This is a collection of stories by many authors including: Lawrence Block, Edna Buchanan, Mary Higgins Clark, Carol Higgins Clark, Nelson DeMille, Lauren DeMille, Janet Evanovich, Linda Fairstein, Walter Mosley, Nacy Pickard, Ann Rule, and Donald E. Westlake

Blotto and Twinks are off on another adventure - and this time they're bound for the alpine village of Luzvimmen in Switzerland, where Blotto participates in racing the prestigious and very fast Croissant Run. Twinks, on the other hand, is on a mission to rescue her' friend's...  more

Blotto and Twinks are off on another adventure - and this time they're bound for the alpine village of Luzvimmen in Switzerland, where Blotto participates in racing the prestigious and very fast Croissant Run. Twinks, on the other hand, is on a mission to rescue her' friend's sister from the sinister finishing school she is trapped in - the Convent of the Sacred Icicle. Once inside, Twinks is threatened by an elderly num who shows her a secret glacier in which the Phantom Skiers are entombed, awaing resurrection to they can wreak vengeance on people who are too curious, like Blotto and Twinks. Meanwhile, up on Schloss Luzvimmen, the crazed Count von Strapp is set on global domination via a deadly arsenal of Swiss cheese hardware he's planning to unleash on the world... Yes, everything's much as usual in the world of Blotto and Twinks.

Professional declutterer Ellen Curtis doesn't need to like her clients to help them sort their homes out.  Aging TV personality and curmudgeon Humphrey Carter might have a chip on his shoulder the size of England about the decline of his career, but a job's a job. But when Ellen...  more

Professional declutterer Ellen Curtis doesn't need to like her clients to help them sort their homes out.  Aging TV personality and curmudgeon Humphrey Carter might have a chip on his shoulder the size of England about the decline of his career, but a job's a job. But when Ellen arrives the morning after Humph's eightieth birthday party, primed and ready to tackle his study...she gets the shock of her life. Humph's dead...and all signs point to him having taken his own life...Can she track down a killer...if there even is one

On a cold September morning in 1844, a young man from Bavaria stands on a New York dockside dreaming of a new life in the new world. He is joinged by his two brothers, and an American epic begins. 163 years later, the firm they establish - Lehman Brothers - spectacularly collapses into...  more

On a cold September morning in 1844, a young man from Bavaria stands on a New York dockside dreaming of a new life in the new world. He is joinged by his two brothers, and an American epic begins. 163 years later, the firm they establish - Lehman Brothers - spectacularly collapses into bankruptcy, triggering the largest financial crisis in history. Weaving together nearly two centures of family history, this epic theatrical event charts the humble beginnings, outrageous successes, and devastatin failure of the financial institution that would ultimately bring the global economy to its knees. The Lehman Trilogy is the quintessential story of western capitalism, rendered through the lens of a single immigrant family.

Novelist Danny Pastor liked what he found in lazily beautiful Puerto Vallarta, Mexico: Luz Maria, a woman he was crazy about; cantinas that played his kind of music; and la dolce vita, the sweet life. That was the problem. Danny needed to write, and he was up against a blank wall, not turning...  more

Novelist Danny Pastor liked what he found in lazily beautiful Puerto Vallarta, Mexico: Luz Maria, a woman he was crazy about; cantinas that played his kind of music; and la dolce vita, the sweet life. That was the problem. Danny needed to write, and he was up against a blank wall, not turning out a word while his money ran low and his nerves went wild. Then he was in the right place, or the wrong one, to be the sole witness when a shooter gunned down an American naval officer. At a cafe table with Luz, Danny Pastor saw it all, and saw the possibility of a story, a surefire, prizewinning account that could restore his pride and make him famous. And when the killer approached him, the only other Anglo around, and asked for a ride across the border, Danny, bold with tequila, said yes. Now in a Ford Bronco named Vito, two men and one woman begin a hair-raising run for the border. Their journey will take them to places they didn't anticipate, to things they never thought would happen, to feelings that reach deep and change everything--in a story that will kindle a spirit of adventure in everyone. Puerto Vallarta Squeeze bristles with wry humor, hard action, and an explosive conclusion--a fast-paced, emotionally complex novel that will hold you spellbound from the first to the last page.

I heard the bells on Christmas Day / Their old familiar carols play / And wild and sweet / The words repeat / Of peace on earth, good-will to men!   In 1860, the Henry Wadsworth Longfellow family celebrated Christmas at Craigie House, their home in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The...  more

I heard the bells on Christmas Day / Their old familiar carols play / And wild and sweet / The words repeat / Of peace on earth, good-will to men!   In 1860, the Henry Wadsworth Longfellow family celebrated Christmas at Craigie House, their home in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The publication of Longfellow’s classic Revolutionary War poem, “Paul Revere’s Ride,” was less than a month hence, and the country’s grave political unrest weighed heavily on his mind. Yet with his beloved wife, Fanny, and their five adored children at his side, the delights of the season prevailed. In present-day Boston, a dedicated teacher in the Watertown public school system is stunned by somber holiday tidings. Sophia’s music program has been sacrificed to budget cuts, and she worries not only about her impending unemployment but also about the consequences to her underprivileged students. At the church where she volunteers as music director, Sophia tries to forget her cares as she leads the children’s choir in rehearsal for a Christmas Eve concert. Inspired to honor a local artist, Sophia has chosen a carol set to a poem by Longfellow, moved by the glorious words he penned one Christmas Day long ago, even as he suffered great loss. Christmas Bells chronicles the events of 1863, when the peace and contentment of Longfellow’s family circle was suddenly, tragically broken, cutting even deeper than the privations of wartime. Through the pain of profound loss and hardship, Longfellow’s patriotism never failed, nor did the power of his language. “Christmas Bells,” the poem he wrote that holiday, lives on, spoken as verse and sung as a hymn. 

