DOUBLE THE LOVE, DOUBLE THE DEATH

Susan Henshaw and her husband, Jeb, are the proud grandparents of beautiful twins, and their daughter and son-in-law are temporarily moving into the Henshaws' Connecticut home with their tiny bundles of joy. Added to the mix are two giant bullmastiffs and a nanny. Though a bit overwhelmed, Susan and Jeb are delighted to be a part of the chaos.

But a neighbor, Nadine Baines, soon starts to rain on their parade. She recognizes the nanny as a suspect in several recent shady deaths at a nursing home. The day after this troubling revelation, Nadine is found in her kitchen with a knife protruding from her chest. Is the nanny the culprit? Are Susan's grandchildren at risk? With murder so close to home and another possibly following, Susan must investigate-and she uncovers a tangled conspiracy beyond her wildest imagination.

Kate and Charles Sheridan are attending the new king's coronation ceremony when an anarchist accidentally blows himself up-with a bomb meant for the royals. Now, it's up to Kate and Charles to discover who is threatening the crown-and whether or not American author Jack London is involved…

Chief of Police Jesse Stone returns to investigate the murder of a troubled teenager in a seemingly bucolic New England town. The Paradise Men's Softball League has wrapped up another game, and Jesse Stone is lingering in the parking lot with his team-mates, drinking beer, swapping stories of double plays and beautiful women in the late summer twilight. But then a voice, scared, calls out to him from the edge of a nearby lake. He walks to the sound, where two men squat at the water's edge. In front of them, face down, is something that used to be a girl. The local cops haven't seen anything like this, but Jesse's LA past has made him all too familiar with floaters. This floating girl hadn't committed suicide, she hadn't been drowned: she'd been shot, and dumped, discarded like trash. Before long it becomes clear that the dead girl had a reputation and a taste for the wild life; and her own parents can't even be bothered to report her missing, or admit that she once was a child of theirs. All Jesse has to go on is a young man's school ring on a gold chain, and a hunch or two. At the same time, Jesse must battle two demons from his past: a renewed struggle with the bottle, and a continuing relationship with his ex-wife. Neither one will help him solve the case, and either one could jeopardize his career – and his life. Filled with magnetic characters and the muscular writing that are Parker's trademarks, Death in Paradise is a storytelling masterpiece.

Perfect for fans of Nelson DeMille and Daniel Silva

Ex-Israeli operative turned private investigator, Dotan Naor—to settle a bet—agrees to locate the missing son of former acquaintance, now ruthless Israeli arms merchant, Willy Mizrachi. Willy, who does not hesitate to sell killing machines to the most heinous players in the world, is desperate to find his only son, Itiel, who has headed to an ashram in the Himalayas.

The Himalayas are also host to groups of young Israelis who have completed their mandatory military service—a sort of rite of passage. Now, those innocent kids are being hunted down by violent terrorists.

India and the disputed Kashmir region between India and Pakistan is familiar territory to Dotan, as he searches for Itiel and for the source of these heinous attacks on Israeli youth.

Unwilling to leave this quest in the hands of Dotan, Willy also travels to India, where he is murdered in Delhi, triggering international repercussions capable of ripping the world apart at one of its most dangerous flashpoints.

Nothing is as it seems in this region of the world. Betrayal reigns everywhere.

But love, in its purest form, does manage to shine through in this story of brutal international corruption.

Damon Mee was last seen in a blurred security video on the dance floor of a Kirkaldy nightclub. It was a routine missing persons case and it wasn't even on his patch, but inspector John rebus said he'd look into it as a favour to the boy's father, a friend from his school days. In the deft hands of Ian Rankin, the ripples of the investigation widen rapidly. They lead to the club's greasy owner, to a slightly bent casion croupier, to a drop dead blonde whose name nobody seems to know, to a Hibs striker with a talent for goals and a weakness for gambling and finally to the shadowed men who call the shots in Edinburgh's underworld. When it's over, Rebus has repaid a debt and his boss has received an unexpected birthday present.

Death Mask by prolific horror novelist Graham Masterton is a blood-bath thriller about an ugly, evil killer who appears out of thin air to bludgeon people, usually in elevators of all places. What makes the killer uncharacteristically scary is that he's untraceable and non-existent when the police are looking for him. He's nearly a ghost.

