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The five cousins are still trapped in the Secret Country, and must play their parts. When the King is poisoned, Ted-Prince Edward-must take the throne, even though he has no idea how to rule a country, battle magic, or inspire followers. Soon enough he will have to do all three because the Country is on the verge of war with the treacherous Dragon King. Views: 619
In his 24th and most intriguing appearance, the "Nameless
Detective" finds himself involved in two intricate and emotional investigations.
The first is intensely personal: the unexpected death of his estranged friend
and former partner, Eberhardt. Although there seems to be no question that
Eberhardt committed suicide, "Nameless" becomes obsessed with the reasons behind
the act. "A man doesn't just all of a sudden trade living for dying. Something
prods him across the line between thinking about it and actually doing it. Every
suicide, every homicide has its trigger. What was Eberhardt's?"
Meanwhile, he is hired by a Santa Fe businessman to find
his ex-wife, who disappeared three years earlier. Locating the woman turns out
to be fairly simple; she is living and working in the northern California wine
country. But just when the case seems finished, it takes on bizarre dimensions-a
fatal shooting that may or may not be accidental, hidden motives, and a web of
lies and deception. "Nameless" is compelled to continue his investigation when
it becomes clear he is partly, if inadvertently, responsible for the victim's
death.
The keys to both cases lie in illusions-those people
create about themselves and those they perceive in others. Additional
similarities also emerge, leading "Nameless" to a series of startling
revelations and ultimately to the two most difficult decisions of his
career.
Both a fair-play detective story and a novel of
psychological and moral complexity, Illusions is another triumph for the
sleuth praised by the Chicago Sun-Times as "the thinking person's
detective." It is also further proof that Bill Pronzini is "an exceptionally
skilled writer working at the top of his ability" (Denver Post) and an
innovator in the field of crime fiction.
***
From Booklist
Santa Fe businessman Ira Erskine hires San Francisco
private eye Nameless to find his missing ex-wife, Janice, who may have relocated
to the Bay Area. Erskine wants to offer Janice one last chance to see her only
child, who is dying of leukemia. Nameless accepts the case, partially to get his
mind off the suicide of his ex-partner and ex-best friend, Eberhardt. Within
days after Nameless finds the missing woman, Erskine is found dead in a hotel
room near his ex-wife's new home. While that nightmare is unfolding, Nameless
tries to understand why Eb took his own life. Perhaps it wasn't suicide after
all. As the cases progress, they parallel one another with an eerie similarity
that forces Nameless to reexamine his previously unshakable moral certitude and
self-proclaimed position as a sentinel of black-and-white justice. The Nameless
series is 26 entries and almost 30 years old, and Nameless himself is edging
toward 60. The sheer duration of the series, as well as its increasing depth and
the steady maturation of Nameless-both chronologically and emotionally-represent
a stunning and unique achievement in crime fiction. The series, the character,
and this book are not to be missed. Nameless has become an American
treasure.
***
From Kirkus Reviews
Think the death of the Nameless Detective's
(Sentinels, 1996, etc.) embittered ex-partner Eberhardt will finally
close the book on the bad blood between the two? You don't know brooding
Nameless, who, seeing Eberhardt's pathological moodiness as the mirror of his
own, won't rest till he knows exactly what happened to make Eberhardt shoot
himself in the chest. But soon his sorrowing investigation into Eberhardt's last
assignment, a series of inside-job thefts from a pair of loutish liquor
distributors, gets interrupted by a new assignment of his own: finding the
ex-wife of Santa Fe financial consultant Ira Erskine, armed only with a postcard
to a female friend saying that she's in the Bay Area and desperate to find the
woman who left him and their hometown four years ago before their son dies of
leukemia. So Nameless, continuing his exhaustive tour of northern California,
heads out to the wine country in Alexander Valley and finds Janice Erskine just
in time for his client to get shot as dead as his ex-partner. You can't help
thinking the two cases will have something to do with each other, and so they
do, but not at all in the way you expect. Characteristically overblown but solid
midgrade work from Nameless, even if the old guy (now pushing 60) is awfully
full of illusions for a veteran of 23 earlier cases.
***
"The 'Nameless' novels are exciting, mysterious,
beautifully rendered, and filled with humor about the vagaries of life in
California. F. Scott Fitzgerald once said that all first-rate writers are
moralists. Pronzini aims to tell us about himself and his times, and thus
'Nameless' is a bit of a secular priest."
