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Night of the Squawker

This is Slappy's world — You only scream in it!Beak-a-boo, it sees you! Cooper Klavan and his sister Anna are fishing with their parents at a woodland pond when they come across an injured bird. Anna, a huge animal lover, insists on taking it home to rehabilitate.But the bird really does not want to be rescued. It bites Anna, and scares Cooper. Soon, Anna is behaving very strangely. She's perching high up in trees, gathering sticks to hide in her room, and refusing to eat eggs— once one of her favorite foods. Cooper doesn't want to jump to any conclusions, but his sister seems to be going to the birds.
Views: 214

Kitty and the Dead Man's Hand

HONEYMOON IN VEGAS? Already the alpha pair of Denver's werewolf pack, Kitty and Ben now plan to tie the knot human-style by eloping to Vegas. Kitty is looking forward to sipping fru-fru drinks by the pool and doing her popular radio show on live TV, but her hotel is stocked with werewolf-hating bounty hunters. Elsewhere on the Strip an old-school magician might be wielding the real thing; the vampire community is harboring a dark secret; and the irresistible star of a suspicious animal act is determined to seduce Kitty. Sin City has never been so wild, and this werewolf has never had to fight harder to save not only her wedding, but her very life.
Views: 214

Renegades

Leonardo Petta is being hunted by the one organization he trusted his entire life. But before he can disappear forever, he has to do one more thing.Leonardo Petta is being hunted by the one organization he trusted his entire life. But before he can disappear forever, he has to do one more thing. Save his mother from the one place that wants him dead. Teaming up with unlikely allies and charging head first into he certain doom, Leon will do anything to save the once piece of real family he has left. But will he succeed, or just end up putting everyone in more danger?
Views: 214

Sammy Keyes and the Hollywood Mummy

"The most winning junior detective ever in teen lit. (Take that, Nancy Drew!)" *—Midwest Children's Book Review* When Sammy finds out that her mother has changed her name, dyed her hair, and shaved ten years off her age, she knows it's time for Lady Lana to get reacquainted with reality. Sammy hops a bus to Hollywood and finds her mother in deeper trouble than she imagined. Lana's phony persona is crumbling just as she is being considered for the part of a lifetime. So when one of Lana's competitors for the big role is found dead in the room next door, Sammy can't help wondering: Is her mother the next likely victim . . . or the prime suspect? The Sammy Keyes mysteries are fast-paced, funny, thoroughly modern, and true whodunits. Each mystery is exciting and dramatic, but it's the drama in Sammy's personal life that keeps readers coming back to see what happens next with her love interest Casey, her soap-star mother, and her mysterious father. From the Trade Paperback edition.
Views: 214

The One Who Grumbled

It took the brightest US Navy officers to crack the top secret Japanese Naval code 25, and Lieutenant Michael Holland was among the best. When Lieutenant Holland intercepts an eerie signal from a sunken Japanese aircraft carrier he finds that too much knowledge is not such a good thing.Then the Order doctors were worrying after Rosetta, and Keaton stepped back to let them tend to her wounds. Representatives for the various Parchments and Speakers asked him questions and he answered. Yes, he and Rosetta were in a relationship. Yes, he was very impressed with her performance. Yes, he was very prepared for his fight with Mantis.It worried him that this last felt like a lie.“What do you think about the announcement,” one of the writers asked, “that Rosetta is set to fight the Queen of Foxes in just over a month?”Keaton was confused. “Doesn’t the Queen have at least one more fight between now and then?” he asked. “Rosetta should have at least 12 weeks preparation time.”"Shinen was next in line, but she was injured in training,” the writer said. “Rosetta is stepping in to replace her. What do you think of the match up?”Keaton felt cold. “I think Rosetta is ready for anything,” he said.This also felt like a lie.Keaton looked through the mob of people and stared at Rosetta. She was sitting on a stool, eyes closed as the Order doctor stitched up her arm. She looked so small sitting there.He had to train her, and he had to beat Mantis. So he would do both.If that was even possible.
Views: 214

The Mystery of 31 New Inn

R. Austin Freeman is known as the creator of Dr. John Thorndyke, one of the best and most successful fictional detectives in English literature and The Mystery of 31 New Inn is known as one of Freeman\'s best stories.The Mystery of 31 New Inn is an old-fashioned, classic detective story. It starts with a doctor being called to visit one of his patients. He is taken to his patient in a strangely closed carriage and is sworn to secrecy prior to entering the room of the patient. He manages to help his patient, but there have been so many suspicious things that surrounded the night call that he goes home and contacts Thorndyke.Soon, another mystery comes into the picture as well, this time concerning the death of a man who seems to have left two, seemingly very similar, but in fact very different wills. Thorndyke and the doctor, his helper now have two cases to investigate and it is anyone\'s guess whether they are able to elucidate both. The Mystery of 31 New Inn is R. Austin Freeman\'s second novel, but it already reveals the mature storytelling and the captivating style that make Freeman\'s works so popular. Thorndyke always uses logic and rational thinking to solve the mysteries he is facing and he is trying to make his sidekick use the same method, too. They eventually solve the mysteries, but not before wasting a bit of time following red herrings and getting into all sorts of adventures.What makes Freeman\'s stories, including this one, even more interesting is the scientific background described in so much detail - the reader learns not only about the benefits of using logic to disentangle difficult situations, but also about optics, medicine and other sciences related to the investigations, so Freeman\'s books are not only entertaining, but educative as well.
Views: 214

