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Jane: The Woman Who Loved Tarzan
by Robin MaxwellCambridge, England, 1905. Jane Porter is hardly a typical woman of her time. The only female student in Cambridge University's medical program, she is far more comfortable in a lab coat dissecting corpses than she is in a corset and gown sipping afternoon tea. A budding paleoanthropologist, Jane dreams of traveling the globe in search of fossils that will prove the evolutionary theories of her scientific hero, Charles Darwin.When dashing American explorer Ral Conrath invites Jane and her father to join an expedition deep into West Africa, she can hardly believe her luck. Africa is every bit as exotic and fascinating as she has always imagined, but Jane quickly learns that the lush jungle is full of secrets—and so is Ral Conrath. When danger strikes, Jane finds her hero, the key to humanity's past, and an all-consuming love in one extraordinary man: Tarzan of the Apes.Jane is the first version of the Tarzan story written by a woman and authorized by the Edgar Rice Burroughs estate. Its publication marks the centennial of the original Tarzan of the Apes.At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.
9800 Savage Road: A Novel of the National Security Agency
by M. E. HarriganDecember, 2000: In a tiny office in the basement of the National Security Agency, a handful of analysts work on a project so secret its existence is known to fewer than a hundred people. They are intercepting Osama bin Laden's every word as he talks on his satellite phone to al Qaeda cells. What he's planning is big—a strike against the U.S.—and they know from the intercepts they'll learn the details any day… any minute. Suddenly, the conversations stop.A Senior Executive is murdered inside the NSA complex, the first in a series of disasters inflicted from both inside and outside the carefully concealed house of spies. Alexandra O'Malley, consummate Intelligence Analyst, must sort through the clues and scramble to stop the escalating crises… but to succeed, she'll have to break all the rules. In 9800 Savage Road, reality and fiction intersect in a terrifying story of the events leading up to 9/11 from deep within the cloistered walls of NSA. M. E. Harrigan delivers the first insider's perspective in NSA's history. She shreds the thick veil of secrecy and explores the thoughts and actions, the dedication and bureaucratic infighting, and the occasional scandals of the hidden workforce. It's a story of betrayal and treachery, courage and loyalty… so real you'll wonder how much is true. At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.
Starburst
by Robin PilcherIlluminating. Captivating. Stunning.When the fireworks cascade over Edinburgh castle on the Festival's final night, the magic begins… Every summer, the Edinburgh International Festival attracts celebrated artists, musicians, comedians, and actors to the beloved Scottish city. Hundreds of thousands of people descend on the town to join in the magnificent celebration. This year, the annual Edinburgh festival draws six unique and vibrant individuals, who all come together to follow their dreams---seeking success, love, fame, and happiness: Angélique, the beautiful and renowned violinist whose fame hides her secret heartache; Tess, a member of the festival marketing team and a newlywed struggling with her own secrets; Roger, whose dazzling fireworks display will be the grand finale of the festival and his career; Leonard, the aging cinematographer who wants one last time to shine; Rene, the feisty comedienne who is reaching for the stars; and Jamie, the handsome young flat owner who brings everyone together and finds love along the way. Each of them is trying to discover what destiny holds in store, and during this one magnificent summer, paths cross and lives are forever changed. Inspiring, funny, engrossing, and full of vivid descriptions of the incredible sights and sounds of Edinburgh, Starburst is a poignant and enchanting novel in the grand Pilcher tradition.
