Audrey and her best friends Lea and C.C. have just arrived at Jemison High from the one-room private school where they spent grades six through ten, where they performed Gilbert and Sullivan musicals, where they adored Edith Wharton. They're a nerdy little trio, so everyone is shocked when the handsome new guy, Wickham Hill, asks Audrey out. Audrey is soon so smitten that she hardly pays any mind to the vicious underground newspaper at school--or to that strange lurking guy in World Cultures. Before long, it seems everyone at Jemison High is worried about getting crushed--by friends, by enemies, by a mysterious reporter.From the Hardcover edition. Views: 40
A dark and handsome stranger fighting in a town square mesmerizes youthful, innocent Catherine Melford. His shirt off, his skin glistening with sweat--he's all man! On meeting him again in the opulence of the royal court, Catherine finds her desire is more aroused than ever. But he is Andrew, Earl of Gifford, and bad blood runs between their families. And he is the lord she'll be forced to wed! Views: 40
From the creator of the award-winning ITV series PRIME SUSPECT, this is JANE TENNISON'S story, from rookie police officer to fully-fledged detective.In the race to stop a deadly attack just pray she's not too late . . . March, 1976. The height of The Troubles. An IRA bombing campaign strikes terror across Britain. Nowhere and no one is safe. When detective constable Jane Tennison survives a deadly explosion at Covent Garden tube station, she finds herself in the middle of a media storm. Minutes before the blast, she caught sight of the bomber. Too traumatised to identify him, she is nevertheless a key witness and put under 24-hour police protection. As work continues round the clock to unmask the terrorists, the Metropolitan police are determined nothing will disrupt their annual Good Friday dinner dance. Amid tight security, hundreds of detectives and their wives and girlfriends will be at St Ermin's Hotel in central London. Jane, too, is persuaded to attend. But in the week... Views: 40
Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.Annja Creed stood in a twelve-foot-deep sacrificial pit beneath a gathering storm. The storm, according to the weather reports, was hours away but promised to be severe. From the look of the skeletons on the floor of the pit and embedded in the walls, hundreds of years had passed since the last sacrifice.The passage of time hadn't made the discovery any less chilling. Even with her experience as an archeologist—and the recent exposures to sudden death that she thought were incited by the mystic sword she'd inherited—she still had to make the conscious mental shift from personal empathy to scientific detachment."Are those human bones?"Annja glanced up and saw Jason Kim standing near the edge of the pit above her. Jason was a UCLA graduate student who'd won a place on Professor Rai's dig along the southern coast of India.Jason was barely over five and a half feet tall and slender as a reed. His long black hair blew in the strong wind summoned by the storm gathering somewhere over the Indian Ocean. Thick glasses covered his eyes, which were bloodshot from staying up too late playing PSP games in his tent. He came from a traditional Chinese family that hated the way he'd so easily acquired American ways. He wore a concert T-shirt and jean shorts. A tuft of whiskers barely smudged his pointed chin."They're human bones," Annja answered."You think they're sacrifice victims?" Jason's immediate interest sounded bloodthirsty, but Annja knew it was only curiosity."I do." Annja knelt and scooped one of the skulls from the loose soil at the bottom of the pit. She indicated the uneven cut through the spine at the base of the skull."Followers of Shakti favored decapitation.""Cool. Can I see that?" Jason held his hands out. Annja only thought for a moment that the skull had once housed a human being. The truth was, in her work, the body left behind was as much a temporary shelter as the homes she unearthed and studied.Jason's field of study was forensic anthropology. His work primarily included what was left of a body. If anyone at the dig could identify the tool marks on the skeleton, it was Jason.Annja tossed the skull up to him.Jason caught the skull in both hands. It didn't bother him that it was so fresh from the grave. His smile went from ear to ear. He rotated the skull in his fingers. "This is the bomb, Annja." "Glad you like it.""Think they'll let me keep one?" he asked.Part of Annja couldn't believe he'd asked the question. The other part of her couldn't believe she hadn't expected it."Definitely not," she answered."Too bad. Put a small, battery-operated red light inside and this thing would be totally rad. I could even have a friend of mine majoring in dentistry whip up some