1807 results for "Mystery"

The House Gun

Gordimer, Nadine
"There is no privacy more inviolable than that of the prisoner. To visualize that cell in which he is thinking, to reach what he alone knows; that is a blank in the dark." Privileged whites in post-apartheid South Africa, Harald and Claudia Lindgard have managed to live the better part of 50 years without ever confronting the deepest shadows in their culture or in their own souls. Though they conceive of themselves as liberal-minded, neither has ever taken any active political stand; neither has ever been in any black person's home. Harald sits on the board of an insurance company; Claudia is a compassionate doctor. Neither of them has ever been inside a courtroom before; neither has ever been inside a prison. When their architect-son, Duncan, is arrested for murder, both know that the charge is preposterous. But Duncan himself fails to deny his guilt, and his parents are brought by a harsh and ungainly process to accept the possibility that he has committed an unthinkable crime. Nadine Gordimer's The House Gun is a gravely sustained exploration of their long-delayed but necessary descent into an intimate acquaintance with the culture of violence that surrounds them and that is "the common hell of all who are associated with it." The novel is a mystery, but not in the usual sense of the whodunit. Here the question of who quickly gives way to why and thence to other, still deeper quandaries of culpability, both immediate and ultimate. The enigmatic Duncan becomes a dark mirror in which his stunned parents must desperately grope for a new vision of themselves and their world--a vision that will not shatter, as their old one has, under a single blow from reality. Gordimer's prose is mannered and severe; humor is rare, or absent. "As the couple emerge into the foyer of the courts, vast and lofty cathedral echoing with the susurration of its different kind of supplicants gathered there, Claudia suddenly breaks away, disappearing towards the sign indicating toilets. Harald waits for her among these people patient in trouble, no choice to be otherwise, for them, he is one of them, the wives, husbands, fathers, lovers, children of forgers, thieves and murderers." This difficult exposition is the reader's own dark mirror, where we as spectators fumble from one dubious explanation to the next--a twisted reflection always reminding us that, underlying this social tragedy, there is a mystery play in the old sense, and an unanswerable question: What is a human being? Paragraph after paragraph, the reader is led into deeper and deeper perceptions of the sensibilities and the dilemmas of these characters--into a quiet intimacy with their trouble that is sometimes acutely uncomfortable, but which pays off richly in an ending that reconciles our sense of the horror of violence with our desire to believe in the value of each life. --Daniel Hintzsche
Bloomsbury Publishing 1999 256 pages

Watch Me Die

Lee Goldberg
#1 New York Times Bestselling author "As dark and twisted as anything Hammett or Chandler ever dreamed up" Kirkus, Starred Review Harvey Mapes is a 26-year-old security guard who learned everything he knows about being a private eye from books and TV ... and who is about to discover that the differences between fact and fiction can be fatal. (Formerly published as "The Man with the Iron On Badge") CRITICAL ACCLAIM FOR "WATCH ME DIE" "Approaching the level of Lawrence Block is no mean feat, but Goldberg succeeds with this engaging PI novel." Publishers Weekly "A wonderfully fresh voice in the mystery genre, Goldberg will delight fans of Janet Evanovich and Robert Crais," - Rick Riordan, author of "Percy Jackson & the Olympians" "Lee Goldberg bravely marches into territory already staked out by some fierce competition--Donald Westlake, Lawrence Block, the early Harlan Coben--and comes out virtually unscathed." The Chicago Tribune "Goldberg has a knack for combining just the right amount of humor and realism with his obvious love for the PI genre and his own smart ass sensibilities. [...]A terrific read. Goldberg is the real deal and should be on everyone's must read list." Crimespree Magazine "A quick, fun read with a satisfying and unexpected ending. Harvey Mapes is a hero I hope we see in a sequel." -- Phillip Margolin, author of "Gone But Not Forgotten"
Adventures in Television 2011-06-17 210 pages

Calamity Town

Queen, Ellery
In post-Depression America, an amateur sleuth uncovers a small town's dark side in "the best mystery produced by Ellery Queen" ( The New York Times ). At the tail end of the long summer of 1940, there is nowhere in the country more charming than Wrightsville. The Depression has abated, and for the first time in years the city is booming. There is hope in Wrightsville, but Ellery Queen has come looking for death. The mystery author is hoping for fodder for a novel, and he senses the corruption that lurks beneath the apple pie fa ade. He rents a house owned by the town's first family, whose three daughters star in most of the local gossip. One is fragile, left at the altar three years ago and never recovered. Another is engaged to the city's rising political star, an upright man who's already boring her. And then there's Lola, the divorced, bohemian black sheep. Together, they make a volatile combination. Once he sees the ugliness in Wrightsville, Queen sits back--waiting for the crime to come to him.
Open Road Integrated Media, Incorporated 2012-07-31 286 pages

