Best Selling Books by Jon Courtenay Grimwood

“Fast, furious, fun and elegant, the Arabesk trilogy is one of the best things to hit the bookstores in a while.”—SF Revu In a world where secrets kill, an ex-cop discovers he’s got the biggest secret of all. . . . Set in a 21st-century Ottoman Empire, Jon Courtenay Grimwood’s acclaimed Arabesk series is a noir action-thriller with an exotic twist. Here an ex-cop with nothing to lose finds himself on the trail of a man he doesn’t believe in: his father. Ashraf Bey has been a lot of things—and most of them illegal. Now, having resigned as El Iskandryia’s Chief of Detectives, he’s taking stock of his life and there’s not much: a mistress he’s never made love to, a niece everyone thinks is mentally incompetent, and a credit card bill rising towards infinity. With a revolt breaking out across North Africa, the world seems to be racing Raf straight to hell. The last thing he needs is a father he’s never known. But when the old Emir’s security chief requests that Raf come out of retirement to investigate an assassination attempt on His Excellency, that’s exactly what Raf gets. Now, disguised as an itinerant laborer, Raf goes underground to discover a man—and a past—he never knew . . . and won’t survive again. “Felaheen is SF at its most inventive.” –Guardian

A mystery, a thriller, and a cutting-edge sci-fi adventure all in one, Stamping Butterflies bends time, genre, and consciousness itself to tell the spellbinding story of two worlds, three lives, one future–and the question upon which everything depends: who is dreaming whom. . . . From Marrakech to China’s Forbidden City, from a doomed starship carrying a cryogenically preserved crew to an island prison camp, the fate of the world is being played out in the minds of two dreamers. One, a would-be assassin obsessed with enigmatic equations, has set out to kill the U.S. President. The other is a young Chinese emperor ruling thousands of years in the future. Each believes he is dreaming the other. One must change the future; one must change the past. And time is running out for both. Caught in the maelstrom is a motley cast of characters, each an unwitting key to the ultimate fate of both worlds: Moz, a resourceful young Marrakech street punk, and his half-German girlfriend, Malika; Jake Razor, a self-exiled rock star; and psychiatrist Katie Petrov, who finds herself racing against a looming death sentence to pry free the secret of her condemned patient–a secret with the power to restore hope to the future...or stamp it out forever.

Part mystery, part speculative fiction, and wholly unforgettable, Jon Courtenay Grimwood’s celebrated Arabesk series portrays the dark, hard-boiled story of a man out to prove his innocence in an alternate world where the facts aren’t always the same as the truth . . . and murder isn’t the worst that can happen. It’s a twenty-first century hauntingly familiar—and yet startlingly different from our own. Here the United States brokered a deal that ended World War I, and the Ottoman Empire never collapsed. And lording it over all sits the complex, seductive, and bloodthirsty North African metropolis of El Iskandryia. Almost nothing is what it seems to be in El Isk, and Ashraf Bey is no exception. Neither the rich Ottoman aristocrat everyone thinks he is, nor the minor street criminal once shipped off to prison when he fell foul of his Chinese Triad employers—the fact is that Raf has as little idea who he is as anyone else. With few clues and no money, all Raf has is a surname hinting at noble heritage and an arranged marriage to a woman who hates him. But nothing Ashraf al Mansur learns about himself is as unexpected—or as terrifying—as the brutal murder he’s accused of committing. Now, as a hunted man with the welfare of a precocious young girl in his irresponsible hands, Raf must race after a killer through an unforgiving city as foreign to him as the truth he'll uncover about himself. Praise for Pashazade “All brilliant light and scorching heat . . . Grimwood has successfully mingled fantasy with reality to make an unusual, believable, and absorbing mystery.”—Sunday Telegraph “A mature balance between sensibility and action in what's essentially a rite of passage story allied with a detective thriller—deftly told and laced with neat ideas.”—Time Out “Near perfect.”—Murder One

A noir melding of ancient Chinese folklore, organised crime and cutting edge medical technology. A policeman is murdered in San Francisco. And spends the rest of the novel hunting down the man who did it. And trying to get the answer to some terrifying questions. Why is he in another man's body? Why is someone trying to kill him. Again. And why is he being haunted by a nine tailed Albino fox? From the shell-shattered streets of Stalingrad in 1942 to the back allys of San Francisco's chinatown, evocative of place, crystal clear in its depiction of character this is literary fantastic fiction at its most compelling from one of the most exciting writers working today.

