Now executive producer of Special Reports, Robin Hudson is feeling (relatively) settled. Okay, she's bored. In an effort to feel useful, she has taken under her wing a new intern, wide-eyed small-town girl Kathy Loblaws, and invited her along on a Girls' Night Out.  It's...  more

Now executive producer of Special Reports, Robin Hudson is feeling (relatively) settled. Okay, she's bored. In an effort to feel useful, she has taken under her wing a new intern, wide-eyed small-town girl Kathy Loblaws, and invited her along on a Girls' Night Out.  It's Halloween, and Kathy doesn't show -- but telephones from a strange man's closet.  Aided by her pals, Robin must track down her errant charge through one long night of murder and mayhem, costumes and concealed weapons, men who are not what they seem (are they ever?), and unsettling deja vu.  For Robin slowly comes to realize that the search for her missing intern is really a deadly trip into the past, fueled by an old curse.

On an island off the coast of Ireland, guests gather to celebrate two people joining their lives together as one. The groom: handsome and charming, a rising television star. The bride: smart and ambitious, a magazine publisher. It’s a wedding for a magazine, or for a celebrity: the...  more

On an island off the coast of Ireland, guests gather to celebrate two people joining their lives together as one. The groom: handsome and charming, a rising television star. The bride: smart and ambitious, a magazine publisher. It’s a wedding for a magazine, or for a celebrity: the designer dress, the remote location, the luxe party favors, the boutique whiskey. The cell phone service may be spotty and the waves may be rough, but every detail has been expertly planned and will be expertly executed. But perfection is for plans, and people are all too human. As the champagne is popped and the festivities begin, resentments and petty jealousies begin to mingle with the reminiscences and well wishes. The groomsmen begin the drinking game from their school days. The bridesmaid not-so-accidentally ruins her dress. The bride’s oldest (male) friend gives an uncomfortably caring toast. And then someone turns up dead. Who didn’t wish the happy couple well? And perhaps more important, why?

This is the first of the lengthy Miss Silver series that is an actual noir novel. In it we have a femme fatale, a dodgy Scotsman, and a very old manor house that has a terrible curse. There is darkness and danger here, and the heroine is very appealing.

The police urgently need Harry Hole... A killer is stalking Oslo's streets. Police officers are being slain at the scenes of crimes they once investigated but failed to solve. The murders are brutal, the media reaction hysterical.   But this time, Harry can't help... For years,...  more

The police urgently need Harry Hole... A killer is stalking Oslo's streets. Police officers are being slain at the scenes of crimes they once investigated but failed to solve. The murders are brutal, the media reaction hysterical.   But this time, Harry can't help... For years, detective Harry Hole has been at the center of every major criminal investigation in Oslo. His dedication to his job and his brilliant insights have saved the lives of countless people. But now, with those he loves most facing terrible danger, Harry is not in a position to protect anyone.  Least of all himself...

The thirty-ninth of her father’s forty-two children, Ruth Wariner grew up in polygamist family on a farm in rural Mexico. In The Sound of Gravel, she offers an unforgettable portrait of the violence that threatened her community, her family’s fierce sense of loyalty, and her own...  more

The thirty-ninth of her father’s forty-two children, Ruth Wariner grew up in polygamist family on a farm in rural Mexico. In The Sound of Gravel, she offers an unforgettable portrait of the violence that threatened her community, her family’s fierce sense of loyalty, and her own unshakeable belief in the possibility of a better life. An intimate, gripping tale of triumph and courage, The Sound of Gravel is a heart-stopping true story.

