Books by Jean Van Hamme

Book SynopsisA cup of tea? A drop of milk? A spoonful of poison? At first sight, nothing would make the very select club called Green Manor stand out from any other English club. Yet behind its thick walls, sunk into its deep chairs, hides the biggest bunch of con artists, bandits and murderers that Queen Victoria's England has ever seen.

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Book SynopsisCalled back to the USA by the frantic government, McLane and Jones discover that General Carrington has kidnapped Wally Sheridan, President of the United States! Holed up in a secret base he's turned into a fortress, Carrington intends to put Sheridan on trial on live TV and expose him as the Number I of the conspiracy. To do that, he's going to need XIII's help in bringing in his main witness: the Mongoose!

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Book SynopsisThe Mongoose is dead. So is Number I. But, since he was the President of the United States, XIII's friends are all on the run again. McLane, though, has been arrested, and he's being judged in secret by the heads of the American intelligence community. Sentenced to life in a secret prison, he has no illusions that he'll ever reach it. The ruthlessness of the NSA Director proves him right - but he's not the only one who wants XIII dead.

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Book SynopsisJason McLane is on holidays with Jones at some friends' in Central America, when a peculiar priest offers him startling news: He may very well be a married man! And because nothing is ever simple in XIII's life, his apparent wife is none other than the leader of the democratic guerrillas in neighbouring Costa Verde, Maria De Los Santos-currently awaiting execution in a maximum security fortress. Time for the amnesiac to put his skills to good use again- for Maria.

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Book SynopsisIn these new adventures, Aaricia is crowned Queen and Thorgal has to face many difficult tests to track down his beloved. They spend some happy days together in the countryside and their first child is announced. Alas, everything is upside down by the jealousy of Shaniah, a teenager who Thorgal turned away. Then Thorgal is taken prisoner on board the Black Galley, where he is turned into a plaything by Veronar, a degenerate tyrant.

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Book SynopsisThree years ago, Thorgal lost his memory. Kriss of Valnor convinced him that he was her husband Shaigan, a merciless pirate, and they have been terrorising everyone - even the Vikings - ever since. Aaricia and Wolf Cub, exiled when Thorgal was recognised by one of the men from the northern village, have been captured and brought to Shaigan's lair. In the end, it's up to young Jolan to rescue his family with the help of a very special traveller...from the future!

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Book SynopsisTwo of Largo's employees have been killed in his headquarters in New York. His friend Charity has been kidnapped in the middle of the Piazza San Marco. His only lead is a mysterious message: Beware of the Doge - As the bodies start piling up, Largo - aided by the beautiful Domenica - turns the Serenissima upside down to find the young woman and unravel the truth before it is too late. Balls, duels, boat chases, revenge - Ah, Venice!

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Book SynopsisXIII and Jones are on the run. Hunted by local authorities, they're suspected of three murders, including that of The Mongoose's hired killer. The sheriff of Green Falls, henchman to the town's biggest landowner, is all too happy to accuse the fugitives: The two men don't want certain details from the past to surface. XIII is going to have to survive long enough to dig up the truth about what really happened on the night of August 3rd long ago -

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Book SynopsisIn Pennsylvania, Olrik escapes a federal prison by helicopter after a bloody attack. With Blake forced to cut short his holidays at the news, a disappointed Mortimer turns his attention to Greece, where an earthquake has uncovered an ancient chapel. Before long, people are trying to kill Mortimer over a mysterious Roman silver coin. Could the long-lost relic be one of the 30 denarii paid to Judas for his betrayal of Jesus? And who exactly covets it so much?

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Book SynopsisHaving escaped from the clutches of Irina's organisation. XIII is on the loose in America but still being hunted by both Giordino's NSA and Irina's top assassin, Jessica. As he tries to return to his friends in San Miguel, he's forced to dodge bullets and outsmart various traps and ambushes. With the odds stacked against him, he will have to rely on help from an enemy and his own mounting anger at the constant string of attacks.

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Book SynopsisXIII survived the trip back to his childhood home. The Mongoose has finally been caught and is in a high-security jail. But there is still one piece of the puzzle missing, and when President Sheridan asks him to discover who the Number I is, the man now known as Jason McLane doesn't hesitate for long. His best chance: finding Kim Rowland wherever she may be hiding. But the Mongoose has powerful allies and won't stay locked up forever -

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Book SynopsisSuzan and her father are taking a well-deserved break in the south of France. But their holidays are cut short when several men burst into the house and kidnap James Fitzroy. What Suzie doesn't know is that the attackers are actually CIA operatives: The Agency is offended by the existence of an unofficial European counterterrorist outfit. But in their attempt to use Lady S. to draw her employers out, it's the American spooks who may be made the fools -

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Book SynopsisIn the middle of the night, a man runs through the narrow back alleys of Venice. Three men are after him. He breaks into a travel agency, where he faxes Winch a hastily scribbled message before being gunned down by his pursuers. The person who hands Largo Winch the fax in New York is also killed. The message says only: Beware of the doge. Our millionaire businessman hero thinks his friend, the gorgeous Charity, could be in trouble and heads for Italy. They are invited to a masked ball, where they indeed meet a doge. A Renaissance-era term for the chief magistrate of the former republics of Venice and Genoa.

