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Showing 61 - 80 of 5507 items
By Lindsay Maracotta. 1996
A “Dead is the New Fabulous” Mystery (#2) “Lindsay Maracotta has created in Lucy an exhilarating smart and sassy character.…
Her insider’s take crackles with fresh insight and laugh-out-loud one-liners.” —Janet Evanovich, #1 New York Times Bestselling Author “Killingly amusing. Lindsay Maracotta wields the sharpest tongue since Nora Ephron banged out Heartburn. The book’s social observations are right on the money.” —The Chicago Tribune Lucy Frampton just wants to make animated movies and to raise as functional a family as possible in the midst of Hollywood’s special brand of madness. Unfortunately, when her producer-husband Kit scores his first blockbuster movie, he is stricken with dreaded "Mogus Virus"—(a common ailment!), which compels seemingly down-to-earth people to hire personal chefs and trainers and share enough air-kisses to inflate the Hindenburg. And adding to the crazy is the suspicious on-location death of his director, the much-despised whiz-kid Jeremy Lord. What’s a rational wife to do? Suddenly Lucy's only hope of maintaining some semblance of domestic bliss is to dive alone into the Pacific Palisades shark pool of actors, agents, industry honchos, lavish spenders, spoiled brats, ex-wives and voluptuous nannies, and surface with the killer. Her only weapon in this ocean of sex, lies, and camera phones is her irreverence and smarts —and they may not be formidable enough to protect Lucy from the dangerous predator who's circling....By Candace Osmond, Rebecca Hamilton. 2024
In the shadowed halls of Arcane Academy, Lydia Laveau stands at the crossroads of destiny…and deception.Following the revelations of the…
Conjuring test, Lydia is thrust into the spotlight, facing challenges darker than any spell. As questions swirl about her relationship with Anson and her connection to Nash, Lydia finds herself ensnared in a web of lies spun for protection—but whose?With the Midnight Circle drawing closer and the bond with her father revealing the heavy mantle of her heritage, Lydia must confront the possibility of leading a battle she never wished to fight. But the more she learns of Talia's past and the enigmatic red witches, the more Lydia questions the very fabric of her beliefs and the secrets that shape her world.Will Lydia's journey through shadowed corridors and darker magics forge a path to salvation for those she loves, or will the weight of secrets and the cost of power be too great a burden for the daughter of a Light High Priestess turned champion of the dark?Fans of DIVERGENT, HARRY POTTER, and A DISCOVERY OF WITCHES will devour this edgy paranormal academy series with a slow burn romance!Scroll up to one-click to continue the Touch of Darkness series with Book 3, Wicked Bones, today!By F. Scott Fitzgerald. 2016
Short stories by the author of The Great Gatsby, including the Jazz Age classic &“Bernice Bobs Her Hair.&” Bernice…
is pretty but awkward—she can&’t dance, flirt, or hold her liquor. When her sophisticated cousin, Marjorie, finally decides to help the poor girl, the results are dramatic—suddenly the boys are interested in Bernice. Too interested, thinks Marjorie. So she decides to play a cruel trick—but Bernice gets the last laugh. First published in the Saturday Evening Post, &“Bernice Bobs Her Hair&” is a classic tale of the Jazz Age and just one of the highlights of this classic story collection. Other gems include &“The Ice Palace,&” &“The Cut-Glass Bowl,&” and &“The Offshore Pirate,&” a delightfully clever story about a spoiled young girl who falls in love with an unlikely suitor. This ebook has been professionally proofread to ensure accuracy and readability on all devices.By F. Scott Fitzgerald. 2016
A master craftsman brings one of the most fascinating periods in American history to vivid life in these provocative and…
poignant short stories Born gray-haired and grumpy, Benjamin Button may be an infant, but his body and personality are those of an old man. Curiously, however, he grows younger with each passing year. Benjamin is aging backwards, which begs the question, when does a man become a man? And how do we recognize our true selves? A delightful fable that poses serious inquiries about the nature of existence, &“The Curious Case of Benjamin Button&” is one of F. Scott Fitzgerald&’s best-known stories and the centerpiece of this legendary collection. From the Jazz Age decadence of &“May Day&” to the delightful fantasy of &“The Diamond as Big as the Ritz,&” these evocative tales showcase one of the twentieth century&’s greatest authors at the height of his talent.A terminally ill doctor battles crime and corruption in this medical thriller trilogy by the New York Times–bestselling author of…
