Bobbie Bradford hadn't been the prettiest girl in town, but Jeff Taylor had no right to hurt her. Five years had passed. Could she...would she...forgive him? Set in Santa Rosa, California in the 1870s. Views: 216
The shocking tale of a felon, the woman who loved him, and an unspeakable crime--from the award-winning author of Missy's Murder. This electrifying chronicle recreates the chilling events that led up to the murder of Carol Montecalvo and takes readers inside the courtroom for the shocking trial of her husband Dan who, four years later, still professes his innocence. Photographs. Views: 214
Scar Lover is a miraculous, true-to-the-bone story of love and redemption, at once a classic southern novel and purely, unmistakably, Harry Crews.Running from a past that has scarred and blamed him, and a tragic accident that has destroyed his family, Pete Butcher avoids all personal contact. Then Sarah Leemer, the oddly beautiful girl next door, walks into his life. Slowly, sweetly, and with a determination almost Faulknerian in its ferocity, Sarah pulls Pete back into life and into the ever increasing complications of love, family, death, and deliverance. For Sarah has made Pete her own, and as she takes her claim, we see the miraculous power of love without boundaries or fear."Reading a Crews novel is like watching a savage brawl on top of a derailed train careening toward a cliff!" -Miami Herald“With an effortless ear for dialect, mood and atmosphere, Harry Crews has drawn a deft portrait of tenderness with his typically savage strokes.” —Seattle Times“Pure gold, pure Harry Crews, with plenty of the grim humor and enraged charity that have become his trademark.”—The New York Times Book Review“Imagine William Faulkner in a fright wig or Carson McCullers and Flannery O’Connor strapped side by side on a roller coaster, and you have Harry Crews writing Southern gothic....Scar Lover works a wacky kind of magic.”—TimeFrom Publishers WeeklyAlthough this demented and darkly humorous tale is billed as Crews's ( Body ) "most mainstream" novel, rest assured he hasn't gotten there quite yet. Acerbic college-dropout Pete Butcher loathes himself for accidentally causing his little brother brain damage with a claw hammer, and he is haunted by the sight of the dual dents on the child's forehead. On his way to a Jacksonville, Fla., warehouse--where he works with a Rastafarian whose wife repeatedly brands him to commemorate each year they are together--Pete encounters Sarah Leemer, a handsome, mesmerizing young woman with a golfball-like lump in her breast. Against his better judgment, he and Sarah become lovers and he is welcomed into her family, which includes a mentally unhinged mother who has just had a radical mastectomy and a father who complains of a bad heart "the size of a watermelon." The suffering foursome have just achieved an uneasy peace when tragedy strikes them anew, launching its survivors into a gruesome, comical, grimly poetic night of graphic death and Rasta remedies. Pete's sudden responsibility to the Leemers serves to expiate his guilt over his brother; Crews admirably sustains his theme of disfigurement and healing, and if the finale is slightly ambiguous it still bears its author's trademark perverse twist.From Library JournalWhen Pete Butcher ends up in Jacksonville, Florida, he carries with him emotional scars from a devastated family life that cause him to recoil from the strangers he meets daily. Pete just wants to be left alone, but he has landed himself in the middle of a carnival of characters, especially Sarah Leamer, who has staked a claim to Pete. Pete is thus reluctantly drawn into her family's own tragic affairs. Through Sarah, Pete confronts life, death, and, ultimately, his own greatest scar. In the meantime, Pete befriends Burnt George, a co-worker and Rastafarian who carries his own horseshoe-shaped scars seared into his back. Crews darkly comic tale gives a disturbingly accurate portrayal of characters from the rural South, each fiercely shaped by sweat, grit, and cruel hardship. Although the plot becomes very strained at points, Scar Lover will not disappoint Crews's fans. Views: 213
George MacDonald Fraser--beloved for his series of Flashman historical novels--offers an action-packed memoir of his experiences in Burma during World War II. Fraser was only 19 when he arrived there in the war's final year, and he offers a first-hand glimpse at the camaraderie, danger, and satisfactions of service. A substantial Epilogue, occasioned by the 50th anniversary of VJ-Day in 1995, adds poignancy to a volume that eminent military historian John Keegan described as "one of the great personal memoirs of the Second World War." Views: 209
na hermosa joven se ha enamorado de su profesor de literatura, que es un hombre casado. Cuando éste muere asesinado, las huellas de la joven aparecen por todas partes. Su hermana, abogada de prestigio, decide defenderla. La chica ha desarrollado múltiples personalidades. Si al asumir una de ellas perpetró el crimen, ¿cuán respondable es de sus actos? Esta nueva novela de Mary Higgins Clark, autora de No llores más y Le gusta la música, le gusta bailar, es una historia de suspenso psicológico con un clímax tan escalofriante como inesperado. Un gran bestseller. Views: 199
Constantine XI Palaiologos was the last Christian Emperor of Constantinople and Byzantium. In 1453, when Constantinople fell to the Ottoman Turks, he was last seen fighting at the city walls, but the actual circumstances of his death have remained surrounded in myth. In the years that followed it was said that he was not dead but sleeping - the 'immortal emperor' turned to marble, who would one day be awakened by an angel and drive the Turks out of his city and empire. Donald Nicol's book tells the gripping story of Constantine's life and death, and ends with an intriguing account of claims by reputed descendants of his family - some remarkably recent - to be heirs to the Byzantine throne.