-Ed Gorman
"Pronzini makes people and events so real that you're
living those explosive days of terror."
-Robert Ludlum
"The 'Nameless Detective' is a classic private-eye
hero."
-Chicago Sun-Times
"Once in a crocodile's age you come across a writer whose
work you instinctively like. I've found one-Bill Pronzini."
-Los Angeles Times
"One of the best in the mystery-suspense field is Bill
Pronzini."
-Washington Post
"An exceptionally skilled writer working at the top of
his ability."
-Denver Post Views: 619
Nola O’Grady is sick and tired of psychic squid-images following her everywhere, waving their tentacles and generally making nuisances of themselves. She and her partner, Ari Nathan, have a dangerous job on their hands, hunting down two criminals who have escaped into another level of the multiverse, the San Francisco of Terra Six.
Terrorists have turned parts of that city into a deathtrap—religious fanatics, yes, but from what religion? Nola suspects that the Peacock Angel Chaos cult lies behind the bombings and mass murders. As she gathers evidence, she finds herself face-to-face with part of her own personal past that she’d prefer to bury forever.
And by the way, just who is it that keeps trying to kill her? Views: 619
In this thrilling companion novella to the New York Times bestselling I Am Number Four series, learn the fate of Adam—the Mogadorian-turned-ally of the Garde who risked his life to save Sam. Adam helped Sam Goode and his father Malcolm escape the Mogadorian base in Dulce, New Mexico. Using the Legacy that One bestowed upon him, he sacrificed himself and brought the entire facility crumbling down on his head. Miraculously, Adam survives in one piece, and he also discovers something incredible that the Mogadorians had been hiding from the Garde. Separated from his allies, Adam sets out on a quest to find the one thing the Garde have been missing all these years. The very thing that could turn the tide in this war. Views: 619
[Siren Ménage Everlasting: Erotic Futuristic Sci-Fi Ménage a Trois Romance, M/F/M, HEA, military, post-apocalyptic, sci-fi, futuristic]
When failure isn’t an option, that’s when you call…the Drunk Monkeys.
Dumped and homeless on Thanksgiving, Dr. Leta Gaebel is having her worst day ever. Why not work another shift at the hospital? It’s the only home she has now. When two mysterious hunks interrupt her desperately needed nap, she’s not exactly upset. Then they offer her a chance to help save the world.
Uncle and Zed must steal mission-critical supplies from a nearby hospital. They didn’t intend to meet the exhausted but gorgeous doctor. They certainly didn’t expect a sexy proposition from her—and they damn sure aren’t turning her down. One more doctor in their unit and a woman to call their own? Yes, please!
The trio gets assigned to the Atlanta safe house. But when Reverend Silo’s mercenaries attack, Leta is forced to dig deep, not only to save lives, but to keep herself alive in the process. Will any of them survive to see another day?
A Siren Erotic Romance Views: 619
Survival is the only currency...
For centuries, the vast Ironship Trading Syndicate relied on drake blood--and the extraordinary powers it confers to those known as the Blood-blessed--to fuel and protect its empire. But when the drake blood lines began to fail, a perilous expedition was mounted to secure them.
Claydon Torcreek survived the fraught mission through uncharted lands in pursuit of a myth that might have secured his people's future. Instead he found a nightmare. The legendary White Drake was awoken from a millennia-long slumber, with a thirst to reduce the world of men to ashes, and the power to compel an army of Spoiled slaves to do it.
Spurred on by a vision he desperately hopes he can trust, Clay and rebel naval officer Corrick Hilemore hijack a warship and head towards the icy southern seas, searching for an ancient secret that may give them and their allies a fighting chance.
They are aided on another front by Blood-blessed agent Lizanne Lethridge. The spy and assassin will use her diplomatic status to infiltrate deep into enemy territory on a quest for a device to save them all.
