Castlegar & District Public Library

A brutal attack on Emily Stanton's family has left her for dead... until she is found in the woods by a handsome stranger with a thick brogue who vows to protect her. There's only one problem: As a woman with a noble English background, she has no business keeping company with such a man. For Scotsman Iain MacEnroy, Emily's high-tone accent is a bitter reminder of the oppressive regime he left behind. The last thing he needs is to be burdened by the needs of a beautiful, blue-eyed Englishwoman. But taking care of elegant, educated Emily begins to transform Iain in ways he never imagined. Could it be that the deep divisions from the old world no longer apply in the new--and that Iain and Emily can share a passion as lush and wild as the Scottish highlands themselves?

Daisy Bumgarten isn't thrilled to be trying to catch a duke's attention while dressed like a flower pot caught in a swarm of butterflies. But, after all, when in Rome (or in this case London society). Since her decidedly disastrous debut among New York's privileged set, the sassy Nevada spitfires last chance to "marry well" lies across the pond, here in England. If she must restrain her free spirit, not to mention her rib cage, so be it. She knows she owes it to her three younger sisters to succeed.

Widowed deputy U.S. Marshal Tim Colter finds his plans to remarry and settle down thwarted as he tries to tame the violence in a small town that is being torn asunder by competing interests who have their sights set on railroad money.

If you knew the date of your death, how would you live your life? It's 1969 in New York City's Lower East Side, and word has spread of the arrival of a travelling psychic who claims to be able to tell anyone the day they will die. Four siblings keep their death dates secret from one another, but their prophecies inform their next five decades.

"Years after four of the once-peaceful kings of North and South Tembria betray an ancient covenant and kill a fifth ruler, the slain king's secret heir, an elite warrior; and another mysterious orphan, a master weapons smith, find their choices determining the fate of their world."--

Twenty-three-year-old artist Andrea Morales has escaped her Midwestern Catholic childhood - and the closet - to create a home and life for herself within the thriving but insular lesbian underground of Portland, Oregon. But one drunken night, reeling from a bad breakup and a friend's betrayal, she recklessly crosses enemy lines and hooks up with a man. To her utter shock, Andrea soon discovers she's pregnant - and despite the concerns of her astonished circle of gay friends, she decides to have the baby. A decade later, when her precocious daughter, Lucia, starts asking questions about the father she's never known. Andrea is forced to reconcile the past she hoped to leave behind with the life she's worked so hard to build.

The approach of Easter means a rush of business at TenHuis Chocolade, and Lee and her aunt Nettie need all the help they can get to make their famous chocolate bunnies and eggs. Unfortunately, new hire Bunny Birdsong is a klutzy basket case, dropping everything she picks up. But to Lee's surprise, she's a wiz with computers and fixing the store's Web site so they decide to keep her... However, Bunny receives a few visitors they could do without: Her ex-husband, Beau; his wealthy aunt Abigail; and his new girlfriend and her brother all descend on the shop one day and have a bitter argument. Lee hopes they can find a peaceful way to settle their dispute and not bring any more trouble to TenHuis. But when Abigail's body is discovered in the vacant store next door, it's clear to Lee there's a bad egg in her midst. Now she's on the hunt to find out who it is.

Mercy Flanagan survived the Whitman Massacre as a child, and now her heart's cry is for peace between the native peoples and the white settlers inhabiting Oregon Territory. Unfortunately, most of the settlers would rather the tribes were removed from the land completely, one way or the other. At the request of family friend Eletta Browning, who is experiencing a difficult pregnancy, Mercy travels south to the Rogue River Valley to help. At the Browning Mission, she meets Eletta's brother-in-law, Adam. Despite her attempts to befriend him, Adam seems determined to focus on ministering to the local tribes and keeps her at arm's length. Why is he so intent on pushing her away? When tragedy strikes and tensions in the territory reach the combustion point, Mercy is pushed to the limit of her strength. She and Adam will have to rely on their faith in God and on each other in order to make it out alive.

"Joshua is convinced there is a family curse. It's taken loved ones from him, it's robbed him of his eyesight, and it's the reason why his father is killed while investigating the homicide of a young woman. Joshua is handed an opportunity he can't refuse: an operation that will allow him to see the world through his father's eyes. As Joshua navigates a world of sight, he gets glimpses of what these eyes might have witnessed in their previous life. What exactly was his dad up to in his role as a police officer? There are consequences to the secret life his father was living, including the wrath of a man hell bent on killing, a man who is drawing closer and closer to Joshua. [...]" -- Provided by publisher.

On a beach in Antarctica, scientist Adam Leith marks the passage of the summer solstice. Back in Sydney his partner Elllie waits for the results of her latest round of IVF treatment. That result, when it comes, will change both their lives and propel them into a future neither could have predicted. In a collapsing England Adam will battle to survive an apocalyptic storm. Against a backdrop of growing civil unrest at home, Ellie will discover a strange affinity with beekeeping. In the aftermath of a pandemic, a young man finds solace in building virtual recreations of the dead. And new connections will be formed from the most unlikely beginnings.

After five years as an Englisher, Amanda Dienner is shocked to learn her mother has passed away and left her Lancaster County's most popular Amish bed-and-breakfast. What's more, the inn will only truly be hers if Mandy can successfully run it for twelve months. Reluctantly, Mandy accepts the challenge, no matter that it means facing the family she left behind--or that the inn's clientèle expect an Amish hostess! Can Mandy fulfill the terms of her inheritance, or will this prove a dreadful mistake?

After taking down the man responsible for his best friend's death, Stuart Ramey thinks the case is finally closed. That is, until Stu finds himself left with a multimillion-dollar fortune in Bitcoins in a desperate bid by Frigg, a rogue AI program created by the killer, to keep itself from being fully deactivated. To sort out his situation and take Frigg down, Stu enlists the help of Ali Reynolds and the rest of cybersecurity colleagues at High Noon Enterprises. But they are not the only ones who know about Frigg's existence.Graciella Miramar, an unassuming accountant by all appearances, is actually the right-hand woman to El Pescade, the leader of a dangerous drug cartel. She'll do anything to get her hands on that AI. With Frigg's help, Graciella hopes to take over El Pescado's criminal underworld and become wealthy beyond her wildest dreams. But Stu - and El Pescado an his henchmen - may not be so easily defeated.

"Jenny Willson is a hard-edged, caustic-witted warden from Banff National Park who considers poachers and ladder-climbing bureaucrats equally repulsive and worthy of the same painful fate. Does keeping her promise to protect her park from them mean crossing lines and putting her career at risk? When Willson discovers animals disappearing from Canada's mountain parks, she begins a complex investigation that follows a trail of deceit, distraction, and murder. With a growing list of victims, animal and human, Willson finds herself in a race for justice that crisscrosses the Canada-U.S. border and pushes Willson to a place she might not be able to come back from."--Provided by publisher.

A woman stumbles onto a dark road in rural Oregon - tortured, battered, and bound. She tells a horrific story about being kidnapped, then tortured, until she finally managed to escape. She was the lucky one - two other women, with similar burns and bruises, were found dead. The surviving victim identifies the house where she was held captive and the owner, Alex Mason - a prominent local attorney - is arrested. Although he loudly insists upon his innocence, his wife’s statements about his sexual sadism and the physical evidence found at the scene, his summer home, is damning. Regina Barrister is a legendary criminal defense attorney, known as 'The Sorceress' for her courtroom victories. But she’s got a secret, one that threatens her skill, her reputation, and, most of all, her clients. And she’s agreed to take on the seemingly impossible task of defending Alex Mason. Robin Lockwood, a young lawyer and former MMA fighter, has just left a clerkship at the Oregon Supreme Court to work for Regina Barrister. The Alex Mason trial is her first big one, a likely death penalty case, and she’s second chair to Regina. Increasingly, she’s worried her boss’s behavior and the details in the case against their client don’t quite add up.

