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The Third Man and The Fallen Idol
The Third Man and The Fallen Idol
Oct 9, 2024 11:25 PM

Author:Graham Greene,Martin Jarvis,George Blagden

The Third Man and The Fallen Idol

Brought to you by Penguin.

The Third Man is Graham Greene's brilliant recreation of post-war Vienna, a 'smashed dreary city' occupied by the four Allied powers. Rollo Martins, a second-rate novelist, arrives penniless to visit his friend and hero, Harry Lime. But Harry has died in suspicious circumstances, and the police are closing in on his associates...

The Fallen Idol is the chilling story of a small boy caught up in the games that adults play. Left in the care of the butler and his wife whilst his parents go on a fortnight's holiday, Philip realises too late the danger of lies and deceit. But the truth is even deadlier.

© Graham Greene 2001 (P) Penguin Audio 2020

Reviews

A master storyteller, one of the first to write in cinematic style with razor-sharp images moving with kinetic force

—— Newsweek

Some of his characters the murderous yet repentant Pinkie in Brighton Rock and the mockingly elusive Harry Lime in The Third Man remain so vivid in the public consciousness that they are certain of immortality

—— Daily Mail

The Fallen Idol handles themes of guilt and deception, responsibility and disappointment, with precision, reflecting these adult ideas off an innocent child

—— Time Out

[The Third Man] Graham Greene's typically laconic and mordantly witty fable of crime, deceit and betrayal

—— Simon Callow , Guardian

No serious writer of this century has more thoroughly invaded and shaped the public imagination than did Graham Greene

—— The Times

A beautifully written, fast-paced thriller with twists and turns as dark as the cell in which Elissa is confined. We devoured it in a matter of hours.

—— Heat

A darkly chilling and original novel . . . a series of twists keeps readers captivated until a shocking climax.

—— Daily Express

Brilliant writing, a terrifying story, and characters so real it feels like you know them. If you enjoy dark, twisty thrillers that stay with you, read this book.

—— Samantha Downing

The dreamy nature of the story slowly dissipates as the danger deepens, leaving this reader with pounding heart and sweating palms.

—— Observer

The Memory Wood is impossible to put down. It's so wonderfully written, creepily atmospheric and chilling.

—— Karen Hamilton

What a book! I haven't read anything quite this exciting since Room. You think all the stories have been told, then something like this comes along. Wonderful.

—— Emma Curtis

I was captivated by The Memory Wood – a beautifully told, dark and chilling tale.

—— Renee Knight

A truly chilling story.

—— Woman & Home

A chilling, suspense-filled and heart-wrenching read.

—— Herald

An atmospheric thriller.

—— That’s Life (Crime Scene Magazine)

A totally gripping novel that locks you into their cat-and-mouse game of survival. If you’re bored of thriller-by-numbers, you’ll love this original and twisty page turner.

—— 17 Degrees Magazine

The narrative irresistibly grips as it twists.

—— SAGA

Barry’s cinematic writing style paints a vivid tableaux… [she] cleverly builds tension through an hour-by-hour countdown…which culminates in a nail-biting final showdown

—— Daily Express

Atkinson’s nimble and endearing skill across all her fiction…is to take the determinedly domestic, find the wry, sometimes waspish humour in it, and yet reveal something profoundly humane....And deft misdirection, cheeky literary references and Brodie's flailing attempts to offer sympathy by quoting country-and-western lyrics are constantly entertaining. You finish Big Sky feeling battered - but thoroughly cheered up.

—— Siobhan Murphy , The Times

With a many-tentacled storyline distilling some of the more disturbing headlines of recent years, this dark material proves supremely compulsive...Brodie brings out the best in Atkinson, partly because he’s a handy peg for what tends to come across as her regretful sense of bemusement about modern Britain.

—— Metro

Atkinson has long been the standard bearer for literary crime fiction, and Big Sky sports her customary elegance…Once again, a vividly drawn cast of characters adorns a complex plot.

—— Financial Times

This clever page-turner tackles some sobering subjects, but the real draw is the return of Jackson Brodie, the dour but big-hearted private investigator

—— Telegraph

Brimming with the wit and let-justice-triumph tenacity that led the series to print bestsellerdom and a popular BBC-TV series... With Atkinson it's Raymond Chandler meets Jane Austen, and amazingly she makes it all work.

—— Washington Post

As is often the case in Atkinson's genre-defying fiction, assignments to track lost cats and unfaithful husbands are never quite what they seem.

