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The Fourth Bear (Nursery Crimes Series #2)
by Jasper FfordeJack Spratt tries to solve the mystery of a fourth bear, one more than the classic tale of Goldilocks and the Three Bears.
The Fourth Bear: Nursery Crime Adventures 2
by Jasper FfordeThe Gingerbreadman: Psychopath, sadist, genius, convicted murderer and biscuit is loose in the streets of Reading. It isn't Jack Spratt's case. He and Mary Mary have been reassigned due to falling levels of nursery crime, and The NCD is once more in jeopardy. That is, until a chance encounter during the Armitage Shanks literary awards at the oddly familiar Deja-Vu Club lead Jack and Mary on the hunt for missing journalist Henrietta 'Goldilocks' Hatchett, star reporter for The Daily Toad. She had been about to break a story involving unexplained explosions in Herefordshire, Pasadena and the Nullabor Plain; The last witnesses to see her alive were The Three Bears, comfortably living out a life of rural solitude in Andersen's wood. But all is not what it seems. How could the bear's porridge be at such disparate temperatures when they were poured at the same time? Was Goldy's death in the nearby 1st World War themepark of Sommeworld a freak accident? And is it merely chance that the Gingerbreadman pops up at awkward moments? But there's more. What does a missing scientist with a terrifying discovery in subatomic physics, a secret weapon of devastating power, a reclusive industrialist known only as the Quangle Wangle and Colonel Danvers of the National Security all have in common?
The Fourth Bear: Nursery Crime Adventures 2 (Nursery Crime)
by Jasper FfordeThe Gingerbreadman: Psychopath, sadist, genius, convicted murderer and biscuit is loose in the streets of Reading. It isn't Jack Spratt's case. He and Mary Mary have been reassigned due to falling levels of nursery crime, and The NCD is once more in jeopardy. That is, until a chance encounter during the Armitage Shanks literary awards at the oddly familiar Deja-Vu Club lead Jack and Mary on the hunt for missing journalist Henrietta 'Goldilocks' Hatchett, star reporter for The Daily Toad. She had been about to break a story involving unexplained explosions in Herefordshire, Pasadena and the Nullabor Plain; The last witnesses to see her alive were The Three Bears, comfortably living out a life of rural solitude in Andersen's wood. But all is not what it seems. How could the bear's porridge be at such disparate temperatures when they were poured at the same time? Was Goldy's death in the nearby 1st World War themepark of Sommeworld a freak accident? And is it merely chance that the Gingerbreadman pops up at awkward moments? But there's more. What does a missing scientist with a terrifying discovery in subatomic physics, a secret weapon of devastating power, a reclusive industrialist known only as the Quangle Wangle and Colonel Danvers of the National Security all have in common?
The Fourth Bear: Nursery Crime Adventures 2 (Nursery Crime)
by Jasper Fforde'Comic genius' (The Observer) and the second Nursery Crime detective novel by the bestselling author Jasper Fforde.The Gingerbreadman: Psychopath, sadist, genius, convicted murderer and biscuit is loose in the streets of Reading. It isn't Jack Spratt's case. He and Mary Mary have been reassigned due to falling levels of nursery crime, and The NCD is once more in jeopardy. That is, until a chance encounter during the Armitage Shanks literary awards at the oddly familiar Deja-Vu Club lead Jack and Mary on the hunt for missing journalist Henrietta 'Goldilocks' Hatchett, star reporter for The Daily Toad. She had been about to break a story involving unexplained explosions in Herefordshire, Pasadena and the Nullabor Plain; The last witnesses to see her alive were The Three Bears, comfortably living out a life of rural solitude in Andersen's wood. But all is not what it seems. How could the bear's porridge be at such disparate temperatures when they were poured at the same time? Was Goldy's death in the nearby 1st World War themepark of Sommeworld a freak accident? And is it merely chance that the Gingerbreadman pops up at awkward moments? But there's more. What does a missing scientist with a terrifying discovery in subatomic physics, a secret weapon of devastating power, a reclusive industrialist known only as the Quangle Wangle and Colonel Danvers of the National Security all have in common?(P)2019 Hodder & Stoughton Limited
The Fourth Consort: A Novel
