New Releases by Robert Barnard

Master of mystery Robert Barnard, internationally acclaimed for his suspenseful, witty literary gems, cleverly mixes past and present in A Cry from the Dark, an intriguing tour de force sweeping from 1930s Australia to contemporary London. Bettina Whitelaw has come a long way from her childhood in the little outback town of Bundaroo, Australia. Many years have passed, a lifetime really, but she''s never forgotten what happened there on the evening that changed her life forever. How could she forget the school dance, her taunting classmates, dancing with the strange but brilliant English boy, Hughie Naismyth? How could she forget what happened next, when, overheated and exhilarated by the music and the moment, she wandered off alone into a secluded, wooded area? Now a renowned, elderly author living in London''s elegant Holland Park, Bettina faces a flood of memories as she works on her memoirs, even though her focus is more on the frightening things that are happening today. Someone has recently entered her home and gone through her desk. The intruder is clearly not an ordinary burglar. It must be someone she knows. She''s been a little lax in handing out keys, so the suspects are many -- her nephew, Mark; her agent, Clare; her friends, Peter or Katie. Or it could be someone else. What does Bettina possess that this person would want to steal? A puzzle that at first seems mildly disturbing soon turns deadly serious. Someone is willing to kill -- but why? Does the answer rest in Bundaroo or nearer to home? A Cry from the Dark shows us vintage Robert Barnard as he slyly lays the clues that lead to his trademark surprise -- and poignant -- ending.

Robert Barnard, one of the great contemporary masters of classic mystery, returns with a brilliant new tale of passion and deception. Well-known actress Caroline Fawley has given up a successful stage and television career for love and life in the country. International business titan Marius Fleetwood can''t marry her. He already has a wife, though he claims they are "just friends." But Marius has done something very special for Caroline: he has "bought" her Alderley, an elegant country home. If he should die, he''s arranged to leave her enough money to maintain the extensive house and gardens. Of course, some inquisitive villagers would be happier if Caroline and Marius were respectably wed. People in small towns know all, and they will talk, especially about a glamorous actress. Caroline''s adolescent children, Stella and Alexander, seem to accept Marius''s weekend visits without distress. And older daughter Olivia, an opera singer on the rise, is too involved in her own career and romantic intrigues to express much interest in her mother''s personal life. Caroline is happy and the world is good. Until one day when Caroline''s life begins to fall apart. First, a mysterious young man backpacking his way through the countryside arrives at the door. He says his name is Peter Bagshaw, but Caroline sees instantly that he must be related to Marius; perhaps he''s even his son. What else has Marius hidden from Caroline? Who is this man, Marius Fleetwood? Is everything about him a lie? When a murder occurs, detectives Mike Oddie and Charlie Peace must probe the lives of numerous suspects who had good reason to kill. As always in a Barnard mystery, the fun is in the details, the characters, the twists. With big houses, wealth, opera, and obsessive devotion as some of his ingredients, Robert Barnard gives us a witty, richly nuanced novel worthy of the crime-writing star that he is.

Matt Harper, a television and radio personality and a former professional soccer player, has just bought Elderholm, an old stone house in Leeds in the north of England. It''s ideal for him, his partner Aileen, and her three children. Even the attic space seems just right -- the perfect place for a game room or a children''s retreat. But as Matt and his decorator tour the property, they find something that will put the attic off-limits for a long time to come: a tiny child''s skeleton that has clearly been there for years. What happened to the child, and how did its skeleton get into the attic? Detective Sergeant Charlie Peace and his forensic team think the child''s remains have been in the attic for thirty years. Thirty years? Matt remembers that time. It was 1969 and he was seven years old. He was in the neighborhood, spending the summer with an aunt. That was the summer that Elderholm''s owner left her house empty when she went to visit a daughter in Australia. What happened that summer? What memories lie deep in Matt''s consciousness? Where are the other children from that summer who now, of course, are adults? Who killed the little child and why was he or she never reported missing? And who has now written to Matt, assuring him that he had no part in what occurred, that he had gone home to London before it happened? As Matt struggles to recover his memory of that strange summer, both he and Charlie Peace ponder what it means to love and lose a child and how one thoughtless decision can change a life forever. Richly evocative and deeply poignant, The Bones in the Attic is crime writing at its best from one of the great contemporary masters of mystery.

