Bøger af Bruce Hartman

"...a suspenseful, pitch-perfect novel with an unlikely lead detective: a fictionalized version of iconic Argentine writer Jorge Luis Borges... An intelligent, original detective novel." - Kirkus Reviews.Cambridge, Massachusetts, 1967. The blind poet Jorge Luis Borges, visiting at Harvard, faces a crisis of conscience and identity as he and his young assistant Nick Martin grapple with an extraordinary series of crimes and the equally baffling conundrums of literature and philosophy. Forty-five years later, struggling with pain and grief, Nick Martin looks back with wonder at that magical time and asks himself: Did he ever find out who Borges really was?Lighthearted but deeply serious, The Philosophical Detective is a unique journey into the visionary world of a genius.

A chilling series of deaths strikes a writers' group in New York, leaving the remaining members to face the suspicion-and finally the terrifying certainty-that one of them is a psychopathic killer. Is a sequel to Agatha Christie's And Then There Were None being played out in their lives?

Awarded the Kirkus Star for Books of Exceptional Merit Nicole P. is an Irish graduate student pursuing a doctorate in literary theory in New York. She checks herself in to the Palmer Institute (a posh upstate mental hospital), seeking help with anxiety and disorientation triggered by a recent breakup and her quest for a dissertation topic. But by the time she's discharged two weeks later, her life has become dangerously entangled with those of her psychiatrist, who has fallen in love with her, and two schizophrenic patients, Hunter and Antonia Morgan, 21-year-old twins whose mother, Maria Morgan, committed suicide seven years earlier. Maria Morgan's suicide has cast a spell over the Institute, enmeshing everyone there in a world of deception, delusion, and death. Prompted by a blackmailer named Dubin, Nicole realizes that she must untangle the mystery of that suicide and its consequences in order to keep from losing her mind. "A mind-bending marriage of ambitious literary theory and classic murder mystery... An exciting, original take on the literary mystery genre." - Kirkus Reviews "A great read and highly recommended." - Jack Magnus, Readers' Favorite Book Reviews.

"A riveting story that hinges on clues so elusive that the tension is exquisitely drawn." -- Midwest Book Review Disillusioned with her corporate legal career, attorney Charlotte Ambler volunteers to handle the final appeal of Christopher Ritter, a Florida death row inmate whose execution is imminent. Ritter had been a prominent biologist before being convicted ten years earlier for the brutal murder of a prostitute. He denies killing the woman but is tormented by guilt for other, secret transgressions. The only appeal he will allow is to prove that he is innocent-a kind of appeal which is almost impossible to succeed. Ritter claims he was framed by a shadowy figure named Craft, but as Charlotte studies the evidence she concludes that he is a dangerous psychopath who should not go free. Then a piece of evidence turns up that confirms a key part of his story. Pursuing her investigation, she is thwarted by hidden forces that seem determined to see him executed. In a race against the clock, she searches for the elusive Craft and falls into the cross-hairs of a psychopathic killer. THE DEVIL'S CHAPLAIN is a legal thriller in the tradition of Scott Turow and John Grisham -- a gripping tale of deception and self-deception, betrayal and violence, in which lawyer and client find common ground in their quest for justice and human values. "Brilliant... One of the finest depictions of evil I have ever read." - Ken Bruen

A quirky comedy about a dysfunctional family in a dysfunctional society... Have you ever wondered why life seems so complicated, so exhausting, so fattening, and yet so pointless and idiotic? It's all part of the Potlatch. To Alice Coggins, the 24-year-old daughter of a South Philadelphia scam artist, everything looks like a racket: endless serflike internships, student loans that can never be repaid, high-minded charities run by swindlers for the benefit of rich donors. Things only get worse when she meets Andrew Ogleby, a scion of blue-bloods who is engaged to a bulimic pet-food heiress he can't bring himself to marry. As their Cinderella romance unfolds, Alice and Andrew must battle their families, the mob, and most of all the ubiquitous "Potlatch" a vast conspiracy of conspicuous waste directed by the powers that be to keep the populace -- and especially the young people -- from even thinking about doing anything useful. "Get ready for a hilarious ride in Potlatch... One of the most amusing reads ever to be published." -- Lisa McCombs for Readers' Favorite Book Reviews.

