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The Demon Trap: A Short Story from the Manhattan in Reverse Collection
by Peter F. HamiltonTaken from Peter F. Hamilton's short story collection Manhattan in Reverse, The Demon Trap is a thrilling short story featuring Paulo Myo of the Commonwealth Saga.When a Siddley-Lockheed CP-450 carrying a group of privileged pleasure-seeking Dynasty members is blown up over Nova Zealand, Senior Investigator Paula Myo of the Serious Crimes Directorate is called in to solve the terrible crime. A group called the Free Merioneth Forces have claimed responsibility but there had to be an individual at the end of that missile launcher and Paula is determined to find out who it was. This short story is taken from Manhattan in Reverse, the first short story collection in thirteen years from the master of space opera. The cover image for The Demon Trap was designed by Andrew Parkes as part of a competition run by Pan Macmillan in association with SFX magazine.
Tigers in Red Weather: A Richard and Judy Book Club Selection
by Liza KlaussmannA Richard and Judy Book Club selection.Liza Klaussmann's Tigers in Red Weather tells the story of Nick and her cousin Helena who have grown up together, sharing long hot summers at Tiger House. With husbands and children of their own, they keep returning. But against a background of parties, cocktails, moonlight and jazz, how long can perfection last? There is always the summer that changes everything. The award-winning Tigers in Red Weather is a delicious novel, a book that simmers with tension, threat and an intoxicating cocktail of money, sex, heat, boredom and beauty. Gracefully drawn and utterly intriguing, it's the perfect summer blockbuster.
Dare Me: Booktrack Edition
by Megan AbbottShortlisted for the CWA Steel Dagger Dark, dangerous and compulsively readable, Dare Me by Megan Abbott is a gripping exploration of the teenage psyche. There's something dangerous about the boredom of teenage girls. Coach said that once. She said it like she knew, and understood. When Colette French arrives at school one fall and takes charge of the cheer squad, she brings a hint of threat. Sleek, remote and careless, she transforms the girls into warriors - and rivals. Addy and Beth find that for the first time they have secrets from one another. But their mentor is playing her own deadly game, and there is everything to lose.'Tense, dark and beautifully written' Gillian Flynn
The Angel Esmeralda: Nine Stories
by Don DeLilloThe Angel Esmerelda is Don DeLillo's first collection of short stories, written between 1979 and 2011; in it he represents the wide range of human experience in contemporary America - and forces us to confront the uncomfortable shadows lurking in the background. His characters are plagued by their own deep, often unconscious, longings; they are subjected to shocking violations, exposed to unexpected acts of terror. No matter whether he is focused upon the slums of New York or astronauts in orbit around the Earth, DeLillo chooses never to turn away from the unsettling manner in which humans are brought together. These nine stories describe the extraordinary journey of a great American writer who changed the literary landscape.
Three and a Half Deaths
by Emma DonoghueAn accident, a suicide, an act of criminal negligence . . . and a near-death experience. The stories in Emma Donoghue's Three and a Half Deaths - set in France, the USA and Canada - bring together calamities from two centuries. 'What the Driver Saw' is inspired by a freak accident on Nice's Promenade des Anglais, the 1920s equivalent of Princess Diana's last ride through Paris. 'The Trap' takes us to New York, 1878, when a woman at the centre of a public scandal decides that she's finally had enough. Any thinking about death must of course include its lingering effects on the living; 'Sissy' explores the guilt and culpability of a woman whose young sister died in the 1840s in London, Ontario. Finally, 'Fall' is about an incident at Niagara Falls in 1901 when a middle-aged schoolteacher staked her whole future on an act so daring it could be called suicidal. A near-death, a sort of rebirth: the kind of moment that makes visible the discreet courage it takes to live a whole life.
