When Ziggy Czarnecki was big in Detroit, the Motor City was hot, and so was he, the numbers man in the neighborhood with even more juice than the monsignor. In the '50s he gave out tickets to Tigers games by the dozen, and even the mayor came to the famous parties at his place on Harsen's Island. But that was then and Ziggy, having long ago lost the numbers and wrecked a good part of his life in the process, is now sixty-five, and he's gotten used to keeping his head down as he makes his way through the desolate city that's his home. Which is why his reaction surprises him when he hears that Przybylski the undertaker who now lives in California may be the one who figngered him all those years ago and brought down the raids that led to his downfall: Ziggy feels a jolt from somewhere that convinces him he's got to go out there and find out if it's true.Crossing the country by Greyhound, Ziggy encounters storm, flood and fire. The endless prairie with its lost towns, the dusty... Views: 34
** During the summer holidays, Sophie landed herself the main part in a locally shot big-screen film. Now she faces a new challenge - starting secondary school and trying to fit in whilst underplaying her recent stardom. Then when she is cast as Lucy for the theatre production of The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe she is over the moon. However, she soon finds herself struggling with some of the dance routines but can't quite bring herself to admint she needs help. Through the course of the term and the lead-up to the exciting first night, Lucy finds there is much to learn about growing-up and just how important loyalty, honesty and, more than anything, friendship are. Views: 34
The seventh book in Sujata Massey's Agatha and Macavity Award–winning mystery series is a witty, suspenseful story that takes its young sleuth into the Washington DC restaurant world.A dazzling engagement ring and the promise of a fresh start bring antiques dealer and sometime sleuth Rei Shimura to Washington, DC. But just as she's starting to settle down –catching up with a long–lost cousin and undertaking a lucrative commission furnishing a trendy Japanese restaurant nearby – things begin to go haywire. First, her cousin vanishes from the restaurant's opening–night party, and then Rei is drafted to help find a Japanese war bride who disappeared 30 years earlier.The search for both missing women becomes suspiciously linked, and along the way, Rei faces truths about herself that may change her destiny – if she lives long enough. Views: 34
A Haunted Maze Has Twice The Dead Ends. Frank and Joe are thrilled to be taking part in the grand opening celebration of a new maze in Cape Breton, Nova Scotia. By solving puzzles -- their specialty -- they could win a valuable prize! But once they arrive, the teens soon have a new puzzle to solve: The owner and designer of the maze, Chezleigh Alan Horton, suddenly disappears. As the boys make their way through a labyrinth of suspects, they face a new twist. Can Frank and Joe unravel a decade-old riddle to save the renowned mazemaster? Views: 34
The clash of ancient rules and modern expectations swirl together in this cool, urban 21st century faery tale. Rule #3: Don't stare at invisible faeries. Aislinn has always seen faeries. Powerful and dangerous, they walk hidden in the mortal world, and would blind her if they knew of her Sight. Rule #2: Don't speak to invisible faeries. Now faeries are stalking her. One of them, Keenan, who is equal parts terrifying and alluring, is trying to talk to her, asking questions Aislinn is afraid to answer. Rule #1: Don't ever attract their attention. But it's too late. Keenan is the Summer King and has sought his queen for nine centuries. Without her, summer itself will perish. He is determined that Aislinn will become the Summer Queen at any cost! Suddenly none of the rules that have kept Aislinn safe are working any more, and everything is on the line: her freedom; her best friend, Seth; her life; everything. Views: 34
World of the Lupi - 1.5 Molly doesn't look her age. In fact, Molly never will, having already been around for centuries with no signs of wear. That's because Molly is a succubus—not demonic, but cursed. A victim rather than victimizer—and more than sympathetic to the gorgeous and naked man she finds hiding in the woods. Unlike Molly though, he has no memory of his past—only that he’s being hunted for reasons he can’t explain. Now they must both try and solve the riddle of his origin before his past—or even hers—reaches out of the darkness to destroy them. Views: 34
