Roads of Destiny

O. Henry

O. Henrys unique style of writing will introduce you to story filled of mystery, suspense and of course a decision. A decision which will lead a certain main character to three roads of which he must choose from. A collection of 22 short stories: Roads of Destiny, The Guardian of the Accolade, The Discounters of Money, The Enchanted Profile, Next to Reading Matter, Art and the Bronco, Phobe, A Double-dyed Deceiver, The Passing of Black Eagle, A Retrieved Reformation and others. The title story of the volume Roads of Destiny, a story allegorical in nature, deals with that all important moment of choice: the decision to act, speak, or dress in a way which seems to determine the whole course of a life. O. Henry builds his own concept suggesting that the choice is not so much among different fates as among different versions of the same fate.

On the Spot. Violence and Murder in Chicago

Edgar Wallace

Set in Chicago, and written in 1931 by Edgar Wallace, On the Spot truly reflects the horror of gang life in Prohibition Chicago. Tony Perelli, the gang boss, recruits men for his gang and women for his bed with the same ruthlessness and rapidly arranges for their disposal when they become a nuisance. But Minn Lee, the half-Chinese widow, is a little too much for him, and as she gradually learns the extent of his treachery, she plans a revenge... The constant threat of death, the interaction between cops and gangsters, love gone wrong, love gone right, loss of youth, bootlegging, prostitution... its all here and beautifully handled by Edgar Wallace.

A Pair of Blue Eyes. A Novel

Thomas Hardy

The heroine of the novel is a young Elfrid. She can easily charm anyone with the look of her blue eyes. In her life, two appear, a young architect and an experienced writer. Former friends become rivals, and Elfrida is faced with a painful choice.

The Luck of the Spindrift

Max Brand

A Novel of Adventure. A quest for a fabulous treasure. The ordeal of Sam Culver. He gets mugged and shanghaied aboard the ship Spindrift. A race for exquisite pearls belonging to a man who is about to die. Prolific in many genres Max Brand wrote historical novels, detective mysteries, pulp fiction stories and many more. "The Luck of the Spindrift" is not the usual Max Brand Western - its a South Seas treasure hunt adventure. The plot is well constructed with well drawn subsidiary characters and provides a number of interesting twists.

Up and Down

E.F. Benson

This is another work of art from Benson. The novel describes many events in England: the First World War, the mentality of that time, the life of the British and visitors there. The first half of the book describes reflections on war. The denouement we can see more sentimental.

The Old Curiosity Shop

Charles Dickens

1839. It tells the story of Nelly Trent and her grandfather as they wander the English countryside, north of London, trying to evade Daniel Quilp, probably Dickens most evil villain. Nells grandfather has borrowed money from Quilp to support a gambling habit and has lost everything, including the curiosity shop. But Quilp isnt sitting still, his spies are everywhere. Meanwhile a stranger is also looking for Nells grandfather. Dickenss depiction of the fate of his main characters is famously harrowing and unfailingly suspenseful, but not the least of its charms is that it is embellished with a supporting cast of figures as grotesque and colorful as anything in the Old Curiosity Shop itself.

Studium w szkarłacie

Arthur Conan Doyle

Doktor medycyny John H., weteran wojenny, powraca do Londynu. Tu poznaje ekscentrycznego detektywa amatora Sherlocka Holmesa. Wkrótce potem Holmes dostaje list od oficera Scotland Yardu z prośbą o pomoc w rozwikłaniu zagadki morderstwa Enocha Drebbera. Jego zwłoki znaleziono w pustym domu. Na ciele denata brak obrażeń, w kieszeniach pozostały pieniądze, na ręce złoty zegarek. Przyczyna zgonu pozostaje nieznana. Tym większą zagadkę stanowi napis rache (po niemiecku: zemsta) uczyniony krwią na ścianie. Sherlock Holmes i doktor Watson rozpoczynają śledztwo. Ślady prowadzą wiele lat w przeszłość do Ameryki, sekty mormonów i zemsty za zło sprzed wielu lat.

The Croquet Player

Herbert George Wells

A soul-corrupting evil invades the remote English village of Cainsmarsh, infesting the minds of the local residents. Dark events are plaguing its people. An elderly woman stiffens in dread at her own shadow; a terrified farmer murders a scarecrow; food prepared by others is eyed with suspicion; family pets are bludgeoned to death; loving couples are devoured by rage and violence. People are becoming suspicious of every move each other makes. Children are coming to school with marks on them. A spirit-corrupting evil pervades the land, infesting the minds of those who call Cainsmarsh home... Is this vision real, or a paranoid fantasy? And is the call to resist the danger itself a danger? These are questions that disturb the calm of an indolent croquet player who happens to hear the tale of the unlucky village. H. G. Wellss ambiguous story of horror is a modern classic, a prophetic, disturbing glimpse of the primitive distrust and violence that gnaw at the heart of the modern world.