Danger and violence have always been part of Sue Dalston’s East End
upbringing. Unloved by her mother, abused by her father, and brutalised
throughout her entire marriage, she smashed her husband's skull in a
final act of desperation. All that keeps her sane is knowing that she’s
done it to protect her four children. At last, they are safe from
harm. When she is celled up with murderess Matilda Enderby, their fates
become inextricably linked. And no one - least of all Sue - could have
predicted the consequences. Views: 59
Product DescriptionBRAM STOKER AWARD-FINALIST BEST FIRST NOVEL THE GENTLING BOX by Lisa Mannetti: The philosophies of the Age of Enlightenment create sweeping changes throughout 19th Century Europe, but to Hungary's despised nomads, the gypsies, the world is still a dark and very dangerous landscape. Adversaries both mortal and supernatural lurk in the shadows, waiting to strike without mercy. Imre, a half-gypsy horse trader, understands the danger to his small family all too well. Cursed with a hideously-disfiguring and fatal disease by the vengeful sorceress Anyeta, he watches those around him suffer and fall. Mimi, his wife, who is tricked into cutting off her own arm to create a powerful talisman. His friend Constantin, struck mute by Anyeta's wrath. And Lenore, his and Mimi's young daughter, who has been placed in the greatest jeopardy of all. With his health deteriorating and death imminent, his wife possessed by the witch's ghost and Lenore being groomed for a fate far worse than death, Imre turns to desperate measures and a hellish memory from his childhood—to still the sorceress and end her reign of bloodshed. A presence even more powerful and terrifying to him than Anyeta: the gentling box. ADVANCED PRAISE FOR THE GENTLING BOX: "A keenly conceived and richly executed cornucopia of the blackest magic. Mannetti's prowess as a writer hauls the reader into a shimmering, phantasmagoric demesne of relentless suspense and high-creep-factor chills, and doesn't let go until the final page. This story is a dark work of art." –Edward Lee, author of CITY INFERNAL and BRIDES OF THE IMPALER. "When was the last time you lost yourself in a book? Lisa Mannetti dares you to enter a realm unlike anything you've dreamed of, a world of gallant gypsies and ancient evil, of passionate obsessions ... and abject terror. Take that dare. Immerse yourself. The rewards are plentiful. But be warned. Nothing could prepare you for the horror of THE GENTLING BOX." –Robert Dunbar, author of THE PINES and THE SHORE "Mannetti's prose has teeth; sharp teeth that grab on and refuse to let go." –J.A. Konrath, author of FUZZY NAVEL and DIRTY MARTINI ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Lisa Mannetti is a former magazine editor and adjunct college English instructor who discovered she preferred full-time writing to real work when she volunteered to be the family member who cared for her ailing mother. Her short story, "Hungry for the Flesh" (Space & Time, April 2007) was recommended for a Stoker Award. Additional short stories scheduled for publication in 2008 include "The Blow-Up Job" (TRAPS, DarkHart Press) and "Other Rooms" (The Pretty-Scary.net Anthology, November 2008) and "Retro-Fit" in Lovestrology (Ravenous Romance, December 2008). Most recently she served as guest editor for Terrible Beauty, Fearful Symmetry, an anthology scheduled to be published by DarkHart Press in October 2008. She is currently working on a second paranormal novel, The Everest Hauntings. When she isn't writing, Lisa works on her haunted website, The Chancery House (www.thechanceryhouse.com) and constructs macabre gothic greeting cards based on her cemetery photos. She is also a Tarot reader. Lisa lives in the house she grew up in Westchester County in New York with one highly rambunctious cat—Huckleberry Finn—and two charming and exasperating black kittens, The Houdinis: Harry and Theo. You can also visit Lisa's author page at: www.lisamannetti.com. Views: 59
About a quarter century ago, a previously unknown writer named William Least Heat-Moon wrote a book called Blue Highways. Acclaimed as a classic, it was a travel book like no other. Quirky, discursive, endlessly curious, Heat-Moon had embarked on an American journey off the beaten path. Sticking to the small places via the small roads--those colored blue on maps--he uncovered a nation deep in character, story, and charm. Now, for the first time since Blue Highways, Heat-Moon is back on the backroads. ROADS TO QUOZ is his lyrical, funny, and touching account of a series of American journeys into small-town America. Views: 59
