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The Spear of Malice (War of the Archons 3)
by R.S. FordIn the third in the epic fantasy series, War of the Archons, the war of the gods continues to threaten all existence. Perfect for fans for Brandon Sanderson, Michael J. Sullivan and Brian Staveley.As its neighbours muster for war, the city state of Kantor clings desperately to neutrality. Suraan, the queen regent, is beset on all sides, her son Rahuul still too young to take the throne. As his elder sister and guardian, Adaali's only purpose is to protect Rahuul from would be usurpers. But dark forces are at play from within and without, and she must seek help from the most unlikely of places, or be consumed by the war of the gods that threatens to destroy the very fabric of her world.
The Specimen
by Jaima Fixsen"An absorbing and expanding mystery... ripe for a bookclub discussion"— First Clue"Propulsive and lush, Fixsen weaves an exquisitely gothic tale." — Jess Armstrong, USA Today bestselling author of The Curse of Penryth HallWalk carefully, lest you become a part of Dr. Burnett's collection…1826. Isobel Tait finds herself, by chance, staring at a tiny human heart floating in a jar. It should be of little consequence; Dr. Burnett is renowned for his collection of oddities and medical specimens, and this, a juvenile heart with a damaged mitral valve, is not the strangest thing on display. Except that the condition is rare, and that Isobel's young son, who has been missing for months, suffered from the ailment. A phantom pulse beats in Isobel's ears. She knows something here isn't right.Missing persons cases are all too common in Edinburgh, where people simply vanish like mist. But Burnett is obsessed with his specimens – how far would he go to acquire a new one? Determined to investigate, Isobel joins his staff as the keeper of his collection. What she'll unearth, though, is far worse than any of her nightmares…Based on true crimes, The Specimen is a mesmerizing story about one woman's search for truth and vengeance in the darkest of places—where the deadliest secrets lie hidden in plain sight, on a freshly dusted shelf."The Specimen is a fantastic read! Tense, gripping and full of fabulous characters you grow to love or hate! I devoured it in two sittings." – Gareth Brown, bestselling author of The Book of Doors
The Specter From the Magician's Museum
by John Bellairs Brad Strickland Edward GoreyBased on John Bellairs' mystery-adventure series, this thrilling story will keep you on the edge of your seat!John Bellairs, the name in Gothic mysteries for middle graders, wrote terrifying tales full of adventure, attitude, and alarm. For years, young readers have crept, crawled, and gone bump in the night with the unlikely heroes of these Gothic novels: Lewis Barnavelt, Johnny Dixon, and Anthony Monday. And this installment by Brad Strickland is no exception! After Rose Rita Pottinger cuts her finger on an enchanted Egyptian scroll, Lewis must work together with his neighbor Florence and sorcerous uncle Jonathan to rescue Rose Rita from the tomb in which she's imprisoned.
The Specter From the Magician's Museum (Lewis Barnavelt #7)
by John Bellairs Brad Strickland Edward GoreyA single drop of blood, a creepy something, a mysterious sorceress--these are the elements that lure Rose Rita Pottinger and Lewis Barnavelt into their most spine-tingling adventure ever. Who would have guessed that the research for their talent show magic act would ensnare these misfit friends in a web of sorcery, vengeance, and spooky creatures from beyond the grave? In all their many perilous pursuits, this may be their most fright-filled ever!.
The Specter from the Magician's Museum (A Lewis Barnevelt Mystery)
by Brad StricklandCaught in a Web of Doom.. It all begins with a school talent show. Lewis and Rose Rita visit a magician's museum to do some research for their magic act. But when Rose Rita cuts her finger on an enchanted scroll, unsettling things begin to happen. Rose Rita becomes spellbound by a tomb in a sorcerer's graveyard. Soon Lewis realizes that his friend is caught in a literal web of evil magic from beyond the grave... and if he doesn't save her, he may never see her again.