**Review
'This account of the life of Constantine XI Palaiologos, last Byzantine emperor, is the entertaining and well written product of deep research into the diverse sources which cover the last years of the Byzantine Empire ... The main text has the thrust of an epic work of fiction, but the powerful narrative is never allowed to eclipse the constant tight referencing, which gives the book its authority.' The Times Higher Education Supplement
'The value of this work lies in its masterly synthesis of previous scholarship to produce a coherent and very readable account of the life of Constantine XI, the last Byzantine emperor ... a lucid and interesting account of an intriguing subject.' History
'... a sympathetic portrait of a ruler who stood out nobly, albeit vainly, against the flow of events'. The Spectator
'Professor Nicol is also able to indulge his 'own enthusiasm for the lunatic fringe of Byzantine genealogy' ... The last chapters provide a highly entertaining addition to the theme Byzance après Byzance. It is good to know that until quite recently there was still a Byzantine court and government in the Isle of Wight.' The Times Literary Supplement
'... lucid and compelling ...' The Times
Book Description
Donald Nicol tells the gripping story of the life and death of Constantine XI Palaiologos, the last Christian Emperor of Constantinople and Byzantium. The book ends with an intriguing account of claims by reputed descendants of his family - some remarkably recent - to be heirs to the Byzantine throne. Views: 197
"The bitterest of woes is to remember old happy days." At least that's what old man Pietro Lombardi thinks. He's got la miseria and can't even play a peaceful round of Sunday bocce with his friends at Aquatic Park. That is, until he sees the "Nameless Detective" at an opposite bench—another romantic taking in what's left of the Italian-American essence of the neighborhood. A shared burden being a lesser load, Pietro enlists his paesan's help with a troubling family matter. It seems his granddaughter, Gianna, is being harassed and needs some looking after. For old time's sake, Nameless agrees to check things out. Nameless quickly finds that Gianna is in hotter water than Pietro can imagine. The smarmy landlord who was hassling her is now black-and-blue and apologetic, her roommate is a little more than friendly in a very cheap sort of way, and Gianna is nowhere to be found. Even though his instincts tell him to leave well enough alone, Nameless searches for Pietro's "beauty of beauties" in the muck of a lascivious underworld full of loudmouthed liars, sleazy pornographers, and cold-blooded killers. After uncovering the horrific truth about Gianna, Nameless is far out of his depth. His investigative tracks have been spotted and leave him vulnerable to the wrath of Gianna's tormentors. Not only is Nameless a witness to the seedy behavior of the group, he has been reeled into a trap. In the end it's all Nameless can do to ensure that his epitaph will not be among those that are popping up around him. Views: 195
In 1988, after a breathtaking raid into Soviet territory, Flt Lt David Luger sacrificed himself to save his friends. They escaped to safety, and Luger was left for dead in deepest Siberia. Four years later it is discovered that Luger survived, so a rescue mission is launched.From Publishers WeeklySet in the immediate future, this blockbuster demonstrates the exciting possibilities open to the techno-thriller in a post-Soviet world. Lithuania, seeking to remove the last traces of Soviet rule, plans to get rid of a secret research facility where scientists have developed a Stealth-type bomber--with the involuntary aid of none other than David Luger, presumed killed in Flight of the Old Dog . Luger has instead been captured, brainwashed and given a new identity, but somehow he has retained his professional expertise. Informed of his survival, the U.S. government mounts a rescue. But Gen. Brad Elliott, who led the Old Dog mission, makes plans of his own involving the EB-42 Megafortress, with its bristling array of missiles and electronics. Then the two operations become entangled in a Lithuanian uprising and an invasion from neighboring Belarus. While the rescue subplot is neither credible nor necessary, and while the Old Dog's frequently recycled crew is becoming somewhat shopworn, the Lithuanian story line sets the stage for dramatic high-tech adventure. Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc. From Kirkus ReviewsBrown brings back the souped-up helicopters that were the technostars of Hammerhead (1990) for a supporting role in a near- future war between Lithuania and Belarus. That's Byelorussia to those still updating their old globes. Lithuania is the much more likable victim in a war that parallels Saddam Hussein's attack on tiny Kuwait. The villains here are a General Anton Voschanka, a Byelorussian who also heads all CIS (ex-USSR) forces in the neighborhood, and Viktor Gabovich, an especially nasty ex-KGB type who controls a supersecret aeronautical research center near the Lithuanian capital. Both these creeps hate the new commonwealth, loathe the Lithuanians, and pine for the old world order. One of their chief irritants is General Dominikas Palcikas. Palcikas was a Soviet hero until he cast his lot with the renegade Baltic republic. Now he is head of the tiny Lithuanian defense forces. Tough, charismatic, and just a touch fascist (but not in the least Nazi), Palcikas has heard the sabers rattling across the border, and he's whipping