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Murder in the Telephone Exchange
by June WrightFirst published in 1948, when it was the best-selling mystery of the year in the author's native Australia, Murder in the Telephone Exchange stars feisty young operator Maggie Byrnes. When one of her more unpopular colleagues is murdered - her head bashed in with a "buttinski," a piece of equipment used to listen in on phone calls - Maggie resolves to turn sleuth. Some of her coworkers are acting strangely, and Maggie is convinced she has a better chance of figuring out who is responsible for the killing than the rather stolid police team assigned to the case, who seem to think she herself might have had something to do with it. But then one of her friends is murdered too, and it looks like Maggie might be next. Narrated with verve and wit, this is a whodunit in the tradition of Dorothy L. Sayers and Daphne du Maurier, by turns entertaining and suspenseful, and building to a gripping climax.
So Bad a Death
by June Wright Lucy SussexThe return of Maggie Byrnes, heroine of Murder in the Telephone Exchange. Maggie is married now, with a young son, and living in an outer Melbourne suburb. But violent death dogs her footsteps even in apparently tranquil Middleburn. It's perhaps not that much of a surprise when widely disliked local bigwig James Holland (who also happens to be Maggie's landlord) is shot, but Maggie suspects that someone is also trying to poison the infant who is his heir, and turns sleuth once more to uncover the culprits. First published in 1949, So Bad a Death is is June Wright's second novel, which she originally planned to call Who Would Murder a Baby? Her publishers demurred, but under any title it's a worthy sequel to Murder in the Telephone Exchange. Novelist and crime fiction historian Lucy Sussex contributes an introduction to this reissue, which also includes a fascinating interview she conducted with June Wright in 1996.
A Chill Rain in January
by L. R. WrightThough Karl Alberg is effectively the police chief in the town of Sechelt, the most pressing thing on his desk right now is the spunky old lady who has apparently absconded from her retirement home, most likely, it's widely believed, in search of a good martini. But a storm is brewing for Alberg, just a few miles down the peninsula. Zoe Strachan was an angry child, and she's grown into an angry, if eerily seductive woman. Over the years, she has built up elaborate structures to contain her anger, but now those structures have been shattered. A refugee from big-city policing, Alberg thinks he's seen it all. But he's not even going to know what hit him.
Fall from Grace
by L. R. WrightIt's midsummer and murderously hot in British Columbia. For the vacationing Karl Alberg, that becomes more than a metaphor when he discovers a body on the beach, fresh from a fatal plunge into the waves. Back home in the town of Sechelt, where Alberg is the chief of police, the heat is bringing out the crazies, most recently a tribe of violent rednecks loony enough to make Alberg yearn a little for his days as a big-city cop.
The Suspect
by L. R. WrightA beautifully crafted story about murder, and evil that is perhaps worse than murder. You will not find a more sympathetic murderer in all of literature. The author expertly leads to a conclusion that is both satisfying and disturbing.
El día del fin del mundo
by Lawrence WrightUn thriller médico escrito antes de la pandemia sobre la llegada de un virus letal que arrasa con la población mundial, de la mano del ganador del Premio Pulitzer, Lawrence Wright. Cuando el epidemiólogo Henry Parsons viaja hasta un campo de refugiados de Indonesia, donde han muerto varios cooperantes en circunstancias muy extrañas para investigar el posible brote de una enfermedad desconocida, no sabe que va a encontrarse con un virus letal capaz de aniquilar la vida en el planeta. Mientras la enfermedad avanza irremisiblemente, Parsons viajará de Indonesia a La Meca tras las huellas de uno de los portadores del virus y de ahí a Arabia Saudí en una desesperada carrera para frenar la pandemia en la que gobiernos, farmacéuticas y asociaciones de todo tipo tratan de arañar el poder en medio del caos y con la esperanza de regresar a su hogar junto a Jill, su esposa, y a sus dos hijos. Este profético thriller confirma que la ficción, muchas veces, se acerca de manera escalofriante a la realidad del mundo en el que vivimos.
