Search Images Maps Play YouTube News Gmail Drive More »

The Secret Arts

Name: The Secret Arts
Rating: 4.5 (2 reviews)

Azma DarFebruary 2, 2015

Dean Street Press

Description A prayer for cancer, a prayer to make millions. A prayer to kill an enemy's reproductive functions, a prayer to remove the devil inside a girl who had suddenly started misbehaving and doing badly in school exams. The man sitting here wanted his neighbour's daughter to fall in love with him, and for her fiancé's mustard crops to be affected by drought.In the lush Murree hill-country of Pakistan, a wedding has been announced, between Colonel Anwar Ahmed Ali, and Saika, a younger schoolteacher. Anwar is regarded by all as an upstanding figure -yet his glamorous former wife Zaireena died under mysterious circumstances, not to mention the poisoning of her pet poodle. And Saika has now been told her new bridegroom is 'a dangerous man'...Across town, there is a seething cauldron of corruption, black magic, and close-knit families who can barely stand each other. So when Saika's disreputable cousin Pervez is stabbed to death in his own hotel by a cloaked assailant, no one is very surprised. Saika is however shocked when she finds evidence which might implicate her husband. Inspector Sharif, in charge of the case, is looking everywhere for clues to the crime -and unearthing smoking guns and red herrings alike.All the while, up in her eyrie the sinister Begum, Anwar's invalid mother in law, lies... waiting and plotting.In this accomplished and blackly comedic debut novel, Azma Dar captures the exuberance and dark side of a small community whose traditions are under attack from the forces of greed, jealousy and thwarted revenge.'An incredible new voice; witty and wise' Adele Parks

Collapse

Reviews

Review Policy

4.5

2 total

Additional Information

Publisher

Dean Street Press

Collapse

Published on

Feb 2, 2015

Collapse

Pages

300

Collapse

ISBN

9781910570029

Collapse

Features

Flowing text, Google-generated PDF

Collapse

Best For

Web, Tablet, Phone, eReader

Collapse

Language

English

Collapse

Genres

Fiction / Crime

Fiction / General

Fiction / Mystery & Detective / General

Collapse

Content Protection

This content is DRM protected.

Collapse

Read Aloud

Available on Android devices

Collapse

Report

Flag as inappropriate

Reading information

Smartphones and Tablets

Install the Google Play Books app for Android and iPad/iPhone. It syncs automatically with your account and allows you to read online or offline wherever you are.

Laptops and Computers

You can read books purchased on Google Play using your computer's web browser.

eReaders and other devices

To read on e-ink devices like the Sony eReader or Barnes & Noble Nook, you'll need to download a file and transfer it to your device. Please follow the detailed Help center instructions to transfer the files to supported eReaders.

More related to crime

Murder In the Land of Ojibwe

A young music journalist, Imogen Charles, is asked by an opera star to help decipher some strange letters he has received... letters that he believes could well shed light on the unsolved murder of his partner. Imogen and her good friend, Ned, follow the bizarre trail left by the letters across various concert halls and opera houses all over Europe, travelling to London, Paris and Provence in search of clues. This is a tale of mystery heavily infused with music, romance, murder... and the heady scent of lavender.

The Dead Countess

Eba Martín Muñoz

The supernatural thriller that will catch you
A woman of the times married to a bloodthirsty Count. A strange murder in a hotel in Naples, which will be the start of a spiral of mysterious murders. Two plots, apparently unconnected, which will be revealed to be one. Mystery, surprise and supernatural fiction will join in this fast paced, black novel which will captivate you.

Indeterminate Case

Boro Dishon Muchene

Detective Jimmy was determined to look for more facts in a murder case besides the ones presented on the table due to a few inconsistencies but barely with no idea what fate has install for him.

Similar ebooks

Past Tense: A Jack Reacher Novel

Book 23

#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • Family secrets come back to haunt Jack Reacher in this electrifying thriller from “a superb craftsman of suspense” (Entertainment Weekly).

Jack Reacher hits the pavement and sticks out his thumb. He plans to follow the sun on an epic trip across America, from Maine to California. He doesn’t get far. On a country road deep in the New England woods, he sees a sign to a place he has never been: the town where his father was born. He thinks, What’s one extra day? He takes the detour.

At the same moment, in the same isolated area, a car breaks down. Two young Canadians had been on their way to New York City to sell a treasure. Now they’re stranded at a lonely motel in the middle of nowhere. The owners seem almost too friendly. It’s a strange place, but it’s all there is.

The next morning, in the city clerk’s office, Reacher asks about the old family home. He’s told no one named Reacher ever lived in town. He’s always known his father left and never returned, but now Reacher wonders, Was he ever there in the first place?

As Reacher explores his father’s life, and as the Canadians face lethal dangers, strands of different stories begin to merge. Then Reacher makes a shocking discovery: The present can be tough, but the past can be tense . . . and deadly.

