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The Tenth Nail
Kwen D. Griffeth - 2014
This wasn’t Nate’s first homicide; it wasn’t even the first murder of a prostitute that he’d investigated. But, this one bothered him. Maybe it was her youth; she appeared to be in her early twenties. Maybe it was her looks, as death had yet to rob her of her beauty. Maybe she reminded him of his daughter, Lizzie, who was only a few years younger. Maybe it was something else entirely. ˃˃˃ A Gritty, Riveting Thriller With little to no evidence and only vague descriptions to go on, Nate and his partner Manny Trujillo are determined to seek the truth, no matter where that journey leads them. The story moves first in one direction, and then in another. The ending? You’ll never see that coming.Very well-written, enthralling and impossible to put down, The Tenth Nail is a thriller you won’t forget.
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The Angry Woman Suite
Lee Fullbright - 2012
Raised in a crumbling New England mansion by four women with personalities as split as a cracked mirror, young Francis Grayson has an obsessive need to fix them all. There's his mother, distant and beautiful Magdalene; his disfigured, suffocating Aunt Stella; his odious grandmother; and the bane of his existence, his abusive and delusional Aunt Lothian. For years, Francis plays a tricky game of duck and cover with the women, turning to music to stay sane. He finds a friend and mentor in Aidan Madsen, schoolmaster, local Revolutionary War historian, musician and keeper of the Grayson women's darkest secrets. In a skillful move by Fullbright, those secrets are revealed through the viewpoints of three different people-Aidan, Francis and Francis'stepdaughter, Elyse-adding layers of eloquent complexity to a story as powerful as it is troubling. While Francis realizes his dream of forming his own big band in the 1940s, his success is tempered by the inner monster of his childhood, one that roars to life when he marries Elyse's mother. Elyse becomes her stepfather's favorite target, and her bitterness becomes entwined with a desire to know the real Francis Grayson. For Aidan's part, his involvement with the Grayson family only deepens, and secrets carried for a lifetime begin to coalesce as he seeks to enlighten Francis-and subsequently Elyse-of why the events of so many years ago matter now. The ugliness of deceit. betrayal and resentment permeates the narrative, yet there are shining moments of hope, especially in the relationship between Elyse and her grandfather. Ultimately, as more of the past filters into the present, the question becomes: What is the truth, and whose version of the truth is correct? Fullbright never untangles this conundrum, and it only adds to the richness of this exemplary novel. A superb debut that exposes the consequences of the choices we make and legacy's sometimes excruciating embrace.
Superior Justice
Tom Hilpert - 2011
He's a tough-guy, thinks-he's-funny, rock-music-playing, gourmet-cooking, painfully-moderate-drinking, hard-boiled man of the cloth. He is even available for a bit of romance, under the right circumstances. Borden gets deeply involved in things he doesn't understand when one of his parishioners is arrested for a vigilante killing. The parishioner shares his true alibi with Borden, under the privileged status of religious confession. Knowing the man is innocent, Borden must prove it somehow, without divulging his secret. Along the way he uncovers a twisted series of murders and cover ups. Before it is all over, Borden himself has been bribed, beaten, shot, and arrested for murder. Even worse, he's fallen in love and had his heart broken.
Welcome to Fred
Brad Whittington - 2003
The problem is, he can't really tell anyone. Especially not his dad, the Baptist preacher. As the last of the modern nomads, a preacher's family is always on the move, and Mark has learned to cope with life as the new kid in town. At least he's in a town. Until he is whisked away behind the Pine Curtain of East Texas to the microscopic community of Fred. There, his urban coping skills fall flat as he fumbles every attempt to fit in. And the girl of his dreams is immune to his Sixties counterculture charm. But these frustrations fade in comparison to the crisis prompted by a dusty book he finds lodged between the stacks on the library. Before it's over, Mark will have to face his doubts. And his father. This award-winning novel is a moving and hilarious coming-of-age story set against the vibrant backdrop of the 1960s and rural America. eBook extras: Reader's Guide, 900+ SAT words, Preview of Living with Fred
Riversong
Tess Thompson - 2011
In the wake of her husband's tragic death, Lee is pregnant and one million dollars in debt to a dangerous loan shark willing to do anything to collect. Out of money and options, Lee seeks refuge in the small Oregon town where her mother's dilapidated home sits vacant, as desperate for a fresh start as Lee herself.With a baby on the way and a living to make, Lee opens a restaurant and begins to rebuild her life. But just as she catches her breath, and the eye of a local musician offering a second chance at love, she finds herself right back in the clutches of the debt collector with more to lose than ever.
