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The Folded Earth: A Novel
by Anuradha RoyIn a remote town in the Himalaya, Maya tries to put behind her a time of great sorrow. By day she teaches in a school and at night she types up drafts of a magnum opus by her landlord, a relic of princely India known to all as Diwan Sahib. Her bond with this eccentric, and her friendship with a peasant girl, Charu, give her the sense that she might be able to forge a new existence away from the devastation of her past. As Maya finds out, no place is remote enough or small enough. The world she has come to love, where people are connected with nature, is endangered by the town's new administration. The impending elections are hijacked by powerful outsiders who divide people and threaten the future of her school. Charu begins to behave strangely, and soon Maya understands that a new boy in the neighbourhood may be responsible. When Diwan Sahib's nephew arrives to set up his trekking company on their estate, she is drawn to him despite herself, and finally she is forced to confront bitter and terrible truths. A many-layered and powerful narrative, by turns poetic, elegiac and comic, by the author of An Atlas of Impossible Longing.
The Folies Bergere in Las Vegas
by Karan Feder Jerry JacksonDebuting at the Tropicana Hotel on Christmas Eve, 1959, at a reported cost of one quarter-million dollars (over two million in today's dollars), the Folies Bergere stage show featured a cast of "eighty stars" and promised an elegant evening of sensual entertainment complete with sensational song and dance numbers, curious novelty acts, and exquisite leggy showgirls. Imported directly from Paris, the iconic French production, famed for its elegant and chic legacy, was a mainstay on the Las Vegas Strip for nearly half a century. A 1959 Las Vegas Sun newspaper article portends the significant role that the Folies Bergere would play in the city's history: "From beginning to end this is the most dazzling entertainment which any city has been privileged to see. It's saucy, piquant and racy in the splendidly provocative French way. Las Vegas, the entertainment capital of the world, is now no idle boast."
The Food Lover's Guide to Florence
by Emily Wise MillerMore than a million English-speaking visitors descend on Florence annually, but few venture beyond the usual circuit of tourist restaurants to experience authentic Tuscan cuisine. This updated guide to the best gourmet restaurants and off-the-beaten-path locales offers in-depth profiles of the spots Florentines themselves treasure. Arranged by neighborhood for easy navigation, THE FOOD LOVER'S GUIDE TO FLORENCE is the single essential companion for travelers, students, and expats. The only travel guide devoted solely to the food of Florence and Tuscany, including 100 restaurant reviews and tips for everything from reading the menu to wine selection. Updated with the newest ristorantes, trattorias, enotecas, gelato shops, and open-air markets. Florence is the second most-visited city in the world. From the Trade Paperback edition.
The Food Lover's Guide to Paris (City Guides)
by Helen Massy-Beresford&“A superb &‘time out&’ kind of guide to the cafés, restaurants, bistros etc. . . . Essential reading for visitors to the city, brilliantly presented.&” —Books Monthly Paris may have enjoyed decades as the undisputed gastronomic capital of the world, but food revolutions in the likes of London and Copenhagen have challenged its reign in recent years. After a spell of complacency, Parisian chefs have had to up their game, with delicious results. This guide will show you where to sample the best of the French classics, from cozy bistros to swish brasseries, as well as where to check out the more recent innovations in the Parisian food scene: everything from high quality street food with a French twist, to newly-popular vegetarian restaurants, juice bars and locally brewed craft beers. The guide will also offer practical advice for making the most of your Parisian food experience like a local. &“This book is an absolute delight to read. For those about to visit Paris, may I suggest that you pack a copy of this book in your luggage. The best &‘foodie&’ book I have read in ages!&” —For the Love of Books &“With helpful tips about typical French mealtimes, tipping and etiquette, readers will be confident in choosing a place to eat that fits their expectations and their budget.&” —Cayocosta 72 &“The first food book I ever read cover to cover in one day . . . Her descriptions are engagingly written and personal . . . easy, smooth and tempting reading.&” —Colleen&’s Paris
The Food Lover's Guide to Paris: The Best Restaurants, Bistros, Cafés, Markets, Bakeries, and More
