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The Best American Short Stories 2012 (The Best American Series)
by Tom PerrottaThe Best American Series® First, Best, and Best-Selling The Best American series is the premier annual showcase for the country’s finest short fiction and nonfiction. Each volume’s series editor selects notable works from hundreds of magazines, journals, and websites. A special guest editor, a leading writer in the field, then chooses the best twenty or so pieces to publish. This unique system has made the Best American series the most respected — and most popular — of its kind. The Best American Short Stories 2012 includes Nathan Englander, Mary Gaitskill, Roxane Gay, Jennifer Haigh, Steven Millhauser, Alice Munro, Lawrence Osborne, Eric Puchner, George Saunders, Kate Walbert, and others
The Best American Short Stories 2013 (The Best American Series)
by Elizabeth Strout&“As our vision becomes more global, our storytelling is stretching in many ways. Stories increasingly change point of view, switch location, and sometimes pack as much material as a short novel might,&” writes guest editor Elizabeth Strout. &“It&’s the variety of voices that most indicates the increasing confluence of cultures involved in making us who we are.&” The Best American Short Stories 2013 presents an impressive diversity of writers who dexterously lead us into their corners of the world. In &“Miss Lora,&” Junot Díaz masterfully puts us in the mind of a teenage boy who throws aside his better sense and pursues an intimate affair with a high school teacher. Sheila Kohler tackles innocence and abuse as a child wanders away from her mother, in thrall to a stranger she believes is the &“Magic Man.&” Kirstin Valdez Quade&’s &“Nemecia&” depicts the after-effects of a secret, violent family trauma. Joan Wickersham&’s &“The Tunnel&” is a tragic love story about a mother&’s declining health and her daughter&’s helplessness as she struggles to balance her responsibility to her mother and her own desires. New author Callan Wink&’s &“Breatharians&” unsettles the reader as a farm boy shoulders a grim chore in the wake of his parents&’ estrangement.&“Elizabeth Strout was a wonderful reader, an author who knows well that the sound of one&’s writing is just as important as and indivisible from the content,&” writes series editor Heidi Pitlor. &“Here are twenty compellingly told, powerfully felt stories about urgent matters with profound consequences.&”
The Best American Short Stories 2014 (The Best American Series)
by Heidi Pitlor“The literary ‘Oscars’ features twenty outstanding examples of the best of the best in American short stories.” — Shelf Awareness for ReadersThe Best American Short Stories 2014 will be selected by national best-selling author Jennifer Egan, who won the 2011 Pulitzer Prize and the National Book Critics Circle Award for fiction for A Visit from the Goon Squad, heralded by Time magazine as “a new classic of American fiction.” Egan “possesses a satirist’s eye and a romance novelist’s heart” (New York Times Book Review).
The Best American Short Stories 2019 (The Best American Series)
by Anthony Doerr, Heidi Pitlor#1 New York Times best-selling, Pulitzer Prize-winning author Anthony Doerr brings his&“stunning sense of physical detail and gorgeous metaphors&” (San Francisco Chronicle) to selecting The Best American Short Stories 2019. &“As soon as you complete a description of what a good story must be, a new example flutters through an open window, lands on your sleeve, and proves your description wrong,&” writes Anthony Doerr about the task of selecting The Best American Short Stories 2019. The year&’s best stories are a diverse, addictive group exploring everything from America&’s rich rural culture to its online teen culture to the fragile nature of the therapist-client relationship. This astonishing collection brings together the realistic and dystopic, humor and terror. For Doerr, &“with every new artist, we simultaneously refine and expand our understanding of what the form can be.&” The Best American Short Stories 2019 includes Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah, Jamel Brinkley, Jeffrey Eugenides, Ursula K. Le Guin, Manuel Muñoz, Sigrid Nunez, Saïd Sayrafiezadeh, Jim Shepherd, Weike Wang, and others.