caps for the incisors. I'd be the first guy to have a genuine vampire skull.""Except for the genuine part.And you'd have to explain why the skull doesn't turn to dust in sunlight,"Annja said."Not all vampires turn to dust. You should know that," he replied."Vampires aren't a big part of archaeology." Annja turned her attention back to the other bones. She didn't think she was going to learn a lot from the pit, but there were always surprises."I didn't mean from archaeology," Jason persisted."I mean from your show."Annja sighed. No matter where she went, except for highly academic circles, she invariably ended up being known more for her work on Chasing History's Monsters than anything else. The syndicated television show had gone international almost overnight, and was continuing to do well in the ratings.Scenes from stories she'd done for the show had ended up on magazine covers, on YouTube and other television shows. Her producer, Doug Morrell, never missed an opportunity to promote the show. "You ever watch the show?" Annja looked up at Jason and couldn't believe she was having the conversation with him."Sure. The frat guys go nuts for it. So do the sororities. I mean, DVR means never having to miss a television show again."Terrific, Annja thought. "Kind of divided loyalties, though," Jason said. "The sororities watch you." He shrugged. "Well, most of them do. The frat guys like to watch the show for Kristie."Okay, I really didn't need to hear that, Annja thought. Kristie Chatham, the other hostess of Chasing History's Monsters, wasn't a rival. At least, Annja didn't see Kristie as such. Kristie wasn't an archaeologist and didn't care about history. Or even about getting the facts straight.When Kristie put her stories together, they were strictly for shock value. As a result, Kristie's stories tended to center on werewolves, vampires, serial killers and escaped lab experiments."You can't go into a frat house without finding her new poster," Jason went on."That's good to know," Annja said, then realized that maybe she'd responded a little more coldly than she'd intended."Hey." Jason held his hands up in defense and almost dropped his newly acquired skull. He bobbled it and managed to hang on to it. "I didn't mean anything by that.""No problem," Annja said."I don't know why you don't do a poster," Jason said. "You're beautiful." Maybe if the comment hadn't come from a geeky male in his early twenties who was five years her junior and had a skull under his arm, if she hadn't been covered in dirt from the sacrificial pit and perspiring heavily from the gathering storm's humidity, Annja might have taken solace in that compliment.Dressed in khaki cargo shorts, hiking boots and a gray pullover, she stood five feet ten inches tall and had a full figure instead of the anorexic look favored by so many modeling agencies. She wore her chestnut-brown hair pulled back under a New York Yankees baseball cap. Her startling amber-green eyes never failed to capture attention."I don't do a poster because I don't want to end up on the walls of frat houses," Annja said."Or ceilings," Jason said. "A lot of guys put Kristie's posters on the ceiling."Lightning flashed in the leaden sky and highlighted the dark clouds. Shortly afterward, peals of thunder slammed into the beach.Jason looked up. "Man, this is gonna suck. I hate getting wet.""That's part of the job," Annja told him. "The other part is being too hot, too tired, too claustrophobic and a thousand other discomforts I could name.""I know. But that's only if I stay with fieldwork. I'd rather get a job at a museum. Or in a crime lab working forensics."Annja was disappointed to hear that. Jason Kim was a good student. He was going to be a good forensic anthropologist. She couldn't understand why anyone would choose to stay indoors in a job that could take them anywhere in the world.Lightning flashed again. The wind shifted and swept into the pit where Annja stood. The humidity increased and felt like an impossible burden."I'm gonna go clean this up," Jason said. "Maybe after we batten down the hatches, you can tell me more about who Shakti was."Annja nodded and turned her attention back to the burial site. The storm was coming and there was no time to waste.WITH CAREFUL DELIBERATION, Annja checked the scale representation of the burial pit she'd drawn. So far everything was going easily, but she suspected it was the calm before the storm.The drawing looked good. She'd also backed up the sketch with several captured digital images using her camera. In the old days, archaeologists only had a pad and paper to record data and findings. She liked working that way. It felt as if it kept her in touch with the roots of her chosen field.She stared at the body she'd exhumed. From the flared hips, she felt certain that the bones had been a