Every culture has some type of figure of Death. The Grim Reaper who collects souls as they lie dying. For some he is the cruel face of an end come too soon, for others a gentle healer of life lived too long. But there is another face to this spectural figure. Death walks through the world, helping those souls that linger between this world and the next, those trapped by circumstance, wish, desire or loss. So many souls linger needing but a gentle voice and hand to help them move past the final moments of their lives. This collection contains 15 tales of beings who either know not that they are dead or just how to move on. This book collects together 14 previous published short stories and includes one totally new story.
A darkly comic foray into the world of men and women who fake their own deaths, the consultants who help them disappear, and the private investigators who’ll stop at nothing to bring them back to life. “A delightful read for anyone tantalized by the prospect of disappearing without a trace.” —Erik Larson, New York Times bestselling author of Dead Wake “Delivers all the lo-fi spy shenanigans and caught-red-handed schadenfreude you’re hoping for.” —NPR “A lively romp.” —The Boston Globe “Grim fun.” —The New York Times “Brilliant topic, absorbing book.” —The Seattle Times “The most literally escapist summer read you could hope for.” —The Paris Review Is it still possible to fake your own death in the twenty-first century? With six figures of student loan debt, Elizabeth Greenwood was tempted to find out. So off she sets on a darkly comic foray into the world of death fraud, where for $30,000 a consultant can make you disappear—but your suspicious insurance company might hire a private detective to dig up your coffin...only to find it filled with rocks. Greenwood tracks down a British man who staged a kayaking accident and then returned to live in his own house while all his neighbors thought he was dead. She takes a call from Michael Jackson (no, he’s not dead—or so her new acquaintances would have her believe), stalks message boards for people contemplating pseudocide, and gathers intel on black market morgues in the Philippines, where she may or may not obtain some fraudulent goodies of her own. Along the way, she learns that love is a much less common motive than money, and that making your death look like a drowning virtually guarantees that you’ll be caught. (Disappearing while hiking, however, is a way great to go.) Playing Dead is a charmingly bizarre investigation in the vein of Jon Ronson and Mary Roach into our all-too-human desire to escape from the lives we lead, and the men and women desperate enough to give up their lives—and their families—to start again.
Mythos - A story or set of stories relevant to or having a significant truth or meaning for a particular culture, religion, society, or other group. Love stories are common through out all cultures. These short stories are a fantasy take on love and magic, for romance can be found in any genre. With tales of traditional love with a Knight riding out to rescue his kidnapped lady to a tale of love over coming even death, these five tales will be a new take on a beloved genre. With one novella, three previously published short stories and one entirely new tale, there is something for everyone. Even those who don't expect a happily ever after.
MACHINE OF DEATH tells thirty-four different stories about people who know how they will die. Prepare to have your tears jerked, your spine tingled, your funny bone tickled, your mind blown, your pulse quickened, or your heart warmed. Or better yet, simply prepare to be surprised. Because even when people do have perfect knowledge of the future, there's no telling exactly how things will turn out.
Collected together for the first time, this action-packed omnibus is filled with secrets, lies, and the silver smile of the deadly Xenomorphs. Across three epic novels, see how the Xenomorph doctrine of Weyland-Yutani and Venture is a short and angry road to hell. The Cold Forge Weyland-Yutani has suffered a devastating setback: the loss of the Xenomorphs they aggressively sought to exploit. True to form, they have a redundancy already in place… the facility known as The Cold Forge. When company man Dorian Sudler is sent to assess their progress, he discovers that there’s a spy aboard who may destroy the entire station… That is, if the Xenomorphs don’t do the job first. Prototype Corporate spy Tamar Prather steals a Xenomorph egg from Weyland-Yutani, taking it to a lab run by Venture... Former Colonial Marine Zula Hendricks has been tasked with training personnel to deal with anything that gets thrown their way, but nothing can prepare them for the horror that breaks out of Venture’s lab. Into Charybdis “Shy” Hunt and the tech team from McAllen Integrations thought it was an easy job—set up environmental systems for the brand new Hasanova Data Solutions colony, built on the abandoned ruins of a complex known as “Charybdis.” There are just two problems: the colony belongs to the Iranian state, and the complex is located above a series of hidden caves. Charybdis has a darker history than any could imagine, and its depths harbor deadly secrets. The deeper they dig, the more Shy is convinced there's no one they can believe. When a bizarre ship lands on a nearby island, one of the workers is attacked by a taloned creature, and trust evaporates between the Iranians and Americans. The McAllen integrations crew are imprisoned, accused of being spies, but manage to send out a distress signal... to the Colonial Marines.
