Lily Rae is on holiday in El Paso, Texas, when she’s kidnapped by a Mexican drug cartel. The young Canadian’s disappearance is investigated by undercover mountie Jack Taggart, who discovers a Canadian link to the cartel and penetrates the organization. El Paso borders on one of the most dangerous cities in the world — Ciudad Juarez, Mexico — a city caught in the grip of a war between cartels. They control most of the law enforcement and are able to commit horrific crimes with little fear of repercussion. Taggart has strict orders to stay out of Juarez, but his gut instinct directs him otherwise. In Juarez, Taggart plays his role, and the investigation seems to be going smoothly — until the cartel discovers his true identity. Practically torn from the headlines, Birds of a Feather will keep you on the edge of your seat and leave you questioning right and wrong. Views: 66
In this gritty, gut-wrenching sequel to Loose Ends and Above Ground, Jack Taggart continues as an undercover Mountie whose quest for justice takes him from the sunny, tourist-laden beaches of Cuba to the ghettos of Hanoi. His targets deal in human flesh, smuggling unwitting victims for the sex trade. It is a story fraught with raw human emotion, and characters so real that they could not be figments of someone’s imagination.Jack's personal vendetta for justice is questioned by his partner, until he reveals the secret behind his motivation, exposing the very essence of his soul.This is the world of the undercover operative: a world of lies, treachery, and deception. A world where violence erupts without warning, like a ticking time bomb on a crowded bus. It isn't a matter of if that bomb will go off -- it is a matter of how close you are to it when it does. Views: 66
This intriguing, suspense-packed novel is the fourth Jack Taggart Mystery in the series commencing with Loose Ends, Above Ground, and Angel in the Full Moon. This time the implacable Mountie Jack Taggart goes undercover to follow the trail of a cheap Saturday-night special found at the scene of a murder.He traces the gun from the manufacturer to the person it was stolen from and through several criminals until the trail leads him to a suspected heroin importer. Taggart pretends to be an Irish gangster and penetrates the criminal organization, only to discover that the real crime boss is a mysterious figure out of Asia.Taggart and his partner are unexpectedly taken aboard a private jet where they find themselves alone and without backup in the lair of one of the largest yakuza organized crime families in Japan. East meets west. The clash of culture explodes into violence when their real identities are discovered.Review"Easton will quickly suck you into the story with his crisp, clean prose, fast-moving plots, and a gift for dialogue that breathes life into his characters."From the Inside FlapJack Taggart goes undercover to follow the trail of a cheap weapon found at the scene of a murder. He traces the gun to a suspected heroin importer and pretends to be an Irish gangster to penetrate the criminal organization -- only to discover that the real crime boss is a mysterious figure out of Asia. Views: 63
From award-winning writer Billie Livingston, an unsparing novel of loyalty and survival that is fierce, sharp and funny even when it's breaking your heart.The child of 2 con artists, 16-year-old Sammie Bell always prided herself on knowing the score. But now she finds herself backed into a corner. After a hustle gone dangerously wrong, her mother, Marlene, is sliding into an abyss of alcoholic depression, spending her days fantasizing aloud about death--a goal Sammie is tempted to help her accomplish. Horrified by the appeal of this, Sammie packs a bag and leaves her mother to her own devices.With her father missing in action, she has nowhere else to go but the home of a friend with 2 parents who seem to actually love their daughter and each other--and who awkwardly try to extend some semblance of family to Sammie. Throughout a long summer of crisis among the normals, Sammie is torn between her longing for the approval of the con-man father she was named for and... Views: 62
Who is the girl staring out of the old photograph? Every time Alyssa Dixon looks at it, even by accident, she finds herself on an Iowa farm in 1931. The past is nothing like Alyssa's unhappy life -- her mother severely depressed after the stillbirth of Alyssa's baby sister; escalating bullying by Brooklynne, a popular girl; and a teacher who is unsympathetic toward Alyssa's family's pacifist beliefs.Why can't Alyssa live in the past with her new friend, Deborah? Yet Alyssa is always pulled back to the present, where things only get worse. Maybe the farm isn't so idyllic, though. Deborah's mother is ill with a difficult pregnancy, and there's so much work. A series of old family photos shows Alyssa unsettling things about Deborah's family -- things Deborah seems not to know. Can Alyssa help the baby be born safely, and at the same time work through the overwhelming problems at home? Views: 59
The film adaptation of Margaret Laurence's The Stone Angel, starring acclaimed actresses Ellen Burstyn and Ellen Page, and introducing Christine Horne, opens in theatres May 9, 2008.This special fortieth-anniversary edition of Margaret Laurence's most celebrated novel will introduce readers again to one of the most memorable characters in Canadian fiction. Hagar Shipley is stubborn, querulous, self-reliant, and, at ninety, with her life nearly behind her, she makes a bold last step towards freedom and independence.As her story unfolds, we are drawn into her past. We meet Hagar as a young girl growing up in a black prairie town; as the wife of a virile but unsuccessful farmer with whom her marriage was stormy; as a mother who dominates her younger son; and, finally, as an old woman isolated by an uncompromising pride and by the stern virtues she has inherited from her pioneer ancestors.Vivid, evocative, moving, The Stone Angel... Views: 59