The Case of the Lost Song

After taking some items to an appraisal show, George discovers that inside his old recorder is a tape containing Lou Knight's last song, and when it is stolen, Nancy and Bess discover that other visitors to the show have been robbed also.
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A Civil Contract

Adam Deveril, a captain in Wellington's army, returned to England to find his family on the brink of financial ruin, his once beautiful estate heavily mortgaged and in a shocking state of repair. Not the least of his surprises was the unexpected presence of Jonathan Chawleigh, bluff financier. Chawleigh was a city man of unlimited wealth and no social aspirations-- for himself. But his eyes were set firmly ahead on a suitable-- noble-- match for his daughter.
Views: 213

Haunted

Love is everywhere. . . When does a gift become a curse? Matt Stone doesn't believe in ghosts. But there are those who are convinced his home, a historic Virginia estate that dates back to the Revolutionary War, is haunted. Pressured to get at the truth about some strange happenings at Melody House, he agrees to let Harrison Investigations explore the house. But he isn't ready for beautiful, intriguing Darcy Tremayne. As a paranormal investigator, Darcy has learned to believe in the unbelievable. And she's given Matt fair warning: sometimes people don't like the skeletons she finds. She never dreamed that the warning would apply to herself. For she's about to discover that Melody House holds much more than a simple mystery form the distant past. What it holds is a very real and lethal danger, one that will cast her into a struggle against the worlds of both the living and the dead.
Views: 213

Raising the Stones

A moving, compulsive science fiction novel from one of the best writers in the field When the human settlers arrived on Hobbs Land, the native intelligent species, the Owlbrit, were already almost extinct. Before the last one died, a few years later, the humans had learned a little of their language, their ideas and their religion. It seemed the natural thing for the settlers to maintain the last Owlbrit temple, with the strange statue that was its God. When that God died - disintegrating overnight - it seemed equally natural to start preparing its replacement. Maire Manone came to Hobbs Land to escape the harsh patriarchal religion of Voorstod, but Voorstod hasn't forgotten her - or forgiven her. But the men who arrive on Hobbs Land to find and return Maire to her homeland haven't taken Hobbs Land's God into account ...
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The Perfumed Sleeve: A Novel

Sano Ichiro, Most Honorable Investigator of Events, Situations, and People is faced with his most challenging case when he investigates the death of Senior Elder Makino, the shogun's most trusted adviser. There is only one puzzling clue-a torn, perfumed sleeve of a kimono. Under the watchful eyes of the shogun's cousin, Lord Matsudaira, and the shogun's second-in-command, Chamberlain Yanagisaw, Sano moves with caution. For each is eager to implicate the other in Makino's death. But Sano must determine whether the death was indeed murder, and if so, whether it was motivated by politics, love, or sex.When a second violent death occurs, Sano is faced with several suspects, each with a compelling motive. Was it Agemaki, Makino's stone-faced second wife; Okitsu, his beautiful young concubine; Koheiji, his handsome male houseguest; or Tamura, his faithful retainer? Or was it a political assassination? With the help of his wife, Reiko, Sano must solve the murder as he discovers just how intertwined desire and danger really are... From Publishers WeeklyIn Rowland's ninth absorbing historical set in 17th-century Japan (after 2003's The Dragon King's Palace), Sano Ichiro, the shogun's special criminal investigator, must once again navigate treacherous political waters to solve a puzzling murder. Sano finds himself retained by a corpse when the valet of one of the country's leading figures, councilman Makino Narisada, delivers a posthumous request from his master. Narisada asks Sano to examine the circumstances of his own death. At first it seems that the elderly official succumbed to natural causes, but several clues point to foul play. While the initial suspects from the victim's household all appear to be harboring guilty knowledge, the detective's task is rapidly complicated when the two leading political rivals battling to succeed the shogun accuse each other of the murder and pressure Sano to slant his pursuit accordingly. The shadow of events from The Dragon King's Palace hangs heavily over the two main supporting characters, Sano's wife and his chief assistant, driving them to take perilous risks; nonetheless, this is an accessible entry point to the series for newcomers. Deftly combining a classic whodunit with vivid period detail, Rowland raises the stakes for her next book with an unexpected twist at the end that promises to present her dogged but fallible hero with even more difficulties in the future.Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. Review"Rowland has a painter's eye for the minutiae of court life, as well as a politician's ear for intrigue."-The New York Times Book Review"Think James Clavell meets Raymond Chandler."-San Francisco Chronicle"Sano may carry a sword and wear a kimono, but you'll immediately recognize him as an ancestor of Philip Marlowe or Sam Spade."-Denver Post"Deftly combining a classic whodunit with vivid period detail, Rowland raises the stakes for her next book with an unexpected twist at the end that promises to present her dogged but fallible hero with even more difficulties in the future."-Publishers Weekly on The Perfumed Sleeve
Views: 213

Portrait of a Dead Guy

HIGH-OCTANE ACTION WITH QUIRKY, DOWN-HOME CHARACTERS...In Halo, Georgia, folks know Cherry Tucker as big in mouth, small in stature, and able to sketch a portrait faster than buckshot rips from a ten gauge -- but commissions are scarce. So when the well-heeled Branson family wants to memorialize their murdered son in a coffin portrait, Cherry scrambles to win their patronage from her small town rival. As the clock ticks toward the deadline, Cherry faces more trouble than just a controversial subject. Between ex-boyfriends, her flaky family, an illegal gambling ring, and outwitting a killer on a spree, Cherry finds herself painted into a corner she'll be lucky to survive.
Views: 213