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Annamaria Raffo

    The watchman
    Act of oblivion
    A column of fire
    Suspect
    The Sentry
    Hostage
    • Hostage

      • 496 pages
      • 18 hours of reading

      Former LAPD hostage negotiator Jeff Talley takes a job as chief of police in a small town far from the city, but his peaceful life is overturned when three young men, fleeing a robbery, invade a local home and take a family hostage

      Hostage
      4.3
    • Dru Rayne and her uncle are Louisiana refugees who relocated to Los Angeles after Hurricane Katrina. Now, five years after the storm, their struggling restaurant faces a different danger. When Joe Pike witnesses Dru's uncle beaten by a neighbourhood gang intent on extorting protection money, he offers his own brand of protection. But neither Dru nor her uncle want his help - and neither do the federal agents mysteriously watching their store -- agents who seem more than willing to let the gang have their way. But Pike is falling for Dru, and won't back away whether she wants his help or not. As the violence escalates, the gang targets Pike, who, with Elvis Cole's help, learns that Dru and her uncle are not who they seem. It soon emerges that everything Pike thought he knew about them, their relationship to the gang, and the reasons they fled New Orleans have been lies. Now, a vengeful and murderous force from their past is catching up with them, pitting Pike and Cole against the combined forces of South American crime lords, rogue federal agents, and contract assassins on the bloody hunt for twelve million dollars in missing stolen cash.

      The Sentry
      4.2
    • Suspect

      • 400 pages
      • 14 hours of reading

      They were each other's last chance - investigating a case no one wants... A brilliant thriller from the SUNDAY TIMES bestselling author of the Elvis Cole and Joe Pike novels.

      Suspect
      4.2
    • Millions of readers have been enthralled by the saga that began in The Pillars of the Earth and World Without End, which now continues with Ken Follett's magnificent, gripping A Column of Fire.A WORLD IN TURMOIL1558, and Europe is in revolt as religious hatred sweeps the continent. Elizabeth Tudor has ascended to the throne but she is not safe in this dangerous new world. There are many who would see her removed, not least Mary Queens of Scots, who lies in wait in Paris. A NEW ORDERElizabeth determines to set up a new secret service: a group of resourceful spies and courageous agents entrusted to keep her safe and in power. As she searches for those who will make the difference, one man stands out.A MAN WHO WOULD DIE FOR HIS QUEENFor Ned Willard the opportunity to serve his queen is God-sent. He cannot stay in Kingsbridge and watch the love of his life marry another, and as fires burn and extremism begins to spark throughout Europe, Ned makes his choice. He will spend his life protecting his monarch from the tyrants who aim to destroy her or die trying . . .

      A column of fire
      4.2
    • FROM THE SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLING AUTHOR OF V2 AND MUNICH 'A master storyteller' Observer 'From what is it they flee?' He took a while to reply. By the time he spoke the men had gone inside. He said quietly, 'They killed the King.' 1660, General Edward Whalley and Colonel William Goffe, father- and son-in-law, cross the Atlantic. They are on the run and wanted for the murder of Charles I. Under the provisions of the Act of Oblivion, they have been found guilty in absentia of high treason. In London, Richard Nayler, secretary of the regicide committee of the Privy Council, is tasked with tracking down the fugitives. He'll stop at nothing until the two men are brought to justice. A reward of e100 hangs over their heads - for their capture, dead or alive. ACT OF OBLIVION is an epic journey across continents, and a chase like no other. It is the thrilling new novel by Robert Harris. 'The king of the page-turning thriller' i Paper 'Harris's cleverness, judgment and eye for detail are second to none' Sunday Times 'Harris writes with a skill and ingenuity that few other novelists can match' Financial Times 'Harris is a master of historical fiction, a compelling author who brings to life the recent and ancient past' TLS

