From Publishers WeeklyBritish journalist Beckett's first novel is a chilling tale of sexual predation. Celibate, aging art dealer Donald Ramsey returns to his London gallery for forgotten papers and comes upon his beautiful assistant, Anna, changing clothes in his office. Secretly watching from the hallway, Ramsey is transfixed by a rare sexual spark and inflamed with voyeuristic desire. Accepting his own romantic shortcomings, he lives for imagined pleasures with Anna until he learns that her brilliant but ugly American boyfriend, Marty, will be taking her back to New York. Because the pair "were very obviously in love, and when I decided to end their relationship I knew I would need help," Ramsey pays sexual athlete Zeppo Marks a fortune to seduce the young woman while he himself poses as the couple's champion. Anna and Marty remain faithful to one another, however, rebuffing every onslaught that Ramsey and Zeppo devise and forcing a desperate plan to remove Marty permanently. But even this act of murder seems less abhorrent than the evil inflicted on Anna by the two conspirators, an evil made all the more horrific by her ignorance of their role in ensuing events. Beckett skillfully brings matters to their logically sadistic conclusion, then twists his tale around by ironically echoing Freud's tenet that desire lies just the other side of repugnance-two emotions that readers are likely to feel simultaneously as they speed through this clever yet brazenly sleazy story. Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc. From BooklistBeckett's debut novel is defined by a chilling vision of sexual obsession, personified by London art dealer Donald Ramsey. When this meek aesthete's comfortably asexual lifestyle is upended by his impetuous fixation on a gallery assistant, Anna, the wheels are set in motion for a deadly scheme aimed at satisfying Ramsey's voyeuristic urges. He easily enlists Zeppo, a male model whose most notable credentials are his sexual exploits, to play a pivotal role. Zeppo is drawn to the large sum of money being offered and, moreover, to the challenge of seducing Anna. Beckett sustains an element of mystery, as cold-blooded murder becomes essential to Ramsey's unyielding plan. It is only in the book's final pages that the persistent pace of Beckett's terse prose subsides, deflating the spell cast by this intriguing young English writer. Alice Joyce Views: 234
Michael Havelock’s world died on a moonlit beach on the Costa Brava as he watched his partner and lover, double agent Jenna Karas, efficiently gunned down by his own agency. There’s nothing left for him but to quit the game, get out. Then, in one frantic moment on a crowded railroad platform in Rome, Havelock sees Jenna. Racing around the globe in search of his beautiful betrayer, Havelock is now marked for death by both U.S. and Russian assassins, trapped in a massive mosaic of treachery created by a top-level mole with the world in his fist: Parsifal.
Praise for Robert Ludlum and *The Parsifal Mosaic
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“[Robert] Ludlum’s narrative imagination is a force of nature.”—The New York Times
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“As fast-paced and absorbing as any he’s written.”—Newsday
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“The suspense never lets up.”—The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
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“A crackling good yarn.” —Los Angeles Times Book Review *
BONUS: This edition includes an excerpt from Robert Ludlum’s *The Bourne Identity.* Views: 234
Tombland is the seventh novel in C. J. Sansom's number one bestselling Shardlake series.Summer, 1549.Two years after the death of Henry VIII, England is sliding into chaos . . .The nominal king, Edward VI, is eleven years old. His uncle Edward Seymour, Lord Hertford, rules as Protector. The extirpation of the old religion by radical Protestants is stirring discontent among the populace while the Protector's prolonged war with Scotland is proving a disastrous failure and threatens to involve France. Worst of all, the economy is in collapse, inflation rages and rebellion is stirring among the peasantry.Since the old King's death, Matthew Shardlake has been working as a lawyer in the service of Henry's younger daughter, the Lady Elizabeth. The gruesome murder of Edith Boleyn, the wife of John Boleyn - a distant Norfolk relation of Elizabeth's mother - which could have political implications for Elizabeth, brings Shardlake and his assistant... Views: 234
In the thrilling sequel to Bird Box, the inspiration for the record-breaking Netflix film that starred Sandra Bullock and "absolutely riveted" Stephen King, New York Times bestselling author Josh Malerman brings unseen horrors to life. "This sequel is as tense and harrowing as the original, with a new depth that raises the stakes."—Riley Sager, author of Lock Every DoorThe film adaptation of Malerman's first novel, Bird Box, was watched by over forty-five million Netflix accounts in the first week, the best first seven days ever for a film on the platform. Countless more came to know the story through social media. The image of Sandra Bullock's character, Malorie, blindfolded—as she's led through a terrifying near-future apocalypse by the trained ears of her children—has become synonymous with a new generation of horror. Now from the mind of a true master of suspense comes the next chapter in the... Views: 234
On the seventh day of the seventh year… she desecrates.
