Search results for ""Author John Dickson""

Over a long career in the courts Justice Horace Ireton has a garnered a reputation for merciless rulings and his dedication to meting out strict, impartial justice. Taking a break from his duty after a session of assizes, Ireton retreats to his seaside bungalow in Devon and turns his attention to family, and specifically in attempting to bribe his daughter's lover Morrell to leave her alone so that she may instead marry the respectable clerk, Fred Barlow. It seems something about the deal with Morrell must have gone amiss, however, when the police are called to the Justice's residence to find Morrell shot dead and the judge still holding a pistol. But would the lawman be so bold to commit a murder like this? With a number of strange items making up the physical evidence Dr Gideon Fell, himself an old friend of Ireton's, is summoned to help with the deceptively simple - yet increasingly complex - investigation.

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The inside story of life with the KraysJohn Dickson arrived in London from Edinburgh in 1964, looking for work...and adventure. He soon found it in the pubs and card clubs of the East End, where he met and go to know the twins and the members of the 'firm'. He was, for many years, a close and trusted henchman of the Krays, and was the man who drove Ronnie to the Blind Beggar pub the night that George Cornell was shot.In this explosive book, Dickson tells the inside story of Ronnie and Reggie's gangland underworld. He recounts the increasingly erratic and senselessly violent behaviour of the twins, and their final arrest, which came at a time when they had thought they were invincible. The Secrets of the Krays is an illuminating and thrilling journey into the world of the East End's most notorious sons.*Previously published as Murder without Conviction*

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The most famous of all locked-room mysteries - a classic in the crime genre.'The first deadly walking of the hollow man took place when the side streets of London were quiet with snow and the three coffins of the prophecy were filled at last...'The murderer of Dr Grimauld walked through a locked door, shot his victim and vanished. He killed his second victim in the middle of an empty street, with watchers at each end, yet nobody saw him, and he left no footprints in the snow.And so it is up to the irrepressible, larger-than-life Dr Gideon Fell to solve this most famous and taxing of locked-room mysteries.

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A sinister case of deadly poisoned chocolates from Sodbury Cross’s high street shop haunts the group of friends and relatives assembled at Bellegarde, among the orchards of ‘peach-fancier’ Marcus Chesney. To prove a point about how the sweets could have been poisoned under the nose of the shopkeeper, Chesney stages an elaborate memory game to test whether any of his guests can see beyond their ‘black spectacles’; that is, to see the truth without assumptions as witnesses. During the test – which is also being filmed – Chesney is murdered by his accomplice, dressed head to toe in an ‘invisible man’ disguise. The keen wits of Dr Gideon Fell are called for to crack this brazen and bizarre murder committed in full view of an audience. Also known by its US title The Problem of the Green Capsule, this classic novel is widely regarded as one of John Dickson Carr’s masterpieces and remains among the greatest impossible crime mysteries of all time.

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Is the world better off without Christianity?Combining narrative with keen critique of contemporary debates, author and historian John Dickson gives an honest account of 2,000 years of Christian history that helps us understand what Christianity is and what it's meant to be.To say that the Christian Church has an "image problem" doesn't quite capture it. From the Crusades and the Inquisition to the racism and abuse present in today's Church--both in Catholic and Protestant traditions--the institution that Christ established on earth has a lot to answer for. But the Church has also had moments throughout history when it has been in tune with Jesus' teachings--from the rise of charity to the invention of hospitals.For defenders of the faith, it's important to be able to recognize the good and bad in the church's history and be inspired to live aligned with Christ. For skeptics, this book is a thought-provoking introduction to the idea that Christianity is, despite all, an essential foundation of our civilization.Now in softcover, this new edition provides a new chapter on the conversion of the Vikings.Bullies and Saints will take you on a big-picture journey from the Sermon on the Mount to the modern church: Giving contextual accounts of infamous chapters of Christian history, such as the Crusades, and acknowledging their darkness. Outlining the great movements of the faith and defending its heroes and saints, some of whom are not commonly recognized. Examining the Church beside the teachings and life of Jesus and how it has succeeded in its mission to imitate Christ.

