He's on the run with the proceeds of a botched bank robbery. It's all he has. His crew is dead and his getaway car just died on him. He's on foot with the cash when he comes across a two-car pileup. There's no saving the drivers, but he can save himself by stealing one of the wrecked cars. Unfortunately, he boosts the wrong set of wheels. Within an hour of driving off, he develops a rash that eats away at his flesh. No doctor can help him—only the car's original owner. If Straley wants his skin back, he must journey on the road to redemption, which ends in the heart of Central America. Road Rash first appeared in the anthology Butcher Shop Quartet 2. Simon Janus is the horror identity for the award winning thriller writer, Simon Wood. What They Are Saying About Road Rash: "Road Rash is a wild collision of crime caper and supernatural thriller that works on every level. Lightning-paced, darkly funny, deeply creepy, and highly recommended." — Jonathan Maberry, NY Times bestselling author of THE DRAGON FACTORY “Simon Janus understands the darkness inside us all and nails it to the page. Fast-paced and gut-wrenching, pedal-to-the-metal thrills." — Scott Nicholson, author of THE RED CHURCH

    He’s not their uncle. He’s not even related to them. In fact, he was born thousands of miles from the Philippines, the place he now calls home. No, Wade’s none of those things. He’s their Papasan. He runs the go-go bar where the girls dance and entertain. But that doesn’t make them any less than a family.And rule number one: don’t mess with the family.PERFECT GENTLEMAN is a 6000 word short story that originally appeared in the KILLER YEAR: STORIES TO DIE FOR anthology edited by Lee Child.

     Center Stage Act Two Call Back  Curtain Call Free Magnolia Steele bonus content will be releasing through Denise’s newsletter. Sign up is at the end of each book.

    Created by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle in the 19th Century, he lives dozens of adventures next to his friend and colleague Dr. Watson. "A Study in Scarlet" is the first story of the saga. Both characters meet each other for the first time and they resolve to fight evil together. "A Scandal in Bohemia" is the second story in their adventures, and it is here that we meet Irene Adler, the woman who fascinates Sherlock Holmes from thereafter. This book is an official edition since it contains both stories without forewords, external footnotes, or changes of any kind to the original text.

    In this riveting thriller, journalist Gideon McCarthy is burnt-out and struggling to keep his life together after years of chasing deadlines. The competition is ruthless, the quest for the next byline relentless. But when a series of murders rocks his Southern California beat, Gideon soon learns that there is a dangerous line between truth and journalism… Sinking his teeth into the news story of a lifetime could prove to be Gideon’s career salvation, but when a deranged killer is at large, and digging too deep puts a target on his own back, Gideon must decide just how far he’s willing to go for the sake of the story. “A great, great read.”—#1 New York Times Bestselling Author Michael Connelly “Captivating and memorable. An excellent mystery.”—Publishers Weekly

    Each day, victims are found stabbed with their clothes removed and their faces ripped off. A verse from the carol is daubed on the wall in blood. Will Quigg find the killer before he is forced to resign? Also, Quigg must choose between two women, or must he? And can he persuade the Chief to let Sergeant Begone be his partner on a permanent basis?

    It's November 2001 and Shepherd is sent on a dangerous mission to a Taliban stronghold on the trail of the most wanted man in the world - Osama Bin Laden.Friendly Fire is just under 14,000 words, about thirty pages, perfect if you have half an hour to spare.

    Ginger Munz, a woman dying of cancer hires him to find the son she lost as a baby. The child’s father is a sadistic sociopath named Moon who has vowed to kill her and Josh’s girlfriend Cass, for ratting him out. The trail leads to the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally and west into no-man’s land where Josh learns the monstrous fate of the stolen child.Josh is the BIKER, caught up in a race for survival against a human monster on the road between heaven and hell at the end of which lies either salvation or damnation. Baron spins a tale of unrelenting suspense and horror that moves across his narrative landscape like the roar of a chopper’s engine.

    This is the scandal they can't ignore.It's a major event in Oakdale -- a black-tie gala honoring the Marron family's fifty years of support for Oakdale's Memorial Hospital. But high spirits are cut short when patron of honor Gregory Marron Jr. is delivered in his limo dead on arrival, from an apparent heart attack. Three women in the crowd have reasons of their own to suspect murder. . . .Event organizer Katie Peretti never understood her boyfriend Mike Kasnoff's reasons for not attending the party -- until now. Wrongly implicated in a crime against the Marrons, Mike served a stiff sentence, and has nursed a simmering rage ever since. Maddie Coleman, the teenaged sister of the limo's driver, Henry, knows that her brother owed Marron thirty-thousand dollars. She also knows he couldn't pay him back, and had only one recourse for permanently erasing the debt. Carly Snyder's suspicions are more personal. The wife of police detective Jack Snyder, Carly was one of Marron's mistresses. In a heated moment she wanted her shameful past dead and buried -- a wish her husband possibly honored.Now Katie, Maddie, and Carly, each of them desperate to protect the man they love, are crossing paths in an investigation that's uncovering more poisonous secrets in Oakdale than they ever imagined. The means, motives, and suspects are shifting with each new twist -- and one of these determined women may not live to see the killer revealed.

