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Sweetwater
by Roxana RobinsonIn this brilliant, luminous novel, one of our finest realist writers gives us a story of surpassing depth and emotional power. Acclaimed for her lucid and compassionate exploration of the American family, Roxana Robinson sets her new work on familiar terrain—New York City and the Adirondacks—but withSweetwatershe transcends the particulars of the domestic sphere with a broader, more encompassing vision. In this poignant account of a young widow and her second marriage, Robinson expands her scope to include the larger natural world as well as the smaller, more intimate one of the home. Isabel Green’s marriage to Paul Simmons, after the death of her first husband, marks her reconnection to life—a venture she’s determined will succeed. But this proves to be harder than she’d anticipated, and the challenges of starting afresh seem more complicated in adulthood. Staying at the Simmons lodge for their annual summer visit, Isabel finds herself entering into a set of familial complexities. She struggles to understand her new husband, his elderly, difficult parents and his brother, whose relationship with Paul seems oddly fraught. Furthermore, her second marriage begins to cast into sharp relief the troubling echoes of her first. Isabel’s professional life plays a part as well: a passionate environmental advocate, she is aware of the tensions within the mountain landscape itself during a summer of spectacular beauty and ominous drought. In her cool, elegant prose, Robinson gracefully delivers a plot that is complex, surprising and ultimately wrenching in its impact. As the strands of family are woven tightly and inevitably together, and as the past painfully informs the present, the vivid backdrop of the physical world provides its own eloquent dynamic. Sweetwateris a stunning achievement by a writer at the peak of her craft. From the Hardcover edition.
This Is My Daughter: A Novel
by Roxana RobinsonA New York Times Notable Book: A luminous, deeply affecting story of divorce, remarriage, and parenthood. Peter and Emma, two single parents who have found love again after failed first marriages, dream of a peaceful and happy blended family with each of their daughters under one roof. They navigate this treacherous territory with the best of intentions, but face resistance from the girls, who, like many children of divorce, find their relationships tinged by grief, anger, and resentment. Emma's three-year-old daughter, Tess, takes to the arrangement while Amanda, Peter's sullen and unhappy seven-year-old, views it as a disaster rather than a fresh start. Over the course of this emotional powerhouse of a novel, Amanda becomes increasingly hostile and alienated--until one night she commits an act that threatens the already fragile bonds of the fledgling family. Set on the Upper East Side of Manhattan, This Is My Daughter is a skillful and sensitive portrayal of the challenges facing modern families from master of the contemporary novel Roxana Robinson, whose acute observations of domestic life invite comparison to John Cheever and Henry James.
The Gift
by Roderick J. RobinsonBebeto hears his parents planning for his sister Ana'a birthday. He sets up a wonderful surprise for Ana!
No One Returns From the Enchanted Forest
by Robin RobinsonAn American Library Association 2021 Best Graphic Novel for ChildrenIn this fantasy adventure graphic novel from debut author-illustrator Robin Robinson, a shy goblin must play the role of hero. Bix and Pella are goblins sisters with very different dispositions. Bix is a worrywart who is most content when she’s home knitting. Her little sister, Pella, is an impetuous thrill seeker who is always getting in trouble. When Pella’s thirst for adventure leads her into the Enchanted Forest—a strange and dangerous place that no goblin has ever safely returned from—Bix is forced to leave her comfort zone to save her. Elemental demigods and countless hungry monsters stand in her way, but Bix is about to learn that even a worrywart can become a hero.
Catherine of Lyonesse
by Rick RobinsonRebel. Prisoner. Princess.When the crown prince of Lyonesse is assassinated, his fiery daughter, Catherine, is taken to Aquitaine, where she is raised at the royal court and given two ladies-in-waiting to protect her from all who conspire against her.Now that the time has come for Catherine to return to Lyonesse, she finds herself surrounded by enemies. Danger lies around every corner, but Catherine will not stop until she has overcome her oppressors and taken what is rightfully hers.She may just live to claim her crown.Perfect for fans of Philippa Gregory, Catherine of Lyonesse is an irresistible historical romance.