The Spell of the Sorcerer's Skull (Johnny Dixon #3)
by John BellairsWhen Johnny and the Professor discover an old heirloom clock, the terror begins. The professor vanishes and Johnny is left to solve the mystery alone.
The Spell of the Sorcerer's Skull: Book Three) (Johnny Dixon #3)
by John BellairsA bookish boy searches for his missing best friend in this spooky tale by the author of The House with a Clock in Its Walls On a country lane in snowbound 1950s New Hampshire, a car goes skidding off the road. Professor Childermass and Johnny Dixon escape unscathed, but their car is stuck, and they are forced to walk into town. Johnny doesn&’t mind. A curious young man, he has fun anytime the professor takes him out, because he&’s treated like an adult. Together they&’ve gotten into all sorts of supernatural scrapes, and this winter night, they&’ll face their toughest challenge yet. When Childermass suddenly vanishes, Johnny is the only one who can find him. The mystery is linked to a tiny skull taken from a child&’s dollhouse, which seems to have powers too terrible to guess at. With the help of a crusty old Irish priest, Johnny chases the clues to his friend&’s disappearance all the way to the rocky coast of Maine, where something evil hungers for revenge. From the author of the series featuring Lewis Barnavelt and Anthony Monday, the Johnny Dixon novels are charmingly old-school and shot through with suspense, and The Spell of the Sorcerer&’s Skull may be the most chilling of them all.
The Spellbook of Katrina Van Tassel: A Story of Sleepy Hollow
by Alyssa PalomboA passionate romance leads to supernatural mystery in this historical thriller based on The Legend of Sleepy Hollow.When Sleepy Hollow’s new schoolmaster, Ichabod Crane, arrives in the spooky little village, Katrina Van Tassel is instantly drawn to him. Through their shared love of books and music, they form a friendship that quickly develops into romance. Ichabod knows he has nothing to offer the wealthy Katrina—unlike her childhood friend-turned-enemy, Brom Van Brunt, who is the suitor Katrina’s father favors.But when romance gives way to passion, Ichabod and Katrina sneak into the woods after dark to be together—all while praying they do not catch sight of Sleepy Hollow’s legendary Headless Horseman. That is, until All Hallows’s Eve, when Ichabod suddenly disappears, leaving Katrina alone and in a perilous position.Enlisting the help of her friend—and rumored witch—Charlotte Jansen, Katrina seeks the truth of Ichabod Crane’s disappearance. What they find forces Katrina to question everything she once knew, and to wonder if the Headless Horseman is perhaps more than just a story after all.
The Spider Dance
by Nick SetchfieldA genre-defying page turner that fuses thriller and speculative fiction with dark fantasy in a hidden world in the heart of Cold War Europe.THE TRUE COLD WAR IS FOUGHT ON THE BORDERS OF THIS WORLD, AT THE EDGES OF THE LIGHT.It's 1965 and Christopher Winter is trying to carve a new life, a new identity, beyond his days in British Intelligence. Recruited by London's gangland he now finds himself on the wrong side of the law - and about to discover that the secret service has a way of claiming back its own. Who is the fatally alluring succubus working honeytraps for foreign paymasters? What is the true secret of the Shadowless, a fabled criminal cabal deadlier than the Mafia? And why do both parties covet long- buried caskets said to hold the hearts of kings? Winter must confront the buried knowledge of his own past to survive - but is he ready to embrace the magic that created the darkness waiting there?
