Somerset Maugham’s “Before the Party” is a novelette first published in the December 1922 edition of “Nash’s Magazine.” After the death of her husband, an alcoholic colonial administrator in Borneo, Millicent returns to England to live with her parents and sister. Did Millicent’s husband die of a fever, as Millicent claims, or was his throat cut? And if the latter, was it suicide or homicide?Sample passage:Mrs. Skinner had thought it very peculiar that her daughter should have no photographs of Harold in her room. Indeed she had spoken of it once, but Millicent had made no reply. Millicent had been strangely silent since she came back from Borneo, and had not encouraged the sympathy Mrs. Skinner would have been so willing to show her. She seemed unwilling to speak of her great loss. Sorrow took people in different ways. Her husband had said the best thing was to leave her alone. The thought of him turned her ideas to the party they were going to.About the author:W. Somerset Maugham (1874-1965) was a British novelist, short-story writer, and playwright. Notable novels are “Of Human Bondage,” “The Moon and Sixpence,” and “The Razor’s Edge.”

    Consisting of three early stories concerning Martin and Redwall Abbey, this gift set contains: Martin the Warrior which tells of the legendary mouse and his struggles against the tyrannical Badrang; Mossflower charting the fearsome battle Martin had with the wildcats; and Outcast of Redwall.

    

    Their seafront business is failing with the loss of Genie’s grandmother and her legendary ice cream flavours. Genie is determined to be the one to save her family’s heritage, but suddenly her mother wants to sell to developers and leave their shared history behind.Buying the business and taking on a sixty-eight year old business partner, Ada, with a mysterious past and a gorgeous but distracting grandson, Genie sets out to prove her parents wrong.Ada’s grandson, Cal, wants to protect his gran from ‘pensioner persuader’, Genie, but soon realises that living in a little seaside town and away from the paparazzi in Hollywood can actually give him time to heal. Hiding in a seafront business with its fiery owner and working as kitchen staff, is the only way he can think of to keep his ex-Hollywood glamour-puss, gran from harm. But his meddling might also ruin Ada's second chance at love. Hiring a private detective and learning about Genie’s parent’s past makes Cal regret his own impulsiveness. The information he has unearthed could destroy their blossoming romance and turn Genie’s world upside down.Genie soon discovers that friends can become enemies and your closest family can have lied to you for your whole life.

    The rarest of these are worth colossal fortunes, and can make their finders fabulously wealthy in the blink of an eye.Against this backdrop, young Houston lawyer Jack Carver meets his newest client, Ashley Marcum. She is looking for help after the mysterious death of her brother, who died while working for a giant oil company. Jack and Ashley’s only clue about his death is a set of unidentified gold coins, of indeterminate age and value.As Jack and Ashley scramble to discover how her brother died and uncover the origin of the coins, the oil company sends their powerful lawyers to stop them. Jack and Ashley soon find themselves caught up in a legal battle to uncover the truth—a battle they are ill-equipped to win.As the saga unfolds, Jack and Ashley soon discover that the coins belong to an ancient shipwreck—perhaps one of the greatest of all time. As the oil company tries to subvert legal process and shut them out, Jack and Ashley are forced to fight a case that begins in Texas but soon spreads across the globe.Amidst twists, turns, and roadblocks, Jack and Ashley must race through a history shrouded in secrets, spurred on by a case that ignites a firestorm around the world.

    You have to come home. I can’t run this place on my own.”From Amazon #1 Best Selling Author...Sarah Edwards is living her dream as a highly acclaimed marine biologist, settled in a beautiful downtown apartment with nothing but a bright future ahead...That is, until she receives a phone call that changes everything.Her mother’s untimely death not only leaves her devastated - it leaves her with so many unanswered questions and responsibilities she’s not ready to take on. As an only child, she finds herself at the helm of a high-scale resort on the coast of California.Now she's faced with a life-altering decision. To sell the resort her mother dedicated her entire life to, or move back to California to run the resort - leaving behind the dream life she's worked so hard to build.While traveling across the country to comfort her grandmother, Sarah meets a charming stranger and offers him a complimentary stay at the resort in exchange for a lighthearted distraction.But when Sarah stumbles upon a letter written just weeks before the accident - her mother's final words leave her no choice but to continue on with the search in her place…Embark on this adventure filled with mystery, diversions, and unsettling details that might just be the answer to Sarah's biggest questions.This is Book 1 of 6 in the Search for Truth series.