Meanwhile at her home, a young artist named Molly discovers she can paint pictures that come to life. Relying on help from her tarot-card reading mother-in-law Sissy, her husband Trevor, and a couple of fearless detectives, everyone puts their heads together to stop the crazy madman from striking over and over again.

The first message sent to Tom Thorne's mobile phone was just a picture – the blurred image of a man's face, but Thorne had seen enough dead bodies in his time to know that the man was no longer alive. But who was he? Who sent the photograph? And why? While the technical experts attempt to trace the sender, Thorne searches the daily police bulletins for a reported death that matches the photograph. Then another picture arrives. Another dead man…It is the identities of the murdered men which give Thorne his first clue, a link to a dangerous killer he'd put away years before and who is still in prison. With a chilling talent for manipulation, this man has led another inmate to plot revenge on everyone he blames for his current incarceration, and for the murder of his family while he was inside. Newly released, this convict has no fear of the police, no feelings for those he is compelled to murder. Now Tom Thorne must face one of the toughest challenges of his career, knowing that there is no killer more dangerous than one who has nothing left to lose.

From Publishers Weekly

When a porno movie theater is blown up in Times Square, 21-year-old film production assistant Rune (no last name given) decides that this is the chance to realize her dream of making her own film. Using the bombing as a hook for a documentary on pornography, she interviews Shelly Lowe, a major porn star. Rune is just getting into the film when another explosion kills Shelly. Evidence points to a religious cult, but Rune teams up with a quirky bomb squad detective, Sam Healy, to discover the real murderer. Since Rune's method of operation is unorthodox (including breaking into offices and buying false IDs), Sam extricates her from some bizarre predicaments and then becomes her lover. Rune's pursuit of the killer takes her behind the scenes of legitimate theater and into the seamy world of pornography. She is an offbeat heroine with a mixture of spunk and naivete. Deaver (Manhattan Is My Beat) writes compellingly about New York 's sordid side, but his portrayal of Shelly as a gifted actress and aspiring playwright is hard to credit. Still, his fast-paced whodunit is saved by surprising twists near the end.

From Publishers Weekly

When a porno movie theater is blown up in Times Square, 21-year-old film production assistant Rune (no last name given) decides that this is the chance to realize her dream of making her own film. Using the bombing as a hook for a documentary on pornography, she interviews Shelly Lowe, a major porn star. Rune is just getting into the film when another explosion kills Shelly. Evidence points to a religious cult, but Rune teams up with a quirky bomb squad detective, Sam Healy, to discover the real murderer. Since Rune's method of operation is unorthodox (including breaking into offices and buying false IDs), Sam extricates her from some bizarre predicaments and then becomes her lover. Rune's pursuit of the killer takes her behind the scenes of legitimate theater and into the seamy world of pornography. She is an offbeat heroine with a mixture of spunk and naivete. Deaver (Manhattan Is My Beat) writes compellingly about New York 's sordid side, but his portrayal of Shelly as a gifted actress and aspiring playwright is hard to credit. Still, his fast-paced whodunit is saved by surprising twists near the end.

"The traditional British cozy is alive and well. Delicious. I was hooked from the first paragraph.” – Rhys Bowen, award-winning author of Her Royal Spyness

“Death of a Cozy Writer, G. M. Malliet’s hilarious first mystery, is a must-read for fans of Robert Barnard and P. G. Wodehouse. I'm looking forward eagerly to Inspector St. Just’s next case!” – Donna Andrews, award-winning author of The Penguin Who Knew Too Much

“A house party in a Cambridgeshire mansion with the usual suspects, er, guests-a sly patriarch, grasping relatives, a butler, and a victim named Ruthven (what else?)-I haven’t had so much fun since Anderson’s ‘Affair of the Bloodstained Egg Cosy.’ Pass the tea and scones, break out the sherry, settle down in the library by the fire and enjoy Malliet’s delightful tribute to the time-honored tradition of the English country house mystery.” – Marcia Talley, Agatha and Anthony award-winning author of Dead Man Dancing and six previous mysteries

“Death of a Cozy Writer is a romp, a classic tale of family dysfunction in a moody and often humourous English country house setting. A worthy addition to the classic mystery tradition and the perfect companion to a cup of tea and a roaring fire, or a sunny deck chair. Relax and let G. M. Malliet introduce you to the redoubtable Detective Chief Inspector St. Just of the Cambridgeshire Constabulary. I’m sure we’ll be hearing much more from him!” – Louise Penny, author of the award-winning Armand Gamache series of murder mysteries

***

From deep in the heart of his eighteenth century English manor, millionaire Sir Adrian Beauclerk-Fisk writes mystery novels and torments his four spoiled children with threats of disinheritance. Tiring of this device, the portly patriarch decides to weave a malicious twist into his well-worn plot. Gathering them all together for a family dinner, he announces his latest blow – a secret elopement with the beautiful Violet… who was once suspected of murdering her husband.