by Edward AshtonA new standalone sci-fi novel from Edward Ashton, author of Mickey7 (the inspiration for the major motion picture Mickey 17).Dalton Greaves is a hero. He’s one of humankind’s first representatives to Unity, a pan-species confederation working to bring all sentient life into a single benevolent brotherhood.That’s what they told him, anyway. The only actual members of Unity that he’s ever met are Boreau, a giant snail who seems more interested in plunder than spreading love and harmony, and Boreau’s human sidekick, Neera, who Dalton strongly suspects roped him into this gig so that she wouldn’t become the next one of Boreau’s crew to get eaten by locals while prospecting.Funny thing, though—turns out there actually is a benevolent confederation out there, working for the good of all life. They call themselves the Assembly, and they really don’t like Unity. More to the point, they really, really don’t like Unity’s new human minions.When an encounter between Boreau’s scout ship and an Assembly cruiser over a newly discovered world ends badly for both parties, Dalton finds himself marooned, caught between a stickman, one of the Assembly’s nightmarish shock troops, the planet’s natives, who aren’t winning any congeniality prizes themselves, and Neera, who might actually be the most dangerous of the three. To survive, he’ll need to navigate palace intrigue, alien morality, and a proposal that he literally cannot refuse, all while making sure Neera doesn’t come to the conclusion that he’s worth more to her dead than alive.Part first contact story, part dark comedy, and part bizarre love triangle, The Fourth Consort asks an important question: how far would you go to survive? And more importantly, how many drinks would you need to go there?
The Fourth Hand
by John IrvingThe Fourth Hand asks an interesting question: "How can anyone identify a dream of the future?" The answer: "Destiny is not imaginable, except in dreams or to those in love."While reporting a story from India, a New York television journalist has his left hand eaten by a lion; millions of TV viewers witness the accident. In Boston, a renowned hand surgeon awaits the opportunity to perform the nation's first hand transplant; meanwhile, in the distracting aftermath of an acrimonious divorce, the surgeon is seduced by his housekeeper. A married woman in Wisconsin wants to give the one-handed reporter her husband's left hand- that is, after her husband dies. But the husband is alive, relatively young, and healthy.This is how John Irving's tenth novel begins; it seems, at first, to be a comedy, perhaps a satire, almost certainly a sexual farce. Yet, in the end, The Fourth Hand is as realistic and emotionally moving as any of Mr. Irving's previous novels - including The World According to Garp, A Prayer for Owen Meany, and A Widow for One Year - or his Oscar-winning screenplay of The Cider House Rules.The Fourth Hand is characteristic of John Irving's seamless storytelling and further explores some of the author's recurring themes - loss, grief, love as redemption. But this novel also breaks new ground; it offers a penetrating look at the power of second chances and the will toFrom the Hardcover edition.
The Fourth Hand: A Novel
by John Irving&“Imagine a young man on his way to a less-than-thirty second event — the loss of his left hand, long before he reached middle age.&”The Fourth Hand asks an interesting question: &“How can anyone identify a dream of the future?&” The answer: &“Destiny is not imaginable, except in dreams or to those in love.&”While reporting a story from India, a New York television journalist has his left hand eaten by a lion; millions of TV viewers witness the accident. In Boston, a renowned hand surgeon awaits the opportunity to perform the nation&’s first hand transplant; meanwhile, in the distracting aftermath of an acrimonious divorce, the surgeon is seduced by his housekeeper. A married woman in Wisconsin wants to give the one-handed reporter her husband&’s left hand—that is, after her husband dies. But the husband is alive, relatively young, and healthy.This is how John Irving&’s tenth novel begins; it seems, at first, to be a comedy, perhaps a satire, almost certainly a sexual farce. Yet, in the end, The Fourth Hand is as realistic and emotionally moving as any of Mr. Irving&’s previous novels—including The World According to Garp, A Prayer for Owen Meany, and A Widow for One Year—or his Oscar-winning screenplay of The Cider House Rules.The Fourth Hand is characteristic of John Irving&’s seamless storytelling and further explores some of the author&’s recurring themes—loss, grief, love as redemption. But this novel also breaks new ground; it offers a penetrating look at the power of second chances and the will to change.