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John Dickson Carr lays on the macabre atmosphere again in this follow-up to It Walks by Night, in which Inspector Bencolin attempts to piece together a puzzle involving a disappearing street, a set of gallows which mysteriously reveals itself to a number of figures traipsing through the London fog, and the bizarre suggestion that a kind of fictional bogeyman, Jack Ketch, may be afoot and in the business of wanton execution. An early gem from one of the great writers of the classic crime genre. This edition also includes the rare Inspector Bencolin short story ‘The Ends of Justice’.

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Crime author Dick Markham is in love again; his fiancée the mysterious newcomer to the village, Lesley Grant. When Grant accidentally shoots the fortune teller through the side of his tent at the local fair – following a very strange reaction to his predictions – Markham is reluctantly brought into a scheme to expose his betrothed as a suspected serial husband-poisoner. That night the enigmatic fortune teller – and chief accuser – is found dead in an impossible locked-room setup, casting suspicion onto Grant and striking doubt into the heart of her lover. Lured by the scent of the impossible case, Dr Gideon Fell arrives from London to examine the perplexing evidence and match wits with a meticulous killer at large. First published in 1944, Till Death Do Us Part remains a pacey and deeply satisfying impossible crime story, championed by Carr connoisseurs as one of the very best examples of his mystery writing talents.

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'That is the case. Alison has been murdered. His blazing body was seen running about the battlements of Castle Skull.' And so a dark shadow looms over the Rhineland where Inspector Henri Bencolin and his accomplice Jeff Marle have arrived from Paris. Entreated by the Belgian financier D'Aunay to investigate the gruesome and grimly theatrical death of actor Myron Alison, the pair find themselves at the imposing hilltop fortress Schloss Schadel, in which a small group of suspects are still assembled. As thunder rolls in the distance, Bencolin and Marle enter a world steeped in macabre legends of murder and magic to catch the killer still walking the maze-like passages and towers of the keep. This new edition of John Dickson Carr's spirited and deeply atmospheric early novel also features the rare Inspector Bencolin short story 'The Fourth Suspect'.

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According to the Psalms, God is enthroned on the praises of His people--and it is from that throne that He governs the heavens and the earth. If this picture of God's rule, found throughout the Scriptures, is accurate, shouldn't the Body of Christ seek to praise the King of heaven and earth in ways that release His kingdom government into specific circumstances? John A. Dickson and Chuck D. Pierce, coauthors of Worship As It Is in Heaven, offer the church a fresh look at heaven's pattern of worship, instituted in David's tabernacle and renewed through Jesus' apostles in the earliest days of the church. This "apostolic worship" is God's chosen way of establishing His will on earth; through worship, the forces of darkness are pushed back and righteousness prevails. In Worship As It Is in Heaven, readers are invited to enter in to a fullness of worship that the world has too rarely seen: worship that is the conduit of God's government of peace, justice, and holiness on the earth.

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"Who has not been afraid—at least once—of monsters under the bed? Dickson sets up this classic fear and gives it a new twist when the monsters leave a note! Guridi's rich illustrations give the sense of foreboding dark at first but then quickly shifts to hilarity with the snaggle-toothed grins of quite likable monsters."--Art of the Picture Book How many children have been kept awake wondering “what’s under my bed?” Under My Bed explores this fascination, as a sleepy young boy’s racing imagination wonders what’s really going on beneath his bed. Under My Bed is a fun, sharp and quirky book that demonstrates a valuable lesson: when confronted by our fears and anxieties, sometimes it’s much more fun to just join in.

