Showing results by narrator "B.J. Harrison" in All Categories

Time is growing short for Kathleen Dal Sundi. Her title of Sunshine Bride means little if matrimony continues to elude her. If she is honest with herself, she is glad of not having a husband—at least not yet. Her Sīhalt Guardian has not deserted her. He is bold and brave and still holds a piece of her heart, even if he refuses to admit his true feelings. Kathleen relies on her betrothed, Prince Heathron, to help repel the Sulian pirates and protect her people. Is it too much to ask—given her wavering commitment?

A palm reader notifies Lord Arthur that murder is in his future. But not his murder - he’s the murderer. This really throws a wrench into his wedding plans, for Lord Arthur is soon to be married to the most beautiful lady in London. In fact he loves her so much, he decides to postpone the wedding until his business is done. Now, for a tasteful homicide....

Ralph Orth is an American novelist who decides to move to the English countryside. There he buys a marvellous estate called Chillingsworth. Inside Chillingsworth’s gallery, Orth finds an old portrait of a young girl who takes Orth’s breath away. He is fascinated and is determined to find out who this girl was. His obsession with little lady Blanche gets so strong that one day he sees her walking around in the neighborhood.

Despite his wealth, the rich British gentleman Phileas Fogg lives a simple and humble life. He is a member of the Reform Club, which is one of London’s best gentleman's club. One day at the club, Fogg gets involved in an argument. The gentlemen disagree whether it is possible to travel all the way around the globe in only 80 days. Fogg bets that 80 days is enough and accepts a wager of pound20,000 to complete the journey himself within 80 days.

Tom Sawyer is an orphaned boy who lives together with his kindhearted aunt Polly. Although his poor aunt takes good care of him, Tom grows up to be rebellious who comes up with a new plan for troublemaking every day. He steals snacks, comes home late, lies to his friends, tricks them into giving him various things and each time he manages to get away with it. But when he falls in love with a girl and tries to win her heart, he gets into even bigger trouble.

"The Castaway" is a short story by W. W. Jacobs, telling of the return of a husband, who was thought lost and buried at sea for three years. Mrs. Boxer immediately welcomes him, but his mother-in-law suspects him to be a fraud. A visit to the local fortune-teller only deepens her suspicions. "The Castaway" is a brilliant mystery story that questions reality in a remarkable way, leaving no stone unturned and dwelling into each the characters’ suspicions and fears. Recommended to short story fans and mystery fiction enthusiasts. B. J.

One day a poor fisherman finds a large and heavy chest. Caliph Harun al-Rashid buys the chest, thinking that it encloses a treasure. Instead, he finds out that it contains a woman’s corpse sliced into pieces. Following this discovery, the caliph orders his vizier Ja’far, to find the murderer within three years, otherwise he will be executed. Unfortunately, due to the lack of evidence, the vizier is not able to make a proper investigation and the fatal day looms closer.

"The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark" is perhaps the most influential and widely acclaimed play by William Shakespeare. The tragedy follows Prince Hamlet as he concocts a plan to avenge the death of his father, who was murdered by his uncle Claudius in order to take the throne. Suspenseful, supernatural, moody, and full of twists, Hamlet is an exploration of the human condition, of the troubled psyche of the prince and his relationship with his mother and lover, as well as of pity, horror, and vengeance.

CBS News reporter Charles Gomez was fearless when facing down dictators. Earning an Emmy and an Edward R. Murrow Award, the Latin correspondent and son of a Cuban immigrant seemed on top of the world. But the terror of exposing his sexuality and AIDS diagnosis led him down a dark path of drugs and depression that nearly destroyed him.

A Christmas ball sets the plans in motion for the wealthy Julian Mastakovich, for an immensely wealthy business man has just announced that his daughter has a dowry of 300,000 rubles. First published in 1848, and adapted into a motion picture in 2000, Dostoyevsky shines a light on the business end of well-moneyed marriage. It begins when an 11-year-old girl gets an extravagant doll at a Christmas ball.

John Carter has exposed the fraudulent Martian religion, and now there are many who want him to pay. Among them are the defrocked and black-hearted Thurid, and the bitter patriarch Matai Shang. These two villains concoct a plot that will not only plunge the Martian governments into perpetual chaos, but will condemn the plucky Dejah Thoris to a life of cruelty and misery.

Mikhail lives in Russia in 1881. When a skeleton of a rare wild horse is brought to him, the zoologist plans an expedition to Mongolia to find the fabled Przewalski horse, a journey that tests not only his physicality, but his heart. In 1992, Karin, alongside her troubled son Mathias and several Przewalski horses, travels to Mongolia to re-introduce the magnificent horses to their native land. The veterinarian has dedicated her life to saving the breed from extinction, prioritising the wild horses, even over her own son.

"I tell you there's nothing the public likes as much as convictions - they'll always follow a man who believes in his own ideas. And this book is just on the line of popular interest." Professor Linyard is a man of science. And when he writes a book to great acclaim in which he takes the side of religion, he fully expects the satire to be understood. But when it's taken at face value, he goes along with it to better provide for his family.

B.J. Harrison reads "The Purloined Letter" by Edgar Allan Poe, which is a story of an unusual mystery that needs to be solved. A sensitive letter has been stolen from the queen's boudoir, and the famous amateur detective C. Auguste Dupin has been called to the rescue. The guilty one is the lover himself, Minister D-. What ensues is a match between the detective and the thief, two equally brilliant minds.

B.J. Harrison reads Louisa May Alcotts famous novella "Behind a Mask", which is widely considered to be Alcotts masterpiece in sensation fiction. A wealthy Victorian-era family recruits Jean Muir as sixteen-year-old Bellas governess. But soon enough, Jean Muir appears to have everyone under her spell, and to have the power to do everything as she pleases. This novella from the late 19th century was initially published under Louisa May Alcotts pseudonym A. M. Barnard...

Antony Ferrara is a modern-day sorcerer - a murderer who kills with his supernatural powers. And because nobody believes it, he can work his evil schemes in broad daylight, with a simpering smile. From headless bats to carpets of scarab beetles, from murderous plants to claustrophobic chills in the bowels of a pyramid, Robert Cairn and his Van Helsing-esque father chase Ferrara to Egypt and back to keep him from completing his cunning, nefarious plan.

"... Why, it would really be being unselfish to go away and be happy for a little, because we would come back so much nicer." Lottie and Rose belong to the same London women's club, but they don't know each other very well. They both see the same advertisement for a castle in Italy, which is available for rent for a month. For different reasons, these women want to get away from their husbands for a while and they put out an ad and find two more women in need of vacation. And so, the four vastly different women head to Italy.

"I hope you feel things you never felt before. I hope you meet people with a different point of view. I hope you live a life you're proud of. If you find that you're not, I hope you have the strength to start all over again." When Benjamin Button is born he looks oddly like an old man. He's not interested in playing with other kids and he's too low on energy to participate anyway. When Benjamin turns 20 it dawns on his family that he is aging backwards. The younger he grows, the more he learns to embrace life.

After a meteorite strikes near a farmhouse outside of Arkham, livestock and plants begin to die. While the scientifically minded speak of discovering a new element, locals sense something more sinister is in the air. A pioneer of cosmic horror, Lovecraft had the ability to sharpen the intellect while causing chills to run down your spine.

Technology worship is brought to a head when Azuma-zi’s head spins at the wonder of a humming, whirling, and buzzing electric dynamo. He prays for the dynamo to deliver him from his troubles, and make his life easier to bear. Apparently the dynamo demands a sacrifice....