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The best-ever selling novel from the former Yugoslavia, this is a hilarious, anarchic, irreverent black comedy about national aspirations and wanting things you can't have, re-published in the year that Scotland votes on independence. Egon is

It started with a letter... Carol is married to a man she doesn't love and mother to a daughter she doesn't understand. Crippled with guilt, she can't shake the feeling that she has wasted her life. So she puts pen to paper and writes a Letter to the Universe. Albert is a widowed postman, approaching retirement age, and living with his cat, Gloria, for company. Slowly being pushed out at his place of work, he is forced down to the section of the post office where they sort undeliverable mail. When a series of letters turns up with a smiley face drawn in place of an address, he cannot help.

Starter If twenty-six-year-old Hannah Sugarman had her way, she'd be whipping up carrot cakes and running her culinary empire. Instead, she spends her hours cooking up papers on the financial crisis. It doesn't help that no one in her life ta

While Watson has been busy ministering the sick during the war, Holmes has been immersed in a top-secret case. Watson is instructed to take care of the seriously ill Chancellor, Prince Max, who has the potential to overrule General Ludendorff and bring about peace. Yet with Prince Max's condition worsening and so little time, Watson and Holmes must work on decoding the President of the United States letter which contains information and instructions that are essential to restore peace.

When I was first asked to contribute to Exotic Gothic 3 (which was to feature Gothic-influenced stories in non-Gothic environments), I agreed without really thinking about it,'Unsworth explains,'and then spent a long time struggling, trying to work out how, precisely, I was going to manage it or quite how to make a start.'I knew what I wanted to do, sort of, but not exactly how to do it, so one day alarmingly close to the deadline I did a fun thing: I freewheeled through Google. Using a small document about Zambian myths and cultures I found online (I set the story in Zambia for no reason other than an old family friend lives there and it seemed exotic in Gothic terms), I used one Zambian word from it as a search term and read what came up, took one intriguing Zambian term from the search results and searched for that, etc, and disappeared into Google's merry depths.'I ended up with an academic paper about a particular myth, a travel blog about a sort of beer made from corn and a weird little'my God's better than your God'blog by a kid in Africa, and somewhere in the middle of that, the story appeared.

THE WOODS - Michael Kelly Michael Kelly reveals'The Woods'was written for an anthology seeking regional horror and ghost stories. I'd just read Hemingway's'Hills Like White Elephant's'. Now, in no way am I comparing myself to Hemingway but I wanted to write a similarly brief tale, with only two main characters, and where the horror was off-stage. As well, the setting had to be distinctly Canadian. What, I thought, could be more Canadian than the frozen north and allusions to mythical beasts?'MAMI WATA - Simon Kurt Unsworth Unsworth reveals,'When I was first asked to contribute to Exotic Gothic 3 (which was to feature Gothic-influenced stories in non-Gothic environments), I agreed without really thinking about it, and then spent a long time struggling, trying to work out how, precisely, I was going to manage it or quite how to make a start.'I knew what I wanted to do, sort of, but not exactly how to do it, so one day alarmingly close to the deadline I did a fun thing: I freewheeled through Google. Using a small document about Zambian myths and cultures I found online (I set the story in Zambia for no reason other than an old family friend lives there and it seemed exotic in Gothic terms), I used one Zambian word from it as a search term and read what came up, took one intriguing Zambian term from the search results and searched for that, etc, and disappeared into Google's merry depths.'I ended up with an academic paper about a particular myth, a travel blog about a sort of beer made from corn and a weird little'my God's better than your God'blog by a kid in Africa, and somewhere in the middle of that, the story appeared.'THE AXHOLME TOLL - Mark Valentine'In the following story, the book called The MS. in a Red Box really exists,'the author reveals.'All of the legends about the Isle, and about Beckett's assassins, are also genuine, except (so far) that of the Toll, and their final place of rest - or unrest.'TWO STEPS ALONG THE ROAD - Terry Dowling'Two Steps Along the Road'came out of a conversation with US editor Danel Olson,'Dowling explains,'where we discussed me doing a ghost story set in Vietnam for Exotic Gothic 3, and the interesting possibilities it might provide for delivering atmosphere and an interesting perspective on familiar things.'Before I knew it, I was blending two separate elements that were demanding attention: the notion of a root-form behind all hauntings, regardless of what form they took, and the unnerving realization that the eyes of a quite attractive teaching colleague would be truly terrifying to behold if they were set just a tad closer together.'The ideas were intended for very different stories but, as so often happens, they decided they were meant for each other.'

Gossip and rumours begin to circulate in the press concerning Sir Andrew Lewis and the Addleton Barrow. Some claim that the Addleton Barrow has been the subject of evil legends as long as anyone can recall; other sources declare that after Sir Lewis opened the barrow in the village of Addleton, a disease struck the village. Sir Andrew Lewis is a victim of lesions of the skin, headaches, fainting spells, hair loss and eventually his mind is affected, too. Doctors Stamford and Greedom state his condition as an unknown, obscure, tropical disease picked up during his work abroad, and neither doctor is able to save the famous archaeologist from death. Holmes and Watson set out to get to the bottom of the rumours that swirl around this village and it's Black Barrow.

