It's not every day that a handsome French billionaire comes to the rescue on the subway and saves an ordinary girl from a drunken madman. It was Madison's lucky day. Finally. She had no way of knowing that her life was about to change forever, that a terrifying incident would lead to the most incredible meeting of a lifetime. Views: 23
Darkness Looking Back, The Views: 23
A Christmas Wedding...Lane Eastman had had an uneasy feeling about this wedding ever since she'd agreed to be maid of honor. She thought she knew why when her rogue of an ex-husband, Jack Donovan, turned up as best man.Snowbound in a Winter Wonderland...As a starlit sleigh ride brought them to the remote--and romantic--wedding island, Lane's worst fears came true. While a winter storm raged outside, old passions burned inside. Bad enough that she was trapped with the disarmingly sexy Jack, but it soon became clear that there was a murderer among the wedding party and nowhere for Lane to run...except into Jack's strong arms. Views: 23
When Stephen's father passes away in 1861, he and his mother and brother are left at the mercy of a cruel uncle. As the Civil War intensifies to the south, Stephen's brother enlists to fight for the Union and help support the family. The war drags on and Stephen, an accomplished bugler in the town band, is witness to the sad consequences of slavery. The opportunity to enlist as Colonel Eli Lilly's personal bugler arises and Stephen jumps at the chance. After surviving the Battle of Sulphur Trestle in Alabama, Stephen is sent to a Confederate prison camp to await the end of the war. The trials of prison camp are severe but at war's end Stephen is set to be sent home to Indiana aboard the steamboat Sultana. However, disaster strikes and the ship catches fire and capsizes in America's largest maritime disaster. Through luck and fortitude Stephen survives, but his Civil War journey is one that will engage readers of all ages. Based on historical facts and characters, Stephan's story... Views: 23
Emma loses an important modeling job due to an injury she got while playing with her brothers. How will she pay for the beautiful holiday presents she planned for her family and friends?Emma is playing ball with her brothers on an unusually warm winter afternoon. But an errant toss from her brother Matt hits her right on the nose! Luckily, it's nothing more serious than a little swelling, but it's enough to make her lose an important modeling job at The Special Day salon. Mona hires "mean girl" Olivia Allen to fill in. Olivia is thrilled, not only for the job, but also for a chance to spread some nasty rumors about Emma. Worst of all, now Emma can't afford the beautiful holiday gifts she planned to buy her family and friends. Emma's Cupcake Club pals remind her that the best gifts come from the heart, and don't have a price tag. Views: 23
A new novel about faith, family, and finding the courage to do the right thing from the author of Love and Biology at the Center of the Universe.Police officer Jessica Villareal has always played by the book and tried to do the right thing. But now, she finds herself approaching midlife divorced, estranged from her daughter, alone, and unhappy. And she's wondering if she ever made a right choice in her life.But then Jess discovers a girl and her father living off the radar in the Oregon woods, avoiding the comforts—and curses—of modern life. Her colleagues on the force are determined to uproot and separate them, but Jess knows the damage of losing those you love. She recognizes her chance to make a difference by doing something she's never dared. Because even though she's used to playing by the rules, there are times when they need to be broken... Views: 23
Framed for murder, an honest man rides over the desert to clear his nameJake Shockley has his feet up in the tavern when his twin comes through the door. The stranger isn't his brother, but may as well be, and Jake sees opportunity there—a chance to erase years of warrants and wanted posters with a single quick kill. He lures his lookalike into the alley, knocks him out, and waits until a rider comes along. Jake shoots his twin through the heart and skips town, leaving Giles Clanahan to take the blame.At first, Clanahan is praised for killing the notorious bandit, but when the townspeople realize the dead man isn't Shockley, they sentence Giles to hang. He escapes, and sets out across the desert, planning to bring justice to the man who framed him—even if it means dying in the sand. Views: 23
It’s the year 2043 and post World War III Old San Francisco is a seedy, radioactive dive, but P.I. Tex Murphy calls it home. The women in Tex’s life are either washed up or shipping out, and this private dick is singing the lonesome gumshoe blues. Jack Daniels seems more like family everyday. Until one night at the Brew & Stew . . .Project Bluebook was the official government investigation of Unidentified Flying Objects that examined, among other things, the "incident" at Roswell, New Mexico. The official story has been told: The Roswell crash was a balloon, nothing more. Project Bluebook was closed. But the real story is that Project Bluebook became Project Blueprint and helped start World War III.How does Tex get involved? Well, he meets an old Cubana-smoking gent who’s looking for a missing friend. It doesn’t seem like much of a case at first, but then Tex Murphy has never been very good at staying out of trouble . . . and this time he’s in for lots of trouble!About the AuthorAaron Conners is the scriptwriter and co-creator of the multimedia interactive games Under a Killing Moon and The Pandora Directive. He lives in Salt Lake City, Utah.Now available as a full cast audio drama from Design Sound Productions. Views: 23
