Short tales about deadly books, by top mystery authors A thrilling new novella from the bestselling author of Six Days of the Condor Vin, a name of convenience for the agent known as Condor, has been released from psychiatric care and is back to work. The only problem is that his work now entails the mundane job of sorting through books meant for the incinerator instead of the high-adrenaline rush of being a covert spy for the CIA. Struggling to separate hallucinations from reality, Condor attempts to immerse himself in the task at hand, but his acute sense of danger soon overwhelms him. While wandering the labyrinth of the Library of Congress's subterranean tunnels, he encounters a damsel in distress. Someone is following her, and Condor can't resist the lure of covert ops—or placing his own life in jeopardy. Views: 146
Janes Bowles has for many years had an underground reputation as one of the truly original writers of the twentieth century. This collection of expertly crafted short fiction will fully acquaint all students and scholars with the author Tennessee Williams called "the most important writer of prose fiction in modern American letters." Views: 146
These two novellas by the groundbreaking, fearless, and immeasurably influential Robert Coover are dirty, funny and brilliant. In Briar Rose a sleeping beauty is trapped in an enchantment for a hundred years, dreaming of stories in which someone like her wakes up disappointed, or becomes a mother, or is stripped and defiled. And, as she dreams, outside, failed princes die and hang their remains on the thorns of a briar hedge. In Spanking the Maid a maid and her master are each committed to their own hard service: she, attempting to perform her simple duties without error; he, supplying punishment by rod, belt, hairbrush, whip, cane and slipper when she inevitably fails. These tales of desire are Coover at his most darkly playful. Views: 146
For five years the crew of the Palomino had ranged through deep space, searching for evidence of alien life—with no result. Then, their mission almost at an end, they discovered a giant collapsar—the largest black hole ever encountered—and, drifting perilously near it, was the long-lost legendary starship Cygnus.Incredibly, the ship was not a lifeless hulk. Its commander, the genius who had designed the Cygnus and planned its epic voyage, still survived, served by a horde of mechanical slaves. But Commander Reinhardt had no desire to be rescued. He had a rendezvous with the incredibly hellish forces of the collapsar—and he planned to take the Palomino's crew along on his doomed adventure. Views: 146
A young British diplomat serving in West Berlin falls in love with Suzi a German girl whom he first sees in a café on the Kurfürstendamm. She is the niece of a German politician who the narrator, in his role as the political adviser to the commander of the British garrison in the city, has been told to investigate because of his links with prominent Nazis in the past. Views: 146
'I have never looked into my sister's eyes. I have never bathed alone. I have never stood in the grass at night and raised my arms to a beguiling moon. I've never used an aeroplane bathroom. Or worn a hat. Or been kissed like that...So many things I've never done, but oh, how I've been loved. And, if such things were to be, I'd live a thousand times as me, to be loved so exponentially' The girls, Rose and Ruby Darlen, were both joined at the head (craniopagus twins) in a rural farming community in 1974. Abandoned by their frightened teenage mother, they are adopted by the eccentric nurse who attended their birth, and her husband, a gentle immigrant butcher. The sisters attempt to lead a normal life, but can't help being extraordinary. Now almost thirty, Rose and Ruby are on the verge of becoming the oldest living craniopagus twins in history. Rose has a passion for writing, and The Girls is her version of life as a conjoined twin. Rose and Ruby are attached at the head, but their struggles and triumphs remind us that connection is central to us all. Views: 146
From the best-selling author of The Dog Stars and The Painter, a luminous, masterful novel of suspense—the story of Celine, an elegant, aristocratic private eye who specializes in reuniting families, trying to make amends for a loss in her own past. Working out of her jewel box of an apartment at the base of the Brooklyn Bridge, Celine has made a career of tracking down missing persons, and she has a better record at it than the FBI. But when a young woman, Gabriela, asks for her help, a world of mystery and sorrow opens up. Gabriela's father was a photographer who went missing on the border of Montana and Wyoming. He was assumed to have died from a grizzly mauling, but his body was never found. Now, as Celine and her partner head to Yellowstone National Park, investigating a trail gone cold, it becomes clear that they are being followed—that this is a case someone desperately wants to keep closed. Inspired by the life of Heller's own... Views: 146
