Agata Kristi Nevainības smagā nasta Par savas mātes noslepkavošanu tiek turēts aizdomās Džeko Argails. Viņu atzīst par vainīgu un iesloga cietumā, kur jaunais cilvēks drīz vien saslimst ar diloni un nomirst. Pēc vairākiem gadiem atklājas, ka Džeko nežēlīgo noziegumu nav varējis pastrādāt, jo tajā laikā atradies pavisam citā vietā. Ģimene šo zinu uzņem ar lielu satraukumu un netīksmi. Policija atsāk lietas izmeklēšanu un drīz vien nonāk pie secinājuma, ka liktenīgajā vakarā mājā nav varējis iekļūt neviens svešinieks. Argaila kundzi nogalinājis kāds no savējiem. ISBN 978-9984-780-43-6 Agata Kristi NEVAINĪBAS SMAGĀ NASTA SIA «Skarabejs» Rīgā Noskannējis grāmatu un failu izveidojis Imants Ločmelis Nevainības smagā nasta © 2009 Agatha Christic Limited. All rights reserved. No angļu valodas tulkojusi Ieva Zagante Mākslinieks Aldis Kopštāls © Izdevums, «Skarabejs», 2009 ISBN 978-9984-780-43-6 Ar pateicību un mīlestību Billijam Kolinsam Ja es sevi attaisnotu, tad paša mute mani apsudzetu. Es bīstos no savām ciešanām. Es zinu, ka Tu mani neatzīsi par nevainīgu. Tjaba grāmata

NEVALDĀMAIS BALTAIS CILVĒKS Džeks Londons, VII sēj. Dienvidjūras stāsti IZDEVNIECĪBA LIESMA 1977 SASTĀDĪJUSI TAMĀRA ZĀLĪTE NO ANGĻU VALODAS TULKOJUSI VALIJA BRUTĀNE, ROTA EZERIŅA UN OJĀRS SARMA MĀKSLINIEKS ĀDOLFS LIELAIS

The bonds of love. The bonds of matrimony. The bonds between husband and wife. Let's face it — some bonds are made to be broken. Here, for the first time ever, are four stories from today's most provocative authors that take the classic idea of the 'faerie tale wedding' and give it a swift kick in the bustle

Israel is destroyed by an atom bomb. Neighboring armies overrun the country. Two ships jammed with thousands of homeless Israeli Jews limp into Boston Harbor. America slams its doors. Before the ships can be sent back to the new nation of Palestine, the refugees are violently freed, killing ten coastguardsmen. Arrests of thousands of these new “enemy combatants” are met with marches and bombings as American Jews struggle to balance their loyalty to America with the realization that the atrocities that inspired the phrase “never again” have become possible in the here and now. American Jews must decide where their loyalties lie: with a government they view as heartless, or with fellow Jews whose lives are at stake. They fail in court, fail at applying political pressure, and finally resort to increasingly violent acts of terrorism. When they acquire one of Israel’s missing atomic bombs, they must decide how far they will go to convince their country to change its course. How far will the government go to stop what it brands as American traitors? NEVER AGAIN presents a shockingly believable nightmare and compels readers to consider what they would do to stop it

Elizabeth Hampton is consumed by grief when her mother dies unexpectedly. Leslie Hampton cared for Elizabeth’s troubled brother Ronnie’s special needs, assuming Elizabeth would take him in when the time came. But Leslie’s sudden death propels Elizabeth into a world of danger and double lives that undoes everything she thought she knew…. When police discover that Leslie was strangled, they immediately suspect that one of Ronnie’s outbursts took a tragic turn. Elizabeth can’t believe that her brother is capable of murder, but who else could have had a motive to kill their quiet, retired mother? More questions arise when a stranger is named in Leslie’s will: a woman also named Elizabeth. As the family’s secrets unravel, a man from Leslie’s past who claims to have all the answers shows up, but those answers might put Elizabeth and those she loves the most in mortal danger

