The tenants of Lois Meade's terrace house in Tresham are frustrated by their neighbor's feisty pet cockerel, Satan. His owner, Clem Fitch, refuses to part with his feathery companion-making Lois's tenants fly the coop. Luckily, her son Douglas agrees to rent the house.But when Clem and Satan are found dead, Douglas-who is involved with Clem's daughter-becomes a prime suspect in some foul business.From Publishers WeeklyIn British author Purser's sprightly eighth Lois Meade cozy (after 2007's Sorrow on Sunday), Lois, who operates a cleaning service called New Brooms, looks into the murder of 78-year-old Clement Fitch and his infamously loud rooster, Satan. Lois's son, Douglas, Clem's new neighbor in the town of Tresham, becomes a prime suspect after an anonymous informant claims to have seen Douglas knock the pensioner to the ground. Members of the Meade family, Lois's employees and Douglas's new girlfriend all seek to prove Douglas's innocence. To do so, they must unmask the true identities of Clem's neighbor across the street, Mrs. Imogen Blairgowrie, a supposedly visually impaired New Brooms client, whose slimy son, Alastair, might be involved with organized crime. Purser supplements the sleuthing with spot-on observations of working-class village life and the trials of running a small business, though a rushed resolution leaves some questions unanswered. (Nov.) Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. From BooklistPurser’s Lois Meade series has covered village crime from Monday through Sunday (e.g., Murder on Monday, 2002). Now, she is working through every hour of the day—a new wrinkle in our 24/7 world. Meade, proprietor of the New Brooms cleaning business, makes a handy police consultant, as cleaners know all about their clients’ dirt. This time that involves retiree Clem Fitch, who lives with his pet cockerel in the village of Tresham. The rooster enjoys waking all the neighbors at very early hours of the morning. Those neighbors include Lois’ son, Douglas, and a nearly blind older woman, whose irascible son hires Lois’ firm to clean her mother’s home. When Clem and his pet are murdered, Lois assists her friend, Detective Inspector Hunter Cowgill, in solving the case. Purser uses dramatic irony effectively, letting the reader know more than her sleuths do and allowing us to watch as they pull the pieces together. This novel’s denouement doesn’t have quite the shock value typical of this series, but the story is thoroughly enjoyable nonetheless. --Judy Coon Views: 66
Casanegra follows the adventures of Tennyson Hardwick, a gorgeous, sexy actor and former gigolo, living on the fringes of the good life in Hollywood. This story, which chronicles the redemption of a prodigal son, combines the glamour of Hollywood with the seedy hopelessness of the inner city. In this hot and steamy mystery, Tennyson struggles to hang on to his acting career and redeem his sex-for-pay history, which estranged him from his family -- especially his father, a decorated LAPD captain who raised Tennyson to call him "sir." Now, in the wake of his father's sudden stroke, Tennyson has to save himself from taking the fall for the first murder of a female rapper. In the process he discovers his hidden talents -- the hard way. Views: 66
This is a reprint of Jo Ann Ferguson's acclaimed time travel Regency romance. A VOW THAT CANNOT BE BROKEN. . . Viking Nils Bjornsson turns his back on a warrior's reward to find his chieftain's stolen knife and erase the dishonor brought upon Nils's family. When he appeals to the Norse gods to send him a handmaiden to help him fulfill his pledge to bring the knife to his chieftain, he forgets how the old gods like to meddle in the lives of mortals. A SPIRIT THAT WON'T BE BROKEN. . . Lady Linnea Sutherland knows her father wishes her to marry their neighbor Lord Tuthill. It is certain to be the perfect match for a Regency miss. But Linnea is looking for a hero, a man who excites her heart as boring Lord Tuthill does not. When she discovers Nils injured on the shore, she is caught up in the adventure of helping this handsome, dangerous man complete the vow he made nearly a millennium before. But first she must teach this Viking how to act like a Regency gentleman. TWO HEARTS THAT CAN BE BROKEN. . . To help Nils means that Linnea must dare the ancient ways of his past and risk her future. In a game played in the Norse gods' hall of Asgard, two human hearts are of little consequence and love can become an ally or a foe. Views: 66
TJ is a new boy at Parkview School and he's never played in a proper football match before, but he soon makes friends with a bunch of football-mad kids.The trouble is, none of the teachers at Parkview are interested in football and the kids have nowhere to play -- until Mr Wood arrives. With Mr Wood's help -- and with the assistance of Mr Wood's old friend, Marshall Jones, a Premier League footballer - the kids and their parents mend their pitch, begin to put together a brilliant football team, and start to turn the school into a place to be proud of. Views: 66
She was beautiful, she was ruthless. She was Vera Atkins, legendary spy of the 1930s and 1940s. Here is the extraordinary account of the woman whose intelligence, beauty and unflagging dedication proved the key in turning the tide of WWII. Recruited at age 23 by legendary spymaster William Stephenson (known as Intrepid) Vera Atkins undertook countless perilous missions on her own in the 1930s. Her fierce intellect, personal courage, and facility with languages quickly propelled her to the leadership echelon of the Special Operations Executive (SOE), a covert intelligence agency formed by Winston Churchill. During World War II... Views: 66
I killed and buried my best friend today...When authorities found Raffi Kodikian—barely alive—four days after he and his friend David Coughlin became lost in Rattlesnake Canyon, they made a grim and shocking discovery. Kodikian freely admitted that he had stabbed Coughlin twice in the heart. Had there been a darker motive than mercy? And how could anyone, under any circumstances, kill his best friend?Armed with the journal Kodikian and Coughlin carried into Rattle- snake Canyon, Jason Kersten re-creates in riveting detail those fateful days that led to the killing in an infamously unforgiving wilderness. Views: 66
Frank V. Webster was one of the early 20th century\'s most prolific authors of kids adventure books and Westerns, but that was due in large part to the fact that Frank V. Webster was actually many authors. Using Webster\'s name as a pseudonym, the Stratemeyer Syndicate published a number of books tailor made for boys, and they are still popular today. Views: 66
Lucifer’s War, which damned legions of angels to Hell, is an ancient and bitter memory shrouded in the smoke and ash of the Inferno. The Fallen, those banished demons who escaped the full wrath of Heaven, have established a limitless and oppressive kingdom within the fiery confines of Hell. Lucifer has not been seen since the Fall and the mantle of rulership has been passed to the horrific Prince Beelzebub, the Lord of the Flies. The Demons Major, Heaven’s former warriors, have become the ruling class. They are the equivalent to landed lords, each owing allegiance to the de facto ruler of Hell. They reign over their fiefdoms, tormenting the damned souls and adding to their wealth. One Demon Major, however, who has not forgotten his former life in Heaven. The powerful Lord Sargatanas is restless. For millennia Sargatanas has ruled dutifully but unenthusiastically, building his city, Adamantinarx, into the model of an Infernal metropolis. But he has never forgotten what he lost in the Fall—proximity to God. He is sickened by what he has become. Now, with a small event—a confrontation with one of the damned souls—he makes a decision that will reverberate through every being in Hell. Sargatanas decides to attempt the impossible, to rebel, to endeavor to go Home and bring with him anyone who chooses to follow… be they demon or soul. He will stake everything on this chance for redemption. Views: 66
