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 Alex Cross (novel series).

    Before he can find the answer, he’s nearly killed himself—by a politically motivated car bombing targeting his activist daughter. With the inspector in the hospital, the case falls to his partner, Mike Burden. But when a strange mother and son are suspected, Burdon’s trail leads him down a very twisted road.  An Unkindness of Ravens: When a neighbor’s husband vanishes, Chief Inspector Wexford suspects the cad most likely ran off with one of his girlfriends. However, there are a few nagging concerns, like the man’s suspicious letter of resignation and his abandoned car. And is it just a fluke that his disappearance coincides with a rash of stabbings—all straight through the heart, all with male victims? Behind the seemingly placid domesticity of Wexford’s Sussex neighbors, there’s a growing web of tangling secrets, double lives, and triple-crosses.

    Vicious, funny stuff."—Andrew Klavan, author of Hunting Down AmandaCyrus is a millionaire recluse. Oh, and a serial killer who preys upon apartment hunters in New York City. Armstead Maupin meets Carl Hiaasen in a brilliant black comedy that traces the paths of disparate characters floating through New York, about to collide in a treacherous story that will make you think twice about ever answering a classified ad.Chris Niles was born in New Zealand, and currently resides in New York. She is the author of a series of mysteries featuring radio reporter Sam Ridley: Spike It, Run Time and Crossing Live.

    Someone is slaughtering every woman, girl and child named Natasha Mehra . . .Which is what Natasha Mehra, the most unpopular girl on campus, discovers. Though she’s always hated her name, she would’ve never imagined that it would be the reason she would be on the run from a gruesome death. But these murders aren’t random acts of madness. Rather, they are part of a conspiracy hatched by the Kul, an all-powerful secret organisation with tentacles everywhere. And the success or failure of this 2000-year-old mission will determine the future of humankind . . .About the AuthorAnand Sivakumaran has been telling stories since he was five. After passing out of IIT Bombay, he did stints in journalism, advertising, event management and youth marketing, before landing up in the entertainment business. His credits include films like Kalyug and Nazar and TV shows like The Buddy Project, Sadda Haq, Miley Jab Hum Tum, Jassi Jaisi Koi Nahin, Rishtey, Adhafull, etc. He has directed two films as well—Detour and Money Devo Bhava (awaiting release).He currently runs CROCTALES, a creative shop that makes and runs web series, films and TV shows.Anand also does live, interactive storytelling which involves making up stories on the spot in front of a live audience using their words. He also has a storytelling podcast—The Croc’s Tales—again telling stories using listener’s prompts.Mumbai is his base in between exploring the world.

    Early morning at Clacton on the north Essex coast, a light aircraft takes off from the airstrip but struggles for height and crashes into the sea. First on the scene, Sgt Cyril Claydon pulls the pilot’s body from the wreckage. But something else catches his eye. A bulky package wrapped in black plastic is on the passenger seat. Returning to investigate, he makes a grim discovery – another body. And so begins a series of events that puts him and others in danger as he is drawn into the investigation, having to work alongside DI ‘Dick’ Barton, a man with totally alien attitudes.Can they work together?

    

    Lee. Not many people move to Wormwood. The witches aren’t welcoming. The fortunetellers are frauds. And the recent murder is only going to make things worse. Hazel Salem just wanted a story for her magazine. Instead, she finds herself at the centre of an investigation that’s about to turn into a witch hunt. If someone doesn’t solve this murder - and fast - it will be out of the cauldron and into the fire for Wormwood’s witches. If you love talking cats, smart mysteries, and snarky humour, you’ll love this series. Pick up these page-turning witch mysteries today!

    Now, engaged to Michael Thorne, she finally gets her wish: Michael’s parents (David and Alison), and his sister (Jessie) have fallen in love with her. But when David suddenly hangs himself, police detectives focus on Nicki. Yes, she was with Michael when the hanging took place. Yes, they were 70 miles away. Nevertheless, Detectives Broadus and Rudd are convinced she’s somehow responsible. As the evidence against her mounts, Nicki is determined to maintain her relationship with the family. And she’ll do so, by any means necessary. PRELIMINARY COMMENTS: I cringed. I gasped. My eyes bugged out of my head. I kept saying, “No. He. Did. Not. Go. There!” But of course he did. It’s John Locke, after all. In other words, I loved it! Locke’s books are the fastest reads on Amazon, and this one is no different. It’s vicious, brutal…(and) deliciously unsettling. While a departure from the author’s norm—if you can call anything he writes normal—his typical page-turning elements are on full display. I couldn’t put the damn thing down!

    Chase Gordon has the life.The former Marine works part-time as a bartender to support his life island-hopping on his 40-foot sailboat.When the pretty young wife of one of his fellow Marines shows up looking for her husband, Chase steps in to help her out.Immediately, he finds himself in a stand-off between one of South Florida's most dangerous drug dealers and the D.E.A.Now, he's left wondering what kind of trouble his friend might be facing.Can Chase even save him?Filled with action and adventure, Chase Gordon is the next Travis McGee.

