Best Selling Books by Robert Barnard

La presente BREVE HISTORIA DE LA LITERATURA INGLESA está concebida para satisfacer la curiosidad de aquellos lectores que deseen enriquecer sus lecturas con una relación histórica que les ofrezca unas pautas fundamentales, así como las necesidades iniciales de los estudiantes de esta materia. Este objetivo básico explica asimismo las principales características de la obra, como son una atención predominante a los dos últimos siglos y a las figuras principales de esta literatura (y, dentro de ellas, a sus obras más significativas). Fruto de su prolongada experiencia como profesor, «al escribir esta obra -explica ROBERT BARNARD en su prólogo a la misma- he querido fundamentalmente familiarizar al lector con las opiniones más comúnmente aceptadas sobre los autores y periodos que se tratan».

A master of mystery returns with a gem that cleverly mixes past and present in a suspense-filled tour de force sweeping from 1930s Australia to modern-day London.

DC Charlie Peace wants to begin a new life with his family in the tranquil village of Slepton Edge. His new life, however, will test his professional integrity, for when a mysterious death disturbs the village calm, the network of neighbourhood gossip emerges as both his greatest ally and crucial obstacle to solving the case.

A witty and poignant chiller about the evil of gossip and the sin of indifference. Father Christopher Pardoe is a good priest. He cares about his parishioners. He is also a human being-and is thus saddled with man''s inherent weaknesses. Is it a bit odd, then, how much time the good Father has been spending at the house of a certain young, single mother called Julie Norris? And why, during each of his visits, are Julie''s bedroom curtains always closed? Julie looks to be pregnant again. Just who could that father be? As nasty rumours begin to scorch the parish phone lines, Father Pardoe is suspended from St. Catherine''s, and Cosmo Horrocks, the "West Yorkshire Chronicle"''s shameless, muckraking journalist, exploits the story in a big way. Nothing goes over better than a juicy sex-and-the-church scandal, except, perhaps, murder. Do Father Pardoe and Julie protest too much? Why did Julie''s parents throw her out and disown her? Is she really as bad as they say? And what, exactly, does Cosmo Horrocks hear in that London-to-Leeds dining car that makes him tingle with excitement? A tale of chastity besmirched? This story could make his year. But will it lead to tragedy? And, if so, whose? When Inspector Mike Oddie and Sergeant Charlie Peace are called in to investigate a murder, they are saddened and surprised by the raw emotions-the hate, the fear-they find in the outwardly peaceful town of Shipley. There may be only one killer, but there are many others who must share the town''s guilt and, perhaps, one day start the process of healing. Rich with eccentric characters, crisp dialogue, stylish prose, and perceptive insights into human nature, "Unholy Dying" is vintage Barnard, acknowledged master of suspense. ''He plots a mystery as well as any writer alive'' "Time"

The disappearance from school of two apparently unconnected teenagers worries DC Charlie Peace, until he discovers that they are both working at a hostel for homeless street kids. Peace knows the life and crimes of the people these two are trying to help, and decides that, for the moment, they are safe. But will Peace have cause to regret his decision? After all, just who is the man running the hostel? And how nasty is the local opposition to the place likely to become? As the pair continue their good work, the situation at the hostel becomes even more fraught with the appearance of an Asian girl fleeing an arranged marriage. And it isn''t long before a murderous attack seems about to put an end to the whole project. ''Nicely drawn characters'' "Irish Times" ''Very appealing. . .sensitively written'' "Evening Standard" ''He plots a mystery as well as any writer alive'' "Time" Magazine

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Rosemary Sheffield has a sort of "reverse epiphany" one day while walking in the park: she no longer believes in God. This sudden loss of faith is at first entirely liberating, but the situation gradually becomes more complicated. Rosemary is, after all, the beloved wife of the vicar at St. Saviour''s parish. A storm of controversy erupts in her husband''s church congregation, but Rosemary, with the words "I do not believe," leaves behind the scandal and gossip for a seaside sojourn in Scarborough. Here she meets Stanko, a Bosnian refugee who illegally entered the country. But what begins as a supportive friendship launches an ungodly chain of events—and Rosemary soon finds herself back at home caught up in a murder investigation. "Barnard''s trademark seamless plotting and riotous sense of humor stand out wonderfully in his latest whodunit." Booklist "His plots are downright Mozartian in their effortless complexity" New York Newsday

Moving into an upmarket new home in Leeds, rising radio star Matt Harper is shocked to find the skeleton of a small child in the attic. His grisly discovery takes him back to the summer of 1969, when he lived with his aunt only a few streets away, reawakening dim, disquieting memories from his childhood. While Detective Charlie Peace heads up the nominal police investigation into the bones, Matt revisits the past in an attempt to solve the mystery himself. Tracking down the other members of a gang of local children he''d once belonged to, he gradually unearths a shared secret that has laid buried ever since. Were the bones in the attic the result of a tragic accident, or has time concealed a more sinister truth? ''Exceptionally well-plotted and written with a stylistic modesty that does the story proud'' "Literary Review" ''Barnard never disappoints'' "The Times" ''Another fine crime novel by the master of the genre'' "Irish Times"

Following the death of their mother in childbirth, the older Heenan children try to hide their father''s madness from prying neighbours and authorities to avoid being taken into care. But then they discover a body.

Sarah Jane Fearing has grown up in the imposing rural mansion of one of England''s most influential banking families. At the centre of Sarah''s world is her uncle, Frank, who has escaped the straitjacket of ponderous respectability. Frank offers Sarah hope, until his extravagant lifestyle leads him into a disastrous marriage.

A collection of novels by the best-selling mystery writer features Death by Sheer Torture, Death in a Cold Climate, Death of a Mystery Writer, and Death of a Perfect Mother.