Elizabeth I (Bride Series)
by Margaret George1588. In the height of her power is the legendary Elizabeth Tudor, history's most enigmatic queen. She is the virgin with many suitors; the victor of the Armada who hated war; the jewel-bedecked woman always pinching pennies. Elizabeth's flame-haired cousin, Lettice Knollys, is her bitter rival. In love with Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester, and mother to the Earl of Essex, the mercurial nobleman who challenged Elizabeth's throne, Lettice has been intertwined with Elizabeth since childhood. This is a story of two women of fierce intellect and desire: one trying to protect her country and throne; the other trying to regain power and position for her family. Their rivalry soon involves everyone close to Elizabeth – from the famed courtiers who enriched the crown to the legendary poets and playwrights. And, for Elizabeth, to be married to her people meant she must rule as much with her heart as with her head . . .
The Wrath of the Gods (Legends #5)
by Anthony HorowitzA collection of five bite-size myths from across the globe, The Wrath of the Gods by Anthony Horowitz includes exciting tales from Greek, Norse and Inuit mythology.Part of the Legends series of six books, The Wrath of the Gods tells the dramatic stories of those who dared to disobey the heavens - and it does not pay to anger the gods . . . If you’re lucky, you might just end up being transformed into a spider, falling hopelessly in love with your reflection or being hunted by your own hounds.And if you’re unlucky? Well . . . read on . . .Featuring black and white illustrations, the Legends series by Anthony Horowitz, the author of the phenomenally successful Alex Rider series, brings classic stories to life with thrilling imagination.
Tricks and Transformations (Legends #6)
by Anthony HorowitzA collection of five bite-size myths from across the globe, Tricks and Transformations by Anthony Horowitz includes astonishing tales from Greek, Japanese and Chinese mythology.Part of the Legends series of six books, Tricks and Transformations includes the greatest stories of metamorphosis from across the globe, including the fate of Greek hunter Actaeon, and the Monkey King from Chinese myth.Featuring black and white illustrations, the Legends series by Anthony Horowitz, the author of the phenomenally successful Alex Rider series, brings classic stories to life with thrilling imagination.
A Dog's Purpose: A novel for humans (A Dog's Purpose #1)
by W. Bruce CameronThe phenomenal New York Times Number One bestseller about the unbreakable bond between a dog and their human. Now a major film starring Dennis Quaid.This is the remarkable story of one endearing dog's search for his purpose over the course of several lives. More than just another charming dog story, A Dog's Purpose touches on the universal quest for an answer to life's most basic question: Why are we here?Surprised to find himself reborn as a rambunctious golden-haired puppy after a tragically short life as a stray mutt, Bailey's search for his new life's meaning leads him into the loving arms of eight-year-old Ethan. During their countless adventures, Bailey joyously discovers how to be a good dog.But this life as a family pet is not the end of Bailey's journey. Reborn as a puppy yet again, Bailey wonders – will he ever find his purpose?Heartwarming, insightful, and often laugh-out-loud funny, W. Bruce Cameron's A Dog's Purpose is not only the emotional and hilarious story of a dog's many lives, but also a dog's-eye commentary on human relationships and the unbreakable bonds between man and man's best friend. This moving and beautifully crafted story teaches us that love never dies, and that every creature on earth is born with a purpose.
All These Things I've Done (Birthright Trilogy #1)
by Gabrielle ZevinSixteen year-old Anya's parents have been murdered because her father was the head of a notorious underworld gang. Now she is determined to keep herself and her siblings away from that world. But her father’s relatives aren't so keen to let them go. When Anya’s violent ex-boyfriend is poisoned with contaminated chocolate - chocolate that is produced illegally by Anya’s criminal family - she is arrested for attempted murder. Disconcertingly, it is the new D.A. in town who releases her from jail, but her freedom comes with conditions. The D.A. is the father of Win, a boy at school to whom Anya feels irresistibly drawn. Win’s father won’t risk having his political ambitions jeopardised by his son seeing a member of a crime family. She is to stay away with him. Anya knows she risks her freedom and the safety of her brother and sister by seeing Win again. Neither the D.A. nor the underworld will allow it. But the feeling between them is so strong that she may be unable to resist him . . .