An Old-Fashioned Murder (Moonshine Mystery Series)
by Carol MillerSecrets, lies, and a splash of moonshine: a classic country house whodunit with a distinctly Southern twist.After losing her husband and her home, small-town girl Daisy McGovern moves in with her invalid mother at an old inn in sleepy southwestern Virginia. When the inn's eccentric proprietor, Aunt Emily, decides to throw a weekend party for a small group of friends and neighbors, everybody is excited--until a winter storm approaches and one of the guests is crushed by an antique bookcase during the night.At first, the death appears to be an accident. But as the storm worsens and the sheriff is unable to reach them, suspicion slowly grows. Was it murder? After the inn loses power and a second death occurs, it's clear to Daisy that one among them is a killer. But who? The young, new, secretive maid? The antique-peddling pair of spinster sisters? Her not-so-welcome in-laws? The peculiar house-hunting couple? The supposedly stranded motorist?With no way to leave and no way to get help, Daisy's only contacts to the outside world are her best friend Beulah and the always charming (and equally troublesome) moonshiner, Rick Balsam. Trapped with a clever and seemingly undetectable murderer, she must unravel the truth before the party ends with her funeral.
Old Girlfriends: Stories
by David UpdikeIn this brilliantly told short story collection, critically acclaimed author David Updike skillfully portrays the multi-faceted nature of love and of the heart. From a father's painful realization his son has discovered the dark heart of racism still beats, to a quiet love affair that needs an audience to bloom; from the bumbling of a professor who unwittingly falls for one of his students to the wistful memories of a bittersweet affair tinged in regret, Updike portrays the intricacies of loving someone with candor. Full of sparkling wonder and poignant melancholy alike, Old Girlfriends is a clear-eyed vision of the world we live in. Drifting from the unrequited to the secretive, the familial to the first poetic moments, this soulful collection leaves no avenue of expression untouched.
The Red Hat: A Novel
by John BayleyIf Oscar Wilde were alive and well and writing in the 1990s, The Red Hat, by renowned critic John Bayley, is precisely the kind of playful, coyly erotic work of fiction he would have written. Set in Holland and in Provence, the first part of this elegant literary jaunt follows a trio of young Vermeer aficionados as they set forth for the Hague to see a Vermeer exhibition. What begins as a simple journey turns quickly into a cheerfully tortuous race against time when the group unwittingly--and mistakenly--becomes enmeshed in an international terrorist ring. The second part of the novel is narrated by Roland, a young man who has read the first narrator's account of the fiascos in the Hague. Setting off incognito, refusing to believe the account true, Roland searches for the original narrator, whom he expects to find living a lonely existence in a world of make-believe. As he conducts his search and the two parts begin to play off one another, The Red Hat slips between reality and fantasy, exploring the complex metaphysics of personality and art. Told by two separate narrators (the first of whom has an obscured gender), The Red Hat continues to twist and confound the reader who thinks he or she knows what will happen next. As our expectations are repeatedly built up and subsequently uprooted, an exquisitely delicious tension gathers strength, until it, too, is overturned by new developments. Constantly turning voraciously upon itself, this delightful romp refuses to be pinned down. Indeed, in the deft hands of a skilled novelist like John Bayley, nothing is what it seems to be: a book that masquerades as a noir mystery turns out to be a Moliere-like comedy of errors; a woman who is kidnapped turns out to be the wrong victim; the horny elevator man who runs the lift in the charming pension becomes a insatiable lover who may in fact be a Mossad agent; and the narrator--whose identity is revealed in the second half--becomes a slave, cheerful in bondage, refusing to return to England. Nothing ever turns out as it was supposed to be, but all is well, we are reassured, in this dashing fictional debut by one of the senior men of letters.