From Jon Courtenay Grimwood, author of the celebrated Arabesk series, comes a stunningly inventive novel of futuristic noir set in a world of shifting realities. Here a man is drawn into a gritty postmodern subculture and a secret kingdom of otherworldly beings to find what he lost long ago: a reason to live. Kit Nouveau figured he’d already come to the end of the world. An Iraqi war veteran, expatriate, and part owner of Pirate Mary’s, the best Irish bar in Tokyo, Kit had settled down to await the inevitable with barely a whimper. It wasn’t exactly how Kit thought he’d end up, and he was right. It’s going to end up a lot worse. A teenage runaway with fifteen million dollars in stolen cash and a taste for cosplay is about to save Kit’s life in a lethal swirl of scarlet and bridal lace. Lady Neku, a.k.a. Countess of High Strange, has her own dangerous destiny to fulfill and it’s mysteriously connected to Kit’s ravaged past. Now Kit’s only hope for redemption is to save an ex-girlfriend he tragically failed once before. But everyone says it’s already too late. And she’s left behind only one ominous clue: her suicide note.

Masterfully blending speculative fiction and hard-boiled mystery, Jon Courtenay Grimwood’s acclaimed Arabesk series plunges readers into a world eerily familiar and shockingly unpredictable. Here a troubled detective follows a trail of clues through a city where innocence itself may be a thing of the past. . . . It’s the twenty-first century and El Iskandryia—an alluring metropolis built on seduction, corruption, and lies—is the double-dealing heart of an Ottoman Empire that still rules the world. But these days a sense of dread hangs over El Isk—and over Ashraf Bey, the city’s new Chief of Detectives. A trial is set to take place, and it’s up to Raf to decide the case. There’s only one problem: the suspect is the billionaire father of the woman Raf should have married. Industrialist Hamzah Effendi is accused of crimes so horrible that even El Iskandryia wants him eliminated. But Raf finds that protecting the sensual and impetuous Zara Quitrimala from the secrets of her father’s past may be even more dangerous. For Raf must now solve a series of brutal murders that are somehow connected to the case—and to Zara. And the closer Raf gets to the truth, the more elusive the answers become—and the closer he comes to his own demise.… Praise for the Arabesk series and Effendi “Raymond Chandler for the 21st century.”—Esquire “All brilliant light and scorching heat . . . Grimwood has successfully mingled fantasy with reality to make an unusual, believable, and absorbing mystery."—Sunday Telegraph (London) “If you’re not reading Jon Courtenay Grimwood, then you don’t know how subtle and daring fiction can be.”—Michael Marshall Smith, author of Spares and One of Us “Fast, furious, fun and elegant, the Arabesk trilogy is one of the best things to hit the bookstores in a while.”—SFRevu

As the Byzantine and German emperors plot war against each other, Venice's future rests in the hands of three unwilling individuals: The newly knighted Sir Tycho. He defeated the Mamluk navy but he cannot make the woman he loves love him back. Tortured by secrets, afraid of the daylight, he sees no reason to save a city he hates. The grieving Lady Giulietta. Virgin. Mother. Widow. All she wants is to retire from the poisonous world of the Venetian court to mourn her husband in peace. But her duty is to Venice: both emperors want her hand in marriage and an alliance with Europe's richest city. She must choose, knowing that whichever suitor she rejects will become Venice's bitterest enemy. Lastly, a naked, mud-strewn girl who crawls from a paupers' grave on an island in the Venetian lagoon and begins by killing the men who buried her. Between them, they will set the course of history.

Snow shrouds Venice in cold darkness, ice fills the canals, and a thousand ghosts pluck at the shadow's edge. A violent attack on Lady Giulietta's son forces Tycho from his new-found happiness and back into the treacherous intrigue of the court. For Giulietta's sake he would go to the world's end to track down those responsible. As Venice teeters on the brink of civil war, its warring families prepare to discover who is a player and who a pawn in the coming struggle for power. The Exiled Blade is the climatic finale to Tycho's story.

