It happens quietly one August morning. As dawn's shimmering light drenches the humid Iowa air, two families awaken to find their little girls have gone missing in the night.
Seven-year-old Calli Clark is sweet, gentle, a dreamer who suffers from selective mutism brought on by tragedy that pulled her deep into silence as a toddler.
Calli's mother, Antonia, tried to be the best mother she could within the confines of marriage to a mostly absent, often angry husband. Now, though she denies that her husband could be involved in the possible abductions, she fears her decision to stay in her marriage has cost her more than her daughter's voice.
Petra Gregory is Calli's best friend, her soul mate and her voice. But neither Petra nor Calli has been heard from since their disappearance was discovered. Desperate to find his child, Martin Gregory is forced to confront a side of himself he did not know existed beneath his intellectual, professorial demeanor.
Now these families are tied by the question of what happened to their children. And the answer is trapped in the silence of unspoken family secrets. Views: 835
For Arthur Rowe, the trip to the charity fête was a joyful step back into adolescence, a chance to forget the nightmare of the Blitz and the aching guilt of having mercifully murdered his sick wife. He was surviving alone, outside the war, until he happened to win a cake at the fête. From that moment, he is ruthlessly hunted by Nazi agents and finds himself the prey of malign and shadowy forces.
"A master thriller and a remarkable portrait of a twisted character." —Time
This Penguin Classics edition features an introduction by Alan Furst. Views: 835
Meoldy Grayson as lived a semi-normal life until the day she's cheated on. So she leaves her life only to discover Ryne Owens, the leader of something bigger than them both. As Melody learns the extent of her powers, she faces twists and turns she never thought she could manage. Can she learn who she really is and save the other porters?Short Stories of Madness. In Terror, moms were no longer carrying babies in their expensive strollers, they were hauling monsters. And the rest of the citizens were probably too sick and deteriorated to figure out the tragedy ahead. A state of emergency would have been ideal under such circumstances, but government officials were intoxicated by the mayhem and unable to find consensus for the next move―so, they did nothing. It was one of the most sophisticated operations of techno terrorism to date. Fundamentalism was dead; the trend was a new science of people decimation without weapons. Nebbia was the brainchild of a young British banker and part time physicist, who recruited a quorum of well-fed scientists to set up shop in the capital of the south and carry the annihilation. Why did they end up here in the first place? Disease control is a big business, and a big responsibility. It requires a tremendous amount of money, skills, and state of the art facilities. An adequate hub maybe? Sure, PDK was just the perfect stead, and here in the capital of the south, was where it all began. In Signorina, Greta is a kidnapper, she's ruthless, she has no identity, and she's terribly good at writing computer code. Her plan is smart and undetectable. Just follow her on Twitter and you will disappear within 72 hours. The only caveat: the code needs to be embedded to be effective. She finds the man who can help her, but when the whole thing starts to smell bad, she has to go back to the drawing board and confront the same man who is now unwilling to be part of the imbroglio. In Faceless, a panhandler, an alcoholic mother, a lawyer behind the wheel of a bucket truck, a state trooper who despises women, a presidential candidate fond on social media, a coroner with a new set of scalpels, and a star maker with the latest technology are all together in a mosaic, or better an orgy of life stories taped and narrated by the author himself. In Manstat, a man is bored with the conventions of life, and was committed to create the ultimate companion, Manstat. He hired the best man in the business. He paid him a small fortune. He gave him carte blanche and praised the creation of such a marvel. Nothing will ever come close. Manstat was finally in his hands, but he was warned: use it wisely, or it shall work against you. What was he going to do with such a dangerous gadget? Views: 835
The stories contained within this ebook are Flash Fiction. They are stories about everyday people encountering situations that they are faced to deal with the best way they can. Meet Nelson who wins a lotto ticket in "Lucky...Hell" and has to make a decision and other short shorts.Daniel's mother Kelli, has married Duncan Osborne , a high school football coach who has taken an interest in his overly indulged new stepson. Daniel despises his new "shit-for-brains" stepfather, mentally accusing him of abuse.One night Daniel awakens to someone in his room and is propelled into a fast pace sexual paranormal escapade, accelerating him into puberty. His friend Jimmy comes to spend a few days with him and they soon get caught up in the most confusing adventure either one of them could have imagined.Some Sexual Content and Mild Violence. NC 17 .ALSO author of THE SEVENTH CHAKRA .. Views: 835
Everyone wins this game of literary tennis, a comedy of manners about envy in which Wickham skewers the nouveau riche. At their country estate, Patrick Chance and his wife host a weekend tennis party. As four couples gather on the sunny terrace, it seems obvious who among them is succeeding, and who is falling behind. But by the end of the party, nothing will be quite as certain. While the couples’ children amuse themselves with pony rides and rehearsals for a play, the adults suffer a series of personal revelations and crises. Wickham’s nonstop action reveals at every turn that matters may not be as they seem, and in the end one thing is crystal clear: the weekend is about anything but tennis. Views: 834
In award-winning author Ben Mikaelsen’s riveting sequel to the acclaimed word-of-mouth bestseller Touching Spirit Bear, readers will be captivated by what Booklist calls a “hugely satisfying resolution.”