Within hours, eldest son and appointed heir Ruthven is found cleaved to death by a medieval mace. Since Ruthven is generally hated, no one seems too surprised or upset – least of all his cold-blooded wife Lillian. When Detective Chief Inspector St. Just is brought in to investigate, he meets with a deadly calm that goes beyond the usual English reserve. And soon Sir Adrian himself is found slumped over his writing desk – an ornate knife thrust into his heart. Trapped amid leering gargoyles and concrete walls, every member of the family is a likely suspect. Using a little Cornish brusqueness and brawn, can St. Just find the killer before the next-in-line to the family fortune ends up dead?

Suicide? Murder? Or maybe a political assassination?

When Special Prosecutor Alberto Nisman was found dead in his Argentina apartment mere hours before his testimony before Congress about linkages between the Argentinean President and the Islamic Republic of Iran, his death was initially ruled a suicide. But as facts emerged in the days after Nisman’s death, the public outcry for justice grew into a roar.

Death of a Pawn, a companion short story to the full-length thriller about modern-day nuclear terrorism, Weapons of Mass Deception, takes a fictional look at the real life tragic death of Alberto Nisman and the possible links to Iran and Hezbollah.

Inspector Chen must battle the political climate of Shanghai and seek the help of a former lover in order to solve the murder of a National Model Worker who was a celebrity of utmost probity.

" Oklahoma attorney Ben Kincaid put his reputation on the line when he represented Ray Goldman. The seemingly mild-mannered industrial chemist was charged with a staggeringly brutal crime: the torture and massacre of an entire suburban Tulsa family. But in spite of the grisly, tabloid-ready details of the sensational case, Ben's deft defense against a lack of hard evidence and improper police procedure made an acquittal all but certain. Until the prosecution's star witness – the lone survivor of the slaughter – took the stand and sealed Ray Goldman's fate." "Seven years later, Goldman's date with the death chamber is at hand. But seconds before the lethal injection, an eleventh-hour reprieve halts the execution – and launches Ben on a race against time to overturn Ray Goldman's conviction. Erin Faulkner, the young woman who narrowly escaped the carnage that claimed her family, has abruptly recanted her testimony after years of silence, desperate to keep an innocent man from dying. Just as suddenly, this near-miraculous turn of events turns tragic: Erin is discovered dead, an apparent suicide. And Ben Kincaid is the only witness to her stunning confession." Ben is certain Erin didn't commit suicide. She was a victim of murder – silenced by the same killer who butchered her family. All Ben has to do is prove it. But his unseen enemy is determined to cover his tracks once and for all… with blood.

Crime is the American preoccupation. And in this novel the author of the controversial, best-selling Death Wish continues his dramatic inquest into crime and retribution.

Vigilanteeism: Does it solve any problems, or does it only create new ones? And is it the answer to the problem of criminals who have been “recycled” because of jammed court dockets and the prevalent, quick-solution use of plea-bargaining?

In DEATH SENTENCE the reader sees the grisly consequences of one man’s private campaign of vengeance. What happens when innocent people are influenced by widespread vigilante publicity into taking the law into their own hands? What happens in the mind of an avenger when he discovers that another vigilante is imitating his private crusade against the criminals of the streets? And what happens when vigilantes shake the very foundation of our legal system?

DEATH SENTENCE, continuing the drama and saga of Death Wish’s Paul Benjamin, is a stark and searing portrait of a man pushed by circumstances to desperate extremes of action. Is he a hero for our time? A psychotic villain? Or merely a quixotic fool? In search of answers to these questions Brian Garfield probes deeply into the heart of one desperate man, and the city in which that man wields his gun.

DEATH SENTENCE is a novel that demands to be read. It is a novel as timely as today’s headlines... with a fearsome portent for tomorrow’s.