The End of October: A novel
by Lawrence Wright<P><P>In this riveting medical thriller--from the Pulitzer Prize winner and best-selling author--Dr. Henry Parsons, an unlikely but appealing hero, races to find the origins and cure of a mysterious new killer virus as it brings the world to its knees. <P><P>At an internment camp in Indonesia, forty-seven people are pronounced dead with acute hemorrhagic fever. When Henry Parsons--microbiologist, epidemiologist--travels there on behalf of the World Health Organization to investigate, what he finds will soon have staggering repercussions across the globe: an infected man is on his way to join the millions of worshippers in the annual Hajj to Mecca. <P><P>Now, Henry joins forces with a Saudi prince and doctor in an attempt to quarantine the entire host of pilgrims in the holy city . . . A Russian émigré, a woman who has risen to deputy director of U.S. Homeland Security, scrambles to mount a response to what may be an act of biowarfare . . . Already-fraying global relations begin to snap, one by one, in the face of a pandemic . . . Henry's wife, Jill, and their children face diminishing odds of survival in Atlanta . . . And the disease slashes across the United States, dismantling institutions--scientific, religious, governmental--and decimating the population. As packed with suspense as it is with the fascinating history of viral diseases, Lawrence Wright has given us a full-tilt, electrifying, one-of-a-kind thriller. <P><P><b>A New York Times Bestseller</b>
God's Favorite: A Novel
by Lawrence WrightIn this fascinating work of historical fiction, Pulitzer Prize-winning author Lawrence Wright captures all the gripping drama and black humor of Panama during the final, nerve-racking days of its legendary dictator, Manuel Antonio Noriega.It is Christmas 1989, and Tony Noriega's demons are finally beginning to catch up with him. A former friend of President Bush, Fidel Castro, and Oliver North, this universally reviled strongman is on the run from the U.S. Congress, the Justice Department, the Colombian mob, and a host of political rivals. In his desperation, he seeks salvation from any and all quarters -- God, Satan, a voodoo priest, even the spirits of his murdered enemies. But with a million-dollar price on his head and 20,000 American soldiers on his trail, Noriega is fast running out of options. Drawn from a historical record more dramatic than even the most artful spy novel, God's Favorite is a riveting and darkly comic fictional account of the events that occurred in Panama from 1985 to the dictator's capture in 1989. With an award-winning journalist's eye for detail, Lawrence Wright leads the reader toward a dramatic face-off in the Vatican embassy, where Noriega confronts his psychological match in the papal nuncio.
Remembering Satan: Recovered Memory and the Shattering of a Family
by Lawrence WrightIn 1988 Ericka and Julie Ingram began making a series of accusations of sexual abuse against their father, Paul Ingram, who was a respected deputy sheriff in Olympia, Washington. At first the accusations were confined to molestations in their childhood, but they grew to include torture and rape as recently as the month before. At a time when reported incidents of "recovered memories" had become widespread, these accusations were not unusual. What captured national attention in this case is that, under questioning, Ingram appeared to remember participating in bizarre satanic rites involving his whole family and other members of the sheriff's department.Remembering Satan is a lucid, measured, yet absolutely riveting inquest into a case that destroyed a family, engulfed a small town, and captivated an America obsessed by rumors of a satanic underground. As it follows the increasingly bizarre accusations and confessions, the claims and counterclaims of police, FBI investigators, and mental health professionals. Remembering Satan gives us what is at once a psychological detective story and a domestic tragedy about what happens when modern science is subsumed by our most archaic fears.
Robby the R-Word
by Leif WrightRobby Turner has been completely paralyzed for forty years. He's a vegetable in a wheelchair - at least, that's what everyone thinks. Then he receives a special computer that allows him to communicate with the world. Robby's father has been assaulted, with similar beatings and now murders happening across town. The clumsy culprit is leaving clues, and Detective Bain is determined to uncover this mysterious assailant. Meanwhile, Robby has been watching and hearing everything, and he's been doing his own detective work. But can Bain trust Robby? After all, the clumsy clues are starting to point toward him.