his forces into shape for war. But the Byelorussians are armed with nuclear weapons and outnumber the Balts a zillion to one. America's post- Bush president wants to help when the invasion starts, but he doesn't want to get dragged into war. He is forced to reach for the mad genius of the Air Force, General Brad Elliott, who has a plan that will save Lithuania and, at the same time, rescue one of the heroes of a previous Brown novel (Flight of the Old Dog, 1986) who's been brainwashed by the KGB into believing he's a Soviet plane designer and has been chemically induced to design the first Russian Stealth bomber. Elliott and his troops make good use of those handy new helicopter-cum-fixed-wing planes that float like butterflies and sting like bees. Longer than Desert Storm--but with much more satisfactory results. -- Copyright ©1992, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved. Views: 194
In Man on Fire, A. J. Quinnell introduced Creasy, veteran and mercenary. In The Perfect Kill, Creasy returns.Three days before Christmas in 1988, a bomb blew Pan Am 103 out of the sky over the small Scottish town of Lockerbie, killing all passengers and crew.The wife and four-year-old daughter of Creasy were amongst the passengers. Seeking his personal vengeance, Creasy finds the backup of power — a US Senator, whose wife also died on Pan Am 103; and of youth — an eighteen-year-old orphan called Michael. Ruthlessly and relentlessly, Creasy trains Michael into becoming a man in his own image. Trains him ... for the perfect kill.'Intricate planning ... imaginative, well written'MARTHA GELLHORN, WEEKEND TELEGRAPH‘I am completely won over by Quinnell’s imaginative thriller because the writing is so real and true’.PETER MULLEN, DAILY MAILAbout the AuthorA. J. Quinnell is the pseudonym of a writer who wishes to remain anonymous. He has written many bestselling novels, including several featuring the charismatic hero, Creasy. Views: 194
From scaring Mum at Halloween to building the biggest snowball the world's ever seen - Maxine always has a super plan and needs the help of her twin brothers, Anthony and Edward. Together the super siblings make all sorts of mischief . . . Can they fix it before Mum finds out?
These seven funny short stories are perfect for building confidence in new readers, whether reading alone or reading aloud. Views: 192
Cosmos, the widely acclaimed book and television series by Carl Sagan and Ann Druyan, was about where we are in the vastness of space and time. Shadows of Forgotten Ancestors is an exploration of who we are. How were we shaped by life's adventure on this planet, by a mysterious past that we are only just beginning to piece together? "We humans are like a newborn baby left on a doorstep, " they write, "with no note explaining who it is, where it came from, what hereditary cargo of attributes and disabilities it might be carrying, or who its antecedents might be." This book is one version of the orphan's file. Sagan and Druyan take us back to the birth of the Sun and its planets and the first stirrings of life; to the origins of traits central to our current predicament: sex and violence, love and altruism, hierarchy, consciousness, language, technology, and morality. Many thoughtful people fear that our problems have become too big for us, that we are for reasons at the heart of human nature unable to deal with them, that we have lost our way. How did we get into this mess? How can we get out? Why are we so quick to mistrust those different from ourselves, so given to unquestioning obedience to authority? What is male and female? Why are we so anxious to distance ourselves from the other animals? What obligations, if any, do we owe to them? Is there something within us that condemns us to selfishness and violence? When Sagan and Druyan first undertook this exploration it was "almost with a sense of dread. We found instead reason for hope." This book presents important ideas with the clarity for which the authors are famous. Daring, passionate, with a breathtaking sweep. Shadows is a quest for a new perspective - one that integrates the insights of science into a vision of where we came from, who we are, and what our fate might be. Views: 189
Louis Holland arrives in Boston to find that a minor earthquake in Ipswich has killed his eccentric grandmother, triggering a struggle between him, his sister Eileen, and his mother Melanie over the disposition of a $22 million inheritance. During a visit to the beach, Louis meets Dr. Reneé Seitchek, a Harvard seismologist who believes she has discovered the cause of subsequent earthquakes in Peabody. Louis, Reneé, and the Hollands' affairs become entangled with the petrochemical and weapons company Sweeting-Aldren, as well as a pro-life activist commune called the Church of Action in Christ, headed by Reverend Philip Stites... Views: 188
Terror spreads throughout the world as the days grow shorter and the nights longer. As scientists rush to discover why the sun is rising later and later each day, an ancient evil waits to be reborn. Soon the vampire called Rasalom and the spiritual warrior Glaeken will fight the final battle. Views: 185
Taylor Lockwood spends her days working as a paralegal in one of New York’s preeminent Wall Street law firms and her nights playing jazz piano anyplace she can. But the rhythm of her life is disrupted when attorney Mitchell Reece requests her help in locating a stolen document that could cost him not only the multimillion-dollar case he’s defending but his career as well.