Two blank sheets of writing paper sealed in an envelope with a postmark from Baskerville are brought to Holmes by London publisher Garrison Bolt. The addressee is Newman Musgrave. Together they must investigate why this letter, which contains a hidden secret, was sent with such urgency to a man, who unbeknown to the sender has been dead for number of years. Or is it possible that this note was never intended for the deceased man, but rather deliberately intended to fall into Holmes's hands?

ROLE-PLAY REVERSAL By Chris Westlake Emily has joined the amateur dramatics where she plays the sort of rich spoilt housewife that every milkman longs to meet on his round. The tables are turned when Deana, the sassy ebony minx who plays her meek maid in the play, turns out to be a dominatrix with her own set of handcuffs! When Emily is licked out on stage, it seems that there could be a third role in this production. HOLY MATRIMONY By Chloe Ramsay Chloe's invited to a wedding where she doesn't really know anyone... boring - until she sees Heather in the receiving line! The chemistry is instant. The need is instant. The wedding breakfast was anything but - two minds, two needs across the hall. A slip of paper passed to her.'Room 218'. The need accelerates as she makes her way to her room. Then... crash. A meeting of minds and a collision of bodies. Fire, more fire and ultimate bliss. WOMEN'S TOP FANTASIES by Dominique James Psychologist Dominique uses her knowledge of women's favourite fantasies. Alongside her husband, she coaxes her best friend Debbie into that list of fantasies. Her aim is to inflame her husband, starting with a bit of bondage as she ties him to their bedroom chair. When Debbie arrives, unaware of the plan, the two women get a bit carried away with it, Dominique's husband getting sidelined along the way as the pair get lost in a lesbian free-for-all. SERVING SARA By Angel Propps Sara Dahl hates her job as a member of a caterer's wait staff almost as much as she delights in tormenting the guests at the functions she works at. When she meets beautiful blond Jamie she decides to teach her how much fun and humbling serving others can be!

What Happens When You Wake Up in the Night - Michael Marshall Smith''What Happens When You Wake Up in the Night'was one of those stories which come along once in a while,'reveals Michael Marshall Smith,'the kind that drops straight into your head, fully-formed, as if fulfilling a forgotten order you made from the great Ideas shop in the sky.'The only problem was that, once this one had dropped on my mental doormat, I didn't want it. It wasn't an idea I liked. It was clearly some part of my brain serving up a notion simply because it could, and because it knew it could frighten me with it.'It did frighten me, and so I did what I always do when that happens - which is write it down, in the hope it will go away.'Respects - Ramsey Campbell''Respects'was suggested by a local incident in which a car thief in his early teens killed himself while fleeing the police,'recalls Campbell.'A lamp standard at the site of his demise is still decorated with flowers years after the incident, and the tributes on the obituaries page of one Wallasey newspaper were at least as grotesque as the ones I've invented - the romanticisation of a petty criminal.'How much has this to do with the public hunger for a moment in the media? The tendency has produced its own clichés. There almost seems to be a standard script (created by the demand for sound bites) for grieving parents to deliver at press conferences. A lost daughter inevitably becomes'my little princess', and it isn't uncommon to hear very young children described as'my best friend'.'Does this cheapen the grief? People may need to express their feelings (although not doing so, at least in public, can be useful too), but how much does banality and inaccuracy express?'Cold to Touch - Simon Strantzas'Stories often find their origins in unexpected ways,'Strantzas reveals.'I was inspired in this case by a photograph of a Zen garden I once used as my computer's desktop background. After staring at it day-in and day-out while I worked, I began to wonder about that dark circle of rocks and just what its true purpose might be.'There was something there in the coldness of the photograph, something that brought to mind the barren vistas of the Canadian Arctic, which ended up being the perfect setting for my tale of tested faith.'Along with its appearance here,'Cold to the Touch'will appear in Holy Horrors, a two-volume anthology of religious horror edited by T.M. Wright and Matt Cardin, from Ash-Tree Press. The Reunion - Nicholas Royle''The Reunion'is based on actual events,'reveals the author,'but the story only really came into focus for me when I was invited to contribute to Ellen Datlow's Poe anthology.'Poe is brilliant. I was at a conference recently where a teacher revealed that she had read Poe's'The Black Cat'to a lecture theatre full of schoolchildren. She switched off all the lights and used a torch to read by. A number of parents lodged complaints, which she took as a measure of the event's success. My tale is inspired by a different Poe story.'Granny's Grinning - Robert Shearman'I love Christmas,'says Shearman.'Always have done, and always a bit too passionately. The intensity with which I loved Christmas was delightful when I was eight years old, slightly unusual by the time I was eighteen, and increasingly disturbing thereafter.'Into my thirties I was still wanting my family to celebrate the big day with all the same rituals of yesteryear. Giving out presents in a certain order. Listening to the same gramophone record of carols that we had when I was a kid. (Knock your heart out, Andy Williams.) Pulling crackers at the very same break of courses in the very same turkey meal served at the very same time of day - all of us sitting around the table, wearing colourful paper hats as I read out the jokes and mottoes, and threatened everyone with Trivial Pursuit.'I wa

& B & Glasgow 1492. Gil Cunningham remarked later that if he had known he would find a corpse in the university coalhouse, he would never have gone to the Arts Faculty feast. & /B & In this mysterious adventure Gil Cunningham returns to his old university for the Nicholas Feast, where he and his colleagues are entertained by a play presented by some of the students. One of the actors, William Irvine, is later found murdered and Gil assisted by Alys, begins to disentangle a complex web of espionage and blackmail involving William's tutors and fellow students. Matters are further complicated by the arr.