The exciting conclusion of the Philosophical Detective Trilogy: The Philosophical Detective's Last Case The fabulist and detective who calls himself Jorge Luis Borges returns to New England for three final adventures, as recollected by his assistant Nick Martin almost fifty years later. Struggling with cognitive issues of his own, Nick recounts Borges's encounter with the conundrums of memory and identity in the amnesia ward of a Boston hospital, the perplexities of modern science at a conference of physicists in New Hampshire, and the ironies of fate at a media mogul's suburban mansion. As usual he infuriates the police, baffles the perpetrators, and astonishes the reader. Nick grapples with Schrödinger's cat, Don Quixote's Dulcinea, and the Buddhist sage Nagarjuna as he begins to grasp the message Borges has been trying to convey to him since they first met. Like its predecessors, The Philosophical Detective's Last Case is a lighthearted but deeply serious journey into the visionary world of a genius. Previous books in the Philosophical Detective Trilogy: The Philosophical Detective - "A suspenseful, pitch-perfect novel with an unlikely lead detective: a fictionalized version of iconic Argentine writer Jorge Luis Borges... An intelligent, original detective novel." - Kirkus Reviews The Philosophical Detective Returns - "Highly recommended for classic detective story enthusiasts who look for complexity and intellectual challenges in their characters and stories." - Midwest Book Review

"You can get out of jail, but you never get out of parole."Kenny Ruffin, a former gang leader serving hard time in San Quentin, looks forward to his release so he can get his life back and meet his teenage son for the first time. His destiny becomes entangled with that of a redneck career criminal called Cat McGrath when the two of them are sent back to L.A. on the same bus. McGrath warns Ruffin that the gangs will never allow him back on the street and he will end up back in prison no matter what he does. As predicted, they are met with gunfire as they step off the bus. Ruffin vows to track down the shooters to redeem his honor and status, as McGrath draws him into a crackbrained scheme to even old scores with a gang of dirty cops. With memorable characters, lots of action, a suspenseful plot and plenty of humor, PAROLE is a crime thriller in the tradition of Elmore Leonard. "...A tale that is hard to put down and satisfyingly original: a standout in its genre." - Diane Donovan, Midwest Book Review "...A joy to read!" - Ken Bruen, author of the award-winning Jack Taylor series

Peter Cloud lost his partnership in a top law firm and his license to practice thanks to the machinations of Neil Babylon, its senior partner. When Babylon is murdered, Cloud is the prime suspect. To save his skin he must find the real killer, which means taking on the law firm, the police, the Mafia, a psychopathic skinhead and the large contingent of people who wanted to see Babylon dead. Perfectly Healthy Man Drops Dead is a lively, funny and exciting mystery which has become a minor classic. "... a gripping mystery from first page to last, a top pick for community library mystery collections." Midwest Book Review.Perfectly Healthy Man Drops Dead won the Salvo Press Mystery Novel award and was published by Salvo Press in 2008. It is presented here in a slightly revised Tenth Anniversary Edition. For reviews please look under the original edition (with the smoking man on the cover).

An ancient ring stolen from a Holocaust victim. A stuffed raven that once belonged to Charles Dickens. An extra body in the New York City Morgue. Only one man could follow these clues to a solution: the legendary Jorge Luis Borges."... highly recommended for classic detective story enthusiasts who look for complexity and intellectual challenges in their characters and stories." - Midwest Book ReviewTwo years after their collaboration chronicled in The Philosophical Detective, Nick Martin again falls under the spell of the blind poet and fabulist who calls himself Jorge Luis Borges. Together they must solve a baffling series of murders, find the fabled Ring of Solomon, and rescue the raven that inspired Edgar Allan Poe. Once again Nick plays the parts of Watson, Sancho Panza and Dante as he threads his way through Borges's conundrums to the shocking truth.Like its predecessor, The Philosophical Detective Returns is a lighthearted but deeply serious journey into the visionary world of a genius.