"The police say it was suicide. Anna says it was murder. They're both wrong. Last year, Tom and Caroline Johnson chose to end their lives; one seemingly unable to live without the other. Their daughter Anna is struggling to come to terms with her parents' deaths, unwilling to accept the verdict of suicide. Now with a young baby herself, she feels her mother's absence keenly and is determined to find out what really happened to her parents. But as Anna digs up the past, someone is trying to stop her. Sometimes it's safer to let things lie..."--

Boston, 1992. David Greenfeld is one of the few white kids at the Martin Luther King, Jr., Middle School. Everybody clowns him, girls ignore him, and his hippie parents won't even buy him a pair of Nikes, let alone transfer him to a private school. Unless he tests into the city's best public high school--which, if practice tests are any indication, isn't likely--he'll be friendless for the foreseeable future. Nobody's more surprised than Dave when Marlon Wellings sticks up for him in the school cafeteria. Mar's a loner from the public housing project on the corner of Dave's own gentrifying block, and he confounds Dave's assumptions about black culture: He's nerdy and neurotic, a Celtics obsessive whose favorite player is the gawky, white Larry Bird. Before long, Mar's coming over to Dave's house every afternoon to watch vintage basketball tapes and plot their hustle to Harvard. But as Dave welcomes his new best friend into his world, he realizes how little he knows about Mar's. Cracks gradually form in their relationship, and Dave starts to become aware of the breaks he's been given--and that Mar has not.

With her whole life ahead of her, beautiful young Grace's world changes forever when she's married off to a much older judge. Soon, feeling lonely and neglected, Grace meets and falls in love with an Indian doctor, Vikram - he's charming, thoughful and kind, everything her husband is not. But this is 1950s Ireland, and when she falls pregnant, the potential scandal must be dealt with. As soon as she has given birth, Grace is sent to an asylum by the judge, while Vikram, told that Grace died in childbirth, returns to India heartbroken. Thirty years later, after the judge's death, his estranged daughter Emma returns home to pack up his estate, where she finds Grace's diaries and begins to piece together the life of the mother she never knew. Meanwhile, Vikram is planning a long-awaited return to Ireland with his much-loved niece, Rosa - who has grown up hearing all about her uncle's long-lost love. There he hopes to stand, at last, at the grave of the woman he adores. When the judge's will is finally read, revealing he has sent letters to Vikram and Emma, the deception spanning both decades and continents finally begins to unravel, exposing long-buried family secrets and raising the question of whether true love can last a lifetime.

Pietro is a lonely boy living in Milan. With his parents becoming more distant each day, the only thing the family shares is their love for the Dolomites, the mountains that hug the northeastern border of Italy. While on vacation at the foot of the mountains, Pietro meets Bruno, an adventurous, spirited local boy. Together they spend many summers exploring the mountain's meadows and peaks and discover the similarities and differences in their lives, their backgrounds, and theirfutures. The two boys come to find the true meaning of friendship and camaraderie, even as their divergent paths in life - Bruno's in the mountains, Pietro's in cosmopolitan cities across the world - test the strength and meaning of their connection..

For a guy who mugs people for their laptops, Tommy Marlo isn't so bad. But this time, he's ripped off the daughter of a high-ranking member of a notorious motorcycle gang. Even worse, the laptop contains proof of a few gruesome murders and the location of a huge stash of money. Bolting to a quiet island, Tommy tries to escape a posse of friends, enemies, and enforcers who want to arrest or rob or kill or possibly even save him. The island won't be quiet for long.

Vermont, 1950. There's a place for the girls whom no one wants. It's called Idlewild Hall. Four roommates bond over their whispered fears, their budding friendship blossoming - until one of them mysteriously disappears. Vermont, 2014. When journalist Fiona Sheridan discovers that Idlewild Hall is being restored by an anonymous benefactor, she decides to write a story about it. But a shocking discovery during the renovations will link the loss of her sister to secrets that were meant to stay hidden in the past - and a voice that won't be silenced.

"An astonishingly incisive and suspenseful novel about a scandal amongst Britain's privileged elite and the women caught up in its wake. Sophie's husband James is a loving father, a handsome man, a charismatic and successful public figure. And yet he stands accused of a terrible crime. Sophie is convinced he is innocent and desperate to protect her precious family from the lies that threaten to rip them apart. Kate is the lawyer hired to prosecute the case: an experienced professional who knows that the law is all about winning the argument. And yet Kate seeks the truth at all times. She is certain James is guilty and is determined he will pay for his crimes. Who is right about James? Sophie or Kate? And is either of them informed by anything more than instinct and personal experience? Despite her privileged upbringing, Sophie is well aware that her beautiful life is not inviolable. She has known it since she and James were first lovers, at Oxford, and she witnessed how easily pleasure could tip into tragedy. Most people would prefer not to try to understand what passes between a man and a woman when they are alone: alone in bed, alone in an embrace, alone in an elevator ... Or alone in the moonlit courtyard of an Oxford college, where a girl once stood before a boy, heart pounding with excitement, then fear. Sophie never understood why her tutorial partner Holly left Oxford so abruptly. What would she think, if she knew the truth?"-- ‡cProvided by publisher.

A winter's night, Venice, 1815. A 217-year-old dog is searching for his lost master. So begins the journey of Tomorrow, a dog who must travel through the courts and battlefields of Europe - and through the centuries - in search of the man who granted him immortality. His adventures take him to the London Frost Fair, the strange court of King Charles I, the wars of the Spanish succession, Versailles, the golden age of Amsterdam and to nineteenth-century Venice. His is a story of loyalty and determination, as Tomorrow befriends both animals and humans, falls in love (only once), marvels at the human ability to make music, despairs at their capacity for war and gains insight into both the strength and frailties of the human spirit.  But Tomorrow's journey is also a race against time. Danger stalks his path, and in the shadows lurks an old enemy. Tomorrow must find his master before their pursuer can reach him and his master disappears forever.

A powerful banker, gunned down in cold blood. A military family, senselessly slaughtered as they sleep. A four-star general, hacked and framed by virtual assassins. When Jake Mahegan receives a distress call from General Savage in North Carolina, he rushes to the commander's home--and walks right into an ambush. Joining forces with Savage's combat JAG officer, Alexandra Russell, Mahegan follows the trail to a killer who goes by the name "Jackknife," a Syrian refugee-turned-terrorist who vows to avenge the bombing of a Syrian wedding. Terrorist cells are gathering in the Blue Ridge Mountains. Hackers are emptying the nation's banks of millions of dollars. And their final act of vengeance will bring the whole world to its knees.

Everyone believes Alex is in a coma, unlikely to ever wake up. As his family debate withdrawing life support and his friends talk about how his girlfriend Bea needs to move on, he can only listen. But Alex soon begins to suspect that the accident that put him here wasn't really an accident. Even worse, the perpetrator is still out there and Alex is not the only one in danger. As he goes over a series of clues from his past, Alex must use his remaining senses to solve the mystery of who tried to kill him and try to protect those he loves before they decide to let him go.

"Married twenty years to Thomas and living in Nashville with their two children, Maggie is drawn ineluctably into a passionate affair while still fiercely committed to her husband and family. What begins as a platonic intellectual and spiritual exchange between writer Maggie and poet James gradually transforms into an emotional and erotically-charged bond that challenges Maggie’s sense of loyalty and morality, drawing her deeper into the darkness of desire."--Provided by the publisher.

"UNCOMMON TYPE contains seventeen stories, each in some way involving a different typewriter (Hanks is an avid collector of vintage typewriters and owns over one hundred of them). The stories feature an immigrant arriving in New York City after his family and life have been torn apart by his country's civil war; a man who bowls a perfect game (and then another, and another), becoming ESPN's newest celebrity; an eccentric billionaire and his faithful executive assistant on the hunt for something larger in America; and the junket life of an actor."--Provided by publisher.

"Harry Ackerson has always considered his stepmother Alice to be sexy and beautiful, in an "otherworldly" way. She has always been kind and attentive, if a little aloof in the last few years. Days before his college graduation, Alice calls with shocking news. His father is dead and the police think it’s suicide. Devastated, Harry returns to his father’s home in Maine. There, he and Alice will help each other pick up of the pieces of their lives and uncover what happened to his father. Shortly after he arrives, Harry meets a mysterious young woman named Grace McGowan. Though she claims to be new to the area, Harry begins to suspect that Grace may not be a complete stranger to his family. But she isn’t the only attractive woman taking an interest in Harry. The sensual Alice is also growing closer, coming on to him in an enticing, clearly sexual way. Mesmerized by these two women, Harry finds himself falling deeper under their spell. Yet the closer he gets to them, the more isolated he feels, disoriented by a growing fear that both women are hiding dangerous—even deadly—secrets . . . and that neither one is telling the truth."--Provided by the publisher.