Hailed as the "king of sleaze," tabloid editor Dennis Luxford is used to ferreting out the sins and scandals of people in exposed positions. But when he opens an innocuous-looking letter addressed to him at The Source, he discovers that someone else excels at ferreting out secrets as well.Ten-year-old Charlotte Bowen has been abducted, and if Luxford does not admit publicly to having fathered her, she will die. But Charlotte's existence is Luxford's most fiercely guarded secret, and acknowledging her as his child will throw more than one life and career into chaos. Luxford knows that the story of Charlotte's paternity could make him a laughingstock and reveal to his beautiful wife and son the lie he's lived for a decade. Yet it's not only Luxford's reputation that's on the line: it's also the reputation--and career--of Charlotte Bowen's mother. For she is Undersecretary of State for the Home Office, one of the most high-profile Junior Ministers and quite... Views: 59
Brad Thor, master of suspense and #1 New York Times bestselling author is back with his highest-voltage thriller to date in which Navy SEAL turned covert Homeland Security operative Scot Harvath must race to locate an ancient secret that has the power to stop militant Islam dead in its tracks. June 632 A.D.: Deep within the Uranah Valley of Mount Arafat in Mecca, the Prophet Mohammed shares with his closest companions a final and startling revelation. Within days, he is assassinated. September 1789: U.S. Minister to France Thomas Jefferson, who is charged with forging a truce with the violent Muslim pirates of the Barbary Coast, makes a shocking discovery—one that could forever impact the world’s relationship with Islam. Present day: When a car bomb explodes outside a Parisian cafÉ, Scot Harvath is thrust back into the life he has tried so desperately to leave behind. Saving the intended victim of the attack, Harvath becomes party to a perilous race to uncover a secret so powerful that militant Islam could be defeated once and for all. But as desperate as the American government is to have the information brought to light, there are powerful forces determined that Mohammed’s mysterious final revelation continue to remain hidden forever. What Jason Bourne was to the Cold War, Scot Harvath is to the War on Terror. In The Last Patriot, readers will be engrossed as Harvath once again takes them on a whirlwind tour through international cities and nail-biting suspense where the stakes are higher than they have ever been before.About the AuthorBrad Thor is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Lions of Lucerne, Path of the Assassin, State of the Union, Blowback, Takedown, and The First Commandment. He currently lives in Chicago. Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved. CHAPTER 1 Rome, ItalyMonday Evening The Italian Centre for Photoreproduction, Binding, and Restoration of State Archives, also known as the CFLR, was located in an unassuming postmodern office building three blocks from the Tiber River at 14 Via Costanza Baudana Vaccolini. It boasted one of the world's leading archival preservation facilities, as well as a young deputy assistant director named Alessandro Lombardi who was eager to begin his evening. "Dottore, mi scusi," said Lombardi. Dr. Marwan Khalifa, a distinguished Koranic scholar in his early sixties with a handsome face and neatly trimmed beard, looked up from the desk he was working at. "Yes, Alessandro?" The Italian adopted his most charming smile and asked, "Tonight, we finish early?" Dr. Khalifa laughed and set down his pen. "You have another date this evening?" Lombardi approached and showed the visiting scholar a picture on his mobile phone. "What happened to the blond woman?" Lombardi shrugged. "That was last week." Khalifa picked his pen back up. "I suppose I can be done in an hour." "An hour?" exclaimed Lombardi as he pressed his hands together in mock prayer. "Dottore, if I don't leave now, all of the good tables outside will be gone. Please. When the weather is this nice, Italians are not allowed to work late. It's state policy." Khalifa knew better. No matter what the weather, there were always people working late in the CFLR building -- maybe not in the Research and Preservation department, but there was almost always a light burning somewhere. "If you want to leave your keys, I'll lock up the office when I go." "And my time card?" asked Lombardi, pressing his luck. "You get paid for the time you work, my friend." "Va bene," replied the young man as he fished a set of keys for the department from his pocket and set them on the desk. "I'll see you in the morning." "Have fun," said Khalifa. Lombardi flashed him the smile once more and then made his way toward the exit, turning off any unnecessary lights along his way. Dr. Khalifa's desk was a large drafting-style table, illuminated by two adjustable lamps. His time as well as Lombardi's was being paid for by the Yemeni Antiquities Authority. In 1972, workers in Yemen had made a startling discovery. Restoring the aging Great Mosque at Sana'a, said to have been one of the first architectural projects of Islam commissioned by the prophet Mohammed himself, the workers uncovered a hidden loft between the mosque's