The video stores are dying. But most of you don't care. You've got your Netflix and your Redbox and your DVR, so why deal with VHS tapes or scratched DVDs? Why deal with the grumpy guy at the worn-down independent video store?Well that grumpy guy is Waring Wax, and he's usually too drunk to worry about his declining business at Star Video, let alone his quickly evolving extinction in popular culture. But everything changes in his small college town when a bright and shiny Blockbuster Video opens nearby: Clearly, this means war.So, Waring enlists the help of his two reluctant employees, wildly sexy Alaura and desperate virgin Jeff—who are almost as nuts as he is—to hatch a series of wild schemes to save their little store and fight against the corporate invaders. Together, these three misfits try to save Star Video while confronting, among other things, Waring's self-destructive tendencies, a life training cult, corporate bicycle gangs, and a Hollywood... Views: 17
A mammoth twister tears through the sleepy town of Promise, Oklahoma, and leaves behind three mutilated bodies in a ravaged farmhouse. Police Chief Charlie Grover believes the victims were impaled by flying debris...until gruesome evidence comes to light, proving that they were brutally murdered. How could the killer predict exactly when and where a tornado would strike and use it to cover his tracks? With the aid of a tornado-chasing scientist, Charlie delves into a high-tech, high-risk search for a cunning criminal-one who may be stalking Charlie and his own daughter. For this is a predator unlike any other: one who conspires with the ferocious power of nature to commit and conceal unspeakable crimes.From Publishers WeeklyBlanchard's gripping second thriller follows a smalltown police chief's pursuit of a serial killer who strikes only during tornadoes, but the "Debris Killer" is only one of the highlights of this fast-moving shocker, which also features the keen characterizations and fine atmospherics of the author's first thriller, Darkness Peering. Charlie Grover, Blanchard's sympathetic hero, lives in Promise, Okla., deep in "Tornado Alley." Recently widowed, Charlie is the physically and emotionally scarred survivor of a childhood fire that killed his mother and sister, and the father of a sweet 16-year-old daughter enchanted by a teenage storm-chaser ("the kind of troubled youth who gave troubled youths a bad name"). After Promise is hit by a severe tornado, Charlie discovers three bodies in a house with only minor damage. Their deaths are particularly gruesome-mother, father and daughter have all been impaled by flying debris; the father is "stuck like a pin cushion"-and Charlie quickly realizes that this is not the work of a storm. The bodies display defensive wounds and, worse, the killer's "signature": each has had a tooth extracted and replaced with another tooth. Charlie seeks the help of spunky scientist Willa Bellman, who introduces him to the art of storm-chasing ("heroin for the heartland") and slowly reawakens his heart. As tornado season comes on, more victims are discovered, and Charlie begins to suspect someone very close to him, before the murderer leads him on a final terrifying chase that will have readers gasping. Blanchard makes a bold move by linking her villain to tornadoes-each such powerful forces of destruction and chaos-and while it's a little far-fetched, it pays off in this dark depiction of environmental and human turmoil.Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc. From BooklistPromise, Oklahoma, may not be much, but it is ground zero for storm chasers, an eccentric mix of meteorologists, amateur scientists, and plain-old crazies who stalk tornadoes like kids stalk ice-cream trucks. Police chief Charlie Grover is assessing the damage from a recent storm when he discovers the Pepper family. Husband, wife, and teenage daughter all killed--presumably storm victims, but Grover suspects a serial killer among the storm chasers. In the background is widower Grover's struggle with single parenthood and his new romance with a scientist fascinated by violent storms. The first two-thirds of the novel are excellent as Grover sifts through forensic evidence and desperately tries to profile a killer who hides among the chaos of tornados or may even have his killing rage released by the storms. The extended conclusion screams "big-budget movie" (rights have already been sold to a major studio) and runs counter to the moody thoughtfulness of the rest of the book. On balance, it's a well-crafted thriller, but it could have been better. Wes LukowskyCopyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved Views: 17
A remarkable collection of stories from a young American writer of huge potential: 'A show-stopping debut, as close to faultless as any writer could wish for' Los Angeles Times 'His fingers dug the shell up, he felt the sleek egg of its body, the toothy gap of its aperture. It was the most elegant thing he'd ever held. "That's a mouse cowry," the doctor said. "A lovely find. It has brown spots, and darker stripes at its base, like tiger stripes. You can't see it, can you?" But he could. He'd never seen anything so clearly in his life.' In this assured, exquisite debut, Anthony Doerr takes readers from the African coast to the suburbs of Ohio, from sideshow pageantry to harsh wilderness survival, conjuring nature in both its beautiful abundance and its crushing power. The blind hero of the title story spends his days roaming the beaches of Kenya, his fingers ploughing through sandy granules of grace and intrigue, his German shepherd at his side. And then there are whale-watchers and fishermen, hunters and mystics, living lives uncompleted or undone, caught, memorably, as they turn toward the reader. A natural storyteller, Doerr explores the human dilemma in all its manifestations: longing, grief, indecision, heartbreak and slow, slow recuperation. Shimmering with elegance and invention, The Shell Collector is an enchanting and imaginative book by a young writer just setting off on what will surely be a hugely compelling literary odyssey. Views: 17
