It's a case that nobody wants to touch, deeply rooted in old evil—and old evil is Charlie Parker's specialty. He's about to enter a living nightmare, a dreamscape of sorrow haunted by the murderous specter of a hooded woman, by a black car waiting for a passenger that never comes, and by the sinister complicity of both friends and enemies in Larousse's brutal death. Soon, all will face a final reckoning in an unearthly realm where the paths of the living and the dead converge. A place known only as the White Road. THE BLACK ANGELWhen a young woman disappears from the streets of New York City, ties of friendship and blood inevitably draw ingenious, tortured detective Charlie Parker into the search. Soon he discovers links to a church of bones in Eastern Europe, a 1944 slaughter at a French monastery, and to the myth of an object known as the Black Angel—considered by evil men to be beyond priceless. But the Black Angel is not a legend. It is real. It lives. It dreams. And the mystery of its existence may contain the secret of Parker's own origins. THE UNQUIETDaniel Clay, a once-respected psychiatrist, has gone missing. His daughter insists that he killed himself after allegations surfaced surrounding the harm done to patients in his care. Now, a killer obsessed with finding the truth about his own daughter’s disappearance is seeking revenge—and private investigator Charlie Parker finds himself trapped between those who want the truth about Clay’s disappearance to be revealed, and those who will go to any length—no matter the cost—to keep a deep, dark secret about a local town hidden.

    Hephaestus Books represents a new publishing paradigm, allowing disparate content sources to be curated into cohesive, relevant, and informative books. To date, this content has been curated from Wikipedia articles and images under Creative Commons licensing, although as Hephaestus Books continues to increase in scope and dimension, more licensed and public domain content is being added. We believe books such as this represent a new and exciting lexicon in the sharing of human knowledge. This particular book is a collaboration focused on Novels by Lucy Maud Montgomery.

    All the essays in the collection focus on storytelling. Warm, funny and entertaining, they discuss Philip's own stories, the craft of writing, other storytellers and the importance of stories in our culture.

    Woken one night when the body of a young woman is found torn apart, that peace is shattered as it dawns on him that a predator is among them.EVERYONE A SUSPECT...With little to go on, all the men in the town are potential suspects and Jesse begins an investigation that spans across the social spectrum. Unable to find the killer, the mayor goes against Jesse and decides to bring in bounty hunters. But the cure may be more dangerous than the disease.A WINDOW INTO THE DARKNESS OF MEN...As another murder occurs under their noses, Jesse realizes he is outmatched and facing an evil he has never encountered. He enlists the help of an alienist from Harvard University. Someone trained in the new science of the mind. Together they are about to journey into the darkest recesses of the human soul, and they may not make it out alive...

    Vulcan’s Fury, as the impact event was known, had become a distant but poignant memory of how wrathful the gods can be, and it was the duty of every Roman to see that they were never angered again. Over those many years, the Roman Empire had finally brought to heel the entire known world, save the Dark Lands. Hidden behind a barrier of smoldering volcanoes and the deadly Haunted Sea, the Dark Lands were at the heart of ancient legends among the Romans of terrible beasts, and worse, that had once feasted upon the flesh of men in the earliest days of the First Spring. But ancient legends held no fear for Princess Valeria, daughter of Caesar Tiberius Claudius Augustus. Enthralled by reports of strange happenings along the coast and bored by the life of a young Roman noblewoman, she begs her father to allow her to travel to the coast of the Haunted Sea to indulge her curiosity. Tiberius grants her request, anxious to see her safely away from Rome, where the Senate is plotting against him. Together with her closest companions, including her enormous hexatiger, Hercules, Valeria sets off on her adventure, unaware that she has set in motion a series of events that will change the history of the Empire, and all Humankind, forever…

