"Pops stormed his way down the hall in a pissed-off march—trouble on the move. A quick glance at his florid, contorted face told me he was smashed. I looked down at meat, spoon, dough—anything to avoid his bleary red eyes. The stench of booze sickened me. So did my father."In the title story of this gritty collection for teens, a young girl remembers the night her father almost killed her mother. The peace that comes when her father is put in jail is short lived though, because in order to keep him behind bars she will have to testify against him in court. Can she be strong enough to overcome her fear? What if he leaps out of his chair and attacks her too? Can she do what needs to be done in order to keep her mother and grandmother safe?In Theresa Saldaña's first collection of stories for young adults, her characters confront issues relevant to all teens, from friendship to dreams for the future. Many, though, must overcome suffering—whether physical or... Views: 54
Ex-lovers can really mess up your life.Kate Vincent's ex, Anna, certainly does. Not only does Anna interfere in Kate's love life, but she totally screws up the world by traveling back in time to 11th century Spain and changing one crucial event. As any sane person knows, you cannot alter an event in history without altering everything that follows—but Anna has an agenda, and a score to settle.When Kate follows Anna back to the 11th century to clean up Anna's mess before she and those she loves cease to exist, she finds herself fighting not only Anna and her hired thugs, but also another woman—the woman Kate has never stopped loving.Romance, betrayal, and intrigue pack this tense conclusion to the epic adventure begun in The Spanish Pearl. Views: 54
What brings a demon to the gates of heaven?
The half-fiend Kaanyr Vhok finally arrives at the destination he has sacrificed so much to achieve--he is in the heart of Celestia with his lover and consort, the succubus Aliisza. Only to find that the House of the Triad is falling apart, and he is bound by a vengeful Aliisza and a renegade angel into trying to save it--not exactly the goal he had in mind.
The second full-length novel in The Empyrean Odyssey, *The Fractured Sky* continues to follow War of the Spider Queen favorites Aliisza and Kaanyr Vhok as the pair of fiends struggle to escape the heart of a deeply troubled Celestia while bound to a particularly determined angel.
*From the Paperback edition.* Views: 54
"You should have worked out by now that nobody wants this case solved!" These words, delivered by Eddie, a Liverpool thug brought down to London especially to put the frighteners on him, send a shiver down newly-promoted DS Charlie Woodend's spine. Because Eddie is right. Nobody does seem interested in bringing the killer of sixteen-year-old Pearl Jones to justice. Not DCI Bentley, Woodend's immediate boss. Not Deputy Commissioner Naylor, whose word is law in Scotland Yard. Not even the dead girl's mother herself.But Woodend cares. Working alone - sifting through the rubble of bombed-out post-war London and building up a picture of a life cut short - he is assailed by a growing anger and a deepening sorrow. He will find the murderer, he promises himself, even if that means putting his career - and perhaps even his own life - on the line.From BooklistIt’s 1973, and DCI Charlie Woodend is due to retire, with his long-time colleague Monika Paniatowski set to take over his job. As they drink a last pint before Woodend leaves for good, he agrees to tell Monika about his first case, the one that made him sure he wanted to be a copper. Twenty years earlier, when Woodend was a new police recruit, he was called out to investigate the brutal murder of a black teenager. Appalled by the cruelty of the crime, Woodend vows to find the girl’s killer. But because she was “just a little colored girl” (this was, after all, 1950), his superiors rule the case low priority and seem unusually upset when Woodend decides to investigate on his own. As always, Spencer offers up a clever plot, highly skilled writing, deft touches of ironic humor, and consummate characterizations, resulting in another fine entry in this strong procedural series. --Emily Melton Review"Retiring Chief Inspector Charlie Woodend (Dying Fall, 2008, etc.) reminisces about his first case: the murder of a black teenager that no one wanted solved. As they wait in the buffet of the Whitebridge railway station for the train that will take him on the first leg of his journey to retirement in Spain, Woodend tells his protégée Monika Paniatowski about the first case he solved in London. When they demob at the end of World War II, his commanding officer, Major Cathcart, recommends the young sergeant to the Metropolitan Police Force. Soon, Lancaster-bred Woodend is in an office overlooking Victoria Embankment under the command of DCI Bentley. Too lazy to view a dead body, he sends Woodend to investigate the slashing of 16-year-old Pearl Jones, of African descent, who lived in downbeat Canning Town but studied at a poncy prep school thanks to a scholarship from the mysterious Meadows Trust. Everyone warns Woodend off the case, from the constable whose rude description of the body sickens him, to shady pub owner Greyhound Ron Smithers, who sends a couple of hard boys to persuade him to ease off, to the mysterious voice on the phone warning that "somefink very nasty could 'appen" if he keeps on. But keep on he does, the first step in nearly a quarter-century of flouting authority and solving crime." --Kirkus Starred Review, 15th October 2008 "Retiring Chief Inspector Charlie Woodend (Dying Fall, 