Mysteries seem to find the Red Blazer Girls: when Sophie finds a secret message in the antique fountain pen she bought for her father, the girls are on a case. Soon, they're at the home of the pen's original owner, a secretive man who kept to himself. His house is full of puzzles, all of which protect a hidden treasure, and the Blazers will do anything to get to the bottom of things. Throw in an ill-tempered bookstore owner with a motive, a missing will, a walking stick that doubles as a key, a school Christmas play, and a rat named Humphrey, and it all adds up to another thrilling adventure for the Red Blazer Girls. Views: 25
A British copywriter house-sits at his composer friend Oskar’s ultra-modern apartment in a glum Eastern European city. The instructions are simple: Feed the cats, don’t touch the piano, and make sure nothing damages the priceless wooden floors. Content for the first time in ages, he accidentally spills some wine. The apartment and the narrator’s sanity gradually fall apart in this unusual and satisfying novel.Oskar has left several notes for his friend, gently instructing him in the proper maintenance of the flat. But over the course of one disastrous week, as the situation in (and out) of the apartment spirals out of control, the notes take on a more insistent—and creepily prescient—tone.Anyone who has ever felt inferior to a perfectionist friend will sympathize with the narrator’s plight. Wiles is a genuinely funny comic novelist in the tradition of those two earlier British W’s, Wodehouse and Waugh.From Publishers Weekly“This darkly humorous novel from U.K. journalist Wiles involves a nameless protagonist whose eight days of house-sitting turn out to be a lot more hassle than he bargained for. A freelance copywriter in London does his old university friend, Oskar, now a classical musician, a big favor by staying in his ‘nice flat’ located in an unspecified and dour Slavic city. Oskar is a ‘borderline obsessive-compulsive’ who leaves very specific instructions on a number of notes posted throughout the flat, including not only the care of cats Shossy and Stravvy, but, of greater importance, that of the expensive French oak floors. Oskar, in L.A. to deal with divorcing his wife, intends to return soon to his ‘island of perfection.’ Unfortunately, the befuddled protagonist is a hapless caretaker; he lets one of Oskar’s cats die (via piano lid) and, perhaps worse, he spills red wine on the floor. ‘Batface,’ the flat’s bellicose cleaning lady, is no help rescuing the precious floorboard. The narrator is pleased to find that Oskar has a ‘human’ side when he uncovers his hidden porn stash, but the maintenance of the wooden floors soon takes a horrid turn. A strikingly original debut.” - Publishers Weekly (starred review; a “Best New Book of the Week”) Review“If you are a fan of Kafka, you should enjoy this novel, which is reminiscent of The Metamorphosis.” — Kirkus Reviews“Care of Wooden Floors turns the placid act of house-sitting into one man’s existential nightmare.” – New York Times "This novel has everything I look for: Line by line the sentences are a pleasure, page by page the story enthralls, and as a whole, the novel is expertly constructed, each precisely cut plank snapping perfectly into place. Clever, funny, creepy, atmospheric, and very entertaining. I realize that's a lot of adjectives, but read the book and you’ll see."— Charles Yu, author of *How to Live Safely in a Science Fictional Universe*“Funny, beguiling, and quietly profound . . . a wonderfully well- crafted debut.” —Times Literary Supplement"Guffaw-out-loud moments...married to the horrified recognition that provokes empathy. A very funny novel provoking schadenfreude and belly laughs." —The Independent“Highly idiosyncratic, well-written, with a vivid sense of place–and weirdly compelling.” –Michael Frayn, author of Skios and *Headlong*“Fawlty Towers crossed with Freud.” — *Daily Telegraph*“A nicely turned satire on the notion that the path to spiritual contentment lies in a pristine set of polished wooden floorboards... CARE OF WOODEN FLOORS indicates that Wiles has an eye for beauty, but an even more impressive eye for ugliness. It's a novel full of impeccably stylish writing.” –Guardian“This is a terrific first novel, written with a very engaging deadpan wit, and an understated sense of the absurd.” –The TimesLonglisted for the Desmond Elliott Prize Selected as "Best Fiction Debut of 2012," ShortList“A tight, lovely, unique work full of heart as well as darkness...Wiles is a strong new voice. Enjoy this one with a glass of wine—if you dare.” –Bookpage Views: 25
