When an aristocratic old lady is brutally murdered in her country home the night before 9/11, it takes all the resources of the FBI and Interpol to work out the connection between her and the possible motive for her death - a priceless Van Gogh painting. It's a young woman in the North Tower when the first plane crashed into the building who has the courage and determination to take on both sides of the law and avenge the old lady's death. Anna Petrescu is missing, presumed dead, after 9/11 and she uses her new status to escape from America, only to be pursued across the world from Toronto to London, to Hong Kong, Tokyo and Bucharest, but it is only when she returns to New York that the mystery unfolds. Why are so many people willing to risk their own lives and others' to own the Van Gogh Self-Portrait with Bandaged Ear?
The former director of the Metropolitan Museum of Art examines the world of art forgery, from ancient times to the present, sharing anecdotes about some of the costliest, most embarrassing forgeries ever, as well as the motives of the fakers.
Her cheating husband was murdered and she's the prime suspect. Proving her innocence is one thing; evading a killer who wants her dead is something else. BETRAYAL. JEALOUSY. REVENGE. Montreal ghostwriter Megan Scott falls under police suspicion when her husband and a female friend are found murdered. In what a Quebec detective calls a crime passionnel, startling evidence surfaces to implicate Michael Elliott, a young investigative reporter who'd rather rub elbows with scumbags than live the posh lifestyle he inherited. Clutched out of her comfort zone, Megan is flung into Michael's dark world of criminal investigation. As they make a last-ditch attempt to prove their innocence, an elusive enemy closes in and threatens their lives. Who wants them out of the way and why? Their only path to freedom is to catch the twisted killer before they become the next victims. But not knowing who to trust or where to turn can have consequences that are just as lethal... Reviews: "Psychological twists and turns make this a heart-pounding read!" "A stunning debut; this deserves a much wider publication." "Fast-paced, plot-driven action with sharp, realistic dialogue." "A skillfully crafted story. Makes a great movie." Books by Sandra Nikolai in the Megan Scott/Michael Elliott Mystery series: (Each book can be read as a standalone) False Impressions (Book 1) Fatal Whispers (Book 2) Timely Escape (Short story prequel to Book 3) Icy Silence (Book 3) Dark Deeds (Book 4) Broken Trust (Book 5) Cold Revenge: A Psychological Thriller (Book 6) Box Set: Books 1 - 3 Box Set: Books 4 - 6 Keywords: crime, crime of passion, mystery, mysteries, mystery books, mystery novels, mystery thriller, mystery series, murder mystery, international mystery, general mystery, bookclub, cosmopolitan city, cosy, cozy mystery, clean thriller, crime drama, books, eBooks, series, first in a series, whodunit, cliffhanger, female sleuth, female protagonist, private investigator, murder investigation, crime reporter, news coverage, investigative reporter, autopsy, forensics, medical examiner, gold digger, media, pathologist, ghostwriter, police detective, police procedural, police investigation, police surveillance, videotape, record, interrogation, justice, legal, paralegal, lawyer, inheritance, money, poison, cyanide, murder, crime thriller, thriller, thrillers, hero, heroine, suspense, betrayal, jealousy, revenge, action, adventure, stalker, secrets, stalking, liar, lies, psychopath, white collar crime, cheating husband, technological thriller, trespasser, witness, suspect, contemporary, romance, psychological suspense, romantic suspense, light romance, noir, film noir, infidelity, broken marriage, women's fiction, popular mystery books, best seller, bestsellers, witness, mystery author, Sandra, Nikolai, Agatha Christie, David Baldacci, Diane Capri, Donna Leon, Janice Frost, Jeffrey Archer, Linwood Barclay, Chris Collett, Deborah Hawkins, Gregg Bell, Charlaine Harris, Lisa Jackson, Lisa Scottoline, Leighann Dobbs, j d robb, Fiona Barton, Kathy Reichs, Louise Penny, Tana French, M A Comley, j a jance, Joy Fielding, Kendra Elliot, Lee Child, Sue Grafton, Harlan Coben, Iris Johansen, Mary Higgins Clark, Melinda Leigh, Nora Roberts, Renee Pawlish, Robert Bryndza, Sarah Wray, Tess Gerritsen, Teresa Driscoll, Jana Deleon, Canada, Canadian authors, Canadian mystery writer, Montreal, Old Montreal, Quebec.