The Fourth Stall
by Chris RylanderDo you need something? Mac can get it for you. It's what he does--he and his best friend and business manager, Vince. Their methods might sometimes run afoul of the law, or at least the school code of conduct, but if you have a problem, if no one else can help, and if you can pay him, Mac is on your side. His office is located in the East Wing boys' bathroom, fourth stall from the high window. And business is booming. Or at least it was, until one particular Monday. It starts with a third grader in need of protection. And before this ordeal is over, it's going to involve a legendary high school crime boss named Staples, an intramural gambling ring, a graffiti ninja, the nine most dangerous bullies in school, and the first Chicago Cubs World Series game in almost seventy years. And that's just the beginning. Mac and Vince soon realize that the trouble with solving everyone else's problems is that there's no one left to solve yours.
The Fourth Stall Part II
by Chris RylanderThe life of crime is good.Mac has taken down legendary high school crime boss Staples, business has been booming, and Mac and Vince are getting ready for middle school baseball tryouts. But this can't last. Mac has always tried to keep his friends close and his enemies closer. But what happens when you can't tell the difference? This dilemma walks into the fourth stall in the form of Trixie Von Parkway-an eighth grader with a mean look and an even meaner predicament. The new science teacher is terrorizing her, and she needs Mac to get him off her back. Seems simple enough, but as Mac starts to dig deeper, he finds even more trouble brewing at his school, including a new administrator bent on destroying his business, and indications that Trixie isn't who she claims to be. In the past, the worst thing that could have happened to Mac was that he might lose a little money, maybe catch a beating. In The Fourth Stall Part II, though, there's going to be much more on the line than that.
The Fourth Stall Part III
by Chris RylanderThe story of Mac, Vince, and middle-school organized crime comes to its thrilling conclusion in the third book of Chris Rylander’s Fourth Stall saga, a series that combines a Godfather-like tale of crime and betrayal with hilarious school comedy à la Jack Gantos. Their business is finished, and Mac’s and Vince’s lives have become something they have never been before—simple. None of the fortune or the glory, none of the risk or the threat of juvenile prison. There’s even a new business that has stepped in to take its place (and take the heat off Mac and Vince for once). Things couldn’t be better. But that was before things at their middle school started to go haywire. Before they found out that there’s a new crime boss at a school another town over trying to consolidate power. And before their old nemesis, Staples, came back to town begging for help after his stint in the clink. Just when Mac and Vince thought they were out, the business pulls them back in. But this time, will they be able to escape with their lives and their permanent records intact?
The Frame-Up
by Gwenda Bond'Romantic, clever, and makes grand larceny more fun than ever' HOLLY BLACK'A twisty, riveting and fantastically original story' ELLE COSIMANO'Gwenda Bond at her absolute best: magical romantic and fun as hell' ALIX E. HARROWDani Poissant is the daughter and former accomplice of the world's most famous art thief. There was no job too big for Maria and her loyal crew. The secret to their success? A little thing called magic, kept rigorously secret from the non-magical world. They seemed unstoppable . . . until a teenage Dani turned her mother over to the FBI.Ten years later, with Maria still in prison, Dani finds herself approached for a job that only Maria and her crew could pull off . . . if any of them were still speaking to her. But it's the job of a lifetime and might just be the lure Dani needs to reconcile with her mother and be reunited with her mother's old gang-including both the love of her life and her former best friend.The problem is, it's an impossible task-even with the magical talents of the people she once considered family backing her up. It's a heist that needs a year to plan, and Dani has just over a week. Worse, the more Dani learns, the more she understands that there's far more at stake in this job that she ever realised.
The Frame-Up
by Gwenda Bond'Romantic, clever, and makes grand larceny more fun than ever' HOLLY BLACK'A twisty, riveting and fantastically original story' ELLE COSIMANO'Gwenda Bond at her absolute best: magical romantic and fun as hell' ALIX E. HARROWDani Poissant is the daughter and former accomplice of the world's most famous art thief. There was no job too big for Maria and her loyal crew. The secret to their success? A little thing called magic, kept rigorously secret from the non-magical world. They seemed unstoppable . . . until a teenage Dani turned her mother over to the FBI.Ten years later, with Maria still in prison, Dani finds herself approached for a job that only Maria and her crew could pull off . . . if any of them were still speaking to her. But it's the job of a lifetime and might just be the lure Dani needs to reconcile with her mother and be reunited with her mother's old gang-including both the love of her life and her former best friend.The problem is, it's an impossible task-even with the magical talents of the people she once considered family backing her up. It's a heist that needs a year to plan, and Dani has just over a week. Worse, the more Dani learns, the more she understands that there's far more at stake in this job that she ever realised.
