Book picks similar to
Through the Open Door by Joanne C. Parsons
need-copy
tbr-mystery
lit-lovers
The Girl Who Heard Everything
Jack Lewis - 2017
A chilling wind. A terrible crime that they had to hide. They thought they were alone, but she heard everything.Disgraced news presenter Emma Underhill goes back to her childhood village to recover from an eye operation. She had vowed never to go back there, and she knows that old enemies wait for her in the sleepy place, yearning for revenge for something she did early in her career.On the way there, her brother-in-law stops to meet a friend. Emma gets out of the car. With her eyes covered in bandages, all she can see is darkness. The countryside is a lonely place, and with Mark gone she feels alone.And then she hears noises. A man and a woman are at the bottom of the hill. She hears the sound of a shovel hitting the earth, and then the couple’s voices as they talk about burying a body. She tries to back away, but they know she’s there.Someone is dead, and only Emma heard the killers’ voices. Then it hits her; they saw her. They know what she looks like. She realises that they could be anybody. The village becomes a sinister place, where every person she passes could be one of the murderers. Who are they? Who did they kill?Nobody in the village believes her. As Emma tries to find out the truth, the killers make it clear they won’t leave her alone. They won’t rest until she leaves the village. If she stays, they’ll make sure she can never tell anyone.
Shakespeare's Freedom (Rice University Campbell Lecture)
Stephen Greenblatt - 2010
With the elegance and verve for which he is well known, Stephen Greenblatt, author of the best-selling Will in the World, shows that Shakespeare was strikingly averse to such absolutes and constantly probed the possibility of freedom from them. Again and again, Shakespeare confounds the designs and pretensions of kings, generals, and churchmen. His aversion to absolutes even leads him to probe the exalted and seemingly limitless passions of his lovers.Greenblatt explores this rich theme by addressing four of Shakespeare’s preoccupations across all the genres in which he worked. He first considers the idea of beauty in Shakespeare’s works, specifically his challenge to the cult of featureless perfection and his interest in distinguishing marks. He then turns to Shakespeare’s interest in murderous hatred, most famously embodied in Shylock but seen also in the character Bernardine in Measure for Measure. Next Greenblatt considers the idea of Shakespearean authority—that is, Shakespeare’s deep sense of the ethical ambiguity of power, including his own. Ultimately, Greenblatt takes up Shakespearean autonomy, in particular the freedom of artists, guided by distinctive forms of perception, to live by their own laws and to claim that their creations are singularly unconstrained.A book that could only have been written by Stephen Greenblatt, Shakespeare’s Freedom is a wholly original and eloquent meditation by the most acclaimed and influential Shakespearean of our time.
Unknown Caller
Debra Spark - 2016
Daniella knows the caller as Liesel, Joel's first wife, a woman whose sudden departure devastated her husband. After years of disruptive, long-distance phone calls, Liesel rings to tell Joel she's letting Idzia, the seventeen-year-old daughter he has never met, visit for the summer. Daniella and Joel prepare for Idzia's arrival, but when Joel goes to pick her up from the airport, Idzia isn't there. Back at home, the phone calls suddenly stop, and Joel and Daniella become haunted by the absence of someone who was never part of their life to begin with.Debra Spark's fourth novel, Unknown Caller, tells the story of a brief, failed marriage and its complicated aftermath. Leaping effortlessly across decades and continents, it works to uncover the reasons for Idzia and Liesel's disappearance and the deeper puzzle of Liesel's identity.Spark's candid, intricate novel highlights the near-impossibility of truly knowing another person, the pain in failing relationships, and the joy in successful ones.
Stolen Lives: A Detective Mystery Series SuperBoxset
James Hunt - 2016
A child predator known as the Snatcher is presumed at-large throughout South Florida. To some, he’s a ghost. To others, he’s evil incarnate. To Sergeant Miriam Castillo, he’s the monster who kidnapped her daughter, Ana, leaving behind a horrifying crime scene. With Ana’s life hanging in the balance, Miriam enters a nightmarish world to face a remorseless villain who has terrorized her community for far too long. But the Snatcher will also have to contend with the wrath of a woman with nothing to lose. Hell hath no fury like a mother scorned. Death Notes The body count in Baltimore is rising, and the weight of those lives rest on Homicide Detective Adila Cooper’s shoulders. It’s only a matter of time before the killer strikes again, and the sands of the hour glass have already started sifting away.