      Act of oblivion
      4.1
    • A long time ago, Joe Pike asked for help. In return, he would, one day, be called upon to return the favour, no questions asked. That day has come. Joe Pike is asked to protect the life of Larkin Conner Barkley, a spoiled rich girl who happens to be a federal witness in a major case. But someone is leaking information about their whereabouts, and the killers are getting all too close. So Pike he hatches a plan: disappear into the anonymous underbelly of Los Angeles, turn the tables, and hunt down the hunters. Enlisting the help of Elvis Cole, Pike uncovers a web of lies and betrayals; even the cops aren't who they seem. But as the body count rises, it becomes clear that Pike's biggest threat may be the girl herself - an edgy, yet intensely vulnerable soul determined to destroy herself, unless Joe can fill the void in her bruised heart.

      The watchman
      4.1
    • Children of New York's elite are being abducted and held hostage. But the criminal doesn't crave money - he only wants to test these privileged kids to see if they know the price others pay for their luxurious lifestyles. A wrong answer has fatal consequences. To Detective Michael Bennett, it is clear that these murders are only the beginning. Their killer has insanely grand ambitions - and the entire city is about to be brought to its knees. With all of New York in chaos, Bennett teams up with FBI agent Emily Parker and the two set out to capture the mastermind before he sets in motion his ultimate plan - a deadly lesson for the entire world.

      Worst Case
      4.1
    • Jackdaws

      • 599 pages
      • 21 hours of reading

      A brand new thriller from the master storyteller set against the menacing backdrop of the Second World War and crackling with suspense and action. It is May, 1944 - a time of international tension where nothing is certain... Two weeks before D-Day, the French Resistance attack a chateau containing a telephone exchange vital to German communications - but the building is heavily guarded and the attack fails disastrously. Flick Clairet, a young British secret agent, proposes a daring new plan: she will parachute into France with an all-woman team known as the 'Jackdaws' and they will penetrate the chateau in disguise. But, unknown to Flick, Rommel has assigned a brilliant, ruthless intelligence colonel, Dieter Franck, to crush the Resistance. And Dieter is on Flick's trail...

      Jackdaws
      4.1
    • During a state funeral for a beloved former First Lady in New York City's largest cathedral, the unthinkable occurs. Armed men disguised as monks seize the church and seal themselves inside, along with more than one hundred of the most powerful people in America. The captives include world leaders, actors, TV stars, athletes, and politicians, and the kidnappers are armed with enough C4 explosives to blow a crater in the middle of Manhattan. NYPD officer Michael Bennett is pulled into the standoff as lead negotiator. Despite the escalating danger, Michael faces an even more terrifying crisis at home. His wife has been diagnosed with a devastating disease, and Michael faces the prospect of losing the love of his life and having to raise their ten children alone. With his own life teetering and the lives of thousands suddenly his responsibility, Michael struggles to diffuse the tense situation fast. Yet the kidnappers' moves are impossible to predict, and they block every attempt to break into the cathedralmost as if they are privy to their deliberations.

      Step On a Crack
      4.0
    • The classic Clive Cussler thriller from the master of the adventure novel.

      Devil's Gate
      4.0
    • Two minutes can be a lifetime. But break the two minute rule and it's a lifetime in jail. Ask anyone on the wrong side of the law about the two minute rule and they'll tell you that's as long as you can hope for at a robbery before the cops show up. But not everyone plays by the rules. When an aging ex-con finally gets out of jail, freedom doesn't taste too sweet. His son is gunned down in a drive-by shooting. It seems like a random crime, but when the victim is a cop - especially a cop with a con for a father - the motives are never simple. When the hit is exposed as a revenge killing, and the question of police corruption is raised, it becomes a father's last duty to clear his son's name and catch the killer.