"This book really captures contemporary New York, the increasing disparity between the wealthy Manhattanites and those who work for them and live in the outer boroughs, and the obsessive search for parking. The title hits exactly the right tone as “alternate side” has several meanings in this novel." --

After the final curtain of Swan Lake, an animated crowd exits the Mariinsky Theatre brimming with excitement from the night's performance. But outside, the scene is somber. A ballerina's body lies facedown in the snow, blood splattered like rose petals over the costume of the Swan Queen. The crowd is silenced by a single cry - "Nemetseva is dead!" Among the theatergoers is Lady Emily, accompanying her dashing husband, Colin, in Russia on assignment from the Crown. But it soon becomes clear that Colin isn't the only one with work to do. When the dead ballerina's aristocratic lover comes begging for justice, Emily must apply her own set of skills to discover the rising star's murderer. Her investigation takes her on a dance across the stage of Tsarist Russia, from the opulence of the Winter Palace to the modest flats of ex-ballerinas and the locked attics of political radicals. A mysterious dancer in white follows closely behind, making waves through St. Petersburg with her surprise performances and trail of red scarves. Is it the sweet Katenka, Nemetseva's childhood friend and favorite rival? The ghost of the murdered étoil herself? Or something more sinister?

An exquisitely crafted coming-of-age novel set in the high-stakes world of English soccer - for readers of Nick Hornby and The Art of Fielding. After his unceremonious release from a Premier League academy at nineteen, Tom feels his bright future slipping away. The only contract offer he receives is from a lower-level club. Away from home for the first time, Tom struggles on and off the field, anxious to avoid the cruel pranks and hazing rituals of his teammates. Then a taboo encounter upends what little stability he has, forcing Tom to reconcile his suppressed desires with his drive to succeed. Meanwhile, the team's popular captain, Chris, is in denial about the state of his marriage. His wife, Leah, has almost forgotten the dreams she once held for her career. As her husband is transferred from club to club, and raising their first child practically on her own, she is lost, disillusioned with where life has taken her.

An accomplished concert pianist, Richard received standing ovations from audiences all over the world in awe of his rare combination of emotional resonance and flawless technique. Richard now has ALS, and his entire right arm is paralyzed. He knows his left arm will go next. When Richard becomes increasingly paralyzed and is no longer able to live on his own, his distant wife Karina becomes his reluctant caretaker. As Richard's muscles, voice, and breath fade, both he and Karina try to reconcile their past before it's too late.

An Italian youth raised to revere the genius artist father who abandoned their family strives to become worthy of his father's attentions through a series of failed career pursuits before he hatches a scheme to secure his father's legacy.

Angela Constantine is a girl born broken. When Angela was young, before she came to realize she had a rare ability, she was a rather ordinary girl. At least, that was what everyone said. But Angela is anything but ordinary. The daughter of a meth addict, she is convinced she was born a freak. Haunted by an abusive childhood, she was forced to become a woman far too soon. And in the process, she became more. Angela Constantine has a secret life. Angela juggles multiple jobs to live a secluded life in a cabin in the mountains. But she also lives a secret life, right under everyone's noses. Because her family's bloodline carries the ability to recognize killers, she adopts a solitary, violent existence in service of her own, personal mission in life. When Angela unexpectedly finds herself the prey of a group of international terrorists, she is the only one who knows the truth of what they are about to do. She might look like an unlikely hero. She might also be our only hope.

Knowledge is power. So when an unassuming Manhattan bassist named Will Dando awakens from a dream one morning with 108 predictions about the future in his head, he rapidly finds himself the most powerful man in the world. Protecting his anonymity by calling himself the Oracle, he sets up a heavily guarded Web site with the help of his friend Hamza to selectively announce his revelations. In no time, global corporations are offering him millions for exclusive access, eager to profit from his prophecies. He's also making a lot of high-powered enemies, from the President of the United States and a nationally prominent televangelist to a warlord with a nuclear missile and an assassin grandmother. Legions of cyber spies are unleashed to hack the Site—as it's come to be called—and the best manhunters money can buy are deployed not only to unmask the Oracle but to take him out of the game entirely. With only a handful of people he can trust—including a beautiful journalist—it's all Will can do just to survive, elude exposure, and protect those he loves long enough to use his knowledge to save the world.

"'I am here. Where are you?' These desperate words link the two protagonists of Hakan Günday’s raw and fearless novel The Few. Derdâ is an eleven-year-old girl pulled out of boarding school by her mother who, without telling her, plans to sell her as a wife to a conservative tribesman. She goes with her new husband to London, where for five years he abuses and all but imprisons her. Even after escaping, Derdâ soon finds herself preyed upon by Londoners as well as other Turkish immigrants who have formed a criminal underworld. In a parallel story set in Turkey, Derda, an eleven-year-old boy, buries his dead mother in secret to avoid being taken to the state orphanage. Alone, he becomes involved with an illegal book printing operation. He finds himself obsessed with a Turkish novelist, who Derda grows convinced died because he felt misunderstood and unappreciated. Increasingly unstable, Derda targets two contemporary writers, whom he accuses of stealing the writer’s fame. The Few is an unflinching story of the vulnerability of the world’s youth when cultures, politics, and generations collide. In a time when countless refugees and children slip through the cracks, it is a powerful admonishment not to forget those who are helpless victims." -- Provided by publisher.

One Christmas morning, while young Amish twins Henry and Harvey are sledding, they find a big black dog wandering in a field. They adopt the Newfoundland and name him Lucky, and he soon becomes their best friend and playmate. When tragedy strikes and Harvey drowns in a spring creek, Henry’s only source of comfort is his furry companion. To make matters worse, the Depression is especially hard on Henry’s parents who have more children than they can care for. He is sent to live with another family, where he becomes enchanted with Katie Stoltzfus. Eventually, Lucky passes away, leaving a hole in Henry’s heart, and he wonders if he will ever find another friend as faithful and loving. As Henry grows up, he has other dogs, but none are as special as the Newfoundland he and his brother once cherished. When Katie marries another man, it seems Henry will never be happy again. Every passing Christmas reminds him of the people and animal friends now missing from his life. Though, no holiday story is complete without a miracle

"When Lewis Wilkins, a physician with a vacation home in Jarrett Creek, is attacked by vicious dogs, and several pet dogs in the area around Jarrett Creek disappear, Police Chief Samuel Craddock suspects that a dog fighting ring is operating in his territory. He has to tread carefully in his investigation, as lawmen who meddle in dog fighting put their lives at risk. The investigation is hampered because Wilkins is not a local. Craddock's focus on the investigation is thrown off by the appearance of a new woman in his life, as well as his accidental acquisition of a puppy. Digging deeper, Craddock discovers that the public face Wilkins presented was at odds with his private actions. A terrible mistake led to his disgrace as a physician, and far from being a stranger, he has ongoing acquaintances with a number of county residents who play fast and loose with the law"-- Provided by publisher.

"As well-versed in politics, pop culture, and crime fiction as he is ill-fated in life, Jack Taylor is recovering from a mistaken medical diagnosis and a failed suicide attempt. In need of money, and with former cop on his resume, Jack has been hired as a night-shift security guard. But his Ukrainian boss has Jack in mind for a bit of off-the-books work. He wants Jack to find what some claim to be the first true book of heresy, The Red Book, currently in the possession of a rogue priest who is hiding out in Galway after fleeing a position at the Vatican. Despite Jack's distaste for priests of any stripe, the money is too good to turn down. Em, the many-faced woman who has had a vise on Jack's heart and mind for the past two years, reappears and turns out to be entangled with the story of The Red Book, too, leading Jack down to ever more mysterious and lethal pathways. It seems all sides are angling for a piece of Jack Taylor, but as The Ghosts of Galway twists toward a violent end, he is increasingly plagued by ghosts--by the disposable and disposed of in a city filled with as much darkness as the deepest corners of Jack's own mind."