100 Christmas Wishes: Vintage Holiday Cards from The New York Public Library
by The New York Public LibraryA treasure trove of vintage Christmas cards, 100 Christmas Wishes is the perfect holiday treat from the New York Public Library.Every year as the days grow shorter, amidst the holly, cookies, and carols there is another timeless holiday tradition—sending and receiving Christmas cards to and from those you love. 100 Christmas Wishes is a collection of vintage holiday cards, all from the archives of the New York Public Library. The Library houses one of the greatest collections of early Christmas postcards from around the world with thousands of cards depicting every imaginable holiday scene. Archivists selected one hundred of the best cards from the extensive collection to share in 100 Christmas Wishes. From the elegant, gilded Santa Clauses and statuesque angels, to yuletide still lifes, tumbling tots and puppies with bows round their necks, each card is a beautiful celebration of the holiday season. The book also includes six perforated postcards with reproductions of the designs so you too can share a vintage Christmas wish with friends and family on your list.As Rosanne Cash, a patron and friend of the Library as well as a devoted fan of Christmas cards, says in her introduction “This collection of early Christmas postcards, housed for a century in the New York Public Library archives, distills those abiding wishes for the holidays from revelers from long ago and faraway, in a wish for peace, joy, magic, bounty, family, and for light to be shone ‘round the world at Christmas, past and future.’”
Coffin's Ghost (John Coffin Mysteries)
by Gwendoline ButlerEveryone has a few ghosts in their closets, but John Coffin, Chief Commander of the Second City of London's Police believes that his are all safely tucked away. In fact, recently recovered from a gunshot wound, Coffin is hoping for a calmer life with his actress wife Stella Pinero. However, life has other plans for him. Coffin learns that all of his ghosts are not behind him when a parcel containing dismembered limbs is found outside a woman's refuge. The Serena Seddon Shelter for battered wives is located on Barrow Street, not far from Coffin's own home. But the link to Coffin is more sinister than mere proximity: his initials are written on the package and the shelter is housed in the building where he lived when he first arrived in the Second City. This discovery opens a door through which troop a succession of horrible and violent events including sudden death. Coffin's Ghost is another sterling entry in a series that has been continually praised for its ability to delve into the darker side of life and will leave readers wondering just how safe their secrets are.
Siren Song: A Novel of the Espionage Adventures of Ian Fleming
by Quinn FawcettThe world knows Ian Fleming best as the creator of that international sensation, James Bond, hero of countless novels and films. The real Ian Fleming was once an operative for British Naval Intelligence, ostensibly retired to a career in journalism after World War II. Rumors have long swirled that Fleming never completely left the spy game. . . .Siren SongAt a posh New Year's Eve party in London, Fleming falls hard and fast for the glamorous Nora, who mixes brains and beauty in a way Fleming can barely resist. But it's winter in England, and he longs to return to his sanctuary on the island of Jamaica, and he has a plane to catch. On his way to the airport, Fleming is practically kidnapped by operatives of British Intelligence who offer him a scoop-the name of a powerful American businessman who is secretly a Communist and who may be passing US secrets to Soviet Russia. Suspecting that British Intelligence has its own private reasons for discrediting this man, and unwilling to be their patsy, Fleming will not look at the dossier. When Nora unexpectedly turns up in Jamaica, Fleming anticipates a pleasant idyll-particularly when he discovers that this beautiful woman is a tough, adventurous, former war correspondent. Sex appeal, intelligence, and a shared passion for journalism-Fleming sees a new future unfolding before him. Even learning that Nora is investigating the American whose dossier Fleming refused does not dampen the former spy's ardor. The explosion of a bomb in Nora's hotel room provokes Fleming, who accompanies Nora to her home base of San Francisco. There, Nora plans to expose the businessman's connections to Soviet Russia and his bigamous marriage. Fleming has his hands full keeping the lady safe-but begins to wonder just why the people trying to kill Nora are so persistent. In a world of concealed motives, love is a most dangerous game. . . .At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.
TLA Video & DVD Guide 2005: The Discerning Film Lover's Guide
by David BleilerThe TLA Video and DVD Guide2005 is the absolutely indispensable guide to worthwhile cinema. It includes over 10,000 entries on the best of film and video that a real film lover might actually want to see. Unlike some of the other mass market guides that tend to be clogged with unenlightening entries on even more unenlightening films, TLA focuses on independent, foreign, and the best of Hollywood to bring the cineaste an opinionated guide that is both fun and useful.The guide includes:-Reviews of more than 10,000 films-Four detailed indexes--by star, directory, country of origin, and theme-More than 300 photos throughout-A listing of all the major film awards of the past quarter-century, as well as TLA Bests and recommended films-A comprehensive selection of cinema from more than 50 countriesNow published annually, the TLA Video and DVD Guide is one of the most respected guides from one of the finest names in video retailing, perfect for anyone with an eclectic taste in cinema.
