It's time for more outrageous and feathered fun in the award-winning, laugh-out-loud Meg Langslow series.
When her old friend Karen drops by with two-year-old son Timmy, Meg Langslow reluctantly agrees to babysit "just for a little while." But when nightfall comes, the toddler is still in residence and Karen isn't answering any phone calls. Meg decides she must find out what's happening, so the next morning, with Timmy in tow, she retraces her friend's footsteps---and begins to suspect that Karen's disappearance is tied to at least one serious crime. Has Karen been killed or kidnapped? Is she on the run from the bad guys? Or is she one of the bad guys? The police don't seem to care, so Meg once again plays sleuth---this time with a toddler as her sidekick.
As usual, Meg's extended family adds to the complications in her life. What covert animal welfare project are Dad and the curmudgeonly zoologist Dr. Montgomery Blake working on---and will Meg have to make another late-night trip to bail them out of jail? Why does Meg's brother keep disappearing---is he merely trying to avoid babysitting, or is he involved in something more mysterious? Will taking care of Timmy dampen newly married Meg and Michael's enthusiasm for starting a family of their own? And are any of Meg's relatives reliable enough to be trusted with a two-year-old---especially a two-year-old whose whereabouts might be of interest to some very dangerous people?
Donna Andrews once again proves her skill as one of the funniest, most entertaining mystery authors around.
**From Booklist
Virginia blacksmith Meg Langslow is working hard to add to her stock before a big Labor Day craft show when her friend Karen asks Meg to watch her toddler, Timmy, for “a little while.” When Karen doesn’t return that day, Meg finds Karen’s apartment ransacked and learns that Karen’s ex-husband has been murdered and an embezzlement scheme has been uncovered at the college where Karen works. Meg investigates, often with Timmy in tow. Meg also has to deal with her brother, who seems to be slowly moving into her house, and her father and zoo-owner grandfather, who are storing confiscated finches in her third-floor bedroom and snakes in her basement. Timmy is a lovable supporting character, and Meg becomes increasingly attached to him as she tries to decide whether she is ready to have a child of her own. Andrews mixes humor and domestic life effectively in this ninth installment of the popular series. --Sue O'Brien
Review
“Suspense, laughter and a whole passel of good clean fun.” ―Publishers Weekly
“If you long for more ‘fun' mysteries, à la Janet Evanovich, you'll love Donna Andrews's Meg Langslow series.” ―The Charlotte Observer Views: 60
This is the story of a man who shot his wife's lover and thus created a memory which wrecked his own life. Arnold Dudley loved his wife and killed the man who stole her from him. Hunted by justice, pursued by bitter remorse, he fled to a stretch of beach on the Australian coast and lived in utter loneliness. When almost driven to madness by the solitude, he meets two women, who strive to re-build his broken life...First published in 1930, by the creator of Bony, the Aboriginal detective. Views: 60
The president of the U.S. orders Director Elizabeth Harker of the Project to investigate the collision at sea of a U.S. Navy missile destroyer with a Chinese freighter. It may have been sabotage, and the president wants her to get to the bottom of it. But the assignment is not what it seems. Harker has an enemy in the White House who wants her to fail. The Project's continued existence is on the line.In the cold reaches of the far north, a hidden supercomputer with malicious artificial intelligence is being used by a secret organization to drive the world to war. Disruptive attacks across the world begin to create deep suspicions between China, Russia, and America. Preparations for war escalate. As the war drums begin to beat, the Project team discovers a digital trail that could lead to whoever is trying to touch off a nuclear confrontation.That makes the team a serious threat. They're getting too close to the truth, and the man behind the attacks decides... Views: 60
The Rev. Goodfellow pays a visit to Lady Amanda Golightly at Belchester Towers, upset by the trick-or-treat antics of some local youths who are apparently using this innocent Hallowe'en pastime as a means of extracting money with menaces. Incensed at this bullying of vulnerable local residents, including one of her own circle, Lady Amanda, aided by her faithful friend Hugo Cholmondley-Crichton-Crump, girds her loins and prepares to bring the perpetrators to justice. Views: 60
