This gripping thriller from bestselling author Nicci French captivates readers with its intense plot and psychological depth. It weaves a complex narrative filled with suspense, unexpected twists, and richly developed characters, ensuring an exhilarating reading experience. As the story unfolds, it explores themes of trust, betrayal, and the darker sides of human nature, keeping readers on the edge of their seats until the final page.
'I thought I had made myself clear. I want something that conveys her majesty, her bloodline. Do you understand? She is no ordinary mortal. Treat her thus.'Florence, the 1560s. Lucrezia, third daughter of Cosimo de' Medici, is free to wander the palazzo at will, wondering at its treasures and observing its clandestine workings. But when her older sister dies on the eve of marriage to Alfonso d'Este, ruler of Ferrara, Modena and Reggio, Lucrezia is thrust unwittingly into the limelight: the duke is quick to request her hand in marriage, and her father to accept on her behalf.Having barely left girlhood, Lucrezia must now make her way in a troubled court whose customs are opaque and where her arrival is not universally welcomed. Perhaps most mystifying of all is her husband himself, Alfonso. Is he the playful sophisticate her appears before their wedding, the aesthete happiest in the company of artists and musicians, or the ruthless politician before whom even his formidable sisters seem to tremble?As Lucrezia sits in uncomfortable finery for the painting which is to preserve her image for centuries to come, one thing becomes worryingly clear. In the court's eyes, she has one duty: to provide the heir who will shore up the future of the Ferrarese dynasty. Until then, for all of her rank and nobility, her future hangs entirely in the balance.
When the world's largest search engine / social media company merges with the planet's dominant e-commerce site, it creates the richest and most dangerous-and, oddly enough, most beloved-monopoly ever known: The Every. Delaney Wells is an unlikely new hire. A former forest ranger and unwavering tech skeptic, she charms her way into an entry-level job with one goal in mind: to take down the company from within. With her compatriot, the not-at-all-ambitious Wes Kavakian, they look for the company's weaknesses, hoping to free humanity from all-encompassing surveillance and the emoji-driven infantilization of the species. But does anyone want what Delaney is fighting to save? Does humanity truly want to be free? Studded with unforgettable characters and lacerating set-pieces, The Every blends satire and terror, while keeping the reader in breathless suspense about the fate of the company - and the human animal.
One of Sarah's daughters died. But can she be sure which one? ∗THE SUNDAY TIMES NUMBER ONE BESTSELLING NOVEL∗ A terrifying psychological thriller perfect for fans of THE GIRL ON THE TRAIN. A year after one of their identical twin daughters, Lydia, dies in an accident, Angus and Sarah Moorcraft move to the tiny Scottish island Angus inherited from his grandmother, hoping to put together the pieces of their shattered lives. But when their surviving daughter, Kirstie, claims they have mistaken her identity - that she, in fact, is Lydia - their world comes crashing down once again. As winter encroaches, Angus is forced to travel away from the island for work, Sarah is feeling isolated, and Kirsty (or is it Lydia?) is growing more disturbed. When a violent storm leaves Sarah and her daughter stranded, Sarah finds herself tortured by the past - what really happened on that fateful day one of her daughters died?
El día que Mae Holland es contratada para trabajar en el Círculo, la empresa de internet más influyente del mundo, sabe que se le ha concedido la oportunidad de su vida. A través de un innovador sistema operativo, el Círculo unifica direcciones de email, perfiles de redes sociales, operaciones bancarias y contraseñas de usuarios dando lugar a una única identidad virtual y veraz, en pos de una nueva era de civilidad y transparencia. Mae está entusiasmada con la modernidad y la actividad de la compañía, las espaciosas oficinas de diseño, las cafeterías acristaladas y las acogedoras instalaciones del campus. Cada día se celebran fiestas, conciertos al aire libre y actividades deportivas. Hay clubs de todo tipo, e incluso puede visitarse un exclusivo acuario de peces exóticos de la fosa de las Marianas. Mae se siente afortunada de formar parte del centro del mundo, a pesar de que se aleje cada vez más de su vida fuera del campus y de que su rol dentro del Círculo acabe siendo de dominio público. Lo que empieza como la fascinante historia de ambición e idealismo de una mujer se convierte en una trepidante novela de suspenso que plantea cuestiones tan vitales como la memoria, el pasado, la privacidad, la democracia y los límites del conocimiento humano
In a rising Saudi Arabian city, far from weary, recession-scarred America, a struggling businessman pursues a last-ditch attempt to stave off foreclosure, pay his daughter's college tuition, and finally do something great. In A Hologram for the King, Dave Eggers takes us around the world to show how one man fights to hold himself and his splintering family together in the face of the global economy's gale-force winds. This taut, richly layered, and elegiac novel is a powerful evocation of our contemporary moment -- and a moving story of how we got here. 'Haunting, beautifully shaped and sad . . . Eggers has developed an exceptional gift for opening up the lives of others so as to offer the story of globalism as it develops and, simultaneously, to unfold a much more archetypal tale of struggle and loneliness and drift.' Pico Iyer, The New York Times Book Review 'A comic but deeply affecting tale about one man's travails that also provides a bright, digital snapshot of our times.' Michiko Kakutani, The New York Times A 2012 National Book Award Finalist
Tillie Harris's life is in disarray—her husband is away on business, the boxes in her new home aren't unpacked, and the telephone isn't even connected yet. Though she's not due for another month, sudden labor pains force Tillie to reach out to her estranged father for help, a choice that means facing the painful memories she's been running from since she was a little girl. An extraordinary debut from a talented new voice, Up from the Blue untangles the year in Tillie's life that changed everything: 1975, the year her mother disappeared.
Aan het eind van de 19e eeuw groeit de vriendschap van een intelligent, belezen meisje en de pastoor van het Zuid-Franse Rennes-le-Château uit tot een diepe liefde.