WHAT MAKES A warrior?This gutsy collection of 15 original short stories compiled by bestselling author Tamora Pierce and anthologist-author Josepha Sherman answers this question with thought, heart, a lot of variety, and an occasional wink.Contributors include some of today's most-beloved fantasy and sciencefiction authors: Tamora Pierce, Holly Black, Pamela Service, Margaret Mahy, Bruce Holland Rogers, Mike Resnick, Brent Hartinger, and more.From the Hardcover edition. Views: 8
[Book Twenty of The Dray Prescot series] The most popular game among the many peoples of Kregen, world of Antares, is one that resembles chess, called Jikaida. Jikaida is a battle of wits and war game pieces that suited well the tension charged atmosphere that enveloped Dray Prescot. For reconquering Vallia was assuming the aspect of such a game--move versus countermove, horde against horde! Then Dray Prescot found himself no longer in control of just a game--he had become a living chessman on a real-life board at the dreaded arena of Jikaida City. There every move was accompanied by bloodshed and behind every game might hang the fate of a city, an island, or even a nation! Views: 8
The "remarkable saga" of the bold nineteenth-century woman who made a splash by cycling around the world (The Winston-Salem Journal). Until 1894, there were no female sport stars, no product endorsement deals, and certainly no young mothers with the chutzpah to circle the globe on a bicycle. Annie Londonderry changed all of that. When Annie left Boston in June of that year, she was a brash young lady with a forty-two-pound bicycle, a revolver, a change of underwear, and a dream of freedom. She was also a feisty immigrant mother of three who had become the center of what one newspaper called "one of the most novel wagers ever made": a high-stakes bet between two wealthy merchants that a woman could not ride around the world on a bicycle. The epic journey that followed took the connection between athletics and commercialism to dizzying new heights, and turned Annie Londonderry into a symbol of women's equality. A vastly... Views: 8
### From Publishers Weekly It's a familiar plot: the death of a filthy rich relative-who of course altered his will just hours before his sudden demise-results in instant wealth for an heir no one expected. In this debut novel from Robertson, a computer programming consultant, young mogul Jason Boyer discovers that his newly minted fortune is tainted by his deceased robber-baron father's legacy of corruption, scandal and power brokering in New England. Will Jason find the moral courage to clean his corporate house and do something meaningful with his millions? And was his father's fatal car crash really an accident? Pacing is a problem throughout much of this story, which doesn't hit its stride and become a bona fide suspense novel until the final 50 pages. Most of the characters are routine stock figures-the upwardly mobile wife; the corpulent and scheming attorney-with only Jason's innocent younger brother Eric breaking the mold. Robertson offers some strong observations on greed and human nature, and adopts a refreshingly soft approach to religious faith. The humor, which could work well in another context, feels adolescent in such a dark tale. Despite promising themes and a decent plot, this God-and-mammon novel would benefit from stringent editing and stronger supporting characters. Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. ### From Booklist *Starred Review* Robertson's first novel is a Gresham-like tale of intrigue and murder about the son, Jason Boyer, of a New England financial titan and kingmaker. Jason barely knew his father, a tough, remote man who sent Jason and his brother to boarding schools, but Jason becomes sole heir upon the old man's sudden death. Jason is cynical but uncorrupted, and his first impulse is to divest himself of the old man's holdings. Then the power that his inheritance commands seduces him, and he grows as ruthless as his father. And then, once more and finally, he sees the light and proceeds to clean up all that his father and he have befouled. Or, at any rate, he tries, in this suspenseful first novel with a lot of humor and well-drawn minor characters. *John Mort* *Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved* Views: 8
In every generation, a Gardella is called to accept the family legacy of vampire slaying, and this time, Victoria Gardella Grantworth is chosen, on the eve of her debut, to carry the stake. But as she moves between the crush of ballrooms and dangerous, moonlit streets, Victoria's heart is torn between London's most eligible bachelor, the Marquess of Rockley, and her enigmatic ally, Sebastian Vioget. And when she comes face to face with the most powerful vampire in history, Victoria must ultimately make the choice between duty and love. Views: 8