Empires of the Plain: Henry Rawlinson and the Lost Languages of Babylon
by Lesley Adkins"Well-told story of a life dedicated to scholarship, with great adventures and derring-do an unexpected bonus." - Kirkus ReviewsFrom 1827 Henry Rawlinson, fearless soldier, sportsman and imperial adventurer of the first rank, spent twenty-five years in India, Iran, Iraq and Afghanistan in the service of the East India Company. During this time he survived the dangers of disease and warfare, including the disastrous First Anglo-Afghan War. A gifted linguist, fascinated by history and exploration, he became obsessed with cuneiform, the world's earliest writing. An immense inscription high on a sheer rock face at Bisitun in the mountains of western Iran, carved on the orders of King Darius the Great of Persia over 2,000 years ago, was the key to understanding the many cuneiform scripts and languages. Only Rawlinson had the physical and intellectual skills, courage, self-motivation and opportunity to make the perilous ascent and copy the monument. Here, Lesley Adkins relates the story of Rawlinson's life and how he triumphed in deciphering the lost languages of Persia and Babylonia, overcoming his brilliant but bitter rival, Edward Hincks. While based in Baghdad, Rawlinson became involved in the very first excavations of the ancient mounds of Mesopotamia, from Nineveh to Babylon, an area that had been fought over by so many powerful empires. His decipherment of the inscriptions resurrected unsuspected civilizations, revealing intriguing details of everyday life and forgotten historical events. By proving to the astonished Victorian public that people and places in the Old Testament really existed (and, furthermore, that documents and chronicles had survived from well before the writing of the Bible), Rawlinson became a celebrity and assured his own place in history.
To Begin the World Over Again: Lawrence of Arabia from Damascus to Baghdad
by John C. HulsmanThe little known history of Lawrence of Arabia's passionate and tragic advocacy of Arab nationalism during the pivotal years following WWI and his template for nation building in the Middle East.Lawrence of Arabia is best remembered for the Oscar-winning film about his life. But there is a different T.E. Lawrence, a man who applied his unique experiences and extensive knowledge of the Arab world to a political vision for nation building in the Middle East that holds many lessons for today. Following the Arab Revolt, Lawrence embarked on a heroic effort, harnessing his celebrity to force the British to keep the promises made to their Arab allies. Alas, he was unable to stop the Western powers from carving up the Middle East at Versailles, thus laying the foundations for the ongoing instability in that region. Still, until the day he died, Lawrence continued to fight for Arab nationalism, famously saying: "Better to let them do it imperfectly than do it perfectly yourself, for it is their country, their war, and your time is short." By weaving together a gripping narrative of Lawrence's Middle East adventures and highlighting his surprisingly astute political thinking, John Hulsman teases out this and many other lessons to be learned from Lawrence about the Arab world.
