The Story of a Bad Boy

A semi-autobiographical novel, set in New Hampshire, from a significant literary figure of the mid 19th centuryA semi-autobiographical novel, set in New Hampshire, from a significant literary figure of the mid 19th century
Views: 637

Mrs. Mike

A moving love story set in the Canadian wilderness, Mrs. Mike is a classic tale that has enchanted millions of readers worldwide. It brings the fierce, stunning landscape of the Great North to life—and tenderly evokes the love that blossoms between Sergeant Mike Flannigan and beautiful young Katherine Mary O'Fallon.
Views: 637

The Judge and His Hangman

Inspector Barlach is dying. But not fast enough for his arch-enemyWhen a member of the Bern police force is shot dead on a Swiss country road, the enigmatic Inspector Barlach and his colleague Tschanz are intent on tracking down the killer. But the ailing Inspector doesn't have time to lose. Soon the pair discover that the victim was murdered on his way to a clandestine party at the home of a wealthy power broker - so why was a local policeman socialising with some of Switzerland's most influential men? Who was his shadowy host? And why has Barlach's past returned to haunt him in his final hours?The Judge and His Hangman is a thrilling tale of lifelong rivalry, and of two men chained together by a wager that would destroy them both.Friedrich Dürrenmatt (1921-1990) was a Swiss author and dramatist, most famous for his plays The Visit and The Physicists, which earned him a reputation as one of the...
Views: 636

Love and Marriage at Harpers

From the bestselling author of The Shop Girls of Harpers and The Mulberry Lane Series.London, 1913. The shop girls of Harpers Emporium on Oxford Street arehappy in their work and their lives are moving on at quite a pace. United by the suffragette cause and now living under oneroof, some will find love and marriage whilst others experience heartache andtears. Harpers is the bond that holds them together, bringingstrength through hardship and pain and friendship and love.
Views: 635

The Treasure of Namakagon

A twisting, turning, thrilling "lumberjack" adventure that takes place during the northern Wisconsin timber boom of the 1880s.Young lumberjack, Tor Loken, and old Chief Namakagon, work to foil a ruthless timber tycoon and protect the secret silver mine—a mine that truly existed and has yet to be rediscovered. 2nd place in the 2013 Amazon Breakthrough Novel Awards out of 10,000 worldwide entries.NOTE: This is the originally published version. Some minor details have been changed in later revisions. The story, though, remains the same. SEE REVIEWS FAR BELOW.It is 1883 and you are about to plunge into the peak of nineteenth century lumberjack life in northern Wisconsin. Meet sixteen-year-old Tor Loken, whose father owns a remote lumber camp, the Namakagon Timber Company. Join the fight when a sinister lumber baron takes control of the river, threatening the future of the camp. Learn the way of the woodsman from your mentor, Chief Namakagon. This old hermit just may show you the way to his secret silver mine.Be at the cook shanty table before dawn for breakfast with the men. Then it’s out into the cuttings where, knee deep in snow, you will help your camp harvest a hundred thousand giant pine logs this season. Hook up the Clydesdales to the water tanker and ice down the trails for the big timber sleighs. Take the train to the city for camp supplies but keep an eye out for cunning charlatans intent on an easy swindle. Spin a yarn or sing along with the other jacks in the bunkhouse. Go to town for a Saturday night of lumberjack merriment but dress warmly; it’s a six hour sleigh ride back to camp at twenty below zero. Come spring, you’ll help drive your camp’s timber down a thundering river, jumping from log to log as they rush downstream. Then it’s time to celebrate. But keep your pocketbook buttoned up when in town; there are bandits and thugs who want to separate you from your generous dollar-a-day wages! Put on your red wool mackinaw and your calked boots. Grab your peavey or a pike pole. You’re in for a good look at life in the pinery in the 1880s . . . and a twisting, turning, fact-based adventure story that will often leave you breathless.The legendary lost silver cache of Chief Namakagon will, most likely, be re-discovered one day. It's out there, waiting to be found. This book offers some clues about where to begin your search.The Treasure of Namakagon is based on history. References to the Namekagon River log drives, life in the logging camps, and fraudulent timber sales are based on true events, as is the gun play that resulted from a ploy to charge for timber floated past the dam. Many historical references help make this tale as close to real life as can be found in a fictional adventure. Although many still search for Chief Namakagon’s secret silver mine, it has yet to be rediscovered. Publisher’s Weekly Magazine“… A fascinating tale.” “… Rip-roaring action …” “… So well-written.” “Difficult to put down; a great read.” Amazon Books“The writing style of this piece is its greatest strength.” “The flow of the words is like an old fashioned song.”“Wonderfully written …. Compelling …. Captures the reader’s attention and keeps us reading.” A good piece of writing with suspense and action …” Jerry Apps, award-winning Wisconsin author"Vivifies the tumultuous nature of 19th-century life in the legendary north woods." Michael Perry, NYT bestselling Wisconsin author"Open with caution. You won't want to put this one down." LaMoine MacLaughlin, President, WI Writers Assn. Writer’s Digest“It’s the dialog and characters that drive The Treasure of Namakagon. It appears as if author James A. Brakken is determined to make a go of this series, and … he’s made at least one fan of this reader.” Judge, Writer’s Digest Book Awards
Views: 634

