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Ambient Assisted Living: Italian Forum 2024 (Lecture Notes in Bioengineering)
by Pietro Siciliano Filippo Cavallo Laura Fiorini Alessandra SorrentinoThis book provides state-of-the-art information on ambient assisted living (AAL) and focuses on technologies, services, living spaces, policies, and interventions to promote health, improve quality of life, and active aging. It includes various research contributions, case studies, and projects where assistive technologies are successfully applied in the field, and it covers a wide range of topics: tailoring products and services to the aging society, bio-data and artificial sensing AAL scenarios, cognition, and technologies, and designing for inclusion and well-being. The book gathers the refereed proceedings of the 13th Italian Forum on Ambient Assisted Living (ForItAAL), held in Florence, Italy, on June 25–28, 2024. With its wide-ranging contributions to the topic, the book inspires the readers and the researchers to continue their exploration of AAL technologies to support the development of products and services that make a real difference in people’s daily lives.
The Sheltered City
by John TristanAmon Vraja, last of the halfdead, tries to stay out of sight. His kind, twisted by the gift that grants them superhuman strength, are loathed and shunned. Under the enchanted leaves of the Last City, ruled by imperious elves whose love of beauty leaves little room for his ugliness, he's not much more than the ghost of a dragon-haunted past.When the young, headstrong elf-lord Caedian takes an interest in Amon, however, Amon's days in the shadows may be over. Caedian needs Amon to find Caedian's missing twin, and a halfdead brothel guard can't just refuse an elf's desires. Throughout the search, Caedian and Amon rely on each other's strength and generosity, and Amon is struck by an impossible yearning for his elvish patron.As they peel away layers of deceit and spiral closer to one another, they also near the horrifying truth of the elves' protection. And when they discover it, they'll face a choice: step outside the shelter of the world's last city, or die where they stand.90,000 words
The Rancher Next Door
by Darlene MindrupJENNY GORDON DESPERATELY NEEDS A HOME Raising her orphaned siblings alone hasn't been easy. So when she suddenly inherits a cabin in Arizona, she plans to settle down and stay forever. Jenny is sure that she doesn't need help from anyone. Especially not Mitch Anderson, the handsome neighbor her young brother and sister idolize. Mitch is an ambitious rancher who's convinced Jenny won't stay. After all, his mother and fiancée both abandoned him for the big city. When Jenny fights hard to keep her home, Mitch realizes she belongs in the desert he loves so much. But will he learn that trust is the soul of romance?
One Night in Texas
by Linda WarrenTHE SECRET OF HORSESHOE, TEXAS Angie Wiznowski has made mistakes-the biggest is the secret she's kept from Hardison Hollister for ten years. The man she loved has the right to know what happened following that hot Texas night long ago. And it could cost Angie the most precious thing in her life. Hardy has no inkling he's a father...until an accident leaves a young girl injured and the Texas district attorney with an unexpected addition to his family. Blindsided by shock and hurt, Hardy can't forgive Angie for her deception. But as he gets to know his child, old and new feelings for Angie surface. While scandal could derail Hardy's political future-is that future meaningless without Angie and their daughter?
No Ordinary Home
by Mary SullivanShe's not who she seems... Gracie Travers has a secret. She's not the down-on-her-luck drifter she appears to be. Once America's sweetheart, Gracie needs to keep below the paparazzi's radar until she's thirty. Then she'll get her money and get off the street. But one small mistake brings Deputy Sheriff Austin Trumball into her life. He's attractive and oh-so-dangerous. If he learns who she really is, her anonymous days are over. Worse, Austin's hard to resist, and their connection is terrifying. Soon he makes her want what she can't have-a lover, a family and a home of her own.
Safe in Noah's Arms
by Mary SullivanCommunity service never looked so good Monica Accord knows trends, not tractors...fashion, not fertilizer. But she's stuck working on Noah Cameron's farm after one mistake lands her with community service. Monica remembers Noah from high school, but she definitely never knew about the crush he had on her. Now it just feels as if she's some bothersome city slicker. Yet she soon realizes there's more growing between her and Noah than just crops-a lot more. As long as the revelation of a family secret doesn't ruin their chance of a lifetime...