    Find a white girl in Brixton. Piece of cake. What I should have done is doubled my medication and lit a candle to St Jude - maybe a lot of candles. Add in a lethal ex-con, an Irish builder obsessed with Gene Hackman, the biggest funeral Brixton has ever seen, and what you get is the Blues like they've never been sung before.

    His quiet, thoughtful exterior hides a complex mind, and a fierce determination to see justice done. Like many of us, sometimes he has to look his demons in the eye, to keep fighting the good fight.This digital box set contains the fifth, sixth, and seventh mysteries in this best-selling series:The Case of the Missing Letter: The priceless Satterthwaite Desk has found its way to the island of Jersey and is on display at the local museum. When a dead body turns up on the museum’s grounds, a turbulent family drama becomes an official police inquiry. Detective Inspector Graham, along with his recently lauded investigative team, must untangle the mystery. But the trail of scandal and deceit soon spills out of the museum, and leads into the darkest corners of the island and beyond.The Case of the Pretty Lady: When a devastating hurricane surges toward the quiet island of Jersey, Detective Inspector Graham quickly finds his life turned upside down. In the wake of the storm, the body of a missing scientist washes ashore. A crime this diabolical takes teamwork to solve, and the Inspector enlists the aid of his three loyal and beloved officers. But are four heads really better than one?The Case of the Forsaken Child: Plagued by devastating memories, Detective Inspector David Graham can’t seem to escape the shadow of anger and guilt clouding his heart. When an undercover cop confides in Graham that her cover is blown, he uncharacteristically underreacts. Soon afterward, when she is killed in a hit-and-run, Graham's feelings of guilt bubble to the surface. If only he had done more…Grab a hot cup of tea and dive into this boxed set quintessentially British mystery series today.

    Candy Canes & Murder is a festive boxed set of twelve (12) cozy Christmas mysteries. A limited edition of never-before-published holiday whodunnits written by WSJ, USA Today and best selling authors. Fun, short stories that will put you in the mood for everyone's favorite time of the year. Pre-order your copy today! Abby L. Vandiver Sonia Parin Dianne Harman Tonya Kappes Kathryn Dionne Sylvia & Leigh Selfman Jenna St. James Constance Barker Mona Marple Ani Gonzalez Zanna Mackenzie Tricia L. Sanders

    Ray doesn’t believe in coincidences, but he can’t find a single link between the dead men, and he and his partner soon smash into an investigative stonewall.Kate Garcia, Ray’s fiancée, knows more than she should. She helped one of the dead attorneys, just hours before he took a bullet to the head, study an old newspaper in the library where she works. Kate might be the only person still alive who knows what he was digging up—except for his killer.When Kate starts trying to discover what’s behind the murders, she turns up disturbing links between the three dead men that track back to her family’s troubled past. But she has plenty of reasons to keep her mouth shut. Her discovery unleashes a cat-and-mouse game that threatens to sink her and those she loves in a high tide of danger.

    Was the Lord Provost's daughter kidnapped or just another runaway? And why on earth is Rebus invited to a clay pigeon shoot at the home of the Scottish Office's Permanent Secretary? Drawn into the machine that is modern Scotland, Rebus confronts the fact that some of his enemies may be beyond justice. BLACK & BLUE: Rebus is juggling four cases trying to nail one killer - and doing it under the scrutiny of an internal inquiry led by a man he's just accused of taking backhanders from Glasgow's Mr Big. Added to that there are TV cameras at his back investigating a miscarriage of justice, making Rebus a criminal in the eyes of millions of viewers. Just one mistake is likely to mean a slow and unpleasant death or, worse still, losing his job. THE HANGING GARDEN: DI John Rebus is on the trail of a WWII war criminal - until the running battle between two rival gangs on the city streets arrives at his door. When his daughter is the victim of a hit-and-run Rebus is forced to acknowledge that there is nothing he wouldn't do to bring down the prime suspect - even if it means cutting a deal with the devil.

    In the awful aftermath, he hung up his detective’s badge for good. Now ex-military, ex-police, he has embraced a simple civilian life. But when a deadly new disease begins to threaten American lives, Jake is dragged out of his self-imposed retirement.When a young family at a remote detention center die from a mysterious illness, Jake is contacted by a government official to launch a covert investigation. An unknown disease has entered the system, causing agonizing death and visible signs of blood pooling beneath the skin, and it seems to be spreading. If Jake can’t get on the ground quickly to eliminate the threat before it becomes an epidemic, countless more innocent lives could be at risk.With the help of medical professor Eliza Mendoza, Jake heads to the border, but what they uncover there is evidence that this devastating disease is man-made, and part of a calculated plot aimed right at the heart of government. With powerful forces ranged against him, Jake must use all his ingenuity to bring down the ruthless organization behind the attack. Failure is not an option.A pulse-pounding action thriller from a USA Today bestselling author. Fans of David Baldacci, I Am Pilgrim and Jack Ryan will be gripped.