Bestselling fiction author Jerry S. Eicher (nearly half a million books sold) turns his pen to a moving memoir of his life growing up Amish.Jerry's mother was nineteen years old and nine months married when he was born. She had received Grandfather Stoll's permission for the wedding because she agreed to help out on the farm the following year. However, with Jerry on the way, those plans failed.Jerry recounts his first two years of school in the Amish community of Aylmer, Ontario and his parents' decision to move to Honduras. Life in that beautiful Central American country is seen through an Amish boy's eyes—and then the dark days when the community failed and the family returned to America, much to young Jerry's regret. Jerry also tells of his struggle as a stutterer and his eventual conversion to Christ and the reasons for his departure from the childhood faith he knew.Here is a must-read for not just Jerry's fiction fans... Views: 16
A true story of dark forces that ended a colourful life. The basis for American Crime Story: The Assassination of Gianni Versace, a 10-part drama series on BBC2, starring Penelope Cruz and Ricky Martin, this is the unforgettable account of a sociopath, his savage crimes, and the devastation he left in his wake.In the glamorous and hedonistic fashion world in the 1990s there was one world-famous name that everyone knew – Gianni Versace. Vulgar Favours details the events that led to his murder at the hands of Andrew Cunanan on July 15th, 1997. Maureen Orth, investigative journalist, was researching an article for Vanity Fair about the Miami Beach serial killer two days before Versace was brutally killed outside his mansion by Cunanan. Drawing on over 400 interviews and thousands of pages of police reports, Orth recounts in gripping detail how Cunanan became one of America's most notorious serial killers, evading the police... Views: 16
A crime fiction short story. Views: 16
When Henry Weist, Port Dundas, Ontario's likeable hardware store owner is found dead in the parking lot of a cigarette shop on a local First Nation reserve, apparently of a bee sting, and with more deaths to follow, Hazel Micallef finds herself involved in one of the most sensational and shocking cases of her career. And one that literally goes underground to get to the bottom of what turns out to be a vengeful, murderous rampage. Behind the scenes of the investigation, Hazel is dealing with an 87-year-old mother who seems to have lost the will to live; the complications of procedures and protocols, political manoeuvrings within the force itself, including the promotion of her former nemesis to whom she will now report.In Hazel Micallef, Wolfe has created one of the more intriguing and no-nonsense protagonists in crime fiction. Brilliantly plotted and pyschologically complex, and rewarding, A Door in the River is the strongest, most haunting Hazel Micallef... Views: 16
When he turned eighteen, Tuffer Demson had given up on getting his one special Christmas wish. At twenty-three, the tough pro football defensive lineman turned his energies toward helping the Connecticut Kings win the Super Bowl and courting the coach's daughter.Then it happened. One wintry day in Monroe, Tuffer's wish was granted. He'd hoped it would bring peace to his life, but the outcome was just the opposite.Reaching deep into his heart, would Tuffer discover forgiveness that had never existed before? The emotion in this short story will rock you to your roots.No one could have been more surprised when that wish was finally granted. He was twenty-three, yet this desire still burned inside him. Views: 16
What makes a respectable midwife decide to rob a sperm bank? Temporary insanity? When Molly Whitecloud poses as a call girl to investigate rumors of corruption at the Blackbird Reservation resort and casino, she finds herself teamed up with Cameron Outlaw, her high school sweetheart and the only man she ever truly loved. Still smarting from her long-ago betrayal of him, Cameron wants nothing to do with the girl he once nicknamed Tiger Lily. But when the Indian Gaming Commission asks him to protect her by posing as her lover, he reluctantly agrees. Suddenly, he's sharing a hotel room and a still-powerful chemistry with the woman he's hated for twelve years. But is it really hate? As the danger intensifies and the old attraction explodes, Molly knows she has to be honest with Cam. But what happens when he discovers she's keeping not one but two baby secrets? This is a new release of a previously published edition. Views: 16
One night on a commuter train, Paddy Yeatman-Carter sees a man attempting suicide. Intervening, he prevents the man from going through with it. However, the very next day the same man is found dead, and Paddy believes the circumstances to be extremely suspicious. Roping in his friend and lawyer, Nap Rumbold, he determines to discover the truth. They become increasingly suspicious of the dead man's employers: the Stalagmite Insurance Company, who appear to hire some very dangerous staff. Views: 16