"A riveting story that hinges on clues so elusive that the tension is exquisitely drawn." -- Midwest Book Review Disillusioned with her corporate legal career, attorney Charlotte Ambler volunteers to handle the final appeal of Christopher Ritter, a Florida death row inmate whose execution is imminent. Ritter had been a prominent biologist before being convicted ten years earlier for the brutal murder of a prostitute. He denies killing the woman but is tormented by guilt for other, secret transgressions. The only appeal he will allow is to prove that he is innocent-a kind of appeal which is almost impossible to succeed. Ritter claims he was framed by a shadowy figure named Craft, but as Charlotte studies the evidence she concludes that he is a dangerous psychopath who should not go free. Then a piece of evidence turns up that confirms a key part of his story. Pursuing her investigation, she is thwarted by hidden forces that seem determined to see him executed. In a race against the clock, she searches for the elusive Craft and finds herself in the cross-hairs of a psychopathic killer. THE DEVIL'S CHAPLAIN is a legal thriller in the tradition of Scott Turow and John Grisham -- a gripping tale of deception and self-deception, betrayal and violence, in which lawyer and client find common ground in their quest for justice and human values. "Brilliant... A highly entertaining mystery with a heroine as compelling as she is gutsy." - Ken Bruen.

It's way past 1984. Your toothbrush, your coffee pot and your Rice Krispies are running your life. And you can't access your screen unless you declare: I AM NOT A ROBOT !Welcome to Google Earth(R), a dystopia where the all-knowing and all-powerful force of Big Data rules humanity through the Internet of Things and the corporate power of Google Inc.Where English(R) and every possible combination of words has been copyrighted and the only law is the Terms of Service, which have been replaced by the Terms of Servitude.Where the proudly psychopathic Higgs, Caesar and Emperor Omnipotent (CEO) of Google Inc., is determined to launch the Next Big Thing.Smith, a happy native of this paradise, wanders off the grid and discovers sex(R), the knowledge of good and evil, and the pursuit of Happiness. Can he save the human race from the Next Big Thing?"A hilarious satire on just about everything... I couldn't stop laughing." - Amazon review."Vonnegut would love it." - Amazon review.

A quirky comedy about a dysfunctional family in a dysfunctional society... Have you ever wondered why life seems so complicated, so exhausting, so fattening, and yet so pointless and idiotic? It's all part of the Potlatch. To Alice Coggins, the 24-year-old daughter of a South Philadelphia scam artist, everything looks like a racket: endless serflike internships, student loans that can never be repaid, high-minded charities run by swindlers for the benefit of rich donors. Things only get worse when she meets Andrew Ogleby, a scion of blue-bloods who is engaged to a bulimic pet-food heiress he can't bring himself to marry. As their Cinderella romance unfolds, Alice and Andrew must battle their families, the mob, and most of all the ubiquitous "Potlatch": a vast conspiracy of conspicuous waste directed by the powers that be to keep the populace -- and especially the young people -- from even thinking about doing anything useful. "Get ready for a hilarious ride in Potlatch... One of the most amusing reads ever to be published." -- Lisa McCombs for Readers' Favorite Book Reviews.

A RANDOM ACT OF CHAOS... Spencer Casey is a 20-year-old high school dropout who works in a failing puzzle factory in Philadelphia, chopping up Masterpieces of Western Art into jigsaw puzzles. He is tired of being an effect instead of a cause. On the night before the factory is to close, inspired by the image of a butterfly flapping its wings in China, he scrambles the pieces of a puzzle called "Chaos Scape 19" and sends his own ripples of chaos into the world. A BUTTERFLY IN PHILADELPHIA is a satirical comic novel and at the same time a coming of age story for the two narrators, Spencer Casey and Lindsay Pangborn, who, like most young people, manage to navigate successfully through the chaos they inflict on the world.