    Fate leads to a meeting with Harry Rutledge, an enigmatic hotel owner and inventor with wealth, power, and a dangerous hidden life. When their flirtation compromises her own reputation, Poppy shocks everyone by accepting his proposal—only to find that her new husband offers his passion, but not his trust. Harry was willing to do anything to win Poppy—except open his heart. He has held the world at arm’s length…but the beguiling Poppy demands to be his wife in every way that matters. As desire grows between them, an enemy lurks in the shadows. If Harry wants to keep Poppy by his side, he must forge a true union of body and soul . . .Married By Morning (Book 4)For two years, Catherine Marks has been a paid companion to the Hathaway sisters—a pleasant position, with one caveat. Her charges’ older brother, Leo Hathaway, is thoroughly exasperating. Cat cannot believe that their constant arguing could mask a mutual attraction. But when one quarrel ends in a sudden kiss, Cat is shocked at her response—and even more so when Leo proposes a liaison. Leo must marry and produce an heir within a year to save his family home. Catherine’s respectable demeanor hides a secret that would utterly destroy her. But to Leo, Cat is intriguing and tempting. The danger Cat tried to outrun is about to separate them forever—unless two wary lovers can find a way to banish the shadows and give in to their desires . . .Love in the Afternoon (Book 5)Beatrix Hathaway has always been more comfortable outdoors than in the ballroom. The free-spirited Beatrix has never been swept away or seriously courted…and she has resigned herself to never finding love. Captain Christopher Phelan is a handsome, daring soldier who plans to marry Beatrix’s friend, the vivacious flirt Prudence Mercer, when he returns from fighting abroad. But, as he explains in his letters to Pru, life on the battlefield has darkened his soul—and it’s becoming clear that Christopher won’t come back as the same man. When Beatrix learns of Pru’s disappointment, she decides to help by concocting Pru’s letters to Christopher for her. The correspondence between Beatrix and Christopher develops into something fulfilling and deep—and when Christopher comes home, he’s determined to claim the woman he loves. What began as innocent deception has resulted in the agony of unfulfilled love—and a passion that can’t be denied . . .

    For three generations, the Giambelli wines have been renowned for their quality - from Napa Valley to Italy, and throughout the world. But things are about to change at Villa Giambelli. Tereza, the matriarch, has announced a merger with the MacMillan family's winery - and Sophia will be assuming a new role, working with Tyler MacMillan. Midnight Bayou: Declan Fitzgerald had always been the family maverick, but even he couldn't understand his impulse to buy a dilapidated mansion on the outskirts of New Orleans. Determined to restore Manet Hall to its former splendor, Declan begins the daunting renovation room by room. Only the companionship of the alluring Angelina Simone can distract him from the mysterious happenings in the house, but Angelina too has her own surprising connection to Manet Hall - uncovering a secret that's been buried for a hundred years. Three Fates: When the Lusitania sank, more than one thousand people died. One passenger, however, survived to become a changed man, giving up his life as a petty thief but keeping a small silver statue that would become a family heirloom to future generations. Now, nearly a century later, that heirloom, one of a priceless, long-separated set of three, has been snatched away from the Sullivans. And Malachi, Gideon, and Rebecca Sullivan are determined to recover their great-great-grandfather's treasure, reunite the Three Fates, and make their fortune.

    In this free collection of excerpts, enjoy a taste of all of Vince Flynn’s thrillers starring CIA superagent Mitch Rapp.

    And for the last of the line of Eld there may be no way out. Meanwhile, on Mid-World, Alain and Cuthbert desperately struggle to protect Roland's unconscious form, and themselves, against a pack of ravening wolves.

    Now, they are about to come face to face… The Cinderella Bride by Barbara Wallace Secretary Emma O'Rourke keeps her head down and works hard. But to bring back the heir of Kent Hotels, jaded Gideon Kent, she has to step out of the shadows… Secret History Of A Good Girl by Aimee Carson Miami hotel tycoon Paulo Domingues suspects that beneath his new events planner Alyssa Hunt's southern prissiness, she's all passion! He's determined to seduce the fire out from behind her good-girl exterior… Secrets And Speed Dating by Leah Ashton Sophie Morgan's dealt with life's curveballs by being logical. Her latest project is to reclaim her life now that her fiance's left her. Task one: speed dating. But Sophie takes a rather unconventional approach!