The Spinster Bride (Lords and Ladies Series #4)
by Jane GoodgerAn unlucky-at-love veteran gets more than he bargained for from his matchmaker in this Victorian romance by the author of When a Lord Needs a Lady.Mr. Charles Norris needs help finding a wife . . .For he has the unfortunate habit of falling for each Season&’s loveliest debutante, only to have his heart broken when she weds another. Surely Lady Marjorie Penwhistle can help him. She&’s sensible, clever, knows the ton, and must marry a peer, which he is not. Since she&’s decidedly out of his reach, Charles is free to enjoy her refreshing honesty—and her unexpectedly enticing kisses . . .Lady Marjorie Penwhistle doesn&’t want a husband . . .At least not the titled-but-unbearable suitors her mother is determined she wed. She&’d rather stay unmarried and look after her eccentric brother. Still, advising Mr. Norris is a most exciting secret diversion. After all, how hard will it be to match-make someone so forthright, honorable, and downright handsome? It's not as if she&’s in danger of finding Charles all-too-irresistible herself . . .Praise for The Spinster Bride&“Alternates between being funny thanks to spot on humorous dialog and heart wrenchingly realistic due to Jane Goodger's attention to detail and accuracy.&” —Fresh Fiction
The Spinster's Fortune: A totally gripping historical suspense full of mystery
by Mary KendallA woman searches for her ailing aunt&’s hidden riches in this &“perfect blend of history, mystery, family secrets and suspense&” (Kate Braithwaite, author of The Puzzle of Nelly Bly). In 1929, Blanche Magruder lies alone in a home for the elderly and infirm without a penny to her name, suspected of being of unsound mind. Meanwhile, her house, a crumbling ruin in the Georgetown section of Washington, DC, is regularly ransacked by thieves looking for a fortune believed to be hidden there. When distant niece Margaret O&’Keefe is made executor of Blanche&’s estate, she becomes embroiled in the treasure hunt, embracing it as a welcome escape from her own financial and marital woes. But as Margaret continues to investigate, family mysteries begin to unravel. Soon, she begins to question whether Aunt Blanche is a senile fool, and whether she really belongs in the home. But can she find out where the lies end and the truth begins? Shrouded in gothic undertones, The Spinster&’s Fortune is a strange and twisting journey through tangled webs of family deceit.
The Spirit Box
by Stephen GallagherRachel's in trouble. She's a ticking bomb. A couple of co-workers bullied her into stealing a radical new drug from their employer, and now it's lodged inside her. They're watching her like hawks and her time's running out. John Bishop runs security for the company. As a father who once lost a teenaged daughter to an accidental overdose, his drive to hunt down the thieves and rescue their victim grows more intense with every lost minute. He can never bring his own kid back. But he can save someone else's.Which is fine until the company realises that if the swallowed package bursts and Rachel dies, their secrets are kept safe and their problem goes away. Though Bishop's on the trail, he's an easy man to cut loose and discredit. But now he's Rachel's only hope. Either the package will burst, or the boys will cut her open to get it. They're so convinced it will make them rich that they'll kill anyone who tries to take her, and hunt down anyone who succeeds.It can't end well. For somebody.
The Spirit Box
by Stephen GallagherRachel's in trouble. She's a ticking bomb. A couple of co-workers bullied her into stealing a radical new drug from their employer, and now it's lodged inside her. They're watching her like hawks and her time's running out. John Bishop runs security for the company. As a father who once lost a teenaged daughter to an accidental overdose, his drive to hunt down the thieves and rescue their victim grows more intense with every lost minute. He can never bring his own kid back. But he can save someone else's.Which is fine until the company realises that if the swallowed package bursts and Rachel dies, their secrets are kept safe and their problem goes away. Though Bishop's on the trail, he's an easy man to cut loose and discredit. But now he's Rachel's only hope. Either the package will burst, or the boys will cut her open to get it. They're so convinced it will make them rich that they'll kill anyone who tries to take her, and hunt down anyone who succeeds.It can't end well. For somebody.
