Can a lone American captain rescue justice in war-torn Germany?It's May 1945, the war's just over, and Harry Kaspar, an American captain in Germany, is about to take a new posting in the US occupation—running a Bavarian town named Heimgau. When Harry loses the command to Major Membre, he'll do almost anything to win the job back.When Harry discovers a horrific scene—three German men tortured and murdered—he reckons that solving the crime could teach the conquered townspeople about American justice, as well as help him reclaim that better posting. The only problem is that Harry's quest for the real killer will lead him straight back to his commander, Membre, and eventually to his mentor, a can-do rebel US colonel named Spanner. Spanner is a gangster run rampant, plundering the war-torn land for all its grim worth.Harry's lover, Katarina, a gutsy German actress, helps him realize he must fight back. Recognizing that absolute power corrupted... Views: 11
Joanne Kilbourn is as feisty as ever in the 14th book of the series that bears her name. This time, Jo and Zack's young daughter Taylor's precocious talent as a painter has drawn the attention of people who may not be at all what they seem . . .Jo and Zack are both proud and a little concerned when their youngest daughter Taylor -- whose birth mother was a brilliant but notoriously promiscuous artist -- has two paintings chosen for a high-level fund-raising auction. One they've seen; the other, a portrait of a young male artist's model, Taylor has carefully guarded in her studio. Their concern grows when it becomes clear (and quite public) that the young man is the lover of the older socialite who organized the fund-raiser -- and whose husband is Zack's old friend.Soon, an ugly web of infidelity, addiction, and manipulation seems to be weaving itself around the Kilbourn-Shreve family. Jo and Zack are doing their best to keep everyone safe, but when one of the... Views: 11
Alexa Dupree returns to Tatum Winery after a six year absence, flooded with memories of her five year tenure in this beautiful Northern California valley. In summers she was nanny to Warren Tatum's adolescent son. For the rest of the year she was his housekeeper and outrageously kinky love slave. Warren's home became her sanctuary when at just 21, she fled England to avoid murder charges in connection with her father's untimely death. The rebellious wild child of a famous concert pianist, her bad behavior and multiple arrests had been tabloid gossip since she was a teen. Relieved to have escaped an aggressive manhunt by Scotland Yard, Alexa readily agreed to sign Warren's ten year contract, effectively making her his indentured servant in exchange for providing her a safe haven. As far as the man's kinky sexual appetites, they were no problem for this promiscuous slut. However, when Warren dies in a freak accident after just five years, Alexa quickly splits, ready for a taste... Views: 11
Can EllRay master the moves in time to win his friend back? EllRay Jakes may be the shortest kid in his class, and he may get into trouble from time to time, but he can always count on his best friends Kevin and Corey. But lately, Kevin has been skateboarding with the meanest boy in class. Could EllRay be losing one of his friends? Not giving up without a fight, EllRay asks his older neighbor to show him a few jaw-dropping skateboard moves—like ollies and kickflips. EllRay must learn as many tricks as he can before the secret boys-only third grade skate-off. But will it be enough? Views: 11
A turbulent frontier province, rotten with corruption and seething with hatred of Rome—a barbarian god whose devotees may include a murderer —a clever and unscrupulous faith healer who knows everyone's secrets—a boy who struggles toward manhood though stricken with the Sacred Disease: these are the elements in a mystery that Pliny, newly appointed governor of Bithynia, confronts when a high Roman official is found murdered on a desolate hillside, miles from the capital. But as Pliny pursues one baffling lead after another, he is being betrayed where he least expects it: his beautiful wife, neglected and lonely in an alien city, falls desperately in love with a handsome young provincial—an affair which threatens to bring not only pain but ruin to Pliny's career. All these threads come together in a surprising and tragic finale.ReviewIn A.D. 108, Gaius Plinius Secundus ventures east with his young wife, Calpurnia, and an entourage to the province of Bithynia-Pontus, on the Black Sea, where resentment against the empire runs high. Newly appointed as governor, Pliny's feted at the home of Marcus Vibius Balbus, the Fiscal Procurator of the province, and senses unrest there. His instinct proves correct when Balbus goes missing, as does his chief accountant, Silvanus. Nearly two weeks later, Balbus' partially decomposed body is found in a deep gully, transforming