In Riyadh, against the events of the second Gulf War and Saddam's invasion of Kuwait, we learn the story of Munira—with the gorgeous eyes—and the unspeakable tragedy she suffers as her male nemesis wreaks revenge for an insult to his character and manhood. It is also the tale of many other women of Saudi Arabia who pass through the remand center where Munira works, victims and perpetrators of crimes, characters pained and tormented, trapped in cocoons of silence and fear. Munira records their stories on pieces of paper that she folds up and places in the mysterious bottle given to her long ago by her grandmother, a repository for the stories of the dead, that they might live again. This controversial novel looks at many of the issues that characterize the lives of women in modern Saudi society, including magic and envy, honor and revenge, and the strict moral code that dictates male–female interaction. “Yousef al-Mohaimeed is a rising star in international literature. Munira's Bottle is a rich and skillfully crafted story of a dysfunctional Saudi Arabian family. One of its strengths lies in its edgy characters: Munira, a sultry, self-centered, sexually repressed woman; Ibn al-Dahhal, the bold imposter who deceives and betrays her; and Muhammad, her perpetually angry and righteous brother, a catalyst who forces the events. Western readers will welcome it for its opening door into Arab lives and minds.”—Annie Proulx “Mohaimeed writes in a lush style that evokes a writer he cites as an influence, Gabriel Garcia Marquez. [He] takes on some of the most divisive subjects in the Arab world.”—Washington Post

Frédéric Fappani von Lothringen propose ici une histoire « secrète » qui lui a été confiée en Bretagne. Elle est évidemment écrite ici en Breton et en Français. Tout a commencé par la découverte d'un objet familial, venant de la famille bretonne de sa femme, mais qui comportait des symboles « lorrains ». Il n'en fallait pas plus pour que notre Lorrain parte à l'aventure et nous rapporte cette magnifique histoire : la plus bretonne des histoires de Lorraine, la plus lorraine des histoires de Bretagne. Nous découvrons là un petit bijou de légende bretonne, peu connu encore du grand public. À découvrir donc!

Godina je 1967. Odlazeći u Sudan, glavni se junak, kirurg, suočava s novim prostorima svojih izbora, profesionalnih i emotivnih, koji ga obogaćuju odlučnošću, ali mu u život unose i dinamiku trilera. Upravo ta dinamika, rastući i dobro motiviran napon, privlači čitatelja uz tekst i navodi ga da se sa strašću sve više unosi u stranice romanu u iščekivanju raspleta. Situirajući svoj roman u nedavnu, a opet distanciranu prošlost obilježenu odrednicama drugačijeg društvenog sustava, autor osvještava limite ljudskih izbora i strategiju izbjegavanja zamki koje mogu preusmjeriti čovjekovu sudbinu. Poznat kao jedan od najuglednijih hrvatskih prevodilaca i laureat brojnih nagrada Andy Jelčić imao je prilike učiti književni zanat od majstora svjetske književnosti. Kada se upustio u vlastito književno stvaralaštvo, već je bio savladao sve vještine koje se odnose prvenstveno na funkcionalnu upotrebu jezika, ali i na građenje književnih likova putem epizoda fabule, i kako efektno spajati jedno u funkciju drugoga da bi rezultat bio uvjerljiv prozni tekst. Zahvaljujući tim, unaprijed usvojenim vrlinama, Andy Jelčić razvija svoj roman tečnošću kakva karakterizira dobro komponiran film. —Ludwig Bauer Ovaj roman nepovratno mijenja pejzaž hrvatske suvremene književnosti i nudi pogled na vidike po kojima se sliježe prašina a pod njom diše naša živa prošlost. —Ivana Šojat

In this “thrilling, seductive, and utterly absorbing” (Paula Hawkins, #1 New York Times bestselling author) historical suspense novel in the tradition of Agatha Christie's Death on the Nile and Ruth Ware's The Woman in Cabin 10, pre-war tension and forbidden romance abound, and not everyone will survive the journey…The ship has been like a world within itself, a vast floating city outside of normal rules. But the longer the journey continues, the more confined it is starting to feel, deck upon deck, passenger upon passenger, all of them churning around each other without anywhere to go... 1939: Europe is on the brink of war when young Lily Shepherd boards an ocean liner in England, bound for Australia. She is ready to start anew, leaving behind the shadows of her past. The passage proves magical, complete with live music, cocktails, and fancy-dress balls. With stops at exotic locations along the way—Naples, Cairo, Ceylon—the voyage shows Lily places she's only ever dreamed of and enables her to make friends with those above her social station, people who would not ordinarily mingle with her. She even allows herself to hope that a man she couldn't possibly have a future with outside the cocoon of the ship might return her feelings. But Lily soon realizes that she's not the only one hiding secrets. Her newfound friends—the toxic wealthy couple Eliza and Max; Cambridge graduate Edward; Jewish refugee Maria; fascist George—are also running away from their pasts. As the glamour of the voyage fades, the stage is set for something sinister to occur. By the time the ship docks, two passengers are dead, war has been declared, and Lily's life is irrevocably changed. “A vividly descriptive ride” (Marie Claire) with a “jaw-dropping ending” (RT Book Reviews, Top Pick), Dangerous Crossing is a transporting and “gorgeously atmospheric” (Ruth Ware, New York Times bestselling author) story for the ages.

