She's intelligent. She's witty. She lives in Provincetown and she's got a great dog. Pretty good credentials, one would think. So how come private investigator Alex Peres is single...again? When a sneaker washes up on the cold winter beach, Alex and her four-legged partner, Fargo, are sent on an unlikely adventure. But that's nothing compared to the one-on-one thrill ride of a new relationship. From the moment Janet Meacham walks into the Wharf Rat Bar, Alex's usually stable world rocks like never before. Just as work and love seem to settle down, that sneaker comes back to kick Alex right between the eyes. Alex would do anything for Janet -- remodel her bachelor household, clean out the closets and even make Fargo share the bed. But if she can't figure out where that sneaker came from, Alex may not live long enough to enjoy the happy-ever-after ending she's finally let herself believe in.ReviewGoldie Award WINNER, Outstanding Mystery! -- Golden Crown Literary Society, 2005From the PublisherBella Books is proud to present CAUGHT IN THE NET. First time author Jessica Thomas delivers an exciting, wickedly observant story of mystery, danger and love. For Alex Peres, they're all the same thing. Views: 38
Tonight's tale . . . Lindsay's family vacation isn't exactly fun in the sun: the beach is littered, the locals are creepy, and the outlook is bleak. Then Lindsay meets Mark, the boy next door. He's sweet, gorgeous, and an amazing musician. But his menacing guardians keep him locked away from the world. They perform sinister rites, and one day Lindsay glimpses terrible wounds on Mark's back! Lindsay must save him — though it means facing pure evil. Views: 38
'With Andy, the sky's the limit...' - John McEnroe. At Wimbledon in 2005, a young, brash Andy Murray came out of nowhere and thrashed star pros Georges Bastl and Radek Stepanek. He took a two-set lead against former finalist David Nalbandian before his dramatic winning run came to a end on the Centre Court. But a legend was born, and Britain had a new sporting hero.Henman Hill was renamed Murray Mound, and Henmania became Andymonium. In 2006, Murray went stellar. Aged just 18 he won his first ATP title at San Jose, California, beating former world no. 1s Andy Roddick and Lleyton Hewitt on the way. In the same month, he deposed Tim Henman to become the British No. 1. By the end of a wonderful year in which he was one of only two players to beat Roger Federer, Murray was no. 17 in the world. But Murray is much more than a truly gifted tennis player and potential grand slam champion. He has changed the face of the British game, blowing away... Views: 38
Amazon.com ReviewFifteen-year-old wannabe philosopher Luther T. Farrell knows a few things about life. He knows the Sarge (his rich, shrewd, slumlord mom) is tougher than nails and that he better not cross her. He knows his chances of using Chauncey, the ancient condom in his wallet, are slim to none. And, he knows that despite his goal to attend Harvard, he may end up stuck in Flint, Michigan, cleaning toilets in his mom's loathsome empire. Luther spends much of his time helping the Sarge run "Happy Neighbor Group Homes" around the city, including shaving and bathing elderly men and driving residents around with an illegal license. In spare moments he tries to win first place in the science fair at school and hang out with his best friend Sparky, all the while fantasizing mightily about his one true love, the beautiful Shayla.Readers will be moved as Luther, a thoroughly decent if sometimes naive boy, rails against his mother's cold, ruthless notions of what it takes to get ahead in the world. Up-to-the-minute slang and pop culture references will resonate with teen readers, as will the funny, first-person narrative; crisp, often hilarious dialogue; and wonderfully vivid characters. Christopher Paul Curtis, winner of the Newbery Medal for Bud Not Buddy tells a warm, witty, heart wrenching story where the good guy gets his due. (Ages 12 and older) --Karin SnelsonFrom School Library JournalGrade 8 Up–Luther's mother, "the Sarge," runs an empire of Flint, MI, slums and halfway houses, and has a loan-sharking business. At age 15, Luther manages one of her halfway houses, drives the residents around in a van with an illegal license, and readies the homes of evicted tenants for the Sarge's next desperate victims. In exchange, she puts his earnings in a college fund, threatens him into