What the books are about

VAC MC DERMID

The year is 1327. Franciscans in a wealthy Italian abbey are suspected of heresy, and Brother William of Baskerville arrives to investigate. When his delicate mission is suddenly overshadowed by seven bizarre deaths, Brother William turns detective. Brother Willian then collects evidence, deciphers secret symbols and coded manuscripts, and digs into the eerie labyrinth of the abbey where extraordinary things are happening under the cover of night. A spectacular, popular and critical success, The Name of the Rose by Umberto Eco is not

only a narrative of a murder investigation. This book is also an astonishing chronicle of the Middle Ages.

The Death Instinct

A spellbinding literary thriller about terror, war, greed, and the darkest secrets of the human soul, The Death Instinct is by the author of the million-copy bestseller, The Interpretation of Murder. September 16, 1920, under a clear blue September sky, a quarter ton of explosives are detonated in a deadly attack on Wall Street. Fear comes to the streets of New York. Witnessing the blast are war veteran Stratham Younger, his friend James Littlemore of the NY Police Department, and beautiful French radio chemist Colette Rousseau. A series of inexplicable attacks on Colette, a secret buried in her past, and a mysterious trail of evidence lead Younger, Littlemore, and Rousseau on a thrilling international and psychological journey — from Paris to Prague, from the Vienna home of Freud to the corridors of power in Washington, DC, and ultimately to the hidden depths of our most savage instincts. As the seemingly disjointed pieces of Younger and Littlemore’s investigations come together, the two uncover the shocking truth about the bombing — a truth that threatens to shake their world to its foundations.

Worst Case

The son of one of New York’s wealthiest families is snatched off the street and held hostage. His parents can’t save him, because this kidnapper isn’t demanding money. Instead, he quizzes his prisoner on the price others pay for his life of luxury. In this exam, wrong answers are fatal. Detective Michael Bennett leads the investigation. With 10 children of his own, he can’t begin to understand what could lead someone to target anyone’s children. As another student disappears, one powerful family after another uses their leverage and connections to turn up the heat on the mayor, the press, anyone who will listen, to stop this killer. Their reach extends all the way to the FBI, who send their top Abduction Specialist, Agent Emily Parker. Bennett’s work life — and love life — suddenly gets even more complicated. Before Bennett has a chance to protest the FBI’s intrusion on his case, the mastermind changes his routine. His plan leads up to the most deadly demonstration yet — one that could

bring cataclysmic devastation to every inch of New York.

Stamboul Train

A gripping spy thriller, the Stamboul Train unfolds aboard the majestic Orient Express as it crosses Europe from Ostend to Constantinople. Weaving a web of subterfuge, murder and politics along the way,Graham Greene’s Stamboul Train focuses upon the disturbing relationship between Myatt, the pragmatic Jew, and naive chorus girl Coral Musker as they engage in a desperate, angst-ridden pas-de-deux before a chilling turn of events spells an end to an unlikely interlude. Exploring the many shades of despair and hope, innocence and duplicity, the book offers a poignant testimony to Greene’s extraordinary powers of insight into the human condition.

Jar City

A man is found murdered in his Reykjavik flat. There are not any obvious clues of the murderer apart from a cryptic note left on the body and a photograph of a young girl’s grave. Detective Erlendur is forced to use all the forensic resources available to find any leads to know the murder of the man. Delving into the dead man’s life, the detective discovers that 40 years ago he was accused of an appalling crime. Did his past come back to haunt him? Finally, Erlendur’s search leads him to Iceland’s Genetic Research Centre in order to find the disturbing answers to the mystery. This prizewinning international bestseller Jar City Arnaldur Indridason is the first in a new series of crime novels set in Iceland. ‘A fascinating window on an unfamiliar world as well as an original and puzzling mystery.