A camping trip with his father turns Robbie Albion’s perceptions of himself and his world upside down as he is forced to engage in an unwitting life-and-death battle to break a family curse that has seen generations of his forefathers their early graves.Following the death of a rival, aboriginal boy, Yuka, is faced with a choice - stay and die, but be laid to a peaceful rest under the tribe's Great Tree, or suffer life-long banishment from his ancestral home. In an attempt to force a choice, the Kadaitcha Man puts a curse on the boy: Should he leave, Yuka will die while still a young man and unless he is buried on the mountain beneath the Great Tree, as is the tribal custom, then he and future generations will be destined to live between this world and the next, never to rest with their ancestors. Yuka’s choice sees him return with his own son many years later in an attempt to break the curse.Over a century later, Robbie Albion journeys to the now cloud-shrouded mountain with his sick father. As Robbie struggles with what he learns about himself, his father becomes increasingly delirious and irrational. Robbie, himself seriously injured, battles against and with various forces of nature to save his father. All the while Robbie is guided by animals that seem to know what he does not, that he has been chosen for this quest. Views: 633
New York Times bestselling and Edgar Award winning author Lisa Scottoline is loved by millions of readers for her suspenseful novels about family and justice. Scottoline delivers once again with Keep Quiet, an emotionally gripping and complex story about one man's split-second decision to protect his son - and the devastating consequences that follow.
Jake Buckmans relationship with his sixteen-year-old son Ryan is not an easy one, so at the urging of his loving wife, Pam, Jake goes alone to pick up Ryan at their suburban movie theater. On the way home, Ryan asks to drive on a deserted road, and Jake sees it as a chance to make a connection. However, what starts as a father-son bonding opportunity instantly turns into a nightmare. Tragedy strikes, and with Ryan's entire future hanging in the balance, Jake is forced to make a split-second decision that plunges them both into a world of guilt and lies. Without ever meaning to, Jake and Ryan find themselves living under the crushing weight of their secret, which threatens to tear their family to shreds and ruin them all.
Powerful and dramatic, Keep Quiet will have readers and book clubs debating what it means to be a parent and how far you can, and should, go to protect those you love. Views: 633
VOLUME 2The Singing Bone (1912) aka The Adventures of Dr ThorndykeIn the topsy turvy world of The Singing Bone, Richard Austin Freeman presents us with a solution. The reader is asked to deduce how different mysteries were solved rather than whodunit. Freeman introduces five distinct tales of intrigue, romance, mutiny and murder. The ingenuity of these detective stories lies in their fresh and original approach in what amounts to a tantalising read. The Case of Oscar Brodski A Case of Premeditation The Echo of a Mutiny A Wastrel's Romance The Old LagA Silent Witness (1914)On a wet and windy silent night in the sleeping city of London, the body of a man is found sprawled across Millfield Lane. So begins an ill wind and the puzzle of an intriguing stranger in this enchanting Dr Thorndyke mystery.The Great Portrait Mystery and Other Stories (1918)The National Portrait Gallery is the opening setting for this delightful mystery of theft and fraud. A painter copies diligently from a watercolour one morning when an enigmatic musician suddenly appears and causes mayhem with his musical interludes, hopping from one picture to another and giving a remarkable rendition of different songs. But while the curator follows him around trying to call a halt to the musical spectacle, the copyist replaces a watercolour masterpiece and makes an infamous escape. Who is the mysterious musician? Who is the mysterious copyist? And what has happened to the priceless watercolour? The Great Portrait Mystery The Bronze Parrot Powder Blue and Hawthorn The Attorney's Conscience The Luck of Barnabas Mudge The Missing Mortgagee Percival Bland's ProxyHelen Vardon's Confession (1922)Through the open door of a library, Helen Vardon hears an argument that changes her life forever. Helen's father and a man called Otway argue over missing funds in a trust one night. Otway proposes a marriage between him and Helen in exchange for his cooperation and silence. What transpires is a captivating tale of blackmail, fraud and death. Dr Thorndyke is left to piece together the clues in this enticing mystery. Views: 633
When the fledgling Mars colony is attacked by a hostile alien force, the nations of Earth must come together to devise an effective response.A fleet, built at incredible expense, will attempt to hit the enemy before they complete their cloned invasion force. The difference between freedom and slavery may rest on a chance discovery. It will all come down to a roll of the dice.The Black Ships - First in the seriesOur planet was just one small island in the midst of a vast, empty sea. For millennia, its inhabitants thought they were alone - until they took their first tentative steps out of the cradle. As the nations of Earth struggle to establish a fragile colony on the surface of Mars, they suddenly lose all contact with their settlers.In the days that follow, it becomes abundantly clear that humans are not the only ones intent on exploiting the resources of the solar archipelago. In a desperate bid for freedom, Humanity must undergo social and economic changes on a scale previously unheard of. In the midst of growing turmoil, the struggle to build an effective defense leads the species to a turning point. The smallest of chances may determine the difference between freedom or eternal subjugation. Views: 633
This eighth entry in New York Times bestselling author Bernard Cornwell's epic Saxon Tales series brings to life the harrowing and turbulent tale of a nation torn apart by sectarian and religious strife, a political struggle dominated by dynastic rivalries, and the remarkable strength that elevates some characters above their time
“The reigning king of historical fiction.” —USA Today
“My name is Uhtred. I am the son of Uhtred, who was the son of Uhtred . . .”