—— TIME

He [Jackson] is one of the few characters in modern crime fiction so fully realised that one can imagine him living a life outside the books...By some alchemy Atkinson makes her sad stories supremely funny, even uplifting.

—— Telegraph

Ms Atkinson has been on the trail of lost children (particularly girls) since her very first novel...as in all [her] fiction, she supplies gruesome discoveries and a strong helping of violence, all nevertheless relayed with a deft and witty touch...Big Sky has all the sizzle of a British fry-up; Ms Atkinson's evocation of the beauty and desolation of faded seaside resorts is unerring. Several stories are woven into a seamless plot, with the help of credible-seeming twists of fate. And there is just enough unfinished business to leave readers impatient for [Brodie's] next outing.

—— Economist

Beautifully written, with the unfolding narrative revealed from many different points of view.

—— Literary Review

Every person here is written from the inside out, without any signs of prejudice. Atkinson saves judgement for when it matters: to bring wrongdoers to justice. Sad bastards, low-life heroes, pervy types: the streets of the seaside town are well-populated. A fantastic mosaic of a book.

—— Spectator

A profoundly emphatic work of creative genius that will stay with you forever

—— Sonia Faleiro, author of Beautiful Thing

Created from whole cloth, Djinn Patrol on the Purple Line is a richly textured rendition of a world little seen in Indian literature. There is no desire to smooth and tidy in fiction what is untidy in life, but instead there is a pay off for the reader in a story that is as quietly troubling as it is convincing

—— Mridula Koshy, author of Not Only the Things That Have Happened

Djinn Patrol on the Purple Line is unlike any book I have ever read—surprising, vividly imagined, and full of humor and humanity—and I fell head over heels for Jai, the police-show-obsessed narrator on a quest to find his missing classmate. Deepa Anappara is a writer of rare insight and a sure-footed storyteller. This book will charm you on one page, and rip your heart out on the next

—— Amy Jones, author of Every Little Piece of Me

Deepa Anappara takes us inside urban India with astonishing specificity, into a funny and heartbreaking child’s world of wonder and cruelty. Djinn Patrol on the Purple Line is addictive and unforgettable. Once you’re in Jai’s neighbourhood you don't want to leave

—— Todd Babiak, author of The Empress of Idaho

Informed by her times as a journalist in Mumbai and Delhi, Deepa Anappara’s debut is a fine portrait of modern-day India… an utterly convincing voice–lively, cheeky and irrepressible… Anappara skilfully reveals the harsh reality that lies just beyond Jai’s understanding of his world

—— Alice O'Keeffe , Bookseller

A story full of humor, warmth, and heartbreak … Jai's voice is irresistible: funny, vivid, smart, and yet always believably a child's point of view … Engaging characters, bright wit, and compelling storytelling make a tale that's bleak at its core and profoundly moving

—— Kirkus, starred review

Djinn Patrol on the Purple Line is likely to be one of the country's standout works of fiction in 2020

—— Asian Image, *Books to Look Our For in 2020*

Vivid writing and a gripping plot with an unforgettable narrator

—— BN1 Magazine

Djinn Patrol on the Purple Line is less a reading experience than an encounter with a life force. The rattle-tattle energy of the basti will pull the readers in as they experience the smells, colours and tastes of this captivating world. From relaying the rampant poverty to inherent cultural barriers, to corruption including openly bribing police, the book is utterly mesmerising

—— Umbreen Ali , Asian Image

Anappara’s debut novel immediately charms through Jai’s voice, and Anappara has caught the scale of a child’s world perfectly… Djinn Patrol is the kind of novel you both can’t stop reading and don’t want to end, because it means letting go of characters who feel like friends

—— Sarah Ditum , In the Moment

This moving and stylish book pulls off a difficult trick. It is an engaging, amusing tale, powered by Jai’s ebullient personality; at the same time it is an insightful portrait of the underside of 21st-century India… As Dickens did, Ms Anappara understands the power of fiction to bring alive the plights of people readers might otherwise overlook

—— Economist

What really sets Djinn Patrol apart…is the authenticity of Jai’s voice. Narrating in the first person, Anappara immerses us not only in Jai’s world of deep social inequities, but also in his internal world… Anappara creates an endearing and highly engaging narrator to navigate us through the dark underbelly of modern India

—— Hannah Beckerman , Observer
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