Given its extraordinary span, its international scope, and its variant styles and groundbreaking stylists, A Century of Great Suspense Stories is a singular achievement. A bestselling master of suspense himself Jeffery Deaver had the enviable task of selecting from the thousands of stories written over the past one hundred years those which best represented the classic form, as well as the justly celebrated authors whose ironic twists and stunning payoffs left a lasting, vivid, and unnerving impression. The result is a triumph. In this ambitious anthology you’ll revel in the sardonic, overtly amoral plotting of Patricia Highsmith. You’ll rediscover the strangely poignant and surprising turns of Stanley Ellin, and the profoundly underrated Margaret Millar, a genius who mixed savage social satire with brooding horror. You’ll be treated to Stephen King at his chilling best. You’ll find yourself on the violent urban streets of Ross Macdonald and Mickey Spillane, and seeped in the ominous regional flavor of Sharyn McCrumb and Tony Hillerman. You’ll marvel at the cunning webs spun by Lawrence Block, Ruth Rendell, Anthony Boucher, and Sara Paretsky, all of whom defy expectations as they reinvent the genre. And you’ll understand the awesome reputations of those authors who set the standard, such as the legendary Harlan Ellison, Fredric Brown, the master of the twist ending, and James M. Cain, uncannily skilled at knowing what went on between men and women behind closed doors. (The darker the room the better.) Delivering everything from the one-two punch of the detective story to the ingeniously precise trappings of the police procedural, from the disquieting corners of the criminal mind to sheer dread-inducing horror, A Century of Great Suspense Stories is a rich anthology of this popular literary genre, a stunning tribute to the art of storytelling, and to the men and women who have done it best

Uno de los primeros clientes del abogado Paul Madriani es Jonah Hale, un anciano que se encuentra en un grave aprieto cuando Jessica, su hija, sale de la cárcel: Jonah y su esposa se han encargado de la educación de Amanda, su nieta de ocho años, debido a la drogadicción de la madre de la niña, pero, a raíz del importante premio que ha ganado el matrimonio en la lotería, Jessica decide secuestrar a la pequeña y pedir a su padre una gran suma de dinero si desea recuperarla. Jonah, que tiene la custodia legal, se niega, por lo que Jessica recurre a los servicios de Zolanda, una activista radical de los derechos de la mujer, que acusa a Jonah de haber abusado sexualmente de Amanda. El caso se complicará con un asesinato del cual Jonah será el principal sospechoso

Edited by #1 New York Times bestselling author David Baldacci and including stories by Michael Connelly, Lee Child, Jeffery Deaver, and more, this one-of-a-kind anthology pulls together the most beloved characters from the best and most popular thriller series today. Worlds collide! In an unprecedented collaboration, twenty-three of the world’s bestselling and critically acclaimed thriller writers have paired their series characters — such as Harry Bosch, Jack Reacher, and Lincoln Rhyme — in an eleven-story anthology curated by the International Thriller Writers (ITW). All of the contributors to FaceOff are ITW members and the stories feature these dynamic duos: • Patrick Kenzie vs. Harry Bosch in “Red Eye,” by Dennis Lehane and Michael Connelly • John Rebus vs. Roy Grace in “In the Nick of Time,” by Ian Rankin and Peter James • Slappy the Ventriloquist Dummy vs. Aloysius Pendergast in “Gaslighted,” by R.L. Stine, Douglas Preston, and Lincoln Child • Malachai Samuels vs. D.D. Warren in “The Laughing Buddha,” by M.J. Rose and Lisa Gardner • Paul Madriani vs. Alexandra Cooper in “Surfing the Panther,” by Steve Martini and Linda Fairstein • Lincoln Rhyme vs. Lucas Davenport in “Rhymes With Prey,” by Jeffery Deaver and John Sandford • Michael Quinn vs. Repairman Jack in “Infernal Night,” by Heather Graham and F. Paul Wilson • Sean Reilly vs. Glen Garber in “Pit Stop,” by Raymond Khoury and Linwood Barclay • Wyatt Hunt vs. Joe Trona in “Silent Hunt,” by John Lescroart and T. Jefferson Parker • Cotton Malone vs. Gray Pierce in “The Devil’s Bones,” by Steve Berry and James Rollins • Jack Reacher vs. Nick Heller in “Good and Valuable Consideration,” by Lee Child and Joseph Finder So sit back and prepare for a rollicking ride as your favorite characters go head-to-head with some worthy opponents in *FaceOff*—it’s a thrill-a-minute read