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James Bennett has been invited to stay at White Priory for Christmas among the retinue of the glamorous Hollywood actress Marcia Tait. Her producer, her lover, the playwright for her next hit and her agent are all here, soon to become so many suspects when Tait is found murdered on a cold December morning in the lakeside pavilion. Only the footprints of her discoverer disturb the snow which fell overnight - and which stopped just shortly after Marcia was last seen alive. How did the murderer get in and out of the pavilion without leaving a trace? When Bennett's uncle, the cantankerous amateur sleuth Sir Henry Merrivale arrives from London to make sense of this impossible crime, the reader is treated to a feast of the author's trademark twists, beguiling false answers and one of the most ingenious solutions in the history of the mystery genre. When Henry Merrivale arrives to piece together what appears to be an impossible crime, Carr treats the reader to sensational twists, febrile tension between the closed circle of suspects and one of the most perfect solutions in the history of the genre.

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Release the Rule of God Upon the Earth As God's people boldly enter His throne room in adoration and praise, we are clothed with His authority to claim the earth for His kingdom! The Worship Warrior shows you how to ascend in worship and descend in God's power to declare His will in your life, your family, your city and the nations. In this revised and updated edition of their bestselling book, Chuck Pierce and John Dickson uncover the biblical model of worship and show you how to push back the kingdom of darkness to claim God's blessings. Each chapter concludes with fresh prophetic insights that reveal what God is seeking to accomplish in the near future through worship and spiritual warfare. Are you ready to go to war? The Worship Warrior is your call to arms, and it will ignite a fervor in your spirit for God's rule and reign over the earth.

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We are thrilled to welcome John Dickson Carr into the Crime Classics series with his first novel, a brooding locked room mystery in the gathering dusk of the French capital. In the smoke-wreathed gloom of a Parisian salon, Inspector Bencolin has summoned his allies to discuss a peculiar case. A would-be murderer, imprisoned for his attempt to kill his wife, has escaped and is known to have visited a plastic surgeon. His whereabouts remain a mystery, though with his former wife poised to marry another, Bencolin predicts his return. Sure enough, the Inspector’s worst suspicions are realized when the beheaded body of the new suitor is discovered in a locked room of the salon, with no apparent exit. Bencolin sets off into the Parisian night to unravel the dumbfounding mystery and track down the sadistic killer.

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'"The purpose, the illusion, the spirit of a waxworks. It is an atmosphere of death. It is soundless and motionless... Do you see?"' Last night Mademoiselle Duchene was seen heading into the Gallery of Horrors at the Musee Augustin waxworks, alive. Today she was found in the Seine, murdered. The museum's proprietor, long perturbed by the unnatural vitality of his figures, claims that he saw one of them following the victim into the dark - a lead that Henri Bencolin, head of the Paris police and expert of 'impossible' crimes, cannot possibly resist. Surrounded by the eerie noises of the night, Bencolin prepares to enter the ill-fated waxworks, his associate Jeff Marle and the victim's fiance in tow. Waiting within, beneath the glass-eyed gaze of a leering waxen satyr, is a gruesome discovery and the first clues of a twisted and ingenious mystery. First published in 1932 at the height of crime fiction's Golden Age, this macabre and atmospheric dive into the murky underground of Parisian society presents an intelligent puzzle delivered at a stunning pace. This new edition also includes 'The Murder in Number Four', a rare Inspector Bencolin short story.

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'It almost seemed that the murder, if it was a murder, must have been committed by someone who could rise up unsupported in the air...' When Miles Hammond is invited to a meeting of the Murder Club in London, he is met instead with just two other guests and is treated to a strange tale of an impossible crime in France from years before; the murder of a man on a tower with only one staircase, under watch at the time at which the murder took place. With theories of levitating vampires abounding, the story comes home to Miles when he realises that the librarian he has just hired for his home is none other than Fay Seton, a woman whose name still echoes from the heart of this bizarre and unsolved murder of the past. First published in 1946, in later years Carr considered this novel one of his finest works. It shows the masterful author at the height of his powers, boasting an ingenious plot delivered with an astounding pace and striking characters including none other than the great detective, Dr Gideon Fell.

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