Travel writing on exotic India.From Bombay to the hippy beaches of Goa and on to the tropical trip of India, travelling by boat and bus, staying in fisherman's huts and no-star hotels, Dervla Murphy and her five-year-old daughter explored the south. En route they fell in love with the tiny mountain paradise of Coorg, whose landscapes and people form the focus of a wonderfully evocative travel diary. This is an account of their journey. The author also wrote In Cameroon with Egbert, The Waiting Land and Muddling through in Madagascar. Views: 25
At a derelict port in Stockholm, two brutally murdered men are found by a security guard. In the same area a young woman, Aida, is on the run from a deranged gunman. Meanwhile, journalist Annika Bengtzon is approached by a woman wanting her story published in the Evening Post. She claims to have founded an organization to erase people's pasts - giving vulnerable individuals a completely new identity. Annika helps Aida to get in touch with the foundation. But as she begins to investigate this woman's story, more bodies turn up and she finds herself getting dangerously close to the truth - that all is not as it seems... Previously published as Paradise. Views: 24
The stunning new novel from Costa-Novel-Award-winning novelist Maggie O'Farrell: a portrait of an Irish family in crisis in the legendary heatwave of 1976. It's July 1976. In London, it hasn't rained for months, gardens are filled with aphids, water comes from a standpipe, and Robert Riordan tells his wife Gretta that he's going round the corner to buy a newspaper. He doesn't come back. The search for Robert brings Gretta's children - two estranged sisters and a brother on the brink of divorce - back home, each wih different ideas as to where their father might have gone. None of them suspects that their mother might have an explanation that even now she cannot share. Maggie O'Farrell's sixth book is the work of an outstanding novelist at the height of her powers.ReviewPraise for Instructions for a Heat Wave: “Acutely observed…revelatory, redemptive, and moving…There is a deliciousness to this novel, a warmth and readability that render it unputdownable and will surely make it a hit. O’Farrell has done it again.” –Joanna Briscoe, The Guardian“A literary event…evocative, articulate, and joyously readable…O’Farrell’s talent for drawing intriguing but relatable characters is eclipsed only by a rare gift for description that is almost photographic in its imagery…An author at the top of her game.” –Charlotte Heathcote, The Sunday Express“Humorous, humane, and perceptive…O’Farrell depicts relationships with piercing acuity in haunting, intense prose…a deliciously insightful writer…Her sharp but humane eye dissects every form of human interaction.” –Leyla Sanai, The Independent on Sunday “Elegant, lyrical, and subtle…O’Farell’s a compassionate writer, showing us every member of the family from a variety of viewpoints, ensuring that we understand and feel for every one of them even as they drive each other mad…The Riordans will stay in your mind long after you finish reading this book. They’re funny, infuriating, and impossible not to love. They feel like family.” –Anna Carey, The Irish Times“Thoroughly absorbing and beautifully written…A novel about what we say and what other people hear; about families; what we don’t tell each other and what we do; the compromises and accommodations we make and what happens when we build our lives around half-truths.” –Victoria Moore, Daily Mail “A ripping yarn…A brilliant domestic drama that teeters on the edge of being a thriller; it’ll hook you in at the start and keep you dangling.” –Katie Law, Evening Standard “O’Farrell is adept at creating pace out of the intricacies of family relations. She keeps the gas up on the Bunsen burner throughout...I felt that I gobbled this book.” –Vicky Allan, The Herald“Farrell’s language is lissom, airborne, mostly seamless, her characters flawed, contradictory, aggravating and instantly knowable. This is a deceptively easy, effortlessly true-feeling novel; a total delight.” –Claire Allfree, Metro“O’Farrell is hard to beat. Anyone looking for a British equivalent of Anne Tyler need look no further.” –David Robinson, The Scotsman“A surprising, beautiful novel, full of the intricacies of family life…You’ll find yourself wanting to devour it in one sitting.” –Claire Frost, Fabulous Magazine “O’Farrell should be a household name.” –Library JournalAbout the AuthorMaggie O’Farrell is the author of After You’d Gone, winner of a Betty Trask Award; My Lover’s Lover; The Distance Between Us, winner of a Somerset Maugham Award; The Vanishing Act of Esme Lennox; and The Hand That First Held Mine, winner of a Costa Novel Award. Views: 24
Evil
has descended upon the sleepy desert town of Sena Pueblo, but is it
supernatural or all too human? Three prodigal sons return to their
native roots to protect the women they love and the mystical heritage
they belong to....
