Lucy Minor is the resident odd duck in the hamlet of Bury. He is a compulsive liar, a sickly weakling in a town famous for begetting brutish giants. Then Lucy accepts employment assisting the majordomo of the remote, foreboding Castle Von Aux. While tending to his new post as undermajordomo, he soon discovers the place harbours many dark secrets, not least of which is the whereabouts of the castle's master, Baron Von Aux. Thus begins a tale of polite theft, bitter heartbreak, domestic mystery, and cold-blooded murder.
Undermajordomo Minor is an ink-black comedy of manners, an adventure, and a mystery, and a searing portrayal of rural Alpine bad behaviour, but above all it is a love story. And Lucy must be careful, for love is a violent thing. Views: 351
The long awaited final assault against the evil Volmoths is upon the battle hardened Commander. The Commander preps his remaining troops under the leadership of Sargent Savage and sends them into the last battle.THE ONLY WAY TO SURVIVE IS TO CHANGE THE RULES.A minor accident at a German nuclear power plant, a Biological Warfare attack on the British Embassy in Washington, DC, and a secret arms deal combine to drive a trusted NATO Ally into an illegal alliance with a rogue Middle Eastern state. With the world hovering on the brink of war, a handful of U.S. Navy warships must track down and destroy a wolfpack of state-of-the-art submarines.Their enemy is skilled in deception, and incredibly lethal. Out-gunned, out-maneuvered, and out-thought, the U.S. Navy crews must throw the rulebook out the window, and become every bit as devious and deadly as their enemy. If they fail, the consequences are unthinkable…(Originally published as TORPEDO) Views: 351
This dark fantasy short story takes place in a dystopian world in the near future, full of pain, suffering and demonic influence. Entering this nearly destroyed world is dangerous, since the reader is much more than a neutral observer. And beware: This story does not end once you are finished reading it.The demon’s grip tightens around the paladin’s throat. His weapon shatters on the ground, filling the otherwise completely empty cathedral with the sound of final defeat. He uses his last breath to demand an explanation for all that has happened.“Your name... Tell me… your name!” The demon laughs. “Now that your death is imminent I might as well tell you this secret! And maybe even something else! For I am sure that you will tell no living soul.” He then grins, snaps the paladin’s neck and throws his lifeless body on the ground, where it slides for a few moments before coming to an eternal halt. The demon slowly turns his head and it is only now that you realize that he was talking to you all along. ”You thought I could not see you? Just because you are not of this world. You must be new. Easy prey. Let me tell you a secret. All demons can see you. And all can hurt you. You cannot escape our gaze. You cannot escape our grasp. And if you are eager to learn my name as well...” He comes even closer until his eyes are directly in front of yours and you can feel his warm breath on your cheeks. He leans forward and slowly whispers into your ear, “My... name... is…” Views: 351
The first four novels of the Dan Sharp mystery series, winner of the Lambda Award for best gay mystery.Collected into a single volume, the Lambda-award winning Dan Sharp series by Jeffrey Round follows a gay father and missing persons investigator as he weaves from upper-class enclaves to the seedy underbelly of Toronto and Southern Ontario.Includes:Lake on the Mountain - #1Dan Sharp, a gay missing persons investigator, accepts an invitation to a wedding on a yacht in Ontario’s Prince Edward County. But the event doesn’t go as planned. A member of the wedding party is swept overboard and Dan finds himself deep in troubled waters as he searches for possible killers, not only in the present, but also twenty years earlier.Pumpkin Eater - #2Missing persons investigator Dan Sharp makes a grisly find in a burned-out Toronto slaughterhouse. His search for a killer takes him deep into Toronto’s... Views: 351
Pat had been best friends with Joe Murphy since they were kids. But years ago they had a fight. A big one, and they haven’t spoken since --- till the day before Joe’s funeral.
What? On the day before his funeral Joe would be dead, wouldn’t he?