At The Society for the Preservation of Pennsylvania Antiques, fundraiser Eleanor "Nell" Pratt solicits donations-and sometimes solves crimes. When a collection of George Washington's letters is lost on the same day that an archivist is found dead, it seems strange that the Society president isn't pushing for an investigation. Nell goes digging herself, and soon uncovers a long, rich history of crime. Views: 60
Dan ‘Spider’ Shepherd returns in a new finger-on-the-pulse action adventure: if you like Andy McNab, you’ll love Leather.SUMMARY:Mickey and Mark Moore are ordinary decent criminals—hard men who live by their own code and leaders of a gang that has made millions at the point of a gun. But when Dan "Spider" Shepherd is sent to infiltrate the tightly knit team of bank robbers, he discovers that he has more in common with them then he first thought. And that perhaps being a career criminal isn't the worst thing in the world. As Shepherd and his Serious Organized Crime Agency colleagues plot the downfall of the Moore brothers, a more sinister threat stalks the streets of London: a group of home-grown Islamic fundamentalist fanatics embark on a campaign of terror the likes of which Britain has never seen. Car bombs and beheadings are only the prelude of what they have planned—and Shepherd is the only man who can stop them. Views: 60
The Hardy Boys stumble across a twisted technological plot creating perfect replicas of human beings for the survival of a top secret government intelligence organization. Views: 60
Get this sweet escape fix boxed set of 4 short romances perfect for whiling away a lazy afternoon. This set includes:SECOND CHANCE - Holly Brennan had let Stan make all the decisions in their marriage. He told her what to wear, what to think, and even what to do with her career - which was fine with Holly until Stan ran off with his receptionist …. and their life savings.PASSIONATE VENGEANCE - Ayla had never met a man like Seamus McDonough. Tall, dark, handsome …. and dangerous. She could almost fall for him if she didn’t know that he was a liar and a thief. Sent undercover to expose him, Ayla finds that she gets more than she bargained for. Will Ayla give in to her passion or finally get the revenge she has been waiting for?"PHYSICAL ATTRACTION - Once upon a time, Olivia Stretton had dreamed of the perfect family -- a husband, two kids, a cat and a dog ... until a bitter divorce five years ago turned her off men completely. As a single parent with a nine-year-old to support, her focus has been completely on her daugher, Danielle - until the sexy new physical trainer at her local gym asks her out. With Danielle away at summer camp, Olivia risks all to find out. Is Jordan the perfect man to complete the family of her dreams, or is the chemistry between them nothing more than a physical attraction?FORBIDDEN DESIRES - Abby Shaw is falling fast for Ian McQuinlan. But there's a problem. He just happens to be her archaeology professor. From her hometown of Bellworth to the banks of the Nile, Abby struggles with her forbidden desires -- until an old flame of Ian's threatens both his job and their budding relationship, and Abby decides it is high time she gave in to her wants and claim what her heart truly desires. Views: 60
Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.Prague, Czech Republic "He's going to catch fire when the motorcycle hits the back of the overturned car?" Annja Creed asked in disbelief. "Yeah. But the real trick is when he catches fire." Barney Yellowtail calmly surveyed the wrecked cars in the middle of the narrow street between a line of four-story buildings that had seen far better days. "When?" Annja asked, still trying to grasp the whole idea. "When is important," Barney continued. He was in his late forties, twenty years older than Annja, and had been a stuntman for almost thirty years. "If Roy catches on fire too late, we've hosed the gag." Gags, Annja had learned, were what stunt people called the death-defying feats they did almost on a daily basis. "And if you hose the gag," Annja said, "you have to do it over and risk Roy's life again." Barney grinned. He claimed to be full-blood Choctaw Indian from Oklahoma and looked it. His face was dark and seamed, creased by a couple of scars under his left eye and under