A near-future thriller that pits young FBI agents against a brilliant homegrown terrorist It's the second decade of the twenty-first century, and terrorism has escalated almost beyond control. New weapons are being spawned in remote basement labs, and no one feels safe. In North...  more

A near-future thriller that pits young FBI agents against a brilliant homegrown terrorist It's the second decade of the twenty-first century, and terrorism has escalated almost beyond control. New weapons are being spawned in remote basement labs, and no one feels safe. In North America, the FBI uses cutting-edge technology to thwart domestic terrorists. The War on Terror has reached a deadly stalemate. The FBI has been dispatched to deal with a new menace. Like the Anthrax threat of 2001, a plague targeted to ethnic groups has the potential to wipe out entire populations. But the FBI itself is under political assault. There's a good chance that agents William Griffin, Fouad Al-Husam, and Jane Rowland will be part of the last class at Quantico. As the young agents hunt a brilliant homegrown terrorist, they join forces with veteran bio-terror expert Rebecca Rose. But the plot they uncover -- and the man they chase -- prove far more complex than anyone expects. Quantico is a selection of: Book-of-the-Month Club, Science Fiction Book Club, Military Book Club, Mystery Guild, American Compass Book Club, and Quality Paperback Book Club.

On a hot August night, Lt. Eve Dallas and her husband, Roarke, speed through the streets of Manhattan to the Down and Dirty club, where a joyful, boisterous pre-wedding girls’ night out has turned into a murder scene. One of the brides lies in a pool of blood, garroted in a private room...  more

On a hot August night, Lt. Eve Dallas and her husband, Roarke, speed through the streets of Manhattan to the Down and Dirty club, where a joyful, boisterous pre-wedding girls’ night out has turned into a murder scene. One of the brides lies in a pool of blood, garroted in a private room where she was preparing a surprise for her fiancée -- two scrimped and saved-for tickets to Hawaii. Despite the dozens of people present, useful witnesses are hard to come by. It all brings back some bad memories for Eve who once suffered an assault in the very same room -- but she’d been able to fight back and survive. She’d gotten justice. And now she needs to provide some for poor young Erin. Eve knows that the level of violence and the apparent premeditation involved suggest a volatile mix of hidden, heated passion and ice-cold calculation. This is a crime that can be countered only by hard detective work and relentless dedication -- and Eve will not stop until she finds the killer who destroyed this couple’s dreams before the honeymoon even began…

Reluctant lawyer Andy Carpenter is relieved to be headed back to Paterson, New Jersey, after a week-long family vacation in the Adirondacks. He's ready to put the holly jolly season way behind him and settle in at home with his three dogs. But when they finally arrive, there is an extra dog...  more

Reluctant lawyer Andy Carpenter is relieved to be headed back to Paterson, New Jersey, after a week-long family vacation in the Adirondacks. He's ready to put the holly jolly season way behind him and settle in at home with his three dogs. But when they finally arrive, there is an extra dog eagerly awaiting them, as well as one anxious dog sitter. When the dog showed up on the doorstep a few days ago, the sitter knew Andy would know what to do. Indeed, Andy recognizes Murphy, who the Carpenters fostered before the dog went home with BJ Bremer and his mother. BJ wanted to learn all he could about caring for Murphy, which made Andy like him immediately. When Andy goes to take Murphy back to the Bremers, though, instead of the happy reunion he expects, he finds BJ's mother in tears. It turns out Murphy ran off…after BJ was arrested for murder. Andy had hoped for a quiet Christmas vacation, but he likes Murphy’s family and his golden retriever, Tara, likes Murphy, so he can't resist getting involved. The case isn’t as simple as Andy thought it would be, though, with BJ suspected of murdering one of his professors. With nothing to go on but Andy's own conviction in BJ's dog-loving character, proving his innocence would be a Christmas miracle.  With equal doses of doggy humor and courtroom drama, as well as Andy Carpenter's traditional humbug Christmas spirit, David Rosenfelt delivers another winner.

An enthralling anthology of 20 CWA Dagger Award-shortlisted gripping and thrilling stories for the most hardened crime fan. Featuring bestselling authors such as Neil Gaiman, Ann Cleeves, Christopher Fowler and Val McDermid. OVER TWENTY CWA DAGGER AWARD-WINNING SHORT STORIES FROM THE...  more

An enthralling anthology of 20 CWA Dagger Award-shortlisted gripping and thrilling stories for the most hardened crime fan. Featuring bestselling authors such as Neil Gaiman, Ann Cleeves, Christopher Fowler and Val McDermid. OVER TWENTY CWA DAGGER AWARD-WINNING SHORT STORIES FROM THE BEST OF THE BEST IN CRIME FICTION Legendary editor, Maxim Jakubowski, delivers another chilling anthology collecting stories of cold-blooded murder, revenge and crimes-gone-wrong from the best of the best in crime fiction. Spine-chilling and gripping, these tales will grip you with their devious narrators and crafty twists. Featuring classic stories from Neil Gaiman, Ann Cleeves, Christopher Fowler, Val McDermid, Lavie Tidhar, Chris Simms, Christine Poulson, James Sallis, Victoria Selman, Conrad Williams, Stuart Neville, George Pelecanos, Simon Brett, John Lawton, Ken Bruen, Mickey Spillane & Max Allan Collins, Peter Robinson, Martyn Waites and Kevin Wignall.

