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  The City of Mist - Stories

  Carlos Ruiz Zafón

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  “Ruiz Zafón’s visionary storytelling prowess is a genre unto itself.”—USA Today 
  Return to the mythical Barcelona library known as the Cemetery of Forgotten Books in this posthumous collection of stories from the New York Times bestselling author of The Shadow of the Wind and The Labyrinth of the Spirits. 
  Bestselling author Carlos Ruiz Zafón conceived of this collection of stories as an appreciation to the countless readers who joined him on the extraordinary journey that began with The Shadow of the Wind. Comprising eleven stories, most of them never before published in English, The City of Mist offers the reader compelling characters, unique situations, and a gothic atmosphere reminiscent of his beloved Cemetery of Forgotten Books quartet. 
  The stories are mysterious, imbued with a sense of menace, and told with the warmth, wit, and humor of Zafón's inimitable voice. A boy decides to become a writer when he discovers that his creative gifts capture the attentions of an aloof young beauty who has stolen his heart. A labyrinth maker flees Constantinople to a plague-ridden Barcelona, with plans for building a library impervious to the destruction of time. A strange gentleman tempts Cervantes to write a book like no other, each page of which could prolong the life of the woman he loves. And a brilliant Catalan architect named Antoni Gaudí reluctantly agrees to cross the ocean to New York, a voyage that will determine the fate of an unfinished masterpiece. 
  Imaginative and beguiling, these and other stories in The City of Mist summon up the mesmerizing magic of their brilliant creator and invite us to come dream along with him.

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  Murder in Punch Lane

  Jane Sullivan

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  Inspired by real events and people, Murder in Punch Lane is a dark and gripping crime novel that maps the sins and secrets of nineteenth-century Melbourne. 
   
  Melbourne, 1868. 
  When dazzling theatre star Marie St Denis dies in the arms of her best friend, fellow actress Lola Sanchez, everyone believes it was suicide by laudanum overdose. Everyone except Lola. On the brink of stardom herself, she risks everything by embarking on a quest to find Marie's killer. 
   
  When journalist Magnus Scott, writing as 'the Walking Gentleman', publishes a compassionate obituary about her friend, Lola decides to seek his help. A fraught attraction develops between these two amateur detectives from opposite sides of society, and their volatile relationship soon begins to compromise their investigation. 
   
  Lola keeps a secret from Magnus. She traverses the corrupt underbelly of the brash young metropolis just as he does, but disguised as a boy, entering dangerous, forbidden spaces where the lives of the rich and privileged intersect with the city's underclass and outsiders: bohemians, theatre folk, prostitutes, down-and-outs and opium addicts. 
   
  Neither are prepared for the truths they will uncover about the powers that rule Melbourne – or the consequences for their own lives. And now they must race to find the murderer before the city destroys them both.

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  Thief of the Ton

  Emily Royal

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  Old sins cast long shadows when hearts are at stake. 
   
   
   
  It's been fourteen years since Lavinia de Grande was evicted from her childhood home after her father lost his fortune. 
   
   
   
  On entering her first Season courtesy of a cousin's charity, Lavinia vows to wreak vengeance on Earl Walton, the villain who orchestrated their ruination. Not even an alluring viscount—whose masterful touch and fiery kisses set her senses ablaze—will distract her from her plan to retrieve the family heirlooms lost at Walton's hands, by fair means or foul. 
   
   
   
  Peregrine, Viscount Marlow, has been tasked with solving a mystery. A thief known as "the Phoenix" is targeting the ton and stealing seemingly unconnected treasures from different houses. During his investigation, Peregrine is distracted by the daughter of an impoverished viscount—a young woman unlike other debutantes, with a mind of her own and a body ripe for claiming. 
   
   
   
  As Peregrine draws closer to his quarry, he unearths a secret that links the Phoenix to his own father, and Lavinia, who is falling for her would-be captor, soon learns that what began as a game, might cost her liberty—or even her life. 
   
   
   
  Contains mature themes.

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  By Sword and Fan

  Kathleen Buckley

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  Margaret is her brothers' dependent. With her sister-in-law expecting another child and her younger brother soon to marry, Margaret will lose her home. When her former suitor offers her work as a governess, she accepts, despite misgivings. 
  Unable to marry his first love, Alasdair abandoned his home for a disappointing military career. When his dying brother begs him to return, he agrees. He must protect his brother, the children, and the estate from his brother's wife and her greedy family. 
  While on his brother's business, Alasdair meets his old sweetheart. Can love flare up again despite family chaos and fifteen years' separation? 
  BY SWORD AND FAN won first prize in the Historical division of the Central Region Oklahoma Writers National Excellence in Story Telling contest for 2024.

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  The New Atlantis

  Sir Francis Bacon

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  The New Atlantis is a utopian novel by Sir Francis Bacon. In this work, Bacon portrayed a vision of the future of human discovery and knowledge, expressing his aspirations and ideals for humankind. The novel depicts the creation of a utopian land where "generosity and enlightenment, dignity and splendor, piety and public spirit" are the commonly held qualities of the inhabitants of "Bensalem". The plan and organization of his ideal college, "Salomon's House" envisioned the modern research university in both applied and pure sciences. Many aspects of the society and history of the island are described, such as the christian religion - which is reported to have being born there as a copy of the Bible and a letter from the Apostle Saint Bartholomew arrived there miraculously, a few years after the Ascension of Jesus; a cultural feast in honor of the family institution, called "the Feast of the Family"; a college of sages, the Salomon's House, "the very eye of the kingdom".

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  The Witchfinder’s Assistant

  Ruth Goldstraw

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  ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐'Beautifully written and a thoroughly absorbing read. I found it impossible to put down' Deborah Carr, USA Today Bestseller 
  THE TOWN OF WEM, SHROPSHIRE 1643 
  Civil war is ripping England apart. 
  Families are divided, emotions run high. 
  Whether on the bleakness of the moors or in snug, wood-panelled rooms, danger lurks. 
  A body is found, its mouth pierced with thorns. 
  The Justice of the Peace, a godly man, is certain that witchcraft is involved. 
  Only his assistant, former cavalryman John Carne, looks for reason where others see demons and witches. 
  But John has secrets of his own – secrets that concern his cold and distant wife. And it’s not long before the darkness that has engulfed Wem grows darker still…Readers are loving The Witchfinder's Assistant: 
  ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐'Fascinating… a thoroughly enjoyable and entertaining read' 
  ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐'The final denouement was a surprise, and was told in a thrilling and interesting manner. Wickedness can sometimes be hidden behind a fair face. I enjoyed it very much' 
  ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐'A well researched and intriguing look at England in 1643…Goldstraw's an excellent storyteller- this one pulled me in and kept me reading' 
  ⭐⭐⭐⭐'Engaging and absorbing…an historical novel for our own times' 
  ⭐⭐⭐⭐'The historical setting is richly detailed, and Goldstraw does an excellent job of capturing the tension and paranoia of the time' 
  In this top-rated historical fiction, the supernatural and the occult intertwine with a mystery that keeps the reader on edge. The detective work of John Carne, set in the pre-era of modern forensics, adds a unique twist to the paranormal theme. 
  For fans of Sarah Woodbury (This Small Corner of Time), David Field (Beyond The Setting Sun), Giles Kristian (Arthur), Kate Foster (The Mourning Necklace), and Anne Easter Smith (Royal Mistress). 
  HarperCollins 2024

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