Editorial Content for Eden Undone: A True Story of Sex, Murder, and Utopia at the Dawn of World War II
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Reviewer (text)
They wanted paradise, but they couldn’t escape the dangerous intricacies of human nature. Dore Strauch Koerwin was a German woman coping with the debilitating nature of multiple sclerosis when she met Dr. Friedrich Ritter. Friedrich believed that diseases such as MS were more a product of the mind than a physical affliction. Dore found herself fascinated by the brilliant but cerebral doctor. She was married to a man who provided her with little affection or joy. Read More
Teaser
At the height of the Great Depression, Los Angeles oil mogul George Allan Hancock and his crew of Smithsonian scientists came upon a gruesome scene: two bodies, mummified by the searing heat, on the shore of a remote Galápagos island. For the past four years, Hancock and other American elites had traveled the South Seas to collect specimens for scientific research. On one trip to the Galápagos, Hancock was surprised to discover an equally exotic group of humans: European exiles who had fled political and economic unrest, hoping to create a utopian paradise. One was so devoted to a life of isolation that he’d had his teeth extracted and replaced with a set of steel dentures. As Hancock and his fellow American explorers would witness, paradise had turned into chaos.
Promo
At the height of the Great Depression, Los Angeles oil mogul George Allan Hancock and his crew of Smithsonian scientists came upon a gruesome scene: two bodies, mummified by the searing heat, on the shore of a remote Galápagos island. For the past four years, Hancock and other American elites had traveled the South Seas to collect specimens for scientific research. On one trip to the Galápagos, Hancock was surprised to discover an equally exotic group of humans: European exiles who had fled political and economic unrest, hoping to create a utopian paradise. One was so devoted to a life of isolation that he’d had his teeth extracted and replaced with a set of steel dentures. As Hancock and his fellow American explorers would witness, paradise had turned into chaos.
About the Book
An incredible true story of murder, romance and a fateful search for utopia in the Galápagos --- from the New York Times bestselling author of THE GHOSTS OF EDEN PARK.
At the height of the Great Depression, Los Angeles oil mogul George Allan Hancock and his crew of Smithsonian scientists came upon a gruesome scene: two bodies, mummified by the searing heat, on the shore of a remote Galápagos island. For the past four years Hancock and other American elites had traveled the South Seas to collect specimens for scientific research. On one trip to the Galápagos, Hancock was surprised to discover an equally exotic group of humans: European exiles who had fled political and economic unrest, hoping to create a utopian paradise. One was so devoted to a life of isolation that he’d had his teeth extracted and replaced with a set of steel dentures.
As Hancock and his fellow American explorers would witness, paradise had turned into chaos. The three sets of exiles --- a Berlin doctor and his lover, a traumatized World War I veteran and his young family, and an Austrian baroness with two adoring paramours --- were riven by conflict. Petty slights led to angry confrontations. The baroness, wielding a riding crop and pearl-handled revolver, staged physical fights between her two lovers and unabashedly seduced American tourists. The conclusion was deadly: with two exiles missing and two others dead, the survivors hurled accusations of murder.
Using never-before-published archives, Abbott Kahler weaves a chilling, stranger-than-fiction tale worthy of Agatha Christie. Set against the backdrop of the Great Depression and the march to World War II, with a mystery as alluring and curious as the Galápagos itself, EDEN UNDONE explores the universal and timeless desire to seek utopia --- and lays bare the human fallibility that, inevitably, renders such a quest doomed.
Audiobook available, read by Cassandra Campbell
Editorial Content for Precipice
Book
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Reviewer (text)
The Author’s Note from Robert Harris’ latest historical thriller, PRECIPICE, contains some eye-opening details about what you will be reading. Harris states that all of the letters and correspondence contained within the novel are real and taken directly from the originals. He also indicates that every character is real with the exception of intelligence officer Paul Deemer. Read More
Teaser
In 1914 London, 26-year-old Venetia Stanley --- aristocratic, clever, bored, reckless --- is part of a fast group of upper-crust bohemians and socialites known as “The Coterie.” She’s also engaged in a clandestine love affair with the Prime Minister, H. H. Asquith, a man more than twice her age. He writes to her obsessively, sharing the most sensitive matters of state. As Asquith reluctantly leads the country into war with Germany, a young intelligence officer with Scotland Yard is assigned to investigate a leak of top-secret documents. Suddenly, what was a sexual intrigue becomes a matter of national security that could topple the British government --- and will alter the course of political history.
