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Irving Pardoen

    Tooth & nail.
    A Desert in Bohemia
    Me Talk Pretty One Day
    Child 44
    Omnibus: De Paardenfluisteraar & De Wolvenlus
    First They Killed My Father
    • The Sunday Times bestseller - an intensely moving and beautifully written new novel from the Booker-prize winning author of Last Orders and Waterland

      Mothering Sunday2016
      3.9
    • Imagine Me Gone

      • 368 pages
      • 13 hours of reading

      SHORTLISTED FOR THE NATIONAL BOOK CRITICS CIRCLE AWARDS 2017 Universal and essential, the heart-breaking story of an ordinary American family shaped by tragedy Michael is a precocious kid, smart and funny, obsessed with books and music. His sister Celia is the sensible one in the family: tougher than the boys, unshakeably certain about how the world works. And then there's Alec, the most ambitious and also the most sensitive, growing up in the shadow of his older siblings. While all three are still young, the course of their lives is changed forever. In a family marked by tragedy, Michael, Celia and Alec struggle for years to save one another from the destructive legacy of guilt. Weaving together the voices of five family members, Adam Haslett imagines how a single event can define many lives, unfolding a rich and painful novel that has all the makings of an American classic.

      Imagine Me Gone2016
      3.7
    • Thursday's Children

      • 432 pages
      • 16 hours of reading

      When psychotherapist Frieda Klein left the sleepy Suffolk coastal town in which she grew up, she never intended to return. Left behind were friends, family, lives and loves but alongside them, painful memories; a past she wouldn't allow to destroy her. Then, years later, an old classmate appears in London, asking Frieda to help her teenage daughter, and long-buried memories resurface. Death soon follows, leaving Frieda no choice but to return home to confront her past. And the monsters no one else believed were real . . . Through a fog of conflicting accounts, hidden agendas and questionable alibis, Frieda can trust no one as she tries to piece together the shocking truth, past and present. Before another innocent dies. When it comes to psychological suspense, there's none better than Nicci French. And Thursday's Children is Nicci French at her very best. Praise for Nicci French 'Brilliantly crafted.' Daily Mirror 'Magnificent.' Evening Standard

      Thursday's Children2014
      3.9
    • Agent 6

      • 560 pages
      • 20 hours of reading

      Former secret police agent Leo Demidov is thrown into a foreign conflict and is forced to question and confront everything he ever thought he knew about his country, his family, and himself.

      Agent 62013
      3.9
    • Eye of the Red Tsar

      • 352 pages
      • 13 hours of reading

      It is the time of the Great Terror. Inspector Pekkala - known as the Emerald Eye - was the most famous detective in all Russia. He was the favourite of the Tsar. Now he is the prisoner of the men he once hunted.

      Eye of the Red Tsar2011
      3.8
    • Van je familie moet je het hebben

      • 306 pages
      • 11 hours of reading

      Van je familie moet je het hebben bevat een zorgvuldig en kundig samengestelde en ingeleide selectie door Aaf Brandt Corstius van David Sedaris' mooiste, ontroerendste en vooral geestigste verhalen: ze gaan over de dood, over zijn knotsgekke familie, over nudistencampings, over roken, over de zes tot acht zwarte mannen die Sinterklaas assisteren, over dwangneuroses, lichamelijk verval, over shoppen met zijn zus Amy, en over nog meer dood.David Sedaris is een fenomeen in de Verenigde Staten: van zijn boeken zijn meer dan een miljoen exemplaren verkocht. Zijn verhalen verschijnen in The New Yorker, hij leest voor op National Public Radio, en is regelmatig te zien bij David Letterman. Ook in België is zijn faam groot: 'Is David Sedaris de grappigste schrijver ter wereld? Wij zijn er alvast van overtuigd,' schreef Het Nieuwsblad geheel terecht.

      Van je familie moet je het hebben2010
      3.2
    • Losing you

      • 432 pages
      • 16 hours of reading

      Nina Landry is supposed to be taking her two children away for Christmas. However, her 15-year-old daughter, Charlie, has gone missing. Has Charlie run away? Or has something more sinister happened to her? And why will nobody take her disappearance seriously?

      Losing you2010
      3.5
    • David Sedaris moved from New York to Paris where he attempted to learn French. His teacher, a sadist, declared that every day spent with him was like giving birth the Caesarean way! These hilarious essays were inspired by that move.