his right jawline. He wore rimless glasses that darkened in the bright sunlight, and a straw cowboy hat. His jeans and chambray work shirt were carefully pressed. His boots were hand-tooled brown-and-white leather that Annja thought were to die for. Annja was five feet ten inches tall with chestnut hair and amber-green eyes. She had an athlete's build with smooth, rounded muscle. She wore khaki pants, hiking boots, a lightweight white cotton tank under a robin's-egg-blue blouse, wraparound blue sunglasses and an Australian Colly hat that she'd developed a fondness for to block the sun. "That's not the worst part," Barney assured her. "That's not the worst part?" Annja echoed. "Naw," Barney replied, smiling wide enough to show a row of perfect teeth. "The worst part is that the director will be mad." "Oh." Barney looked at her as if sensing that she wasn't completely convinced. "Mad directors mean slow checks. They also mean slow work. If you can't hit your marks on a gag, especially on a film that Spielberg's underwriting, your phone isn't going to ring very often." Annja wondered if you had to be certifiable to be a stuntman. "C'mon, Annja," Barney said. "I've read about you in the magazines, seen you on Letterman and kept up with what you're doing on Chasing History's Monsters. You know life isn't worth living without a little risk." Annja knew her life hadn't exactly been risk free. Actually, especially lately, it seemed to go the other way. As a working archaeologist, she'd traveled to a number of dangerous places, and those places were starting to multiply dramatically as she became more recognized. She thought about her job at Chasing History's Monsters. Most days she wasn't sure if it was a blessing or a curse. The syndicated show had high enough ratings that the producers could send Annja a number of places that she couldn't have afforded on her own. The drawback was that the stories she was asked to cover—historical madmen, psychopaths, serial killers and even legendary monsters—were usually less than stellar. Fans of the show couldn't get enough of her, but some of the people in her field of archaeology had grown somewhat leery. None of that, though, had come without risk. "Okay," Annja admitted. "I'll give you that. But I've never set myself on fire." "Roy's not going to set himself on fire," Barney said. "I'm going to do that for him." "Oh." "It's just that timing is critical." Barney stepped to one side as his cell phone rang. "Excuse me." Annja nodded and surveyed the street. The film crew had barricaded three city blocks in Prague's Old Town. A few streets over, the Vltava River coursed slowly by and carried the river traffic to various destinations. Prague was a new experience for Annja, and she was thoroughly enjoying it. Getting the job on the movie had been as unexpected as it was welcome. She'd done a bit of work with props before, but never on a motion picture of this magnitude. Kill Me Deadly was a new spy romp that was part James Bond and part Jason Bourne. The hero even carried the same J.B. initials—Jet Bard.Annja hadn't quite understood the plot because a lot of the details were still under wraps. She was of the impression some of them were still being worked out, which was causing extra stress on the set. Three cars occupied the middle of the street. Two of them were overturned. All of them were black from where they'd been burned. The stuntman was supposed to hit the upright car, catch on fire and turn into a human comet streaking across the sky. When Annja had heard about the stunt and had received an invitation from Barney to attend, she'd thought about gracefully declining. Then she'd found she couldn't stay away. Now her stomach knotted in anticipation. She'd gotten to know the young daredevil who was about to become a human fireball. He was a nice guy and she didn't like the idea that something bad might happen to him. "Okay," Barney said as he stepped back to rejoin her. His gaze remained on the street while he adjusted his headset. "I'm going to need you to stay quiet for a moment, Annja." "Sure." Annja gazed down the street anxiously. Camera operators lined the street from various points of view. All of them remained out of each other's line of sight. The crews had worked on the setup for hours. Before that, they'd measured and mapped the distances on a model of the street and the cars. According to the computer programs Barney and the other stunt people had run, everything would go fine. To