An ancient family name hides sinister secrets of love and betrayal, riches and revenge in the heart-pounding English-language debut by European crime sensation Pieter AspeThe beautiful medieval architecture of Bruges belies the dark longings of her residents. When the wealthy and powerful Ludovic Degroof’s jewelry store is robbed, nothing is stolen, but the jewels have been dissolved in jars of aqua regia, an acid so strong that it can melt even gold. In the empty safe is a scrap of paper on which a strange square has been drawn.At first, Inspector Van In pays little attention to the paper, focusing on the bizarre nature of the burglary. But when Degroof’s children begin to receive letters with this same enigmatic square, Van In and the beautiful new District Attorney, Hannelore Martens, find themselves engaged in solving the mystery of a complex web of Latin phrases, a baroness’ fallen family, and Degroof’s unsettling relationship with a hostage grandchild, who is being ransomed for a priceless collection of art.Review“Pulp fiction is great for the beach, but there’s nothing like a good destination mystery to take you out of town for the summer. This category has two branches: the Enthusiastic American Abroad travelogue and the I’m a Native and You’re Not procedural. Since the latter often take place in Italy, The Square of Revenge, by the Belgian author Pieter Aspe, is a welcome addition. Set in the splendid medieval city of Bruges, it stars Inspector Pieter Van In, a brusque cop with every bad habit you can think of. The story opens with an extremely vindictive crime: thieves have broken into an exclusive jewelry store, but instead of making off with the loot they dump it in a tank of corrosive chemicals. Van In’s intuitive and often impulsive detection style can be disorienting, but his powers of observation are sharp and his insider’s view of this ancient and grandly aloof city are priceless.” (Marilyn Stasio - *The New York Times Book Review*)“The Flemish Georges Simenon.” (Le Figaro (France))“Offbeat characters and an unusual plot lift Belgian author Aspe’s first Pieter Van In novel to be translated into English...Van In and his eccentric cast of colleagues will be welcome companions for many readers, who will probably find comparisons to Simenon’s Maigret.” (Publishers Weekly, STARRED REVIEW)“A very likeable and very politically incorrect group of detectives. Humor is permanent, the plot is well constructed,and the whole story extremely exotic.” (L'Express (France))“To sell a million copies in only ten years! This never happened in Flanders before.” (Het Laatste Nieuws (Belgium))“Aspe is and always will be one of our best authors. An exciting murder mystery, a pinch of humor, and a generous serving of sex are among the highlights of the series.” (Crimezone.nl (Belgium)) From the AuthorFrom Publishers WeeklyBy Lenny PickerApril 27, 2013Belgian Insp. Pieter Van In makes his U.S. debut in Pieter Aspe’s The Square of Revenge. The series has already spawned bestsellers in Europe. Which of your many jobs has given you the most insight into people? While working as a caretaker at the Chapel of the Holy Blood in Bruges, I had plenty of time to observe tourists and locals. Often I felt like a piece of furniture, a part of the chapel, which gave me the opportunity to watch and learn unobtrusively. I’ve encountered people from all over the world at the chapel. Did your stint with the maritime police help you to write crime fiction? Somewhat. I encountered only small-time criminals while working for the maritime police. Once I started writing about Inspector Van In, I got in touch with real criminals as a way of researching my books. I wanted to understand their situation, to empathize with them, so that every time I encountered a criminal, whatever the crime committed, I asked myself the question, “What if that ever happened to me?” or “What if I had the same childhood or education, what if I was in the same position? Would I become that criminal?” There is a delinquent in everyone, but it only comes out because of certain triggers. That fascinated me. In The Square of Revenge, intruders break into a Bruges jewelry store and destroy jewelry by dissolving it. Where did you get this idea? My criminal is motivated by a desire for vengeance. I had read about a chemical procedure while I was doing some research about the Middle Ages. During that period, the alchemists tried to create gold out of lead and other elements. Gold is symbolic—it represents God, richness, something superior. The creation of gold out of lead, the purification of lead, is a metaphor for how a human being can raise oneself above mediocrity, how a human being can aspire to be the best version of him or herself. So, destroying jewelry seemed a perfect means for revenge. What are Americans’ biggest misconceptions about Belgium? That Belgium doesn’t exist. Brussels, our capital, is often better known than our country itself. There also is a big difference between the Dutch part, Flanders, and the French part, Wallonia, that most people don’t understand. Belgians are what we call “bourgondisch.” It means that they enjoy life, including good food and a nice drink. We also have a café culture, so we often go for a drink in the nearest pub. In the end, I think Belgians, when it comes down to culture, are more like the Spanish, French, or Italian. In contrast to Van In, Dutch, German, and Scandinavian detectives are more cold and businesslike. Views: 23
Congratulations, Andie Reynolds! You know why the local kids call your neighbor Dr. Frankenstein. He never emerges from his big old house and spends most of his time concocting explosive experiments. When you went to visit, you half expected to be greeted by a mad scientist. Instead, you found yourself gazing at a pint-size version of the good doctor himself.And what a good-looking doctor, too! It's hard to resist Eli Masters and his adorable little boy, but resist you must. They will only lead to heart trouble - the kind no medicine can cure... Views: 23
Lodestone prides itself on being the fastest-growing town in Colorado, but John Stone knows a con game when he sees one. And this is a con the size of the Rockies. The low-down varmints running the scam don't want to see him meddling—they'd rather see him dead. Stone's dodging bullets...and getting ready to fight back. Once, John Stone had everything a man could ever want: wealth, position, and a woman who loved him. But that was before the Civil War. Now, he's lost his fortune: and his fiancée has disappeared. All he has left is his Colt, a picture of Marie, and a mission—to roam the West until he finds the woman he loves. Views: 23
The House of Lords will never be the same.... Disinclined to watch her language or moderate her manners, "Jack" Troutbeck-assisted by her old friend Robert Amiss-plots vigorously with others to scupper an anti-hunting bill of which she violently disapproves. But she hadn't expected the cam-paign of intimidation mounted by the animal activists and the attempt on the life of one of her allies. And now there are scenes of horrifying carnage amongst the peers.... Views: 23