In the depths of night, customs officers board a galley in a harbor and overpower its guards. In the hold they find oil and silver, and a naked boy chained to the bulkhead. Stunningly beautiful but half-starved, the boy has no name. The officers break the boy's chains to rescue him, but he escapes. Venice is at the height of its power. Duke Marco commands the seas, taxes his colonies, and, like every duke before him, fears assassins better than his own. In a side chapel, Marco's thirteen-year old cousin prays for deliverance from her forced marriage. It is her bad fortune to be there when Moorish pirates break in to steal a chalice, but it is the Moors' good fortune -- they kidnap her and demand ransom from the Duke. As day dawns, Atilo, the Duke's chief assassin, prepares to kill the man who let in the pirates. Having cut the traitor's throat, he turns back, having heard a noise, and finds a stranger crouched over the dying man, drinking blood from the wound. The speed with which the boy dodges a dagger and scales a pillar stuns Atilo. And the assassin knows he has to find the boy. Not to kill him though -- because he's finally found what he thought he would never find. Someone fit to be his apprentice.

1407. Venise est à son apogée. Le duc Marco est aux commandes... en théorie, car il est niais et son oncle et sa tante gouvernent à sa place. Ils règnent sur les mers, dictent les lois et semblent tout-puissants. Même s'ils craignent des assassins meilleurs que les leurs... Une nuit, tout bascule. La cousine du duc, qui devait être mariée de force, est enlevée par des pirates mamelouks. La guerre est inévitable. Au même moment, Atilo, l'assassin en chef de Marco, tranche la gorge de sa dernière victime. Il s'apprête à rebrousser chemin, mais aperçoit un garçon penché sur le mourant, en train de boire à sa plaie. Il est beau comme un ange, d'une maigreur terrifiante, et la vitesse à laquelle il esquive un poignard et escalade un mur stupéfie Atilo. Le maître assassin sait qu'il doit à tout prix trouver le garçon. Non pour le tuer, mais pour en faire son apprenti...

Venise grouille de complots : les deux régents se haïssent, et les empereurs d'Allemagne et de Byzance espèrent en profiter pour s'emparer de la ville. Tous intriguent autour de Dame Giuletta : à 16 ans, à la fois vierge, mère et veuve, elle est la clé de quiconque voudrait réclamer le trône. Sir Tycho, ancien esclave, guerrier et monstre contre-nature, l'aime en secret. Il fera tout pour la défendre, contre elle-même, et contre sa propre famille. Parviendra-t-il à gagner son amour sans détruire Venise ? « Aiguisé comme une dague, sombre et éblouissant comme une mascarade, le Venise de Grimwood est saisissant. » Mike Carey

« Le meilleur roman de vampires depuis Lestat le vampire d'Anne Rice. » Civilian Reader « Aiguisé comme une dague, sombre et éblouissant comme une mascarade, la Venise de Grimwood est saisissante. » Mike Carey L'hiver recouvre Venise de ténèbres, la glace fige les canaux et un millier de fantômes errent à la lisière des ombres. L'attentat brutal qui frappe le fils de dame Giulietta replonge Tycho dans les dangereuses intrigues de cour. Pour Giulietta, il traquerait les responsables jusqu'au bout du monde. Alors que Venise se trouve à deux doigts de la guerre civile, les querelles intestines se multiplient et la lutte pour le pouvoir s'intensifie. Quelles sont les forces à l'oeuvre dans ce jeu de dupes ?

