Dark Wanton

Peter Cheyney

Sinossi

LADIES and gentlemen, I present to you Vincente Maria Jesu Callao.
The business of a personal introduction seems necessary because he was the spring— however unconscious— that set in movement the rather peculiar actions of most of the people concerned in the business of the Dark Wanton.
A relatively uninteresting person, he becomes interesting, not for what he was, but rather for what he was not. Callao was born in Andalusia in 1913. There appeared to be some doubt about his parentage— a matter which repercussed on his mother, who was adequately catered for by her husband with a seven-inch Spanish sailor's knife five days after the birth of the child. His education was nondescript, but with the passage of years he developed certain attributes, many of which made him attractive to women. He developed little else except perhaps the one sincere thing in his life— an honest love of music and the making of music.

Disponibile da: 31/10/2022.

Altri libri che potrebbero interessarti

The Cenus Taker - A Thrilling...

Harlan Creed

The road gave up before the mountains did. 
Jace Rawlins eased his mule to a stop where the wagon ruts thinned into nothing but broken stone and roots. The ridgeline ahead rose like a wall—dark timber, thick as a closed fist, with mist clinging low in the hollows. No fences. No smoke. No sign of welcome. 
He checked the leather satchel at his side. Inside were his census sheets, neat and official, stamped with a government seal that meant less out here than a handshake—or a warning. 
"Just names and numbers," he muttered, as if saying it enough times might make it true. 
The mule flicked an ear, unimpressed. 
Jace had worked hard ground before. River towns that didn't trust a man without mud on his boots. Cattle camps where a stranger's worth was measured by how quick he could duck. He'd talked his way through all of it. Sold men on things they didn't need and soothed folks who didn't want soothing. 
But the Appalachians… these hills felt different. Older. Like they didn't forget.

Mostra libro

The Longmire Defense

Craig Johnson

Sheriff Walt Longmire uncovers a cold case that hits very close to home and forces him to put his life on the line with implications that some people would kill to keep buried forever 
 
Sheriff Walt Longmire and Dog are called on a routine search and rescue to Wyoming’s Bighorn Mountains, where Walt finds himself on a rock outcropping remembering when his father told him about the first time he saw a man die. In the late forties, Bill  
Sutherland was shot but the investigation was stymied because no member of the elk camp—where he was found—was carrying the caliber rifle that killed the state accountant.  
 
When Dog discovers the missing weapon, the sheriff of Absaroka County is plunged headfirst into a cold case. His investigation quickly finds ties to a hidden mineral fund that someone is willing to kill to keep secret. The embodiment of the fair-minded detective,  
Walt is pushed to his ethical boundaries. In his relentless pursuit of the truth, he discovers the rifle in question belonged to none other than Walt’s infamous and uncompromising grandfather, Lloyd Longmire.

Mostra libro

The Adventure of Shoscombe Old...

Arthur Conan Doyle

A dark and unsettling Sherlock Holmes mystery, The Adventure of Shoscombe Old Place delves into secrets buried beneath aristocratic respectability. When Dr. Watson notices strange changes in the behavior of Sir Robert Norberton and the eerie isolation of his ancestral estate, Holmes is drawn into a case steeped in deception, madness, and hidden crimes. Locked rooms, suppressed truths, and a sinister family secret transform a quiet English manor into a place of dread.

Mostra libro

The Jungle

Upton Sinclair

The Jungle by Upton Sinclair is a powerful and unflinching novel that exposes the harsh realities of industrial labor and the devastating impact of unchecked corporate greed in early twentieth-century America. Set against the gritty backdrop of Chicago's booming meatpacking district, this landmark work of social protest fiction reveals the human cost of exploitation and ignited a national outcry that reshaped public policy.

The story follows Jurgis Rudkus, a young Lithuanian immigrant who arrives in America full of hope and determination. Dreaming of prosperity and opportunity, Jurgis and his family settle in Chicago, believing that hard work will secure a better future. Instead, they are thrust into a brutal system that preys upon the vulnerable. Grueling hours, unsafe working conditions, meager wages, and corrupt business practices quickly erode their optimism.