Dancing with the Tiger
by Lili WrightWhen 30-year-old Anna Ramsey learns that a meth-addicted looter has dug up what might be the funerary mask of Montezuma, she books the next flight to Oaxaca. Determined to redeem her father, a discredited art collector, and to one-up her unfaithful fiancé, a museum curator, Anna hurls herself headlong into Mexico's underground art world. But others are chasing the treasure as well: the shape-shifting drug lord no one can really describe; the enigmatic American expat, who keeps his art collection locked in a chapel; the former museum director who traffics stolen works, and his housekeeper--deeply religious, a gay woman in a culture of machismo, dependent on a patron she loathes; the painter Salvador on his motorcycle, complex, sensual--but with secrets of his own. Anna soon realizes that everyone is masked--some literally, others metaphorically. Indeed, Dancing with the Tiger is a splendid reminder that throughout human history, cultures have revered masks: whether in the theater or in war, for religious purposes, or to conceal identity, masks are as universal as our desire to transform ourselves, to change. Anna, without an ounce of self-pity despite traumatic losses, stands out as a heroine for our times as, traveling alone, she finds the courage to show her true face.From the Hardcover edition.
Acts of Murder: Karl Alberg # 9 (Karl Alberg #9)
by L.R. WrightA serial killer stalks the Sunshine Coast in the final novel of this Edgar Award–winning series by the &“master of the psychological thriller&” (Booklist, on Mother&’s Love). The ninth and final book in the Karl Alberg series makes a wonderfully elegant end to the saga of the tiny town on Canada&’s &“Sunshine Coast,&” the policeman who tries to catch the town&’s baddies, and the sensual, smart-mouthed librarian he loves. Alberg and Cassandra are at long last getting married, and Alberg has a new sergeant, the beautiful and enigmatic Edwina Henderson. But don&’t be fooled by all the sunshine. Sechelt, British Colombia, once again has more than its share of murders. And the serial killer who&’s busy knocking off residents—someone known as &“the avenging Angel&”—may be the darkest character Alber has ever faced.
A Chill Rain in January (Karl Alberg #3)
by L.R. WrightThe Canadian cop is up against a small-town femme fatale in a thriller &“rich in humorous and poignant aspects as well as fierce suspense&” (Publishers Weekly). It&’s sunny days for Staff Sergeant Karl Alberg, even as everyone else in Canada is shivering. The magnificent Cassandra Mitchell, who has a disconcerting habit of disappearing from both the town of Sechelt and Alberg&’s bed, has appeared once again. And though Alberg is effectively the police chief, the most pressing thing on his desk right now is the spunky old lady who has apparently absconded from her retirement home—most likely in search of a good martini. But a storm is brewing for Alberg, just a few miles down the peninsula. Zoe Strachan, Sechelt&’s newest resident, is the sort of enigmatic seductress who could get away with murder. And when her ne&’er-do-well brother takes a fatal tumble down her basement steps, it&’s time for Zoe to wrap the local law enforcement around her little finger. And while Alberg is certainly nobody&’s fool, this case has him tied up in knots.
Fall from Grace (Karl Alberg #4)
by L.R. WrightSummer along Canada’s Sunshine Coast is murderously hot in this moody mystery thriller by the Edgar Award–winning author of The Suspect.RCMP Sergeant Karl Alberg is attempting to escape the heat with his girlfriend Cassandra when they discover a body on the beach, fresh from a fatal plunge into the icy, all-too-appealing waves. As Alberg knows from his days as a big-city cop, heat can make people do strange things—such as the recent act of vandalism at a local petting zoo. But was there something more to this untimely death?Meanwhile, Alberg’s personal life also threatens to boil over. Not only is his daughter visiting, but his ex-wife is getting married again. Weaving these provocative strands through a Pacific Northwest heatwave, acclaimed author L.R. Wright once again delivers an atmospheric mystery with “a most appealing protagonist—akin to P. D. James's Dalgleish and Ruth Rendell's Wexford, but with a quintessentially Canadian voice” (Publishers Weekly).