      Me Talk Pretty One Day2010
      4.0
    • The Secret Speech

      • 475 pages
      • 17 hours of reading

      The Soviet Union 1956: after Stalin's death, a violent regime is beginning to fracture. Stalin's successor Khrushchev pledges reform. But there are forces at work that are unable to forgive or forget the past. Leo Demidov, former MGB officer, is facing his own turmoil. His adopted daughters have yet to forgive him for his part in the brutal murder of their parents. They are not alone. Leo, his wife, and their family are in grave danger from someone with a grudge. Someone transformed beyond recognition into the perfect model of vengeance. Leo's desperate mission to save his family will take him from the harsh Siberian Gulags, to the depths of the criminal underworld, to the centre of the Hungarian uprising - and into a hell where redemption is as brittle as glass.

      The Secret Speech2010
      3.8
    • The American

      • 384 pages
      • 14 hours of reading

      A haunting psychological suspense novel, now re-released to tie in to the major new film starring George Clooney

      The American2010
      3.6
    • Complicit

      • 416 pages
      • 15 hours of reading

      Bonnie finds her summer fling boyfriend and fellow band member, Hayden, dead on the floor of a friend's London apartment. She proceeds to hide the corpse and obliterate every sign of her presence at the crime scene. Hayden's well-known involvement with other women could have provided Bonnie a motive for murder. To complicate matters, at least one more person appears to have altered the crime scene.

      Complicit2009
      3.4
    • Child 44

      • 470 pages
      • 17 hours of reading

      CRIME & MYSTERY. In Stalin's Soviet Union, crime does not exist. But still millions live in fear. The mere suspicion of disloyalty to the State, the wrong word at the wrong time, can send an innocent person to his execution. Idealistic officer Leo Demidov believes he's building a perfect society. But after witnessing the interrogation of an innocent man, his loyalty begins to waver, and when ordered to investigate his own wife, Raisa, Leo is forced to choose where his heart truly lies. Then the impossible happens. A murderer is on the loose, killing at will, and every belief Leo has ever held is shattered. Denounced by his enemies and exiled from home, with only Raisa by his side, he must risk everything to find a criminal that the State won't admit even exists. On the run, Leo soon discovers the danger isn't from the killer he is trying to catch, but from the country he is trying to protect.

      Child 442009
      4.1
    • Nicci French, bestselling author of thriller Blue Monday, tells the dark story of a woman trying to discover what happened to her husband in What To Do When Someone Dies. Ellie Faulkner's world has been destroyed. Her husband Greg died in a car crash - and he wasn't alone. In the passenger seat was the body of Milena Livingstone - a woman Ellie's never heard of. But Ellie refuses to leap to the obvious conclusion, despite all the whispers and suspicions. Maybe it's the grief, but Ellie has to find out who this woman was - and prove Greg wasn't having an affair. Soon she is certain their deaths were no accident. Are Ellie's accusations of murder her way of avoiding the truth about her marriage? Or does an even more sinister discovery await her? 'You'll be hooked from the first page. A compulsive page-turner' Daily Express Nicci French is the pseudonym for the writing partnership of journalists Nicci Gerrard and Sean French. Together they have written 13 books, including Losing You, The Safe House and Until It's Over.

      What to Do When Someone Dies. Seit er tot ist, englische Ausgabe2008
      3.5
    • Until It's Over

      • 376 pages
      • 14 hours of reading

      A murder case pushes six roommates to their breaking point, in this chilling and erotic new thriller.

      Until It's Over2007
      3.6
    • Tooth & nail.

      • 304 pages
      • 11 hours of reading

      They call him the Wolfman - because he takes a bite out of his victims and because they found the first victim in the East End's lonely Wolf Street. Scotland Yard are anxious to find the killer and Inspector Rebus is drafted in to help, thanks to his supposed expertise in the modus operandi of serial killers. But his Scotland Yard opposite number, George Flight, isn't happy at yet more interference - it's bad enough having several Chief Inspectors on your back - and Rebus finds himself dealing with racial prejudice as well as the predations of a violent maniac. When Rebus is offered a serial killer profile of the Wolfman by an attractive female psychologist, it's too good an opportunity to miss. But in finding an ally, he may have given his enemies an easy means of attack.

      Tooth & nail.2006
      3.9
    • Knots & Crosses

      Collectors' Edition

      • 240 pages
      • 9 hours of reading

      'It was 28th April. Wet, naturally, the grass percolating water as John Rebus walked to the grave of his father, dead five years to the day.' This is our first glimpse of the Scottish policeman with the puzzling name... before Ian Rankin hit the bestseller lists, before Rebus became a national institution... A story of the brutal abduction and murder of young girls, at first it seems that Detective Sergeant John Rebus, smoking and drinking too much, his own young daughter spirited away south by his disenchanted wife, is just one of many policemen hunting the killer. Then messages begin to arrive: knotted string and matchstick crosses - taunting Rebus with pieces of a puzzle only he can solve. So begins the case that introduced the crime world to one of its most compelling characters. Whether you're turning the pages for the first time, or reliving the mystery, KNOTS AND CROSSES is unmissable reading.