Britain, early tenth century AD: a time of change. There are new raids by the Vikings from Ireland, and turmoil among the Saxons over the leadership of Mercia. A younger generation is taking over.
Æthelred, the ruler of Mercia, is dying, leaving no legitimate heir. The West Saxons want their king, but Uhtred has long supported Athelflaed, sister to King Edward of Wessex and widow of Aethelred. Widely loved and respected, Athelflaed has all the makings of a leader—but could Saxon warriors ever accept a woman as their ruler? The stage is set for rivals to fight for the empty throne.
Uhtred is still suffering from the wounds he received in battle. To recover his strength he needs to find the sword that caused the injury, but lost amid the battle’s blood and mud, how could it be traced and who among the Vikings or Saxons might be holding it?
In the end it is one champion, one hero, who will destroy the new Viking threat to Mercia and ultimately decide the fate of England.
With this eighth entry in the epic Saxon Tales series, we are reminded once again why New York Times bestselling author Bernard Cornwell is “the most prolific and successful historical novelist in the world today” (Wall Street Journal). Views: 633
How did Fox Mulder become a believer? How did Dana Scully become a skeptic? The X-Files Origins has the answers in this young adult origin story.
The X-Files Origins: Devil's Advocate will explore the teen years of Dana Scully, the beloved character depicted in the cult-favorite TV show The X-Files. Her story is set in the spring of 1979, when serial murder, the occult, and government conspiracy were highlighted in the news.
The book will follow Scully as she experiences life-changing events that set her on the path to becoming an FBI agent.
Don’t miss The X-Files Origins: Agent of Chaos, by Kami Garcia, about 17-year-old Fox Mulder.
An Imprint Book Views: 633
Deep in the Lurr Forest there is a valley called Saint Elm's Deep. This secret valley stays in a perpetual state of Spring and hosts the thousands of Fae who live there. The Heart Tree's magic sustains the boundaries that protect them all and their lush forest, but the hoar witch has poisoned its roots. This a FREE short story from M. R. Mathias' #1 bestselling series, The Legend of Vanx MalicDeep in the Lurr Forest there is a valley called Saint Elm's Deep. This secret valley stays in a perpetual state of Spring and hosts the thousands of Fae who live there. The Heart Tree's magic sustains the boundaries that protect them all and their lush forest, but the hoar witch has poisoned its roots. Queen Corydalis needs a certain shard to cast a beckoning so that the Emerald Eyed Champion of lore might come and save them all, for he is the only one who can end the hoar witch, and if they hope to save the Heart Tree that deed has to be done. Join Thorn, Bristle, and Barb, the Pixie Queens fiercest, smartest and most loyal elves as they take a thrilling journey out of their protected world into true Overland, where danger hides around every corner and everything they ever loved is at stake. Views: 633
Elain Pardie thought being mated to three wolf shifters was the best thing that ever happened to her despite its toll on her nerves. As her adopted family grows, however, so do her troubles. And unexpected guests before her wedding bring answers, and even more questions, about her past.
Ain, Brodey, and Cail Lyall never expected to find their One, the woman to complete them. Now that they have, it turns out they have more in common with her than they thought. Despite their claim on her body and heart, it looks like they’ll have the fight of their life to hold on to her.
Elain’s life has gotten crazier than she ever thought it could between dealing with revelations and wedding plans. The distant past is catching up with them, and now it’s up to Elain and her three mates to stand up to a ruthless man bent on revenge. Views: 633
Based on the family from the bestselling Love in a Nutshell, the story of an heiress longing to marry for love or not at all...