A secret from his past holds the key to their future... A Marriage Beyond Hope Lady Sophia has long been estranged from her husband, Lord Vane Barwick, the Marquess of Claxton, whose rumored list of amorous conquests includes almost every beautiful woman of the ton. Yet a shocking encounter with him in a crowded ballroom—and a single touch—are all it takes to reawaken her furious passion for him. But how can she trust the man who crushed her dreams and took away the one thing she wanted most? A Love Beyond Reason Lord Claxton has never forgiven himself for the youthful mistake that ruined his marriage to Lady Sophia. Now, after nearly a year abroad, the reformed rogue vows to win back the only woman he's ever truly loved. He'll do whatever it takes to prove he can be the honorable husband she deserves—and the passionate lover she desires. As the snowdrifts deepen outside their ancestral home, can they rekindle the flame that burned so bright and find a new path to forever?

Where SUN AND SHADOW took place in the cold of winter, NEVER END takes the seasonally diametrically opposite milieu of a summer heatwave, making the book perfect beach holiday reading. The inappropriately named Chief Inspector Erik Winter is called in to investigate an attack on a teenage girl returning home after enjoying the weather at the local beauty spot. The girl seems reluctant to reveal much about her ordeal, only reporting it to the police after destroying vital evidence. After a second, more serious attack, Winter realises the crimes are similar to an unsolved case from years ago in which a girl was killed, which has always haunted him. He has kept in touch with the parents of the girl over the years, so he enlists their support in the new cases. He remains frustrated, however, at the lack of progress and the strange reluctance of the victims, their families and friends from assisting to find the perpetrator(s). The book also covers domestic events in the lives of the investigating police. Winter and his girlfriend Anna have had their baby, Elsa. The relationship of this trio provides part of the background to events, as Winter's devotion to his job gradually erodes the rather fragile trust between him and Anna (who has not quite forgiven him for his behaviour in the previous book) and leads him to question his commitment to his young family. This commitment is pretty serious, because Winter is about to take a year's parental leave (this being Sweden) to look after Elsa. How he will adjust to this radical change of pace will be an interesting topic for a future book. Winter's colleague Fredrick Halders suffers a personal tragedy when his ex-wife is killed in a freak road accident. The accounts of Halders' attempts to cope with this disaster and connect with his young children are one of the best parts of this book, ably translated by the ever-dependable Laurie Thompson. The middle part of the narrative drags somewhat, as the investigators are stuck for leads and resort to re-interviewing everyone and rehashing the events surrounding the crimes many times. Eventually, by sheer persistence, some clues are uncovered (one challenge is to identify an indoor brick wall that features in a photograph of one of the girls) and eventually Winter gets his criminal – after a rather cliched "policeman in peril" climax featuring the bereaved Halders. Despite its longeurs and lack of real tension, I enjoyed this book and very much look forward to the next outing for Winter – will it be autumn or spring next time? – but I do hope the next episode will be slightly more tautly written

Ruby never asked for the abilities that almost cost her her life. Now she must call upon them on a daily basis, leading dangerous missions to bring down a corrupt government and breaking into the minds of her enemies. Other kids in the Children’s League call Ruby “Leader”, but she knows what she really is: a monster. When Ruby is entrusted with an explosive secret, she must embark on her most dangerous mission yet: leaving the Children’s League behind. Crucial information about the disease that killed most of America’s children—and turned Ruby and the others who lived into feared and hated outcasts—has survived every attempt to destroy it. But the truth is only saved in one place: a flashdrive in the hands of Liam Stewart, the boy Ruby once believed was her future—and who now wouldn’t recognize her. As Ruby sets out across a desperate, lawless country to find Liam—and answers about the catastrophe that has ripped both her life and America apart—she is torn between old friends and the promise she made to serve the League. Ruby will do anything to protect the people she loves. But what if winning the war means losing herself?

