The Journey Prize Stories is Canada's most celebrated annual fiction anthology. With settings ranging from Mount St. Helens, Barcelona, Halifax, Victoria Island, and Alberta's Red River Badlands, these stories represent the year's best short fiction by some of our most exciting emerging writers. Among the stories this year: After months of trying to sell the worthless collection of sports cards his no-good father left behind, a boy is unprepared for a bizarre and surprisingly hilarious encounter with the "pile of human being" who wants to buy a card to complete his collection. In a story that balances wry humour with moments of sharp tension, a teenager with a crush on her high school English teacher blithely channels her frustrations by going on online dates with an older man. Two brothers embark on a road trip to bring their recovering father home from the hospital, in a poignant mediation on family and the things we try to recover of the past. Over the course of a... Views: 20
Welcome to the world of Sydney Harbor Hospital (or SHH...for short -- because secrets never stay hidden for long!)One night in the on-call room can never be enough for this couple!Regular lovemaking is Dr. Luca DiAngelo's preferred antidote to stress. But even he is surprised by the passion a brush with danger inspires in prickly E.R. doctor Mia McKenzie.Vulnerable Mia is furious she slept with the devilishly charming Sicilian and she's determined to give her hot lover the cold shoulder. But the chemistry that blazes between them might just melt the hardest of hearts.... Views: 20
Thirteen-year-old Will Booth is feeling terribly lonely. Ever since his dad died, he and his mum and their dog Spot are doing everything they can to cope with the feeling of emptiness that his father has left behind. On a cold, miserable Saturday afternoon Will takes Spot out for the usual walk along the riverbank, but is met by a tall, odd-looking man. The man describes himself, and his kind, as Watchers and tells Will that he needs his help to save Will's dad from great danger. How can Will's dad be in danger? Who are these Watchers that Will meets? Are they travellers or something more than that? And what are the mysterious, misshapen humps hidden beneath their coats? Another exciting thriller from Philip Caveney - acclaimed author of the Sebastian Darke thrillers for children and the Alec Devlin mysteries - and sure to be a hit. Views: 20
After a series of events which have involved Arthur Dent being alternately blown up and insulted in more bizarre regions of the Galaxy that he has ever dreamt existed, he finds himself stranded on Prehistoric Earth. Luckily an amazing rescue by Ford Prefect and a time eddy, cleverly disguised as a sofa, lands them in the middle of Lords two days before the world is due to end. It’s just not cricket... Volume Three in the Trilogy of Five Views: 19
If you’ve done six impossible things this morning, why not round it off with breakfast at Milliways, the Restaurant at the end of the Universe? Which is exactly what the crew of the Heart of Gold plan to do. There’s just the small matter of escaping the Vogons, avoiding being taken to the most totally evil world in the Galaxy and teaching a space ship how to make a proper cup of tea. And did anyone actually make a reservation? Volume Two in the Trilogy of Five Views: 19
What links the Investment Bank of Torabundo, www.myhotswaitress.com (yes, with an s, don't ask), an art heist, a novel called For the Love of a Clown, a six-year-old boy with the unfortunate name of Remington Steele, a lonely French banker, a tiny Pacific island, and a pest control business run by an ex-KGB agent? The Mark and the Void is Paul Murray's madcap new novel of institutional folly, following the success of his wildly original breakout hit, Skippy Dies. While marooned at his banking job in the bewilderingly damp and insular realm known as Ireland, Claude Martingale is approached by a down-on-his-luck author, Paul, looking for his next great subject. Claude finds that his life gets steadily more exciting under Paul's fictionalizing influence; he even falls in love with a beautiful waitress. But Paul's plan is not what it seems—and neither is Claude's employer, the Investment Bank of Torabundo, which swells through dodgy takeovers... Views: 19
Deputy coroner Mattie Winston is starting to feel like she's in way over her head . . .As the single mom of an energetic toddler and an investigator working for the medical examiner's office in small-town Sorenson, Wisconsin, Mattie is used to her life being a juggling act. But now that she's moved in with Detective Steve Hurley and his teenaged daughter Emily, and has started planning their wedding, her home life is looking more like a three-ring circus. And with her boss and friend, Izzy, suddenly having a health crisis, she could not be more grateful for the newest staff member in the ME's office, Hal Dawson.All too quickly her gratitude turns to shock when a floating body found trapped against a dam turns out to be Hal, but the cause of death isn't drowning—his throat's been slashed. Hal was supposed to be fishing on his day off with his girlfriend. And when their empty boat is found in a nearby lake, the whereabouts of the woman becomes an even more... Views: 19
The honeymoon will have to wait for newlyweds Mattie Winston and Steve Hurley . . . As deputy medical examiner and homicide detective respectively, the couple are dispatched to a grisly crime scene at the Grizzly Motel, a seedy joint for illicit liaisons on the outskirts of Sorenson, Wisconsin. A man and woman are found dead next to each other in bed in what initially appears to be a grim but straightforward murder-suicide. An affair gone sour? But as the forensic evidence is gathered and autopsies are performed, Mattie and Steve realize the scene has been staged. They have a double murder on their hands. The spurned spouses of both victims top the list of suspects, but as more is revealed, the case becomes increasingly complex. Dividing their time and resources between the double homicide and an ongoing investigation involving Mattie's father, as well as caring for their toddler Matthew and Steve's teenaged daughter Emily, the two are stretched to... Views: 19