Three Mrs. Murphy Mysteries: Wish You Were Here; Rest in Pieces; Murder at Monticello
Rita Mae Brown - 2003
In fact, the first three novels in the Browns' Mrs. Murphy bestselling mystery series are reprinted here in their entirety. Whether you are already familiar with the detective work of postmistress Mary Minor "Harry" Haristeen and her tiger cat Mrs. Murphy or are new to the team, you are sure to be intrigued by their unique approach. It's murder with a touch of whimsy, all set in the cozy hamlet of Crozet, Virginia. Meet Harry's friends, neighbors...and suspects--folks like notorious society vamp Boom Boom Craycroft in "Rest in Pieces," or the nice Miranda Hogendobber in "Murder at Monticello," and get a good taste of Brown's wickedly observant take on manners below the Mason-Dixon line. Cat lovers, mystery aficionados, and anyone who might like an armchair visit to a delightful old town down South, is sure to enjoy these witty, cleverly-plotted tales of suspense.
Grain of Truth
V.J. Chambers - 2017
They tiptoe down the hallway, stepping over the blood spatter of her parents’ murder scene, never noticing. When they discover the bodies and call the police an hour later, they are prime suspects in the killings, and they are eventually convicted. But they are innocent. They have been trapped in prison for twenty-five years. Until now. The newly formed Conviction Review Unit has the power to overturn wrongful convictions. Heading up the unit is Elke Lawrence, former prosecuting attorney, running from a dark and painful past. She is joined by Detective Iain Hudson, who only trusts physical evidence, and former defense attorney Frankie Hart, whose passion is freeing the innocent. But as the CRU begins to investigate the case, malice surfaces from those hell-bent on making sure some secrets stay buried. The unit must overcome every obstacle, every threat. They must uncover the truth.
Are You Positive?
Stephen Davis - 2008
But his murder weapon is not a gun or a knife; in fact, there was no violent crime at all. His “victim,” Beth Ann Brooks, dated Tyree for a few months, and they made love more than once. However, Tyree Johnson had been diagnosed HIV-Positive, and the prosecution claims that Beth Ann Brooks was infected with HIV by Tyree and died some months later.The defense, however, claims there is reasonable doubt that Tyree’s HIV diagnosis was wrong – that, according to numerous scientific studies, the so-called “HIV tests” are fraught with errors, and have been ever since their inventor, Dr. Robert Gallo, lied on his patent application. Furthermore, Tyree’s lawyer argues that there is no scientific evidence that HIV is transmitted by heterosexual intercourse, and that Tyree’s girlfriend died from taking lethal anti-retroviral drugs rather than from any HIV/AIDS-related illness.Based on more than 500 actual scientific studies and references, the author claims that every word of sworn testimony is true and verifiable."Are You Positive?" raises serious questions about whether anyone has ever been properly diagnosed as HIV-Positive, and whether most AIDS victims are dying from the side-effects of the HIV medications prescribed by their doctors – all in a spell-binding novel.You be the judge.
Scraps of Paper
Kathryn Meyer Griffith - 2003
It’s made her sympathetic to the missing and their families.Starting her new life, Abigail moves to small town and buys a fixer-upper house left empty when old Edna Summers died. Once it was also home to Edna’s younger sister, Emily, and her two children, Jenny and Christopher, who, people believe, drove away one night, thirty years ago, and just never came back.But in renovating the house Abigail finds scraps of paper hidden behind baseboards and tucked beneath the porch that hint the three could have been victims of foul play.Then she finds their graves hidden in the woods behind the house and with the help of eccentric townspeople and ex-homicide detective, Frank Lester, she discovers the three were murdered. Then she and Frank try to uncover who killed them and why…but in the process awaken the ire of the murderer. ***
We Were Mothers
Katie Sise - 2018
Devoted mother Cora O’Connell has found the journal of her friend Laurel’s daughter—a beautiful college student who lives next door—revealing an illicit encounter. Hours later, Laurel makes a shattering discovery of her own: her daughter has vanished without a trace. Over the course of one weekend, the crises of two close families are about to trigger a chain reaction that will expose a far more disturbing web of secrets. Now everything is at stake as they’re forced to confront the lies they have told in order to survive.