Silver Screen Romance
by AlTonya WashingtonWhen business becomes pleasure Although they've never met, Davia Sands knows all about Kale Asante's reputation for doing whatever it takes to close a deal. Now a mysterious inheritance is about to turn the longtime business rivals into reluctant partners. The only thing more combustible than their fiercely competitive spirits is the sizzling attraction that ignites the minute Davia lays eyes on the irresistible industrialist. Snapping up unique properties has made Kale a superstar in the world of international development. But he's driven by a sense of fairness when he and Davia discover that only one of them is the rightful owner of the Iowa movie theater they both covet. As they search for answers in the small town's quaint past, severe wintry conditions trap Kale and Davia in close quarters. Will giving in to their big-screen fantasies lead to real heartbreak? Or culminate in a lifetime of pleasure?
The Reluctant Witness
by Kathleen TailerLEFT FOR DEAD When his partner turns on him and tries to kill him, FBI agent Jack Mitchell is framed for murder and abandoned...until a blue-eyed beauty saves his life. Even in his wounded haze Jack sees Casey Johnson is hiding a secret. As the only witness to his innocence, Jack needs her. But Casey doesn't know who's more dangerous-the man who wants Jack dead or the handsome agent himself. For if Jack knew the reason she escaped to the wilderness with her niece, he'd have to arrest her. But on the run with Jack, Casey realizes that more than her secret is at stake now. So is her heart....
The Seven-Day Target
by Natalie CharlesLove never dies, but can it kill?He never meant to speak to her again. Back in Arbor Falls for a funeral, Special Agent Nick Foster has moved on. He has no plans to stay in his tiny hometown—or to reunite with the beautiful Libby Andrews. His onetime fiancée broke his heart, and what's past should stay buried.Libby doesn't want his help. Her childhood sweetheart can never know the real reason she ended their engagement three years before. But when a serial killer targets her, she must team up with the rugged agent for her own safety. Something in her past has put her in danger, and the passion they've reignited puts their future in deadly jeopardy.From Harlequin Romantic Suspense: Danger. Passion. Drama.
Shelter in the Tropics
by Cara LockwoodShe's got nowhere left to run After a year of searching, ex-marine turned private eye Tack Reeves has finally located Cate Allen. She's traded in her high heels for flip-flops but Tack would recognize the stunning beauty anywhere. He just needs proof. Posing as a tourist at her Caribbean resort is the perfect cover. Except that the closer Tack gets to Cate, the less his case makes sense...and their intense attraction is only fueling the confusion. When he learns that the mom and her four-year-old son are hiding from her abusive ex, he vows to protect them. But Cate may not let him when she learns why he's on the island...
Protecting the Quarterback
by Kristina KnightThis is more than just a game...to her Sports broadcaster Brooks Smith has always been more involved with the game than the players. But after she shares the spotlight at an awards ceremony with tabloid sensation Jonas Nash, one night of letting her guard down around the infamous quarterback spirals into many heated days and nights together when she gets assigned to the story of the year... The hottest player in professional football is hiding a secret that could end his career for good. Now Brooks is caught on the sidelines between the job she loves and the man she is falling in love with.
Second Chance Mom
by Emilie RoseIt's the reunion she didn't expect Rachel Bishop's reckless past is back to haunt her. Her sister's death has made her the guardian of a sullen teen and has brought her home to the secrets she'd run from-starting with Matt Johnston. Matt was the good guy who'd cracked her rebel-rousing teenage veneer. Now the handsome high school coach could destroy her hope of peacefully raising Chastity, the baby she secretly gave up to her sister years ago. To protect Matt and their daughter, Rachel must lie to them...but the heart won't be ignored. If Rachel wants a second chance at family and with Matt, she must take a risk on love.
Pleasure Under the Sun
by Lindsay EvansPassion is the ultimate seducer They meet at an invitation-only party in Miami. Desire instantly ignites. Financial advisor Bailey Hughes knows better than to get involved with playboy Seven Carmichael. But the gorgeous, world-renowned sculptor refuses to take no for an answer. And soon Bailey finds herself aboard a private yacht-enjoying days and nights of pleasure beyond her hottest fantasies. The moment he saw her, Seven was obsessed. From Key West to an intimate Jamaican paradise, he's embarked on a campaign of seduction to make Bailey his. With a passion the wary businesswoman can't resist, he's breaking down all her defenses. What will it take to win what he wants and needs most-Bailey's carefully guarded heart?