by Patricia WellsThe book that cracks the code, from the incomparable Patricia Wells. An acclaimed authority on French cuisine, Ms. Wells has spent more than 30 years in Paris, many as former restaurant critic for The International Herald Tribune. Now her revered Food Lover’s Guide to Paris is back in a completely revised, brand-new edition. In 457 entries—345 new to this edition, plus 112 revisited and reviewed classics—The Food Lover’s Guide to Paris offers an elegantly written go-to guide to the very best restaurants, cafés, wine bars, and bistros in Paris, as well as where to find the flakiest croissants, earthiest charcuteries, sublimest cheese, most ethereal macarons, and impeccable outdoor markets. The genius of the book is Ms. Wells’s meritocratic spirit. Whether you’re looking for a before-you-die Michelin three-star experience (Guy Savoy, perhaps, or Restaurant Alain Ducasse au Plaza Athénée) or wanting to sample the new bistronomy (Bistrot Paul Bert, Le Comptoir du Relais) or craving something simple and perfect (L’As du Fallafel, or Breizh Café for crêpes), Patricia Wells tells you exactly where to go and why you should go there. You no longer have to rely on the iffy “reviews” of Yelp or Trip Advisor. Included are 40 recipes from some of her favorite chefs and purveyors and, of course, all the practical information: addresses, websites, email, hours, closest métro stop, specialties, and more.
The Food of Northern Thailand
by Austin BushFood of Northern Thailand is a beautiful deep dive into the regional cuisine of northern Thailand with a documentarian's approach and a photographer's eye.The food of northern Thailand is a world away from the highly refined, royal court- and Chinese-influenced style of cooking in Bangkok--the Thai food that most of us are familiar with. It's a cuisine with its own distinct identity, one that is rustic and earthy, meaty and fragrant; one with roots in the Thai repertoire but with branches that extend into unfamiliar areas; a cuisine that feels ancient, but is ever evolving. A writer, photographer, and travel-guide writer, Austin Bush has lived in Thailand for nearly 20 years. In this book, Bush travels across northern Thailand to talk to the region's home cooks, academics, restaurateurs, writers, and hawkers. Their recipes and stories, along with Bush's photographs, capture the people, countryside, markets, and of course, dishes and cooking techniques of northern Thailand. Each of the chapters in the book will focus on a single province, giving a snapshot of the dishes, staple ingredients, cooking methods, and people specific to that area.
The Food of Southern Thailand
by Austin BushA beautiful, eye-opening guide to the culture and cuisine of Thailand’s south, featuring the region’s quintessential recipes: spicy noodles, coconut curries, and seafood dishes. Austin Bush has spent decades traveling across Thailand, collecting recipes, observing cooking techniques, taking photographs, and recording stories. With his documentarian’s eye, he captures the rich culinary traditions of the country’s southern region, making this the first cookbook in English to focus on the cuisine. The Food of Southern Thailand continues Austin’s ambitious project of illuminating Thailand’s foodways. Shared here are bold, spicy flavors of chile, turmeric, and black pepper that link countryside and island. Gathered, too, are cosmopolitan dishes from the cities that blend ingredients such as coconut milk and fish sauce. The food of southern Thailand is like nothing you’ve encountered before: vibrant, thanks to Thailand’s colorful larder; diverse, reflecting various waves of immigration to the region; and delicious beyond what you might find in most restaurants in the United States. In lush photographs and helpful step-by-step illustrations, Austin explores, bite by bite, the mouthwatering offerings of roadside stalls and tiny island restaurants. His detailed recipes feature the region’s most beloved dishes, including a variation on a classic tart, spicy soup with vegetables and fish, Hat Yai–Style Fried Chicken with Sticky Rice (served with a tangy dipping sauce), and Minced Kingfish Stir-Fried in a Spicy Herb Paste. Sweets from the region are unique, often wrapped in banana leaves and filled or dusted with local palm sugar: fragrant cashew brittle, crispy fritters, warm coconut pancakes. A dream book for armchair travelers, intrepid cooks, and those eager to explore the backroads of a beautiful country, The Food of Southern Thailand is a crucial record of a cuisine as it is lived now. Austin’s vivid writing and careful reporting will transport all with a powerful story of a place and its people and bring one-of-a-kind dishes to life in your home kitchen.
