Claim Jump, California, was founded on the principle of act first and suffer the consequences later. But sometimes sooner becomes the new later. Over-building and over-population results in disaster when a firestorm sweeps down the forest and into town.But Allison has more to contend with than forest fires. She must deal with missing clients and negligent caregivers as well as former lovers who refuse to stay former. Views: 32
In 1943 two schoolgirls, Rachel and Meriel,best friends in the Gloucestershire city where they have grown up, amuse themselves by tracking down imaginary German spies. It all seems a harmless way of whiling away the long school holidays, until their game turns into a frightening reality, the consequences of which affect their whole lives. Rachel becomes a reporter on the local paper while Meriel, a GI bride, goes to live in Florida. But the bonds which hold them together can never be broken, as the secrets and scandals which first surfaced in those far-off wartime days eventually come to light. Views: 32
According to The Waiter, eighty percent of customers are nice people just looking for something to eat. The remaining twenty percent, however, are socially maladjusted psychopaths. Waiter Rant offers the server's unique point of view, replete with tales of customer stupidity, arrogant misbehavior, and unseen bits of human grace transpiring in the most unlikely places. Through outrageous stories, The Waiter reveals the secrets to getting good service, proper tipping etiquette, and how to keep him from spitting in your food. The Waiter also shares his ongoing struggle, at age thirty-eight, to figure out if he can finally leave the first job at which he's truly thrived. Views: 32
Mira James never imagined life after college would be a doublewide trailer outside Battle Lake, Minnesota. Then again, maybe the North Country has more to offer than mosquitoes and broasted chicken. Local legend claims that a diamond necklace was lost nearly a century ago in Whiskey Lake, not far from the present day Shangri-La resort. Mira, a part-time reporter, goes fishing for the story behind the legend, but her dives turn up more than missing jewelry. Buoyed by frozen Nut Goodies and a diminutive circus performer, the exhilarating search leads to a new mystery to unravel, and puts her face to face with the surfacing of a menacing foe from her past. Views: 32
Lipsky, a Rolling Stone writer and an award-winning novelist, chronicles daily life at the U.S. Military Academy during the most tumultuous period in its history.In 1998, West Point made David Lipsky an unprecedented offer: stay at the Academy as long as you like, go wherever you wish, talk to whomever you want, to discover why some of America's most promising young people sacrifice so much to become cadets. Lipsky followed one cadet class into mess halls, barracks, classrooms, bars, and training exercises, from arrival through graduation. By telling their stories, he also examines the Academy as a reflection of our society: Are its principles of equality, patriotism, and honor quaint anachronisms or is it still, as Theodore Roosevelt called it, the most "absolutely American" institution? During arguably the most eventful four years in West Point's history, Lipsky witnesses the arrival of TVs and phones in dorm rooms, the end of hazing, and innumerable other shifts in... Views: 32
Detective Dennis Milne is waiting to kill three unarmed men. Cynical and jaded, Milne likes to think that he's hurting only those who deserve it. But this time he's been duped. Instead of shooting drug dealers, he kills two respectable customs officers and an accountant -- suddenly Milne, his lucrative sideline and what remains of his conscience are heading for trouble. Twelve hours later he's back on duty in London's King's Cross. Eighteen-year-old Miriam Fox has been found dead -- her throat slashed. Milne's dogged enquiries into the murky world of the teenage vice trade soon implicate fellow police officers and the manager of the hostel where Miriam once stayed. With his own crimes returning to haunt him, Milne uncovers a web of depravity more shocking than he could ever have imagined. Views: 32
Judge Dee must solve three complex mysteries in this case. Poisoned plums, secret messages in a scroll picture, passionate love letters and a murderer with a penchant for torturing and killing women lead him into the heart of the Governor's garden maze and the answers to these mysteries. *** Poisoned plums, a cryptic scroll picture, passionate love letters, and a hidden murderer with a penchant for torturing and killing women lead Judge Dee to the heart of the Governor’s garden maze and the answers to three interwoven mysteries. The Chinese Maze Murders represents Robert van Gulik’s first venture into writing suspense novels after the success of Dee Gong An, his translation of an anonymous Chinese detective novel from the sixteenth century. Views: 32
Die Twice—two gripping Dennis Milne mysteries in one from Simon Kernick.The Murder ExchangeWhen ex-mercenary Max Iversson agreed to provide security for nightclub owner Roy Fowler, he never expected a bloodbath. Three men have been shot, the briefcase Iversson was guarding is empty...and now he wants to know why. So begins a dangerous hunt for answers that will take him into direct conflict with Detective Sergeant John Gallan, who is investigating the mysterious death of one of Fowler's doormen, and toward a confrontation that neither is likely to escape unscathed. The Business of DyingCynical and jaded, Detective Sergeant Dennis Milne earns money on the side by doing what he does best: punishing the bad guys. But this time he's been duped and instead of blowing away drug dealers, he kills three innocent men, setting off a war of morality that could leave him broken, or worse...dead. Views: 32
A brilliantly inventive, fabulously illustrated addition to the Far- Flung Adventures series from the award-winning, bestselling author andillustrator team Paul Stewart and Chris Riddell. Set in the same world as the Fergus Crane and Corby Flood stories, this is the tale of a small boy, Hugo Pepper, and his amazing exploits. Raised in the Frozen North by reindeer herders, his parents eaten by polar bears when he was just a baby, Hugo discovers that the sled they arrived in has a very special compass--one that can be set to "Home." And so Hugo arrives in Firefly Square--to discover a group of very special friends, and a dastardly enemy. With three-toed snowmen, a secret buried treasure, and a host of fabulous stories, this is a fantastic new tale in this series.From the Hardcover edition. Views: 32
Read Dan Koeppel's posts on the Penguin Blog.In the vein of the bestselling Salt and Cod, a gripping chronicle of the myth, mystery, and uncertain fate of the world's most popular fruitIn this fascinating and surprising exploration of the banana's history, cultural significance, and endangered future, award-winning journalist Dan Koeppel gives readers plenty of food for thought. Fast-paced and highly entertaining, Banana takes us from jungle to supermarket, from corporate boardrooms to kitchen tables around the world. We begin in the Garden of Eden—examining scholars' belief that Eve's "apple" was actually a banana— and travel to early-twentieth-century Central America, where aptly named "banana republics" rose and fell over the crop, while the companies now known as Chiquita and Dole conquered the marketplace. Koeppel then chronicles the banana's path to the present, ultimately—and most alarmingly—taking us to banana plantations across the... Views: 32
