In this Victorian-set crime thriller, Professor Moriarty sets out to kill Europe's underworld leaders—and his arch-enemy, Sherlock Holmes: "Superb" (St. Louis Post-Dispatch).

Now back in print after forty years: the second novel in John Gardner's bestselling series of Victorian crime thrillers.

With riches accumulated from an American crime spree, Professor Moriarty proceeds to annihilate his

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John Gardner's classic exploration of the creative processes and career paths of modern fiction writers. In this essential guide, John Gardner advises the aspiring fiction author on such topics as the value of creative writing workshops, the developmental stages of literary growth, and the inevitable experience of writer's block. Drawn from his two decades of experience in creative writing, Gardner balances his compassion for his students with his...

Now back in print after forty years: The first novel in John Gardner's bestselling series of Victorian crime thrillers pitting Sherlock Holmes against the Napoleon of crime, Professor James Moriarty. Once again, the game is afoot... What really happened in Switzerland between Moriarty and Sherlock Holmes in 1891? And, why is Holmes, now in London at 221B Baker Street, curiously uncooperative with Scotland Yard's inquiries? Furthermore, why has Moriarty...

John Gardner's New York Times bestselling, National Book Critics Circle Award-winning metafictional novel centering on the tumultuous relationship of two elderly siblings. James is a cantankerous and conservative seventy-two-year-old who has spent his life caring for the animals on his farm. His widowed older sister, Sally, has strong liberal ideals and a propensity for debate. When Sally's bankruptcy forces her to move in with her brother, their...

Gardner's relentlessly honest and moving portrayal of a broken marriage, and his ambitious unfinished masterpiece - a metafictional mystery centering around one man's struggle to recover his lost identity - together in one accomplished volume. Stillness: Martin and Joan Orrick - distant cousins who have known each other since early childhood - are in the final throes of a failing marriage. Martin is a compulsive drinker who obsesses about his writing,...

John Gardner's acclaimed search for the lost morality in art and literature   Novelist John Gardner's thesis in On Moral Fiction is simple: "True art is by its nature moral." It is also an audacious statement, as Gardner asserts an inherent value in life and in art. Since the book's first publication, the passion behind Gardner's assertion has both provoked and inspired readers. In examining the work of his peers, Gardner analyzes what has gone...

One man's search for personal grace in a town plagued by misfortune. Henry Soames runs a diner in an eccentric rural community in the Catskills. He is anxious and overweight, and at age forty-two, suffers from poor health. When Callie Wells, Soames's seventeen-year-old employee, is impregnated by a local boy on his way to college, it becomes apparent that both are in need of a little help. After an unsuccessful attempt to find Callie a husband, Henry...