An imposter has been using Nancy’s name to con wealthy townspeople out of thousands of dollars. Now the teen sleuth must clear her own name and uncover the true identity of an unscrupulous extortionist and her mysterious partner.
Bea Abbot wishes she’d never got mixed up in the affairs of the Holland family, when she finds her house and agency under siege. Bea Abbot’s friend Leon Holland has asked for her help in establishing an alibi. But why would he need one? First, he tells her, he had a narrow escape from being run down in the road, and then he was lured with a mysterious message to a car park to meet someone who didn’t turn up. Matters escalate when two bodies are found in the car park, slumped over their steering wheels, stabbed to death. Then everything is thrown into chaos as a devastating virus infects the agency’s systems. A hidden camera. Hate mail. A nasty practical joke. It’s clear that the Abbott Agency has been targeted. But why? And where is it leading? Bea is about to find herself drawn into a vicious power struggle involving greed, envy, ambition and tangled family relationships.
The scientific story of first impressions—and why the snap character judgments we make from faces are irresistible but usually incorrect We make up our minds about others after seeing their faces for a fraction of a second—and these snap judgments predict all kinds of important decisions. For example, politicians who simply look more competent are more likely to win elections. Yet the character judgments we make from faces are as inaccurate as they are irresistible; in most situations, we would guess more accurately if we ignored faces. So why do we put so much stock in these widely shared impressions? What is their purpose if they are completely unreliable? In this book, Alexander Todorov, one of the world's leading researchers on the subject, answers these questions as he tells the story of the modern science of first impressions. Drawing on psychology, cognitive science, neuroscience, computer science, and other fields, this accessible and richly illustrated book describes cutting-edge research and puts it in the context of the history of efforts to read personality from faces. Todorov describes how we have evolved the ability to read basic social signals and momentary emotional states from faces, using a network of brain regions dedicated to the processing of faces. Yet contrary to the nineteenth-century pseudoscience of physiognomy and even some of today's psychologists, faces don't provide us a map to the personalities of others. Rather, the impressions we draw from faces reveal a map of our own biases and stereotypes. A fascinating scientific account of first impressions, Face Value explains why we pay so much attention to faces, why they lead us astray, and what our judgments actually tell us.
INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER “One of the most important books I’ve ever read—an indispensable guide to thinking clearly about the world.” – Bill Gates “Hans Rosling tells the story of ‘the secret silent miracle of human progress’ as only he can. But Factfulness does much more than that. It also explains why progress is so often secret and silent and teaches readers how to see it clearly.” —Melinda Gates "Factfulness by Hans Rosling, an outstanding international public health expert, is a hopeful book about the potential for human progress when we work off facts rather than our inherent biases." - Former U.S. President Barack Obama Factfulness: The stress-reducing habit of only carrying opinions for which you have strong supporting facts. When asked simple questions about global trends—what percentage of the world’s population live in poverty; why the world’s population is increasing; how many girls finish school—we systematically get the answers wrong. So wrong that a chimpanzee choosing answers at random will consistently outguess teachers, journalists, Nobel laureates, and investment bankers. In Factfulness, Professor of International Health and global TED phenomenon Hans Rosling, together with his two long-time collaborators, Anna and Ola, offers a radical new explanation of why this happens. They reveal the ten instincts that distort our perspective—from our tendency to divide the world into two camps (usually some version of us and them) to the way we consume media (where fear rules) to how we perceive progress (believing that most things are getting worse). Our problem is that we don’t know what we don’t know, and even our guesses are informed by unconscious and predictable biases. It turns out that the world, for all its imperfections, is in a much better state than we might think. That doesn’t mean there aren’t real concerns. But when we worry about everything all the time instead of embracing a worldview based on facts, we can lose our ability to focus on the things that threaten us most. Inspiring and revelatory, filled with lively anecdotes and moving stories, Factfulness is an urgent and essential book that will change the way you see the world and empower you to respond to the crises and opportunities of the future. --- “This book is my last battle in my life-long mission to fight devastating ignorance...Previously I armed myself with huge data sets, eye-opening software, an energetic learning style and a Swedish bayonet for sword-swallowing. It wasn’t enough. But I hope this book will be.” Hans Rosling, February 2017.
