King of the Rats


Ben Aaronovitch - 2015
    Peter and Kumar have to determine whether his majesty is the legitimate ruler of the rat nation or a sad man with a rodent fixation.And they’d better do it fast before irate Rivers decide to embark on a bit of DIY pest control.King of the Rats is short story written by Ben Aaronovitch. The story was written exclusively for Cityread London 2015. It was read publicly by Doc Brown (Ben Bailey Smith) at the Mail Rail. It was an 'extra' in the paperback Waterstones edition of The Hanging Tree.

Love Me Up


D. Rose - 2019
    After months of being buried in her studies, she sought a thrill to brighten up her dull world. A trip with her best friends was the perfect remedy for her boring college girl routine. Amani Browne had become weary while touring with his brother, rapper, Ogun. Between traveling and producing his brother's album, he was on the verge of burnout. The upcoming trip he had would provide him with much-needed rest and recuperation. What started as one fun night of lust and pleasure turned into something unexpected. Kassandra wanted nothing more than the one night they shared. Kassandra infatuated Amani from the moment they met and was willing to do whatever it took to please her. Would his affections be enough to persuade her to give them a chance?

The Enchanted Wanderer: Selected Tales


Nikolai Leskov - 1873
    Leskov deftly layers social satire and subtle criticism atop myth and fable, resulting in a richly entertaining collection.

Forgotten Heiress


Wendy Soliman - 2013
    When Lord Richard Craven, heir to a dukedom, singles her out, she is flattered by the attention but harbours no false illusions about the outcome. Her neighbour, the formidable rakehell Harry Benson-Smythe, is not only suspicious of her high-born admirer but inexplicably jealous too. As Eloise and Harry work together to solve the mysterious abductions of local girls, the dark side of Richard’s character emerges and his true purpose becomes apparent. So too do Harry’s feelings for Eloise, which transcend the mere neighbourly. But Harry is engaged to another lady and, even if he were not, his father would never sanction a union with Eloise…

India Black in the City of Light


Carol K. Carr - 2013
    The task seems straightforward and India looks forward to enjoying the delights of the city—and the delights of French. But it isn’t long before things go awry and the duo are battling for their lives in the City of Light.  Includes a preview of the Madame of Espionage Mystery, India Black and The Gentleman Thief

The King in Yellow


Robert W. Chambers - 1895
    I pray God will curse the writer, as the writer has cursed the world with the beautiful, stupendous creation, terrible in its simplicity, irresistible in its truth - a world which now trembles before the King in Yellow.The four uncanny and terrifying tales contained between these covers are all linked by their reference to a certain notorious play, a cursed, forbidden play that has spread like a contagion across the world, a play in which the second act reveals truths so terrible, and so beautiful, that it drives all who read it to lunatic despair: The King in Yellow.These stories are some of the most thrilling ever written in the field of weird fiction. Since their first publication in 1895 they have become cult classics, influencing many writers from the renowned master of cosmic horror H. P. Lovecraft to the creators of HBO's True Detective. Contains: ‘The Repairer of Reputations’, ‘The Mask’, ‘In the Court of the Dragon’, ‘The Yellow Sign’

Charlotte Holmes and the Locked Box


Sherry Thomas - 2017
    A short story set in the timeline of the first Lady Sherlock novel, after the main mystery has been solved and before the end of the book.

The Story of the Other Wise Man


Henry Van Dyke - 1895
    One thing is certain, it is not written in any other book, nor is it to be found among the ancient lore of the East. And yet I have never felt as if it were my own. It was a gift, and it seemed to me as if I knew the Giver."--Henry Van DykeLong, long ago, a wise man named Artaban, a priest of the Magi, discerned from heavenly signs that the time was at hand for the fulfillment of an ancient prophecy--the birth among the Hebrews of a holy Prince and Deliverer of Man. Hastening to join three fellow Magi for the long journey into Judaea, he paused to help a dying man and was left behind. And so Artaban began his pilgrimage alone, striking out not toward the realization of his life's deepest longing, as he hoped, but only toward misfortune and suffering. Or so he believed until one blessed, radiant moment.With an introduction by Leo Buscaglia

Antique Dust: Ghost Stories


Robert Westall - 1989
    While this is his first book for adults, he has been writing ghost stories for young adult readers such as "The Machine Gunners".

Doré's London: All 180 Illustrations from London, A Pilgrimage


Gustave Doré - 1970
    This comprehensive collection of drawings by Gustave Doré, France's most celebrated graphic artist of the period, presents a panoramic portrait of that engrossing city — from fashionable ladies riding in a sunlit park to ragged wretches in a shadowy side street. Here are amazingly perceptive sketches of workaday London, busy market places, the Christy Minstrels, a waterman's family, thieves gambling, the Devils' Acre in Westminster, flower girls, waifs and strays, a wedding at the Abbey, provincials in search of lodgings, a garden party, prisoners in the Newgate exercise yard, stalls at Covent Garden Opera House, and many other scenes that capture the London of a bygone era.