From Sweden’s internationally best-selling crime novelist, the author of Easy Money,comes the riveting second installment of the Stockholm Noir Trilogy. With his trademark live-wire staccato prose and raw energy, Jens Lapidus returns to the streets of Stockholm with an electrifying tale of seedy police officers and vicious underworld criminals. Mahmud, an iron-pumping gym fiend raised among the city’s many concrete high-rises, is fresh out of jail and heavily indebted to a Turkish drug lord. To get free he accepts a job from the henchman of brutal mob boss Radovan—a job that quickly becomes something Mahmud wishes he’d never agreed to. Meanwhile, Niklas is living at home with his mother and keeping a low profile after working as a security contractor in Iraq. When a man is found murdered in the laundry room of their building—a startling event that coincides with Niklas’s discovery of a young Arab girl being beaten by her boyfriend—Niklas decides to put his weapons expertise and appetite for violence to use and begins to mete out his own particular brand of justice. Thomas is the volatile cop called to investigate the murder in Niklas’s building. When his efforts are suspiciously stymied and the evidence tampered with, he goes off the grid in search of answers. As the identity of the murdered man is discovered, the paths of these three men intertwine, and crimes and secrets far greater than a mere murder come to light—raising the stakes of Stockholm’s criminality to staggering new heights

My perfect life was a lie. Now I'd do anything to uncover the truth. Not long ago, I had everything a girl could wish for: amazing friends, an adorable boyfriend, a loving family. But none of them know that I'm gone--that I'm dead. To solve my murder, my long-lost twin sister, Emma, has taken my place. She sleeps in my room, wears my clothes, and calls my parents Mom and Dad. And my killer is watching her every move. I remember little from my life, just flashes and flickers, so all I can do is follow along as Emma tries to solve the mystery of my disappearance. But the deeper she digs, the more suspects she uncovers. It turns out my friends and I played a lot of games--games that ruined people's lives. Anyone could want revenge . . . anyone could want me--and now Emma--dead. From Sara Shepard, the #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Pretty Little Liars books, comes a riveting series about secrets, lies, and killer consequences

rom the acclaimed author of STILL MISSING comes a psychological thriller about one woman’s search into her past and the deadly truth she uncovers. All her life, Sara Gallagher has wondered about her birth parents. As an adopted child with two sisters who were born naturally to her parents, Sara’s home life was not ideal. The question of why she was given up for adoption has always haunted her. Finally, she is ready to take steps and find closure. But some questions are better left unanswered. After months of research, Sara locates her birth mother — only to be met with horror and rejection. Then she discovers the devastating truth: her mother was the only victim ever to escape a killer who has been hunting women every summer for decades. But Sara soon realizes the only thing worse than finding out about her father is him finding out about her. What if murder is in your blood? Never Knowing is a complex and compelling portrayal of one woman’s quest to understand herself, her origins, and her family. That is, if she can survive…

From the acclaimed author of STILL MISSING comes a psychological thriller about one woman’s search into her past and the deadly truth she uncovers. All her life, Sara Gallagher has wondered about her birth parents. As an adopted child with two sisters who were born naturally to her parents, Sara’s home life was not ideal. The question of why she was given up for adoption has always haunted her. Finally, she is ready to take steps and find closure. But some questions are better left unanswered. After months of research, Sara locates her birth mother — only to be met with horror and rejection. Then she discovers the devastating truth: her mother was the only victim ever to escape a killer who has been hunting women every summer for decades. But Sara soon realizes the only thing worse than finding out about her father is him finding out about her. What if murder is in your blood? Never Knowing is a complex and compelling portrayal of one woman’s quest to understand herself, her origins, and her family. That is, if she can survive… http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dKq0KkIO3gI