      Knots & Crosses2006
      3.9
    • A Good Hanging and Other Stories

      • 288 pages
      • 11 hours of reading

      Edinburgh is a city steeped in history and tradition, a seat of learning, of elegant living, known as the 'Athens of the North'. But that isn't all. The city's flip-side is a city of grudges, blackmail, violence, greed and fear - where past and present clash and old wounds fester. In any year Detective Inspector John Rebus can expect gang warfare, murder, assault and battery at the very least. In this collection he investigates the hanging of a student actor during the Festival, an arson attack on a bird watcher and the witnessing of an apparent miracle...

      A Good Hanging and Other Stories2006
      3.9
    • A junkie lies dead in an Edinburgh squat, spreadeagled, cross-like on the floor, between two burned-down candles, a five-pointed star daubed on the wall above. Just another dead addict - until John Rebus begins to chip away at the indifference, treachery, deceit and sleaze that lurks behind the facade of the Edinburgh familiar to tourists. Only Rebus seems to care about a death which looks more like a murder every day, about a seductive danger he can almost taste, appealing to the darkest corners of his mind . . .

      Hide & Seek2006
      3.9
    • The Echo

      • 464 pages
      • 17 hours of reading

      Minette Walters has had an illustrious career, in the respect that her first three novels won a major prize, and The Sculptress was adapted as a major BBC drama. The Echo is her latest novel in the crime genre.

      The Echo2003
      3.7
    • De staatsburger

      • 459 pages
      • 17 hours of reading

      An eccentric Count who runs a famous Paris horror theatre, cursed with unexpected death . . . A beautiful young heiress and aspiring leading lady who just might be involved in the dark arts . . . An enigmatic gentleman whose shadowed past will at last be exposed. Their fates and hidden agendas intertwine in Sarah Smith’s compelling novel of an ancient house, dark arts, and love gone wrong–a murderous tale unfolding in the shadow of the guillotine. . . .

      De staatsburger2002
      1.4
    • Elizabeth Costello

      • 233 pages
      • 9 hours of reading

      From an award-acceptance speech at a New England liberal arts college to a lecture on evil in Amsterdam, Elizabeth Costello is a distinguished and aging Australian novelist whose life is revealed through a series of eight formal addresses

      Elizabeth Costello2002
      3.3
    • It is 1945. As the German Army retreats and the tide of war sweeps back over Eastern Europe, the lives of the inhabitants are changed forever.

      A Desert in Bohemia2001
      3.9
    • The Horse Whisperer

      • 352 pages
      • 13 hours of reading

      A forty-ton truck careens out of control on a snowy road, endangering a teenage girl on horseback. In moments, a family's life is shattered, prompting a mother’s desperate quest to save her injured daughter and a horse driven mad by pain. This journey leads her to a legendary figure known for his ability to calm wild horses and heal broken spirits. Tom Booker, the inheritor of this ancient gift, faces his greatest challenge yet. Annie Graves travels across the continent with her daughter, Grace, and their wounded horse, Pilgrim, to seek help at the Booker ranch in Montana. Annie risks everything—her career, marriage, and comfortable life—believing that the Whisperer can save them. The accident has left Pilgrim savage, and many insist he should be put down. However, Annie won’t abandon him, sensing that his fate is tied to Grace’s, who has retreated into a painful silence. As they navigate the vast Rocky Mountain Front, their lives—and Tom's—will be transformed in unforeseen ways. This epic tale intertwines love, adventure, healing, and redemption, exploring our deep connections with nature and the journey of self-discovery, ultimately celebrating the power of belief and the possibility of hope.

      The Horse Whisperer2001
      3.9
    • Moederzorg

      • 303 pages
      • 11 hours of reading

      Een vrouw krijgt tegelijk de zorg voor haar pasgeboren kind en haar ongeneeslijk zieke moeder.

