What do you think?
Rate this book
Select Editions: The Ghost / Sacrifice / The Man in the Picture / Power Play
readers digest select editions. 4 books in one.
- GenresFiction
573 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2008
3 people are currently reading
69 people want to read
About the author
Reader's Digest Association
4,606 books493 followersThe Reader's Digest Association, Inc. is a global media and direct marketing company based in Chappaqua, New York, best known for its flagship publication founded in 1922, Reader's Digest. The company's headquarters are in New York City, where it moved from Pleasantville, New York.
The company was founded by DeWitt and Lila Wallace in 1922 with the first publication of Reader's Digest magazine, but has grown to include a diverse range of magazines, books, music, DVDs and online content.
The company was founded by DeWitt and Lila Wallace in 1922 with the first publication of Reader's Digest magazine, but has grown to include a diverse range of magazines, books, music, DVDs and online content.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
June 5, 2024
It's strange reviewing a collection and having to average out the rating, so I thought I'd write a review to talk about each one separately. I'd never read a Select Edition before and enjoyed it more than I'd thought. I don't really like reading short stories, but these were longer in length (I don't know what they're called- short novels?), and I like thriller stories, so this collection was fun.
The Ghost (5/5): I really enjoyed reading this one. Maybe because it was the first story of its kind that I read, it had the advantage because it turned out to be a type I liked. The plot moved pretty quickly, and there were a bunch of characters, but it never felt too fast or confusing. The ending felt a bit abrupt, but I was very invested while reading it so I didn't mind a quick conclusion as long as everything was explained. I liked the concept of having a ghostwriter as the protagonist of a thriller novel, where he gets involved in the subject's life problems.
Sacrifice (5/5): This story was really fun to read too, and I liked how the legends of the place were connected to the plot. Although the concept itself sounded far-fetched and unlikely, it was combined well with the modern world and seemed almost plausible. The action scenes felt a bit too convenient for the main character at times, and the conclusion was just brought about so that good could triumph. Still, all the findings and evidence were explained well, and the ending was tied up satisfactorily.
The Man in the Picture (2/5): This short story turned out to be pretty boring, and I never felt the terror of thrill- or any interest. It just had a random sequence of events and backstories, which were connected to make a narrative, but the plot didn't make much sense. The actual mystery went unexplained, and it wasn't just that the decision was left to the reader, but more like the author didn't have an explanation herself. It seemed ridiculous to build up a whole plot around something only to reveal that there was nothing at the centre of it. I couldn't tell if it was supposed to be supernatural, or if we were supposed to believe there was a logical explanation, but either way, I felt there could have been more to the story to draw the reader in.
Power Play (4/5): This story wasn't bad, but I didn't enjoy it as much as the first two. I liked how all the characters were written, though I couldn't keep track of half the men at first. I actually agreed with most of the main character's decisions, which was surprising in a thriller book, but I felt that he was pretty well-written. Everything that happened seemed to make sense, and there wasn't anything added just to be undone later, or any impossible getaways or unexplained deaths.
The author seemed to know what he was talking about, which was something I got the sense of in the first two stories as well, which made the settings seem more realistic. The protagonists of these stories also seemed like sensible, practical people, which I appreciated. They weren't made to make unrealistic choices or jump into stupid things for the sake of the plot. I will definitely continue reading thriller novels.
The Ghost (5/5): I really enjoyed reading this one. Maybe because it was the first story of its kind that I read, it had the advantage because it turned out to be a type I liked. The plot moved pretty quickly, and there were a bunch of characters, but it never felt too fast or confusing. The ending felt a bit abrupt, but I was very invested while reading it so I didn't mind a quick conclusion as long as everything was explained. I liked the concept of having a ghostwriter as the protagonist of a thriller novel, where he gets involved in the subject's life problems.
Sacrifice (5/5): This story was really fun to read too, and I liked how the legends of the place were connected to the plot. Although the concept itself sounded far-fetched and unlikely, it was combined well with the modern world and seemed almost plausible. The action scenes felt a bit too convenient for the main character at times, and the conclusion was just brought about so that good could triumph. Still, all the findings and evidence were explained well, and the ending was tied up satisfactorily.
