Beyond True GritFrom the great grandson of the real Rooster Cogburn, iconic hero of the Old West, comes a novel that adds an exciting new chapter to the legend of the Texas frontier.The Texas Panhandle of the late 1880s is the last great open range of American legend. Into that wild unknown country ride two young cowboys. Nate Reynolds is the scion of a well-to-do family who lit out for the Panhandle in search of adventure—and gold. Billy Champion is a devil-may-care ne'er-do-well with a stubborn streak and an eye for the ladies. Together they aim to rid this violent territory full of rustlers, horse thieves, and the rest of the devils who slaughter innocents with no remorse.But when these friends fall for the same green-eyed beauty, their brotherhood will be put to the test. For in a land where your fortunes can change at the cock of a hammer, a man has to stay on his guard if he's going to protect what's rightly his—and live to enjoy it. . .In... Views: 32
An action-packed Atlanta-set mystery by an author who "nails the voice of new Southern noir" (Hank Phillippi Ryan, Mary Higgins Clark Award–winning author of Trust Me). Lowcountry bar owner and Marine veteran Brack Pelton heads to Atlanta in the wake of a panicked three a.m. phone call. A woman is missing, and Brack's friend Mutt is in danger. Brack's old flame, investigative news correspondent Darcy Wells, now lives there and is set to marry another man. If Brack was honest with himself—and he usually wasn't—he'd realize that the missing woman isn't the real reason for his visit. His Semper Fi buddy Mutt can handle himself just fine. When Brack and Mutt team up to find the woman, the Atlanta underworld revolts, the two biggest players target them, and people start dying. Most people would size up the situation, call it impossible, and walk away. But most people are not Brack Pelton. Impossible situations are his... Views: 32
In the stunning follow up to The Secrets of Life and Death, Rebecca Alexander has created a gripping supernatural thriller that bridges time, legend and the power of blood. Following her showdown with Elizabeth Bathory, Jackdaw Hammondis running from her past, hiding from her future, and hoping to contain her newfound thirst for blood. Buying an overgrown home in the middle of nowhere seems like the perfect place to escape...at least until she finds herself in the sights of a murderous family with a terrible secret and a penchant for dark magic. Meanwhile, her old ally Felix Guichard has gone to New Orleans to conduct his own investigation into the nature of blood magic, but is soon sucked into the intrigues of the city's occult underworld. But Jack will need Felix more than she knows, for the battle for her soul is set to begin. Her only salvation may lie with the secrets of 16th century master occultist Edward Kelley, and a dangerous mission he... Views: 32
Moscow, May 1876. What would cause a talented student from a wealthy family to shoot himself in front of a promenading public? Decadence and boredom, it is presumed. But young sleuth Erast Fandorin is not satisfied with the conclusion that this death is an open-and-shut case, nor with the preliminary detective work the precinct has done–and for good reason: The bizarre and tragic suicide is soon connected to a clear case of murder, witnessed firsthand by Fandorin himself. Relying on his keen intuition, the eager detective plunges into an investigation that leads him across Europe, landing him at the center of a vast conspiracy with the deadliest of implications.From BooklistThree million copies of Akunin's Erast Fandorin historical mystery series have been sold in Russia, where the author is a celebrity. This volume--the first of nine installments so far--should get the series off to a rousing start in the U.S. It's set in Czarist Russia and stars the naive but eager Fandorin as a young investigator with the Moscow police. Why would a university student shoot himself in the middle of the Alexander Gardens? Fandorin sets out to find the answer and soon lands in the middle of a far-reaching international conspiracy. Yakunin effectively juxtaposes the comical innocence of his hero against the decadence of nineteenth-century Moscow--aristocrats idling in gambling clubs while the winds of revolution freshen. In his debut, Fandorin comes across as an odd but appealing mix of Holmesian brilliance and Inspector Clousseauian bumbling. Occasionally, Akunin's style seems a bit affected, aping the manner of, say, Thackeray, commenting on the foibles of his characters, but at the same time, that nineteenth-century tone is part of the book's appeal. Anne Perry fans, in particular, will enjoy this series. Bill OttCopyright © American Library Association. All rights reservedReview“A galloping story of murder, suicide, deception, and disguise.”–Entertainment Weekly“As international as caviar and vodka! A crafty tale full of atmosphere, character, and action.”–Anne Perry“Marries old-fashioned manners to a nonstop array of plot twists to rival the best detective tales . . . The Winter Queen is an energetic hands-down winner.”–People“There are secret panels, hidden tunnels, a false mustache, intercepted letters, gunfights, and a glamorous female villain. . . . Akunin knows how to build suspense.”–The Boston Globe“A wondrous strange and appealing novel . . . Elaborate, intricate, profoundly czarist, and Russian to its bones, as though Tolstoy had sat down to write a murder mystery. Not quite like anything you’ve ever read before.”–Alan Furst, author of The Foreign Correspondent Views: 32
A serial killer stalks the streets of Rome... A gripping debut crime novel and the first in a groundbreaking series, from a new star in British crime fiction. Perfect for fans of Ian Rankin. A city on lockdown.In the depths of a freakish winter, Rome is being torn apart by a serial killer dubbed The Carpenter intent on spreading fear and violence. Soon another woman is murdered – hammered to death and left with a cryptic message nailed to her chest. A detective in danger.Maverick Detective Inspectors Rossi and Carrara are assigned to the investigation. But when Rossi's girlfriend is attacked – left in a coma in hospital – he becomes the killer's new obsession and his own past hurtles back to haunt him. A killer out of control.As the body count rises, with one perfect murder on the heels of another, the case begins to spiral out of control. In a city wracked by corruption and paranoia, the question is: how much is Rossi willing to sacrifice to get to the truth? Views: 32
Joe Gunther and his team—the Vermont Bureau of Investigation (VBI)—are
usually called in on major cases by local Vermont enforcement whenever
they need expertise and back-up. But after the state is devastated by
Hurricane Irene, the police from one end of the state are taxed to their
limits, leaving Joe Gunther involved in an odd, seemingly unrelated
series of cases. In the wake of the hurricane, a seventeen year old
gravesite is exposed, revealing a coffin that had been filled with rocks
instead of the expected remains. At the same time, an old,
retired state politician turns up dead at his high-end nursing home, in
circumstances that leave investigators unsure that he wasn’t murdered.
And a patient who calls herself The Governor has walked away from a
state mental facility during the post-hurricane flood. It turns out that
she was indeed once “Governor for a Day,” over forty years ago, but
that she might have also been falsely committed and drugged to keep her
from revealing something that she saw all those years ago. Amidst the
turmoil and the disaster relief, it’s up to Joe Gunther and his team to
learn what really happened with the two corpses—one missing—and what
secret “The Governor” might have still locked in her brain that links
them all. Views: 32
E-book exclusive extras:1) Christie biographer Charles Osborne's essay on The Mirror Crack'd from Side to Side;2) "The Marples": the complete guide to all the cases of crime literature's foremost female detective.The quaint village of St Mary Mead has been glamourized by the presence of screen queen Marina Gregg, who has taken up residence in preparation for her comeback. But when a local fan is poisoned, Marina finds herself starring in a real-life mystery—supported with scene-stealing aplomb by Jane Marple, who suspects that the lethal cocktail was intended for someone else. But who? If it was meant for Marina, then why? And before the final fade-out, who else from St Mary Mead’s cast of seemingly innocent characters is going to be eliminated? Views: 32
