The Real Michael Swann

“A twisting, heart-wrenching journey into a marriage, a gripping thriller . . . Reardon grabs his readers on page one, then deftly ratchets up the suspense until the breathless ending.”—Lisa Unger, New York Times bestselling author Julia Swann, mother of two young boys, is on the phone with her husband, Michael, when the call abruptly cuts out. It isn’t until later in the evening when she discovers that something terrible has happened at Penn Station, where Michael was waiting for a train home. Julia races to New York City to look for Michael, her panicked searching interwoven with memories of meeting and falling in love with the husband she’s now desperate to find. When someone finds a flyer she’s posted and tells her they may have seen her husband, her prayers seem to be answered. Yet as she tries to find him, her calls go unanswered. Did Michael survive? If so, why hasn’t he contacted her? Was he—or is he still—the man she fell in love with? Part family drama, part tragic love story, The Real Michael Swann is a deftly plotted suspense novel with an unflinching portrait of a marriage at its heart, challenging us to confront the unthinkable—both in our country and in our own homes. “Reardon masterfully delivers an intimate, heartbreaking portrayal of a family whose love, trust, and loyalty for each other is put to the ultimate test.”—Rhiannon Navin, author of Only Child

From New York Times bestselling author Bryan Reardon comes a tense, twisting story about two brothers locked together in a dangerous game—and an unforgettable tale of a family’s dark secrets. Liam Brennan teeters on the edge. Early one morning, he snaps, kidnapping a young woman who works for Drew Brennan, Liam’s older brother and the upstart candidate in a heated election. This sudden, vicious attack appears to be the beginning of an unthinkable spiral. But when it comes to the Brennan brothers, nothing is what it seems. To the rest of the world, Liam is the troubled problem child who grew up to be his brother’s enforcer, while Drew has always been the perfect son and a charismatic leader who has his sights set on the governor’s mansion with his charming and beautiful wife, Patsy, by his side. Now, as Liam tries to stay one step ahead of the authorities and his brother, every passing minute provides a deeper glimpse into the brothers’ past, long hidden behind a picture-perfect suburban veneer. With the threat of the truth surfacing, Liam and Drew are driven toward one final, desperate act...

One woman's gripping emotional, physical, and spiritual odyssey to find her shattered family--an amazing story of survival and reunion.

Julia et Michael Swann coulent des jours paisibles dans la banlieue de Philadelphie avec leurs deux enfants sous le regard bienveillant de leurs voisins et de leurs amis. Un soir, alors que Michael téléphone à Julia depuis New York où il se trouve pour le travail, la liaison est brusquement coupée. Quelques minutes plus tard la nouvelle tombe : une bombe a explosé à Penn Station, où se trouve Michael. Ce dernier est injoignable et la vie de Julia se transforme en cauchemar : les médias diffusent en continu le nom du principal suspect... un certain Michael Swann. Convaincue de l’innocence de son mari, Julia se rend à New York. Mais elle n’est pas seule à rechercher Michael : le FBI, la Sécurité intérieure et d’autres agences gouvernementales ont lancé leurs hommes à sa poursuite.

Carol Shields's award-winning and critically acclaimed "literary mystery," first published in 1987. Swann is the story of four individuals who become entwined in the life of Mary Swann, a rural Canadian poet whose authentic and unique voice is discovered only hours before her husband hacks her to pieces.Who is Mary Swann? And how could she have produced these works of genius in almost complete isolation? Mysteriously, all traces of Swann's existence — her notebook, the first draft of her work, even her photograph — gradually vanish as the characters in this engrossing novel become caught up in their own concepts of who Mary Swann was.

A witty philosophical murder mystery with a charming twist: the crack detectives are sheep determined to discover who killed their beloved shepherd. On a hillside near the cozy Irish village of Glennkill, a flock of sheep gathers around their shepherd, George, whose body lies pinned to the ground with a spade. George has cared devotedly for the flock, even reading them books every night. Led by Miss Maple, the smartest sheep in Glennkill (and possibly the world), they set out to find George’s killer. The A-team of investigators includes Othello, the “bad-boy” black ram; Mopple the Whale, a Merino who eats a lot and remembers everything; and Zora, a pensive black-faced ewe with a weakness for abysses. Joined by other members of the richly talented flock, they engage in nightlong discussions about the crime, wild metaphysical speculations, and embark on reconnaissance missions into the village, where they encounter some likely suspects. Along the way, the sheep confront their own all-too-human struggles with guilt, misdeeds, and unrequited love. Funny, fresh, and endearing, it introduces a wonderful new breed of detectives to Canadian readers.

In New York Times bestselling author Bryan Reardon's captivating thriller, a dejected filmmaker lets his curiosity get the best of him and plunges into a web of depravity and danger from which there might be no escape. Theo Snyder is at the end of his rope. One minute he was on top of the world, his documentary film The Basement a massive critical and commercial hit, the next crestfallen when his latest film was canceled after an embarrassingly public misstep. As his desperation grows, he makes a bold decision: to pursue the story of the notorious "Halo Killer," Jasper Ross-Johnson. But delving into the life and mind of a serial killer could prove more deadly than Theo ever could have imagined. At first, things are looking up. Jasper is willing to talk, the footage of the jailhouse meetings is spectacular, and famed investigator Zora Neale Monroe joins him on the project. Theo is sure he's getting close to something no one else has discovered: the truth about why Jasper was captured before he could kill his final victim. Someone else was on the beach that day, someone who knows a lot more than they're telling and just might know how it all happened. The truth could lead to more killing--unless Theo can uncover the real ending to the story of the Halo Killer first.

Blueprint 2017-20 explores how the mass media has influenced political debates and democratic processes during the process of Brexit. Norman Behrendt's photographs of Brexit-related video material examine what sort of imagery is used to influence people by stirring up deep-seated attitudes around national pride, immigration and lack of control. The blue color of the cyanotypes reflects the invisible influence of the European Union on the United Kingdom. When Norman Behrendt arrived in London from Berlin in August 2017, he set out to document Britain in the period of its transition out of the EU. He crisscrossed the Remain-voting capital and its Brexit-voting outer suburbs by bicycle, foot and public transport. The photographs that he took revealed material traces of class, race, nationality and income disparity that had fed into the referendum's result, but they did not get under the skin of the issue in the way that he wanted. Abstract and diffuse, the shift in Britain's sense of itself eluded a traditional documentary approach. At night, Behrendt surfed the internet, making screengrabs from pro- and anti-Brexit videos on mainstream media, YouTube and social media sites. He immersed himself in official political messaging, amateur propaganda and personal video posts, giving equal attention to both sides of the debate.