Scotland, 1830. Following the death of her husband, Lady Darby has taken refuge at her sister's estate, finding solace in her passion for painting. But when her hosts throw a house party for the cream of London society, Kiera is unable to hide from the ire of those who believe her to be as...  more

Scotland, 1830. Following the death of her husband, Lady Darby has taken refuge at her sister's estate, finding solace in her passion for painting. But when her hosts throw a house party for the cream of London society, Kiera is unable to hide from the ire of those who believe her to be as unnatural as her husband, an anatomist who used her artistic talents to suit his own macabre purposes. Kiera wants to put her past aside, but when one of the house guests is murdered, her brother-in-law asks her to utilize her knowledge of human anatomy to aid the insufferable Sebastian Gage -- a fellow guest with some experience as an inquiry agent. While Gage is clearly more competent than she first assumed, Kiera isn't about to let her guard down as accusations and rumors swirl. When Kiera and Gage's search leads them to even more gruesome discoveries, a series of disturbing notes urges Lady Darby to give up the inquiry. But Kiera is determined to both protect her family and prove her innocence, even as she risks becoming the next victim...

Amsterdam 1654: against the backdrop of Holland's Golden Age, a dangerous secret threatens to destroy a young widow's new life. Following the sudden death of her husband, twenty-five-year-old Catrin leaves her small village and takes a job as a housekeeper to the successful Van...  more

Amsterdam 1654: against the backdrop of Holland's Golden Age, a dangerous secret threatens to destroy a young widow's new life. Following the sudden death of her husband, twenty-five-year-old Catrin leaves her small village and takes a job as a housekeeper to the successful Van Nulandt merchant family. Amsterdam is a city at the peak of its powers: science and art are flourishing in the Golden Age and Dutch ships bring back exotic riches from the Far East.  Madam Van Nulandt passes her time taking expensive painting lessons from a local master, Rembrandt van Rigin, and when Catrin takes up a brush to finish some of her mistress's work, Rembrandt realizes the maid has genuine talent and encourages her to continue. When a figure from her past threatens her new life, Catrin flees to the smaller city of Delft. There, her gift as a painter earns her a chance to earn a living painting pottery at a local workshop. Slowly, the workshop begins to develop a new type of pottery to rival fancy blue-on-white imported Chinese porcelain --  and the graceful and coveted Delft Blue designs she creates help revolutionize the industry. But when tragedy strikes, Catrin must decide whether to defend her newfound independence or return to the village that she'd fled. 

MURDER IS A FAMILY AFFAIR Reality was a far cry from the post-honeymoon bliss Nicky Titus had envisioned. First came the frantic call, then the flight from Frankfurt and finally the arrival of Sam and Nicky down home in Holton, Oklahoma, where Sam's father, Big Sam, lay in a coma after an...  more

MURDER IS A FAMILY AFFAIR Reality was a far cry from the post-honeymoon bliss Nicky Titus had envisioned. First came the frantic call, then the flight from Frankfurt and finally the arrival of Sam and Nicky down home in Holton, Oklahoma, where Sam's father, Big Sam, lay in a coma after an "accident" on the ranch. Young Sam Titus, a rising star in the army's Criminal Investigation Division, knew funny business -- and it was clear somebody had tried to kill his father. Despite the feuding that had driven him away years ago, Sam now plunged into his own investigation, becoming a veritable stranger to his new wife. Nicky was left to the beauty and forbidding loneliness of the Great Plains where everybody talked strangely and acted even stranger. And when Sam's brother Bill disappeared, it was clear that no one in the Titus family was safe -- not even its newest member.

The "Down Home" books feature photographer Nicky Titus, who as the daughter of a U.S. Army general has lived all over the world. She marries a career Army CID officer, Sam Titus, thinking her life will continue that pattern. Instead, a family crisis forces Sam to return to his...  more

The "Down Home" books feature photographer Nicky Titus, who as the daughter of a U.S. Army general has lived all over the world. She marries a career Army CID officer, Sam Titus, thinking her life will continue that pattern. Instead, a family crisis forces Sam to return to his family's ranch in Southwest Oklahoma. Nicky has to adjust to life in a small - very small - town, and Sam has to split his career between ranching and law enforcement.