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Book SynopsisCaptured and imprisoned in the Roca Negra fortress, XIII is being tortured by the sinister Colonel Peralta. But, for all his pain and suffering, he's also in the same building as Maria, the woman who may be his wife. And they have plenty of dedicated, resourceful friends outside - as well as at least one traitor. Still unsure of his past, Jason McLane will have no choice but to become the man known as El CascadorA" to clean up Costa Verde once and for all.

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Book SynopsisStill travelling with Kris of Valnor, Thorgal runs afoul of a local tribe. When a mysterious old woman offers him a chance to escape the hostile villagers, he accepts. But there's more to the bargain: She says that if he can make his way into the Invisible Fortress, he'll be able to erase his name from the Stone of the Gods, cancelling his destiny-and finally have a chance at a normal life.

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Book SynopsisXIII has freed a country, exposed a traitor, reunited with his wife and found his father. As he deals - somewhat against his will - with the aftermath of the revolution in Costa Verde, Sean Mullway recounts for him his family's history: Irish immigrants, remorseless Mafiosi, Mexican gold, and three silver watches. New answers will also bring new questions and a whole new set of potential enemies just as old ones come back to the fore.

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Book SynopsisWyoming, 1868. Ambrosius Van Deer has come to Fort Laramie to meet Jess Chisum, a young man who claims he's found Van Deer's nephew Eddie. Ten years before, Edwyn Van Deer disappeared after his family was killed in a Lakota raid. Proof of his identity: a silver watch with a portrait of his parents. But fate has other plans than a happy family reunion, and the events of that day will set in motion a tragedy 15 years in the making.

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Book SynopsisWith the conspiracy that nearly claimed his life dismantled, XIII can finally turn all his attention towards uncovering his own distant past. Armed with everything he could find on Jason Fly-the man he seems to be-he heads to Green Falls, where he grew up. The problem with amnesia is that you never know exactly what you'll dig up when you go home again. And...is everything really solved concerning the presidential assassination that cost him his memory?

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Book SynopsisJason has managed to give his captors the slip, but he was forced to leave Betty behind, severely injured. After a short but tense episode dealing with the north-eastern mafia, he's off to the next step in his quest: Leiden, Holland, from where half of the Mayflower expedition left, and where his godfather appears to live. But his enemies haven't given up, and the young local guide he's picked brings her own heap of troubles...

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Book SynopsisCaptured and then abandoned by Olrik, Mortimer is now lost at sea with no provisions. Fortunately, he can always count on Blake. Once reunited, and with the help of some old friends, the two British gentlemen continue their dangerous mission to stop Von Stahl from resurrecting the Third Reich using the evil power of the 30 pieces of silver. A mission that will take them throughout Greece and into the very Kingdom of Hades!

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Book SynopsisIn their island fortress, Kriss and Shaigan still reign over their band of pirates and raiders. But Shaigan is beginning to have doubts, and when a prisoner who knew him calls him Thorgal, the child of the stars begs the gods of Asgard to give him back his name and his destiny. In return, the gods require that Thorgal travel to the kingdom of giants and steal from their ruler...and then Thorgal will be Thorgal again. He's a child of the stars, beloved of the gods and touched by destiny, but also a reluctant hero, a simple man with simple dreams. Thorgal: an extraordinary Viking saga with strong elements of science fiction, by one of the master scriptwriters of Franco-Belgian comics. Already 13 volumes available from Cinebook!

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Book SynopsisNo such thing as a simple, happy homecoming for Thorgal...It is time at last for Thorgal to return to his family. After her rescue by Jolan however, Aaricia is not staying idle, and she tries to put together a fleet to attack Shaigan's stronghold - unaware that her husband is no longer the dreaded pirate lord. By the time the two find themselves on their own island again, Aaricia is disinclined to simply forgive everything, and locks Thorgal up in a cage while she makes up her mind about him. He's a child of the stars, beloved of the gods and touched by destiny, but also a reluctant hero, a simple man with simple dreams. Thorgal: an extraordinary Viking saga with strong elements of science fiction, by one of the master scriptwriters of Franco-Belgian comics. 14 volumes available from Cinebook!