Unfortunately, Krissy's been roped into filling in for a sick elf in the local holiday musical extravaganza. With a demanding director, backstage gossip, and two men in fierce competition for the starring role, it isn't all sweetness and Christmas lights. Then a murder puts a stop to the production, and Krissy is faced with a pageant of suspects. Could her ex-boyfriend, a fellow elf, really be the culprit as the police are claiming? Or will the actor playing Santa be trading his red suit for an orange jumpsuit? When her behind-the-scenes investigation starts getting dangerous, the only thing Krissy really wants is to make it to Christmas dinner alive. But first she'll have to finish wrapping up this case...

"Detroit hitman Peter Macklin forces private eye Amos Walker to furnish protection for Laurie, Macklin's estranged wife, while Macklin tracks down the party who has threatened to kill her. The man Walker’s client suspects cannot be ignored; as his own grown son, Roger Macklin has inherited all the instincts, and acquired all the training necessary to carry out his threat. Told partly by Walker in first-person and partly by Macklin in third, Black and White Ball places the detective squarely between two remorseless killers, with death waiting whether he succeeds or fails."--

"New York Times bestselling author Anne Hillerman brings together modern mystery, Navajo traditions, and the evocative landscape of the desert Southwest in this intriguing entry in the Leaphorn, Chee, and Manuelito series. When Tribal Police Officer Bernadette Manuelito arrives to speak at an outdoor character-building program for at-risk teens, she discovers chaos. Annie, a young participant on a solo experience due back hours before, has just returned and is traumatized. Gently questioning the girl, Bernie learns that Annie stumbled upon a human skeleton on her trek. While everyone is relieved that Annie is back, they're concerned about a beloved instructor who went out into the wilds of the rugged lava wilderness bordering Ramah Navajo Reservation to find the missing girl. The instructor vanished somewhere in the volcanic landscape known as El Malpais. In Navajo lore, the lava caves and tubes are believed to be the solidified blood of a terrible monster killed by superhuman twin warriors. Solving the twin mysteries will expose Bernie to the chilling face of human evil. The instructor's disappearance mirrors a long-ago search that may be connected to a case in which the legendary Joe Leaphorn played a crucial role. But before Bernie can find the truth, an unexpected blizzard, a suspicious accidental drowning, and the arrival of a new FBI agent complicate the investigation. While Bernie searches for answers in her case, her husband, Sergeant Jim Chee juggles trouble closer to home. A vengeful man he sent to prison for domestic violence is back--and involved with Bernie's sister Darleen. Their relationship creates a dilemma that puts Chee in uncomfortable emotional territory that challenges him as family man, a police officer, and as a one-time medicine man in training. Anne Hillerman takes us deep into the heart of the deserts, mountains, and forests of New Mexico and once again explores the lore and rituals of Navajo culture in this gripping entry in her atmospheric crime series"--

"It wasn't supposed to be like this." That's what Daphne Marist says at the first meeting of her new mother's group. Daphne is wildly in love with her baby, Chloe, but she's also plagued by fear and self-doubt. So when her fellow new mother Laurel Hobbes strikes up a friendship, Daphne is thrilled. Laurel, whose daughter is also named Chloë, is everything Daphne isn't: confident, charismatic, and sophisticated. She encourages Daphne to join her gym, highlight her hair, and eat kale salads and soon the two women start to look alike, dress alike, and talk alike. But Daphne realizes only too late that being friends with Laurel will come at a price - one that she might not be willing to pay...

Sola Morte, former cat burglar and safecracker, has given up her old life on the wrong side of the law. On the run from a drug lord’s family, she is lying low far from Caldwell, keeping her nose clean and her beloved grandmother safe. Her heart, though, is back up north, with the only man who has ever gotten through her defenses: Assail, son of Assail, who never meant to fall in love—and certainly not with a human woman. But they have no future, and not just because she doesn’t know he is a vampire, but because he is not about to stop dealing arms to the Black Dagger Brotherhood. Fate, however, has other plans for them. When Assail falls into a coma and lingers on the verge of death, his cousins seek out Sola and beg her to give him a reason to live. The last thing she wants is a return to her past, but how can she leave him to die? As a lethal new enemy of the vampires shows its face, and the Brotherhood needs Assail back on his feet, Sola finds herself not only a target, but a mission-critical force in a war she doesn’t understand. And when Assail’s truth comes out, will she run from the horror . . . or follow her heart into the arms of the male who loves her more than life itself?

Teddi Lerner left her hometown years ago, but Shayna persuaded "Aunt Tee" to return to Chance, Ohio, to photograph her father's wedding. Even though it's been six years since Shay's mother, Celia, died, Teddi can hardly bear the thought of her best friend's husband marrying someone else. As Teddi looks through her viewfinder, nothing in her small town looks the same. That's when she truly sees the hurt she's caused. And-- maybe-- how to fix it.

San Francisco. Summer 1947. A dame walks into a saloon... It's not every afternoon that a enigmatic, comely blonde named Stilton (like the cheese) walkes into the scruffy gin joint where Sammy "Two Toes" Tiffin tends bar. It's love at first sight, but before Sammy can make his move, an Air Force general named Remy arrives with some urgent business. 'Cause when you need something done, Sammy is the guy to go to; he's got the connections on the street. Meanwhile, a suspicious flying object has been spotted up the Pacific coast near Mount Rainier, followed by a mysterious plane crash in a distant patch of desert in New Mexico that goes by the name Roswell. But that's nothing compared to the real weirdness happening in the City by the Bay. Before long, Sammy and the Cheese are making time and having a gas. But when one of Sammy's schemes goes south and the lady vanishes, Sammy must contend with his own dark secrets as he follows a tortuous trail from Chinatown to Telegraph Hill to a hidden forest enclave in a desperate search to find his girl.

"A journalist's execution by a New York City group pledging fealty to ISIS turns personal when the killers announce that their next victim will be NYPD Captain Nikki Heat's husband, a case that is further complicated by glimpses of a woman Nikki recognizes as her long-dead mother."--

After a party when her parents are away, eighteen-year-old Kerry Dowling is found fully dressed at the bottom of the family pool. Kerry's older sister Aline, a twenty-eight-year-old guidance counsellor, is determined to assist the Prosecutor's Office in learning the truth. She does not realize that now she is putting her own life in danger.

"One explosion. Three women. Countless secrets. Cecily was supposed to be in the building that exploded in Chicago and killed her husband. Franny lost her birth mother - Cecily's best friend - in the destruction shortly after the two met. A thousand miles away in Montreal, Kate is trying to create a new life. But what led her to leave Chicago in the first place? With surprising twists and turns, this is a riveting read that will make readers wonder how far they'd go to hide their own secrets."

Rose Woodrowe has just got engaged to Tyler Masson - a wonderful, sensitive man who is head-over-heels in love with her. The only problem? This isn't the first time for either of them, and their five grown-up children have stong opinions on the matter... Like Rose's daughter, Laura, who remembers her parents' painful divorce and doesn't want to see her mother hurt again. Or the twins, Emmy and Nat, who simply don't trust the man their mother has fallen for. Then there's Tyler's children: Seth, too busy with his San Francisco sourdough bakery to get to know his father's new partner; and Mallory, the aspiring actress, who is still wrestling with the issues of her own childhood. Who to listen to? Who to please? Rose and Tyler are determined to get it right this time, but in trying to make everyone happy, can they ever be happy themselves?

Stone Barrington is enjoying a round of golf in Key West when the game is violently interrupted -- and it seems as if the target of the disturbance may have been one of his playing companions, the brilliant businesswoman behind a software startup on the cutting edge of technology. Soon, it becomes clear that this incident is only the first thrust in a deadly scheme to push the beautiful young woman out of the way and put her company's valuable secrets up for grabs. From the sun-soaked Florida shores to an idyllic English country retreat, Stone embarks on a quest to protect his lovely new companion while searching for the mastermind behind the plot against her. But he may find that her enemy is far more resourceful - and dangerous - than he could have anticipated.