Yumi has spent her entire life in strict obedience, granting her the power to summon the spirits that bestow vital aid upon her society -- but she longs for even a single day as a normal person. Painter patrols the dark streets dreaming of being a hero -- a goal that has led to nothing but...  more

Yumi has spent her entire life in strict obedience, granting her the power to summon the spirits that bestow vital aid upon her society -- but she longs for even a single day as a normal person. Painter patrols the dark streets dreaming of being a hero -- a goal that has led to nothing but heartache and isolation, leaving him always on the outside looking in. In their own ways, both of them face the world alone. Suddenly flung together, Yumi and Painter must strive to right the wrongs in both their lives, reconciling their past and present while maintaining the precarious balance of each of their worlds. If they cannot unravel the mystery of what brought them together before it’s too late, they risk forever losing not only the bond growing between them, but the very worlds they’ve always struggled to protect.

In an America driven to near bankruptcy with crushing foreign debt, the Talos Corporation stands out as a major success story-training soldiers and security forces from around the world and providing logistics and troops for nearly all branches of the United States government. But Talos has...  more

In an America driven to near bankruptcy with crushing foreign debt, the Talos Corporation stands out as a major success story-training soldiers and security forces from around the world and providing logistics and troops for nearly all branches of the United States government. But Talos has another plan in mind-the destruction of the federal system and constitutional law. Three FBI agents are all that stands between Talos's CEO Axel Price and the subversion of our nation. Fouad Al-Husam is working undercover in Lion City, Texas, on the Talos Campus-but he may have just overplayed his hand. Agent William Griffin will engage in a desperate diversion to try to rescue Al-Husam, and the top-secret information he literally carries in his blood. Rebecca Rose is called into action to partner with an unlikely hero: Nathan Trace, one of a team of four who created and programmed the thinking machines that are about to help Axel Price in his plans for domination. Trace and his colleagues were caught up in a violent incident in the Middle East several years ago, and experienced Post-Traumatic Stress disorder. All of them were forcibly enrolled in a treatment program sponsored by Talos Corporation, code-named Mariposa-which supposedly cured their PTSD. But now they are beginning to notice unexpected side effects. The Mariposa subjects are being liberated from nearly all human emotions and concerns-and all mental limits-to become brilliant sociopaths. They are out of control and they must die.

Leading Science Fiction Writers Present Their Funniest Stories Ever This collection of 29 short stories from masters of science fiction - each tale chosen by the authors as the funniest they have ever written - presents wildly hilarious stories accompanied by prefaces written by the authors...  more

Leading Science Fiction Writers Present Their Funniest Stories Ever This collection of 29 short stories from masters of science fiction - each tale chosen by the authors as the funniest they have ever written - presents wildly hilarious stories accompanied by prefaces written by the authors providing valuable insight into their selection and themselves. Contents: Introduction by Mike Resnick; * Space Rats of the C.C.C. / Harry Harrison, 1974; * The Lemon-Green Spaghetti-Loud Dynamite-Dribble Day [“Did Your Coffee Taste Funny This Morning?”] / William Tenn, 1967; * Dick W. and His Pussy; or, Tess and Her Adequate Dick / Jane Yolen, 1997; * Night of the Cooters / Howard Waldrop, 1987; * A Delightful Comedic Premise / Barry N. Malzberg, 1974; * The Capo of Darkness / Laura Resnick, 2002; * Franz Kafka, Superhero! / David Gerrold, 1993; * Too Hot to Hoot / Spider Robinson, 1996; * Amanda and the Alien / Robert Silverberg, 1983; * Faith / James Patrick Kelly, 1989; * The Growling / Jody Lynn Nye, 1995; * Alien Radio / Nick DiChario, 1995; * Primordial Chili / Tom Gerencer, 1999; * The Dog Said Bow-Wow / Michael Swanwick, 2001; * Sweet, Savage Sorcerer / Esther Friesner, 1990; * The Hanging Curve / Gardner Dozois, 2002; * Deus Tex / Jack McDevitt, 1996; * The Flim-Flam Alien / Ralph Roberts, 1982; * Present / Kristine Kathryn Rusch, 2002; * You’ll Catch Your Death of Colds / Bill Fawcett, 1996; * The Usurper Memos / Josepha Sherman, 2001; * Patent Infringement / Nancy Kress, 2002; * Ickies in Mirrorshades / David Brin, 2004; * Ligdan and the Young Pretender / Walter Jon Williams, 1987; * A Tangled Web / Joe Haldeman, 1981; * Revolt of the Sugar Plum Fairies / Mike Resnick, 1992; * Myth Manners’ Guide to Greek Missology #1: Andromeda and Perseus / Harry Turtledove, 1999; * The Soul Selects Her Own Society: Invasion and Repulsion: A Chronological Reinterpretation of Two of Emily Dickinson’s Poems: A Wellsian Perspective / Connie Willis, 1996; * Cordle to Onion to Carrot / Robert Sheckley, 1969; Contributors Cover art by Ralph Voltz.  

