Set in the harsh desert world of the Arizona Territory and northern Mexico during the 1870s, Written in Blood, the first installment of the Desert Legends Trilogy, follows young Jim Doolen as he attempts to find some trace of the father who abandoned his family ten years earlier. As he travels through a scorched landscape very different from the lush West Coast forests of his home, Jim crosses paths with an assortment of intriguing characters, including an Apache warrior, a cave-dwelling mystic, an old Mexican revolutionary and a mysterious cowboy. And with each encounter he learns something more of the strange world he has entered and adds one more link in a chain that leads back to his father-and back to a dark, violent past. As his story approaches its thrilling conclusion in a ruined Mexican hacienda, Jim comes to realize that his father's life was much more complex than he had imagined, and that, in discovering his past, he has opened the way to his future. (20110101)From BooklistA Canadian teenager encounters road agents, roving Apaches, and any number of corpses while searching for his vanished father in this melodramatic tale of the Old West. Going on clues provided in a last letter laced with references to a troubled past, James sets out for a place called Casa Grande in Chihuahua. Before reaching the dusty, ruined hacienda to discover his father’s fate and survive a climactic gunfight, he is beaten and robbed; recovers from his wounds in the care of an eccentric old hermit, who fills him in on the importance of having a story; meets a cousin of Cochise whose band is subsequently ambushed by scalp hunters (and goes on to return the favor); and learns of his own family’s gore-spattered history. Told in a terse, present-tense narrative, James’ adventures will thrill all fans of traditional pulp-style oaters. Grades 6-9. --John Peters Review"Told in a terse, present-tense narrative, James' adventures will thrill all fans of traditional pulp-style oaters." (Booklist 20101001)"The story is very well written and will appeal to young readers, especially boys. It is full of tension and adventure...Recommended." (Tri State YA Book Review Committee 20120501)"Those readers of westerns and historical adventure who like a mix of action and information (actually quite a large set of readers) will be very taken with this book." (Resource Links 20101126)"Chapters are short and action filled, Jim is a likable character and reluctant readers will find this to be a fast-paced, easy-to-swallow tale of the Old West." (Kirkus Reviews 20110401)"Wilson is a talented writer, hooking readers within the first few pages of his novel and carrying them along almost effortlessly through the barren lands of Mexico and the Arizona Territory...This first installation is a perfect beginning to what is sure to be an enthralling trilogy that will invite young people into an older world with incredibly relevant contemporary themes." (www.keenreaders.org )"Has all the markers of a classic Western...Wilson's writing is vivid." (CM Magazine )"The tensions among American, Mexican, and Native factions are well drawn, and Wilson pulls no punches regarding the cruelty of the new world into which Jim finds himself thrown." (School Library Journal ) Views: 67
*This is a prelude to the Alexa's Travels series. It is 100 pages.They came from the WestSeven fighters to the endOne stunning blonde warriorLeading six hard-ass men Long years after the war of 2012 devastated America, a group of survivors has come out of the radiation zones in the West. On an impossible quest to find those who came before them, these warriors follow the remnants of Safe Haven... and let nothing stand in their way.Alexa is a leader of men. She culled her companions from the dwindling herd of mankind because she sensed they alone might have the strength to make the journey and each battle fought at her side tightens their bonds. For her, their quest is about more than finding a safe place. It's about the search for her missing family. Views: 67
In 1946 the United States Navy conducted Operation Highjump, an expedition to evaluate the effect of extreme Antarctic cold on US equipment. However, their true purpose remains shrouded in mystery. Were the reports of Nazi activity on the Southern Continent accurate?After engaging unknown forces in aerial combat, weather forced the Navy to abandon operations. Undeterred, the US returned every Antarctic summer until escalating tensions in Southeast Asia forced the government to secretly detonate three nuclear warheads over the continent in 1958. With the threat eliminated, the files were sealed and forgotten by all but the men who fought there.Now the enemy has returned with a genetically superior army, indoctrinated from birth to hate Americans for their savagery, and they’re intent on exacting revenge for the loss of their homeland and banishment to the icy wastes. Views: 66
Sam and Annabel are pleased when they are selected to take a cruise to the Arctic. And they are thrilled when they learn that the cruise will take them past a site connected to the most famous mystery in Arctic history: the Franklin Expedition. But things on the cruise are not what they seem. When Sam and Annabel make a startling discovery on a small island close to where archaeologists are diving on the wreck of the Erebus, one of the Franklin's ships, they are confronted by an old enemy. Isolated and outnumbered, how can they possibly save the priceless artifact that may hold the answer to the Franklin mystery? Views: 66