      The two minute rule
      4.0
    • Private detective Isaac Bell returns in Clive Cussler's The Wrecker. 1907: train wrecks, fires, and explosions sabotage the Southern Pacific Railroad's new express line ...The desperate railroad hires the fabled Van Dorn Detective Agency, who send their best man, Isaac Bell. He quickly discovers that a saboteur calling himself the Wrecker is attacking the Southern Pacific with accomplices recruited from down-and-outs - who are killed afterward. The Wrecker strikes wherever he pleases, causing untold damage and loss of human life. Who is he? What does he want? Is he an anarchist? A revolutionary? A criminal mastermind? Whoever he is, whatever his motives, the Wrecker knows how to create havoc. And Bell is convinced he is building up to a grand act unlike anything he has committed before. If the Wrecker isn't stopped in time, more than a railroad is at risk - the future of the entire country is on the line ...Bestseller Clive Cussler - author of the Dirk Pitt novels Black Wind and Trojan Odyssey - and co-author Justin Scott pit legendary detective Isaac Bell against a mysterious murderer and railroad saboteur in the second novel of historical thriller series The Isaac Bell Adventures, The Wrecker. Praise for Clive Cussler: 'The guy I read' Tom Clancy 'Cussler is hard to beat' Daily Mail

      The Wrecker
      4.0
    • The Chase

      • 496 pages
      • 18 hours of reading

      April 1950: The rusting hulk of a steam locomotive rises from the deep waters of a Montana lake. Inside is all that remains of three men who died forty-four years before. But it is not the engine nor its grisly contents that interest the people watching nearby. It is what is about to come next.

      The Chase
      4.0
    • Tick Tock

      • 416 pages
      • 15 hours of reading

      A bomb set in one of New York's busiest places is discovered before it explodes. But relief turns to terror when the police realize it is just a warning of greater devastation to come. The city calls on Detective Michael Bennett, pulling him away from a seaside vacation with his ten adopted children and their beloved nanny, Mary Catherine--leaving his entire family open to attack.Bennett enlists the help of a former colleague, FBI Agent Emily Parker. His affection for Emily grows into attraction and then something stronger, and his relationship with Mary Catherine takes an unexpected turn. Another horrifying crime leads Bennett to a shocking discovery that exposes the killer's pattern--and the earth-shattering enormity of his plan.

      Tick Tock
      4.0
    • The List

      • 451 pages
      • 16 hours of reading

      A bold scheme to outwit the biggest players in publishing and film drives this suspenseful thriller, where the price of fame becomes terror. Gable Cooper, an unknown author, has a novel worth six million dollars in book and film rights—but Gable Cooper doesn't exist. Abby Chandlis, an attorney turned novelist, created this phantom author. In a world where glamour often trumps substance, Abby devises a plan to keep her writing career alive: she needs a charismatic male figure to pose as Gable Cooper for her thrilling story. Enter Jack Jermaine, a man with dangerous good looks and a shadowy past. Trained by the military, Jack has a passion for writing but is plagued by a bitter truth: he can't write. As Abby searches for a suitable candidate, Jack forces his way into her life, and she reluctantly realizes his charm could secure her novel's success. She strikes a deal, and Jack becomes Gable Cooper. As he rises to celebrity status, Abby finds herself both seduced and ensnared by her creation. Success spirals into terror, leading Abby from the Pacific Northwest to New York City and the Caribbean, racing against time to find the one person who can reveal her authorship and end the nightmare that has overshadowed her dream of making The List.

      The List
      4.0
    • When the body of a theology student is found on a desolate stretch of East Anglian coast, his wealthy father demands that Scotland Yard should re-examine the verdict of accidental death. Commander Adam Dalgliesh agrees to visit the young man's theological college, St Anselm's - a place he knew as a boy - expecting a nostalgic return to old haunts and a straightforward examination of the evidence. Instead he finds himself embroiled in intrigue, conflict and dangerous secrets as the college is torn apart by a sacreligious and horrifying murder.

      Death in Holy Orders
      3.9
    • A phone call late on in the hot Dublin evening - an anxious mother, enquiring about her daughter. Then, a week later, the full dreadful story begins to unfold, and for Margaret the realization that this must never be allowed to end.

      Mary, Mary
      3.6
    • Can You Keep a Secret?

