"Looking forward to your summer rental? Think again."- Publisher's Weekly Book of The Day "A funny and insightful book that reminds all travelers that sometimes worst-case scenarios do come true. While all relate nightmare trips abroad, each is told with a sense of humor that ultimately transforms the nightmare into a useful lesson for us all." - Santa Cruz Sentinel Rapoport's anthology goes straight for the belly laugh. - St. Petersburg Times "What makes this collection so appealing is the ordinariness of the victims."- New York Times
The ever-organized Air Force wife tackles a case of murder in the “satisfying, well-executed second Mom Zone cozy” from the USA Today bestselling author (Publishers Weekly). Ellie Avery balances motherhood, marriage, and her own business—Everything in Its Place—with cheerful efficiency. A maestro of organization, she sees her life as an easy checklist that does not include the untimely death of Penny Follette. Unlike the police, Ellie isn't convinced Penny's death was suicide. But it's an uphill battle getting the officials to take her seriously. Then another spouse is strangled, and someone tries to poison an outspoken female Air Force pilot. Poking about in closets and peeking through drawers, Ellie hopes to find the common thread tying the crimes together. With her husband Mitch about to be deployed in the “sandbox” (that's the Mideast for us civvies), she wants some quality time with her significant other. As the schedule tightens and the mystery heightens, Ellie's out to prove that home is not for killers! Filled with Ellie Avery's great organizing tips Praise for the Ellie Avery Mystery series “A fun debut for an appealing young heroine.” —Carolyn Hart, New York Times bestselling author “Crackles with intrigue, keeps you turning pages.” —Alesia Holliday, New York Times bestselling author “Sharp writing, tight plotting, a fascinating peek into the world of military wives. Jump in!” —Cynthia Baxter, author of the Lickety Splits Mysteries “Mystery with a 'mommy lit' flavor. A fun read.” —Armchair Interviews
The nights of Jason, a normal student at the New York University, are tormented by images of ancient creatures and fierce battles. But when dark signs appear on his skin, he will have to embark on a journey along with five strangers. Brought together by a shared destiny, they'll face it under the guidance of a mysterious figure.
New! From Bloomsbury Spark, a sunny story of discovery and sisterhood. A road trip. A singing competition. And super-hot cowboys. What could be better? For Charlie, a post-high school road trip isn't just a vacation, it's life changing. While her parents think she's helping a friend move, a chance at fame is the real reason to grab her best friends and drive to L.A. But when her super annoying, uber-responsible, younger sister, Lucy, has to tag along, it isn't quite the summer of fun she imagined. Add in a detour to her grandparents' ranch in Texas, and between mucking the stalls, down-home cookin', and drool-worthy ranch hands, this could just turn into the best, and most complicated, summer of their lives.
This is the third book in the new paranormal fantasy series Glory. This is Matt and Celeste's story. Being last sucked. And so did going home less than triumphant. Celeste is injured only this time it's her leg and not her pride. There's no room for the latter when she's being stalked. And now someone is out to destroy her and her sisters... Matt has been waiting for Celeste to return - to him. She was a strong energy worker and trying to track her down would be futile. And pointless. She'd be found only if she wanted to be. Considering she'd stayed away as long as she had, he worried that maybe she wasn't planning on coming back - ever. But Glory is heating up and life for Celeste and her sisters is coming up to crunch time. They need her back. And she's come back - on her terms. The three sisters must unite to fight the secret enemy in their midst and to preserve their way of life. That means Celeste must make peace with herself and Matt - before it's too late.
