- Table View
- List View
Lament for Julie
by Robert ColbyTormented by a satin-skinned package of dynamite who offered him ecstasy unfettered by convention . . . Bedeviled by another woman who wanted a master . . . Given 12 hours to get out of town - and then framed for murder.This was the grim situation faced by Todd Corwin shortly after he came to Longport seeking Julie Steadman’s killer.If he cleared out of town he was sure of safety. If he stayed, nothing was certain except more trouble with the police and a deepening involvement with the Vollmer clan -Austin, who owned everything in town including the cops . . . Joy, Austin’s wife, who took men where she found them . . . and Gail, the step-daughter, who would risk anything to take Todd away from Joy.
Lament for a Lounge Lizard: A Fiona Silk Mystery
by Mary Jane MaffiniAs if it weren’t bad enough being a failed romance writer with no sex life, poor Fiona Silk has to cope with the spectacularly embarrassing demise of her old lover, the poet, Benedict Kelly. It’s exactly the sort of thing people notice in St. Aubaine, Quebec, a picturesque bilingual tourist town of two thousand. Now the police start getting nasty, the media vans stay parked on her lawn and the neighbours’ tongues keep wagging in both official languages. Worse, someone’s bumping off the other suspects. Can Fiona outwit a murderer in the mood for some serious mischief?
Lament for a Maker (The Inspector Appleby Mysteries)
by Michael InnesA London detective investigates when a troubled Scottish laird takes a fall in this classic British mystery by the author of Hamlet, Revenge!. Strange things are happening around the remote Castle Erchany, located in the Scottish Highlands. The miserly and reclusive laird, Ranald Guthrie, roams the castle&’s freezing halls, reciting an old poem over and over: Timor mortis conturbat me. Fear of death disturbs me . . . Then on a wild winter night, Guthrie plummets to his death from his castle&’s tower. Was it an accident? Was it suicide? Or was it murder? Suspicion falls on a local man, but when Insp. John Appleby arrives from the Met in London, he doubts this solution. To discover the truth, Appleby immerses himself in the dead man&’s final days in a gloomy, gothic castle. Of course, he must be on his guard, because there&’s no telling whether someone else might fall victim to another &“accident.&”&“The simple-seeming and single-seeming plot of Lament for a Maker holds about as many layers of complication as a first-class mystery story could well hold without bursting, and . . . Michael Innes manages this complication with the lucidity of a master.&” —The Observer &“Magnificently written.&” —The Times Literary Supplement &“A grand and ghastly tale with a surprising double climax.&” —The New Yorker
Lamentation
by C. J. SansomThe eagerly anticipated new Shardlake novel from the UK #1 bestselling author. Summer, 1546. King Henry VIII is slowly, painfully dying. His Protestant and Catholic councillors are engaged in a final and decisive power struggle; whoever wins will control the government of Henry's successor, 8-year-old Prince Edward. As heretics are hunted across London, and the radical Protestant Anne Askew is burned at the stake, the Catholic party focus their attack on Henry's 6th wife, Matthew Shardlake's old mentor, Queen Catherine Parr. Shardlake, still haunted by events aboard the warship Mary Rose the year before, is working on the Cotterstoke Will case, a savage dispute between rival siblings. Then, unexpectedly, he is summoned to Whitehall Palace and asked for help by his old patron, the now beleaguered and desperate Queen. For Catherine Parr has a secret. She has written a confessional book, Lamentation of a Sinner, so radically Protestant that if it came to the King's attention it could bring both her and her sympathizers crashing down. But, although the book was kept secret and hidden inside a locked chest in the Queen's private chamber, it has--inexplicably--vanished. Only one page has been found, clutched in the hand of a murdered London printer. Shardlake's investigations take him on a trail that begins among the backstreet printshops of London but leads him and Jack Barak into the dark and labyrinthine world of the politics of the royal court; a world he had sworn never to enter again. Loyalty to the Queen will drive him into a swirl of intrigue inside Whitehall Palace, where Catholic enemies and Protestant friends can be equally dangerous, and the political opportunists, who will follow the wind wherever it blows, more dangerous than either. The theft of Queen Catherine's book proves to be connected to the terrible death of Anne Askew, while his involvement with the Cotterstoke litigants threatens to bring Shardlake himself to the stake.
