The Gentle Axe

The Gentle Axe
Author: R. N. Morris
Publisher: Penguin
Total Pages: 416
Release: 2008-03-25
Genre: Fiction
ISBN: 1101221291

Fresh off the case of a deranged student who murdered his landlady, noted police investigator Porfiry Petrovich barely takes a breath before a bizarre and very grisly double murder lands him back on the streets of the tsarist St. Petersburg he knows all too well. The sardonic sleuth follows a trail from the drinking dens of the Haymarket district to an altogether more genteel stratum of society-a hunt that leads him to a conclusion even he will find shocking. In the tradition of such first-rate historical novels such as The Alienist and The Dante Club, The Gentle Axe is atmospheric and tense storytelling from its dramatic opening to its stunning climax.

A Gentle Axe

A Gentle Axe
Author: R. N. Morris
Publisher: Faber & Faber
Total Pages: 0
Release: 2007
Genre: Detective and mystery stories
ISBN: 9780571232055

Fresh off the case of a deranged student who murdered his landlady, noted police investigator Porfiry Petrovich barely takes a breath before a bizarre and very grisly double murder lands him back on the streets of the tsarist St. Petersburg he knows all too well.

Iron Axe

Iron Axe
Author: Steven Harper
Publisher: Open Road Media
Total Pages: 399
Release: 2024-09-17
Genre: Fiction
ISBN: 1504096886

Death asks a half-troll and his friends to save the world in this epic fantasy series debut by the author of the Clockwork Empire series. Although Danr is the son of a human mother, his father was one of the hated Stanes, trolls from the mountains. Now the barrel-chested teenager is condemned to hard labor on a farm where he endures taunts of “Troll boy” from the others. Yet no matter how bad things get, he always remembers the advice of his recently departed mother: be gentle and do not unleash the monster inside. One of Danr’s few friends in the village, Aisa, was sold into slavery by her father and is now controlled by an abusive man. She keeps herself covered from head to toe and dreams of a better future. She and Danr hope to escape and make their way to freedom, but a series of dark events soon stirs up chaos. Strange creatures come down from the mountains, slaughtering villagers. Spirits of the dead haunt the land, terrifying those that are still alive. As rumors spread about the Stanes’ involvement, Danr decides to find out the truth, taking Aisa and an amnesiac new friend with him. Soon they are called up by Death herself to set things right. At Death’s request, the group sets out to recover the Iron Axe. Crafted by the dwarves, it is capable of restoring balance in the world—and destroying it, too. Along the way, Danr must call upon the monster within to face fierce and fantastic creatures while discovering truths that will change their lives forever. “[Turns] common tropes on their heads. . . . [Harper’s] reinterpretations of trolls, giants, and fae folk give this series opener a fresh feeling, while his nods to Norse mythology and folklore root it strongly in fantasy tradition.Readers will be eager to see what’s in store for Aisa and Danr.” —Publishers Weekly “Brought back fond memories of a classic fantasy book while still offering a wonderfully unique take on the genre. . . . Steven Harper created a world that I never got tired of exploring.” —The Qwillery “The story holds all of the adventure, magic, and mystery I have come to expect from the genre. . . .[It] follows a hero’s journey . . . with energy and artfulness.” —Wicked Little Pixie

Mannequin House

Mannequin House
Author: R. N. Morris
Publisher: Severn House Publishers Ltd
Total Pages: 283
Release: 2013-04-01
Genre: Fiction
ISBN: 1780103875

London, 1914. Called out to investigate the murder of a fashion model employed by the House of Blackley, a prestigious Kensington department store, Detective Inspector Silas Quinn of Scotland Yard’s Special Crimes Department is thrown into the bizarre: the chief murder suspect is a monkey. He may be sceptical, but how will Quinn ever get to the truth when faced with the maelstrom of seething jealousy, resentment, forbidden desires and thwarted passion that is the Mannequin House?

A Gentle Axe

A Gentle Axe
Author: Morris, R N
Publisher:
Total Pages: 256
Release: 2021-01-06
Genre:
ISBN:

St Petersburg Mysteries Series - Book One "Exceptionally compelling ... A Gentle Axe has a vast depth of Russian soul; mysterious, compassionate, and utterly irresistible." Alan Furst St Petersburg in the Winter of 1866. Two frozen bodies are found in Petrovsky Park. The first - that of a dwarf - has been packed neatly in a suitcase, a deep wound splitting his skull in two. The second body, of a burly peasant, is hanging from a nearby tree, a bloody axe tucked into his belt. Magistrate Porfiry Petrovich - investigating his first murder case since the homicides recorded in Dostoevsky's 'Crime and Punishment' - suspects the truth may be more complex than others wish him to believe. Porfiry's investigation leads him from the squalid tenements, brothels and drinking dens of the city's Haymarket district to an altogether more genteel stratum of society. As he gets deeper and deeper in, the connections between the two spheres begin to multiply, while his anger and his terror mount. Everyone he meets is hiding secrets. Everywhere he turns, his way is blocked. Porfiry Petrovich faces his most challenging murder case since the crimes of Raskolnikov in a case with disturbing parallels and even darker implications. Atmospheric and tense from its dramatic opening to its shocking climax, A Gentle Axe explores the darkest places of the human heart with tremendous energy, empathy and wit. Recommended for fans of Alan Furst, CJ Sansom and Boris Akunin. R.N. Morris is the author of the Porfiry Petrovich series of historical crime novels, featuring the investigating magistrate from Dostoevsky's masterpiece Crime and Punishment. He has also written six novels set in London in 1914: Summon Up The Blood, The Mannequin House, A Dark Palace, The White Feather Killer and The Music Box Enigma. His latest novel is Fortune's Hand, a novel about Walter Raleigh. Praise for Roger Morris: "An extraordinary excursion into the past by a master storyteller. I have never read a book quite like it, nor admired a book so much." Michael Gregorio "Morris' recreation of the seamy side of 19th-century St Petersburg is vivid and convincing ... As to who did it, Morris keeps the reader guessing until the end." The Independent "Morris has created an atmospheric St Petersburg, and a stylish set of intellectual problems, but what makes A Gentle Axe such an effective debut is its fascination with good and evil." Times Literary Supplement "As fans of Morris's previous A Gentle Axe will know, this author not only has the nerve to lift his lead character from Dostoevsky's Crime and Punishment but also the skill to bring that distant Russia and its inhabitants to life, while drawing parallels with our own world." The Guardian "The streets of St Petersburg are vividly portrayed as the author shows the imperial Russian capital on the brink of upheaval... If you like historical crime novels, you will enjoy this." Historical Novels Review "Morris's descriptions of the horrors of insanitary slum dwellings in St Petersburg are extraordinarily vivid, but the most striking feature of the novel is the way in which Porfiry's sophisticated understanding of human nature compensates for the limited investigatory tools at his disposal." The Times "... a book that satisfies on more than one level - as a story of investigation and also as a historical novel crammed with sharply individualised characters." Andrew Taylor in the Spectator