From The New York Times bestselling writing duo Janet Evanovich and Dorien Kelly, comes the story of a young woman's search for true love. Caroline Maxwell would like nothing more than to join her brother, Eddie, and his friend, Jack Culhane, on their adventures. While Jack and Eddie are off seeing the world, buying up businesses and building wildly successful careers, Caroline's stuck at home frightening off the men her mother hopes will ask for her hand in marriage. When her mother sets her sights on the questionable Lord Bremerton as a possible suitor, Caroline struggles with her instincts and the true nature of her heart. She longs for adventure, passion, love, and most of all . . . Jack Culhane, an unconventional Irish-American bachelor with new money and no title. A completely unacceptable suitor in the eyes of Caroline's mother. But Caroline's dark hair, brilliant eyes and quick wit have Jack understanding just why it is people fall in love and get married.
Set in New York City in 1894, The Husband List is an American gilded age romantic mystery. It evokes memories of the lavish lifestyles and social expectations of the Vanderbilts and Rockefellers―a time when new money from the Americas married Old World social prestige and privilege. Dresses by Worth, transcontinental ocean voyages, lavish parties, a little intrigue, and a lot of romance await in, The Husband List.. Views: 632
Andrew Klavan reinvents the classic ghost story with this literary X-Files, a breathtaking blend of Hollywood-style excitement and literary tour de force.
Richard Storm is a Hollywood producer who has reached the top of his profession making horror movies based on classic English ghost stories. Now, with his life beginning to unravel, he flees to England on a desperate quest: to find evidence that the great old stories bear an element of truth, that the human spirit lives on after death, that in this all-too-material world there still may be reason to have faith.
But his search uncovers more than he bargained for: Sophia Endering, a mysterious damsel in distress who may just be the last love of Storm's life; Harper Albright, an eccentric pipe-smoking old woman whose researches into the paranormal mask an obsessive hunt for a malevolent killer; and the man known as Saint Iago, a seemingly immortal villain who makes a night with a vampire look like a walk in the park.
Richard Storm's nightmares are about to step down off the screen into real life. And Storm is about to begin a journey through his deepest passions and his darkest fears, to a romance that could last forever, and a secret a thousand years old-down a trail formed by the classic ghost stories themselves-into the very heart of the uncanny.
Reviews
Amazon.com Review
"Trolls, he thought. That's what it was. Religious people believed God ran the world. Atheists figured it was indifferent nature. But it was trolls. Sadistic little homunculi in leather jackets with lots of zippers. Hiding behind the scrim of being. Working the machinery to maximize human suffering for their own amusement."
A wealthy Hollywood cowboy-cum-movie-producer travels to England in the hope of seeing a ghost, or a voice from beyond: "Something uncanny, you know. Anything. One lousy uncanny thing." He hangs out with a marvelous old woman--a professional skeptic armed with a sword cane and an ever-puffing pipe with a skull-shaped bowl--and the other staff of a semi-tabloid rag called Bizarre! He meets the woman of his dreams, who is billed as being utterly inaccessible and frigid to boot. Then before you can say "conspiracy theory," Andrew Klavan has whipped all of them into a humorous confection with elements of German romantic art, English Gothic architecture, 19th-century ghost stories, Norse mythology, South American cult leaders, Nazi witchcraft, and the Holy Grail. Even the ghost of M.R. James has a key role in the plot.
It's not a deep novel--you get the sense that Klavan doesn't take one iota of it seriously--but it is good supernatural fun. --Fiona Webster
From Library Journal
Few people can resist a ghost story, and this one by two-time Edgar Award winner Klavan (True Crime, LJ 4/15/95) is bewitching. Set in England, with the requisite crumbling abbey haunted by a nun, it concerns a man's demonic quest for eternal life. Klavan updates the old-fashioned ghost story to include a Hollywood producer protagonist, the Nazi theft of some of Europe's best art, and a religious cult. The plot moves forward smoothly, the characters are plausible, and the literary quotes are enriching. Most noteworthy, though, is the structure: The story line is interrupted several times by ancient ghost stories. Intriguing in their own right, they also hold important clues to the current mystery's solution. Recommended for most collections.