Critical Condition. Farewell to Dreams: ER doctor Angela Rossi is struggling with insomnia when she receives a ghostly plea to save a missing girl. Aided by a police detective fallen from grace, Angela searches the midnight catacombs beneath the city, facing down a ruthless gang leader and stumbling onto a serial killer&’s lair. Her desperate quest to rescue the girl leads her to the one thing she least expected to find: a last chance for love. As her symptoms escalate in bizarre and disturbing ways, Angie realizes exactly how serious her illness is. She might be dying, but she&’s finally choosing how to live . . . A Raging Dawn: Dr. Rossi is diagnosed with Fatal Insomnia and given only a few months to live. She&’d like to say her goodbyes to everyone and spend her last days on a deserted island. But first she must provide testimony in a rape case. However, on the day of the trial, the victim is murdered, allowing the rapist to go free—and motivating Angela to bring him to justice. With nothing left to lose or fear, she makes for a perfect vigilante . . . The Sleepless Stars: When Dr. Rossi discovers that her disease—and the disease she&’s discovered in dozens of young children—is the creation of a mysterious cabal, she begins investigating the lies and betrayal that led the terrible epidemic. Meanwhile, Devon Price, a father of one of those children, is on the hunt for those responsible. He is willing to lie, cheat, steal, or even kill to ensure his daughter&’s safety. But in the end, their only hope might be a desperate deal with the devil: the faction behind the epidemic. A deal paid with blood. A deal not everyone will survive. Praise for the Fatal Insomnia series &“A remarkable medical thriller equal to the very best of Robin Cook or Michael Crichton. This intelligent, well-crafted novel, based on a startlingly original premise, builds up tension to the breaking point and beyond, delivering plenty of surprises along the way. Totally absorbing and impossible to put down.&” —Douglas Preston, #1 New York Times–bestselling author &“Farewell to Dreams has it all: a heroine you&’ll never forget and a story that whips by at bullet speed.&” —Tess Gerritsen, New York Times–bestselling authorAdmired as "the greatest French short story writer," and emulated by Somerset Maugham and O. Henry, Guy de Maupassant (1850-1893)…
was a master of plot construction and a keen recorder of life, translating his observations into finely crafted short stories that spoke entire volumes.This edition features twelve of de Maupassant's best-known stories, each reflecting the author's keen, compassionate insights into human behavior. Presented in a dual-language format with new translations by Stanley Applebaum, the stories — written between 1876 and 1890 — represent de Maupassant's major recurring subjects and themes, both tragic and comic. From meditations on the nature of love to jocular stories of friendship and misadventure and tales of irrational, heartfelt anguish, this masterful collection displays the full range of de Maupassant's genius.By Leslie Meier. 2023
A surprise wedding in France sets the table in the latest book in the ever-popular Lucy Stone mystery series set…
in Tinker&’s Cove, Maine. When Lucy Stone arrives at a sprawling French chateau with the whole family, it should be the trip of a lifetime—especially because she&’s about to watch her oldest daughter, Elizabeth, marry the handsome, successful man of her dreams. But while navigating the vast countryside estate owned by her impenetrably wealthy in-laws-to-be, the jet-lagged mother of the bride has a creeping feeling that Elizabeth&’s fairytale nuptials to Jean-Luc Schoen-Rene are destined to become a nightmare . . . Maternal instincts are validated the moment a body is pulled from a centuries-old moat on the property. A young woman has dropped dead under mysterious circumstances—possibly at the hands of someone at the chateau—and unflattering rumors about the Schoen-Rene line and their inner circle flow like champagne. Then there&’s the matter of Elizabeth&’s hunky ex beau showing up on the scene as she prepares to walk down the aisle . . . With tensions building, personalities clashing, and real dangers emerging at the chateau, Lucy is determined to protect her family, together for the first time in years, and expose the one responsible. She&’ll have to locate the culprit among a list of worldly jilted lovers and potential criminal masterminds, or Elizabeth&’s trip down the aisle could end in tragedy . . .By C. K. McDonnell. 2021
