Download or read book A Twist of Orchids written by Michelle Wan and published by Anchor Canada. This book was released on 2010-04-23 with total page 354 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Third in the acclaimed “Death in the Dordogne” series. Winter in the Dordogne: delicious food, ruggedly beautiful scenery, unscrupulous orchid hunters, illegal drugs, a poetic house-breaker, and three mysterious deaths and counting . . . Expat Montrealer Mara Dunn and orchid-loving Brit Julian Wood are living together in an uneasy, on-and-off way. When bad things start to happen to their friends–first Amélie Gaillard falls mysteriously to her death, leaving behind a husband with Parkinson’s who is visited by a murderous apparition, then a local Turkish couple’s son disappears and is soon found dead of an overdose–each has a very different way of helping out. So different that each begins to wonder if they are really meant to be together. But when Julian, with his unerring understanding of the orchid-lover’s mind, thinks he has found the link between the local spike in drug traffic and murder, one of them might lose the other–permanently.

Download or read book Deadly Slipper written by Michelle Wan and published by Seal Books. This book was released on 2010-04-30 with total page 402 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The first in a new mystery series that has it all — a tragic puzzle, fabulous French food, and a peek into the fascinating world of wild orchids. In 1984, a young Canadian woman vanished while on a hiking holiday in the Dordogne region of France. Was Bedie Dunn the victim of an accident? Or could she have been murdered? Haunted for years by the disappearance of her twin sister, Mara Dunn has moved to France to try to answer these questions. Mara’s amateur investigations finally begin to show progress when she discovers a camera she is convinced belonged to Bedie in a second-hand store. In it is an old roll of film, whose exposures turn out to be mostly of wild terrestial orchids. Mara turns to Julian Wood, an expatriate English orchidologist, for help with the impossible: can they use two-decade-old photos of flowers to trace Bedie’s last route, and find the end of her journey? Julian is reluctant to get drawn into this seemingly hopeless quest, but the last exposure on the film is irresistible to him — an unknown species of Lady’s Slipper Orchid. If discovered, it might be the key to botanical fame — or it could be the marker to a shallow grave.

Download or read book The Mystery of the Three Orchids written by Augusto De Angelis and published by Pushkin Vertigo. This book was released on 2016-10-18 with total page 193 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The notorious Inspector Di Vincenzi returns in this cryptic murder mystery teeming with blackmail, deceit, and revenge Death is in the air at one of Milan’s great fashion houses. As a new collection is unveiled, and the wealthy rub shoulders with the glamorous, owner Cristiana O’Brian escapes upstairs to discover the strangled body of her servant slumped on her bed—a single orchid by his side. When Inspector Di Vincenzi is called in to investigate, the brilliant detective is puzzled. Why is Cristiana behaving so suspiciously? And what is her estranged ex-husband doing there? As two additional corpses appear, each accompanied by an orchid, Di Vincenzi must see through dirty tricks and slippery clues in order to uncover the real killer.

Download or read book Blood Orchids written by Toby Neal and published by Neal Enterprises INC. This book was released on 2011-11-27 with total page 295 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book Empress Orchid written by Anchee Min and published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. This book was released on 2004 with total page 369 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: From a master of the historical novel, Empress Orchid sweeps readers into the heart of the Forbidden City to tell the fascinating story of a young concubine who becomes China's last empress. Min introduces the beautiful Tzu Hsi, known as Orchid, and weaves an epic of a country girl who seized power through seduction, murder, and endless intrigue. When China is threatened by enemies, she alone seems capable of holding the country together. In this "absorbing companion piece to her novel Becoming Madame Mao" (New York Times), readers and reading groups will once again be transported by Min's lavish evocation of the Forbidden City in its last days of imperial glory and by her brilliant portrait of a flawed yet utterly compelling woman who survived, and ultimately dominated, a male world.