My Manager and Other Animals
by Richard RobinsonDeep down, we're just like animals. Some of us are selfish like apes. Some are chaotic like ants. . . And somehow the two clash and coalesce in 'antagonistic harmony'. A fascinating look at the evolutionary psychology, instincts and tactics of the workplace. My Manager & Other Animals examines the evolutionary psychology of work, focusing on the office, workshop, corporation or government department, and the complex and fascinating evolutionary tactics that have developed to deal with working life. 37 years ago Richard Dawkins wrote The Selfish Gene and it didn't take long for the business community to latch on to the 'selfish' part and adopt it as an industry standard. After all, it fitted in with the notion that, since we are all descended from apes, we should be like them: selfish, aggressive and competitive. More recently, astounding discoveries in human and animal behaviour (particularly ants) have shown that, in all animals, cooperation and altruism is more common than we think and more useful than we could imagine. It seems we contain an inner ape and an inner ant. How confusing; they seem like opposites, because co-operation means helping others, competition means swatting them. What are we, ape or ant? This book shows that ant and ape are both important. Co-operation without leadership is random, leadership without co-operation is slavery. The result of these two colliding is the mad mad mad world of work and life, lovingly described in the book.
Electricity
by Ray RobinsonRay Robinson’s visceral, ambitious debut novel Electricity is a tour de force portrayal of a heroine you will not soon forget. Thirty-year-old Lily O’Connor lives with epilepsy, uncontrollable surges of electricity that leave her in a constant state of edginess. Prickly, up-front-honest and down-to-earth practical, Lily has learned to make do, to make the most of things, to look after - and out for - herself. Then her mother - whom Lily has not seen for years - dies, and Lily is drawn back into a world she thought she’d long since left behind. Reunited with her brother, a charismatic poker player, Lily pursues her own high-stakes gamble, leaving for London to track down her other, missing brother Mikey. In the pandemonium of the city, Lily’s seizures only intensify. As her journey takes her from her comfort zone, it leads her into the question of what her life is meant to be.
Makeda
by Randall Robinson"Eloquent and erudite, Robinson's oft-times mystical coming-of-age saga teems with rich and evocative historical insights."--Booklist"Hypnotic . . . one of the finest novels this year . . . [Robinson] is a gifted storyteller."--Essence"Makeda is beyond ambitious and imaginative . . . well written and powerful, with an ending that is equal parts tragic and romantic in nature . . . a breathtaking revelation, weighted with romance and lovely passionate prose."--New York Journal of Books"Robinson is not only exploring what it means to be black. His theme of knowing the past before planning the future applies to all cultures, all people. Pick up this odyssey of family drama, history and love, and be prepared to consider your own beginnings."--Shelf AwarenessMakeda Gee Florida Harris March is a proud matriarch, the anchor and emotional bellwether who holds together a hard-working African American family living in 1950s Richmond, Virginia. Lost in shadow is Makeda's grandson Gray, who begins escaping into the magical world of Makeda's tiny parlor.Makeda, a woman blind since birth but who has always dreamed in color, begins to confide in Gray the things she "sees" and remembers from her dream state, and a story emerges that is layered with historical accuracy beyond the scope of Makeda's limited education. Gradually, Gray begins to make a connection between his grPart coming-of-age story, part spiritual journey, and part love story, Makeda is a universal tale of family, heritage, and the ties that bind. Randall Robinson plumbs the hearts of Makeda and Gray and summons our collective blood memories, taking the reader on an unforgettable journey of the soul that will linger long after the last page has been turned.
No Cure for Love
by Peter Robinson Michael ConnellyOn the twentieth anniversary of No Cure for Love--Peter Robinson's classic, standalone noir mystery--comes this sharp repackage, which features an introduction by Michael Connelly. You think you do not know who I am, but you do. They took you away and Seduced you and stole you from me, just as the others did before. They have tried to blot out your Memory of me... But everything is clear now... At first, British TV star and recent Los Angeles transplant Sarah Broughton thinks the letters she has been receiving are from a typical fan--someone a little strange, perhaps, but harmless. But when her admirer--who identifies himself only as "M"--starts threatening Sarah and her loved ones, she turns to detectives Arvo Hughes and Maria Hernandez of the LAPD Threat Management Unit and experts in pursuing the most dangerous of stalkers. Pitted against a frighteningly twisted mind, the detectives test their expertise and experience to the limit in the desperate race to save Sarah's life. Twisted, fast-paced, and suspenseful, No Cure for Love will have readers on the edge of their seats.