The world has fallen into apocalypse.Flesh-eating zombies run rampant.And the kids are on their own. Easton and Candace Reynolds have been separated from their makeshift family. They have no food, no transportation— and have become targets for more than just zombies. A dangerous group of survivors are hunting the siblings, and they’re looking to kill them before the elements or starvation does. To survive, Easton and Candace have to make some tough decisions. Is sacrificing their humanity worth their lives? Can they outlast the zombies and predators? Or is there truly no escape for the Reynolds kids? Will they be forced to live out the end-of-the-world, ALONE?One-click to test your prepping skills today! **ALONE is a post-apocalyptic sci-fi novella that adds to the complex dystopian universe of the Sundown Series. Author Courtney Konstantin has created a thrilling zombie read that will appeal to fans of World War Z and 28 Days Later. Views: 65
After bombs explode during an anarchist attack in Long Spoon Lane, two of the culprits are captured and the leader is shot . . . but by whom? As Thomas Pitt of the Special Branch delves into the case, he finds that there’s more to the terrorism than the brutality of misguided idealists. Clues suggest that Inspector Wetron is the mastermind. As the shadowy leader of the Inner Circle, Wetron is using his influence with the press to stir up fears of more attacks and to rush a bill through Parliament that would severely curtail civil liberties. To defeat Wetron, Pitt must run in harness with his old enemy, Sir Charles Voisey. The unlikely allies are joined by Pitt’s clever wife, Charlotte, and her great aunt, Lady Vespasia Cumming-Gould. As they strive to prevent future destruction, nothing less than the fate of the British Empire hangs in precarious balance.From Publishers WeeklyCarnage comes early in Perry's engrossing Victorian historical, the follow-up to Seven Dials (2003), when Special Branch investigator Thomas Pitt is summoned in the middle of the night to the aftermath of a bombing, the work of unknown anarchists intent on wreaking havoc in London in revenge for high-level police corruption. The chase leads to the group's lair in an abandoned building along grimy Long Spoon Lane, where the body of Magnus Landsborough, son of a well-connected lord, raises disturbing questions about both the young man's association with the underground cell and police procedures to combat terrorists. Pitt and fellow detective Victor Narraway soon find themselves up against a powerful secret society known as the Inner Circle. True-to-life parliamentary debate ensues over how much power police should be granted to quash the anarchist threat to Queen and country. The action slows when myriad characters, including wives, servants and politicians, hold excessively detailed discussions of the case, but the pace picks up with a spirited pursuit through London and across the Thames. Perry manages to paint a convincing historical backdrop with echoes of modern-day fears of urban terrorism. Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. From BooklistGreed, revenge, loyalty, justice, and a thirst for power each play a role in the latest Charlotte and Thomas Pitt adventure, which, like its predecessors, draws much of its intensity from nineteenth-century London's social and political climate. The city is in an uproar. Anarchists have set off a bomb to protest police shakedowns in a working-class neighborhood, and one of their own, the son of a Parliament member, has been shot to death. Finding out who killed the young radical and why falls to Thomas, now working for Special Branch, but to succeed he must join forces with the ruthless Charles Voisey; his old Bow Street friend Sergeant Tellman; and wise, socially connected Aunt Vespasia. Arguments about broadening police powers as a reaction to terrorist activity can't help but strike a chord with American readers, who will appreciate the cleverly orchestrated political machinations as much as the personal agendas--both of which come fully into play when it comes to solving the mystery. Stephanie ZvirinCopyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved Views: 65
What secrets hide behind dying eyes?With the Christmas and New Year chaos out of the way, it’s time for the Preston Police Department to put their feet up and return to normality.But for DS Brian McDone, there is no respite from the frenzy. An unidentified young woman is found brutally murdered in a seedy section of the city, her body laced with bruises, her sharp fingernails digging into her palms. Her eyes are staring up at something in pure fear.Nobody knows who she is.As Brian and his team begin to piece together the clues, the answers lead him to places he would least expect. The further Brian digs, one question soon becomes apparent: who can he trust? The answer, it seems, may be life-threatening.The first in a new series from bestselling author Ryan Casey, Dying Eyes is a dark detective mystery with complex characters and a twisting, turning plot that is sure to please fans of the genre. If you enjoy hit Danish TV phenomenon, The Killing, you’ll love Dying Eyes. Views: 64