Lamentation: A Novel (The Jay Porter Series #1)
by Joe CliffordAnthony Award nominee for Best Mystery NovelHow much should one brother sacrifice for another? In a frigid New Hampshire winter, Jay Porter is trying to eke out a living and maintain some semblance of a relationship with his former girlfriend and their two-year-old son. When he receives an urgent call that Chris, his drug-addicted and chronically drunk brother, is being questioned by the sheriff about his missing junkie business partner, Jay feels obliged to come to his rescue. After Jay negotiates his brother's release from the county jail, Chris disappears into the night. As Jay begins to search for him, he is plunged into a cauldron of ugly lies and long-kept secrets that could tear apart his small hometown and threaten the lives of Jay and all those he holds dear. Powerful forces come into play that will stop at nothing until Chris is dead and the information he harbors is destroyed.Perfect for fans of Gillian Flynn and Dennis Lehane While all of the novels in the Jay Porter Series stand on their own and can be read in any order, the publication sequence is:Lamentation December Boys Give Up the Dead Broken Ground Rag and Bone
Lamentation: A Shardlake Novel (The Shardlake Series #6)
by C. J. SansomAs Henry VIII lies on his deathbed, an incendiary manuscript threatens to tear his court apart. Summer, 1546. King Henry VIII is slowly, painfully dying. His Protestant and Catholic councilors are engaged in a final and decisive power struggle; whoever wins will control the government. As heretics are hunted across London, and radical Protestants are burned at the stake, the Catholic party focuses its attack on Henry's sixth wife--and Matthew Shardlake's old mentor--Queen Catherine Parr. Shardlake, still haunted by his narrow escape from death the year before, steps into action when the beleaguered and desperate Queen summons him to Whitehall Palace to help her recover a dangerous manuscript. The Queen has authored a confessional book, Lamentation of a Sinner, so radically Protestant that if it came to the King's attention it could bring both her and her sympathizers crashing down. Although the secret book was kept hidden inside a locked chest in the Queen's private chamber, it has inexplicably vanished. Only one page has been recovered--clutched in the hand of a murdered London printer. Shardlake's investigations take him on a trail that begins among the backstreet printshops of London, but leads him and his trusty assistant Jack Barak into the dark and labyrinthine world of court politics, a world Shardlake swore never to enter again. In this crucible of power and ambition, Protestant friends can be as dangerous as Catholic enemies, and those with shifting allegiances can be the most dangerous of all.
Lamento de los Nacidos de Probeta
by Conor H. CartonLa forma de vida artificial, Shakbout Mansard solo quería una vida tranquila, normal, con su familia. Como uno de los pocos seleccionados entre los Nacidos de Probetas que viven como ciudadanos libres, esta era una ambición razonable. Desafortunadamente, Shakbout posee un conocimiento peligroso sobre un complot para derrocar al gobierno de Mengchi, convirtiéndolo en un blanco tanto para los conspiradores como de las fuerzas de seguridad. Al mismo tiempo, el terrorista nacido de probeta más peligroso en los sistemas quiere que Shakbout cometa un crimen que detonará una guerra secreta a través de los sistemas entre facciones de los Naturales y los Nacidos de Probetas. Pero incluso estos problemas son pequeños comparados con el secreto que Shakbout ha estado ocultando por una década. Pronto, tendrá que tomar medidas desesperadas para salvar a aquellos que ama… y las vidas de todas las formas de vida nacidas de probetas a través de los sistemas.
Lamento por Darley Dene
by Cassia Pereira Stuart G. YatesBaseado em fatos reais. Após a Segunda Guerra Mundial, o garoto Ben descobre uma história sinistra. Em 1941, num bombardeio, soldados morreram exatamente onde está o terreno que costuma jogar. Com os terríveis acontecimentos do passado e o seu lento desdobramento, Ben se envolve em uma série de estranhos, inexplicáveis incidentes, com velhos segredos e verdades ocultas lentamente sendo reveladas. Esta é uma história de autodescoberta e de superação do medo, pois aquilo que está sob o solo é verdadeiramente arrepiante. Ben está prestes a descobrir os segredos de sua família e terá de ajudar a sepultar o horror do que aconteceu em Darley Dene.