STOP PRESS! The Stranger Times wins the 2023 British Fantasy Award for Best Audio Work! 'Wonderfully dark, extremely funny' proclaimed…
ADAM KAY, author of the No.1 bestselling This is Going to Hurt'A filmic romp with great characters, a jet-propelled plot, and a winning premise' said the GUARDIANJASON MANFORD thinks it's 'Hilarious. You'll never look at Manchester the same way again.'The Chronicles of St Mary's series author JODI TAYLOR declared 'I loved this . . . great premise - great story - great characters . . . hugely enjoyable.'And THE TIMES called it 'ripping entertainment from start to finish.'There are dark forces at work in our world (and in Manchester in particular), so thank God The Stranger Times is on hand to report them . . . A weekly newspaper dedicated to the weird and the wonderful (but mostly the weird), it is the go-to publication for the unexplained and inexplicable.At least that's their pitch. The reality is rather less auspicious. Their editor is a drunken, foul-tempered and foul-mouthed husk of a man who thinks little of the publication he edits. His staff are a ragtag group of misfits. And as for the assistant editor . . . well, that job is a revolving door - and it has just revolved to reveal Hannah Willis, who's got problems of her own.When tragedy strikes in her first week on the job The Stranger Times is forced to do some serious investigating. What they discover leads to a shocking realisation: some of the stories they'd previously dismissed as nonsense are in fact terrifyingly real. Soon they come face-to-face with darker forces than they could ever have imagined.The Stranger Times is the first novel from C.K. McDonnell, the pen name of Caimh McDonnell. It combines his distinctive dark wit with his love of the weird and wonderful to deliver a joyous celebration of how truth really can be stranger than fiction.Readers love The Stranger Times:***** 'A delight from start to finish - laugh out loud funny yet with plenty of thrills.'***** 'Full of wit and humour, and knows how to keep the reader hooked.'***** 'You'll soon fall in love . . . fans of Pratchett, Gaiman, Aaronovich will be blown away.'The Stranger Times and This Charming Man shortlisted for a 'Dead Good Reader Award' - the 'The New Kid on the Block Award for Best New Series'!By Cameron Ward. 2022
There's a murderer on board. And everyone is a suspect...'Fast-paced, gripping and intense - A Stranger on Board is going…
to make waves this summer' T.M. LOGAN'What a tense, breath-taking read! Amazing' 5***** READER REVIEW ________Welcome to The Escape.A luxury superyacht. A once-in-a lifetime opportunity to get away. Until the first passenger goes missing...Everyone on board has a part to play.The newcomer with secrets buried in her past.The unexpected guest looking for an escape. The crew looking to settle old scores. They all have something to hide.But only one of them is a killer...________READERS LOVE A STRANGER ON BOARD:'A gripping suspense that grabs from the first page . . . Fizzing with adrenaline' 5***** Reader Review'Loved every page of this - was hooked from the start!' 5***** Reader Review'A fantastic, fast-paced story with enough intrigue to keep you gripped and guessing until that final climax!' 5***** Reader Review'This book gripped me and had me hooked until the very last page' 5***** Reader ReviewBy G K Chesterton. 2011
The colossus of crime leaned over to the little rustic priest with a sort of sudden interest.'You have heard of…
