Book: Female Detective: The Original Lady Detective, 1864

Typical of detective fiction of its time, Andrew Forrester’s book features various cases narrated by Miss Gladden, or 'G' as she is also known. Her deductive methods and energetic approach anticipate those of Arthur Conan Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes, and she can be seen as beginning a powerful tradition of female detectives. 'G' uses similar methods to her male counterparts – she enters scenes of crime incognito, tracking down killers while trying to conceal her own tracks and her identity from others.

'G', the first female detective, does much physical detective work, examining crime scenes, looking for clues and employing all manner of skill, subterfuge, observation and charm to achieve her ends. Like Holmes, 'G' regards the regular constabulary with disdain. For all the intrigue and interest of the stories, little is ever revealed about 'G' herself, and her personal circumstances remain a mystery throughout. But it is her ability to apply her considerable energy and intelligence to solve crimes that is her greatest appeal, and the reappearance of the original lady detective will be welcomed by fans of crime fiction.

This edition includes an introduction by Mike Ashley and a foreword by Alexander McCall Smith.
Also available as a Kindle ebook.

About the author
Andrew Forrester is the pseudonym of James Redding Ware (1832- c.1909), who wrote several detective stories during his career.

Reviews
`Literary ancestor to Miss Marple, Lisbeth Salander and Nancy Drew, the redoubtable Miss Gladden – the first ever female detective in British fiction – is set to make her reappearance after almost 150 years out of print.` Alison Flood, The Guardian

Published Date: October 2012
Publisher: British Library
ISBN: 9780712358781
Purchase at: British Library

Check out the Mughal India: Art, Culture and Empire exhibition at Mughal Empire

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The Vampire Diaries 4x11 "Catch Me If You Can" - Jeremy (Steven R. McQueen) is furious when Klaus (Joseph Morgan) tries to control him by putting Matt's (Zach Roerig) life in danger. Damon (Ian Somerhalder) coaches Jeremy as he prepares to take on Klaus' new vampires, but they find that Kol (guest star Nathaniel Buzolic) has beaten them to it. Kol makes it clear that he will stop at nothing to convince everyone to give up the search for the cure. Looking for a new ally, Rebekah (Claire Holt) reminds Stefan (Paul Wesley) that they were once close friends.

When Sheriff Forbes (Marguerite MacIntyre) and Mayor Hopkins (guest star Rick Worthy) question Shane (guest star David Alpay) about his involvement in the Founders' Council deaths, Bonnie (Kat Graham) steps in with questions of her own, and Shane's responses push Bonnie to the edge of her powers. Elena (Nina Dobrev) negotiates with Klaus to keep Jeremy safe, but when danger suddenly appears from a totally unexpected enemy, Elena comes up with her own daring plan for Jeremy. John Dahl directed the episode written by Brian Young & Michael Narducci (#411).

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Book: The Master and Margarita by Mikhail Bulgakov

On a hot spring afternoon in Moscow, a poet and an editor are discussing the non-existence of Jesus. A polite, foreign gentleman interrupts their debate, claiming to have known Jesus in person and to have been present when he was condemned by Pontius Pilate. Moreover, he predicts the editor’s death – a bizarre accident which happens exactly as the foreigner foretells. The Devil has arrived in Moscow and, along with his demons and a large black cat, he carves a trail of chaos and destruction through Soviet society. He exposes the hypocrisy and greed of those around him, their willingness to inform on neighbours, their urgent scrabble for power and their fear for themselves. One man seems different: a writer known as ‘the master’ who, in despair, has burned his unpublished novel about Pontius Pilate and has been incarcerated in an asylum. His lover, the passionate, courageous Margarita, will do anything to save him – including serving the Devil himself.

Writing The Master and Margarita in secret between 1928 and 1940, through the period of Stalin’s purges, Bulgakov was already deemed anti-Soviet; his plays were banned, and he had few illusions that anyone would publish this highly satirical work. Like his main character, he destroyed a draft in despair. Yet, as the Devil tells the master, in a phrase which went on to become a watchword of hope: ‘Manuscripts don’t burn’. In 1966-7, more than 25 years after Bulgakov’s death, The Master and Margarita was published with relatively minor cuts. Smuggled past the censors, its subversive message, dark humour and lyrical force combined to make it an instant success and a beacon of optimism and freedom that spread through Russia and the world. Peter Suart’s dramatic illustrations provide a fitting accompaniment to what is one of our members’ most requested titles.

