Kinsey Millhone should have done something else--she should have turned the car in the direction of home. Instead, she was about to put herself in the gravest jeopardy of her career. Tom Newquist had been a detective in the Nota Lake sheriff's office--a tough, honest cop respected by everyone. When he died suddenly, the townsfolk were saddened but not surprised: Just shy of sixty-five, Newquist worked too hard, smoked too much, and exercised too little. That plus an appetite for junk food made him a poster boy for an American Heart Association campaign. Newquist's widow didn't doubt the coroner's report. But what Selma couldn't accept was not knowing what had so bothered Tom in the last six weeks of his life. What was it that had made him prowl restlessly at night, that had him brooding constantly? Selma Newquist wanted closure, and the only way she'd get it was if she found out what it was that had so bedeviled her husband. Kinsey should have dumped the case. It was vague and hopeless, like looking for a needle in a haystack. Instead, she set up shop in Nota Lake, where she found that looking for a needle in a haystack can draw blood. Very likely, her own."N" Is for Noose: a novel in which Kinsey Millhone becomes the target and an entire town seems in for the kill.

A delicious new novel of the The Vampire Files -- in which our undead detective finds himself caught in the middle of a Chicago gangland war!Take a bite out of the newest Vampire Files!A delicious new novel of the The Vampire files--in which our undead detective finds himself caught in the middle of a Chicago gangland war!"Excellent . . . The story shifts easily between comedy and mystery . . . clever and refreshing!"--Booklist"Entertaining . . . Echoes of Hammett and Chandler abound, but the novel succeeds in its own right."--Publishers Weekley"Fun . . . plenty of action [and] quirky characters."--Locus A brilliant blend of mystery, horror, comedy, and historical fiction

In this charming romantic fantasy novella, two potential lovers need a little nudge from Cupid to set them on the path to romance. After a teenaged Cupid runs afoul of his mother, Aphrodite, he is cast down from Mt. Olympus to modern-day America in the guise of a cat to perform a good deed. But Cupid's matchmaking work is cut out for him. Shy professor Abby Walden may lust after her upstairs neighbor in secret, but confronting him in person is another thing entirely. What would she even say to a man who dresses in black leather and takes off for who knows where on his big ol' Harley hog during the darkest hours of the night? It may be too much for even a god of love to handle..."Top Cat and Tales," along with four other short reads by Elizabeth Bevarly, can also be purchased in the omnibus collection, SHORT WORK, for a reduced price!

The ordinary inhabitants of a small-town council estate turn out to hold extraordinary secrets in Paul Magrs' strangely compelling novel, Could It Be Magic?. Set in the grey wastelands of the north-east, Magrs has looked beyond the ravages of boom and bust Britain--with its council ghettos and widespread unemployment--to reveal a community brimming with passions. At first glance, the leading characters are exceptional only in their mediocrity: Elsie, old before her time, weighed down by a crippled son and depressive husband, whose only solace lies in a bottle of gin; tattooed Mark, who spends his days bodybuilding and nights babysitting his ex-wife's new baby; Penny, who left school too soon and fills her house with students; Andy whose gay lover left him for a better life. But the arrival of Penny's Mam on New Year's Eve (with her own startling secret) sets off a chain of astonishing events. Fantasy mingles with the mundane until it's hard to know what to accept as commonplace and what to dismiss as trivial. A frisson of sexual energy sparks from council roof to satellite dish as Magrs' characters discover their innermost secrets and how to live life to the full. --Carey Green

A New York Times Notable Book:The richly imagined fictional life of one of cinema's founding fathers from National Book Award finalist Jim Shepard In 1907, while waiting for a train that would take him from his quiet rural hometown to university in cosmopolitan Berlin, Friedrich Wilhelm Plumpe met Hans Ehrenbaum-Degele, the great passion of his life. Hans was the catalyst for Plumpe's transformation into F. W. Murnau, the filmmaker best known for directing Nosferatu—the iconic silent film adaption of Bram Stoker's Dracula—as well as The Last Laugh, Sunrise, and Tabu. As we follow Murnau from the airfields of the Great War to the cafés and clubs of Weimar Berlin to the virtual invention of filmmaking, and from there to the South Seas, we chart the progress of a man desperate to open himself to others but nonetheless continually "at home in no house and in no country." While devoted to those he loved,...