it?' he asked. 'Where have you heard of it?''Well, I mustn't tell you his name, of course,' said the little man simply. 'He was a penitent, you know. He had lived prosperously for about twenty years entirely on duplicate brown-paper parcels. And so, you see, when I began to suspect you, I thought of this poor chap's way of doing it at once.''Began to suspect me?' repeated the outlaw with increased intensity. 'Did you really have the gumption to suspect me just because I brought you up to this bare part of the heath?''No, no,' said Brown with an air of apology. 'You see, I suspected you when we first met. It's that little bulge up the sleeve where you people have the spiked bracelet.''How in Tartarus,' cried Flambeau, 'did you ever hear of the spiked bracelet?''Oh, one's little flock, you know!' said Father Brown, arching his eyebrows rather blankly. One of detective fiction's most idiosyncratic and best-loved characters, G. K. Chesterton's Father Brown is both a diminutive, genial clergyman and a master sleuth. In these two stories involving the ingenious, unobtrusive priest, a murdered man denounces his killer with his dying breaths, and a brilliant French inspector follows a trail of gentil carnage across London.This book includes The Strange Crime of John Boulnois and The Blue Cross.By John Buchan. 2008
In 'The Strange Adventures of Mr Andrew Hawthorn' and the other stories in this collection, peculiar worlds of temptation, adventure…
or iniquity are perilously close at hand. Mr Hawthorn himself steps outside to allow his porridge to cool and disappears for five years and more, a Glasgow grocer is shipwrecked and ultimately worshipped as a god, a young mathematician discovers an entirely new aspect of reality and becomes terrified by what he finds there, and an ageing sinner clings grimly, weakly to a hard-won life of decency: John Buchan in each demonstrating his abilities as a gripping writer of short stories.In his introduction, Giles Foden explores Buchan's innate sense of the fascination held by sudden jeopardy and vanished comfort, and the themes of the will and fate in his work.By Georges Bataille. 2001
Bataille’s first novel, published under the pseudonym ‘Lord Auch’, is still his most notorious work. In this explicit pornographic fantasy,…
the young male narrator and his lovers Simone and Marcelle embark on a sexual quest involving sadism, torture, orgies, madness and defilement, culminating in a final act of transgression. Shocking and sacreligious, Story of the Eye is the fullest expression of Bataille’s obsession with the closeness of sex, violence and death. Yet it is also hallucinogenic in its power, and is one of the erotic classics of the twentieth century.By Arthur Conan Doyle, Edgar Allan Poe. 2006
To mark the publication of Stop What You're Doing and Read This!, a collection of essays celebrating reading, Vintage Classics…
are releasing 12 limited edition themed ebook 'bundles', to tempt readers to discover and rediscover great books. THE ADVENTURES AND MEMOIRS OF SHERLOCK HOLMESA collection of Sherlock Holmes's most memorable and intriguing cases, including adventures with mysterious masked strangers, ingenious heists, murderous plots and hidden jewels, which take the famous detective and his faithful sidekick Dr Watson from the streets of London and the English countryside to a chilling encounter at the Reichenbach Falls in Switzerland.THE MURDERS IN THE RUE MORGUEEdgar Allan Poe invented the genre of detective fiction with these three mesmerising stories of a young French eccentric named C. Auguste Dupin: 'The Murders in the Rue Morgue', 'The Mystery of Marie Rogêt' and 'The Purloined Letter'. Poe's short mysteries inspired the creation of countless literary sleuths, among them Sherlock Holmes.Today the unique Dupin stories still stand out as utterly engrossing page-turners.By Anton Chekhov. 1991
This collection of Chekhov's finest early writing reveals a young writer mastering the art of the short story. 'The Steppe',…
which established his reputation, is the unforgettable tale of a boy's journey to a new school in Kiev, travelling through majestic landscapes towards an unknown destiny. 'Gusev' depicts an ocean voyage, where the sea takes on a terrifying, primeval power; 'The Kiss' portrays a shy soldier's failed romantic encounter; and in 'The Duel' two men's enmity ends in farce. Haunting and highly atmospheric, all the stories in this volume show a writer emerging from the shadow of his masters - Tolstoy, Turgenev and Gogol - and discovering his own voice. They also illustrate Chekhov's genius for evoking the natural world and exploring inner lives.By Andrew Cope. 2010
SPUD - he's scatty and accident prone - but good with the gadgets . . .STAR - she's super smart…