     DROP DEAD BEAUTIFUL From Miami to Beverly Hills, from Mexico City to Acapulco to Las Vegas, dynamically sexy Lucky Santangelo and sweet-as-sin daughter, Max, are turning up the heat. So is Anthony Bonar, the son of Lucky's one-time godfather and lethal enemy, Enzio Bonatti. Lucky is preparing for the opening of her multibillion-dollar hotel complex in Las Vegas, The Keys, but Bonar-a vicious killer-is out to stop her any way he can. Meanwhile, sixteen-year-old Max has run off to Big Bear with a man she's met on the Internet. But he turns out to be a vengeful predator with a long-standing grudge against Lucky... So begins a non-stop thrill ride as Lucky builds her dream resort-and Max follows her dreams, and proves she's more than just a little Lucky. She's a kick-ass survivor. GODDESS OF VENGEANCE Passion. Beauty. Brains. Success. Lucky has everything her name implies. And as the force behind a high-profile casino and hotel complex, Lucky has exactly what billionaire businessman Armand Jordan is determined to take from her-and he's not afraid to play dirty. Meantime, Lucky's son Bobby is dealing with shady Russian investors and a hot new girlfriend, who happens to be a deputy D.A. While teenage Max is busy embarking on an affair with a sexy young movie star. It's business as usual for the Santangelo clan...But this time, it just might take more than Lady Luck for them all to come out on top.Jackie Collins knows a thing or two about life in the fast lane [with] her wry sense of humor and spitfire approach. -BazaarThis edition of the book is the deluxe, tall rack mass market paperback.

    Joining the fiery Captain Fenna Lis and her no-nonsense first mate Hawkins, Skree finds plenty of opportunities to grow in skill and strength. With few options available to him, Skree must provide a haven for his friends and the last survivors of the Kobold race. Luckily, Captain Fenna knows just the right guy to solve their problem, but it won't be easy. Or cheap. Will Skree and Priestess be able to find a home of their own, and if they do, will they be able to protect it from harm in the harsh world of Raiya? Who are the mysterious servants of Abrenacht and why do they want him dead? Can Skree overcome these challenges, level up and beat the game so he can return to his own world? But a bigger question lurks at the back of his mind: Does he even want to go home?

    Taken from poverty at the extremity of Tarlonin's New Dominions, she is brought to the centre of the Empire to become a mage.[Spoiler (maybe): Weaves of Empire is set in the same universe as The Stork Tower. The connections will eventually become more apparent; the intervening years will be fleshed out in other series (not yet written).]