When Geraldine ?Gerry? Largay (AT trail name, Inchworm) first went missing on the Appalachian Trail in remote western Maine in 2013, the people of Maine were wrought with concern. When she was not found, the family, the wardens, and the Navy personnel who searched for her were devastated. The...  more

When Geraldine ?Gerry? Largay (AT trail name, Inchworm) first went missing on the Appalachian Trail in remote western Maine in 2013, the people of Maine were wrought with concern. When she was not found, the family, the wardens, and the Navy personnel who searched for her were devastated. The Maine Warden Service continued to follow leads for more than a year. They never completely gave up the search. Two years after her disappearance, her bones and scattered possessions were found by chance by two surveyors. She was on the U.S. Navy?s SERE (Survival, Evasion, Resistance, and Escape) School land, about 2,100 feet from the Appalachian Trail.This book tells the story of events preceding Geraldine Largay?s vanishing in July 2013, while hiking the Appalachian Trail in Maine, what caused her to go astray, and the massive search and rescue operation that followed. Her disappearance sparked the largest lost-person search in Maine history, which culminated in her being presumed dead. She was never again seen alive. The author was one of the hundreds of volunteers who searched for her. Gerry?s story is one of heartbreak, most assuredly, but is also one of perseverance, determination, and faith. For her family and the searchers, especially the Maine Warden Service, it is also a story of grave sorrow.Marrying the joys and hardship of life in the outdoors, as well as exploring the search & rescue community, When You Find My Body examines dying with grace and dignity. There are lessons in the story, both large and small. Lessons that may well save lives in the future.

What it means to be changed by the grace of animals, the kindness of strangers, the passing of time, and a story told before it’s too late... “Few true friends have I known and two were giraffes.” Woodrow Wilson Nickel, age 105, feels his life ebbing away. But when he learns...  more

What it means to be changed by the grace of animals, the kindness of strangers, the passing of time, and a story told before it’s too late... “Few true friends have I known and two were giraffes.” Woodrow Wilson Nickel, age 105, feels his life ebbing away. But when he learns giraffes are going extinct, he finds himself recalling the unforgettable experience he cannot take to his grave. It’s 1938. The Great Depression lingers. Hitler is threatening Europe, and world-weary Americans long for wonder. They find it in two giraffes who miraculously survive a hurricane while crossing the Atlantic. What follows is a twelve-day road trip in a custom truck to deliver Southern California’s first giraffes to the San Diego Zoo. And behind the wheel is a young Dust Bowl rowdy named Woodrow Wilson Nickel...

1361: Orphaned by the Black Death, all young John has left are the tools his father, a carpenter, leaves behind. Before long, however, John realises that he too has a way with wood; it speaks to him and he can make it do what he wants. Leaving the poverty and plague in Leeds behind, John travels...  more

1361: Orphaned by the Black Death, all young John has left are the tools his father, a carpenter, leaves behind. Before long, however, John realises that he too has a way with wood; it speaks to him and he can make it do what he wants. Leaving the poverty and plague in Leeds behind, John travels to Chesterfield, where he finds work erecting the spire of the new church. But no sooner does he begin than the master carpenter is murdered and John himself becomes a suspect. To prove his innocence John must help the coroner in his search for the killer, a quest that brings him up against some powerful enemies in a town where he is still a stranger and friends are few. Chris Nickson brilliantly evokes the feeling of time and place in this story of corruption and murder.

