Jean Valjean is the protagonist of Victor Hugo's 1862 novel Les Misérables. The story depicts the character's struggle to lead a normal life and redeem himself after serving a 19-year-long prison sentence for stealing bread to feed his sister's starving children and attempting to escape from prison. Valjean is also known in the novel as Monsieur Madeleine, Ultime Fauchelevent, Monsieur Leblanc, and Urbain Fabre.
The House of the Scorpion is a 2002 science fiction young adult novel by Nancy Farmer. It is set in the future and mostly takes place in Opium, a country which separates Aztlán and the United States. The main character, Matteo Alacrán, or Matt, is a young clone of a drug lord of the same name, usually called "El Patrón". It is a story about the struggle to survive as a free individual and the search for a personal identity.
"Born Again" is a 1986 comic book story arc that appeared in the Marvel Comics series Daredevil. Written by Frank Miller, and drawn by David Mazzucchelli, the storyline first appeared in Daredevil #227–231. It was later reprinted in graphic novel format along with the previous issue #226, and a follow-up story arc from Daredevil #232–233, which resolves some loose ends from the original story arc. Because of this, this follow-up story arc has become generally considered part of "Born Again".
Bag of Bones is a 1998 horror novel by American writer Stephen King. It focuses on an author who suffers severe writer's block and delusions at an isolated lake house four years after the death of his wife. It won the 1999 Bram Stoker Award for Best Novel, the 1999 British Fantasy Award for Best Novel, and the 1999 Locus Award for Best Dark Fantasy/Horror Novel. The book re-uses many basic plot elements of Daphne du Maurier's Rebecca, which is directly referenced several times in the book's opening pages; however, the relation of these elements to the plot and characters is markedly different. When the paperback edition of Bag of Bones was published by Pocket Books on June 1, 1999 (ISBN 978-0671024239), it included a new author's note at the end of the book, in which Stephen King describes his initial three-book deal with Scribner, and devotes most of the piece describing the origins of the then-forthcoming Hearts in Atlantis.
Twelve is a 2002 novel by Nick McDonell about drug addiction, violence and sex among mainly wealthy Manhattan teenagers. The title refers to a new designer drug. The drug is referred to as a cross between cocaine and ecstasy. While Twelve follows the lives of a number of wealthy young adults, it centres on that of 17-year-old drug-dealer White Mike.
Little Boy Blue is a 1981 semi-autobiographical novel by Edward Bunker that follows his journey into crime.
Murderers' Row is a 1966 American comedy spy-fi film starring Dean Martin as Matt Helm. It is the second of four films in the Matt Helm series, and is very loosely based upon the 1962 spy novel Murderers' Row by Donald Hamilton.
Dead Man's Shoes is a 2004 British psychological thriller film directed by Shane Meadows and starring Paddy Considine, both of whom co-wrote the film with Paul Fraser. The film also stars Toby Kebbell, Gary Stretch and Stuart Wolfenden. It was released in the United Kingdom on 1 October 2004 and in the United States on 12 May 2006. Filming took place in the summer of 2003 over the course of three weeks.
"Guardian Devil" is an eight-issue Daredevil story arc originally published by Marvel Comics in Daredevil #1-8. It features the hero suddenly caring for an infant that may be either the Messiah or the Antichrist. The issues were written by filmmaker Kevin Smith and illustrated by Joe Quesada and Jimmy Palmiotti. The 1999 graphic novel combining the eight issues into one collection features an introduction by Ben Affleck, who portrayed Daredevil in the 2003 feature film adaptation. The story features strong Catholic themes, which came from writer Smith's own experiences.
Death of a Citizen is a 1960 spy novel by Donald Hamilton, and was the first in a long-running series of books featuring the adventures of assassin Matt Helm. The title refers to the metaphorical death of peaceful citizen and family man Matt Helm and the rebirth of the deadly and relentless assassin of World War II.
The Intriguers, first published in 1972, was the fourteenth novel in the Matt Helm spy series by Donald Hamilton.
Nightrise is the third book in The Power of Five series, written by Anthony Horowitz. It was published and released in the UK on 2 April 2007 by Walker Books Ltd. It is preceded by Evil Star, released in 2006, and followed by Necropolis, which was released on 30 October 2008. The title is a reference to both the fictional organisation represented in the book, and the Old Ones' eclipsing presence on Earth.
Death Wish 4: The Crackdown is a 1987 American vigilante action-thriller film, and the fourth installment in the Death Wish film series. The film was directed by J. Lee Thompson, and features Charles Bronson, who reprises his leading role as Paul Kersey. In the film, Kersey is once again forced to become a vigilante after his girlfriend's daughter dies of a drug overdose. He is recruited by a tabloid owner, Nathan White to take down various crime figures of the Los Angeles drug trade.
Soul Circus is a 2003 crime novel by George Pelecanos. It is set in Washington DC and focuses on private investigators Derek Strange and Terry Quinn. The title refers to dialogue from within the novel where two young drug dealers discuss their lives. It is the third novel to involve Strange and Quinn, following Right as Rain (2001) and Hell to Pay (2002).
Death Wish franchise is an American vigilante action-thriller film series based on the 1972 novel by Brian Garfield. The films follow the character Paul Kersey, portrayed by Charles Bronson in the original series, and Bruce Willis in the 2018 remake. While the first film received mixed reviews, the subsequent sequels, as well as the remake, were panned by critics. The series made $87 million against a combined production budget of $61 million.
Marvel Noir is a 2009–2010 Marvel Comics alternative continuity combining elements of film noir and pulp fiction with the Marvel Universe. The central premise of the mini-series replaces superpowers with driven, noir-flavored characterization. The reality of Marvel Noir is Earth-90214.
Oblivion is a fantasy novel by British writer Anthony Horowitz. It is the fifth and final book in The Power of Five series. The book is set in England, New York City, Giza, Dubai, Brazil, Italy and Antarctica. Horowitz began writing Oblivion in 2009 and finished it in 2012, when it was then released in the United Kingdom on 4 October 2012. Horowitz has stated that he had researched global warming for this novel.
The Transgressors is a crime novel by Jim Thompson, published in 1961. It is one of a very few Thompson novels to feature a traditional love story as a major part of the plot where the lovers have a happy ending together rather than one murdering or betraying the other as is the norm in most of Thompson's novels. As with most of Thompson's novels it takes place in the Southwest (Texas) where Thompson grew up and it leverages Thompson's diverse life experiences in creating the characters and situations in a community dominated by the oil industry.
Macbeth is a thriller novel by Norwegian writer Jo Nesbø, a re-telling of the play Macbeth by William Shakespeare for a more modern audience. This is part of the Hogarth Shakespeare project. Macbeth was released in April 2018. The book tells the story of Macbeth in a dystopian, imaginary Fife during the 1970s.
