The Avenger


E. Phillips Oppenheim - 1907
    He questions her and finds she thought she was in the apartment of his neighbor, Morris Barnes, who lives above him. While he is on the telephone, she quietly slips out of his flat and heads to Barnes’ abode. A few hours later, she is once again at his door – this time looking scared and faint. She asks Wrayson to escort her downstairs as the hallway is unlit. As they emerge, a hansom sits at the doorway with Morris Barnes in it. But, they discover that Barnes has been strangled. Wrayson soon learns that the young lady is the estranged older daughter of a club acquaintance, retired Colonel Fitzmaurice. He also discovers that he has fallen in love with her. The big question however, has he fallen for a murderess? How can he discover the truth? In typical Oppenheim style, this “whodunit” weaves a tangled web and one must wait until the end to discover the surprising truth. (Summary by Tom Weiss)

Hypershot


Trevor Scott - 2001
    military is shrinking, our leaders are turning to high technology as a force equalizer. America has not had a new hand-held rifle since the M16 was introduced in the 1960s. Now there's a new gun ready to take its position as the NATO standard. A gun so sophisticated, so fast, so unbelievably accurate, it will turn the average shooter into an expert marksman almost instantly. The problem is, it was developed by a German company with no U.S. production contract.That's where Warfield Arms, a Denver gun company, enters the action. Warfield hires Chad Hunter, a private weapons designer who had worked for the German company, to go to Germany to convince the company that Warfield is the perfect partner. To sweeten the deal, Hunter must first convince Frank Baldwin, a struggling optics engineer from Wyoming, who has developed the most advanced rifle scope ever conceived, that his scope would be the perfect match for this new German rifle. With the scope as bait, the Germans would surely deal.What Hunter and Baldwin find in Germany during the middle of the Oktoberfest celebration, could just get them both killed. Other countries and private factions would like this new weapon, and some in Germany want it only for that country. There's murder, kidnapping, extortion, and shoot-outs.... Who said the end of the Cold War wouldn't be any fun?

Sunken Graves


Alan Lee - 2021
    A sociopathic attorney hiding in plain sight behind billboards and a successful career. With the highest connections, he terrorizes the city and buries the evidence, and there’s no way to stop him. Until one discharged Green Beret decides to try...

Finding You


Giselle Green - 2014
    A year after he was snatched from a beach in Spain during a family holiday, they had feared that he would never be found alive. Now the couple are eager for their lives to return to normal – but something is very wrong. Hadyn is still in many ways a ‘lost’ child. He seems to have been badly affected by the abduction, making it impossible for the family to simply pick up the pieces and move on.In their efforts to unravel exactly what happened to their son and to find a cure, Julia and Charlie clash as to the best way forward. As their own insecurities surface, their relationship comes under threat - a situation not helped by the appearance of a former lover who is only too happy to rock the boat. As dark secrets are uncovered, the couple’s love for each other is tested to its very limits, and they begin to doubt that they will ever be able to help their troubled little boy...Until, at last, they stumble across an unexpected truth. A truth that might be the only thing left that could save their family. Emotionally intense and deeply moving, this follow-up to Little Miracles will grip you from the very first page.

First Blood


David Morrell - 1972
    Then came the legend, as John Rambo sprang from the pages of First Blood to take his place in the American cultural landscape. This remarkable novel pits a young Vietnam veteran against a small-town cop who doesn't know whom he's dealing with—or how far Rambo will take him into a life-and-death struggle through the woods, hills, and caves of rural Kentucky. Millions saw the Rambo movies, but those who haven't read the book that started it all are in for a surprise—a critically acclaimed story of character, action, and compassion.

Secret Hollywood: Crazy and Interesting Stories about the Rich and Famous


Bill O'Neill - 2021
    Grab your copy of Secret Hollywood and start gossiping!

Q & A


Vikas Swarup - 2005
    But through a series of exhilarating tales Ram explains to his lawyer how episodes in his life gave him the answer to each question.Ram takes us on an amazing review of his own history - from the day he was found as a baby in the clothes donation box of a Delhi church to his employment by a faded Bollywood star to his adventure with a security-crazed Australian army colonel to his career as an overly creative tour guide at the Taj Mahal.Vikas Swarup's Q & A is a beguiling blend of high comedy, drama, and romance that reveals how we know what we know - not just about trivia, but about life itself. Cutting across humanity in all its squalor and glory, Vikas Swarup presents a kaleidoscopic vision of the struggle between good and evil - and what happens when one boy has no other choice in life but to survive.