Mother Love (Karl Alberg #7)
by L.R. WrightA housewife’s murder draws a Canadian detective into a twisted family history in this novel by the award-winning “master of the psychological thriller” (Booklist).Maria Buscombe was a housewife living in Sechelt, British Colombia, until seven years ago when she suddenly abandoned her family. Now it seems she has returned—just in time to be murdered. What made her leave? What made her return? And who was sending her money and photographs of her daughter all that time?These are the questions nagging at Sergeant Karl Alberg as he searches for Maria’s killer. Meanwhile, Alberg’s longtime companion Cassandra Mitchell is doing some nagging of her own. Alberg had promised, after all, to hang up his policeman’s hat.
Prized Possessions (Karl Alberg #5)
by L.R. WrightThe Edgard Award–winning author of The Suspect returns with another &“stunning mystery&” set along Canada&’s Sunshine Coast—&“the ending is a real killer&” (The New York Times). In this masterpiece of psychological suspense, the real villain is self-delusion; it inflicts more damage than even the craziest serial-killer. In the case of Emma O&’Brea, the delusions concern her marriage: When her husband Charlie disappears it quickly becomes apparent that Emma was the only person in Canada who didn&’t recognize how desperate he had been to leave. Then there&’s Eddie Addison, an overgrown delivery boy, far from the sharpest knife in the drawer, and dangerous obsessed with a pretty young student. Eddie and Emma would seem to have little in common, but when Inspector Karl Alberg is called in to solve the riddle of Charlie&’s vanishing act, the two sets of disturbing delusions begin to converge, with a climax that even the canniest reader is unlikely to see coming.
Sleep While I Sing (Karl Alberg #2)
by L.R. WrightA murder on Canada&’s Sunshine Coast hits close to home for a former city cop in a mystery of &“excellent writing, inventive plots and realistic characters&” (Publishers Weekly). Karl Alberg was a big-city cop, for Pete&’s sake. He solved crimes involving gangsters, druglords, real hardened criminals. He couldn&’t possibly be stumped by a murder in the sweet coastal town of Sechelt, British Colombia. Yet here he is, facing one of the most gruesome and baffling murders of his career. The woman was found propped against a tree, her face scrubbed clean, and her neck slit from one side to the other. And that is all anyone can tell Alberg. Her name? No one knows. So Alberg hires a local artist to draw her picture; maybe someone will recognize her . . . without, you know, the sliced-up neck. It&’s a brilliant idea. The answers pour in. And they all point to one suspect, which should make Alberg very happy. Except that the individual requiring Alberg&’s professional focus is the last person he wants to think about.
Strangers Among Us: Karl Alberg # 8 (Karl Alberg #8)
by L.R. WrightA teenager arrested for his parents&’ murder has a Canadian cop investigating the dark heart of his sunny seaside village in this acclaimed mystery series. Vancouver's &“Sunshine Coast&” is famous for its beautiful vistas, but closer inspection reveals a strong dose of dysfunction among its quaint villages. Eliot Gardener is maddeningly sullen as only an angry fourteen-year-old can be. He's also, apparently, a double-murderer, having whacked both of his parents with a machete. At least it&’s an open and shut case for Canadian Mountie Karl Alberg. Or is it? Eliot may be guilty, but what drove him to commit such a grisly crime? As Alberg tries to get the troubled boy to talk, he finds himself dealing with dysfunction in his own life. His former neighbor bears him some serious ill will. And he keeps popping up wherever Alberg happens to be. Suddenly Alberg is watching a number of simmering pots . . .and the tension is only heating up.
The Suspect (Karl Alberg #1)
by L.R. WrightThis Edgar Award–winning debut kicks off a cult favorite crime series with a noirish tale of murder set along Canada&’s Sunshine Coast. To Karl Alberg, the coastal town of Sechelt, just north of Vancouver, looks like the perfect place to soothe a psyche that&’s been battered by big-city police work. Bees buzz among the roses, and the local librarian is attractive, intriguing, and unattached. Perhaps he has at last come in from the cold. But sunny towns can conceal a lot of secrets—some of them bleak enough to make a man yearn for some nice straightforward urban crime. In 1986 L.R. Wright&’s The Suspect became the first Canadian novel to win an Edgar award, beating out titles by Ruth Rendell and Jonathan Kellerman. It went on to become a cult favorite among mystery fans, who prized its delicately etched sense of melancholy and intriguing character studies of the cop, his quarry, and the enigmatic librarian who proves an unlikely bridge between the two.
