But they have two urgent matters to attend to before they leave: Prevent Gertie's cousin, Barbara, from marrying Harvey Chicoron and settle a score with their arch enemy, Celia.It's a simple mission.Until they discover a mysterious stranger has been tracking their every move.Who is he? And why is he also stalking Marge's Aunt Louanne, a woman with a few mysteries of her own?Undercover is book 1 in the Sinful Past series of stories featuring Ida Belle, Gertie and Marge in their younger years. Join the original Swamp Team 3 as they raise hell, solve mysteries, and keep the town of Sinful, Louisiana from going to pot. Oh, and maybe have a romance or two along the way. These stories take place from the 60s on up and can be read in any order.A WORD FROM THE AUTHOR: Undercover is a novella in the Miss Fortune World, wherein Jana DeLeon has allowed writers to create stories using the world of Sinful and the wacky characters it's famous for. I wish to thank Ms. DeLeon for graciously allowing other writers to explore their own writing in a most Sinful way.

    The Husband's Secret by Liane Moriarty - A 30-minute Instaread SummaryInside this Instaread Summary: - Overview of the entire book- Introduction to the important people in the book- Summary and analysis of all the chapters in the book- Key Takeaways of the book- A Reader's PerspectivePreview of this summary: Chapter OneCecilia's husband, John-Paul, is in Chicago on business. She is a busy mother and part-time Tupperware consultant. Her twelve-year-old daughter, Esther, is currently obsessed with the Berlin Wall. Cecilia has a piece of the wall from a trip she took to Germany several years ago. While in the attic searching for it, she finds a mysterious envelope with her name on it. A note on it says that it should only be opened in the event of her husband's death. She does not open it. When she mentions the letter to John-Paul on the phone, she is troubled by his awkward silence.Chapter TwoTess and Felicity are cousins. Felicity was always overweight until recently, when she joined Weight Watchers and lost forty pounds. Tess, her husband, Will, and Felicity own a marketing business together in Melbourne. Tess is worried about her mother, who has just broken her ankle, and her six-year old son, Liam, who is being bullied at school. Will and Felicity call Tess into a meeting to tell her they have fallen in love. Furious, Tess says she will move back to Sydney with Liam to help her mother. She believes that her husband became attracted to Felicity when she lost weight. She tosses cold coffee in their faces....

    The action-packed finale to THE NEW ENEMY. Full story available in hardback on January 1st.

    For almost three years, the Federation and the Klingon Empire, allied under the Khitomer Accords, have contended with the nascent coalition on a predominantly cold-war footing. But as Starfleet rebuilds itself, factions within the Typhon Pact grow restive, concerned about their own inability to develop a quantum slipstream drive to match that of the Federation. Will leaders such as UFP President Bacco and RSE Praetor Kamemor bring about a lasting peace across the Alpha and Beta Quadrants, or will the cold war between the two alliances deepen, and perhaps even lead to an all-out shooting war? Raise the Dawn After the disastrous events in the Bajoran system, Captain Benjamin Sisko must confront the consequences of the recent choices he has made in his life. At the same time, the United Federation of Planets and its Khitomer Accords allies have come to the brink of war with the Typhon Pact. While factions within the Pact unsuccessfully used the recent gestures of goodwill—the opening of borders and a joint Federation-Romulan exploratory mission—to develop quantum-slipstream drive, they have not given up their goals. Employing a broad range of assets, from Romulus to Cardassia, from Ab-Tzenketh to Bajor, they embark on a dangerous new plan to acquire the technology they need to take control of the Alpha and Beta Quadrants. While UFP President Bacco and Romulan Praetor Kamemor work feverishly to reestablish peace, Captains Sisko, Jean-Luc Picard, and Ro Laren stand on the front lines of the conflict...even as a new danger threatens the Bajoran wormhole as it once more becomes a flashpoint of galactic history. Brinkmanship The Venette Convention has always remained independent, but it is about to become the flashpoint for a tense military standoff between the two power blocs now dominating interstellar space—the United Federation of Planets and the recently formed Typhon Pact. The Venetan government turns to the Typhon Pact’s Tzenkethi Coalition for protection in the new order, and has agreed to allow three of their supply bases for Tzenkethi use. But these bases—if militarized—would put Tzenkethi weapons unacceptably close to Federation, Cardassian, and Ferengi space. While Captain Ezri Dax and the crew of the U.S.S. Aventine are sent to investigate exactly what is happening at one of the Venette bases, Captain Jean-Luc Picard and the U.S.S. Enterprise are assigned to a diplomatic mission sent to the Venette homeworld in order to broker a mutually acceptable resolution. But the Cardassian delegates don’t seem particularly keen on using diplomacy to resolve the situation, which soon spirals out of control toward all-out war. . .

