When a woman's skeleton turns up in the small Welsh hamlet of Gallows Cottage, a group of three very different policemen uncovers a two-hundred-year-old conspiracy of silence haunting the guilty and innocent alike. From Publishers WeeklySet in north Wales, this uneven first novel describes the murder investigation of a woman hanged in the woods, her decaying body found 18 months after her death. Chief inspector Michael McKenna directs the police work, and when his pathologist unearths near Gallows Cottage the 1793 remains of another hanged woman, the locals recall the centuries-old story of Simeon, the mad avenger of his wife's wrongful execution. Although the theme of soured marriages connects past and present nicely as the murder plot develops, and as McKenna eventually separates from his wife, the overlong exposition omits some key suspects, including the culprit, until surprisingly late in the narrative. McKenna's personality remains somewhat vague?outside a sort of generalized dourness. Plentiful descriptions, drawn-out conversations and some extraneous scenes also slacken the pace. Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc. About the AuthorBorn into an Anglo-Welsh family, and brought up in rural Cheshire and Derbyshire, Alison Taylor studied architecture before commencing a career in social work and probation. She has been instrumental in exposing the abuse of children in care, and has written a number of papers on childcare and ethics. Resident for many years in North Wales, she is married with two children. Her interests include classical and Baroque music, art and riding. She is currently working on a second novel and researching a biographical study of Beethoven. Views: 49
The highly anticipated 4th book in USA Today bestselling author Megan Crane's scorching Edge series featuring Wulf, the Raider King. He is the ultimate Viking outlaw, who rules a future, destroyed world with steel and the force of his will alone. And he will meet the one woman who will change everything.Wulf is king of his clan and the ruthless head of the raider brotherhood.Every foe in his path surrenders to his will. But when his mortal enemy's beguiling daughter gets under his skin the way no one else ever has, a whole new intensity from the Raider King is unleashed...the fiery strength of dark passion and hard-hitting lust.Kathlyn is no fan of the life she's been forced to live under her savage father's unforgiving rule. But the bold and powerful barbarian who steals her innocence—and her heart—is a dangerous bet. There's nothing safe about a man who wants to destroy everything she knows and burn it to the ground. Except if... Views: 49
SUMMARY:For 4,000 years, the lavish crypt of the Pharaoh Mamose has never been found...until the Seventh Scroll, a cryptic message written by he slave Taita, gives beautiful Egyptologist Royan Al Simma a tantalizing clue to its location. But this is a treasure cache others would kill to possess. Only one step ahead of assassins, Royan runs for her life and into the arms of the only man she can trust, Sir Nicholas Quenton-Harper-a daring man who will stake his fortune and his life to join her hunt for the king's tomb. Together, they will embark on a breathtaking journey to the most exotic locale on earth, where the greatest mystery of ancient Egypt, a chilling danger and an explosive passion are waiting. Steeped in ancient mystery, drama and action,The Seventh Scrollis a masterpiece from a storyteller at the height of his powers.Biography From Wikipedia - Wilbur SmithBorn: 9 January 1933 (age 78), Broken Hill, Northern Rhodesia1Occupation: NovelistGenres: Natural, AdventureWilbur Addison Smith (born January 9, 1933 in Broken Hill, Northern Rhodesia, now Kabwe, Zambia) is a best-selling novelist currently residing in London. His writings include 16th and 17th century tales about the founding of the southern territories of Africa and the subsequent adventures and international intrigues relevant to these settlements. His books often fall into one of three series. These works of partial fiction help to explain the rise and historical influence of the Dutch and English whites in southern Africa that eventually claimed this diamond and gold rich and disputed territory as home.As a baby, he was sick with cerebral malaria for ten days, but made a full recovery. He spent the first years of his life on his father's cattle ranch which consisted of 12,000 hectares (25,000 acres) of forest, hills and savannah. On the ranch his companions were the sons of the ranch workers, small black boys with the same interests and preoccupations as Wilbur Smith. With his companions he ranged through the bush, hiking, hunting, and trapping birds and small mammals. His mother read to him every night and later gave him novels of escape and excitement, which piqued his interest in fiction; however, his father dissuaded him from pursuing writing.He went to boarding school at Cordwalles Preparatory School in Natal (now Kwa-Zulu Natal). While in Natal he continued to be an avid reader and had the good fortune to have had a wonderful English master who made Wilbur Smith his protege, and would discuss the books had Wilbur had read that week. Unlike Wilbur's father and many others, the English master