Badajoz: Christmas 1826 Matthew Hervey of the 6th Light Dragoons is a prisoner of the Spanish, incarcerated in the infamous fortress of Badajoz. As he plans his escape, his thoughts return to the year 1812 when he was a cornet in Wellington's Peninsular Army. He and the Sixth had survived Corunna to endure three more years of brutal fighting that would culminate in one of the most vital and vicious confrontations of the campaign - the siege of Badajoz. While Hervey paces his prison cell, and re-lives the bloodshed of battles past, friends from expected quarters rush to his aid ...
'As good on the details of the workings of a cavalry regiment in 1820 as ever Patrick O'Brian was on the workings of an 1820 warship.' Spectator Views: 41
An enjoyable and rollicking ride, this collection contains 20 short stories that explore a broad spectrum of the undead, from Romero-style corpses to zombies inspired by Canadian Aboriginal mythology, all shambling against the background of the Great White North. The anthology's specific focus on Canadian settings distinguishes it from the pack, and its exploration of many types of zombies weaves a vast compendium of fiction. Strong writing and imagination are showcased in clever stories that take readers through thrills, chills, kills, carnage, horror, and havoc wreaked across the country. Tales deal with a lone human chasing zombies across an icy landscape after the apocalypse, whales returning from the depths to haunt the southern coast of Labrador, a marijuana grow-op operation in British Columbia experiencing problems when the dead begin to attack, and a corpse turned into a flesh puppet for part of a depraved sex show, among other topics. Providing a unique location and... Views: 41
Imagine a killer who thinks, "What is the worst thing anyone has ever done?"--and then goes far beyond it. Now imagine four women --a police detective, an assistant DA, a reporter, and a medical examiner --who join forces as they sidestep their bosses to track down criminals. Known as the Women's Murder Club, they are pursuing a murderer whose twisted imagination has stunned an entire city. Their chief suspect is a socially prominent writer, but the men in charge won't touch him. On the trail of the most terrifying and unexpected killer ever, they discover a shocking surprise that turns everything about the case upside down.Amazon.com ReviewThe Women's Murder Club pits four San Francisco women professionals against a serial killer who's stalking and murdering newlyweds in bestselling author James Patterson's newest thriller. Lindsay Boxer is a homicide inspector who's just gotten some very bad news. She deals with it by immersing herself in her newest case and soliciting the personal as well as professional support of her closest friend, who happens to be the city's medical examiner. The two women, along with an ambitious and sympathetic reporter and an assistant DA, form an unlikely alliance, pooling their information and bypassing the chain of command in an engaging, suspenseful story whose gruesome setup is vintage Patterson. "What is the worst thing anyone has ever done?" the killer muses to himself early in the narrative. "Am I capable of doing it? Do I have what it takes?" Answering his own question, he embarks on a murderous spree that takes him from the bridal suite in a Nob Hill hotel to a honeymoon destination in the Napa Valley and thence to a wedding reception at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum in Cleveland, Ohio. Dispatching his victims on the happiest day of their lives, he purposefully leaves enough clues for his distaff trackers to discover his identity and put him behind bars. But just when the women think they've got the case all wrapped up, the killer turns the tables on them in a bloody denouement that even the most discerning reader won't see coming. Patterson, author of the popular Alex Cross mysteries, promises future adventures for the Women's Murder Club, which may give him an opportunity to develop his heroines' characters more completely and win new fans among those who prefer their detectives in high heels and lipstick. --Jane AdamsFrom Library JournalFans of Patterson (Along Came a Spider) will not be disappointed with his latest effort. A killer is murdering recently married couples, and police detective Lindsay is stumped. Off duty, she forms a murder club comprising three of her friends: an assistant district attorney, a newspaper reporter, and a coroner. The four women use everything at their disposal to figure out who the killer is before he can strike again. Their lead suspect is a world-famous writer whose plots resemble the murders. Deploying Patterson's usual short chapters, the book is exciting to the last page. One hopes that it is the first installment in what deserves to be a new series; Patterson should give Alex Cross a rest and concentrate on these four women instead. 1st to Die will air as a miniseries on NBC in May, so expect demand. For all public libraries.- Jeff Ayers, Seattle P.L. Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc. Views: 41
"Just like you can't know when you'll die, you can't tell how long we've lived."A multigenerational commune in a walled estate, the Colony has been a fixture in the small Pacific Northwest town for over a hundred years. When Sammy O'Doul impulsively trespasses, he watches a strange ritual, where an old woman is dug up alive from the forest. Before he can escape the grounds, he's surprised by Walt, a strangely simple old man, who tells him that the scene is not what it appears. With the help of his friend John, Sammy learns the surprising secrets of the Colony and its peaceful members and helps to defend it from both human enemies and the forces of nature.Cover art by Chesley Award-winning artists Cory and Catska Ench. Views: 41
Savannah left her hometown after the traumatic death of her young brother ten years ago. When Savannah returns to town in hopes of donating bone marrow to her estranged mother, her high school boyfriend, Quentin, knows he doesn't have long to help her realize she should stay in Healing Springs. With him. Can a decade of pain be healed with a healthy dose of love? Views: 41
General Tom Blanchard brought Amethyst out of stasis to work with an elite Air Force team, led by Major Liam Ross. Tensions between Ember and Liam rise as they butt heads. Can they work together before Earth is completely under ice? Views: 41
When Myra and Dylan’s new, fragile relationship is put to the ultimate test, can it survive memories and ghosts from the past? Is it possible that Myra could be the key to Dylan’s own healing and forgiveness? With so many obstacles in their way, can they forgive themselves and each other and build a future together? Find out in this final installment of the Color series. Views: 41
A collection of original travel stories told by some of the world's best novelists, including Isabel Allende, Keri Hulme, Peter Matthiessen, Alexander McCall Smith, Joyce Carol Oates, Téa Obreht and DBC Pierre.Exhilaratingly varied in place, plot, and voice, these tales all share one common characteristic: They manifest a passion for the precious gifts that travel confers, from its unexpected but inevitably enriching lessons about other peoples and places to the truths – sometimes uncomfortable but always enlarging – it reveals about ourselves."... a brilliant collection of travel stories ... threaded with great warmth, as readers are invited to travel in the company of these famous authors and experience their passions and revelations." Bookseller+Publisher Views: 41
Marise Merrick had sacrificed everything to achieve perfection as a championship figure skater. But now everything she had worked for was threatened by a crazed stalker. And all that stood between her and certain death was one hard-as-nails detective—a man who made her dream for the first time of a life beyond the ice....Cassidy MacKay knew better than anybody that a cop couldn't afford to have a woman in his life—and that went double for this woman, whose world was so different from his own. But as he raced to save her from a ruthless killer, he couldn't stop wondering what it would take to melt this ice princess's heart.... Views: 41
