Although remembered mostly for her audacious bestseller, The Autobiography of Alice B. Toklas, Gertrude Stein was a unique literary artist of the twentieth century who left a voluminous body of work, including novels, essays, poetry, and prose. Stymied--just once--by a case of writer's block, Stein forayed into the world of mystery fiction to rediscover her path to creativity. Combining elements of free association and interior monologue that earned her reputation as an avant-garde stylist, Stein drew from a summer's worth of mysterious events at her French country home for inspiration. Blood on the Dining-Room Floor is the brilliant result. A possible murder disrupts the peaceful setting when, in a nearby village, Madame Pernollet is found on the cement courtyard of her husband's hotel. Did she fall from a window above . . . or was she pushed? Was there someone who wanted the preoccupied woman out of the way? In a departure from the typical whodunit, with nary a detective to lead the way, Stein lays out a series of crimes and clues, enticing readers to come up with their own verdict on the baffling events of one unnatural summer.

Great-aunt Celia leaves you in charge of her strange house. You open the door to a secret room where you find three boxes and a note. "Open one - but only one - of the boxes" it says.

Mystery.

The legendary Claudette Colbert starred on Broadway in this suspense drama about an internationally successful mystery novelist whose relatives wouldn't mind killing her to get their hands on her art collection. Other characters include a live in doctor who was once the novelist's lover and a savvy Indian butler who uses words like "chutzpa." The badinage between the novelist and the butler and between the novelist and the doctor provides comic delight and relief from the mayhem being planned by the family. This exciting comic thriller was produced on BBC TV starring Angela Lansbury and Sir Lawrence Olivier. Fans of 'Murder, She Wrote' will enjoy A Talent for Murder, a merry murder mystery that is perfect for summer stock, dinner theatres and community theatres.

For years, Inspector Richard Queen had been outshone by his writer son. Now, with Ellery away, he had a case all his own or did he? The verdict had been accidental death, and only the victim s nurse had seen the one thing that made it murder. Recruiting a senior citizens corps of retired cops, Dick Queen tracked a murderer and found himself courting his only witness! No wonder he kept muttering, What s Ellery going to say "

Product Description The day after Ray Bond receives a secret gift of $30,000 in cash from his uncle, the uncle is found dead--an apparent suicide--and Ray begins to receive anonymous threats From School Library Journal Grade 6-12 In this taut, suspenseful crime novel, Ray Bond's Uncle Ed gives the 18 year old a birthday legacy of $30,000, then commits suicide. Uncle Ed, like Ray's absent father, is a gambler who has become involved with the crime world. Ray is pursued by a ruthless killer, who demands the money supposedly to pay off his uncle's gambling debt. Ray does not reveal the situation to his girl friend, Laurie; his mother; or the police, and he refuses to turn over the money. Yet Ray begins to change his mind when a woman confidante of Uncle Ed's is murdered and the killer threatens Laurie's life. Ray reluctantly decides to meet the killer and give him the money, but the happy ending comes quickly and perhaps too neatly when Treasury men capture the killer and return the inheritance to Ray. The plot unfolds almost exclusively in short sentence dialogue, making the story particularly appealing to slower readers. Attention to only the most important details; well-drawn characters, especially Ray; and an exciting plot create a compelling mystery about a courageous teen caught in life-threatening circumstances. Phyllis Graves, Creekwood Middle School, Kingwood, Tex. Copyright 1986 Reed Business Information, Inc. Review "Taut, suspenseful ... Well-drawn characters, especially Ray, and an exciting plot create a fine mystery." School Library Journal From the Inside Flap Ray accepts his uncle's generosity, never suspecting he'll become trapped in a web of terror.... Ray Bond's Uncle Ed had always been a shadowy figure, with little interest in his nephew. On Ray's eighteenth birthday, Ed gives him thirty thousand dollars in cash. He makes Ray swear he'll never tell where he got it. The next day Uncle Ed leaps from the twelfth floor of his midtown hotel. Stunned, Ray keeps his promise and withholds his secret from his grieving mother and Laurie, his girlfriend. Keeping his word is harder when he hears from Uncle Ed's girlfriend, Alice Cobb. She tells him about Ed's gambling debts and her conviction that his uncle didn't jump, but was pushed from the window. Ray also hears from Albert Dawson, the sadistic thug who may be responsible for Ed's death. He tells Ray that Ed owed him money. Furthermore, he knows where that money is. Ray senses Dawson is not the kind of guy to cross, not if you value your life....

The rocket stood in the middle of the arena. To the warlords it was a superstitious symbol of a lost world. To the people, it was a prophecy of freedom. The man who could unlock its mystery was born to control the future. Somewhere in the depths of Blackmark's mind lay the key ... He was a slave and a gladiator. He was fighting for the world and he had to win!

Can Nick Harmon do something right for a change as PR man at Mutagen Laboratories? Can Nick's dead father Harry get Johnny Quog elected president? Can sex with a Roolik be fun? And who is killing the Lifestylers? Lex Largesse and Sir Etherium have already gone. Can Nick solve the mystery in time to save his job and the universe?

A murder mystery originally published in 1987, which is now a Radio 4 dramatisation, and concerns Detective Kate Baeier who is hired by a wealthy woman to act as minder for her musically gifted daughter.

Breathe New Life into Your Prayer with the Wisdom of Kabbalah and the Hasidic Masters Jewish mystics teach that every word a person utters in prayer should radiate light. Even the letters of the words of prayer carry sparks of the Divine that yearn to join together in holiness. In this inspiring spiritual companion, Reform rabbi Lawrence Kushner and Orthodox rabbi Nehemia Polen join together to provide a window into the liturgy for people of all backgrounds by offering fresh insights and meditations that bring the traditional prayerbook to life. Drawing from the Torah, Zohar and ancient and contemporary Hasidic masters, Kushner and Polen reflect on the joy, gratitude, compassion, mystery and awe embedded in traditional prayers and blessings, and show how you can imbue these familiar sacred words with your own sense of holiness. Insightful, fresh and wise, Filling Words with Light will enrich your understanding of the prayer book and guide you on how to put more of yourself into the holy words of the Jewish tradition.

1st Corgi film tie-in edition 1979 paperback vg+ book In stock shipped from our UK warehouse