inner and outer roofs. Inside the loft was a mound of parchments and pages of Arabic texts that at some point had been secreted away, and were now melded together through centuries of exposure to rain and dampness. In archeological circles, such a discovery was referred to as a "paper grave." Cursory examinations suggested that what the grave contained were tens of thousands of fragments from at least a thousand early parchment codices of the Koran. Access to the full breadth of the find had never been allowed. Bits and pieces had been made available to a handful of scholars over the years, but out of respect for the sanctity of the documents, no one had ever been permitted to study the entire discovery. No one that is, until Dr. Marwan Khalifa. Khalifa was one of the world's preeminent Koranic scholars and had spent the majority of his professional career building relationships with the Yemeni Antiquities Authority and politely petitioning it to allow him to review the find. Finally, there was a changing of the guard and the new president of the Antiquities Authority, a significantly younger and more progressive man, invited Khalifa to study the entirety of what the workers at Sana'a had uncovered. It didn't take long for Khalifa to realize the magnitude of the find. As Yemen didn't have the proper facilities to preserve and study the fragments and as the Yemeni government was absolutely opposed to Khalifa taking the items back to the United States, an arrangement was made for the complete contents of the grave to be transferred to the CFLR in Rome where they could be preserved and studied before being returned to Yemen. With the blessing of the new Antiquities Authority president, Khalifa oversaw the entire process, including the technical side which included such things as edge detection, document degradation, global and adaptive thresholding, color clustering, and image processing. His anticipation grew as each scrap was preserved and he was able to begin assembling the pieces of the puzzle. A significant percentage of the parchments dated back to the seventh and eighth centuries -- Islam's first two centuries. Khalifa was handling pieces of the earliest Korans known to mankind. This only made the inconsistencies he discovered from standard Koranic texts even more exciting. A billion-and-a-half Muslims worldwide believed that the Koran they worshiped today was the perfect, inviolate word of God -- an exact word-for-word, perfect copy of the original book as it exists in Paradise and just as it was transmitted, without a single error, by Allah to the Prophet Mohammed through the Angel Gabriel. As a textual historian, Khalifa was fascinated by the inconsistencies. As a moderate Muslim who loved his religion, but believed deeply that it was in need of reform, he was overjoyed. The fact that he had found, and was continuing to find, aberrations that differed from Islamic dogma meant that the case could finally be made that the Koran needed to be reexamined in a historical framework. He had always believed that the Koran had been written by man, not God. If such a thing could be proven, Muslims around the world would be able to reexamine their faith with a modern, twenty-first-century perspective, rather than the outdated, unenlightened perspective of seventh-century Arabia. And now it seemed that he had just the proof he needed. It was such a powerful discovery that Khalifa could barely sleep at night. It dovetailed so well with another project his colleague Anthony Nichols was working on back in America, that he felt as if Allah himself was steering his research, that this was His divine will. All Khalifa could think about when he wasn't at work was getting back to the CFLR facility each day to further investigate the fragments. Though on evenings like this Khalifa missed Lombardi's companionship as well as his expertise with the technical equipment, the truth was that he hardly noticed when the young Italian was gone. In fact, he was often so engrossed that he barely noticed Lombardi even when he was standing at the desk right in front of him. Turning to the voluminous collection of information he had stored on his rugged Toughbook laptop, Khalifa pulled up one of the thirty-two thousand images the CFLR had already digitally archived. While he could have crossed the room and retrieved the fragment itself, he often found it unnecessary as accessing the digital images was much easier. Khalifa was working on lining up six slivers of text written in the Hijazzi script when a shadow fell across his drafting table. "What did you forget this time, Alessandro?" the scholar asked without looking up. "I didn't forget anything," responded a deep, unfamiliar voice. "It is you who have forgotten." Dr. Khalifa looked up and saw a man in a long, black soutane with a white collar. It was a common sight throughout Rome, particularly near the Vatican. But while the CFLR did do a