      • 329 pages
      • 12 hours of reading

      An instant "New York Times" bestseller, Kinsella's first stand-alone novel since the unforgettable Shopaholic series features the lovable and irrepressible Emma Corrigan, a young woman with a huge heart and a few little secrets.

      Can You Keep a Secret?
      3.9
    • Inferno

      • 480 pages
      • 17 hours of reading

      In the heart of Italy, Harvard professor of symbology Robert Langdon is drawn into a harrowing world centered on one of history's most enduring and mysterious literary masterpieces--Dante's "Inferno"--as he battles a chilling adversary and grapples with an ingenious riddle--

      Inferno
      3.9
    • Rebecca Bloomwood Has The Dream Job. She S A Personal Shopper, So Is Able To Spend Other People S Money All Day Instead Of Her Own. And She Gets Paid For Doing It. The Perfect Job, The Perfect Man - Gorgeous Luke Brandon And Now & The Perfect Wedding.Yes, Luke Has Proposed And Wedding Bells Are In Sight. No Excuses Are Needed To Start The Shopping Trip Of All Time. And Becky S Parents Are Just Assuming That The Wedding Will Be At Home A Marquee In The Garden And Becky In Her Mum S Wedding Dress, Which She S Been Saving Specially For The Occasion. But Luke S Mother Has Very Different Ideas A Huge Affair In New York In A Forest Glade Setting Or Perhaps A Venetian Ball, Or A Fin De Siecle Extravagance?Now Becky S Getting Confused. She Doesn T Want To Say No To Anyone. The Plans Are Going Ahead, And Soon It Will Be Too Late To Turn Back From Either Wedding&

      Shopaholic Ties the Knot
      3.8
    • Trascina gli uomini il ferro

      • 347 pages
      • 13 hours of reading

      Nati e cresciuti nel South Side di Chicago, Danny Carter e il suo migliore amico Evan si sono guadagnati una piccola reputazione criminale rapinando banchi dei pegni e negozi di liquori. I due vivono alla giornata e nulla sembra poterli rimettere sulla retta via, almeno fino a quando qualcosa va storto e tutto cambia, veloce come un colpo di pistola. Passano gli anni, e Danny ha smesso di pensare al proprio passato. Si è costruito un mondo nuovo, a sua misura: una carriera rispettabile, una fidanzata stabile e la coscienza pulita. È come tutti gli altri: normale, sereno, felice. Questo finché, capitato per caso in un bar fumoso, si accorge che in un angolo c'è il suo vecchio socio che lo fissa. Indurito dalla prigione, quasi irriconoscibile, Evan non ha mai fatto il nome dell'amico e pensa di meritare una grossa ricompensa, anzi, la più grossa delle ricompense: riavere tutto il tempo e le occasioni sprecate dietro lo sbarre. Per ottenerla non si farà alcuno scrupolo. Con la sua nuova vita in gioco e un passato così scomodo e doloroso alle porte, Danny dovrà fare una scelta... Riuscirà a proteggere il proprio futuro?

      Trascina gli uomini il ferro
      2.8
    • Cat and Mouse

      • 502 pages
      • 18 hours of reading

      Alex Cross is back-and so is a raging and suicidal Gary Soneji. Out of prison and dying from the AIDS virus he contracted there, he will get revenge on Cross before he dies. In addition, we are introduced to a new pair of rivals whose paths cross that of Alex and Soneji. Thomas Augustine Pierce has been chasing his demon, Mr. Smith, since the savage murder of his fiancee. Mr. Smith is a unique monster, with actions toward his victims so insane-so unimaginable-that he is thought of as "not of the earth." Pierce, known in the business as St. Augustine because of his track record for catching killers and his invaluable status to the FBI and Interpol, may even be better than Cross.When things heat up and Alex is in a near-death coma following an attack in his own home, Pierce goes to Washington to help with the investigation. But just as he begins to piece together the mystery of how Gary Soneji could have mortally wounded Cross after he was believed to be dead, he is summoned to Paris with a postcard from Mr. Smith inviting him to a very special killing.The body count is high, the tension the highest, and the two killers on the loose are watching every move their pursuers make. Who is the cat, and who is the mouse? What and where is the final trap? And who survives?