Family Interrupted
Linda Barrett - 2013
Shaken by tragedy, the Barnes family has fractured. Mother. Father. Son. Each dealing with the pain separately and alone. Holding fast to guilt and blame. Read or imagined. Claire, an artist who finally follows her dream and encounters a nightmare. Jack, a home builder who thinks he can fix anything--except what matters most. And Ian, a teenage son to be proud of. Until he moves out. fifty miles away from the darkness at home. On the verge of divorce when their son's new life goes terribly awry, Claire and Jack are forced to re-examine their lives in order to save their marriage and heal a family that, according to Ian, "has gone to hell." But can they find the road back? ------------------------------------- Expanded description: Two years after their 12 year old daughter's accidental death by a motorist, Claire and Jack Barnes go through the motions of celebrating their 25th wedding anniversary. When artist Claire produces her gift--a full-scale oil painting of their daughter--Jack has had enough. With his daughter gone, his wife ofcuse dont he past and his 20 yearold son living on his own, Jack feels like a stranger in his own home and moves out the day after the party. Claire understands they're heading for divorce. Two days later, when she's alone int he house, a young woman comes to the door and hands over her infant. This is their son's baby. The girl says, "I told Ian she'd be too much work, and I've got other plans." She disappears. Ian is readyt o put the baby up for adoption because his daughter deserves a good, solid family, better than what the Barneses have become. Jack and Claire must figure out what to do next. Intersecting the main stores of the Barnes family is the subplot involving the driver of the car. No alcohol, no speeding involved. But guilt seeps into the driver's soul and changes her life. Who will forgive this woman? Bonus short story included MAN OF THE HOUSE: Bobby's been the man of the house since his father died, but now his mom is spending time with Steve. Steve makes his mom smile, but Bobby's not happy. No one can take his dad's place. So what's a guy to do? Can Bobby have a change of heart and accept a new man of the house? Bonus short story included MAN OF THE HOUSE: Bobby's been the man of the house since his father died, but now his mom is spending time with Steve. Steve makes his mom smile, but Bobby's not happy. No one can take his dad's place. So what's a guy to do? Can Bobby have a change of heart and accept a new man of the house?
A Bad Place To Be
John Hansen - 2015
Their dream of owning a ranch in Idaho's Salmon River country kept them going during those tough times in the Army. The dream, however, is derailed when Seth is murdered in the Bear Creek gold fields. In his quest to obtain justice for his friend, Josh is plunged into a quagmire of corruption and wickedness. And then, to complicate matters even more, enter Sarah, an outcast prostitute looking for a ticket to respectability. Is she friend, lover or just someone looking for a free ride out of Bear Creek? Josh has to decide - assuming he lives that long. However, staying alive might be difficult, given the character of the sheriff and his cronies. Few people trust them to uphold the law, yet no one dares to challenge them. The simplest solution to this entire mess would be to walk away, but Josh's conscience won't allow that. Only time will tell if he is to take his stubborn loyalty to the grave.
The Mulberry Tree
George Mournehis - 2013
Marcus wants nothing more than to indulge in drink, drugs and women.But when he meets the plot-holders on the Butterfly Lane allotments--Sophia, a charming, but troubled, woman in the midst of a spiritual crisis; Alex, his fiery, Greek neighbour, who covets both Marcus’s plot and a mysterious book that belonged to his grandfather; and Benjamin, a shadowy recluse--the reason for his inheritance becomes clear.
