Just months away from retirement, Chief Superintendent Frances Harman verges on overload as she takes on evermore responsibilities. Her list of priorities doesn't seem to have a top, middle or bottom anymore; everything seems to be top priority. First there is the puzzling case of 'Elise' – the unidentified woman found unconscious at a roadside, who's condition of persistent vegetative state means that if the hospital turns off her life support her attacker will be guilty of murder – then there's Fran's irritable parents who must be cared for, a child abduction case that must be quickly resolved, the disappearance of her only witness and the growing affection that she and long-term colleague, Mark Turner, seem to share for one another...In a satisfyingly complex story of deadly crime, kidnapping, disappearance, and identify theft, can this warhorse of a detective beat the odds, the stress and the danger that may just be too much for one woman to handle? Views: 14
*ONE OF THE HIGHEST-RATED MILITARY SCI-FI NOVELS ON AMAZON!!PARASITE PUBLICATIONS ~ Character Sci-FiThe Legend of ZERO begins the epic journey of 14-year-old Joe Dobbs in a post-apocalyptic universe following a massive alien invasion of Earth. The oldest of the children drafted from humanity’s devastated planet, Joe is impressed into service by the alien Congressional Ground Force—and becomes the unwitting centerpiece in a millennia-long alien struggle for independence. Once his training begins, one of the elusive and prophetic Trith appears to give Joe a spine chilling prophecy that the universe has been anticipating for millions of years: Joe will be the one to finally shatter the vast alien government known as Congress. And the Trith cannot lie.…But first Joe has to make it through bootcamp. Views: 14
The bad boy who lived next door claimed Molly’s heart long ago. No matter how far he runs, Ryker is the one man she’ll never stop loving. Unfortunately, he doesn’t have a clue about connecting with his sensitive side in the bedroom, or that find-your-inner-femininity crap. When Ryker finally finds his way back home, will he find the courage to claim what’s always been his? Views: 14
In this explosive debut thriller by the New York Times bestselling author of Empire of Blue Water, a brilliant homicide detective returns home, where she confronts a city’s dark demons and her own past while pursuing a brutal serial killer on a vengeful rampage.Absalom “Abbie” Kearney grew up an outsider in her own hometown. Even being the adopted daughter of a revered cop couldn’t keep Abbie’s troubled past from making her a misfit in the working-class Irish American enclave of South Buffalo. And now, despite a Harvard degree and a police detective’s badge, she still struggles to earn the respect and trust of those she’s sworn to protect. But all that may change, once the killing starts.When Jimmy Ryan’s mangled corpse is found in a local church basement, this sadistic sacrilege sends a bone-deep chill through the winter-whipped city. It also seems to send a message—one that Abbie believes only... Views: 14
It has been mere days since the brilliant children of the Young Inventors Guild escaped from the clutches of the horrible Komar Romak.They've escaped with their lovely and caring schoolteacher, Miss Brett; with their long-absent parents; and with their bizarre captors, protectors, or both—the mysterious men in black. And now they travel by train, destined for parts unknown.But a note torn from the hand of a dead man in a New York tunnel guarantees that safety is an illusion. When the children's world is blown apart, life will never be the same again.Soon, the children—Jasper and little Lucy Modest, from London, England; Wallace Banneker, from New York, United States; Noah Canto-Sagas, from Toronto, Canada; and Faye Vigyanveta, from Delhi, India—find themselves in the ancient Italian village of Solemano, deep in a mystery that spans centuries. As they inch toward the truth of the men in black and the secrets they keep, one terrible fact remains:Komar Romak is still... Views: 14
Henry James, one of the great literary stylists, an incomparable analyst of human relations, and---who knew?---a startlingly prescient media critic. This little-known novel from one of his most fertile creative periods could have been written for today's news-hungry, celebrity-obsessed times.Pretty American Francie Dosson travels to France with her father and less pretty sister. En route they meet scandal sheet journalist George Flack, who promptly falls for Francie. On their arrival in Paris he tours the Dosson sisters through its high society and bohemian circles, unwittingly introducing her to his rival Gaston Probert. Flack---a forerunner of a phone-hacker if ever there was one---is dismayed by this competition for the guileless Francie, but soon finds a way to turn the situation to his advantage, as well as that of his readers.The Reverberator is James at his most incisive, not to mention most caustic, and perhaps funniest, and one of very few of his... Views: 14
Sometimes the deepest burns are hidden from view...
