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Hostages to Fortune: A Novel
by William HumphreyA father bravely confronts an unthinkable tragedyin William Humphrey&’s most heart-wrenching novel. In the aftermath of his son&’s suicide, Ben Curtis returns to the upstate New York fishing lodge that holds some of his happiest memories. It has been two years since his last visit, and Ben—thirty pounds lighter, his dark hair turned white—is barely recognizable to people who have fished alongside him for twenty summers. For the first time in all those years, he has made the trip alone. Over the course of the weekend, as Ben tramps through the forest and relearns the secrets of catching trout, he recalls the joys of the past and reckons with the grim reality of the present. Anthony, a Princeton freshman who inherited his father&’s love of the outdoors, is gone. So too is the man he was named after: Tony Thayer, Ben&’s best friend and former fishing companion. And Ben has no idea where his wife, Cathy, might be. In the wake of Anthony&’s death, their already-strained marriage fell apart. Where does a man turn when everything he put his faith in—friends, family, love—is destroyed? In the exhilaration of fly casting into an icy mountain stream, Ben hopes to find the answer. Hailed by the Chicago Tribune as &“a desperate, impressive, astonishing book,&” Hostages to Fortune is a profound and deeply moving meditation on the art of survival. This ebook features an illustrated biography of William Humphrey including rare photos form the author&’s estate.
The House by the Sea: A Journal
by May SartonThe author and poet&’s graceful elegy about life, love, work, and growing older: &“The most moving and the most thoughtful [of her] journal-memoirs&” (The Plain Dealer, Cleveland). When May Sarton uprooted her life after fifteen years in the refurbished New Hampshire house with the garden she tended so lovingly, she relied solely on instinct. And something told her it was time to move on. Accompanied by her wild cat, Bramble, and Tamas, a Shetland shepherd puppy—the first dog she ever owned—Sarton embarked on the next chapter of her life. The house she chose by the sea in the Maine village of York is completely isolated except during the summer months. Surrounded by nothing but endless ocean, woods, and vast skies, Sarton experiences a rare sense of peace. She creates a new garden and fears that in this tranquil state, she may never write again. But in her solitude—with its occasional interruptions for trips away and visits from friends—she realizes that creativity is constantly renewing itself. This journal offers fascinating insight into a remarkable woman and the work and friendships that form the twin pillars of her life. This ebook features an extended biography of May Sarton.
The Sable Moon (The Book of Isle #3)
by Nancy SpringerA headstrong young prince, enslaved far from home, must rescue his imperiled kingdom and those he loves from an ancient dark sorcery in Nancy Springer&’s magnificent third entry in the Book of Isle The life of young Prince Trevyn of Isle changes forever on the day a mysterious boy named Gwern is welcomed without question into the family&’s castle. Stubborn and resentful of the unwanted intrusion, the errant teenage prince abandons his home and soon finds himself both in love and in jeopardy. Enraptured by the village girl Meg, he incurs the wrath of Wael, a powerful warlock, by saving the lady of his heart and her people from certain destruction. But young Trevyn&’s trials have only just begun. Lured across the seas by his vengeful foe, he is captured and enslaved, and must somehow find his way to freedom. For the unprotected Isle is now at Wael&’s mercy, and love will surely die if the boy-prince cannot return to the realm as its champion. A classic epic fantasy in the grand tradition of J. R. R. Tolkien, set in an ancient island sanctuary of gods and ghosts and magic, Nancy Springer&’s captivating Book of Isle saga is brimming with adventure, romance, evil, mythic quests, legendary history, and ingeniously imagined locales.
Tales from High Hallack Volume Two: The Collected Short Stories Of Andre Norton (The Collected Short Stories of Andre Norton #2)
by Andre NortonA rich anthology of short stories from the New York Times–bestselling author and legendary creator of the Witch World series. Each year, Garner&’s troupe makes its way to Ithkar Fair. The actors charm the crowd, winning applause and lavish reward, but none captures the audience&’s imagination like the yellow-eyed, silver-haired girl whose performance conceals pain that few can understand. She is a Quintka—her coloring makes that plain—and yet even Garner, who has seen more of the world than anyone, can't unlock the secrets of her unknown father, who left her mother to sacrifice herself to save the child. As she passes her seventeenth birthday, the mystery of her past drives her into danger, as she fights to find answers that no mortal should possess. &“Swamp Dweller&” is a classic Andre Norton story: lush, thrilling, and impossible to put down. Like the others in this invaluable volume, it is more than mere escapism—it is an entrancing look into another world.
