Search results for ""author katherine gregor""

The story takes place in the suffocating atmosphere of a social housing estate in the south of France. Sixteen-year-old Celine and her sister Jo, fifteen, dream of escaping to somewhere far from their daily routine, far from their surly, alcoholic father and uncaring mother, both struggling to make ends meet. That summer Celine falls pregnant, devastating news that reopens deep family wounds. Those of the mother Severine whose adolescence was destroyed by her early pregnancy and subsequent marriage with Manuel. Those of Manuel, grandson of Spanish immigrants, who takes refuge in alcoholism to escape the open disdain of his in-laws. Faced with Celine's refusal to name the father, Manuel needs a guilty party and Said, a childhood friend of the girls and conveniently Arab, seems to fit the role perfectly. In the suffocating heat of summer Manuel embarks on a drunken mission of revenge. A dark and upsetting account of an ailing society, filled with silent and murderous rage.

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A young dead woman in a dream triggers a memory in our unnamed narrator. Through an intimate monologue, we learn of her past fascination for a man inherently violent that made her constantly feel guilty of his failures and insecurities. A damaged, unhappy and destructive lover that in a brutal scene, brings back yet another memory: a surprise rape in a public park 25 years ago. The narrator's superb approach to these events will not leave anyone indifferent. With a refreshing female perspective, The Memory of the Air challenges common notions of victimhood. Leaving no room for stereotypes and expectations, this book explores a universal experience of gender and sexual violence from a distinctive and unique approach. Sophisticated, poetic and permeated with irony, The Memory of the Air is an extremely elegant piece that navigates emotional abuse and rape in a way that empowers the female reader like never before.

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Many people crave a creative outlet, but more often than not, don't know where to start. In Colours, Giovanna Ranaldi invites you to nurture your creativity and build your confidence by taking inspiration from famous works of art that celebrate colour.Each section explores a particular aspect of colour, from basics such as the history of the colour wheel and using complementary colours, to understanding the impact colour has on our emotions and dreams. Throughout the book, Giovanna provides creative and fun prompts that will encourage you to draw or paint on the pages using various techniques. Colours is full of information on how to see colour and use it in your own artwork and is packed with inspiration from the world's most celebrated artists, including Paul Klee, Claude Monet, Vincent van Gogh, Sonia Delaunay and more.Colours is a short course in unlocking your creative self – perfect for budding artists of all ages who are keen to try out different artistic techniques and materials, and begin their artistic journey.

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Ten years after the debut of the international bestseller The Whisperer, the challenge begins again.The phone call to the police arrives at dusk from an isolated farmhouse, fifty miles from the city. A terrified woman's voice pleads for help. But a violent storm rages in the area and the first available patrol only succeeds in reaching her hours later. It is too late. Something perturbing has happened, something which leaves the investigators in the dark. Just one person is able to reveal the message hidden behind this act of evil, but this person is no longer a policeman. She left her work as a missing persons investigator and withdrew from society to live an isolated existence beside a lake; her daughter Alice her only companion. Even so, when she is called upon to help with this case, Mila Vasquez cannot shirk her duty. The investigation involves her closely . . . more than she could ever believe.It is a game and it has only just started.Because he is always a step ahead.

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“Captivating and entertaining.”—Sololibri “Alan Gillot tells the universal story of a new beginning.”—La Repubblica “A novel that shows how when life comes knocking, it cannot be ignored.”—ThrillerNord Antoine is a script doctor: a high-flying consultant hired to cut the script of a movie before it’s green-lighted. Called to a film set on the Côte d'Azur, he casually cancels the role young hopeful Emma was cast in. When she confronts him, her words – and actions – impart a few home-truths. Antoine chases after Emma to apologise. Little does he know that from then on, he won’t be able to return to his old colourless life. At Emma’s side, Antoine embarks on an unexpected journey through a provincial France he’s never seen before, right into the bizarre, exciting world of her eccentric family and the itinerant theatre company she belongs to. A love story and a road movie, this charming tale proclaims the need to overcome our fears and reach out to others.

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A beautiful, moving detective story set in Auschwitz in the Christmas of 1943. A young Jewish prisoner…Auschwitz, 1943. It’s snowing outside and Block 10 looks even bleaker than usual. Gioele Errera, a young Jewish boy imprisoned in the camp, finds the body of an SS officer. A detective with everything to prove…Hugo Fischer is sent to investigate the unexplained death of the renowned Nazi. But Hugo is hiding a secret – he is suffering from a degenerative disease. The only way for him to survive is to give his support to the Reich and hide his condition. A confrontation with pure evil…In Auschwitz, Hugo comes face to face not only with a complex murder, but with a truth – that of the Final Solution. And he is forced to decide what is most important to him – and who, if anyone, he should try to save… What readers are saying about Ashes in the Snow ‘A haunting, emotionally dynamic and poignant mystery’ ‘I cannot recommend this book too highly, it is well-written and interesting, horrifying details are interwoven with the story keeping me on the edge of my seat’ ‘This book is powerful, interesting and horrifying’ ‘This is an excellent book,.a complex case, interesting and often unpredictable characters and an ending that I certainly didn't see coming’‘An incredible book, reminiscent of The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas but with a detective story twist’ ‘Well written, beautifully paced and unputdownable – brilliant!’ ‘A moving, human account of life in the most inexplicably evil place ever’‘ A book I shan’t forget in a hurry’ ‘A chilling but compelling read which leaves the reader with much to think about’ ‘All I ask is that you read it – please’