General George Washington: A Military Life
by Edward G. LengelMuch has been written in the past two centuries about George Washington the statesman and “father of his country.” Less often discussed is Washington’s military career, including his exploits as a young officer and his performance as the Revolutionary War commander in chief. Now, in a revealing work of historical biography, Edward Lengel has written the definitive account of George Washington the soldier.Based largely on Washington’s personal papers, this engrossing book paints a vivid, factual portrait of a man to whom lore and legend so tenaciously cling. To Lengel, Washington was the imperfect commander. Washington possessed no great tactical ingenuity, and his acknowledged “brilliance in retreat” only demonstrates the role luck plays in the fortunes of all great men. He was not an enlisted man’s leader; he made a point of never mingling with his troops. He was not an especially creative military thinker; he fought largely by the book. He was not a professional, but a citizen soldier, who, at a time when warfare demanded that armies maneuver efficiently in precise formation, had little practical training handling men in combat. Yet despite his flaws, Washington was a remarkable figure, a true man of the moment, a leader who possessed a clear strategic, national, and continental vision, and who inspired complete loyalty from his fellow revolutionaries, officers, and enlisted men. America could never have won freedom without him.A trained surveyor, Washington mastered topography and used his superior knowledge of battlegrounds to maximum effect. He appreciated the importance of good allies in times of crisis, and understood well the benefits of coordination of ground and naval forces. Like the American nation itself, he was a whole that was greater than the sum of its parts–a remarkable everyman whose acts determined the course of history. Lengel argues that Washington’s excellence was in his completeness, in how he united the military, political, and personal skills necessary to lead a nation in war and peace. At once informative and engaging, and filled with some eye-opening revelations about Washington, the war for American independence, and the very nature of military command, General George Washington is a book that reintroduces readers to a figure many think they already know.
The Village That Died for England: Tyneham and the Legend of Churchill's Pledge
by Patrick WrightA reissue of Patrick Wright's 1995 classic about the military takeover of the village of Tyneham, with a new introduction taking in Brexit and a new wave of British nationalism.Shortly before Christmas in 1943, the British military announced they were taking over a remote valley on the Dorset coast and turning it into a firing range for tanks in preparation for D-Day. The residents of the village of Tyneham loyally packed up their things and filed out of their homes into temporary accommodation, yet Tyneham refused to die. Although it was never returned to its pre-war occupants and owners, Tyneham would persist through a long and extraordinary afterlife in the English imagination. It was said that Churchill himself had promised that the villagers would be able to return once the war was over, and that the post-war Labour government was responsible for the betrayal of that pledge. Both the accusation and the sense of grievance would reverberate through many decades after that.Back in print and with a brand new introduction, this book explores how Tyneham came to be converted into a symbol of posthumous England, a patriotic community betrayed by the alleged humiliations of post-war national history. Both celebrated and reviled at the time of its first publication in 1995, The Village that Died for England is indispensable reading for anyone trying to understand where Brexit came from — and where it might be leading us.
No Place to Run
by Marion Faith Laird"DON'T THINK YOU CAN GET AWAY WITH IT." Just when she started to feel safe, small-town librarian Lorie Narramore begins receiving threatening notes. They prove that her worst fears have come true-her dark past has followed her to Arkansas. And someone wants her to pay for what she's done. As the threats turn into full-scale attacks, Lorie has no choice but to rely on deputy sheriff Matt MacGregor's protection. But after her harrowing ordeal with the law, can she truly trust a cop? And can Matt trust her to tell him the truth when the threats claim she's gotten away with murder?
When in Rome...: A Novel
by Gemma TownleyWhen in Rome, do as Audrey Hepburn would do. Failing that, run off with your ex-boyfriend, carry suspicious packages through customs, and lie to the person who loves you. . . .Georgie Beauchamp is totally happy and in love with her wonderful, dependable boyfriend, David. So why does she always daydream about running into her gorgeous ex-boyfriend Mike? It can’t mean she’s still in love with him—especially since the cad dumped her so horribly. As luck would have it, when Georgie’s daydream actually comes true, she is dressed in unglamorous sweats and carrying a curtain rod down the street, while Mike is driving an expensive sports car and looking better than Brad Pitt at the Oscars. She longs to have the glamorous life Mike can offer—and starts to think that he might want her back in his arms.But when he invites her for a weekend in Rome, Georgie is torn. David has always said he’d take her there for the romantic getaway of a lifetime, but his work keeps him totally tied up. So she must choose: David, all comfort and reliability, or Mike, all flirtation and butterfly-stomachs. The decision isn’t too hard to make, and faster than she can say Vespa, she’s off to Rome with Mike, full of plans to frolic on the Spanish Steps and sip wine in intimate trattorias. But when David shows up unexpectedly, this roman holiday gets a hell of a lot more complicated. . . .