The Closed Harbour: A Novel
by James HanleyTrapped on shore, a captain fights desperately for a place on a ship Once, Marius believes, the world was wide and the sea was infinite. Adventure and profit awaited any man bold enough to step aboard a ship and cast his lot with the open ocean. But those days are gone. After a long and undistinguished career, Marius&’s reputation suffers an irreparable blow during the dark days of World War II when he refuses to go down with a sinking ship. It is the greatest crime a captain can commit, and it dooms him to hell on earth. Trapped in Marseilles, Marius spends his days begging for a boat and his nights in a bitter, alcoholic stupor. The ocean has rejected him so fully, he thinks, that he doubts the waters would even allow him to drown. But as Marius learns, it&’s possible for a man to drown on dry land.
Jack Strong: A Story of Life After Life
by Walter MosleyIn a Las Vegas hotel room, a man awakes to confront his destinyDreaming, Jack hears voices: a frightened child in a hospital, a woman cheating on her husband, a death-row inmate. When he wakes, the voices recede, but they do not vanish. He is in a luxurious hotel room on the Vegas strip, and his body is covered in scars. Jack Strong is a patchwork man, his flesh melded together from dozens of men and women, and his mind is the same way. Countless lifetimes are contained within him: people whose time was cut short, and who see their place in Jack as a chance to make things right.On behalf of one of them, Jack reignites a feud with corrupt casino bosses. Drawing on the skills of another, he beats the life out of two bodyguards. Jack fights for control as he lurches from impulse to impulse, certain that somewhere within him exists a soul. The answers may lie with whomever is tailing him in a sleek black car—if Jack can somehow confront him.
Dead Man's Thoughts (The Cass Jameson Mysteries #1)
by Carolyn WheatEdgar Award Finalist: Her lover murdered, a Brooklyn defense attorney faces an eye-opening mystery. Cass Jameson feels at home in court. A Brooklyn legal-aid attorney, she defends prostitutes, drug dealers, and burglars, helping them navigate the tangled justice system one hearing at a time. After years of drudgery, she dreams of quitting her career in law to become a professional photographer—a dream she has discussed only with her boyfriend, fellow attorney Nathan Wasserstein. It is a dream they will never get to share. One afternoon, Cass finds Nathan&’s apartment unlocked. The kitchen has been ransacked, the living room trashed. And in the bedroom, she finds Nathan tied to his bed, savagely murdered. When the police investigation falters, Cass takes it on herself to find her lover&’s killer—even if it means learning things about him that make her question everything.
The Molly Maguires and the Detectives
by Allan PinkertonTo keep the peace in the coal mines, the Pinkerton agency goes to war The Civil War is over, and the Union is rebuilding using the power of coal—black rock dug from deep beneath the Pennsylvania earth by men from all over the globe who are seeking their fortune in America. In the 1870s, the miners are unionizing to fight for better working conditions, but within their ranks lurks a secret society whose aim is not so pure. It calls itself the Mollie Maguires, and its adherents are ready to kill to get what they want. Fearing a bloodbath, the head of one of the coal-mining firms reaches out to Allan Pinkerton, founder of the famous detective agency, and begs him to break up the sinister ring. Pinkerton sends James McParlan undercover among the miners, the first soldier in a three-year battle against the radicals that will change the face of American labor forever. This ebook features a new introduction by Otto Penzler and has been professionally proofread to ensure accuracy and readability on all devices.
Dark Rage: A Novel of Electrifying Suspense
by Lowell CauffielOn the day before Thanksgiving, a madman rains terror on an airportLaurel Kring sits in his garage, blaring John Coltrane as he writes his manifesto. When he has every word in place, he returns to his living room, wraps his arms around his wife, and puts a bullet in her side. She will only be the first to die. At Detroit Metropolitan Airport, Jack Riker is wearing a heart monitor. An ex–homicide cop working as airport police until his pension comes through, Jack has been feeling heart palpitations, and his doctor suggested he wear the monitor for an ordinary workday. But this Thanksgiving will be anything but normal. When Laurel Kring descends on Detroit Metro, intent on carrying out the next step in his manifesto, thousands of passengers will be at his mercy, and Riker will have to stop Kring—if his heart doesn&’t fail him first.