"When several major political figures die mysteriously, officials declare the deaths are from natural causes. Then the German Vice-Chancellor dies on the steps of 10 Downing Street, and a drone is spotted hovering over the scene. The truth becomes clear -- these high-profile deaths are well-constructed assassinations, and the Covert Eyes team is tasked to investigate. With the help of Dr. Isabella Marin, a young expert in the enigmatic Voynich Manuscript and cryptophasia (twin language), Nicholas and Michaela home in on Roman Ardelean, a wealthy cybersecurity genius and a descendant of fifteenth century Romanian Vlad the Impaler -- often romanticized as Dracula. Ardelean believes the Voynich Manuscript will unlock the secret to curing his severely ill twin brother's blood disorder and is willing to murder anyone who gets in his way, including Nicholas and Michaela. Along with MI5, the Covert Eyes team must race against the clock to find Ardelean before he unleashes a devastating attack on London intended to destroy those he believes betrayed him." --

"Summer descends over the picturesque King's Cove (near Nelson, BC) as Inspector Darling and Lane Winslow's mutual affection blossoms. But their respite from solving crime is cut short when a British government official arrives in Nelson to compel Darling to return to England for questioning about the death of a rear gunner under his command in 1943."-- Provided by publisher.

Cast adrift in 1870s San Francisco after the death of her mother, a girl named Olive disguises herself as a boy and works as a lighthouse keeper's assistant on the Farallon Islands to escape the dangers of a world unkind to young women. In 1941, nomad Victor scours the Sierras searching for refuge from a home to which he never belonged. And in the present day, precocious fifteen year-old Lily struggles, despite her willfulness, to find a place for herself amongst the small town attitudes of Burning Hills, Oregon.

Carol Evers is a woman with a dark secret. She has died many times...but her many deaths are not final: They are comas, a waking slumber indistinguishable from death, each lasting days. Only two people know of Carol’s eerie condition. One is her husband, Dwight, who married Carol for her fortune, and -- when she lapses into another coma -- plots to seize it by proclaiming her dead and quickly burying her...alive. The other is her lost love, the infamous outlaw James Moxie. When word of Carol’s dreadful fate reaches him, Moxie rides the Trail again to save his beloved from an early, unnatural grave. And all the while, awake and aware, Carol fights to free herself from the crippling darkness that binds her -- summoning her own fierce will to survive. As the players in this drama of life and death fight to decide her fate, Carol must in the end battle to save herself.

"In the seventeenth installment in Peter Lovesey's timeless British detective series, Peter Diamond digs deep into Bath history to ferret out the secrets of one of its most famous (and scandalous) icons: Richard "Beau" Nash, who might have been the victim of a centuries-old murder. Bath, England: A wrecking crew is demolishing a row of townhouses in order to build a grocery store when they uncover a skeleton in one of the attics. The dead man is wearing authentic 1760s garb and on the floor next to it is a white tricorn hat--the ostentatious signature accessory of Beau Nash, one of Bath's most famous historical men-about-town, a fashion icon and incurable rake who, some say, ended up in a pauper's grave. Or did the Beau actually end up in a townhouse attic? The Beau Nash Society will be all in a tizzy when the truth is revealed to them. Chief Inspector Peter Diamond, who has been assigned to identify the remains, begins to fantasize about turning Nash scholarship on its ear. But one of his constables is stubbornly insisting the corpse can't be Nash's--the non-believer threatens to spoil Diamond's favorite theory, especially when he offers some pretty irrefutable evidence. Is Diamond on a historical goose chase? Should he actually be investigating a much more modern murder?"-- Provided by publisher.

"In the newest mystery from the national bestselling author of Where the Dead Lie, a brutal murder draws Sebastian St. Cyr into the web of the royal court, where intrigue abounds and betrayal awaits. London, 1814. As a cruel winter holds the city in its icy grip, the bloody body of a beautiful young musician is found half-buried in a snowdrift. Jane Ambrose's ties to Princess Charlotte, the only child of the Prince Regent and heir presumptive to the throne, panic the palace, which moves quickly to shut down any investigation into the death of the talented pianist. But Sebastian St. Cyr, Viscount Devlin, and his wife Hero refuse to allow Jane's murderer to escape justice. Untangling the secrets of Jane's world leads Sebastian into a maze of dangerous treachery where each player has his or her own unsavory agenda and no one can be trusted. As the Thames freezes over and the people of London pour onto the ice for a Frost Fair, Sebastian and Hero find their investigation circling back to the palace and building to a chilling crescendo of deceit and death"--

As the fight for Mytica rages, Jonas, Lucia, Amara, Magnus and Cleo must decide how much more they're willing to sacrifice. Dark magic is causing widespread destruction throughout the kingdom. Enemies across the sea are advancing. And unrest is stirring throughout the land. Are they strong enough to withstand the outside forces tearing them apart?

In this "historical suspense, Ariel Lawhon unravels the extraordinary twists and turns in Anna Anderson's 50-year battle to be recognized as Anastasia Romanov. Is she the Russian Grand Duchess, a beloved daughter and revered icon, or is she an imposter, the thief of another woman's legacy?"--

"Noah Alderman, a doctor and a widower, has remarried a wonderful woman, Maggie, and for the first time in a long time he and his son are happy. But their lives are turned upside down when Maggie's daughter Anna moves in with them. Anna is a gorgeous seventeen-year-old who balks at living under their rules though Maggie, ecstatic to have her daughter back, ignores the red flags that hint at the trouble that is brewing. Events take a deadly turn when Anna is murdered and Noah is accused of the crime. Maggie must face not only the devastation of losing her only daughter, but the realization that her daughter's murder was at the hands of a husband she loves. New information sends Maggie searching for the truth, leading her to discover something darker than she could have ever imagined"

"Mike Hayes fought his way out of a brutal childhood and into a quiet, if lonely, life before he met Verity. V was the first person to understand him. To love him. In return, Mike has dedicated his life to making her happy. He's secured the right job; he's found the perfect home; he's sculpted himself into the physical ideal V has always wanted. He's ready to start their blissful life together. It doesn't matter that V hasn't been returning his e-mails or phone calls. It doesn't matter that she says she's marrying Angus. It's all just part of the secret game they used to play. As long as Mike watches V closely, he'll see the signs. If he keeps track of her every move, he'll know just when to come to her rescue..." -- Provided by the publisher.

In a narrative as beguiling and mysterious as memory itself--shadowed and luminous at once--we read the story of fourteen-year-old Nathaniel, and his older sister, Rachel. In 1945, just after World War II, they stay behind in London when their parents move to Singapore, leaving them in the care of a mysterious figure named The Moth. They suspect he might be a criminal, and they grow both more convinced and less concerned as they come to know his eccentric crew of friends: men and women joined by a shared history of unspecified service during the war, all of whom seem, in some way, determined now to protect, and educate (in rather unusual ways) Rachel and Nathaniel. But are they really what and who they claim to be? And what does it mean when the siblings' mother returns after months of silence without their father, explaining nothing, excusing nothing? A dozen years later, Nathaniel begins to uncover all that he didn't know and understand in that time, and it is this journey--through facts, recollection, and imagination--that he narrates in this masterwork from one of the great writers of our time.