    And who is in danger of taking their final bow next! Homicide in High Heels - book #8 It's springtime in California, which means baseball season in Maddie Springer's house. But when the girlfriend of the L.A. Stars rookie MVP winds up dead at a chic Beverly Hills salon, it's suddenly up to fashion designer Maddie Springer to track down the "Tanning Salon Killer." Deadly in High Heels - book #9 When fashion designer Maddie Springer is invited to help style contestants in the Hawaiian Paradise Beauty Pageant, she jumps at the chance! But trouble follows her to paradise when one of the beauty queens winds up dead. With the televised crowning approaching, the danger escalating, and a killer on the loose, this is one beauty pageant that's about to turn ugly. Also available: High Heels Mysteries Boxed Set Vol. I (books 1-3) High Heels Mysteries Boxed Set Vol. II (books 4-6) High Heels Mysteries Boxed Set Vol. III (books 7-9) Books in the High Heels Mysteries series: Spying in High Heels - book #1 Killer in High Heels - book #2 Undercover in High Heels - book #3 Christmas in High Heels - short story Alibi in High Heels - book #4 Mayhem in High Heels - book #5 Honeymoon in High Heels - novella Sweetheart in High Heels - short story Fearless in High Heels - book#6 Danger in High Heels - book #7 Homicide in High Heels - book #8 Deadly in High Heels - book #9 REVIEWS: "A saucy combination of romance and suspense that is simply irresistible." —Chicago Tribune "Stylish... nonstop action...guaranteed to keep chick lit and mystery fans happy!" —Publishers’ Weekly, starred review "Maddie Springer is like a cross between Paris Hilton and Stephanie Plum, only better. The dialogue is snappy and the suspense beautifully interwoven with Ms. Halliday’s unique humor. This is one HIGH HEEL you’ll want to try on again and again " —Romance Junkies "It's rare to find a romantic mystery that's so funny, but this is certainly one of them. Maddie Springer (is) a ‘Versace’ Nancy Drew everyone can appreciate." —Press & Sun Bulletin

    Officially, the group is a rogue operation with no government affiliation. But when the impossible becomes absolutely necessary, IFOR is...THE MERCENARY OPTIONShortly after the terror attacks on America, the American president announces the construction of an oil pipeline across Afghanistan. To stop this, and deter further Western encroachment in Central Asia, a vindictive Saudi prince retains ex-KGB terror broker Pavel Zelinkow -- a prime mover behind al Qaeda's 9/11 attack. Zelinkow plans to steal two nuclear weapons, detonating one of them among the pipeline construction crews and their military guardians, while the target of the second bomb is a mystery. U.S. special operations forces cannot be used against the terrorists hiding in Iran, so IFOR is called into action for the first time on a mission that will test them to their limits: take out the terrorists, recover the nukes, and get Zelinkow -- dead or alive.

    History has no record of him. There is a moral in that, somewhere.""The problem with being a pain in the ass is that you never quite know who's trying to get you.""Why do people keep insisting that I join the 21st Century? I *LIVE* in the 21st Century! I just don't want to be bothered by the shitheads on the internet!""I have no mouth. And I must scream.""I think love and sex are separate and only vaguely similar."

    Money and ego have turned the quest for art into a deadly business in which the superrich battle to possess the rarest and most beautiful objets d'art on Earth.  Sammu-ramat: Queen of Babylon. The first warrior queen in history, called by some the Whore of Babylon. Her golden death mask left a legacy of lust and violence to those who fought to possess it.  Madison Dupre: curator for the billion-dollar Piedmont collection. She fights for her career, her freedom--and her life--after she acquires the fifty-five-million-dollar golden mask of the long dead Babylonian queen.  Coby Lewis: an ex-Navy SEAL, who uses his frogman training to dive for sunken treasure. Madison knows she can't trust him… but she also can't resist him.  Abdul ibn Hussein: His father died protecting the golden mask from thieves. Abdul said that the mask was stolen when the Baghdad museum was looted as American troops entered the city. He also claims that Navy SEALs worked with Iraqis to loot the museum.  New York, London, Zurich, and Malaga are the venues as the heat is turned on Madison--and she goes on the run to clear her name and save her life.