A 2000 HUGO AWARD NOMINEE Greg Bear's powerfully written, brilliantly inventive novels combine cutting-edge science and unforgettable characters, illuminating dazzling new technologies -- and their dangers. Now, in Darwin's Radio, Bear draws on state-of-the-art biological and...  more

A 2000 HUGO AWARD NOMINEE Greg Bear's powerfully written, brilliantly inventive novels combine cutting-edge science and unforgettable characters, illuminating dazzling new technologies -- and their dangers. Now, in Darwin's Radio, Bear draws on state-of-the-art biological and anthropological research to give us an ingeniously plotted thriller that questions everything we believe about human origins and destiny -- as civilization confronts the next terrifying step in evolution. A mass grave in Russia that conceals the mummified remains of two women, both with child -- and the conspiracy to keep it secret . . . a major discovery high in the Alps: the preserved bodies of a prehistoric family--the newborn infant possessing disturbing characteristics . . . a mysterious disease that strikes only pregnant women, resulting in miscarriage. Three disparate facts that will converge into one science-shattering truth. Molecular biologist Kaye Lang, a specialist in retroviruses, believes that ancient diseases encoded in the DNA of humans can again come to life. But her theory soon becomes chilling reality. For Christopher Dicken -- a "virus hunter" at the Epidemic Intelligence Service -- has pursued an elusive flu-like disease that strikes down expectant mothers and their offspring. The shocking link: something that has slept in our genes for millions of years is waking up. Now, as the outbreak of this terrifying disease threatens to become a deadly epidemic, Dicken and Lang, along with anthropologist Mitch Rafelson, must race against time to assemble the pieces of a puzzle only they are equipped to solve. An evolutionary puzzle that will determine the future of the human race . . . if a future exists at all. A fiercely intelligent, utterly enthralling novel of adventure and ideas, genetics and evolution, a fast-paced thriller that is grounded in the timeless human themes of struggle, loss, and redemption, Darwin's Radio is sure to become one of the most talked-about books of the year.

“Yamashita is so tuned into now, she can see tomorrow.”?Booklist “With humor and bite, [Yamashita] takes on waste, greed, stupidity, love, environmental and cultural apocalypse and the problems of migration and belonging?achieving a kind of cross between Kobo Abe, Gabriel...  more

“Yamashita is so tuned into now, she can see tomorrow.”?Booklist “With humor and bite, [Yamashita] takes on waste, greed, stupidity, love, environmental and cultural apocalypse and the problems of migration and belonging?achieving a kind of cross between Kobo Abe, Gabriel Garc�a M�rquez and Upton Sinclair.”?Star Tribune (Minneapolis) Dazzling and ambitious, this hip, multi-voiced fusion of prose, playwriting, graphic art, and philosophy spins an epic tale of America’s struggle for civil rights as it played out in San Francisco’s Chinatown. Divided into ten novellas, one for each year, I Hotel begins in 1968, when Martin Luther King and Bobby Kennedy were assassinated, students took to the streets, the Vietnam War raged, and cities burned. As Karen Yamashita’s motley cast of students, laborers, artists, revolutionaries, and provocateurs make their way through the history of the day, they become caught in a riptide of politics and passion, clashing ideologies and personal turmoil. And by the time the survivors unite to save the International Hotel?epicenter of the Yellow Power Movement?their stories have come to define the very heart of the American experience. Heralded as a “big talent” by the Los Angeles Times and praised by Newsday for “[wrestling] with profound philosophical and social issues” while delivering an “immensely entertaining story,” Karen Yamashita is the recipient of an American Book Award and the Janet Heidinger Kafka Award. A California native who has also lived in Brazil and Japan, she teaches at the University of California-Santa Cruz, where she received the Chancellor’s Award for Diversity in 2009.

When the enslaved Jim overhears that he is about to be sold to a man in New Orleans, separated from his wife and daughter forever, he decides to hide on nearby Jackson Island until he can formulate a plan. Meanwhile, Huck Finn has faked his own death to escape his violent father, recently...  more

When the enslaved Jim overhears that he is about to be sold to a man in New Orleans, separated from his wife and daughter forever, he decides to hide on nearby Jackson Island until he can formulate a plan. Meanwhile, Huck Finn has faked his own death to escape his violent father, recently returned to town. As all readers of American literature know, thus begins the dangerous and transcendent journey by raft down the Mississippi River toward the elusive and too-often-unreliable promise of the Free States and beyond. While many narrative set pieces of Adventures of Huckleberry Finn remain in place (floods and storms, stumbling across both unexpected death and unexpected treasure in the myriad stopping points along the river’s banks, encountering the scam artists posing as the Duke and Dauphin…), Jim’s agency, intelligence and compassion are shown in a radically new light. Brimming with the electrifying humor and lacerating observations that have made Everett a “literary icon” (Oprah Daily), and one of the most decorated writers of our lifetime, James is destined to be a major publishing event and a cornerstone of twenty-first century American literature.

About to depart on his first vacation in years, Edward Wozny, a hot-shot young investment banker, is sent to help one of his firm's most important and mysterious clients. When asked to uncrate and organize a personal library of rare books, Edward's indignation turns to intrigue as he realizes...  more

About to depart on his first vacation in years, Edward Wozny, a hot-shot young investment banker, is sent to help one of his firm's most important and mysterious clients. When asked to uncrate and organize a personal library of rare books, Edward's indignation turns to intrigue as he realizes that there may be a unique medieval codex hidden among the volumes, a treasure kept locked away for many years and for many reasons. As friends draw Edward into a peculiar and addictive computer game, his obsession deepens as he discovers surprising parallels between the game's virtual reality and the mystery of the codex. An accomplished and entertaining thriller, Codex explores the mysterious power of books in the medieval and modern ages.