The Girl in the Orange Dress
Margot Starbuck - 2009
And when her adoptive parents divorced, her dad moved east, and her mom and dad each got remarried, she told herself that she was extra loved, since she had more than two parents and people in different times zones who cared about her. But the word she really believed about herself was rejected. First by her birthparents. Then by her adoptive father-when he moved away. Then by her stepfather. Then by her birthfather a second time, when she tried to invite him into her life. Most of all, Margot felt rejected by God the Father, who she also suspected could not be trusted. Margot's story begins with a woman looking for her biological father. But it doesn't end when she finds him. Instead, his rejection punctures her soul and sends her on a different search--one that leads to a different Father. This Father did not just "sacrifice a son" like the parents she knew, but instead gave his own life out of love for her. Maybe you've been disappointed and wounded by parents who divorced, left, were abusive, or simply weren't there. Enter into Margot's story. She has been where you are. She knows the pain you carry. And her journey can lead you to the God who nurtures, protects and always says, "I am for you."
The Zen of Eating
Ronna Kabatznick - 1998
This is the first book to apply the 2,500-year-old principles of Zen Buddhism to the modern struggle with the vicious cycle of dieting, losing, and regaining weight. From a Buddhist perspective, overeating is a disorder of desire. This book will teach readers how to find freedom from eating problems and the tyranny of desire that triggers them. Filled with concrete, practical exercises and the wisdom of the ages, The Zen of Eating provides, at last, an alternative to ineffective diet programs, products, and pills.
Dead Man Walking
David Green - 2020
There is a Hell, and we are living in it. Demons, ghosts, and fallen angels live amongst us, and only a cursed few know.Taking cases to earn his ticket into Heaven, a job falls into Holleran's lap that tests his new found virtues, when he is forced to deal with the one thing he has avoided, the man that killed him. Will Nick be able to keep his past behind him, or will it destroy his present?Revenge is a sin, and sinners stay in Hell.** Get an in-depth look into the world of your favourite private detective Nick Holleran in this brand new extended edition of Dead Man Walking. **
The Fibromyalgia Advocate: Getting the Support You Need to Cope with Fibromyalgia and Myofascial Pain Syndrome
Devin J. Starlanyl - 1998
If you or someone you love is struggling with fibromyalgia, her new book, The Fibromyalgia Advocate, offers a wealth of practical suggestions for dealing with an often skeptical medical establishment and getting the help and support you need.
Kiss Me When I'm Dead
Dominic Piper - 2014
As he learns more about Viola’s life as a drug addict and high-class call girl, he starts to realise that his wealthy client has been economical with the truth.It isn’t long before Beckett himself is in danger, but his adversaries quickly discover that they are dealing with a formidable opponent with a far more sinister background than they might ever have imagined.Dominic Piper is an author living in London.'Kiss Me When I'm Dead' is a roller-coaster thriller that will grip readers from the first page to the last. 'A stunning debut thriller that deserves to be ranked among the classics of the genre'. - Robert Foster, best-selling author of 'The Lunar Code' 'A stylish story of dirty dealing in high places.' - Tom Kasey, best-selling author of 'Trade Off.' Dominic Piper is an author living in London.
With Angel's Wings
Stephanie A. Collins - 2013
Join Laura on her emotional journey as she strives to rise to the unexpected challenge of motherhood to two special needs daughters. Witness her dance along the edge of sanity through a whirlwind of mind-numbing diagnoses, from a rare chromosomal disorder to autism. Experience heart-wrenching medical drama, from IV cut-downs to code blues. And share in the joy of true love discovered ... just as Laura begins to lose all hope. With Angel's Wings - an honest and raw, 100% true story.