English books

Richard Quinn is a judge so ethical that he is willing to risk his own life to see that justice prevails in his courtroom. But as Quinn discovers when he presides over the trial of tough-talking state congresswoman Jane Crease, there is not always a clear path to justice. A cigar-smoking former police officer, Crease is a flamboyant public figure who stands accused of the brutal murder of her husband, a wealthy undertaker. Things, however, are not as they seem, and Quinn soon begins to suspect that Crease may well have been set up. As he zeros in on the shocking secret at the heart of the trial, Quinn finds that his efforts to do the right thing lead him ever deeper into an insidious maze of murder and deceit..

Long before Battle Royale or The Hunger Games, the author of The Planet of the Apes imagined a world governed by science and brutality gone mad in this long-neglected, dystopian sci-fi classic, now in a new translation Despairing at the state of world degeneration, a group of the world's most renowned intellectuals form the new Scientific World Government, aiming to put the world to rights. Elected into power, they quickly start making changes for the better, eliminating world hunger and cancer, encouraging scientific thought, and banning frivolous entertainment. But while congratulating themselves on a job well done, they fail to notice that actually, people are not happy. The suicide rate has sky-rocketed and, strangely, it turns out the public wants a little risk and conflict in their lives. So to cater to the masses, the Department of Psychology forms a plan: they will stage an entertainment show the likes of which the world has never seen before. It starts with gladiatorial style battles, bloodthirsty and brutal, where the victors become celebrities of unseen proportions, and quickly escalates into entire historical battle re-enactments involving chemical warfare and mass destruction. The Scientific World Government has unleashed a monster. What has the world let itself in for?

Still reeling from the tragic death of their much-loved colleague, Skinner's men are about to discover that a disturbed serial killer is still at large and very close to home. It's the second week of July Trades Holiday in Edinburgh when Deputy Chief Constable Bob Skinner and his men get a call informing them that the body of a young woman has been found on a golf course. It's been there for ten days so she's not a pretty sight. But the way she has been laid out is uncannily familiar. The body has been 'composed', just like the bodies of three other young women in a previous case. Could it be the work of a copycat killer? The murder victim is an art teacher who was having a relationship with the son of a Tory MP. Her ex-boyfriend is a policeman with a reputation as a serious womaniser. It seems the murder trail is getting much too close for comfort...

A trail of deceit with a deadly conclusion... Inhuman Remains introduces Primavera Blackstone in her new guise as sleuth in a thrilling new series from the bestselling Scottish crime author Quintin Jardine. Perfect for fans of Ian Rankin and Peter James. 'If Ian Rankin is the Robert Carlyle of Scottish crime writing, then Jardine is surely its Sean Connery' - Glasgow Herald Her mind still filled with thoughts of her dead ex-husband, Oz, Primavera Blackstone is in Spain with their son Tom when their peace is breached again with the arrival of her elderly but formidable aunt, Adrienne McGowan. All is not well in Auntie Ades world; her roguish son Frank has become involved with a shady international casino project and has disappeared. Prim flies to Seville to track him down, only to find herself a fugitive, with her life under threat, as her aunt joins the missing persons list, and Tom is forced to flee to safety. As she and her companion in danger cross Spain in a struggle to keep themselves alive, and to free Adrienne, Prim finds herself at the centre of a maelstrom of mystery... What readers are saying about Inhuman Remains: 'This is a really good, unputdownable sort of thriller, densely plotted, good characterisation, lots of exciting chases where you never can predict where you will end up' 'I really enjoyed this engrossing roller-coaster of a story with lots of twists and turns' 'Brilliant debut novel for Primavera'

Natividad is Pure, one of the rare girls born able to wield magic. Pure magic can protect humans against the supernatural evils they only half-acknowledge--the blood kin or the black dogs. In rare cases--like for Natividad's father and older brother--Pure magic can help black dogs find the strength to control their dark powers. But before Natividad's mother can finish teaching her magic their enemies find them. Their entire village in the remote hills of Mexico is slaughtered by black dogs. Their parents die protecting them. Natividad and her brothers must flee across a strange country to the only possible shelter: the infamous black dogs of Dimilioc, who have sworn to protect the Pure. In the snowy forests of Vermont they are discovered by Ezekiel Korte, despite his youth the strongest black dog at Dimilioc and the appointed pack executioner. Intrigued by Natividad he takes them to Dimilioc instead of killing them. Now they must pass the tests of the Dimilioc Master. Alejandro must prove he can learn loyalty and control even without his sister's Pure magic. Natividad's twin Miguel must prove that an ordinary human can be more than a burden to be protected. And even at Dimilioc a Pure girl like Natividad cannot remain unclaimed to cause fighting and distraction. If she is to stay she must choose a black dog mate. But, first, they must all survive the looming battle.

This is what the boy is told: - He woke up on planet Trucon, inside of a fence line he shouldn't have been able to cross. - He has an annirad blaster wound to the back of his head. - He has no memory. - He is now under the protection of a mysterious benefactor. - His name is Chase Garrety. This is what Chase Garrety knows: - He has a message: "Guide the star." - Time is running out.

The third part in The Blackstone Affair series: A love on the brink of being destroyed. The fight of a lifetime to keep it alive. Big surprises are on the horizon for Ethan and Brynne as they struggle to adjust to what life has thrown at them. Demons from the past are threatening to destroy the passionate bond they’ve forged despite their vow that nothing will ever keep them apart. A truly devastating loss coupled with the promise of a new hope opens their eyes to what is most important, but is it possible for the lovers to move on from the painful histories that continue to haunt them? A stalker is still lurking in the shadows, plotting evil amidst the distraction of the 2012 Olympic games in London. Brynne and Ethan are on the cusp of losing everything as the stakes rise. Will they yield to circumstances beyond their control or will they give every ounce of fight they have left to save each other and win the ultimate prize of a life together?   Eyes Wide Open is a passion-wrought story that shows us what pure love can achieve when tested and what the heart can accomplish despite danger and adversity.

Early one morning among the magnificent honey-coloured buildings of the Sorbonne, the tranquillity of the university is shattered by a death. But why would Albert Cadas, a quiet, crumpled professor of medieval literature, have any reason to kill himself? Meanwhile in another part of Paris, Valentine Savi, a talented young restorer, receives a visit in her studio from an enigmatic elderly gentleman with a unique commission: to restore a priceless medieval palimpsest whose timeworn pages promise to reveal the truth of a mystery that has fascinated scholars and writers for hundreds of years. Valentine soon learns that the shadowy figures who seek to possess the secrets of the manuscript are far darker and more ruthless than she could ever have imagined...Together with her friend Hugo Vermeer -- aristocrat, epicure and incorrigible wheeler-dealer -- and David Scotto, Cadas's doctoral student, Valentine finds herself on a terrifying and thrilling adventure through the narrow streets and gloomily palatial mansions of the Latin Quarter.