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Book SynopsisXIII returns to his childhood home once more - butthe stakes have never been so high. The agents of the organisation that was hunting for XIII have finally captured him, along with his friends, but he's still refusing his captors' job offer. Forced to give in after they commit an appalling act just to coerce him, he's discreetly brought back to the USA, where he finally learns what they're really after. Meanwhile, Betty Barnowsky continues her own investigation under the FBI's very noses. For both of them, the road leads, once again, to Green Falls...

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Book SynopsisShania, back in Europe after being expelled from the United States, has resumed her work with Orion and his shadowy organisation. Undercover as an interpreter at the European Parliament in Strasbourg, she is tasked with getting close to an extremist suspected of preparing a terrorist attack. The whole mission spirals out of control when she rushes to Portugal, after the CIA contacts her to tell her they've found a man who calls himself Abel Rivkas - her father!

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Book SynopsisA very literal trip to hell for Thorgal. Thorgal, his family and their friends Darek and Lehla have left their island to sail south and look for a safer place to live. After a storm scatters them, Thorgal and WolfCub's boat flounders on reefs at the foot of a strange, mist-covered cliff. One perilous climb later, the little girl is trapped by a mysterious, invisible force, and her father, after going for help, discovers a very curious city cut off from the world...

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Book SynopsisThe Marduk expedition has returned victorious to Norlandia, bearing a precious sample of Uradium. Now the professor can test his revolutionary U Ray's potency when combined with the miracle ore. But Austradia, the old enemy, won't take this lying down. So the dastardly Captain Dagon didn't succeed in stopping Marduk from finding the Uradium deposit? No matter! The Imperial Austradian Army will simply take possession of it in a military operation - and who cares if that's where Prince Nazca's people live?

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Book SynopsisA renowned physicist and the head of MI5 battle threats to the Empire and solve extraordinary mysteries across the globe. The 28th adventure of Blake & Mortimer, the most distinguished duo of gentlemen-adventurers! Ages 10+

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Book Synopsis1848. In Ottoman-occupied Montenegro, young doctor Vanko Winczlav is one of the leaders of a popular uprising. Betrayed, wanted by the authorities, he flees the Balkans for the United States in the company of a Bulgarian refugee, Veska, whom he marries to allow her to enter New York legally. So begins the history of a family closely entwined with that of a still new country going through many transformations.

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Book Synopsis1910, Oklahoma. Thomas Winczlav, Milan's son, sees his life turned upside down when he learns he is the heir to the O'Casey distilleries - a colossal fortune he'll have to share with his twin sister Lisa, who lives in France. As the First World War begins, a sometimes naive, often flighty Tom will do his best to run his new business; meanwhile, the aviation-obsessed Lisa will carve herself a place in the skies of Europe, dominated by a certain Red Baron.

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Book Synopsis1965. The growing financial empire of the Winch family is now in the hands of Nerio, Tom's young son. And Nerio, who stands barely above five feet, whose schoolmates always despised because his only friend was the son of his African-American nanny, whom women never so much as looked at ... thirsts for power. Meanwhile, back in a Montenegro now under the boot of Yugoslav dictator Tito, is born little Danitza, great-great-grand-niece to one Vanko Winczlav...

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Book SynopsisThorgal, Aaricia and Kriss of Valnor are finally approaching Mavaxatl, the city of the lost god. When Thorgal understands the real goal of their mission and Kriss' duplicity, he tries to escape. But Kriss is determined that he complete the mission.

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Book SynopsisThorgal and his family are back in Europe, where a pregnant Aaricia insists on giving birth in Northland. Unable to find a ship to sail north in the middle of winter, Thorgal sets off by land to reach his old village and bring back a drakkar. His trip takes him through the land of Saxegaard, Master of the Mountains, a ruthless warlord who terrorizes the surrounding country. One night, in a burntout cottage, he meets Torric, an escaped slave, and finds a strange ring in the ashes. An extraordinary adventure begins.

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Book SynopsisSuzan Fitzroy is in Sweden, where her adopted father is filling in for the American Ambassador. The most exciting prospect on her agenda is the Nobel Prize ceremony. But her quiet life in Stockholm is disrupted when the mysterious Orion, the secretive anti-terror agent, contacts her: he has another job for her. The simple task turns into something much more complex, and before long Suzan is deeply involved in a conspiracy that has links to her past-and to her heart.

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Book SynopsisA man washes ashore near an old couple's house, barely alive. When he comes to, he has forgotten everything, including his name. The only clues to his identity: a key sewn into his clothes, a bullet wound to the head - and the number XIII tattooed on his shoulder. A meagre start to reconstruct one's self. Before XIII even begins to investigate, though, his past catches up with him, and it is anything but ordinary. The trail is thin and the body count high, but XIII needs to know. Even if, as the outlines of a massive conspiracy start to appear, some of the truths uncovered seem unpleasant.