As the world burns around them, and the fires of revolution are ignited, these few Blood-blessed are the last hope for all of civilisation. Views: 619
His escape requires her seduction. Her magic requires his heart. With Martha's memories taken away, she finds herself as a pawn for the power-hungry fae. Although she's told the Unseelie fae on her side, Sylius, is her beloved fiancé, she can't help the nagging feeling that something is off, wrong even. She's a prisoner in a gilded tower, and doesn't know it. Darragh, removed from the throne, can't sit idly by for his stolen kingdom or fated love to return to him. His only hope is to escape with Martha, the fairy godmother he's always loved. He cops a plan to rescue them both, even if it causes the Unseelie Court to crumble. In this desperate quest to right past wrongs, both Martha and Darragh must heal the past, join forces in this fight for survival. Nothing will stand in their way of capturing their happily-ever-after, not even a fae Queen. Views: 619
A Thousand Degrees Below Zero By Murray Leinster Views: 619
Dave Johnson is a has-been superhero. Losing his powers forced him to retire from being Powerhouse, but Seattle still fondly remembers him and continues to lift him up as a symbol of hope.When Mitch Farrow, a cynical man hired as CEO of a powerful corporation to spread cynicism, attacks the legacy of Powerhouse, Dave regains his powers determined to make a lasting difference.Dave Johnson is a has-been superhero. Losing his powers forced him to retire from being Powerhouse, but Seattle still fondly remembers him and continues to lift him up as a symbol of hope.Trans-dimensional aliens hire Mitch Farrow as the new CEO of Dorado Incorporated and instruct him to create cynicism to reduce resistance to their planned invasion. The aliens promise their reign will end all suffering on Earth and cure his ex-wife and daughter of AIDS. Seeing Powerhouse’s squeaky clean image as a threat, Farrow attacks Powerhouse’s character and effectiveness in the media.The alien, international superhero Zolgron finally realizes Dave wants to return to crime-fighting and restores Dave’s powers. Dave is determined to make a lasting difference for the people of Seattle, but to do so he’ll need the community’s help.Powerhouse Flies Again offers laughs, adventure, and a new villain in this first installment of the Adventures of Powerhouse. Views: 618
In this second collection of stories, Black Cat Tales: Black Anne and Other Short Stories you'll find more of the most popular spooky (and sometimes mischievous) stories and flash fiction from Black Cat Tales.In this second collection of stories, Black Cat Tales: Black Anne and Other Short Stories you'll find more of the most popular spooky (and sometimes mischievous) stories and flash fiction from Black Cat Tales.Stories include:Black Anne;The River Rising;Squirrel Hunting;The Magic in the Stones; and more Views: 618
In Jack Campbell’s New York Times bestselling Lost Fleet series, Campbell’s hero Captain Black Jack Geary explores the furthest reaches of space. Here, Campbell explores what kinds of problems mankind might face as our horizons expand. The third in a series of collections of Campbell’s short stories includes some of Campbell’s favorite stories, and some of his earliest. A brand new author’s note accompanies each story.
“Lady Be Good” is one of Campbell’s most popular stories, winner of Analog Magazine’s “AnLab” reader poll for Best Short Story and cited in Gardner Dozois' Year’s Best SF. The Lady Be Good is an old ship, running obscure routes, not all on the right side of the law, with her loyal first officer Kilcannon and reclusive captain. When Kilcannon decides to rescue the survivors of an attack on a Vestral Company ship, a mysterious new passenger thanks him by asking difficult questions about the Lady, with unexpected answers.
In “Kyrie Eleison,” the Verio shipwrecked centuries ago on an out-of-the-way planet, and the descendants of the ship’s survivors have gotten along as well as they can by following the orders that were passed on to them. But those orders weren’t intended to govern life on the planet’s surface, and when the Bellegrange arrives on a rescue mission, her captain will have to reckon with the unexpected social order on the planet.
In “Do No Harm”, a ship is so technologically advanced that it can repair itself--but turning over the keys might not be the best idea. And in “Down the Rabbit Hole,” a series of failed attempts at faster-than-light travel lead to a novel approach: sending an untested Naval captain out in a space ship to see if he can figure out what’s gone wrong.
With eleven stories in all, AD ASTRA is the most multi-faceted introduction to the short fiction of Jack Campbell, and an essential complement to his bestselling book-length work. Views: 618
A digital-only short story set in the STARTERS world, told from Briona's pov. STARTERS received rave reviews, including this from the Los Angeles Times: “The only thing better than a terrific concept is one that is as well executed as Starters. Readers who have been waiting for a worthy successor to Suzanne Collins’ The Hunger Games will find it here. Dystopian sci-fi at its best, Starters is a terrific series kickoff with a didn't-see-that-coming conclusion that will leave readers on the edges of their seats . . .” Includes a sneak peek at the sequel to STARTERS, Lissa Price’s ENDERS, where Callie is ready to fight for the truth—even if it kills her. Views: 618