Download or read book Tigerlily s Orchids written by Ruth Rendell and published by Simon and Schuster. This book was released on 2011 with total page 290 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: INCLUDES AN EXCERPT OF RENDELL'S FINAL NOVEL, DARK CORNERS Is it dangerous to know too much about your neighbors? When Stuart Font throws a housewarming party, he invites all the residents of his new building--among them, three flippant young girls, a lonely spinster, a man with a passion for classical history, and a woman determined to drink herself to death. He definitely does not want his girlfriend, Claudia, in attendance, as he would also have to invite her lawyer husband. But careful planning can only get a person so far. As it turns out, this party will be one everyone remembers. Meanwhile, living in a town house opposite Stuart's building, in reclusive isolation, is a young, beautiful Asian woman known as Tigerlily. As though from some strange urban fairy tale, she emerges infrequently to exert a terrible spell. In Tigerlily's Orchids, Ruth Rendell has written a darkly humorous and psychologically thrilling novel about the eccentric inhabitants of a London terrace--about the secrets they keep, and what they will do to hide them.

Download or read book The Orchid Shroud written by Michelle Wan and published by Anchor Canada. This book was released on 2010-04-30 with total page 389 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A strange beast is killing both livestock and humans in the Dordogne . . . Business is booming for orchidologist Julian and interior designer Mara, but things take a horrifying turn when, in the wall of the sixteenth-century manor house she has been commissioned to restore, Mara’s workmen find a mummified baby. Forensic analysis reveals that the baby had been smothered more than a hundred years before. Julian discovers that the infant’s shawl is embroidered with an exact likeness of a rare orchid he has been researching. Meanwhile Mara falls under suspicion in another more recent murder, linked not only to the mummified child but, seemingly, to the spectre of a werewolf . . . As sinister revelations abound, so too do the legends and superstitions of the Dordogne. The breathtaking world of wild orchids and delectable Dordognais cookery provide atmosphere in equal part to the unraveling mystery. A superb and accomplished follow-up to Deadly Slipper.

Download or read book Orchid written by Jim Endersby and published by University of Chicago Press. This book was released on 2016-11-07 with total page 313 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The prize-winning history of the orchid: “an engaging and enlightening account of one of the Earth's most mythologized botanical wonders” (Richard Conniff, author of House of Lost Worlds). At once delicate, exotic, and elegant, orchids are beloved for their singular, instantly recognizable beauty. Found in nearly every climate, the many species of orchid have had varying forms of significance in countless cultures over time. Following the orchid’s journey from Ancient Greek medicine to twentieth century detective novels, science historian Jim Endersby explores the flower’s four recurring themes: science, empire, sex, and death. Orchids were a symbol of the exotic riches sought by 19th century Europeans in their plans for colonization. They became subjects of scientific scrutiny for Charles Darwin, who investigated their methods of cross-pollination. As Endersby shows, orchids—perhaps because of their extraordinarily diverse colors, shapes, and sizes—have also bloomed repeatedly in films, novels, plays, and poems, from Shakespeare to science fiction. Featuring many gorgeous illustrations from the collection of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, Orchid: A Cultural History was awarded the Watson Davis and Helen Miles Davis Prize by the History of Science Society. It is an enchanting tale not only for gardeners and plant collectors, but anyone curious about the flower’s obsessive hold on the imagination in history, cinema, literature, and more.

Download or read book The Orchid House written by Lucinda Riley and published by Simon and Schuster. This book was released on 2012-02-14 with total page 468 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Spanning the 1930s to the present day, from a magnificent estate in war-torn England to Thailand, this sweeping debut tells the tale of a concert pianist, Julia, and the prominent Crawford family whose shocking secrets are revealed, leading to devastating consequences for generations to come.

Download or read book Wild Orchids written by Jude Deveraux and published by Simon and Schuster. This book was released on 2012-10-23 with total page 439 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Have you ever lost someone who meant more to you than your own soul? Ford Newcombe has. For years he loved his wife, Pat, more than anyone -- and anything -- in the world. She came into his life when he was just an inexperienced college student with big dreams of becoming a published author. With love and humour, she guided him down the path that would eventually lead him to more success than he ever dreamed possible. Since Pat's death six years ago, Ford has lived a life of solitude, barely able to put pen to paper, and rumours are flying that it was Pat who actually created the books the world so loved. If there's one thing that Ford needs it's inspiration, and it finally comes in the guise of Jackie Maxwell -- a smart, sassy university researcher with just enough attitude to match Ford's sharp intellect. But it's her intimate knowledge of the story of a young woman's friendship with the devil -- and what the townspeople did to her -- that persuades Ford to hire Jackie as his assistant and to move to Cole Creek, North Carolina, where the story is said to have taken place. They soon learn that even though the inhabitants of Cole Creek try to deny it, they are still plagued by the consequences of the otherworldly tale of passion and death. As Ford and Jackie work to unravel the truth, they discover a connection between their lives and the past, a connection that not only helps them solve a long-ago crime but offers the promise of new love.