Buy The Master and Margarita at The Folio Society


Introduced by Orlando Figes.
Book Illustrated by Peter Suart.
Translated by Richard Pevear and Larissa Volokhonsky.
Bound in buckram.
Blocked with a design by Peter Suart.
Set in Joanna.

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"After School Special" - Appearing unexpectedly at Mystic Falls High, Rebekah (Claire Holt) wastes no time trying to force Stefan (Paul Wesley), Elena (Nina Dobrev) and Caroline (Candice Accola) to answer her questions about the search for a cure, leading to a bombshell piece of information from Elena. When Bonnie's (Kat Graham) father, Rudy Owens (guest star Rick Worthy, 'Supernatural'), accepts the role of Interim Mayor, he makes it a priority to protect his daughter, who isn't at all comfortable with the role he suddenly wants to play in her life. Professor Shane (guest star David Alpay) continues to encourage Bonnie to believe in her powers, but he soon finds himself in danger when he reveals too much to the wrong person. Later, Caroline does her best to comfort Tyler (Michael Trevino) after a violent confrontation. Meanwhile, at the lake house, Damon and Matt (Zach Roerig) train Jeremy (Steven R. McQueen), trying to raise his game as a hunter, but Klaus (Joseph Morgan) is impatient with their progress and intervenes to speed up the process. David Von Ancken directed the episode written by Brett Matthews (#410).

Book Review: Good Gladys - Embrace the Dead by Martin Renaud

Good Gladys Embrace the Dead.
by Martin Renaud.

It was an easy to read book, ideal for a read on holiday for instance.

I liked the main character "Sauce", he had his problems but curiosity got to him and he took on the investigation with a lot of encouragement from Dara.

The plot is unusual and there are quite a few twists and turns which are unexpected.

The main characters were all good and fitted in well with "Sauce". I did not like the inclusion of the two young boys in the abduction though, it left a bad taste to the story, although that is just my own personal preference, each person will take something different from this part of the story.

I think there could be further stories to be written involving  "Sauce" and "BT" working together. I would recommend this book to anyone that likes a light murder/mystery, without all the blood and guts of some books that are out there.

Review by @SusieD


Official Description

A murder mystery with a psychic twist.

News reports that the famous psychic Good Gladys is missing coincide with the brutal stabbing of her business manager. Gladys's daughter Dara asks an old friend, private investigator Byrne Aase, to help find the murderer. She claims that the man the police have in custody is innocent. In fact, she believes that the accused is her mother, having been transformed into a man during a seance gone awry.

Excerpt:

“Remember that day we left for St. Martin?” asked Dara, sitting down on the edge of the sofa. “I took you home, just before we left, so I could pack a few clothes for the trip. You met Mummy and talked with her while you waited for me.” Sauce turned and raised his eyebrows. “Good,” she continued. “Do you remember the first thing you said to her?”
“No, but I hope she took offense.” 

“It was perfect. Mummy asked you some self-aggrandizing question like, ‘How do you like the place?’ You looked her in the eye and—oh, I loved your answer so much it was etched in my memory. You said, ‘Bankruptcies and broken families from your thievery is all I see.’” Dara paused, and Sauce smiled. “You despised what she was doing as much as I did. But like me, you didn’t hate her.” 

“I didn’t? You don’t know that,” challenged Sauce. “I certainly knew enough about her, from the talk shows and celebrity gossip in the news, to hate her. ‘Good Gladys, psychic to the stars’ they call her. I can predict the future better than her. Believe in Gladys’s ability to talk with the dead and she will stay in your life until you are out of money. Gladys is the kind of person people either love for the wrong reasons, or hate for the right ones.”
“I never said you loved her. No, I agreed with Mummy that you are much more useful to us than a fawning admirer or a starched-shirt, lawyer-for-hire, yes man. You understand her.” Dara smiled. 

Sauce tried to resist the manipulation. “Here’s the best I can do. Leave, and I’ll mull it over. I promise I won’t say no until I call you tomorrow.”

Print and Kindle versions

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