and ready to pounce Together they're SPY PUPS, following hot in the paw prints of mum LARA (that's Licensed Assault and Rescue Animal to you).Spud and Star are on a daredevil rescue mission to save Lara from the evil Mr Big! He's been in prison plotting his revenge and unless the pups can outwit him, Lara is in deadly danger.Can the Spy Pups jump into action and save the day - and their mum?By Andrew Cope. 2012
Spy Dog LARA is in for the ride of her life!When Ben wins a competition to name a new rollercoaster,…
the Cook family head off to Enchanted Towers for the grand opening. LARA (that's Licensed Assault and Rescue Animal to you) and her pups Spud and Star are looking forward to water rides, ghost trains - and candyfloss!At the park, Princess Pretty and her Troll Prince join the Cooks to welcome pop-star Summer Rayne to open the new ride. But a pick-pocket is on the loose and Lara is determined to catch the thief before the grand opening. It's time to buckle-up for a hair-raising Spy Dog adventure!** Visit Andrew Cope's website at www.spydog451.co.uk for competitions and author-visit information** Spy Dog was the winner of the Richard and Judy Developing Reader category, and the Red House Children's Book Award!By Ambrose Bierce. 2008
Death awaits them all …A man stares into the deep river swirling beneath him – hands tied, noose around his…
neck – and waits for the order to end his life. Another is trapped for eternity in a room full of corpses. A cowering woman is strangled in the dead of night. These are just some of the countless victims for whom all hope is lost in Ambrose Bierce’s chilling stories of death, delusion and the supernatural.By Jeff Noon. 2019
'Noon's storytelling is assured and compelling ... it's a belter' Guardian‘Constantly surprising’ SpectatorA viciously occult murder.A curious clue left on…
the body.The soundtrack to the murder still playing...It is 1981 and Detective Inspector Henry Hobbes is still reeling in the aftermath of the fire and fury of the Brixton riots. The battle lines of society - and the police force - are being redrawn on a daily basis. With the certainties of his life already sorely tested, a brutal murder will shake his beliefs to their very core once more. The manner of the death and its staged circumstances pose many questions to which there are no obvious answers. To track the murderer, Hobbes must cross boundaries into a subculture hidden beneath the everyday world he thought he knew. His investigation takes him into a twisted reality, which is both seductive and devastating, and asks him the one question he has been dreading: How far will he go in pursuit of the truth?Jeff Noon is the author of six acclaimed novels, Vurt, Pollen, Automated Alice, Nymphomation, Needle in the Groove and Falling Out of Cars, as well as two collections of short fictions, and is also the crime fiction reviewer for The Spectator. He lives in Brighton.By Washington Irving. 2015
There is a sequestered glen off the east coast of the Hudson, New York state, which has long continued under…
the sway of some witching power; the neighbourhood abounds with tales, haunted spots and twilight superstitions. But as hapless schoolmaster Ichabod Crane will discover, the wildest of all stories in this region of shadows relate to one particularly dreadful spectre - the Headless Horseman of Sleepy Hollow.Washington Irving's comic horror story is the best known of this collection of stories, observations and sketches written on his travels around Britain and America in the eighteenth century. Also includes 'Rip Van Winkle' and 'Little Britain'.By Tom Bale. 2010
FROM THE AUTHOR OF SEE HOW THEY RUN AND ALL FALL DOWN On a cold January morning, a nightmare awaits…
in a sleepy Sussex village. A deranged young man goes on the rampage, shooting everyone in his path before taking his own life. It’s a senseless, tragic event. Only Julia Trent – believed to be the sole survivor – knows that there was a second man involved. But after being shot and badly injured, her account of the massacre is ignored. Together with Craig Walker, the son of one of the victims, Julia sets out to find the truth before she’s silenced for good. As they peel back the layers of a dark and dangerous conspiracy, they discover the slaughter didn't begin on that bitter day in January.And worst of all, it won't end there.