David Rintoul
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English
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"Robert Harris returns to the thrilling historical fiction he has so brilliantly made his own. This is the story of the infamous Dreyfus affair told as a chillingly dark, hard-edged novel of conspiracy and espionage. Paris in 1895. Alfred Dreyfus, a young Jewish officer, has just been convicted of treason, sentenced to life imprisonment at Devil's Island, and stripped of his rank in front of a baying crowd of twenty-thousand. Among the witnesses...
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This daring tale of revenge and exotic intrigue is demonstrative of Stevenson's broad range and unique genius. "The Master of Ballantrae", first published in 1889, follows the conflict between two Scottish brothers of noble origins during the tumultuous Jacobite Risings of 1745. Greed and envy threaten to tear the brothers apart as a race for the family inheritance intensifies. James Durie, the protagonist and Master of Ballantrae, is as charming...
3) Waverley
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Edward Waverly enjoyed a privileged upbringing, despite his family's drama. Coming of age during a political uprising, Edward's time is split between his father and his uncle, who each have opposing political views, which causes a rift in the family. His uncle is a traditional British subject that wishes to overthrow the government so that Charles Edward Stuart is restored to power, commonly known as a Jacobite. However, Edward's father is a Hanoverian,...
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After meeting during their travels, William Lovel, a young man, and Oldbuck, an antiquary, become good friends. Bonded over their shared interests, Lovel is very intrigued by Oldbuck's collections, particularly by the elder man's latest find, an ancient book about Roman ruins. Impressed by the young man's manners and intelligence, Oldbuck invites Lovel to meet some of his influential friends, including a wealthy man named Sir Arthur Wardour. While...
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The Mysterious Affair at Styles is a classic detective novel by Agatha Christie and features her iconic detective, Hercule Poirot. The story is set in England during World War I and revolves around the wealthy widow Emily Inglethorp, who dies under suspicious circumstances. Captain Arthur Hastings, a friend of the family, enlists the help of Hercule Poirot to investigate the case. As Poirot delves into the intricate web of relationships and motives...
8) Armadale
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Allan Armadale makes a startling deathbed confession to be shared with his young son once he reaches adulthood-he murdered another man named Allan Armadale. It's a dark secret that inevitably looms over the child of the perpetrator and his victim.
Before dying, Allan Armadale reveals that he previously killed a man also named Allan Armadale. It's a revelation meant for his young son who discovers the information as an adult.
At this point, he's...
9) The big four
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Hercule Poirot mysteries volume 4
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English
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A vicious international quartet of criminals known as "The big four" pursues world domination but first must eliminate the only man who can foil them: Hercule Poirot. Poirot appears to meet his end when a bomb explodes in his apartment. Hastings, devastated, vows to avenge him but can he succeed without Poirot?
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One of Agatha Christie's most famous novels, featuring her beloved detective Hercule Poirot--and her most surprising twist.The story that made Agatha Christie famous ends with one of her most dramatic twists. The villagers of King's Abbot are shocked when a wealthy local widow commits suicide and the very next day her fiancé, Roger Ackroyd, is stabbed to death. Dr. James Sheppard, the local physician, discovers the body of his friend and narrates...
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One of the world's leading authorities on Zen Buddhism, D. T. Suzuki was the author of more than a hundred works on the subject in both Japanese and English, and was most instrumental in bringing the teachings of Zen Buddhism to the attention of the Western world. Written in a lively, accessible, and straightforward manner, An Introduction to Zen Buddhism is illuminating for the serious student and layperson alike. Suzuki provides a complete vision...
12) Alex
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Commandant Camille Verhoeven trilogy volume 2
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English
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"Alex Prevost - kidnapped and suspended from the ceiling of an abandoned warehouse in a tiny cage - is running out of time. Her abductor appears to want only to watch her die. Will hunger, thirst, or the rats get her first? As diminutive Police Commandant Camille Verhoeven and his band of talented, eccentric detectives uncover the details of the young woman's singular history, they are forced to acknowledge that she is no ordinary victim. She is beautiful,...
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From his humble beginnings as a Scottish immigrant to his ascension to wealth and power as a 'captain of industry', Andrew Carnegie embodied the American 'rags to riches' dream. Alive in the time of the Civil War, Carnegie was the epitome of a self-made man, first working his way up in a telegraph company and then making astute investments in the railroad industry. Through hard work, perseverance, and an earnest desire to develop himself in his education,...
14) Black Seconds
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Ida Joner gets on her brand-new bike and sets off toward town. A good-natured, happy girl, she is looking forward to her tenth birthday. Thirty-five minutes after Ida should have come home, her mother starts to worry. She phones store owners, Ida's friends-anyone who could have seen her. But no one has.
Suspicion immediately falls on Emil Mork, a local character who lives alone and hasn't spoken since childhood. His mother insists on cleaning his...
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Julian Baggini is an independent scholar, philosopher, and writer. He was the founding editor of The Philosophers' Magazine and is the author of many books, including How the World Thinks: A Global History of Philosophy and The Edge of Reason: A Rational Skeptic in an Irrational World. Website julianbaggini.com Twitter @JulianBaggini
Invaluable wisdom on living a good life from one of the Enlightenment's greatest philosophers
David Hume (1711–1776)...
16) Hell Fire
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A gruesome tableau awaits Inspector Konrad Sejer in the oppressive summer heat: a woman and a young boy lay dead in a pool of blood near a dank trailer. The motivation behind the deaths of Bonnie Hayden and her five-year-old son, Simon, is mysterious-there is no sign of robbery. Who would brutally stab a defenseless woman and her child? In a parallel story, another mother, Mass Malthe, navigates life with her adult son, Eddie. It's a relationship...
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When the theft of a purse from a stroller results in an infant's death, two teenagers are in trouble. Unaware of the enormity of their crime, Zipp and Andreas are intent on committing still another. They follow an elderly woman home, and Andreas enters her house with his ever-reliable switchblade. Motionless in the dark, Zipp waits for his friend to come out.
Inspector Konrad Sejer and his colleague Jacob Skarre see no connection between the infant's...
18) Don't Look Back
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At the foot of the imposing Kollen Mountain lies a small, idyllic village, where neighbors know neighbors and children play happily in the streets. But when the body of a teenage girl is found by the lake at the mountaintop, the town's tranquility is shattered forever.
Annie was strong, intelligent, and loved by everyone. What went so terribly wrong? Doggedly, yet subtly, Inspector Sejer uncovers layer upon layer of distrust and lies beneath the...
19) The Indian Bride
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When perpetual bachelor Gunder Jomann goes to India for two weeks and comes home married, the town of Elvestad is stunned. On the day the Indian bride is supposed to arrive, the battered body of a woman is found in a meadow on the outskirts of town. None of the "good people of Elvestad" can believe that anyone among them would be capable of such a brutal murder. But in his quiet, formal way, Inspector Konrad Sejer understands that good people can...
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To the Western imagination, Tibet has always been a mysterious place. For centuries its capital, Lhasa, was known as a Forbidden City: it was ruled by a priest-king, and its medieval society was not welcoming to foreigners. But the exile of the Dalai Lama and his followers half a century ago, the destruction of the monasteries, and the plight of the Tibetan people who remained, evoked continuing sympathy. Jonathan Gregson places the religious and...