Through vivid and often shocking detail, Sinclair pulls back the curtain on the unsanitary and dangerous practices within the meatpacking industry. Yet the novel is far more than an exposé of food production—it is a deeply personal account of one family's struggle to survive amid poverty, injustice, and systemic abuse. As tragedy strikes again and again, Jurgis is forced to confront the crushing realities of economic inequality and the limits of the American Dream.

Sinclair's storytelling is both emotional and political. He portrays the immigrant experience with empathy, illustrating the vulnerability of newcomers navigating a foreign language, unfamiliar laws, and predatory institutions. The novel exposes how powerful corporations manipulate laborers, silence dissent, and prioritize profit over human dignity. Through Jurgis's journey, readers witness the psychological toll of exploitation and the desperation that arises when opportunity proves to be an illusion.

As the narrative unfolds, Jurgis undergoes a profound transformation. Hardened by suffering and disillusionment, he searches for meaning and justice in a world stacked against him. His path ultimately leads him toward political awakening, as he discovers the promise of collective action and social reform. In this way, The Jungle becomes not only a story of hardship but also a call for change.

Upon its publication in 1906, the novel caused widespread public outrage, prompting government investigations and leading to major reforms in food safety laws, including the Pure Food and Drug Act and the Meat Inspection Act. Sinclair famously remarked that he aimed for the public's heart but hit its stomach—yet the book's broader message about workers' rights and economic justice remains just as significant today.

Compelling, disturbing, and profoundly influential, The Jungle stands as a cornerstone of American social reform literature. It is a searing indictment of industrial exploitation and a timeless reminder of the importance of accountability, compassion, and systemic change. Sinclair's work continues to resonate as a powerful exploration of resilience, injustice, and the enduring fight for fairness in society.

Mostra libro

Murder Takes the Stage

Colleen Cambridge

Housekeeper Phyllida Bright is quite in her element at Mallowan Hall, the charming English manor that she keeps in tip-top shape. By contrast, the bustling metropolis of London, where her famed employer Agatha Christie has temporarily relocated, leaves Phyllida a bit out of her depth. Not only must she grapple with a limited staff, but Phyllida also has to rein in a temperamental French cook who has the looks of Hercule Poirot, but none of the charm. 
 
 
 
When a man named Archibald Allston is found dead in an armchair onstage at the Adelphi Theater, first impressions are that he died of natural causes. But the very next day, the unlucky actor playing Benvolio at the Belmont Theater is found with his head bashed in. And when a third victim turns up, this time with double-C initials, the fatal pattern is impossible to ignore. 
 
 
 
With panic erupting among theater folk—a superstitious bunch at the best of times—Phyllida steps up to help with the investigation. The murderer's MO may be easy to read, but can Phyllida uncover the killer's identity before the final curtain falls on another victim?

Mostra libro

The Silent Boy

Andrew Taylor

From the No. 1 bestselling author of THE AMERICAN BOY comes a brilliant new historical thriller set during the French Revolution. Selected as Historical Novel of the Year by The Times and Sunday Times, and picked as one of Radio 4’s Crime Books of the Year. 
Paris, 1792. Terror reigns as the city writhes in the grip of revolution. The streets run with blood as thousands lose their heads to the guillotine. Edward Savill, working in London as agent for a wealthy American, receives word that his estranged wife Augusta has been killed in France. She leaves behind ten-year-old Charles, who is brought to England to Charnwood Court, a house in the country leased by a group of émigré refugees. 
Savill is sent to retrieve the boy, though it proves easier to reach Charnwood than to leave. And only when Savill arrives there does he discover that Charles is mute. The boy has witnessed horrors beyond his years, but what terrible secret haunts him so deeply that he is unable to utter a word? 
In the rural town of Charnwood, the suspense of the mystery that surrounds the mute boy, Charles, is palpable. The top-notch thriller, penned by the Sunday Times bestselling author, keeps you on the edge of your seat. 
For fans of S G Maclean (Destroying Angel), Rory Clements (Evil in High Places), S. W. Perry (The Sinner's Mark), E.M. Powell (The Canterbury Murders), and Robert Harris (Act of Oblivion).

Mostra libro