Every Contact Leaves a Trace: Crime Scene Experts Talk About Their Work, from Discovery Through Verdict
by Connie FletcherReal crime scene investigation is vastly more complicated, arduous, bizarre, and fascinating than TV's streamlined versions. Most people who work actual investigations will tell you that the science never lies -- but people can. They may also contaminate evidence, or not know what to look for in crime scenes that typically are far more chaotic and confusing, whether inside or outside, than on TV. Forensic experts will tell you that the most important person entering a scene is the very first responding officer – the chain of evidence starts with this officer and holds or breaks according to what gets stepped on, or over, collected or contaminated, looked past, or looked over, from every person who enters or interprets the scene, all the way through the crime lab and trial. And forensic experts will tell you the success of a case can depend on any one expert's knowledge of quirky things, such as:"The Rule of the First Victim": (the first victim of a criminal usually lives near the criminal's home) Criminals' snacking habits at the scene"Nature's Evidence Technicians," the birds and rodents that hide bits of bone, jewelry, and fabric in their nestsThe botanical evidence found in criminals' pants cuffs Baseball caps as prime DNA repositoriesThe tales told by the application of physics to falling blood drops. Forensic experts talk about their expertise and their cases here. They also talk about themselves, their reactions to the horrors they witness, and their love of the work. For example, a DNA analyst talks about how she drives her family crazy by buccal-swabbing them all at Thanksgiving dinner. A latent print examiner talks about how he examines cubes of Jell-O at any buffet he goes to for tell-tale prints. A crime scene investigator gives his tips on clearing a scene of cops: he slaps "Bio-hazard" and "Cancer Causing Agent" stickers on his equipment. And an evidence technician talks about how hard it is to go to sleep after processing a scene, re-living what you've just witnessed, your mind going a hundred miles an hour. This is a world that TV crime shows can't touch. Here are eighty experts – including beat cops, evidence technicians, detectives, forensic anthropologists, blood spatter experts, DNA analysts, latent print examiners, firearms experts, trace analysts, crime lab directors, and prosecution and defense attorneys – speaking in their own words about what they've seen and what they've learned to journalist Connie Fletcher, who has gotten cops to talk freely in her bestsellers What Cops Know, Pure Cop, and Breaking and Entering. Every Contact Leaves A Trace presents the science, the human drama, and even the black comedy of crime scene investigation. Let the experts take you into their world. This is their book – their words, their knowledge, their stories. Through it all, one Sherlock Holmesian premise unites what they do and what it does to them: Every contact leaves a trace.
The Future, Declassified: Megatrends That Will Undo the World Unless We Take Action
by Mathew BurrowsTwenty-five years ago when Mathew Burrows went to work for the CIA as an intelligence analyst, the world seemed frozen. Then came the fall of the Berlin Wall and the implosion of the Soviet Union; suddenly, unpredictability became a universal theme and foresight was critical. For the past decade, Burrows has overseen the creation of the Global Trends report—the key futurist guide for the White House, Departments of State and Defense, and Homeland Security. Global Trends has a history of making bold predictions and being right:* In 2004, it argued that al-Qaeda's centralized operations would dissolve and be replaced by groups, cells, and individuals—the very model of the 2012 Boston bombings.* In 2008, it included a scenario dubbed October Surprise, imagining a devastating late-season hurricane hitting an unprepared New York City.In The Future, Declassified, Burrows—for the first time—has expanded the most recent Global Trends report into a full-length narrative, forecasting the tectonic shifts that will drive us to 2030. A staggering amount of wholesale change is happening—from unprecedented and widespread aging to rampant urbanization and growth in a global middle class to an eastward shift in economic power and a growing number of disruptive technologies. Even our physical geography is changing as sea levels rise and faster commercial shipping routes open up through a warming Arctic region.The book concludes with its most provocative section: four fictional paths to 2030 with imagined storylines and characters based on analysis by the most authoritative figures in the intelligence community. As Burrows argues, we are living through some of the greatest and most momentous developments in history. Either we take charge and direct those or we are at their mercy. The stakes are particularly high for America's standing in the world and for ordinary Americans who want to maintain their quality of life. Running the gamut from scary to reassuring, this riveting book is essential reading.
Divas, Inc.: A Novel
by Donna HillDiva (n.): an extremely arrogant or temperamental woman.Delicious Diva Tip #13: When in doubt, just do it anyway. Tiffany Lane and Chantal Hollis are bonafide divas-in every sense of the word. They've also been Margaret Drew's best friends since they were children. Margaret has always been the plain Jane of the threesome, living vicariously through the exploits of her friends. But when Tiffany and Chantal head to Europe on an extended vacation, leaving Margaret to tend their apartments, Margaret decides to see how the other half lives. Co-opting their apartments, their boyfriends (current and past), their fabulous lifestyles and Tiffany's very savvy pooch, Virginia, Margaret finally feels like she has found the life she has always wanted and deserved. But her double living begins to catch up with her and Margaret might soon be homeless, manless, and friendless all in one swoop.