submission, and primes him to take over the business. All Luther wants to do is win the school science fair, think deep thoughts, find some action for the vintage condom in his wallet, and do something honest with his life. Curtis tells the teen's story with his usual combination of goofy humor, tongue-in-cheek corniness, and honest emotion. Accordingly, Luther narrates the absurd, embarrassing details of his life with both adult sensitivity and teen crassness. The dialogue between Luther and Sparky, his "womb to tomb" best friend, is at turns hilarious and touching. The Sarge herself is so convincingly sharp-tongued, shrewd, and despicable that she's the novel's juiciest character. The plot unfolds slowly at first, and teens may lose patience with Luther's tendency to feel sorry for himself. However, once his confidence begins to build, the story keeps a quickening pace with his character arc. His final revenge on the Sarge is so deftly constructed and the novel's resolution so satisfying that it makes up for the occasional lag in the lead-up. Any teen who's ever wanted to stick it to the man (or woman) will love this story.–Johanna Lewis, New York Public Library Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. Views: 38
Susan Carter has her hands full raising twins and running the Galilee Women's Shelter-she doesn't need darkly handsome pastor Gabriel Dawson complicating her life. But she can't avoid him, not after she opens his eyes to the plight of the battered women in his parish, whose drug-addicted men are connected to the Venezuelan cartel La Mano Oscura and the Diablo crime syndicate. Spending time with Gabriel, when he's her auctioned "date" and again with her daughters, shows Susan both the gentleness and protectiveness of the former marine. And once Susan's daughters decide that they want Gabriel as their new daddy, what else is there for a man of God to do...but become a family man? Views: 38
Samantha Shaw, owner of the Heart Males dating service, hates soccer. But she doesn't have a problem with settling scores--especially when deceitful ex-husbands are involved. So when Janie Tuggle, the former wife of town hero and championship-winning soccer coach Chad, asks her to investigate her embezzling ex, Sam dives right in. Turns out, the weasel is not only pocketing $16,000, but has been cheating on Janie at every opportunity. Exposing him will be a pleasure. But before Sam can make a call. Chad is found dead in his office--and Sam and Janie are both suspects. Detective Logan Vance is breathing down Sam's neck, her boyfriend and sleuthing partner Gabe Pulizzi is working the case for Chad's sexy former lover, Dara Reed, and unwelcome discoveries are springing up all over town. Netting the killer feels like a long shot, but as another cheating husband's crimes threaten Sam's business, her brand-new relationship, and even her life, the penalty for slipping up could be fatal.From Publishers WeeklySports moms waiting for practice to end will enjoy the third bubbly entry in Apodaca's cozy series (after 2003's Dying to Meet You) starring Samantha Shaw, amateur sleuth and owner of Heart Mates, her "beloved and struggling dating service" in Lake Elsinore, Calif. When her old friend Janie Tuggle tells her that ex-husband Chad, the head coach of the Soccer Club of Lake Elsinore (SCOLE), has been embezzling funds, Sam is anxious to help. Janie should know, since she managed the club's accounts for years, until Chad left her for a younger woman. No sooner does Sam manage to copy the disk with SCOLE's accounts than Chad is murdered in his office, and Sam and Janie become prime suspects. A number of potential allies stonewall or even hinder Sam's investigation. Now why on earth would they do that? The tension grows as Sam zeroes in on the killer. Amusing characters and situations add to the frothy fun. Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. Review"One can almost hear Miss Marple saying, 'You go, girl!'" Views: 38
Even as a young man, Hamid Farsi is acclaimed as a master of the art of calligraphy. But as time goes by, he sees that weakness in the Arabic language and its script limit its uses in the modern world. In a secret society, he works out schemes for radical reform, never guessing what risks he is running. Views: 38