    Army Scout'Escaping from the Oto Indians who brutally slaughtered his whole family, fifteen-year-old Jarel Wade runs aimlessly into a snowstorm. On the verge of death he's rescued by a pair of cantankerous old mountain men as rugged as the mountains off which they live. Taken under their wing, Jarel proves himself worthy of the trail, but something's coming; something far more sinister that will test every ounce of his newly earned skills and mettle. A rogue former British Army officer is systematically exterminating the free trappers. He wants to corner the fur trade for himself, and he commands a pack of thieves, murderers and outcasts who know the mountains as well as they know how to dig Jarel a grave."RED RUNS THE PLAIN is a crackerjack story written by a craftsman at the top of his form. A whirlwind of a tale that will keep you turning pages."— Matt Braun

    Instead of black bag drops in Bangkok, she now spends her time leading a young Girl Scout troop. But Merry's new simple life turns not-so-simple when an enemy agent shows up dead at scout camp. Suddenly Merry is forced to deal with her former life in order to preserve her future one. It doesn't help matters that the CIA sends in her former, sexy handler to investigate…or that the hot new neighbor across the street turns out to be the local detective in charge of her case. And when Merry is forced to take on a roommate in the voluptuous form of a turned KGB agent/bimbo, things become trickier than wet work in Waukegan or cookie sales in the spring. Nothing in the CIA or Girl Scouts' training manuals has prepared her for what comes next… Mint Cookie Murder (book #2) Ex-CIA agent turned suburban scout leader, Merry Wrath, is just trying to live a normal, quiet life. But all that goes out the window when a convicted traitor (who’s inconveniently not in his prison cell) dies on her doorstep, and an obese cat, who bears a disturbing resemblance to Hitler, decides to move in. To make things worse, it’s time for the annual troop cookie sale, her new boyfriend’s old college flame shows up to win him back, and someone’s shooting at Merry in the frozen foods section of the grocery store. Is the assassin after her or the cat? Is Riley, her hot former CIA handler, hitting on her? Is Rex, her boyfriend, going to dump her? Will she sell enough cookies to take her troop to Winter Sniper Camp? If Merry doesn't find answer to these questions soon, it may be too late! Marshmallow S'More Murder (book #3) What could be better for former CIA agent turned Girl Scout leader Merry Wrath than taking twelve little girls to Washington DC for a bit of summer fun? Almost anything. Unfortunately, between her girls terrorizing the Secret Service and "accidentally" destroying the hotel pool, Merry has her hands full with this troop. And when her former handler, Riley, is kidnapped Merry has to turn to an old friend from her spy days and her parents, Senator and Mrs. Czrgy, to help her wrangle the troop and rescue the man she once briefly called her boyfriend. Armed only with a perpetually AWOL parent, stalked by a runaway King Vulture, and plagued by a mysterious death from her past, Merry's mayhem weaves a wacky trail from moonshiners in the Blue Ridge Mountains, to the bowels of the Japanese Embassy, to the ductwork of the International Spy Museum. With things heating up with current boyfriend, Detective Rex Ferguson, can Merry decipher clues from her past to find ex¬-boyfriend Riley and finally solve the murder of Yakuza boss, Midori Ito, before the target on her back is filled with lead?

