The Mysterious Affair at Styles is a detective novel by Agatha Christie. It was written in the middle of the First World War, in 1916, and first published by John Lane in the United States in October 1920 and in the United Kingdom by The Bodley Head (John Lane's UK company) on 21 January 1921. The US edition retailed at $2.00 and the UK edition at seven shillings and sixpence (7/6). Styles was Christie's first published novel. It introduced Hercule Poirot, Inspector (later, Chief Inspector) Japp, and Arthur Hastings. Poirot, a Belgian refugee of the Great War, is settling in England near the home of Emily Inglethorp, who helped him to his new life. His friend Hastings arrives as a guest at her home. When the woman is killed, Poirot uses his detective skills to solve the mystery. This is also the setting of Curtain, Poirot's last case. The book includes maps of the house, the murder scene, and a drawing of a fragment of a will. The true first publication of the novel was as a weekly serial in the The Times, including the maps of the house and other illustrations included in the book. This novel was one of the first ten books published by Penguin Books when it began in 1935. This first mystery novel by Agatha Christie was well received by reviewers. An analysis in 1990 was positive about the plot, considered the novel one of the few by Christie that is well-anchored in time and place, a story that knows it describes the end of an era, and mentions that the plot is clever. Christie had not mastered cleverness in her first novel, as "too many clues tend to cancel each other out"; this was judged a difficulty "which Conan Doyle never satisfactorily overcame, but which Christie would." From Wikipedia (CC BY-SA).

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1866. A close friend of Charles Dickens, Collins is one of the most readable of the Victorian novelists and some critics credit him with the invention of Sensation/Detective novel. Originally serialized in The Cornhill, in Armadale the two heroes of the novel, Ozias Midwinter and Allan Armadale, are born under a curse since Midwinter's father had murdered Armadale's father. On his death bed, Midwinter's father warns that if these two sons ever meet, tragedy will occur. Midwinter learns the story and is uncertain whether to leave Allan or to work at changing their fate. The novel also features a doctor who is running a clandestine abortion clinic. When that operation is shut down by the police, he opens a private sanitarium for monetary gain. When the local ladies come to tour the facilities he espouses a system of liberal care, when in actuality the building is laid out with an intricate system of pipes that allow him to keep his patients continually sedated. At the novel's end, the doctor is found to be planning a murder using those pipes. See other titles by this author available from Kessinger Publishing.

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The bicycle in Victorian Britain is often celebrated as a vehicle of women's liberation. But much less is known about another critical technology with which women forged new and mobile public lives – cycle wear. Despite its benefits, cycling was a material and ideological minefield for women. Conventional fashions were vastly inappropriate, with skirts catching in wheels and tangling in pedals. Yet wearing more identifiable ‘rational’ cycle wear could elicit verbal and sometimes physical abuse from parts of society threatened by newly mobile women.

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An idealistic journalist sets out to expose corruption among the city's elite and soon finds himself immersed in a conspiracy of murder, blackmail, espionage, and human trafficking. Pitted against the enigmatic CEO of one of the world's largest tech companies, he must play a deadly game threatens to unearth its players' darkest secrets.

CONCRETE UNDERGROUND is postmodern pulp fiction - a gritty, labyrinthine murder mystery about identity and alienation in the digital age.

Playlist and Clues at the author's website.

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Published to great acclaim and fierce controversy in 1866, Fyodor Dostoevskys Crime and Punishment has left an indelible mark on global literature and our modern world, and is still known worldwide as the quintessential Russian novel. Readers of all backgrounds have debated its historical, cultural, and spiritual dimensions, probing the moral and ethical dilemmas that Dostoevsky so brilliantly stages throughout his narrative. Yet, at its heart, this masterpiece of literary realism is ultimately an immersive tale of passion and redemptionindeed, "the best of all murder stories" (Harold Bloom), "most perfect in pacing and structure. There is no more gripping novel in the world" (Michael Dirda). Now, acclaimed translator Michael R. Katz breathes fresh life into this ageless classic in a sparkling new translation, with novel insights into the linguistic richness, subtle tones, and cunning humor of Dostoevskys magnum opus. Embracing the complex linguistic blend inherent in modern literary Russian that has provided an exceptionally fertile source of images and diction for Russian writers since the time of Pushkin, Katz recaptures the richness of tone and register of the novels most poignant and significant passages. Sensitive to this linguistic mosaic, Katz ably recreates the feeling of the original Russian for the English reader, allowing the text to evoke the same stirring emotional responses as the author intended. With its searing and unique portrayal of the labyrinthine universe of nineteenth-century Russia, this masterful rendering of Crime and Punishment will be the translation of choice for years to come.

