'It's just to say that no-one has come to pick Nathan up from school, and we were wondering if there was a problem of some kind?' As Mark Douglas photographs a pod of whales stranded in the waters off Edinburgh's Portobello Beach, he is called by his son's school: his wife, Lauren, hasn't turned up to collect their son. Calm at first, Mark collects Nathan and takes him home but as the hours slowly crawl by he increasingly starts to worry. With brilliantly controlled reveals, we learn some of the painful secrets of the couple's shared past, not least that it isn't the first time Lauren has disappeared. And as Mark struggles to care for his son and shield him from the truth of what's going on, the police seem dangerously short of leads. That is, until a shocking discovery... Views: 24
The New York Times bestselling author of The Ghost War and The Faithful Spy CIA agent John Wells has spent years in the company of evil men. He's paid the price and is beginning to doubt if he can ever live a normal life. And when a powerful adversary from his past finds him, Wells must once again enter the fray.For his country. For his soul. For revenge... Views: 24
Something is amiss in Bayport, the Hardy Boys' home town. First, there is trouble in Shantytown, then a strange black craft tries to ram Joe and Frank's boat, the Sleuth. That night the local bank is robbed. And later that same night the young detectives' pals, Chet Morton and Biff Hooper, mysteriously disappear after a masquerade party. Are the events related? Views: 24
At a young man's funeral, the undertaker offers his thoughts on lifestyle, along with a hot tip on the big stakes race that afternoon. In another bizarre burial twist, two feuding misfit brothers speed across America in a battered Chevy, trying to fulfill their mother's dying wish. Meanwhile, the second craziest person in Casper, Wyoming, contemplates infidelity with the first, a young beauty who climbs through his window; a chance meeting with a nine-year-old boy on a bicycle finishes off a marriage; and a nude dancer in New Orleans, mistaken for a prostitute, is asked to take a check. ("The check is good, Catherine. Absolutely.") These are just a few of the compelling people and situations you will encounter in this wide-ranging selection of short fiction from Larry Duberstein. Some of Duberstein's characters do move in eccentric social circles and the patterns of his literary art make larger and even more eccentric circles. No one is exempted, however, from the... Views: 24
Award-winning author Jill McCorkle takes us on a splendid journey through time and memory in this, her tenth work of fiction. Life After Life is filled with a sense of wonder at our capacity for self-discovery at any age. And the residents, staff, and neighbors of the Pine Haven retirement center (from twelve-year-old Abby to eighty-five-year-old Sadie) share some of life’s most profound discoveries and are some of the most true-to-life characters that you are ever likely to meet in fiction. There’s retired third-grade teacher Sadie Randolph, who has taught every child in town and believes we are all eight years old in our hearts; Stanley Stone, a prominent lawyer, now feigning dementia to escape life with his son; Marge Walker, the town’s self-appointed conveyor of social status, who keeps a scrapbook of every local murder and heinous crime; Rachel Silverman, recently widowed, whose decision to leave her Massachusetts home and settle at Pine Haven is a puzzle to everyone but her; C.J., the pierced and tattooed young mother who runs the beauty shop; and Joanna Lamb, the hospice volunteer who discovers that her path to a good life lies in helping people achieve good deaths. As each character
begins to connect with another, the mysteries and consequences of their lives are revealed. What they eventually learn about themselves and one another will profoundly transform them all. Delivered with her trademark wit, Jill
McCorkle’s constantly surprising novel illuminates the possibilities of second chances, hope, and rediscovering life right up to the very end. With Life After Life, she has conjured up an
entire community that reminds all of us that grace and magic can—and do—appear when we least expect it. Review"McCorkle finds that space where the humor and the sadness in these characters' lives come together, that space where she has always worked the best of her magic...You are undoubtly changed when you reach the novel's end."(Kevin Wilson, author of The Family Fang )"With Life After Life, Jill McCorkle knocks it out of the park and into the cosmos. Each character holds unique surprises that unveil the intricate magic of this brilliant novel."(Beth Henley, Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright )"Jill is going to break your heart, but along the way make you glad you went with her. She has written a book that will haunt me for a long time - in the best way."(Dorothy Allison, author of Bastard out of Carolina ) Review“Like Flannery O’Connor, McCorkle’s genius is to give us both philosophical speculation and a riveting narrative filled with unforgettable characters. Great writing, poignancy, humor, wisdom—all are in abundance here. Jill McCorkle is one of the South’s greatest writers; she is also one of America’s.”(Ron Rash, author of SERENA ) Views: 24
Fun and not-so-fun changes are keeping Amber Brown, the most colorful chapter-book character, hopping! Now that Amber?™s mom and Max are married, the three of them are moving to a new house and Amber is worried about more than just packing. How can she leave the home her dad used to live in? And with her dad dating again, how will they ever find time for just the two of them, like they used to? All of these changes make Amber's head spin, but with standardized tests coming up at school as well as a dance competition, she needs to focus more than ever.…Sometimes, Amber realizes, moving on means taking one step at a time. Bruce Coville and Elizabeth Levy perfectly capture the magic, heart, and delightfully punny humor of Paula Danziger?™s Amber Brown. Views: 24
From the authors of 'Deadly Focus' comes their second book in the 'D.I. Jack Dylan' series written by husband and wife co-authors who have nearly half a century of police experience between them. Views: 24
When Amy learns that an ultra-luxurious day spa is offering a sale, she jumps at the chance for a five-star rubdown at a major discount. She books a couples massage and drags her boyfriend along for a day of pampering and relaxation.
To Amy and Brian's surprise, there's only one masseuse attending to both of them, and he's a little otherworldly. But Forrest the masseuse knows how to touch them in all the right places, all at once. Amy and Brian soon learn that he's more than capable of giving them both what they need - a VERY happy ending!
WARNING! This 4200 word story contains: one sexy couple, a very talented paranormal masseuse, and tentacles massaging absolutely everywhere. Views: 24