2008, etc.) reminisces about his first case: the murder of a black teenager that no one wanted solved. As they wait in the buffet of the Whitebridge railway station for the train that will take him on the first leg of his journey to retirement in Spain, Woodend tells his protégée Monika Paniatowski about the first case he solved in London. When they demob at the end of World War II, his commanding officer, Major Cathcart, recommends the young sergeant to the Metropolitan Police Force. Soon, Lancaster-bred Woodend is in an office overlooking Victoria Embankment under the command of DCI Bentley. Too lazy to view a dead body, he sends Woodend to investigate the slashing of 16-year-old Pearl Jones, of African descent, who lived in downbeat Canning Town but studied at a poncy prep school thanks to a scholarship from the mysterious Meadows Trust. Everyone warns Woodend off the case, from the constable whose rude description of the body sickens him, to shady pub owner Greyhound Ron Smithers, who sends a couple of hard boys to persuade him to ease off, to the mysterious voice on the phone warning that "somefink very nasty could 'appen" if he keeps on. But keep on he does, the first step in nearly a quarter-century of flouting authority and solving crime." --Kirkus Starred Review, 15th October 2008 Views: 54
Tori Hunter always worked solo, but in Samantha Kennedy she found a partner, in more ways than one. Casey O’Connor isn’t thrilled to learn that she has a new partner on the way. It’s been hard enough to transition from working with live victims to dead ones. Now Leslie Turner is going to slow down the process. Professional duty trumps personal issues as the detectives focus on their latest case, a killer whose choice of victim is solitary women. The investigation raises a lot of questions around the killer’s means and opportunities. Leslie would be happy if the questions stopped there, but she’s also wondering why she’d rather spend time with these women—specifically Casey—than with her fiancé. Casey would also like to stick to business, but as the case intensifies she finds herself also watching Tori and Sam and wondering how they balance their public personas and private passions. Figuring it out is a pointless exercise, she tells herself, because that kind of lightning can’t possibly strike twice. Partners concludes the series that began with the chart-topping bestseller Hunter’s Way, and continued with the Lambda Literary and Golden Crown finalist In the Name of the Father — with the sizzling intensity that only Gerri Hill can deliver. Views: 54
Another thrilling saga in the Supreme Constellations romantic sci-fi adventure series.Environmental activist Dwyn Izontro and law enforcement officer Emeron D'Artansis instinctively dislike everything about each other, even though the attraction between them is unmistakable. While Dwyn surveys an endangered region of a remote planet with Emeron as her security escort, Ambassador M'Ekar has bribed his guards to facilitate his escape from the planet where he is incarcerated. As part of his escape plan, he kidnaps one of the individuals he holds responsible for his humiliation, Dahlia Jacelon. When a spacecraft carrying unexpected cargo crashes to the surface in the region where Dwyn and Emeron are working, the two women are unexpectedly hurled into a search and rescue mission where the fate of millions rests on their ability to work together. The stakes go up when Rae Jacelon and Kellen O'Dal, the Protectors of the Realm, join in the hunt. Views: 54
Lee Raven, boy thief, has stolen something he really didn't mean to. Now he faces a perilous flight through London (and the murky sewers below) as he tries to escape capture - because Lee has stolen the Book of Nebo, a book that has existed for thousands of years and tells every story and legend known to man. It's priceless. Some will even kill to possess it. The pressure mounts and the future of Nebo is in Lee's hands - can he prevent the most dangerous ending of them all? Views: 54
Bostonian Cora Elison arrives unannounced at her family's ranch in Kansas, after her fiancé changed her status from bride to bridesmaid—at her own wedding. But after a few months, Cora thanks her lucky stars that he did because she has found a set of loyal friends, a way of life she relishes, and a cowboy she has become to love.Dagmar Hamner and his family emigrated from Sweden to work on a Texas ranch, working cattle and herding them north over the Chisholm Trail. After his family decides to settle permanently in Kansas in 1873, he is hired for the foreman's job at the six thousand acre Bar E Ranch.All goes well for the Swedish cowboy until the absentee owner's daughter arrives, wanting to learn how to become a rancher. Time makes them best friends, until a telegram arrives saying Cora's parents are bringing an unknown groom to Kansas for her, insisting she be married when they arrive.Cora asks Dagmar to marry her, but he balks at her proposal. Between confusion and interference,... Views: 54
Lady Calandra should have suitors beating down her door. But her overprotective brother, the Duke of Rochford, has managed to scare off every suitable gentleman. Every man except the mysterious Earl of Bromwell, that is. Callie finds herself drawn to the enigmatic earl, despite her brother's almost violent protestations.In defiance of her brother's wishes, Callie devises a plan to see Bromwell again, enlisting the help of matchmaker Francesca Haughston. But when shadowy secrets about the duke and the earl come to light, it may be too late for Callie to see that she's walked straight into a trap.... Views: 54
