Steve Berman loses his job just before a visit to his parents in Florida. En route, though, he’s offered a new one, with a developer building a shopping center at the edge of the Everglades. Comic complications ensue with the craziness of his cousins, the Blatnicks, and the equally zany construction crew.
This is a laugh-out-loud comic novel about Jewish family relationships and shopping mall construction.
Ebook Addict reviews writes: " I started the book and got caught up in Steve Berman’s life, I found that putting the book down left me itching to get back to it… NOW! And funny? Oh dear heavens yes… in fact there were so many times that I was not only laughing out loud, but long and loud, that I was starting to get concerned looks thrown my way. Even now thinking of some of the antics that the various members of the Blatnick family—related by marriage kind of relatives—would get up to has me chuckling."
"Once again Neil Plakcy has shown that his storytelling abilities are very wide-ranging. His books cover anything from mysteries that never end the way you—okay I—think they will, to sexier-than-hell man-lovin’ romantic adventures. Then there are the sharp turns to his character-driven tales, long or short, that will entrance and, like his other stories, vastly entertain. I’ve not read one story, one book, one novella by this author that hasn’t been at the very least, enjoyable. I highly recommend anything by Neil but Invasion of the Blatnicks is a terrific book with which to start an acquaintanceship with Plakcy’s writing." Views: 47
Lawrence Block's "lost" stories, complete and uncut for the first time since their original publication!The focus and subject matter of mid-century men's adventure magazines (MAMs) could be wide-ranging, and versatile storytellers able to confidently navigate genres, approaches, and authorial voices found regular, lucrative work in their pages. Among those talented writers was a notable newcomer: Lawrence Block-though his initial pieces would see print under various pseudonyms. Not the Lawrence Block you know, who is among the most widely read, respected, and celebrated writers of crime and mystery fiction in the world. A writer internationally read and internationally honored, upon whom The Mystery Writers of America bestowed the title of Grand Master. A writer with over 65 years of professional experience in damn near every kind of writing, whose essays, magazine columns, and non-fiction... Views: 47
The Continental Op delves into his violent past and avenges a murdered partner in this collection of stories from master of hardboiled fiction Dashiell Hammett When he joins the Continental Detective Agency, Bob Teal shows every sign of becoming a crack operative. Cool headed, quick witted, and not afraid to take a punch, Teal's on the verge of a great career when a .32 cuts him down. Two bullets are enough to kill Teal and to set the Continental Op chasing the tangled tale that lead to his demise. In "Who Killed Bob Teal?" Dashiell Hammett experimented with a premise that he would later repurpose in his most famous novel: The Maltese Falcon. But while Sam Spade is devilishly tough, the Continental Op is even tougher. And in this titular story, as well as "The Whosis Kid" and "The Scorched Face," the Op pursues Bay-area underworld operators with the deep wrath of a San Francisco earthquake. Views: 47
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The newest electrifying thriller in the #1 New York Times–bestselling series has President Jack Ryan and his allies facing a treacherous foe threatening to unleash chaos around the globe. . . .
**When Russian President Valeri Volodin’s ambitions are foiled in Dagestan, he faces a difficult choice. The oligarchs who support him expect a constant flow of graft, but with energy prices cratering, the Russian economy sputters to a virtual halt. Unable to grow the Russian market at home, his hold on power relies on expansion abroad—a plan that has been thwarted by the United States in the past.
But this time Volodin has determined that an indirect approach is the best. A floating natural gas facility in Lithuania is blown up. A Venezuelan prosecutor is assassinated. A devastating attack on a Russian troop train kills dozens. A chaotic world is the best camouflage for a series of seemingly unrelated attacks.
Only one man recognizes an ominous pattern in the reports of terror from around the globe. U.S. President Jack Ryan sees a guiding hand in the worldwide chaos, but before he can act he needs proof.
While his intelligence agencies race to uncover the truth behind the attacks, the President struggles to unite a fractious and distrustful coalition of Western nations against the schemes of the Russian dictator.