Silvanus into the prime suspect in his murder. Embezzlement of some kind is suspected of either or both of the men. Although the locals are inclined to blame everything on the infidel Persians, Pliny is neither so gullible nor so bigoted as to adopt this view. Pancrates, a slick, fraudulent fortuneteller who seems to exert a Rasputin-like control over several powerful locals, becomes a key figure in Pliny's investigation. So do the unctuous orator known as Diocles the Golden Mouth, who seems to pop up around every crime scene, and Glaucon, a hotheaded magnate who used to be a wrestler. On the personal front, Pliny struggles to deal with marital incompatibility; Calpurnia, who is prone to spontaneous outbursts, would rather play with her maid Ione than her husband. Packed with colorful characters and a strong sense of history, Pliny's second adventure (Roman Games, 2010) takes its time developing its whodunit but consistently entertains along the way. —Kirkus Reviews"I thought it brilliant, a fantastic weave of fact with fiction in a brutally described Rome, rigid with hierarchy and fear. I really enjoyed the disillusionment that Plinius suffers at the end as the slaves are burnt alive for the collective good of the coup and ultimately Rome itself if one considers the era that Nerva ushered in. An excellent series. And I look forward to more." —Robert Fabbri, author of Vespasian, Tribune of Rome on RomaFar from Rome, mass murder complicates a provincial governor's fight against local corruption.About the AuthorBruce Macbain holds degrees in Classics and Ancient History and has taught Greek and Roman history at Vanderbilt and Boston Universities. His special interests are ancient medicine and religion in the Roman empire. He brings these together in his fiction--Roman Games(2010) andThe Bull Slayer(2013). He lives with his wife in Brookline, Massachusetts. Views: 11
1666: The monastery at Andechs has long been a pilgrimage destination, but when the hangman’s daughter, Magdalena, her doctor husband Simon, and their two small children arrive there, they learn that the monks have far larger concerns than saying Mass and receiving alms. It seems that once again, the hangman’s family has fallen into a mysterious and dangerous adventure. Two monks at the monastery experiment with cutting edge technology, including a method of deflecting the lighting that has previously set the monastery ablaze. When one of the monks disappears and his lab is destroyed, foul play is suspected. Who better to investigate than the famed hangman Jakob Kuisl? But as the hangman and his family attempt to solve the mystery of the missing monk, they must deal with both the eccentric denizens of the monastery and villagers who view the monks’ inventions as witchcraft that must be destroyed at all costs. This thrilling fourth entry of The Hangman’s Daughter series features scheming monks, murderous robots, and the action and intrigue that never seem to cease when the Kuisls are on a case.From Publishers WeeklySet in Bavaria in 1666, Pötzsch’s stellar fourth Hangman’s Daughter mystery (after The Beggar King) features three unlikely sleuths: hangman Jakob Kuisl; his daughter, Magdalena; and Magdalena’s husband, Simon Fronweiser, a “bathhouse medicus” in the town of Schongau. Magdalena and Simon, the parents of two boys, leave the children with Magdalena’s parents in order to undertake a pilgrimage to the monastery at Andechs—a trip that turns out to be anything but spiritual. When Coelestin—a novitiate who stumbled onto a horrific heresy—drowns, his death is deemed accidental, until Simon notices marks of violence on the corpse. More deaths follow, and the arrest of Brother Johannes, an old friend of Kuisl, prompts the executioner to leave his ailing wife to come to Johannes’s aid. The author maintains tension throughout as the trio seeks to unravel the intricate scheme behind the killings, which are connected to a lifelike human automaton. —Reviewed on 05/27/2013. From Library JournalMagdalena Kuisl and her husband Simon have embarked on a religious pilgrimage to the Bavarian Holy Mountain, leaving their young boys in her parents’ care. This trip goes awry when the duo encounters violence, including a bell tower attack on Magdalena, and three apparent murders. When a monk is wrongfully jailed for the murders, he confides in Magdalena that he’s a former hangman and begs her to get her father, Jakob, to come help. Within days, religious pilgrims will be mobbing the site for the annual Festival of The Three Hosts, unaware that some monks are stripping the monastery of its priceless treasures. Meanwhile, time is running out for the Kuisls in their hunt for the real murderer. VERDICT: Word-of-mouth popularity is richly deserved for Pötzsch’s historical series (after The Beggar King) about a Bavarian hangman and his family, based loosely on the author’s forebears. He creates an intoxicating mix with frenetic pacing, strong doses of adventure and wit, and 17th-century historical detail. The hefty length doesn’t detract from vivid storytelling along the lines of Katherine Neville and William Dietrich. —Reviewed on 07/01/2013. Views: 11
