Book picks similar to
A Bad Day for the Sung Dynasty by Frank Kuppner


20th-century-fic
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Siege Mentality


Christopher Brookmyre - 2017
    Those trapped inside the castle are used to dealing with the volatile mix of light-fingered teens and obnoxious tourists; less so a truckload of explosives and a hidden agenda. For Catherine and her team, it's a recipe for a potentially deadly day off. Tense, twisted and laugh-out-loud funny, Siege Mentality is a day-trip you won't forget. For more from Catherine McLeod, read the Jasmine Sharp trilogy, beginning with Where the Bodies are Buried , a sample from which is included with this short story.

Shrike


Joe Donnelly - 1994
    A creature with a very nasty habit.So says the editor of the local newspaper. But neither he, nor anyone else knows what is behind the spate of brutal killings which sent a shockwave through the town.They don’t know that a séance was held one dark and stormy night. A séance that went disastrously wrong. Something evil had been summoned from a dark place. For those around the table, the clock is ticking..And for the whole town, the nightmare is just beginning.The only clue to its real identity, and its purpose, comes in the terrifying visions of a psychic girl….but who can believe she can see the killings before they actually happen.It is only when the victims bodies are found impaled in steep, high places that detective Jack Fallon realises the visions are real. And that something evil, and hungry, is stalking the night.Something that must be stopped and stopped fast.Because Lorna Breck’s latest vision makes it clear that the beast is coming for Jack Fallon, and the people he loves most.Together, they will have to face it…in the dark.

The Shadow in the Sands


Sam Llewellyn - 1998
    a continuation of the celebrated story of intrigue, treachery and adventure at sea begun in Erskine Childers' epoch-making thriller The Riddle of the Sands, this affectionate tribute to the world's first spy novel is a brilliantly original, utterly enthralling thriller in its own right.

Like Father, Like Son


Diane Allen - 2015
    . . From birth, Polly Harper seems destined for tragedy. Raised by her loving grandparents on Paradise Farm she is unknowingly tangled in a web of secrecy regarding her parentage. When she falls in love with Tobias, the wealthy son of a local landowner of disrepute, her anxious grandparents send her to work in a dairy. There she becomes instantly drawn to the handsome Matt Dinsdale, propelling her further into the depths of forbidden romance and dark family secrets. But tragedy strikes, Polly is forced to confront her past and decide the fate of her future. Will she lose everything, or will she finally realize that her roots and love lie in Paradise?

Mr Starlight


Laurie Graham - 2005
    We Follow The Ups And Downs Of Mr Starlight's Career As He Heads To The Bright Lights Of America, As Seen Through The Eyes Of Cled, His Brother.

Wives of the Fishermen


Angela Huth - 1998
    When Myrtle embarks upon the great and passionate love affair of her life, beautiful Annie finds only disappointment. Still their friendship survives, until a horrifying accident exposes the secret sadness, jealousy, and betrayal each has hidden over the years.

Fern Hill


Dylan Thomas - 1995
    Here is the green and carefree world of a boy who delights in the possibilities of each day, of a child who wrings from every moment a feeling as intensely magical as it is profoundly innocent.

Short Stories of Charles Bukowski


Charles Bukowski
    

Dr Jekyll & Mr Hyde and Other Stories


Robert Louis Stevenson - 1886
    Jekyll has been experimenting with identity. He has developed a drug which separates the two sides of his nature, allowing him to abandon himself to his most corrupt inclinations as the monstrous Mr. Hyde. But gradually the journey back to goodness becomes more and more difficult, and the risk that Mr. Hyde will break free from Dr. Jekyll’s control puts all of London in grave peril. This groundbreaking tale of identity and morality is accompanied by several other of Stevenson’s best short stories, including “The Body-Snatcher,” “A Lodging for the Night,” “Markheim,” “The Misadventures of John Nicholson,” and “Thrawn Jane.”

Sherlock Holmes At the Raffles Hotel


John Hall - 2008
     After the death of his second wife, and with patient numbers falling, Doctor Watson is considering retirement. That is, until he gets an urgent telegram from Martha, the housekeeper of an old friend. Sherlock Holmes is ill. Watson must make his way o his cottage in the village of Fullworth as soon as possible. But he arrives to find Holmes alive and well, if a little melancholy. The telegram was a clever ploy by Martha to return Holmes to his former vigour. In the village, Arshak Sarkies suggests a holiday for the pair as his guests at the Raffles Hotel in Singapore – it should be just what the doctor ordered. But knowing Holmes, they will only be able to tempt him abroad with the promise of one last case... When they finally arrive at the hotel, it seems that Watson’s scheme has come true after all. The wealthy wife of a hotel resident, Mr Derek Masterton, has been found dead in her apartment, her ‘Singapore Sugarplum’ sweets laced with arsenic. With her money protected by a will, who would have the motive to kill Mrs Masterton? How could they have gotten so close, and have predicted her every move? And what of the strange goings-on reported by the butler? Thrown back into the investigating game, Holmes and Watson must use all their deductive powers to solve the case of the poisoned sugarplums. ‘Sherlock Holmes at the Raffles Hotel’ is a brilliant addition to the Holmes and Watson casebooks. 'A treat for any Holmes fan'. - Robert Foster, best-selling author of 'The Lunar Code'. John Hall spent many years in the civil service before becoming a professional writer specialising in crime fiction. His book ‘Death of a Collector’ won the Sherlock magazine’s competition for the best new fictional detective. Endeavour Press is the UK’s leading independent publisher of digital books.

Two Classic Romances in One Volume: Arabella / The Corinthian


Georgette Heyer - 2005
    

Maggie May


Lyn Andrews - 2010
    But most of all, she had to endure the shame of her name – that of the city's most notorious prostitute. Taking care of her younger brother and desperately trying to live down her name, Maggie manages to escape from Liverpool to enjoy an idyllic new life. But fate forces her back again and into the arms of a stranger who is to bring her both heartbreak and the greatest happiness she will ever know.

The Island Wife


Jessica Stirling - 1997
    Tragedy follows when they both fall in love with the same man.

Mary Russell Collection: The Beekeeper's Apprentice / The Language of Bees / Locked Rooms / The Game


Laurie R. King - 2011
    

The Lowlife


Alexander Baron - 1963
    Trouble starts for him when the Deaners move into his boarding house. Quicker than he can place a bet on a dog, Harryboy finds himself the admired hero and evil genius of the family, particularly for the child Gregory. But Harryboy is also the victim of a secret guilt of his own, something unknown even to his doting sister. The complications resulting from this involve him and the Deaners in even deeper trouble and culminate in a thrilling chase when Harryboy's luck threatens to desert him.The Lowlife, a cult novel long out of print, is published as part of the Harvill Press's new London Writing series.