A Strike To The Heart

This coming of age novel by the acclaimed Belgian author is “a disarmingly simple yet deeply complex study of a mother-daughter relationship” (The Washington Post). One of the Washington Post’s 50 Notable Works of fiction in 2018 Marie is the prettiest girl in her provincial high school, and dating the most popular boy in town. She is the envy of all her peers—and she loves it. But when she gives birth to Diane, things begin to change. Diane steals the hearts of all who meet her, inciting nothing but jealousy in her mother. This is Diane’s story. Young and brilliant, she grows up learning about life through her relationships with other women: her best friend, the sweet Élisabeth; her mentor, the selfish Olivia; her sister, the beloved Célia; and, of course, her mother. It is a story about the baser sentiments that often animate human relations: rivalry, jealousy, distrust. Revered throughout Europe, Belgian novelist Amélie Nothomb has won numerous prizes, including the French Academy’s Grand Prix. In Strike Your Heart, she offers a telling adult fable about womanhood and the mother-daughter bond.

***The 7th novel in the Strike series, THE RUNNING GRAVE, is coming in September 2023. Pre-order now and be the first to read it*** THE NUMBER ONE SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER, JULY 2023 'A superlative piece of crime fiction' SUNDAY TIMES 'There can be no denying [Galbraith's] considerable talents as a crime writer' GUARDIAN 'Fans will be as entranced as ever' DAILY MAIL When frantic, dishevelled Edie Ledwell appears in the office begging to speak to her, private detective Robin Ellacott doesn't know quite what to make of the situation. The co-creator of a popular cartoon, The Ink Black Heart, Edie is being persecuted by a mysterious online figure who goes by the pseudonym of Anomie. Edie is desperate to uncover Anomie's true identity. Robin decides that the agency can't help with this - and thinks nothing more of it until a few days later, when she reads the shocking news that Edie has been tasered and then murdered in Highgate Cemetery, the location of The Ink Black Heart. Robin and her business partner Cormoran Strike become drawn into the quest to uncover Anomie's true identity. But with a complex web of online aliases, business interests and family conflicts to navigate, Strike and Robin find themselves embroiled in a case that stretches their powers of deduction to the limits - and which threatens them in new and horrifying ways . . . A gripping, fiendishly clever mystery, The Ink Black Heart is a true tour-de-force.

She's fiercely independent. He's determined to protect her. Wisconsin, 1933--When a routine mission becomes an ambush that kills his team, Craft Agency sniper Miles Wright determines to find the persons responsible and protect the woman he rescued. But the fierce independence that led Lily Moore to leave her family's dairy business for the solitary life of a dog trainer and the isolation of her farm don't make that easy. Neither does his unwanted attraction to her. Meanwhile, escalating incidents confirm that she's far from safe. Lily fears letting the surprisingly gentle retired marine into her life almost as much as she fears whoever is threatening her. As Wisconsin farmers edge toward another milk strike, one that will surely turn violent, it becomes clear that the plot against Lily may be part of a much larger conspiracy. When the search for her abductor leads close to home, she must decide whether to trust her family or the man who saved her life. A Strike to the Heart is the primary novel in the Strike to the Heart series, ordered as book two since it is preceded by prequel novella To Stand in the Breach and followed by Christmas novella As Silent as the Night.

STRIKE AT THE HEART Colonel John Harris, U.S. Army Special Forces, goes back in time to retrieve his lost men. But something is blocking their way from leaving. Some blame the ghost of Harriss adversary, Mhalglami, and some blame the land gone wild. Harris is afraid that this time they may bring back more than they bargained for. Usa, both Teri and Masai, longs for a world where her mixed heritage does not matter. Although promised to NGrundbligimi since childhood, their marriage is opposed by powerful forces from both within and outside the tribe. She wants to pursue her dreams. But will she fi nd such a place?

She's fiercely independent. He's determined to protect her. Wisconsin, 1933--When a routine mission becomes an ambush that kills his team, Craft Agency sniper Miles Wright determines to find the persons responsible and protect the woman he rescued. But the fierce independence that led Lily Moore to leave her family's dairy business for the solitary life of a dog trainer and the isolation of her farm don't make that easy. Neither does his unwanted attraction to her. Meanwhile, escalating incidents confirm that she's far from safe. Lily fears letting the surprisingly gentle retired marine into her life almost as much as she fears whoever is threatening her. As Wisconsin farmers edge toward another milk strike, one that will surely turn violent, it becomes clear that the plot against Lily may be part of a much larger conspiracy. When the search for her abductor leads close to home, she must decide whether to trust her family or the man who saved her life.

The most destructive mechanisms of the soul, laid bare. Marie is the prettiest girl in her provincial hometown and is dating the most popular boy in town. She is the envy of all her schoolmates and she loves it. When she falls pregnant and gives birth to Diana, things change. Diana steals the hearts of all who meet her, inciting nothing but jealousy in her mother. This is Diana's story. The story of a young, brilliant woman who grows up without maternal affection. It is the story of Diana's relationships with other women: her best friend, the sweet Elisabeth; her mentor, the selfish Olivia; her sister, the beloved Célia; and, of course, her mother. It is a story about the baser sentiments that often animate human relations: rivalry, jealousy, distrust. With her trademark wit, brevity, and tightly wound plots, Nothomb has devised a telling adult fable about human relationships and the mother-daughter bond.