[Siren Menage Everlasting: Erotic Romance, Contemporary, Menage a Trois, MFM, HEA] Finding Love Between Terror and Rage- Mia knows they’re dangerous men, but Terror and Rage make her feel alive for the first time since her husband’s murder, where she nearly died. Though she carries the scars of the attack, she has moved on. One glimpse of the new bikers in town and she can’t stop thinking about them. Terror and Rage are instantly attracted to the dark-haired beauty who serves them drinks. They try to stay away from her for her own protection while they rebuild The Howling Death M.C. When people start to die and a rival M.C. threatens their town, they can’t ignore the threat to her and intervene. They will do anything to protect her and make her theirs. Mia has to decide if living a dull but safe life is enough for her, or if she wants to find love between the two men who make her feel alive. Caught Between Hawk and Gunner- Jackie’s looking for a new start. Hawk and Gunner weren’t looking for anything, but they sure as hell found her. Can they keep her? Jackie’s life hasn’t been smooth, but she’s determined to find a new one with fewer bumps in the road. When her truck breaks down and she accepts a ride from two bikers, all of her plans are upended in a little dusty town in the middle of nowhere. Hawk likes what he sees, but his partner Gunner is resistant for some reason. When danger is knocking at their back gate, the two men are tasked with keeping a close eye on Jackie. Could she be a spy for their enemy, or is she just an innocent bystander with enough baggage to kill a horse? The three have to work it all out before their fighting leads to someone falling into the wrong hands. Hawk and Gunner aren’t letting Jackie go. Now, they just have to convince her.
Human beings tell each other tales, be they fireside or through the visual media of movies. This collection of short stories are modern tales told with the feel of ancient legends. From the tale of a bargain made for vengence to what might happen after the Norse end of the worl, Ragnarok, these tales are but echoes of Elder Times. The ten previously published tales have been re-edited and there is one entirely new story collected together in this book.
Follow New York City homicide detective Eve Dallas as her investigations take her into the intriguing world of virtual reality, the seductive lifestyle of the rich and famous, and the dark underbelly of her own police force in this collection that includes three novels from the #1 New York Times bestselling In Death series... FANTASY IN DEATH INDULGENCE IN DEATH TREACHERY IN DEATH
The Collected Works of Witness Lee, 1983, volume 2, contains messages given by Brother Witness Lee from April 28 through December 16. At the beginning of the fourth week in April, Brother Lee traveled from Anaheim, California, to Irving, Texas, and he remained there until the middle of May. During this period he visited Houston, Texas, for a weekend conference. From Irving he traveled to Europe and ministered in Stuttgart, Germany, until the end of May. At the end of his time in Germany, Brother Lee also visited Tubingen. At the beginning of June he returned to the United States, visiting New York City during the first week in June and then traveling to Irving and remaining there for two weeks before proceeding to Anaheim. Brother Lee remained in Anaheim until the middle of July, and then he visited Berkeley and San Jose, California, before returning to Anaheim at the end of July. From the beginning of August until the end of the third week in November Brother Lee ministered in Anaheim. He then traveled to Irving and remained in Irving until he returned to Anaheim at the beginning of 1984. The contents of this volume are divided into four sections, as follows: 1. Seven messages given in Irving, Texas, on April 28 through June 8. They were previously published in a book entitled Concerning the Lord's Recovery and are included in this volume under the same title. 2. Five messages given in Chinese in Houston, Texas, on May 5 through 8. They were previously published in a book entitled Christ in His Excellency and are included in this volume under the same title. 3. Six messages given in Stuttgart, Germany, on May 17 through 30. These messages are included in this volume under the title Endeavoring to Learn and Propagate the Divine Truth for the Advance of the Lord's Recovery. 4. Twenty-eight messages given in Stuttgart, Germany; New York City; Irving, Texas; and Berkeley, California, on May 20 through December 16. These messages were previously published in a forty-three-chapter book entitled The Divine Dispensing of the Divine Trinity and are included in this volume under the same title.
Take a trip to futuristic New York City and experience the thrill of the chase as Lieutenant Eve Dallas captures the worst kinds of criminals in this collection that includes books 16-20 in the #1 New York Times bestselling In Death series from J. D. Robb... PORTRAIT IN DEATH IMITATION IN DEATH DIVIDED IN DEATH VISIONS IN DEATH SURVIVOR IN DEATH