From the acclaimed author of “The Remains of the Day” and “When We Were Orphans,” a moving new novel that subtly reimagines our world and time in a haunting story of friendship and love. As a child, Kathy—now thirty-one years old—lived at Hailsham, a private school in the scenic English countryside where the children were sheltered from the outside world, brought up to believe that they were special and that their well-being was crucial not only for themselves but for the society they would eventually enter. Kathy had long ago put this idyllic past behind her, but when two of her Hailsham friends come back into her life, she stops resisting the pull of memory. And so, as her friendship with Ruth is rekindled, and as the feelings that long ago fueled her adolescent crush on Tommy begin to deepen into love, Kathy recalls their years at Hailsham. She describes happy scenes of boys and girls growing up together, unperturbed—even comforted—by their isolation. But she describes other scenes as well: of discord and misunderstanding that hint at a dark secret behind Hailsham’s nurturing facade. With the dawning clarity of hindsight, the three friends are compelled to face the truth about their childhood—and about their lives now. A tale of deceptive simplicity, “Never Let Me Go” slowly reveals an extraordinary emotional depth and resonance—and takes its place among Kazuo Ishiguro’s finest work

Linwood Barclay is back with more unexpected twists and superb characters in a spine-tingling, mesmerizing thriller about a husband whose wife disappears, along with everything he thought he knew about their life together. David Harwood, a reporter in Promise Falls, New York, is stressed out. The newspaper he works for is outsourcing jobs to India, he can't get a solid lead on the corrupt for-profit prison moving to town, and his wife, Jan, is struggling with a bout of depression. As a much-needed break, David and Jan decide to take their four-year-old son, Ethan, to a local amusement park for a day of ice cream, rollercoasters, and carefree fun. But revelry is quickly replaced by panic when, within an hour of arriving at the park, Ethan goes missing. Though he is soon found, panic escalates to full-blown terror when Jan suddenly disappears. Confused and worried, David finds himself desperately searching for any clue that could lead him to his wife – even if it means unraveling a tangle of lies and deception that become more complicated at every turn

Amanda's well-ordered life as an up-and-coming New York executive is turned head over heels when she finds herself attracted to a handsome male artists model, who not only turns out not to be what he seems, but becomes the catalyst who plunges Amanda into a terrifying and life-threatening romantic adventure. Thrust into the middle of an international art conspiracy, she finds herself a prime suspect and struggles to maintain her equilibrium as she discovers her closest friends might turn out to be the most untrustworthy and the man she has become attracted to has the power to cause her downfall. Amanda Emerson has fled Pittsburgh and the caring but stultifying over-protection of her father and brothers and has made a solid beginning in creating a self-fulfilling life for herself in the world of New York publishing. At an art school class, she finds herself attracted to a handsome nude male model and considers the possibility of treating herself to a well deserved romantic interlude. But even as she reaches for fun and happiness, her carefully constructed world begins to crumble. The model is not who he appeared to be. She is thrust into the world of international art intrigue, herself a suspect, and the friends and co-workers whom she most trusts in New York. begin to take on sinister aspects. Set in the high-powered but off-centered world of graphic novel publishing and centering around the darker comers of the international art scene, Never Love a Naked P.I. finds Amanda Emerson of Pittsburgh dashing from one end of exciting and dramatic New York's Manhattan Island to the other trying to maintain her hard-won self-assuredness, decide whether a handsome naked model is right for her or not, and trying to prove her innocence as an international forger while not getting shot or run over by an errant yellow cab. Fun, fast and deliciously sensual, as well as nail-bitingly tense, Never Love a Naked P.I. is an exciting romantic/suspense read

Telling people the truth is easy. Getting them to hear it is another matter!

