The Insurgents is the inside story of the small group of soldier-scholars, led by General David Petraeus, who plotted to revolutionize one of the largest, oldest, and most hidebound institutions—the United States military. Their aim was to build a new Army that could fight the new kind of war in the post–Cold War age: not massive wars on vast battlefields, but "small wars" in cities and villages, against insurgents and terrorists. These would be wars not only of fighting but of "nation building," often not of necessity but of choice. Based on secret documents, private emails, and interviews with more than one hundred key characters, including Petraeus, the tale unfolds against the backdrop of the wars against insurgents in Iraq and Afghanistan. But the main insurgency is the one mounted at home by ambitious, self-consciously intellectual officers—Petraeus, John Nagl, H. R. McMaster, and others—many of them classmates or colleague... Views: 48
Erotica/Historical Fiction. 11216 words long. Views: 48
Beneath the deserts of the American Southwest, one of the Umbrella Corporation's most elaborate facilities is about to go online. Somewhere inside may also be the key to stopping Umbrella once and for all... can Leon Kennedy, Claire Redfield, Rebecca Chambers, and their friends can get past a strike team of corrupt S.T.A.R.S., and survive the genetically engineered horrors awaiting them?About the AuthorS. D. Perry is the author of several tie-in novels to popular series such as Aliens, Alien vs. Predator, Star Trek and Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. Perry also wrote the movie novelizations for Timecop and Virus. She is the daughter of bestselling sci-fi author Steve Perry and lives in Portland, Oregon with her husband and two children. Views: 48
Effie Greer watches the final days of summer play out from her grandparents' home in Lake Gormlaith, Vermont, with her boyfriend, Max. Despite the idyllic setting, Effie is hiding a secret. With a heated temper and shattered past, Max is headed toward self-destruction, and Effie, unwilling to let go, is close behind. Slowly, Effie begins to gain the strength necessary to leave the suffocating relationship. But on the evening she decides to go, Max's violence results in a tragic boating accident and the death of a child.Unable to deal with her role in that terrible August night, Effie drifts aimlessly from city to city. Only when she learns that Max has died of a heroin overdose does she find the strength to return to Lake Gormlaith and face the demons that have kept her away. No longer a naive young girl, Effie is now a woman desperately seeking absolution. She ultimately finds her chance in the most unlikely of people.From Publishers WeeklyThe specter of domestic violence haunts this poignant debut, as Effie Greer, a young woman in her 20s, struggles through an agonizing love relationship and its devastating aftermath. After learning of her abusive ex-boyfriend's death from a heroin overdose, waifish Effie returns from three "fugitive" years in Seattle to her grandmother's Vermont cabin on rural Lake Gormlaith. She had fled the idyllic lakeside to get away from Max, a violent alcoholic, after he accidentally caused the death of an 11-year-old black girl spending the summer with a lake family. Chapters alternate between Effie's return in 1994 and her years (1987-1991) with Max, providing contrast between the tenacious survivor Effie becomes and the self-destructive victim she was. She had not only failed to "help erase the scars" of Max's horrific childhood, but had become the object of his hatred, subsequently turning his malice onto herself in the form of anorexia. And she feels that her decision to leave Max may have contributed to the little girl's tragic drowning. But Effie is thrown some lifelines, reconnecting with a former schoolmate who herself had an abusive relationship. She discovers that the source of small, precious gifts left on her doorstep (a perfect robin's nest, tadpoles, a jar of fireflies) is Devin Jackson, a young black artist and carpenter. By the time Effie realizes Devin's relationship to the drowned girl, she is ready to lay ghosts to rest. The vulnerable and childlike Effie vacillates between extremes of despair and faith, the uplifting ending waxes maudlin in places and Effie's triumph can seem platitudinous. Despite her occasional overreliance on these extremes, Greenwood sensitively and painstakingly unravels her protagonist's self-loathing and replaces it with a graceful dignity. Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc. From BooklistGreenwood takes time to tell the full story of Effie Greer's return home after three years' absence to her family's lake cabin in Vermont. Her childhood (with loving parents, grandparents, and friends), the abusive relationship she endured for several years, the all-too-painful summer she spends at the lake, and her coming to terms with her adult self are all revealed in pieces and out-of-time sequence but in a way that brings us to know Effie and appreciate her in spite of her flaws and quirks. The lake has been the scene of her best and worst times and is now the scene of her emotional recovery and rebirth. (Lake Gormlaith, which isn't on the map, could be so named as a linguistic game the author is playing with her readers. Does it mean "foolish" or "fool-hating" or nothing at all?) Greenwood does a good job of creating characters of depth and charm in a story that is complex and engaging. This is an impressive first novel. Danise Hoover Views: 48