      Cat and Mouse
      3.8
    • Shopaholic abroad

      • 352 pages
      • 13 hours of reading

      For Rebecca life is peachy. She has a job on morning TV, her bank manager is being nice to her, and the icing on the brioche is that she has been offered work in New York. The Museum of Modern Art, the Guggenheim, and she does intend to visit them all, but first Saks, then Bloomingdales.

      Shopaholic abroad
      3.8
    • Sail

      • 435 pages
      • 16 hours of reading

      A mother and her three children struggle to survive on the most shocking vacation of their lives. James Patterson, America's #1 bestselling thriller writer, presents his most suspenseful, explosive tale ever. Only an hour out of port, the Dunne family's summer getaway to paradise is already turning into the trip from hell. The three children are miserable, and not shy about showing it. Katherine Dunne had hoped this vacation would bring back the togetherness they'd lost when her husband died four years earlier. Maybe if her new husband had joined them it would all have been okay. Suddenly, a disaster hits-and it's perfect. Faced with this real threat, the Dunnes rediscover the meaning of family. But this catastrophe is just a tiny taste of the true danger that lurks ahead: somewhere out there, someone wants to make sure that the Dunne family never leaves paradise alive.

      Sail
      3.8
    • Code to Zero

      • 496 pages
      • 18 hours of reading

      A man wakes up to find himself lying on the ground in a railway station, his mind stripped bare of all recollection. He has no idea how he got there; he does not even know his own name. Convinced he is a drunken down and out, it isn't until a newspaper report about a satellite launch catches his eye, that he suspects all is not what it seems... The year is 1958, and America is about to launch its first satellite in a desperate attempt to match the Soviet Sputnik and regain the lead in the space race. As Luke Lucas gradually unravels the mystery of his amnesia, he realizes that his fate is bound up with that of the rocket that stands ready on launch pad 26B at Cape Canaveral. As he relearns the story of his life, he uncovers long-kept secrets about his wife, his best friend and the woman he once loved more than life itself. But even more terrifying is the dark secret they tried to make him forget, a secret that threatens America's survival

      Code to Zero
      3.8
    • What is wrong with Dr Edward Haggard? Is it a passionate love for the wife of the senior pathologist or is it something simpler? Is it a broken heart or is it Spike - the steel pin that holds his fractured hip together? By the author of Spider and The Grotesque.

      Dr Haggard's Disease
      3.5
    • The Secret Dreamworld of a Shopaholic

      • 319 pages
      • 12 hours of reading

      Financial journalist Rebecca Bloomwood seeks solace from the boredom and pressures in life with her shopping, a solution that brings her close to financial disaster, until she encounters a story that will change her life.

      The Secret Dreamworld of a Shopaholic
      3.7
    • Sebastian Rudd is not your typical street lawyer. He works out of a customized bulletproof van, complete with Wi-Fi, a bar, a small fridge, fine leather chairs, a hidden gun compartment, and a heavily armed driver. He has no firm, no partners, no associates, and only one employee, his driver, who's also his bodyguard, law clerk, confidant, and golf caddy. He lives alone in a small but extremely safe penthouse apartment, and his primary piece of furniture is a vintage pool table. He drinks small-batch bourbon and carries a gun. Sebastian defends people other lawyers won't go near:a drug-addled, tattooed kid rumored to be in a satanic cult, who is accused of molesting and murdering two little girls; a vicious crime lord on death row; a homeowner arrested for shooting at a SWAT team that mistakenly invaded his house. Why these clients? Because he believes everyone is entitled to a fair trial, even if he, Sebastian, has to cheat to secure one. He hates injustice, doesn't like insurance companies, banks,or big corporations; he distrusts all levels of government and laughs at the justice system's notions of ethical behavior.