The Prince Who Walked With Lions
by Elizabeth LairdThe British Army is circling the stronghold of the King of Abyssinia. Its mission is to rescue the British Envoy, held prisoner. Watching with terror and awe is the king's young son, Alamayu. He knows that his father is as brave as a lion, but the fighting is cruel and efficient. By the time it is over, Alamayu is left without parents, throne or friends. In a misguided attempt to care for him, the British take Alamayu to England. There he is befriended by the Queen herself and enrolled at Rugby College to become a 'proper' English gentleman. What the English see as an honour is, to this lonely Ethiopian prince, terrifying and brutal.The Prince Who Walked With Lions is Alamayu's story, seen through his eyes: the battle, the journey to England and the trauma of an English public school as he tries to come to terms with the hand that fate has dealt him, skillfully told by Elizabeth Laird.
Lola's Secret: Pink Popular Penguins
by Monica McInerneyEvery family has its troubles, and Lola Quinlan's is no exception. She's at a crossroads in her life and isn't sure which path she should take. As the holiday season approaches, she decides to do something different. She sends her family away and invites a number of mystery guests to her motel in South Australia's picturesque Clare Valley.But who are all these people, and why aren't they spending the festive season with their own loved ones? As the big day draws closer and Lola's family dramas threaten to unravel her plans, she discovers that magic can happen in every family - especially your own.From the bestselling author of At Home with the Templetons and Those Faraday Girls comes a funny, sad and moving novel about memories and moments, and the very meaning of life.'Lola's Secret encourages us all to see the potential in chance meetings. Prepare yourself for a rollercoaster of wit, wisdom and wondering, what if?'U Magazine, Ireland 'Some novels are simply very special. This is one of those . . . 'Hello!magazine.com
Coup d'Etat (Dewey Andreas #1)
by Ben CoesEx-Special Agent Dewey Andreas has retreated to rural Australia to escape the turbulent forces he once fought against. US National Security Advisor, Jessica Tanzer, has her own reasons for wanting him home. But there is someone else who has a much more sinister agenda. Someone who seeks revenge and who will not rest until he finds the man who has ruined his life. Meanwhile in the border region of Kashmir conflict between India and Pakistan is escalating. As the situation quickly spins out of control, it becomes clear that world peace is in jeopardy. With just hours to head off disaster, the US President joins forces to help avert a worldwide crisis. There is only one man he can trust to carry out the near impossible task. Can he be found in time, and can he be persuaded to carry out the most difficult and dangerous mission of his career?
Jenny's War
by Margaret DickinsonFeaturing some of the characters from Sons and Daughters, Jenny's War is an epic story of loss and heartbreak from Margaret Dickinson.Is it possible for a ten-year-old girl to fall in love? Jenny Mercer thought so. Evacuated to Lincolnshire from the East End of London at the outbreak of war, she is frightened of the wide open spaces and the huge skies. At first, she is treated badly by the two spinsters with whom she is billeted. But the kindly Thornton family soon makes her feel welcome. And no one more so than Georgie, the handsome RAF fighter pilot, who is caught up in the battle for Britain's survival. When Georgie is posted missing, presumed killed, Jenny is devastated and there is more heartbreak when her mother demands that she return home to the dangerous city streets now under almost daily attack from enemy bombers. Dot never hides the fact that her daughter's birth was a mistake and kindness and care towards Jenny comes, not from her mother, but from their neighbours across the street, the Hutton family. The only other person to show concern for Jenny is, strangely, Dot's 'fancy man', Arthur Osborne, who moves into the terraced house. But is Arthur only interested in the girl because she can be useful to him? No one will suspect a ten-year-old of being involved with the Black Market. When the law comes a little too close for Arthur's comfort, the family flees in the night under the protection of the blackout, heading north out of the city. But to Jenny's disappointment, it is not back to Lincolnshire but into the hills and dales of Derbyshire where they are always on the move, always on the run. There, Jenny is caught up in a life of deception, obliged to do whatever her mother and Arthur demand of her, when all she really wants is to go back to Lincolnshire. For Jenny has never given up hope that one day, Georgie will come back . . .