Life in the wilderness—exiled from civilization as a punishment for his violent behavior—had its own set of hurdles, but for fifteen-year-old Cole Matthews, it’s returning home and facing high school that he’s not sure he can handle.
With gangs and physical altercations haunting the hallways of their school, Cole and his former victim Peter—who Cole has now become friends with—must face it all together.
So when Peter’s limp and speech impediment make him a natural target to the bullies, Cole’s suppressed rage comes bubbling to the surface a lot quicker than he anticipated. Will he throw everything away that he learned on the healing, remote Alaskan island?
In this tale of teenage survival and self-awareness, Cole realizes it's not enough to change himself. He has to change his world. Views: 834
The adventures of Mowgli, a man-child raised by wolves in the jungle, have captured the imaginations not just of children, but of all readers, for generations. Views: 834
First published in 1968, Desert Solitaire is one of Edward Abbey’s most critically acclaimed works and marks his first foray into the world of nonfiction writing. Written while Abbey was working as a ranger at Arches National Park outside of Moab, Utah, Desert Solitaire is a rare view of one man’s quest to experience nature in its purest form.
Through prose that is by turns passionate and poetic, Abbey reflects on the condition of our remaining wilderness and the future of a civilization that cannot reconcile itself to living in the natural world as well as his own internal struggle with morality. As the world continues its rapid development, Abbey’s cry to maintain the natural beauty of the West remains just as relevant today as when this book was written. Views: 834
A young girl battles with her conscience as she attempts to escape her kidnapper's grasp, once and for all.Rosie doesn't know her birthday. She doesn't know her last name, or her height, or what she'll do with the rest of her life. In this moment, facing her kidnapper, Rosie only knows one thing for sure: She will kill him. Views: 834
In the latest prequel to Desperate Times you are introduced to Jon. With the world unraveling around them, Jon and his friend, Kyle, find themselves at a crossroads. People are already looking at the world in a different way; very much aware that everything they take for granted is about to disappear, perhaps forever. Goodbyes need to be said, but is there enough time before things get desperate?Available for the first time complete in one volume. Previously published in two volumes as Daughter of Darkness and The Dadouchos. In 480 BC, fifteen-year-old Melaina's biggest worry, she thinks, is wishing to follow Artemis and remain virgin when her mother and grandfather want her to marry and became a priestess. But when the Persians invade, the gods themselves have plans for Melaina, including carrying a divine child and divining for the Greek fleet in a battle to determine the salvation or ruin of all Greece. Views: 833
Now in paperback, a stirring historical novel from the author of *One Thousand White Women*
When Ned Giles is orphaned as a teenager, he heads West, hoping to leave his troubles behind. He joins the 1932 Great Apache Expedition on their search for a young boy, the son of a wealthy Mexican landowner, who was kidnapped by wild Apaches. But the expedition's goal is complicated when they encounter a wild Apache girl in a Mexican jail cell, victim of a Mexican massacre of her tribe that has left her orphaned and unwilling to eat or speak. As he and the expedition make their way through the rugged Sierra Madre mountains, Ned's growing feelings for the troubled girl soon force him to choose allegiances and make a decision that will haunt him forever.
In this novel based on historical fact, Jim Fergus takes readers on a journey of magnificent sweep and heartbreaking consequence peopled with unforgettable characters. With prose so vivid that the road dust practically rises off the page, The Wild Girl is an epic novel filled with drama, peril, and romance, told by a master. This is the novel your reading group will be talking about long past your discussion! Views: 833
Lukas visits the grave of his mother and is forced to face the emotions that the experience brings up for him.Lukas visits the grave of his mother and is forced to face the emotions that the experience brings up for him.'And There An End, But Now They Rise Again' is a short story that delves into the heart of the human psyche and searches for the answers to one of life's biggest heartaches: The loss of a loved one. Views: 832
Try this collection of short stories written by the author of the Silver Sagas series!For years I have been competing in my local community college's annual writing competition, the Crowder Quill. Finally, I have compiled some of the more recent stories! The genres vary from light fantasy to slice of life, with a dash of scifi thrown in here and there. I hope to encourage others to write and read. Views: 832
This book was converted from its physical edition to the digital format by a community of volunteers. You may find it for free on the web. Purchase of the Kindle edition includes wireless delivery. Views: 832
