European Mystery

Inspired by 50 years of Cuban literary noir, from Cold Tales by Virgilio Piera to Reinaldo Arenas' Before Night Falls, Robert Arellano's Havana Lunar intertwines an insider testimony on the collapse of socialist Cuba with a psychological mystery.

When Charlotte McKay wakes up in a hospital bed with no memory of how she got there, all she wants is to go back to the perfect London flat she shares with her husband, and the impressive career she’s worked so hard to build. But something’s not right. Her husband David is at her bedside - but so is a three-year-old girl, and she’s calling Charlotte "Mummy"....

Antique salvager, counterfeiter, and former art forger Jota knows his newest commission pays suspiciously well, but it’s too easy to turn down. All he has to do is find an old clock that apparently has disappeared after being sold in the auction of a bankrupt estate. In Madrid’s El Rastro market, where whisper networks of shady and ambitious hustlers promise generous rewards for minimal favors, what sounds too good to be true usually is, but the last thing Jota is expecting to uncover is his own past.

The Beetle tells the tale of an evil, ancient Egyptian spirit seeking revenge on an up-and-coming British politician, Paul Lessingham. The shape-shifting creature that pursues Lessingham is possessed of hypnotic powers and takes different forms, both male and female, as well as morphing into a beetle - a figure that induces terror in its victims.

Lucy Hall arrives in the Seychelles determined to leave her worries behind. The tropical paradise looks sun-soaked and picture-perfect - but as Lucy soon discovers, appearances can be very deceptive. A deadly secret lurks in the island's history, buried deep but not forgotten. And it is about to come to light. As black clouds begin to gather over what promised to be a relaxing family break, Lucy realises that her father stands in the eye of the coming storm.

A German advocate of the Kaiser discovers he is a facial/physical match for young Englishman Everard Dominey, who is near death after harrowing experiences in Africa. The remarkable doppelgänger resemblance leads Major-General Baron Leopold Von Ragastein to infiltrate the UK in perfect disguise. He wants to lead his country’s efforts as Europe is racing toward war. Part of the plan is to murder Dominey and have the Baron take his place in English society.

An unscrupulous womanizer, as devoid of morals now as he once was full of idealistic fervor, returns to Italy, where he is wanted for a series of crimes. To earn himself the guise of respectability, he is willing to go as far as murder.

Valencia, Spain, 1491. The ambitions of four men collide in a deadly game of intrigue. David Sanz, a young militiaman, is forced to carry out a heinous crime, and he becomes an unwitting pawn in a tense battle for power. Luis Peráto, the duke of Sagrat, sacrifices his own people to cover up dark secrets that could see him burnt at the stake for treason. Sergio Garcia, Sagrat’s lord treasurer, is a cruel and unscrupulous man, willing to eliminate anyone who opposes his rise to power. The inquisitor, Gaspar de Amo, zealously punishes heretics for their sins against Rome.

When Gemma discovers a pair of ancient duelling pistols encrusted with rubies in the basement of the local museum, she is immediately intrigued. On a fateful night in 1838 two sisters were found shot in the cellars of Red Hill Hall. And when Gemma begins to delve deeper into their history, she begins to realise that the secrets of that night are darker than anyone had ever imagined. As the shocking events of the past begin to unravel, Gemma’s own life starts to fall apart.

When murders in the poverty-stricken Liberties are credited to a savage dark beast with the soul of a recently deceased serial killer, Alderman James knows he must take on the case. He sees an all too human hand at work and is determined to win over the people he once let down so badly. With only the duplicitous and deceitful Hellfire Club member, Mr. Edwards, for assistance, James ventures out in the cold, snowy streets in search of the true killer. Can he solve the case and redeem himself once and for all? Or will the fear and anger in the streets finally boil over into chaos?

The opening story in this collection follows Vinny, Kevin, and a mourning family from Liverpool on a journey to Wales. What should be a simple trip turns into something much darker. A cross between Roddy Doyle and Ken Follett, this political storytelling meets you wherever you are on life’s journey, and stays with you.

