It is all in the standpoint. In fact, my favourite quote, given to me recently by a friend is from Lessing's introduction to "The Golden Notebook": Remember that the book which bores you when you are twenty or thirty will open doors for you when you are forty or fifty." I do believe that to be true. If a book bores you in your 40s and 50s you might have to wait until your next life! :) Views: 67
Valentino is a mild-mannered UCLA film archivist. In the surreal world of Hollywood filmdom, truth is often stranger than celluloid fiction. When Valentino buys a decrepit movie palace and uncovers a skeleton in the secret Prohibition basement, he's not really surprised. But he's staggered by a second discovery: long-lost, priceless reels of film—Erich von Stroheim’s infamous Greed.The LAPD wants to take the reels as evidence, jeopardizing the precious old film. If Valentino wants to save his find, he has only one choice—solve the murder within 72 hours with the help of his mentor, the noted film scholar Broadhead, and Fanta, a feisty, if slightly flaky, young law student.Between a budding romance with a beautiful forensics investigator and visions of Von Stroheim’s ghost, Valentino’s madcap race to save the flick is as fast and frenetic as a classic screwball comedy, with a quirky cast of characters and smart dialogue. Views: 67
THE NO. 1 LADIES’ DETECTIVE AGENCY - Book 2 Fans around the world adore the bestselling No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency series, the basis of the HBO TV show, and its proprietor Precious Ramotswe, Botswana’s premier lady detective. In this charming series, Mma Ramotswe navigates her cases and her personal life with wisdom, and good humor—not to mention help from her loyal assistant, Grace Makutsi, and the occasional cup of tea. Precious Ramotswe is the eminently sensible and cunning proprietor of the only ladies’ detective agency in Botswana. In Tears of the Giraffe she tracks a wayward wife, uncovers an unscrupulous maid, and searches for an American man who disappeared into the plains many years ago. In the midst of resolving uncertainties, pondering her impending marriage to a good, kind man, Mr. J. L. B. Matekoni, and the promotion of her talented secretary (a graduate of the Botswana... Views: 67
The breathtaking new thriller from the bestselling author of Bravo Two Zero.Days after his car erupts in a ball of flame, Nick Stone narrowly cheats death a second time when a gunman opens fire on him from the back of a motorcycle.Who knows his movements? Who wants him dead, and why?Stone's only chance of survival is to carry the fight to his attackers - but first he must uncover a trail of clues that leads from his own dark and complex past into the heart of a chilling conspiracy that threatens us all... Nick Stone's eleventh adventure is McNab at his explosive best. Views: 67
Another Case for Inspector Jeremy Faro, Edinburgh's Victorian Detective The frantic arrival of PC Dean at Inspector Faro's door one winter morning brings news of the first killing in Coffin Lane. Accompanied by his step-son Vince and Vince's partner at the surgery, Dr Conan Pursley, Faro rushes to a horrific scene. For a trail of blood through the snow leads to the body of a young woman, a knife wound in her chest. Molly Blaith had been on her way to post a letter for her employer Miss Errington. Or had she? For such a journey should not have taken her down Coffin Lane. Did she have an assignation? Was she the victim of a crime of passion? Or was her death just the beginning of a reign of terror that will hold Edinburgh in its grip? For only two days later Faro is woken by another hammering at his door. PC Dean has come to report the second murder in Coffin Lane. Alanna Knight is a novelist, playwright and biographer whose writings were; first published in 1969. She is the author of more than 30 novels, as well as non-fiction works on Robert Louis Stevenson. Alanna Knight is a member of the Crime Writer's Association and of the Society of Authors in Scotland. Views: 67
QB of the varsity football team. Passing grades in all his classes. Dating the hottest - and smartest - girl at school. Summer job paying more than minimum wage. Things in Cody's world seem to be going pretty well. Until, that is, his girlfriend, Clea, is sent off to boarding school across the country, and a torn ACL ends his high school football career. But bad things come in threes - or in Cody's case, sixes and twelves - and the worst is yet to come. While limping through town one day, Cody sees a newspaper heading: "Local Girl Missing." Clea, now his ex, has disappeared from her boarding school in Vermont, and the only clue is a letter she sent to Cody the morning of her disappearance. With that as his guide, Cody sets out to find out what happened. Once in Vermont, he unearths the town's secrets - and finds out that football isn't the only thing he's good at. Reality Check is another edge-of-your-seat suspense novel by the New York Times bestselling and Edgar Award-nominated author of Down the Rabbit Hole. Views: 67