      Moederzorg2000
    • A heartbreaking work of staggering genius

      • 400 pages
      • 14 hours of reading

      Dave Egger's parents died from cancer within a month of each other when he was 21 and his brother, Christopher, was 7. They left the Chicago suburb where they had grown up and moved to San Francisco. This book tells the story of their life together

      A heartbreaking work of staggering genius2000
      3.7
    • From a childhood survivor of the Cambodian genocide under Pol Pot, this narrative reveals the harrowing realities of war crimes and the extraordinary resilience of a small girl and her family. Repackaged to coincide with a Netflix film produced and directed by Angelina Jolie, the story chronicles Loung Ung's life until the age of five in Phnom Penh, where she was one of seven children of a high-ranking official. A lively child, she cherished the vibrant city markets and her playful interactions with her parents. However, everything changed when the Khmer Rouge invaded in April 1975, forcing her family to flee and hide their identities. They moved from village to village, ultimately dispersing to survive. Loung was trained as a child soldier in a work camp for orphans, while her siblings faced their own struggles in labor camps. As the Vietnamese forces advanced and dismantled the Khmer Rouge, Loung and her surviving siblings began to reunite. Inspired by her brother's bravery and supported by her family's sacrifices and her sister's kindness, Loung persevered to build a courageous new life. This insightful and compelling story is both harrowing and hopeful, leaving a lasting impact.

      First They Killed My Father2000
      4.4
    • Het seizoen van de kersenbloesem

      • 360 pages
      • 13 hours of reading

      Het seizoen van de kersenbloesem schetst een fascinerend en intiem beeld van een land waarvan wij zo weinig weten. Het tekent een eerlijk en gevoelig portret van een onvergetelijke familie en een bijzondere vrouw. Het seizoen van de kersenbloesem begint in de jaren zeventig van de negentiende eeuw. De zoon van grootgrondbezitter Miwa is de meest begeerde vrijgezel uit de omgeving. Tot ieders verbazing kiest de familie echter de dochter van de eenvoudige dokter Shirai tot zijn bruid: Ayako, die zo mooi is dat mannen die haar tegenkomen pardoes in het water vallen. Ayako krijgt vier kinderen, waaronder Haruko. Haruko´s leven speelt zich aanvankelijk af op het platteland, binnen de muren van de hofstee waar ze woont met haar familie en bedienden. Hun huis fungeert als middelpunt van de gemeenschap, waar de dagen en seizoenen volgens vastgestelde patronen verlopen. Maar de tijden veranderen, en de traditionele maatschappij komt steeds meer onder druk van buitenaf te staan. Het seizoen van de kersenbloesem is de liefdevolle, geromantiseerde biografie over de moeder van de auteur, op wie Haruko werd gebaseerd. Ruriko Pilgrim schreef een buitengewoon aangrijpend portret van eenJapanse familie in een tjidperk waarin Japan veranderde van een introverte, traditionele maatschappij naar een moderne, op het Westen gerichte economische wereldmacht.

      Het seizoen van de kersenbloesem1999
      3.3
    • The Tinder Box

      • 124 pages
      • 5 hours of reading

      A chilling novella of prejudice, ambition and cunning as villagers react to a brutal double murder.

      The Tinder Box1999
      3.5
    • The Breaker

      • 464 pages
      • 17 hours of reading

      Twelve hours after a women's broken body is washed up on shore, her traumatised 3-year old daughter is discovered 20 miles away, alone & abandoned. Police suspicion falls on an actor whose boat is moored yards from the toddler & the victim's husband.

      The Breaker1999
      3.6
    • Une enseigne au néon, flamand rose éblouissant, surplombe la route côtière à la sortie de Jacksonville (Floride), indiquant le Flamingo, le plus grand cinéma en plein air du monde. Le nuit, l'immense écran s'éclaire et la magie des images venues d'Hollywood éclate en plein ciel. C'est dans ce décor incarnant les rêves un peu mégalomanes d'Hubert Lee, son propriétaire - et peut-être le rêve américain des années 60 - que le narrateur, Abe Lee, a grandi. Aujourd'hui, il repasse le film de sa vie : les rivalités entre son père et Turner West, l'entrepreneur de pompes funèbres voisin ; son coup de foudre contrarié pour Grace, la fille de Turner ; la sérénité de sa mère qui dissimulait si bien les secrets de son cœur ; l'étonnante séduction du " juge " habile à piloter, mais si maladroit à terre... Retraçant le face-à-face de deux familles par la voix de son témoin le plus sensible, Flamingo a l'exubérance et le pouvoir envoûtant des grandes sagas du Sud, où les destins se nouent et se dénouent au rythme des passions et des discordes. C'est le roman d'une Amérique mythique qui symbolisait encore la réussite, la grandeur et la liberté. Un choc de lecture intense. Une formidable réussite romanesque, comparée aux Etats-Unis à celle du Monde selon Garp de John Irving ou du Prince des marées de Pat Conroy.

      Flamingo1998
      2.5
    • Parel Pocket: Ongerijmde dood

      • 398 pages
      • 14 hours of reading

      Een misdaadverslaggeefster raakt er steeds meer van overtuigd dat een seriemoordenaar de moord waarvoor hij ter dood is veroordeeld, niet heeft gepleegd.

      Parel Pocket: Ongerijmde dood1996