      Rogue lawyer
      3.7
    • The Fox

      • 320 pages
      • 12 hours of reading

      The master storyteller is back with a classic race-against-time thriller with a modern edge. Most weapons do what you tell them. Most weapons you can control. But what if the most dangerous weapon in the world isn't a smart missile or a stealth submarine or even an AI computer programme?What if it's a 17-year-old boy with a blisteringly brilliant mind, who can run rings around the most sophisticated security services across the globe, who can manipulate that weaponry and turn it against the superpowers themselves?How valuable would he be? And what wouldn't you do to get hold of him? The Fox is a race-against-time thriller across continents to find and capture, or protect and save, an asset with the means to change the balance of world power. Whatever happens he must not fall into the wrong hands. Because what follows after that is unthinkable...

      The Fox
      3.7
    • The Arraignment

      • 402 pages
      • 15 hours of reading

      When a lawyer friend and his client are murdered outside the San Diego courthouse, attorney Paul Madriani fears he may have been the actual target and takes the case of a suspect he believes may hold the answers

      The Arraignment
      3.5
    • Martha Peake

      A Novel of the Revolution

      • 352 pages
      • 13 hours of reading

      Master storyteller Patrick McGrath, acclaimed for his novel Asylum, weaves a hypnotic tale of psychological suspense and haunting beauty. Set against the backdrop of Hogarth's London and the volatile Massachusetts Bay colony, the story introduces a flame-haired heroine whose journey lingers in the imagination long after the last page. Our narrator recounts the life of Harry Peake, a poet and smuggler who tragically lost his wife, Grace, in a fire that left him disfigured. He resorts to displaying his deformed spine in London alehouses, finding solace only in his devoted daughter, Martha, who inherits his fiery spirit but not his passion for gin. As Harry succumbs to alcoholism, he commits a final act of brutality, forcing Martha to flee to the American colonies. There, she becomes entangled in the fervor of rebellion, yet the shadows of her past loom large. Amidst betrayals, she seeks redemption through an unforgettable act of courage. Superbly plotted and absorbing, this novel showcases McGrath's psychological precision and imaginative prowess on a broad historical canvas. It tells the poignant tale of a child escaping a father's twisted love and the colonists' struggle for freedom from their homeland, marking McGrath's finest work to date.

      Martha Peake
      3.1
    • The Love Trainer

      • 480 pages
      • 17 hours of reading

      Katie Wallace had her heart broken once - never again. So she decides to becomes a Love Trainer, a unique service provider who can answer the following 1 Should I call him even though he hasn't called me? 2 When he turns up in the middle of the night drunk and wanting a shag, should I say yes? 3 Why is it so hard when I'm not even sure he's the man I want to marry? Is Katie right? Can you train men to be better boyfriends? Or is she playing the game of love with the wrong set of rules - a game which can only lead to her and those she helps getting hurt ...?

      The Love Trainer
      3.2
    • Oscar Classici - 106: L'adolescente

      • 661 pages
      • 24 hours of reading

      La cronaca famigliare che Dostoevskij inventa ispirandosi alle rubriche dei giornali è molto diversa da quella cui ci aveva abituato Tolstoj, con la sua rappresentazione di un solido mondo patriarcale. Lacerata e divisa, la famiglia di Dostoevskij è lo specchio dei tempi nuovi, dei traffici di una società avida e iniqua che non esita a lanciarsi nelle imprese più spregiudicate, a perdersi in tormentosi conflitti con i demoni che la agitano. Confessione autobiografica di un giovane ventenne, "L'adolescente" snoda una sequenza vertiginosa di fatti, un turbine di avvenimenti incalzanti. Figlio naturale di un proprietario terriero, Arkadij coltiva sogni di potere e rivincita, ma non riuscirà a sottrarsi al giro di ricatti e intrighi.

      Oscar Classici - 106: L'adolescente