Yes, he would…
Roddy Doyle’s first book for the Quick Reads programme to support adult literacy is fast, funny and just a tiny bit spooky. Views: 350
Pulled from the nightly news, Liberty Betrayed follows the residents of a small fictional Texas town as it faces the Federal Government’s desire to appease those who want to surrender to the influx of Illegal Immigrants surging over our southern border.Pulled from the nightly news, Liberty Betrayed follows the residents of a small fictional Texas town as it faces the Federal Government’s desire to appease those who want to surrender to the influx of Illegal Immigrants surging over our southern border.Sandley, Texas is a typical small town. The people have made a life for themselves by raising their families and being there for their neighbors. No one expected what lay ahead for them when a group of Illegal Immigrants were brought to town to fill the jobs at the newly reopened Window Factory. How will the residents of Sandley overcome this invasion of their town? How will they triumph over this Act of Tyranny? Views: 350
Rudy Haas dreams of becoming an "old goat," a sailor who's completed twenty-five races from Port Huron to Mackinac. But when his crew throws him off the team for being gay, Rudy has to find another boat and crew to have any chance of making his dream come true. Blind luck leads him to the men of Devlin's Due and a test run where Rudy's toughest battle isn't winning his place on the team—it's fighting his attraction to team captain Ike Ujarka. Views: 350
Colonel Leslie Bayleson visits the star base she designed for one last time before her forced retirement. Instead of old memories, she finds a new threat.(a short story in the Deuces Wild universe—approximately one thousand years in the past)Rob Hinds is a secret agent who is quite used to combating alien spies, unfortunately, he is increasingly being asked to combat demons, and the Satanists who conjure them up. His opponent this time is the daughter of his last such enemy. Moira Bourbon wants her father back, unfortunately, the only way is to steal the knowledge from Tartarus, a demon dimension. To this end she kills, kidnaps and sacrifices to ensure she is successful. She even blackmails Rob Hinds into obtaining an ancient satanic device that will be necessary, if she is to enter Tartarus, her lever are the lives of his wife and her young sister. Views: 350
Beautiful Menace (or Viral Violence) Half Japanese and half Jamaican, Aoki is young, beautiful, and known throughout her Brooklyn neighborhood as a menace to local authorities. On the eve of a brutal murder that hits close to home, Aoki needs her friends more than ever. Her ride-or-die besties, Tisa and Ri-Ri, are down to help by any means necessary, even if it puts their own freedom at risk. While coming up in the drug game, AZ gets into a situation he can't handle on his own. When he reaches out to Aoki - an unlikely ally - the girls agree to handle his problem for a small fee. When surveillance video of the conquest goes viral, the Brooklyn hood chicks are transformed into Killer Dolls. This overnight fame brings heat to the Killer Dolls, with jealousy, envy, and a dark secret threatening to destroy everything. Views: 350
My name is Ausdylan Elvis Ashford, a twenty-two-year-old who leads a rather perfect life. With a steady job straight out of university, a charismatic best friend I’m in a band with, and a girlfriend I’ve loved since the moment I first gazed upon, I couldn’t ask for more. Until my perfect girlfriend, B, changed both of our lives forever.My name is Ausdylan Elvis Ashford, a twenty-two-year-old who leads a rather perfect life. With a steady job straight out of university, a charismatic best friend I’m in a band with, and a girlfriend I’ve loved since the moment I first gazed upon, I couldn’t ask for more. Until my perfect girlfriend, B, changed both of our lives forever.It began with the words, “I’m pregnant,” and the realisation I’d soon guide a new life into this world. Embarking on my own journey of self-discovery, I found new meaning in love, living, friendship, and family. This should have become the greatest love story of all, but I assure you it isn’t.Sometimes true love and unbreakable trust is built upon lies and deceit. Sometimes those you know better than anyone turn out to be strangers you don’t know at all. My name is Aus, and this is my (un)love story . . . Views: 350
A collection of ten short stories by J R Oneal. Dancers, Cross Country, Rocking at the Store, Hootchie Cootchie, Plum Branch Wedding, Wild Woman from Borneo, Disaster at the Old Wash Hole, Civics Lesson, The Question, The Fight.Dancers - Snap and Fiona cruise a low rent juke joint for a night of fun and games. Their gullible mark, Eddie seeks revenge when he's sucked into their game. "I'll not be made a fool of, by you or anyone else," Eddie cried.Cross Country - A hapless student pilot takes a bucket of bolts airplane for a cross-country flight and suffers a meltdown when things go horribly awry.And what really happened down at the old wash hole?????A collection of ten short stories. Dancers, Rocking at the Store, Cross Country, Hootchie Cootchie, Plum Branch Wedding, Wild Woman from Borneo, Disaster at the old Wash Hole, Civics Lesson, The Question, and The Fight. Views: 350
Deadly By Design An attempt on Luca's life has left her shaken up and her new man, Clyde, left for dead. With no time to pick up the pieces, she has to act strategically and think quickly in order to outsmart her enemies. Phaedra is no longer a ride-or-die bitch for her mentor, Luca. With Kool-Aid murdered, Phaedra feels alienated from her former crew and makes decisions she'll soon regret. She's in love with Clyde and wants to see Luca six feet deep. With growing numbers of enemies and friends in short supply, Luca formulates and flawlessly executes a plan to permanently destroy those who are gunning for her. Views: 350
In The Face: Cartography of the Void, acclaimed poet, novelist, and screenwriter Chris Abani has given us a brief memoir that is, in the best tradition of the genre, also an exploration of the very nature of identity. Abani meditates on his own face, beginning with his early childhood that was immersed in the Igbo culture of West Africa. The Face is a lush work of art that teems with original and profound insights into the role of race, culture, and language in fashioning our sense of self. Abani’s writing is poetic, filled with stories, jokes, and reflections that draw readers into his fold; he invites them to explore their own “faces” and the experiences that have shaped them. As Abani so lovingly puts it, this extended essay contemplates “all the people who have touched my face, slapped it, punched it, kissed it, washed it, shaved it. All of that human contact must leave some trace, some of the need and anger that motivated that touch. This face is softened by it all. Made supple by all the wonder it has beheld, all the kindness, all the generosity of life.” Views: 350