Death in the Palazzo (The Mysteries of Venice #5)
by Edward SklepowichIn an ancient Venetian palazzo, Urbino Macintyre encounters a decades-old murder The Contessa da Capo-Zendrini is one of the leading lights of Venice society, but there is one house where she has long been unwelcome. Her late husband&’s family, the Zenos, has loathed her since the 1930s, when a gathering at her palazzo ended in tragedy. Decades later, she hits on a devilish plan to make amends: inviting the Zeno clan over for a house party to make up for the one that ended in bloodshed long ago. But soon after her guests arrive, murder strikes again. The contessa begs her closest friend, American sleuth Urbino Macintyre, to unravel the mystery of the killing before it tears both families apart. No one has been in or out of the house since the fête began, so the murderer must be among the guests. It seems simple, but this is Venice, where death is never easy.
A Wasteland of Strangers (Beeler Large Print Mystery Ser.)
by Bill PronziniEdgar Award Finalist: A mysterious stranger sparks mistrust and violence in a gripping tale of small-town prejudice, jealousy, and murder from Mystery Writers of America Grand Master Bill Pronzini. The arrival of big, ugly John C. Faith in a battered Porsche sends up warning flags throughout the small Northern California resort community of Pomo. No one trusts the stranger who refuses to talk about why he is there. And when a local beauty with questionable morals is found murdered, suspicion immediately falls on him. Condemned without a trial, Faith hides among Pomo&’s outcasts and conducts his own investigation. But his hunt for the killer and the town&’s hunt for him threaten to dredge up secrets best left uncovered in this powder keg of a town, exposing crimes and dark compulsions that can only lead to more violence and death. A riveting thriller told from various points of view, A Wasteland of Strangers is an extraordinary feat of literary invention from one of noir fiction&’s most acclaimed practitioners.
The Disappearance (Bison Frontiers Of Imagination Ser.)
by Philip WylieThis brilliant classic of speculative fiction imagines the aftermath of an extraordinary global occurrence that forces Earth&’s men and women to exist in parallel dimensions Like every other family, the Gaunts are devastated by the unexplained phenomenon that occurs one Tuesday afternoon in February. In an instant, every female on Earth is mysteriously transported to a different plane, forced to live apart from the males, who have been left behind. Suddenly trapped in two parallel realities—with the bonds of love, trust, sex, and stability that formed the foundation of their relationship abruptly severed—Bill and Paula Gaunt must separately reexamine who they truly are and what they are capable of as existence itself becomes a struggle in one world that descends into violence and brutality, and another that is soon plagued by famine and despair. Originally published more than half a century ago, Philip Wylie&’s provocative science fiction classic remains a masterful work of intelligence and imagination. The Disappearance is a breathtaking, thought-provoking exploration of gender roles and expectations that reveals stark truths about who we are as men and women—and as the interconnected members of a fallible human race.
The Gate of the Cat: Trey Of Swords, Ware Hawk, And The Gate Of The Cat (Witch World: Estcarp Cycle #8)
by Andre NortonWhen an Earth woman travels through a hidden portal to the magical Witch World, she joins a witch and a warrior in an epic battle against evil. Kelsie McBlair has always loved the Scottish Highlands, and assumes responsibility to care for the flora and fauna therein. But when she tries to help an injured wildcat, she takes a fall between two great stones, knocking herself unconscious. She awakens in a world she never thought possible—a world where magic users, mighty heroes, and terrible monsters dwell. When she comes across a dying woman, she doesn&’t know what to do. And the feeling only worsens when the woman hands Kelsie a strange glowing jewel many dangerous creatures are after. Soon she finds herself on an incredible adventure accompanied by a cynical witch who doesn&’t trust her and a young warrior sworn to protect her. All three will be bound to each other for survival, as they are the only ones who can stem the tide of the Dark forces ravaging the land, and Kelsie—the strange Earth woman—proves to be the only one who can face off against the Lord of the Dark himself . . . In The Gate of the Cat, Andre Norton&’s &“many Witch World fans will welcome this return to a land of powerful witches, mail-clad warriors, and mysterious Old Ones&” (Library Journal). The Gate of the Cat is the 3rd book in the Witch World: Estcarp Cycle, but you may enjoy reading the series in any order.