The Secret Book of Kings: A Novel
by Yochi Brandes“This volume, by Biblical scholar Yochi Brandes, is a riveting novel based on textual sources about the experiences of David and Solomon. Its lessons are also relevant for our turbulent time.” —Elie Wiesel, #1 New York Times and internationally bestselling author of NightIn the tradition of The Red Tent from internationally bestselling author Yochi Brandes comes the stories of the struggles of King David and King Saul in the early days of the Kingdom of Israel, seen through the eyes of Michal, Saul’s daughter and David’s abandoned queenStories are deadlier than swords. Swords kill only those who stand before them, stories decide who will live and die in generations to come.Shelomoam, a young man from the tribe of Ephraim, has grown up in the shadow of dark secrets. He wonders why his father is deathly afraid of the King’s soldiers and why his mother has lied about the identities of those closest to him. Shelomoam is determined to unearth his mysterious past, never imagining where his quest will ultimately lead him.The Secret Book of Kings upends conventions of biblical novels, engaging with the canonized stories of the founding of the Kingdom of Israel and turning them on their heads. Presented for the first time are the heretofore unknown stories of the House of Saul and of the northern Kingdom of Israel, stories that were artfully concealed by the House of David and the scribes of the southern Kingdom of Judah.Yochi Brandes, one of Israel’s all-time bestselling novelists, enlists her unique background in both academic Jewish scholarship and traditional religious commentaries to read the Bible in an utterly new way. In this book, a major publishing phenomenon in Israel and one of the bestselling novels in the history of the country, she uncovers vibrant characters, especially women, buried deep within the scriptures, and asks the loaded question: to what extent can we really know our past when history is written by the victors?
Metro Stop Dostoevsky: Travels in Russian Time
by Ingrid BengisA Russian American writer catapults herself into the maelstrom of Russian life at a time of seismic change for bothThe daughter of Russian émigrés, Ingrid Bengis grew up wondering whether she was American or, deep down, "really Russian." In 1991, naïvely in love with Russia and Russian literature, she settled in St. Petersburg, where she was quickly immersed in "catastroika," a period of immense turmoil that mirrored her own increasingly complex and contradictory experience. Bengis's account of her involvement with Russia is heightened by her involvement with B, a Russian whose collapsing marriage, paralleling the collapse of the Soviet Union, produces a situation in which "anything could happen." Their relationship reflects the social tumult, as well as the sometimes dangerous consequences of American "good intentions." As Bengis takes part in Russian life-becoming a reluctant entrepreneur, undergoing surgery in a St. Petersburg hospital, descending into a coal mine-she becomes increasingly aware of its Dostoevskian duality, never more so than when she meets the impoverished, importuning great-great-granddaughter of the writer himself. Beneath the seismic shifting remains a centuries-old preoccuption with "the big questions": tradition and progress, destiny and activism, skepticism and faith. With its elaborate pattern of digression and its eye for the revealing detail, Bengis's account has the hypnotic intimacy of a late-night conversation in a Russian kitchen, where such questions are perpetually being asked.
