From Vaudeville, through the big bands and up to the hottest rock acts, the Luxor had them all. It's closed now, a boarded-up relic, standing alone in a run down industrial part of town. But the old dance hall isn't empty. A hideous presence lives there, a monstrous evil that has the ability to invade people's fantasies and nightmares . . . and bring them to life. Three strangers will soon learn the extent of the dance hall's power. As their lives become more and more entangled in its inescapable web, they will come to see that what haunts the Luxor is far worse than any ghost.

    Utterly entranced, his fate is sealed. The supreme sensualist embarks on a life of adventure—that of the world's most formidable vampire. Chosen to enjoy powers beyond those any vampire has ever known, Byron enters a dark, intoxicating world of long-lost secrets, ancient arts, and scorching excesses of evil. He drinks deeply of terror and sex. But his diversions, delicious and cruel, are also his torment: an all-consuming thirst damning all those he loves...

    

    But the very night of her triumph, her light fails her: She can no longer see the magical illumination guiders, and thus, despite the mage's badge upon her breast, can no longer call herself Illuminator.Refusing to accept a lightless future, Liath travels to the city and petitions the senior mages of the land for help and a cure. They set a task for her to fulfill: She must find and capture the rogue Dark Mage, and bring him to them for justice; only then will her light be freed.So begins the most important journey of Liath's life...

    Was her killer a raging psychotic, or as timid as she was?In a charred house a partially clothed woman is found in her bed with a pornographic magazine and a mirror. Did she die in the fire -- or at a sex killer's hands?Before it was immortalized in The Silence of the Lambs, the FBI Behavioral Science Profiling Unit was pioneered by Russell Vorpagel. Now the legendary profiler takes you into the most intriguing cases of his career -- actual cases of serial killings, sex crimes, celebrity murders, and hostage takings. Showing how profiling turns the chaos and blood of a crime scene into a psychological snapshot of a suspect -- his age, his personality, even the model car he drives -- Vorpagel illuminates the twisted minds of the most vicious criminals of our time. From the vampire murderer Richard Trenton Case -- who consumed the blood of his victims -- to Vorpagel's own duel with an assassin on the island of St. Croix, Profiles in Murder is the chilling real-life story of the human monsters who share our streets -- and the men and women who hunt them down.

     When her mother is shot at the close of World War II, Marika Magos is orphaned into a new life in the diamond canyons of South Africa. As a worn-torn Europe is on the mend, Marika climbs to the glittering heights of the London fashion industry. From Paris to New York, her name is known and her admirers many. Not even Tony Palma, the international tycoon who thought he possessed her entirely knows of the secret passion she harbours for Swiss immigrant Gunter Grieff. Yet the sweet promise of their affair turns to ashes when Marika learns that his name and papers are false, changed in the final days of the war to protect his German identity. Song of the Wind tells a powerful tale of romance, adventure and intrigue. Praise for Song of the Wind ‘Irresistible . . . keeps your emotions trembling over hundreds of pages’ - MAIL ON SUNDAY Praise for Madge Swindells Praise for Madge Swindells 'Superlative' - Publishers Weekly 'I was gripped from start to finish’ - Kate Alexander, author ‘Terrific. A book that’s big in every sense. . . rich in detail and written with passion it lives on in the memory. I loved it’ - Sarah Harrison, author Madge Swindells was born and educated in England. As a teenager, she emigrated to South Africa where she studied archaeology at Cape Town University. Later, in England, she was a Fleet Street journalist and the manager of her own publishing company. Her earlier novels, Summer Harvest, Shadows on the Snow, The Corsican Woman, Edelweiss, The Sentinel and Harvesting the Past were international bestsellers and have been translated into eight languages. She lives in South Africa.

    The wedding of Mark Wylder to his rich and beautiful cousin, Dorcas Brandon, was to inaugurate a harmonious new era at Brandon Hall—but as the ceremony draws near, Mark disappears without trace, leaving Dorcas in shock, and the assembled family in a state of severe agitation. When Mark’s letters arrive back at the Hall, postmarked from Europe, the sinister figure of Captain Stanley Lake emerges from the wings to claim Dorcas as his own. First published in 1864, Wylder’s Hand was one of J. Sheridan Le Fanu’s most popular novels, but has been largely neglected, until now. It is a nerve-jangling tale of jealousy and murder, for fans of the grisly and gripping.