pashazade With its face to the sea and its back to the desert, El Iskandryia is North Africa's most urbane city. A metropolis where cultures meet and clash, where money can buy you everything but safety. On the run from a Seattle prison, Ashraf Bey finds himself main suspect in an Iskandryian murder, hated by the woman he was supposed to marry and responsible for the welfare of his nine-year-old cousin . . . all in a world where Germany won the First World War. In a Middle East where the Ottoman empire still dominates . . . effendi Ashraf Bey is a fugitive from the US justice system, definitely; son the of Emir of Tunis, possibly; and Chief of Detectives in the El Iskandryian police force, apparently . . . Small wonder he's a little confused. Raf's ex-fiancee Zara doesn't want to see him. His nine-year old niece is busy doing things with computers that are strictly illegal. And when the city starts to fall apart, Zara's father is accused of mass murder and Raf begins to learn the true cost of loyalty . . . felaheen Detective. Diplomat. Uncle. Killer . . . Ashraf Bey has been many things since arriving in El Iskandryia but not, as yet, a son to Moncef, Emir of Tunis. And now it may be too late; Moncef is either already asassinated, or hovering on the edge of death. And despite refusing Emir's chief of security's plea for help, Raf still finds himself being drawn towards Tunis . . .

"Assassinernes hemmelighed" er fortællingen om ambition, hævn og tilblivelsen af en assassin, en lejemorder, som gemmer på en ganske særlig hemmelighed - og en ganske særlig tørst!

Los emperadores bizantino y germano traman la guerra, y el futuro de Venecia está en las manos de varios salvadores improbables: Tycho, nombrado caballero tras su victoria sobre la flota de los mamelucos. Sin embargo, torturado por sus secretos, rechazado por la mujer a la que ama, no ve ninguna razón para salvar Venecia. Lady Giulietta, aún de luto, debe cumplir su deber con la ciudad: los dos emperadores quieren su mano y una alianza con la ciudad más rica de Europa. Ella habrá de elegir sabiendo que el rechazado se convertirá en el enemigo más feroz de Venecia. Una muchacha desnuda, cubierta de barro, sale arrastrándose de una tumba en una isla de la laguna veneciana y empieza a asesinar a los hombres que la enterraron. Ellos decidirán el curso de la historia.

Passion di Orchi is no more than the obscenely rich daughter of a West Coast mafia boss - until she decides to rebuild Venice. In the middle of the Pacific. A century later, with New Venice ossified into a puritanical elegance, the daughter of Count Ryuchi slips away from her father's palazzo, out to the levels to play Lucifer's Dragon. A multi-level, self-perpetuating, true 3-D trawl through the Apocalypse, Lucifer's Dragon is coded so the game never repeats its own failures. But an altercation in a bar puts Karo on a collision course with NVPD officer Angeli, drafted in by media giant CySat to investigate a murder she knows way too much about. And then there's Razz, the silver exotic. Too tired and jaded to keep living, she takes on the job of guarding CySat's ultimate boss, the ten-year-old Aurelio. With all the high tech security in place, it should be a walk in the park. But the last thing Razz sees is CySat's child-ruler making too close an acquaintance with an Uzi, and then she wakes up in Zurich. Dead…

Es el siglo XV y Venecia está en la cima de su poder. En esta ciudad, mezcla de opulencia y hedor a cloaca, aparece el primer vampiro en Europa, setenta años antes que Drácula. Atilo, el jefe de los Assassini del duque Marco, descubre a un muchacho agachado sobre un hombre al que acaba de matar. La velocidad a la que huye el muchacho le asombra. Y Atilo sabe que tiene que encontrarlo, no para matarlo, sino porque finalmente ha encontrado a alguien digno de ser su aprendiz. Cruce de novela de intriga fantástica y Shakespeare, "La Espada maldita" presenta una galería de personajes que llegan a cualquier extremo para mantenerse en el poder, "pero una ciudad no se convierte en la más rica del Mediterráneo respetando las normas". "Una reinvención del mito del vampiro." SFX "No te lo pierdas." Kirkus

