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Annamaria Raffo Books

    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
    • The Watchman

      • 373 pages
      • 14 hours of reading

      To pay back an old debt, Pike is coerced into protecting Larkin Barkley, a hard-partying young heiress whose life is in danger after a "wrong place wrong time" encounter that quickly escalates and spins out of control. The enemy is shadowy, violent and relentless—but the fierce, focused Pike, one of the strongest characters in modern crime fiction, is equal to the challenge. The breathless pace and rich styling are sure to appeal to readers of hard-boiled fiction in general, but since up to now Pike has mostly remained in the background, some fans of the Elvis Cole series (The Forgotten Man, etc.) may find the explicit picture that emerges of Pike at odds with the image they've constructed for themselves.

      The Watchman
      4.1
    • Worst Case

      • 454 pages
      • 16 hours of reading

      The son of one of New York's wealthiest families is snatched off the street and held hostage. Bennett's work life - and love life - suddenly get even more complicated. His plan leads up to the most deadly demonstration yet - one that could bring cataclysmic devastation to every inch of New York.

      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
    • Emma is like every girl in the world. She has a few little secrets. I lost my virginity in the spare bedroom to Danny Nussbaum while Mum and Dad were downstairs watching Ben Hur. I'm a size twelve. Not a size eight, like Connor thinks. I've always thought Connor looks a bit like Ken. As in Barbie and Ken. When Artemis really annoys me, I feed her plant orange juice. (Which is pretty much every day). It was me who jammed the copier that time. In fart, all the times. My G string is hurting me. I faked my Maths GCSE grade on my CV. I have no idea what NATO stands for. Or even what it is... ... until she spills them all to a stranger on a plane. At least, she thought he was a stranger...

      Can You Keep a Secret?
      3.9
    • Inferno

      • 463 pages
      • 17 hours of reading

      *NOW A MAJOR FILM STARRING TOM HANKS AND FELICITY JONES* Robert Langdon wakes up in a Florence hospital with no clue how he got there. Another attack on his life makes it very clear - someone wants him dead. And fast. To survive, Langdon must work out who it is. And then he must answer the next question - why? 'Jam-packed with tricks . . . A book length scavenger hunt Mr Brown creates so energetically' New York Times

      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
    • 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

      • 329 pages
      • 12 hours of reading

      TV financial guru Becky Bloomwood has finally paid off her debts and credit card bills, until her boyfriend, Luke, invites her to accompany him when he moves to New York, and she discovers sample sales, power lunches, and Fifth Avenue.

      Shopaholic abroad
      3.8
    • Sail

      • 464 pages
      • 17 hours of reading

      Thriller. Widow Anne Dunne takes her three children on sailing vacation in an effort to save her family, but when they finally start feeling like a family again something catastrophic happens

      Sail
      3.8
    • Code to Zero

      • 374 pages
      • 14 hours of reading

      A man wakes up terrified, cold, aching and not knowing where he his. He picks up a newspaper and finds it is 29 January 1958, and the US is about to launch Explorer - if the launch fails the Russians will dominate space for the foreseeable future.

      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
    • Meet Rebecca Bloomwood. She’s a journalist. She spends her working life telling others how to manage their money. She spends her leisure time … shopping. Retail therapy is the answer to all her problems. She knows she should stop, but she can’t. She tries Cutting Back, she tries Making More Money. But neither seems to work. The stories she concocts become more and more fantastic as she tries to untangle her increasingly dire financial difficulties. Her only comfort is to buy herself something – just a little something… Can Becky ever escape from this dream world, find true love, and regain the use of her Switch card?

      Confessions of a Shopaholic
      3.7
    • Rogue Lawyer

      • 352 pages
      • 13 hours of reading

      Focusing on a charismatic and unconventional lawyer, the narrative immerses readers in a world of legal drama and moral complexity. With Grisham's signature storytelling, this novel combines thrilling courtroom battles with rich character development, making it a standout in the genre. Recognized as a top book of the year by notable publications, it highlights the author's prowess in creating engaging and intricate plots.

      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
    • Deveraux used to run Special Ops for the CIA, before they retired him for being too ruthless. Now the President has asked the man they call the Cobra to do anything he requires to destroy the cocaine industry. No rules, no questions asked. Just do it ...

      The cobra
      3.6
    • 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