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Published to great acclaim and fierce controversy in 1866, Fyodor Dostoevskys Crime and Punishment has left an indelible mark on global literature and our modern world, and is still known worldwide as the quintessential Russian novel. Readers of all backgrounds have debated its historical, cultural, and spiritual dimensions, probing the moral and ethical dilemmas that Dostoevsky so brilliantly stages throughout his narrative. Yet, at its heart, this masterpiece of literary realism is ultimately an immersive tale of passion and redemptionindeed, "the best of all murder stories" (Harold Bloom), "most perfect in pacing and structure. There is no more gripping novel in the world" (Michael Dirda). Now, acclaimed translator Michael R. Katz breathes fresh life into this ageless classic in a sparkling new translation, with novel insights into the linguistic richness, subtle tones, and cunning humor of Dostoevskys magnum opus. Embracing the complex linguistic blend inherent in modern literary Russian that has provided an exceptionally fertile source of images and diction for Russian writers since the time of Pushkin, Katz recaptures the richness of tone and register of the novels most poignant and significant passages. Sensitive to this linguistic mosaic, Katz ably recreates the feeling of the original Russian for the English reader, allowing the text to evoke the same stirring emotional responses as the author intended. With its searing and unique portrayal of the labyrinthine universe of nineteenth-century Russia, this masterful rendering of Crime and Punishment will be the translation of choice for years to come.

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This highly visual history of women’s cycle wear brings together Victorian engineering, patent studies and radical feminist invention. Underpinned by three years of in-depth archival research and inventive practice, this new book by Kat Jungnickel and Goldsmiths Press brings to life in rich detail the lesser-known stories of six inventors and their unique contributions to cycling’s past which continue to shape urban life for contemporary mobile women.

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Heart of Darkness follows the story of Charlie Marlow's time working on the Congo River. In his attempts to aid Mr. Kurtz, the chief of the Inner Station, Marlow is confronted with the cruel realities of European imperialism in Africa. This Norton Critical Edition is based on the 1902 English first book publication. The text comes paired with explanatory footnotes, illustrations and photographs, and an introduction by the editor. "Backgrounds and Contexts" explores the wide range of historical attitudes that influenced the text, including essays on imperialism and the Congo, Nineteenth-Century Attitudes Toward Race, Conrad in the Congo, and The Author on Art and Literature. "Criticism" examines a wide range of critical responses to the novella, which span from Conrad's peers up until the twenty-first century. Essays from Chinua Achebe, Jeremy Hawthorn, Hunt Hawkins, Ian Watts, J. Hillis Miller, and others have been carried over from the previous edition. These classic essays are further supported by new material from Benita Parry, Susan Jones, Richard J. Ruppel, Adriana Cavarero, Jeffrey Mathes McCarthy, Urmila Seshagirl, and Nidesh Lawtoo. The collection of essays on film adaptations of the novella has been completely revised to include essays by Robert L. Carringer, Seymour Chatman, and Pamela Demory. A Chronology and revised Selected Bibliography are also included. - Publisher.

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PREFACE - "His Last Bow" - The friends of Mr. Sherlock Holmes will be glad to learn that he is still alive and well, though somewhat crippled by occasional attacks of rheumatism. He has, for many years, lived in a small farm upon the downs five miles from Eastbourne, where his time is divided between philosophy and agriculture. During this period of rest he has refused the most princely offers to take up various cases, having determined that his retirement was a permanent one. The approach of the German war caused him however, to lay his remarkable combination of intellectual and practical activity at the disposal of the government, with historical results which are recounted in His Last Bow. Several previous experiences which have lain long in my portfolio have been added to His Last Bow so as to complete the volume. JOHN H. WATSON, M. D. Please Note: This book has been reformatted to be easy to read in true text, not scanned images that can sometimes be difficult to decipher. The Microsoft eBook has a contents page linked to the chapter headings for easy navigation. The Adobe eBook has bookmarks at chapter headings and is printable up to two full copies per year. Both versions are text searchable.

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Quando la giovane Yuki Kashizawa si trasferisce a Londra per un dottorato, non si aspetta certo che questo sia l’inizio di un giallo in chiave fantascientifica. Alla Deverex Tower – l’ultramoderno grattacielo dove alloggerà – Yuki si imbatte nello stravagante Rupert Howards, che la coinvolge in un’indagine personale su Edwin Deverex, brillante scienziato ed ex-proprietario del palazzo, scomparso nel nulla anni prima. La principale indiziata – Ayleen Marker – nasconde più di un segreto, e la connessione tra il misterioso passato raccontato dai suoi sogni e la scomparsa di Deverex va ben oltre ciò che Yuki e Rupert potrebbero mai immaginare. Le cose si complicano ulteriormente quando Rupert scopre che la tecnologia alla base delle meraviglie nascoste della Deverex Tower è caduta in mani decisamente sbagliate…