The Spirit Collection of Thorne Hall: A Novel
by J. Ann ThomasA young woman forced to live with ghosts in a mansion frozen in time must decide between forbidden love and the price of freedom in this gothic fantasy where Jane Eyre meets The Haunting of Bly Manor, perfect for fans of Starling House. At Thorne Hall, a grand estate nestled in the Berkshires, fifteen restless spirits roam, bound within the mansion&’s walls since the Gilded Age. Elegy Thorne bears the weight of her family&’s curse to preserve the mansion as it was in the 1890s, using ancient folk songs to keep the spirits secret and silent in order to avoid deadly consequences. When a mischievous child spirit wreaks havoc on the manor, the Thorne family calls upon their trusted preservationist to restore the mansion. He brings along his son, Atticus – a vibrant man full of life and ideas of modernization – and Elegy is captivated by him, igniting a longing for freedom she&’s never dared to embrace. Torn between her desire to follow her heart and her duty to her family and its legacy, Elegy begins searching for a way to release the spirit collection back to the afterlife and set both herself and the ghosts free. With century-old secrets, peculiar magic, and spirits both whimsical and deadly, Thorne Hall will haunt and enrapture readers—and you might just not want to leave.
The Spirit House
by William SleatorA foreign exchange student comes to live with Julie's family for a year--setting off a frightening chain of events Julie isn't thrilled about her parents' decision to sponsor a foreign exchange student from Thailand. Not only is the stranger going to live with them for a year, but Julie is convinced he'll be a nerd and will embarrass her at school. But when a tall, handsome, super-cool guy named Bia arrives, Julie is suddenly the envy of all her girlfriends. Dominic, Julie's 11-year-old brother, is also thrilled to have Bia around the house. So to make the guest feel at home in America, Dominic builds a traditional Thai spirit house in the backyard. Overnight, Bia seems to undergo a major personality change. He's mean and spiteful and lies about everything. He also seems terrified of something . . . or someone. Has Dominic's construction somehow invoked a vengeful spirit? Is Bia the bearer of luck so bad it could harm Julie and her family?
The Spirit Lens (The Collegia Magica)
by Carol BergAs a kingdom hangs in the balance, a librarian investigates an attempted murder in this quasi-Renaissance epic fantasy trilogy debut. The power of magic is declining in Sabria. Natural science is overtaking sorcery, placing the kingdom on the verge of a renaissance and stirring up potential for a bloody rivalry . . . Portier de Savin-Duplais once dreamed of being a great mage, but not having any talent for magic forced him to consider a different option. As a librarian at Sabria&’s last Collegia Magica, he is at least able to find solace in scholarship. And now, thanks to his studies, the chance for greatness may be at hand—the King of Sabria needs Portier&’s help. Someone tried to kill the king, and evidence implicates ties to magic. Portier is tasked with rooting out the mysterious enemy. But to do so, he must team up with a foolish dandy from the royal court and a brilliant, yet dangerously irascible, mage. Together the trio must navigate a treacherous landscape of conspiracy, betrayal, unholy magic, and murder if they hope to save the king and prevent an even bloodier war . . . &“[A] superbly realized leadoff to Berg&’s quasi-Renaissance fantasy trilogy. . . . Berg shapes the well-worn elements of epic fantasy into a lush, absorbing narrative. Even her minor characters, caught up in fiendish plots and deathly secrets, ring regally true, and Portier oscillates between rueful, reluctant, ethics-bending service and painful but necessary revelations while his old world collapses and a new one struggles to be born.&” —Publishers Weekly(starred review)&“An infectiously enjoyable series opener that fans of thought-provoking fantasy and intriguing mystery should appreciate.&” —Library Journal&“An archetypal mystery and a genuine page-turner that should please both mystery and fantasy fans.&” —Booklist &“Berg is a master world builder that novice fantasy authors would do well to study. Her characters are well rounded, and her created environment becomes as familiar as one&’s own backyard. The fantastic elements of the story are normal—not ordinary, just a natural part of the world. Plus, the plot is nuanced and detailed. This first installment . . . is a winner.&” —RT Book Reviews
The Spirit Photographer: A Novel
by Jon Michael VareseA charlatan is haunted by sinister secrets and spirits from his past in this Gothic novel of the Reconstruction Era.Boston, 1870. Photographer Edward Moody has gained fame and fortune capturing the images of spirits in his photo portraits. He lures grieving widows and mourning mothers into his studio with promises of catching the ghosts of their deceased loved ones with his camera. But his elaborate hoax is about to yield shocking results . . . While attempting to capture the spirit of an abolitionist senator’s young son, a different spectral figure develops before Moody’s eyes. The camera has seemingly captured the spirit of a beautiful young woman from Moody’s past—the daughter of an escaped slave he knew long ago. He immediately sets out for the Louisiana bayou to resolve their unfinished business?and perhaps save his soul . . .