The Foods of the Greek Islands: Cooking and Culture at the Crossroads of the Mediterranean
by Aglaia KremeziThis New York Times Notable Book is &“a real working guide to preparing the traditional dishes found all over Greece&” (Newsweek). Stretching from the shores of Turkey to the Ionian Sea east of Italy, the Greek islands have been the crossroads of the Mediterranean since the time of Homer. Over the centuries, Phoenicians, Athenians, Macedonians, Romans, Byzantines, Venetians, Ottoman Turks, and Italians have ruled the islands, putting their distinctive stamp on the food. Aglaia Kremezi, a frequent contributor to Gourmet and an international authority on Greek food, spent eight years collecting the fresh, uncomplicated recipes of the local women, fishermen, bakers, and farmers. Like all Mediterranean food, these dishes are light and healthful, simple but never plain, and make extensive use of seasonal produce, fresh herbs, and fish. Passed from generation to generation by word of mouth, most have never before been written down. All translate easily to the American home kitchen: Tomato Patties from Santorini; Spaghetti with Lobster from Kithira; Braised Lamb with Artichokes from Chios; Greens and Potato Stew from Crete; Spinach, Leek, and Fennel Pie from Skopelos; Rolled Baklava from Kos. Illustrated throughout with color photographs of the islanders preparing their specialties, and filled with stories of island history and customs, The Foods of the Greek Islands is for all cooks and travelers who want to experience this diverse and deeply rooted cuisine firsthand. &“The author has combined her reportorial skills, scholarly interests and superb instincts as a cook who knows both American and Greek kitchens to produce recipes that are simple, direct yet exciting.&” —The New York Times Book Review
The Foodspotting Field Guide
by FoodspottingAn inspiring reference for culinary adventurers both local and international!This guided journal from Foodspotting—the global online community of recreational foodies—presents seventy-five must-try dishes from six continents, inviting Foodspotters to seek them out in their own cities and travels. Discover delights like Tea Leaf Salad from Burma; Pavlova from New Zealand; Faloodeh from Iran; and Boxty from Ireland. Each of the seventy-five entries includes a photograph, a description of the dish’s origins and ingredients, a pronunciation guide, and prompts and infographics encouraging you to record your own encounters and taste sensations.From ceviche to Wiener Schnitzel to chicken and waffles—The Foodspotting Field Guide is your passport to a world of flavor, redefining culinary tourism for a new generation of food thrill seekers.
The Footloose American
by Brian KevinAn adventure-filled and thought-provoking travelogue along Hunter S. Thompson's forgotten route through South AmericaIn 1963, twenty-five-year-old Hunter S. Thompson completed a yearlong journey across South America, filing a series of dispatches for an upstart paper called the National Observer. It was here, on the front lines of the Cold War, that this then-unknown reporter began making a name for himself. The Hunter S. Thompson who would become America's iconic "gonzo journalist" was born in the streets of Rio, the mountains of Peru, and the black market outposts of Colombia. In The Footloose American, Brian Kevin traverses the continent with Thompson's ghost as his guide, offering a ground-level exploration of twenty-first-century South American culture, politics, and ecology. By contrasting the author's own thrilling, transformative experiences along the Hunter S. Thompson Trail with those that Thompson describes in his letters and lost Observer stories, The Footloose American is at once a gripping personal journey and a thought-provoking study of culture and place.From the Trade Paperback edition.