Kaitlin Maverick has become a bored housewife. After leaving a thriving life in Toronto to accompany her husband, Paul Maverick, on his professional pursuits in the scenic yet slower-paced life of Stavanger, Norway, Kaitlin's newlywed bliss subsides faster than she would have thought. Lacking stimulation and purpose, Kaitlin impulsively gravitates towards the thrills that ensue the moment she runs into mysterious Finn Du Feu and his peculiar group of friends working and living in the Scandinavian woods.

"- Elle a mis un #MeToo. Une espèce d'onde de choc envahit mon sternum. Tout mon corps se raidit. Comme une agression. - Putain, mais qu'est-ce qu'elle ressort cette histoire d'il y a dix mille ans ? C'est pas possible ! - C'était pas il y a dix mille ans, c'était il y a six ans, Edouard. - Et elle dit quoi ? - Elle raconte tout." Edouard et Alison, dite Ali, sont en couple depuis deux ans quand l'ex d'Edouard publie un #MeToo dans lequel elle accuse un de leurs amis de l'avoir violée. Au cours des quelques heures qui suivent, le destin d'Edouard et d'Ali bascule à tout jamais.

When Perry ends up in Venice on a European tour with his band Inchworm, he can’t resist a visit to Harry’s Bar, where Gobi told him she’d meet him someday. The last time he saw Gobi, five people were assassinated one crazy night in New York City. Well... Gobi shows up, and once again Perry is roped into a wild, nonstop thrill ride with a body count. Double crossings, kidnappings, CIA agents, arms dealers, boat chases in Venetian canals, and a shootout in the middle of a Santa Claus convention ensue.

Corrupt elements of the South African Intelligence Services are stalking Morne Delport, a South African industrialist and his eclectic band of friends. When no one is watching, their phones are tapped, they are followed, and violence is sanctioned against them. They are in a race to save their countrymen, and forever separate themselves from the legacy of Apartheid, but powerful forces have other plans. They are watching and wanting their wealth for their own.

The low taverns and backroom gambling dens of Dublin are a long fall for an English nobleman. It is in these environs, however, where the growling evil within Thomas Olocher feels most at home. Each night, his darkness grows as he continues his cascade down toward the ultimate evil. Can Alderman James, ever seeking redemption for his own dark past, stop Olocher before it's too late?

A famous Hollywood director arrives in Bologna to remake a cult film and the city's renown cinema archive decides to mark the occasion with a screening of the original, only to discover it has disappeared. After English detective Daniel Leicester follows the trail of Love Upon a Razorblade to an apparent murder-suicide, he begins to suspect there may be more at stake than missing negatives—could the film contain a clue to one of the city's most enduring mysteries?

London Rose, 33 ans, réalise, lorsque son petit ami de longue date la demande en mariage, qu'un avenir des plus prévisible, qu'une vie dénuée de passion et digne d'un long fleuve tranquille l'attend. Elle perd les pédales et s'enfuit - accepte un emploi outre Atlantique, guide touristique sur un bateau de croisière européen haut de gamme, avec escales quotidiennes dans un pays différent. London rêve d'une vie plus romantique, authentique et passionnante, ailleurs, quelque part.

It started out with a missing child, then came the slaughter of wild animals and now—what exactly? People are being brutally murdered in the town of Centerpoint and Sheriff Ted Colson has no idea who is behind it. He is unpopular and needs to get a handle on this soon. Some people feel it is the start of a new wave of evil over the town like that of almost two years previous, but Ted doesn't want to believe this. He can't believe this.

Anthony Bacon returns after 13 years in France to live in his brother’s house at Gray’s Inn. Though seldom strong enough to leave his rooms, his gouty legs never hinder his agile mind. He’s built the most valuable intelligence service in Europe. Now the Bacon brothers are ready to offer it to the patron with the deepest pockets. Then Francis finds a body lying near Anthony’s coach. The clues point to Anthony’s secretary. Worse, the murdered man had been spreading rumors that could destroy Anthony’s reputation.