From Kirkus Reviews
In an effort to mix literary stylishness with gothic convention, Klavan (True Crime, 1995, etc.) stuffs an American film director into a badly padded English ghost story. When told that he has a brain tumor, Richard Storm, 40, who has directed more than 20 successful Hollywood horror films, abandons his work, moves to London, and joins the two-man staff of Bizarre!, a magazine about the paranormal that he respects and that may actually lead him to a few hard facts in proof of an afterlife. The staff: middle-aged Harper Albright, who smokes a death's-head meerschaum pipe and carries a sword cane, and her seemingly gay son Bernard, a computer whiz. Then Storm finds himself falling for Sophia Endering, a young woman almost half his age, who helps her wealthy father, Sir Michael, run an art gallery. Sophia is confronted by a Resurrectionist, who tells her that he will be murdered that night and that whoever buys a panel from the famous Rhinehart triptych of the Holy Family (soon going up for auction at Sotheby's) will be his killer. The triptych, an art treasure looted by German occultists who were helping to guide Hitler, has just surfaced. When Sir Michael sends Sophia to Sotheby's with instructions to buy the panel at any price, Sophia thinks her father a murderer, goes batty, and tries to hang herself. Storm arrives at just that moment, though, to save her. The two fall in love but soon find themselves fending off Saint Iago, a devil incarnate and the father of Bernard, who once murdered his entire band of followers (and who must sacrifice his own children to maintain eternal youth). What's he after? A formula for longevity that's encoded in the Rhinehart triptych. A cocktail of the feisty and the fusty, flavored with bitters by Bernard but with too much sweet vermouth and too watery by half.
"Andrew Klavan is the most original American novelist of crime and suspense since Cornell Woolrich. I've pretty much quit blurbing books, but I've got to make an exception for True Crime. It's a package of big, scary fun. Fill up the coffee pot and lock the doors before beginning." --Stephen King
"Mr Klavan, who has a perfect sense of timing, delivers all the cliffhangers and hairpin turns that you want from a beat-the-clock suspense thriller. But his characters are so deeply human that there is nothing cheap or manipulative about their desperate maneuvers to escape the relentless second hand of fate." --New York Times Book Review
About the Author
Andrew Klavan is the author of such bestselling novels as True Crime, adapted into a film by Clint Eastwood, and Don’t Say a Word, adapted into a film starring Michael Douglas. His novels have been nominated for the Edgar Award four times and have won twice. He lives in Southern California. Visit the author's website at www.AndrewKlavan.com. Views: 632
30 CRIME AND MYSTERY STORIES GOOD TO THE LAST LINEThe McGuffin has long been a staple tool in any crime and mystery writer's arsenal. A perfectly placed last line of a short story can pull together subtle plot threads into a devastating dénouement or give everything that came before it a brand-new meaning, sometimes even reshaping the story entirely for the reader. Joe Gores and Bill Pronzini, two of the most talented mystery writers of the 20th century, joined forces to assemble the very best McGuffin stories by such celebrated authors as Anthony Boucher, Harlan Ellison, Joe L. Hensley, Edward D. Hoch, John Lutz, John D. MacDonald, and Donald E. Westlake. They, along with 24 more authors, have created some of the very best mystery stories that often save their best twists for the very last line... Views: 632
Stan is called out to Possum Kingdom Lake in central Texas where two boy scouts have driven off a cliff in a jeep. The driver, Steven Caldwell, survives unscathed but the passenger dies. It appears to be just another tragic auto accident until the sheriff discovers Steven and the victim were in love with the same girl. When Steven is charged with murder he asks Stan to defend him, but Stan is reluctant to do so because Steven claims he ran off the road when he saw a spacecraft hovering overhead. In order to prove Steven's innocence he'd have to prove that aliens had visited Possum Kingdom Lake!ReviewWilliam Manchee's Cactus Island: A Stan Turner Mystery is one legal thriller that will have you scratching your heads, even if you don't believe in extra-terrestrial life. How do you defend someone who insists that they saw a space ship that caused them to lose control of his jeep, plunging over a hill and resulting in the death of a friend who had been a passenger in the vehicle? The driver, Steven Caldwell, who survives the accident, is accused of murder for reckless driving and the incriminating evidence slowly builds up, particularly when the sheriff discovers that the two friends were in love with the same girl. Attorney Stan Turner initially refuses to defend Caldwell on the grounds that this could make him the laughing stock of the legal community. On the other hand, if he succeeds, he would be considered a brilliant litigator. Eventually, Turner gives in and takes on the case, while continually grumbling that every time he thinks he has it under control strange things happen. In addition to our murder trial, Manchee cleverly interweaves another mystery- one involving a divorce between Cheryl Windsor and her husband Martin, who mysteriously has disappeared along with one of the his employees- a manager at one of his hotels. This one is handled by Turner's partner