Promo
In 1914 London, 26-year-old Venetia Stanley --- aristocratic, clever, bored, reckless --- is part of a fast group of upper-crust bohemians and socialites known as “The Coterie.” She’s also engaged in a clandestine love affair with the Prime Minister, H. H. Asquith, a man more than twice her age. He writes to her obsessively, sharing the most sensitive matters of state. As Asquith reluctantly leads the country into war with Germany, a young intelligence officer with Scotland Yard is assigned to investigate a leak of top-secret documents. Suddenly, what was a sexual intrigue becomes a matter of national security that could topple the British government --- and will alter the course of political history.
About the Book
A spellbinding novel of passion, intrigue and betrayal set in England in the months leading up to the Great War from the bestselling author of ACT OF OBLIVION, FATHERLAND, THE GHOSTWRITER and MUNICH.
Summer 1914. A world on the brink of catastrophe.
In 1914 London, 26-year-old Venetia Stanley --- aristocratic, clever, bored, reckless --- is part of a fast group of upper-crust bohemians and socialites known as “The Coterie.” She’s also engaged in a clandestine love affair with the Prime Minister, H. H. Asquith, a man more than twice her age. He writes to her obsessively, sharing the most sensitive matters of state.
As Asquith reluctantly leads the country into war with Germany, a young intelligence officer with Scotland Yard is assigned to investigate a leak of top-secret documents. Suddenly, what was a sexual intrigue becomes a matter of national security that could topple the British government --- and will alter the course of political history.
An unrivaled master of seamlessly weaving fact and fiction, PRECIPICE is another electrifying thriller from the brilliant imagination of Robert Harris.
Audiobook available, read by Samuel West
Editorial Content for An Eye for an Eye
Book
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Reviewer (text)
Jeffrey Archer's latest William Warwick novel is AN EYE FOR AN EYE. I had no idea when I started this thriller that it was part of a series, but it quickly became clear that the plethora of characters were ones that would be known to readers of the previous books. While I struggled a bit with all the names, the action and the plot were sufficiently intriguing that I wanted to find out what would happen next, and eventually the characters crystalized individually in my mind. Read More
Teaser
In one of the most luxurious cities on earth, a billion-dollar deal is about to go badly wrong. A lavish night out is about to end in murder. And the British government is about to be plunged into crisis. Lord Hartley, the latest in a line of peers going back over 200 years, lies dying. But his will triggers an inheritance with explosive consequences. Two deaths. Continents apart. No obvious connection. So why are they both at the center of a master criminal's plot for revenge? And can Scotland Yard's elite squad uncover the truth before it's too late?
Promo
In one of the most luxurious cities on earth, a billion-dollar deal is about to go badly wrong. A lavish night out is about to end in murder. And the British government is about to be plunged into crisis. Lord Hartley, the latest in a line of peers going back over 200 years, lies dying. But his will triggers an inheritance with explosive consequences. Two deaths. Continents apart. No obvious connection. So why are they both at the center of a master criminal's plot for revenge? And can Scotland Yard's elite squad uncover the truth before it's too late?
About the Book
In one of the most luxurious cities on earth…
A billion-dollar deal is about to go badly wrong. A lavish night out is about to end in murder. And the British government is about to be plunged into crisis.
In the heart of the British establishment…
Lord Hartley, the latest in a line of peers going back over 200 years, lies dying. But his will triggers an inheritance with explosive consequences.
Two deaths. Continents apart. No obvious connection.
So why are they both at the center of a master criminal's plot for revenge?
And can Scotland Yard's elite squad uncover the truth before it's too late.