"A gripping and timely novel that follows Sigrid--the dry-witted detective from Derek B. Miller's best-selling debut Norwegian by Night--from Oslo to the United States on a quest to find her missing brother ... Chief Inspector Sigrid Ødegård could be basking in the success of her recent mission to save an innocent child who'd gone missing in Oslo, but instead she is reeling from the deadly showdown that preceded that success. She has decided to take some time off from her job and visit her father at the family farm, where she hopes to relax and consider the implications of her role in recent events. Unfortunately her father has other plans for her. "You're going to America," he tells her. Why? To look for her older brother, Marcus. He's missing. And more than that, it seems his disappearance is connected in some way to the death of a woman he loved--an African-American professor named Lydia Jones. A connection now being investigated by a certain Sheriff Irving Wylie ... Like Norwegian by Night, which had "the brains of a literary novel and the body of a thriller" (New York Times), American by Day is both thought-provoking and suspenseful. Through the eyes of the inimitable Inspector Ødegård, Derek Miller offers a refreshingly funny, disturbing, and slyly perceptive vision of American life."--

"For all of the War Between the States, Marlie Lynch has helped the cause in peace: with coded letters about anti-Rebel uprisings in her Carolina woods, tisanes and poultices for Union prisoners, and silent aid to fleeing slave and Freeman alike. Her formerly enslaved mother's traditions and the name of a white father she never knew have protected her--until the vicious Confederate Home Guard claims Marlie's home for their new base of operations in the guerilla war against Southern resistors of the Rebel cause. Unbeknowst to those under her roof, escaped prisoner Ewan McCall is sheltering in her laboratory. Seemingly a quiet philosopher, Ewan has his own history with the cruel captain of the Home Guard, and a thoughtful but unbending strength Marlie finds irresistible. When the revelation of a stunning family secret places Marlie's freedom on the line, she and Ewan have to run for their lives into the hostile Carolina night. Following the path of the Underground Railroad, they find themselves caught up in a vicious battle that could dash their hopes of love--and freedom--before they ever cross state lines."--

It's a week before Christmas and Louisa Graham is working twelve hour shifts at a bakery on Manhattan's Lower East Side. When a young cooking show assistant comes in from the rain and begs to buy all the cinnamon rolls on her tray, she doesn't know what to do. Louisa is just the baker, and they aren't hers to sell. But the show burned the rolls they were supposed to film that day; so she agrees. The next morning, Louisa finds out that her cinnamon rolls were a hit, but the star of the show was allergic, and the whole crew is supposed to leave for London that afternoon. They want Louisa to step in for their annual Christmas Eve Dinner TV special at Claridge's. It's a great opportunity, and Digby Bunting, Louisa's famous baking idol, will be there. Even if he does seem more interested in her than her food. And then there's Kate, the show's beautiful producer. On their first day in London she runs into the skinny boy she jilted at St. Andrew's in Scotland ten years ago. Now he's a handsome, brilliant mathematician, and newly divorced. Their familiar spark is still there, but so is the scar of how they left things. Kate and Louisa are busy preparing for the show, but old and new flames are complicating their work.

"When Quinn Cruz receives a cryptic text message from her older sister, Nora, she doesn't think much of it. They haven't seen each other in nearly a year, and their relationship consists mostly of infrequent phone calls and the occasional e-mail. But when a haunted-looking Nora shows up just hours later, a chain reaction is set into motion that will change both of their lives forever. It's a matter of life and death, of family and freedom, and the lengths a woman will go to protect the ones she loves"--Page 4 of cover.

"This is the story of a lifelong female friendship, set in the fascinating art world of Sweden between 1900 and 1940, just as modern art and the beginnings of the Scandinavian mid-century modern design movement were inspiring a creative revolution across northern Europe. Loosely based on the lives of celebrated artists Carl Larsson and Anders Zorn ('Nils Olsson' and 'Lars Vogt' in the novel), Ashenburg transports us behind both the public and domestic scenes -- and canvasses -- of these larger-than-life men to reveal the lesser-known but equally astounding and rich stories of the women who married them: restlessly creative artist-in-her-own-right Sofie Olsson, and fiercely private and intelligent curator Cecilia Vogt." --

"The long-awaited nuptials of a woman to the love of her life are thrown into turmoil and drama by family dynamics involving her daughters, including one whose husband has just revealed an affair and another who falls for her soon-to-be stepbrother."--

"A post-apocalyptic fantasy about war, faith, and waiting for space shuttles. In the city of Cape Canaveral, the royal establishment is steeped in excess, and science has been corrupted into a blood-soaked religion. When an outcast girl is captured by a self-styled prophet and warlord, she is thrust into his violent designs on the throne. As war nears, Aurora must decide, is she willing to become her captor's queen? What violence must she do, and at what cost? Then two strange lights appear in the sky. Have the miraculous shuttles of their forebears returned, or have their beliefs led them all to ruin?"--

As the longtime local carpool mom, Frances Bloom is sometimes an unwilling witness to her neighbors' private lives. She knows her cousin is hiding her desire for another baby from her spouse, Bill Horton's wife is mysteriously missing, and now this... After the shock of seeing Anne Porter in all her extramarital glory, Frances vows to stay in her own lane. But that's a notion easier said than done when Anne's husband throws her out a couple of days later. the repercussions of the affair reverberate through the four carpool families - and Frances finds herself navigating a moral minefield that could make or break a marriage.

Beijing, 1322. Sixteen-year-old Johanna is the granddaughter of the legendary trader Marco Polo. In the wake of her father's death, Johanna finds that lineage counts for little amid the disintegrating court of the Khan as dynastic loyalties are shifting. Johanna's destiny -- if she has one -- lies with her grandfather, in Venice, more than a continent away at the very edge of the known world. So, with a small band of companions, she takes to the road -- the Silk Road -- that storied collection of routes that link the silks of Cathay, the spices of the Indies and the jewels of the Indus to the markets of the West. But first she must survive treachery and betrayal on a road beset by thieves, fanatics, pillaging armies and warlords...

"Everyone has an idea of what their perfect life is. For Agatha, it's Meghan Shaughnessy's. These two women from vastly different backgrounds have one thing in common - a dangerous secret that could destroy everything they hold dear. Both will risk everything to hide the truth, but their worlds are about to collide in a shocking act that cannot be undone."

January 1927, Agatha Christie is on board a luxury liner bound for the exotic Canary Islands. But this is no vacation for the world-famous mystery writer; she is traveling at the behest of the British Secret Service, which wants her to investigate the murder of Douglas Greene, a brilliant young agent who met an untimely and gruesome end. Mid-voyage, a new tragedy casts a shadow over the ship when Christie hears a scream and witnesses a young woman flinging herself over the rails to her certain death. After arriving at the idyllic Grand Hotel nestled in a lush valley on the island of Tenerife, Mrs. Christie meets an eccentric and fascinating cast of character, several of whom prove to have good reason to be on her list of suspects. Far from home and uncertain of herself, Christie must rely on her unrivaled understanding of the criminal mind in order to find the truth. But she comes to learn that murder in the real world is very different from murder on the page.

"Wyoming game warden Joe Pickett has two lethal cases to contend with in the electrifying new novel from #1 New York Times-bestselling author C. J. Box. Wyoming's new governor isn't sure what to make of Joe Pickett, but he has a job for him that is extremely delicate. A prominent female British executive never came home from the high-end guest ranch she was visiting, and the British Embassy is pressing hard. Pickett knows that happens sometimes--these ranches are stocked with handsome young cowboys, and "ranch romances" aren't uncommon. But no sign of her months after she vanished? That suggests something else. At the same time, his friend Nate Romanowski has asked Joe to intervene with the feds on behalf of falconers who can no longer hunt with eagles even though their permits are in order. Who is blocking the falconers and why? The more he investigates both cases, the more someone wants him to go away. Is it because of the missing woman or because he's become Nate's advocate? Or are they somehow connected? The answers, when they come, will be even worse than he'd imagined"--

"Who is Nola Brown? Nola is a mystery. Nola is trouble. And Nola is supposed to be dead. Her body was found on a plane that mysteriously fell from the sky as it left a secret military base in the Alaskan wilderness. Her commanding officer verifies she's dead. The US government confirms it. But Jim "Zig" Zigarowski has just found out the truth: Nola is still alive. And on the run."--

"Wyoming’s new governor isn’t sure what to make of Joe Pickett, but he has a job for him that is extremely delicate. A prominent British businesswoman never came home from the high-end guest ranch she was visiting, and the British Embassy is pressing hard. Pickett knows that happens sometimes – these ranches are stocked with handsome young cowboys, and “ranch romances” aren’t uncommon. But no sign of her months after she vanished? That suggests something else. At the same time, his friend Nate Romanowski has asked Joe to intervene with the feds on behalf of an issue passionately felt by falconers, but inexplicably being blocked. It seems like a matter of lesser importance to Joe right now, but the more he digs into both cases, the more someone is trying to stop him. Is it because of the missing woman or the falconers? Or are they somehow connected? The answers, when they come, will be even worse than Joe could even have imagined."--

Fifty years after the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., former Justice Department operative Cotton Malone must reckon with the truth of what really happened in Memphis on April 4, 1968. It all turns on an incident from eighteen years ago, when Malone, as a young Navy lawyer, is trying hard not to live up to his burgeoning reputation as a maverick. When Stephanie Nelle, a high-level Justice Department lawyer, seeks his help to investigate a delicate situation involving a stolen rare coin and a rogue FBI faction, he jumps at the opportunity. But he soon discovers that two opposing forces - the Justice Department and the FBI - are at war over a cadre of secret files containing explosive revelations about what really happened on that fateful April day. The information could ruin innocent lives and even threaten the legacy of the civil rights movement's greatest martyr. Malone, caught in the midst of this clash, ultimately discovers a truth more shocking than anyone could have imagined.