Evil keeps a formidable schedule in Weston, West Virginia. Every seventh year, spirits from the town's abandoned insane asylum seek worthy souls to command. But this seventh year, a desecration unlike any before is scheduled to ravage the town. And Solomon Gorge is lured to the harrowing event by the screams of Silence. Views: 233
Pre-order now: the 21st Ben Hope thriller, from the Number One bestseller. When things get rough, we should all have a friend like Ben Hope... Retired army sergeant Boonzie McCulloch travels to the wintry Highlands of Scotland to help a relative in danger, but is soon deeper in it himself than he'd bargained for. Ruthless, controlling thugs are running amok across the region and will kill anybody to get their hands on a historic hoard of lost gold treasure. But the villains haven't reckoned on what's coming their way. Because when you mess with an old comrade of ex-SAS major Ben Hope, you're bringing a whole world of trouble down on yourself. Once he gets started he won't stop until he gets the job done. With Hope on the war path, the snowy Highland wilderness is about to warm up considerably... A must-read for fans of Dan Brown, Lee Child and Mark Dawson. Join the millions of readers who can't get enough of Ben Hope's adventures... Whilst the Ben Hope thrillers can be read in any... Views: 233
Real life anecdote of young people living in a different country to that of their birth, conveyed in a series of 22 short stories showing every person has their own story and lessons to learn.Every person has their own story. And as a Teacher I heard many stories that astounded me and I wondered why they happened! Then I suddenly realized that each person is unique and is experiencing life differently to everyone else. But why? Then I made another connection – each person has a different life here on this planet so as to learn a lesson or lessons. And some of these lessons are painful to learn and some are pleasant. Once the lesson is learnt a person does not have to experience it again. The problem goes away and a new challenge comes into your life. Rather like a person changing jobs because they are bored and want a new challenge. So I am writing a series of short stories based on real people who I have met or know about. Many of the stories are based on different Asian female students I have taught. Why females, because there were more of them than males!.Each story is between 1,000 and 2,000 words in length and they cover a period of 22+ years from 17 – 39 years of age.I have not used the person’s real name to protect their privacy and usually I have expressed the story in a dramatic way and introduced other issues to emphasize the main theme of the story. So they are fiction based upon true events. The overall theme is Self Discovery and Spiritual Lessons learnt from the experience. Views: 232
Victoria lived in conformity as the rest of the country. The government had absolute power and a tight grip over the population. Food and jobs were scarce, crime ruled the streets and speaking your mind could land you in jail. When Victoria is asked where her loyalties are, she makes a decision that takes her on an unexpected path, which requires her to summon all of her courage and heart.SymphonyMonochroaticMultiverseProphylaxiz Views: 232
Extreme skiing and psychedelic mushrooms don't normally go together, but after Josh agrees to join Sam and Rudy on a backcountry adventure, he quickly realizes the trek is more than he bargained for. When the guys are joined by Tess, a ski instructor and the girl of Josh's dreams, he knows he'll do anything to impress her, even losing his wits on mind-altering drugs as he seeks to ski The Edge.Extreme skiing and psychedelic mushrooms don't normally go together, but after Josh agrees to join Sam and Rudy on a backcountry adventure, he quickly realizes the trek is more than he bargained for. When the guys are joined by Tess, a ski instructor and the girl of Josh's dreams, he knows he'll do anything to impress her, even losing his wits on mind-altering drugs as he seeks to ski The Edge, the longest and steepest backcountry slope he'll ever find.Extreme Skiing and Psychedelic Mushrooms: The Art of Chasing Fear is a short story of 8,522 words by Jason Matthews, author of the novels, The Little Universe and Jim's Life. Views: 231
Baghdad is holding a secret superpower summit, but the word is out, and an underground organization in the Middle East is plotting to sabotage the talks.
Into this explosive situation appears Victoria Jones, a young woman with a yearning for adventure who gets more than she bargains for when a wounded spy dies in her hotel room.
The only man who can save the summit is dead. Can Victoria make sense of his dying words: Lucifer… Basrah… Lefarge.… Views: 230