Paula Waters, who is troubled that her client, Cheryl Windsor, seems to be having convenient lapses of memory as the district attorney gathers a great deal of damning evidence against her. Could she have something to do with her husband's disappearance? When Waters tries to find out more about Martin Windsor, she comes to the conclusion that he may have intentionally disappeared in order to avoid his assets being divided by the divorce court. In fact, he made sure all of his assets disappeared along with him and moreover he seems to have been involved with off-shore bank accounts. What eventually is exposed is that although the two mysteries seem to be miles apart, they are very much interconnected, particularly when we are clued in that Martin Windsor, an immigrant from Hungary, seems not to have left any records evidencing his existence in the USA. Who is Martin Windsor and where did he come from now becomes of prime importance? Manchee provides his readers with a dexterously plotted tale that ties everything together with a surprise ending. And even if you don't believe in space ships and aliens, you have to admit that this would make great courtroom drama- if it actually happened! --Norman Goldman, Bookpleasures.comWith Cactus Island William Manchee offers another riveting tale in his ongoing Stan Turner series. The reader is hooked immediately from the Cactus Island first line in this gripping, keenly portrayed story theme. The narrative is told in the first person, chapter by chapter by Stan and law partner Paula Waters. Initially I had a little problem deciding who was talking, but I soon had that figured out and zipped right into the story. Transitions are handled well, I wondered how Manchee could pull plot and sub plot together in a believable manner, and found that Manchee has done it again with wit and adroit writing. As always Manchee s characters are uncontrived, well portrayed and plausible. I have found with Manchee s character there is no middle ground, we really like the likeable, and really despise those deserving our aversion. Colloquy flows naturally as the characters work to unravel problems. The plot zenith and outcome are handled with usual Manchee aplomb. I have no problem believing that Stan would have dealt with the situations he faced in Cactus Island precisely as is drafted by author Manchee. Writer Manchee has set together another great milieu of engaging, convincing characters, predicaments and blunders. The tale Manchee weaves in Cactus Island brings us another great romp with full time lawyer part time sleuth Stan Turner and his law partner Paula Waters. With the character Doc Verner and his insistence that aliens have landed on Cactus Island, Manchee has added a little plot twist to titillate and surprise the reader. Cactus Island is a well-written tale filled with many of the characters we have come to enjoy from the first works in this ongoing series. The Turner children are now nearly grown up we see Stan, Rebekah and their family much as our own. And that is in part what makes this series so engaging. --Molly Martin Reviews"Cactus Island" is part of the "Stan Turner Mystery" series. It was the first one that I have read in this series. I enjoyed it so much; I am looking forward to going back and catching up on the other ones. It starts out as a suspenseful mystery. I can't say murder mystery because in one case, the death is suspicious and in the other case, we aren't sure if the person is actually dead or has just disappeared. Stan and his partner Paula are both defense attorneys on cases that initially appear dissimilar, however, as the plot thickens it is discovered that there is a connection between the two. By the end of the story, they are totally intertwined. The plot also evolves from a mystery to a science fiction tale. I absolutely loved this twist in the story. It made it much more fun to read. The characters are well developed and each has their own personal issues to deal with. This makes the novel seem more real to you because it adds more dimension to the drama that is occurring within the plot. Because it is a series, they also already have their relationships established and seem very comfortable within their roles. Mr. Manchee has a gift of leading you to a thought about what is happening in the story, then acknowledging it, and then adding suspense that takes you off in a different direction. This was great. I would finally think I figured things out, and then realize that I wasn't even close. Then with the sci-fi angle, it really changed things. Reading "Cactus Island" is definitely like riding a rollercoaster and it is all fun! I did get a few goose bumps along the way. If you like straight up, non-paranormal fiction, this book is not for you. However, if you like shows like X-Files and books with paranormal or science fiction elements, read "Cactus Island," and you will be in heaven! I sure was. --Reader Views From the PublisherCactus Island is book seven of the Stan Turner Mystery series featuring legal sleuths Stan Turner and Paula Waters. It marks a turning point in the series as Stan's involvement with the CIA intensifies as he is enlisted to help them keep a dark and ghastly secret that, if revealed, could cause widespread panic and outrage. To further complicate matters, Stan suffers a tragic personal loss in this episode that will have a dramatic impact on future books in the series. Finally, a new series will be spun off from the final chapter of the novel---but that's all we can tell you for now. Views: 632