Don’t miss a sneak peek of Lee Child’s novel Blue Moon in the back of the book.

Praise for Past Tense

“Child is one writer who should never be taken for granted.”—The New York Times Book Review

“[Lee Child] shows no signs of slowing down. . . . Reacher is a man for whom the phrase moral compass was invented: His code determines his direction. . . . You need Jack Reacher.”—The Atlantic

“Superb . . . Child neatly interweaves multiple narratives, ratchets up the suspense (the reveal of the motel plot is delicious), and delivers a powerful, satisfying denouement. Fans will enjoy learning more of this enduring character’s roots, and Child’s spare prose continues to set a very high bar.”—Publishers Weekly (boxed and starred review)

“Another first-class entry in a series that continues to set the gold standard for aspiring thriller authors.”—Booklist (starred review)

“With his usual flair for succinctness and eye for detail, Child creates another rollicking Reacher road trip that will please fans and newcomers alike.”—Library Journal (starred review)

The 18th Abduction

Book 18

Detective Lindsay Boxer's investigation into the disappearance of three teachers quickly escalates from missing persons to murder in the newest Women's Murder Club thriller.
For a trio of colleagues, an innocent night out after class ends in a deadly torture session. They vanish without a clue -- until a body turns up. With the safety of San Francisco's entire school system at stake, Lindsay has never been under more pressure. As the chief of police and the press clamor for an arrest in the "school night" case, Lindsay turns to her best friend, investigative journalist Cindy Thomas. Together, Lindsay and Cindy take a new approach to the case, and unexpected facts about the victims leave them stunned.
While Lindsay is engrossed in her investigation, her husband, Joe Molinari, meets an Eastern European woman who claims to have seen a notorious war criminal -- long presumed dead -- from her home country. Before Lindsay can verify the woman's statement, Joe's mystery informant joins the ranks of the missing women. Lindsay, Joe, and the entire Women's Murder Club must pull together to protect their city, and one another -- not from a ghost, but from a true monster.

Neon Prey

Book 29

Lucas Davenport tracks a prolific serial killer in the new nail-biting #1 New York Times-bestseller from John Sandford.

Clayton Deese looks like a small-time criminal, muscle for hire when his loan shark boss needs to teach someone a lesson. Now, seven months after a job that went south and landed him in jail, Deese has skipped out on bail, and the U.S. Marshals come looking for him. They don't much care about a low-level guy--it's his boss they want--but Deese might be their best chance to bring down the whole operation.

Then, they step onto a dirt trail behind Deese's rural Louisiana cabin and find a jungle full of graves.

Now Lucas Davenport is on the trail of a serial killer who has been operating for years without notice. His quarry is ruthless, and--as Davenport will come to find--full of surprises . . .

The Fallen

Book 4

Star FBI detective Amos Decker and his colleague Alex Jamison must solve four increasingly bizarre murders in a dying rust belt town--and the closer they come to the truth, the deadlier it gets in this rapid-fire #1 New York Times bestseller.

Something sinister is going on in Baronville. The rust belt town has seen four bizarre murders in the space of two weeks. Cryptic clues left at the scenes--obscure bible verses, odd symbols--have the police stumped.

Amos Decker and his FBI colleague Alex Jamison are in Baronville visiting Alex's sister and her family. It's a bleak place: a former mill and mining town with a crumbling economy and rampant opioid addiction. Decker has only been there a few hours when he stumbles on a horrific double murder scene.

Then the next killing hits sickeningly close to home. And with the lives of people he cares about suddenly hanging in the balance, Decker begins to realize that the recent string of deaths may be only one small piece of a much larger scheme--with consequences that will reach far beyond Baronville.

Decker, with his singular talents, may be the only one who can crack this bizarre case. Only this time--when one mistake could cost him everything--Decker finds that his previously infallible memory may not be so trustworthy after all...

The Perfect House (A Jessie Hunt Psychological Suspense Thriller—Book Three)

Book 3

In THE PERFECT HOUSE (Book #3), criminal profiler Jessie Hunt, 29, fresh from the FBI Academy, returns to find herself hunted by her murderous father, locked in a dangerous game of cat and mouse. Meanwhile, she must race to stop a killer in a new case that leads her deep into suburbia—and to the brink of her own psyche. The key to her survival, she realizes, lies in deciphering her past—a past she never wanted to face again.

A fast-paced psychological suspense thriller with unforgettable characters and heart-pounding suspense, THE PERFECT HOUSE is book #3 in a riveting new series that will leave you turning pages late into the night.

Book #4 in the Jessie Hunt series will be available soon.

By purchasing this item, you are transacting with Google Payments and agreeing to the Google Payments Terms of Service and Privacy Notice.