1600 Books
A picture hides a thousand words . . . On a hot July day in 1967, Odelle Bastien climbs the stone steps of the Skelton gallery in London, knowing that her life is about to change forever. Having struggled to find her place in the city since she arrived from Trinidad five years ago, she has been offered a job as a typist under the tutelage of the glamorous and enigmatic Marjorie Quick. But though Quick takes Odelle into her confidence, and unlocks a potential she didn't know she had, she remains a mystery - no more so than when a lost masterpiece with a secret history is delivered to the gallery.The truth about the painting lies in 1936 and a large house in rural Spain, where Olive Schloss, the daughter of a renowned art dealer, is harbouring ambitions of her own. Into this fragile paradise come an artist and revolutionary, Isaac Robles, and his half-sister Teresa, who immediately insinuate themselves into the Schloss family, with explosive and devastating consequences . . .Seductive, exhilarating and suspenseful, The Muse is an addictive novel about aspiration and identity, love and obsession, authenticity and deception - a magnificent creation and a story you will never forget.
"The Black Hand Strikes. 1906, New York City. Italian gangsters calling themselves the Black Hand terrorize citizens in a menacing spree of kidnapping, extortion and arson. Who dares stop them? Detective Isaac Bell of the Van Dorn Agency is hired to form a special 'Black Hand Squad' - but with each gangster caught a new one appears on the street. Are these new recruits or other criminals imitating the Black Hand? Where arethese men coming from? Murder is just the beginning . . . Then the killings start. Each victim is a man more powerful than the last. Bell is convinced that he's facing a murderous organization hell bent on bringing the city to its knees. But that's before he discovers their ultimate target - the most powerful man in the country- the President of the United States . . ."
Introducing Luke Carlton - ex-Special Boat Service commando, and now under contract to MI6 for some of its most dangerous missions. Sent into the steaming Colombian jungle to investigate the murder of a British intelligence officer, Luke finds himself caught up in the coils of a plot that has terrifying international dimensions. Hunted down, captured, tortured and on the run from one of South America's most powerful and ruthless drugs cartels and its psychotic leader thirsting for revenge, Luke is in a life-or-death race against time to prevent a disaster on a truly terrifying scale: London is the target, the weapon is diabolical and the means of delivery is ingenious. Drawing on his years of experience reporting on security matters, CRISIS is Frank Gardnerâe(tm)s debut novel. Combining insider knowledge, up-to-the-minute hardware, fly on the wall insights with heart-in-mouth excitement, CRISIS boasts an irresistible, visceral frisson of authenticity: smart, fast-paced and furiously entertaining, here is a thriller for the 21st century.
Sunday Times #1 BestsellerNew York Times #1 BestsellerThe spellbinding new Robert Langdon novelfrom the author of The Da Vinci Code.'Fans will not be disappointed' The TimesRobert Langdon, Harvard professor of symbology and religious iconology, arrives at the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao to attend the unveiling of a discovery that "will change the face of science forever". The evening?s host is his friend and former student, Edmond Kirsch, a forty-year-old tech magnate whose dazzling inventions and audacious predictions have made him a controversial figure around the world. This evening is to be no exception- he claims he will reveal an astonishing scientific breakthrough to challenge the fundamentals of human existence.But Langdon and several hundred other guests are left reeling when the meticulously orchestrated evening is blown apart before Kirsch?s precious discovery can be revealed. With his life under threat, Langdon is forced into a desperate bid to escape, along with the museum?s director, Ambra Vidal. Together they flee to Barcelona on a perilous quest to locate a cryptic password that will unlock Kirsch?s secret.In order to evade a tormented enemy who is one step ahead of them at every turn, Langdon and Vidal must navigate labyrinthine passageways of hidden history and ancient religion. On a trail marked only by enigmatic symbols and elusive modern art, Langdon and Vidal uncover the clues that will bring them face-to-face with a world-shaking truth that has remained buried - until now.'Dan Brown is the master of the intellectual cliffhanger? Wall Street Journal'As engaging a hero as you could wish for? Mail on Sunday 'For anyone who wants more brain-food than thrillers normally provide? Sunday Times
The Pope is dead. Behind the locked doors of the Sistine Chapel, one hundred and twenty Cardinals from all over the globe will cast their votes in the world’s most secretive election. They are holy men. But they have ambition. And they have rivals. Over the next seventy-two hours one of them will become the most powerful spiritual figure on earth.
Detective Inspector Robert Colbeck and his assistant are assigned to investigate the discovery of a disembodied head during the Derby Day at Epson Downs, and soon find themselves snarled up in a web of skullduggery.
January 1910. A journalist has been killed in a suspicious blaze. Everything points to a group of suffragettes, but the apparent culprit insists she is innocent. When Lady Hardcastle receives a letter from a suffragette requesting her urgent help, the retired spy turned sleuth knows only she stands between an accused young woman and the gallows. Evidence at the scene makes Lizzie Worrel's innocence difficult to believe, and with the police treating it as an open-and-shut case of arson, Lady Hardcastle faces a barrage of resistance as she tries to dig out the truth. With her trusted maid and confidante, the formidable Flo, Lady Hardcastle sets off in pursuit of the truth as time runs out for the accused suffragette. Was she set up? And if so, is the real culprit a traitor to the cause--or part of a darker conspiracy?
August 1911. Emily Hardcastle and her inimitable lady's maid Florence Armstrong are enjoying a fine summer until Harry, Lady H's brother, turns up out of the blue with a mystery for them to solve. A routine parachute test at a local aeroplane factory has gone horribly wrong--with pilot Dickie Dupree plummeting to his death. Harry is certain there is more to this 'tragic accident' than meets the eye, having discovered that someone at the airfield is leaking top secret intelligence to foreign rivals. In between strolls to the Dog & Duck and planning for the annual village show, the daring duo dust off the Crime Board and go undercover at Bristol Aviation. With international powers investing heavily in aeronautics, the stakes are high--sky high--and the suspects soon mount up. Can Lady Hardcastle find the culprit before someone else falls down dead?
July 1910. Lady Hardcastle and her tireless sidekick Flo have finally embarked on a long-overdue seaside break. But just as they're wavering between ice creams and donkey rides, their fellow guests start to go missing--and the duo find themselves with a hysterical hotel manager and a case to solve. The first to disappear is Dr Goddard, a scientist doing something terribly top-secret for the government. Gone too are his strongbox and its mysterious contents. By the time Lady Hardcastle has questioned the horde of international guests, her number-one suspect has been dispatched in grisly circumstances--and then the others start vanishing too. As the case begins to look like a matter of national security, Lady Hardcastle takes advice from her brother in the secret service. But could there be an even more personal connection at play? To solve the case, Lady Hardcastle may face a shocking discovery of her own.