Welcome to Anara, a world mysteriously crumbling to devastation, where nothing is what it seems: Ancient relics emit technologically advanced powers, members of the old Order are hunted by the governing Watch yet revered by the people, and the great energy that connects all seems to also be destroying all. The only hope for the world lies in Galen, a man of the old Order and a Keeper of relics, and his sixteen-year-old apprentice, Raffi. They know of a secret relic with great power that has been hidden for centuries. As they search for it, they will be tested beyond their limits. For there are monsters-some human, some not-that also want the relic's power and will stop at nothing to get it. Watch a Video Book Details: Format: Hardcover Publication Date: 5/17/2011 Pages: 384 Reading Level: Age 12 and Up

All dressed up in a fresh new cover, Pretense, the bestselling novel from Lori Wick is ready for a brand new generation of readers. Marrell, a happily married army wife, adores her family, but throughout her life she’s felt something missing. When she discovers that the void is spiritual, she is afraid to tell her husband. Will he understand that he cannot meet all of her needs, and that she cannot meet all of his? Covering the lives of Marrell and her two daughters, Mackenzie and Delancey, from the 1970s to the 1990s, Pretense is a character–rich novel written from Lori’s heart that shows the patient love of God and the promise of His forgiveness for all who seek Him. This bestselling, character-rich novel--now reissued for a brand-new generation of readers--features the Bishop sisters, whose unexpected difficulties threaten their world. Will their life-changing experiences bring them together or tear them apart? Publisher Meet the Bishop sisters -- Two women at the crossroads of life On the outside, the Bishop girls appear as different as sisters can be. Mackenzie is a mahogany-haired beauty who's inherited the determined nature of her Army officer father. Her infectious sense of humor and rare gift of imagination are often hidden by a reserved manner. Radiant, blond Delancey views the world through an artist's eyes, drawing what she sees with wide sweeps of emotion. Her charming and trusting personality easily wins friends and admirers, but also leaves her sensitive heart vulnerable to hurt. As the girls grow, unexpected difficulties threaten their world. Will their life-changing experiences bring them together or tear them apart? Where will they find the love they seek? Publisher

The Chessmen of Mars is a science fantasy novel by American wrtier Edgar Rice Burroughs

The New York Times bestselling author of The Indian in the Cupboard returns with a brand new adventure of two remarkable friends brought together through the magic of a bathroom cupboard and a wonderful key. As Omri and his father read together of the terrible historical plight of the Iroquois people, they realize that Little Bear, Omri's Iroquois friend from the past, is in urgent need of help. But how can father and son go back in time? Jessica Charlotte, Omri's ancestor who originated the magic gift, tries to help--but things go so wrong that Omri finds himself lost in an entirely different time and place, while his father has hair-raising adventures of his own. And the greatest challenge is yet to come: little do they understand the terrors that lie in wait--both for their Indian friends and for themselves.

Sarah, the Countess de Marchand, has many secrets. She's spent the last two years writing a gossip column while also carrying on a love affair with lumber baron, Simon Archer. Realizing she cannot continue either endeavor forever, she dismisses Simon and retires to Dorset, sure that he will be better off without her.Orphan-turned-millionaire Simon Archer knows no amount of money will make him worthy in the eyes of the ton. But when Sarah's neighbor, the penniless Earl of Tryll, cooks up a scheme to fake Simon's heritage so that it will be socially acceptable for him to marry his daughter, Simon accepts, if only to spite everyone.Now forced back into each other's social spheres, will Sarah and Simon be able to continue with their separate plans for the future? Or will their passion prove too powerful to dismiss?

Breo-Saight, the young archer from Hero's Song, has abandoned her lifelong mission to avenge her father's murder. But just as she stops pursuing the murderers, they turn up again, leading Brie to her birthright--a fire arrow. The magical arrow leads Brie to a strange country, where she finds the family and happiness she's never known. But she also finds evil at work--the doings of a sinister, one-eyed sorcerer named Balor. Though Brie has given up on vengeance, she knows she must follow her mission through to its bitter end if she is to save the people she's grown to love.