Eager to get closer to this handsome, brilliant, and very private man, Taylor signs on...only to find that as she delves deeper and deeper into what goes on behind closed doors at Hubbard, White & Willis, she uncovers more than she wants to know--including a plentitude of secrets damaging enough to smash careers and dangerous enough to push someone to commit murder. Yet who is capable of going to that extreme? With her life on the line, Taylor is about to learn the lethal answer....
*From the Paperback edition.* Views: 185
In the great cities of a dying empire and on the battlefields of Roman legions, Thorn, an abandoned waif, witnesses human beings at their most brutal and their most noble. Reprint. NYT. From Publishers WeeklyIn the opening pages of Jennings's ( Aztec ) massive, audacious historical novel about the Gothic conquest of the Roman Empire, Thorn, the hermaphrodite hero/heroine, is seduced first by a monk and then by a nun. Evicted from a monastery and a convent, Thorn is then schooled in the ways of the world by the grumpy, blasphemous woodsman Wyrd. Rugged yet sensitive, usually dressed as a man, Thorn is to elim fragment raptorial (i.e., predatory) in his thirst for lovers, male and female, and for adventure. He serves as field marshal, sidekick and spy for bloody Theodoric (A.D. 454-526), king of the Ostrogoths, depicted here as a benevolent despot. For all its sexual titillation and gory battles, this majestically paced epic with its unconventional hero consistently rewards as it leads readers through exotic byways of the fragmented Roman Empire, delving into pagan customs, Christian mysteries, corruption, slavery and the tolerant Arianism embraced by the Goths but condemned by the Catholic Church as a heresy. Through the androgynous Thorn, attuned to the war betwen the masculine and feminine sides of his nature, Jennings subtly explores the gender-based roles imposed by society. Spiced with medieval flavor, the novel will captivate readers willing to commit themselves to a long, detailed, sometimes ploddingly written but ultimately intoxicating narrative. Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc. From Kirkus ReviewsJennings (Spangle, etc.) takes over 900 pages to tell the epic story of Thorn, a fifth-century Goth wanderer who becomes friend and counselor to Theodoric the Great, the Ostrogoth king who temporarily revitalized the decaying Roman Empire. Thorn, a most unusual hero indeed, is a hermaphrodite. While Thorn's dual sexuality may prove off-putting to some readers, particularly because of his many and often graphic sexual encounters (even though most are recounted with good humor and sly wit), his nature does provide for some interesting perspective on events. He learns of his unique nature when he is raped in a monastery and then becomes himself a seducer in a convent, all at the age of 12 and all without knowing exactly what he's doing. Sent packing, Thorn spends valuable time as companion to a crafty and knowledgeable old Roman centurion-turned-woodsman and a winter passing himself off as a rich nobleman in a city on the edge of the Empire (learning to exploit both his male and female aspects all the while). When he finally joins his countrymen, the Ostrogoths, he discovers that their young king, Theodoric, was the stranger who saved his life in the woods after he was bitten by a poisonous snake. Thorn immediately enlists in Theodoric's cause and serves him throughout his historic conquest. His ability to act as either man or woman serves him, his king, and their cause very well indeed. In the most improbable adventure of all, he encounters an evil ``twin'' who shares his sexual duality. An impressive, often violent saga that allows readers to experience a richly re-created time and place through the eyes of a hero unlike virtually any other in fact or fiction. Along the way, it also offers some thought-provoking critiques on Christianity and its origins. -- Copyright ©1992, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved. Views: 184