Abattoir Blues: DCI Banks 22 (DCI Banks #22)
by Peter RobinsonThe twenty second instalment of the grisly bestselling DCI Banks series. Also an award winning TV series starring Stephen Tompkinson. Two missing boys.A stolen bolt gun.One fatal shot.Three ingredients for murder.Misled from the start, DCI Banks and his team are far from enthusiastic when they're called to investigate the theft of a tractor. But this is no trivial case of rural crime. A blood stain is found in an abandoned hangar, two main suspects vanish without a trace, and events take a darkly sinister turn.As each lead does little to unravel the mystery, Banks feels like the case is coming to a dead end. Until a road accident reveals some alarming evidence, which throws the investigation to a frightening new level.Someone is trying to cover their tracks - someone with very deadly intent . . .'Classic Robinson: labyrinthine plot merged with deft characterisation' - The Observer
Abattoir Blues: DCI Banks 22 (DCI Banks #22)
by Peter RobinsonThe twenty-second novel in Number One bestselling author Peter Robinson's critically acclaimed DCI Banks series. When two boys vanish under mysterious circumstances, the local community is filled with unease. And when a caravan belonging to one of the youths is burned to the ground, and a bloodstain is discovered in a disused World War Two hangar nearby, things quickly become much more sinister.Assigned to the case, DCI Banks and his team are baffled by the mystery laid out before them. But when a motor accident throws up a gruesome discovery, the investigation spins into a higher gear - and in another direction. As Banks and his team struggle desperately to find the missing boy who holds the key to the puzzle, they find themselves in a race against time where it's their turn to become the prey . . .(P)2014 Hodder & Stoughton
Abattoir Blues
by Peter RobinsonCanada's premier, bestselling crime fiction writer, Peter Robinson gets better and better. The twenty-second book in the much-loved Inspector Banks series -- that has sold more than ten million copies worldwide -- will appeal to readers of Ian Rankin and Michael Connelly. The story begins with a stolen tractor, hardly a job for DCI Banks and his Homicide and Major Crimes team, but the new police commissioner has put rural crime high on her agenda. At the same time, an apparent crime scene is discovered in an old hangar at an abandoned World War II airfield. In addition, two local lads are missing. One of them lives in a caravan, which is burned to the ground one night, and the other's girlfriend receives an unwelcome visit from someone impersonating a police officer. Just as Banks and his team are getting a grip on all these incidents, a motor accident in a freak hailstorm turns up a gruesome discovery that spins the investigation into high gear. Soon it seems that not even the investigators themselves are safe during the race against time that follows.
Aftermath: An Inspector Banks Novel (Inspector Banks Novels #12)
by Peter RobinsonOne phone call from a concerned neighbor has inadvertently led police to Terence Payne, the elusive serial killer known only as "Chameleon." Now Payne is in custody, perhaps dying, and a long nightmare appears to be over at last. But is it?For Alan Banks--currently head of the local police force--too many questions remain unanswered at the chamber of horrors the press will dub the "House of Payne." Because the darkness has not yet lifted, the casualties are still mounting . . . and there are still monsters loose in the world.Showcasing the dark forces of human nature, master of suspense Peter Robinson is at the height of his storytelling powers in a novel that will leave readers guessing until the final page.t are shards of irony, pity, and horror almost too painful to bear, and unspeakable betrayals that deformed more than one childhood. For Banks, for his lover, Annie Cabot -- who suspects heartless political forces are setting her up to destroy a life -- and for the beautiful consulting psychologist Dr. Jenny Fuller, there is much more that must be unearthed in the aftermath of abomination. Because the darkness has not yet lifted, and new casualties are mounting. And there are still monsters loose in the world...
All the Colors of Darkness (Inspector Banks #18)
by Peter RobinsonDetectives Alan Banks and Annie Cabbot return in another electrifying novel from the acclaimed award-winning author of the New York Times bestseller Friend of the DevilWhen the body of a man is discovered hanging from a tree in the woods near Eastvale, all signs point toward suicide. At least that's what it initially looks like to Detective Inspector Annie Cabbot. The man is soon identified as Mark Hardcastle, the set and costume designer for the local amateur theater company. Mark was successful and well liked in the community, but enough remains mysterious about his background that suicide isn't completely out of the question. But when Mark's older and wealthier lover is discovered bludgeoned to death in his home, Annie begins to think differently. Could it have been a crime of passion, or did overwhelming grief lead to a man taking his own life? Increasingly confounded, she calls in the vacationing Chief Inspector Alan Banks--even if it means prying him away from his new girlfriend.Once on the investigation, Banks finds himself plunged into a case where nothing is as it seems. More and more his own words about the victim's latest production, Othello, are coming back to haunt him, for "jealousy, betrayal, envy, ambition, greed, lust, revenge--all the colors of darkness" are quickly becoming his world as well.