The Barnes & Noble ReviewSecond in the Cree Black series (following City of Masks), this paranormal thriller is filled with fascinating elements of Navajo culture and traditional beliefs. Author Daniel Hecht finds a careful narrative balance between family drama, eerie occultism, and scientific examination.Teenager Tommy Keeday suffers strange and dangerous seizures while a student at a school for gifted Native Americans in New Mexico and is believed to be possessed by an evil Navajo spirit. Seattle-based parapsychologist Cree Black is asked to study and save the boy. Along with her team of ghost hunters, she uses her own empathic skills to delve into the dark secrets of the teachers and fellow students who might have something to do with Tommy's illness.Hecht makes a bold effort to give readers believable investigations into the supernatural. Cree considers and applies theories involving magnetic fields, mysterious energies, genetics, and geographical forces. The narrative is leavened with a great many separate back-stories, as several fascinating Navajo myths and local legends are discussed in depth. This plausible, spooky, and grabbing mixture of solid detective work and paranormal chills is highly recommended. Views: 34
The only thing I felt was a strong hand around my neck, another around my waist, and -- before I could cry out -- I smelled the thick, sweet scent of a mandrake-soaked cloth. Unforgiving hands clapped it against my face, and all went dark.AlaÏs, the king of France's sister, is abducted while on her mission for the wily Eleanor of Aquitaine, the former Queen of England, to retrieve hidden letters that, in the wrong hands, could bring down the English king. In exchange, the French princess was to receive long-heldand dangerous information. Now AlaÏs, along with help from the very intriguing leader of the Knights Templar, must unravel a tangled web of family secrets and lies.Filled with intrigue and peopled with compelling legendary figures, The Canterbury Papers is an "electrifying journey into the past" (Booklist).From Publishers WeeklyThis engaging medieval suspense debut is alternately playful and sober in its exploration of the power maneuvers and backstabbing of the royal families of England and France. The story, set in the early 1200s, is narrated by Princess Alais Capet, a bored and somewhat bitter member of the French nobility, long passed over for both matrimony and higher status. Ala‹s is approached by Queen Eleanor, who asks her to retrieve a secret and highly personal cache of letters hidden in England's Canterbury Cathedral. Eleanor won't explain the importance of the letters, but in return for salvaging them, she promises to divulge family secrets that Ala‹s could use to her advantage. Alais, frustrated by the slow and tiresome life at the French court, agrees to run the errand, but when she reaches Canterbury, she finds not only the letters missing but a trail of dead bodies in her wake. Just as she is about to depart for home, she's abducted and taken prisoner by King John, an inept and insecure leader who views Alais as an important pawn in his attempts to strengthen his tenuous grip on the throne. Healey's well-researched historical drama many of the characters and circumstances are based on real-life models delights in poking fun at the stuffiness and misbehavior that characterized the royal families of the time. The pace may be a little too leisurely for some readers, but Alais's tart, wry perspective makes this age-old story fresh and absorbing. Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. From BooklistDebut novelist Healey brings medieval history to life in magnificent fashion as she adds a new twist to an old legend. An elderly Eleanor of Aquitaine requests that her former ward, Alais Capet, the sister of the king of France, travel to Canterbury and retrieve a cache of letters Eleanor had hidden in the cathedral there years earlier. Alais is reluctant, but Eleanor dangles an irresistible carrot in front of her: a promise of information about the whereabouts of Alais' illegitimate child. The French princess undertakes the dangerous task, only to be kidnapped by a desperate King John. Alais must unravel an intricately tangled web of family intrigue and deception that could lead either to a reunion with her lost son or to her own destruction. Plagued by infidelity and mistrust, petty jealousy and political rivalry, the infamously dysfunctional Plantagenets plot and scheme against one another in this electrifying journey into the past. Margaret FlanaganCopyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved Views: 34
Isaiah Morrison is a man after God's heart. Even though his wife divorces him, Isaiah continues to preach and declare the goodness of the Lord. He is content to live alone for the rest of his life, never imagining that God has something else in mind for him.The first day Ramona Verse walked into Christ Tabernacle, she fell in love with everything about the church, and especially the handsome self-assured man behind the pulpit. But would a man like Pastor Morrison ever consider a woman with a dark past like hers? Ramona and Pastor Morrison are brought together through his need for someone to head his charity foundation, but Isaiah will soon discover that he needs much more from the secretive Miss Verse than he ever thought possible. Views: 34