From Publishers WeeklyFans of the film True Believer will best appreciate law professor Dobbyn's debut, a routine legal thriller with a similar plot. Michael Knight, a junior associate at a high-powered Boston firm, gets asked by a powerful African-American judge, Amos Bradley, to represent his son, Anthony, who has been accused of gunning down a beloved member of the city's Chinese community under cover of a New Year's parade. This assignment brings Knight to the attention of the firm's disgraced legend, Alexis Devlin, who has been keeping a low profile since he was alleged to have participated in jury-tampering to help a client. As the two attorneys search for the truth, Knight ventures into dangerous neighborhoods on the trail of some major league political and judicial corruption. Considering his curriculum vitae—Latino street kid, Harvard law grad and former federal prosecutor—Knight comes across as oddly naïve, while his ignorance of Chinatown's organized criminals doesn't ring true. (Mar.) Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. From BooklistThis debut novel by law professor Dobbyn marks the first long-form appearance of legal eagles Michael Knight and Lex Devlin, who've starred in several of the author's short stories. Every team needs an "origin story," and this is theirs: the case that first brought the newcomer and the veteran together. A man is murdered during Boston's Chinese New Year celebrations. The man arrested for the crime is the son of a judge, who asks Knight to defend the accused in court. With Devlin's help, Knight navigates the treacherous world of Chinese organized crime, drugs, and political corruption. Dobbyn, who knows his characters like the back of his hand, is an engaging writer, and readers who have followed the adventures of Knight and Devlin in short stories will give a small cheer that they've finally made the leap to the hardcover novel. David PittCopyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved Views: 8
SUMMARY:
From a murder in Paris to a courtroom in California to a terrorist camp in the Gobi Desert, Don Brown's follow-up to Treason and Hostage plunges into a suspense-filled journey of danger, duty, and hope. In Defiance, Shannon McGilverry is a crack NCIS agent assigned to protect Navy JAG Officer Zack Brewer. Zack is being hunted by terrorists, stalked by a psychopath, and is working his way through a perilous, politically-charged trial. When another Navy JAG officer is murdered, it's clear that Zack is in harm's way. As his bodyguard, Shannon must do more than protect Zack. She also must set aside her growing feelings for the brilliant attorney and investigate rumors that the love of his life, Diane Colcerninan, may still be alive. Zack finds himself in need of his faith more than ever as Navy Seals launch a daring rescue attempt that has the potential to trigger World War III. Views: 8
EDITORIAL REVIEW: *Just when he wanted a humdrum life...* Fate had other plans. After a tough stint in New York City, Joshua West returned to Cotter Creek for peace and quiet and a job in the family bodyguard business. Only, his sleepy hometown wouldn't let him snooze. Not with a string of suspicious deaths...and an alluring redhead who wouldn't take no for an answer. Hell-bent on exposing a sinister plot, journalist Savannah Clarion fired up his adrenaline. Not only did she rouse his inner sleuth, but she steered him in passionate directions he couldn't control--nor did he want to. Could he stand a little excitement...and a lifetime partnership? Views: 8
A brutal predator is on the loose, targeting women and savagely attacking them. His first victim is found chained, blinded and hanging on to life by a thread. His next target isn't so 'lucky'. After a forced bondage session, her ears are cut off and she's left for dead.As the attacks become more frenzied, and the mutilations ever more vicious, the pressure on the Melbourne homicide squad reaches boiling point. Along with her colleagues, Detective Marita Van Hassel must muster all her profiling knowledge and investigative ingenuity to catch the killer before he strikes again. But first she must crack the killer's obsession with firelight and shadows . . .In this dazzling debut novel, Robert Sims takes us on a thrilling journey into the dark mind of a disturbing killer. Views: 8
Venus Johnston debuted with brazen personality and spirited humor in Nappily Ever After as she searched for the holy grail of marriage. Blessed with a beautiful baby daughter and a husband who is a former rap star with his own multi-million-dollar clothing company, her long journey to find love has finally come to fruition. But life as a stay-at-home wife and mother is hardly the end of the rainbow. In fact she's ready to do anything to jump start the career she's put on the back burner for the last two years. Against her good sense and her husband's wishes, she applies for a high profile PR job to help save a struggling city hospital manned by none other than her former boyfriend, Dr. Clint Fairchild, the very one and same who dumped her and married long-silky haired bombshell, Kandi Treboe. Venus soon finds out the two women are vying for the same job. This time competition between she and her old nemesis turns into a battle Venus is determined to win by any... Views: 8