A Touch of Panic: Karl Alberg #6 (Karl Alberg #6)
by L.R. WrightThe quaint dramas of colorful locals turn dark indeed in this crime thriller set along Canada&’s Sunshine Coast by the Edgar Award–winning author. Gordon Murphy has a Midas touch for business, but he&’s all thumbs when it comes to love. So Sergeant Karl Alberg isn&’t too concerned when Murphy sets his sights on Karl&’s girlfriend Cassandra. These days the happy couple share both a bed and a bed and breakfast. Besides, Alberg has some actual policing problems to contend with: a stolen coin collection, a hapless would-be burglar, local worthies hollering about the state of a fellow citizen&’s front yard. It all sounds charming and cozy. But Alberg&’s Sechelt, British Colombia, is no Cabot Cove. L.R. Wright, the &“master of the psychological thriller,&” once again demonstrates her talent for getting at the dark roots under the roses (Booklist, on Mother Love).
Poison Apples
by Nancy Means WrightMore than just sour grapes. The pastoral beauty and joy of running an apple orchard in Vermont offers Moira and Stan Earthrowl a chance to heal after tragedy shattered their lives. Yet their newfound idyll is shortlived as "accidents" begin to plague the massive orchard: trees are mysteriously felled, tractor brakes fail, apples are poisoned. A desperate Moira turns to neighbor and dairy farm owner Ruth Willmarth for help. Ruth's investigation reveals a link between the hit-and-run death of a local woman and the farm's strange events. Soon a list of possible saboteurs emerges, including a fanatical religious cult and a savvy land developer who, ironically, happens to be Ruth's ex-husband. But deadly warnings make it clear to Ruth that she is not immune to the encroaching danger or the relentlessness of a vengeful killer.
Savage Holiday (A\banner Bk.)
by Richard WrightSavage Holiday, first published in 1954 by noted American author Richard Wright, is a tense, well-written psychological thriller about Erskine Fowler, an insurance executive forced into early retirement, who, over the course of a bizarre weekend, is responsible for the accidental death of his neighbor’s young son. Tragic consequences follow as Fowler attempts to redeem himself and is forced to question his own life, as events spiral out-of-control to their inevitable conclusion.
Adultery: A Novel
by Richard B. WrightNovel exploring the aftereffects and ramifications of an extramarital affair.
It Ends With You
by S. K. Wright'A darkly clever teen murder mystery [...] that succeeds in undermining everything you've come to believe and trust. S K Wright pulls off a difficult trick with apparent ease' Crime ReviewIf I'd told the truth, it would have been fiction.Everyone loves Eva. Beautiful, bright, fun, generous - she's perfect. So when her body is found in a ditch in the local woods the only thing anyone wants to know is: Who could have done this?It has to be Luke, her boyfriend. He has the motive, the means, the opportunity and he's no stranger to the police. Even though the picture is incomplete, the pieces fit. But as time passes, stories change.Who could have done this? You decide.It Ends With You is clever and compulsive. It challenges preconceptions, makes you second-guess yourself with each chapter, and it holds an uncomfortable mirror up to the way societies and systems treat outsiders.
It Ends With You
by S. K. Wright'A darkly clever teen murder mystery [...] that succeeds in undermining everything you've come to believe and trust. S K Wright pulls off a difficult trick with apparent ease' Crime ReviewIf I'd told the truth, it would have been fiction.Everyone loves Eva. Beautiful, bright, fun, generous - she's perfect. So when her body is found in a ditch in the local woods the only thing anyone wants to know is: Who could have done this?It has to be Luke, her boyfriend. He has the motive, the means, the opportunity and he's no stranger to the police. Even though the picture is incomplete, the pieces fit. But as time passes, stories change.Who could have done this? You decide.It Ends With You is clever and compulsive. It challenges preconceptions, makes you second-guess yourself with each chapter, and it holds an uncomfortable mirror up to the way societies and systems treat outsiders.