Promoting themselves from genteel poverty to fame, two beautiful sisters, one a daring fashion designer and the other a writer of scandalous novels, become each other's most staunch supporter and harshest critic in the face of misunderstandings and confidences.

Tessa Jamison couldn't have imagined anything worse than losing her beloved twin girls and husband - until she was convicted of their murder. For ten years, she has counted off the days in Florida's Correctional Center for Women, fully expecting to die behind bars. Fighting to prove her innocence holds little appeal now that her family's gone. But one extraordinary day, her lawyers announce that Tessa's conviction has been overturned on a technicality, and she's released on bail to await a new trial. Hounded by the press, Tessa retreats to the small tropical island owned by her late husband's pharmaceutical company. There, she begins to gather knowledge about her case. For the first time since her nightmare began, Tessa feels a sense of purpose in working to expose the truth and avenge her family. One by one, the guilty will be led to justice, and Tessa can gain closure. But will she be able to learn the whole truth at last...and reclaim her freedom and her future?

Here it is the ultimate hilarious, cynical, but absolutely realistic view of a college graduate's future. And what he or she can or can't do about it. This is Carl Hiaasen's attempt to prepare young men and women for their future. And who better to warn them about their precarious paths forward than Carl Hiaasen? The answer, after reading this book, is: nobody. This is also a good gift for anyone starting a job, getting married or recently released from prison. Because it is not just funny - It is, in its own Hiaasen way, extremely wise and even hopeful.

"Roy Olfetrie planned to be an officer in the Republic of Cinnabar but when his father was unmasked as a white-collar criminal he had to take whatever was offered. What is offered is a chance to accompany Captain Daniel Leary and Lady Adele Mundy as they go off to start a war that will put Roy at the sharp end. Duty snatches Roy from the harem of a pirate chief to a world of monsters, from interstellar reaches in a half-wrecked starship to assassination attempts at posh houses. The action doesn't slow and nor can Roy. Captain Leary himself has given Roy a chance and he is determined to make the most of it"

Sparks are champions of (weird) science, complete with capes and costumes and amazing superpowers that only make sense if you don't think about them too hard. Darklings are creatures of myth and magic: ghosts, vampires, were-beasts, and the like. Doors creak at their approach. Cobwebs gather where they linger. Kim Lam is just an ordinary college student until a freak scientific accident (what else?) transforms Kim and her three housemates into honest-to-goodness Sparks-- and drafts them into the never-ending war between the Light and Dark. Now they have to master their new abilities, while coming up with cool new costumes and code names for themselves. But the learning curve is steep and there's no time to lose.

"An accident involving the father of a boy suspected of doing drugs finds Commissario Guido Brunetti pursuing a series of false and contradictory leads before uncovering a long-standing scam and unleashing unintentional consequences."--

As a low-level enforcer in Los Angeles, Ken Swift knows danger, but nowhere does he feel it more than in his tangled romances. Divorced from one woman, in love with another, and wrestling with a strong desire to get to know a third, his life is far from perfect, and it becomes all the more complicated when his troubled daughter resurfaces on the same day as a major job. Margaux is pregnant, bitter, and desperate: she needs

"Lucas Davenport had crossed paths with her before.A rich psychopath, Taryn Grant had run successfully for the U.S. Senate, where Lucas had predicted she'd fit right in. He was also convinced that she'd been responsible for three murders, though he'd never been able to prove it. Once a psychopath had gotten that kind of rush, though, he or she often needed another fix, so he figured he might be seeing her again.He was right. A federal marshal now, with a very wide scope of investigation, he's heard rumors that Grant has found her seat on the Senate intelligence committee, and the contacts she's made from it, to be very...useful. Pinning those rumors down was likely to be just as difficult as before, and considerably more dangerous.But they had unfinished business, he and Grant. One way or the other, he was going to see it through to the end."--Provided by the publisher.

When the Black Death enters England through the port of Melcombe in Dorseteshire in June 1348, no one knows what manner of sickness it is or how it spreads and kills so quickly. The Church cites God as the cause, and religious fear grips the people as they come to believe that the plague is a punishment for wickedness. But Lady Anne of Develish has her own ideas. Educated by nuns, Anne is a rarity among women, being both literate and knowledgeable. With her brutal husband absent from Develish when news of this pestilence reaches her, she takes the decision to look for more sensible ways to protect her people than daily confessions of sin. Well-versed in the importance of isolating the sick from the well, she withdraws her people inside the moat that surrounds her manor house and refuses entry even to her husband. She makes an enemy of her daughter and her husband's steward by doing so, but her resolve is strengthened by the support of her leading serfs ... until food stocks run low and the nerves of all are tested by continued confinement and ignorance of what is happening in the world outside. The people of Develish are alive. But for how long? And what will they discover when the time comes for them to cross the moat?

"Mary Cyr opens in Mexico, just as a disaster strikes a small town: a coal-mine has collapsed, with six men trapped inside. Less than forty-eight hours later, the authorities summarily decide to abandon all hope of finding survivors and seal up the mine entrance - willfully oblivious to the half-dozen souls still breathing below ground. Shortly after that, a thirteen-year-old Mexican boy, Vincent, is discovered dead in the hotel room of a Canadian visitor - a 45-year-old woman, and heiress to a vast fortune, who goes by the name Mary Cyr. Thus begins this shocking, brilliant and compelling novel - a late-career tour de force by one of our most unique and powerful writers. In his last couple of novels, David Adams Richards has widened the scope of his vision and his world, taking us into far-flung countries and lives even as his beloved territory of New Brunswick's Miramichi remains his touchstone, the spot to which all his stories return. In Mary Cyr, the unwinding tale will take us from a harsh jail cell in Mexico, where Mary Cyr is imprisoned, deep into Canadian police officer John Delano's past, and even further into the murky depths of a wealthy New Brunswick family whose ties to mining, newspapers and a host of other interests lead to the highest corridors of power. At the heart of this maelstrom lies a woman who is compromised and confused, but also poignant, wounded and well-intentioned: the beautiful and tragic Mary Cyr."--

Greer Kadetsky is a shy college freshman when she meets the woman she hopes will change her life. Faith Frank, dazzlingly persuasive and elegant at sixty-three, has been a central pillar of the women's movement for decades, a figure who inspires others to influence the world. Upon hearing Faith speak for the first time, Greer--madly in love with her boyfriend, Cory, but still full of longing for an ambition that she can't quite place--feels her inner world light up. And then, astonishingly, Faith invites Greer to make something out of that sense of purpose, leading Greer down the most exciting path of her life as it winds toward and away from her meant-to-be love story with Cory and the future she'd always imagined.