Audiobook available, read by George Blagden
Editorial Content for America First: Roosevelt vs. Lindbergh in the Shadow of War
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Reviewer (text)
In AMERICA FIRST: Roosevelt vs. Lindbergh in the Shadow of War, historian H.W. Brands recreates the debate over America’s role in the lead-up to its entry into World War II. While the subtitle suggests that this issue became a battle between two iconic figures, the reality of the narrative is that this struggle included a large cast of characters from all corners of the world. But the focus of the book is on President Franklin D. Roosevelt and American aviator Charles Lindbergh. Read More
Teaser
Hitler's invasion of Poland launched a momentous period of decision-making for the United States. With fascism rampant abroad, should America take responsibility for its defeat? For Charles Lindbergh, saying no to another world war only 20 years after the first was the obvious answer. Lindbergh had become famous and adored around the world after his historic first flight over the Atlantic. In the years since, he had emerged as a vocal critic of American involvement overseas, rallying Americans against foreign war as the leading spokesman for the America First Committee. While Hitler advanced across Europe and threatened the British Isles, President Franklin Delano Roosevelt struggled to turn the tide of public opinion. Aided by secret British disinformation efforts in America, he readied the country for war.
Promo
Hitler's invasion of Poland launched a momentous period of decision-making for the United States. With fascism rampant abroad, should America take responsibility for its defeat? For Charles Lindbergh, saying no to another world war only 20 years after the first was the obvious answer. Lindbergh had become famous and adored around the world after his historic first flight over the Atlantic. In the years since, he had emerged as a vocal critic of American involvement overseas, rallying Americans against foreign war as the leading spokesman for the America First Committee. While Hitler advanced across Europe and threatened the British Isles, President Franklin Delano Roosevelt struggled to turn the tide of public opinion. Aided by secret British disinformation efforts in America, he readied the country for war.
About the Book
Bestselling historian and Pulitzer Prize finalist H. W. Brands narrates the fierce debate over America's role in the world in the runup to World War II through its two most important figures: President Franklin D. Roosevelt, who advocated intervention, and his isolationist nemesis, aviator and popular hero Charles Lindbergh.
Hitler's invasion of Poland in September 1939 launched a momentous period of decision-making for the United States. With fascism rampant abroad, should America take responsibility for its defeat?
For popular hero Charles Lindbergh, saying no to another world war only 20 years after the first was the obvious answer. Lindbergh had become famous and adored around the world after his historic first flight over the Atlantic in 1927. In the years since, he had emerged as a vocal critic of American involvement overseas, rallying Americans against foreign war as the leading spokesman the America First Committee.
While Hitler advanced across Europe and threatened the British Isles, President Franklin Delano Roosevelt struggled to turn the tide of public opinion. With great effort, political shrewdness and outright deception --- aided by secret British disinformation efforts in America --- FDR readied the country for war. He pushed the US onto the world stage where it has stayed ever since.
In this gripping narrative, H.W. Brands sheds light on a crucial tipping point in American history and depicts the making of a legendary president.
Audiobook available, read by Mark Bramhall
Editorial Content for The Hitchcock Hotel
Book
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Reviewer (text)
THE HITCHCOCK HOTEL opens with quotes from three Alfred Hitchcock films --- Strangers on a Train, Rope and Psycho --- which were based on a Patricia Highsmith novel, the Leopold and Loeb murder case, and serial killer Ed Gein. Read More
Teaser
Alfred Smettle is not your average Hitchcock fan. He is the founder, owner and manager of The Hitchcock Hotel, a sprawling Victorian house in the White Mountains dedicated to the Master of Suspense. There, Alfred offers his guests round-the-clock film screenings, movie props and memorabilia in every room, plus an aviary with 50 crows. To celebrate the hotel’s first anniversary, he invites his former best friends from his college Film Club for a reunion. He hasn’t spoken to any of them in 16 years, not after what happened. But who better than them to appreciate Alfred’s creation? And to help him finish it. After all, no Hitchcock set is complete without a body.
Promo
Alfred Smettle is not your average Hitchcock fan. He is the founder, owner and manager of The Hitchcock Hotel, a sprawling Victorian house in the White Mountains dedicated to the Master of Suspense. There, Alfred offers his guests round-the-clock film screenings, movie props and memorabilia in every room, plus an aviary with 50 crows. To celebrate the hotel’s first anniversary, he invites his former best friends from his college Film Club for a reunion. He hasn’t spoken to any of them in 16 years, not after what happened. But who better than them to appreciate Alfred’s creation? And to help him finish it. After all, no Hitchcock set is complete without a body.