The Virgin Kills
by Raoul WhitfieldA killer stalks the guests of an eccentric millionaire at a Hudson River boating event in this classic thriller from one of the unsung masters of early noir mystery In the years between the world wars, in the heyday of Dashiell Hammett, Raymond Chandler, and Leslie Charteris, Raoul Whitfield was a mystery author to be reckoned with. Considered by many to be more realistic than his famous contemporaries, Whitfield wrote gripping tales of murder and mayhem, full of unanticipated twists and turns. His work was often featured in Black Mask, the legendary mystery magazine of the 1930s. The time is ripe to rediscover one of the godfathers of noir fiction. The guests of millionaire gambler Eric Vennel are gathered on their eccentric host&’s yacht, Virgin, speeding north up the Hudson River toward the Poughkeepsie Regatta, a renowned collegiate competition of boating skill. The crew on board is a motley one, including a famous Hollywood starlet, an acclaimed author, a sports writer, some society swells, a well-known aviator, a gossip columnist, and a hard-boiled newspaper reporter. Vennel is said to have a lot of money riding on this race. There is also speculation that someone wants him dead, which is why an underworld thug has been brought along to serve as the rich man&’s bodyguard. Neither the rumors nor the thug is doing much to alleviate the already considerable tension. And the questionable demise of a favored regatta competitor only heightens the sense of unease. It seems there may indeed be a killer among them—a suspicion that is emphatically confirmed when, one by one, the passengers of the Virgin begin to die.This ebook includes an introduction by Boris Dralyuk.
The Status Civilization
by Robert SheckleyOn a savage prison planet, a reluctant killer searches for his memory He awakes in the cell, his mind blank save for a faint memory of standing over a dead man with a gun. Guilty of murder, his brain has been wiped, and he has been transported to Omega, the prison planet, where evil is worshipped as a god. His jailers inform him of his name, Will Barrent, his crime, and the average life expectancy in his new home: three years. Every day will be a battle for survival, and one day, he will lose. Although run by criminals, Omega is hardly lawless. The population has been divided into an intricate caste system, and Barrent is on the bottom. The only way to advance in rank is to kill. While Barrent knows in his bones that he is no murderer, he sees no alternative but to give in to the crime that sent him here. He will kill if he must, but he will never lose himself again.
The Murderer Invisible
by Philip WylieA vengeful scientist uses his brilliant discovery to unleash terror on the world in this timeless science fiction classic from an early-twentieth-century master The scientific community has always shunned William Carpenter. A strange, hulking giant, a talented biochemical investigator, and the self-styled &“greatest mind in the western world,&” he has locked himself inside a house with no windows, in the most desolate reaches of New Jersey, where he can conduct his experiments in peace and isolation. Here in his personal sanctuary, Carpenter has found something astonishing that could alter life on Earth as we know it: a chemical compound that can render all matter invisible, from rocks to plants to people. But the twisted genius has no intention of using this breakthrough to benefit the planet. Instead, he is about to declare war on all humankind by launching an unseen campaign of terror and destruction. For years the world has ignored William Carpenter, labeling him insane, sociopathic, or worst of all, insignificant. And now the world will have to pay. The early works of novelist, editor, short story writer, essayist, and screenwriter Philip Wylie were primary influences on the creation of characters like Flash Gordon, Superman, and Travis McGee. First published in 1931, The Murderer Invisible takes H. G. Wells&’s classic Invisible Man several giant leaps further, resulting in a chilling tale of madness and science run amok that is at once a gripping adventure and a prescient commentary on man and society.
