Roger Maxwell was a successful banker. He was the new owner of a beautiful old house in the country. He was the loving husband of a captivating and sensual woman. He was the proud father of four "great kids."Then, on one long holiday weekend at his isolated home, Roger Maxwell began to learn the truth about his children, his wife, and himself—as his whole world of illusion came apart in bloody pieces...

Originally published in 1974, this landmark novel is available in ebook format for the first time. Shirley Hartman, at twenty-eight, was the star of Madison Avenue, a woman who’d made it to the top in the male-dominated advertising game. Beauty, brains, fame, love…yet there she was, standing on a lonely rooftop, contemplating suicide. Had Shirley pushed too hard and reached too far—or can this extraordinary woman break out to some living room beyond career success and the usual arrangements with a man? “Shirley Hartman is as much a feminist as Portia, Becky Sharp or Scarlett O’Hara. In her, Stein has created a heroine yearning for that living space that men and women need after social and financial triumph. The kind of novel one keeps on ready.” —New Republic “A roller coaster reader ride. Shirley Hartman is a ball of fire you are not likely to forget.” —John Barkham Reviews

As one of the characters in this enthralling novel remarks, “The Russians play chess, Americans play checkers.” Into this arena, as if into a trap, walks George Thomassy, a brilliant defense attorney coerced into defending a gifted young man accused of murdering America’s most prescient Russian expert just as he is about to finish his major work on the U.S.S.R. Thomassy’s lover, Francine Widmer, an attractive, bright, politically aware woman, understands what Thomassy doesn’t: in this, His greatest trial, watched by the world’s press, his more formidable enemy is his own innocence of the world outside the courtroom, where there are crimes worse than murder. Thomassy, whose skill is winning, faces a decision no lawyer can walk away from. The Touch of Treason is a multilayered love story, a profound entertainment of acute suspense that we might expect from an American Graham Greene. Its strobelike insights into man, love, crime, and human relationships open up a century that has trapped both its characters and its readers in what surely must be both the best and worst of times. And its excitement, its pace, its surprises are the glorious trappings of a novel rich in characters and ideas.

Peter Carmody is a man most people would envy. He has a successful career, an attractive wife, two children he loves and who love him. Yet Peter Carmody has been playing at a marriage that has run down over the years through emotional attrition and boredom. Sometimes, when the martinis come fast enough and the determined, frenetic gaiety of friends momentarily fills up the emptiness, the charade is almost convincing. But in the small, honest hours of the night, Peter recognizes his arrangement for what it is—the very opposite of living. In an explosive self confrontation, Peter gambles all he has against what he hopes to have in a life with Elizabeth, the woman he loves. Resented by his friends who lack the courage—perhaps the desperation—to break out of their own loveless arrangements, and humiliated by the American way of divorce that strips him of his children, property, and self respect, Peter touches despair before realizing that making an honest, joyful connection with...

"It's good to be ambitious. Only remember, the nearer you get to the front of the line, the more people with knives can see your back."That's Louie Riller giving advice to his son, Ben, who happens to be the most successful producer on Broadway. Louie Riller himself happens to be long dead."Joan of Arc heard voices," Ben Riller's secretary tells him. "Why shouldn't you?" But Ben isn't just hearing voices; he's having a running argument with the late Louie about life, love, and Ben's newest production, The Best Revenge, a play that has already gobbled up too much of other people's money and is in danger of closing before it opens.When, on Louie's advice, Ben visits his father's master shylock, Aldo Manucci, we are suddenly involved with two generations of wonderful underworld characters. One of them pulls the trapdoor under Ben's feet, forcing him to choose between his moral and financial ruin.In turn hilarious, poignant, and profound, The Best Revenge takes us on a vastly...

Cliffhaven--Magnificent new resort near Big Sur. Surrounded by redwoods. Guarded by oceanside cliffs. Protected from prying eyes. By reservation only. Cliffhaven--Founded by a man with very special interests, catering to a very special clientele. Margaret and Henry Brown, vacationing New Yorkers innocently driving down the sea-washed coast of California, are just the right sort of people. Cliffhaven--It has a spectacular entrance, a three-star restaurant, lavish accommodations--and no exit!

What does a man really know about love? Francis Widmer is a well-bred, beautiful, provocative young woman with a good mind. When she is raped by Harry Koslak, she decides to press charges. Her attorney father sends her to George Thomassy, as successful criminal lawyer. Thomassy, against his better judgment, involves himself in the case and finds himself attracted to Francine more than he cares to admit. Stein lays bare the unsavory, manipulative aspects of criminal law as he explores today's sexuality — its cruelties, hypocrisies, joys and mysteries.

Over 2 million copies sold in print, and now available in digital format for the first time! At their big prom, Ed Japhet scares the wits out of the attendees with his fantastic and dangerous feats of magic. Then when the young man and his girlfriend leave, they see four figures sitting inside his father's car, one with a chain around his fist. That's only the beginning of this story of a screwed-up justice system and a high-school student who decides to use his magic tricks to stop a tough gang of extortionists from bothering him and his girl. The New York Times says, "I cannot recall a gripping novel of this type with greater pleasure." The Library Journal declares, "A shark-like bite that won't be easily forgotten. Fast moving, incisive, angry, fine, and dramatic!" First published in 1971, this literary thriller shows off the masterful storytelling skills of its legendary author, Sol Stein.