The Brethren

They call themselves the Brethren: three disgraced former judges doing time in a Florida federal prison. One was sent up for tax evasion. Another, for skimming bingo profits. And the third, for a career-ending drunken joyride. Meeting daily in the prison law library, taking exercise walks in their boxer shorts, these judges-turned-felons can reminisce about old court cases, dispense a little jailhouse justice, and contemplate where their lives went wrong. Or they can use their time in prison to get very rich -- very fast. And so they sit, sprawled in the prison library, furiously writing letters, fine-tuning a wickedly brilliant extortion scam . . . while events outside their prison walls begin to erupt. A bizarre presidential election is holding the nation in its grips -- and a powerful government figure is pulling some very hidden strings. For the Brethren, the timing couldn't be better. Because they've just found the perfect victim. . .
Views: 811

The Last Town

Welcome to Wayward Pines, the last town. Secret Service agent Ethan Burke arrived in Wayward Pines, Idaho, three weeks ago. In this town, people are told who to marry, where to live, where to work. Their children are taught that David Pilcher, the town’s creator, is god. No one is allowed to leave; even asking questions can get you killed. But Ethan has discovered the astonishing secret of what lies beyond the electrified fence that surrounds Wayward Pines and protects it from the terrifying world beyond. It is a secret that has the entire population completely under the control of a madman and his army of followers, a secret that is about to come storming through the fence to wipe out this last, fragile remnant of humanity.
Views: 811

A Burnt-Out Case

When Querry, a world-famous architect, finds he no longer enjoys life or takes pleasure in art he sets off on a voyage. Arriving anonymously at a leper colony in the Congo, he is diagnosed as the mental equivalent of a 'burnt-out case', a leper mutilated by disease and amputation. Querry slowly moves towards a cure, his mind getting clearer as he works for the colony. However, in the heat of the tropics, no relationship with a married woman, however blameless, will ever be taken as innocent.
Views: 810

The Sinner

When two Boston nuns are found brutally beaten--one fatally and one with a scintilla of life left in her--it's up to homicide detective Jane Rizzoli to find the perpetrator. Medical examiner Dr. Maura Isles, nicknamed the Queen of the Dead, has the unlucky fortune to discover that the murdered nun, a young woman about to make her final vows, hid untold secrets from the rest of the aging convent. Both fallen Catholics, Rizzoli and Isles seek to reconcile the viciousness of the crimes with the seeming blind faith of the victims. Another dead body turns up, and the investigators must rely on their clinical analysis, lest they be sucked in to the drama unfolding before them. Each woman immerses herself in her work rather than face the outside world; Rizzoli refuses to face the truth of what her future holds, and Isles denies her own loneliness.
Views: 810

The Price Of Metal

A poignant look at the consequences of war and capitalism in an economic recessionFrankenstein.com is the sequel to Resident Fear. Two years on from arresting the serial killer involved, a new challenge faces D.C.I. Renton. The story is once again set in the Northeast of England, but this case appears to be more complicated than expected, compared with the stepwise murders of a serial killer. Several victims have apparently been simultaneously selected for a common purpose, and the perpetrator invites attention from the internet. Renton is in new territory again, and initially struggles to handle this window of the world into his department.
Views: 809

The Chocolate War

One of the most controversial YA novels of all time, *The Chocolate War *is a modern masterpiece that speaks to fans of S. E. Hinton’s The Outsiders and John Knowles’s A Separate Peace. After suffering rejection from seven major publishers, The Chocolate War made its debut in 1974, and quickly became a bestselling—and provocative—classic for young adults. This chilling portrait of an all-boys prep school casts an unflinching eye on the pitfalls of conformity and corruption in our most elite cultural institutions. “Masterfully structured and rich in theme; the action is well crafted, well timed, suspenseful.”—The New York Times Book Review “The characterizations of all the boys are superb.”—School Library Journal, starred review “Compellingly immediate. . . . Readers will respect the uncompromising ending.”—Kirkus Reviews, starred review An ALA Best Book for Young Adults A School Library Journal Best Book of the Year A Kirkus Reviews Editor’s Choice A New York Times Outstanding Book of the Year From the Trade Paperback edition.
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5 Short Stories

