Woody Allens wonderful novel reads like one of his filmsThe TelegraphAs a portrait of Woody Allen by Woody Allen, its a classic The StandardGood gags abound in this tale of a bespectacled Jewish writer caught up in a #MeToo takedownGuardianAsher Baum is quietly losing his mind. Can you blame him?Maybe what I really want is to make sense of all peoples lives. Of everything, the whole shebangA middle-aged Jewish journalist turned novelist and playwright, consumed with anxiety about everything under the sun, Baums turgid philosophical books receive tepid reviews and his prestigious New York publisher has dropped him. His third marriage is on the rocks and he suspects his handsome and successful younger brother may have seduced his Harvard-educated wife. He is uneasy with her close relationship with her son, a more successful author than he, and suspicious of her closeness with their neighbour in Connecticut. And in a moment of irrationality, he has impulsively tried to kiss a pretty young journalist during an interview that she is about to go public with.Is it any wonder Baum has started talking to himself? Strangers shake their heads and walk around him on the street. Meanwhile he learns a startling secret that could cause havoc should he expose it. Should he keep it to himself or reveal it and blow up his marriage?Whats with Baum? is Woody Allens first novel and it is everything you would expect of him--and more. A portrait of an intellectual crippled by neurotic concerns about the futility and emptiness of life; an amusing glimpse into the New York publishing establishment; above all, a highly entertaining, tightly plotted, beautifully wrought piece of fiction from one of Americas greatest and most versatile cinematic and literary talents.
The Sunday Times Thriller of the MonthBirds, Strangers and Psychos is a thrilling anthology that brings together the biggest names in mystery and crime fiction to pay homage to Alfred Hitchcock, the legendary filmmaker whose name is synonymous with suspense. Acclaimed editor Maxim Jakubowski curates 24 original short stories, each inspired by the mood, tension, and style that defined Hitchcocks groundbreaking work. This anthology invites both emerging and established voices to reimagine the chilling atmospheres, twisted plots, and unforgettable characters of Hitchcocks films, from Psycho and Vertigo to North by Northwest and The Birds.Each author takes on the challenge of evoking the quintessentially Hitchcockian elements that have captivated audiences for decades: ordinary lives interrupted by peril, psychological duels, and unexpected encounters that spiral into nightmares. The volume showcases an extraordinary blend of talent, including Lee Child, Denise Mina, Sophie Hannah, Vaseem Khan, MW Craven, Jeff Noon and S. A. Cosby and many more!Just as Hitchcock adapted stories from literary giants like Daphne du Maurier, Patricia Highsmith, and Roald Dahl, Birds, Strangers and Psychos unites todays literary stars to craft new suspenseful tales that are destined to thrill, haunt, and unsettle. This volume is not just a collection of stories its an invitation to rediscover the artistry of suspense.
The next novella in the New York Times bestselling Sworn Soldier series, featuring Alex Easton investigating the dark, mysterious depths of a coal mine in America, from Hugo and Nebula Award-winning author T. Kingfisher. Perfect for fans of Silvia Moreno-Garcia and Stephen Graham Jones.Alex Easton does not want to visit America.They particularly do not want to visit an abandoned coal mine in West Virginia with a reputation for being haunted.But when their old friend Dr. Denton summons them to help find his lost cousinwho went missing in that very minewell, sometimes a sworn soldier has to do what a sworn soldier has to do...
#1 New York Times bestselling author pulls from Slavic folklore to explore family, duty, and what it means to be a monster in this sequel to the USA Today bestselling When Among CrowsA funeral. A heist. A mission born of desperation.When someone in Dymitrs family dies, hes called back home for the Empty Night, a funeral rite intended to keep evil at bay.The secret Dymitr is keeping from them makes returning home downright dangerous, but if he wants to get his hands on a book of curses that might appease Baba Jagas blood lust, he has no choice. And when that same funeral brings ferocious creature-of-legend Niko to town for his own bloody purposes, Dymitrs charade becomes impossible to maintain.Family gatherings can be brutal. Dymitrs might just be fatal.