A lyrical and poignant coming-of-age story about one girl's immigration experience, as she moves from Haiti to New York City, by award-winning author Edwidge Danticat.It is election time in Haiti, and bombs are going off in the capital city of Port-au-Prince. During a visit from her home in rural Haiti, Celiane Espérance and her mother are nearly killed. Looking at her country with new eyes, Celiane gains a fresh resolve to be reunited with her father in Brooklyn, New York.The harsh winter and concrete landscape of her new home are a shock to Celiane, who witnesses her parents' struggle to earn a living and her brother's uneasy adjustment to American society, and at the same time encounters her own challenges with learning and school violence.National Book Award finalist Edwidge Danticat weaves a beautiful, honest, and timely story of the American immigrant experience in this luminous novel about resilience, hope, and family. Views: 146
The bestselling author of such novels as A Conspiracy of Paper and The Whiskey Rebels continues his masterly run of "atmospheric" (The Washington Post), "page-turning" (The Baltimore Sun), "tremendously smart" (Newsweek) historical thrillers. In The Day of Atonement, David Liss blends meticulous period detail with crackling adventure in the tale of one man's quest for justice--and retribution. Sebastião Raposa is only thirteen when his parents are unjustly imprisoned, never to be seen again, and he is forced to flee Portugal lest he too fall victim to the Inquisition. But ten years in exile only serve to whet his appetite for vengeance. Returning at last to Lisbon, in the guise of English businessman Sebastian Foxx, he is no longer a frightened boy but a dangerous man tormented by violent impulses. Haunted by the specter of all he has lost--including his exquisite first love--Foxx is determined to right old wrongs... Views: 146
BONUS: This edition contains a The Devil's Company discussion guide.From the acclaimed and bestselling author of The Whiskey Rebels and A Conspiracy of Papercomes a stunning new thriller set in the splendor and squalor of eighteenth-century London.The year is 1722. Ruffian for hire and master of disguise Benjamin Weaver finds himself pitted against a mysterious mastermind who holds the lives of Weaver's friends in the balance. To protect the people he loves, Weaver must stage a daring robbery from the headquarters of the ruthless British East India Company, but this theft is only the opening move in a dangerous game of secret plots, corporate rivals, and foreign spies. With the security of the nation--and the lives of those he loves--in the balance, Weaver must navigate a labyrinth of political greed and corporate treachery.Explosive action and utterly vivid period detail are the hallmarks of an author who continues to set the bar... Views: 146
From the critically acclaimed and best-selling author of Smack comes a middle-grade tale of adventure and cunning in the spirit of Treasure IslandVictorian London in the 1850's: Jamie, Ten Tons and Davies are young "mudlarks"—scavengers who eke out a meager existence by reclaiming bits of coal, rope, and anything of value from the muddy banks of the River Thames. Anything they find might keep them from starving for one more day.When they see a massive roll of copper fall off a ship, the trio comes up with a daring plan to retrieve it and make their fortunes. But can three small boys alone retrieve the impossibly heavy copper from the bottom of the Thames? They resolve to find a way—or die trying. Views: 146
The Sharp sisters are bold, bright, sassy, stylin', and fierce. As the daughters of mayoral candidate Stanley Sharp, all eyes are on them as they attend high school. Every choice they make can make or break their father's campaign—and make or break their own chances for success.Sloan knows she's destined to be a hard-hitting journalist, and she plans to start her career in high school. Marks High has some major problems and she plans to expose the corruption she sees. However, finding the cold hard facts proves to be harder than she thought. Can Sloan be a voice for the students while writing front-page news, or will she always be stuck below the fold? Views: 146