La Caduta degli Dèi è il primo capitolo della serie di fantascienza La Saga di Elynx, e getta le fondamenta di una storia lunga e complessa che affascinerà il lettore e lo condurrà ai limiti della sua immaginazione. Arricchita da elementi classici della fantascienza e del genere supereroi, La Saga di Elynx è una caccia ad una verità nascosta che inizia con il curioso caso insoluto di una persona scomparsa. Ma questa è solo la punta dell’iceberg…

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Condemned by Victorian critics as immoral, but regarded today as a novel of outstanding social insight,No Nameshows William Wilkie Collins at the height of his literary powers. It is the story of two sisters, Magdalen and Norah, who discover after the deaths of their dearly beloved parents that their parents were not married at the time of their births. Disinherited and ousted from their estate, they must fend for themselves and either resign themselves to their fate or determine to recover their wealth by whatever means. About the Series:For over 100 yearsOxford World's Classicshas made available the broadest spectrum of literature from around the globe. Each affordable volume reflects Oxford's commitment to scholarship, providing the most accurate text plus a wealth of other valuable features, including expert introductions by leading authorities, voluminous notes to clarify the text, up-to-date bibliographies for further study, and much more.

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Prester John is a rollicking adventure tale. It tells of the experiences of a young Scotsman who travels to South Africa at the dawn of the 20th century to make his fortune in the wild plains of an untamed country. Part mystery, part travelogue, part spy novel, part treasure hunt, it has all the makings of a crackling good read. It is firm proof that John Buchan (The Thirty-Nine Steps, Greenmantle, and so many other novels of intrigue) remains a storyteller of the first order. His writing style is fresh and compelling.The events transpire in a critical time South African history, just as the Dutch are about to lose control of Transvaal to the British, but the focus of the story is not on the Dutch or the British. They merely serve as the backdrop for the real action, the arrival of a charismatic black leader, John Laputa, who vows to unite all of Africa under him. Heralding himself the rightful heir of Prester John, the legendary medieval King of Ethiopia said to be a descendant of one of the three Magi. Laputa uses the Prester John myth to rally his forces and fuel his insurgency, but in the end it becomes a case of spears and shields versus bolt-action rifles.This is not Laputa's narrative, however. The story belongs to young Mr. David Crawfurd, of Kirkcaple, Scotland. As a stranger in a strange land Crawfurd must draw on his inner strength and resources to survive the explosive conflict around him. Prester John is a top-notch adventure story, full of daring heroes and wondrous villainsa forgotten gem of early 20th Century literature.

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When new graduate Yuki Kashizawa moves to London for her PhD, she is certainly not expecting to be dragged into a mystery. At the Deverex Tower, an ultra-modern skyscraper and her new home, Yuki bumps into the extravagant Rupert Howards. He involves her in his personal investigation on the building’s former owner, Edwin Deverex, a brilliant scientist who vanished into thin air years before. The prime suspect, Ayleen Marker, hides more than one secret, and the connection between the enigmatic past told in her dreams and Deverex’s disappearance is unlike anything Yuki and Rupert could ever imagine. The investigation takes an alarming turn when Rupert discovers that the Deverex Tower’s hidden technological wonders have fallen into the wrong hands…

The Fall of the Gods is the first instalment in the science fiction series The Elynx Saga. It paves the way for a long, convoluted story that will intrigue you and take you as far as your imagination can go. Spiced up with superhero and classical sci-fi elements, The Elynx Saga is a hunt for a hidden truth, beginning with a curious, unsolved case of missing person. This is, however, only the tip of the iceberg…

Additional versions available from the author's website.

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This novel was loosely inspired by the loss of Sir John Franklin's Arctic expedition of 1845, in which Charles Dickens had taken a great interest. Specifically, in the fall of 1854, when the Hudson's Bay Company surveyor Dr. John Rae brought back Inuit reports of cannibalism among Franklin's men, Dickens was so perturbed that he launched a debate with Rae in the pages of his own periodical, Household Words. By 1856, however, it became increasingly clear that there were no survivors. It was in this context that, in the spring of 1856, Dickens and Collins conceived of a play set in the Arctic. The task of writing the play itself fell to Collins, since Dickens was still busily engaged with Little Dorritt, but nevertheless he found time to make numerous revisions to the eventual script. That play was rewritten by Wilkie Collins as this novel.