Sunshine State trivia buff Serge A. Storms loves eliminating jerks and pests. His drug-addled partner Coleman loves cartoons. Hot stripper Sharon Rhodes loves cocaine, especially when purchased with rich dead men's money.On the other hand, there's Sean and David, who love fishing and are kind to animals -- and who are about to cross paths with a suitcase filled with $5 million in stolen insurance money. Serge wants the suitcase. Sharon wants the suitcase. Coleman wants more drugs . . . and the suitcase. In the meantime, there's murder by gun, Space Shuttle, Barbie doll, and Levi's 501s.In other words, welcome to Tim Dorsey's Florida -- where nobody gets out unscathed and untanned!From Publishers WeeklyThis dizzying road movie of a first novel follows a passel of comic con men (and one con woman) down and around the Florida coast. Their adventures involve deliciously caricatured characters along with delirious violence, not to mention pigeon-eating maniacs, cocaine, traffic jams, biker gangs, hot-tub accidents, mock-Satanic heavy metal bands, partially frozen crocodilians, the World Series and the space shuttle. Serge and Coleman are roommates, manic ne'er-do-wells trying to fashion a living from crime and adventure. Sexy Sharon Rhodes murders magnates for their life insurance. On the run after her last hit, she meets Serge and Coleman, and the trio start a crime spree. Former millionaire George Veale has just been released from prison when he absconds with a suitcase of drug money. The cash belongs to insurance CEO Charles Saffron, who hires sleazy private investigator Mo Grenadine to get it back. (Mo is also a corrupt right-wing state legislator and a gay-baiting talk radio host.) Serge and Coleman (themselves remotely connected to drug cartels) get wind of the suitcase and scheme for the cash. Sharon wants in on the caper, too, whether or not the two men planned it that way. Dorsey's cast of dangerous oddballs chase, rob, shoot and kill their way from Tampa to the Florida Keys and the Dry Tortugas, until their raucous evasion of law catches up with them. Dorsey is a newspaperman by trade (at the Tampa Tribune), and his sentence rhythm can be crisply journalistic: "Wilbur Putzenfus was losing hair on top and working the comb-over. No tan. No tone.... Spiro Agnew without the power." Floridian readers may laugh or wince as Dorsey skewers the state's foibles and stereotypes. But he can abandon his verbal dexterity and his social observation to get a quick laugh or a quick jolt of violence: as a result, his satire seems less serious than it might be. Admirers of Elmore Leonard and Carl Hiassen will note their influences here; as entertainment, this rollicking, over-the-top novel is a blast. Agent, Nat Sobel. (Aug.) Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc. From Library JournalIn this debut, lots of people are after a suitcase full of money that got dropped in the wrong car: two bad guys, one obsessed with Florida history (the setting is Miami) and another with cocaine; one lady, whos also a killer; and the good-guy lawyer. Dorsey is night news coordinator of the Tampa Tribune, so expect good detail.Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

ALL SHE WANTED WAS A FAMILY SHE COULD CALL HER OWN.... As an orphan girl, Crystal was one of many -- and utterly alone. But she still dreamed of a shining life of love and happiness, and freedom from the dark legacy of her past...

BONUS: This edition contains an excerpt from John Irving's *In One Person.* Ruth Cole is a complex, often self-contradictory character--a "difficult" woman.  By no means is she conventionally "nice," but she will never be forgotten. Ruth's story is told in three parts, each focusing on a crucial time in her life.  When we first meet her--on Long Island, in the summer of 1958--Ruth is only four. The second window into Ruth's life opens in the fall of 1990, when Ruth is an unmarried woman whose personal life is not nearly as successful as her literary career.  She distrusts her judgment in men, for good reason. **A Widow for One Year** closes in the autumn of 1995, when Ruth Cole is a forty-one-year-old widow and mother.  She's about to fall in love for the first time. Richly comic, as well as deeply disturbing **A Widow for One Year** is a multilayered love story of astonishing emotional force.  Both ribald and erotic, it is also a brilliant novel about the passage of time and the relentlessness of grief.