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A Ghost In The Machine
''A Ghost in the Machine'' is a crime novel written by English writer Caroline Graham and first published by Headline in 2004. The story follows Chief Inspector Tom Barnaby investigating the case of the death of an antique collector. It is the seventh and final volume in Graham's ''Chief Inspector Barnaby'' series and preceded by ''A Place of Safety''. Plot summary Village resident Dennis Brinkley, an enthusiastic collector of old war machines and torture weapons, suffers a gruesome death after being crushed by one of his own devices. Although his demise is initially regarded as an accident, his best friend Benny believes otherwise, and her suspicions are only confirmed by local psychic Ava Garrett, who tells her that she will ask Dennis to identify his killer at her next seance. However, the elusive murderer silences her before the event can go ahead, leaving Chief Inspector Barnaby, accompanied by his Sergeant Gavin Troy, with two gruesome slayings and a complex mystery to ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Caroline Graham
Caroline Graham (born 17 July 1931) is an English playwright, screenwriter and novelist. Early life and education Graham was born in Nuneaton, Warwickshire to a working-class family, and attended Nuneaton High School for Girls where her English teacher encouraged her to write. Graham's mother died when she was six and her father remarried when she was 13. At the age of 14, she left school and went to work in Courtaulds Mill as a wefter. She served in the Women's Royal Naval Service from 1953 to 1955 but eventually ran away because she hated it. She met up with her airforce penpal, Graham Cameron, whom she later married. The couple moved to France, living in a mews house at Versailles where Cameron was stationed as part of his work for the Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers in Europe. She had attended ballet school for three years during their stay in France. After some time, they relocated to Lincoln, England where Graham spent three days a week in London at drama school. They ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Chief Inspector
Chief inspector (Ch Insp) is a rank used in police forces which follow the British model. In countries outside Britain, it is sometimes referred to as chief inspector of police (CIP). Usage by country Australia The rank of chief inspector is used in the New South Wales Police The New South Wales Police Force (NSW Police Force; previously the New South Wales Police Service and New South Wales Police) is the primary law enforcement agency of the state of New South Wales, Australia. Divided into Police Area Commands (P ... and South Australia Police. Victoria Police declassified the rank in the mid-1990s. In both forces, it is senior to the rank of inspector and junior to the rank of Superintendent (police), superintendent. The insignia consists of a crown, the same insignia as that of a Major in the army. Canada The Sûreté du Québec and the City of Montreal Police Service (''Service de police de la Ville de Montréal'' or SPVM) utilize the rank of chief inspector. In both f ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Tom Barnaby
Detective Chief Inspector Thomas Geoffrey "Tom" Barnaby (born 20 April 1943) is a fictional detective created by English writer Caroline Graham as the protagonist in her ''Chief Inspector Barnaby'' novel series and adapted into one of the main characters in the ITV drama ''Midsomer Murders''. Tom Barnaby (played by John Nettles) first appears in the programme's first episode ''The Killings at Badger's Drift'' and last appears in ''Fit for Murder'', an episode broadcast on 2 February 2011, which is the final episode of the thirteenth series. He states in an episode called ''Picture of Innocence'' that his birthday is 20 April 1943. He is married to Joyce Barnaby, played by Jane Wymark and has a daughter called Cully, played by Laura Howard. He appeared in 81 episodes before handing over to his cousin John Barnaby ( Neil Dudgeon). He is assisted in every episode by a sergeant. He has three sergeants throughout his tenure, Gavin Troy; 1997–2003, Daniel Scott; 2003–2005 and B ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Detective Fiction
Detective fiction is a subgenre of crime fiction and mystery fiction in which an investigator or a detective—whether professional, amateur or retired—investigates a crime, often murder. The detective genre began around the same time as speculative fiction and other genre fiction in the mid-nineteenth century and has remained extremely popular, particularly in novels. Some of the most famous heroes of detective fiction include C. Auguste Dupin, Sherlock Holmes, and Hercule Poirot. Juvenile stories featuring The Hardy Boys, Nancy Drew, and The Boxcar Children have also remained in print for several decades. History Ancient Some scholars, such as R. H. Pfeiffer, have suggested that certain ancient and religious texts bear similarities to what would later be called detective fiction. In the Old Testament story of Susanna and the Elders (the Protestant Bible locates this story within the apocrypha), the account told by two witnesses broke down when Daniel cross-examines th ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Headline Book Publishing
Headline Publishing Group is a British publishing brand and former company. It was founded in 1986 by Tim Hely Hutchinson. In 1993, Headline bought Hodder & Stoughton and the company became Hodder Headline Ltd. In 1999, Hodder Headline was acquired by WH Smith. It was acquired by Hachette Livre, from the WHSmith Group PLC WHSmith (also written WH Smith, and known colloquially as Smith's and formerly as W. H. Smith & Son) is a British retailer, headquartered in Swindon, England, which operates a chain of high street, railway station, airport, port, hospital and ..., in 2005. References External links * . Publishing companies of the United Kingdom Publishing companies of England Publishing companies based in London British companies established in 1986 Publishing companies established in 1986 1986 establishments in England Lagardère Media {{UK-publish-company-stub ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