The Man in the Picture (2/5): This short story turned out to be pretty boring, and I never felt the terror of thrill- or any interest. It just had a random sequence of events and backstories, which were connected to make a narrative, but the plot didn't make much sense. The actual mystery went unexplained, and it wasn't just that the decision was left to the reader, but more like the author didn't have an explanation herself. It seemed ridiculous to build up a whole plot around something only to reveal that there was nothing at the centre of it. I couldn't tell if it was supposed to be supernatural, or if we were supposed to believe there was a logical explanation, but either way, I felt there could have been more to the story to draw the reader in.
Power Play (4/5): This story wasn't bad, but I didn't enjoy it as much as the first two. I liked how all the characters were written, though I couldn't keep track of half the men at first. I actually agreed with most of the main character's decisions, which was surprising in a thriller book, but I felt that he was pretty well-written. Everything that happened seemed to make sense, and there wasn't anything added just to be undone later, or any impossible getaways or unexplained deaths.
The author seemed to know what he was talking about, which was something I got the sense of in the first two stories as well, which made the settings seem more realistic. The protagonists of these stories also seemed like sensible, practical people, which I appreciated. They weren't made to make unrealistic choices or jump into stupid things for the sake of the plot. I will definitely continue reading thriller novels.
November 26, 2020
Loved this collection! Well written edge-of-the-seat thrillers.
October 27, 2015
The Ghost (3/5) This started off as being really promising but ended up feeling really rushed, maybe it was because it was a 'select editions', I never felt the same sort of danger that the Ghost(already forgotten his name!) was feeling. I did look forward to picking it up again, showing that it was a story worth reading. It also got slightly grim after I realised they were based on the Blairs and then there was a sex scene with Cherie....I mean Ruth! My imagination didn't need to deal with that. Urg!
Sacrifice (4/5) - Tora has just recently moved to the Shetland islands and things start to kick off, after she finds a woman buried in her garden. This woman has had her heart ripped out, she also gave birth just before she was killed. Then Tora starts to unravel a chilling secret the locals have and someone starts warning Tora off but she is determined to get to the truth.
I really enjoyed this one, kept me gripped the entire way though and I really liked the added mix of a troll legend. Good Stuff!
The Man In The Picture (2/5) - I really disappointed with this one. I'd been looking forward to it the most as it's written by Susan Hill, the author of The Woman In Black. Which, although I've not actually read, I've seen the stage play twice and I love the story.
This story just fell flat, it wasn't spooky in the slightest and it didn't make much sense. I can understand why it was bothering Lady Hawdon but I just didn't understand why it would come after Theo or Oliver.
Power Play (4/5) - This was my favourite of the 4 stories. And it didn't happen as I expected it would. I was expecting them to all be let loose on the island, then hunted down like animals, it didn't happen like that but that's okay as it was still a good read. The main character was really likeable and I flew through the book.
Overall this was a strong collection of stories, brought down slightly by 'The Man In The Picture' .
Sacrifice (4/5) - Tora has just recently moved to the Shetland islands and things start to kick off, after she finds a woman buried in her garden. This woman has had her heart ripped out, she also gave birth just before she was killed. Then Tora starts to unravel a chilling secret the locals have and someone starts warning Tora off but she is determined to get to the truth.
I really enjoyed this one, kept me gripped the entire way though and I really liked the added mix of a troll legend. Good Stuff!
The Man In The Picture (2/5) - I really disappointed with this one. I'd been looking forward to it the most as it's written by Susan Hill, the author of The Woman In Black. Which, although I've not actually read, I've seen the stage play twice and I love the story.
This story just fell flat, it wasn't spooky in the slightest and it didn't make much sense. I can understand why it was bothering Lady Hawdon but I just didn't understand why it would come after Theo or Oliver.
Power Play (4/5) - This was my favourite of the 4 stories. And it didn't happen as I expected it would. I was expecting them to all be let loose on the island, then hunted down like animals, it didn't happen like that but that's okay as it was still a good read. The main character was really likeable and I flew through the book.
Overall this was a strong collection of stories, brought down slightly by 'The Man In The Picture' .
January 20, 2015
4 stories with 4 different plot. I enjoyed this book so much that I can't pick my favourite story. Each has it's own merit
June 24, 2015
Good, kind of old school but all of them are kind of good in their own way..
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews