"An American beauty this book . . . The narrator of Jane Hamilton's sensational first novel is a holy lusty innocent." —VOGUE "Ms. Hamilton gives Ruth a humble dignity and allows her hope —but it's not a heavenly hope. It's a common one, caked with mud and held with gritted teeth. And it's probably the only kind that's worth reading about." —NEW YORK TIMES BOOK REVIEW "Hamilton's story builds to a shocking crescendo. Her small-town characters are as appealingly offbeat and brushed with grace as any found in Alice Hoffman's or Anne Tyler's novels." —GLAMOUR "Jane Hamilton's novel is authentically Dickensian . . . The real achievement of this first novel is not so much the blackness as the suggestion of resilience. At the end, Ruth begins to put together her shattered body, spirit and life. Her words are awkward, as they have been all along, but suddenly and unexpectedly they shine. —LOS ANGELES TIMES Views: 8
DI Tom Mariner is about to take a well-earned break when six-week-old
Jessica Klinnemann is abducted from the cr che at a local day nursery.
His leave cancelled, Mariner becomes the lead on the highly public case.
But what at first appears to be a random kidnap gradually begins to
look like a meticulously planned operation. The motive remains unclear,
until Mariner discovers that the baby's father works for a scientific
research company that has long been the target of animal rights
activists.
Two days later when the incident comes to an astonishing conclusion, a
crude note seems to confirm that that animal rights protesters were
behind the scare. But when one of the cr che workers is killed in a hit
and run, the case is blown wide open... Views: 8
In the Book of Revelations, the Four Horsemen herald the arrival of the Apocalypse. When the First Horseman thunders forth, pestilence will spread throughout the land. For the First Horseman is Plague... The Spanish Flu killed thirty million people worldwide in 1918. Now, with history threatening to repeat itself, a scientific expedition speeds toward a remote island in the Arctic Sea to recover strains of the lethal virus preserved under layers of ice. For Washington Post reporter Frank Daly, it is the story of a lifetime. But his plan to join the expedition is ruined by a ferocious storm that delays him. And when he meets up with the ship upon its return to port in Norway, it is clear that something has gone terribly wrong. Fear haunts the faces of the crew. No one will talk. And someone wants Daly to stop asking questions. But if there's a wall around the facts, Daly will batter it down. Persistent and resourceful, he knows how to get answers when none are given.... Views: 8
An Economist Best Book of 2007, Jonathan Carr’s The Wagner Clan proves, with the sweeping scope of a Wagnerian opera, that the history of Europe and that of the infamous composer’s family are inextricably intertwined. Carr presents not only Richard Wagner himself musician, philosopher, philanderer, failed revolutionary, and virulent anti-Semitebut also a colorful cast of historical figures who feature in Wagner’s story: Franz Liszt (whose illegitimate daughter Cosima married Wagner); Friedrich Nietzsche; Arthur Schopenhauer; Richard Strauss; Gustav Mahler; Arturo Toscanini; Joseph Goebbels; Hermann Göring; and the Wolf ” himself, Adolf Hitler, a passionate fan of the Master’s music and an adopted uncle to Wagner’s grandchildren. Wagner’s British-born daughter-in-law, Winifred, was a close friend of Hitler’s and seemed momentarily positioned to marry him after the death of her husband. All through... Views: 8
Science Fiction/Fantasy. 50327 words long. First published in 2007, 2007 Views: 8
My lady, Fiammetta Bianchini, was plucking her eyebrows and biting color into her lips when the unthinkable happened and the Holy Roman Emperor’s army blew a hole in the wall of God’s eternal city, letting in a flood of half-starved, half-crazed troops bent on pillage and punishment.Thus begins In the Company of the Courtesan, Sarah Dunant’s epic novel of life in Renaissance Italy. Escaping the sack of Rome in 1527, with their stomachs churning on the jewels they have swallowed, the courtesan Fiammetta and her dwarf companion, Bucino, head for Venice, the shimmering city born out of water to become a miracle of east-west trade: rich and rancid, pious and profitable, beautiful and squalid. With a mix of courage and cunning they infiltrate Venetian society. Together they make the perfect partnership: the sharp-tongued, sharp-witted dwarf, and his vibrant mistress, trained from birth to charm, entertain, and satisfy men who have the money to support her. Yet as their fortunes rise, this perfect partnership comes under threat, from the searing passion of a lover who wants more than his allotted nights to the attentions of an admiring Turk in search of human novelties for his sultan’s court. But Fiammetta and Bucino’s greatest challenge comes from a young crippled woman, a blind healer who insinuates herself into their lives and hearts with devastating consequences for them all. A story of desire and deception, sin and religion, loyalty and friendship, In the Company of the Courtesan paints a portrait of one of the world’s greatest cities at its most potent moment in history: It is a picture that remains vivid long after the final page. From the Hardcover edition.** Views: 8
From Publishers WeeklyAt the start of Gage's bloody debut, Chief Insp. Mario Silva is asked by his boss, the director of the Brazilian Federal Police, to solve the murder of Bishop Dom Felipe Antunes, who was assassinated at a church consecration in the remote Brazilian town of Cascatas. However, tensions between landowners and the Landless Workers' League embroil Silva in local politics when he must put equal resources into solving the disappearance of a local landowner's son, Orlando Muniz Junior. Priestly pedophilia, kidnappings and more murders punctuate the escalation of the conflict between landowners and reformers, while Silva also grapples with his personal demons, having tracked down and killed both his father's and brother-in-law's murderers. By the end of this brutal novel, it's hard to care who killed whom. It's also a miracle that Silva, who seems increasingly ineffectual, survives the mayhem. This ultraviolent mystery is not for the faint of heart. (Jan.) Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. ReviewBlurring the distinction between literary fiction and crime fiction, this is a book that will inform readers, and needs to be read. Gage has done himself proud. --Sherbroke Herald. (Quebec, CA)...emotionally charged debut...vividly evokes a country of political corruption, startling economic disparity, and relentless crime, both random and premeditated. --Booklist... a gripping and brutal tale of murder and vengeance. Gage's inspector is a fascinating character. Highly recommended. --Library Journal (Starred Review)Leighton Gage achieves both a powerful political thriller and gripping crime fiction in his fascinating debut... Blood of the Wicked is the ultimate story of the haves vs. the have-nots. --Florida Sun-Sentinel"Irresistible" - The New York TimesPraise for Leighton Gage's Mario Silva series:"Top notch ... controversial and entirely absorbing."—The New York Times Book Review"A dark, violent book with characters that seethe on the page ... compelling writing. Readers will smell the steam and stench of the Amazon and recoil from the torture and depredation from which Gage averts his lens, barely intime."—Boston Globe Views: 8
From AE Publications comes 4 tales of dirty sex, featuring hardcore graphic sex, anal, alpha males, femdom, romance, bdsm, rough sex and more. Adults only. 18+ Views: 8
