Magdalene la Batarde is the madam of the Old Priory Guesthouse in Southwark. She and her women are expected to engage in a number of sinful activities, but bloody murder isn't one of them-until Baldassare, the messenger, dies. Magdalene and her women refuse to allow his death to go unavenged, aware that if they don't find the killer, they will be assumed guilty, because they are whores.
The bishop of Winchester, who was served for many years by Baldassare, has put the handsome Sir Bellamy of Itchen, his most trusted knight, in charge of the murder investigation. Bellamy is convinced that Magdalene is involved right up to her beautiful eyebrows, but unable to believe that his captivating chief suspect is a killer. Now, he must find out how and why Baldassare died-or watch the mysterious Magdalene meet her fate on the gallows.
"In this top-notch production Nadia May uses different cadences to effectively denote different characters. Her mellifluous voice and accents are perfect for the story. The authentic historical detail, mystery, romance, and well-defined characters work together to create a memorable story."-AudioFile
In twelfth-century London, Magdalene la Bâtarde is the madam of the Old Priory Guesthouse in Southwark. She is not in the least bit sorry to learn that Bertrild, the unpleasant wife of Master Mainard, is dead. Bertrild was insulting to most people. She made threats, using terrible revelations as a weapon against those who would not bow down to her demanding ways.
However, when it seems that Mainard will be charged with Bertrild's murder because no one accepts the oath of a whore that he is innocent, Magdalene, with her handsome friend, Sir Bellamy, decides to investigate.
"In addition to a well-crafted plot, moments of heart-stopping suspense, and a dramatic conclusion, the author provides poignant glimpses into the humanity of her characters, particularly the women of the guesthouse."-Publishers Weekly
From the academy to pop culture, our society is in the throes of change rivaling the birth of modernity out of the decay of the Middle Ages. We are now moving from the modern to the postmodern era. But what is postmodernism? How did it arise? What characterizes the postmodern ethos? What is the postmodern mind and how does it differ from the modern mind? Who are its leading advocates? Most important of all, what challenges does this cultural shift present to the church, which must proclaim the gospel to the emerging postmodern generation?
Stanley J. Grenz here charts the postmodern landscape. He shows the threads that link art and architecture, philosophy and fiction, literary theory and television. He shows how the postmodern phenomenon has actually been in the making for a century and then introduces readers to the gurus of the postmodern mind-set. What he offers here is truly an indispensable guide for understanding today’s culture.
Lord Pastern fired his revolver. The figure in the spotlight fell and the coup-de-theatre had become murder. Could Inspector Alleyn believe Pastern had let hatred of his future son-in-law go too far?
When Lord Pastern Bagott takes up with the hot music of Breezy Bellair and his Boys, his disapproving wife Cecile has more than usual to be unhappy about. The band's devastatingly handsome but roguish accordionist, Carlos Rivera, has taken a rather intense and mutual interest in her precious daughter, Felicite. So when a bit of stage business goes awry and actually kills him, it's lucky that Inspector Roderick Alleyn is in the audience. Now Alleyn must follow a confusing score that features a chorus of family and friends desperate to hide the truth and perhaps shelter a murderer in their midst.
"A succulent novel."-New York Times
The national debate over popular music's effect on character is both furious and confused. Carson Holloway is out to shatter the assumptions of pop's critics and defenders alike, showing that music is more beneficial than we think. Plato and Aristotle, Holloway finds, were aware that music can either inflame the soul with passion or can awaken it to reason and help to cultivate temperance. What Holloway proposes-a rediscovery of the musical wisdom of Plato and Aristotle-will completely change the way we think about music.
Corrie ten Booms amazing personal courage and her ability to share the reality of Jesus Christ have made her writings continually popular, and the Corrie ten Boom Library has become a source of inspiration for thousands of readers. Now with two new additions to the library, readers will continue to enjoy this beloved authors words of wisdom.