In 1492, two history-altering events occurred: the Jewish and Muslim populations of Spain were expelled, and Columbus set sail for America. Many Spanish Jews chose not to flee and instead become Christian in name only, maintaining their true religious identity and traditions in secret. Among them is Luis de Torres, who accompanies Columbus as an interpreter. His journey is only the beginning of a long migration. Over the centuries, de Torre's descendants travel from Spain and Portugal to the hills of New Mexico, settling there long before the Pilgrims arrived in New England. Five hundred years later, in these same hills, Miguel Torres, a young amateur astronomer, finds himself trying to understand the mystery that surrounds him and the town where he was raised. Entrada de la Luna is a place that ambitious children try to leave. Poor health, broken marriages, and poverty are the norm. Good luch is unusual. When Miguel sees a flyer for a babysitting job in Santa Fe, he jumps at the opportunity and begins work for a Jewish family. Rachel Rothstein is not the sort of parent Miguel expected. A frustrated artist, Rachel moved her family from New York in search of a fresh start, but so far New Mexico has not solved the problems she brought with her. Miguel loves the work, yet he is surprised to find many of the Rothstein family's customs similar to the ones he grew up with and never understood.

1957, Munich. Bernie Gunther’s latest move in a long string of varied careers sees him working for an insurance company. It makes a kind of sense: both cops and insurance companies have a vested interest in figuring out when people are lying to them, and Bernie has a lifetime of experience to call on. Sent to Athens to investigate a claim from a fellow German for a ship that has sunk, Bernie takes an instant dislike to the claimant. When he discovers the ship in question once belonged to a Greek Jew deported to Auschwitz, he is convinced the sinking was no accident but an avenging arson attack. Then the claimant is found dead, shot through both eyes. It’s a win for Bernie’s employers at least: no one to pay out to even if the claim is genuine. But who is behind the murder, and why? Strong-armed into helping the Greek police with their investigation, Bernie is once again drawn inexorably back to the dark history of the Second World War, and the deportation of the Jews of Salonika – now Thessaloniki. As Europe seems ready to move on to a more united future with Germany as a partner rather than an enemy, at least one person in Greece is ready neither to forgive nor forget. And, deep down, Bernie thinks they may have a point.

"Madness has taken hold of Prosperity, North Carolina. Residents are killing one another, as if in a dream, and waking up with no memory of the monstrous acts they've committed -- or why. As the death toll climbs, the local sheriff's department is further rocked by a murder carried out by one of their own. Deputy Katie Cole knows that whatever monster is afoot is beyond her scope. The Special Crimes Unit is called in for their specific brand of investigation. It will take all their training, all their experience, and every extra sense they can call on to get to the bottom of things in Prosperity. And as a dark pattern begins to emerge, even the most experienced and hardened SCU agents have to wonder if this is beyond their understanding." -- Provided by publisher.

The richest of New York's rich gather at The Pierre's Cotillion Room to raise money for those less fortunate. A fatal blast rocks the room, stirring up horrifying memories of 9/11. Is the explosion an act or terrorism--or a homicide? A big-name female filmmaker is the next to die, in a desolate corner of New York City. Detectives Zach Jordan and Kylie MacDonald of the elite NYPD task force investigate, and the intimate details of the director's life remind them of their own impossible situation--their personal relationship seems as unsolvable as the murders. The crimes keep escalating as a shadowy killer masterfully plays out his vendetta--and threatens to take down NYPD Red in the bargain.

The new novel from the bestselling author of Under the Tuscan Sun tells the story of four American women who become unexpected friends when they move to a beautiful villa in Tuscany. She watches from her terrazza as the three American women carry their luggage into the stone villa down the hill. Who are they, and what brings them to this Tuscan village so far from home? Kit Raine, an American writer living in the small Italian town of San Rocco, is working on a biography of her close friend, the novelist Margaret Merrill. But her work is waylaid by the arrival of three women - Julia, Camille and Susan - all of whom have recently formed a friendship that will uproot them completely and redirect their lives. For Susan, the most fearless of the three, has enticed them to subvert expectations of a staid retirement in the States by taking on the lease of a big, beautiful house in Tuscany ... Though novices in a foreign culture, their renewed sense of adventure imbues each of them with a bright sense of bravery, a spirited lust for life, and a fierce determination to thrive. With Kit's friendship and guidance, the three friends launch themselves into Italian life, pursuing passions long-forgotten - with drastic and unforeseeable results.

The spectacular scenery and craggy beaches draw tourists to the small Oregon town of Sunset Bay. But Sanctuary Ranch offers a different kind of experience: a refuge for people--and animals--desperate for a new beginning... Haylee Hansen has made a career out of caring for and training the dogs and horses on her aunt's ranch. Part halfway house, part work camp, it also gives troubled kids and adults the tough love they so desperately need. Haylee should know. She was her aunt's first success story. But now her turbulent past is about to show up on her doorstep... After thirteen years running a level one emergency room in Portland, Aiden McCall arrives in Sunset Bay a broken man. Anger and anxiety have nearly taken over his life--and could sabotage his new job at the local hospital. Until someone proposes an unconventional solution: a therapy dog. Haylee has seen her share of damaged people, but no one like Aiden. As she tries to match him with the perfect dog, he'll help her to see that no one has a perfect life. And that opening yourself up to love is the only way to heal your soul...

When archaeologist Neil Watson unearths a long-buried mechanical figure in a Dartmoor field, he is determined to discover the truth behind the bizarre find. Soon, however, the village becomes the focus of press attention when two people are found shot dead in nearby Manor Field. DI Wesley Peterson is called in to investigate, but the murders aren't his only problem. The daughter of a local MP has gone missing. And a woman Wesley helped on a previous investigation finds herself subjected to a campaign of terror. Is there a link between the double murder and the accidental death of a young history student in Manor Field 20 years ago? And just what is the true identity of the Mechanical Devil?

"Charlotte has spent her twenties adrift, searching for a spark to jump-start her life and give her a sense of purpose. Shes had as many jobs as shes had bad relationships, and now shes feeling especially lost in her less-than-glamorous gig at a pie-and-fry joint in Los Angeles, where the uniforms are bad and the tips are even worse. Then she collidesliterallywith Adam, an intriguing, handsome, and mysterious painter. Their serendipitous meeting on the street turns into a whirlwind one-night stand that has Charlotte feeling enchanted by Adams spontaneity and joy for life. Theres promise in both his words and actions, but in the harsh light of morning, Adams tune changes, leaving Charlotte to wonder if her notorious bad luck with men is really just her own bad judgment. Months later, a new relationship with Seth, a charming baseball player, is turning into something more meaningful, but Charlottes still having trouble moving past her one enthralling night with Adam. Why? When she searches for answers, she finds the situation with Adam is far more complicated than she ever imagined. Faced with the decision to write a new story with Seth or finish the one started with Adam, Charlotte embarks on a life-altering journey, one that takes her across the world and back again, bringing a lifetimes worth of pain, joy, and wisdom."--From publisher.

"From the Man Booker Prize-winning author of The Sense of an Ending, an achingly profound love story between a young man on the cusp of adulthood and a woman whose life is gradually moving in the opposite direction. 'Most of us have only one story to tell. I don't mean that only one thing happens to us in our lives: there are countless events, which we turn into countless stories. But there's only one that matters, only one finally worth telling. This is mine.' It is the early 1960s, in a staid suburb fifteen miles south of London. Paul, home from university for the holidays, is urged by his mother to join the tennis club. At the mixed doubles tournament he is partnered with Mrs. Susan Macleod: she's more than twice his age, and the married mother of two nearly grown-up daughters. Soon Paul and Susan embark on an unconventional affair, despite the disapproval of Paul's parents and the seething resentment of Susan's husband. First love has lifelong consequences, but Paul doesn't know anything about that at nineteen. But as he grows older, the demands placed on Paul by love become far greater than he could possibly have foreseen. Wryly observant and devastatingly tender, The Only Story is a profound, contemplative novel by one of fiction's greatest mappers of the human heart." -- Provided by publisher.

With her marriage prospects limited, teenage Varina Howell agrees to wed the much-older widower Jefferson Davis, with whom she expects a life of security as a Mississippi landowner. He instead pursues a career in politics and is eventually appointed president of the Confederacy, placing Varina at the white-hot centre of one of the darkest moments in American history -- culpable regardless of her intentions. Intimate in its detailed observations of one woman's tragic life and epic in its scope and power, this is a portrait of a woman who comes to realize that complicity carries consequences.

These pieces illustrate how our possessions act as proxies for ourselves, and how tussles over ownership articulate the power of dynamics of our relationships. We may possess people and objects and places, but in turn they possess us.