"By the bestselling author of The Dress Lodger, Witches on the Road Tonight uncovers the secrets and lies that echo through three generations of one Appalachian family. It is a deeply human, urgent exploration of America’s doomed love affair with fear.On the eve of World War II, eight-year-old Eddie Alley lies in bed watching his first horror movie, hand-cranked and flickering on the bare wall of a backwoods cabin. In 2011, Eddie’s daughter, Wallis, an anchorwoman for a twenty-four-hour news channel, lies in bed with a stranger, spinning ghost stories. Between these two nights winds the story of the Alley family—Eddie’s mother, Cora, an Appalachian mountain witch who slips out of her skin after nightfall; Captain Casket, Eddie’s alter ego, a campy 1970s TV horror-movie host; and Jasper, the orphaned boy Eddie brings home, who is determined to destroy Eddie’s illusions even if it means destroying himself.Deftly moving from the rural, Depression-era South to modern New York City, Holman teases out the dark compulsions and desperate longings that can blur the line between love and betrayal. Witches on the Road Tonight is an unflinching story that digs at the roots of myth—both familial and societal—and beautifully renders our perpetual yearning to make sense of the past in our present."
"“The world is a machine that produces endless surprises and mysteries layered on mysteries.”'Wilderness,' a darkly intriguing short story first published as an e-book original, was written as prelude to Dean Koontz’s novel of mystery, suspense, and strange wonder—Innocence.Addison Goodheart was born in an isolated home surrounded by a deep forest, never known to his father, kept secret from everyone but his mother, who barely accepts him. Only in the woods, among the wildlife, is Addison truly welcome. Only there can he be at peace. Until the day he first knows terror, the day when his life changes radically and forever....Twelve of the other fourteen short stories and novelettes included in this audio anthology were most recently reissued in a print collection entitled Strange Highways, published by Warner Books (1995). The other two—'The Scariest Thing I Know' (2000) first published in Martha Stewart Living magazine and 'Hostage Situation' (2009) in The New York Times Summer Thriller series.Only the short work 'Down in the Darkness,' has ever been produced for audio."
"In his critically acclaimed bestseller Rain of Gold, Victor Villase-or brought his mother's family vividly to life. In Wild Steps Of Heaven, he turns to his father's family, the Villase-ors. Against a vivid backdrop of love and war, magic and heroism, the author breathes life into his father's people—and in particular, the Villase-or women*Margarita, the indomitable matriarch who was swept away by Don Juan Jesus Villase-or on the eve of the Mexican revolution*their beautiful daughters, who find strength and endurance in their mother's faith, and searing passion amidst the turmoil of war. But it is little Juan, the youngest son, through whose eyes this tumultuous saga unfolds. Juan would learn from his brother Jose, a hero of the revolution, how to be a man; and from his beloved mother, how to live and love con gusto y amor.
A story of madness and miracles, rage and redemption, In Wild Steps Of Heaven creates a riveting portrait of an extraordinary family and the country whose earth gave them roots."
"Publishers Weekly says: “A slick, darkly comic bad guy vs. Bad guy crime drama…an expertly choreographed death dance showcasing Maxim’s storytelling strengths: farce, blisteringly paced action, and memorably peculiar characters.
At age 34, Adam Whistler wants out. But the service he performed for his government is not the kind they let you walk away from.
To ensure his continued good health, Whistler has “borrowed” important documents from his boss, Felix Aubrey, a dangerous rogue and a very bad man to cross. But so is Adam Whistler, who learned the killing craft well under the tutelage of his father. Now, with a ticking time bomb on his hands, Whistler has been cast into a maelstrom of death and chaos. His continued existence may well depend on a group of assassins linked to the legendary Paul Bannerman, as well as his very own guardian angel.
His gentle and beautiful lover, Claudia – clinically dead after being shot by Aubrey’s hired guns – has been sent back, she believes, by the storied “white light” to protect him. Whistler doubts it, of course, She does not. And she has the talents and powers to prove it."
"Lieutenant Jacqueline 'Jack' Daniels is having a bad week. Her live-in boyfriend has left her for his personal trainer, chronic insomnia has caused her to max out her credit cards with late-night home shopping purchases, and a frightening killer who calls himself 'The Gingerbread Man' is dumping mutilated bodies in her district.
While avoiding the FBI and its moronic profiling computer, joining a dating service, mixing it up with street thugs, and parrying the advances of an uncouth PI, Jack and her binge-eating partner, Herb, must catch the maniac before he kills again...and Jack is next on his murder list.
Whiskey Sour is the first book in the bestselling Jack Daniels series, full of laugh-out-loud humor and edge-of-your-seat suspense."
"In the bestselling tradition of The Devil in the White City, award-winning author Brian Hicks tells the explosive story of the Morro Castle-the elegant luxury liner that burned off the coast of New Jersey in 1934.
On September 7, 1934, the captain of the luxurious Ward Line flagship Morro Castle died under mysterious circumstances seven hours before his ship caught fire off the New Jersey coast. Much of the crew abandoned ship, leaving passengers to burn or jump into the sea as a hurricane approached and literally fanned the flames. The ship was incinerated, and 134 people perished.