Can the touch of a rock god last forever? Music journalist Bryan Gallagher's life has completely changed in an unexpected way. Not only has he snagged a dream assignment as the memoirist to alternative music's rock superstar Aubrey King, but he's also promised to give the beautiful and enigmatic musician a chance for them to forge a relationship. It's all very overwhelming for Bryan since, up until he spent a sexually charged day and night with Aubrey, Bryan has never even dreamed of being with a man. Aubrey is completely smitten with the boyishly handsome, young rock writer, Bryan. After their instant spark grows into something more, Aubrey is desperate to keep Bryan by his side for always. He's promised Bryan that their love is for real, that Bryan isn't simply one of his rock star conquests. Their road isn't an easy one, though. Despite their deepening bond and growing need for each other, other factors intrude. Neither Aubrey nor Bryan is ready to come out, and their relationship needs to remain a carefully guarded secret. In addition, Aubrey has to answer to the demands of his profession and Bryan has to traverse the shifting waters between his personal and business relationship with his famous lover. Then a secret is revealed and everything in their joint world implodes. When a love is so strong that two men can barely take a breath without thinking of the other, will that be enough to bridge the loss of trust? The only way they can rock their love forever is if Aubrey can reach Bryan before it's too late.

Wang Bin, a young teacher and ornithologist from Beijing, travels to Pingyang, a rural town nestled in the mountains between Sichuan and Hunan, to try and photograph the Mountain Phoenix, a rare Chinese bird with a blaze of rich colours that has never before been captured on film. Pingyang's chief of police is as corrupt as he is sadistic and he rules the town with an iron fist. He soon learns of the new arrival in town and fleeces Wang Bin for all he's worth. Wang Bin narrowly escapes Pingyang with the help of Xiao Zhou, a pretty young receptionist at the seedy hotel in which he is staying and for whom he is developing feelings, and the Beijinger vows to return to the town, his mind set on causing the crooked police chief's downfall. Together with Xiao Zhou and a cast of other victimised townsfolk from Pingyang, Wang Bin concocts a plan that is so far-fetched all agree it might just work. The Phoenix and the Crow is an exquisitely crafted short tale of morality and corruption in smalltown China, which reads like a contemporary fable.

Things haven't been going well for Charlie Miner. His work as a private investigator involves him with an endless roster of shady characters. His ex-wife is borderline crazy. And he hasn't been getting to spend anywhere near enough time with his teenage daughter Mindy, the one person in his life who truly matters to him. When he wakes up on a slab in the morgue with a hole in his head, though, things get even worse. Just before the shooting, Charlie was investigating a case involving fraud, gold, religious zealots, and a gorgeous woman who seemed to be at the center of everything. Even with a fatal bullet wound, Charlie can connect the dots from the case to his attack. And when his daughter is abducted by someone involved, the stakes get exponentially higher. Charlie needs to find Mindy before the criminals do the same thing to her that they did to him. After that, maybe he'll try to figure out how he's walking around dead. Irreverent, circuitous, and surprisingly touching, Down Solo introduces a crisp new voice to suspense fiction.

Nobody likes a loan shark and the list of people who wanted Ged Salkeld dead would fill the Newcastle phone book. But who would go to the extreme of torching his house while his wife and kids were sleeping upstairs? This is the question facing DCI Theo Vos and his team of detectives from the Bug House as they search through the charred wreckage for clues to the identity of a cold-blooded multiple murderer. Newcastle, it seems, is a city up to its eyes in debt and, for once, there is not shortage of suspects. But are the dead as innocent as they seem?

Here is the deeply moving and entirely irresistible story that introduces Coleman and Dinah Greene, the stars of Reba White Williams's widely acclaimed mystery series that includes the novels Restrike and Fatal Impressions. Set in small-town North Carolina, it tells of orphaned cousins who discover each other and believe that angels are watching them and guiding them through their most important moments. Seven-year-old Dinah has been blessed with a loving grandmother and great aunt. Five-year-old Coleman has not been so lucky. But now that the two have been united the wonders of the world begin to reveal themselves.Touching, thoughtful, and rewarding, Angels is a treasure.

Description based upon print version of record.

When a demonic entity known only as the Sorcerer breaks free from the gates of Oblivion, he seeks out an ancient relic known only as Ragnarok, foretold by the prophecy that it would give him the power to take over the empire of Armageddon and to recreate the universe. The empire's last ray of hope, Selena Ayladail, a fourteen year old girl with no memory of her past, begins to uncover the secrets behind Ragnarok while also researching the strange symbol on her left hand that she has had for as long as she can remember. However, what she unravels places her life in danger. Throughout her adventures, she befriends an extraordinary dragon who she names Thor. As she and Thor adventure across the empire, Selena unravels the truth behind Ragnarok, her gift with magic, and experiences first-hand the true wickedness of the Sorcerer.