The Best Bad Dream (Bride Series)
by Robert WardA fed&’s debt to a sexy snitch leads to a darkly funny nightmare of double-crosses and sinister motives: &“Ward is simply the best&” (Michael Connelly). All FBI Agent Jack Harper wants is a heavenly vacation in Baja: sand, surf, and fishing. Then he gets a phone call from hell: it&’s his for-lack-of-a-better-word girlfriend, Michelle Wu. The hot con-artist, and irresistible chop-shop queen needs Jack&’s help in finding her kidnapped sister, a nurse working a posh Taos health spa for seniors. Michelle&’s got an idea who&’d gain from it: a biker she wronged who&’s got a rotten sweet tooth for revenge. But Jack must be nuts to think the case would end with a homicidal gang called Sons of Satan. It&’s just beginning, and where it leads Jack, his partner Oscar Hidalgo, and Michelle is down a dark road with so many sharp turns and twists it could snap a neck. So buckle up for The Best Bad Dream by the PEN West prize-winning &“heir to the pulp fiction tradition&” (BookReporter.com). And we dare you: &“Name another novel that starts out with New Age satire and winds up with a bizarro oldster version of Texas Chainsaw Massacre. Ward&’s no-holds-barred style and fevered imagination will . . . hit the spot for a special kind of bent reader&” (Booklist).
The Best Defense
by Rebecca Mitchell A. W. GrayAt a gala event in downtown Dallas, lawyer Sharon Hays runs into an old friend turned Hollywood star who is in town promoting her most recent film with her current lover--a Hollywood bad boy. But when a brutally murdered corpse is discovered in her posh hotel suite, the starlet finds herself accused of the crime. Sharon is all too eager to take up her friend's defense, but the facts of what happened that night in the hotel room are far from clear. Sharon's friend claims she never went back to the room, and her lover had supposedly blacked out. Soon Sharon finds herself in the media spotlight defending America's sweetheart.
The Best Defense
by Kate WilhelmAttorney Barbara Holloway has given up on her father's dream for her to become a successful lawyer. The deaths of both Barbara's mother and her lover have deeply affected her, and now she lives on the tiny salary she makes helping the poor who can't pay for "real" legal services. When Lucille Reiner first asks Barbara to help her sister, Barbara has no idea that Lucille's sister is Paula Kemmerman, dubbed the "Baby Killer" by the press after her six-year-old daughter was burned to death, allegedly by a temporarily deranged Paula. The more Barbara investigates, the more certain she becomes that Paula is the innocent victim both of a right-wing fundamentalist with an ax to grind and of a legal system that has turned its back on an innocent woman.
The Best Detective
by Carolyn Keene"I'm the best!" "No, I'm the best!" Who is the best detective of all? Nancy Drew's special detective notebook is gone! And, boy, is she in trouble. Inside were three passes - for her, Bess, and George - to the most spectacular movie of all time, Star Quest 2. Sure, Nancy's friends will forgive her...maybe in a million years. Even worse, Jason Hutchings is looking for the notebook - just to prove how easy it is to be a detective. One thing's for sure: these days, it's not easy being Nancy Drew!
The Best Dr. Thorndyke Detective Stories
by R. Austin Freeman E. F. Bleiler"Austin Freeman is a wonderful performer," declared Raymond Chandler of the writer who created Dr. Thorndyke. Known as the father of the scientific detective story, Freeman was a physician who tested his fictional ploys through microscopic and chemical analysis. His tales not only challenged the wits of his readers but also inspired many modern detection methods. This collection presents eight of the most compelling Dr. Thorndyke stories. "The Case of Oscar Brodski," "A Case of Premeditation," and "The Echo of a Mutiny" offer outstanding examples of a form Freeman originated, the inverted mystery. In these tales, the crime and culprit are revealed at the outset; the fascination begins with the entrance of Dr. Thorndyke, who spins a convincing web of evidence from the subtlest clues. "The Mandarin's Pearl," "The Blue Sequin," "The Moabite Cipher," and "The Aluminum Dagger" incorporate scientific detection, featuring details evaluated by the author's characteristic scientific analysis. As a special bonus, this volume includes "31 New Inn," the now hard-to-find tale in which Dr. Thorndyke makes his debut.
