The first novel, The Sins of the Fathers, appeared in 1975, and A Drop of the Hard Stuff - the 17th and most recent - was published in 2011. Over the years Scudder has also been featured in 11 short works of fiction; A Candle for the Bag Lady, which first appeared in AHMM in 1977, is the second of them.Out the Window and A Candle for the Bag Lady kept Scudder alive for me after Dell failed to sell the first three books effectively. There seemed little point in trying to interest another publisher in a series that had already proved unsuccessful, but I couldn't abandon Scudder, and wrote the two novelettes for magazine publication. Then I wrote the fourth novel, A Stab in the Dark, and Don Fine published it at Arbor House, and Scudder was back in business.If you catch me in a weak moment, you might persuade me to sing the title song...A Candle for the Bag Lady was briefly retitled Like a Lamb to Slaughter in order to serve as the title story of a collection; it's original was subsequently restored. It is included in The Night and the Music, my collection of all 11 Matthew Scudder short stories, available for Kindle or as a handsome trade paperback.

    The welcoming arms of the boisterous, loving O’Brien clan embrace her and her son, but accepting their support only seems to further alienate her son’s father, Connor O’Brien. Moonlight Cove Jess O’Brien has overcome a lot, including the near bankruptcy of her beloved Inn at Eagle Point. Now she’s ready to share the future with a man—but Will, her childhood friend, has already chosen the perfect man for Jess: himself. Beach Lane Susie O’Brien is thrilled when her friendship with Mack Franklin finally heats up. But just when happily-ever-after seems within reach, Mack loses the job he loves and Susie faces a devastating diagnosis. An O’Brien Family Christmas Dating Matthew O’Brien—a playboy and a younger man—cost Laila Riley her career and her parents’ respect. A high price, even for love—but will Laila discover that some risks are actually once-in-a-lifetime opportunities?

    Robin Ellacott's long-term boyfriend, Matthew, proposes on her first day to work for Strike as temp secretary.

    

    From the author of the bestselling true-crime classic 'Fred & Rose', comes the astonishing inside story of the world's biggest cash robbery: the Tonbridge Securitas heist.

    Ken Richmond hits his breaking point when he puts a gun to his head and pulls the trigger. When his plan misfires—literally—he interprets the failed suicide as his calling to a higher purpose. Fueled by long-simmering hatred, Ken sets out on a murderous mission—but in order to get away with it, he’ll have to leave a trail of blood through the city.Detectives Dick Van Endel and Phil Nelson start chasing Ken toward a special spot in hell. But can the detectives put an end to the fiend’s sprees for good, before more bodies pile up?

    It's a place where romance is always in the air, full of first loves and second chances…and there's always a good vintage handy to help get over a broken heart.Jilted-at-the-altar Faith Holland swallows her pride and returns home to her family's Blue Heron Vineyard for a chance to start over, while her sister, Honor, finds herself in a marriage of convenience that might be turning into the real thing. Meantime, Colleen O'Rourke thinks she's safer sticking to matchmaking for her customers, but only until the man who got away comes looking for a drink at her bar.Collected here for the first time are the first three books in the Blue Heron series: The Best Man, The Perfect Match and Waiting On You. Be part of the magic from the very beginning!

    Description:- The Girl in the Spider's Web: Continuing Stieg Larsson's Millennium Series Lisbeth Salander and Mikael Blomkvist have not been in touch for some time.Then Blomkvist is contacted by renowned Swedish scientist Professor Balder. Warned that his life is in danger, but more concerned for his son's well-being, Balder wants Millennium to publish his story - and it is a terrifying one.More interesting to Blomkvist than Balder's world-leading advances in Artificial Intelligence, is his connection with a certain female superhacker. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo Forty years ago, Harriet Vanger disappeared from a family gathering on the island owned and inhabited by the powerful Vanger clan. The Girl Who Kicked the Hornets' Nest Salander is plotting her revenge - against the man who tried to kill her, and against the government institutions that very nearly destroyed her life. But it is not going to be a straightforward campaign. After taking a bullet to the head, Salander is under close supervision in Intensive Care, and is set to face trial for three murders and one attempted murder on her eventual release. The Girl Who Played with Fire Lisbeth Salander is a wanted woman. Two Millennium journalists about to expose the truth about sex trafficking in Sweden are murdered, and Salander's prints are on the weapon. Her history of unpredictable and vengeful behaviour makes her an official danger to society - but no-one can find her. Mikael Blomkvist, editor-in-chief of Millennium, does not believe the police.

    Like him, she's a former cop, now a Boston PI, quick with a pistol and a quip...promises to be a series for the ages."* These six novels feature the "New York Times "bestselling author's first female protagonist--Sunny Randall, "the real deal" (*"Publishers Weekly"). Includes: Family HonorPerish TwiceShrink RapMelancholy BabyBlue ScreenSpare Change

    So popular did Polchak become that author Tim Downs has now published five Bug Man novels. And now for the first time: the first two Bug Man novels under one cover.Shoofly PieWithin minutes of a murder, the first fly arrives at the scene. Soon there are hundreds, then thousands, and each one knows the victim's story...Thirty-year-old Kathryn Guilford turns to Dr. Nick Polchak, the Bug Man, to help her learn the truth about the apparent suicide of her longtime friend and onetime suitor. Polchak introduces her to a mysterious world of blood-seeking flies and flesh-eating beetles. But there's a problem...Kathryn Guilford has a pathological fear of insects.Now she must confront her darkest fears to unearth a decade-long conspiracy that threatens to turn her entire world upside down.Chop ShopYoung Dr. Riley McKay has worked hard toward her career in pathology. But her promising future is threatened when suspicious activities -- bungled autopsies, concealed evidence, and unexplained wounds -- incriminate her supervising pathologist at the Allegheny County Coroner's Office in Pittsburgh, Dr. Nathan Lassiter. When Riley is ignored by her seniors and threatened by Dr. Lassiter, she turns in desperation to Dr. Nick Polchak, the Bug Man, to help her uncover the truth.From a handful of tiny maggots, Nick and Riley begin to unearth the facts...The flies on the wall can talk.Forensic entomologist Nick Polchak is listening.

    She’s surfed the net to learn everything she can about being a monster. She’s ready. She’s even practicing on her sister. Inside her fractured mind, her imaginary mentor, Doctor Nine, promises that he is coming for her. To take her with him and his strange friends; to help her become all that she can be. Is Doctor Nine only a figment of her imagination, or has her madness opened a doorway to something –else? Jonathan Maberry the New York Times bestseller and multiple Bram Stoker award-winning author of Patient Zero, the King of Plagues, and Dead of Night takes you along for a ride through the darkest landscapes of the human soul.

    Mysteries

    But their attempts to ostracise him merely show up some very ugly shortcomings of their own . . .Part of the Storycuts series, this story was previously published in the collection Ford County.

    Travis’s life is full of fast women, underground gambling, and violence. But just when he thinks he’s invincible, Abby brings him to his knees.A BEAUTIFUL WEDDINGEveryone knows that Abby Abernathy suddenly became Mrs. Maddox—but what really happened when she and Travis eloped to Vegas? Find out in this special novella that takes you inside the wedding day…and night.