With five thousand Russian troops poised to invade a NATO nation, can Jack Ryan move swiftly enough to stop Volodin’s grand plan of global conflict and conquest? Or will he succeed in changing the balance of world power forever? Views: 47
A dash from an empty house at the sight of a murdered man with a dragon-topped hatpin protruding from one eye! An escape from the police on the back of a speeding roadster. The discovery that its driver, a curly-haired, beautiful girl, clutches in one hand the headless body of that same fatal dragon-topped hatpin!This is the first climax of breathless action that winds about the figure of Ford Harling, penniless derelict in Chicago, and plunges him into the heart of another famous web-work plot of Harry Stephen Keeler. He is caught in a maelstrom of circumstances that whirl about a stolen ruby, counterfeit bills, a nocturnal visit to a cemetery, and a peculiarly baffling murder involving a lovely heiress.It is the fastest-moving mystery ever written by Harry Stephen Keeler, expert in bafflement and tantalizing clues. Views: 47
The runaway bestseller that takes us down the rabbit hole of 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.John F. Jennedy, Jr., was Lark.Amy Carter was Dynamo.Chelsea Clinton was Energy.Meet Shadow.Shadow is the Secret Service code name for First Daughter Nora Hartson. And when White House lawyer Michael Garrick begins dating the irresistible Nora, he's instantly spellbound, just like everyone else in her world. Then, late one night, the two witness something they were never meant to see. Now, in a world where everyone watches your every move, Michael is suddenly ensnared in someone's secret agenda. Trusting no one, not even Nora, he finds himself fighting for his innocence--and ultimately, his life.Amazon.com ReviewAficionados of the hit TV show The West Wing who are suffering through holiday reruns will jump right into Brad Meltzer's third novel (after The Tenth Justice and Dead Even), which takes readers into the White House office of the president's own law firm and introduces a first daughter whose complex psychological problems jump-start this fast-paced thriller. Michael Garrick loves his job as deputy counsel, but when he falls for Nora Hartson, the president's daughter, the conflict between his professional ethics and his growing love for her puts him right in the middle of a murder plot that may reach all the way to the Oval Office. Meltzer excels at plotting, and he knows the back corridors, family quarters, and secret tunnels of the executive branch as well as those of the Supreme Court, which he revealed in his first two blockbusters. He's not as skillful at characterization. It's hard to believe that the sociopathic tendencies of people in a president's inner circle--or even his family--would have managed to escape the scrutiny of an FBI investigation during his rise to power. And Nora, in particular, doesn't quite come off as the misguided victim she must be in order to make the rest of the story credible. But that's not a huge quibble; Meltzer manages to make Edgar Simon, Michael's boss, the most interesting White House counsel since John Dean. The First Counsel is a cleverly commercial mix of legal thriller and political chicanery guaranteed to keep you turning pages until Meltzer puts the third branch of government in his sights, too. --Jane AdamsFrom Publishers WeeklyA date with the president's daughter draws an ambitious young lawyer into a bewildering web of scandal, extortion and murder in this formulaic but lightning-paced suspense thriller set behind the scenes at the White House. Michael Garrick works for Edgar Simon, counsel to the president, and knows the inside workings of Washington and the precarious image-management duties of the First Family. But he finds himself quickly out of his depth on a date with the volatile First Daughter, Nora Hartson, when the two see Michael's boss in a gay bar. Nora insists on following the married lawyer, and the two witness Simon making a suspicious cash drop. Subsequent events link Michael to the cash and the murder of Caroline Penzler, friend of the First Lady and the lawyer who has the dirt on all the big shots. With his career, a presidential election and perhaps his life at stake, Michael cannot trust anyone, least of all Nora, who is dogged by rumors of drug use, promiscuity and general wildness. She is the only witness to his innocence, but he is intent on protecting her, and the president, from suspicion. Meltzer (The Tenth Justice; Dead Even) sprinkles his tale with many interesting details of working in and around the White House. He relies on some heavy-handed techniques to generate suspenseDMichael is always sensing someone watching him or peering through slowly opening doorsDand the plot has a familiar Hollywood ring to it. But Meltzer's relentless narrative finally digs its hooks in, and even skeptical readers will want to continue through the twists and turns, if only to confirm their own predictions. Agent, Jill Kneerim. (Jan. 9) Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc. Views: 47
Detective Garrett Addison and FBI Agent Jordan Lambert team up to find a serial killer before he strikes again, but what if everything that was believed to be true about the Angel Abductor is false? Views: 47
Will following his dreams take Trenton too far? All Trent has ever wanted is to be a filmmaker. But when his Uncle Mike, a Hollywood director, asks Trent to help him film the high-pressure world of stock-car racing, Trent gets a lot more than some great footage. Things go horribly wrong both on the track and off, but it's up to Trenton to figure out how to save his uncle's career without losing everything he values. Views: 47