After artfully arbitrating her return from the dead, Max Logan considers her experience with the afterlife a thing of the past. But Max's success as a temporary Superintendent of Spiritual Impediment was no accident, as she discovers when the permanent SSI shows up in the middle of the night to reveal that Max has a genetic predisposition to a supernatural calling. When Max's ex-husband and current boyfriend, Roger-the-Proctologist is lost in a plane crash due to an inept Reaper gone rogue, Max has no choice but to venture back into the sweet hereafter in an attempt to rescue him. Throw in a freak blizzard, a hot Grim Reaper, and the last person on Earth Max would choose to save, and Max will be lucky to escape with her own life before time runs out and she becomes a permanent resident of the Between. This is a stand-alone sequel to DEATH BENEFITS.

The end of the nineteenth century—the rich have great interest in the occult; tables dance everywhere, and ghosts speak in many a darkened room.

This superb annual anthology of the year's most outstanding short crime fiction published in the UK is now well into its second decade. Jakubowski has succeeded, once again, in unearthing the best short crime stories of English, Welsh, Scottish and Irish authors (along with a handful of US writers living in the UK, and some expatriate Brits). With this collection he showcases the impressive breadth of British crime writing, from cosy tales of detection to noir mayhem and psychological suspense and terror. There are puzzles to solve, nagging questions about the nature of British society, but, above all, there are over 40 wonderful, gripping stories to shock, delight and make you think twice, if not three times. Contributors include Simon Kernick, Val McDermid, Alexander McCall Smith, John Lawton, Tim Willocks, Lee Child, Stephen Gallagher, Christopher Fowler, Peter Lovesey, David Hewson. New to this series are Will Carver, Christopher J. Simmons, Susan Everett, Tim Willocks, Dreda Say Mitchell, Kate Rhodes, Rhys Hughes, Paul Charles, Howard Linskey, Peter Guttridge, Mary Hoffman and Ros Asquith. Full list of contributors: Lee Child; Kevin Wignall; Will Carver; Paul Charles; Val McDermid; Paul Johnston; Alison Bruce; Tim Willocks; Maxim Jakubowski; Rhys Hughes; Edward Marston; N. J. Cooper; Michael Z. Lewin; Peter Guttridge; Mary Hoffman; Peter Tremayne; Kate Rhodes; Paul D. Brazill; Ros Asquith; Amy Myers; Alexander McCall Smith; Nina Allan; Peter Turnbull; Jay Stringer; Martin Edwards; Zoë Sharp; Col Bury; David Stuart Davies; Howard Linskey; Susan Everett; Christopher Fowler; Dreda Say Mitchell; Roger Busby; Simon Kernick; Peter Lovesey; David Hewson; Gerard Brennan; Jane Casey; Christopher J. Simmons; Stephen Gallagher; John Lawton.

Description based upon print version of record.

Bursting with atmosphere, an unforgettable cast of characters, and set against a New York skyline, The Ruby Slippers is a sweeping story of hidden treasures, forgotten histories, lost connections, and the search for true meaning: rich in imagination - read it and feel a million dollars. Old Rosa the bag lady shuffles along the streets of New York, stinking, silent and shunned by man and beast. Time and again her nephew, Michael Marcinkus the grocer, has tried to help? but Rosa remains unknowable, hushed inside her hulk. On the day of the St Patrick's Da.

Danny Boyle was a born angel. At least that's what his granny used to say, and she should know – she raised him after his parents proved incapable. When she becomes ill, Danny is reunited with his parents but they do not get to live happily ever after, as the ghosts of the past haunt their days. And when the old woman dies, all of her secrets come to light and shatter everything Danny believes in.In the turmoil of 1970's Ireland, an alienated Danny gets into drugs and is involved in a gangland killing. Duped by the killers into leaving his prints on the gun, Danny needs all the help his friends and family can muster. Calling in favors from bishops and priests, police and paramilitaries, God and the devil, the living and the dead, they do all that they can. But even that might not be enough.BORN & BRED is the first novel in the Life & Times Trilogy, a cycle of three novels that will chart the course of one star-crossed life. It is a work of vibrant imagination from a poetic novelist of the first order.