Monster, 1959: A Novel
by David MaineFrom the critically acclaimed author of The Preservationist and The Book of Samson,Monster, 1959 is an extraordinary tale of 1950s America---flawed, conflicted, and poised to enter the most culturally upended decade of the century. The United States government has been testing the long-term effects of high-level radiation on a few select islands in the South Pacific. Their efforts have produced killer plants, mole people, and a forty-foot creature named K. Covered in fur and feathers, gifted with unusable butterfly wings and the mental capacity of a goldfish, K. is an evolutionary experiment gone very awry. Although he has no real understanding of his world, he knows when he's hungry, and he knows to follow the drumbeats that lead him, every time, to the tree where a woman is offered to him as a sacrifice by the natives. When a group of American hunters stumble across the island, it's bound to get interesting, especially when the natives offer up the guide's beautiful wife to K. Not to be outdone, the Americans manage to capture him. Back in the States, they start a traveling show. The main attraction: K.
The Road to Santa Fe
by Norman ZollingerEnrique "Rick" Garcia, district attorney in the small New Mexico county of Chupadera, is a man of principle, a strange breed in the rough-and-tumble politics of his state. When he is tapped to run for governor, he will learn just how rocky the road to Santa Fe really is.He has a mortal enemy in Stanford Brown, a wealthy rancher Garcia convicted of manslaughter. From his prison cell Brown promises revenge on his former college football teammate. All through his campaign Garcia has been guided and encouraged by Ashley McCarver, an attorney and state Democratic Party operative. Ashley's relationship to her candidate evolves from campaign manager for a man she admires into an abiding love for him. Garcia, still haunted by the suicide of his wife, at first sees in Ashley only her professionalism and encyclopedic knowledge of state politics, but the election draws the pair inexorably together: after Garcia's political triumph the two marry. Meanwhile, Stanford Brown, freed from prison through a gubernatorial pardon granted by Garcia's predecessor, begins to unfold an elaborate and cunning plot to have his rival impeached. Will this attempt to jeopardize Garcias political life become a serious threat? And will this shadow from the past cement or destroy his burgeoning relationship with Ashley?Meticulously researched by a master historical novelist, The Road to Santa Fe demonstrates Norman Zollinger's skill in creating three-dimensional contemporary characters. He also brings to life the complicated behind-the-scenes machinations of the strange world of New Mexico politics.At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.
Salamander Cotton: A Novel (Jacob Tshabalala)
by Richard KunzmannA dark, chilling mystery set in the brooding, atmospheric lands of South AfricaIn his debut thriller, Bloody Harvests, Richard Kunzmann gave readers a glimpse into the turbulent South African landscape. Now Detective Inspector Jacob Tshabalala and his former colleague Harry Mason return with another beautifully spellbinding thriller combining murder, revenge, greed, and the classic struggle between good and evil.A wealthy ex-mining boss has been found beaten and burned to death at his home in suburban Johannesburg. His estranged wife, however, does not seem particularly surprised by this cold-blooded murder, but keeps insisting that the killer will be found in the Northern Cape, where the victim owned a farm with a dark secret. It's a remote and desolate landscape of extreme poverty, burdened with a bleak history as an asbestos-mining community.When Tshabalala persuades Mason to investigate a link between the man's murder and the disappearance of his daughter thirty years before, Harry has no way of knowing he will soon be plunged into a menacing world of rumored supernatural attacks, corporate cover-ups, ruthless hijackers, and bitter vengeance.Kunzmann returns with a strong force, capturing the bitter landscape and people of Johannesburg and beyond--captivating readers with his plot twists, dramatic action, and engaging characters. Salamander Cotton is a representation of poverty and a portrait of a country whose values of freedom and justice are only just emerging.
Marcus: The Autobiography of Marcus Allen
by Carlton Stowers Marcus AllenIn his eloquent words, hear mega-football superstar Marcus Allen--Heisman trophy winner, Super Bowl MVP, and record-breaking running back--tell his inspiring and unforgettable story.In Marcus, learn about his triumphant rise to athletic stardom, to his rocky 11-year relationship with Los Angeles Raiders coach Al Davis, to his controversial friendship with O.J. Simpson, and all the high and low points in between.Marcus on Al Davis:"I could neither understand nor determine why Al Davis had declared war against me. But for all the motives suggested, none involved the possibility that the issue might be racial. Al Davis was many things that I didn't admire, but he was no bigot." Marcus on O.J. Simpson:"I am and forever will be forever be tortured by the loss of two people who were my friends; one murdered, one now forced to live a lifetime being blamed for tragedy." Marcus on Football"It teaches hard lessons about success and failure, joy and disappointment. And when played well, it has a poetry all its own."