Defense attorney Paul Madriani gets caught in a web of deceit and murder involving Cold War secrets, a rare coin dealer who once worked for the CIA, and a furious assassin in one of the most entertaining novels yet in this New York Times bestselling series. A woman pauses in the hallway of a darkened San Diego beach house at night – listening for just the right moment when she can flee before her companion notices that she's gone. A man outside watches the same mansion, waiting for a sign that he can enter on his mission of blood and carnage. So begins this riveting new tale about Paul Madriani and his latest case – that of Katia, a woman accused of an unlikely crime – a trial that will unravel a careful but horrifying conspiracy. Madriani soon realizes that he's signed onto something much more sinister than a botched heist. As he searches for the truth that will clear Katia's name, he finds himself on a path that takes him from Southern California to Costa Rica, and, ultimately, to a secret buried since Castro's rise to power. Together with his partner, Harry Hinds, Madriani must piece together the threads of a decades-old conspiracy involving priceless gold coins, an aging American spy, a disaffected Russian soldier, and a forgotten weapon from the days of JFK and the Cuban Missile Crisis. As the separate strands of the story come together, Madriani finds information that will ultimately lead him to the one person who holds the key to it all: a man some call "The Guardian of Lies." In this fascinating thriller from New York Times bestselling author Steve Martini, Paul Madriani faces his most challenging – and most urgent – case yet, a breathless story that combines fact and fiction and will hold readers captive until its final, explosive conclusion

Stīvs Martini  Kritiskā masa Kas notiek Vašingtonā pirms iespējama ārkārtīgi spēcīga kodolieroča sprādziena? Uz pasauli no šāda redzes viedokļa varam paraudzīties detektīvromānu lielmeistara Stīva Martini grāmatā KalifornIjas Masveida iznīcināšanas ieroču apkarošanas institūtā nonāk informācija, ka no Krievijas izvesta ārkārtīgi bīstama kodolierīce. Institūta darbinieks Gideons van Rajs, kas izsekojis, ka bīstamā ieroča pēdas ved uz Amerikas krastiem, un jaunā advokāte Džoslina, paši sev negaidot, pēkšņi nokļūst dramatiskā un saspringtā notikumu virpulī - ugunslīnijā starp FIB un starptautisku teroristu organizāciju. No viņu drosmes un atjautības kļūst atkarīga cilvēces nākotne. No angļu valodas tulkojis Armīns Voitkāns Vāka autors Kristiāns Šics Noskannējis grāmatu un FB2 failu izveidojis Imants Ločmelis Apgāds "Kontinents" jau izdevis vienu no Stīva Martini labākajiem trilleriem Desmitnieks, kurā stāstīts par rakstnieku, kas ar savu darbu nokļuvis desmit labāko autoru vidū. Stīva Martini jaunais romāns tagad izvirzījis viņu pašu starp 20. gadsimta populārākajiem rakstniekiem © Stīvs Martini, 1998 © Tulkojums latviešu valodā, mākslinieciskais noformējums, ISBN 9984-621-08-1 Kontinents, 1999 Šī grāmata veltīta nesavtīgajiem zinātniekiem un zināt­niecēm, kas cenšas nepieļaut kodolieroču izplatīšanos, bet jo īpaši Krievijas ļaudīm, kam neiespējamos apstākļos iz­devies noturēt nāvējošo džinu pudelē. ATZINĪBA Šis darbs uzrakstīts ar daudzu cilvēku pamudinājumu un atbalstu. Viņu vidū ir arī mana ģimene un draugi, ari mans izdevējs Dž. P. Patnems, kas pacietīgi gaidīja manu­skriptu, redaktors Steisijs Krīmers un literārais aģents Ro­berts Gotlībs. Paldies viņiem par uzmundrinošu vārdu un atbalstu! īpaša pateicība pienākas manai sievai Leai par aso skatienu, viņai lasot manuskripta sākotnējos variantus. Nevar nepieminēt Monterejas Starptautisko studiju in­stitūta un Monterejas Kodolmateriālu izplatības studiju cen­tra ļaudis Kalifornijā. Viņiem esmu parādā pateicību par speciālajām zināšanām. īpaša pateicība pienākas doktoram Ēdamam Bernstainam, kas tagad strādā Sandijas laborato­rijā. Nedz centrs, nedz doktors Bernstains ne mazākajā mērā nav atbildīgi par grāmatā aplūkoto specifisko jautājumu at­spoguļošanu, jo viņi šim darbam roku nav pielikuši. Ja nu kādos jautājumos pieļauta kļūda, atbildīgs par to ir tikai au­tors. Doktors Bernstains man daudz palīdzēja, kad rakstīju par vairākām problēmām, kas saistītas ar radioaktīvo sain­dēšanos un tās atklāšanu. Esmu parādā pateicību daudziem centra darbiniekiem par padomu sarežģītajos jautājumos par kodoldrošību visā pasaulē un jo īpaši par iepazīstināšanu ar Krievijas vadītāju un zinātnieku atomfiziķu nesavtīgo dar­bu, jo viņi, par spīti smagajiem apstākļiem, spējuši nodro­šināt, ka "Kritiskās masas" sižets neiziet ārpus beletristikas ietvariem. 1998. gada aprīli Stīvs Martini Hirosimā atomsprādziens atstājis uz namu betona sie­nām un ielu seguma tās iedzīvotāju ēnas. Tās redzamas vēl šodien. Daļa cilvēku, kuri šīs ēnas atstājuši, nav atrasti. It kā viņu vispār nebūtu bijis. Dažiem, kas redzējuši zemē ie­dedzinātās ēnas, tās ir tikai vēstures kuriozs - pagājušā lai­ka tēli. Ja tas ir viss, ko nozīmē ēnas, tad šie ļaudis patie­šām ir vienaldzības eņģeļi

