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Now a TV series Starring Diane Kruger on Paramount+ “Taut, clever, compelling, and guaranteed to keep you on the edge of your seat.” —Paula Hawkins, #1 New York Times bestselling author From the bestselling author of Anatomy of a Scandal—now a hit Netflix series—a new thought-provoking...

There is something about the number 3. The Ancient Greeks believed 3 was the perfect number, and in China 3 has always been a lucky number, and they know a thing or two.

A train seems a very reliable mode to bring out the best in authors and sometimes the worst in their fictional characters. In this volume our narratives are usually set inside the carriage compartment where they are really up close and personal with each other. All our authors need to do is to light the touchpaper and stand well back.

In the English language ‘bittersweet’ is that most pivotal of words. The mixture of sadness and happiness that suggest both but often bringing us smartly to earth, smack dab in-between them both, with little of either.

Abraham Stoker was born in Dublin, Ireland on the 8th of November 1847, the third of seven children. He began to also write short stories and in 1872 ‘The Crystal Cup’ was published. An interest in art developed and he co-founded the Dublin Sketching Club. Despite this busy life Stoker continued to write and these works paved the way for his most famous creation, published in 1897, ‘Dracula’. It is rightly recognised as one of the greatest horror novels of all time and although not the first with a theme of Vampires, it is undoubtedly the most well-known.

Abraham Stoker was born in Dublin, Ireland on the 8th of November 1847, the third of seven children. Strikingly at Trinity College, Dublin his health had returned with such vigour that he was named their University Athlete whilst also achieving a BA in Mathematics with honours. At this time his interest in theatre became a job offer to be the Dublin Evening Mail’s theatre critic, co-owned by Sheridan Le Fanu. He now began to also write short stories and in 1872 ‘The Crystal Cup’ was published. An interest in art developed and he co-founded the Dublin Sketching Club.

Mary Rackham was born in Norwich on 14th August 1848 to a merchant family. Little is known of her early life and her biography only re-appears in September 1871 with marriage to Fairman Joseph Mann, a farmer with 800 acres. She took up writing, partly to offset the dreary village life of her surroundings, in the 1880s and published her first novel, ‘The Parish of Hilby’ (1883) at her own expense. It was well received by the critics. Thus began a career that spanning three decades provided thirty-three novels, hundreds of short stories, and fourteen plays.

Mary Rackham was born in Norwich on 14th August 1848 to a merchant family. Little is known of her early life and her biography only re-appears in September 1871 with marriage to Fairman Joseph Mann, a farmer with 800 acres. She took up writing, partly to offset the dreary village life of her surroundings, in the 1880s and published her first novel, ‘The Parish of Hilby’ (1883) at her own expense. It was well received by the critics. Thus began a career that spanning three decades provided thirty-three novels, hundreds of short stories, and fourteen plays.

Charles Grant Blairfindie Allen was born on February 24th, 1848 at Alwington, near Kingston, Canada West (now part of Ontario). He was the second son of the Rev. Joseph Antisell Allen, a Protestant minister from Dublin, Ireland and Catharine Ann Grant, the daughter of the fifth Baron of Longueuil. Grant Allen is rarely heard of today, although an occasional short story can be heard on the radio or reprinted among magazine enthusiasts but in his time he did much to entertain the masses and push several genres along a richer journey they are still proceeding on today.

The great author of Vanity Fair and The Luck Of Barry Lyndon was born in India in 1811. At age 5 his father died and his mother sent him back to England. His education was of the best but he himself seemed unable to apply his talents to a rigorous work ethic. However, once he harnessed his talents the works flowed in novels, articles, short stories, sketches and lectures.

Ernest Richard Suffling is one of those authors about whom little is known. In his career he wrote across travel, local history, and folklore. His short stories bring out another side of his literary style that, though now neglected, add measurably to the genre.

There is something about the number 3. The Ancient Greeks believed 3 was the perfect number, and in China 3 has always been a lucky number, and they know a thing or two. Whatever history and culture says WE think 3, a hat-trick of stories, is a great number to explore themes and literary avenues that classic authors were so adept at creating.

George Allen Upward was born in 1863. He was a poet, lawyer, politician and teacher. His poetry was included in the first anthology of Imagist poetry, ‘Des Imagistes’, edited by Ezra Pound in 1914. His short stories were also very popular in their day.

William Mudford was born in 1782. He was a writer, essayist, translator and journalist. This short story was first published in 1830 and, it is claimed, influenced Edgar Allan Poe. Such was its impact that it was reprinted many times over the succeeding decades.

Edward Harold Begbie was born 1871. He was primarily a journalist, poet and the author of several dozen books. His works also included studies of the Christian religion. He wrote numerous other books, including on political satire, comedy, fiction, science fiction, plays and poetry. His short stories are highly regarded.

Major Hesketh Vernon Prichard, DSO MC FRGS FZS was born on the 17th November 1876 in Jhansi, North-Western Provinces, India, then part of the British Empire. His achievements in life, beyond his literary career, are both voluminous and startling. He was an explorer, adventurer, marksman, game hunter and first-class cricketer. In his literary career he wrote short stories, novels, travel pieces and was also a newspaper correspondent.

Arabella Kenealy was born in 1859. A writer of short stories that had much merit she was also a physician and active in the fight against early feminism. She died in 1938.

James Edward Preston Muddock was born in 1843. He was a prolific journalist and of mystery and horror short stories. He used two pseudonyms ‘Joyce Emmerson Preston Muddock’ and ‘Dick Donovan’. Between 1889 and 1922 he published nearly 300 detective and mystery stories.

José Maria de Eça de Queiroz or Queirós was born in 1845 and has gained his literary reputation as the greatest Portuguese writer in the realist style. He died in 1900.

There is something about the number 3. The Ancient Greeks believed 3 was the perfect number, and in China 3 has always been a lucky number, and they know a thing or two. Whatever history and culture says WE think 3, a hat-trick of stories, is a great number to explore themes and literary avenues that classic authors were so adept at creating.