Download or read book Death of a Doxy written by Rex Stout and published by Crimeline. This book was released on 2010-07-21 with total page 187 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: With a rich man footing the bills and a handsome lover on the side, Isabel Kerr seemed to have the perfect setup. Now the well-kept lady is stone-cold dead, and the cops have nabbed a Manhattan private eye who just happens to be an acquaintance of Nero Wolfe. Unable to refuse a friend in need, the great detective deigns to get the gumshoe off the hook. Little does Wolfe realize that in a matter of hours he’ll be entertaining a party of fools and lovers connected with the doxy’s death, including a mystery blackmailer, a sexy lounge singer, and a cold-blooded lady-killer. Introduction by Sandra West Prowell “It is always a treat to read a Nero Wolfe mystery. The man has entered our folklore.”—The New York Times Book Review A grand master of the form, Rex Stout is one of America’s greatest mystery writers, and his literary creation Nero Wolfe is one of the greatest fictional detectives of all time. Together, Stout and Wolfe have entertained—and puzzled—millions of mystery fans around the world. Now, with his perambulatory man-about-town, Archie Goodwin, the arrogant, gourmandizing, sedentary sleuth is back in the original seventy-three cases of crime and detection written by the inimitable master himself, Rex Stout.

Download or read book Flesh of the Orchid written by James Hadley Chase and published by . This book was released on 2010-01 with total page 240 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: James Hadley Chase (Rene Brabazon Raymond) was born in London in 1906 and started his career as a bookseller. With the aid of a dictionary of American slang and reference books on the American underworld he wrote his first novel, NO ORCHIDS FOR MISS BLANDISH, over six weekends. The book achieved remarkable popularity and became one of the best-sold books of the decade. FLESH OF THE ORCHID is a wild, thrill-ride of a sequel to NO ORCHIDS. Taking up the story 22 years later, the central figure is once again a Blandish girl, but Carol Blandish is not the helpless victim that her mother was. Indeed, she is a volatile blend of simmering sexuality, strained innocence and hair-trigger cruelty. Her explosive outbursts of savage violence make her a force to be reckoned with. Escaping from a mental institute during a raging storm, and definitely off her meds, Carol Blandish is soon pursued by a seedy cast of characters who all want a piece of the Blandish fortune. The novel bristles with crazy plot twists, edge-of-the-seat suspense and intriguing low-life's who mix it up for an immensely enjoyable read.

Download or read book The Last Empress written by Anchee Min and published by A&C Black. This book was released on 2011-12-01 with total page 402 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: 'Vivid and entertaining ... this is history as it plays upon the emotions. Empires crumble, hearts are broken' THE TIMES From the bestselling author of Red Azalea comes the much-anticipated sequel to Empress Orchid At the end of the nineteenth century China is rocked by foreign attacks and local rebellions. The only constant is the power wielded by one woman, Tzu Hsi, also known as Empress Orchid, who must face the perilous condition of her empire and devastating personal losses. In this sequel to the bestselling Empress Orchid, Anchee Min brings to life one of the most important figures in Chinese history, a very human leader who sacrifices all she has to protect both those she loves and her doomed empire.

Download or read book Death in the Dordogne written by Louis Sanders and published by . This book was released on 2005 with total page 200 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: When you moved out of North London to a picturesque hamlet in the Dordogne no one said it would be like this in February: freezing cold, dark by mid-afternoon and so quiet. Members of the Caminade family keep dying in suspicious circumstances, and the doctor knows more about it than he's prepared to reveal. You're sure there's a murderer at large: could it be the Old Dutch Woman or her deranged son, or the Mad Englishman from over the hill, and could you be the next victim, maybe you're imagining things, maybe it's the whisky, but then what's that scratching sound coming from the other half of the house... The first in a series, Death in the Dordogne portrays a rural France very different from A Year in Provence and other saccharine tales of expatriate derring-do. It is an essential book for everyone planning to go on a French holiday.

