"These are the times that try men's souls," writes journalist Thomas Paine at the end of 1776, a dark time in America's struggle for freedom. As the dramatic events depicted in volume 2 of the monumental Prelude to Glory series show, the high price of liberty for which the colonists fought would include great sacrifice and endurance—even in the face of apparent defeat. Focusing primarily on events between June and December 1776, this installment in the series follows Billy Weems (friend of Matthew Dunson from volume 1) to the battlefields in the New York area, where General George Washington commands the Continental army. Early on, Billy meets and befriends Eli Stroud, a white man raised by Iroquois Indians, who lends his unusual talents to the Revolutionary cause. But as events unfold, the Americans' situation looks more and more bleak. A series of engagements with the enemy leaves the colonial soldiers pummeled and staggering, driven to disastrous retreat again and... Views: 7
A Black Ships Short Story SAS Captain, Liam Kennedy escapes from captivity only to find London has become an economic warzone. The global economy is crumbling as humanity prepares to defend against a mysterious presence on Mars. In the chaos of London's infamous 'Sector 1' Liam must become the leader he fears he can’t be, or risk losing what little family he has left. (Approx 11,000 words) Views: 7
Dirty. Lazy. Good-for-nothing. Jay Thacker is used to being called names because his dad is half Navajo. But things are different after he and his mother move to a small town in Utah to stay with his grandparents during WWII. Jay makes friends and earns money working the fields for his well-respected grandfather—but he encounters a problem in Ken, a fellow worker who’s from the nearby Japanese internment camp. Ken’s a Jap. And Jay’s dad, who’s been fighting for the navy out in the Pacific, is missing in action. This moving story about an unlikely friendship deftly addresses themes of prejudice and intolerance, providing readers a glimpse of the past that enlightens the present. Views: 7
"OF ALL HIS MANY REGRETS, IT WAS HIS DECISION TO WRITE HIS MEMORIES THAT AVRAM COHEN NOW REGRETTED THE MOST"Thus begins An Accidental Murder, the latest book in Robert Rosenberg's acclaimed Avram Cohen mystery series. In a tale that takes the retired Jerusalem detective from Germany's Frankfurt book fair to the Negev desert, as he searches for a murderer in Germany and ends up in the dark netherworld of the new Russian mafia in Israel, Avram Cohen is revealed as never before -- a man with a complex past that makes his future most uncertain. Someone wants to kill Cohen -- or so it seems -- possibly because of something he wrote in his memoir about his year as an avenger assassinating Nazis after his long-ago liberation from the Dachau concentration camp. But then his longtime protege Nissim Levy is found murdered on the road to Eilat. Is this a revenge killing somehow aimed at Cohen, or as Nissim's former assistant believes, could the Russian mafioso be involved? From private nightclubs where mafia kingpins entertain with vodka-drenched feasts to massage parlors where the women work with cold-blooded professionalism, Cohen's search for Levy's killer becomes a twisted journey into a new side of Israel hardly known to the outsider. On the way, Cohen must look back at his own guilt before he can unveil a killer with a misguided but nonetheless profound motive for murder. This finely drawn novel is, like all the Cohen novels, a portrait of a deeply complicated man trying hard to be moral in a world where greed rules. Building an atmosphere of personal pain and paranoia up until the very last pages of the book, Rosenberg gives us a tour de force.From Publishers WeeklyRetired from the Jerusalem police, reluctantly touring to promote Twentieth-Century Cop, his memoir of his days on the force, Avram Cohen (Crimes of the City) is staying in a German hotel when the chambermaid is murdered and a bomb is discovered under his bed. With his background, Cohen has a long list of enemies to consider, but the field shrinks when, after one of his loyal underlings is killed, Cohen finds himself chasing an old nemesis and battling an assortment of Russian criminals. The pace of the book is languid, almost hesitant, for the first half, as Cohen mulls uneasily over his long, illustrious career. As always, however, Tel Aviv resident Rosenberg's depiction of Israel is a revelation, resonant with social and political subtleties. And Cohen remains one of the most carefully shaded of mystery heroes ("it became easier over the years for Cohen to seal his sorrow away in secret vaults that only he could open"), a man worth spending time with?as is Rosenberg's meditative, psychologically astute prose?even in a relatively weak outing like this one. Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc. From Library JournalRetired Israeli detective Avram Cohen?himself on someone's hit list?vows to find the man who murdered his faithful assistant and protege. His search ultimately brings him in contact with the Russian Mafia in Israel. A good psychological thriller from the author of The Cutting Room (LJ 2/1/93).Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc. Views: 7
A COWBOY'S DESIRE... Rancher Jed Sullivan was ruthless about getting what he wanted -- and he'd just set his sights on Julianne Buchanan. The sparks between them had always been kept under Jed's tight control, but now that Julianne had come home, Jed was hungry for something only she could give... Jed knew no woman would ever stick around -- hell, even his mother had abandoned him. The Heartbreak Ranch in Montana was his only home -- the only place he belonged. But it was Julianne's home, too. And until she discovered Jed's secret Jed planned to take whatever she would give him -- and damn the consequences! Views: 7
The latest in the long-running tale of the beloved mountain man, Barnaby Skye, occurs early in the history of the Wind River Reservation in Wyoming, where Skye's mixed-blood son, Dirk, teaches school. A total eclipse of the sun panics the Shoshones, and leads a dour fifteen-year-old boy to rename himself Owl, the most dreaded of all totemic birds. He begins to stir discontent, teaching a doctrine of freedom from white men, and giving the Shoshones a new dance. Owl takes his vision of returning to the old ways, free of reservation life, to the people. The Indian agent and soldiers react violently, see insurrection and subversion in it. Dirk, his own two bloods warring, tries to mediate and only alienates the army, the Indian Bureau, and the Shoshones. But only Dirk Skye can prevent a massacre. At the publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management software (DRM) applied. Views: 7
This prequel boxed set is the first and second installment in the Soul Eater series. Mawu, Iniko, and Shania grow into their strength as mothers and warriors. These women wield the elements and war swords to save this universe from an ancient evil.MawuAn insidious demonic force infects the West African pantheon and a modest Earth goddess goes on a quest to save her people from destruction. She finds strength in the arms of a Norse god who believes in justice. But when Mawu returns to the African pantheon, she must take an oath that threatens the life of her unborn child.InikoIniko, daughter of a West African goddess and a Norse god, struggles with her estranged husband, who abducted their child and is intent on murdering the girl in a blood-soaked ritual to gain power for his ancient demonic master. Iniko travels to a West African castle during the slave trade to battle possessed vampire-like beasts with her sword and dagger to rescue her child. Can she find the strength to kill... Views: 7
Housemaid Linet Fenna would rather be an air pirate than a servant. When she finds the ladder to an airship dangling outside her garret window on Christmas Eve, 1892, she ascends to the skies above London on her late father's flagship dirigible, the Christmas. The new captain is someone she never expected to see again, a dangerous, sexy foe. Is the Fenna family nemesis offering Linet her heart's desire or a dastardly trap?Captain Andrew's motivations are as foggy as the coal-soaked sky. Prime Minister Gladstone's Blockaders, a horde of automen and a teenage girl named Hatchet want Linet to fail in her quest to discover what happened to her missing family, but she is determined to have a happy Christmas.Captain Andrew's Flying Christmas is a 16,000-word steampunk romance novella. Views: 7