    Former U.S. soldier Jason March, one of the world's deadliest assassins and Ryan's former protégé, is now working with a powerful terror network whose goal is nothing less than the total annihilation of the United States. Ryan puts together the pieces of a terrifying puzzle. With the fate of the country resting on his shoulders, he finds himself caught in a desperate game of cat-and-mouse with the most cunning opponent he's ever faced, a man who won't be denied the ultimate act of evil and who is all the more deadly for being one of our own. "Well-written and exciting. . .perfect escape reading!" --Tampa Tribune "Absorbing. . .extraordinarily hard to put down." --Charlotte Observer "A gripping saga ripped out of the latest headlines." --News & Record (Greensboro, NC) "Like Tom Clancy, [Britton] has produced a thriller that makes current terrorist threats all too real. . .Highly recommended." --Library Journal (starred review) More Phenomenal Praise For The American "Britton has delivered a level of storytelling excellence most writers spend a lifetime trying to achieve. . .a sizzling page-turner!" --Brad Thor "A riveting and compelling debut. . .the surprise of the month and maybe the year." ---bookreporter.com New York Times Bestseller Andrew Britton delivers a taut, electrifying read in his new novel The Assassin. Maverick CIA agent Ryan Kealey must fight against his own agency while the clock is ticking on a devastating terrorist attack on U.S. soil. . . More than a year has passed since Ryan Kealey prevented the assassination of multiple world leaders in the nation's capital. While his work is brilliant, he's considered damaged goods. Now he's about to become a key player in a plot of unimaginable scale. For something big is about to go down in New York City. When a top Iranian source reveals that Iran is planning to bomb the United Nations, U.S. Intelligence begins counter-measures. Only Kealey sees it as a smokescreen for another, far more involved plot. But getting anyone to believe him isn't going to be easy. With only his ally, London's newest assistant chief, Naomi Kharmai, by his side, Ryan will have to operate outside the lines in order to prevent a terrible attack in a city on lockdown. A weapon of catastrophic power has been stolen from war-torn Iraq and has made its way to the U.S. The man who has it is Kealey's nemesis, William Vanderveen, an international criminal mastermind who has no objective other than pure terror and who will stop at nothing to achieve it. Making matters worse, Vanderveen's being helped by someone on the inside with high-ranking security clearance. Even the halls of the CIA are no longer safe from possible espionage and treason. Now, as Kealey and Kharmai race to put the pieces together, they will confront a ghost from the past and be forced to question the people they trust most in a desperate investigation where only this is for certain--time is running out. Like The American, The Assassin is a supercharged, fiercely intelligent, action-packed international thriller, where no one can be trusted--and the shocks are felt until the very last page. With searing narrative twists, The Invisible plunges us headlong into today's shadowy, fever-pitched battle between terrorism and intelligence, as a covert counterterrorism operative risks everything, including the woman he loves, to save the life of one person. . . For more than a decade, Ryan Kealey has been a key player in the war on terror. First, as a captain in the U.S. Army's third Special Forces Group, then as a contract operative with the CIA. His actions have saved thousands of lives, including that of the U.S. President. Now once again, Kealey receives the call of duty--only this time, the odds for success are slim to none. . . Tensions between Pakistan and India are at an all-time high. To complicate matters, twelve American climbers have disappeared in the snow-capped peaks of Pakistan's Hindu Kush range. The President is demanding answers, but neither government is supplying them. As the conflict escalates, Brynn Fitzgerald departs Washington D.C. on her first official trip as acting secretary of state. Her goal is to serve as an intermediary between the leaders of both nations as well as to ensure all efforts are being made in the search for the missing American climbers. But when Fitzgerald's motorcade is ambushed on the outskirts of Islamabad, her back-up team arrives to discover a disastrous scene: dozens are dead, including seven diplomatic security agents, and the secretary of state has vanished without a trace. In the wake of the unprecedented attack, Kealey's operation goes into high gear. Once again, he is joined by Naomi Kharmai, the British-born analyst who has taken on a daring new role with the Agency. But Kharmai is becoming as unpredictable as the man they're going after, and as they work their way toward the target, it becomes clear to Kealey that anyone is fair game--and no one can be trusted. Thundering to a stark and chilling climax, The Invisible raises the stakes on every page. Like Andrew Britton's The Assassin, it is a super-charged, fiercely intelligent international thriller filled with shocking betrayal and, ultimately, revenge. The shocks are felt until the very last page. Born in England, Andrew Britton moved with his family to the United States when he was seven, settling in Michigan, then North Carolina. After serving in the Army as a combat engineer, Andrew entered the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where he is pursuing a double major in economics and psychology. For the President of the United States, the daily horror of life in West Darfur's killing fields just hit heartbreakingly close to home. His niece, Lily, has been targeted and savagely murdered by a corps of fearsome government-backed militiamen. With the situation too explosive for diplomatic or military solutions, yet with the President and the public thirsting for revenge, America is out of options. Except one: Ryan Kealey, ex-Special Forces, former CIA, and unrivaled counterterrorism expert.Kealey has been central to the war on terror for over a decade. But after the Agency hung him out to dry-and let his lover die-he turned his back. Until now. For the government has revealed its trump card, the one thing Kealey will risk everything for. Soon, from the lawless streets of Sudan to the highest levels of the American government, Kealey unearths secrets and betrayals that shock even his war-tempered sensibilities-and ignite a conflagration with unknowable global consequences. "In this age of terrorism, [Britton's] plots seem to jump straight out of the headlines...he may well give Tom Clancy a run for the money." -St. Louis Post-Dispatch on The Invisible "The Assassin is the 'best' of Tom Clancy, Michael Connelly, and Robert Ludlum all rolled into a single book." --armchairinterviews.com "Brilliantly well-written with plotting sharper than a fence full of razor wire, a sizzling page-turner." -Brad Thor, New York Times bestselling author on The American

    The biggest game in town centers on a massive, deadly roller coaster that winds its way through the Strip’s most famous attractions. On the first Saturday of every month, twenty-four desperate passengers get strapped into the notorious ride and gamble with their lives in a twisted game of chance, to the thrill of webcast audiences worldwide. One of them will win, and one will die, but the other twenty-two will escape with nothing but their lives. Bets are placed as the ride begins, but in Vegas, the house always wins.The Ride by acclaimed author Aric Davis is a terrifying near-future vision of bloodlust-as-entertainment taken to a horrific extreme.

    It also runs through the veins of all the women in the Pacific Heights Moms & Tots Club:Besides dealing with the politics of the Pacific Heights Moms & Tots Club, Lorna discovers a secret that will scandalize the members--and perhaps have one them leaving in disgrace;As for Jade, her new part-time job on the UC Berkeley campus allows Reggie to see her in a whole new light--one that will either make, or break, their relationship;Jillian is juggling too much--not just the twins, the growth of Life of Pie, and the details of her wedding, but the guardianship of the infant, Scotty. Will her fiancé, Caleb man up to fatherhood--or will he be scared off by threats of a lawsuit from Rona, the mother her deceased ex-husband, Scott?And Brady's frustration over Ally's refusal to commit to marrying him leads him down a slippery slope-into her past.And finally, Bettina's idea for a new mobile app may get her out of hock--but will it keep her in the good graces of Daniel Warwick, the Federal agent chasing down Art?