About the Book
A Hitchcock fanatic with an agenda invites old friends for a weekend stay at his secluded themed hotel in this fiendishly clever, suspenseful new novel from the internationally bestselling author of DARLING ROSE GOLD.
Alfred Smettle is not your average Hitchcock fan. He is the founder, owner and manager of The Hitchcock Hotel, a sprawling Victorian house in the White Mountains dedicated to the Master of Suspense. There, Alfred offers his guests round-the-clock film screenings, movie props and memorabilia in every room, plus an aviary with 50 crows.
To celebrate the hotel’s first anniversary, he invites his former best friends from his college Film Club for a reunion. He hasn’t spoken to any of them in 16 years, not after what happened.
But who better than them to appreciate Alfred’s creation? And to help him finish it.
After all, no Hitchcock set is complete without a body.
Audiobook available, read by Michael Crouch, Gail Shalan and Helen Lloyd
Editorial Content for The Empusium: A Health Resort Horror Story
Contributors
Reviewer (text)
Nobel Prize winner Olga Tokarczuk writes crime novels tucked neatly into the most wondrous array of interesting humans and wild thoughts imaginable. With her precise and specific language (thanks also to her translator, Antonia Lloyd-Jones), THE EMPUSIUM takes a leap from Thomas Mann’s classic, THE MAGIC MOUNTAIN, and delves into the secret world of the turn-of-the-20th-century spa, a place where both mental and physical distress was to be challenged and transformed. Read More
Teaser
September 1913. A young Pole suffering from tuberculosis arrives at Wilhelm Opitz’s Guesthouse for Gentlemen in the village of Görbersdorf, a health resort in the Silesian mountains. Every evening the residents gather to imbibe the hallucinogenic local liqueur and debate the great issues of the day: Monarchy or democracy? Do devils exist? Are women born inferior? War or peace? Meanwhile, disturbing things are happening in the guesthouse and the surrounding hills. Someone --- or something --- seems to be watching, attempting to infiltrate this cloistered world. Little does the newcomer realize, as he tries to unravel both the truths within himself and the mystery of the sinister forces beyond, that they have already chosen their next target.
Promo
September 1913. A young Pole suffering from tuberculosis arrives at Wilhelm Opitz’s Guesthouse for Gentlemen in the village of Görbersdorf, a health resort in the Silesian mountains. Every evening the residents gather to imbibe the hallucinogenic local liqueur and debate the great issues of the day: Monarchy or democracy? Do devils exist? Are women born inferior? War or peace? Meanwhile, disturbing things are happening in the guesthouse and the surrounding hills. Someone --- or something --- seems to be watching, attempting to infiltrate this cloistered world. Little does the newcomer realize, as he tries to unravel both the truths within himself and the mystery of the sinister forces beyond, that they have already chosen their next target.
About the Book
The Nobel Prize winner's latest masterwork, set in a sanitarium on the eve of World War I, probes the horrors that lie beneath our most hallowed ideas.
September 1913. A young Pole suffering from tuberculosis arrives at Wilhelm Opitz’s Guesthouse for Gentlemen in the village of Görbersdorf, a health resort in the Silesian mountains. Every evening the residents gather to imbibe the hallucinogenic local liqueur and debate the great issues of the day: Monarchy or democracy? Do devils exist? Are women born inferior? War or peace?
Meanwhile, disturbing things are happening in the guesthouse and the surrounding hills. Someone --- or something --- seems to be watching, attempting to infiltrate this cloistered world. Little does the newcomer realize, as he tries to unravel both the truths within himself and the mystery of the sinister forces beyond, that they have already chosen their next target.
A century after the publication of THE MAGIC MOUNTAIN, Olga Tokarczuk revisits Thomas Mann territory and lays claim to it, with signature boldness, inventiveness, humor and bravura.
Audiobook available, read by Antonia Lloyd-Jones and Natasha Soudek