A Place Of Safety
''A Place of Safety'' is a crime novel written by English writer Caroline Graham and first published by Headline in 1999. The story follows Chief Inspector Tom Barnaby investigating the murder of a man in a village. It is the sixth volume in Graham's ''Chief Inspector Barnaby'' series, preceded by ''Faithful unto Death'' and followed by ''A Ghost in the Machine''. Plot summary Ferne Basset vicar's wife Ann Lawrence accuses Carlotta, a young homeless girl her husband has taken in, of stealing her precious heirloom earrings. Their argument escalates and the pair end up fighting on the area's picturesque bridge, when Carlotta falls off into the river below. After her body doesn't re-surface, witness Charlie Leathers begins blackmailing Ann for money, until he's found garrotted and his pet dog, Candy, left savagely beaten. However, still another blackmail demand arrives and this time Ann won't pay. Meanwhile, Chief Inspector Barnaby peels away at the wholesome veneer of Ferne Basse ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Crime Novel
Crime fiction, detective story, murder mystery, mystery novel, and police novel are terms used to describe narratives that centre on criminal acts and especially on the investigation, either by an amateur or a professional detective, of a crime, often a murder. It is usually distinguished from mainstream fiction and other genres such as historical fiction or science fiction, but the boundaries are indistinct. Crime fiction has multiple subgenres, including detective fiction (such as the whodunit), courtroom drama, hard-boiled fiction, and legal thrillers. Most crime drama focuses on crime investigation and does not feature the courtroom. Suspense and mystery are key elements that are nearly ubiquitous to the genre. History The ''One Thousand and One Nights'' (''Arabian Nights'') contains the earliest known examples of crime fiction. One example of a story of this genre is the medieval Arabic tale of "The Three Apples", one of the tales narrated by Scheherazade in the ''Arabia ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Headline Publishing Group
Headline Publishing Group is a Great Britain, British publishing brand and former company. It was founded in 1986 by Tim Hely Hutchinson. In 1993, Headline bought Hodder & Stoughton and the company became Hodder Headline Ltd. In 1999, Hodder Headline was acquired by WH Smith. It was acquired by Hachette Livre, from the WHSmith Group PLC, in 2005. References External links * Hachette (publisher) books, . Publishing companies of the United Kingdom Publishing companies of England Publishing companies based in London British companies established in 1986 Publishing companies established in 1986 1986 establishments in England Lagardère Media {{UK-publish-company-stub ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Torture
Torture is the deliberate infliction of severe pain or suffering on a person for reasons such as punishment, extracting a confession, interrogation for information, or intimidating third parties. Some definitions are restricted to acts carried out by the state, but others include non-state organizations. Torture has been carried out since ancient times. In the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, Western countries abolished the official use of torture in the judicial system, but torture continued to be used throughout the world. A variety of methods of torture are used, often in combination; the most common form of physical torture is beatings. Since the twentieth century, many torturers have preferred non-scarring or psychological methods to provide deniability. Torturers are enabled by organizations that facilitate and encourage their behavior. Most victims of torture are poor and marginalized people suspected of crimes, although torture against political prisoners or ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Publishers Weekly
''Publishers Weekly'' (''PW'') is an American weekly trade news magazine targeted at publishers, librarians, booksellers, and literary agents. Published continuously since 1872, it has carried the tagline, "The International News Magazine of Book Publishing and Bookselling". With 51 issues a year, the emphasis today is on book reviews. The magazine was founded by bibliographer Bibliography (from and ), as a discipline, is traditionally the academic study of books as physical, cultural objects; in this sense, it is also known as bibliology (from ). English author and bibliographer John Carter describes ''bibliography ... Frederick Leypoldt in the late 1860s, and had various titles until Leypoldt settled on the name ''The Publishers' Weekly'' (with an apostrophe) in 1872. The publication was a compilation of information about newly published books, collected from publishers and from other sources by Leypoldt, for an audience of booksellers. By 1876, ''The Publishers' Weekly ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Charles Dickens
Charles John Huffam Dickens (; 7 February 1812 – 9 June 1870) was an English writer and social critic. He created some of the world's best-known fictional characters and is regarded by many as the greatest novelist of the Victorian era.. His works enjoyed unprecedented popularity during his lifetime and, by the 20th century, critics and scholars had recognised him as a literary genius. His novels and short stories are widely read today. Born in Portsmouth, Dickens left school at the age of 12 to work in a boot-blacking factory when his father was incarcerated in a debtors' prison. After three years he returned to school, before he began his literary career as a journalist. Dickens edited a weekly journal for 20 years, wrote 15 novels, five novellas, hundreds of short stories and non-fiction articles, lectured and performed readings extensively, was an indefatigable letter writer, and campaigned vigorously for children's rights, for education, and for other social ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