All the Colours of Darkness: DCI Banks 18 (DCI Banks #18)
by Peter RobinsonA beautiful June day in the Yorkshire Dales, and a group of children are spending the last of their half-term freedom swimming in the river near Hindswell Woods. But the idyll is shattered by their discovery of a man's body, hanging from a tree. DI Annie Cabott soon discovers he is Mark Hardcastle, the well-liked and successful set designer for the Eastvale Theatre's current production of Othello. Everything points to suicide, and Annie is mystified. Why would such a man want to take his own life? Then Annie's investigation leads to another shattering discovery, and DCI Alan Banks is called back from the idyllic weekend he had planned with his new girlfriend. Banks soon finds himself plunged into a shadow-world where nothing is what it seems, where secrets and deceit are the norm, and where murder is seen as the solution to a problem. The deeper he digs the more he discovers that the monster he has awakened will extend its deadly reach to his friends and family. Nobody is safe.(P)2010 ISIS Publishing Ltd
All the Colours of Darkness: DCI Banks 18 (DCI Banks #18)
by Peter RobinsonThe eighteenth instalment in the Number One bestselling DCI Banks seriesA beautiful June day in the Yorkshire Dales, and a group of children are spending the last of their half-term freedom swimming in the river near Hindswell Woods. But the idyll is shattered by their discovery of a man's body, hanging from a tree. DI Annie Cabott soon discovers he is Mark Hardcastle, the well-liked and successful set designer for the Eastvale Theatres current production of Othello. Everything points to suicide, and Annie is mystified. Why would such a man want to take his own life? Then Annie's investigation leads to another shattering discovery, and DCI Alan Banks is called back from the idyllic weekend he had planned with his new girlfriend. Banks soon finds himself plunged into a shadow-world where nothing is what it seems, where secrets and deceit are the norm, and where murder is seen as the solution to a problem. The deeper he digs the more he discovers that the monster he has awakened will extend its deadly reach to his friends and family. Nobody is safe.
Bad Boy (Inspector Banks #19)
by Peter RobinsonAcclaimed internationally bestselling author Peter Robinson delivers a fast-paced, nail-biting thriller in which Detective Chief Inspector Alan Banks must face his most challenging and personal case yetA distraught woman arrives at the Eastvale police station desperate to speak to Detective Chief Inspector Alan Banks. But since Banks is away on holiday, his partner, Annie Cabbot, steps in. The woman tells Annie that she's found a loaded gun hidden in the bedroom of her daughter, Erin--a punishable offense under English law. When an armed response team breaks into the house to retrieve the weapon, the seemingly straightforward procedure quickly spirals out of control.But trouble is only beginning for Annie, the Eastvale force, and Banks, and this time, the fallout may finally do the iconoclastic inspector in. For it turns out that Erin's best friend and roommate is none other than Tracy Banks, the DCI's daughter, who was last seen racing off to warn the owner of the gun, a very bad boy indeed.Thrust into a complicated and dangerous case intertwining the personal and the professional as never before, Annie and Banks--a bit of a bad boy himself--must risk everything to outsmart a smooth and devious psychopath. Both Annie and Banks understand that it's not just his career hanging in the balance, it's also his daughter's life.
Bad Boy: DCI Banks 19 (DCI Banks #19)
by Peter RobinsonWhen Juliet Doyle discovers a gun in her daughter's bedroom, she turns to old friend DCI Alan Banks for advice. But Banks is taking a much-needed holiday, and it's left to DI Annie Cabbot to deal with the removal of the firearm. No one can foresee the operation's disastrous consequences, or that the Doyles will not be the only family affected.Banks's daughter Tracy has fallen for the wrong boy. Her flatmate's boyfriend is good-looking, ambitious, and surrounded by an intoxicating air of mystery. He's also very dangerous. When Tracy warns him that the police might be on his tail, he persuades her to go on the run with him, and flattered by his attention, she agrees. Before she knows it, a deadly chase across the country is set in motion. And on his return, completely unsuspecting of Tracy's perilous situation, Banks is plunged into his most terrifying, personal case yet.(P)2010 Hodder & Stoughton
Bad Boy: DCI Banks 19 (DCI Banks #19)
by Peter RobinsonThe nineteenth instalment in the Number One bestselling DCI Banks seriesWhen Juliet Doyle finds a gun in her daughter's bedroom, she turns to old friend DCI Alan Banks for advice. But Banks is on a much-needed holiday, and it's left to DI Annie Cabbot to deal with the removal of the firearm.No one can foresee the operation's disastrous consequences, or that the Doyles will not be the only family affected. Banks's daughter Tracy has fallen for the wrong boy. Her flatmate's boyfriend is attractive, ambitious, and surrounded by an intoxicating air of mystery. He's also very dangerous. When Tracy warns him the police might be on his tail, he persuades her to go on the run with him, and flattered by his attention, she agrees. Before she knows it, a deadly chase across the country is set in motion. And on his return, unsuspecting of Tracy's precarious situation, Banks is plunged into his most terrifying, personal case yet.
