Patrick O’Brian’s Aubrey-Maturin tales are widely acknowledged to be the greatest series of historical novels ever written. To commemorate the 40th anniversary of their beginning, with Master and Commander, these evocative stories are being re-issued in paperback with smart new livery. This is the fourth book in the series.
In The Mauritius Command, Captain Jack Aubrey is ashore on half-pay without a command until his friend, surgeon and secret agent Stephen Maturin arrives with secret orders for Aubrey to take a frigate to the Cape of Good Hope, under a commodore’s pennant. But the difficulties of carrying out his orders are compounded by two of his own captains — one a pleasure-seeking dilettante, the other liable to provoke the crew to mutiny.
Based on the actual campaign of 1810 in the Indian Ocean, O’Brian’s attention to detail of life ashore and at sea is meticulous. This tale is as beautifully written and as gripping as any in the series; it also stands on its own as a superlative work of fiction. Views: 882
This mesmerizing ebook original short story—a prequel to The Sleepwalker—from Chris Bohjalian, bestselling author of The Sandcastle Girls and The Guest Room, tells the tale of one strange summer when a pair of horses die, an odd boy moves to a small Vermont town, and a woman rises from her bed and disappears into the night.
Lianna Ahlberg is seventeen when a thunderstorm snaps a power line to the earth, electrifying the ground, the rain spreading the current like wildfire across the wet grass. Two horses are killed in the nearby field, unnerving the neighbors, upsetting the peculiar boy who has just moved in, and filling Lianna with a deep and abiding sense of dread. This is not the first unusual thing to happen that summer—a summer when Lianna’s mother begins to sleepwalk in the smallest hours of morning—and it will not be the last. Views: 881
Beautiful Amalie Maxwell, low-born, but driven by limitless desires, came to Riversend and instantly touched off a holocaust of passion, hatred and intrigue that blazed through three generations of the lordly Lindseys... Views: 880
Sometimes even devils get bored ... a short horror story by David Wesley Hill. Not for the squeamish!"We called them Martians for they had no other name. When they bore down upon us in droves from on high, they offered no treatise, no declarations, and certainly no gentleman's agreement. Had they called out to us, we would have responded, would have bartered, bargained or surrendered. Instead, the only sounds uttered unto us were the clicking of multiplicitous claws, sinewy carapaces sucking and frothing as they slid together like fleshy armour, and the vague sound of chittering when they moved."1914. An alien invasion decimates London, forcing a pair of reluctant soldiers to lead a ragtag group of refugees out of the city and to safety through a country that they no longer recognise. Along the way, they encounter horrors of both a terrestrial and extra-terrestrial nature, encounters which bring about an end to everything that they've ever known. Equal parts action and philosophy, their story is not a celebration of war, nor of the soldiers themselves, rather it concerns that inner darkness that lies under the surface of all authority, and the resulting effect upon society when the true horror of humanity, unburdened by any sense of propriety, awakens in violent fashion. Views: 879
Maggie learns all about dog racing when an injured greyhound is brought to the clinic. She goes to the track with Dr. Mac and Taryn, the newest Vet Volunteer, to check on the condition of the dogs. It's risky, but it will be worth it if they can save these greyhounds! Views: 878
Christmas has never brought out the best in the MacDougal family. Still, year after year, they gather together in the Blue Ridge Mountains to try to make the season merry and bright. But this year is an especially strained one, with Shayne's impending divorce, Morwenna's slavish devotion to work and Bobby's reluctance to face what life has to offer. They've never felt less like a family.
