From the acclaimed author of Keeper’n Me and For Joshua, Dream Wheels is a vital and unsparing novel from one of the most fascinating voices in Canadian writing.Joe Willie Wolfchild is on the verge of becoming a World Champion rodeo cowboy when a legendary bull cripples him. At the same time, in the same city, Claire Hartley is brutally assaulted and her 14-year-old son, Aiden, is critically injured during a burglary. The young Ojibway-Sioux man, the black single mother and her mulatto son find their lives irrevocably changed.Joe Willie, a rodeo cowboy since he was a child, smolders in angry silence over a deformed left arm and a limp that make it impossible for him to compete. Claire, a victim of numerous bad relationships, withdraws from men and swears a bitter celibacy. Aiden gains notoriety among his criminal peers and slips into a self-destructive spiral of drugs and violence.Eager to find a place for her son to channel his explosive energies, Claire brings Aiden to a rodeo camp run by the Wolfchild family, where he is drawn to bull riding and proves to be a stunning natural. But Joe Willie refuses to have anything to do with the camp, remaining an aloof, mysterious presence to Claire and the boy.Birch Wolfchild, Joe Willie’s father, sees the potential for Aiden to become a champion and for his son to heal himself, if they can move beyond anger to forge a partnership. Claire’s and Joe Willie’s wounds bring them together in a surprising romance, and beneath it all is Birch Wolfchild’s tale of the changing of the life of the Indian cowboy. Dream Wheels is a story about change. Moving from the Wild West Shows of the late 1880s to the National Finals Rodeo in Las Vegas to a lush valley in the mountains, it tells the story of a people’s journey, a family’s vision, a man’s reawakening, a woman’s recovery, and a boy’s emergence to manhood.From the Hardcover edition.From Publishers WeeklyWagamese (Keeper N' Me) threads Native Canadian lore and spirituality into his generous and sentimental Western. Rodeo bull rider Joe Willie Wolfchild, eight seconds away from becoming the #1 ranked "All-Round Cowboy," suffers a career-ending accident that leads him to retreat to the family ranch, where his parents, grandparents and physiotherapist try to coax him back onto his feet. Meanwhile, 15-year-old Aiden Hartley, a disaffected city kid jailed for his role in a botched armed robbery, and his abused mother, Claire, are shepherded by a sympathetic cop (who happens to be a friend of the Wolfchilds) to the Wolfchild ranch, where they can mend their fractured relationship and get Aiden on a better track. Claire takes to the country life and to the Wolfchilds, who represent the stability she's always wanted. Aiden, not one for the "yippee cay-yay" stuff, locks horns with Joe Willie until the similarities in their warrior spirits bring them together. Aiden helps Joe Willie restore a '34 Ford pickup, and Joe Willie teaches Aiden to ride bulls. From there, the narrative grows predictably uplifting, and Wagamese's tendency to carry on (and on) about the romance of cowboy life wears thin. But the novel remains a worthy testament to the healing power of family and tradition. (Sept.) Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. From BooklistOjibwa author Wagamese mixes cowboy lore and Native American mysticism in this affecting novel about the healing effects of family. In pursuit of a world-champion title, Joe Willie Wolfchild suffers a horrific, career-ending accident while riding a temperamental bull named C-4. His supportive family, longtime rodeo people, whisk him back to their ranch to recuperate but worry about his emotional health. Meanwhile, urban street-kid Aiden, sick and tired of his mother Claire's long string of abusive boyfriends, plans a robbery only to land in jail. Upon his release, a concerned parole officer finds a place for Aiden and his mom at the Wolfchild ranch. Claire takes to the stable family and wide-open vistas immediately, but Aiden and Joe Willie circle each other warily until they find common ground. Far from the laconic stereotype, Wagamese's chatty cowboys endlessly parse the western lifestyle and its macho code of conduct, but his soaring descriptions of the desert landscape, action-packed rodeo scenes, and reverence for hearth and home will strike a chord with readers. Joanne WilkinsonCopyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved Views: 39
On a stifling August day, six-year-old Clare Fraser and seven-year-old Rudy Vantwest make eye contact from opposite sides of their street. For an instant they are connected, then each turns away — Clare to the shelter of the garden sprinkler, Rudy to the excitement of his brotherís impending birth. Twenty-five years later, Clare and Rudy, strangers living continents apart, fixtures of each otherís memories and imaginations, are connected again. Overturning the guarded, insular lives they both lead, two events — one an accident, the other an act of terror — transform them both and bind the Vantwest and Fraser families irrevocably.Adam's Peak weaves back and forth between a Montreal suburb and a Colombo private school, between a Ceylon tea estate at the end of the Second World War and a small Scottish town in the early 1960s, its characters struggling desperately to come to terms with themselves and with their powerful connections to the people and places they have tried to escape.Review"Heather Burt's first novel is an unequivocal success." "Oddly moving because it is a strangely spectacular ordinariness that tips over into the transcendental here."From the Inside FlapClare and Rudy struggle to come to terms with themselves and with powerful connections to people and places they have tried desperately to escape. Views: 39
