2 April 1879, St Petersburg. A shot rings out in Palace Square. The Tsar is unhurt, but badly shaken. Cossack guards tackle the would-be assassin to the ground. And in the melee no one notices a pretty, dark-haired young woman in a heavy coat walk purposefully away from the scene. Russia is alive with revolutionaries and this is just one of many assassination attempts on the unpopular Tsar Alexander II. For Dr Frederick Hadfield, part of the Anglo-Russian establishment with a medical practice dependent on the patronage of the nobility, politics is a distraction. But when he meets the passionate idealist Anna Petrovna, he finds himself drawn into a dangerous double life. Set in a world of stark contrasts, from glittering ballrooms to the cruel cells of the House of Preliminary Detention, from the grandeur of the British Embassy to the underground presses of the young revolutionaries, To Kill a Tsar is both a gripping thriller and a passionate love story.Review'Williams contrives an appealing blend of Doctor Zhivago, Conrad's Under Western Eyes and Boris Akunin's 19th-century crime fiction. His ability to bring a past world to life matches Furst's' -- John Dugdale, Sunday Times 'This is a dense, meaty affair which pulls off the trick of gripping the reader and bringing a complicated, alien world to life' -- Guardian 'He blends historical fact and fiction in a vivid recreation of the world of The Idiot and Crime and Punishment' -- The Times 'Elegantly serpentine plotting and finely etched characters confirm his place in the front rank of the new English thriller writers' -- Daily Mail 'A very accomplished novel which can be enjoyed as a gripping and moving thriller. Yet it is more than that, for it invites us to reflect on questions of morality, and on that age-old question of when, if ever, violent means may be held to justify worthy ends; whether, indeed, such ends can ever be achieved if the means are inescapably criminal' -- Allan Massie, Scotsman 'Exciting ... an important book for devotees of the spy story' -- Shots Magazine 'A gripping thriller set in a world of treachery' -- British Fantasy Society 'To Kill a Tsar ... had me biting my fingernails with the suspense' -- Andrew Roberts, Daily Telegraph 'Bravura story-telling... Andrew Williams is the real thing; a writer who can marry popular genres to the sophisticated treatments of political arguments' -- Independent 'Williams has done his homework and each setting rings true ... a well-constructed period thrilller ... you will get caught up in conspiracy and counter-plot' -- Shots magazine 'Sheer escapism ... To Kill a Tsar is a bold portrait of revolutionaries seeking to assassinate Tsar Alexander II in St Petersburg ... gripping authenticity' -- Oxford Mail 'Authentic, moving, though-provoking, gripping ... as good as historical thrillers get. Don't miss it' -- Beverley Guardian 'I was totally absorbed in this very gripping, sensational historical mystery, with a factual basis and with the nail-biting tension of whether the protagonists will be arrested or not. This is only the author's second novel and yet it was shortlisted for both the Walter Scott Prize and the CWA Ellis Peters Award. The depth of research that the author undertook with this book is to be applauded. I was completely captivated by the very tightly plotted depth of this story which I think is the best historical romantic mystery that I have had the pleasure of reading this year. I hope to include it in my top five books of 2011. If you enjoy a marvellously evocative historical mystery then this is the next one to buy if you have not done so already' -- Eurocrime About the AuthorAfter studying English at Oxford, Andrew Williams worked as a senior producer for the BBC's Panorama and Newsnight programmes, then wrote and directed history documentaries. He is the author of two bestselling non-fiction books, The Battle of the Atlantic and D-Day to Berlin. His acclaimed first novel, The Interrogator, is also published by John Murray. Views: 67
“The wolf shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid. And a child shall lead them.” She smiled. “That’s you, Michael. That’s why Brother Cyrus needs you. You’re going to help us fulfill the prophecy.” The Armageddon Theory opens with media reports that, despite U.S. warnings, Iran has tested a nuclear bomb. But the blast from the device is different and far more dangerous than that of any previous nuclear weapon. Surveillance instruments show that for one split second an event occurred that had not taken place since the Big Bang fourteen billion years ago. Meanwhile, science historian David Swift and quantum physicist Monique Reynolds learn that their autistic son, Michael, has been kidnappedby a militant cult called the True Believers. Michael, a descendant of Albert Einstein, has inherited Einstein’s remarkable intelligence and is the only person in the world who knows Einstein’s last secret—the Final Theory, a set of equations that could explain all the forces of nature. Only those who understand the key to creation could know how to destroy it. The Iranian nuclear blast is a demonstration of this understanding. Soon David and Monique realize their desperate search for Michael is also a desperate race to stop the horrific power of the theory from being unleashed. Joining forces with FBI Agent Lucille Parker, David and Monique race from the Old City of Jerusalem to the deserts of Turkmenistan to rescue Michael and stop the cult’s fanatic leader. Their journey proves just how difficult it is to stop those who are willing to die in the name of God. Praised by bestselling peers such as Douglas Preston and James Rollins, Mark Alpert shows he is at the top of his writing game and the cutting edge of science, seamlessly weaving fact and fiction with nonstop heart-pounding action in this explosive thriller. We will never see our universe in quite the same way again. Views: 67
On Mars, a research team encounters an ancient puzzle that only a guitarist can solveIn 2029, an American research team ventures to Mars to investigate an astounding find: a labyrinth older than humanity itself, whose maze of rooms conceals the deepest secrets of the red planet. In the final chamber, strange music plays, as chilling as it is beautiful. It will be the last thing the scientist who discovers it ever hears. As the music rises to a climax, the chamber door closes, leaving him to die in the pitch dark.Where one explorer has failed, Ben Cassidy must not. An internationally famous guitarist, his music is the closest thing on Earth to Mars's deadly hymn. The government sends him into space to solve a planetary mystery, but what Cassidy encounters is a team of researchers whose jealous competition is every bit as dangerous as the secrets of Mars. Views: 67
### Product Description
As a young boy, Brad Walsh fantasized about blasting off to Mars but everyday life had slowly solidified his reality. Tired of his normality, he saw himself condemned to live out his ordinary existence, until a stranger came calling. Brad Walsh could never have thought that one day he would know the exact day and time the world would end and start again.
Reviewed by Lori M for Readers Favorite (excerpt): After reading this book, I'm now going to be looking around me all the time to see whether aliens exist among us! What a fun read! Poor Bob, scheduled to lead a history-making mission to Mars, suddenly finds out that there's more going on than meets the eye.
Well-written, this book was a light, easy-to-read piece of fiction. At least I hope it was fiction. The author was able to create likeable characters and provide just enough about each of their personalities and backgrounds to set the tone but not too much as to just be racking up the word count.
The world has always been filled with questions about whether or not aliens or other creatures inhabited the Earth before humans and this book masterfully plays on those questions. I actually visited Roswell, NM, a few years back to check out the alien files and investigate more about Area 51, Hangar 13, and other urban legends.
This book would entertain anyone from teenagers to adults who want to explore the as-yet unanswered questions about whether or not we're alone as the only living beings in the universe. I give this book four green thumbs up.
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A desperate girl on the run with nowhere to hide... A warrior who has made a vow never to claim a bride... Sophia Waterhouse is being Hunted and the only man who can save her is the one she fears the most... Views: 66
