From the author of Rebecca and The Birds: a classic thriller of shipwreck and murder, "rich in suspense and surprise" (New York Times Book Review). On a bitter November evening, young Mary Yellan journeys across the rainswept moors to Jamaica Inn in honor of her mother's dying request. When she arrives, the warning of the coachman begins to echo in her memory, for her aunt Patience cowers before hulking Uncle Joss Merlyn. Terrified of the inn's brooding power, Mary gradually finds herself ensnared in the dark schemes being enacted behind its crumbling walls -- and tempted to love a man she dares not trust. The inspiration for the 1939 Alfred Hitchcock film.
Ebenezer Scrooge from Charles Dickens’s A Christmas Carol investigates a shocking murder—before he becomes the next victim—in this playful mystery in a new series from a New York Times bestselling author. Scrooge considers himself a rational man with a keen sense of deductive reasoning developed from years of business dealings. But that changes one night when he’s visited by the ghost of his former boss and friend, Fezziwig, who mysteriously warns him that three more will die, and ultimately Ebenezer himself—if he doesn’t get to the bottom of a vast conspiracy. When he wakes the next day, Scrooge discovers that not only is Fezziwig dead, but he’s under arrest as all evidence points toward himself: Scrooge’s calling card was found in the cold, dead hand of Fezziwig’s body, and someone scribbled “HUMBUG” in blood on the floor nearby. Now, Scrooge must race against the pocket watch to clear his name, protect his interests, and find out who killed his last true friend—before the “Humbug Killer” strikes again. Joining Scrooge in his adventures is a spunky sidekick named Adelaide, who matches his wits at every turn, plus the Artful Dodger, Fagin, Belle, Pickwick, and even Charles Dickens himself as a reporter dealing in the lurid details of London’s alleyway crimes. Full of action and wry humor, The Humbug Murders is a fun take on a classic character—Scrooge as you’ve never seen him before.
The eviction of the crofters from their homes between 1792 and the 1850s was one of the cruellest episodes in Scotland's history. In this novel Iain Crichton Smith captures the impact of the Highland Clearances through the thoughts and memories of an old woman who has lived all her life within the narrow confines of her community. Alone and bewildered by the demands of the factor, Mrs Scott approaches the minister for help, only to have her faith shattered by his hypocrisy. She finds comfort, however, from a surprising source: Donald Macleod, an imaginative and self-educated man who has been ostracised by his neighbours, not least by Mrs Scott herself, on account of his atheism. Through him and through the circumstances forced upon her, the old woman achieves new strength.
An “entertaining” historical investigation into the scavengers who have profited off the spoils of maritime disasters (The Washington Post). Even today, Britain’s coastline remains a dangerous place. It is an island soaked by four separate seas, with shifting sand banks to the east, veiled reefs to the west, powerful currents above, and the world’s busiest shipping channel below. The country’s offshore waters are strewn with shipwrecks—and for villagers scratching out an existence along Britain’s shores, those wrecks have been more than simply an act of God; in many cases, they have been the difference between living well and just getting by. Though Daphne du Maurier and Poldark have made Cornwall famous as Britain’s most notorious region for wrecking, many other coastal communities regarded the “sea’s bounty” as a way of providing themselves with everything from grapefruits to grand pianos. Some plunderers were held to be so skilled that they could strip a ship from stem to stern before the Coast Guard had even left port. Some were rumored to lure ships onto the rocks with false lights, and some simply waited for winter gales to do their work. This book uncovers tales of ships and shipwreck victims—from shoreline orgies so Dionysian that few participants survived the morning to humble homes fitted with silver candelabra, from coastlines rigged like stage sets to villages where everyone owns identical tennis shoes. Spanning three hundred years of history, The Wreckers examines the myths, realities, and superstitions of shipwrecks and uncovers the darker side of life on Britain’s shores. “Bathurst, who won a Somerset Maugham Award for The Lighthouse Stevensons, offers a spellbinding tale of seafaring men, their ships and the ocean that cares for neither.” —Publishers Weekly “A fascinating, haunting account of pillagers, plunderers, and pirates.” —John Burnett, author of Dangerous Waters: Modern Piracy and Terror on the High Seas
JAMAICA: Teal blue waters, sandy beaches, scintillating cuisine, globally renown rum and Blue Mountain coffee. One hundred fifty years under Spanish rule and then three hundred years under English dominion. Early spectacular hotels, then spectacular all-inclusives resorts. Hippies came to Negril and made it the “Capital of Casual.” Bob Marley spread reggae music worldwide and became a major tourism promoter for the island adding to the glitz from the English celebrities of the 1950s who came to the North Coast. Errol Flynn, Ian Fleming, and Noel Coward attracted jet setters to the island as did fictional super spy James Bond, Agent 007. Tourism growth and development, measured and conservative, free-flowing and exuberant – all existing in a dynamic, remarkable and one-of-a-kind setting. Jamaica, a cacophony of sights and delights. Ya mon, come to Jamaica, an island paradise that has it all.
This is more than just your run of the mill travel book--this is a guide to fantasy. Whether you want to share elbow room in the playgrounds of the rich and famous, or just dream of an escape to the crystal waters, clear blue skies and white sands of the Caribbean, this guide will help you to transform such lofty dreams into an affordable reality. With colorful insights into the history of each location, Secret Caribbean transports you into the adventure of the past, while beckoning you to realize your fantasies in the here and now. Pleasantly written with a gentle to the eye lay-out, this book will appeal to many readers, not just those planning a getaway to their own secret hideaway. -- Amazon review ... an inspiration! I'm ready to rediscover the Caribbean! -- Penelope Ann Miller Fabulous facts and finds. I can't wait to go on vacation! -- Julie Moran, Entertainment Tonight
New York magazine was born in 1968 after a run as an insert of the New York Herald Tribune and quickly made a place for itself as the trusted resource for readers across the country. With award-winning writing and photography covering everything from politics and food to theater and fashion, the magazine's consistent mission has been to reflect back to its audience the energy and excitement of the city itself, while celebrating New York as both a place and an idea.
Within the formulas of crime fiction, this collection ranges from writers Daphne du Maurier and Margery Allingham, whose names are synonymous with conventional subgenres of crime fiction, through Patricia Highsmith, and Shirley Jackson, who deliberately set conventions aside or who moved those conventions into other realms. Most important, perhaps, Jackson, Highsmith and E. X. Ferrars depict civilizations that are not essentially orderly, that are not founded upon a commonly understood concept of justice--where one must make her own order.
The best places to stay and eat in Jamaica are described here, with abundant pictures, often little-known except by celebrities and the wealthiest travelers. This is more than just your run of the mill travel book--this is a guide to fantasy. Whether you want to share elbow room in the playgrounds of the rich and famous, or just dream of an escape to the crystal waters, clear blue skies and white sands of the Caribbean, this guide will help you to transform such lofty dreams into an affordable reality. With colorful insights into the history of each location, Secret Caribbean transports you into the adventure of the past, while beckoning you to realize your fantasies in the here and now. Pleasantly written with a gentle to the eye lay-out, this book will appeal to many readers, not just those planning a getaway to their own secret hideaway. -- Amazon review.a ... an inspiration! I'm ready to rediscover the Caribbean! -- Penelope Ann Miller.a Fabulous facts and finds. I can't wait to go on vacation! -- Julie Moran, Entertainment Tonight.a ... let this book guide you. It spotlights extraordinary island resorts where you can become the star of your own movie, set in a tropical paradise. --About.com Honeymoons"