The Innocent (Will Robie series #1)
by David BaldacciThe Innocent is another action-packed thriller from David Baldacci, one of the world's most popular writers. HE COULD NO LONGER REMEMBER THE NAMES OF ALL THE PEOPLE WHOSE LIVES HE HAD ENDED.Master assassin Will Robie is the man the US government call to eliminate their most ruthless enemies at home or abroad. He never questions his orders, and he never misses his mark.He’s just returned from a covert assignment in Edinburgh to neutralize a growing threat, having drawn upon all his expertise to complete his mission and disappear without a trace. The odds were stacked against him, but that’s never made a difference before.But now he’s facing the most difficult operation of his career. Dispatched to kill a US government employee, he does the unthinkable when things don’t add up – he refuses to pull the trigger. In doing so, Robie finds himself becoming the target. On the run from his own government and with everything on the line, does he need to change sides to save lives – including his own?The Innocent is the first novel in David Baldacci's blockbuster Will Robie series.
Gone Missing: A Thriller (Kate Burkholder series #4)
by Linda CastilloWhen an Amish teenager disappears, it’s only the beginning . . . ‘Becca slogged through a deep drift and stumbled toward the front of the shanty. A padlock hung from the hasp, but it wasn’t engaged. Shaking with cold, she shoved open the door. The interior was dark and hushed. The air smelled of kerosene and fish. Out of the wind, it was so quiet she could hear the ice creaking beneath her feet. Her breath puffing out in clouds of white vapour, she pulled out the candle and matches she’d brought from home and lit the wick. The light revealed a small interior with plywood walls and a shelf covered with fish blood and a smattering of silver scales. A lantern sat on the shelf. A coil of rope hung on the wall . . .’ Three teenagers have vanished from Ohio’s Amish country. The only thing they have in common, other than their religion, is they are keen to leave the Plain Life. Chief of Police Kate Burkholder is called in to consult by Agent John Tomasetti as her Amish roots will be invaluable in an investigation involving this sectarian society. They travel to the small town of Monongahela Falls to investigate the latest disappearance – that of seventeen-year-old Annie King. The only evidence left behind is a satchel – and a pool of blood. The case moves closer to home for Kate when a young relative, Sadie Miller, vanishes. With her own past resonating, Kate delves into the lives of the missing teens. Soon, a sinister pattern emerges along with a vital clue that changes everything. While following up on a lead, Kate makes an appalling discovery and unearths a secret no one could have imagined—thrusting her into a fight to the death with a merciless killer.
The Guardian
by David HospWhen a CIA informant from Kandahar is gunned down in a suburban area of Virginia outside D.C., special Agent Jack Saunders is tasked with uncovering a plot that could alter the fate of Afghanistan and unsettle a tepid peace in the Middle East. But when a raid on a radical safe house goes horribly wrong, Jack finds himself without support within his own government. Determined to find answers on his own, Jack enlists the aid of Cianna Phelan, a disgraced former war hero trying to put her life back together. When Cianna’s brother, Charlie, returns to South Boston from active duty in Afghanistan and immediately goes missing, Cianna and Jack find themselves in a race against time not only to save his life, but to prevent an international conspiracy at the highest levels of the US intelligence community. As lives are lost in the warrens of Boston’s clannish underworld, Jack and Cianna realize they are on the trail of one of the most sacred artefacts in all of Islam. And when the bullets start to fly, they realize they can never know whom to trust, and nothing is what it seems. Praise for David Hosp ‘Red-hot fiction rooted in stone-cold fact – a legal thriller to rival the best from Grisham or Turow’ Lee Child 'It is the detail and subplots that make Hosp such a gripping writer. He creates real dilemmas for his characters and saves the most touching resolution to the very end... Hosp is growing and developing with each new book' Daily Express
The Killing 1: Book 2 (The Killing #1)
by David HewsonDavid Hewson's The Killing 1 is the novelization of the first series of the hit Danish crime drama, The Killing.'Through the dark wood where the dead trees give no shelter Nanna Birk Larsen runs . . . There is a bright monocular eye that follows, like a hunter after a wounded deer. It moves in a slow approaching zigzag, marching through the Pineseskoven wasteland, through the Pentecost Forest. The chill water, the fear, his presence not so far away . . . There is one torchlight on her now, the single blazing eye. And it is here . . .' Sarah Lund is looking forward to her last day as a detective with the Copenhagen police department before moving to Sweden. But everything changes when nineteen-year-old student, Nanna Birk Larsen, is found raped and brutally murdered in the woods outside the city. Lund's plans to relocate are put on hold as she leads the investigation along with fellow detective Jan Meyer. While Nanna's family struggles to cope with their loss, local politician, Troels Hartmann, is in the middle of an election campaign to become the new mayor of Copenhagen. When links between City Hall and the murder suddenly come to light , the case takes an entirely different turn. Over the course of twenty days, suspect upon suspect emerges as violence and political intrigue cast their shadows over the hunt for the killer.