Twenty years after her father's plane crashes in the jungles of Southeast Asia, Willy Jane Maitland is finally tracking his last moves. Willy knows she can't proceed without the help of ex-army officer Guy Barnard. But in a place where truth has many faces, she suspects even Guy has hidden motives. What she is prepared for are the shocking secrets and undeniable attractions

When an officer of the British Security Service is murdered in Switzerland, James Bond becomes involved in a deadly game of hide and seek. He follows a sinister shadow across the world, from Athens to Milan, Singapore, the USA and ultimately to EuroDisney. By the author of "Death is Forever". From Publishers Weekly This sketchy detective story requires a knowledge of James Bond movies rather than Ian Fleming novels, which may explain why it reads like a rough draft for a screenplay. In Gardner's 12th 007 book (after Death Is Forever ), the ageless agent from Her Majesty's Secret Service is sent to Switzerland to investigate the murder of MI5 operative Laura March. Teaming up with Swiss agent Flica von Gruss, he discovers that March's brother was a serial killer and that her ex-lover was legendary English actor David Dragonpol, now retired and living in a fairy-tale castle on the Rhine. Dragonpol's sister, Maeve Horton, proves to be the link between March's death and four recent assassinations; a Bleeding Heart rose bred by Horton appeared at the funeral of each of the victims, March included. Bond and von Gruss pursue the case to Dragonpol's castle in Germany, where the usual fiendish plot is uncovered and ultimately resolved in the traditional Bond manner. This light, entertaining read doesn't pretend to be anything more than another episode in what has turned into a never-ending adventure.  From Kirkus Reviews Like Pentagon dinosaurs laboring to adapt to a new world order by finding telltale traces of the old in every dark shadow, Gardner's reincarnation of James Bond examines a string of serial killings and finds a freelance terrorist just as dangerous as his old adversaries from SMERSH and SPECTRE. Bond's called in when MI5 agent Laura March is killed at Interlaken. Going through the things in her hotel room, he and Flicka Von Grsse, his leggy opposite number from Swiss Intelligence, find a disturbing letter from Laura to her late brother, a serial beheader of blonds, and fax a copy back to M. While they're coupling in Bond's room, the letter itself is stolen, and M, citing the ``grave moral scandal'' (so much for updating Bond's morality), ostensibly removes Bond from duty. Back in England for Laura's funeral, Bond notices a bizarre floral tribute--a red-tipped white rose--linking Laura's death to four other recent assassinations, and to the flower's only breeder: Maeve Horton, sister of Laura's onetime fianc‚, distinguished actor David Dragonpol. There follow the requisite scenes of tourist-trap mayhem--at Schloss Drache, Dragonpol's Alpine aerie, atop the roof of the Duomo in Milan, and at EuroDisney, where the murderer has planned one last, ultra-high-profile strike--but Gardner's lack of conviction reduces everything to retro-fluff. Bond really isn't cut out for the work of tracking down serial killers, even the ones whose targets include Yasir Arafat and Kiri Te Kanawa. As Gardner struggles to update the perils his superstar hero faces, Bond himself remains the biggest anachronism of all.  

This classic story will have readers’ hearts racing along with single mother Diana, attempting to escape a dangerous van on the highway. However, the unplanned high-speed journey is not the only surprise in this hair-raising and riveting story, and Archer keeps his readers guessing until the last moments

Appearances can be deceiving…THE MAJOR PLAYER: Embittered Interpol agent Tom Hawkins. He'd sworn off women and family – until he met a suspect he couldn't forget, maddeningly attractive Jane Carlysle… THE PAWN: Divorced small-town mom Jane Carlysle – known to complain that nothing exciting ever happened to her. But that was about to change – all because of an irresistible, enigmatic stranger whom she found captivating in more ways than one… THE GAME: Who Can You Trust? THE STAKES: Higher than either one of them could have imagined. They were playing for keeps – as far as each other was concerned!