A Farther Shore: Ireland's Long Road to Peace
by Gerry AdamsHe’s been imprisoned, shot at, denounced, shunned, and banned, yet Sinn Féin president Gerry Adams remains resolute in his belief that peace is the only viable option for the Irish people. Adams led the oldest revolutionary movement in Ireland on an extraordinary journey from armed insurrection to active participation in government. Now he tells the story of the tumultuous series of events that led to the historic Good Friday Agreement as only he can: with a tireless crusader’s conviction and an insider’s penetrating insight. In vivid detail, Adams describes the harrowing attack on his life, and he offers new details about the peace process. We learn of previously undisclosed talks between republicans and the British government, and of conflicts and surprising alliances between key players. Adams reveals details of his discussions with the IRA leadership and tells how republicans differed, “dissidents” emerged, and the first IRA cessation of violence broke down. He recounts meetings in the Clinton White House, tells what roles Irish-Americans and South Africans played in the process, and describes the secret involvement of those within the Catholic Church. Then—triumphantly—this inspiring story climaxes with the Good Friday Agreement: what was agreed and what was promised. Gerry Adams brings a sense of immediacy to this story of hope in what was long considered an intractable conflict. He conveys the acute tensions of the peace process and the ever-present sense of teetering on the brink of both joyous accomplishment and continued despair. With a sharp eye and sensitive ear for the more humorous foibles of political allies and enemies alike, Adams offers illuminating portraits of the leading characters through cease-fires and standoffs, discussions and confrontations. Among the featured players are John Major, Tony Blair, Bill and Hillary Clinton, Jean Kennedy Smith, and Nelson Mandela. As the preeminent republican strategist of his generation, Gerry Adams provides the first comprehensive account of the principles and tactics underpinning modern Irish republicanism. And in a world where peace processes are needed more urgently than ever, A Farther Shore provides a template for conflict resolution.
The Murder Artist: A Thriller
by John CaseThe bestselling author of The Genesis Code and The Eighth Day now strikes his most harrowing chord, with a chilling novel that pushes suspense to nearly inhuman limits.As a television news correspondent, Alex Callahan has traveled to some of the most dangerous corners of the globe, covering famine, plague, and war. He’s seen more than his share of blood and death, and knows what it means to be afraid. But what he’s never known is the terror that grabs him when, on a tranquil summer afternoon, he ceases to be an observer of the dark side and, to his shock, becomes enmeshed in it.Separated from his wife, and struggling not to become a stranger to his six-year-old twin sons, Alex is logging some all-too-rare quality time with the boys, when they vanish without a trace amid the hurly-burly of a countryside Renaissance Fair.Then the phone call comes. A chilling silence; slow, steady breathing; and the familiar, plaintive voice of a child–“Daddy?”–complete the nightmare . . . and set in motion a juggernaut of frenzy and agony.The longer the police search, exhausting leads without success, the deeper Alex’s certainty grows that time is running out. And when, at last, telltale signs reveal a hidden pattern of bizarre and ghoulish abductions, Alex vows to use his own relentless investigative skills to rescue his children from the shadowy figure dubbed The Piper.Whoever this elusive stranger is, the profile that slowly emerges–from previous crimes involving twins, from the zealously secret world of professional magicians, and from the eerie culture of voodoo–suggests that The Piper is a predator unlike any other. A twisted soul hell-bent on fulfilling an unspeakably dark dream. A fiend with a terrifying true calling. What Alex Callahan is closing in on is a monster with a mission.