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».

As handsome Dick Randall buys his young son Malcolm an ice-cream in a shopping precinct he looks every inch the caring father. But Malcolm''s mother is sitting by the phone at home waiting for frustratingly short calls from her missing son. Inspector Purley is following leads that take him zig-zagging across the country after the abducted boy and his criminal father, following trails of petty theft and brief telephone calls. Identities change, new lives begin and even happy reunions are not quite what they seem as this gifted crime writer questions our assumptions at every turn.

Those two days in May seem to be a highpoint in Colin Pinnock''s life: a stunning election victory, a new government, and junior office for himself. But among the many congratulations he receives is one hostile message, a grubby card asking, ''Who do you think you are?'' Is this merely someone putting him back in his place, or do the words have a more profound meaning? And who, indeed, is he? Who were his real parents? As Colin investigates these questions he is led back in time to an old political scandal: a murder case which led to a politician''s downfall and disappearance. Events in the present, however, start tangling with those of the past, and he finds himself the object of a series of incidents that at first seem designed to bring down his career with ridicule, but later actually threaten his life. A beautifully written and intriguing mystery form one of our foremost crime writers. ''Robert Barnard has the habit of delighting his readers'' "Sunday Times"

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.

Award-winning author Robert Barnard, hailed by critics for his brilliant novels of suspense, proves himself equally master of the short story with this delightful first collection. 16 tantalizing stories show ingenious killers at work in cozy English villages, sophisticated London neighborhoods, and the darkly paneled walls of academe.

Available to American readers for the first time, Britain''s spectacular Crime Club Diamond Jubilee commemorative volume is packed with the best in suspense fiction. This exclusive collection includes devilishly clever tales by Robert Barnard, Sarah Caudwell, Reginald Hill, Charlotte MacLeod, John Malcolm, and others.

Intrusion Detection Systems has long been considered the most important reference for intrusion detection system equipment and implementation. In this revised and expanded edition, it goes even further in providing the reader with a better understanding of how to design an integrated system. The book describes the basic operating principles and applications of the equipment in an easy to understand manner. This book was written for those security directors, consultants, and companies that select the equipment or make critical decisions about security systems design. Mr. Barnard provides sufficient detail to satisfy the needs of those interested in the technical principles, yet has included enough description on the operation and application of these systems to make Intrusion Detection Systems, Second Edition a useful reference for any security professional.

From master mystery writer Robert Barnard, one of his early novels, "Death of a Mystery Writer." First published in 1979, "Death of a Mystery Writer" received an Edgar Award nomination for "Best Novel" of that year. It''s with great pleasure that Scribner reissues this beloved novel from one of the most respected names in crime writing. Sir Oliver Fairleigh-Stubbs, overweight and overbearing, collapses and dies at his birthday party while indulging his taste for rare liquors. He had promised his daughter he would be polite and charitable for the entire day, but the strain of such exemplary behavior was obviously too great. He leaves a family relieved to be rid of him, and he also leaves a fortune, earned as a bestselling mystery author. To everyone''s surprise, Sir Oliver''s elder son, who openly hated his father, inherits most of the estate. His wife, his daughter, and his younger son are each to receive the royalties from one carefully chosen book. But the manuscript of the unpublished volume left to Sir Oliver''s wife -- a posthumous "last case" that might be worth millions -- has disappeared. And Sir Oliver''s death is beginning to look less than natural. Into this bitter household comes Inspector Meredith, a spirited Welshman who in some ways resembles Sir Oliver''s fictional hero. In Robert Barnard''s skillful hands, Inspector Meredith''s investigation becomes not only a classic example of detection but an elegant and humorous slice of crime.