The brand-new Harpur and Iles police procedural from master crime writer Bill James - After the dreadful business when his son and wife were shot, Mansel Shale has turned to God – leaving DCS Colin Harpur with a potential problem. Instead of keeping a grip on his profitable drugs empire, Shale has abandoned that sphere of commerce, leaving his business in the hands of an inexperienced assistant who is reputed to occasionally hallucinate about the Spanish Civil War. Harpur can see the possibility of protracted, warring viciousness on the horizon, and it is clear that something must be done . . .ReviewThe qualities that make James' books stand out from the crowd are his masterful ability with words and his howlingly funny, darkly brutal humor. Local drug kingpin Mansel Shale becomes a shadow of his former self after his wife and son are gunned down in what appears to be a hit gone wrong. In his grief, Mansel has turned to religion, leaving his drug business up for grabs. His second in command, a weirdo who believes he is Generalissimo Franco, is the wrong man to head up the organization, especially with rival Ralph Ember eager to gain control of Shale's territory. Neither Assistant Chief Des Iles nor DCS Colin Harpur wants a drug war, both believing in Iles' motto, "No blood on the pavement." But their new chief has a different motto--"Lock 'em up and toss away the key"--and is pushing matters in the wrong direction, forcing Harpur and Iles to head off the danger, keep villains and victims happy, and ensure that their town remains peaceful, if drug-ridden. Despite the seriousness of the plot, it's impossible not to laugh aloud at the fierce ripostes, subtle digs, and overt insults peppered across every page. A true delight from a genre master. -- Booklist Starred Review, October 1, 2011 About the AuthorBill James has been called "the Elmore Leonard of Britain's underworld" (Kirkus Reviews) and has been named a "Master of Crime" in a mystery roundup by the London Sunday Times, which said, "There is nothing else quite like this series of police procedurals. James is concerned with the dilemmas and difficulties of policing Britain's inner cities, and he addresses these in hard-edged narratives that leave readers gasping and flinching, praying the people in these stories never come to live in their streets." In addition to the Harpur and Iles series, James is the author of other mystery series and a book on Anthony Powell. He lives in Wales. Views: 63
EDITORIAL REVIEW:
Get your drama on as the girls from New York Times bestseller SOUTH BEACH and its sexy sequel, FRENCH KISS, strut back into the limelight in another sizzling tale of romance, friendship, and crushes.
Celebrity sightings. Sizzling nightlife. Endless shopping.
Hollywood, here they come...
Alexa: She's stopped believing in love at first sight....but can a Hollywood heartbreaker make her look twice?
Holly: When a collision with destiny pulls her heart in two directions, which path will she choose? Either way, this trip will change everything.
With one week to go before graduation, Alexa and Holly take off on a whirlwind trip to L.A. Can they handle the drama?
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From the award-winning author of Nona & Me comes a stunning new novel about two teenagers separated by cultural differences, their parents' expectations and twenty kilometres of barbed-wire fence.Is it possible for two very different teenagers to fall in love despite high barbed-wire fences and a political wilderness between them? Anahita is passionate, curious and determined. She is also an Iranian asylum seeker who is only allowed out of detention to attend school. On weekdays, during school hours, she can be a 'regular Australian girl'. Jono needs the distraction of an infatuation. In the past year his mum has walked out, he's been dumped and his sister has moved away. Lost and depressed, Jono feels as if he's been left behind with his Vietnamese single father, Kenny. Kenny is struggling to work out the rules in his new job; he recently started work as a guard at the Wickham Point Detention Centre. He tells Anahita to look out for Jono at... Views: 63
Ancient secrets are revealed when some of the Lords and Ladies of the Abyss show up at Mark Ramsay's estate in Scotland for a little get together. More and more interesting facts come to light about the Knight of Death's past, and he must renew his search for the Ancient Evil who is still bent upon gaining access to the crystal skulls. Mark's old nemesis, Abaddon, uses Lucio to gain information from Catherine de Goth about one of the skulls, while Mark takes a trip to New York looking for buried treasure. Publicity does not help the Order's cause whenever Mark and his Brother are taken hostage by the King of England who is already under Jozsef Daniel's sway. Meanwhile, something very horribly twisted comes of Bari Kadif's meddling with Ruth's mind and his 'misunderstanding' about how things work. On top of it all, the elf King decides it is time for him to marry... a human. The Prologue contains the author's version of how the Templar Initiation Rite might have been enacted and is optional reading.** Views: 63
Belle Montgomery is a small town Carolina girl. She leaves her simple life, family, and friends behind to open for the one and only country music mega star, Jake Bryant. With a break in their tour, sparks are bound to fly when Jake visits the small Podunk town of Lattimore. That is until Belle's long-time friend Chase McSwain makes his feelings known. Will sparks fly between Belle and Jake, or will Chase extinguish them before they start? Views: 63
L.A. is one tough city, especially when sharing a trailer with four thieving sisters.Valerie's plans for a better life and Hollywood grandeur are interrupted after a fateful stabbing lands her in Anchorage, Alaska where government agents expect her to play the role of a vampire hunting La Femme Nikita.The redheaded vixen is back in her own novelette.Recommended after Stakeout (Vol. 2.5). Approximately 20,000 words Views: 63
Seven tales describe magical beings that inhabit our waters. Some are familiar mer-people; some as strange as as a golden eye in a pool at the edge of the Great Desert Kalarsham, where the mad god Geljdreth rules; or the unknowable, immense Kraken, dark beyond the darkness of the deepest ocean, who will one day rise and rule the world. 1 Prologue: The water sprite / Robin mcKinley and Peter Dickinson 2 Mermaid song / Peter Dickinson --3 The sea-king's son / Robin McKinley --4 Sea serpent / Peter Dickinson --5 Water horse / Robin McKinley --6 Kraken / Peter Dickinson --7 A pool in the desert / Robin McKinley. Views: 63
With an ill mother in need of expensive surgery, Madeleine flies from NYC to the west Texas desert to take on the doomed Desert Oasis resort project in hopes of earning the bonus attached to finishing it on schedule. She soon finds there's only one thing hotter than the desert sun: Jake, the infuriating Texan whose dislike of the fast-paced city puts them at odds at everything. Sweet novella. Views: 63
HIDING FROM THE WORLD...Tucking herself away in the Adirondack woods was supposed to keep Vivienne Harris safe. From dark memories of the Bronx, from danger, from entanglements. But when an orphaned bear cub raids her pantry and conservation officer Liam Walsh appears with news of poachers nearby, her private, peaceful world is turned upside down! Suddenly two forces are drawing her out - Button, the cub who needs her help, and Liam, the man who's dead set against her rehabilitating the bear. If she can just win Liam's support, Vivie knows she can give Button a good life. And maybe find the courage to embrace a future with Liam... Views: 63
