Imagine learning everything your mother has ever told you was a lie. Winter break is over, but no one has seen or heard from Mui. Her roommate hasn’t heard a peep since they last spoke. Messages from her boyfriend have gone unread and unanswered. And worst of all, her mother knows the reason. Sei had always insisted Mui’s father was dead. That is, until he abducted her. Sei must team up with the headmaster and assistant headmaster at Confrere Preparatory Academy to rescue her daughter. From the start, they face violent attacks on their lives. Sei knows who’s behind them: Ethan Carmotte. She’s convinced he’s playing a game of revenge, and Mui is his pawn. Unless Sei can beat him at his own game, she’ll risk losing her daughter for good. Moving at breakneck speeds, A Book of Villains will keep you breathless and on your toes. Hang on.

Edgar Award-winning editor Otto Penzler's new anthology brings together the most cunning, ruthless, and brilliant criminals in mystery fiction, for the biggest compendium of bad guys (and girls) ever assembled. The best mysteries--whether detective, historical, police procedural, cozy, or comedy--have one thing in common: a memorable perpetrator. For every Sherlock Holmes or Sam Spade in noble pursuit, there's a Count Dracula, a Lester Leith, or a Jimmy Valentine. These are the rogues and villains who haunt our imaginations--and who often have more in common with their heroic counterparts than we might expect. Now, for the first time ever, Otto Penzler gathers the iconic traitors, thieves, con men, sociopaths, and killers who have crept through the mystery canon over the past 150 years, captivating and horrifying readers in equal measure. The 72 handpicked stories in this collection introduce us to the most depraved of psyches, from iconic antiheroes like Maurice Leblanc's Arsène Lupin and Sax Rohmer's Dr. Fu Manchu to contemporary delinquents like Lawrence Block's Ehrengraf and Donald Westlake's Dortmunder, and include unforgettable tales by Robert Louis Stevenson, Bram Stoker, Washington Irving, Jack London, H.G. Wells, Sinclair Lewis, O. Henry, Edgar Wallace, Leslie Charteris, Erle Stanley Gardner, Edward D. Hoch, Max Allan Collins, Loren D. Estleman, and many more.

An Indie Next Pick! The blockbuster co-writing debut of Amanda Foody and Christine Lynn Herman, All of Us Villains begins a dark tale of ambition and magick... You Fell in Love with the Victors of the Hunger Games. Now Prepare to Meet the Villains of the Blood Veil. The Blood Moon rises. The Blood Veil falls. The Tournament begins. Every generation, at the coming of the Blood Moon, seven families in the remote city of Ilvernath each name a champion to compete in a tournament to the death. The prize? Exclusive control over a secret wellspring of high magick, the most powerful resource in the world--one thought long depleted. This year, thanks to a salacious tell-all book, the seven champions are thrust into the worldwide spotlight, granting each of them new information, new means to win, and most importantly, a choice: accept their fate or rewrite their story. But this is a story that must be penned in blood.

This study argues that Dickens' villains embody the crucial fusion between the deviant and theatrical aspects of his writing.

The greatest gangster story ever: it goes all over what's gone before! 'When a man gets to a certain age, he looks back over his life and regrets things he's done. I don't regret anything I've done - not a fucking thing... and I've done some evil things.'

Your hero is not the most important character in your book. Your villain is. Are you fed up of drowning in two-dimensional villains? Frustrated with creating clichés? And failing to get your reader to root for your villain? In 13 Steps to Evil, you’ll discover: + How to develop a villain’s mindset + A step-by-step guide to creating your villain from the ground up + Why getting to the core of a villain’s personality is essential to make them credible + What pitfalls and clichés to avoid as well as the tropes your story needs Finally, there is a comprehensive writing guide to help you create superbad villains. Whether you’re just starting out or are a seasoned writer, this book will help power up your bad guy and give them that extra edge. These lessons will help you master and control your villainous minions, navigate and gain the perfect balance of good and evil, as well as strengthening your villain to give your story the tension and punch it needs. If you like dark humor, learning through examples and want to create the best villains you can, then you’ll love Sacha Black’s guide to crafting superbad villains. Read 13 Steps to Evil today and start creating kick-ass villains.

Explore history's titans of finance, and their lasting global impact Heroes and Villains of Finance is a fascinating dive into the history of money as an institution, highlighting the fifty most significant figures that, rightly or wrongly, are responsible for the financial landscape we live in today. From philosophers and bankers to fraudsters and academics, this book provides a striking introduction to the most remarkable characters in the history of finance. Their impact reaches far beyond the financial system itself, and has helped shape the course of human history. The economic systems of today would look very differently if it weren't for these innovators, thought leaders, storytellers, and rebels, and this captivating examination takes you inside their stories to understand their thinking, their background, their perspective, and their inspiration. People both inside and outside the world of finance are perpetually curious about the larger-than-life characters who built, shaped, and continue to populate the industry. Their actions, both positive and negative, are responsible for what we understand as finance today. This book provides a glimpse into the events and motivations that contributed to the industry's evolution. Learn how the Knights Templar became the first banking institution Examine the Rothschild family's pioneering use of financial instruments in order to safeguard their wealth from distrusting European monarchs Study the origins and evolution of the Ponzi scheme Realise how Reaganomics still affects the U.S. economy today The finance industry is always in the public eye, and it's one of the few places where the actions of a few — or even a single person — can ripple throughout large populations. Heroes and Villains of Finance gives you a closer look at the biggest names that had the biggest impact, for better or worse. "This book is a marvellous introduction to a gallery of fascinating figures from the world of Big Money. The author has chosen a brilliant collection of crooks, entrepreneurs, philosophers, economists and bankers. These highly readable short lives provide an excellent education to any reader who wants to understand the personalities who shaped today's world of investment" Luke Johnson, Chairman of Risk Capital Partners, former chairman of Pizza Express and Channel 4 Television, Financial Times columnist and author of 'Start It Up' "Heroes and Villains of Finance provides a fascinating and insightful guide to the personalities and developments that have transformed finance and continue to do so. Anyone trying to understand where finance is now, how it got there and where it might go should read this book" Dr Stephen Davies, Institute of Economic Affairs "An exciting, informative ride through the big ideas and even bigger personalities that have shaped the world of finance" Sam Bowman, The Adam Smith Institute "This delightful book provides a punchy reminder that, whilst we should rightly celebrate the longevity of the vision of the heroes of finance like Adam Smith, the potential downsides of financial innovation have always been with us which we are inclined to forget" Professor Mike Wright, Professor of Entrepreneurship at Imperial College London and ranked #1 worldwide for publications in academic entrepreneurship