Annja, it was a lot like exploring a dig site she'd read about. Even though she knew the background and the general layout, there were far too many surprises involved to guarantee everything was safe. Some of the early Egyptian-tomb explorers had quickly discovered that. "On your go," Barney said softly. He held up an electronic control box in both hands. "I'm with you." He flicked a switch. Immediately a half-dozen fires flamed to life within the pile of wrecked cars. They burned cheerily and black smoke twisted on the breeze. "We've got fire in the hole, Roy," Barney declared. The throb of the motorcycle's engine rumbled into Annja's ears. She watched with a mixture of dread and anticipation. Roy Fein was one of the top stuntmen in the game. Barney had said that a number of times over the past few days. She didn't know if he'd been trying to reassure her or himself. "Steady," Barney said. "Okay, you're on track. Now increase your speed to seventy-eight miles per hour." The exact speed had been a big concern, Annja knew. Too much and the impact angle would be wrong and the motorcycle might flip end over end. Too little and Roy would fall short of the air bag that waited at the other end of the jump. The motorcycle roared into view. Roy Fein, dressed in dark blue racing leathers and a matching helmet, had raced around the corner. A car followed only inches behind him. "You're on," Barney said. "Hit the Volkswagen and I'm going to light you up." At that moment, the pursuit car slowed and slewed sideways. Actors inside the vehicle leaned out the windows and fired weapons."I got you, kid. I got you." Barney's voice was soft and reassuring. "Get that fire-suppression unit ready." The motorcycle rider popped a slight wheelie just before he hit the Volkswagen. Effortlessly, the motorcycle climbed the specially altered vehicle. "Now," Barney said. His finger flipped one of the switches on the electronics box. Immediately, the motorcycle and rider were enveloped in flames. But something was wrong. Instead of arcing gracefully across the distance, the motorcycle went awry. "Kick loose, kid!" Barney yelled. "Lose the bike!" He dropped the electronics box and ran toward the street. Roy pushed free of the motorcycle and spread-eagled in the air like Superman. But he wasn't flying—he was falling. Flames twisted and whipped around his body. He threw his arms out and tried to adjust his fall as gravity took over and brought him back toward the pavement. Annja ran after Barney, though she didn't know what she was going to do. There was no way she could help Roy. But she couldn't just stand there, either. The motorcycle spun crazily, nowhere near the trajectory it was supposed to maintain to get near the air bag designed to break Roy's fall. Then it blew up. The force slammed Annja to the ground. She tucked into a roll and came to her feet instinctively. Slightly disoriented, she glanced up to see where the flaming pieces of the motorcycle were coming down. She saw Barney was on his side. His face was twisted in agony as he reached toward a bloody gash soaking his shirt. Annja went toward him. She yelled for help, but couldn't hear her own voice. She tried again. Her ears felt numb, then she realized she was deaf. She dropped beside Barney and surveyed the wound. An irregular furrow ran along his ribs. She tried to tell him that he was going to be all right but knew that he couldn't hear her, either. She yanked his shirt from his pants and rolled the tails up to his wound, then leaned on the folds to put pressure on the wound in his side. One of the other stunt coordinators joined Annja and dropped to his knees. His mouth was moving. She knew he was shouting something. He was young, tall and gangly, and he was in shock. Annja grabbed one of his hands and directed him to take hold of the makeshift pressure bandage she'd created. For a moment he froze. With authority, Annja caught his face in her palms. She met his eyes with hers and struggled to remember his name. "Tony," she said. "It's Tony, right?" She couldn't hear herself. "I can't hear you," he said. Annja read his lips. "It's okay," she told him. "Your hearing will come back." She hoped that was true. Sirens, muted and faraway sounding, reached her and gave her hope that her hearing hadn't been permanently destroyed. Tony nodded, but he didn't look any less scared. "He's hurt," Annja told Tony. "Hold the pressure on the wound. Like this." She guided his hands. "Okay," he sa... Views: 60