The Best Friend
by Jessica Fellowes'The most complex of bonds is explored in this startlingly original and finely drawn portrait of female friendship, with all its uplifting and destructive intensity'ELLERY LLOYD'An absolute jewel of a book which puts seven decades of complicated female friendship under the microscope - and reveals dark truths. It's a masterclass in things unsaid, in both form and content'ERIN KELLYAn unsettling, gripping and original novel by Jessica Fellowes, author of the internationally bestselling, award-winning Mitford Murders series, telling the story of a toxic friendship.Kate and Bella, Bella and Kate. From childhood they were inseparable yet polar opposites: Bella sensible and cautious, Kate gregarious and just a little dangerous. Then men came into their lives and things changed: a black seed was set in in the heart of their relationship. Over decades, acts of both cruelty and love feed that seed until one shocking event leads to further tragedy. Neither will escape unscathed. In her first standalone novel, Jessica Fellowes explores the darkest corners of female friendship, a place where loyalty and betrayal become one.
The Best Friend (Fear Street #Book 17)
by R.L. StineFEAR STREET -- WHERE YOUR WORST NIGHTMARES LIVE... Honey Perkins just moved to Shadyside. But she's telling everyone that she is Becka Norwood's best friend from elementary school. Trouble is, Becka doesn't remember her at all. But that doesn't stop Honey. She insists on doing everything Becka does -- borrowing her clothes, borrowing her boyfriend...and then the horrible accidents begin. Honey swears she has nothing to do with them. She's just being a good friend. A best friend...to the end.
The Best Friend: A Novel
by Jessica FellowesFollowing the intense, toxic friendship of two kindred spirits across their lifetimes, The Best Friend is a dark, suspenseful novel and first standalone from Jessica Fellowes, New York Times bestselling author of the Mitford Murders series and the companion Downton Abbey books.Bella and Kate. Kate and Bella. From childhood they were bosom friends, Bella sensible and cautious, Kate gregarious and just a little dangerous.Yet in spite of their intimacy, their trust is fragile. Men came into their lives and things changed: a black seed was set in the heart of their relationship. Over decades, acts of both cruelty and love ferment until one shocking event tests them more than ever. Neither will escape unscathed.Reminiscent of Elena Ferrante and Sally Rooney, and for readers of Leila Slimani’s The Perfect Nanny and Ashley Audrain’s The Push, The Best Friend explores the darkest corners of female friendship, a place where loyalty and betrayal intersect with deadly consequences.
The Best Husband in Texas (Man of the Month #1201)
by Lass SmallMEN of the YEARMAN of the MONTH"I won't rest 'til I make that elusive filly my bride."-Austin Farrell, prime Texas husband materialRanchin' man Austin Farrell had loved Iris Smith since childhood. Though he'd never said the words, he always believed he was the only man for her. Then she married...and was widowed. Not once, but three times! Now the gentle beauty was back in Texas, and Austin was determined to lavish her with tender, lovin' care. And prove to her that this cowboy would never leave his destined bride's side....Some men are made for lovin'-and you'll love our MAN OF THE MONTH!
The Best Is Yet To Be (Mystery and the Minister's Wife #5)
by Eve FisherEscape to the charming town of Copper Mill, Tennessee. Nestled in the foothills of the Great Smoky Mountains, Copper Mill is a place of tradition and tranquillity. But when Kate Hanlon and her husband Paul move in, they discover that small town life is anything but boring. The mysteries Kate uncovers are puzzling, but she always uses her quick mind and the help of her dear friends to figure out the answer. See how faith can solve life's mysteries in the Mystery and the Minister's Wife series. With summer just around the bend, Kate is delighted to see how Faith Briar Church's Faith Freezer Program is meeting the needs of the elderly citizens in Copper Mill. But when a series of thefts indicates that one of the volunteers is stealing from the shut-ins, the whole program is cast into doubt. Who would do such a thing? Kate begins to investigate, but ancient secrets, old jealousies and long-lost love complicates the truth. Meanwhile, Paul is harbouring a secret of his own: his new bluegrass band, hoping to perform at the upcoming Summer Concert series, is practising at the notorious roadhouse The Dew Drop Inn. The group's jam sessions end in discord, and their location leads to suspicions about the pastor's real pastimes. As they struggle to bring harmony back to Copper Mill, Kate and Paul are reminded that they can always have hope for the future, for the best is yet to be.