Then, in the midst of a snowy sibling shouting match, a mysterious stranger appears. He could be a criminal, a madman—or something far more unexpected. Despite their fears and the growing danger in the dark woods around them, the MacDougals take a leap of faith. But when another stranger arrives on the mountainside, they don't know which of them to believe. One of these men can't be trusted. And one is about to bring Christmas into their hearts. Views: 878
Three historical mysteries span from the court of Louis XIV to Victorian London. Meet Émilie d’Armand, a young woman who witnesses corruption and murder in seventeenth-century France (The Bishop’s Lady), and Katherine Holloway, an English cook sought after by the wealthy, who finds herself embroiled in murder, assisted only by the mysterious Daniel McAdam, who is more than he seems (A Soupçon of Poison). Finally, explore the darker side of Regency London in an alternate look at that period from the point of view of an army soldier whose family has lost face (A Matter of Honor). Views: 878
In The Lion Hunter, Telemakos, the half-British, half-Aksumite grandson of King Arthur, was sent for his safety to stay with one of Aksum's former enemies. When Abreha, ruler of Himyar, allegedly the boy's protector, catches him in the midst of what appears to be treachery, he sentences him to a fate seemingly worse than death. Not only is Telemakos forbidden to see his beloved younger sister, Athena, but he is also commanded to reproduce the maps that Abreha plans to use in order to invade Aksumite territory. Countries away from his family, lacking any way to tell them what has happened, Telemakos must bring all of his subtle talents to bear in order to regain his freedom. The Empty Kingdom is a stunning conclusion to the Mark of Solomon duology, a triumph of historic suspense. Views: 878
Not everyone was meant to live the family life; especially not Jack, but a day at the market changes everything. All of a sudden he's being protective instead of destructive. Could it be curiosity or is it somehow the grey eyed girl that smiles so easily? He'll have to figure it out fast or else he might lose his reason for stepping out of the shadows.Jack lived a simple life before Natalie walked into it. His quiet existence and same day to day routine is now changing. Now he finds himself living two lives; one in the light and one in the shadows. His nature calls him to the darkness but something about Natalie makes him want to stay in the sun just a little longer. He isn't sure if she will accept him for what he is or even if he wants her to know. His secret isn't his only problem though. In a world where it's easy to be dark; Jack will have to find a way to protect his constantly smiling book nerd from harm. His fellow shadow brothers are watchful and if he's to keep her safe, he'll have to hide her and the changes in himself well; or else the light and dark may be separated forever. Views: 878
A KIDNAPPED CHILD. A DEADLY ENEMY. Bud Mac Phearson's job is to protect Mallory Christiani and her young daughter, Emily--not to get personally involved with either. But after Emily disappears and the trail leads directly to a well-known crime boss, Mac can't refuse the beautiful single mother's pleas for help. With assassins hot on their trail and danger around every corner, the tentative partners race to find the missing key needed for the ransom...even as they try to fight the attraction blooming between them. But when Mac trades his own life for Emily's, Mallory must risk it all to save the man she's come to love... Views: 877
*Can there be any greater challenge to London’s Ambitious Mamas than an unmarried duke?
—Lady Whistledown’s Society Papers, April 1813*
By all accounts, Simon Basset is on the verge of proposing to his best friend’s sister, the lovely—and almost-on-the-shelf—Daphne Bridgerton. But the two of them know the truth—it’s all an elaborate plan to keep Simon free from marriage-minded society mothers. And as for Daphne, surely she will attract some worthy suitors now that it seems a duke has declared her desirable.
But as Daphne waltzes across ballroom after ballroom with Simon, it’s hard to remember that their courtship is a complete sham. Maybe it’s his devilish smile, certainly it’s the way his eyes seem to burn every time he looks at her… but somehow Daphne is falling for the dashing duke… for real! And now she must do the impossible and convince the handsome rogue that their clever little scheme deserves a slight alteration, and that nothing makes quite as much sense as falling in love… Views: 876
In this long-awaited sequel to the “unforgettable” (Boston Herald) bestseller Mrs. Mike, Benedict and Nancy Freedman paint a portrait of the World War II era—as seen through the eyes of a young Cree woman on her own for the very first time…
When her dear friend O Be Joyful died in a flu epidemic, Mrs. Mike Flanigan opened her home—and heart—to her orphaned child, Kathy Forquet. Over the years, young Kathy delighted in the Flanigans’ love—and suffered the pain of her schoolmates’ prejudice. But as the terrors of World War II drew closer to home, Kathy decided to leave her familiar home and do her part by going to a nursing school in Montreal. There her life fills with drama and excitement as she meets two very different men—a Native American who helps her understand her lost heritage, and a wounded Austrian soldier who shares fascinating stories of his exotic, embattled homeland. And as she learns about herself and the world beyond her hometown, she tries to find the elusive prize she has sought for so long: the meaning of true joy…
Richly detailed and emotionally powerful, The Search for Joyful is the inspiring story of a young woman’s courageous search for fulfillment—and the long-awaited new novel by the authors of the beloved Mrs. Mike, praised by Library Journal as “a book the reader will be unable to put down until the last page is read.” Views: 876
The Holland boys are back in town.