Southern Fried Sushi
Jennifer Rogers Spinola - 2011
Trapped in a world so foreign to her sensibilities and surrounded by a quirky group of friends, will she break through her hardened prejudices before she loses those who want to help her? Can she find the key to what changed her estranged mother’s life so powerfully before her death that she became a different woman—and can it help Shiloh too?
The Heart of a Child
Emily D. Moon - 2010
"It was simple, heartwarming, painful, and lovely, all in perfect doses." -Writer's Digest Nelson writes and readers respond... "A Modern Day To Kill A Mockingbird." "Inspiring. Remarkable." "It touched me in a way that I didn't know books could." "Friendship, heartbreak, life, and death. This novel has it all." "A story bound to make an impact in literary circles." "The characters were so compelling that they literally brought me to tears." "Simply put: brilliant!" "Heartbreaking and beautiful."
The Second Diary
Ciara Threadgoode - 2013
Dorothy Rose Nolte Hughes, however, hides a second diary under the polka-dot towels and causes quite a stir in the family. Her use of metaphor, alliteration, and analogies keep readers learning some new turns-of-phrase and laughing while uncovering some family truths that lay hidden from the world. Dottie’s daughter isn’t interested in the language and turn-of-phrase, however, only the secrets revealed to the one who finds the diary. Dottie’s favorite granddaughter, her husband, and their six dachshunds take care of Granny but her diary leaves them not only befuddled and confused but also excited and elevated in spirit. Moving back and forth between the granddaughter’s story-telling and the grandmother’s diary entries, readers are compelled to keep reading to the very end and learn about fairytales as part of the truth. Does the truth hide in fairytales and come forth when least expected or do fairytales hide in truth and just sort of spontaneously spew forth?Show more Show less
Whisper Me This
Kerry Anne King - 2018
The only thing Maisey’s sure she’s gotten right is her relationship with her twelve-year-old daughter, Elle…until a phone call blows apart the precarious balance of their lives. Maisey’s mother is in a coma, and her aging father faces charges of abuse and neglect.Back at her childhood home, Maisey must make a heartrending life-or-death decision. Her confused father has destroyed family records, including her mother’s final wishes. Searching for answers, Maisey uncovers one unspeakable secret after another when she stumbles upon a shattering truth: a twin sister named Marley.Maisey’s obsession with solving the mystery of her sister forces her to examine her darkest memories and triggers a custody battle with Elle’s father. Will Maisey’s love for her daughter be strong enough to break a cycle of abuse and create a new beginning for them all?
Hadley & Grace
Suzanne Redfearn - 2021
A woman who can’t even kill a spider, Hadley soon finds herself pushed to the limits as she fights to protect her family.Grace, new mother of baby Miles, desperately wants to put her rough past behind her for good, but she finds it impossible when her path crosses with Hadley’s, and her quest for a new start quickly spirals out of control and turns into a terrifying flight for survival.Stronger together than apart, the two find their fates inextricably entwined, and as the danger closes in, each must decide how much she is willing to risk for the other.A powerful story of self-discovery, Hadley and Grace is the heart-racing tale of two women facing insurmountable odds, racing to stay one step ahead of the trouble that is chasing them, and discovering new kinds of love and family along the way.
We're All Damaged
Matthew Norman - 2016
He had a solid job. He ran 5Ks for charity. He was living a nice, safe Midwestern existence. And then his wife left him for a handsome paramedic down the street.We’re All Damaged begins after Andy has lost his job, ruined his best friend’s wedding, and moved to New York City, where he lives in a tiny apartment with an angry cat named Jeter that isn’t technically his. But before long he needs to go back to Omaha to say good-bye to his dying grandfather.Back home, Andy is confronted with his past, which includes his ex, his ex’s new boyfriend, his right-wing talk-radio-host mother, his parents’ crumbling marriage, and his still-angry best friend.As if these old problems weren’t enough, Andy encounters an entirely new complication: Daisy. She has fifteen tattoos, no job, and her own difficult past. But she claims she is the only person who can help Andy be happy again, if only she weren’t hiding a huge secret that will mess things up even more. Andy Carter needs a second chance at life, and Daisy—and the person Daisy pushes Andy to become—may be his last chance to set things right.