Mean Streak by Sandra Brown - Review Summary


J.T. Rothing - 2014
     Mean Streak is a story of a woman who found adventure, betrayal and love from the most unusual event. The story starts in this one weekend when Emory set of to the mountains of North Carolina to prepare for the upcoming marathon. When you get hold of the study guide, Mean Streak by Sandra Brown - Review Summary, you will come to understand each character and get a better hold of the plot, the theme and the representation of each character, a type of symbolism that represents the realm of our society. You will get chapter by chapter summary, analysis and essential quotes. Plus, get a sneak peak of critical reviews from various well known publications, editors and world acclaimed critics. Use this study guide to help you cope with your literature class, book club or just to help you better grasp the book itself. A WORD OF WARNING FOR READERS – This book is not the original copy of Sandra Brown’s book, Mean Streak. However, this is a detailed book chapter summary and study guide that is designed to help you read the original work. Buy the original work along with this study guide!

Killing Dylan


Alastair Puddick - 2016
    But who would want him dead? And why? And who the hell shoots someone with a harpoon, anyway? Disgruntled, failed crime writer, Freddie Winters, spends his days conning old ladies, setting up fake book signings, sneaking into literary festivals uninvited and lamenting his lack of success. When his old Friend, Dylan, turns to him for help, Freddie agrees to use his own limited detective skills to find out who’s behind the murder attempt. With a group of suspicious ex-wives, a jealous rival, a crazed stalker fan and an exploding postman to deal with, Freddie soon stumbles upon a catalogue of crazy behaviour and a truly bizarre motive for murder. But can he stop the killer before it’s too late?

Venice Black


Gregory C. Randall - 2018
    She is planning to lose herself in the maze of canals and forget about her ex-husband’s conviction for operating a meth lab on Cleveland’s south side.The legacy of the Bosnian War’s brutal ethnic cleansing has brought journalist Marika Juric to Venice on a single-minded crusade: to gather enough evidence to keep one of the war’s masterminds from becoming Croatia’s next president. And there are those who’ll do anything to stop her.But these two strangers share more than their unexpected arrivals in the City of Masks. They’re mirror images of each other—down to their hair, their smiles, and the same desperation in their eyes. The resemblance isn’t just uncanny. It’s dangerous.When the secrets of Alex’s escape rush headlong into Marika’s obsession, the fates of both women become entwined in a vaporous hall of mirrors. Working together is their only way to survive.

The Fort


Aric Davis - 2013
    And then the killer showed up. During the summer of 1987, from their tree house fort in the woods, neighborhood boys Tim, Scott, and Luke spot a man holding a gun to missing sixteen-year-old Molly Peterson's back. The problem is, nobody believes their story, not even the police. As search efforts to find Molly dwindle, the boys know that she, and the man with the gun, are nearby -- and that they must now find and save Molly themselves. A growing sense of honor and urgency forces the boys to take action -- to find Molly, to protect themselves, and to stand guard for the last long days of summer.

Rings of Fire: Book IV of The Dressage Chronicles


Karen McGoldrick - 2017
    The rubber snake might as well be a real snake—the nightmare reality—when they elicit the same response. Blind fear will make both horse and rider try to outrun lions, even when those lions are made of paper. Blind fear can send you straight over a cliff, and even if you manage to pull up before the edge, that is no way to live life. It is only through training, training, and more training, and then testing that training, that you learn to turn and face fear, find courage, and welcome the ride, wild though it promises to be. These are the rings of fire, the trials that lie ahead for all of us, whether they be taking command of a spooky horse or navigating more human problems. Once trained, with worthy companions marching with you, shoulder-to-shoulder, you are ready for the ride. Welcome to The Dressage Chronicles IV: Rings of Fire.

The Beach


Alex Garland - 1996
    (Nancy Pearl)

The Visitor (A Roald Dahl Short Story)


Roald Dahl - 2012
    Here, Uncle Oswald gets more than he bargained for in Arabia . . . The Visitor is taken from the short story collection Switch Bitch, which includes three other black comedies which capture the ins and outs, highs and lows of sex (including another Uncle Oswald story, Bitch). 'One of the most widely read and influential writers of our generation.' (The Times ) This story is also available as a Penguin digital audio download read by Richard E. Grant and Derek Jacobi. Roald Dahl, the brilliant and worldwide acclaimed author of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, James and the Giant Peach, Matilda, and many more classics for children, also wrote scores of short stories for adults. These delightfully disturbing tales have often been filmed and were most recently the inspiration for the West End play, Roald Dahl's Twisted Tales by Jeremy Dyson. Roald Dahl's stories continue to make readers shiver today.

Far from the Madding Crowd


Clare West - 2008
    The tale of a passionate, independent woman and her three suitors, it explores Hardy's trademark themes: thwarted love, the inevitability of fate, and the encroachment of industrial society on rural life.