Триллеры - Страница 36

Espionage was always a game, but now British spy Mark Hardwicke wants to retire and settle down with ex-­lover Dr. Stephen Thorpe -- if Stephen will have him. Unfortunately, Stephen has other plans -- and so do the terrorists who want Mark dead.

His romantic weekend in ruins, shy twenty-­something artist Perry Foster learns that things can always get worse when he returns home from San Francisco to find a dead body in his bathtub. A dead body in a very ugly sportscoat -- and matching socks. The dead man is a stranger to Perry, but that's not much of a comfort; how did a strange dead man get in a locked flat at the isolated Alton Estate in the wilds of the "Northeast Kingdom" of Vermont? Perry turns to help from "tall, dark and hostile" former navy SEAL Nick Reno -- but is Reno all that he seems?

Clever and ambitious, Special Agent Adam Darling (yeah, he's heard all the jokes before) was on the fast track to promotion and success until his mishandling of a high profile operation left one person dead and Adam "On the Beach." Now he's got a new partner, a new case, and a new chance to resurrect his career, hunting a cruel and cunning serial killer in a remote mountain resort in Oregon. Deputy Sheriff Robert Haskell may seem laid-back, but he's a tough and efficient cop -- and he's none too thrilled to see feebs on his turf -- even when one of the agents is smart, handsome -- and probably gay. But a butchered body in a Native American museum is out of his small town department's league. For that matter, icy, uptight Adam Darling is out of Rob's league, but that doesn't mean Rob won't take his best shot.

Paul Hammond is dead. That’s what tough and sexy LAPD Detective Daniel Moran tells his lover, Hollywood actor Sean Fairchild—and Sean wants to believe him, but what about those threatening postcards in Hammond’s handwriting? What about the fact that he’s seeing Hammond everywhere he goes? Yes, Sean’s had some emotional problems in the past, but that was a long time ago and he’s not imagining things, so why is Dan looking at him that way?The last thing Sean needs is someone doubting him, especially when he’s competing for the coveted leading role in the screen adaptation of The Charioteer. But then again, as ex-lover and manager Steve points out, what does Sean really know about his new boyfriend?Dan is a dark horse—and maybe Sean is betting too much on this relationship. It's not just Sean’s career at stake, or his relationship, or even his sanity—-it’s his life.

Reporter Nathan Doyle had his reasons to want Phil Arlen dead, but when he sees the man's body pulled from the La Brea tar pit, he knows he'll be the prime suspect. He also knows that his life won't stand up to intense police scrutiny, so he sets out to crack the case himself. Lieutenant Matthew Spain's official inquiries soon lead him to believe that Nathan knows more than he's saying. But that's not the only reason Matt takes notice of the handsome journalist. Matt's been drawn to men before, but he must hide his true feelings—or risk his entire career. As Nathan digs deeper, it becomes increasingly difficult to stay one step ahead of Matt Spain—and to deny his intense attraction to him. Nathan's secrets may not include murder, but has his hunt put him right in the path of the real killer?