The History Room
by Eliza GrahamAfter her soldier husband is seriously injured and her marriage begins to fall apart, Meredith Cordingley returns to teach at Letchford, the grand Cotswold private school run by her father, who outwardly appears to be a typically English headmaster. The setting provides Meredith with a tranquil refuge from her own heartache until one September afternoon, when a shocking discovery is made in the history room. The police are called, but all is not what it seems. Meredith is determined to discover the culprit and becomes convinced that a manipulative member of staff is controlling the sinister goings-on at her beloved Letchford, and exerting a calculating influence on a vulnerable and troubled young student, but on her journey to untangle the truth Meredith risks her father’s reputation, as well as her own. As the mystery unravels Meredith comes to discover that there is more than one person at Letchford School hiding a past filled with complicated secrets. What follows is a gripping mystery, a tale of war, grief, love and second chances.
My Daughter, My Mother
by Annie MurrayIn 1984 two young mothers meet at a toddler group in Birmingham. As their friendship grows, they share with each other the difficulties and secrets in their lives:Joanne, a sweet, shy girl, is increasingly afraid of her husband. The lively, promising man she married has become hostile and violent and she is too ashamed to tell anyone. When her mother, Margaret is suddenly rushed into hospital, the bewildered family find that there are things about their mother of which they had no idea. Margaret was evacuated from Birmingham as a child and has spent years avoiding the pain of her childhood - but finds that you can't run from the past forever.Sooky, kind and good-natured, has already been through one disastrous marriage and is back at home living with her parents. But being 'disgraced' is not easy. Her mother, Meena, refuses to speak to Sooky. At first her silence seems like a punishment, but Sooky gradually realizes it contains emotions which are far more complicated and that her mother may need her help. Meena has spent twenty years trying to fit in with life in Birmingham, and to deal with the conflicts within her between east and west, old ways and new.My Daughter, My Mother by bestselling saga author Annie Murray, is the story of two young women discovering the heartbreak of their mothers' lives, and of how mothers create daughters - and learn from them.
The Tinder Box
by Minette WaltersA chilling tale of prejudice, ambition and cunning, The Tinder Box is a novella from crime queen Minette Walters. In the small Hampshire village of Sowerbridge, Irish labourer Patrick O’Riordan has been arrested for the brutal murder of elderly Lavinia Fanshaw and her live-in nurse, Dorothy Jenkins. As shock turns to fury, the village residents form a united front against Patrick’s parents and cousin, who report incidents of vicious threats and violence. But friend and neighbour Siobhan Lavenham remains convinced that Patrick has fallen victim to a prejudiced investigation and, putting her own position within the bigoted community in serious jeopardy, stands firmly by his family in defence of the O’Riordan name. Days before the trial, terrible secrets about the O’Riordans’ past are revealed to Siobhan, and the family’s only supporter is forced to question her loyalties. Could Patrick be capable of murder after all? Could his parents’ tales of attacks be devious fabrications? And if so, what other lies lurk beneath the surface of their world? As the truth rapidly unfurls, it seems that Sowerbridge residents need to be very afraid. For beneath a cunning façade, someone’s chilling ambition is about to ignite . . .
