Three Classic Novels: Tobacco Road, God's Little Acre, and Place Called Estherville


Erskine Caldwell - 2017
    Bigotry, poverty, social injustice, and sexual squalor in the Deep South—hallmarks of one of the most daring and phenomenally popular bestselling novelists of the twentieth-century. Here, in one volume, are three of his best-known works. “None of [his] characters would be caught dead in a novel by John Steinbeck, Carson McCullers, or Eudora Welty” (The Daily Beast).  Tobacco Road: The Great Depression compromises the morals of a poor farming family in Georgia. This classic, a Modern Library 100 Best Novels selection, was adapted for the stage in 1933 and made into a 1941 film directed by John Ford.  God’s Little Acre: Desperation takes its toll on a deluded Southern farmer obsessed with sex, violence, and the promise of gold. Banned in Boston, censored in Georgia, and prosecuted by the New York Society for the Suppression of Vice, this international bestseller was adapted into a film in 1958.  A Place Called Estherville: In the pre-civil-rights-era South, a biracial brother and sister move to a small segregated town to care for their aunt, only to be subjected to systematic racism, sexual violence, and prejudice.   “What William Faulkner implies, Erskine Caldwell records,” said the Chicago Tribune of the author who earned his reputation by writing about sex, racism, and religious hypocrisy when no one else was. Caldwell remains one of the most widely translated American authors of all time.  This ebook features an illustrated biography of Erskine Caldwell including rare photos and never-before-seen documents courtesy of the Dartmouth College Library.

A Tracers Trilogy: Untraceable / Unspeakable / Unforgivable


Laura Griffin - 2011
    But when one of her clients vanishes for real, Alex fears the worst and embarks on a mission to uncover the truth with the help of an elite forensics team known as the Tracers and jaded, sexy homicide cop Nathan Devereaux. As a grim picture of what really happened begins to emerge, Nathan realizes this investigation runs deeper than they could have guessed. And each step nearer the truth puts Alex in danger of being the next to disappear.UNSPEAKABLE Elaina McCord's dream of being an FBI profiler is threatened by her very first case--investigating a string of murders near a Texas beach resort. Her hunch--met with disbelief by local police--is that these are only the latest offerings from a serial killer who has been perfecting his art for years. Her only allies in a case that's turning dangerously personal are a team of forensic experts known as the Tracers and true-crime writer and irresistable playboy Troy Stockton. A killer is taunting Elaina, letting her know how ruthless he is and how close he's getting. Now it's not just her career that's in jeopardy--it's her life.UNFORGIVABLE A DNA espert, Mia Voss has made it her mission to put away vicious criminals. When her already lousy day ends with a carjacking, it seems like just the icing on top of the cake. But what what Mia thought was a random incident is followed by another sinister episode. Suddenly, she's found herself the target of a sadistic madman. And the only way to protect the people she loves most is to either deliberately destroy her reputation and risk letting a killer walk free or put her trust in Detective Ric Santos, whose turbulent past ruined his chances with Mia in the past. Only Mia can uncover the truth behind the case, but first, Ric will have to get her to entrust him with her secrets...and her life.

Menace in the Mysterious Train: A Historical Western Adventure Book


Austin Grayson - 2020
    Without hope, a horse, or even a pistol, Edgar gambles on a chance meeting with someone that will turn things around. Fortunately, luck smiles on him when he is assigned with the simple task of accompanying a cattle baron's livestock to another town. Little does he know that amongst the cattle there is a cargo much more valuable, that will get him into trouble and will put his life in grave peril. What will Edgar be willing to risk in order to accomplish a mission that isn't as innocent as it first seemed? Will he manage to protect the valuable shipment and defeat a murderous gang that disperses fear in its wake?While Edgar is running for his life, he crosses paths with his boss's daughter, who, determined to prove her worth, disguises herself and jumps on the same train with him. When Edgar discovers her true identity, he will do whatever it takes to protect her from the vicious outlaws who have invaded the train. The more time they spend together, the more he realizes that her braveness and wit have made him lose his mind. But as long as criminals are after them and his life is at stake, he has no time for love. Will Edgar help Rose survive the treacherous journey? Will he manage to get out of this train safe and sound, despite the endless challenges he encounters?Fierce crossfires and an unprecedented hide and seek, take Edgar and Rose on an adventure that will remain indelible in their minds. Will they endure the wild ride across the frontier west? Or will overpowering forces ruin their chance at happiness once and for all?A pulse-pounding drama, which will make you turn the pages with bated breath until the very last word. A must-read for fans of Western action and romance."Menace in the Mysterious Train" is a historical adventure novel of approximately 60,000 words. No cliffhangers, only pure unadulterated action.