Lammas Night
by Katherine KurtzAn ingenious melding of espionage and the occult based in part on a true event in the secret history of the Battle of Britain during World War II. The year is 1940, and Great Britain's forces struggle against the invincible Nazi war machine. France has fallen easily to Adolf Hitler's army and England is next in his sights. A British secret agent pays the ultimate price to deliver early warning of the Führer's secret plan to harness the awesome power of the occult to conquer Great Britain by launching a supernatural assault that no defending military force could possibly deflect. British Intelligence operative Col. John "Gray" Graham of MI6 is not only a valuable player in the great game of wartime espionage, he is also a practitioner of the ancient occult arts. In this life--and other lives before--Gray's destiny has been firmly intertwined with that of his close friend Prince William of the British royal family. Now, with the future of Britain at stake, these two men, the spy and the royal, must rally the hidden adherents of the Old Religion, hoping to unite the British covens in defense of their endangered island homeland. But it will take more than combined Wiccan sorcery to repel the Reich's black magic on Lammas Night--and the sacrifice required might be greater than imagined and truly terrible to endure. Lammas Night is a spectacular feat of creative imagination from the author of the acclaimed Deryni fantasy series. Smart, affecting, and brilliantly conceived, it is an enthralling combination of historical fiction, war novel, and the occult that will appeal to fans of all fantastic literature.
Lammas: 1588: A Calendar of Crime, Book Three
by Shirley McKayA serving girl vanishes in this mystery story set in sixteenth-century Scotland . . . Elspet, a serving girl at the harbor inn, has been told for years by the inn&’s owner, Walter Bone, that she is ugly and that no man will ever want her. Then, after years of being shut away from the world, she unexpectedly catches the attention of a young laborer and realizes she has been lied to all these years. She meets her lover in secret at the Lammas day fair, but her dalliances do not go unnoticed . . . Now Hew Cullan finds himself retained by a man with a mind for murder. Walter Bone makes clear his intent to kill Elspet&’s lover, and seeks Hew&’s help to ensure his will is upheld when he is inevitably hanged for the act. But his jealousy has unexpected consequences. When Elspet disappears without a trace, several innocent fair-goers and patrons are dragged into a web of suspicion, rumor, and accusation. It falls to Hew to unravel the twisted threads and figure out the truth of the matter. &“McKay is to be congratulated for the continued quality and inventiveness of her tales.&” —The National
Lancaster County Reckoning
by Kit WilkinsonPLAIN PROTECTOR The father Darcy Simmons thought was dead is actually alive, but in a coma, and the men who attacked him are after her to produce what he was hiding. But she hasn't spoken to her father in twenty years, since he entered witness protection and became Amish, and has no clue what the criminals want. Now the only person she can depend on is Amish farmer Thomas Nolt, her father's neighbor and closest friend. Thomas knows nothing of his friend's past, but he's determined to save the fragile beauty the man shielded all these years with his silence. But with men willing to kill for stolen items her father was hiding, can Thomas and Darcy find them before their time runs out?
Lancaster County Target: Lancaster County Target
by Kit WilkinsonA KILLER IN AMISH COUNTRY Down a deserted hospital corridor, nurse Abby Miller witnesses a patient's shocking murder. When the masked killer spots her, she's overpowered-and left for dead. Handsome doctor Blake Jamison vows to keep her safe while investigating the mysterious patient's death. But when he and Abby uncover a connection between the murder and the long-held secret of his adoption and possible Amish birth, the killer begins targeting them both. Amish-born Abby slowly learns to trust Blake with her life. But it may be too late to protect her heart from the high-society doctor who is sure to leave her behind.
Land of Burning Heat
by Judith Van GiesonArchivist Claire Reynier may have a priceless find on her hands. A woman named Isabel Santos has discovered a faded document hidden for hundreds of years under the floor of her family's adobe house. It could be the controversial last words of a Jewish mystic condemned to death by the Inquisition in Mexico City. But before Claire can establish the document's authenticity, it disappears, and tragedy visits the Santos family. As Claire searches for the missing paper, she fears that uncovering the history of a dark and dangerous time may bolster her career...at the cost of her life.