The Forbidden Orchid
by Sharon Biggs WallerThe adventures of a British girl in China, hunting for the orchid that will save her family.Staid, responsible Elodie Buchanan is the eldest of ten sisters growing up in a small English market town in 1861. The girls barely know their father, a plant hunter usually off adventuring through China, more myth than man. Then disaster strikes: Mr. Buchanan reneges on his contract to collect an extremely rare and valuable orchid. He will be thrown into debtors' prison while his daughters are sent to the orphanage and the workhouse. Elodie can't stand by and see her family destroyed, so she persuades her father to return to China once more to try to hunt down the flower--only this time, despite everything she knows about her place in society, Elodie goes with him. She has never before left her village, but what starts as fear turns to wonder as she adapts to seafaring life aboard the tea clipper The Osprey, and later to the new sights, dangers, and romance of China. She comes to find that both the world and her place in it are so much bigger than she'd ever dreamed. But now, even if she can find the orchid, how can she ever go back to being the staid, responsible Elodie that everybody needs?From the Hardcover edition.
The Forbidden Place
by Susanne Jansson'A bone-chillingly cool crime debut.' Paula Hawkins, author of The Girl on the TrainTerrible things happen in Mossmarken. Long ago, the mire welcomed sacrifices to the gods...and the area still seems haunted. Nathalie thought she had escaped, but the half-buried memories of what happened in her childhood have finally called her home. Then, soon after she returns, her friend Johannes is found unconscious out on the marsh, his pockets filled with gold coins - just like the ancient victims. As the police investigate, more bodies surface, but the truth seems lost in the mire. Superstitious locals claim the gods cry out for blood. But Nathalie is about to find out the true extent of human evil.An international sensation, THE FORBIDDEN PLACE is a darkly gripping tale of the stories we tell ourselves to survive, and the terrible consequences they can have.
The Forbidden Place
by Susanne JanssonBad things happen in Mossmarken... and now Nathalie has come home, they seem to be happening again. A dark, brilliant suspense novel from a fantastic new voice in international literature.In the remote Swedish wetlands lies Mossmarken: the village on the edge of the mire where, once upon a time, people came to leave offerings to the gods. Biologist Nathalie came in order to study the peat bogs. But she has a secret: Mossmarken was once her home, a place where terrible things happened. She has returned at last, determined to confront her childhood trauma and find out the truth.Soon after her arrival, she finds an unconscious man out on the marsh, his pockets filled with gold - just like the ancient human sacrifices. A grave is dug in the mire, which vanishes a day after. And as the police investigate, the bodies start to surface...Is the mire calling out for sacrifices, as the superstitious locals claim? Or is it an all-too-human evil?An international sensation, THE FORBIDDEN PLACE is a darkly gripping tale of the stories we tell ourselves to survive, and the terrible consequences they can have.(P)2018 Hodder & Stoughton Limited
The Forest of Moon and Sword
by Amy Raphael"A sumptuously imagined children's debut" The Telegraph"A fast paced; single minded adventure. Female bravery is a given" The Observer When Art's mother is accused of witchcraft and captured, she is determined to get her back - at any cost. A lyrical adventure with folklore at its heart, for fans of THE HOUSE WITH CHICKEN LEGS.Twelve-year-old Art lives in a small village in Scotland. Her mother has always made potions that cure the sick, but now the townspeople say she is a witch. One cloudless night, Art's mother is arrested and taken to England. Art mounts her horse, taking a sword, a tightrope, and a herbal recipe book, and begins a journey through wild forests, using nature's signs and symbols to guide her.But will she spot the signs from the omens? Will she reach her mother, before it's too late?'A wonderful book' - Piers Torday'Very exciting' - Anthony McGowan 'Thrilling and uplifting' - Frank Cottrell-Boyce 'Gripping. I raced through it' - A.M. Howell