Bringing Down the House


Richard P. Brickner - 1971
    Multibillionaire Goddard Moss has a vision: a city rising tall on the South Dakota prairie dedicated to Art. Not art of the staid, traditional, edifying, entertaining variety, but the Modern—modern painting, modern theater, modern sculpture, modern dance, all as obscure, pretentious, and offensive as its creators can make it (and with luck, government-funded). As Culture City rises from the grassy fields, playwrights, performers, and artists prepare for the gala opening week. Gregory Lubin's expansive stage re-creation of the Tower of Babel story is awaited with particular anticipation. But revolution is brewing just yards beyond the city walls and as far away as rural Maine. Despite the money being lavished on it, it becomes doubtful that "the Artland in the Heartland" will survive past its premiere.

Helltown: A Horror Novel


Stephen Bentley - 2015
    It's nothing like the suburb you might live in . . . Unless, that is, an insane, Listerine-guzzling Realtor sold you your house? Or perhaps your postman happens to have a disturbing relationship with his claw hammer? A grieving Dan LaBarbara knows something is different in Helltown as soon as he comes back home. Yeah, sure, the town always been a little off. You can feel that about the place, like if you stepped into a house whose only occupants were freshly murdered corpses in an upstairs bedroom. But this is something else entirely. Standing in his little brother Barbie's basement workshop, holding one of those dioramas Barbie's been building since the accident, the ones that seem to move when you hold them, Dan can feel Barbie's terror. Barbie must know something is coming, something big, something evil. He's trying to warn Dan in the only way he knows. Why else would Barbie build a diorama depicting a man-sized version of a cartoon rabbit with bloody teeth about to devour a trembling teenager? Why else would he spend so much time crafting an intricate model of Death standing over a pimply teenager in the school library? And let's not even talk about that little model of the mob of undead surrounding the massive tower of vicious black spines behind the high school. Hilltown has a story to tell, and the lonely brain-damaged man who builds magical dioramas in his basement workshop has been telling it all along. As the evil closes in around them, Dan and his new love interest Jessica must do the impossible: save everyone one in Hilltown before it's too late.

The Orphans of Bell Lane: A powerful heartwarming saga


Ruthie Lewis - 2019
    . . a real page turner' Sheila Newberry 1860s London Orphaned at a young age, Rosa has always looked out for her younger sister, Grace, protecting her from the dangers and bullies of the workhouse.So when Grace is suddenly faced with a world without Rosa, she finds herself alone and forced to make difficult decisions about her future. Can she really walk away from everything she has built to protect the children Rosa has left behind?Returning to the gang-ruled streets of south-east London, Grace is determined to build a better future for herself and for the children of Bell Lane - no matter what the cost . . .

Amish Ace of Hearts


Mary Lantz - 2020
    

The Free Trappers: The Saga Of Jedediah Beech - (Volume 2)


D.L. Bittick - 2018
    It takes him from the Hasinai Caddo villages of eastern Spanish Tejas to the Rocky Mountains and parts in between. Along the way, he encounters colorful and unsavory frontiersmen, hostile and friendly Indians as well as struggles with wild nature. But he also finds loyal friends and unconditional love.