From the award-winning, bestselling author of "Life of Pi" comes a mesmerizing and brilliant exploration of the limitations of language in understanding and describing the horrors of the Holocaust. Megaselling Life of Pi author Martel addresses the violent legacy of the 20th...  more

From the award-winning, bestselling author of "Life of Pi" comes a mesmerizing and brilliant exploration of the limitations of language in understanding and describing the horrors of the Holocaust. Megaselling Life of Pi author Martel addresses the violent legacy of the 20th century with an alter ego: Henry L'Hôte, an author with a very Martel-like CV who, after a massively successful first novel, gives up writing. Henry and his wife, Sarah, move to a big city (Perhaps it was New York. Perhaps it was Paris. Perhaps it was Berlin), where Henry finds satisfying work in a chocolatería and acting in an amateur theater troupe. All is well until he receives a package containing a short story by Flaubert and an excerpt from an unknown play. His curiosity about the sender leads him to a taxidermist named Henry who insists that Henry-the-author help him write a play about a monkey and a donkey. Henry-the-author is at first intrigued by sweet Beatrice, the donkey, and Virgil, her monkey companion, but the animals' increasing peril draws Henry into the taxidermist's brutally absurd world.

A spellbinding novel, at once sweeping and intimate, from the Booker Prize–winning author of Possession, that spans the Victorian era through the World War I years, and centers around a famous children’s book author and the passions, betrayals, and secrets that tear apart the people...  more

A spellbinding novel, at once sweeping and intimate, from the Booker Prize–winning author of Possession, that spans the Victorian era through the World War I years, and centers around a famous children’s book author and the passions, betrayals, and secrets that tear apart the people she loves. When Olive Wellwood’s oldest son discovers a runaway named Philip sketching in the basement of the new Victoria and Albert Museum—a talented working-class boy who could be a character out of one of Olive’s magical tales—she takes him into the storybook world of her family and friends. But the joyful bacchanals Olive hosts at her rambling country house—and the separate, private books she writes for each of her seven children—conceal more treachery and darkness than Philip has ever imagined. As these lives—of adults and children alike—unfold, lies are revealed, hearts are broken, and the damaging truth about the Wellwoods slowly emerges. But their personal struggles, their hidden desires, will soon be eclipsed by far greater forces, as the tides turn across Europe and a golden era comes to an end. Taking us from the cliff-lined shores of England to Paris, Munich, and the trenches of the Somme, The Children’s Book is a deeply affecting story of a singular family, played out against the great, rippling tides of the day. It is a masterly literary achievement by one of our most essential writers.

Suffering from a severe case of writer's block, mystery novelist Laura Callaghan agrees to look after her sister's secluded beach house in Nova Scotia. There her only neighbors are long-time friend and artist, Ben Forrestal, and handsome Michael Sinclair who rents the small lighthouse...  more

Suffering from a severe case of writer's block, mystery novelist Laura Callaghan agrees to look after her sister's secluded beach house in Nova Scotia. There her only neighbors are long-time friend and artist, Ben Forrestal, and handsome Michael Sinclair who rents the small lighthouse nearby. Ben's studio is on the second floor of the large colonial inn he used to own, and Laura finds out through his old photographs and a diary that the inn was built in the 1790s by a sea captain whose descendants were both fishermen and smugglers. This inspires Laura to start working on a new novel, but when she realizes that Michael has a friend whose death was related to a current smuggling operation, she finds herself dangerously involved in more ways than one ...

New mother Lady Georgiana "Georgie" Rannoch finds herself trying to separate fact from fiction when a murder occurs while a film is being made on the grounds of her estate in a new Royal Spyness Mystery from beloved bestselling author Rhys Bowen. It's late 1936, and King Edward...  more

New mother Lady Georgiana "Georgie" Rannoch finds herself trying to separate fact from fiction when a murder occurs while a film is being made on the grounds of her estate in a new Royal Spyness Mystery from beloved bestselling author Rhys Bowen. It's late 1936, and King Edward is in turmoil, having fallen in love with the scandalously divorced and even more scandalously American Wallis Simpson. He wants to marry her but knows that doing so will jeopardize his crown. Edward confides in his dear friend Darcy, Georgie's husband, and the couple agrees to hide Wallis in their home while Edward figures out what to do. But unbeknownst to Georgie and Darcy, Sir Hubert, the owner of the estate, has given permission to a film crew member to shoot a motion picture of Henry the Eighth and Anne Boleyn on the grounds. Trying to keep Mrs. Simpson hidden while raising a newborn baby seems like it couldn't be any more stressful for the Rannochs until one of the stars of the film is found murdered on set. Georgie must solve the murder for king and country before scandal threatens to envelop them all.

The epic story of the rise and fall of the empire of cotton, its centrality in the world economy, and its making and remaking of global capitalism. � Sven Beckert's rich, fascinating book tells the story of how, in a remarkably brief period, European entrepreneurs and powerful statesmen recast...  more

The epic story of the rise and fall of the empire of cotton, its centrality in the world economy, and its making and remaking of global capitalism. � Sven Beckert's rich, fascinating book tells the story of how, in a remarkably brief period, European entrepreneurs and powerful statesmen recast the world's most significant manufacturing industry, combining imperial expansion and slave labor with new machines and wage workers to change the world. Here is the story of how, beginning well before the advent of machine production in the 1780s, these men captured ancient trades and skills in Asia, combined them with the expropriation of lands in the Americas and the enslavement of African workers to crucially recast the disparate realms of cotton that had existed for millennia. We see how industrial capitalism then reshaped these worlds of cotton into an empire, and how this empire transformed the world. The empire of cotton was, from the beginning, a fulcrum of constant global struggle between slaves and planters, merchants and statesmen, farmers and merchants, workers and factory owners. In this as in so many other ways, Beckert makes clear how these forces ushered in the world of modern capitalism, including the vast wealth and disturbing inequalities that are with us today. The result is a book as unsettling as it is enlightening: a book that brilliantly weaves together the story of cotton with how the present global world came to exist.