The Prom Night Murders: A Devoted American Family, Their Troubled Son, and a Ghastly Crime (St. Martin's True Crime Library)
by Carlton SmithIn 1989, a shocking tragedy shattered an otherwise peaceful small Indiana community. Much-admired pastor Robert L. Pelley was found slain in his home. In his basement were the huddled, blood-soaked bodies of his wife and daughters, executed by shotgun at close range. The doors to the house were locked, and there were no signs of forced entry. Meanwhile, the pastor's son, Jeff, was nowhere to be found…Police had a hunch that Jeff was responsible for the massacre, but they didn't have enough evidence to convict. The case went cold…until, more than a decade later, when law officials resolved to finally try to unravel the truth about Jeff and to establish a motive—that he was angry toward his father for grounding him on prom night. Then it would be up to prosecutors to prove that Jeff was responsible for THE PROM NIGHT MURDERS
The Last Patrician: Bobby Kennedy and the End of American Aristocracy
by Michael Knox BeranOverviewIn this provocative reassessment of one of the most controversial figures of twentieth-century American politics, Michael Knox Beran shows how Bobby Kennedy was shaped by values of the aristocratic class to which he had been brought up to belong. He was one of them - until he realized that the welfare state they had helped to create at home and the empire they had helped to found abroad were undermining some of America's most cherished traditions. In denouncing the welfare system as a "second-rate set of social services" and "hand-outs," and in questioning the imperial commitments that the patricians made in places like Vietnam, Bobby Kennedy was a prophet who accurately foresaw the changing direction of American politics. Challenging the work of Arthur Schlesinger Jr., Jack Newfield, and others, Beran demonstrates that Bobby was neither a pious liberal martyr nor a would-be revolutionary. He was a man who drew on the wisdom of Emerson, the ancient Greeks, and his own father's ideas about the transformative power of free markets - and used them to create a compelling vision of a better America.
Sicilian Tragedee: A Novel
by Ottavio CappellaniBalding, forty-something Mister Alfio Turrisi, an up-and-coming mafioso in Catania, has the deep pockets that London's financial world loves. He, in turn, loves Betty, the spoiled young daughter of Turi Pirrotta, a rival Catanian mobster. Alfio and Betty would seem to be the Romeo and Juliet of this poison-pen valentine to Ottavio Cappellani's native Sicily. That is, until we meet another pair of star-crossed lovers: gay theater director Tino Cagnotto and his bored and sexy young amore, Bobo. Because the way Tino sees it, the real heat in Shakespeare's tragedy is between Romeo and Mercutio, not Romeo and Juliet . . . Set in a twenty-first-century Sicily rife with moody aristocrats, vain politicians, inept gangsters, shabby theater actors, and high-tech killers, Cappellani's hilarious second novel—part Tarantino-style operetta, part soap opera—is also a surprising tribute to the Bard.
Everything Asian: A Novel
by Sung J. WooA funny and incisive Korean family coming-of-age novel in stories about a 12-year-old boy who moves with his mother and sister from Korea to work at their father's Asian gift shop in a New Jersey strip mall--and the growing pains that ensueYou're twelve years old. A month has passed since your Korean Air flight landed at lovely Newark Airport. Your fifteen-year-old sister is miserable. Your mother isn't exactly happy, either. You're seeing your father for the first time in five years, and although he's nice enough, he might be, well--how can you put this delicately?--a loser.You can't speak English, but that doesn't stop you from working at East Meets West, your father's gift shop in a strip mall, where everything is new.Welcome to the wonderful world of David Kim.