All looks set fair for Major Matthew Hervey: news of a handsome legacy should allow him to purchase command of his beloved regiment, the 6th Light Dragoons. He is resolved to marry, and rather to his surprise, the object of his affections — the widow of the late Sir Ivo Lankester — has readily consented.
A supernatural thriller from 'America's most popular suspense novelist' (Rolling Stone): his most chilling, gripping and original novel to date. The Face. He's Hollywood's most dazzling star. His flawless countenance inspires the worship of millions, and fires the hatred of one twisted soul. In the days before Christmas, this warped and dangerous star-hater has sent six very sinister messages to the Face, promising the opposite of a nice surprise for the festive season. The Face's security chief Ethan Truman, ex-LAPD, tracks down the messenger but not the source of the threat.
In conducting a mathematical column in the Graham Dial over the past twenty-five years, the author found that the most stimulating experience and the greatest reward for his effort came from the "surprise attack" initiated by readers in solving many of the problems.
Owl invites Pooh and Piglet to discover a surprise of blackberries by his treehouse which later prompts them to make blackberry pie and invite all their friends for a treat.
There, in the middle of the broad, bright high-road—there, as if it had that moment sprung out of the earth or dropped from the heaven—stood the figure of a solitary Woman, dressed from head to foot in white garments.”
Thus young Walter Hartright first meets the mysterious woman in white in what soon became one of the most popular novels of the nineteenth century. Secrets, mistaken identities, surprise revelations, amnesia, locked rooms and locked asylums, and an unorthodox villain made this mystery thriller an instant success.