Once Upon a Time ...A haughty princess paraded in front of her people but ended up showing off far more than her leadership skills. A modern-day Cinderella went to the ball in a pair of black patent-leather stiletto heels guaranteed to bring the foot-worshipping prince to his knees. The seven dwarves proved that what they lacked in size they more than made up for in numbers.And Goldie learned that nothing is too hot when it comes to finding out which of the three "bare" bachelors is neither too big nor too small, but just right.In The Empress's New Lingerie your favorite childhood fairy tales have taken a decidedly adult turn. So dim the lights, get cozy, and lose yourself in sexy bedtime stories with a naughty twist. . . . Pleasant dreams.From the Trade Paperback edition. Views: 39
“Spare your soul,” he ranted, “and turn your eyes from greed.…”The tattoos on his arms still reading “Live by the Sword” and “Die by the Sword,” Aramis Black is ready for a fresh start. Determined to set aside his violent tendencies, he opens an espresso shop in Nashville and begins to put his childhood memories behind him. The past isn’t finished with him, though. One ordinary day at the shop, a man is shot before his eyes, speaking dying words to Aramis that are all too familiar. Aramis realizes that his path to freedom will demand forgiveness–forgiveness from God and forgiveness of others. Along the way, he must uncover the conspiracy behind a centuries-old mystery and the shocking truth of his mother’s death. The question remains: Will Aramis be able to conquer his past, or will evil get the best of him? From the Trade Paperback edition.From BooklistAramis Black took a walk on the wild side in his youth, but now he is trying to make a go of conventional life in Nashville, not in music but as the proprietor and co-owner of a coffee shop. Unsavory types from his past stalk him, however, convinced that he knows the whereabouts of treasure buried long ago by Meriwether Lewis on the Natchez Trace. The Lewis material, speculating on whether Lewis' death was suicide or murder, gives some depth to what is otherwise rather a slight mystery. The Nashville setting is a plus, too, in this first of a trilogy. John MortCopyright © American Library Association. All rights reservedReviewPraise for *The Best of Evil** “With The Best of Evil, Eric Wilson reveals himself as THE author to watch. His writing sizzles; his characters grab you and won’t let go; his story intrigues, entertains, and makes you think. This is a page-turner you’ll talk about with your friends.”–Robert Liparulo, author of Germ and Comes a Horseman“The world through Aramis Black’s eyes is mysterious, rich, and brewing with surprise.”–Brandilyn Collins, Seatbelt Suspense*™ “Eric Wilson masterfully weaves together mysteries from past and present in this gutsy thriller. Wilson is an extraordinary writer with one of the freshest voices in fiction today. The Best of Evil is first-rate suspense.”–Gina Holmes, Novel Journey/Novel Reviews** “A work of amazing maturity and skill.”–James Byron Huggins, author of Cain, The Scam, and Sorcerer “The Best of Evil is riveting reading–Eric Wilson at the top of his game. He combines suspense, history, a reality-game show, full-blooded characters and yes, palpable evil, into one addictive read. You’ll love his flawed but charismatic protagonist, Aramis Black, a man prepared to live by the sword and die by the sword. Quite simply, The Best of Evil is the best of fiction.”–Randy Singer, author of The Cross Examination of Oliver Finney “In The Best of Evil, you get the best of Eric Wilson–the only novelist I know who can make you wish you’d paid more attention in your seventh grade history class. Wilson manages to make Meriwether Lewis into a figure of contemporary fascination in this intriguing tale, set in modern-day Tennessee. Aramis Black is serving up hot coffee and sarcasm when a customer gets shot dead, propelling us into a story with all the twists and turns of a Smokey Mountain road. A stolen hankie, a pretty girl, a lock of hair, simmering family tensions, and a complicated hero with a dark past–The Best of Evil has it all.”–Melanie Wells, author of When the Day of Evil Comes and The Soul Hunter* Views: 39
The major mover in the cocaine trade has always escaped U.S. Government indictment. Now, with a little persuasion from the DEA, the drug king's top lieutenant has turned stoolie. His testimony will topple a million-dollar empire…if the DEA can get him to Los Angeles alive. Worried inside leaks, the Feds call in unofficial escort.