woman. She resolved to have Jason make the final call on that, though.Lightning flickered and thunder pealed almost immediately after. The storm was drawing closer."Annja."Glancing up, Annja spotted the elfin figure of Professor Lochata Rai, the dig's supervisor. Lochata was only five feet tall and weighed about ninety pounds. She was in her early sixties, but still spry and driven. She wore khakis and looked ready for a trek across the Gobi Desert."It is time for you to rise up out of there. The rain is coming," the professor said.Annja looked past the woman at the scudding clouds that filled the sky. Irritation flared through her at the time she was losing."We must cover this excavation pit," Lochata said."Perhaps it will not rain too hard and we won't lose anything.""I know. This really stinks because we just got down far enough to take a good look at what's here,"Annja said.Lochata squatted at the edge of the pit. She held her pith helmet in her tiny hands over her knees. "You're too impatient.You have your whole life ahead of you, and history isn't going anywhere. This site will be here tomorrow.""I keep telling myself that. But I also keep telling myself that once I finish this I can move on to something else." Annja stowed her gear in her backpack.Lochata shook her head. "You expect to find something exciting and different?""I hope to." Annja pulled her backpack over her shoulder and climbed the narrow wooden ladder out of the pit. "I always hope to.""I do not." Lochata offered her hand as Annja neared the top. "Finding something you did not expect means you didn't do your research properly. It also means extra work and possibly having to call someone else in to verify what you have found."Annja understood that, but she also liked the idea of the new, the undiscovered and the unexpected. Lately, her life had been filled with that. She thought she was growing addicted to it.Once on the ground outside the pit, Annja stood with her arms out from her sides as if she were going to take flight. The wind blew almost hard enough to move her. Perspiration had soaked her clothing."Drink." Lochata held out a water bottle and smiled."Hydrate or die."Annja smiled back and accepted the water. The rule was a basic one for anyone who challenged the elements. She opened the bottle and drank deeply.The dig site was in the jungle fringe that bordered the Indian Ocean. Kanyakumari lay as far south on the Indian con... Views: 40
In COMING OF DRAGONS, Edmund and Elspeth received strange and powerful gifts that would lead them on a dangerous quest. Edmund has the vision of the Ripente - he can reach inside the minds of others and see what they see. Elspeth can draw upon the power of an enchanted sword and gauntlet when she is in danger. Now, the sword is speaking to Elspeth, leading her to a final showdown with an ancient god. But the journey they must take into the Snowlands is a perilous one, filled with haunting ice spirits, terrifying dragons and others who are aware of their presence in this remote realm. These two unlikely heroes must decide who they can trust and who means them harm. Elspeth's magical sword has brought them closer to their destiny than they realize, and it's up to them to succeed - at any cost. ReviewFrom Kirkus ReviewsA better-than-average middle volume that keeps the story rolling along nicely. --Kirkus Reviews From CurledUp.comA deep mystery is set up, done in such a way that it assumes intelligence on the part of a young reader, rather than spelling it all out the way so many books written for kids do….Thoroughly enjoyable. --CurledUp.comAbout the AuthorA. J. LAKE is a former teacher with a lifelong interest in the period of British history known as the Dark Ages. She is inspired by mountains, storms and places of ice and snow. And she secretly hopes that dragons are real. She is also the author of Coming of Dragons. Views: 40
Josh worships his older brother, Max. They look alike, they talk alike, and they both have the same interests, including their favorite massively multiplayer online role-playing game, Genesis Alpha. But Josh and Max have an even deeper connection. Because Josh was born for a reason. It was Josh's stem cells, harvested when Josh was newly born, that saved his dying older brother's life.Now that same beloved older brother is arrested, accused of the brutal murder of a teenage girl. Josh is bewildered. Is Max really a monster, or is all of this a terrible mistake? And if the worst is true and Max is guilty, does that mean Josh is guilty too? After all, Max wouldn't exist without him. But this is only the beginning. Before long, Josh will come to a number of searing revelations -- revelations that have dire implications not only for Max's future, but for Josh's as well. Views: 39