The Women of Mulberry Lane

Love and heartbreak, birth and death, joy amid hardship, are all here in the gripping fifth novel about the people of Mulberry Lane during World War Two. The war is nearly over – or is it? The women of Mulberry Lane anxiously wait for news. Peggy doesn't know if she'll ever again see Able, the American father of her twins, while a very odd letter from estranged husband, Laurie, threatens to set the cat among the pigeons. Rose can't stop loving Jimmy, while Tom can't stop loving her. Will Gordon ever again be the man he once was? Can he be a proper husband to Maureen, and if he can't, what will become of their marriage? The men, women and children of Mulberry Lane fight on with indomitable spirit, as the endgame of the Second World War enters its most deadly phase.
Views: 631

Crashing? Can we still make Atlantic City?

This is a true accounting of one of my flying adventures over New England(US). All seemed right until all seems wrong... Flying at night, over water, in clouds with heavy rain is the not a good time to lose engine power.Thankfully, I had Bob along.3k word, short storyThis is a true accounting of one of my flying adventures over New England(US). All seemed right until all seemed wrong... Flying at night, over water, in clouds with heavy rain, is not a good time to lose engine power.Thankfully, I had Bob along.3k word, short story
Views: 630

Murder at the Ashmolean

1895. A senior executive at the Ashmolean Museum in Oxford is found in his office with a bullet hole between his eyes, a pistol discarded close by. The death has officially been ruled as suicide by local police, but with an apparent lack of motive for such action, the museum's administrator, Gladstone Marriott, suspects foul play. With his cast-iron reputation for shrewdness, formed during his time investigating the case of Jack the Ripper alongside Inspector Abberline, private enquiry agent Daniel Wilson is a natural choice to discreetly explore the situation, ably assisted by his partner, archaeologist-cum-detective Abigail Fenton.Yet their enquiries are hindered from the start by an interfering lone agent from Special Branch, ever secretive and intimidating in his methods. With rumours of political ructions from South Africa, mislaid artefacts and a lost Shakespeare play, Wilson and Fenton soon find themselves tangled in bureaucracy. Making unlikely alliances, the...
Views: 629

The Wicked Fringe of Mystery: A Severine DuNoir Historical Cozy Adventure

November 1925 Severine DuNoir has discovered who has been hunting her.  Now she needs to discover why.  As the foes circle each other, their friends and family get drawn into the conflict. Just who can Severine trust?  How can she stop him?  And what will happen to those she loves if she fails?  She’s all too afraid the answer is one she won’t be able to live with. Book FOUR in the Mysteries of Severine DuNoir.  These historical adventures are playful with a lightly spooky edge. In the coming stories, Severine will discover more than she expected, but her sight will never turn from uncovering just what happened to her parents, not even for the dashing, Grayson Thorne. Join Severine as she peels back the layers of history and memory all while creating a future of her own.  __
Views: 628

Murder By Suicide

A rare visitor to a hospice near Rome draws out macabre reminiscences from inmate Franco Tira, whose life changed when the day-to-day business of disposing of dissidents got personal. A gripping, illusion-free look at people we license to kill.The year is 2040. A rare visitor to a hospice in Frascati, nestling in the hills above Rome, elicits macabre reminiscences from inmate Franco Tira, whose life changed when the day-to-day business of disposing of dissidents got personal. Who is the mysterious visitor, and what is his purpose? A gripping, illusion-free look at people we license to kill. The e-book includes, as a taster, chapter two of the author’s novella “Goodbye, Padania”, which examines the career, style and motives of another fictional cold-hearted killer, Daria Rigoletti.
Views: 627

Houlihan's Wake

Can a young man succeed in dying amid the splendour of Mexico?In Houlihan’s Wake, a young Irishman goes to Playa Chisme, on the Pacific coast of Mexico, determined to die, and determined to do so in a beautiful setting. But can Houlihan’s death-wish do its worst in such a life-affirming place, where the lifeguards are adamant that nobody shall turn their massive party to celebrate a whole year without anyone drowning in Playa Chisme's lethal rip-tides into someone else’s pitiful wake? Houlihan’s Wake is accompanied by further stories and poems set in “Playa Chisme” and elsewhere in the country to provide a rich array of fragments of Mexico.Number One in Goodreads’ Listopia: “Books Set in Mexico”.
Views: 624