Books

 

Two brilliant existential novels from one of the titans of Russian literature. Notes from Underground is the dystopian tale of the Underground Man, a retired civil servant living in St Petersburg, who criticises western philosophy and contemporary society. The Double is the story of Golyadkin, who on a bitter snowy night encounters a stranger who looks exactly like him. They become friends, but Golyadkin gradually realises that, unlike himself, his double is socially successful, and he finds himself caught up in a psychological battle that can only end in tragedy. At the heart of both novels lie Dostoevsky's ruminations on the need to establish one's true identity and how society can distort the perception of who one truly is.

Gentleman-thief Arsène Lupin is known as a friend to poor and enemy of the rich. But how did he gain his formidable reputation?

When Arsène Lupin’s attempt to rob Deputy Daubrecq goes horribly wrong, his two associates are arrested and sentenced to the guillotine. While attempting to free his friends, Lupin must also dodge a mysterious blackmailer, who has an incriminating document rolled up inside a little crystal stopper. Going up against the ruthless detective Daubrecq and a mysterious blackmailer, master thief Lupin faces his toughest opponents yet.

Whether it’s being a chauffeur, detective, bookmaker or Russian physician, there is no limit to what the master thief Arsène Lupin will do to get his way. A friend to the poor and an enemy to the powerful, being arrested means nothing to the master of disguises.

When Captain Belval rescues his nurse Coralie from tragedy, they are thrown into a conspiracy involving murder, money and bags of gold. Arsène Lupin, disguised as Don Luis Perenna, returns to get to the bottom of all their secrets and more importantly, get his hands on some of the gold.

The royal treasure hidden in the Hollow Needle is a legend; the gold of France, battlefield booty and stolen money is believed to be hidden away in a secret location. Gentleman-thief and friend to the poor, Arsène Lupin is eager to solve the mystery of the Hollow Needle and find the treasure within.

Catalina Martín desperately needs a date to her sister’s wedding. Especially since her little white lie about her American boyfriend has spiralled out of control. Now everyone she knows—including her ex and his fiancée—will be there and eager to meet him.

A tremendous amount of money is left in a will, but none of the heirs can be found. Friend to the deceased, Don Luis Perenna must track down the heirs, but it isn’t long before someone turns up dead and the investigation turns into a murder case.

Briseis has a gift: she can grow plants from tiny seeds to rich blooms with a single touch. When Briseis's aunt dies and wills her a dilapidated estate in rural New York, Bri and her parents decide to leave Brooklyn behind for the summer. Hopefully there, surrounded by plants and flowers, Bri will finally learn to control her gift. But their new home is sinister in ways they could never have imagined--it comes with a specific set of instructions, an old-school apothecary, and a walled garden filled with the deadliest botanicals in the world that can only be entered by those who share Bri's unique family lineage. When strangers begin to arrive on their doorstep, asking for tinctures and elixirs, Bri learns she has a surprising talent for creating them. One of the visitors is Marie, a mysterious young woman who Bri befriends, only to find that Marie is keeping dark secrets about the history of the estate and its surrounding community. There is more to Bri's sudden inheritance than she could have imagined, and she is determined to uncover it . . . until a nefarious group comes after her in search of a rare and dangerous immortality elixir. Up against a centuries-old curse and the deadliest plant on earth, Bri must harness her gift to protect herself and her family. From the bestselling author of Cinderella Is Dead comes another inspiring and deeply compelling story about a young woman with the power to conquer the dark forces descending around her.