Mystery, Inc. (Bibliomysteries #26)
by Joyce Carol OatesA book lover&’s lust for acquisition drives him to murder in this short tale from the New York Times–bestselling author of Beautiful Days. Identified only by the hastily—and clumsily—chosen alias Charles Brockden, the narrator of this story finds a bookstore that instantly piques his desire. He must call it his own; he must add it to his already-extensive collection of bookstores. But surely the owner of such a fine shop wouldn&’t easily part with it. Brockden forms a plan to acquire the store in such a way that no one would ever suspect foul play: untraceable murder. And he knows he will be successful—because he has done it before.The Bibliomysteries are a series of short tales about deadly books, by top mystery authors.
The Eighth Circle: A Mystery Novel (Crime Masterworks Ser. #No.35)
by Stanley EllinEdgar Award winner: Investigating a crooked cop, a private detective gets too close to the case. The investigators of the Conmy-Kirk detective agency don&’t work in trench coats, drink on the job, or carry pistols. They are researchers who comb newspapers and government records in search of the tiny details that could make or break their clients&’ fortunes. It is painstaking and unromantic, but as co-owner Murray Kirk is about to learn, those details can mean the difference between life and death. The district attorney is cracking down on corruption in the NYPD, and the search is spreading like wildfire, forcing hundreds of policemen to resign in disgrace. When Conmy-Kirk is hired to clear the name of one of the accused, Kirk finds himself falling for his client&’s daughter, a moral infraction that draws him deeper into the city&’s underworld than he ever wanted to slip. This work isn&’t like it is in the movies—if Murray Kirk catches a bullet, he&’ll stay dead.
Death in a Serene City (The Mysteries of Venice #1)
by Edward SklepowichAn American writer searches for a kidnapped Venetian saint In a remote Venice church, a dead woman named Santa Teodora lies before the altar. She has been there for centuries, ever since the Crusaders carried her mummified body away from the Holy Land, and she is as much a part of this mysterious city as the Grand Canal itself. Urbino Macintyre, an American expatriate who makes a living writing biographies of legendary Venetians, believes he knows every detail of Teodora&’s legend, but another chapter is about to be added to her myth. Twenty years after a flood ravaged the city, Santa Teodora has vanished from the church. Macintyre&’s nose for history leads him to investigate the case, which he suspects might be related to the demises of two local women. Death can no longer touch the saint, but it may be waiting for Urbino Macintyre.
Tightrope (The Blue Maguire and Spaceman Kowalski Mysteries #2)
by Teri WhiteSpaceman and Blue track a trio of Vietnam veterans with murder on their minds As Saigon erupts into chaos, General Tran walks with the easy calm of a man with a plan. After years of working with the Americans, he has no intention of being left behind in Vietnam, and so he has arranged for an escape route. He is nearly home free when he hears footsteps behind him in the darkened alley. He knows then that he will never leave Saigon alive. Tran had planned to escape Vietnam with a cache of smuggled diamonds. Years later, the three Americans who helped him steal the stones want their piece of the haul—and will do anything to get ahold of it. As their search turns violent, they attract the attention of Blue Maguire and Spaceman Kowalski, a pair of LA cops whose oddball exteriors mask a toughness rarely seen outside the LAPD. To stop this trio of killers, they will have to be tougher than ever before.
Farewell to the Flesh: An Urbino Macintyre Mystery (The Mysteries of Venice #2)
by Edward SklepowichDuring Carnival, Urbino Macintyre discovers a murder in a convent Each of the sisters of the Charity of Santa Crispina chooses a different way to die. Some relax into the arms of death, eager for their eternal rewards. Some leave this world violently, screaming in pain as they take their last breaths. The convent is a severe place, its rooms spartan, its food bland. But the time has come for Carnival in Venice, and a tourist will take any room he can find. Photographer Val Gibbon has come to document the renovation of a nearby church, but he has hardly begun his work before a knife finds its way into his chest, and the convent becomes a crime scene. American expatriate Urbino Macintyre, a biographer and amateur sleuth, sets aside his plans for Carnival to look into the murder. In this ancient city, nothing is ever as it seems—especially not in the season when the only creature not wearing a mask is death itself.