Charlie Puckman, Jr., Lorraine Nadia, and Frederick Keane came of age in the late 1960s. Like that era, their lives were mysterious, idealistic, passionate, and romantic, even -- but ultimately confused and, often, ineffectual. More than thirty years later, their youthful adventures continue to have ramifications: Charlie faces prosecution after an industrial accident at his family business, Lorraine's daughter is searching for the father she never knew, and Frederick has gone underground after his radical life has spiraled out of control. Epic in scope and touching on such provocative issues as Patty Hearst and the SLA, crime and the possibility of redemption, and the search for self and life's meaning, Backward-Facing Man is a novel about choices and their lasting effects on people's lives, their families, and American society. Views: 16
In an age when physical books matter less and less, here is a thrilling story about a book that meant everything. This true-life detective story unveils the journey of a sacred text—the tenth-century annotated bible known as the Aleppo Codex—from its hiding place in a Syrian synagogue to the newly founded state of Israel. Based on Matti Friedman’s independent research, documents kept secret for fifty years, and personal interviews with key players, the book proposes a new theory of what happened when the codex left Aleppo, Syria, in the late 1940s and eventually surfaced in Jerusalem, mysteriously incomplete.The codex provides vital keys to reading biblical texts. By recounting its history, Friedman explores the once vibrant Jewish communities in Islamic lands and follows the thread into the present, uncovering difficult truths about how the manuscript was taken to Israel and how its most important pages went missing. Along the way, he raises critical questions about who owns historical treasures and the role of myth and legend in the creation of a nation.From BooklistStarred Review Written in the tenth century, the Aleppo Codex is the most accurate copy of the Hebrew Bible. Named for the Syrian city in which it was kept, the codex is also known as the Crown of Aleppo and was said to protect those who cared for it and curse those who defiled it. Friedman, a Jerusalem journalist, came across part of the Crown in a museum and decided he wanted to write about it—in doing so, he opened a treasure box of history, mystery, conspiracy, and convolutions that would do any biblical thriller proud. There are several intriguing strands in play here. First, there is the history of a vibrant Syrian community, under siege when Israel became a state. Add a cast of academics, spys, merchants, refugees, and bureaucrats, high and low, whose roles in getting the Crown out of Syria and into Israel loop and reloop throughout the narrative. Then there is the ever-evolving topic of the underground market for antiquities, fascinating in itself, but Friedman shows us, in addition, just how much is lost when the very rich purchase rarities and remove them from the public eye. The time line sometimes gets confusing, and so do the players (though an introductory “cast list” helps), but Friedman has done a remarkable job—finding sources and digging through archives—of getting the Crown’s fascinating story out of the shadows and into the light. In the process, he’s become the latest in the long line of the Crown’s protectors. --Ilene Cooper Review“A superb work of investigative journalism that reads like a detective thriller.”—The Wall Street Journal“Friedman’s clear writing and dogged pursuit of some otherwise overlooked assumptions read more like a detective novel than history . . . Friedman has written an important account in accessible, gripping prose.”—The Christian Science Monitor “A thrilling, step-by-step quest to discover what really happened to Judaism’s most important book . . . Many of [The Aleppo Codex’s] most astute and well-earned revelations are also its biggest surprises.” —The Boston Globe“The Aleppo Codex builds to a moral crescendo more impressive than the climactic fight scene in any thriller.”—Salon “Friedman creates a riveting story, one that the reader will have a hard time putting down.”—The Advocate“Thrilling . . . a real-life National Treasure that reads like fantastical fiction.”—CultureMob “[Friedman] opened a treasure box of history, mystery, conspiracy, and convolutions that would do any biblical thriller proud . . . Friedman has done a remarkable job—finding sources and digging through archives—of getting the Crown’s fascinating story out of the shadows and into the light. In the process, he’s become the latest in the long line of the Crown’s protectors.”—Booklist, starred review“Sharply etched . . . A carefully paced narrative of purloined Judaica.”—Kirkus Reviews “Friedman’s account of how the Codex was taken from Syria in the 1940s, later to resurface in Jerusalem, although no longer complete, is full of betrayals, controversy and surprises — and raises larger questions about the ownership and preservation of historical treasures.” —Jewish Week"Friedman gives a masterful account of a major religious document . . . [he] delivers an atmospheric, tense story about the destruction of a sacred relic, raising inevitable questions about who owns a people’s historical treasures."—Publishers Weekly, starred review* Views: 16