Nicholas is running away, both from his marriage and an unfaithful wife, and the comfortable life he has known in Dublin. He buys a run down house in rural Cavan, right in the heart of Ireland, and embarks on a huge renovation project. While he is there, the house seems to speak to him - there are voices coming from an untraceable source, the seductive smell of baking seeps through the walls, and there is the unmistakable ethereal presence of a woman from the past. She is June Fanning, an English woman who lived in the house in 1941. As her narrative combines with Nicholas's, the story of The Adulteress is revealed - and Nicholas begins to discover exactly what went wrong with his own marriage. Views: 38
She's just been shot at, arrested and thrown in jail, but trust former police officer Stella Valocchi -- compared to last week, things are looking up. Last week she: a) caught her cop boyfriend in bed with her best friend, b) kidnapped the boyfriend's dog and c) ran for home, only to find the man who once left her at the altar presiding over her favorite uncle's funeral. This week Stella's hunting her uncle's killer. Being arrested on bogus charges just means she's on target. But to stay there she's got to confront the past -- and her former fiance -- and stick to her guns in the face of shocking family secrets.... Views: 38
I grew up with lies. Lies about my eternal heart. An eternal heart is the way we skinwalkers think of our true love, the love of our lives if you will. Now, I don’t believe any of the stories they say about her and I absolutely don’t believe she turned into a camazotz. I know she’s alive, and all I about is finding her, and making her mine. Views: 38
Faith Fairchild is momentarily shocked to find her husband, the Reverend Thomas Fairchild, embracing Lora Deane -- and relieved to discover the distraught nursery school teacher is merely seeking solace and advice. Lora has been receiving threatening phone calls. And she's not the only resident of tiny Aleford, Massachusetts, who is being terrorized. Ever since local environmentalists have begun protesting the proposed housing development that will destroy Beecher's Bog, the more vocal opponents have become targets of a vicious campaign of intimidation-which is more than enough reason for Faith to launch into some clandestine sleuthing. But when a body turns up in the charred ruins of a very suspicious house fire, Faith is suddenly investigating a murder -- and in serious danger of getting bogged down in a very lethal mess indeed!
From Publishers Weekly The cozy village of Alesford, Mass., may seem an unlikely spot for murder, but such crimes gravitate toward Faith Fairchild, the local minister's wife and self-employed caterer. In her seventh case (after The Body in the Kelp), the sleuthing mother of two and her husband, Tom, find themselves in the middle of a town controversy over the proposed development of Beecher's Bog, a popular nature spot. The disagreement turns nasty when opponents of the planned luxury housing begin receiving poison pen letters. An arson fire and a corpse later, the town's residents are enraged and fearful as they plan the annual Patriots' Day celebrations. Faith keeps an eagle eye out for the murderer, whom she eventually encounters in her own company kitchen. While Page's pacing lacks crispness, some unusual characters-a preschool teacher who has an apparent double life and the feisty town historian who heads up POW! (Preserve Our Wetlands!)-and Faith's good nature generally compensate in this New England mystery, which is accompanied by five recipes, including one for Faith's Yankee Pot Roast. Views: 38
Frances is on a fertility drug and sizing up the milkman. Charles is struggling between shocked disapproval and guilty desire for his own illegitimate daughter – a fifteen-year-old secret who arrives and takes over the nest. Their sterile and rule-ridden marriage (where even sex requires timetable and rule-book) begins to fall apart. In desperation, Frances seeks an escape-route, in a wild attempt to change the cold climate of her life. In this tragic-comic study of relationships in conflict, Perriam reflects on freedom in all its different aspects, ranging motherhood against emancipation, teenage rebellion against middle-aged repression, and sexual abandonment against puritan restraint. She also makes us laugh. Cuckoo is extremely funny, though in Perriam's work we are often laughing at ourselves and the sad lunacy of the way we run our lives. By the end of this explosive novel, the cuckoos – and the cuckolds – are clearly... Views: 38
