When I was apprenticed to theatrical carpentering my master was John Haliday, who was Master Machinist - we called men in his post 'Master Carpenter' in those days - of the old Victoria Theatre, Hulme. It wasn't called Hulme; but that name will do. It would only stir up painful memories if I were to give the real name. I daresay some of you - not the Ladies (this with a gallant bow all round) - will remember the case of a Harlequin as was killed in an accident in the pantomime. We needn't mention names; Mortimer will do for a name to call him by - Henry Mortimer. The cause of it was never found out. But I knew it; and I've kept silence for so long that I may speak now without hurting anyone. They're all dead long ago that was interested in the death of Henry Mortimer or the man who wrought that death.
When I was apprenticed to theatrical carpentering my master was John Haliday, who was Master Machinist - we called men in his post 'Master Carpenter' in those days - of the old Victoria Theatre, Hulme. It wasn't called Hulme; but that name will do. It would only stir up painful memories if I were to give the real name. I daresay some of you - not the Ladies (this with a gallant bow all round) - will remember the case of a Harlequin as was killed in an accident in the pantomime. We needn't mention names; Mortimer will do for a name to call him by - Henry Mortimer. The cause of it was never found out. But I knew it; and I've kept silence for so long that I may speak now without hurting anyone. They're all dead long ago that was interested in the death of Henry Mortimer or the man who wrought that death.
Meet Charles Paris: a washed-up actor with a taste for wine, women . . . and solving crimes! A binge-worthy cozy mystery series from the original king of British cozy crime, internationally best-selling, award-winning author Simon Brett, OBE. For fans of Richard Osman - but with added bite! "Like a little malice in your mysteries? Some cynicism in your cosies? Simon Brett is happy to oblige" THE NEW YORK TIMES "Few crime writers are as enchantingly gifted" THE SUNDAY TIMES "One of British crime's most assured craftsmen . . . Perfect entertainment" THE GUARDIAN "A new Simon Brett is an event for mystery fans" P.D. JAMES "Murder most enjoyable" COLIN DEXTER _______________________ One middle-aged British actor, with an accidental reputation as a sleuth One West End theatre role on offer . . . And one enormous catch Welcome to the STAR TRAP Middle-aged actor Charles Paris is delighted when wily solicitor and old friend Gerald Venables offers him a job: a role in a brand-new West End musical. There's just one catch - and it's a big one. It's not Charles' acting skills that have won him the coveted part, but his growing reputation as a sleuth. Gerald represents one of Lumpkin!'s key investors, and a strange series of backstage mishaps have left him fearing someone's out to sabotage the show. With an uncharitable letter from the tax man burning a hole in his pocket, Charles reluctantly agrees to take on the undercover role. Besides, all he has to do is keep his eyes open - how dangerous can it be? Soon, Charles is embedded in the cast, and quickly discovers that the show's star - hit TV actor Christopher Milton - is making himself less than popular with his prima-donna behaviour. But signs of sabotage there are none - until, that is, the day of the dress rehearsal . . . Fans of Agatha Christie, The Thursday Murder Club, Anthony Horowitz, Alexander McCall Smith, M.C. Beaton and Faith Martin will love this hilarious cozy traditional mystery series featuring one of the funniest antiheroes in crime fiction. Written over a fifty-year-period, it perfectly captures life and contemporary attitudes in 1970s London - and beyond! READERS ADORE CHARLES PARIS: "Brett's affectionately satirical sense of the ever-changing theatrical milieu is quite simply the best in the business" Kirkus Reviews "Highly recommended" Library Journal "Clever, sardonic wit" Mystery*File "Visual and amusing, the Charles Parish books are great fun . . . Recommended" Norma, 5* GoodReads review "Held my interest from start to finish" Randee, 5* GoodReads review "One of his [Brett's] best theater-inspired detective novels" Mihran, 5* GoodReads review "Reading Brett is like eating comfort food; it makes you feel good and forget your problems. It's fast-paced, is funny, full of inside theater dope, and it's fun watching our anti-hero screw up" John, 5* Amazon review THE CHARLES PARIS MYSTERIES, IN ORDER: 1. Cast in Order of Disappearance 2. So Much Blood 3. Star Trap 4. An Amateur Corpse 5. A Comedian Dies 6. The Dead Side of the Mike 7. Situation Tragedy 8. Murder Unprompted 9. Murder in the Title 10. Not Dead, Only Resting 11. Dead Giveaway 12. What Bloody Man is That 13. A Series of Murders 14. Corporate Bodies 15. A Reconstructed Corpse 16. Sicken and So Die 17. Dead Room Farce 18. A Decent Interval 19. The Cinderella Killer 20. A Deadly Habit
Do you believe in magic? Violet and her friends do! And when they meet the Star Animals, a whole world of magical adventures unfolds in this new chapter book series featuring black and white illustrations throughout. Violet and her star animal, a wildcat named Sorrel, must use their special powers to stop the forces of dark magic. But when a run of bad luck hits the local gym team, the Star Friends suspect that dark magic is behind it. But are their Star Magic skills strong enough to hold back the dark magic? In the Star Friends chapter book series, Mia and her friends Lexi, Sita, and Violet all discover that they are Star Friends -- they can communicate with the animals that have traveled from the Star World. The animals show the girls how to use their unique magic abilities to do good. A whole world of magical adventures awaits!