Last weekend I was looking through my computer. Over the years I've written short stories on whatever subject that interested me at the moment. Here is a sample for you to enjoy.Last weekend I was looking through my computer. Over the years I've written short stories on whatever subject that interested me at the moment. Here is a sample for you to enjoy. In the properties of each file I found the earliest date recorded on my present computer and listed it. I included it for your information only. I only did minor editing to clean up the stories. I only ask one thing. After you read these stories, please go to the end of the book and click on the link and let me know how you liked each story. A simple GOOD, BAD, TERRIBLE, QUIT POLLUTING THE INTERNET WITH E-BOOKS, or any other comment will let me know which type of stories you like. I don't aim to please, because I write for my enjoyment, whether you like them or not. However, I do listen and sometimes change my mind.Back before I knew about e-books I took a writing course online. One of the questions asked was my goal to get published. Because I knew that the publishing houses controlled writers, I replied that I wanted to collect a thousand rejection slips. The instructor praised me for my attitude because she said that many aspiring writers gave up after rejections by the print publication houses. I failed because I only collected seven before I discovered online publishing at Smashwords. No use banging my head against a brick wall where someones else's preconceived ideas limit my freedom of expression.
Views: 809

Angelology

Abandoned as a Child on the steps of St Rose Convent in New York. Evangeline Cacciatore grew up knowing little of her parents. Assisting a scholar in the convent one day, she uncovers a disturbning secret conected to her family.
Views: 808

Outside Forces

A secret vigilante organization, named the Order, has been formed to correct the errors of an imperfect justice system. Garrod Shaw, accused of killing his three children, has beaten his murder charge on a technicality. A Russian Diplomat kills a young woman and faces no penalty after claiming diplomatic immunity. For the protection of all citizens it is time to remove the two once and for all.A secret vigilante organization named the Order has been formed to correct the errors of an imperfect justice system. Garrod Shaw, accused of killing his three young children and dumping their bodies in a lake, has beaten his murder charge on a technicality. A Russian Diplomat, while driving impaired, runs down and kills a young woman and faces no penalty or prosecution after claiming diplomatic immunity. Both men are habitually dangerous and for the protection of all citizens, the Order believes it is time to remove these two once and for all. The newest recruit to the Order, Kaito Hui, is tasked with leading the team that will arrange the accidental deaths of both men but it seems Kaito has gone astray by adding a target of his own into the mix. Nathaniel Diamond, close friend and long standing member of the Order, knows he must bring a quick stop to what Kaito has planned and arranges for a meeting of the Order’s most senior members. Michael Crowder, a scrawny eighteen year old, has a new girlfriend, Lucy. He knows Lucy hasn’t quite finished with her current boyfriend and while he and Lucy are snuggling naked beneath the sheets, her old boyfriend shows up unexpectedly forcing Michael to scramble and hide under the bed where he witnesses the violent abduction of Lucy from her apartment. When Michael tries to explain Lucy’s abduction to his parents, his father doubts Michael’s claim. When Lucy turns up dead the next day, the official report is that her death was nothing more than an unfortunate accident from a fall off a mountain while hiking alone. Michael angrily disputes the police report and insists Lucy never went hiking. Michael’s father worries a mental condition Michael suffered through as a child has resurfaced leading him to suspect Michael may have had a hand in Lucy’s death. When the seemingly accidental deaths of both Shaw and the Russian diplomat appear in the news the next day, Michael’s family can’t help but notice both victims were defended by Lucy’s father, Harvey Metcalf. The coincidence of three related deaths in one twenty-four hour period is too great to ignore. Michael and his family are soon embroiled in a series of events and murderous schemes that threaten their very lives. As they try to sort through the mystery behind Lucy’s abduction and death, they find themselves pulled dangerously deep into something sinister. Nathaniel Diamond, hard at work trying to rein in the straying hand of his friend, learns that Michael and his family have stumbled unknowingly into the middle of what Kaito has planned. As he tries to protect the Order’s secrets from being exposed and the lives of this innocent family, he soon learns the Order is no longer the straight up organization it once was.
Views: 807