The Forgotten Adventures of Richard Halliburton: A High Flying Life from Tennessee to Timbuktu
by R. Scott WilliamsA biography of the charismatic world traveler whose daredevil exploits thrilled millions in the early twentieth century. Born in 1900, Richard Halliburton ran away from his hometown of Memphis, Tennessee, at the age of nineteen to lead an extraordinary and dramatic life of adventure. Against the backdrop of the Roaring Twenties and the Great Depression, Halliburton&’s exploits around the globe made him an internationally known celebrity and the most famous travel writer of his time. From climbing Mount Olympus in Greece to swimming the Panama Canal and flying all the way to Timbuktu, Halliburton experienced and wrote about adventures that others never even believed possible. His youthful spirit and bohemian lifestyle won the hearts of millions, and this absorbing biography tells his story. &“He was Marco Polo and Indiana Jones wrapped up in one, with P.T. Barnum&’s flippancy and James Bond&’s bravado, capped off by F. Scott Fitzgerald&’s aristocratic good looks and manners.&” —Smithsonian &“A concise new biography [that] covers the life of a man of marvels.&” —Memphis Magazine
The Forgotten Japanese
by Jeffrey Irish Tsuneichi MiyamotoTsuneichi Miyamoto (1907-1981), a leading Japanese folklore scholar and rural advocate, walked 160,000 kilometers to conduct interviews and capture a dying way of life. This collection of photos, vignettes, and life stories from pre- and postwar rural Japan is the first English translation of his modern Japanese classic. From blowfish to landslides, Miyamoto's stories come to life in Jeffrey Irish's fluid translation.
The Fortune Cookie Chronicles: Adventures in the World of Chinese Food
by Jennifer 8 LeeOne woman. One obsession. Forty thousand restaurants. A woman's search for the world's greatest Chinese restaurant proves that egg rolls are as American as apple pie.
The Four Voyages of Christopher Columbus
by Christopher Columbus J. M. CohenNo gamble in history has been more momentous than the landfall of Columbus's ship the Santa Maria in the Americas in 1492 - an event that paved the way for the conquest of a 'New World'. The accounts collected here provide a vivid narrative of his voyages throughout the Caribbean and finally to the mainland of Central America, although he still believed he had reached Asia. Columbus himself is revealed as a fascinating and contradictory figure, fluctuating from awed enthusiasm to paranoia and eccentric geographical speculation. Prey to petty quarrels with his officers, his pious desire to bring Christian civilization to 'savages' matched by his rapacity for gold, Columbus was nonetheless an explorer and seaman of staggering vision and achievement.
The Four Voyages of Christopher Columbus
by Christopher ColumbusNo gamble in history has been more momentous than the landfall of Columbus's ship the Santa Maria in the Americas in 1492 - an event that paved the way for the conquest of a 'New World'. The accounts collected here provide a vivid narrative of his voyages throughout the Caribbean and finally to the mainland of Central America, although he still believed he had reached Asia. Columbus himself is revealed as a fascinating and contradictory figure, fluctuating from awed enthusiasm to paranoia and eccentric geographical speculation. Prey to petty quarrels with his officers, his pious desire to bring Christian civilization to 'savages' matched by his rapacity for gold, Columbus was nonetheless an explorer and seaman of staggering vision and achievement.