The Axe and the Throne

The Axe and the Throne
Author: M. D. Ireman
Publisher: Createspace Independent Publishing Platform
Total Pages: 0
Release: 2016-01-15
Genre: Fantasy fiction
ISBN: 9781523483228

It is a fool's errand and Tallos knows it, but against his own better judgment and the pleading of his wife, Tallos has committed himself to a voyage north. His lifelong friend's eldest sons are said to have been taken by Northmen, a raiding people ill-reputed for their savagery. The boys are already dead, Tallos knows, and in that dark place of grim reasoning he wishes only to find their corpses quickly so he can fulfill his promise and return to his wife. Instead, he finds something far worse.

My Italian Bulldozer

My Italian Bulldozer
Author: Alexander McCall Smith
Publisher: Anchor
Total Pages: 219
Release: 2017-04-04
Genre: Fiction
ISBN: 1101871407

The best-selling author of the No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency series returns with an irresistible new novel about one man’s adventures in the Italian countryside. Paul Stuart, a renowned food writer, finds himself at loose ends after his longtime girlfriend leaves him for her personal trainer. To cheer him up, Paul’s editor, Gloria, encourages him to finish his latest cookbook on-site in Tuscany, hoping that a change of scenery (plus the occasional truffled pasta and glass of red wine) will offer a cure for both heartache and writer’s block. But upon Paul’s arrival, things don’t quite go as planned. A mishap with his rental-car reservation leaves him stranded, until a newfound friend leads him to an intriguing alternative: a bulldozer. With little choice in the matter, Paul accepts the offer, and as he journeys (well, slowly trundles) into the idyllic hillside town of Montalcino, he discovers that the bulldozer may be the least of the surprises that await him. What follows is a delightful romp through the lush sights and flavors of the Tuscan countryside, as Paul encounters a rich cast of characters, including a young American woman who awakens in him something unexpected. A feast for the senses and a poignant meditation on the complexity of human relationships, My Italian Bulldozer is a charming and intensely satisfying love story for anyone who has ever dreamed of a fresh start.

I was Dora Suarez

I was Dora Suarez
Author: Derek Raymond
Publisher: Melville House
Total Pages: 210
Release: 2011
Genre: Fiction
ISBN: 1935554603

In this book, the reader is immediately plunged into the horrific mind of one of the most brutally damaged and murderous killers the unnamed Detective Sergeant has ever faced: a deranged axe-murderer. But why the victim--the gentle Dora Suarez--was murdered at all becomes the Sergeant's obsession, especially as he digs deeper into a diary she left behind and learns she was already dying of AIDS. So why kill her?

Touching Spirit Bear

Touching Spirit Bear
Author: Ben Mikaelsen
Publisher: Harper Collins
Total Pages: 324
Release: 2010-04-20
Genre: Juvenile Fiction
ISBN: 0062009680

In his Nautilus Award-winning classic Touching Spirit Bear, author Ben Mikaelson delivers a powerful coming-of-age story of a boy who must overcome the effects that violence has had on his life. After severely injuring Peter Driscal in an empty parking lot, mischief-maker Cole Matthews is in major trouble. But instead of jail time, Cole is given another option: attend Circle Justice, an alternative program that sends juvenile offenders to a remote Alaskan Island to focus on changing their ways. Desperate to avoid prison, Cole fakes humility and agrees to go. While there, Cole is mauled by a mysterious white bear and left for dead. Thoughts of his abusive parents, helpless Peter, and his own anger cause him to examine his actions and seek redemption—from the spirit bear that attacked him, from his victims, and, most importantly, from himself. Ben Mikaelsen paints a vivid picture of a juvenile offender, examining the roots of his anger without absolving him of responsibility for his actions, and questioning a society in which angry people make victims of their peers and communities. Touching Spirit Bear is a poignant testimonial to the power of a pain that can destroy, or lead to healing. A strong choice for independent reading, sharing in the classroom, homeschooling, and book groups.

Havana Bay

Havana Bay
Author: Martin Cruz Smith
Publisher: Random House Digital, Inc.
Total Pages: 354
Release: 2001
Genre: American fiction
ISBN: 0345390458

A novel about the murder of a Russian man in Cuba.