Robert Barnard Livres

It was midday on December 21st in the city of Tromsø when the boy was last seen - a tall, blond boy swathed in anorak and scarf against the Arctic noon. After that he wasn't seen again, not until three months later, when Professor Mackenzie's dog started sniffing around in the snow and uncovered a human ear - attached to a naked corpse. Nobody knew who he was, or where he had come from. And after three months it was almost impossible to track down the identity of the corpse. But Inspector Fagermo refused to give up - and as he probed deeper into the Arctic city he began to discover a dangerous conspiracy of blackmail, espionage, and cold-blooded murder.

Inspector Perry Trethowan reads in the obituaries that his estranged father has died under peculiar circumstances: he was fooling around with a form of self-torture called strappado. At the request of his supervisor, Peter returns to his ancestral home to determine if any of his cousins or siblings might have helped the old man to his bizarre end

Caroline Fawley is living in the Yorkshire village of Alderley. Her wealthy boyfriend keeps her in the lap of luxury. Life couldn't get much better. Then her boyfriend Marius goes missing and later a body turns up and that idyllic life is completely shattered. Originally published: 2002.

After a twenty-year absence, Merlyn Cantelo returns to Leeds to attend his late aunt Clarissa's funeral. Far from being welcomed back into the fold of his large and quarrelsome family, he is viewed by many with suspicion and distrust ? especially since his timely reappearance has thwarted the prospect of a tidy inheritance. However, all is more complex than it seems. The teenage Merlyn only fled his home at the vehement insistence of his sometimes clairvoyant aunt, who foresaw for him a life blighted by violence and death. Moreover, the root of this danger supposedly lies somewhere within the family? Merlyn knows that if he is to discover whether his aunt's fears were justified, he must come to terms with his tragic past ? and delve into the murky history of the Cantelo family.

Thoroughly updated to include writers such as Caryl Churchill, Brian Friel, Martin Amis and Graham Swift, this book remains the best overall survey of English literature available. Robert Barnard looks selectively at the most important writers within each period from the time of Chaucer, and focuses on one or two of their works in detail. He deals briefly with the earlier periods and more fully with the last two centuries, moving right to the present with a detailed coverage of the post-war novel and theatre. In the best sense eclectic, his book draws together history, criticism, established ideas and fresh views.

From master mystery writer Robert Barnard, this early novel, first published in 1979, received an Edgar Award nomination for "Best Novel." Scribner reissues this beloved work from a respected name in crime writing. Sir Oliver Fairleigh-Stubbs, an overweight and overbearing figure, collapses and dies at his birthday party while indulging in rare liquors. Despite promising his daughter to be polite and charitable, the strain proves too much for him. His death leaves a family relieved to be free of his domineering presence and a fortune amassed from his success as a bestselling mystery author. Surprisingly, his elder son, who openly despised him, inherits most of the estate, while his wife, daughter, and younger son receive royalties from a single, carefully chosen book. However, the manuscript of an unpublished volume, a potential goldmine left to Sir Oliver's wife, has vanished. As suspicions grow about the nature of Sir Oliver's death, Inspector Meredith, a spirited Welshman resembling the author's fictional hero, enters the scene. In Barnard's adept hands, Meredith's investigation unfolds as a classic example of detection, infused with elegance and humor, revealing the complexities of family dynamics and the darker side of literary fame.

England's celebrated, multiple-award-winning master crime novelist returns with a witty and poignant chiller about the evil of gossip and the sin of indifference. Father Christopher Pardoe is a good priest who genuinely cares for his parishioners but is also burdened by human weaknesses. His frequent visits to a young single mother, Julie Norris, raise eyebrows, especially as her bedroom curtains remain closed during these visits. Rumors swirl when it appears Julie may be pregnant again, leading to Father Pardoe's suspension from St. Catherine's. Meanwhile, Cosmo Horrocks, a sensational journalist, seizes the opportunity to exploit the scandal, stirring up a narrative filled with sex and intrigue. As questions arise about Julie's past and her estrangement from her parents, the tension escalates. When murder strikes, Inspector Mike Oddie and Sergeant Charlie Peace uncover raw emotions—hate and fear—beneath the town's surface. The investigation reveals that while there may be one killer, many share in the town's guilt. Rich with eccentric characters, crisp dialogue, and perceptive insights into human nature, this story delves into the complexities of morality and the consequences of indifference.