NINETEEN CWA DAGGER AWARD-WINNING SHORT STORIES FROM THE BEST OF THE BEST IN CRIME FICTION   The first retrospective of the CWA’s Dagger Award winners, brings together some of the greatest names in crime fiction to deliver a cutthroat collection of serial killers, grizzled...  more

NINETEEN CWA DAGGER AWARD-WINNING SHORT STORIES FROM THE BEST OF THE BEST IN CRIME FICTION   The first retrospective of the CWA’s Dagger Award winners, brings together some of the greatest names in crime fiction to deliver a cutthroat collection of serial killers, grizzled detectives, drug dealers and master forgers.   Observe as a Senior Curator at the Tate Gallery constructs the perfect crime in Ian Rankin’s “Herbert in Motion”. Watch an unlikely romance sour into a deadly obsession in Stella Duffy’s “Martha Grace”. Face parents who discover their child has committed the unthinkable in Denise Mina’s “Nemo Me Impune Lacessit”. And in Jeffery Deaver’s “The Weekender” an intense hostage situation hits its peak in the most unlikely conclusion.   Keep your secrets close, and your daggers drawn.   Featuring: Peter O' Donnell (writing as Madeleine Brent), Julian Rathbone, Larry Beinhart, Ian Rankin, Jerry Sykes, Stella Duffy, Jeffery Deaver, Peter Lovesey, Cath Staincliffe, Margaret Murphy, John Harvey, Richard Lange, L. C. Tyler, Denise Mina, Danutah Reah and Lauren Henderson. Introduction / Maxim Jakubowski -- Swiftwing 98 / Peter O'Donnell (writing as Madeleine Brent) -- Some sunny day / Julian Rathbone -- Funny story / Larry Beinhart -- Herbert in motion / Ian Rankin -- Roots / Jerry Sykes -- Martha Grace / Stella Duffy -- The weekender / Jeffery Deaver -- Needle match / Peter Lovesey -- The bookbinder's apprentice / Martin Edwards -- Homework / Phil Lovesey -- Laptop / Cath Staincliffe -- The message / Margaret Murphy -- Fedora / John Harvey -- Apocrypha / Richard Lange -- On the anatomization of an unknown man / Frans Mier -- The trials of Margaret / L.C. Tyler -- Nemo me impune lacessit / Denise Mina -- The dummies' guide to serial killing / Danuta Reah -- #Me Too / Laura Henderson

Welcome to Dawson, Ahriman & Dawson!* The team of commercial sorcerers at Dawson, Ahriman & Dawson can help with any metaphysical engineering project, large or small. (Though by definition, they all tend to be pretty large.) They can also create massive great puddles of chaos that...  more

Welcome to Dawson, Ahriman & Dawson!* The team of commercial sorcerers at Dawson, Ahriman & Dawson can help with any metaphysical engineering project, large or small. (Though by definition, they all tend to be pretty large.) They can also create massive great puddles of chaos that might one day swallow up the entire universe. Take, for example, the decision to recruit a certain bearded fellow whose previous work experience mainly involves reindeer and jingle bells. It might have seemed like a good idea at the time, but is he really the best person to save the world from Tiamat the Destroyer? *By reading beyond this point you agree to comply with certain terms and conditions that are mostly reasonable but confidential. Dawson, Ahriman & Dawson management reserves the right to terminate any employees or clients, human or otherwise.

From the winner of the Catherine Cookson Fiction Prize, this mesmerizing, suspenseful, and richly atmospheric tale of time travel draws us into the heart of a heroine we won't soon forget...The first time Julia Beckett saw Greywethers she was only five, but she knew at once that it was her...  more

From the winner of the Catherine Cookson Fiction Prize, this mesmerizing, suspenseful, and richly atmospheric tale of time travel draws us into the heart of a heroine we won't soon forget...The first time Julia Beckett saw Greywethers she was only five, but she knew at once that it was her house. Now, twenty-five years later, by some strange chance, she has just become the new owner of the sixteenth-century Wilshire farmhouse. But Julia soon begins to suspect that more than coincidence has brought her there. As if Greywethers were a porthal between worlds, she finds herself abruptly transported back in time. Stepping into seventeenth-century England, Julia becomes Mariana, a beautiful young woman struggling against danger and treachery, and battling a forbidden love for Richard de Mornay, handsome forebear of the present squire of Crofton Hall. Each time Julia travels back, she becomes more enthralled with the past, falling ever deeper in love with Richard...until one day she realizes Mariana's life threatens to eclipse her own--and that she must find a way to lay the past to rest, or risk losing a chance for love in her own time.

A fascinating, revelatory portrait of the Metropolitan Museum of Art and its treasures by a former New Yorker staffer who spent a decade as a museum guard. Millions of people climb the grand marble staircase to visit the Metropolitan Museum of Art every year. But only a select few...  more

A fascinating, revelatory portrait of the Metropolitan Museum of Art and its treasures by a former New Yorker staffer who spent a decade as a museum guard. Millions of people climb the grand marble staircase to visit the Metropolitan Museum of Art every year. But only a select few have unrestricted access to every nook and cranny. They’re the guards who roam unobtrusively in dark blue suits, keeping a watchful eye on the two million square foot treasure house. Caught up in his glamorous fledgling career at The New Yorker, Patrick Bringley never thought he’d be one of them. Then his older brother was diagnosed with fatal cancer and he found himself needing to escape the mundane clamor of daily life. So he quit The New Yorker and sought solace in the most beautiful place he knew. To his surprise and the reader’s delight, this temporary refuge becomes Bringley’s home away from home for a decade. We follow him as he guards delicate treasures from Egypt to Rome, strolls the labyrinths beneath the galleries, wears out nine pairs of company shoes, and marvels at the beautiful works in his care. Bringley enters the museum as a ghost, silent and almost invisible, but soon finds his voice and his tribe: the artworks and their creators and the lively subculture of museum guards—a gorgeous mosaic of artists, musicians, blue-collar stalwarts, immigrants, cutups, and dreamers. As his bonds with his colleagues and the art grow, he comes to understand how fortunate he is to be walled off in this little world, and how much it resembles the best aspects of the larger world to which he gradually, gratefully returns.