When Christmas comes

Klavan, Andrew
After a horrific murder, a sleuthing English teacher will need a Christmas miracle to prove a condemned man innocent. Colourful Christmas lights dapple the family homes in the idyllic lakeside town of Sweet Haven when Jennifer Dean, a young librarian at the local elementary school, is brutally murdered. There are witnesses and her boyfriend Travis Blake confesses to the crime... but something doesn't add up. Blake is a third generation Army Ranger, awarded the Silver Star for his heroism in Afghanistan. How could a beloved son of this tight-knit community commit such a grisly deed? Sweet Haven is made up of military families, so no one wants to investigate a war hero. In steps Cameron Winter, a rugged and lonesome English professor haunted by the ghosts of his own Christmas past, whose former lover asks him to prove Blake innocent. The Sweet Haven murder echoes a horrific Yuletide memory from Winter's youth, and he knows the case is even darker than it seems. If he can solve this small-town mystery, just maybe he can find peace from his inner demons too. Reviews for When Christmas Comes ' When Christmas Comes is wonderful, gripping, a pure delight' Dean Koontz 'This terrific holiday-themed novel will leave readers unsettled and hopeful at the same time' Publishers Weekly
Head of Zeus -- an Aries book 2022-10-13 250 pages

The adventure of the peculiar protocols: adapted from the journals of John H. Watson, M.D.

Meyer, Nicholas
"With the international bestseller The Seven-Per-Cent Solution, Nicholas Meyer brought to light a previously unpublished case of Sherlock Holmes, as recorded by Dr. John H. Watson. Now Meyer returns with a shocking discovery-an unknown case drawn from a recently unearthed Watson journal. January 1905: Holmes and Watson are summoned by Holmes' brother Mycroft to undertake a clandestine investigation. An agent of the British Secret Service has been found floating in the Thames, carrying a manuscript smuggled into England at the cost of her life. The pages purport to be the minutes of a meeting of a secret group intent on nothing less than taking over the world. Based on real events, the adventure takes the famed duo-in the company of a bewitching woman-aboard the Orient Express from Paris into the heart of Tsarist Russia, where Holmes and Watson attempt to trace the origins of this explosive document. On their heels are desperate men of unknown allegiance, determined to prevent them from achieving their task. And what they uncover is a conspiracy so vast as to challenge Sherlock Holmes as never before"--
Minotaur Books 2019-10-15 238 pages

Never Again: An Organized Crime Thriller (A Levi Yoder Novel)

Rothman, M.A.
"Never Again: Unmasking the Shadows of Power and Deceit" From the mind of a USA Today bestselling author comes a gripping thriller that will keep you on the edge of your seat. Meet Levi, a fixer entrenched in the underbelly of the New York Mafia, where power and corruption reign supreme. Life takes an unexpected twist when Rivka Cohen, a determined widow, storms into Levi's world. She believes her husband's death was murder, but the police dismiss it as suicide. Armed with evidence of foul play, she forces Levi to confront a dangerous truth. In "Never Again," Levi is thrust into a world where old grudges, bigotry, international politics, and treason collide. Deep-rooted secrets trace back to Nazi Germany, and Levi realizes this is a battle he can't ignore. But the forces at play are not just criminal; they extend to the very heart of the justice system itself, and those who dare to pursue the truth are marked for destruction. As Levi navigates this treacherous terrain, he discovers that even his well-honed skills may not be enough. Will he uncover the sinister plot buried beneath layers of deception, or will he become its next victim? Prepare for a pulse-pounding journey into the darkest corridors of power, where justice is a scarce commodity, and survival is far from guaranteed.
Independently published 2021-12-02 334 pages

Past Mortem

Ben Elton
Bestselling author Ben Elton delivers a heart-stopping thriller and a killer comic romance. With old friends like these, who needs enemies? It's a question, short, mild mannered detective Edward Newson is forced to ask himself having, in romantic desperation, logged on to the Friends Reunited website searching for the girlfriends of his youth. Newson is not the only member of the Class of '86 who has been raking over the ashes of the past. As his old class begins to reassemble in cyberspace, the years slip away and old feuds and passions burn hot once more. Meanwhile, back in the present, Newson's life is no less complicated. He is secretly in love with Natasha, his lovely but very attached sergeant, while comprehensively failing to solve a series of baffling and peculiarly gruesome murders. A school reunion is planned and as history begins to repeat itself, the past crashes headlong into the present. Neither will ever be the same again. "From the Trade Paperback edition.
Black Swan 2005 459 pages