At the end of the Second World War, Cyril Conroy combines luck and a single canny investment to begin an enormous real estate empire, propelling his family from poverty to enormous wealth. His first order of business is to buy the Dutch House, a lavish estate in the suburbs outside of...  more

At the end of the Second World War, Cyril Conroy combines luck and a single canny investment to begin an enormous real estate empire, propelling his family from poverty to enormous wealth. His first order of business is to buy the Dutch House, a lavish estate in the suburbs outside of Philadelphia. Meant as a surprise for his wife, the house sets in motion the undoing of everyone he loves. The story is told by Cyril’s son Danny, as he and his older sister, the brilliantly acerbic and self-assured Maeve, are exiled from the house where they grew up by their stepmother. The two wealthy siblings are thrown back into the poverty their parents had escaped from and find that all they have to count on is one another. It is this unshakeable bond between them that both saves their lives and thwarts their futures. Set over the course of five decades, The Dutch House is a dark fairy tale about two smart people who cannot overcome their past. Despite every outward sign of success, Danny and Maeve are only truly comfortable when they’re together. Throughout their lives they return to the well-worn story of what they’ve lost with humor and rage. But when at last they’re forced to confront the people who left them behind, the relationship between an indulged brother and his ever-protective sister is finally tested.

DIY C.S.I: A fascinating look at the world of armchair detectives?or ?web sleuths??compelled by their personal obsessions and aided by Internet technology to solve cold cases like never before. The Skeleton Crew explores an Internet subculture where amateur sleuths work to match missing persons...  more

DIY C.S.I: A fascinating look at the world of armchair detectives?or ?web sleuths??compelled by their personal obsessions and aided by Internet technology to solve cold cases like never before. The Skeleton Crew explores an Internet subculture where amateur sleuths work to match missing persons with unidentified remains, solving previously categorized ?cold cases? along the way. Such cases might languish within local police departments for decades, but now a growing cadre of web sleuths?scattered all over the globe and armed with little more than laptops?is changing the rules of the game. The web sleuths are ordinary people with day jobs who spend their evenings combing through evidence, poring over facial reconstructions (a sort of Facebook for the dead), newspaper archives, missing person listings, and other databases, trying to match the unidentified with photos and other details of the missing. Many are the sort who excel at crossword and logic puzzles, for whom solving cases becomes a competitive sport, complete with jealousy and sore losers?and in this case, a scorecard of dead bodies. Against all odds, the web sleuths are succeeding in providing tips crucial to solving cases, some decades old, and demonstrating that the persistence and power of crowdsourcing can alter the way law enforcement has traditionally interacted with the public. The Skeleton Crew is an engrossing foray into a most curious treasure hunt.

The United States, the richest country on earth, has more poverty than any other advanced democracy. Why? Why does this land of plenty allow one in every eight of its children to go without basic necessities, permit scores of its citizens to live and die on the streets, and authorize its...  more

The United States, the richest country on earth, has more poverty than any other advanced democracy. Why? Why does this land of plenty allow one in every eight of its children to go without basic necessities, permit scores of its citizens to live and die on the streets, and authorize its corporations to pay poverty wages?    In this landmark book, acclaimed sociologist Matthew Desmond draws on history, research, and original reporting to show how affluent Americans knowingly and unknowingly keep poor people poor. Those of us who are financially secure exploit the poor, driving down their wages while forcing them to overpay for housing and access to cash and credit. We prioritize the subsidization of our wealth over the alleviation of poverty, designing a welfare state that gives the most to those who need the least. And we stockpile opportunity in exclusive communities, creating zones of concentrated riches alongside those of concentrated despair. Some lives are made small so that others may grow.   Elegantly written and fiercely argued, this compassionate book gives us new ways of thinking about a morally urgent problem. It also helps us imagine solutions. Desmond builds a startlingly original and ambitious case for ending poverty. He calls on us all to become poverty abolitionists, engaged in a politics of collective belonging to usher in a new age of shared prosperity and, at last, true freedom.