YOU HAVE BEEN SELECTED FOR DEATH STOP PRECISELY FORTY-EIGHT HOURS FROM THE TIME OF THIS TRANSMISSION YOU WILL DIE STOP THIS IS AN OFFICIAL DEATH WATCH NOTICE STOP

Rookie news reporter Sydney St. James found the first Death Watch notice in a vehicle at the scene of a fatal accident. That was just hours ago. Now other notices are turning up worldwide—and Sydney finds herself paired with renowned international newscaster Hunz Vonner in a desperate attempt to unmask the terrorists. The wording of the notices is always the same—as are the results. There is no pattern to the victims' deaths. Every attempt to save the recipients fails. Government agencies and news organizations are stumped. Then it gets personal. People close to Sydney begin receiving Death Watch notices. The clock is ticking… and suddenly, Sydney finds herself in possession of an astonishing secret. It could break the power of Death Watch, save the lives of those she loves… and ruin her forever.

YOU HAVE BEEN SELECTED FOR DEATH STOP PRECISELY FORTY-EIGHT HOURS FROM THE TIME OF THIS TRANSMISSION YOU WILL DIE STOP THIS IS AN OFFICIAL DEATH WATCH NOTICE STOP

Rookie news reporter Sydney St. James found the first Death Watch notice in a vehicle at the scene of a fatal accident. That was just hours ago. Now other notices are turning up worldwide—and Sydney finds herself paired with renowned international newscaster Hunz Vonner in a desperate attempt to unmask the terrorists. The wording of the notices is always the same—as are the results. There is no pattern to the victims' deaths. Every attempt to save the recipients fails. Government agencies and news organizations are stumped. Then it gets personal. People close to Sydney begin receiving Death Watch notices. The clock is ticking… and suddenly, Sydney finds herself in possession of an astonishing secret. It could break the power of Death Watch, save the lives of those she loves… and ruin her forever.

Paul Benjamin could be your neighbor — if you live in a large city. He lives in a roomy old apartment on New York’s upper West Side. He’s an accountant who has lived in the city all of his life. His daughter is married and he is comfortably settled with his wife in their old apartment, in the middle of the city and all its problems — pollution, drugs, cost of living and, particularly, crime in the streets. Like most New Yorkers, Paul is concerned about the crime rate, but he has never been afraid.

Not until one day when crime crosses his own threshold. Suddenly, Paul and his family are the people you read about in the newspapers, victims of a vicious, unprovoked attack. For a few days, even a week, what happened to Paul is of concern to everybody in New York: newspaper readers, the neighborhood, the police. But then another story takes its place and Paul has to pick up his life again, go to work, pay his taxes, and refrain from screaming in public places. But Paul can no longer do this; the world, the city has now become a private battleground on which he is fighting for his life. A battle calls for a gun. He gets one. And he starts to use it.

DEATH WISH is the story of a society having a nervous breakdown. It is about something that causes a secret uneasiness far back in the conscious minds of many people. What would happen to a man who is unable to keep to the narrow line that stands between being victim or executioner?

Inspector Torquil McKinnon had been devastated when he returned to the island to discover that Constable Ewan McPhee, his best friend was missing, presumed drowned. Then when a crofter died in a climbing accident, a dog was poisoned and a body was discovered face down in a rock pool, he began to suspect that there was a killer on the loose. Could all this somehow be connected with the controversial building of wind towers which enraged the local crafting community and worried the conservation group? It would take all Torquil's skills to unravel the mystery to put everyone's mind at rest.

Un hêtre peut-il pousser en une seule nuit dans un jardin, à Paris, sans que personne l’ait planté ? Oui. Chez la cantatrice Sophia Siméonidis ; et elle n’en dort plus.

Puis elle disparaît sans que cela préoccupe son époux.

Après une série de meurtres sinistres, ses trois voisins « dans la merde », aidés par l’ex-flic pourri Vandoosler, découvriront les racines du hêtre, vieilles de quinze ans, grasses de haine et de jalousie.

On retrouve ici les qualités et l'humour de l'auteur de Ceux qui vont mourir te saluent, éd. Viviane Hamy, 1994, que la presse a largement salué.

Fred Vargas est archéologue. Son roman L'Homme aux cercles bleue a obtenu le Prix du Festival de Saint-Nazire en 1992.