The Harry Bosch Novels

For the first time in one volume, the three novels that introduced Michael Connelly's great LAPD homicide detective, maverick Hieronymous (Harry) Bosch. The Black Echo (Winner of the Edgar Award for Best First Novel) For Harry Bosch-hero, loner, nighthawk-the body stuffed in a drainpipe off Mulholland Drive isn't just another statistic. This one is personal. Billy Meadows was a fellow Vietnam "tunnel rat," fighting the VC and the fear they used to call the Black Echo. Harry let Meadows down once. He won't do it again. The Black Ice The corpse in the hotel room seems to be that of a missing LAPD narcotics officer. Rumors abound that the cop had crossed over-selling a new drug called Black Ice. Now Harry's making some dangerous connections, leading from the cop to a string of bloody murders, and from Hollywood Boulevard's drug bazaar to Mexico's dusty back alleys. In this lethal game, Harry is likely to be the next victim. The Concrete Blonde When Harry Bosch shot and killed Norman Church, the police were convinced it marked the end of the hunt for the Dollmaker-L.A.'s most bizarre serial killer. But now Church's widow is accusing Harry of killing the wrong man-a charge that rings terrifyingly true when a new victim is discovered with the Dollmaker's macabre signature. For the second time, Harry must hunt the murderer down, before he strikes again. Together, these three novels are the perfect way to discover, or rediscover, the sleuth the New York Times Book Review called a "wonderful, old-fashioned hero who isn't afraid to walk through the flames.
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The Prince Kidnaps a Bride

Betrothed in the cradle, Princess Sorcha and Prince Rainger were destined to rule their countries together. Then revolution sent Sorcha to a remote Scottish convent—and Rainger into a dungeon so deep rumor claimed he was dead. Now danger threatens, and Sorcha must travel home with a simple fisherman as her companion—Prince Rainger in disguise. Changed by his imprisonment from a careless lad to a dangerous man, he's determined to win back his kingdom—and the woman he wants more than life itself. But can he protect a woman who believes every person she meets is her friend, every tavern is an opportunity to sing bawdy songs, and each turn in the road hides new adventure? To keep his princess safe, he must resort to his most treacherous weapon: seduction.
Views: 806

Fire Song

Coulter's medieval melody continues-second in the song series. Lord Graelam de Moreton is willing to accept his new bride, Kassia, as she appears-innocent and guileless. But appearances can be deceiving...
Views: 805

The Street Lawyer

Michael was in a hurry. He was scrambling up the ladder at Drake & Sweeney, a giant D. C. law firm with eight hundred lawyers. The money was good and getting better; a partnership was three years away. He was a rising star with no time to waste, no time to stop, no time to toss a few coins into the cups of panhandlers. No time for a conscience. But a violent encounter with a homeless man stopped him cold. Michael survived; his assailant did not. Who was this man? Michael did some digging, and learned that he was a mentally ill veteran who'd been in and out of shelters for many years. Then Michael dug a little deeper, and found a dirty secret, and the secret involved Drake & Sweeney. The fast track derailed; the ladder collapsed. Michael bolted the firm and took a top-secret file with him. He landed in the streets, an advocate for the homeless, a street lawyer. And a thief.
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The Applicant

Chris is nervous, yet excited about his job interview. He has no idea that he's about to be introduced to a company where magic and technology blend together seamlessly. When he experiences the power stored in the company's mysterious cubes, he wants the job at Rune Corp more than ever. But first he must prove that he's the best applicant for the position and be willing to fight for it.Chris is nervous, yet excited about his job interview. He has no idea that he's about to be introduced to a company where magic and technology blend together seamlessly. When he experiences the power stored in the company's mysterious cubes, he wants the job at Rune Corp more than ever. But first he must prove that he's the best applicant for the position and be willing to fight for it in ways he's never dreamed before possible.
Views: 804

The Pale Horse

"Wickedness...such wickedness...." The dying woman turned to Father Gorman with agony in her eyes. "Stopped....It must be stopped....You will...." The priest spoke with reassuring authority. "I will do what is necessary. You can trust me." Father Gorman tucked the list of names she had given him into his shoe. It was a meaningless list; the names were of people who had nothing in common. On his way home, Father Gorman was murdered. But the police found the list and when Mark Easterbrook came to inquire into the circumstances of the people listed, he began to discover a connection between them, and an ominous pattern.... Every name of that list was either already dead or, he suspected, marked for murder.
Views: 804