Our hero is Jack McEvoy, a Rocky Mountain News crime-beat reporter. As The Poet opens, Jack's twin brother, a Denver homicide detective, has just killed himself. Or so it seems. But when Jack begins to investigate the phenomenon of police suicides, a disturbing pattern emerges, and soon...  more

Our hero is Jack McEvoy, a Rocky Mountain News crime-beat reporter. As The Poet opens, Jack's twin brother, a Denver homicide detective, has just killed himself. Or so it seems. But when Jack begins to investigate the phenomenon of police suicides, a disturbing pattern emerges, and soon suspects that a serial murderer is at work -- a devious cop killer who's left a coast-to-coast trail of "suicide notes" drawn from the poems of Edgar Allan Poe. It's the story of a lifetime -- except that "the Poet" already seems to know that Jack is trailing him ... Abridged: 3 Compact Discs, Running Time: 3 hours, Narrator: Buck Schirner.

The gift of heaven on earth. It will become the biggest story in the world. When the residents of a small town on lake michigan start receiving phone calls from the afterlife, they all become the subject of widespread attention. Is it the greatest miracle ever or a massive hoax? sully harding, a...  more

The gift of heaven on earth. It will become the biggest story in the world. When the residents of a small town on lake michigan start receiving phone calls from the afterlife, they all become the subject of widespread attention. Is it the greatest miracle ever or a massive hoax? sully harding, a grief-stricken single father, is determined to find out. This is a story about the power of belief and a page-turner that will touch your soul. The internationally bestselling and inspirational author of tuesdays with morrie and the five people you meet in heaven, returns with his most moving, surprising and compelling novel yet. The perfect introduction or re-introduction, to the masterful storytelling of one of the bestloved writers of our time.

Critical acclaim for William B. Breuer "A first-class historian." –The Wall Street Journal Top Secret Tales of World War II "A book for rainy days and long solitary nights by the fire. If there were a genre for cozy nonfiction, this would be the template." –Publishers...  more

Critical acclaim for William B. Breuer "A first-class historian." –The Wall Street Journal Top Secret Tales of World War II "A book for rainy days and long solitary nights by the fire. If there were a genre for cozy nonfiction, this would be the template." –Publishers Weekly "Perfect for the curious and adventure readers and those who love exotic tales and especially history buffs who will be surprised at what they didn’t know. Recommended for nearly everyone." –Kirkus Reviews Daring Missions of World War II " The author brings to light many previously unknown stories of behind-the-scenes bravery and covert activities that helped the Allies win critical victories." –Albuquerque Journal Secret Weapons of World War II "Rip-roaring tales . . . a delightful addition to the niche that Breuer has so successfully carved out." –Publishers Weekly

A powerful story based on true events surrounding Donaldina Cameron and other brave women who fought to help Chinese-American women escape discrimination and slavery in the late 19th century in California. When Donaldina Cameron arrives at the Occidental Mission Home for Girls in 1895, she...  more

A powerful story based on true events surrounding Donaldina Cameron and other brave women who fought to help Chinese-American women escape discrimination and slavery in the late 19th century in California. When Donaldina Cameron arrives at the Occidental Mission Home for Girls in 1895, she intends to teach sewing skills to young Chinese women immigrants, but, within days, she discovers that the job is much more complicated than perfect stitches and even hems. San Francisco has a dark side, one where a powerful underground organization -- the criminal tong -- brings Chinese young women to America to sell them as slaves. With the help of Chinese interpreters and the Chinatown police squad, Donaldina becomes a tireless social reformer to stop the abominable slave and prostitution trade. Mei Lien believes she is sailing to the "Gold Mountain" in America to become the wife of a rich Chinese man.Instead she finds herself sold into prostitution -- beaten, starved, and forced into an opium addiction. It is only after a narrow escape that she hears of the mission home and dares to think there might be hope for a new life. The Paper Daughters of Chinatown throws new light on the age-old scourge of human trafficking. The heroes who fought this evil and the victims who triumphed over it more than a hundred years ago offer a bright example of courage and determination for anyone wishing for a better world.

Trying to determine why his last two clients were ruthlessly murdered, Nero Wolfe wonders if the answer is linked to a young boy who turns up at his brownstone apartment and finds clues in a gray Cadillac, a mysterious woman, and spider-shaped earrings.