certain amount of work with the Holy See, Khalifa had never seen a priest inside the building. "Who are you?" "That's not important," replied the priest as he moved closer. "I would rather discuss your faith." "You must be confused, Father," said Khalifa as he sat up in his chair. "I'm not a Catholic. I'm Muslim." "I know," said the priest softly. "That's why I'm here." In an explosion of black cloth, the priest was suddenly behind Khalifa. One of his large, rough hands cupped the scholar's chin while the other gripped the side of his head. With a powerful snap, the priest broke Khalifa's neck. He stood there for a moment, the corpse clutched tightly, almost lovingly to his chest, then stepped back and let go. Khalifa's head slammed against the table before coming to rest beneath it. The priest dragged the body across the floor and positioned it at the bottom of a set of stairs which led up to a small archival library. From there, it took only moments to set the fire. Two hours later, having showered and changed, the assassin sat in his hotel room and studied Khalifa's laptop. Connecting to a remote server, he had the Koranic scholar's password program cracked within fifteen minutes. From there, one e-mail confirmed everything he needed to know. Marwan, Finally, good news! It appears we have located the book. A dealer named René Bertrand is bringing it to market in Paris at the Antiquarian Book Fair. I will be meeting him there to negotiate the purchase. As you know, my funding is limited, but I have faith that barring an all-out bidding war, the book will be ours! As planned, I will see you next Monday at 9:00 a.m. in the Middle Eastern Reading Room of the Library of Congress -- although now we'll have the book and can begin deciphering the location of the final revelation! Anthony The assassin had had Khalifa under surveillance long enough to know who the sender was and what he was referring to. It was a parallel and potentially more damaging project, which up until this point had appeared stalled. Obviously, things had changed -- and not for the better. The assassin shut down the laptop and spent the next several hours pondering the implication of what he had learned. He then started formulating a plan. When all of the angles had been considered and tested in his mind, he reactivated the computer. Attaching the relevant e-mails between Khalifa a... Views: 59
His bedside manner needed workMitch Tenney's reputation preceded him. He was a miracle worker in surgical scrubs, a hunk and a half with riveting blue eyes and a really bad attitude. The dazzling doctor had offended one official too many and was now this close to being fired--unless Samantha Ryan could set him straight....or did it?With Sam's disposition and powers of persuasion, she was sure she could get Dr. Mitch back on track. But somehow the brooding bachelor got to her instead--body and soul. Now Sam had a baby on the way with a man who had no interest in playing house. What was a good girl to do? Views: 59
Amazon.com ReviewAmazon Exclusive: A Letter from Catherine FisherIn the dark Prison of Incarceron, the prisoners tell tales of a legendary man – Sapphique, the only inmate ever to escape. There are hundreds of tales of his exploits, but are any of them true? Did he even exist?Attia and Keiro certainly think so, and when they hear that a crazy magician called Rix is using Sapphique’s lost Glove in his magical act, they’re determined to steal it. Meanwhile, out in the Realm, Finn is not finding being a Prince easy, and he’s tormented by doubts about his own identity.I wanted to explore all our uncertainties about ourselves in this sequel to Incarceron. Who are we? Can we do the things others expect of us? And can we ever escape ourselves?Expect the terrors of the Ice wing, a chain-gang, a duel, a masked ball, and the fearful anger of the Prison as it prepares to abandon its inmates to darkness and death forever.--Catherine FisherAmazon Q&A with Catherine FisherQ: Why did you choose to write a second novel about Finn, Claudia and the world of Incarceron? Did you originally plan to write the story as a duet, or did the idea from Sapphique grow out of the experience of writing Incarceron?A: Originally I thought Incarceron would be a stand-alone novel, but as I wrote it and it became more complex I came to realize it would not all fit in one book. So it became two. Sapphique carries on almost from the point the first book ends.Q: Which of the characters from Sapphique was the most pleasure to write?A: All the characters were fun to write. There was a new one, Rix, who I enjoyed, and Attia has more prominence in the second book. Finn is struggling with his life in the Court, so that was a new aspect, and his relationship with Claudia changes, as her doubts about him grow. The character who perhaps develops most, is Jared, who really gets to be maybe the most important person by the end. And of course there's