Nate Stewart's parents and older brother are brutally murdered by a gang of raiders on the Texas plains, and Nate is left for dead. But a company of Texas Rangers saves his life, and through a twist of fate, Nate proves himself as a provisional Ranger. At fourteen years old, he's too young to join the ranks of the Rangers just yet—but he's not too young to seek out the men who killed his family!From fighting with a knife to imbibing his first bottle of tequila, Nate learns some much-needed lessons in growing up. But when he and pal Hoot Harrison confront a gang of bank robbers, Nate is faced with self-doubt.A bloody confrontation with the pale-eyed devil who leads the band of marauders comes unexpectedly—quickly, violently—and ends with the deaths of more innocent ranch hands in a raid eerily similar to the one that took Nate's family. Only this time, Nate isn't the green youngster he was before. He's got a gun and he knows how to use it. He's A RANGER TO RECKON WITH... Views: 48
Nothing much ever happens in Niagara Falls. It is a sleepy town full of honeymooners and tourists, and that's how Inspector Frank Corrigan likes it. He saw enough trouble as a cop in Northern Ireland. Now he's happy dealing with parking offences and the odd drunk, although since his wife has left him and taken their daughter, 'happy' may not quite be the word. But then a reincarnated Native American princess by the name of Lelewala canoes over the Falls and survives. Or so she says. And Frank falls in love. And finds himself confronting the greatest terrorist of the age at an international gathering of drug dealers. And then the music starts... Funny, moving, crazy, dark and thought-provoking, this is Bateman at his brilliant best.**ReviewDivorcing Jack: 'As sharp as a pint of snake-bite... Richly paranoid and very funny' Sunday Times Cycle of Violence: 'Fast-paced, very black and very funny. Roddy Doyle meets Carl Hiaasen' Independent on Sunday Of Wee Sweetie Mice and Men: 'Fast, furious, riotously funny, and at the end, never a dry eye in the house' Mail on Sunday Empire State: 'Bateman on epic form in gloriously over-the-top saga' Daily Telegraph About the Author
Colin Bateman worked as a journalist in Ireland before becoming a full-time writer. His first novel, Divorcing Jack, was published in 1995 and won the Betty Trask Prize. Colin later adapted the novel for a film starring David Thewlis and Rachel Griffiths. Colin is the author of many critically acclaimed novels, including several that he has adapted for the screen. He has also written several children's books including Reservoir Pups and Bring Me The Head Of Oliver Plunkett. In May 2010, Bateman won the Crimefest Last Laugh Award for his novel The Day of the Jack Russell. His new book, The Prisoner of Brenda, featuring the return of the inimitable Mystery Man, was published in October 2012. Views: 48
-a Night Stalkers White House romance- NAME: Damien Feinman JOB: Marine Corps Situation Room Duty Officer NAME: Cornelia Day JOB: White House Chief of Staff After ten years, Damien's duties as Sit Room watch officer let him see it all: the good, the bad, and the disastrous. But nothing prepared him for the beauty and power of the new Chief of Staff. Cornelia's new role as White House Chief of Staff leads her to the Situation Room where every crisis comes home to roost. A dozen years of assisting the now-President-elect never prepared her heart for what awaits her there. Only together can they save Christmas in the nation's capital. Only together can they discover Damien's Christmas. Views: 48
The latest mystery for the Third Pig Detective Agency.Harry Pigg is back......and it's a good job he isn't scared of spiders.When Little Miss Muffet turns up at the Third Pig Detective Agency she presents Harry and his team -- an ex-genie and a precocious kid called Jack Horner -- with a most intriguing case. Her charming little B&B has been infested with giant spiders and she wants to find out who is responsible.Harry dives headfirst into this web of intrigue (sorry!) and finds himself caught up in rather more than a simple arachnid problem.The Third Pig Detective Agency series has been acclaimed by readers, crime writers and prize judging panels alike. If you haven't discovered what makes Harry Pigg so popular then now is the time! Views: 48
Occasionally, the rugged landscape of Scotland attracts dreamers who move north, wrapped in fantasies of enjoying the simple life. They usually don’t last, defeated by the climate or by inhospitable locals. But it looks as if Effie Garrand has come to stay. When local constable Hamish Macbeth calls on her, he is amazed to find the small woman still in residence after a particularly hideous winter. Unfortunately, Effie is also quite delusional, having convinced herself – and everyone else – that local artist Jock Fleming is in love with her, and that they are engaged. After a huge fight with Jock, Effie is found in the mountains, poisoned by hemlock. Now, it’s up to Hamish Macbeth to find the dreamer’s killer – before any more nightmares unfold. Views: 48
Nichole Lewis' children are the most important people in her life, and are the reason she's relocated to Georgia to start a life away from the chaos that had surrounded her. Meeting Ben Walker, and giving into the attraction for the man only made her decision to stay more appealing. However, when the past she'd escaped finds her and her children, it might be time to run again, with or without Ben. Views: 48