Dream House (Molly Blume)
by Rochelle KrichDREAM HOUSEA Novel of SuspenseRochelle KrichNational bestselling author of Blues in the NightFriday, October 31. 9:37 P.M., 100 block of South Martel. A vandal threw a pumpkin through the front window of a house and several eggs at the front door. The police report read like just another Halloween prank–a nasty, petty act. But the attack is one in a recent spate of increasingly violent vandalisms targeting residents who have paid millions of dollars for their dream homes in the ritziest enclaves of Los Angeles.Residents are already seething, hotly divided about the growing number of Historical Architectural Restoration and Preservation (HARP) boards that prevent homeowners from remodeling their expensive real estate, forcing them to preserve the traditional integrity of neighborhoods where Hollywood legends once lived. So impassioned are pro-and anti-HARP forces that Crime Sheet columnist Molly Blume suspects that members from both side of the debate may perpetrating the vandalism that claims new victims almost daily.But the arson that destroys an empty house on Fuller Street doesn’t fit the pattern. This beautiful property belongs to Margaret Reston and her husband, Hank; and the sick old man who dies when it burns is Margaret’s father. Margaret herself has disappeared. She was last seen working in her garden five months ago–and although traces of her blood were found in her car, the police have no idea what has happened to the missing woman.This intrigue all makes good copy for hard-hitting newshound Molly. Almost in love again with the high-school sweetheart who dumped her and is now a rabbi, Molly can’t stop thinking about Margaret and Hank Reston and the old man whose life was tragically, though accidentally, cut short. But was it an accident? What has happened to Margaret Reston? Where does malice end and evil begin?In her second Molly Blume chiller, award-winning novelist Rochelle Krich takes us right inside L.A.’s most exclusive neighborhoods and into the elegant old houses whose wrought-iron fences and barred windows offer scant protection from violence. Even in a dream house, life can turn nightmarish in a heartbeat.Rochelle Krich is the author of many acclaimed novels of suspense, including Blues in the Night (which introduced Molly Blume), Shadows of Sin, Dead Air, Blood Money, and Fertile Ground. An Anthony Award winner for her debut novel, Where’s Mommy Now? (which was adapted as the TV movie Perfect Alibi), Ms. Krich now lives in Los Angeles with her husband and their children.Visit Rochelle Krich’s Web site at www.rochellekrich.comPraise for Rochelle Krich and Blues in the Night“Blues in the Night is superb. . . . Molly Blume is a fresh new presence on the mystery scene. . . . Smart, resourceful, and curious–not much escapes her.”–SUE GRAFTON“One of America’s finest suspense novelists.”–CAROLYN HART“Molly investigates with both thoroughness and compassion, making this new sleuth worth her salt.”–The New York Times Book Review“An authentic, first-rate book . . . [that] demonstrates once again why she has won for herself an important place in the pantheon of outstanding mystery writers.”–Jerusalem Post“Smoothly written . . . A charming new series . . . Skillfully plotted, with a satisfying solution.”–Milwaukee Journal“An unqualified winner.”–Ellery Queen’s Mystery Magazine
Kingfish: The Reign of Huey P. Long
by Richard D. White Jr.From the moment he took office as governor in 1928 to the day an assassin&’s bullet cut him down in 1935, Huey Long wielded all but dictatorial control over the state of Louisiana. A man of shameless ambition and ruthless vindictiveness, Long orchestrated elections, hired and fired thousands at will, and deployed the state militia as his personal police force. And yet, paradoxically, as governor and later as senator, Long did more good for the state&’s poor and uneducated than any politician before or since. Outrageous demagogue or charismatic visionary? In this powerful biography, Richard D. White, Jr., brings Huey Long to life in all his blazing, controversial glory. White taps invaluable new source material to present a fresh, vivid portrait of both the man and the Depression era that catapulted him to fame. From his boyhood in dirt-poor Winn Parish, Long knew he was destined for power–the problem was how to get it fast enough to satisfy his insatiable appetite. With cunning and crudity unheard of in Louisiana politics, Long crushed his opponents in the 1928 gubernatorial race, then immediately set about tightening his iron grip. The press attacked him viciously, the oil companies howled for his blood after he pushed through a controversial oil processing tax, but Long had the adulation of the people. In 1930, the Kingfish got himself elected senator, and then there was no stopping him.White&’s account of Long&’s heyday unfolds with the mesmerizing intensity of a movie. Pegged by President Roosevelt as &“one of the two most dangerous men in the country,&” Long organized a radical movement to redistribute money through his Share Our Wealth Society–and his gospel of pensions for all, a shorter workweek, and free college spread like wildfire. The Louisiana poor already worshiped him for building thousands of miles of roads and funding schools, hospitals, and universities; his outrageous antics on the Senate floor gained him a growing national base. By 1935, despite a barrage of corruption investigations, Huey Long announced that he was running for president. In the end, Long was a tragic hero–a power addict who squandered his genius and came close to destroying the very foundation of democratic rule. Kingfish is a balanced, lucid, and absolutely spellbinding portrait of the life and times of the most incendiary figure in the history of American politics.