The Supreme Court is one of our most sacred – and secretive – public institutions. But sometimes secrets can lead to cover-ups with very deadly consequences. Terry Scarborough is a legal scholar and provocateur who craves headline-making celebrity, but with his latest book he may have gone too far. In it he resurrects forgotten language in the U.S. Constitution – and hints at a missing letter of Thomas Jefferson's – that threatens to divide the nation. Then, during a publicity tour, Scarborough is brutally murdered in a San Diego hotel room, and a young man with dark connections is charged. What looks like an open-and-shut case to most people doesn't to defense attorney Paul Madriani. He believes that there is much more to the case and that the defendant is a pawn caught in the middle, being scapegoated by circumstance. As the trial spirals toward its conclusion, Madriani and his partner, Harry Hinds, race to find the missing Jefferson letter – and the secrets it holds about slavery and scandal at the time of our nation's founding and the very reason Scarborough was killed. Madriani's chase takes him from the tension-filled courtroom in California to the trail of a high court justice now suddenly in hiding and lays bare the soaring political stakes for a seat on the highest court, in a country divided, and under the shadow of power

The Old Weatherman dreams of a plan that could be his swan song, an attack to drive a stake through the heart of the right-wing establishment and bury it for good. Now he's found the money, the ideal weapon, and the professional who knows how to use it. And he has set his sights on the perfect target at the very seat of the United States government, in the heart of downtown Washington. It will be a strike heard round the world. San Diego defense attorney Paul Madriani is still reeling from the trauma of a near nuclear explosion he helped avert at the naval base in Coronado. Threatened by federal authorities to keep quiet about the close call in California, Madriani is now faced with a new problem in the steely-eyed and alluring Joselyn Cole, a weapons control expert, who believes he has to go public with what he knows if they have any hope of stopping a similar event in the future. But Madriani has been linked to the murder of a Washington, D.C., political staffer, and authorities believe a shadowy figure called Liquida – a hired assassin known as "the Mexicutioner" – may be responsible. And this man, as the last survivor of the attack in San Diego, might be driven by a bizarre and horrifying star-crossed vendetta, and might now be looking for Madriani himself. What Madriani and Cole begin to fear is that the Old Weatherman and this madman have joined forces and intend to pull the city – and the country – into a vortex of terror before Madriani and Cole can find answers to the enigma that is "the rule of nine."

Аби Чандлис е написала прекрасна книга. За да стане тя бестселър обаче, трябват много шум и реклама, които са по силите само на голямо издателство. И на Холивуд. А за да се привлече тяхното внимание, са нужни не само талант, но и блестяща усмивка, неотразим чар и яки бицепси. Аби трябва да заиграе по правилата на един свят, в който значение имат най-вече младостта и красотата. Да се откаже от самоличността си и да им даде едно привлекателно мъжко лице за корицата. Джак Джърмейн има бурно минало, стоманеносини очи, магнетично излъчване и куп неиздадени ръкописи. И амбицията да стане писател. Представяйки се успешно за автор на книгата, той се превръща в любимец на издателите, медиите и публиката. Но парите и славата вървят ръка за ръка с измамата и престъплението. Неусетно Аби се оказва въвлечена във водовъртеж от насилие и смърт — от Сиатъл до Ню Йорк, от Южна Каролина до екзотичните Карибски острови. Убити са нейни приятели, в опасност е собственият й живот. Някой иска да си присвои авторските права. И милионите долари за тях

Адвокат Пол Мадриани сталкивается с паутиной международного заговора, обмана и убийств, когда берется защищать обворожительную костариканку Катю Солаз, обвиняемую в убийстве своего, как она считала, воздыхателя, престарелого Эмерсона Пайка, для которого девушка была всего лишь сыром в мышеловке, — ему нужны были ее фамильные связи… Карибский кризис, холодная война, наркокартели, новые американские технологии прослушки, ЦРУ и террористические операции Ближнего Востока — эти множественные нити уводят Мадриани в зловещую реальность

Любознательный человек часто задается вопросами, ответов на которые не существует. Просто потому, что проверить, «что будет, если…», невозможно. Кто победил бы в битве — Александр Македонский или Чингисхан? Кто быстрее и изящнее разобрался бы в тайне преступления — Шерлок Холмс или Эркюль Пуаро?.. Но на сей раз звезды современного мирового детектива и триллера воплотили в жизнь уникальную задумку — свели под одной обложкой главных персонажей своих романов. Впервые фантазии авторов сталкивают лицом к лицу Джека Ричера и Ника Хеллера, Грея Пирса и Коттона Малоуна, Линкольна Райма и Лукаса Дэвенпорта — кумиров миллионов читателей по всему миру. Противостояние героев — и их создателей… Кто победит?