It is 1951, and Jean-Luc Guéry has arrived in Indochina to investigate the murder of his brother, Olivier, whose body was found floating in a tributary of the Saigon River. As an avid reader of detective fiction, Guéry is well aware of how such investigations should proceed, but it is not immediately clear that he is capable of putting this knowledge into practice. In addition to being a reporter for an obscure provincial newspaper, he is also a failed writer, an incorrigible alcoholic, and a compulsive gambler who has already squandered a fortune in the casinos of the Côte d’Azur. Despite his dissolute tendencies, however, and his aversion to physical danger, Guéry does eventually manage to solve the case. In order to do so, he is obliged to enter a world of elaborate conspiracies, clandestine intelligence operations, and organized crime – only to discover, in the novel’s final pages, that the truth behind his brother’s murder is far stranger than he could have imagined.
Written in the style of Graham Greene and Eric Ambler, Too Far From Antibes is a ‘retro’ thriller that brilliantly evokes the city of Saigon during the early 1950s, when it was a centre of intrigue, insurgency, and empire.
London, 1952. Young man Hamid, adrift from his studies and from himself, uncertain of his future and that of Malaya, not yet a country. He wants to belong to something but is it to his Sultan, to a barely imagined nation or to the British Empire? The answer, he believes, is to find a wife.
In the Great Smog, he meets Tom Pelham, an old friend from Malaya and son of a former British Resident, who invites Hamid to spend Christmas at his family estate. Excited, Hamid anticipates reuniting with his childhood crush, Clare Pelham, only to be met with another pleasant surprise: Clare’s two competitive friends, Hermione and Margaret. Hamid finds them as exotic as they find him. Caught in the middle of the three women, Hamid does the unthinkable, loses Clare’s trust and is thrown out of the house. But all is not lost. Tom offers Hamid a route back to redemption and to Clare—if he spies for England.
Cold War Berlin, 1953. Hamid is sent to seduce an East German communist student leader. Abandoned in East Berlin when it is sealed off during a violent uprising (unknown today outside Germany), Hamid must save himself from Soviet tanks and rely on the unknown loyalties of a Soviet Colonel and especially on the wits of his mistress, loyal only to herself. Hamid must cross the final bridge to safety, to adulthood and to belonging to something, or to someone.
‘Man is not truly one but truly two.’
The good and evil are equal parts of a human; what happens when one loses control over their dark side, what chaos ensues then?
Set in Victorian London, Dr. Jekyll, a respected scientist, becomes consumed by the desire to understand the darker aspects of human nature. In an unchecked scientific experiment, he concocts a potion that transforms into his malicious alter ego called Mr. Hyde.
Through this experiment, Dr. Jekyll can observe why Hyde makes the choices he does and what drives the evil within him, which is also a reflection of what must drive the amoral actions of society at large.
While the experiment seems a success, the two personalities become increasingly intertwined, leading to a downward spiral of Dr. Jekyll’s morality, causing immense psychological turmoil.
In an intense psychological thriller, will Dr. Jekyll be able to regain control of his other side, and should there be any limitations to scientific ambitions?
‘It has long been an axiom of mine that the little things are infinitely the most important.’
On the treacherous grounds of Devonshire moors, lives Sir Charles Baskerville. One fine day he is found dead on the foggy moors, and the rumour is that a monstrous hound is responsible for this event.
As Sir Henry Baskerville, the last heir of the Baskerville estate, arrives from America to claim his inheritance, Holmes and Watson begin unravelling the dark secrets around the haunting murder.
Follows the famous detective Sherlock Holmes and his loyal companion Dr. John H. Watson though a thrilling investigation, as they the discover the supernatural and sinister curse that haunts the Baskerville family.
Their suspenseful journey highlights how the past continues to cast a dark shadow over the present, and the power of folklore and generational fears on the human mind.
‘Insensibly one begins to twist facts to suit theories, instead of theories to suit facts.’
A collection of twelve riveting detective stories featuring the iconic detective Sherlock Holmes and his loyal friend and chronicler, Dr. Watson. Set in Victorian London, the story engages readers with Holmes’s extraordinary problem solving and observation skills as he unravels complex mysteries.