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'Intriguing and very scary' Ken Follett Abducted at thirteen.Returned at twenty-eight.Is it time to go back into the labyrinth?A young woman named Samantha Andretti wakes up in a hospital bed.Samantha was abducted when she was thirteen.She was kept prisoner for fifteen years.The man by her side, Dr. Green, believes that Samantha's memories contain the clues that will lead to the capture of her abductor. But why does she keep referring to a labyrinth?Outside the hospital, private investigator Bruno Genko does not have long to live. Bruno was assigned to Samantha's case many years ago, and now it is his chance to make amends.Can Samantha be persuaded to go back into the labyrinth? And how did the man at its centre vanish so quickly?Praise for The Girl in the Fog by Donato Carrisi:'A coldly brilliant exposé of the depths of human nature' Sunday Times'Compelling, beautifully written and atmospheric' Daily Mail'A thoroughly disconcerting, addictive thriller' Metro

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“The political machinations, betrayal, and battles may appeal to those fans of George R. R. Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire series interested in a real-world game of thrones.” -- BooklistOne of Italy’s most revered cultural figures reconstructs the extraordinary life of the legendary Cleopatra at the height of her power in this epic story of passion, intrigue, betrayal, and war.Our world today would not be the same without Cleopatra. While she is one of the most famous figures in history, the legendary Egyptian queen remains, in many ways, an enigma. In this mesmerizing history, Alberto Angela offers a fresh and dynamic portrait of this extraordinary ruler, revealing a strikingly modern woman born in an ancient era and skilled in the art of diplomacy and war, who would conquer the heart of a general—Marc Antony—and Rome itself.Cleopatra focuses on a twenty-year period that marked a sweeping change in Roman history, beginning with the assassination of Julius Caesar that led to the end of the Republic, and ending with the suicides of Antony and Cleopatra and the birth of the Augustan Empire. Angela brings the people, stories, customs, and traditions of this fascinating period alive as he transports us to the chaotic streets of the capital of the ancient world, the exotic port of Alexandria in Egypt, and to the bloody battlefields where an empire was won and lost. Meticulously researched and rich with vivid detail, this sweeping history, reminiscent of the works of Simon Schama, Mary Beard’s SPQR, and Tom Holland’s Rubicon, recreates this remarkable era and the woman at its turbulent center.Translated from the Italian by Katherine Gregor“[Cleopatra] combines scholarship with novelistic detail and character depth…[Alberto Angela] effectively draws on previous scholarship, wading through legend and myth to get at the truth of what actually occurred… a character-rich historical biography.” -- Kirkus

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'A violent storm prevents the police from rushing to the aid of a frightened woman at a secluded farmhouse and an ex-policewoman has to confront a truly sinister killer. Carrisi is a leader in the Italian crime field...Ingenious' Financial Times The phone call to the police arrives at dusk from an isolated farmhouse. A terrified woman's voice pleads for help. But a violent storm rages in the area and the first available patrol only succeeds in reaching her hours later. It is too late. Something terrible has happened, something which leaves the investigators groping for clues. Just one person is able to reveal the message hidden behind this act of evil, but she left her work as a missing persons investigator to live a life of isolation; her daughter Alice her only companion. Even so, when she is called upon to help with this case, Mila Vasquez cannot shirk her duty. The investigation involves her even more closely than she realises. It is a game and it has only just started. Because he is always a step ahead

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October 1812, Napoleon enters Moscow. The Russians have set fire to the city, soon it will be reduced to a pile of ash. The Emperor equivocates, decides to turn back. This is the beginning of the retreat from Russia, a page of history that has become legendary for its degree of suffering and horror, but also for the heroic acts that took place.Two hundred years later, Sylvain Tesson, accompanied by four friends (two Russians and two French), decides to follow the route of the retreat. Perched on two Soviet Ural sidecar motorcycles, they will rejoin Paris from Moscow, guided only by the spectres of the two hundred thousand soldiers who died through cold, starvation, and in battle. Twenty five hundred miles travelled in a wild escapade to salute the ghosts of history, across the white plains of Russia.