    Amid it all are the signs of an ancient and regal civilization crumbling around the edges, soon to be swept away forever by the tides of history.An epic story teeming with unforgettable characters and vivid locales, set against one of the most thrilling periods of history, JADE ranks with the great panoramic sagas of recent years, from THE FAR PAVILIONS to NOBLE HOUSE, DYNASTY, and SPRING MOON. Invariably exciting, and moving as only the best fiction can be, JADE is a novel to read and remember, a story whose power and charm will linger with its readers long after its last page is turned.

    Mere hours before her wedding, the fiancee of real estate mogul JP Stratton is found strangled in her penthouse. New Orleans homicide detective Charlotte "Charlie" Le Blanc views the crime scene, finding a black silk stocking draped casually beside the body--a chilling calling card from the killer. The dramatic clue leads Charlie to a world of privilege and wealth, and before long she singles out a suspect whose identity creates a furor in the city: Cole Stratton, JP's estranged son. But what she doesn't know is that Cole has been set up, and while she sets out to prove his guilt a real killer is on the loose--a man who now has Charlie in his sights, a man with yet another black silk stocking.

    For a female, things were harder still, as the chances of a "petticoat playwright" getting past the government censor was slim. In this exciting and cutthroat world, a young woman with a skill for writing and an ambition to see her work performed could rise to glory, or could lose all in the blink of an eye...In Ciji Ware's signature style, real-life characters of the day create a backdrop for a portrait of a glittering era, a love story, and a compelling glimpse into what life was like for a strong and independent-minded woman in an emphatically man's world.

    Due to its age, it may contain imperfections such as marks, notations, marginalia and flawed pages. Because we believe this work is culturally important, we have made it available as part of our commitment for protecting, preserving, and promoting the world's literature in affordable, high quality, modern editions that are true to the original work.

    Since then, Octavia has enjoyed several careers as a celebrated soprano, taking on new identities to disguise her ageless beauty, and acquiring an assistant and companion in Ugo, a mysterious man who possesses a secret of his own. Together they travel the world for her performances at all the great opera houses. But during a run at La Scala, Octavia draws the attention of a secret vampire hunter who will do anything to make her talents his own.

    Only her father, Willoughby Tetford, a self-made millionaire, was shrewd enough to have any misgivings when his lovely daughter left America. Willow herself, innocent, and deeply in love with her new husband, had complete trust and confidence in the future as she arrived at Victorian England. Willow happiness seemed complete when Lady Clotilde Rochford, the matriarchal French grandmother, handed her the keys of the house and told she was the new Chatelaine, Willow believed she held the keys not only to the multitude of rooms of which she was now the mistress but also to love and happiness. And when On her arrival, she is greeted warmly by her four brothers-in-law: Tony, quiet and studious; Pelham, teasing and flirtatious; the spoilt Francis; and the sensitive Rupert.Gradually disillusion set in as Rowell proved to be cruel, unfaithful and greedy. Willow didn't know her dowry had saved the Rockford family from destitution or that the estate was ruled by the ruthless Grandmere who would stop at nothing to protect the family's reputation. Old Lady Rochford obsessed with past events, of which Willow is ignorant, wreaks fearful havoc on Willow's life. Although bitterly disappointed with her life, Willow maintained her beauty and dignity as the years passed. The only thing she did know was that over the years, another man was touching her heart, a man who represented everything that her husband was not, stiring her sould, and arousing passions she could not deny....

    As the relics of an evil long since thought vanquished emerge from the darkness, the legacy of Vanessa Ives’ death is clear: A battle is coming, and the victor shall show no mercy. With so much at stake, old grudges must be cast aside if humanity is to take a stand against the armies of evil mustering to destroy each other!

    Claire too harbors a secret desire for him--but a witch cursed her family with madness, and she's terrified she'll only hurt him if they act on their feelings. When a will reading at a mysterious castle in Cornwall brings them both together on All Hallows Eve, they'll work to break her family's curse...and find true love.----This novella was previously released in the Mystified anthology.The Gothic Brides series: edgy, atmospheric Gothic Regency Romance, exploring the dark, twisted corners of England--these books are not for the faint of heart. The Gothic Brides battle tortured past and face dangerous, suspenseful circumstances on their road to a hard-won happily ever after. Each book stands on its own.THE MAD COUNTESSTHE DETERMINED DUCHESSTHE SCANDALOUS WIDOW