The Deadly Percheron

A classic, chilling tale of mystery and psychological horror that “will hold your attention to the last” (The New York Times). When a young, blond, handsome man walks into a psychiatrist’s office, stating that he believes he is losing his mind and asking questions about hallucinations, the doctor is prepared to help his new patient overcome his delusions. But as this twisting tale progresses, the line between what is real and unreal begins to blur—and the story becomes not only a murder mystery but a dark, unsettling voyage into memory, madness, torture, and despair.

John Franklin Bardin's most acclaimed work plays a virtuoso performance on music and madness in this unforgettable thriller. In 1946 New York, Ellen, a world-renowned musician, is suffering from the effects of her latest mental breakdown. Amongst other challenges, a chance meeting with a folk singer from her past causes her psychological well-being to rapidly deteriorate. Over the following terrifying weeks, Ellen finds herself becoming both a criminal and a victim as she attempts to contend with the darkness within. "We have all had these feelings, more or less, and now and then. The healthier among us try to step back from the brink, try to laugh at what might have happened if we had gone a bit further. The reader of these tales will read in horror—those who can take it. And they will not forget very soon." —Patricia Highsmith

Source documents compiled by insurance investigator Ralph Henderson are used to build a case against Baron "R___", who is suspected of murdering his wife. The baron's wife died from drinking a bottle of acid, apparently while sleepwalking in her husband's private laboratory. Henderson's suspicions are raised when he learns that the baron recently had purchased five life insurance policies for his wife. As Henderson investigates the case, he discovers not one but three murders. Although the baron's guilt is clear to the reader even from the outset, how he did it remains a mystery. Eventually this is revealed, but how to catch him becomes the final challenge; he seems to have committed the perfect crime.

The 1947 cult classic from acclaimed crime writer John Franklin Bardin, now available for the first time in eBook edition. Philip Banter is a little too fond of drink, and his marriage isn't what it should be. He's also troubled by a penchant for forgetting. That doesn't mean he's losing his mind. Then Philip finds a manuscript entitled "Confession" in his office. He reads about a surprise dinner party his wife held, of the conversation that took place, and —to his horror—of his own infidelity. But the "confession" turns out to be a prophecy, accurate in almost every detail. Is he the victim of a conspiracy to drive him mad, or did he type the manuscript himself? As the "confession" grows lengthier and more destructive, can he find the willpower to resist its terrifying inevitability?

Bestselling and award-winning author Lisa Scottoline reaches new heights with this riveting novel about how a single decision can undo a family, how our past can derail our present, and how not guilty doesn't always mean innocent. Allie Garvey is heading home to the funeral of a childhood friend. Allie is not only grief-stricken, she's full of dread. Because going home means seeing the other two people with whom she shares an unbearable secret. Twenty years earlier, a horrific incident shattered the lives of five teenagers, including Allie. Drinking and partying in the woods, they played a dangerous prank that went tragically wrong, turning deadly. The teenagers kept what happened a secret, believing that getting caught would be the worst thing that could happen. But time has taught Allie otherwise. Not getting caught was far worse. Allie has been haunted for two decades by what she and the others did, and by the fact that she never told a soul. The dark secret has eaten away at her, distancing her from everyone she loves, including her husband. Because she wasn't punished by the law, Allie has punished herself, and it's a life sentence. Now, Allie stands on the precipice of losing everything. She's ready for a reckoning, determined to learn how the prank went so horribly wrong. She digs to unearth the truth, but reaches a shocking conclusion that she never saw coming--and neither will the reader. A deeply emotional examination of family, marriage, and the true nature of justice, Someone Knows is Lisa Scottoline's most powerful novel to date. Startling, page-turning, and with an ending that's impossible to forget, this is a tour de force by a beloved author at the top of her game.

In Percheron the Zar dies and Boaz, the young son of Herezah, the old Zar's wife and Absolute Favourite, takes power. Ambitious and scheming, Herezah arranges for her son's rivals to be disposed of and oversees the assembly of a new harem. One of its number is Ana, who enters a world where she wants for nothing except her freedom. Ana's only friends are Lazar, the secretive and eligible Spur of Percheron, and a seemingly insane dwarf called Pez. Her attempt at escape, after undergoing a brutal test of Virtue, sets in motion forces beyond anyone's control ...Even more mysterious is the rising of Iridor, heralding a new cycle in the war of faith that will enmesh them all in a deadly battle between gods.

THE STORY: The home of the Blackwoods near a Vermont village is a lonely, ominous abode, and Constance, the young mistress of the place, can't go out of the house without being insulted and stoned by the villagers. They have also composed a nasty s