The Regional and Transregional in Romanesque Europe considers the historiography and usefulness of regional categories and in so doing explores the strength, durability, mutability, and geographical scope of regional and transregional phenomena in the Romanesque period. This book addresses the complex question of the significance of regions in the creation of Romanesque, particularly in relation to transregional and pan-European artistic styles and approaches. The categorization of Romanesque by region was a cornerstone of 19th- and 20th-century scholarship, albeit one vulnerable to the application of anachronistic concepts of regional identity. Individual chapters explore the generation and reception of forms, the conditions that give rise to the development of transregional styles and the agencies that cut across territorial boundaries. There are studies of regional styles in Aquitaine, Castile, Sicily, Hungary, and Scandinavia; workshops in Worms and the Welsh Marches; the transregional nature of liturgical furnishings; the cultural geography of the new monastic orders; metalworking in Hildesheim and the valley of the Meuse; and the links which connect Piemonte with Conques. The Regional and Transregional in Romanesque Europe offers a new vision of regions in the creation of Romanesque relevant to archaeologists, art historians, and historians alike.
A deeply original exploration of the power of spontaneity—an ancient Chinese ideal that cognitive scientists are only now beginning to understand—and why it is so essential to our well-being Why is it always hard to fall asleep the night before an important meeting? Or be charming and relaxed on a first date? What is it about a politician who seems wooden or a comedian whose jokes fall flat or an athlete who chokes? In all of these cases, striving seems to backfire. In Trying Not To Try, Edward Slingerland explains why we find spontaneity so elusive, and shows how early Chinese thought points the way to happier, more authentic lives. We’ve long been told that the way to achieve our goals is through careful reasoning and conscious effort. But recent research suggests that many aspects of a satisfying life, like happiness and spontaneity, are best pursued indirectly. The early Chinese philosophers knew this, and they wrote extensively about an effortless way of being in the world, which they called wu-wei (ooo-way). They believed it was the source of all success in life, and they developed various strategies for getting it and hanging on to it. With clarity and wit, Slingerland introduces us to these thinkers and the marvelous characters in their texts, from the butcher whose blade glides effortlessly through an ox to the wood carver who sees his sculpture simply emerge from a solid block. Slingerland uncovers a direct line from wu-wei to the Force in Star Wars, explains why wu-wei is more powerful than flow, and tells us what it all means for getting a date. He also shows how new research reveals what’s happening in the brain when we’re in a state of wu-wei—why it makes us happy and effective and trustworthy, and how it might have even made civilization possible. Through stories of mythical creatures and drunken cart riders, jazz musicians and Japanese motorcycle gangs, Slingerland effortlessly blends Eastern thought and cutting-edge science to show us how we can live more fulfilling lives. Trying Not To Try is mind-expanding and deeply pleasurable, the perfect antidote to our striving modern culture.
The award-winning author of Eveningland “combines a coming-of-age tale, a ghost story and a meditation on history in his engrossing latest novel” (Minneapolis Star Tribune). It’s 1994 and Lenore Littlefield is a junior at Briarwood School for Girls. She plays basketball. She hates her roommate. History is her favorite subject. She has told no one that she’s pregnant. Everything, in other words, is under control. Meanwhile, Disney has announced plans to build a new theme park just up the road, a “Technicolor simulacrum of American History” right in the middle of one of the most history-rich regions of the country. If successful, the development will forever alter the character of Prince William County, VA, and have unforeseeable consequences for the school. When the threat of the theme park begins to intrude on the lives of the faculty and students at Briarwood, secrets will be revealed and unexpected alliances will form. Lenore must decide whom she can trust—will it be a middle-aged history teacher struggling to find purpose in his humdrum life? A lonely basketball coach tasked with directing the school play? A reclusive playwright still grappling with her own Briarwood legacy? Or a teenage ghost equally adept at communicating with the living via telephone or Ouija board? Following a cast of memorable characters as they reckon with questions about fate, history, and the possibility of happiness, At Briarwood School for Girls is “an inventive coming of age tale” (Southern Living). “A stunning novel with a hint of the supernatural that’s sure to delight readers.”—Publishers Weekly “Irresistible and satisfying.”—Christine Schutt, author of Florida: A Novel