Rosy is My Relative: A Novel (Pan Heritage Classics #11)
by Gerald DurrellWritten with Gerald Durrell's usual sharp eye for observing humour in any situation, Rosy is my Relative will delight fans both old and new.At the age of thirty, Adrian Rookwhistle's life hasn't quite turned out the way he'd have hoped. Working an unfulfilling job as a clerk in the city and living under the tyranny of his fearsome landlady, he can't help but think that there is more to life.However, all of this suddenly changes when he receives a curious letter from his dying uncle who has bequeathed him £500 and an elephant by the name of Rosy who has a seemingly unquenchable thirst for liquor. At a loss of what to do with his unexpectedly gargantuan - and rarely sober - inheritance, Adrian sets forth on a journey believing to have the answer to his dilemma; he'll give her away to the circus. Together Adrian and Rosy carve a trail of destruction through the peaceful countryside of southern England, meeting a curious cast of misfits along the way. Drunk or sober, Rosy spreads chaos in her wake, until the full weight of the law finally catches up with her . . .
Marrying Off Mother and Other Stories: And Other Stories (Pan Heritage Classics #7)
by Gerald Durrell'Which of these stories is true and which is semi-true I have, of course, not the slightest intention of telling you, but I hope this will not detract from your enjoyment . . .'Gerald Durrell introduces an eccentric cast of characters in this entertaining collection of stories, first published in 1991.In the title story, part of the inspiration behind the ITV drama The Durrells, we join his family in Corfu, where Gerry joins forces with Larry and Margo in encouraging Mother to consider finding a new husband, only to rue the consequences. Highlights from the other tales in this collection are the acquisition of a strongly perfumed pig named Esmerelda, a foul-mouthed parrot called Moses, and a compulsive gambler who inspires a miracle.Written with Durrell's usual sharp eye for observing humour in a situation, Marrying Off Mother will delight fans both old and new.
Prescription for Murder (Mark Treasure Mysteries #14)
by David WilliamsThe Closter Drug company is going to double in value as soon as it perfects its cure for migraine: most of the directors are set to make sizeable fortunes as they float the company on the Stock Exchange. When a group pledged to stopping experiments on animals demonstrates at a Closter news conference, the action is seen as no more than embarrassing. But the kidnap of one of the Closter directors that follows cannot be so easily ignored, especially when, instead of a ransom, the kidnappers demand that the other directors sell their company shares at a crippling loss...No one understands what the kidnappers themselves are gaining by this, until banker Mark Treasure - the non-executive Chairman of Closter Drug - returns from an American trip and works out what's really happening. Even so, he is too late to prevent two murders and the stock market skulduggery that decimates Closter management and threatens to wipe out the company.The fourteenth of David Williams' elegant and intelligent Mark Treasure murder mysteries, Prescription for Murder is a perfect corporate puzzle with a cast of truly unique characters.
Wedding Treasure (Mark Treasure Mysteries #9)
by David WilliamsMarton Manor, in rural Herefordshire, makes a romantic setting even for a hastily organised wedding. And it is a quickly-arranged ceremony indeed that Fleur Jarvas is demanding - even though marrying before her twenty-first birthday means forfeiting a large inheritance. Naturally all the guests, including banker-turned-sleuth Mark Treasure and his wife Molly, are dying to know why. But that's only the first mystery lurking beneath the surface of this increasingly sinister country weekend. The real question is why the long-straying father of the bride shows up uninvited... As the wedding-eve rituals gather pace, so does the tension. And when the next day dawns, it is not to bells and confetti but to two unexplained deaths, a pointed disappearance - and a testing case for Treasure.