After her release from a World War II concentration camp, Corrie traveled around the world, proclaiming the gospel. Amazing Love tells how she encountered Gods love in some of the most unlikely places during her extensive travels. The twenty-seven short vignettes tell of Corries post-war experiences in various parts of the world, revealing the maturity of her Christian service. This book was first published by Christian Literature Crusade in 1953 and by Revell in 1964.
In two breathtakingly accomplished novellas, A.S. Byatt explores the landscape of Victorian England, where science and spiritualism are both popular manias, and domestic decorum coexists with brutality and perversion.
In 'Morpho Eugenia', a shipwrecked naturalist is rescued by a family whose clandestine passions come to seem as inscrutable as the behavior of insects. In 'The Conjugial Angel,' a circle of fictional mediums finds itself haunted by the ghost of a very real historical personage.
Angels & Insects offers further proof of Byatt's prodigious powers and magical sympathy for characters who might be our great-great-grandparents.
"The lordship of Christ should include an interest in the
arts," writes Francis Schaeffer. "A Christian should use
these arts to the glory of God, not just as tracts, mind
you, but as things of beauty to the praise of God."Many
Christians, wary of creating graven images, have steered
clear of artistic creativity. But the Bible offers a robust
affirmation of the arts. The human impulse to create
reflects our being created in the image of a creator God.
Art and the Bible has been a foundational work for
generations of Christians in the arts. In this book's classic
essays, Francis Schaeffer first examines the scriptural
record of the use of various art forms, and then establishes
a Christian perspective on art. With clarity and vigor,
Schaeffer explains why "the Christian is the one whose
imagination should fly beyond the stars."
When murder upsets the creative tranquility of an artists' colony, Scotland Yard sends in its most famous investigator-and what begins as a routine case turns out to be the most momentous of Roderick Alleyn's career. For before he can corner the killer, his heart is captured by one of the suspects, the flashing-eyed painter Agatha Troy, who has nothing but scorn for the art of detection.
"Nadia May brings all the right intonations and vocal characterizations to her narration, resulting in a thoroughly enjoyable production."-Library Journal
Who is Osama bin Laden-the only terrorist leader ever to have declared a holy war? What drives him and his followers to hate the Western civilization that has armed them? Bin Laden's name has been linked to a number of incidents that have cost Americans their lives, most conspicuously, the catastrophic assaults on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon.
In this comprehensive account of the rise of bin Laden, world-renowned terrorism expert Yossef Bodansky uncovers the events in bin Laden's life that turned a once-promising engineering student into a cold-blooded leader of radical Islam. It is a chilling story that is as current as today's headlines and as ancient as the Crusades, a story that transcends bin Laden and any other single man.
"Americans need to know about Osama bin Laden, and the best place to find out is in this trenchant study of the man. A brilliant work."-Fred Barnes, executive editor, Weekly Standard
When Magdalene la Bâtarde is hastily summoned by her patron, William of Ypres, she knows there must be trouble brewing inOxford. Indeed, one of William's own men, Niall Arvagh of Murcot, has been accused of murder. Ordinarily, nobody would believe Niall capable of violence, even upon so gross a creature as Aimery St. Cyr. But St. Cyr claimed to be betrothed to the pretty heiress whom Niall sought for himself. Another rumor claims that Niall committed the act on the order of his master, William of Ypres. While the debate rages in Oxford, Magdalene teams up with her old friend, Sir Itchen of Bellamy, to clear up the mess that threatens to create a political scandal. Fortunately for Magdalene, she still has friends in town. Her former coworkers, the whores and barmaids of Oxford, may be able to bring her the necessary information.
"Once again, Gellis proves herself a master of the medieval historical...Meticulous attention to detail...and believable human characters, notably the intelligent, courageous, caring, and compassionate Magdalene, help put Gellis at the forefront of this popular mystery subgenre."-Publishers Weekly
The outcry when Conan Doyle pushed Sherlock Holmes over the Reichenbach Falls is nothing compared to the chaos that ensues when Lorinda Lucas tries to dispose of Miss Petunia and her siblings. The literary colony of Brimful Coffers is shaken to its foundations. Old feuds are resurrected and new feuds are born as a town full of mystery writers begins to wonder if life has imitated art or vice versa.
