In 1327, finding his sensitive mission at an Italian abbey further complicated by seven bizarre deaths, Brother William of Baskerville turns detective.

Unravels Umberto Eco's classic mystery novel

This is a book which stems from the author's account of the genesis of his celebrated novel, The Name of the Rose, but which, like the novel itself, goes far beyond the particular. Eco's investigation of the mechanics of fiction expands into a debate that encompasses, in a small space, the workings of the imagination, the responsibilities of the novelist, and the blend of invention, research, and distilled commonsense that goes to make up the modern novel. Along the way, he touches on bad books, ideal readers, historical form, and the metaphysics of the detective story.

“IT IS STAN,” screamed the unhinged monk. “STAN HAS COME AMONGST US!” “Stan?” cried the abbot and I in bewilderment. “Who is Stan?” I realized my mistake, and retyped the line. “IT IS SATAN,” screamed the unhinged monk. “SATAN HAS COME AMONST US!” Mega-selling author, Marco Ocram, is on the edge of a nervous breakdown, and needs complete rest. Police Chief Como Galahad—Marco’s main character—needs a volunteer to go under-cover at the Abbey, a remote celebrity retreat run as a medieval monastery, where something fishy is afoot. There’s only one solution—Marco books into the Abbey for a detox, just a few days before a hundred A-listers fly in for a grand gala dinner. Could anything go wrong? Could Marco write a labyrinth of astounding twists to leave all the world’s top celebrities moments from an awful death? Will you be amazed by the ending? You bet! Fast, funny, and utterly different. Welcome to the weird world of The Awful Truth.

A treasury of eclectic information about different varieties of roses looks at the stories behind their colorful names, probing elements of folklore, poetry, art, literature, science, myth, and other sources to reveal the history of naming and cultivating roses, from ancient times to the present day.