It’s Mallory Atkinson’s first Christmas in Scotland. Victorian Scotland, that is. Also, as the twenty-first-century detective learns, Christmas really isn’t a thing in Victorian Scotland. It’s all about Hogmanay. But her boss, Dr. Duncan Gray, treats her to an early gift...  more

It’s Mallory Atkinson’s first Christmas in Scotland. Victorian Scotland, that is. Also, as the twenty-first-century detective learns, Christmas really isn’t a thing in Victorian Scotland. It’s all about Hogmanay. But her boss, Dr. Duncan Gray, treats her to an early gift of tickets to the event of the season: a Charles Dickens reading. There, they bump into Lady Inglis -- the lovely widow who has sent Gray sexy letters trying to entice him back to her bed. Lady Inglis introduces Mallory to Dickens -- the meeting of a lifetime -- but in return she wants their help. She’s being blackmailed. Someone stole letters she wrote to another lover and is threatening to publish them. Mallory isn’t sure what to make of Lady Inglis, but no woman deserves that, so she insists on taking the case with or without Gray’s help. Growing tension between them soon tells Mallory that Gray is hiding a secret of his own. She has until Hogmanay to uncover the blackmailer…and, hopefully, to put things right with Gray so they can enjoy the holiday together.

After Wisconsin graduate student Mildred Fish marries brilliant German economist Arvid Harnack, she accompanies him to his German homeland, where a promising future awaits. In the thriving intellectual culture of 1930s Berlin, the newlyweds create a rich new life filled with love, friendships,...  more

After Wisconsin graduate student Mildred Fish marries brilliant German economist Arvid Harnack, she accompanies him to his German homeland, where a promising future awaits. In the thriving intellectual culture of 1930s Berlin, the newlyweds create a rich new life filled with love, friendships, and rewarding work -- but the rise of a malevolent new political faction inexorably changes their fate. As Adolf Hitler and his Nazi Party wield violence and lies to seize power, Mildred, Arvid, and their friends resolve to resist. Mildred gathers intelligence for her American contacts, including Martha Dodd, the vivacious and very modern daughter of the US ambassador. Her German friends, aspiring author Greta Kuckoff and literature student Sara Weitz, risk their lives to collect information from journalists, military officers, and officials within the highest levels of the Nazi regime. For years, Mildred’s network stealthily fights to bring down the Third Reich from within. But when Nazi radio operatives detect an errant Russian signal, the Harnack resistance cell is exposed, with fatal consequences. Inspired by actual events, Resistance Women is an enthralling, unforgettable story of ordinary people determined to resist the rise of evil, sacrificing their own lives and liberty to fight injustice and defend the oppressed.

From the dawn of time, we have existed alongside creatures of the night - vampires, werewolves, mages, and wraiths. Though shrouded from mortal society by an age-old Masquerade, their struggles and actions have changed the face of humanity. Join us as we explore the darkest boundaries of the...  more

From the dawn of time, we have existed alongside creatures of the night - vampires, werewolves, mages, and wraiths. Though shrouded from mortal society by an age-old Masquerade, their struggles and actions have changed the face of humanity. Join us as we explore the darkest boundaries of the imagination. In this historical journey, you'll experience the crucifixion of Christ, the fall of the Roman Empire, and the terrors of the Spanish Inquisition You'll meet Joan  of Arc, Aleister Crowley, and Adolf Hitler - and witness their manipulation of supernatural entities. Discover the unspeakable truths behind everything from the assassination of Abraham Lincoln to the destruction of the Berlin Wall. This new collection, set in White Wolf's World of Darkness, contains original fiction by best-selling authors Poppy Z. Brite, Nany A. Collins, Basil Copper, Charles L. Grant, Rex Miller, and others. Contents: The sign of the asp by Nancy A. Collins; Beloved disciple by S.P. Somtow; The westfarer by James S. Dorr; The comedy of St. Jehanne d'Arc by Caitlin R. Kiernan; At the edge of the world by Lisa Lepovetsky; Blood month by Brian Herbert and Marie Landis; Sir William, he lay snug by Roland J. Green and Frieda A. Murray; The great man by Doug Murray; Death of a demi-god by Basil Copper; The hunters by Alexander Elizabeth Honigsberg; Gray by Charles L. Grant; Mussolini and the axeman's jazz by Poppy Z. Brite; The Ouanga by Fred Olen Ray; The light that blinds by Brad Linaweaver and Victor Koman; The skeptic by Robert Weinberg; Black Casper by Rex Miller; Getting the fear by Philip Nutman; The wall of the world by Wendy Webb; Okay city one thousand times by Stewart von Allmen; The punchline by Marc Levinthal and John Mason Skipp Introduction by Edward E. Kramer. Illustrations by Mike Mignola

'Best Eaten Cold' and Other Stories showcases a group of highly regarded, award-winning crime writers who all share a special passion for crime, which is reflected in this superb new volume. Funny and sad, atmospheric and dark, ingenious and frightening, each of the thirteen stories in this...  more

'Best Eaten Cold' and Other Stories showcases a group of highly regarded, award-winning crime writers who all share a special passion for crime, which is reflected in this superb new volume. Funny and sad, atmospheric and dark, ingenious and frightening, each of the thirteen stories in this collection will thrill all lovers of crime fiction.