Luke Cordova: Unjustly jailed for a crime he didn't commit, the Pueblo
loner trusted no one except his kind uncle, only to lose him in a grisly
murder. But to unlock the mystery, he must reveal his dark past to a
beautiful stranger before she becomes the next victim.
Tom Lahi: After his childhood friend was railroaded by the police, Tom
became a warrior in the courtroom. To protect his community, the
no-nonsense lawman must trust an outsider and embrace the mystical power
within him.
Rico Tafoya: Though he makes a mint selling Pueblo art, Rico abandoned
his heritage as mystical fluff. But proud local artist Charlotte Reyna
won't let him give up on fulfilling his true destiny -- to save his
people from a terrifying evil and open his heart to love again. Views: 24
A Pravus Based Short Story Views: 24
Criminal defense attorney Jason Kolarich returns in this shocking new thriller by the Edgar® Award–winning author.A young paralegal is brutally killed. A homeless Iraq war veteran has been caught with the murder weapon and the victim’s belongings—and he can’t remember what happened… Jason Kolarich has been asked by the young man’s aunt to defend him. It seems like a standard insanity defense based on Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder—until Kolarich realizes that his client is actually innocent. The victim had been working a case of her own, following a trail of paper and money that connected international terrorists to corporate America, where there are those who want to teach the U.S. government a lesson. Kolarich knows finding the true murderer is the key to exposing the conspiracy. As time grows short for both his client and thousands of innocent Americans, he races to find a trained killer and uncover the details of the attack. But Kolarich soon discovers that the game has already been rigged—and that he himself is about to become the next target…Review'Stirring stuff' The Times. 'It is everything you could want in a legal thriller' Daily Mail. 'Ellis is a fine writer and does excellent courtroom drama. An entertaining read' The Times. About the AuthorDavid Ellis is the author of eight thrillers, including most recently Guilty Wives, written with James Patterson. He is an attorney in Chicago who served as the House Prosecutor who tried and impeached Governor Rod Blagojevich before the Illinois Senate. Views: 24
A compassionate man, Dr. Matt Baker couldn't deny the urgent request to fly to a remote Alaskan village and tend to an injured child. Especially when the call had come from the most beautiful woman he'd ever seen....She was as untamed as the land she loved, but when it came to taking care of her own, pilot Carrie Porter always came through. Even if that meant opening her home to the most captivating man she'd ever met....Sharing starry nights with Matt might have been a dream come true for Carrie. Or a major heartbreak. Because once Matt's mission was through, could Carrie hope to keep this big-city doctor in her rugged land--and her loving arms--forever? Views: 24
Bringing Baby Home Giving away her baby for adoption was the second biggest mistake of Sierra Powell's life. But after a miraculous turn of events, she is reunited with her toddler son and they return to Arizona. Too bad Sierra's first mistake is waiting for her there - Clay Duvall, a much too charming cowboy. And onetime love of her life. Clay is not about to let go of the opportunity to raise his flesh and blood. He proposes co-parenting - meaning Sierra and Jamie have to move close to him. Real close, as in onto his property. As far as Sierra's concerned, he has no say in her son's life; Clay was the one who walked out on their relationship. Will the sparks between Clay and Sierra set off the formerly feuding Powell and Duvall clans[unknown-8230]or will they rekindle an old passion? Views: 24