From the Foreword by J.­A. Konrath: "Crouch is one of the best thriller short story writers I know. He uses words like an artist uses a paintbrush; to hurt, to stun, to shock, to provoke, to touch. This collection also features my very favorite short story of all time. Not just my favorite by Crouch, but the best one I've ever read by anyone. It's called "Unconditional.­" It is flat-­out brilliant and unforgettable, and that one tale is worth the price of this entire collection.­" From the author of DESERT PLACES and LOCKED DOORS comes this complete collection of short stories and novellas. *69 - Tim and Laura West receive a bizarre voicemail on their answering machine that seems to have unintentionally recorded a brutal murder. But what happens when the killer realizes their mistake? This story develops over one terrifying evening, and this young couple will never be the same. REMAKING - Tragic events unfold in a snowy, sleepy Colorado town. From the first scene, in which a man sits alone in the cold, watching a father and son in a diner, you know something is about to go horribly wrong. You may think you know what's happening, but in this thrilling, heartbreaking story, nothing is as it seems. ON THE GOOD, RED ROAD - A group of four hard men trying to reach a remote 19th Century mining town become stranded in an early blizzard and resort to drastic, terrifying measures, to stay alive. SHINING ROCK - An older couple encounter a strange and menacing visitor during a camping trip in the North Carolina mountains. Friendly at first, this stranger seems to know them, seems to know their secrets, and as things escalate, they become convinced that they may never leave these mountains alive. PERFECT LITTLE TOWN - Ron and Jessica Stahl are a power couple from California, on a Christmas holiday in Colorado. When they stop for the afternoon in sleepy Lone Cone, they're charmed by the quaint tourist town. But the folksy hospitality will vanish as the sun drops behind the mountains. The Stahls couldn't have picked a worse night of the year to get snowed into this perfect little town with a dark, dark secret. SERIAL - The classic horror short I wrote with J.­A. Konrath, in which we turn our attention to the twin golden rules of hitchhiking: # 1: Don't go hitchhiking, because the driver who picks you up could be certifiably crazy. # 2: Don't pick up hitchhikers, because the traveler you pick up could be a raving nutcase. So what if, on some dark, isolated road, Crazy #1 offered a ride to Nutcase #2? THE NEWTON BOYS' LAST PHOTOGRAPH - At 25 words, the shortest story I ever wrote. But it packs a wallop. THE METEOROLOGIST - Peter, a disgraced meteorologist and chronic wanderer, has traveled the country for years in his Winnebago, in search of the only thing that gives his life meaning. He's just arrived in the middle of nowhere-­Hokie, Kansas-­for the same purpose, but when he meets a waitress named Melanie, another sufferer, he's faced not only with his first real human contact in years, but perhaps someone who can save him. UNCONDITIONAL - A conversation between two people-­devastating, tragic, and beautiful. THE PAIN OF OTHERS - Letty Dobesh, a gorgeous, degenerate thief, is fresh out of the clink and back to her old tricks-­in this case, burglarizing suites at a luxury hotel in Asheville, North Carolina. But when she's surprised by returning guests on her last room of the day, she's forced to hide in the closet to avoid getting caught, and inadvertently overhears a hitman being contracted to murder the wife of a wealthy lawyer. This 60,­000-­word short story collection also contains a foreword by J.­A. Konrath and introductions to each story by the author. BLAKE CROUCH is the author of four novels and numerous short stories, including "Serial" which he co-­wrote with J.­A. Konrath and has been downloaded more than 300,­000 times. He lives in southwest Colorado, where he is at work on a new book. His website is www.­blakecrouch.­co

On Christmas Day in 1893, every man, woman, and child in a remote gold-mining town disappeared, belongings forsaken, meals left to freeze in vacant cabins—and not a single bone was ever found. One hundred sixteen years later, two backcountry guides are hired by a history professor and his journalist daughter to lead them to the abandoned mining town so they can learn what happened. Recently, a similar party had also attempted to explore the town and was never heard from again. Now the area is believed to be haunted. This crew is about to discover, twenty miles from civilization with a blizzard bearing down, that they are not alone, and the past is very much alive.

From the author of DESERT PLACES, ABANDON, and “Serial,­” comes this 1500-­word short story which is an excellent and affordable introduction to the author’s work. “Unconditional” explores a devastating conversation between two people after unimaginable events have occurred. To say more would spoil the revelatory nature of how this story unfolds.

Вадим, эмигрант из России, приезжает во французский Лорд и останавливается в небольшом отеле, чтобы здесь, в тиши, поправить здоровье после недавнего инсульта. Дочь хозяев Кассандра берется присмотреть за ним. Как-то, прогуливаясь в саду, Вадим набрел на заброшенный сарай. Он заглянул в мутное окошко и увидел внутри труп. Возможно, это были всего лишь галлюцинации не вполне оправившегося после болезни человека, так как, вернувшись к сараю уже вместе с Кассандрой, Вадим не обнаружил там мертвеца. Но отчего же Кассандра вела себя так странно, будто она была совсем не той, за кого себя выдавала? Вадиму удалось разговорить ее брата Анибаля, и тот признался, что до смерти боится сестру. Потому что она – мертвец…  

Независимая и демократичная, богатая и процветающая, спокойная и сытая – такой всегда являлась Швеция в представлениях иностранцев. Однако со временем стало ясно, что эта благолепная картина – лишь фасад, лоск на котором тщательно наводили в стране в течение многих лет. Как и везде в мире, здесь широко распространены и процветают многие человеческие пороки. Величайшие мастера жанра предупреждают в своих рассказах о страшных последствиях гнева, жестокости, алчности, зависти, темной страсти, ксенофобии и других «цветов зла». Оса Ларссон, Ингер Фриманссон, Валё и Шеваль, Манкель и Нессер… И конечно же, сам Стиг Ларссон!