The Best Laid Plans
by Sidney SheldonSidney Sheldon returns with a tale of two equally determined people headed on a collision course. One the governor of a small southern state, Oliver Russell is a man with a strategy to win the White House. The other is the beautiful and ambitious Leslie Stewart, a woman intent on seeing him lose everything. Soon they will both discover that even the best laid plans can go dangerously astray--with deadly consequences.
The Best Laid Plans
by Sidney SheldonSidney Sheldon returns with a tale of two equally determined people headed on a collision course. One the governor of a small southern state, Oliver Russell is a man with a strategy to win the White House. The other is the beautiful and ambitious Leslie Stewart, a woman intent on seeing him lose everything. Soon they will both discover that even the best laid plans can go dangerously astray--with deadly consequences.
The Best Lies
by David EllisBestselling and award-winning author David Ellis delivers a fast-paced, twisty thriller that will surprise readers at every turn.Leo Balanoff is a diagnosed pathological liar with unthinkable skeletons in his family's closet. He's also a crusading attorney who seeks justice at all costs. When a ruthless drug dealer is found dead and Leo&’s fingerprints show up on the murder weapon, no one believes a word he says. But he might be the FBI&’s only shot at taking down the dealer&’s brutal syndicate.Risk his life going undercover for the feds or head straight to prison for murder? Leo accepts the FBI&’s offer—but it comes with a price, including a collision course with his ex, Andi Piotrowski, a former cop and &“the one who got away.&” Forced to walk a tightrope between an ambitious FBI agent and a cruel, calculating crime boss, Leo&’s trapped in a corner. But he has more secrets than anyone realizes, and a few more cards left to play …
The Best Lies
by Sarah LyuRemy Tsai used to know how her story would turn out. But now, she doesn’t even know what tomorrow will look like. <P><P>She was happy once. Remy had her boyfriend Jack, and Elise, her best friend—her soul mate—who understood her better than anyone else in the world. <P><P>But now Jack is dead, shot through the chest… And it was Elise who pulled the trigger. Was it self-defense? Or something darker than anything Remy could have imagined? <P><P>As the police investigate, Remy does the same, sifting through her own memories, looking for a scrap of truth that could save the friendship that means everything to her. <P><P>Told in alternating timelines, this twisted psychological thriller explores the dark side of obsessive friendship.
The Best Man to Trust
by Kerry ConnorBlack tie... Whiteout... Red-hot lust!Wedding planner Meredith Sutton has a lot riding on the next wedding at Sutton Hall. She needs everything to go perfectly to launch her start-up bridal business. And she's prepared for everything...except seeing her old college crush in the wedding party. But not even Tom Campbell's dreamy eyes and filled-out physique can throw Meredith off her game. A killer, on the other hand, might mess things up....Trapped in the midst of the fiercest blizzard the isolated mountain town has ever seen, the guest list becomes smaller by the day. But it's Tom's searing kisses and scorching caresses that have Meredith wanting one last chance at love. Since they might not be alive once the storm breaks....
The Best Man's Holiday Romance
by Gail SattlerJEFF SHAW EXPECTS A BLUE CHRISTMAS THIS YEAR Reeling from a broken engagement, Jeff doesn't feel like celebrating. Especially with his ex-fiancée's younger sister, Natasha Brickson. But Natasha is determined to immerse Jeff in Christmas cheer, and to his surprise, her tender care begins to mend his heart. Unlike his ex, Natasha is warm, compassionate and lovely inside and out. Natasha's always stood in her sister's shadow, so she doesn't expect the man of her dreams to notice her. But when their friendship becomes something more, can Jeff convince Natasha that he was engaged to the wrong sister...and give her the Christmas gift of a lifetime?