made it clear to Wilbur that being a bookworm was praiseworthy, rather than something to be ashamed of and let Wilbur know that his writings showed great promise. He tutored Wilbur on how to achieve dramatic effects, to develop characters and to keep a story moving forward.Next he went to Michaelhouse (St Michael's academy for young gentlemen) situated on the foothills of the Drakensberg mountains. He never felt like he "fit-in" with the people, goals, and interests of the other students at Michaelhouse. On a positive note, he did start a school newspaper at Michaelhouse for which he wrote the entire content, except for the sports pages. His weekly satirical column became mildly famous, and were circulated as far as afield as Wykham Collegiate and St Annes.Later Wilbur attended Rhodes University in Grahamstown, Eastern Cape, South Africa. He became a journalist, writing about social conditions in South Africa, but his father's advice to "Get a real job" prompted him to resentfully become a tax accountant (chartered accountant). After he qualified as a Chartered Accountant, he married and had two children. The marriage ended badly and the divorce led to alimony and child support payments that left him penniless at only twenty four years of age.He turned back to his first love, fiction and this time he determined to write it, and to his delight found that he was able to sell his first story to 'Argosy' magazine for seventy pounds, which was twice his monthly salary. His first attempt at a novel, 'The Gods First Make Mad', was rejected so for a time he returned to work as a tax accountant, until the urge to write once again overwhelmed him.His first successful novel 'When the Lion Feeds' was published in 1964, written while he worked for Salisbury Inland Revenue. It tells the story about a young man, Sean Courtney and his twin brother Garry. The character's name was a tribute to Wilbur Smith's Grandfather Courtney James Smith who had had commanded a Maxim gun team during the Zulu Wars. Wilbur Smith's grandfather, Courtney James Smith, had a magnificent mustache and could tell wonderful stories that had helped inspire Wilbur. The novel, When the Lion Feeds tells the story of Sean and Garry growing up on an African cattle ranch. The story wove in facts about Wilbur Smiths own father and darling mother. He added in early African history and included the perspective of black people and white. He wrote about hunting, gold mining, carousing, women, love, sex, and hate. This time he left out all the philosophies and radical politics and rebellious posturing that had been the backbone of his first attempt a novel. The book gained a film deal and its success encouraged him to become a full-time writer. His publisher and later agent, Charles Pick, gave him advice he never forgot: "Write for yourself, and write about what you know best." Pick also told him ""Don't talk about your books with anybody, even me, until they are written." Smith states that "Until it is written a book is merely smoke on the wind. It can be blown away by a careless word."He married again following the publication of his first novel, and had another child, but this too ended in divorce. Initially, he vowed never to marry again, but after a time he longed for companionship. He met a young divorcee named Danielle Thomas who was not only very beautiful and intelligent, but had been born in the same town and had read all of Wilbur Smith's books, and thought that they were wonderful. He was enchanted and in 1971 he married dedicating his books to her until her death from brain cancer. It had been a long and painful illness from the time of discovery of the brain tumor in 1993 until her death in 1999.In a bookstore in London he met a beautiful, clever, hard-working, Tadjik girl, Mokhiniso Rakhimova 39 years younger than Mr Smith. Mokhiniso had received her law degree from Moscow University. He fell in love once again and they married in May 2000.He states that Africa is his major inspiration, and currently he has over 30 novels published. Smith now lives in London, but avows an abiding concern for the peoples and wildlife of his native continent.In 2002, Wilbur Smith was granted the Inaugural Sport Shooting Ambassador Award by the World Forum on the Future of Sport Shooting Activities. Views: 49
In its tiny corner of the East End, life in Paradise Court is often hard, but never dull. At its heart, the Duke of Wellington, Wilf Parsons presides behind the bar as a pillar of cohesion and strength. In spite of the ever-increasing reality of war, to 'Duke', his large, motherless brood of six, and other local families, everyday dramas in the Court still take greater precedence.Paradise Court marks the start of an unforgettable saga of life in London's East End - a glorious, heart-warming story of ordinary people set against the backdrop of the Great War, ending in breathtaking suspense as life is held, literally, in the balance . . . Views: 49
SPECIES
Beautiful, blond, and deadly, she is part alien and part human, a top-secret government experiment scheduled to be destroyed. But she escaped and—driven by powers not even she understands and an instinct she cannot control—she descends on Los Angeles with a single purpose: to mate and reproduce.