Using hundreds of previously classified FBI reports, first-person survivor interviews, and countless documents, Brian Hicks has written-and solved-a murder mystery that mesmerized the nation more than seventy years ago. Told with authentic period detail and true-crime excitement, Hicks determines that the ominous weather was not the cause for the ship's burning. After reading Hick's deeply researched epic, we can only conclude that the disaster was the work of a madman among the crew.
Hicks creates a finely drawn portrait of Depression-era America. Perfect for history buffs and adventure enthusiasts, When the Dancing Stopped is nonfiction narrative at its best.
'A suspenseful, highly satisfying read.'—Kirkus Starred Review
'...the book is a riveting account of this tragedy...'—Booklist"
"#1 New York Times bestselling author Nora Roberts presents the electrifying conclusion to her powerful Circle Trilogy. Worlds have collided and centuries have elapsed as six people have brought their unique powers, their courage, and their hearts to a battle that could drown humanity in darkness.…Her face, so pale when she’d removed her cloak, had bloomed when her hand had taken the sword. Her eyes, so heavy, so somber, had gone as brilliant as the blade. And had simply sliced through him, keen as a sword, when they’d met his.…In the kingdom of Geall, the scholarly Moira has taken up the sword of her people. Now, as queen, she must prepare her subjects for the greatest battle they will ever fight—against an enemy more vicious than any they have seen. For Lilith, the most powerful vampire in the world, has followed the circle of six through time to Geall.Moira also has a personal score to settle. Vampires killed her mother—and now, she is ready to exact her revenge. But there is one vampire to whom she would trust her soul…Cian was changed by Lilith centuries ago. But now, he stands with the circle. Without hesitation, he will kill others of his kind—and has earned the respect of sorcerer, witch, warrior, and shape-shifter. But he wants more than respect from Moira—even though his desire for her makes him vulnerable. For how can a man with an eternity to live love a woman whose life is sure to end—if not by Lilith’s hand, then by the curse of time?"
"Private investigator Robert Brixton has always hated Washington. Against his better judgment, he decides to stick around and take a job as an agent in a new State Department security agency headed by his former boss at the Washington P.D. After work one day he meets his youngest daughter, Janet, for a drink at an outdoor cafe. Shockingly, a young Arabic woman blows herself up, killing Janet and a dozen others. Seeking revenge for his daughter, Brixton follows the tracks of the bomber to a powerful senator’s son.
Brixton finds himself digging deep into what turns out to be a small but powerful cabal whose goal is to kill embassy workers from nations involved in the invasion of Iraq and Afghanistan. Donald Bain thrills again with Undiplomatic Murder, the riveting next installment in the Margaret Truman's beloved Capital Crimes series."
"Korea, June 1, 1950. Captain Ken McCoy’s report on probable North Korean hostilities meets with so much bureaucratic displeasure that not only is it promptly suppressed, but McCoy himself is kicked out of the Corps. At least two outfits, however, are not impressed by such infighting: the fledgling CIA, which promptly hires McCoy; and the North Koreans, who on June 25th invade across the 38th parallel.Immediately, veterans scattered throughout military and civilian life are called up, many with only seventy-two hours’ notice. For Fleming Pickering and Pick, his daredevil son, and Ed Banning, George Hart, Jack Stecker, Jake Dillon, Ernie Zimmerman—and for the women who love them—names such as Inchon and Pusan will acquire a new, bloody reality, and Korea will become not only a new battlefield—but their greatest challenge of all…"
"Though known for his classic novels of adventure and coming of age, Mark Twain is equally esteemed for his short stories, which abound with the colorful characters and often comic antics readers have come to expect from his longer works. Included here are two of his most beloved short stories: 'The Story of the Bad Little Boy Who Didn't Come to Grief' and 'The Story of the Good Little Boy Who Did Not Prosper.'
Proceeds from sale of this title go to Reach Out and Read, an innovative literacy advocacy organization."
"Back on the job after an involuntary leave of absence, LAPD homicide detective Harry Bosch is ready for a challenge -- but a murderous Las Vegas crime ring might prove to be more than he bargained for.
It starts with the body of a Hollywood producer in the trunk of a Rolls-Royce, shot twice in the head at close range - what looks like 'trunk music,' a Mafia hit. But the LAPD's organized crime unit is curiously uninterested, and when Harry follows a trail of gambling debts to Las Vegas, the case suddenly becomes more complex - and much more personal.
A rekindled romance with an old girlfriend opens new perspectives on the murder, and he begins to glimpse a shocking triangle of corruption and collusion. Yanked off the case, Harry himself is soon the one being investigated. But only a bullet can stop Harry when he's searching for the truth . . ."
"The Extravaganza of the Seas is a five-thousand-ton cash cow, a top-heavy tub whose sole function is to carry gamblers three miles from the Florida coast, take their money, then bring them back so they can find more money. In the middle of a tropical storm one night, these characters are among the passengers it carries: Fay Benton, a single mom and cocktail waitress desperate for something to go right for once; Johnny and the Contusions, a ship’s band with so little talent they are…well, the ship’s band; Arnold and Phil, two refugees from the Beaux Arts Senior Center; Lou Tarant, a wide, bald man who has killed nine people, though none recently; and an assortment of uglies whose job it is to facilitate the ship’s true business, which is money-laundering or drug-smuggling or…something."