The Best Man's Secret
by Gail SattlerDAVE DUCHARME IS A MAN OF MYSTERY Dave's heart is captured from the moment he lays eyes on Ashley Kruger. Too bad it's while he's saving her from a bank robbery! When Ashley is injured, Dave promises to stay close. He's determined to take care of her-and to win her trust. Ashley can't believe she was rescued by such a gentle and handsome man. As she gets to know her dashing hero, hope grows that he may be the one for her. But when dangerous secrets from his past come to light, Ashley will have to choose between safety...and love.
The Best Martin Hewitt Detective Stories
by Arthur Morrison E. F. BleilerDuring the 1890s, the heyday of Sherlock Holmes, Martin Hewitt ranked among England's most popular fictional detectives. A favorite of readers of The Strand and other magazines, Hewitt returns in this collection of nine of his best cases. Hewitt enters the scene in "The Lenton Croft Robberies," in which he is called upon to solve three successive jewel robberies whose only clues are three half-burnt wooden matches. In "The Case of the Dixon Torpedo," he must figure out how mechanical drawings for a new weapon could have vanished from an office that no one entered or left. In other cases, Hewitt examines the theft of a valuable cameo from a locked desk in a guarded house, the plunder of gold bullion from the hold of a sinking ship, and the disappearance of a will right from under the noses of the dying man's family. The final four stories concern a suicide that may be a murder, a marital case that isn't as simple as it seems, a clue to a treasure in a piece of music, and the robbery of a sacred relic. Novel and imaginative in subject matter, meticulously plotted, and smoothly written, these stories will captivate mystery lovers.
The Best Max Carrados Detective Stories
by Ernest Bramah E. F. BleilerSightless detective Max Carrados solved his first cases in Edwardian London, in the early days of the 20th century when the city was the beating heart of the vast British Empire. This collection contains the very best tales of the blind sleuth, 10 adventures that range from his first challenge, "The Coin of Dionysus," to mysteries set during the World War I era and the early 1920s. Like Sherlock Holmes, Max Carrados debuted in The Strand magazine, and his stories rivaled those of the Baker Street detective in popularity. Since then, compilation volumes of the frequently anthologized tales have long been out of print and hard to find. This collection offers an excellent introduction to the suave private investigator whose deductive skills are surpassed only by his perceptive powers, which enable him to hear a heartbeat from across the room. Carrados' creator, Ernest Bramah, was one of the few authors in the early days of detective fiction who could combine physical and intellectual thrills with imagination and stylistic brilliance. Brimming with charm and humor, these vintage stories are utterly unique in the field of detective literature.
The Best Mistake Mystery: The Great Mistake Mysteries
by Sylvia McnicollSome people count their blessings, but dogwalker Stephen Nobel counts mistakes. Dogwalker extraordinaire Stephen Nobel can get a little anxious, but his habit of counting the mistakes he and everyone else makes calms him. His need to analyze gets kicked into hyperdrive after two crazy events happen in one day at school: the bomb squad blows up a backpack and someone smashes a car into the building. To make things worse, that someone thinks Stephen can identify them. Stephen receives a threatening text. If he goes to the police, his favourite dogs, Ping and Pong, will get hurt. The pressure mounts when his new best friend, Renée, begs for Stephen’s help. Her brother has been charged with the crimes and she wants to clear his name. Is it a mistake to give in to dognappers? How can he possibly save everybody? To find out, Stephen will have to count on all of his new friends.
The Best Mysteries of Isaac Asimov
by Isaac AsimovThe stories are not exercises in violence, not thrillers, not psychological suspense stories. They are, in general, puzzles and rather intellectual ones.