From Publishers WeeklyThis second, slightly uneven entry in British writer Hewson's Nic Costa series (A Season for the Dead) picks up as the Italian detective reluctantly returns to work following a six-month hiatus after being wounded and losing his partner. Stable now—but not fully recovered—he and new partner Gianni Peroni (also damaged goods) are assigned to investigate a somewhat odd archeological find. While sifting for treasure along the banks of the Tiber, an American couple discovered the body of an adolescent girl, perfectly preserved in the rich peat. Apparently the sacrificial victim in some ancient Dionysian ritual, the girl sports an unusual tattoo and was buried with a coin in her mouth. As is soon revealed, though, her death was recent. The plot thickens when British tourist Miranda Julius reports that a mysterious man on a motorbike has abducted her 16-year-old daughter, Suzi, who resembles the dead girl. Costa and Peroni are soon joined by anti-Mafia agent Rachele D'Amato, though it's unclear how the mob is involved in the affair. Hewson does a stellar job bringing all these disparate characters together, but Costa misses and misinterprets obvious clues, asks too few questions and wraps the case up too quickly, straining credibility. Though not as tight as Hewson's first Nic Costa title, this is an atmospheric follow-up, steeped in dark ritual. Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. From BooklistOnce again capturing the imagination of historical mystery lovers, the author of Lucifer's Shadow [BKL My 1 04] brings an ancient Dionysian ritual to light as a clue in this riveting and fast-paced thriller. Hoping to score an archaeological status symbol in an Italian peat bog near Rome, a drunken American couple dredges up instead the beautiful preserved body of what seems to be a 2,000-year-old sacrificial victim. Amid departmental infighting and territorial feuds between government agencies, the Roman police and morgue pathologists discover a link between the bog body and the disappearance of a young tourist: both were involved in a cult that worships Dionysus, the god of lust and debauchery. With all their leads ending in violent death and time running out, detectives Costa and Peroni unearth a web of Mob cover-ups and crooked cops in a puzzling drama involving sex rites and drugs. Every character hides a dark secret that, like Rome's ancient mysteries, seems to lurk just beyond reach. A complex and satisfying mystery from a master plot maker. Jennifer BakerCopyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved Views: 17
R esilient beauty Tedra has devoted her life to the art of combat, and no one, least of all a man, has ever been able to pierce through that rigid armor of single-minded purpose. When political upheaval forces her to flee her homeland, the strongly independent maiden finds that her only refuge is in the arms of a bronzed barbarian.
I n a brotherhood where warriors rule supreme, Challen is the fiercest and most feared. He quickly claims Tedra as tradition and his own desires demand, but though he sparks her yet unfulfilled passion, the proud fighter refuses to submit to any man’s will. Challenging him to physical battle, she also dares him to discover that she is a worthy opponent, partner, and companion—and together they can conquer all realms. Views: 16
A modern gothic about a marriage and road trip gone hauntingly awry Mark and Maggie's annual drive east to visit family has gotten off to a rocky start. By the time they're on the road, it's late, a storm is brewing, and they are no longer speaking to one another. Adding to the stress, Maggie — recently mugged at gunpoint — is lately not herself, and Mark is at a loss about what to make of the stranger he calls his wife. When they are forced to stop for the night at a remote inn, completely without power, Maggie's paranoia reaches an all-time and terrifying high. But when Mark finds himself threatened in a dark parking lot, it's Maggie who takes control. Views: 16
With the defences of the Southern Appalachians sundered, the only thing standing between the ravening Posleen hordes and the soft interior of the Cumberland Plateau are the veterans of the 555th Mobile Infantry. Dropped into Rabun Pass, the only question is which will run out first: power, bullets or bodies. Views: 16
Set in India's Old Delhi, CLEAR LIGHT OF DAY is Anita Desai's tender, warm, and compassionate novel about family scars, the ability to forgive and forget, and the trials and tribulations of familial love. At the novel's heart are the moving relationships between the members of the Das family, who have grown apart from each other. Bimla is a dissatisfied but ambitious teacher at a women's college who lives in her childhood home, where she cares for her mentally challenged brother, Baba. Tara is her younger, unambitious, estranged sister, married and with children of her own. Raja is their popular, brilliant, and successful brother. When Tara returns for a visit with Bimla and Baba, old memories and tensions resurface and blend into a domestic drama that is intensely beautiful and leads to profound self-understanding. Views: 16