The Spirit Trap
by Veryan Williams-WynnWhen her grandmother's ashes along with a family portrait arrive at her home in England, fourteen-year-old Tatiana finds herself being tormented by supernatural forces. To free herself from the increasingly persistent hauntings, she has to find and release the ghost of an ancestor caught up in the terror of the French Revolution. With the aid of her cousin, Marcus, she sets out on a mission, which leads them through the dramas of present-day life in Paris and the frightening upheavals of Revolutionary France.
The Spirit Wood
by Robert MaselloA tale of supernatural horror set on an eerie estate known as Arcadia from the author of The Einstein Prophecy. When Peter Constantine inherited a vast, remote estate, his life began to change. Free at last from money worries, Peter and his wife, Meg, could relax—and Peter could explore his new, mysterious home. From the thick woods, the winding trails, the bizarre, sensual sculpture, came a pulsing, ancient call that stirred his very soul. Then he heard the music and saw the beautiful woman who beckoned him into the wood . . . into an ancient ritual, a blood curse, a world of violent, unbridled lust. Now his wife no longer knows him. Now Peter is transformed . . . into a pagan creature, driven by the suffocating need of animal desire . . . until pleasure is not enough, and no evil is forbidden.
The Spirit is Willing (Ophelia Wylde Occult Mystery #2)
by Max McCoyA detective makes contact with the ghost of a Gold Rush murder victim in this unique historical mystery by a Spur Award-winning &“master of his craft&” (Ralph Cotton, USA Today-bestselling author). In the Old West, murder is a way of life. But psychic detective Ophelia Wylde is dealing out her own brand of justice by talking to the victims . . . after they&’re dead. Ghost In The Machine It&’s one of the strangest trials in Colorado history. A &“spirit photographer&” is accused of fraud, and Ophelia Wylde agrees to examine the man&’s ghostly portraits and testify in court. In a sealed room, she is presented with five photographs. Four are obvious fakes. But one photo—featuring a powerful politician, Jackson Miles, with a sorrowful ghost in chains behind his shoulder—is the real McCoy. When Ophelia makes contact, the spirit is in such agony that she&’s unable to learn anything but his name: Angus Wright. Intrigued, Ophelia sets out to learn more about the wronged Mr. Wright and discovers he was murdered nearly twenty years ago during the Gold Rush. The politician is somehow involved, and Ophelia has to watch her step. Because the living are much more dangerous than the dead . . . &“McCoy has a gift for capturing the Old West in all its colorful and outrageous glory.&” —Margaret Coel, New York Times-bestselling author &“Another masterful tale by Max McCoy . . . gripping.&” —True West on Of Grave Concern
The Spiritglass Charade: A Stoker & Holmes Novel (The Stoker & Holmes Novels #2)
by Colleen GleasonAfter the Affair of the Clockwork Scarab, Evaline Stoker and Mina Holmes are eager to help Princess Alix with a new case. Seventeen-year-old Willa Aston is obsessed with spiritual mediums, convinced she is speaking with her mother from beyond the grave. What seems like a case of spiritualist fraud quickly devolves into something far more menacing: someone is trying to make Willa "appear lunatic," using an innocent-looking spiritglass to control her. The list of clues piles up: an unexpected murder, a gang of pickpockets, and the return of vampires to London. But are these events connected? As Uncle Sherlock would say, "there are no coincidences." It will take all of Mina's wit and Evaline's muscle to keep London's sinister underground at bay.
