Showing results for "peter joyce"

The last of John Buchan’s thrillers... and the final appearance of Richard Hannay now in retirement reverie deep in the comfortable Cotswolds.However, he and Sandy [Lord Clanroyden] are roused to action once more to help the son of a recently deceased treasure hunter, called Haraldsen. The heir is receiving threats from Lancelot Troth, a man who believes himself ill treated financially by Haraldsen’s father and seeks revenge and reparation. The mission is complicated when the villa...

Most of Wilkie Collins' later work was disparaged by the critics for espousing causes. Swinburne commented, 'What brought good Wilkies genius nigh perdition? Some demon whispered - "Wilkie! Have a mission!".'Despite this, the 'novelist of sensation' continued to appeal to the public with the construction of ingenious and meticulous plots. He had been the first to write a full-length detective novel but also wrote love stories, and The Two Destinies is a fine example, the author add...

Sir Richard Hannay introduces this last adventure involving his old friends. John Blenkiron discovers that a ruthless industrialist is plotting to destabilise America and cause global turmoil. Although Bavarian born, Castor plans to dominate the world from Olifa, a small country in Latin America. Hannay realises he is now too old for the job of thwarting these evil designs and enlists the aid of his old friend Sandy Arbuthnot, now Lord Clanroyden. Fortunately, Sir Archibald Roylance and hi...

The phrase ‘this book will change your life’ has become one of the clichés of the publishing world but ‘Martin Eden’ is certainly a novel that merits that observation.Set in turn of the century San Francisco, Jack London’s semi-autobiographical narrative tells of working class sailor Eden’s struggle to elevate himself to a level of society wherein, he believes, resides the intellect and culture he craves. One of the reasons for this endeavour is Ruth Morse, with whom he has fallen ...

Harvey Cheyne, pampered son of an American millionaire is swept overboard from the deck of a liner and picked up by a small fishing boat, one of several trawling the Grand Banks. He is rapidly confronted by the harsh realities of life and comes to terms with himself amid the hard labour and morality of the redoubtable New England fishermen.Kipling, although an Englishman born and bred, had the remarkable ability to get under the skin of many different cultures and this tale is a fi...

Inspired by an actual terrorist attack on Greenwich Laboratory in 1894 ‘The Secret Agent’ is arguably Conrad’s greatest work Mr Verloc, the spy, is roused to action by his masters. He is to instigate an act ‘of destructive ferocity so absurd as to be incomprehensible, inexplicable, almost unthinkable; in fact, mad. All does not run smoothly however and leads to Mr Verloc’s wife, Winnie, demonstrating how quickly rational equilibrium can change to frenzied destruction. Setting his story in ...

In this, the second volume of the Saga to be released in an unabridged recording by Assembled Stories, Soames’ house continues to be built as his marriage disintegrates. Is Irene having an affair? Certainly her relationship with the architect Bosinney is causing ructions in the family.While attempting reconciliation with his son, Old Jolyon, spurred by June’s suffering as she feels herself losing her lover, sends Young Jolyon to sound the man’s intentions. In this meeting Young Jol...

This book is a complete introduction to politics and the workings of government, Focusing on the institutions of government and the political systems operating in liberal democratic states, it will give you an understanding of the operations of these political systems, the key political themes and the differences that exist between them. Using contemporary examples from all over the world, this title is essential reading for all those who want to know more about our world today.NOT...

This is your go-to guide to politicsAs the UK gears up for a snap general election on the back of a hotly contested and divisive referendum, there has never been a better time to discover more about politics and how it works.Politics: A Complete Introduction explains everything you need to know, giving you a comprehensive and easy-to-understand introduction to a complex subject.Inside you will learn about different political ideologies and ...

Julian Sorel is a handsome, naïve but not wholly innocent young man, born of peasant stock. He is, however, very ambitious and determined to succeed in life and make a career for himself. If this involves lying, guile and hypocrisy- so be it. Not so long ago two professions would have been open to him- the Army or the Church- but in the wake of Waterloo and the defeat of Napoleon it would be preferable to take Holy Orders. Fortunately Mr de Renal, Mayor of Verrieres, is in need of a status...

The second of Richard Hannays’ adventures takes him from the trenches of the First World War on a mission of vital importance to the British campaign in the East. In an attempt to manipulate their Turkish allies the Germans have created a religious figurehead, a prophet of a new order to unify the disparate tribes of Asia and crush the allied offensive. Pursued by the barbaric General Stumm, Hannay and his old South African friend and teacher Peter Pienaar with fellow soldier Sandy Arbuthn...

The author dedicates his story to ‘The Happy Few’. This presumably means those who lead lives free of hypocrisy and deceit. They are few indeed in the second part of this authoritative novel of early 19th Century France. Julien Sorel leaves the country town of Verrieres and flees to Paris with the sound of guns in pursuit. He is to take up a post as secretary to M. de la Mole, an influential businessman in the capital. Peasant though he may be, Julien is a man of ideas and in the drawing r...