The Fran Lebowitz Reader
by Fran LebowitzAcerbic, wisecracking and hilarious, this is the definitive essay collection from New York legend and satirist, Fran Lebowitz, star of Martin Scorsese's hit Netflix series, Pretend It's a City.'The gold standard for intelligence, efficiency and humour. Now and forever' DAVID SEDARIS'She's inexhaustible - her personality, her knowledge, her brilliance, most of all her humour' MARTIN SCORSESE'The rare example of a legend living up to her own mythology. She really is THAT funny' HADLEY FREEMANLebowitz turns her trademark caustic wit to the vicissitudes of life - from children ('rarely in the position to lend one a truly interesting sum of money') to landlords ('it is the solemn duty of every landlord to maintain an adequate supply of roaches'). And her attitude to work is the perfect antidote to our exhausting culture of self-betterment ('3.40pm. I consider getting out of bed. I reject the notion as being unduly vigorous. I read and smoke a bit more').'Great people talk about ideas, average people talk about things and small people talk about wine''Think before you speak. Read before you think' 'All God's children are not beautiful. Most of God's children are, in fact, barely presentable' 'There is no such thing as inner peace. There is only nervousness and death''The opposite of talking isn't listening. The opposite of talking is waiting'
The Fran Lebowitz Reader
by Fran LebowitzFran Lebowitz inPublic SpeakingA Martin Scorsese PictureNow an HBO® Documentary FilmThe Fran Lebowitz Reader brings together in one volume, with a new preface, two bestsellers, Metropolitan Life and Social Studies, by an "important humorist in the classic tradition" (The New York Times Book Review) who is "the natural successor to Dorothy Parker" (British Vogue). In "elegant, finely honed prose" (The Washington Post Book World), Lebowitz limns the vicissitudes of contemporary urban life--its fads, trends, crazes, morals, and fashions. By turns ironic, facetious, deadpan, sarcastic, wry, wisecracking, and waggish, she is always wickedly entertaining.From the Trade Paperback edition.
The Fran Lebowitz Reader
by Fran LebowitzAcerbic, wisecracking and hilarious, this is the definitive essay collection from New York legend and satirist, Fran Lebowitz, star of Martin Scorsese's hit Netflix series, Pretend It's a City.'The gold standard for intelligence, efficiency and humour. Now and forever' DAVID SEDARIS'She's inexhaustible - her personality, her knowledge, her brilliance, most of all her humour' MARTIN SCORSESE'The rare example of a legend living up to her own mythology. She really is THAT funny' HADLEY FREEMANLebowitz turns her trademark caustic wit to the vicissitudes of life - from children ('rarely in the position to lend one a truly interesting sum of money') to landlords ('it is the solemn duty of every landlord to maintain an adequate supply of roaches'). And her attitude to work is the perfect antidote to our exhausting culture of self-betterment ('3.40pm. I consider getting out of bed. I reject the notion as being unduly vigorous. I read and smoke a bit more').'Great people talk about ideas, average people talk about things and small people talk about wine''Think before you speak. Read before you think' 'All God's children are not beautiful. Most of God's children are, in fact, barely presentable' 'There is no such thing as inner peace. There is only nervousness and death''The opposite of talking isn't listening. The opposite of talking is waiting'
The Fran That Time Forgot
by Jim BentonFranny K. Stein didn't think the time would ever come when someone would realize what the K in her name stood for. And she REALLY didn't think that same someone would say her middle name in front of the whole school! But that's what happened at the Science Fair award ceremony, and all the kids and teachers burst out laughing. So Franny does what any respectable mad scientist would do--she goes back in time to change her name. However, things don't turn out quite as she calculated, and Franny ends up having to face her teenage self in a warped, fourth-dimensional, kid-versus-teen, good-versus-evil, Franny-versus-Franny battle of the minds!
