A Sight for Sore Eyes tells three stories, and for the longest time, the reader has no inkling of how they will come together. The first is a story of a little girl who has been scolded and sent to her room when her mother is brutally murdered; as Francine grows up, she is haunted by the experience, and it is years before she even speaks. Secondly, we become privy to the life of a young man, Teddy, born of unthinking young parents, who grows up almost completely ignored. Free of societal mores, he becomes a sociopath, who eventually discovers that killing can be an effective way to get what he wants. Thirdly, we meet Harriet, who from an early age has learned to use her beauty to make her way in the world. Bored by marriage to a wealthy, much older man, she scans the local newspapers for handymen to perform odd jobs around the house, including services in the bedroom.When these three plots strands finally converge, the result is harrowing and unforgettable. A... Views: 47
Regency England just got real(ity)Episode 3: Annabelle and the terrible, horrible, no good, very bad rumorAnnabelle, Marchioness of Tattingstong, always thought she was a good wife. She's put up with all thetitters and stares in the ballroom that go along withbeing a rich American married only for her wealth andlooks. But, when it's rumored that her husbandhas a secret family, one he is using her money to keep,Annabelle may have finally had enough. A properEnglish wife would grin and bear it, but playing bysociety's rules hasn't worked for her so far.Will revenge be as sweet as American pie? Views: 47
In Lethal Vintage, the fourth installment in the Sunny McCoskey Napa Valley mystery series, an old friend calls Sunny for help dealing with her boyfriend, a hedge fund billionaire with a wine country estate fit for a king. Sunny joins her for what she thinks will be a day of girl talk and poolside sunbathing. Instead, a day of gustatory decadence turns into a night of scandal and debauchery culminating in murder. By morning, the police are pounding on doors, and Sunny is more than a witness she s a potential suspect. Sunny and her friends sous chef Rivka Chavez, winemaker Wade Skord, and valley wine merchant and bon vivant Monty Lenstrom offer an insider s take on the foodie culture of Napa as they try to help Sunny stay out of trouble. Steeped in good food, great wine, and plenty of summer heat, Lethal Vintage is a fun read for anyone who has ever wondered what goes on in those mansions above the vines. Views: 47
From Publishers WeeklyThis final volume of works by English author, disillusioned sailor and bodybuilder Hodgson (1877–1918) presents 31 strange and unsettling visions of fantasy, horror and future worlds both terrifyingly close to and infinitely removed from our own, including several condensations and alternate versions of Hodgson's best known works. Despite some labored archaisms and obtrusive dialects, the emotional depth of the poignant Valley of Lost Children and the searing Judge Barclay's Wife exemplifies Hodgson's penetrating insight into the abuses society masks beneath its supposed values and ideals, while the eerily Swiftian Date 1965: Modern Warfare, written in 1908, foresees the horrors of the trenches. Today's readers will find it a struggle, but one worth undertaking. (Sept.) Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. Product DescriptionThe fifth of a five volume set collecting all of Hodgson's published fiction. Each volume contains one of Hodgson's novels, along with a selection of thematically-linked short fiction. Views: 47