Now a special team of uniquely talented individuals has been assembled to stop her. The only problem is that their quarry is like nothing they’ve ever encountered, and all they have to go on is a growing trail of bodies and the knowledge that time is running out. For if they don’t catch her before she reproduces, the planet will be seeded with the spawn of an unknown species—a species genetically superior to our own and with no known predators . . .
FOR THREE MILLION YEARS. THE HUMAN RACE HAS BEEN AT THE TOP OF THE EVOLUTIONARY LADDER.
NOTHING LASTS FOREVER Views: 49
Strange tales straight from the Cape. Don't worry, they won't scare you. That is if you are dead already... Views: 49
Why have societies all across the world feared witchcraft? This book delves deeply into its context, beliefs, and origins in Europe's historyThe witch came to prominence—and often a painful death—in early modern Europe, yet her origins are much more geographically diverse and historically deep. In this landmark book, Ronald Hutton traces witchcraft from the ancient world to the early-modern stake. This book sets the notorious European witch trials in the widest and deepest possible perspective and traces the major historiographical developments of witchcraft. Hutton, a renowned expert on ancient, medieval, and modern paganism and witchcraft beliefs, combines Anglo-American and continental scholarly approaches to examine attitudes on witchcraft and the treatment of suspected witches across the world, including in Africa, the Middle East, South Asia, Australia, and North and South America, and from ancient pagan times to current interpretations. His... Views: 49
A small group of intelligent but alienated people take over the world. They need to be entertained, so they’ll hold out carrots for the masses, let them compete with each other for their only shot at fortune. What will they make the wives do? Views: 49
Lizzie Hart is overjoyed that six whole months have passed without a single murder in the sleepy town of Liberty. It's also been six months since Blake Morgan heartlessly dumped her, but she's determined to get over him. She's slimmed down, ready to party, and injury-free, except for a little nagging pain in her ankle. She's also very single, but her friends are doing everything in their power to fix that—including setting her up on one disastrous blind date after another.Lizzie's reprieve is short-lived when an old friend of hers is found dead from an apparent drug overdose. She wants to write it off as bad behavior after having seen the guy cheating on his wife with the new chiropractor in town. However, when she sees that same chiropractor playing doctor with another man who ends up dead, she worries there could be murder afoot.Doing her best to stay on the right side of the law this time, Lizzie decides to go straight to the police with her suspicions. Unfortunately, the only... Views: 49
Maggie's story did not begin with a fall into Palet. Before she gave up her life on Earth to enter the Reign Walk, her fate was long decided by three points of a triangle: Marty, Cirrus and Lucan. In this special Reign and Ruin novella, spend time with the men of the Wilds in their final moments before the Daughter of Palet entered the entered the room and changed their lives forever. Views: 49
When she snubs and embarrasses him, Dane wants nothing but to seek his revenge. In a poker game, he wins everything her brother owns but instead of taking his ranch or money, he wants his sister to marry him. His only problem though is taking her home to face his brothers because he know all hell will break out when he brings his wife home. Views: 49
“Readers looking for a crafty and entertaining journey to the past won’t be disappointed.” —Publishers Weekly on SPQR XI: Under Vesuvius Caius Julius Caesar, now Dictator of Rome, has decided to revise the Roman calendar, which has become out of sync with the seasons. As if this weren’t already an unpopular move, Caesar has brought in astronomers and astrologers from abroad, including Egyptians, Greeks, Indians and Persians. Decius is appointed to oversee this project, which he knows rankles the Roman public: “To be told by a pack of Chaldeans and Egyptians how to conduct their duties towards the gods was intolerable.” Not long after the new calendar project begins, two of the foreigners are murdered. Decius begins his investigations and, as the body count increases, it seems that an Indian fortuneteller popular with patrician Roman ladies is also involved. This latest in the acclaimed series is sure to please... Views: 49
Summoned to the Admiralty by Sir Edward Pellew, Captain Adam Bolitho is ordered to sail his 46-gun frigate Unrivalled into African waters to aid His Majesty's campaign against slave-runners. Preoccupied with avenging his uncle Richard's death while confronting an entrenched adversary and the aggressive opposition of the Algerian overlord, he fears he may be setting his crew on a course of doom. Views: 49