1407. Difendere Venezia è la loro missione L'ascesa di un assassino dai poteri sovrannaturali: un'avvincente storia di ambizione, amore e vendetta. Venezia, 1407 La città è all’apice della sua potenza e a Palazzo Ducale fervono i preparativi per il matrimonio della giovane cugina del doge, Giulietta dei San Felice dei Milione. Per volere di suo zio Alfonso e della dogaressa Alessia, Giulietta sarà costretta a sposare Janus, re di Cipro, un’unione che consentirà a Venezia di proteggere e ampliare le sue floride rotte commerciali. Ma una notte, mentre prega nella cappella privata, Giulietta viene rapita da alcuni uomini incappucciati, e di lei si perdono le tracce... Al porto, intanto, gli ufficiali della dogana sequestrano un galeone. Al suo interno trovano un prezioso carico e, nascosto nella stiva, un ragazzo nudo, incatenato, dai capelli argentei e dalla stupefacente bellezza. Quando gli ufficiali irrompono sulla nave, il ragazzo si getta in acqua e riesce finalmente a fuggire. Solo e senza più memoria del suo passato, Tycho attraverserà le calli più buie di Venezia, tra gente disperata, prostitute, ladri e vagabondi, lottando contro le forze oscure che lo circondano... Tra gli intrighi di corte della Repubblica di Venezia, un ragazzo scopre il suo misterioso passato e la straordinaria missione che lo attende... «Un romanzo torbido, decadente. Irresistibile.» Sunday Times «Gli intrighi politici sono descritti con grande abilità. Grimwood ci regala sorprese, colpi di scena e personaggi machiavellici. Una lettura avvincente.» The Guardian «Grimwood crea un mondo affascinante e personaggi coinvolgenti.» The Independent Jon Courtenay Grimwood è nato a Malta ed è cresciuto tra Oriente, Gran Bretagna e Scandinavia. Ha collaborato con diverse riviste e giornali tra cui «The Guardian». Autore di numerosi romanzi, tradotti in tutto il mondo, ha vinto due volte il premio BSFA Award for Best Novel. Vive tra Londra e Winchester con la moglie, la scrittrice Sam Baker.

LizAlec is a rich bitch's daughter, wired for sound, speed and anything else that money can buy. But she's abducted. Her mother's a French minister, who moves Heaven and Earth to find her. Fixx fixes thinks - recordings, people, anything that makes money. Some of him is almost human. Now he has to find LizAlec. Somewhere in the 22nd Century the things that draw these people together will lead to an explosion of death and destruction.

Ex-assassin Axl Borja has agreed to do one last hit. The only problem is, he hasn't told his gun yet... Cardinal Santo Ducque faces political ruin if he can't regain the Vatican's missing billions... Mai's a Japanese kinderwhore, kidnapped and held hostage on a space habitat... As these people collide - with each other and themselves - their actions could change the world and all its inhabitants.

Venedig 1407. Der junge Tycho erwacht ohne Erinnerung in der Lagunenstadt. Noch bevor er das Geheimnis um seine Herkunft lüften kann, wird er gefangen genommen und im Auftrag des Dogen zum besten Assassinen der Stadt ausgebildet. Dabei entdeckt er in sich ungeahnte Fähigkeiten. Sein Weg als willenloses Instrument scheint vorherbestimmt, bis er der schönen Giulietta Millioni begegnet: Die Nichte des Dogen ist auf der Flucht vor den finsteren Plänen ihres Onkels, und gemeinsam müssen sie und Tycho nicht nur gegen politische Intrigen, Hexen und Werwölfe kämpfen, sondern auch gegen die Anziehungskraft zwischen ihnen, denn ihre Liebe kann für einen von beiden tödlich sein ...

The Fallen Blade Act I of the Assassini Triology.

" Rude, sexy et brutal, mais Imprégné d'un humour mordant, rougeRobe est un tour de force. " The Times. L'ex-tueur à gages Axl Borja a accepté de faire un dernier coup. Le seul problème, c'est qu'il ne l'a pas encore dit à son flingue. Son Eminence le cardinal Santo Ducque verra ses ambitions politiques ruinées s'il ne parvient pas à récupérer les milliards du Vatican qui ont disparu. Mai, une prostituée mineure japonaise kidnappée, est retenue en otage sur la station orbitale Samsara, où les Nations unies se débarrassent des réfugiés de l'Europe en guerre. Trois personnes prêtes à tout pour obtenir ce qu'elles veulent, quel qu'en soit le prix. A tel point que leur rencontre pourrait bien changer le monde... Quand William Gibson rencontre Quentin Tarantino, le thriller du XXIème siècle a débarqué !