A young woman's body is found beside a
fluffy toy rabbit in a shallow grave in a farmer's field in Lanarkshire. When the fields surrounding the murder site produce several
additional victims, forensic evidence indicates that the victims unearthed had all endured a period of captivity before being murdered, so when a separate inquiry into the sudden disappearance of a young boy becomes linked to the murder investigation, the police realize that a serial killer is at work - and that they are racing against time Views: 43
Full of horrific violence, this solid third thriller to feature scarred FBI agent Smoky Barrett (after The Face of Death) shows that McFadyen knows how to shock. When the FBI director calls Smoky to Washington, D.C., to inspect the body of a beautiful young woman stabbed to death aboard an airplane, Smoky can't figure out why she's been assigned a case so far outside her L.A. jurisdiction. But when Smoky learns that not only was the victim, Lisa Reid, the child of a powerful Democratic senator but also that she was a pre-op transsexual, Smoky realizes that this is more than a bizarre homicide. Smoky and her team soon get on the trail of the man they dub the Preacher, a sin collector who murders people to obtain their darkest secrets. Harboring secrets of her own, Smoky must stay one step ahead of the killer if she's to bring him down. The forays into the victims' minds to expose their secrets are unnecessary, but the formidable Smoky makes up for the occasional plot tangent. Views: 43
Mark wanted nothing more than to finish college and get a great job. Unfortunately, he got caught spying on his ex-girlfriend in the shower. Rather than spending his senior year writing computer code, he ended up stripping for the sixth-floor girls, streaking across campus, and fighting to maintain his last ounce of dignity. Views: 43
The twenty-eight stories in this collection imaginatively take us far across the universe, into the very core of our beings, to the realm of the gods, and the moment just after now. Included here are the works of masters of the form and of bright new talents, including:* Cory Doctorow * Robert Charles Wilson * Michael Swanwick * Ian McDonald * Benjamin Rosenbaum * Kage Baker * Bruce McAllister * Alastair Reynolds * Jay Lake * Ruth Nestvold * Gregory Benford * Justin Stanchfield * Walter Jon Williams * Greg Van Eekhout * Robert Reed * David D. Levine * Paul J. McAuley * Mary Rosenblum * Daryl Gregory * Jack Skillingstead * Paolo Bacigalupi * Greg Egan * Elizabeth Bear * Sarah Monette * Ken MacLeod * Stephen Baxter * Carolyn Ives Gilman * John Barnes * A.M. DellamonicaSupplementing the stories are the editor’s insightful summation of the year’s events and a list of honorable mentions, making this book a valuable resource in addition to serving as the single best place in the universe to find stories that stir the imagination and the heart. Views: 43
Looking to earn some extra money because her car is always having problems, widowed mom Jane takes on a job as wedding consultant to Livvy Thatcher, a young businesswoman. Jane then enlists her best friend and neighbor, Shelley Nowack, to help her. The wedding is to be held at an old family hunting lodge that was once a monastery, and it proves to be a somewhat spooky venue for the nuptials. After Jane and Shelley arrive at the lodge, the eccentric cast of characters (and eventual murder suspects) begins to gather: a mysterious, laconic caretaker whom Livvy calls "Uncle Joe"; Mrs. Crossthwait, a cranky, elderly seamstress; three bridesmaids; a caterer; and a florist named Larkspur, not to mention Livvy's elderly aunts. Add the bride and her father, an arrogant captain of industry, and the groom, his mother and brother, and the stage is well set for shenanigans. Larkspur tells Jane the story of a hidden family treasure, and later it is Larkspur who discovers Mrs. Crossthwait dead at the foot of the stairs. Did she fall, or was she pushed? To find out, Jane enlists the aid of her lover, Chicago cop Mel Van Dyne, who comes along to help the local police. Views: 43
Home is where the heart is...Marcus Beckett left Sanctuary Island after his mother's funeral, and he hasn't been back since. Until now. Needing a change from the high-risk, high-stakes life of a bodyguard, Marcus makes a solitary life for himself running the neighborhood bar in his hometown. His only mistake? Seducing and then dumping the town's sweetheart, Quinn Harper. Marcus knows he did the right thing—a good girl like Quinn has no business with a broken man like him. But now no one will come to his bar, and he's watching his last chance at a peaceful life go up in smoke. So when Quinn proposes a fake four-week courtship, he can't refuse...even though he knows it's a bad idea. It's a romantic charade that will buy Quinn time to distract her mother and father from their own martial problems—and will help Marcus welcome back some paying customers besides. But what begins as an engagement of convenience slowly transforms into a deeper... Views: 43
Schneider Wrack was dead. Until he wasn't.Convicted of a crime he's almost completely sure he didn't commit, executed, reanimated, then pressed into service aboard a vast trawler on the terrible world of Ocean, he was set to spend his afterlife working until his mindless corpse falls apart.But now he's woken up, trapped in a rotting body, arm-deep in the stinking meat and blubber of a sea monster, and he's not happy. It's time for the dead to rise up.From the stench and brine of Ocean to the fetid jungle of Grand Amazon, Schneider's career as a revolutionary won't be easy.But sometimes a zombie's gotta do what a zombie's gotta do... Views: 43
Sundance was called in to try to stop a crazed white-hating Indian from turning the entire western frontier into a bloody no-man's land. The fanatic Indian had organized the Ghost Dancers, a nation of Indians gathered from every tribe from Canada to the Mexican border.Driven by the belief that no bullets could harm them as long as they were under the protection of the Great Spirit, they set out to massacre every white man on the plains. It was Sundance's job to do the impossible and bring peace before it was too late for everyone. Views: 43
The Times They Are A-Changin'"My people," Mom said, rich voice vibrating with emotion, "as your chosen Council Leader, I propose a vast and sweeping change to the way we care for each other. That we embrace all covens, all voices. That we rule, not by the dictates of a few, but with the voices of many."She rose to her feet, arms wide as though to embrace everyone in the room. I felt the soft, kind touch of her power and fed it with my own, the light, sweet caress of each and every witch in the room joining mine until Mom glowed like a pale, blue star."From this day forward," she said, "this Council is comprised of all coven leaders of all duly registered covens in this territory. And every coven, small or large, shall have an equal vote. So mote it be."Cautious optimism is the rule of the day as paranormals come together as never before. But, Syd's worry about her missing friend, Femke, and the constant strain on her family over her absence makes it hard for her to appreciate... Views: 43
Suburbia, a dull place. But you never know what is happening behind the closed curtains, unless you have a peek. Jacen and Samanther are a normal married couple with kids, their lives have been drifting apart for sometime. This may all change now as a mysterious message appears with instructions. What happens may have long lasting effects on their lives and their marriage, for better or worse Views: 43
