What the books are about

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The Name of Rose

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. He 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 is not only a narrative of a murder investigation but 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 Jed Rubeneld, the author of the million-copy bestseller, The Interpretation of Murder. September 16, 1920, under a clear blue September sky, a quarter tonne 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 that 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, the novel 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 no obvious clues 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 at all. Delving into the dead man’s life he discovers that 40 years ago he was accused of an appaling 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.