Before the Poison
by Peter RobinsonChris Lowndes built a comfortable career composing scores for films in Hollywood. But after twenty-five years abroad, and still quietly reeling from the death of his beloved wife, he decides to return to the Yorkshire dales of his youth. To ease the move, he buys Kilnsgate House, a rambling old mansion deep in the country. Although Chris finds Kilnsgate charming, something about the house disturbs him, a vague sensation that the long-empty rooms have been waiting for him-feelings made ever stronger when he learns that the house was the scene of a murder more than fifty years before. The former owner, a prominent doctor named Ernest Arthur Fox, was supposedly poisoned by his beautiful and much younger wife, Grace. Arrested and brought to trial, Grace was found guilty and hanged for the crime. His curiosity piqued, Chris talks to the locals and searches through archives for information about the case. But the more he discovers, the more convinced he becomes that Grace may have been innocent. Ignoring warnings to leave it alone, he sets out to discover what really happened over half a century ago-a quest that takes him deep into the past and into a web of secrets that lie all too close to the present.
Before the Poison: A Novel
by Peter RobinsonFrom New York Times bestselling author Peter Robinson comes this mesmerizing story-within-a-story about a man pulled into a murder from the past—and his quest to uncover the truth.Quietly reeling from the death of his beloved wife, Chris Lowndes decides to return to the Yorkshire Dales after twenty-five successful years spent in Hollywood composing film scores. He purchases Kilnsgate House, a charming old mansion deep in the country, but something about the place disturbs him. His unease intensifies when he learns Kilnsgate was once the scene of a sensational murder. More than fifty years earlier, prominent doctor Ernest Arthur Fox was poisoned there, allegedly by his beautiful and much younger wife, Grace, who was subsequently tried, condemned, and hanged for the crime.His curiosity piqued, Chris decides to investigate, and the more he discovers, the more convinced he becomes of Grace's innocence. Despite warnings to leave it be, his quest for the truth is soon leading him through dark shadows of the past . . . and into a strange web of secrets that lie perilously close to the present.A complex, multi-layered thriller, Before the Poison is one of Peter Robinson’s most brilliant novels—and one readers won’t soon forget. “A gripping tale that brings to mind not only old-time Hollywood but also British ‘golden age’ storytelling in the Agatha Christie and Daphne du Maurier tradition.”—Wall Street Journal
Before the Poison: A Novel (Inspector Banks Ser.)
by Peter RobinsonThe Number One bestseller and winner of the Arthur Ellis Award for Best NovelAfter years of Hollywood success composer Chris Lowndes wanted only one thing: to take his beloved wife home to the Yorkshire Dales.But Laura is gone, and Chris is on his own.He welcomes the isolation of Kilnsgate House, and the beauty of the dale. And it doesn''t surprise him that a man died there, sixty years ago.That his wife was convicted of murder.That something is pulling him deeper and deeper into the story of Grace Elizabeth Fox, who was hanged by the neck until she was dead . . .
Before the Poison
by Peter RobinsonThe Number One bestseller and winner of the Arthur Ellis Award for Best NovelAfter years of Hollywood success composer Chris Lowndes wanted only one thing: to take his beloved wife home to the Yorkshire Dales.But Laura is gone, and Chris is on his own.He welcomes the isolation of Kilnsgate House, and the beauty of the dale. And it doesn't surprise him that a man died there, sixty years ago.That his wife was convicted of murder.That something is pulling him deeper and deeper into the story of Grace Elizabeth Fox, who was hanged by the neck until she was dead . . .
Before the Poison
by Peter RobinsonThrough the years of success in Hollywood composing music for the world's most lauded films, Chris always promised his wife they would return to the Yorkshire Dales one day. Now, after his wife's death, Chris feels he must not forget his promise. Back in the Dales, he rents an isolated house that will allow him the space to come to terms with his grief and the quiet to allow him to compose his piano sonata. But when he finds that the house was the scene of a murder in the 1950s, and that the convicted murderer was one of the last women hanged in England, he finds himself increasingly distracted by the events of sixty years before . . .(P)2011 Hodder & Stoughton
Birthday Dance
by Peter RobinsonIn this modern retelling of Salome, Peter Robinson explores the humanity found in the biblical story.ove us to harm one another, from love and jealousy to greed and despair, are all explored with fascinating depth. Edgy and smart, thrilling and suspenseful, this remarkable collection is a must-have for Robinson fans-and any fan of compelling crime fiction.