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There is a climate of secrecy and fear at the Paris Opera. People are dying and a beautiful, talented young singer has disappeared. Is this the work of the Opera ghost? Is the ghost a man or a monster? And what else will he do to get what he wants?

Ten-year-old Tonya Hailey is attacked and raped by two local men. Carl Lee, Tonya’s father, shoots them. Now only his lawyer and friend, Jake Brigance, stands between him and the electric chair. Is there a legal defense for Carl Lee’s actions?

In this collection of Roald Dahl’s finest stories we meet some quite ordinary people who behave in extraordinary ways. There is a man who is sure he can hear plants scream and the wife who discovers a perfect way to get rid of her husband. And there’s a woman who finds an unusual use for a leg of lamb…

The Internet is the fastest growing phenomenon in technology the world has ever seen, revolutionising business and the lives of almost every person on the planet – in less than ten years.

In these six stories we join the brilliant detective, Sherlock Holmes, and his friend Dr Watson, in a variety of exciting adventures. These include several suspicious deaths, the mystery of the engineer with the missing thumb, and the strange case of the two men who share a very unusual name.

Edgar Allan Poe, ‘the father of the detective story’ and a master of horror, is one of the greatest American short story writers. In these stories we meet people struggling with fear, revenge, mental illness and death. Which of them will win – and which will lose – their battles?

After the death of his beautiful wife Rebecca, Maxim de Winter goes to Monte Carlo to forget the past. There he meets and marries a quiet young woman and takes her back to Manderley, his family home in Cornwall. But will the memory of Rebecca destroy the new marriage?

Jane Eyre, a poor girl, leaves her cruel aunt’s house and goes away to school. Later, she becomes a teacher and works for the rich Mr Rochester. She loves him and wants to marry him. He loves her too, but he has a dark secret ...

Patrick Lanigan, a lawyer, dies in a car crash. Later, the partners in his law firm discover that Patrick is not really dead. He is living in Brazil, and he has 90 million dollars of his partners’ money…

This collection brings together some of the best examples of late nineteenthand early twentieth-century short stories. Some are about ordinary people to whom something unexpected happens. Others are about unusual characters or events. Some of the stories are funny and others are more serious. All of them are highly enjoyable.