Download or read book No Orchids for Miss Blandish written by James Hadley Chase and published by Murder Room. This book was released on 2012-09-06 with total page 202 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: When Dave Fenner is hired to solve the Blandish kidnapping, he knows the odds on finding the girl are against him - the cops are still looking for her three months after the ransom was paid. And the kidnappers, Riley and his gang, have disappeared into thin air. But what none of them knows is that Riley himself has been wiped out by a rival gang - and the heiress is now in the hands of Ma Grisson and her son Slim, a vicious killer who can't stay away from women, especially his beautiful new captive. By the time Fenner begins to close in on them, some terrible things have happened to Miss Blandish ...

Download or read book The Cranefly Orchid Murders written by Cynthia Riggs and published by Macmillan. This book was released on 2002-05-10 with total page 286 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In her first book, Deadly Nightshade, Cynthia Riggs introduced us to one of fiction's most delightful - and most realistic - "circumstantial detectives" - an ordinary civilian whom circumstances thrust into the role of sleuth. Victoria Trumbull is as believable a feisty 92-year-old as you can imagine, with all the expected aches and pains and a refusal to let them stop her from enjoying her multifarious activities. A native of the Massachusetts island called Martha's Vineyard, whose ancestors sailed from its shores generations back, Victoria knows more about the island and its people, then and now, than anyone else living. The knowledge has helped her solve one murder and earn her own baseball cap emblazoned with "West Tisbury Police Deputy," and the job that goes with it. Of course she knows Phoebe Eldridge; a short-tempered woman who lives alone, dislikes her granddaughter intensely and won't even mention the name of her son, a Vietnam vet who disappeared some years before. It's Phoebe's rancor as much as any desire for money that leads her to sell the family land to a developer who comes up with what seems like an offer she doesn't want to resist. The Conservation Trust enlists Victoria, as someone who will not be suspected, to search that land for an endangered plant, any endangered plant, because the state prohibits bulldozing rare plant habitats. Victoria is delighted to add another purpose to her daily walks. She enlists an eleven-year-old after-school assistant, and with the "Endangered" list in her hand, she begins her search. Her first find, though, is the body of one Montgomery Mausz, the developer's rather dubious attorney. There are plenty of suspects, but deputy Victoria (don't dare say "honorary deputy" to Victoria's face) hasn't forgotten her first task and is rewarded by the discovery of a little nest of cranefly orchids, which puzzle Victoria by appearing to change shape. In the course of this botanical detection, Victoria and her assistant are treated to adventures that delight the 92-year-old as much as the pre-teen, even though they give both of them more scares than they had bargained for. This charming story, with its share of thrills and suspense, will have readers crossing their fingers and hoping the sea air, home-baked beans, and a vital interest in what goes on around her will keep old Victoria Trumbull going for a long, long time.

Download or read book The Orchid Thief written by Susan Orlean and published by Ballantine Books. This book was released on 2011-07-20 with total page 322 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • A NEW YORK TIMES NOTABLE BOOK A modern classic of personal journalism, The Orchid Thief is Susan Orlean’s wickedly funny, elegant, and captivating tale of an amazing obsession. Determined to clone an endangered flower—the rare ghost orchid Polyrrhiza lindenii—a deeply eccentric and oddly attractive man named John Laroche leads Orlean on an unforgettable tour of America’s strange flower-selling subculture, through Florida’s swamps and beyond, along with the Seminoles who help him and the forces of justice who fight him. In the end, Orlean—and the reader—will have more respect for underdog determination and a powerful new definition of passion. In this new edition, coming fifteen years after its initial publication and twenty years after she first met the “orchid thief,” Orlean revisits this unforgettable world, and the route by which it was brought to the screen in the film Adaptation, in a new retrospective essay. Look for special features inside. Join the Random House Reader’s Circle for author chats and more. Praise for The Orchid Thief “Stylishly written, whimsical yet sophisticated, quirkily detailed and full of empathy . . . The Orchid Thief shows [Orlean’s] gifts in full bloom.”—The New York Times Book Review “Fascinating . . . an engrossing journey [full] of theft, hatred, greed, jealousy, madness, and backstabbing.”—Los Angeles Times “Orlean’s snapshot-vivid, pitch-perfect prose . . . is fast becoming one of our national treasures.”—The Washington Post Book World “Orlean’s gifts [are] her ear for the self-skewing dialogue, her eye for the incongruous, convincing detail, and her Didion-like deftness in description.”—Boston Sunday Globe “A swashbuckling piece of reporting that celebrates some virtues that made America great.”—The Wall Street Journal