The Spirits Up: A Novel
by Todd BabiakWarm, witty, and unsettling all at once, here is an unforgettable story of a family desperate for something to believe in. Benedict is an inventor whose life&’s work is a clean energy machine. It has just made him an overnight sensation and his family is suddenly wealthy. Benedict&’s wife, Karen, and his teenage daughters, Charlotte and Poppy, are proud of him. But there are problems Benedict is too busy to see: Karen is deeply unhappy in the marriage and contemplating an affair, Charlotte, who is dealing with a chronic illness, is growing more and more distant, and Poppy is cracking under the pressures of her social circle. And there&’s another problem. Benedict holds a rather terrible secret about his clean energy machine. Then, on Halloween night, an accident threatens to make everything far worse for the family. The accident kicks off a series of hauntings in their beautiful, historic home in affluent Belgravia, and the ghosts make it clear that they want something from them. Karen has to save her daughters — and herself. Meanwhile, Benedict is consumed by the knowledge that he has to achieve the impossible by Christmas. As time ticks ever closer to the revelation of his secret, he spirals further into despair . . . The Spirits Up is the story of a family haunted by the charmlessness of middle age and the cruelties of modern teenage life. Part social satire and part contemporary ghost story (with a hint of Dickens&’s A Christmas Carol), it is an exploration of a timeless question: what happens when there&’s nothing to believe?
The Spite House: A Novel
by Johnny ComptonA Best Horror Book of the Year (Esquire)! • A Bram Stoker Award Nominee!A terrifying Gothic thriller about grief and death and the depths of a father's love, Johnny Compton's The Spite House is a stunning debut by a horror master in the making—The Babadook meets A Head Full of Ghosts in Texas Hill Country.Eric Ross is on the run from a mysterious past with his two daughters in tow. When he comes across an ad for a caretaker for the Masson House, Eric hopes they have finally caught a lucky break. The owner of the “most haunted place in Texas” is looking for proof of paranormal activity. All they need to do is stay in the house and keep a detailed record of everything that happens there—provided the house’s horrors don’t drive them all mad, like the caretakers before them.The job calls to Eric, not just because of the huge payout, but because he needs access to the secrets of the spite house. If it is indeed haunted, maybe it will help him understand the uncanny power that clings to his family, driving them from town to town, too afraid to stop running…At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.
The Spitefulness of Crabs: Short Stories
by Angelo BasileThree stories. Three different ways to interpret love and death. In "Death in the Theater" someone has hurled poor William into a whirlpool of paradoxical situations that has flung poor William into a vortex of paradoxical situations that overwhelm a quiet spring morning. Who has orchestrated his father's death? A funny and grotesque story. In "The Devil's Love" the devil moves to a small town and opens a domestic hell for the benefit of the inhabitants: a gambling house. But what if the devil is in love with a woman? A story of passion with gothic overtones. The closing story, "Invisible", short and delicate, looks at a life spent in the shadow of self-imposed exclusion of love. In all three cases, conflicting emotions alternate in the reading and give rise to unexpected situations.
The Splendor Falls
by Rosemary Clement-MooreCan love last beyond the grave? <P><P> Sylvie Davis is a ballerina who can’t dance. A broken leg ended her career, but Sylvie’s pain runs deeper. <P>What broke her heart was her father’s death, and what’s breaking her spirit is her mother’s remarriage—a union that’s only driven an even deeper wedge into their already tenuous relationship. <P>Uprooting her from her Manhattan apartment and shipping her to Alabama is her mother’s solution for Sylvie’s unhappiness. <P> Her father’s cousin is restoring a family home in a town rich with her family’s history. <P>And that’s where things start to get shady. <P> As it turns out, her family has a lot more history than Sylvie ever knew. More unnerving, though, are the two guys that she can’t stop thinking about. <P>Shawn Maddox, the resident golden boy, seems to be perfect in every way. But Rhys—a handsome, mysterious foreign guest of her cousin’s—has a hold on her that she doesn’t quite understand. <P>Then she starts seeing things. Sylvie’s lost nearly everything—is she starting to lose her mind as well?