Who would suspect that Ash, David, or Corinna is different from any of Washington's other most successful citizens. Ash, a prizewinning reporter for The Washington Post, is as famous as the people whose secrets he turns into headlines. David, a former undersecretary of state, has friends in high places and a Virginal estate worthy of Presidents. His lover, Corinna, is a Justice Department lawyer so beautiful that her legal adversaries sometimes overlook her brilliance in the courtroom.Who could know that these three movers and shakers began their lives not on American soil, but far away, behind Soviet borders in an ingeniously designed mock-up of an American town? There, from childhood, they were trained to live as Americans while they were schooled in the most sophisticated forms of espionage. For fifteen years, they have moved through Washington's most hallowed corridors, honing their parts, gathering information, never arousing suspicion.Now, thousands of miles away, the game has changed. The USSR collapses as the cold war ends. And these spies are turned against each other in a new kind of danger. Who is in control back home? Why are their assignments changing so rapidly, becoming so peculiar? Most of all, who are they anyway after so many years of playing their American roles?Bob Reiss is a bestselling New York based author of 19 books, as well as a journalist, a former Chicago Tribune reporter and former correspondent for Outside Magazine. His work has been published in The Washington Post Magazine, Smithsonian, Parade, Rolling Stone and other national publications, and has been featured in collections of the best of the Washington Post Magazine, and the best of Outside. He has appeared on Good Morning America, Morning Joe, CNN,Charlie Rose and Dan Rather Reports. In 2012-2013 he worked as a consultant on Arctic issues for CBS'60 Minutes.'In 2010 he co-produced his first investigative segment for national television, for PBS's'Need To Know.'Bob's non-fiction books include THE ESKIMO AND THE OIL MAN, about the opening Arctic and battle over offshore oil there; THE COMING STORM, about climate change and extreme weather,and THE ROAD TO EXTREMA, about the state and fate of the Amazon rainforest. He's published 15 novels including the Washington Post best-seller, THE LAST SPY and the European best seller, BLACK MONDAY. Writing as Ethan Black, he is the author of the acclaimed Conrad Voort series, five novels about a New York City detective whose ancestors have worked law enforcement in the city since Colonial times.'Sparkling and fast paced...a thoroughly engaging thriller.'— The Washington Post'Powerfully evokes the espionage agents mind-set of distrust, it piles the insecurity created by the Soviet coup onto the already treacherous state of being a spy within a system of spying.'— The New York Times'Crackerjack spy yarn...high velocity action plus clever interludes...add up to a smart, tough thriller.'— Kirkus Reviews'A compelling story of treachery and deception.'— Newsday

‘I'm a street prostitute. Not a call girl or anything. No, a real street whore, with stiletto heels and menthol cigarettes.'Narrator Nanou gives a detailed account of her day, from the moment she wakes up with a foul taste in her m

Jason Hawke, former Confederation Marine, foils an assassination attempt on the Moderator of the Confederation. A group of killers also try to kill off the entire Hawke Clan on Old Earth. Meanwhile, a Desotoan task force is poised to stage a military takeover of the Achaean System. The Assassins and their employers, Desotoan Foreign Intelligence, are on the move in a blatant grab for power and territory. But the aggressors have succeeded in one thing already. They have gotten the undivided attention of the entire Hawke Clan. Things are about to get very messy.

Olivia only knows Alex by his powerful, elusive reputation. She looks at him and sees a man skillful at keeping secrets and ruining lives. But the circumstances surrounding the murder of someone close to them leave Olivia little choice but to seek out his help. Alex holds all the answers. He's also the one person standing in Olivia's way of uncovering the truth about the night her world fell apart. Alex sees the pain in Olivia's eyes, and he wants to show her there is more to life than loss, more to a man than his image. There are selfish reasons why he cannot let her go—reasons beyond his control. He must give in to his instincts about her without exposing the extent of his deceit.

4 July 2132. The colony ship, SS Artemis, leaves our solar system and begins a journey across the galaxy. The leviathan's destination is the “Veritas” Moon, a sphere thought capable of supporting human life. The “First Wave” colonists seek to create a utopian society on the virgin moon, free from the many problems of old Earth, but no one could have predicted the threat which awaited them. Decades later, a small group of settlers flee from the ravages of civil war and the repressive arm of a totalitarian state. This tiny community must attempt to put old grievances behind them as they struggle to survive the harsh realities of life on an isolated outpost, right on the edge of the fledgling human colony. When their settlement comes under attack by a resurgent indigenous enemy it appears the colonists'only hope rests in the actions of a mysterious stranger whose own motives remain unclear.

After the events of Mary of the Aether and Mary of Shadows, Mary Lanham is on the run, desperate to stay one step ahead of the terrible Devourers who pursue her by the dark of night. She flees through lonely places, following country roads, passing through tiny towns and trying to stay out of the public eye. Meanwhile, back in Chesset, her friends find themselves under attack by Lookers who want to use them as bait to draw Mary home. A trap is sprung, and the whole world watches as universes collide in an explosive showdown that will change everything.

THE MANGLED SPOON is about what happens when evil finds a home in the Catholic Church. Cello-playing psychiatrist Marcus Rukeyser has a problem: Miss Jane, his newest patient is catatonic. Discovered foraging for food in a dumpster clutching a curiously damaged antique spoon, Rukeyser learns she's connected to three dead or missing nuns from a prominent Chicago parish. With only two weeks until she's committed to a state mental institution, authorities make it clear they'll go to any lengths to prevent him from uncovering the ugly truth—including destroying his career, his home and potentially his life. This novel by author Joan Mauch is by turns frightening and thought provoking. “Magnificent! A plot so creepy you'll swear you feel the spiderwebs, and a heroine so compelling you'll wish you were her best friend. Don't miss this sure to be best-seller by Joan Mauch.” —Shane Gericke, best-selling author of TORN APART