I Hear Christmas (A Swiss Amish Christmas Book 1)


Tattie Maggard - 2017
    She’s thrilled when she’s asked to help with the Christmas program the Amish school is putting on—even more so when she finds Lucas Wickey has also volunteered to help. Despite being “slow,” Lucas can sing better than anyone in Swan Creek Settlement. As her feelings for him grow, she must decide what’s more important—what everyone else thinks, or what she’s hearing from her heart. Approximately 22,000 words

Promise of Dreams


Cecelia M. Chittenden - 2017
    Her father has gone to bring home a son missing because of the war. Loyal servants give her support and comfort and are at her side when she learns of her father’s death. She promises to fulfill her father’s dream but someone doesn’t want her to, the one person she should be able to trust. He sets out to defeat her until another man, a Northern stranger, comes to her aid.

Nash Cline


R.O. Lane - 2019
    He sees a year and a half of bloody fighting before heading west. At Atchison, Kansas, he picks up the Smoky Hill Trail and travels through Kansas, which is ruled by hostile Cheyenne and Arapaho Indians, who attack a stagecoach and capture a young woman named Ada Simmons. Nash is at the Army fort when the abduction is reported, and he insists on going out in the middle of the night to get the young woman from Cheyenne warriors. After he arrives in Denver, Nash sets up a detective business and prospers while the young woman he rescued becomes a consultant to the wealthy, many of whom hit it rich in the the gold and silver mines. As Nash and Ada pursue their vocations, their lives run together and they learn to care for one another. Nash learns to be a top-flight detective and protects his clients at all costs. Another exciting western from R. O. Lane with a touch of romance.

Mist Over the Mersey


Lyn Andrews - 1994
    Nancy Butterworth and Abbie Kerrigan, lifelong residents of the place, tried to befriend Dee Chatterton, but her mother wants her to have nothing to do with such rough children. The Burgess family looks forward to the arrival of their young cousin Sean from Dublin, and Nancy is not the first to lose her heart to the Irish charmer.In 1914 things are to change dramatically, and the families are to find that money and social position mean nothing when the horrors of the First World War invade their lives and take away their sons...

You saw something you shouldn't have


Brandon Faircloth - 2018
    To be entertained. Then you find yourself in a school where a group of friends have brought something terrible to life. You meet a family whose extraordinary luck comes at a horrific price. You write a letter to yourself and get a reply that leads to death and madness. As you journey through these shrouded lands, you look back and can't make out where you started. Because once you're traveling through the darkness, the only way out is through. Read the collection of novellas and short stories that is being called "genius", "amazing", and "scary AF". But be prepared. You won't be the same when you come out the other side.

Take this Woman


Josephine Cox - 1990
    In the tiny front parlour fourteen-year-old Laura Blake watches her beloved father die. But not before he tells her she will make something of her life. Laura never forgets his words. Yet her path to success proves to be a rocky one. Forced to trundle a cart around the back streets, selling other folk's cast-offs to support her family, Laura learns enough to start work in her uncle's furniture shop. But then fate deals another cruel blow when Laura is brutally raped. Bearing the child of her attacker in secret, she vows to make the world pay for its injustice towards her.As she grows older her protective shell hardens even as her beauty blossoms, and her new toughness helps her forge a successful career in the antiques business. But it is in affairs of the heart that Laura stumbles...

21 Essential American Short Stories


Leslie M. Pockell - 2011
    Henry’s “The Gift of the Magi,” William Faulkner’s “A Rose for Emily,” Charlotte Perkins Gilman’s “The Yellow Wallpaper,” and James Thurber’s “The Secret Life of Walter Mitty,” have been long regarded as literary classics, while others, such as Frank Stockton’s “The Lady or the Tiger?” and Ellis Parker Butler’s “Pigs Is Pigs,” are lesser known but well worth discovering.The carefully selected stories, each preceded by an illuminating headnote, powerfully illustrate the varied richness of our national literature and history. This beautifully packaged volume, containing the unforgettable classic short stories that evoke our shared American tradition and national identity, makes the perfect gift for the short story aficionado and novice alike.