Land of Careful Shadows
by Suzanne Chazin"A tremendous talent. "--Lee ChildFrom award-winning author Suzanne Chazin comes a powerful novel of passion, bigotry, and murderous secrets in a homicide detective's picturesque hometown. . . A body is found in a reservoir fifty miles north of New York City. The victim is young, female and Hispanic. In her purse, the police find a photograph of a baby they believe is her daughter--a little girl they can't identify. Or find. Where is the child? Is she still alive? And what is the meaning behind the disturbing note in the woman's bag? "Go back to your country. You don't belong here. " Arriving at the scene is homicide detective Jimmy Vega, who spent the better part of his childhood in the area and still carries the scars. A Latino himself, Vega knows all too well how hard it can be for an outsider to fit into a close-knit place like Lake Holly. Even now, as a respected officer of the law, he has to watch his step in an investigation simmering with ethnic animosities and steeped in local gossip. Both challenged and intrigued by Adele Figueroa--a passionate defender of immigrants' rights who reminds him uncomfortably of his own family's struggles--Vega must rethink everything he believes to uncover long-buried truths about his community, his loved ones . . . and himself. Filled with drama, mystery and raw emotions, Land of Careful Shadows shines a nuanced and timely light on a small town's darkest secrets and deepest obsessions. It is not only a tour de force of literary suspense, but an intimate journey into the human heart.
Land of Careful Shadows
by Suzanne Chazin"A tremendous talent."--Lee ChildFrom award-winning author Suzanne Chazin comes a powerful novel of passion, bigotry, and murderous secrets in a homicide detective's picturesque hometown...A body is found in a reservoir fifty miles north of New York City. The victim is young, female and Hispanic. In her purse, the police find a photograph of a baby they believe is her daughter--a little girl they can't identify. Or find. Where is the child? Is she still alive? And what is the meaning behind the disturbing note in the woman's bag? "Go back to your country. You don't belong here." Arriving at the scene is homicide detective Jimmy Vega, who spent the better part of his childhood in the area and still carries the scars. A Latino himself, Vega knows all too well how hard it can be for an outsider to fit into a close-knit place like Lake Holly. Even now, as a respected officer of the law, he has to watch his step in an investigation simmering with ethnic animosities and steeped in local gossip. Both challenged and intrigued by Adele Figueroa--a passionate defender of immigrants' rights who reminds him uncomfortably of his own family's struggles--Vega must rethink everything he believes to uncover long-buried truths about his community, his loved ones . . . and himself. Filled with drama, mystery and raw emotions, Land of Careful Shadows shines a nuanced and timely light on a small town's darkest secrets and deepest obsessions. It is not only a tour de force of literary suspense, but an intimate journey into the human heart.
Land of Careful Shadows: A Jimmy Vega Mystery (A Jimmy Vega Mystery #1)
by Suzanne ChazinA Latino detective in upstate New York must turn to an immigrant rights activist to solve a murder in &“this timely and engrossing&” crime thriller (Publishers Weekly). When a body is discovered in a reservoir north of New York City, it ignites a baffling and disturbing murder investigation. The victim is young, female and Hispanic. In her purse, police find a photo of a baby. Where is the child? Is she alive? And what about the disturbing note found at the scene? &“Go back to your country. You don&’t belong here.&” Homicide detective Jimmy Vega knows how hard it can be to walk the razor-thin line of acceptance in a place like Lake Holly, NY. Reluctantly turning to Adele Figueroa, a passionate defender of immigrants&’ rights, Vega must confront his small town&’s darkest secrets and deepest obsessions—before they savagely tear apart the world he&’s sworn to defend.