Майже яку Стівена Кінга… Чотирнадцятирічна дівчинка у гніві бажає родині згинути, і та справді щезає. Двадцять п’ять років по тому, коли у Синтії вже є власна сім’я, їй вдається вийти на слід батьків і брата. Але над кожним, хто якимось чином причетний до цієї загадкової справи, нависає чорна тінь смерті… Роман Лінвуда Барклея стане справжнім відкриттям для шанувальників психологічних трилерів. Переклад Віктора Шовкуна

Злой гений человека создал существо, которому нет равных в природе по безжалостности и силе. Упиваясь своим могуществом, движимое одним инстинктом – убивать, оно уничтожает все живое вокруг.

Someone's left a man's body in Donald Strachey's car -- the grandson of Albany's most connected political fixer. A letter from the deceased asks Strachey to dismantle his grandfather's party machine. Like a chess master, Strachey moves ten suitcases, an army of colorful pawns (all of whom think they're king), and $2.5 million across the continent and around Albany. One of the funniest in the series. (Filmed for release by HereTV in 2008; originally published 1986.)

Three different persons all want to hire gay private detective Donald Strachey to prove that somebody other than they killed Paul Haig, the son of a rich, politically connected lush. The real fun begins when Strachey discovers that the common thread linking Haig to all his potential employers is "reparative" therapist (i.e., one of the kind that "cures" homosexuals) Vernon Crockwell, whose hatred of homosexuals is exceeded only by that of Haig's mother. Stevenson's dialogue grows increasingly hilarious as his hero deals with these two characters whose every other word derides the very person they're asking to help save them. As in other Strachey mysteries, the detective's tranquilly domestic relationship with his longtime lover stands in refreshing contrast to affairs in most other gay novels, with their less contented leading characters. 

Gay activist and accused murderer Billy Blount's missing, but Albany PI Donald Strachey doubts Billy's guilt. The 1981 book that launched Richard Stevenson's pioneering series is a cracking mystery and a fascinating trip into bygone gay culture before HIV, in the bad old days of bath houses and gay disco, police corruption and tacit policies of harassment.

Роман Питера Бенчли, появившийся в 70-х годах XX века, сразу завоевал необыкновенную популярность у читателей и стал культовой книгой. Вдохновившись сюжетом романа, молодой, тогда еще никому не известный кинорежиссер Стивен Спилберг создал свой шедевр — фильм ужасов «Челюсти», открывший новую эпоху в развитии кинематографа. Книга неоднократно переиздавалась многотысячными тиражами на разных языках. Мы рады представить вам русское издание этого мирового бестселлера.

Страшной, БЕШЕНОЙ смертью умирают пациенты, пораженные неведомой болезнью… С БЕШЕНОЙ силой ведутся бесчеловечные эксперименты, цель которых — раскрытие секрета вечной молодости… БЕШЕНАЯ алчность обуревает исследователя Карла Валленберга, надеющегося обогатиться за счет престарелых клиентов, которые мечтают об омоложении… Справедливое БЕШЕНСТВО охватывает доктора Тоби Харпер, предпринявшую собственное расследование тяжких преступлений, когда она обнаруживает истинную причину смертей… Зло будет остановлено — правда, ценой немалых потерь. Потому что Зло БЕШЕНО по своей природе, а у Добра права на БЕШЕНСТВО — нет.

В Сиднее зверски убита молодая норвежка Ингер Холтер. На помощь австралийским коллегам полиция Осло посылает следователя Харри Холе. В Австралии Харри подстерегает множество неожиданностей. Здесь он обретет и потеряет и добрых друзей, и свою большую любовь. А поиски жестокого убийцы, подобного страшному змею Буббуру из сказаний австралийских аборигенов, станут для Харри глубоко личным делом и превратятся в смертельную схватку с загадочным и многоликим врагом.

Все начинается с чудовищного и необъяснимого расстрела жителей небольшого города в самом сердце Соединенных Штатов. Это преступление приводит полицейских в состояние полного недоумения. Почему снайпер оставил после себя столько явных улик? Он словно хотел быть пойманным. И почему, когда подозреваемого берут под арест, он произносит: «Найдите мне Джека Ричера»?Интрига развивается по куда более сложному и запутанному сценарию, нежели поначалу представляется полиции.