Keiro, irrepressible as ever!Q: What do you think makes Sapphique different than other dystopian novels? Do you even consider Incarceron and Sapphique dystopian books?A: I suppose the books do take place in a world which is dystopian, but it's not a world where all hope is gone. The very end of Sapphique suggests that. Maybe that makes them a little different, and gives the readers a hint of cheerfulness.Q: You have written many wonderful fantasy novels. What draws you to fantasy as a genre?A: I like books that have the unusual in them. I like to be pleasantly puzzled when I read, and to have to work things out. Also I feel that the elements fantasy uses--magic, the supernatural, folk tales etc--serve to widen out the story and give it a universal sense. They make the book a sort of myth, where a recurring pattern is re-enacted.Q: What do you like best about writing for teens?A: What I like about writing for teens is that teens are so enthusiastic and positive about what they like. You get a lot of feedback, and people use the novels to make their own artwork and stories from, which is great. Also people of this age group are very open-minded and willing to suspend disbelief, which adults sometimes aren't. So I hope to go on writing for teens!From School Library JournalGr 7 Up–Picking up after the surprising revelations of Incarceron (Dial, 2010), Fisher abruptly returns readers to the dystopian world and its living prison. Still trapped inside, Attia and Keiro are doing whatever they can to survive on their quest to find the Outside. Finn, meanwhile, has escaped and is now preparing to take his place on the Realm's throne. Not completely convinced, Claudia and Jared are attempting to groom Finn to take his place as Prince Giles. Things are almost on track when a Pretender makes a bid for the throne, threatening both Finn's and Claudia's lives. Amid the discordance in the Realm, Incarceron itself hunts for Sapphique's famed glove, an object that may help the prison gain a human body. Now, Attia, Keiro, and the Warden are attempting to keep the glove from Incarceron, while Finn, Jared, and Claudia are trying to hold the Realm together from the Outside. Fisher again crafts a dark, interesting foray into vivid imagery, danger, surprising twists, and intriguing revelations. This story is not quite as strong as Incarceron, but return readers will nonetheless enjoy it; new readers should, however, be steered back to the first volume. Readers will be left breathless hoping for another installment to explore the repercussions brought on by everything that happens in Sapphique's final chapters.–Jessica Miller, New Britain Public Library, CT. (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted. Views: 59
In short lines, large type, and text broken into phrases, three more stories are told. Marcos, Leon, and "I" try to out-do each other with warnings against tasting things that may not be safe. Dire consequences and ridiculous outcomes take the boys to new heights of hilarity in these spooky tales from Australia, Italy, and Eastern Europe.From the Trade Paperback edition. Views: 59
Take me to your leader. Come to think of it, just take me. Planet Nerak was perfect until an expedition to Earth brought back an unwanted guest. Enter one talented Nerakian named Lara, sent on a special fact-finding mission in the vast region called Texas. Fortunately, police officer Sam Jones has offered to help. Unfortunately, Sam's skill at sex is quite distracting... Crazy, that's what Sam is. What sane man would voluntarily isolate himself in the Texas woods with an alien, not to mention a female one with a superiority complex, legs that won't quit, and a penchant for walking around buck naked? And when Lara wastes no time getting into his bed, he goes where no man has gone before. Of course, when you're from Texas, nothing--not even an entire planet--is going to stop you from getting what you want. Views: 59
Satisfy your book cravings with Grit, Chef Pierre and Smoke & Mirrors.This box set is only available for a very limited time.Grit: TOP 100 AMAZON BESTSELLER***Recommended for 18 years and over***Alpha MC Prez Jaeger Dalton wants the land that was promised to him.Sassy Phoenix Ward isn't about to let anyone take Freedom Run away from her.He'll protect what's his.She'll protect what's hers.Jaeger is an arrogant ass, but he wants nothing more than Phoenix.Phoenix is stubborn and headstrong, and she wants Jaeger out of her life.Her father lost the family farm to gambling debts, but Jaeger isn't the only one who has a claim to the property.Sometimes it's best to let things go.But sometimes it's better to fight until the very end.***Chef Pierre: Holly Walker had everything she'd ever dreamed about - a happy marriage and being mum to beautiful brown-eyed Emma - until an accident nineteen months ago tore her world apart. Now she's a widow and single mother to a boisterous little... Views: 59
