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  Our Mutual Friend Volume 4

  Charles Dickens

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  In the concluding volume of Our Mutual Friend, John Harmon returns from the dead, revealing his identity to his widow, Bella, and her suitor, Mortimer Lightwood. Meanwhile, the malevolent Rogue Riderhood faces a dramatic showdown with Gaffer Hexam, John's father. Betrayals, reconciliations, and tragic consequences unfold as characters navigate their complex relationships, ultimately finding redemption and closure in this profound exploration of human nature and society. Dickens weaves a tapestry of London life, love, and the power of second chances, bringing his timeless tale to a poignant and satisfying end.

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  The Monkeys Paw - From their...

  WW Jacobs

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  William Wymark Jacobs was born on 8th September 1863 in Wapping, East London.  
  He was educated at a private school and then Birkbeck Literary and Scientific Institution, now part of the University of London. 
  In 1879, Jacobs began work as a clerk in the civil service, in the Post Office Savings Bank.  In 1885 his first short story was published but it was not until almost the turn of the century that he would abandon his post office career to that as a full-time writer. By then he was a very popular author, his collections selling extremely well and with an excellent income. 
  His best-known work is the macabre ‘The Monkey's Paw’ and he is also highly regarded for his ghost stories although much of his remaining short story output is streaked with humour.  His characters are immediately identifiable and we all know that life will take chunks out of them in no time at all.  
  Jacobs married the noted suffragette Agnes Eleanor Williams in 1900 at West Ham, Essex. They went on to have two daughters and three sons as they settled down to life.  
  By the outbreak of the First World War his literary output had declined and he now mainly spent his time rewriting his earlier stories for the stage.  In all he wrote 18 plays. 
  W W Jacobs died on 1st September 1943 at Hornsey Lane, Islington in London. He was 79.

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  The Wrecker

  Robert Louis Stevenson

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  First published in 1892 and co-written with Lloyd Osbourne, The Wrecker is a gripping tale of mystery, adventure, and moral ambiguity set against the vast, unpredictable expanse of the Pacific.
  
  When Loudon Dodd, a struggling artist living in Paris, unexpectedly inherits a modest fortune, he uses it to invest in what seems like a promising opportunity: the purchase of a wrecked ship stranded on a remote Pacific island. What begins as a speculative business venture quickly spirals into a dangerous quest to uncover the truth behind the ship's destruction and the sinister events surrounding it.
  
  As Dodd journeys from Europe to the islands of the South Seas, he is drawn into a web of deception, greed, and hidden crimes. Along the way, he encounters a vivid cast of characters—adventurers, con men, traders, and outcasts—each with their own secrets and motives. The deeper Dodd investigates, the clearer it becomes that the wreck is no accident, and that powerful forces will go to great lengths to keep the truth buried.
  
  Blending elements of detective fiction, maritime adventure, and psychological drama, The Wrecker explores the darker side of human ambition and the ethical compromises people make in the pursuit of wealth and power. Stevenson's masterful storytelling brings to life exotic locales, tense confrontations, and a steadily unfolding mystery that challenges the protagonist's ideals and courage.
  
  Rich in atmosphere and suspense, The Wrecker stands as a compelling example of Stevenson's ability to move beyond straightforward adventure into complex moral terrain. It is a novel that examines not only the perils of the sea, but also the treacherous depths of the human soul—making it an enduring and thought-provoking read for lovers of classic literature and mystery alike.

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  The Wonderful Tune - A weird...

  Jessie Douglas Kerruish

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  Jessie Douglas Kerruish was born in Seaton Carew, Hartlepool, County Durham in 1884. 
   
  Little is known about the author’s life and to a large extent her work remains either neglected or out of favour. 
   
  Her literary career got off to a very bright start in 1917 when she won the Hodder & Stoughton First Novel Prize for ‘Miss Haroun Al-Raschid’.  Five years later came her seminal work ‘The Undying Monster’, which today is still regarded as a macabre werewolf classic. 
   
  Throughout her career she contributed short stories to such popular periodicals as Novel, Lady's and Weekly Tale-Teller.  One of the best was ‘The Wonderful Tune’ and whilst the title sounds light and airy her dark imagination riddles the narrative.  Many of her works were set in exotic locations from North Africa to the Middle East. 
   
  Her output was small, limited to two collections of short stories and several novels. 
   
  During the 1930’s severe and debilitating migraines prevented her from working for any length of time and all she could muster was contributions to anthologies. 
   
  Jessie Douglas Kerruish died in Hove, Sussex in 1949, in obscurity.

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  The Man Who Would Be King

  Rudyard Kipling

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  Rudyard Kipling’s The Man Who Would Be King is a gripping tale of ambition, imperialism, and tragic downfall. Set in the rugged mountains of 19th-century Afghanistan, this powerful novella follows two British adventurers, Daniel Dravot and Peachey Carnehan, who hatch a daring plan to become kings of a remote tribal land. Disguised as gods and wielding foreign knowledge, the pair at first succeed in gaining the trust and worship of the Kafiristan natives. But their thirst for power blinds them to the fragile nature of illusion and the limits of control. 
  As Kipling masterfully unfolds their rise and ruin, the story becomes a haunting parable about colonial arrogance, the seduction of myth, and the heavy cost of overreaching ambition. Narrated with wit and sharp insight, The Man Who Would Be King remains a timeless exploration of the human drive to rule—and the forces that always push back.

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  William - an Englishman

  Cicely Hamilton

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  A satirical view of the suffragette movement and an unblinking yet compassionate story that chronicles the impact of the First World War on an ordinary young couple, William – an Englishman by Cicely Hamilton won the first Prix Femina-Vie Heureuse prize in 1919.Written in a hospital tent to the sound of gunfire and shells falling, Cicely Hamilton drew on her experiences working in France during WW1 to tell the story of William Tully and his new bride Griselda, who are wrenched away from their all-consuming interests – socialism and votes for women – and plunged into the almost dream-like horror of war. As brutal tragedy strikes, their attitude to both pacifism and patriotism is altered and their lives are changed forever.William - An Englishman is part of the Persephone Audiobook Collection, a series of forgotten classics that includes neglected fiction and non-fiction by women writers. First published in 1919, this edition includes a preface by writer and MD of Persephone Books, Nicola Beauman.

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