This is a murder-mystery story set in England and has at its center the Ainsleigh family. They are an ancient aristocratic family who had been once very wealthy until one of their numbers died in China and, consequently, the family is now supposedly cursed.

Are you struggling to find meaning in your life? Then you are a victim of the Mandarin Effect. This is one of the most sinister features of the modern world, and is being highlighted here for the first time. The force that most contributes to the crisis of meaning is the last one you would expect. Who are the Mandarins and how are they ruining the world? What can be done about them? Who are the small group that can combat the Mandarins, and why have they been airbrushed out of history, as if they never existed? Come inside and read the extraordinary story of a hidden war that is shaping the destiny of the human race. Humanity is currently losing. But, thanks to one group, hope is not yet extinguished.

Produced by Biblioteca Nacional Digital ( http://bnd.bn.pt ), Rita Farinha and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net

From the Records of Secret Agent “X” comes Curse of the Mandarin’s Fan (1938) written by G.T. Fleming-Roberts writing as Brant House. Chang was the lord of the Chinese underworld and Lim Toy was the goddess of the opium dens. Secret Agent X had no choice but to descend into the catacombs of the dragon. Curse Of The Mandarin’s Fan (1938) – Chang, Lord of Chinatown’s secret catacombs, ruler of an empire of hell—held the dire curse of a fan of evil. And the blood of the innocent was shed with the blood of the guilty . . . And even Secret Agent X, nemesis of master criminals, found himself hopelessly entangled in the mad vortex of crime’s rival kings. Chapter I – Queen of the Black Smoke Chapter II – Room of Sudden Sleep Chapter III – The Curse of Chang Chapter IV – The Brass Boot Chapter V – Death of Strange Design Chapter VI – Blue Madness Chapter VII – Master of Agony

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • Inspired by the real-life rainbow-colored Mandarin Duck who appeared in New York’s Central Park in 2018, this modern fable by Bette Midler celebrates the connections people make with each other and the world around them. How do you get people to appreciate what is right in front of them? In The Tale of the Mandarin Duck, it takes a mysterious, beautiful duck and a clear-eyed kid to point out the obvious! Bette Midler’s distinctive voice joins striking photos of the real duck by Michiko Kakutani and charming black-and-white drawings by Joana Avillez. This book will have readers of all ages coming back to visit the fantastical interpretation of New York City and its odd ducks—both feathered and human. An afterword by Ms. Kakutani adds details to the facts behind this one-of-a-kind story of the Mandarin Duck.