All 20 year old Holly ever wanted was to escape the boring Colorado mountain town where she was born. However, when she arrived at college, she found herself having too many wild nights. Worse yet, she had one too many mornings of waking up in an unfamiliar bed to keep her scholarship. Now that's she's back in Conifer, she has no idea what she is going to do with her life and no hope for the future.
Andrew's father died a couple years ago in an electrical accident, and while Andrew wants nothing more than to leave town, his mother's mental instability makes it impossible for him to go. He feels trapped in a no-win situation and his options are slipping away.
When a mutual has a crisis, Holly comes up with a plan, a plan that will change all their lives for the better. She knows that, despite previously being burned, all it takes to start a fire is a spark. However, she realizes that once again, she may have stood too close to the flame, and the torch she carries for Andrew burns brighter than ever.
Will Holly manage to rekindle old loves, or will the destructive fire in their hearts consume everything they hold dear?
Andrew's brows pushed together for a moment as he watched me, then with a shake of his head, he moved behind me and wrapped his arms around me. The heat was instantaneous and not just from his arms. His cologne filled my nostrils, his body felt strong and warm behind me. I knew I should break away, to just deal with the cold rather than let myself experience these feelings stirring within me, but I couldn't. I wanted to be close to him. I wanted to feel him touch me.
The lights in the Lake House dimmed and slowly turned off, the darkness enveloping us. I looked up to the heavens, feeling his breath on my neck. The stars twinkled in the clear sky, constellations and planets glimmering in their eternal dance. A splash of light illuminated the sky, followed by another and another. Colors exploded against the stars, streaming fire from the sky. The crowed oohed and ahhed as the night sky was filled with color.
I barely noticed the colors flooding the sky because my attention was on Andrew. His arms held me tightly, his warmth seeping into me and making my body ache for something I knew I could never have. I let myself believe for a moment, one beautiful moment, that this could work. That we could be more than friends. That I could kiss him, touch him, have him. That I could surrender myself to him and not be afraid of the consequences.
The sky was aflame with color for a glorious instant, then only streams of sparkling smoke and twinkling stars remained. The booms still echoed through the night, a rolling thunder following the man-made lightning. I turned my head slowly, feeling Andrew's breath along my cheek. His lips were so close to mine that I could almost feel them. I wanted to taste those lips, red and open just centimeters from mine. He leaned in closer.
His lips were soft against mine. I wanted to merge into him, to never leave this moment. He tasted sweet, like cocoa and sunshine. My heart thudded with happy excitement and I pressed in closer.
The lights in the Lake house turned on, flooding the deck with artificial light. The moment was broken, and Andrew dropped his hands quickly to his sides, releasing me. In the harsh light, I couldn't believe I had kissed him. I pulled my hat down low on my head, feeling my cheeks burn. I couldn't look at him so instead I put my hands on the balcony, hoping he didn't see how badly they shook...
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'You come from a long line of mistakes,' Guy Caulder tells his daughter Alice. 'My mother married the wrong man. Her mother did the same.' At the end of a love affair, Alice journeys to Normandy to meet Guy's mother, the grandmother she has never known. She tells her that there was one true love story in the family. In the summer of 1942, Kitty is an ATS driver stationed in Sussex. She meets Ed, a Royal Marine commando, and Larry, a liaison officer with Combined Ops. She falls instantly in love with Ed, who falls in love with her. So does Larry. Mountbatten mounts a raid on the beaches at Dieppe. One of the worst disasters of the war, it sealed the fates of both Larry and Ed, and its repercussions will echo through the generations to come. Views: 14
For the first time, the Grand Dame of science fiction—Andre Norton—has her short stories gathered for her fans’ reading pleasure. Tales reach back to the 1930s, as fresh and relevant today as they were when she wrote them . . . such was Andre’s skill. High fantasy, fables, science fiction, coming of age stories, and more fill three volumes. This impressive, must-have collection includes stories of Witch World. There are cats sprinkled here and there, as Andre treasured them so. And there is magic in the writing, unequaled prose to delight readers of all ages. High Hallack was a place in Andre’s fiction, and was also the name of her genre writer’s library she opened in Tennessee. It is a wondrous keep that she called home, and now High Hallack opens its gates and allows these amazing stories to tumble out. Lose yourself in her enchanted words, and read them again and again. Views: 14