The stories take readers on a thrilling journey through the shadowy streets of London, where Holmes tackles perplexing cases, from baffling murders and thefts to shocking disappearances. Alongside Holmes’s genius, Dr. Watson’s narration allows readers to witness Holmes’s methods and mind at work, capturing the essence of their enduring friendship.
‘This is a brief life, but in its brevity, it offers us some splendid moments, some meaningful adventures.’
Kimball O’Hara is a young orphan detective who lives in British India in the late 19th century. A street-smart child, he is fluent in several languages and recruited by the British Secret Service to help them gather intelligence on the Russian Empire.
Little Kim begins his journey across India, and he encounters a wide variety of people and cultures. He meets a Tibetan lama, a Hindu holy man, and a Pashtun tribesman.
Through his travels in the jungles, cities and the vibrant culture of India, Kim begins to explore what home means to him, is it in the sense of belonging he finds with the Lama so far away from his birthland?
Through his coming-of-age story, Kim’s adventures pay a homage to the inclusive, vibrant, and culturally diverse land of India.
When successful London real estate agent, Isabelle Goh, is left close to death in an attempted assassination, Detective Ayesha Nur begins a case that not only brings her face to face with her own demons, but sends her on a journey to unravel Goh’s long-hidden secrets. What happened a half-century ago in post-colonial Singapore? Who was baby Rosie and how did her disappearance so many years in the past lead to the shooting in modern-day London?
UNTIL EVEN THE ANGELS, Suzanne Scott Tomita’s debut literary crime novel, is a story of class division in a rapidly changing world, childhood friendships gained and lost, and bonds that erode, but can never be erased.
‘I’ve seen a lot of things in my time, but nothing comes close to this. I’ve never seen a body in that condition.’
In the heart of Kuala Lumpur, the naked body of a prominent investigative journalist is found in a foetal position with the hands covering her face. As forensic investigators attempt to move her hands, they discover that the entire skin of her face has been surgically removed. Fresh off their last case, Inspector Alysha (Aly) and her partner, Inspector Raj from CID Bukit Aman are assigned to investigate the murder.
As Aly and Raj embark on their investigation, more bodies of young women pile up in the same cryptic manner. Their investigative trail takes them from Kuala Lumpur to the tea plantations of Cameron Highlands and from there on to the quiet, sleepy town of Teluk Intan where they slowly begin to unravel secrets from the past that are seemingly linked to the case.
Before they know it, Aly and Raj find themselves on a quest to hunt their most dangerous adversary yet, someone with a dark past and an even darker mind, who is driven by something that none of us would ever think could twist the human mind to such an outré extent.
“It is better to learn wisdom late than never to learn it at all.”
An absolute treat for the fans of Sherlock Holmes or new readers eager to explore his world, this collection is the best Sherlock kit.
A collection of four novels written by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle: A Study in Scarlet (1887), The Sign of the Four (1890), The Hound of the Baskervilles (1902) and The Valley of Fear (1915).
The stories were first published in various magazines and newspapers between 1887 and 1927; and considered the benchmark in detective fiction. Sherlock Holmes does more than solving mysteries and crimes, he has been the ultimate desirable man because of his style, cigars, unattainability, humour, and stoic personality.
The reader is as swooned by the enigma of Holmes as they are engrossed in solving the difficulties of his cases. The friendship between Holmes and his sidekick Watson adds an endearing quality to the stories making them a classic for a reason.
“Nothing in the world is harder than speaking the truth and nothing easier than flattery.”
What happens when paramount self-belief leads to self-destruction. Raskolnikov’s is a student who believes he has the responsibility of using evil means to bring good to people; thereby committing murders.
As Raskolnikov is chased by a relentless investigator, his conscience starts to haunt him, tightening the grip of guilt. Amidst this turmoil, only Sonya, a marginalized sex worker, holds the key to his salvation.
Ultimately, Raskolnikov’s path leads him to a profound reckoning. Through suffering and self-realization, Raskolnikov discovers the true nature of happiness and the power of accepting and reciprocating love.
Crime and Punishment stands as a testament to Dostoevsky’s unparalleled ability to explore the depths of the human psyche, the complexities of truth, guilt, and the search for redemption.