Pax Pacifica

Steve Pieczenik,Steve R. Pieczenik
As a potentially cataclysmic situation brews between Beijing and Washington, Assistant Secretary of State Dr. Desaix Clark is sent to China to assess the threat that this enigmatic Asian nation could pose to the United States. The two Chinese rulers vying for power - the machiavellian Prime Minister and the ruthless Defense Minister - each seek to manipulate Clark against the other. But whom can he trust? Before he can unravel the final mystery, he must confront some fundamental facts about himself and the mission upon which he was sent. Why did his closest friend, the Secretary of State, really send him to China? Thrust into a deadly web of conspiracy, deceit, and betrayal, Clark races to uncover the truth as the West faces one of the most insidious threats to its security.
Warner Books 1995 338 pages

India

Wolpert, Stanley
The history of India is the engrossing story of an ancient civilization, reborn as a modern nation. More a continent than a single nation, India is home to over one-fifth of humanity, yet it remains a mystery to most non-Indians, barely appreciated and poorly understood. Stanley Wolpert's India provides a much-needed, concise overview of Indian history and culture. His new preface brings the book up to date, discussing national elections, the economic effects of the new globalization, and the consequences of joining the nuclear arms race.
University of California Press 1991 273 pages

The Jekyll Legacy

Andre Norton,Robert Bloch
When Hester Lane arrives in England, she swiftly discovers her true identity as Hester Jekyll, niece of the respected Dr. Henry Jekyll. But the inheritance she thought she could claim easily proves to be elusive... the friends she thought she had made are suddenly untrustworthy and aloof... and she finds herself entangled in the frightening mystery of her uncle's past. And as a series of brutal deaths begins and Hester is haunted by a dark, terrifying figure, she is forced to ask a new question: Have we truly seen the last of Dr. Jekyll... or Mr. Hyde?
Ethan Ellenberg Literary Agency 2018-03-14 238 pages

The forest of souls: a walk through the Tarot

Pollack, Rachel
Take a Magical Mystery Tour. Join celebrated Tarot author, artist, and scholar Rachel Pollack on a magical walk through the mysteries, archetypes, and dream-like images of the Tarot. In the tradition of Carl Jung and Joseph Campbell, Rachel draws upon symbols, myths, and folk tales both ancient and modern, to illuminate the spiritual truths behind the Tarot's symbols. The Forest of Souls unfolds like a dream, in a series of musings upon the confluence of the sacred and the mundane. How can a simple deck of 78 cards become keys unlocking life's greatest secrets? While the most common use of Tarot is for divination, Rachel shows how to use the cards for readings of an entirely different nature. Asking improbable, even impossible questions, she plays with the sacred possibilities and answers that the Tarot gives us. What nourishes my soul? What is soul? What is Tarot? What plan did God follow to create the universe? We now know that the Tarot was almost certainly not originally designed to include Kabbalistic and other occult correspondences. Yet such systems can greatly enhance our understanding of and relationship with the cards. Embracing paradox and non-linear thinking allows us to push the boundaries of the known and venture into the unknown. It is in that sacred space that we open ourselves to wonder and mystery.
Llewellyn Publications 2002 278 pages

The amazing Spider-Man. Vol. 26

DeFalco, Tom,David, Peter,Duffy, Jo
The Hobgoblin unmasked - but what does it mean for Spider-Man? Tom DeFalco and Ron Frenz lay a trail of clues that leads to...the Hobgoblin! The heir apparent to the Goblin mantle -- and the title of #1 nemesis in Spider-Man's life -- has been a compelling mystery since his debut. When his shocking identity is revealed, will you be able to believe it? And when the cosmic Beyonder returns, Peter Parker and the Puma will pair to face him with Mephisto waiting in the wings. Spidey's exploits will also bring him back to his early days and Crusher Hogan, the pro wrestler he grappled with way back in AMAZING FANTASY #15. And topping off this Masterworks volume is the stunning painted art and color of Bernie Wrightson in the Spider-Man graphic novel Hooky! COLLECTING: Amazing Spider-Man (1963) 271-278, Spectacular Spider-Man (1976) 111, Marvel Graphic Novel (1982) 22, material from Marvel Fanfare (1982) 27
Marvel Worldwide, Inc 2024-06-18 336 pages

New Fantastic Four: hell in a handbasket

David, Peter
Spider-Man! Ghost Rider! Wolverine! The Hulk! When these unlikely heroes first banded together to briefly become the new Fantastic Four, they made Marvel history. Now this fan-favorite team returns in an all-new adventure! Set shortly after the events of the group's first appearance, brace yourself for a wild ride and guest stars aplenty - including, of course, the original FF! And a series of mystery villains you'll never see coming! But can even this powerhouse quartet handle the heat from a demonically possessed Human Torch?! Or will they need a little extra firepower to avoid being toast? Writer Peter David dances between the raindrops of continuity to spin a new tale of this fabled fantastical foursome! Collecting NEW FANTASTIC FOUR #1-5.
Marvel Worldwide, Inc 2023-01-03 128 pages