During the Industrial Revolution in England, smart, ambitious ironmaster's grand-daughter Rebecca Searle is determined to make her way in a man's world, and feels no need for a husband. But when she falls in love with landowner Ellis Darrow, she follows her heart into a blissful marriage-much to the dismay of Ellis's cruel, greedy and jealous sister Lalage, who schemes to destroy Rebecca and won't stop short of murder. Historical Fiction by Margaret James; originally published by Severn House Views: 58
From the lead singer of the band Great Big Sea comes a lyrical and captivating musical memoir about growing up in the tiny fishing village of Petty Harbour, Newfoundland, and then taking to the world stage. Singer-songwriter and front man of the great Canadian band Great Big Sea, Alan Doyle is also a lyrical storyteller and a creative force. In Where I Belong, Alan paints a vivid, raucous and heartwarming portrait of a curious young lad born into the small coastal fishing community of Petty Harbour, Newfoundland, and destined to become a renowned musician who carried the musical tradition of generations before him and brought his signature sound to the world. He tells of a childhood surrounded by larger-than-life characters who made an indelible impression on his music and work; of his first job on the wharf cutting out cod tongues for fishermen; of growing up in a family of five in a two-bedroom house with a beef-bucket as a toilet, yet lacking nothing; of... Views: 55
Can first love last forever?1931 is the year that changes everything for Daisy Denham. Her family has not long swapped life in India for Dorset, England when she uncovers an old secret.At the same time, she meets Ewan Fraser - a handsome dreamer who wants nothing more than to entertain the world and for Daisy to play his leading lady.Ewan offers love and a chance to escape with a touring theatre company. As they grow closer, he gives her a golden chain and Daisy gives him a promise – that she will always keep him in her heart.But life on tour is not as they'd hoped, Ewan is tempted away by his career and Daisy is dazzled by the older, charismatic figure of Jesse Trent. She breaks Ewan's heart and sets off for a life in London with Jesse.Only time will tell whether some promises are easier to make than keep ... Views: 50
Ben wakes up in a hospital with a hole in his head he can't explain. What he can remember he'd rather forget. Like how he'd spent nights as a limo driver for the wealthy and debauched . . . how he and his wife, Maggie, drifted apart in the wake of an unspeakable tragedy . . . how his little brother, Cola, got in over his head with loan sharks circling.Maggie is alone. Again. With bills to pay and Ben in a psych ward, she must return to work. But who would hire her in the state she's in? And just as Maggie turns to her brother, Francis, the Internet explodes with a video of his latest escapade. The headline? Drunk Priest Propositions Cops.Francis is an unlikely priest with a drinking problem and little interest in celibacy. A third DUI, a looming court date. . . .When Maggie takes him in, he knows he may be down to his last chance. And his best shot at healing might lay in helping Maggie and Ben reconnect—against all odds."The poignant story of broken... Views: 50
Carol Bruneau brings her finely honed voice to 12 new stories about shifting concepts of Nova Scotian identity. Writing with empathy, humour, and linguistic precision, Bruneau follows characters who find themselves connected to Nova Scotia by birth, through attempts at escape and new beginnings, or as a temporary resting place, always carrying with them their own idiosyncratic and complex definitions of “home.” Views: 45
While investigating a murder, RCMP undercover operative Jack Taggart finds himself in too deep when he tangles with an Asian organized crime syndicate and a rogue Chinese intelligence officer. When a seventy-five-year-old woman is killed in an apparently random car accident, it looks like a simple hit-and-run — until the car is linked to an Asian organized crime syndicate. Undercover operative Jack Taggart, who is called in to investigate, quickly identifies a top crime boss as the perpetrator, but he must still figure out how to infiltrate the man’s inner circle. Taggart approaches a young Chinese woman on the fringes of the syndicate and tries to coerce her into becoming his informant. Unbeknownst to him, the young woman is actually a Chinese spy working for a rogue intelligence officer known only as Mr. Frank. When she offers to introduce Taggart to the crime boss, he jumps at the chance, hoping to gain evidence about the murder. But Taggart gets more... Views: 44
Billie Livingston's fine second novel leads us to consider the nature of our hidden lives and desires -- and to question whether the sky would really fall if we admitted our true needs and ceased to blush.As Cease to Blush opens, Vivian is late to her own mother's funeral. Wearing a tight red suit, Vivian stands out like a pornographer's dream amongst the West Coast intellectuals mourning the death of prominent feminist Josie Callwood. But for all of her bravado, Vivian finds herself emotionally numb and spiraling downward. Vivian and her mother were in constant conflict, with Josie disapproving of her daughter's lifestyle; her inclination to use her body instead of her brain, and her so-called acting career, which has amounted to little more than playing prostitutes and the odd dead body. For her part Vivian has been invested in antagonizing her mother's feminist ideology. As the story opens Vivian's career, as well as her relationship with boyfriend Frank, is... Views: 43
