The night was cloaked in a heavy shroud of rain, the relentless downpour turning the city's alleys into rivers of filth and grime. Neon signs flickered uncertainly, casting eerie, fragmented light on the wet pavement. The air was thick with the scent of decay and the distant hum of urban life. A lone figure hurried down the narrow alley, their footsteps echoing ominously against the brick walls. It was here, in this forgotten corner of the city, that the body was found. She lay crumpled against the cold, unforgiving bricks, her lifeless eyes staring into the void. The young woman, no more than twenty-five, had been brutally murdered, her body bearing the unmistakable marks of a violent struggle. Blood pooled around her, mingling with the rainwater, creating a macabre scene that would haunt the nightmares of anyone who saw it. The call came in at 2 AM, rousing Detective Samantha Cross from a restless sleep. She arrived at the scene, her sharp eyes taking in every detail, every clue. The alley was cordoned off, uniformed officers keeping curious onlookers at bay. The victim's purse lay a few feet away, its contents scattered—a stark reminder of a life abruptly cut short. Samantha knelt beside the body, her gloved fingers gently moving aside a strand of the woman's hair. She studied the victim's face, noting the fear frozen in her final expression. The brutality of the crime spoke volumes, but it was the small, seemingly insignificant details that caught Samantha's attention—the torn fabric of her dress, the dirt under her fingernails, the faint scent of expensive cologne lingering in the air. Her partner, Peter Harrison, arrived shortly after, his expression a mix of grim determination and quiet sympathy. Together, they began the painstaking process of piecing together the last moments of the young woman's life. As the first light of dawn began to break through the storm clouds, Samantha and Peter knew one thing for certain: this was no random act of violence. The meticulous nature of the crime, the precision with which it had been carried out, pointed to something far more sinister. The investigation had only just begun, but already the shadows were closing in. Detective Samantha Cross would need every ounce of her skill and intuition to uncover the truth behind the Harlow murder, a truth that would lead her into the dark heart of a high-stakes world of power, deception, and deadly secrets.

The city streets were slick with rain, the night sky a heavy canvas of swirling gray clouds. Neon lights cast a kaleidoscope of colors on the wet pavement, but the vibrancy of the scene was deceptive. In a narrow, forgotten alley, far from the bustling nightlife, a dark secret lay hidden beneath the surface. The body of a young woman was found, crumpled and lifeless against the cold brick wall. Her eyes, wide open in perpetual fear, stared blankly into the void. The brutality of her murder was evident in the deep, jagged wounds that marred her once-beautiful face. Blood mingled with rainwater, creating a macabre river that flowed silently into the gutter. Detective Samantha Cross arrived at the scene, her mind already racing through the possibilities. She moved with purpose, her sharp eyes missing nothing. The alley was cordoned off, the flashing blue lights of police cars casting an eerie glow. Uniformed officers kept the curious at bay, their faces set in grim lines. Samantha knelt beside the body, her gloved fingers gently lifting a strand of the victim's hair. She studied the scene with the practiced eye of a seasoned detective, noting the torn fabric of the woman's dress, the dirt under her nails, and the faint scent of expensive cologne that lingered in the air. Her partner, Peter Harrison, arrived moments later, his presence a steadying force in the chaos. Together, they began the painstaking process of gathering evidence, piecing together the fragments of a life that had been violently cut short. As they worked, a name surfaced—Lucas Blackwell, a high-profile businessman with a seemingly perfect alibi. The connection was tenuous, a thread of suspicion woven into a fabric of lies. But Samantha's instincts told her there was more to the story, a hidden truth that lay beneath the surface. Pressure mounted from her superiors to close the case quickly. The city wanted answers, and they wanted them now. But Samantha was not one to be rushed. She had seen too many cases ruined by hasty conclusions and overlooked details. In the dim light of the alley, she made a silent vow to the young woman whose life had been stolen: she would uncover the truth, no matter how deep she had to dig, no matter how many lies she had to unravel. The investigation was just beginning, but already Samantha could feel the weight of it pressing down on her. The shadows were closing in, and with each step she took, the veil of lies grew thinner. It was only a matter of time before the truth was revealed. And when it was, there would be no hiding from the consequences.

First published in 1889, this novel has two main plots; one set in the real world at the time the book was published (the Victorian era), the other in the fictional world of Fairyland.

'He is, as Proust was before him, the great literary chronicler of his culture in his time.' GUARDIAN 'A Dance to the Music of Time' is universally acknowledged as one of the great works of English literature. Reissued now in this definitive edition, it stands ready to delight and entrance a new generation of readers. In this first volume, Nick Jenkins is introduced to the ebbs and flows of life at boarding school in the 1920s, spent in the company of his friends: Peter Templer, Charles Stringham, and Kenneth Widmerpool. Though their days are filled with visits from relatives and boyish pranks, usually at the expense of their housemaster Le Bas, a disastrous trip in Templer’s car threatens their new friendship. As the school year comes to a close, the young men are faced with the prospects of adulthood, and with finding their place in the world.

What can we do to prevent more atrocities from happening in the future, and to stop the ones that are happening right now? That the World May Know tells the powerful and moving story of the successes and failures of the modern human rights movement. Drawing on firsthand accounts from fieldworkers around the world, the book gives a painfully clear picture of the human cost of confronting inhumanity in our day.

Published under a pseudonym, J. K. Rowling's brilliant debut mystery introduces Detective Cormoran Strike as he investigates a supermodel's suicide in "one of the best books of the year" (USA Today), the first novel in the brilliant series that inspired the acclaimed HBO Max series C.B. Strike. After losing his leg to a land mine in Afghanistan, Cormoran Strike is barely scraping by as a private investigator. Strike is down to one client, creditors are calling, and after a breakup with his longtime girlfriend, he's living in his office. Then John Bristow walks through his door with a shocking story: His sister, the legendary supermodel Lula Landry -- known to her friends as the Cuckoo -- famously fell to her death a few months earlier. The police ruled it a suicide, but John refuses to believe that. The case plunges Strike into the world of multimillionaire beauties, rock-star boyfriends, and desperate designers, and it introduces him to every variety of pleasure, enticement, seduction, and delusion known to man. You may think you know detectives, but you've never met one quite like Strike. You may think you know about the wealthy and famous, but you've never seen them under an investigation like this.