On 31 March 1836 the publishers Chapman & Hall launched the first issue of a new monthly periodical entitled The Posthumous Papers of the Pickwick Club. Conceived & created by the artist Robert Seymour, it contained four of his illustrations; the words to accompany them were written by a young journalist who used the pen-name Boz. The story of a sporting-cum-drinking club presided over by fat, loveable Mr Pickwick, assisted by his cockney manservant Sam Weller, The Pickwick Papers soon became a popular sensation, outselling every other book except the Bible & Shakespeare`s plays, & read & discussed by the entire population of the British Isles, from the duke`s drawing-room to the lowliest chophouse. The fame of Mr Pickwick soon spread worldwide
- making The Pickwick Papers the greatest literary phenomenon in history. But one does not need to have read a single word of The Pickwick Papers to be enthralled by the story of how this extraordinary novel came to be. The creation & afterlife of The Pickwick Papers is the subject of Stephen Jarvis` novel, Death & Mr Pickwick. This vast, intricately constructed, indeed Dickensian work is at once the ultimate homage to a much-loved book, tracing its genesis & subsequent history in fascinating detail, & a damning indictment of how an ambitious young writer expropriated another man`s ideas & then engaged in an elaborate cover-up of The Pickwick Papers` true origin. Few novels deserve to be called magnificent. Death & Mr Pickwick is one of them.
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April 1964, but spring hasn`t quite sprung. The bad weather seems suited to nothing but bad news. & bad news is coming to the police station. First, Bordelli`s friend Casimiro, who insists he`s discovered the body of a man in a field above Fiesole. Bordelli races to the scene, but doesn`t find any sign of a corpse. Only a couple of days later, a little girl is found at Villa Ventaglio. She has been strangled, & there is a horrible bite mark on her belly. Then another little girl is found murdered, with the same macabre signature. & meanwhile Casimiro has disappeared without a trace. The investigation marks the start of one of the darkest periods of Bordelli`s life: a nightmare without end, as black as the sky above Florence. ...

Viktor is an aspiring writer with only Misha, his pet penguin, for company. Although he would prefer to write short stories, he earns a living composing obituaries for a newspaper. He longs to see his work published, yet the subjects of his obituaries continue to cling to life. But when he opens the newspaper to see his work in print for the first time, his pride swiftly turns to terror. He & Misha have been drawn into a trap from which there appears to be no escape. ...

With an abandoned degree behind her & a thirtieth birthday approaching, amateur writer Bonnie Falls moves out of her parents` home into a nearby flat. Her landlady, Sylvia Slythe, takes an interest in Bonnie, encouraging her to finish one of her stories, in which a young woman moves to the seaside, where she comes under strange influences. As summer approaches, Sylvia suggests to Bonnie that, as neither of them has anyone else to go on holiday with, they should go away together
- to the seaside, perhaps. The new novel from the author of the Man Booker-shortlisted The Lighthouse is a tense & moreish confection of semiotics, suggestibility & creative writing with real psychological depth &, in Bonnie Falls & Sylvia Slythe, two unforgettable characters.
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Is it an immoral spectacle or a metaphor of life? Bullfighting never fails to provoke a reaction. In this unusual travel memoir, Edward Lewine embarks on an eye-opening journey around Spain, to track a typical season for the country's biggest bullfighter, Francisco Rivera Ordonez. Fighting bulls while fleeing celebrity, Spain's most infamous matador lives both his public & his private life on the edge. The last in a distinguished bloodline, he is plagued by the legacies of his great-grandfather, the greatest matador of his day & revered by Hemingway, & by his late father, who was gored to death in the arena. With sixty-two fights & a hundred & twenty bulls to confront in the coming season, Francisco must also endure the aggressive attention of the paparazzi, who pursue him for news of his colourful private life & breakdown of his marriage to a Spanish duchess. Lewine witnesses at first h&, the thrilling routine of a top bullfighter
- the rituals, the risks, & the stage fright
- & assesses the significance of bullfighting in the context of Spanish identity. This national obsession encapsulates the uniqueness of Spanish culture.

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In an unnamed country, on the first day of the New Year, people stop dying. There is great celebration & people dance in the streets. They have achieved the great goal of humanity: eternal life. Soon, though, the residents begin to suffer. Undertakers face bankruptcy, the church is forced to reinvent its doctrine, & local `maphia` smuggle those on the brink of death over the border where they can expire naturally. Death does return eventually, but with a new, courteous approach
- delivering violet warning letters to her victims. But what can death do when a letter is unexpectedly returned?
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The twisted maze of Venice`s canals has always been shrouded in mystery. Even the celebrated opera house, La Fenice, has seen its share of death. But nothing so horrific & violent as that of world-famous conductor, Maestro Helmut Wellauer
- poisoned during a performance of La Traviata. Even Commissario of Police, Guido Brunetti, used to the labyrinthine corruptions of the city, is shocked at the number of enemies Wellauer has made on his way to the top
- but just how many have motive enough for murder? The beauty of Venice is crumbling
- & evil can seep through its decaying stones.


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Loyal readers of the monthly ” Universe” essays in Natural History magazine have long recognized Neil de Grasse Tyson`s talent for guiding them through the mysteries of the cosmos with clarity & enthusiasm. Bringing together more than forty of Tyson`s favorite essays, ? Death by Black Hole? explores a myriad of cosmic topics, from what it would be like to be inside a black hole to the movie industry`s feeble efforts to get its night skies right. One of America`s best-known astrophysicists, Tyson is a natural teacher who simplifies the complexities of astrophysics while sharing his infectious fascination for our universe. ...

Delicious modern recipes from Death by Burrito, the revolutionary Mexican eatery based at the Catch bar in the heart of Shoreditch, with a new branch recently opened in central London. A far cry from the Tex-Mex style of Mexican fast food, where cheese & mince dominate, the dishes in Death by Burrito put taste first
- the truly exceptional range of starters, main meals & sides prioritises fresh, vibrant flavours: Smoked Beef Short Rib Mole Tacos, Deconstructed Guacamole with Blue Corn Tortillas & Crab Cakes also look stunning on the plate. To recreate the atmosphere of Death by Burrito at home, the perfect tequila cocktail is essential: the legendary Taqueria Toreador Slushy is sure to become a favourite.
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Barbara Nadel`s new Turkish crime novel sees Inspector Ikmen tackling a complex case of organised crime in London. When the Istanbul police raid a counterfeit goods factory in the run-down district of Tarlabasi, a young man with explosives strapped to his chest blows himself up in front of them. In the process, Istanbul`s Inpsector Cetin Ikmen is injured. Documents found in the factory lead the authorities in both Istanbul & London to believe that a terrorist attack, in part orchestrated from the Tarlabasi factory, is about to be enacted in the British capital. Ikmen goes undercover amongst the Turkish community of North London, although what he uncovers there is certainly not what his British colleagues were expecting... ...