Publisher: Matthew Phipps Shiel
The character of Prince Zaleski is a rather eccentric one. An exiled Russian nobleman, he lives in an abandoned abbey with his gigantic African servant Ham. His regular pursuits involve reading, smoking opium and cannabis, and lounging amongst his odd collection of antiquities, which includes an Egyptian sarcophagus complete with original mummified occupant.
Joseph Smith Fletcher (1863-1935) was a British journalist and author. He wrote more than 230 books on a wide variety of subjects, both fiction and nonfiction. He was one of the leading writers of detective fiction in the Victorian golden age of the short story.The eminent Doctor Clement Holford has a strange artifact in his study. A glass-fronted wall cabinet containing many rare books about poisons and a hermetically sealed glass box in which is a single white kid glove. The story behind these objects is an uncanny one.Show book
Experience life and hardships in turn-of-the-century Russia with this collection of provocative stories by one of the greatest writers of all time. Anton Chekhov captures life in late-nineteenth-century Russia with these evocative tales. For example, in “The Schoolmistress,” a hard-working, underpaid schoolteacher contemplates dating a man she knows is terrible for her. In “A Nervous Breakdown,” an idealistic young law student cannot handle what he witnesses after a night in Moscow’s red light district. The author of such plays as The Cherry Orchard and Uncle Vanya, Anton Chekhov was also a prolific writer of short stories. His style, as present in this collection, will remind readers of other great nineteenth-century authors such as Guy de Maupassant.Show book
Laurie R. King takes readers way back in her bestselling series with this exclusive ebook short story, as Mary Russell and Sherlock Holmes embark upon the riskiest adventure of their partnership: their wedding. Though she cannot entirely discount the effects of the head injuries they were both suffering at the time, Mary Russell is delighted by Sherlock Holmes's proposal of marriage. After all, they have become partners-in-crime, and she has recently come into her inheritance: what remains but to confirm the union with her mentor-turned-partner with the piece of paper? Russell's pragmatic side tells her to head straight to the registry office-until Holmes surprises her with a sentimental wish to be married in the chapel of his ancestral manor. There's just the small issue of ownership: the house is not exactly his, and he is most definitely not welcome there. Of course, such obstacles have never deterred Sherlock Holmes before, and they certainly won't keep him from concocting an elaborate scheme to evade angry dogs and armed butlers-all in the name of wedded bliss.Show book
Eight ghost stories by a master story teller and humorist of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. (Summary by David Wales)Show book
With this highly praised collection of short fiction, Lorna Goodison demonstrates why she may be one of literature's best-kept secrets. In the Pushcart Prize-winning title story, humble Dottie thinks her luck has turned when she meets Frenchie, the best-looking, if not most reliable, man in the whole of Jamaica. In "The Helpweight," an accomplished woman must bear the burden of an old flame's renewed affections when he returns from a life abroad with his Irish bride in tow. And in "Henry," a young boy turned out of his house to make way for his mother's lover sells roses on the street to survive. On a whim, he bites off a bloom, which he can feel burning inside his mouth like a red pepper light, hoping it will take root and beautify his own life. Poetically rendered, these and over a dozen other evocative stories create a world in which pride can nourish a soul or be its ruin and where people are in turn uplifted and undone by love.Show book
Free from the past Wade Sinclair knows you can't run from the pasthe's tried. After his beloved sister was murdered, he ran from Alaska to California only to discover there was no escape. So when a family crisis calls him back, he discovers therapist Morgan O'Hare knee-deep in their affairs. As soon as he meets Morgan, he feels as if there is brightness in the world again. It would be inappropriate for them to get involved, yet the spark is irresistible. Wade never expected this kind of joy again. But is he really ready for this? Together, maybe they could find the strength to move on if they're brave enough to try.Show book