Billy Bob and Hackberry Holland are two hard-nosed Texas lawmen who just happen to be cousins. This boxed set includes In the Moon of Red Ponies, a Billy Bob Holland classic, and Rain Gods, where Hackberry Holland makes his full-length debut, plus a sneak peek at its sequel, Feast Day of Fools. New York Times bestselling author James Lee Burke is a rare winner of two Edgar Awards and in 2009 was named a Grand Master by the Mystery Writers of America.
In the Moon of Red Ponies
Former Texas Ranger Billy Bob Holland has hardly settled his family and his business in their new home in Montana when trouble finds him once again. His first client in Missoula is Johnny American Horse, a young Native American activist charged with the murder of two mysterious men who seem to have recently tried to kill Johnny themselves, or at least scare him off his political causes. As Billy Bob investigates, he discovers a web of intrigue surrounding the case and its players—Johnny's girlfriend Amber Finley; Darrel McComb, a Missoula police detective who’s obsessed with Amber; and Seth Masterson, an enigmatic federal agent—and a greater danger that threatens himself and his whole family.
Rain Gods
Hackberry Holland became sheriff of a tiny Texas town near the Mexican border hoping to leave certain things behind: his checkered reputation, his haunted dreams, and his obsessive memories of his late wife, Rie. But the discovery of the bodies of nine illegal aliens, machine-gunned to death and buried in a shallow grave, soon makes it clear he won't escape so easily. The key to the case seems to lie with Pete Flores, a damaged young Iraq veteran, and his girlfriend Vikki Gaddis, who have disappeared. For Hack and Deputy Sheriff Pam Tibbs to untangle the threads of this grisly case, they’ll have to find Pete and Vikki before the FBI, Border Patrol, and a host of cold-blooded killers—including the enigmatic Preacher Jack Collins—catch up to them…
Feast Day of Fools (excerpt)**
Still mourning the loss of his cherished wife, and locked in a perilous almost-romance with his much younger deputy, Hackberry Holland feeds off of the deeds of evil men to keep his own demons at bay. And when a local drunk named Danny Boy Lorca comes to town dead sober, telling gruesome tales of torture and murder and begging to be locked in the drunk tank, it becomes clear that the desert holds all the evil Hack can handle. It seems the ruthless serial killer Preacher Jack Collins is alive and well in the harsh Texas wilderness—alongside illegal aliens, federal agents, and a mysterious Chinese woman whose steely demeanor and aristocratic beauty remind Hack of his deceased wife, and who may or may not be drawing him into a deadly trap. Views: 876
Michael Moorcock's Eternal Champion returns in the form of Michael Kane, a brilliant Earthman stranded on the treacherous deserts of Ancient Mars! In this sweeping, epic sword-and-planet adventure in the tradition of Edgar Rice Burroughs, Kane and his blue giant companion Hool Haji must travel to the far reaches of the Red Planet to halt the hideous Green Death, an unstoppable disease that rots the mind as well as the body. From gorgeous Karnala, City of Green Mists, to the empty streets of tainted Cend-Amrid to the forgotten weird-science laboratories of the lost, highly advanced Yaksha culture, Masters of the Pit promises stunning locales, disgusting Martian creatures, and relentless action from the Nebula and World Fantasy Award-winning creator of Elric of Melniboné!
Cover Illustration and Frontispiece: Richard Hescox Views: 876