The two-thousand mile run becomes a cross-country killing-ground as the Bolan brothers and their charge are ambushed at every turn by free-lance gunners hungry for the bounty on the stoolie's head.
Two men against an army. But when the name is Bolan… it's enough. Views: 39
“Found drowned, my foot,” said the pathologist two minutes after looking at the body. The unidentified young man pulled from the salt water near the little fishing village of Edsway hadn’t drowned after all. And he hadn’t been a bather either, observed Detective Inspector C. D. Sloan. One simply didn’t go swimming in a shirt and trousers. Not voluntarily, that is. And then there was the matter of the mysterious copper weight stuffed in the dead man’s pocket… and the sunken ship discovered offshore. It all added up to murder as Inspector Sloan set out in a dinghy to net the killer before he got the chance to send another victim to a watery grave. Views: 39
Violet, the fourth book of the Silver Series, is about a teenage girl who awakens to the harsh reality of life as a werewolf. Protected by a wild werewolf with golden eyes, Colleen finds solace in his forest and control over her rapidly changing life. But Colleen's control is put to the ultimate test when her loved ones are in danger, forcing her to choose between freedom or returning to the source of her nightmares.Violet is a story of love amid loss and courage in the face of overwhelming odds. It is a story of finding a kernel of hope within a life torn apart by an accident and a cruel twist of fate. Views: 39
Wintertime at the orchard has Peter learning some important lessons about speaking up in this second novel of a sweet series about the bonds of friendship.Blanketed in snow, the orchard looks like a magical wonderland. But Peter is not so charmed by his new life. He just can't ignore how he's always ignored any longer. Sarah, Lizzie, and Olive are always talking over him and bossing him around. And on top of that, it's really cold outside. One January day, Peter reluctantly agrees to join the girls on a carriage ride through the freshly fallen snow. But things go terribly wrong when a dog incident has the horses running away in fear, with Peter and the carriage trailing dangerously behind them. Then, Peter hits his head on a passing branch and is thrown to the ground. Woozy, Peter wakes up alone in the snow but he makes his way to a cozy cottage. Kai, the cool new kid, opens the door and welcomes Peter inside. Kai shows him a magical mirror that brings... Views: 39
From the author of The Gustav SonataWhen Erica March composes herself to die in a cupboard, she knows that Ralph Pears will find her. For at the age of 87, she had told the young journalist the richly colourful story of her life as novelist, political activist and, above all, lover, from childhood in Suffolk, Paris between the wars, to oblivion in post-war London. At the end of Ralph's patient probings only one secret remains: the mystery inside one constant object in her life - her cupboard.Over a million Rose Tremain books sold'A writer of exceptional talent ... Tremain is a writer who understands every emotion' Independent I'There are few writers out there with the dexterity or emotional intelligence to rival that of the great Rose Tremain' Irish Times 'Tremain has the painterly genius of an Old Master, and she uses it to stunning effect' The Times'Rose Tremain is one... Views: 39
THEY'RE NOT BACK IN HIGH SCHOOL ANYMOREThe night after their high school graduation Darcie Barrett and Anton "Zeke" Zeekowsky made love for the first time. And when Zeke left town the next day, Darcie didn't look back, even though he'd taken her seventeen-year-old heart with him.And now Darcie has convinced Zeke to come back--at least temporarily--because the town needs his help. And it's not the help Zeke is inclined to give--until he meets a boy who reminds him what it's like to be an outsider.That's the thing about Darcie--Zeke never felt out of place beside her. And even though he's "made it," there's something missing in his life. Make that someone... Views: 39