Born into a fog-ridden south London slum in 1931, Eileen Killick quickly learned to look after herself. Her brothers were wayward, her mum had TB and her dad was working all hours on the railways. By the time she was fourteen she had survived the Blitz, a spell in a care home and her mother's death, but she craved excitement, embarking on shoplifting sprees, liberating fur coats and rolling toffs up west with notorious 'queen of thieves' Shirley Pitts. Eileen soon found herself in borstal, put to work building roads like a navvy. Known as 'Kill', she had a reputation as one of the hardest woman behind bars. Then, in the 1950s she met and married career criminal Harry 'Big H' MacKenney, and she was soon fraternising with the toughest, most colourful characters in the London underworld. She went on to have four children, whom she loved and protected, but life was extremely tough and Eileen fell back into her old ways, thieving and fighting to make ends meet. The 1970s brought police corruption and brutality to Eileen's doorstep. When Harry was banged up, Eileen carried on the 'family business' alone and found herself on the wrong side of the law - again. Yet throughout a catalogue of trouble this defiant London bad girl of the old school always kept her defiant sense of humour. Borstal Girlis a true story of shocking violence and survival that pulls no punches, but it is also a secret criminal history of a London long past. There is no other female memoir like it.
Hundreds of young Americans from the town of Stamford, Connecticut, fought in the Vietnam War. These men and women came from all corners of the town. They were white and black, poor and wealthy. Some had not finished high school; others had graduate degrees. They served as grunts and helicopter pilots, battlefield surgeons and nurses, combat engineers and mine sweepers. Greeted with indifference and sometimes hostility upon their return home, Stamford's veterans learned to suppress their memories in a nation fraught with political, economic and racial tensions. Now in their late 60s and 70s, these veterans have begun to tell their stories.
Brides have their dreams, sinners their secrets, but sometimes itÕs not so easy to tell them apart. In the border town of El PasoÑbetter known to its Mexican American residents as El ChucoÑdramas unfold in humdrum households every day as working-class men come home from their jobs and as their wives and children do their best to cope with life. Christine Granados now plumbs the heart of this community in fourteen startling stories, uncovering the dreams and secrets in which ordinary people sometimes lose themselves. Many fictional accounts of barrio life play up tradition and nostalgia; Brides and Sinners in El Chuco is a trip to the darker side. Here are memories of growing up in a place where innocence is always tempered by realityÑtrue-to-life stories, told in authentic language, of young women, from preteens to twenty-somethings, learning to negotiate their way through troubled times and troubled families. In the award-winning story ÒThe Bride,Ó a young girl recalls her sister as a perennial bride on Halloween, planning for her eventual big day in a pink notebook with lists of potential husbands, only to see her dream thwarted at the junior prom. In another, we meet Bobbi, the class slut, whose D-cup chest astounds the other girls and entices everyoneÑeven those who shouldnÕt be tempted. GranadosÕ tales boldly portray womenÕs struggle for solidarity in the face of male abuse, and as these characters come to grips with self-discovery, sibling rivalry, and dysfunctional relationships, she shows what it means for Chicanas to grow up in protective families while learning to survive in the steamy border environment. Brides and Sinners in El Chuco is an uncompromising look at life with all its hard edgesÑtold with enough softness to make readers come back for more.
Elizabeth Young, a retired English teacher, loves her job as an edZOOcator volunteer at New Orleans' Audubon Zoo. Then on the Satuirday morning following the white-tie-and-tails fund-raiser known as the ZOO-To-Do, Elizabeth, to her horror, discovers a woman's body in the pool of her favorite animal, the great white tiger, Suri. It is soon clear that a killer has defiled the "new zoo" that has become the pride and joy of the Crescent City. To add to her shock, Elizabeth discovers that the NOPD lieutenant in charge of this homicide is none other than Albert Breaux, a former student and class clown. However, soon Elizabeth is forced to admit that the adult Albert is indeed a competent, compassionate policeman, and gradually the two join forces to catch the killer. Elizabeth and her friend, 80 year old Dr. Jenny Alexander who runs the ZOO-mobile both have premonitions that there will be another murder. Their fears become reality when a second victim is discovered near the sea lions pavilion. Yet, neither of them are prepared for the fact that the third victim may well be Elizabeth herself.
