Pride sent them into the caves, but terror will drive them out. During China’s tumultuous Cultural Revolution, the People’s Liberation Army dispatches an elite group of prospectors famous for their work uncovering rare minerals to the mountains of rural Inner Mongolia. Their assignment: to bring honor to their country by descending into a maze of dank...

Losing her posh advertising job, boyfriend, and apartment all in the same morning has left Corinna with a mess where her life should be. She tries to get things back on track, but with a mountain of red tape between her and unemployment assistance, and a string of disastrous job interviews under her belt, it’s clear that following the rules is getting her...

The Known World is a sprawling region ruled by mortals, protected by gods, and plied by magicians and warriors, merchants and beggars, royals and scoundrels. Here, those with the gift of the Erjak share a psychic bond with animals; a far-reaching fraternity unites criminals of every persuasion in a vast army of villainy; and upon the mighty river Alt, the...

The cordless drill he rammed into his victim’s belly lies motionless alongside her dead body. Berlin Criminal Investigation Detective Konstantin Butz arrives late at night in the pouring rain to investigate the second grisly murder this week. On the other side of town, photographer Claire Bentheim loses control of a photo shoot and is forcefully introduced...

Could have been the blown business deal with the Italians. Could have been the unauthorized office party, which ended with the cops—and then an arrest. No matter what finally got him fired, Mikhail never expected to find himself at Red Star Industries’ office again.

So down-and-out Mikhail is surprised to be called in by old boss Pavel Petrovich...

Bjarni has long held on to a letter from former lover Helga, with whom he shared an illicit, impassioned love. Her letter invited him to leave his wife and his farm and pursue prosperity in the city, where World War II had brought an influx of American marines and opportunities for work. But he chose not to reply. Years later, as he reflects on a long and...

After a student choir’s practice session at a Helsinki villa turns deadly, Detective Maria Kallio finds herself in the middle of the action — and her first murder case. Someone in the group wanted playboy Tommi Peltonen dead, but that’s one song these suspects refuse to sing. Behind the choir’s jovial facade lies bitter passion, and the victim’s seemingly...

Doctor Felix Hoffmann’s life is textbook success: a seasoned physician at a Berlin hospital, respected by colleagues, and devoted to his amorous and intelligent girlfriend Celine. It’s a life filled with medical work, televised soccer games, and the chill of German beer.

Yet, when a former patient shows up dead by causes unknown, Hoffmann signs a death...