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William Hope Hodgson (1877-1918) was an English author. He produced a large body of work, consisting of essays, short fiction, and novels, spanning several overlapping genres including horror, fantastic fiction and science fiction. Early in his writing career he dedicated effort to poetry, although few of his poems were published during his lifetime. He also attracted some notice as a photographer and achieved some renown as a bodybuilder. He began a four-year apprenticeship as a cabin boy in 1891. In 1899, he opened W. H. Hodgson's School of Physical Culture offering tailored exercise regimes for personal training. He wrote articles such as Physical Culture Versus Recreative Exercises (1903). Hodgson turned his attention to fiction, publishing his first short story, The Goddess of Death (1904). In 1906 the American magazine The Monthly Story Magazine published From the Tideless Sea, the first of Hodgson's Sargasso Sea stories. His first published novel, The Boats of the "Glen Carrig," appeared in 1907. Amongst his other works are The House on the Borderland (1908), The Ghost Pirates (1909), Carnacki: The Ghost Finder (1910) and The Night Land (1912).

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Probably the first full-length novel with a woman detective as its heroine, The Law and the Lady (1875) is a fascinating example of Collins' later fiction. Valeria Valerie Woodville's first act as a married woman is to sign her name incorrectly in the marriage register; this slip is followed by a gradual disclosure of secrets about her husband's earlier life, each of which leads to another set of questions and enigmas. Developing many of the techniques at work in The Moonstone in bizarre and unexpected ways, and employing both Gothic and fantastic elements, The Law and the Lady adds a significant dimension to the history of the detective novel. About the Series: For over 100 years Oxford World's Classics has made available the broadest spectrum of literature from around the globe. Each affordable volume reflects Oxford's commitment to scholarship, providing the most accurate text plus a wealth of other valuable features, including expert introductions by leading authorities, voluminous notes to clarify the text, up-to-date bibliographies for further study, and much more.

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An account of the mobilization of thousands of volunteers who rescued, supported, and welcomed refugees during the recent European refugee crisis.

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"The Riddle of the Sands," by Erskine Childers, not only may have affected the course of history-it still thrills readers today. One of the first and still finest spy stories ever written, "The Riddle of the Sands" introduced Edwardian readers to the idea of a 'secret service'. In an enthralling tale of a duel among the islands and sandbanks of the North Sea, two amateur investigators and yachtsmen discover sinister preparations off the German coast. At great peril both from an implacable enemy and furious storms at sea, they stake their lives on the strength of their doughty boat, the Dulcibella. Will they fight their way back to England in time to sound a warning? "The Riddle of the Sands" caused a sensation when it appeared in1903, with statesmen and soldiers drawn into a debate about Britain's readiness to repulse a naval invasion. So strong was its impact that one critic later accused its author of almost single-handedly starting a European war. The influence of "The Riddle of the Sands" would not have been so great if it had not been so powerfully readable, a quality it keeps to this day. Ranked with the greatest work of John Buchan, Joseph Conrad and Ian Fleming, this vintage adventure by Erskine Childers has lost nothing of its force.

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The Secret Adversary is a work of detective fiction by Agatha Christie and first published in the UK in 1922. The book introduces the characters of Tommy and Tuppence who are featured in three other Christie books and one collection of short stories written throughout her writing career.The New York Times Book Review of June 11, 1922 was also impressed, stating, "It is safe to assert that unless the reader peers into the last chapter or so of the tale, he will not know who this secret adversary is until the author chooses to reveal him." The review gave something of a backhanded compliment when it said that Christie "gives a sense of plausibility to the most preposterous situations and developments." Nevertheless they conceded that, "Miss Christie has a clever prattling style that shifts easily into amusing dialogue and so aids the pleasure of the reader as he tears along with Tommy and Tuppence on the trail of the mysterious Mr. Brown. Many of the situations are a bit moth-eaten from frequent usage by other writers, but at that Miss Christie manages to invest them with a new sense of individuality that renders them rather absorbing."

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Will Barrent had no memory of his crime . . . but he found himself shipped across space to a brutal prison-planet. On Omega, his only chance to advance himself - and stay alive - is to commit an endless series of violent crimes. The average inmate's life expectancy from time of arrival is three years. Can Barrett survive, escape, and return to Earth to clear his name? "Yes sir. Well, there are three men outside trying to kill me...." "Quite right," Mr. Frendlyer said. "And today is Landing Day. You came off the ship that landed today, and have been classified a peon.... I'm happy to say that everything is in order. The Landing Day Hunt ends at sundown. You can leave here with the knowledge that everything is correct and that your rights have not been violated." "Leave here? After sundown, you mean." Mr. Frendlyer shook his head and smiled sadly. "I'm afraid not. According to the law you must leave here at once." "But they'll kill me!" "That's very true. Unfortunately it can't be helped. A victim by definition is one who is to be killed.... We protect rights, not victims."

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A memoir and cultural history the World’s End, a West London area once home to bohemian artists and punk rock and now an outpost of neoliberalism.

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