    This winner of the Newbery Medal and the National Book Award features Stanley Yelnats, a kid who is under a curse. A curse that began with his no-good-dirty-rotten-pig-stealing-great-great-grandfather and has since followed generations of Yelnats. Now Stanley has been unjustly sent to a boys' detention center, Camp Green Lake, where the warden makes the boys "build character" by spending all day, every day, digging holes five feet wide and five feet deep. It doesn't take long for Stanley to realize there's more than character improvement going on at Camp Green Lake: the warden is looking for something. Stanley tries to dig up the truth in this inventive and darkly humorous tale of crime and punishment-and redemption..

    Now, six years later, his old friend, Sheriff Seth Bowlen, in Sisters, Colorado is in trouble and needs help. Sheriff Bowlen sends a wire to United States Marshal Billy French in Santa Fe who in turn sends Deputy Marshal Wade Garrison to help their old friend. Innocently, Wade decides to take his wife, Sarah, and son, Emmett, with him so they can visit her family in Harper, a small town northeast of Sisters. As he and his family board the train in Santa Fe, he could not have known that a terrible storm of violence was already brewing and this fateful decision could destroy his wife and child.

    The unexpected death of her sister brings Dr. CJ Patterson back to her southern hometown. As she searches for answers about what really happened to her estranged sister, she finds herself surrounded by long buried secrets—and a killer who seems to know her better than she knows herself… Lies... The first note is a warning—a bone-chilling reminder that Alabama Homicide Detective Adeline Cooper can run from her darkest, deadliest memories, but she can never escape a demented killer’s wrath. The second note is a threat… Adeline has no choice. She must return to her hometown and face the lies that make up her past and the obsessed killer who craves her death… Two bestselling thrillers in one big book previously published as Everywhere She Turns and Anywhere She Runs!

    He was my everything. We knew he would be joining the service when we graduated. Just like his dad and grandfather did before him. So, no matter how much I wanted him to stay, he had to go. He had to leave me. My mom was once in the same situation and she waited her whole life for my dad to come back to us. I saw what she went through and how it destroyed her. I couldn’t do that to myself. So, I ended it with Tank. Tank Emily thinks I will never come back to her. But what she doesn’t realize is, I don’t have a choice. No matter what happens, no matter how far away I go, I’m coming back to her. Where I Belong (Alpha Men, 5) An Alpha Man and BBW, Steamy Sweet Romance Kim I fell for Rich in a picture. He is in my brother’s army unit and twelve years older than me. Although I dreamed about him all the time, I never imagined that we would ever meet… and he would live up to my fantasy. Rich My army brother asked me to check in on his sister. I told him I would and then he gave me her picture. I fell for her just by looking at her, and I knew the minute I saw her, I was where I belong. Do Over (Alpha Men, 6) An Alpha Man, and BBW, Steamy Sweet Romance Madison Jase and I were in love and going to be together FOREVER! And then he had to leave me. I spent the last five years dealing with a broken heart. I tried to move on, I met someone else and we had a baby together. But now, Jase is back and says he’s here to get what is his. Jase I had to leave her. At the time I didn’t think I had a choice. But I worked all this time to get back to her. She thinks since her body has changed and she has a little girl now that I don’t want her. She couldn’t be more wrong and I’m going to prove it to her. I’m going to get my second chance… my do-over. Note: This is a steamy, sweet, SHORT romance. It has a HEA with alpha male and a plus-size woman that makes him hers! If you love short romances with insta love, hot love scenes, and a sweet story, then this one is for you.

    A great new addition to your Pokémon library

     Part of the Storycuts series, this short story was previously published in the collection If You Liked School, You'll Love Work.