When Caroline Bohentin, Joe McLaren, and Robbie Brekke undergo Previous Life Access Surgery, the journeys into their separate pasts turn out to have an interwoven, horrifying relevance to the future of humankind.

The New York Times bestselling author of Mrs. Lincoln's Dressmaker and Mrs. Lincoln's Rival imagines the inner life of Julia Grant, beloved as a Civil War general's wife and the First Lady, yet who grappled with a profound and complex relationship with the slave who was her...  more

The New York Times bestselling author of Mrs. Lincoln's Dressmaker and Mrs. Lincoln's Rival imagines the inner life of Julia Grant, beloved as a Civil War general's wife and the First Lady, yet who grappled with a profound and complex relationship with the slave who was her namesake -- until she forged a proud identity of her own. In 1844, Missouri belle Julia Dent met dazzling horseman Lieutenant Ulysses S Grant. Four years passed before their parents permitted them to wed, and the groom's abolitionist family refused to attend the ceremony. Since childhood, Julia owned as a slave another Julia, known as Jule. Jule guarded her mistress's closely held twin secrets: She had perilously poor vision but was gifted with prophetic sight. So it was that Jule became Julia's eyes to the world. And what a world it was, marked by gathering clouds of war. The Grants vowed never to be separated, but as Ulysses rose through the ranks -- becoming general in chief of the Union Army -- so did the stakes of their pact. During the war, Julia would travel, often in the company of Jule and the four Grant children, facing unreliable transportation and certain danger to be at her husband's side. Yet Julia and Jule saw two different wars. While Julia spoke out for women -- Union and Confederate -- she continued to hold Jule as a slave behind Union lines. Upon the signing of the Emancipation Proclamation, Jule claimed her freedom and rose to prominence as a businesswoman in her own right, taking the honorary title Madame. The two women's paths continued to cross throughout the Grants' White House years in Washington, DC, and later in New York City, the site of Grant's Tomb. Mrs. Grant and Madame Jule is the first novel to chronicle this singular relationship, bound by sight and shadow.

Eight ordinary people. One extraordinary choice. It seems like any other day. You wake up, pour a cup of coffee, and head out. But today, when you open your front door, waiting for you is a small wooden box. This box holds your fate inside: the answer to the exact number of years you will...  more

Eight ordinary people. One extraordinary choice. It seems like any other day. You wake up, pour a cup of coffee, and head out. But today, when you open your front door, waiting for you is a small wooden box. This box holds your fate inside: the answer to the exact number of years you will live. From suburban doorsteps to desert tents, every person on every continent receives the same box. In an instant, the world is thrust into a collective frenzy. Where did these boxes come from? What do they mean? Is there truth to what they promise? As society comes together and pulls apart, everyone faces the same shocking choice: Do they wish to know how long they’ll live? And, if so, what will they do with that knowledge? The Measure charts the dawn of this new world through an unforgettable cast of characters whose decisions and fates interweave with one another: best friends whose dreams are forever entwined, pen pals finding refuge in the unknown, a couple who thought they didn’t have to rush, a doctor who cannot save himself, and a politician whose box becomes the powder keg that ultimately changes everything. Enchanting and deeply uplifting, The Measure is a sweeping, ambitious, and invigorating story about family, friendship, hope, and destiny that encourages us to live life to the fullest.

When Ruva, a young giraffe, is captured and sent to a zoo in San Francisco, she calls upon two rats, a street-smart chameleon, a runaway boy, and all the magical powers of the animal world to return to "the warm place" that is home.

19 stories that range from fantasy to futuristic to historical to genre defying. First Firebirds. Then Firebirds Rising. Now there is Firebirds Soaring, the third anthology of original stories by some of today’s finest writers of fantasy and science fiction. These authors, including...  more

19 stories that range from fantasy to futuristic to historical to genre defying. First Firebirds. Then Firebirds Rising. Now there is Firebirds Soaring, the third anthology of original stories by some of today’s finest writers of fantasy and science fiction. These authors, including Nancy Farmer (The Sea of Trolls), Ellen Klages (The Green Glass Sea), Margo Lanagan (Black Juice), and Jane Yolen (The Devil’s Arithmetic), have brought new worlds and Old Magic to life in nineteen remarkable pieces of short fiction. Mike Dringenberg, co-creator of Sandman with Neil Gaiman, contributes decorative vignettes. Firebirds Soaring -- like Firebirds and Firebirds Rising -- sets the standard for short fiction for teenagers and adult fans of the genre. Illustrations, decorations by Mike Dringenberg. Contents, 19 stories: Kingmaker / by Nancy Springer A ticket to ride / by Nancy Farmer A thousand tails / by Christopher Barzak All under heaven / by Chris Roberson Singing on a star / by Ellen Klages Egg magic / by Louise Marley Flatland / by Kara Dalkey Dolly the dog-soldier / by Candas Jane Dorsey Ferryman / by Margo Lanagan The ghosts of strangers / by Nina Kiriki Hoffman Three twilight tales / by Jo Walton The dignity he's due / by Carol Emshwiller Power and magic / by Marly Youmans Court ship / by Sherwood Smith Little Red / by Jane Yolen and Adam Stemple The myth of Fenix / by Laurel Winter Fear and loathing in Lalanna / by Nick O'Donohoe Bonechewer's legacy / by Clare Bell Something worth doing / by Elizabeth E. Wein