Chief Inspector Henrique Monroe of the Lisbon Police Department is not your usual cop. Eccentric, elliptical - and stunningly observant - his peculiar behavior at crime scenes is legendary. But his colleagues put up with it because, in the end, Monroe's the best of the best. But he has a double-sided secret. And when he's called to investigate the brutal slaying of well-connected Portuguese businessman Pedro Coutinho, it's not just the murder case that will unravel - but his own identity, too. As Monroe's investigations lead him deep into a torrid world of shady political corruption and sexual violence, the details of the case trigger memories from his childhood in rural Colorado - memories he has travelled far, and worked hard, to hide. His behavior becomes even more upsetting and inappropriate than usual, and even his family - his wife, his brother and his two young boys - start to fear for the man they thought they knew. Henrique struggles to move his investigation forward whilst keeping the walls of his identity from crumbling. And then, another violent crime changes his life forever, destroying any chance he has of continuing to keep his secret... A chilling psychological mystery, The Night Watchman is a uniquely moving portrait of a troubled police detective and his family when a single crime reveals the damaging impact of abuse and the tragic truth about an entire nation.

BDSM/Bondage and Dominance and Submission, recently brought to such extraordinary prominence by 50 Shades of Grey, are perennially popular erotic themes. This collection of over 40 outstanding new stories by some of the best writers of erotica and romance, including Kay Jaybee, K. D. Grace and Rachel Kramer Bussel - all shortlisted for the Erotic Writer of the Year award - Donna George Storey, Sunday Times bestseller Vina Jackson, Booker-shortlisted Matt Thorne, Portia da Costa and Kristina Lloyd.

A new and truly awesome collection of comic fantasy masterpieces!It isn't often you find a posse of Greek goddesses putting down insurrection among unruly classical mortals, stranded aliens escaping earth in a church converted into a rocket, or a light-fingered time-traveller attempting to steal the universe - but here they all are, in another selection of bizarre comic fantasies.

In Paris in 1944 Niccolo Carini, the greatest operatic tenor of his age, begins to lose his voice after receiving a miraculous automaton from Madame Flora, the greatest maker of mechanical devices of her age. And in 2013 in New York, a failing opera singer named Larry Schiavo watches while his twin brother Joe develops extraordinary singing abilities. In this new supernatural thriller, author Barry Lenson explores the artistic connections that can sometimes resonate between voice and voice, and age and age, through the corridors of time. Distant Voices is the first novel in the Distant Voices trilogy.

Bryony Valentine lives at home with her mother Lois, father James and two younger siblings. For as long as Bryony can remember, she has been soft on the boy next door, Eddie, but her best friend Ruth has feelings for him too. When the Luftwaffe begin their bombing campaign of the midlands, Eddie is called up to serve, as is James, and Bryony's world is torn apart. Each day the telegrams pour in to different families along their street and all Bryony can do is pray for their safety. Lois's affluent family disowned her when she met Bryony's father, but when the wartime evacuees need a safe home - Lois's parents open their doors. The three Valentine children are dispatched to Cornwall - far from the bombs and far from the only world they've ever known. A family displaced; their future lies in the hands of enemy bombs. Will the Valentine family ever unite, and will Bryony ever see Eddie again?

A successful housebreaker who leaves no traces and no clues as he strips Reykjavík homes of their valuables has been a thorn in the police's side for months. But when one night the thief breaks into the wrong house, he finds himself caught in a trap as the stakes are raised far beyond anything he could have imagined. Gunnhildur Gísladóttir of the Reykjavík police finds herself frustrated at every turn as she searches for a victim who has vanished from the scene of the crime, and wonders if it could be linked to the murders of two businessmen with dubious reputations that her bosses are warning her to keep clear of.

Two men have been found beaten to death in a Newcastle park. One is a mild-mannered librarian, the other a member of a gang of armed robbers from the 1970s. It's no mystery who killed them. But Walter Oyston - ex-boxer turned violent wino - is also dead, his heart having given out before his liver.Is it a simple case of mistaken identity? Or have the ghosts of Newcastle's criminal underworld returned to seek vengeance on one of their own? Following hot on the heels of their last investigation comes another baffling case for DCI Theo Voss and his team from the Bug House.

Description based upon print version of record.

Our favourite white trash zombie, Angel Crawford, has enough problems of her own, what with dealing with her alcoholic, deadbeat dad, issues with her not-quite boyfriend, the zombie mafia, industrial espionage and evil corporations. Oh, and it's raining, and won't let up.But things get even crazier when a zombie movie starts filming in town, and Angel begins to suspect that it's not just the plot of the movie that's rotten. Soon she's fighting her way through mud, blood, bullets and intrigue, even as zombies, both real and fake, prowl the streets.Angel's been through more than her share of crap, but this time she's in way over her head. She'll need plenty of brainpower to fit all the pieces-and body parts-together in order to save herself, her town, and quite possibly the human race.

The lives of Marge Quinn, stenographer, and Abraham Chelikowsky, sometimes painter, are improvised from Edward Hopper's iconic'Office at Night.'

'A breezy romantic comedy with plenty of laughs.'--BooklistWhen her ex-boyfriend, Trip, gets engaged to Hollywood's latest It Girl, Manhattan attorney Brooke Miller plans to attend the wedding. Who says a modern girl can't stay friends with her ex? Besides, Brooke's got her sexy Scottish fiancé, Douglas, to take as her date. Okay, so maybe he's not exactly her fiancé, but they're living together in his apartment, so she'll be getting the ring any minute, right?Wrong.After a fight leaves her without a boyfriend (much less a fiancé) just days before the wedding, Brooke faces the ultimate humiliation of attending her ex-boyfriend's nuptials alone. Desperate to find a replacement to fill Douglas's kilt, Brooke concocts an outrageous plan to survive the wedding and win the man of her dreams, all with her dignity ever-so-slightly intact.