    He's young. He's bright. He's ambitious. Mitch could have the pick of the big firms in New York and Chicago, but he's chosen the Memphis tax firm of Bendini, Lambert & Locke. They're selective. They pay outrageous salaries. They have a turnover rate of zero. And Mitch is about to find out why.Several events fuel Mitch's growing suspicions: two of the partners die in a suspicious diving accident off Grand Cayman; the senior partners seem unduly proud of the fact that no one has ever resigned; and security measures at the office are, even for a company with billionaire clients, more than a little extreme. Then Mitch makes an explosive discovery: The firm is owned and operated by the most powerful organized crime family in Chicago. Even as Mitch discovers the truth, he finds himself caught between the FBI, who wants an informant inside the firm, and the firm itself, which will make him a very rich man—or a very dead one.The ChamberAdam Hill is in his first year at a top Chicago law firm. He volunteers for the toughest assignment any lawyer could ask for. His prospective client doesn't want Adam or his law firm. He is an unrepentent and outspoken racist with a violent past. He is on Death Row for the murder of two Jewish children in a horrific bombing in 1967.Why would he take on Adam, a complete novice, to defend him? And why would Adam want his case so desperately? The answer lies in the past, in a twenty-year-old secret buried in the madness of another time...

    The quantum world doesn't play by those rules. Daniel Rice is a government science investigator whose specialty is solving seemingly intractable problems through scientific inquiry.But Daniel's intellectual strength is sorely tested by the bizarre realities he finds in the quantum world. Extra dimensions of space trap the unwary, probability replaces cause and effect, and time isn't what anyone imagined. The other side of the mirror is a place full of dangers, but it's also somewhere a dedicated scientist can uncover secrets that connect humans with something greater. If you liked the authenticity of The Martian, the page-turning pace of Da Vinci Code, and the inspirational world views of Arthur C. Clarke and Carl Sagan, you'll love The Quantum Series. A mind-bending journey from the ultra-small to the vast stage of the Milky Way. Acclaim for The Quantum Series Awarded the indieBRAG Medallion for 2018"Dazzling tale of weird science" - Publisher's Weekly"I can't recall when I last enjoyed a hard science series as much as this one. The concepts were astounding, the characters were easily believable, and the action emotionally driven. Very hard to put down. It kept me reading half the night. You'll be thinking about the far out science ideas promulgated in this series for a long time." - Chuck Juzek"A great story, no hatred, no evil people trying to destroy others, just a wonderful adventure with a fantastic outcome." - Ric Mannen"Fermi's Paradox is finally explained." - PE Gwinn"An exciting plot that kept me glued to my chair instead of mowing the lawn." - PE Gwinn"Probably one of the most entertaining and intellectually stimulating stories I've read in a long time... and I read a LOT!" - Jason Blackford"Great story that proves the universe is indeed full of magic!" - Rand"The protagonists have an almost poetic underpinning that had me rooting for their success." - J. Kareski"BTW, all three books show respect and admiration for women scientists as well as men." - Robin C."Mr. Phillips is the only person who explained quantum physics to me in a way that was not only understandable but entertaining." - Edward L. Heins

    Nick Stephenson's best selling Leopold Blake thriller series is back with a brand new installment by Gordon Hopkins. A sniper sets his sights on a crowd of innocents. A bomber targets New York City landmarks. Even billionaire private investigator Leopold Blake isn't safe from terrorists, despite the best efforts of his stoic bodyguard, Jerome. Are these lone-wolf attacks or is there a guiding force behind them? Leopold and NYPD Sergeant Mary Jordan are determined to find out before disaster strikes again. But terror isn't cheap - so where is the money coming from? In San Francisco, insurance companies are being scammed out of hundreds of thousands of dollars. Bremler Mutual sends their best investigator, Gil DiMauro, to root out the thieves. But there is one question he can't answer: what happened to all the cash? As the shocking realisation dawns, Leopold and his team must rally their forces and uncover the truth - while heading for a showdown that may just well be their last. Broken is another exciting installment in the Leopold Blake series of thrillers and can be read as a standalone novel.