    Meanwhile, her older sister Peggy works as an apprentice at the Girls' School, hoping for a more prosperous future as a schoolteacher.Jennet and Titus Eastwood have always made decisions for their daughters' futures. But as the sisters near adulthood they are determined to make their own choices. And with temptation in the way, will the girls find love - or infatuation - leads them astray?Then an unexpected but familiar face arrives in town, and the family's future is threatened. For Bessie and Jennet, a difficult choice must be made - love or family . . .

    

    However, that doesn’t last long. With Brian’s constant demands for more than what she is willing to give, Savannah finds herself in a familiar place of loneliness. Finally, she calls it quits, but Brian isn’t willing to say it’s over unless it’s on his terms. Roxie’s dislike for Brian grows even stronger once she gets a hold of some confidential information. She’s determined more than ever to destroy her best friend’s man. Get ready for round two of this gritty tale of obsession in, My Bestfriend's Man 2.

     In Sarah's Valley, Patrick Smithson meets Frank Lawdry. Frank, who prefers his Abenaki name, Winnipesaukee, spends the night recalling his life story. He and his sister, Sarah, were left orphans when everyone on a wagon train died in a horrific tragedy. It was their story of survival. Return to Sarah's Valley continues where Sarah's Valley leaves off. Now an old man in his nineties, Patrick meets Michael Lawdry, one of Winnipesaukee's descendants, and tells him how two Lawdry men influenced his life. This is a story of life during the Great Depression, struggles and heartache, but also the deep love that a man has for one woman.

    One of the most beautiful and inspiring stories penned by Nar-Dos.

    As a boy, Hussein falls in love with a beautiful and elusive girl, Sashiya, and arranges for another of her suitors to be murdered with a fakir's curse. The dead man's relatives vow vengeance. Hussein escapes and his adventures begin: snake-charming, sword-fighting, spying, stealing a fortune, and returning triumphantly to claim his bride. All of this is set against an evocatively exotic India, full of bazaars, temples, and beautiful women—despite the fact that O'Brian had never been to the East when he wrote the story.

    This volume assembles 2 novels and 4 shorter works -- almost 500 pages of classic fiction -- by 3-time Hugo Award-winner Clifford D. Simak. Included are:TIME QUARRY [novel]EMPIRE [novel]THE STREET THAT WASN'T THERE [short story]THE WORLD THAT COULDN'T BE [novelet]HELLHOUNDS OF THE COSMOS [short story]PROJECT MASTODON [short story]If you enjoy this book, search your favorite ebook store for "Wildside Press Megapack" to see the more than 100 other entries in the series, covering science fiction, modern authors, mysteries, westerns, classics, adventure stories, and much, much more! (Sort by publication date to see the most recent entries.)

    He had just lost the man he was trailing and then got into a crazy highway chase with a Cadillac. Now he just wanted to get some sleep. But his thoughts of sleep ended when a screaming brunette woke him with her screams and a hand covered in blood. It looked like a murder, but where was the victim? And Lew Archer only had one suspect―an imaginary blonde that nobody seems to have seen.

    Seduced and left pregnant by the son of the family, she feels forced to marry the butler, but finds herself condemned to a life of abuse and poverty.Only her love for her daughter, Laura, keeps Elin going. Laura grows up with her natural father's intelligence and drive, as well as his talent for business, and when she seizes the chance to buy an ailing company, it is the start of a meteoric career. But Laura's personal life is less of a success, and it will take a twist of fate to enable Laura and her mother to find love and happiness.