Even before she was born Heather's life is determined by her uncle, an extremely wealthy and brilliant scientist, Doctor Bruno. Without ever contacting her he pays to send her to the best universities. He also sees to it that she is raised by a black nannie who is practiced in the occult arts. Through her growing up Heather's dreams and desires are controlled by Carmella, her nanny. After her graduation she and her new husband are, on the orders of Doctor Bruno, kidnapped by cruel mountain men and held captive for several weeks. Heather quickly learns what it means to be a slave. A year before Heather's birth Doctor Bruno performed the first successful experiment in cross breeding between man and animal. The father's seed came from the highest order of the ape family, a bonobo. The mother was Carmella, Hester's nannie. The result of Doctor Bruno's experiment is a gentle creature he names Namba. The doctor owns a huge compound in Northern Mexico. In addition to state of... Views: 11
A HOLIDAY FOR HEALING Nothing's been simple in Sweetheart, Nevada, since the wildfire that ravaged the charming little town. Miranda Staley is among those who've sworn to stay on and bring Sweetheart back to life. She loves running a group home for the elderly, but it's getting difficult to keep her business going. She could lose everything she's worked so hard to create. On the day of the fire, Will Desarro helped save some of Miranda's elderly residents. The handsome ranch hand is a man of few words, but Miranda soon discovers that beneath that quiet exterior beats a heart of gold. Will can help save Miranda's home and her business--but only if their love is strong enough to conquer his painful past. Views: 11
In the new novel from noir master Jim Nisbet, the Snitch World in question is actually made up of different worlds both old and new, populated with the old-time petty criminals, like Chainbang and Klinger, but also with the modern, including a nouveau femme fatale whose tools of the criminal trade are from the new economy. Snitch World takes place in a San Francisco of menacing technology, where the old cons come up short and the crimes of the night turn into crimes done in the light of modern day—all from the glow of a smartphone. Klinger hangs out at the Hawse Hole Bar and Grille, a pretty bad dive where all he really wants is enough to have a cup of coffee, buy some cigarettes, make it through the day, and find a warm, dry place to sleep; all things that can be accomplished by the next easy grift. Little does Klinger know that the rules of the game have changed, and the stakes are higher than he could ever guess or care about. The seemingly simple act of rolling a drunk begins a series of events that get stranger and more complicated by the moment. Jim Nisbet, with his characteristic humor and brilliant prose, creates a world where to trust is to possibly sacrifice all. Snitch World includes a recent interview with Jim Nisbet, in conversation with Patrick Marks, owner of the Green Arcade, talking about writing, publishing, and technology.Review"Missing any book by Nisbet should be considered a crime in all 50 states and maybe against humanity." —Booklist"Jim Nisbet is a poet . . . [who] resembles no other crime fiction writer. He mixes the irony of Dantesque situations with lyric narration, and achieves a luxuriant cocktail that truly leaves the reader breathless." —Drood's Review of Mysteries"Nisbet's style has overtones of Walker Percy's smooth southern satin, but his characters . . . hark back to the days of James M. Cain's twisted images of morality." —Toronto Globe-Mail"With sharp humor and a poet's ear for language, Nisbet's world may be bleak, but it is frighteningly real." —Fantasticfiction.co.uk"Jim Nisbet's work has been tapping directly into the pulse of America for decades. Like others who have done the same in the past, its only later that the rest of us catch up and realize just how right those trailblazers were all along. That time is now, for all of us to not only catch up to this unheralded master but to offer him the respect and regard that he deserves." —SpinetinglerAbout the AuthorJim Nisbet is the author of five volumes of poetry and nine novels, including The Damned Don’t Lie, Dark Companion, which was short-listed for the 2006 Hammett Prize, Lethal Injection, A Moment of Doubt, and Windward Passage. He lives in San Francisco. Views: 11
The first in a new middle-grade mystery series, in Andi Unexpected, twelve-year-old Andi Boggs, discovers evidence of her forgotten namesake, a missing relative, which leads her into a family mystery rooted in the Great Depression. Views: 11