Crude Carrier (The Touchstone Agency Mysteries #2)
by Rex BurnsTwo detectives take to the high seas after a sailor&’s death in a mystery that &“succeeds in making life aboard a huge oil tanker both fascinating and scary&” (Publishers Weekly). The Rossi family received only a handful of letters after their son shipped out on the supertanker Aurora Victorious. The first dispatches were from Harold himself, describing the blend of tedium and excitement that defined life onboard the ship. The last communication came from the ship&’s owners: four brief sentences informing them that their son had died and been buried at sea. Desperate to know more, the Rossis turn to James and Julie Raiford, the father-daughter detective team behind the Touchstone Agency. As the Raifords soon learn, work on the open sea is dangerous—and asking questions can be deadly. When the shipping company stonewalls the investigation, James joins the Aurora Victorious as an electronics officer, and Julie digs into the proprietors&’ shadowy background. International oil shipping is a ruthless business, and its secrets run as deep as the ocean itself.
Dress Gray
by Lucian K. Truscott IVThis New York Times–bestselling novel about a crime and cover-up at West Point offers &“a compelling portrait of the military academy&” (The New York Times). Ry Slaight is a young cadet at the United States Military Academy, walking punishment tours in May 1968, when he hears that the body of a plebe has been found floating in Lake Popolopen. Supposedly, it was an accident—but it&’s not long before Slaight learns details about the autopsy suggesting a much darker story. Slaight&’s personal quest to uncover the truth—and the authorities&’ efforts to keep it from him—will reveal both heroes and villains within the Long Gray Line in this &“frightening novel about &‘a secret cult headquartered on the Hudson behind a stone façade.&’ . . . The author mounts an attack on his alma mater with brilliance and fury&” (Newsday).
Tomorrow! (Beyond Armageddon Ser.)
by Philip WylieA chilling what if? tale of nuclear apocalypse in the American heartland Philip Wylie&’s gripping parable Tomorrow! describes a time in America when doomsday threatens to dawn at any moment. A nation&’s worst nightmare is made palpably real, seen through the eyes of a diverse group of ordinary citizens in two adjacent Great Plains metropolises. Wylie brings this holocaust to life with blood-chilling detail in his extraordinary science fiction classic whose power to shock and terrify is as strong as ever more than fifty years after its original release. An unthinkable tomorrow is on the horizon. For the citizens of the neighboring Midwest cities of Green Prairie and River City, today marks the end of everything. Some are prepared to face the unthinkable; some refuse to believe it could ever happen. As the winter holidays approach, two young lovers share their dreams for the future, a corrupt bank officer fears the exposure of his crimes, and a wealthy matron, concerned only with status and prestige, wonders how she can ensure a marriage between her daughter and the scion of one of the city&’s most important families. But on Christmas Day, when a terrible fire lights up the sky, all these petty human concerns become meaningless. And the destruction and horror wrought on that awful morning will only be the beginning of the end.
Miami Massacre: Miami Massacre, Continental Contract, And Assault On Soho (The Executioner #4)
by Don PendletonIn his war against the mob, the Executioner slams into the Florida coast like a one-man hurricane in the classic series from &“a writer who spawned a genre&” (The New York Times). A sniper trained in the jungles of Vietnam, Mack Bolan is the kind of vigilante hero &“who would make Jack Reacher think twice&” (Empireonline.com). Unleashing his vengeance coast to coast, Bolan is waging a very personal war on organized crime. Now, with a cadre of Cuban revolutionaries on his side, it&’s time for a hurricane called the Executioner to blindside Miami. Bolan had planned to fight his way across the country, taking out branches of the syndicate one by one. Then comes a break Bolan never dreamed of: All of his enemies have assembled in the Sunshine State to finalize the elimination of the Executioner. For Bolan, the mob&’s Miami summit is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to destroy the entire Mafia with one single blow. &“Don Pendleton&’s anti-hero is just as powerful in the world of publishing as he is in the dark alleys of any crime-infested urban hell&” (NYBooktime). With more than two hundred millions copies of the Executioner books sold since its phenomenal debut, the iconic action series is still inspiring artists today. Gerry Conway, cocreator of the Marvel Comics series, The Punisher, credits the series for &“[giving] me the idea for the lone, slightly psychotic avenger.&” Currently in production as a major motion picture, the Executioner still blows away the competition. Miami Massacre is the 4th book in the Executioner series, but you may enjoy reading the series in any order.