Death in the Family (Lloyd And Hill Mysteries Ser. #12)
by Jill McGownWith a plot that defies the most inspired second-guessing and with menace ticking quietly away on every page, Jill McGown’s Death in the Family firmly establishes her as a master of mystery and psychological suspense. This gritty, sophisticated novel is the twelfth in the author’s internationally acclaimed series starring Chief Detective Inspector Lloyd and his colleague and lover, Chief Detective Inspector Judy Hill.Dean Fletcher had spent virtually all his twenty-four years doing things practically guaranteed to land him in trouble. But not until he fell for a blonde nymphet named Kayleigh Scott did he manage to totally ruin his life. Kayleigh had told him she was eighteen. In truth, she was not quite thirteen, and poor Dean was soon off to prison, a convicted sex offender, still smitten with his adolescent lover.Now he’s finally free again, only to be ensnared by two crimes that have Lloyd pulling out what’s left of his hair. One is an infant kidnapping (the child was born within hours of Lloyd’s and Judy’s own baby, Charlotte); the other is the murder of Kayleigh’s mother, Lesley, on the very eve of the family’s sudden move to Australia.Fortunately, Lloyd thinks he hears the ring of truth in Dean’s protestations of innocence. He is extremely curious about Lesley’s new lover, Ian, who has jumped headfirst into another relationship, and her old lover, Phil, whose world she had destroyed. And for all her air of placid innocence, Kayleigh herself isn’t above suspicion.With Judy out on maternity leave, Lloyd is obliged to pick his way alone through the minefield of birth, death, murder, and domestic evil. Death in the Family is a novel of uncanny power and chilling credibility.
A Good Happy Girl: A Novel
by Marissa HigginsA poignant, surprising, and immersive read about a young professional woman pursuing an emotionally intense relationship with a married lesbian couple, for readers of Kristen Arnett and Melissa BroderHelen, a jittery attorney with a self-destructive streak, is secretly reeling from a disturbing crime of neglect that her parents recently committed. Historically happy to compartmentalize—distracting herself by hooking up with lesbian couples, doting on her grandmother, and flirting with a young administrative assistant—Helen finally meets her match with Catherine and Katrina, a married couple who startle and intrigue her with their ever-increasing sexual and emotional intensity.Perceptive and attentive, Catherine and Katrina prod at Helen&’s life, revealing a childhood tragedy she&’s been repressing. When her father begs her yet again for help getting parole, she realizes that she has a bargaining chip to get answers to her past.A Good Happy Girl is interested in worlds without men—and women who will do what they can to get what they want. In her exploration of twisted desires, queer domesticity, and the effects of incarceration on the family, Marissa Higgins offers empathy to characters who often don&’t receive it, with unsettling results.
A Young People's History of the United States: Revised and Updated (For Young People Series)
by Howard ZinnA Young People's History of the United States brings to US history the viewpoints of workers, enslaved people, immigrants, women, Black people, Latino Americans, Asian Americans, American Indians, and others whose stories, and their impact, are rarely included in books for young people. Beginning with a look at Christopher Columbus&’s arrival through the eyes of the Arawak Indians, then leading the reader through the struggles for workers&’ rights, women&’s rights, and civil rights during the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, and ending with the current protests against continued American imperialism, Zinn presents a radical new way of understanding America&’s history. In so doing, he reminds readers that America&’s true greatness is shaped by our dissident voices, not our military generals.A Young People's History of the United States is also a companion volume to The People Speak, the film adapted from A People's History of the United States and Voices of a People&’s History of the United States.
Roseanna: A Martin Beck Police Mystery (1) (Martin Beck Police Mystery Series #1)
by Maj Sjowall Per WahlooWith a New Introduction by Henning Mankell. The masterful first novel in the Martin Beck series of mysteries by the internationally renowned crime writing duo Maj Sjöwall and Per Wahlöö ("the best writers of police procedurals in the world"), finds Beck hunting for the murderer of a lonely traveler.On a July afternoon, a young woman's body is dredged from Sweden's beautiful Lake Vattern. With no clues Beck begins an investigation not only to uncover a murderer but also to discover who the victim was. Three months later, all Beck knows is that her name was Roseanna and that she could have been strangled by any one of eighty-five people on a cruise. As the melancholic Beck narrows the list of suspects, he is drawn increasingly to the enigma of the victim, a free-spirited traveler with a penchant for casual sex, and to the psychopathology of a murderer with a distinctive--indeed, terrifying--sense of propriety.