An extraordinary novel about a wife who disguises herself as a man and goes off to fight in the Civil War. She calls herself Ash, but that's not her real name. She is a farmer's faithful wife, but she has left her husband to don the uniform of a Union soldier in the Civil War. Neverhome tells the harrowing story of Ash Thompson during the battle for the South. Through bloodshed and hysteria and heartbreak, she becomes a hero, a folk legend, a madwoman and a traitor to the American cause. Laird Hunt's dazzling new novel throws a light on the adventurous women who chose to fight instead of stay behind. It is also a mystery story: why did Ash leave and her husband stay? Why can she not return? What will she have to go through to make it back home? In gorgeous prose, Hunt's rebellious young heroine fights her way through history, and back home to her husband, and finally into our hearts

Cheerleader Isobel Lanley is horrified when she is paired with Varen Nethers for an English project, which is due—so unfair—on the day of the rival game. Cold and aloof, sardonic and sharp-tongued, Varen makes it clear he’d rather not have anything to do with her either. But when Isobel discovers strange writing in his journal, she can’t help but give this enigmatic boy with piercing eyes another look. Soon, Isobel finds herself making excuses to be with Varen. Steadily pulled away from her friends and her possessive boyfriend, Isobel ventures deeper and deeper into the dream world Varen has created through the pages of his notebook, a realm where the terrifying stories of Edgar Allan Poe come to life. As her world begins to unravel around her, Isobel discovers that dreams, like words, hold more power than she ever imagined and that the most frightening realities are those of the mind. Now she must find a way to reach Varen before he is consumed by the shadows of his own nightmares. His life depends on it

Cheerleader Isobel Lanley is horrified when she is paired with Varen Nethers for an English project, which is due—so unfair—on the day of the rival game. Cold and aloof, sardonic and sharp-tongued, Varen makes it clear he’d rather not have anything to do with her either. But when Isobel discovers strange writing in his journal, she can’t help but give this enigmatic boy with piercing eyes another look. Soon, Isobel finds herself making excuses to be with Varen. Steadily pulled away from her friends and her possessive boyfriend, Isobel ventures deeper and deeper into the dream world Varen has created through the pages of his notebook, a realm where the terrifying stories of Edgar Allan Poe come to life. As her world begins to unravel around her, Isobel discovers that dreams, like words, hold more power than she ever imagined and that the most frightening realities are those of the mind. Now she must find a way to reach Varen before he is consumed by the shadows of his own nightmares. His life depends on it

Балтимор потрясен чередой жутких убийств, и все их связывает одно: у тела жертвы преступник оставляет зловещий автограф — таинственное слово, выведенное кровью. Но Эдгар По обнаруживает еще одно мрачное обстоятельство: похоже, все это имеет какое-то отношение к нему лично. Таинственная сеть стягивается все туже, и выхода из нее, похоже, не будет уже НИКОГДА. Роман-загадка Гарольда Шехтера «Nevermore» — впервые на русском языке. Удастся ли вам, читатель, отыскать намеки на известные произведения Эдгара По, основанные на реальных событиях, и догадаться о подлинной личности убийцы раньше самого автора?

После ядерной войны на Земле сохранились только вороны. Но и они погибают — от голода. И один из воронов находит бутылку с заключенным в ней джинном. И загадывает желание…

Эта вещь написана в соавторстве. Но замысел мой и история моя, во многом документальная. Подзаголовок говорит, что речь идет о вечных темах — любви и смерти. Лишь одно уточнение: смерть не простая, а добровольная. Повествование идет от лица трех персонажей: двух девушек и одного, скажем так, андрогина. Общее для них — чувство к главному герою и принадлежность к сумрачному племени "любовников смерти", теоретиков суицида. Каждая глава заканчивается маленьким кусочком пьесы. Сцена, где развертывается её действие: сетевой форум, где общаются молодые люди, собирающиеся покончить с собой. Несмотря на мрачную тему, финал, как мне кажется, светлый. P.S. Сейчас, когда вещь прочли уже немало людей, часто задают вопрос: кто был прототипом того или иного героя. Ответить на это я не могу, так как самим прототипам это вряд ли понравится. Из всех моих "детей" этот текст самый благодарный — по числу теплых отзывов и самый жестокий…