The Fourth Part of the World: The Race to the Ends of the Earth, and the Epic Story of the Map That Gave America Its Name
by Toby Lester“Old maps lead you to strange and unexpected places, and none does so more ineluctably than the subject of this book: the giant, beguiling Waldseemüller world map of 1507.” So begins this remarkable story of the map that gave America its name.For millennia Europeans believed that the world consisted of three parts: Europe, Africa, and Asia. They drew the three continents in countless shapes and sizes on their maps, but occasionally they hinted at the existence of a "fourth part of the world," a mysterious, inaccessible place, separated from the rest by a vast expanse of ocean. It was a land of myth—until 1507, that is, when Martin Waldseemüller and Matthias Ringmann, two obscure scholars working in the mountains of eastern France, made it real. Columbus had died the year before convinced that he had sailed to Asia, but Waldseemüller and Ringmann, after reading about the Atlantic discoveries of Columbus’s contemporary Amerigo Vespucci, came to a startling conclusion: Vespucci had reached the fourth part of the world. To celebrate his achievement, Waldseemüller and Ringmann printed a huge map, for the first time showing the New World surrounded by water and distinct from Asia, and in Vespucci’s honor they gave this New World a name: America. The Fourth Part of the World is the story behind that map, a thrilling saga of geographical and intellectual exploration, full of outsize thinkers and voyages. Taking a kaleidoscopic approach, Toby Lester traces the origins of our modern worldview. His narrative sweeps across continents and centuries, zeroing in on different portions of the map to reveal strands of ancient legend, Biblical prophecy, classical learning, medieval exploration, imperial ambitions, and more. In Lester’s telling the map comes alive: Marco Polo and the early Christian missionaries trek across Central Asia and China; Europe’s early humanists travel to monastic libraries to recover ancient texts; Portuguese merchants round up the first West African slaves; Christopher Columbus and Amerigo Vespucci make their epic voyages of discovery; and finally, vitally, Nicholas Copernicus makes an appearance, deducing from the new geography shown on the Waldseemüller map that the earth could not lie at the center of the cosmos. The map literally altered humanity’s worldview. One thousand copies of the map were printed, yet only one remains. Discovered accidentally in 1901 in the library of a German castle it was bought in 2003 for the unprecedented sum of $10 million by the Library of Congress, where it is now on permanent public display. Lavishly illustrated with rare maps and diagrams, The Fourth Part of the World is the story of that map: the dazzling story of the geographical and intellectual journeys that have helped us decipher our world.
The Franco-Prussian War, 1870–1871: Touring the Sedan Campaign (Battleground 1870–1871)
by Maarten Otte&“Masterfully written . . . This series provides the enthusiast and historian with volumes in which history is combined with tourism on the battlefields.&” —On the Old Barbed Wire In 1870 France embarked on a war with Prussia and her allied German states that was to be a complete disaster. For Napoleon III, after his ignominious surrender with thousands of his troops from the Army of the Rhine and the Army of Châlons, it meant his abdication and exile. For France it resulted in the humiliation of her army, a bitter civil war in Paris, the loss of two Provinces (Alsace and Lorraine) and a heavy indemnity. Maarten Otte provides background chapters to place the lead up to the war and the issues that were involved; he describes the makeup of the opposing armies and some of their principal commanders. The Sedan Campaign was fought over a relatively small area and the locations of some of the key battles have changed little, though some of those near the built-up areas, such as Sedan itself, require some imagination. After the war several German regiments erected monuments and a surprising number remain today, often hidden away in isolated fields and copses. Several communal cemeteries have a number of German graves. Perhaps one of the most macabre of these is the ossuary in Bazeilles, where the visitor is able to see skeletons that still have shreds of uniform and footwear on them. Sedan was also a focus of the most recent and bloody western European wars, and a notable feature of this battlefield is to see memorials to the conflicts of the twentieth century—the Great War and the Second World War.
The Franconia Gateway
by Bruce D. HealdOf the several entrances to the White Mountains, none is more majestic than the Franconia Gateway. The gateway begins in the valley of the Pemigewasset River and reaches through broad meadows, between jagged mountains, alongside quiet pools and cascades of sparkling water, into the wilderness of Franconia Notch and beyond. Altogether, this region contains more historical secrets and hidden treasures than any other part of the White Mountains.The Franconia Gateway opens the way from a new perspective. With nearly one hundred fifty breathtaking views and fascinating stories, this history and guide leads from lore of the Native Americans, explorers, and early entrepreneurs to the logging boom years and the subsequent preservation era on to the days of the artists and poets and, ultimately, the tourists. The journey progresses through the communities of Plymouth, Campton, Thornton, Waterville Valley, Woodstock, and Franconia, and includes all the wonder and mystery of sites such as the Lost River, the Flume, and the Old Man of the Mountain.