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"A beguiling read . . . A cold-case whodunnit [and] a Shadow of the Wind-style quest" - John Dugdale, Sunday Times"Bestselling writer Luca D'Andrea has concocted a fearsome witches' brew of myth, memory and mayhem" Sunday Times Crime ClubA haunting thriller drawing on myths, legends and fairy tales, set in a mysterious Italian valley - from Italy's bestselling answer to Stephen King."D'Andrea piles on the action and the atmosphere with the panache of a seasoned writer" Marcel Berlins, The TimesIt begins with a slap in the face.Out walking his St Bernard, Tony Carcano is confronted by a girl on a motorbike who shows him a photograph from his past. Of him posing with the body of a young woman. Smiling."Why were you laughing?"It's not the last Tony sees of Sybille Knapp, an orphan whose mother drowned herself in Kreuzwirt lake in 1999. That was the official verdict. Before long, Tony, a bestselling writer, is turning his imagination to working out what really happened.But Kreuzwirt is a sullen, silent community, loyal to the powerful Perkman family, who will stop at nothing to keep the truth buried. And there are other forces at work in this valley. Stories of an ancient evil. Whispers of a figure who stands between this world and the next.The Wanderer sings and his song is the wind.Translated from the Italian by Katherine Gregor

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"A beguiling read . . . A cold-case whodunnit [and] a Shadow of the Wind-style quest" - John Dugdale, Sunday Times"Bestselling writer Luca D'Andrea has concocted a fearsome witches' brew of myth, memory and mayhem" Sunday Times Crime ClubA haunting thriller drawing on myths, legends and fairy tales, set in a mysterious Italian valley - from Italy's bestselling answer to Stephen King."D'Andrea piles on the action and the atmosphere with the panache of a seasoned writer" Marcel Berlins, The TimesIt begins with a slap in the face.Out walking his St Bernard, Tony Carcano is confronted by a girl on a motorbike who shows him a photograph from his past. Of him posing with the body of a young woman. Smiling."Why were you laughing?"It's not the last Tony sees of Sybille Knapp, an orphan whose mother drowned herself in Kreuzwirt lake in 1999. That was the official verdict. Before long, Tony, a bestselling writer, is turning his imagination to working out what really happened.But Kreuzwirt is a sullen, silent community, loyal to the powerful Perkman family, who will stop at nothing to keep the truth buried. And there are other forces at work in this valley. Stories of an ancient evil. Whispers of a figure who stands between this world and the next.The Wanderer sings and his song is the wind.Translated from the Italian by Katherine Gregor

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October 1493, the height of the Renaissance. In a rapidly changing world, Milan flourishes under the leadership of Ludovico il Moro. Those wandering the courtyards of the city’s castle often encounter a man in his forties dressed in long pink robes, lost in his own thoughts. The man lives above his workshop, with his mother and a mischievous little boy whom he dotes on; he doesn’t eat meat, writes from right to left, and struggles to get paid by his employers. His name is Leonardo da Vinci. His fame extends beyond the Alps, to the French court of Charles VIII, whose envoys have been tasked with a secret mission that concerns Leonardo himself, and his most daring designs. When a man is found dead in the Castle’s courtyard, il Moro turns to Da Vinci for help. Though the corpse shows no signs of violence, the death is highly suspicious: rumours of a plague or superstitious explanations need to be disproven quickly. Leonardo is in no position to refuse his master’s request to investigate.

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THE NEW AWARD-WINNING INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLER BY THE AUTHOR OF THE MOUNTAIN"Can be compared (with no fear of hyperbole) to Stephen King and Jo Nesbø" - Massimo Vincenz, La Repubblica."D'Andrea piles on the action and the atmosphere with the panache of a seasoned writer" Marcel Berlins, The Times.Marlene Wegener is on the run. She has stolen something from her husband, something priceless, irreplaceable.But she doesn't get very far. When her car veers off a bleak midwinter road she takes refuge in the remote home of Simon Keller, a tough mountain man who lives alone with his demons. Here in her high mountain sanctuary, she begins to rekindle a sense of herself: tough, capable, no longer the trophy on a gangster's arm.But Herr Wegener does not know how to forgive, and in his rage he makes a pact with the devil. The Trusted Man. He cannot be called off, he cannot be reasoned with and one way or another he will get the job done.Unless, of course, he's beaten to it . . .Translated from the Italian by Howard Curtis and Katherine Gregor

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THE NEW AWARD-WINNING INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLER BY THE AUTHOR OF THE MOUNTAIN"Can be compared (with no fear of hyperbole) to Stephen King and Jo Nesbø" - Massimo Vincenz, La Repubblica."D'Andrea piles on the action and the atmosphere with the panache of a seasoned writer" Marcel Berlins, The Times.Marlene Wegener is on the run. She has stolen something from her husband, something priceless, irreplaceable.But she doesn't get very far. When her car veers off a bleak midwinter road she takes refuge in the remote home of Simon Keller, a tough mountain man who lives alone with his demons. Here in her high mountain sanctuary, she begins to rekindle a sense of herself: tough, capable, no longer the trophy on a gangster's arm.But Herr Wegener does not know how to forgive, and in his rage he makes a pact with the devil. The Trusted Man. He cannot be called off, he cannot be reasoned with and one way or another he will get the job done.Unless, of course, he's beaten to it . . .Translated from the Italian by Howard Curtis and Katherine Gregor

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