Land of Dreams
by James P. BlaylockWhen a boat-sized shoe and giant spectacles wash up on the shore, three of the town's orphans - Jack, Skeezix, and Helen - know there's something fishy going on, and the old ghost in the orphanage attic is inclined to agree. An evil carnival comes to town, run by a sinister gentleman who can turn himself into a crow. A mouse-sized man hiding in the woodwork leaves Jack an elixir that might, just might, allow him to cross during Solstice to another world, a mysterious land of dreams that holds the key to Jack's past and all their adventures.Land Of Dreams is a phantasmagorical adventure reminiscent of Charles Finney's The Circus of Dr. Lao and Ray Bradbury's Something Wicked This Way Comes.REVIEWS:"... a singular American fabulist." -- William Gibson"Land Of Dreams is Blaylock's best yet - powerful, magical, suspenseful and funny, this novel sails us through the supernatural backwaters of the northern California coast, and none of its readers will ever quite be able to leave its landscape of rotting waterfront towns, and strange songs echoing in from the sea, and vast, unknown cities visible on dubious horizons. Blaylock is the best of contemporary writers, and Land Of Dreams is destined to be one of the field's classics." -- Tim Powers"Striking, beautifully turned surreal fantasy... Weird, complex, wise, original, delightful: pounce!" -- Kirkus Reviews
Land of Shadows (Medieval Mysteries #12)
by Priscilla Royal"Royal amplifies and deepens her series characters in the service of a clever plot that elevates her work to the top rank of historical mystery writers." —Publishers Weekly Starred Review for Satan's Lullaby, eleventh in a medieval mystery series recommended by Sharon Kay Penman and compared to Ellis Peters' Brother CadfaelsA royal birth, a nobleman's death, a scarlet woman's murder...In March 1279, Edward I takes a break from hammering the Welsh and bearing down on England's Jews to vacation in Gloucestershire. The royal party breaks the journey at Woodstock Manor. And there one life begins as Queen Eleanor labors to birth a new daughter, and one draws to an end when apoplexy fells Baron Adam Wynethorpe.Hotfoot to the baron's deathbed comes his elder son, Hugh, a veteran of Edward I's Crusades, who can't shake off the battle horrors he's witnessed. The baron's daughter, Prioress Eleanor, has already arrived, bringing along both her sub-infirmarian, Sister Anne, and the monk, Brother Thomas, to tend her father. Awaiting Hugh is his bastard son, Richard, a youth filled with rebellion…and a secret.The royal manor is packed with troubling guests including a sinister priest, an elderly Jewish mother from nearby Oxford mourning a son hanged for the treason of coin-clipping, contentious and greedy courtiers, and a lusty wife engaged with more than one lover. Quite soon, the wife is found hanged. Eleanor and Sister Anne persuade the High Sheriff of Berkshire that Mistress Hawis' death was not a suicide. In fact, many at the manor had reason to wish Hawis dead. One suspect is...Richard.
Land of Unreason (Gateway Essentials #57)
by Fletcher Pratt L. Sprague deCampOn Midsummer's Eve, as everybody knows, you should leave a bowl of milk out for the fairies. Unfortunately - or fortunately - Fred Barber, an American diplomat convalescing in Yorkshire, didn't take the obligation with proper seriousness. He swapped the milk for a stiff dose of Scotch. So he had only himself to blame if the fairies got a bit muddled. Barber found himself in an Old English Fairyland. At the Court of King Oberon, to be precise. The natural - or supernatural - laws there were, to say the least of it, distinctly odd. Things kept changing. This made the mssion with which he was entrusted, as the price of his return to the normal world, even harder than he expected. He had to penetrate the Kobold Hills, where it was said that swords were being made, and discover if an ancient enemy had returned. He was given a magic wand - but not told how to use it. Through the fields and forests he went, meeting dryads and sprites, ogres and two-headed eagles, on the way. Danger, seduction and magic lay all around him. And, as the adventure continued, somehow it darkened and became more seriousness. At the end of Fred Barber's quest lay a shattering revelation.
Land of Wolves: A Longmire Mystery (A Longmire Mystery #15)
by Craig JohnsonThe new novel in Craig Johnson's beloved New York Times bestselling Longmire series.Attempting to recover from his harrowing experiences in Mexico, in Land of Wolves Wyoming Sheriff Walt Longmire is neck deep in the investigation of what could or could not be the suicidal hanging of a shepherd. With unsettling connections to a Basque family with a reputation for removing the legs of Absaroka County sheriffs, matters become even more complicated with the appearance of an oversize wolf in the Big Horn Mountains to which Walt finds himself feeling more and more empathetic.
Land of Wolves: A suspenseful instalment of the best-selling, award-winning series - now a hit Netflix show! (A Walt Longmire Mystery #15)
by Craig JohnsonThe fifteenth novel in Craig Johnson's beloved New York Times bestselling Longmire series.'The characters talk straight from the hip and the Wyoming landscape is its own kind of eloquence' New York Times*************Attempting to recover from his harrowing experiences in Mexico, in Land of Wolves Wyoming Sheriff Walt Longmire is neck deep in the investigation of what could or could not be the suicidal hanging of a shepherd. With unsettling connections to a Basque family with a reputation for removing the legs of Absaroka County sheriffs, matters become even more complicated with the appearance of an oversize wolf in the Big Horn Mountains to which Walt finds himself feeling more and more empathetic.