The Frangipani Tree Mystery (Crown Colony #1)
by Ovidia YuFirst in a delightfully charming crime series set in 1930s Singapore, introducing amateur sleuth Su Lin, a local girl stepping in as governess for the Acting Governor of Singapore.1936 in the Crown Colony of Singapore, and the British abdication crisis and rising Japanese threat seem very far away. When the Irish nanny looking after Acting Governor Palin's daughter dies suddenly - and in mysterious circumstances - mission school-educated local girl Su Lin - an aspiring journalist trying to escape an arranged marriage - is invited to take her place. But then another murder at the residence occurs and it seems very likely that a killer is stalking the corridors of Government House. It now takes all Su Lin's traditional skills and intelligence to help British-born Chief Inspector Thomas LeFroy solve the murders - and escape with her own life.'Simply glorious. Every nook and cranny of 1930s Singapore is brought richly to life, without ever getting in the way of a classic puzzle plot. But what's a setting without a jewel? Chen Su Lin is a true gem. Her slyly witty voice and her admirable, sometimes heartbreaking, practicality make her the most beguiling narrator heroine I've met in a long while.' Catriona McPherson'Charming and fascinating with great authentic feel. Ovidia Yu's teenage Chinese sleuth gives us an insight into a very different culture and time. This book is exactly why I love historical novels.' Rhys Bowen
The Frangipani Tree Mystery (Crown Colony)
by Ovidia YuFirst in a delightfully charming crime series set in 1930s Singapore, introducing amateur sleuth Su Lin, a local girl stepping in as governess for the Acting Governor of Singapore.1936 in the Crown Colony of Singapore, and the British abdication crisis and rising Japanese threat seem very far away. When the Irish nanny looking after Acting Governor Palin's daughter dies suddenly - and in mysterious circumstances - mission school-educated local girl Su Lin - an aspiring journalist trying to escape an arranged marriage - is invited to take her place. But then another murder at the residence occurs and it seems very likely that a killer is stalking the corridors of Government House. It now takes all Su Lin's traditional skills and intelligence to help British-born Chief Inspector Thomas LeFroy solve the murders - and escape with her own life.'Simply glorious. Every nook and cranny of 1930s Singapore is brought richly to life, without ever getting in the way of a classic puzzle plot. But what's a setting without a jewel? Chen Su Lin is a true gem. Her slyly witty voice and her admirable, sometimes heartbreaking, practicality make her the most beguiling narrator heroine I've met in a long while.' Catriona McPherson'Charming and fascinating with great authentic feel. Ovidia Yu's teenage Chinese sleuth gives us an insight into a very different culture and time. This book is exactly why I love historical novels.' Rhys Bowen
The Franklin Conspiracy: An Astonishing Solution to the Lost Arctic Expedition
by John Robert Colombo Jeffrey Blair LattaThe Franklin Conspiracy is an absorbing account of the single most enigmatic event in Canadian history. In 1845, two British Royal Navy ships, the Erebus and the Terror, commanded by Sir John Franklin, entered the Canadian Arctic in search of the Northwest Passage. Neither ship returned. A fifteen-year search uncovered evidence of unparalleled disaster, but to this day no one knows exactly how the 129 men of the Franklin Expedition met their deaths. Although the expedition did not run out of food, there is clear evidence of cannibalism. The ships carried two hundred message cylinders with them, yet failed to leave records. Stranger still, an earlier explorer, Thomas Simpson, was reputedly murdered for the "secret of the Northwest Passage." What was this "secret"? The Franklin Conspiracy is an exhaustively researched, compellingly reasoned answer to that question. The result is a shocking saga of conspiracy, cover-up, and unbelievable secrets the.