The Fran That Time Forgot
by Jim BentonFranny K. Stein didn't think the time would ever come when someone would realize what the K in her name stood for. And she REALLY didn't think that same someone would say her middle name in front of the whole school! But that's what happened at the Science Fair award ceremony, and all the kids and teachers burst out laughing. So Franny does what any respectable mad scientist would do--she goes back in time to change her name. However, things don't turn out quite as she calculated, and Franny ends up having to face her teenage self in a warped, fourth-dimensional, kid-versus-teen, good-versus-evil, Franny-versus-Franny battle of the minds!
The Fran with Four Brains
by Jim BentonBeing a mad scientist in the modern world is very hard work. With so much that needs to be done in such a short period of time, multitasking can become overwhelming. Franny needs some additional help. But for Franny there is only one person in the world she trusts to help her with her experiments: herself. So she acquires assistance the mad-scientist way...by building a few real, live, steel-plated Franbots!
The Fran with Four Brains
by Jim BentonBeing a mad scientist in the modern world is very hard work. With so much that needs to be done in such a short period of time, multitasking can become overwhelming. Franny needs some additional help. But for Franny there is only one person in the world she trusts to help her with her experiments: herself. So she acquires assistance the mad-scientist way...by building a few real, live, steel-plated Franbots!
The Franchiser
by Stanley ElkinThe comic story of a man&’s obsessive quest to build a fast food empire across AmericaFor the better part of the 1970s, entrepreneur Ben Flesh could expand his business kingdom with the snap of his fingers. His fast food restaurants and electronics stores were all a part of his rapidly growing domain, remaking America one enterprise at a time. But when a series of personal and professional catastrophes strike unexpectedly, Ben finds himself on the verge of losing it all. Hailed as one of Stanley Elkin&’s greatest works, The Franchiser is a biting satire of American consumerism and the story of one man&’s all-consuming determination to create his lasting legacy, one business at a time. This ebook features rare photos and never-before-seen documents from the author&’s estate and from the Stanley Elkin archives at Washington University in St. Louis.
The Francis Meadowes Mysteries Books One to Three: The Festival Murders, Cruising to Murder, and Murder Your Darlings (Francis Meadowes)
by Mark McCrumThree novels in the acclaimed series starring an author whose itinerary often leads him to crime scenes . . . The Festival Murders Bryce Peabody is ready to give a talk at the annual literary festival in the pretty English town of Mold-on-Wold—until he&’s found dead in his hotel room. Soon, author Francis Meadowes is drawn into a role he knows only from his own fiction—that of amateur detective . . . &“A marvellous set of unsavoury suspects . . . good, nasty fun with a ring of truth.&” —The Mail on Sunday, Thriller of the WeekCruising to Murder Francis has landed a job lecturing aboard a luxurious liner as it cruises down the West African coast. His fellow passengers include an eclectic mix of characters. But when two of them die, the sleuthing crime writer discovers he may be out of his depth . . . &“[An] entertaining mystery.&” —Publishers WeeklyMurder Your Darlings Francis is soaking up the sun in Italy, running a creative writing course at a villa in the Umbrian countryside. But what should have been a magical week turns sinister when a body is found in the sauna . . .A Mail on Sunday Book of the Year &“A neat twist on the classic English-country-house formula.&” —Kirkus Reviews
The Frandidate
by Jim BentonFranny K. Stein, Mad Scientist, has always had her eye on world domination, and she has to start somewhere...like her class elections! If people vote for her, they'll be giving her all the control she wants. But Franny's platform doesn't have the same appeal as her competitors who are offering new playground equipment, so she creates The Frandidate. Made of DNA samples from a dog, a chameleon and a parrot, along with a scrap of carpet (so she'll know where people stand), Franny's special suit helps her say and do exactly what people want! But when The Frandidate starts making promises she knows she can't keep, Franny realizes she might have gone too far...
The Frandidate
by Jim BentonFranny K. Stein, Mad Scientist, has always had her eye on world domination, and she has to start somewhere...like her class elections! If people vote for her, they'll be giving her all the control she wants. But Franny's platform doesn't have the same appeal as her competitors who are offering new playground equipment, so she creates The Frandidate. Made of DNA samples from a dog, a chameleon and a parrot, along with a scrap of carpet (so she'll know where people stand), Franny's special suit helps her say and do exactly what people want! But when The Frandidate starts making promises she knows she can't keep, Franny realizes she might have gone too far...