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Book SynopsisXIII is looking for a certain Kim Rowlands, a woman with whom he saw himself in a photograph. His search will yield a name - his, perhaps - and take him to a place that may be home. All families have secrets, though, and they can get a man killed. And what exactly do General Carrington and his beautiful aide Lieutenant Jones want with him?

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Book SynopsisThorgal is back in his old village with his family, but once again his destiny catches up with him when Volsung of Nichor, sent by the snake Nidhogg, steals the belt of the Guardian of the Keys, which grants invulnerability. Nidhogg wants to destroy the Guardian and spread chaos throughout the universe, while Volsung just wants to become king of the world-but they both want Thorgal dead. And Volsung has taken on Thorgal's appearance -

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Book SynopsisConvicted of murder and sent to a high-security prison for the criminally insane, XIII finds himself not only unable to continue searching for his past, but also at the mercy of his enemies. Unbeknownst to him, though, General Carrington and the beautiful (and deadly) Lieutenant Jones are still trying to unravel the mystery of the presidential assassination. All they have to do is find a way to help him before he loses his life-or his mind.

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Book SynopsisA wandering Thorgal is captured and enslaved by Orgoff, a cruel man who appointed himself the local lord after defeating the old one. Orgoff wields the dreadful power of the Sun Sword, which the peasants say makes him invulnerable. Thorgal, of course, is not convinced. Escaping, he encounters the last of the rebels against the new order-and an old enemy. Together, they will have to defeat Orgoff and his allies and recover the Sun Sword.

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Book SynopsisNow called Ross Tanner, XIII joins the elite SPADS (Special Assault and Destruction Squads) to try and learn more about Captain Rowlands, his last identity. As if the shadowy threats hanging over his head weren't enough, he also has to contend with gruelling training and a hostile instructor. Meanwhile, in Washington, investigations continue, and a series of clues emerge, pointing towards people XIII thought his allies. Can he trust Colonel Amos, General Carrington or - Lieutenant Jones?

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Book SynopsisXIII, Jones and Betty Barnowsky escaped the deadly trap set by Colonel McCall. Lost in a hostile jungle, they must now make their way back to America. And they must be quick: In Washington, every ally the fugitives ever had has been arrested in preparation for the conspirators' master stroke, coinciding with a general exercise of all American armed forces: Operation Full Red. Suddenly, XIII's quest becomes a last-ditch fight for the freedom of an entire nation.

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Book SynopsisSimon-Largo's friend-has been cast as the lead in a new TV series, Golden Gate.A" It's produced in part by one of Group W's subsidiaries. When the investigator sent by Dwight Cochrane to examine irregularities in the funding of the series disappears, Largo takes matters into his own hands and heads to the city by the Bay. But what will he find? An innocuous example of bad television? A case of tax evasion? Or - worse?

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Book SynopsisLargo Winch has been hoodwinked, framed and sent to jail. His enemies are celebrating their victory after taking control of his TV station. His friends are either in prison or in mortal danger - But Largo wasn't born a billionaire. He knows how to fight dirty, and now he's going to have to strike back at the circle of crooks, pimps and murderers who came after him-before they kill all potential witnesses, including his own employee, Sarah Washington.

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Book SynopsisA man shoots himself in front of Largo, live on TV. He was a guest on a financial talk show who had lost his company because of a Group W decision. Shocked by the knowledge that he is indirectly responsible, Winch becomes an object of hatred for the nation, and his two best friends abandon him. When suspicions arise that shady dealings led to unnecessary restructurings, he launches an investigation to identify the real culprits.

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Book SynopsisAccused of murder and hated by an entire nation, Largo is hiding in Canada and feeling very much alone. But his friendships are stronger than his circumstances, and soon he's able to counterattack against the various factions that are trying to bring him down. Greedy lawyers, crooked CEOs, murderous accountants, all pitted against the orphan turned billionaire - In the end, only the smartest and strongest will prevail - for such is the Law of the Dollar.

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Book SynopsisArrested by the Costaverdean authorities because of pressure from the US, XIII and his friends are awaiting their extradition. Instead, they're freed by Costaverdean troops in disguise. But they can't afford to stick around, as they're still on the run from the most powerful nation on Earth. Desperate for money, McLane decides to go after Maximilian's gold, as Mullway believes he's found the location of the third silver watch. The problem is that the location is under 150 feet of water...

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Book SynopsisAn abandoned airfield in 1993: Two women exchange a 50-year-old letter. The year 1943: The crew of the Lancaster S-Snowwhite is dropping bombs on Germany. Seven men, so young and yet so old before their time. Seven dwarves for old Snow White, and their story of the war. The terror of night missions, the flak, the enemy fighters, the mid-air collisions...Death that strikes anywhere, any time, and the love you seek and latch onto desperately to feel alive while you can...

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