The Feds labeled her the Queen of Tax Fraud, and accused her of defrauding the United States government out of twenty-one million dollars. The streets called her the 1$t Lady. BET gave her the title TRAP QUEEN. Whatever the label, RASHIA WILSON wore it well because she was undisputedly a BO$$ CHICK and Tampa Bay's most well-known female HOOD STAR. Like many around the way girls, Rashia was born into a desultory struggle of which she saw no way out of but to hustle and grind. Along the way, she was used by man after man, and she was in and out of jail for an array of crimes and money schemes. But, when she crosses paths with a particular street entrepreneur, Rashia quickly goes from hood rat status and groupie to SUPASTAR. With her newfound celebrity and ill-gained wealth, Rashia is courted by many of your favorite rappers, entertainers and professional athletes, and she's giving up the tea in her steamy relationships with many of them. Unfortunately, with the fame comes a plethora of haters and the Feds, who are always watching. When Rashia's rock star life takes a drastic turn for the worst, will THE LIFE OF A HOOD STAR be worth the long prison sentence that awaited her?
Reclusive movie star Jessica Lessing is finally coming out of hiding—to confront her father, a con man who has been selling her out to the paparazzi for years. On her four-day road trip to Las Vegas, she encounters three unexpected allies—Vivian, a teenager with newborn twins; Lynn, a dog shelter owner living in isolation on a ranch in rural Nevada; and Dana, a fearless ex-military bodyguard wrestling with secrets of her own. As their fates collide, each woman will find a chance at redemption that she never would have thought possible. MacKenzie Bezos’s taut prose, tough characters, and nuanced insights give this novel a complexity that few thrillers can match. This ebook edition includes a Reading Group Guide.
Sent to the icebound planet of Nordstral to investigate a mysterious outbreak of insanity, the crew of the U.S.S. Enterprise™ find themselves drawn into another, even deadlier mystery upon their arrival. A team of research scientists has disappeared on Nordstral's frozen wasteland, leaving no clue to their whereabouts, and no hint of their fate. WHile Uhura and Chekov tackle the mystery surrounding the scientists' disappearance, Kirk and McCoy search for the truth behind the outbreak of mental illness. But both teams soon find themselves in danger, as the planet undergoes a series of massive earthquakes and electromagnetic disruptions. Unable to contact he U.S.S. Enterprise, both teams must fight for their lives as they try to solve the mystery of Nordstral -- before the world tears itself apart!
The Starship Trap En route to an important diplomatic reception the U.S.S. Enterprise™suddenly is set upon by a Klingon warship. The unprovoked assault, Kirk discovers, is in response to what the Klingon ship's captain claims are recent Federation attacks on several Klingon vessels which have disappeared. Managing to secure a truce, Captain Kirk reaches the reception only to find out it is not just Klingon ships that are disappearing, but Federation vessels, Romulan Birds of Prey, and ships from almost every known race are vanishing without a trace. Now, Captain Kirk and the crew of the Starship Enterprise must determine the fate of the missing ships before the entire known galaxy is drawn into a deadly conflict.
WINNER OF THE NEWBERY MEDAL • WINNER OF THE ASIAN/PACIFIC AMERICAN AWARD FOR CHILDREN'S LITERATURE • #1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER Would you make a deal with a magical tiger? This uplifting story brings Korean folklore to life as a girl goes on a quest to unlock the power of stories and save her grandmother. Some stories refuse to stay bottled up... When Lily and her family move in with her sick grandmother, a magical tiger straight out of her halmoni's Korean folktales arrives, prompting Lily to unravel a secret family history. Long, long ago, Halmoni stole something from the tigers. Now they want it back. And when one of the tigers approaches Lily with a deal--return what her grandmother stole in exchange for Halmoni's health--Lily is tempted to agree. But deals with tigers are never what they seem! With the help of her sister and her new friend Ricky, Lily must find her voice...and the courage to face a tiger. Tae Keller, the award-winning author of The Science of Breakable Things, shares a sparkling tale about the power of stories and the magic of family. "If stories were written in the stars ... this wondrous tale would be one of the brightest." —Booklist, Starred Review