The Fraud Squad
by Kyla ZhaoA working-class woman who infiltrates Singapore&’s high society to fulfill her dreams risks losing everything in the process—including herself—in this propulsive novel by debut author Kyla Zhao. For as long as she can remember, Samantha Song has dreamed of writing for a high-society magazine—and she&’d do anything to get there. But the constant struggle to help her mom make ends meet and her low social status cause her dream to feel like a distant fantasy. Now Samantha finds herself working at a drab PR firm. Living vicariously through her wealthy coworker and friend, Anya Chen, is the closest she&’ll get to her ideal life. Until she meets Timothy Kingston: the disillusioned son of one of Singapore&’s elite families—and Samantha&’s one chance at infiltrating the high-society world to which she desperately wants to belong. To Samantha&’s surprise, Timothy and Anya both agree to help her make a name for herself on Singapore&’s socialite scene. But the borrowed designer clothes and plus-ones to every glamorous event can only get her so far. The rest is on Samantha, and she&’s determined to impress the editor in chief of Singapore&’s poshest magazine. But the deeper Samantha wades into this fraud, the more she fears being exposed—especially with a mysterious gossip columnist on the prowl for dirt—forcing her to reconcile her pretense with who she really is before she loses it all.
The Fraud Squad
by Kyla Zhao'⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ I HAD THE BEST TIME READING THIS BOOK AND IF IT DOESN'T END UP BEING A NETFLIX SERIES I AM GOING TO BE VERY DISAPPOINTED BECAUSE IT'S PERFECT!!!!!!''Immersive, cinematic, and exquisitely fun! The Fraud Squad is the perfect debut, full of high society high jinx, high stakes, and the joy of finding oneself' Ali HazelwoodCRAZY RICH ASIANS meets THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA, with a dash of GOSSIP GIRL, in this dazzling debut novel._________Samantha Song has always dreamed of having her own by-line in a high-society magazine. But the death of her father and the constant struggle to help her mum make ends meet make it feel like a distant fantasy. Instead, she works at a drab PR firm and lives vicariously through her socialite co-worker Anya Chen. Then she meets Timothy Kingston: the disillusioned son of one of Singapore's elite families, and Sam's one chance at infiltrating the world to which she so desperately wants to belong. To Sam's surprise, Tim and Anya both agree to help her make a name for herself, but the borrowed designer clothes and plus-ones to every party and major event can only get her so far; the rest is on Sam. The deeper she goes though, the more she fears being exposed. And with an anonymous reporter on the prowl for high-society gossip, Sam must scramble to reconcile her pretence with who she really is before she loses it all.Packed full of glitz and glamour, food and fashion and heaps of heart, THE FRAUD SQUAD is perfect for fans of Kevin Kwan and Lauren Ho.'As glamorous and page-turning as a glossy magazine, infused with sharp class critique, a vibrant cast of characters, and a poignant emotional core' Ava Wilder'Rich with clever charm and scandalous sparkle, The Fraud Squad introduces a delightful and daring new voice in Kyla Zhao' Emily Wibberley and Austin Siegemund-Broka_________REAL READERS ARE LOSING THEIR HEARTS TO THE FRAUD SQUAD:'⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ One of my fav reads of the year!!!''⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ This book was EVERYTHING!''⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ I absolutely LOVED this book! The characters were phenomenal, especially Sam, and the story was just *chef's kiss*''⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ Such a poignant, hilarious, and wildly fun read!!!! YOU WON'T REGRET READING IT!' '⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ Wow! I read it in a single day . . . The vivid descriptions of Singapore and the food there made me want to visit immediately. I couldn't put it down!' '⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ OMG, I LOVED this book . . . The romance at the heart of this had so much sizzling chemistry it kept me turning the pages hoping for more' '⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ If you want to read something that combines beautiful scenery, complex characters, romance, and drama, I highly recommend The Fraud Squad!' '⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ Five luxurious, hilarious, heartwarming stars! From the glamorous parties and high fashion to the delicious food and swoon-worthy romance, THE FRAUD SQUAD kept me hooked until the last page'