'Nothing less than stellar...What else can I say? Get this book, read it, and love it!'--Fresh FictionPlanning a wedding can be a trying experience…A little pre-wedding anxiety is normal for every bride, and Manhattan attorney Brooke Miller isn't worried. She's got the loving support of the world's greatest guy, so planning her nuptials should be a piece of cake.But that was yesterday.Today, Brooke's landed her first big case and has just discovered that the opposing attorney is none other than her fiancé, Jack. But that's okay. These two professionals aren't going to let a little courtroom sparring get their legal briefs in a bunch.… Right?Wrong!Now Jack's pulling every dirty trick in the law books, and Brooke's starting to suspect that maybe he isn't the man she thought he was. Warring with her fi ancé at work and at home, Brooke realizes that she'll have to choose between the case of her life, or actually having a life.

Jo Waldman lives life to her own soundtrack—working for her father by day while pursuing her music career in NYC's downtown clubs at night. Music is her passion, along with her boyfriend, Jesse, who shares her dreams of making it big. Jo's old band, The Lonely Hearts Club, came thisclose to getting a huge recording contract, and she's just biding her time, waiting for lightning to strike twice. The music business is tough, but so is Jo.So when Jo's father fires her and Jesse breaks up with her, Jo doesn't get upset—she just wants to rage. Dusting off her computer, Jo writes a blog entry, pouring her heart out about the shortcomings of love. Except that no sooner does Jo hit “upload” than the site sends a mass e-mail to the entire Lonely Hearts mailing list, alerting everybody Joe has ever met that she's been brutally dumped. All Jo wants to do is hide under the covers, but to her surprise, supportive e-mails start flowing in—many of them from complete strangers. Apparently, her anti-love rant has struck a chord. The Lonely Hearts Club Blog develops a huge following, even capturing the eye of Jo's sworn nemesis, bubble gum pop princess Amber Fairchild. Jo soon becomes an icon for all things “anti-love,” and at her fans'request, she begins to plan The Lonely Hearts Club Ball—a massive anti-love Valentine's Day party to end all parties.Jo quickly becomes the poster girl for lonely hearts, and it inspires her to start writing music again. There's only one problem: the web programmer helping Jo with her site is simply dreamy. Jo's never been very good at depriving herself of anything, but if this budding romance is exposed, she'll be revealed as an'anti-love'fraud and risk losing all the people who have grown trust her voice. So is it time to start singing love songs, or time to pick up the guitar and return to the hard rock that almost got The Lonely Hearts signed in the first place? Either way, Jo's got some big decisions to make, and it looks like she's going to have to take one step closer to doing something she never thought she'd do—becoming a grownup.From Brenda Janowitz, author of the beloved Brooke Miller novels SCOT ON THE ROCKS and JACK WITH A TWIST comes another uproariously funny and heartfelt story that will ring true to anyone who's dug themselves into a hole only to find that getting out is where you least expect it.

Return to the quaint little town of Peaceful, Wisconsin, from Karen Wiesner's award-winning Family Heirlooms Series, where you first met and fell in love with these colorful, lovable friends. Now you can read the stories of those secondary characters in an all new spin-off series. Nuggets of faith can be passed down as heirlooms from friend to friend, heart to heart, soul mate to soul mate. Book Three Friendship Heirloom: Hope Newlyweds Jasmine Pepowski and Wesley Horace's relationship climbs a rocky ledge when she finds out that her sickly father can no longer live alone without assistance. Jazz can't imagine putting her beloved father in a nursing home, but Wesley isn't crazy about living with the old man. He's barely coping with the extreme changes marriage has wrought. He'd been a bachelor for most of his adult life and he'd never realized being married would mean not being able to make his own decisions—compromising his personal desires for his wife's at every turn, relegating all his free time to “couple” activities, not to mention giving up his home office/game room for a father-in-law who doesn't trust him not to hurt his little girl at the first available opportunity. With his health in jeopardy, Jazz's father discloses a shocking truth: Her mother is alive and well, a jazz singer who made a conscious choice to walk away from her family to return to her career. Even as her father and Wesley advise her to leave the past in the past, Jazz has to know if her mother has regrets about her choices before she drops yet another life-changing anvil on her husband's already aching head.

The day Mark called, Patricia Cowan's world split in two.The phone call. His question. Her answer. A single word.'Yes.''No.'It is 2015 and Patricia Cowan is very old.'Confused today'read the notes clipped to the end of her bed. Her childhood, her years at Oxford during the Second World War - those things are solid in her memory. Then that phone call and.her memory splits in two.She was Trish, a housewife and mother of four.She was Pat, a successful travel writer and mother of three.She remembers living her life as both women, so very clearly. Which memory is real - or are both just tricks of time and light?My Real Children is the story of both of Patricia Cowan's lives - each with its loves and losses, sorrows and triumphs, its possible consequences. It is a novel about how every life means the entire world.