Land of Wolves: The Return of Lincoln's Bodyguard (Lincoln's Bodyguard Series #2)
by Tj Turner"Perfect reading for fans of alternate-history adventures." —BooklistLand of Wolves finds Joseph Foster with Molly as they settle into a new-found life in the hills of Tennessee. But Abraham Lincoln's former bodyguard, the man who saved the President's life, cannot escape the Consortium as they come roaring back, killing his mother, abducting his daughter—all to coerce his Congressional testimony on their behalf.Instead, Joseph and Molly strike the Consortium in their own safe haven of New York City. In a Bonnie and Clyde-like twist, they rob from the Consortium to draw out their leader—General Dorsey. But the hidden plan reveals more than they counted on, exposing the true intention to steal the Black Hills and the gold underneath from the Lakota Sioux. Land of Wolves traverses the American landscape, where only a full reconciliation with Joseph's native heritage and a cast of characters ripped from history—including Lincoln—can bring true peace and stop General Dorsey and the evil Industrial Consortium.
Land of the Blind (Inspector Ikmen Mystery 17): A fast-paced Istanbul-based crime thriller
by Barbara NadelAncient feuds and new dangers bring death to the streets of Istanbul...Set against the Gezi Park uprising of 2013, Land of the Blind is the seventeenth crime thriller featuring Inspectors Cetin Ikmen and Mehut Suleyman in Istanbul. A perfect read for fans of Jason Goodwin and Martin Walker.'There's no one quite like Nadel... Seamlessly weaving together so many diverse threads is the work of a master with her finger firmly on the city's pulse... Gripping' - Big Issue IstanbulIn the ruins of the Constantinople hippodrome lies a body: a woman, clutching a piece of red stone. She's recently given birth, but there's no sign of the baby. Inspector Çetin Ikmen discovers she was Ariadne Savva, a Byzantine specialist on a crusade to protect the historic areas of Istanbul that property developer Ahmet Öden seeks to destroy and rebuild.As Ikmen searches for the lost child and the facts behind Ariadne's death, the people of Istanbul rise up in protest against their government in Gezi Park. Amid the chaos, Ikmen and his colleague Mehmet Süleyman must unravel a tale of ancient hostility and modern desires, to find the truth concealed within the secret history of their antique city.What readers are saying about Land of the Blind:'I am always amazed at how Nadel captures the ever-changing climate of the ancient city, which is growing more modern by the day''If you're looking for a masterclass in how to open a thriller, I suggest you read the first two pages of Barbara Nadel's latest book, Land of the Blind. It's the start of a rich and taut mystery, expertly crafted and atmospherically set in the extraordinary city of Istanbul''[Nadel] seems to get right under the skin of the city of Istanbul and the people until you can almost smell the coffee'
Land of the Blind (Inspector Ikmen Mystery 17): A fast-paced Istanbul-based crime thriller
by Barbara NadelA body is found in the ruined Constantinople hippodrome: a woman, clutching a piece of red stone. She's recently given birth, but there's no sign of the baby. Inspector Cetin Ikmen discovers she was a Byzantine specialist on a crusade to protect the historic but now squalid areas of Istanbul that her enemy, property developer Ahmet Oden, seeks to destroy and rebuild. As Ikmen searches for the lost child and the truth behind her death, the people of Istanbul rise up in protest against their government in Gezi Park, and the city lurches into chaos and anger. Against this background, Ikmen will unravel a tale of ancient hostility and modern desires, where the truth is concealed within the secret history of this antique city.(P)2018 Headline Publishing Group Ltd
Land of the Blind: A fast-paced Istanbul-based crime thriller
by Barbara NadelA body is found in the ruined Constantinople hippodrome: a woman, clutching a piece of red stone. She's recently given birth, but there's no sign of the baby. Inspector Cetin Ikmen discovers she was a Byzantine specialist on a crusade to protect the historic but now squalid areas of Istanbul that her enemy, property developer Ahmet Oden, seeks to destroy and rebuild. As Ikmen searches for the lost child and the truth behind her death, the people of Istanbul rise up in protest against their government in Gezi Park, and the city lurches into chaos and anger. Against this background, Ikmen will unravel a tale of ancient hostility and modern desires, where the truth is concealed within the secret history of this antique city.