Jedediah Berry's first novel is a firecracker of an old-fashioned detective story, done steampunk style. The story centres on Charles Unwin, a quiet, methodical clerk whose job is to write up and file the reports of Travis Sivart, the dashing, cigar-smoking detective to whom he is assigned at "The Agency". Then Sivart disappears, Unwin is unexpectedly promoted to the detective's job, and when he goes to complain to the chief of staff that the promotion must be a mistake, he finds his boss dead in his chair with a mysterious record playing.
The physician's tale (canterbury tales) This is a domestic drama about the relationship between a daughter and her father and it is one of the earliest extant poems in English about such subjects and relationships. The tale comes from the Histories of Titus Livius and is retold in The Romance of the Rose, John Gower's Confessio Amantis which Chaucer drew on for inspiration along with the biblical story of Jephtha. Most of the other versions of the story focused on the cruel and arbitrary officials but Chaucer was far more concerned with the daughter as the central figure.
Hoot, Carl Hiaasen's debut novel for younger readers is a very special treat indeed. The writing is exceptionally good, and the characters extremely quirky and well realised. It's incredibly readable despite a story premise that is not sparklingly original. But no matter, there's an engaging "feel-good" vibe running through the whole book.
The pardoner's tale (canterbury tales ) "The Pardoner's Tale" (Middle English: The Pardoners Tale) is one of the The Canterbury Tales by Geoffrey Chaucer. The story is in the form of an exemplum: the Pardoner first explains the theme he will address, then tells his story and finally draws the conclusion he had already mentioned in his introduction. The old man mirrors the hypocrisy of the Narrator himself in the way he deceives the three men. The Pardoner’s work is also based on deceit, selling relics to the unwary.
While best known for his twenty-four novels, Jeffery Deaver is also a short story master -- he is a three-time recipient of the Ellery Queen Reader's Award for Best Short Story, and he won the Short Story Dagger from the Crime Writers Association for a piece that appeared in his first short story collection, Twisted. The New York Times said of that book: "A mystery hit for those who like their intrigue short and sweet . . .