In this overly complex but engaging sequel to The Illuminator, Friar Gregory, a 15th-century priest and seller of indulgences, is enlisted to root out an alleged heretic, but his devotion to the church can't override his misgivings. When the unscrupulous Archbishop Arundel suspects Sir John Oldcastle of being in league with the heretical Lollards (they distribute—to the horror of Rome—vernacular translations of the scripture), he dispatches Gregory to build a case. As Gregory looks for evidence, a parallel story unfolds in Prague, where the illuminator from Vantrease's first novel is now an old man whose adult granddaughter, Anna, he has trained as a copyist in the Lollard tradition. As persecution of the Lollards intensifies, Anna is dispatched to England (and Oldcastle's protection). Anna's and Gregory's paths cross in France, where the friar finds his vows at the breaking point, with repercussions that propel the rest of the story. The story is carefully researched, but the establishment of so many characters and the social and religious complexities of the time overwhelms the first half of the novel. Vantrease tells an engaging story and paints a vivid picture of 15th-century Europe, but what she doesn't manage to achieve is a balance between the two. Views: 39
Once upon a time Chris Beggs and her husband had a dream – to one day own a farm, with cows and poultry and a crisp white fence surrounding a quaint cottage. So what could possibly be wrong with fulfilling that dream 15 years later as a 38-year-old divorced mother of two?It was love at first sight. While on a family outing with her two children Grace and Michael, ex-husband Garth and his new girlfriend Cynthia, Chris happens upon a picture of the perfect country cottage in the Healesville Real Estate Agency window. And after a heated discussion and a rash decision, she is the proud owner of a chicken farm.Chris says goodbye to her safe city life, legal firm work, ex-wives luncheons and the house she has known for the past 18 years... and welcomes 6am egg collections, strange noises in the night, a bitter bookkeeper and a feisty llama. Her teenage daughter is bent on world domination, the tractor has a mind of its own, and the hens are named after... Views: 39
### From Publishers Weekly
Fans of The X-Files may enjoy this science-fiction thriller, the debut novel by Dr. Javitt, whose impressive government credentials aren't quite matched by the sophistication of his plot. Chair of President Bush's Health Subcommittee of the President's Information Technology Advisory Committee and an epidemiologist, Javitt imagines a recent past-2005-in which the threat of genetically modified food has become a reality. When Marci Newman, a workaholic New York City attorney, dies after a mysterious seizure, Newman's best friend, Gwen Maulder, who's a division chief with the Food and Drug Administration, investigates. Aided by her ex-Secret Service husband, Jack, and her former flame and current Washington Post columnist Mark Stern, Maulder finds that Newman's seizure may be part of an epidemic that may be connected with coffee-seller Pequod's, the new mega-company that has overtaken Starbuck's. The bad guys are led by Hawaiian senator Henry Broome, whose past includes several murders and the theft of some genetics research from his Princeton roommate. The writing and pacing are adequate, and Javitt throws in a nice twist at the end, but the action sequences tend to overwhelm the science. Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
### Review
“Authentic and sharply written...Jonathan Javitt has given us a timely and compelling read!” — Richard North Patterson, *New York Times* bestselling author
“Almost impossible to put down.” — New York Post
“On a topic which may someday involve the lives of millions this is a novel that is both compelling and informative.” — Newt Gingrich, *New York Times* bestselling author
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The Greatest Western Writer Of The 21st Century With his monumental Mountain Man and Eagles series, William W. Johnstone has become America's most popular Western writer. Now, with J.A. Johnstone, he unleashes the Sidewinders, two honest Texas cowboys with an uncanny knack for lighting wildfires everywhere they go...
Home Sweet Deadly Home If there's anything better than coming home to Texas, it's getting paid to do it. For Scratch Morton and Bo Creel, always on the hunt for funds, the job is taking three vicious criminals from Arkansas to Tyler, Texas for trial. Little do they know that one of the criminals, the one that's a beautiful woman, is the most dangerous of all. Soon the journey home turns into a race for buried treasure, a shoot-out, and another double cross—until Scratch and Bo are making one last mad, bullet-sprayed dash through the land of their birth... or the land of their death... Views: 39
