The Best Short Stories of All Time - Volume 1


Jack LondonEdgar Allan Poe - 2011
    Ranging from the 19th to the 20th centuries, writers include James Augustine Aloysius Joyce, Francis Scott Key Fitzgerald, Richard Edward Connell, Henri Nathaniel Hawthorne, Lev Nikolayevich Tolstoy, Jack London, Henri Ringgold Wilmer Lardner, Oscar Fingal O'Flahertie Wills Wilde, Anton Pavlovich Chekhov, Henri René Albert Guy de Maupassant and Edgar Allan Poe.

The House on Pine Terrace


Phillip Margolin - 2009
    Monica Esteban grew up poor, on occasion helping her single mother clean houses. That’s when she first saw the big white house on Pine Terrace. Her mother called her princess and told her that one day she would marry a rich prince and live in a castle. The castle she dreamed of was the big white house. But that would never happen on a cop’s salary. At least that’s what she thought until she received an inconceivable dinner invitation from the most unlikely man imaginable. Dinner is everything she hoped it would be. Dan Emery is a perfect gentleman, making the next two months pass like a fairy tale…until her dream comes to an end and she finds out just how much it costs to live in the big white house on Pine Terrace. Don’t miss any of these exciting stories from Thriller 2: The Weapon by Jeffery Deaver Remaking by Blake Crouch Iced by Harry Hunsicker Justice Served by Mariah Stewart The Circle by David Hewson Roomful of Witnesses by R.L. Stine The House on Pine Terrace by Phillip Margolin The Desert Here and the Desert Far Away by Marcus Sakey On the Run by Carla Neggers Can You Help Me Out Here? by Robert Ferrigno Crossed Double by Joe Hartlaub The Lamented by Lawrence Light Vintage Death by Lisa Jackson Suspension of Disbelief by Tim Maleeny A Calculated Risk by Sean Chercover The Fifth World by Javier Sierra Ghost Writer by Gary Braver Through a Veil Darkly by Kathleen Antrim Bedtime for Mr. Li by David J. Montgomery Protecting the Innocent by Simon Wood Watch Out for My Girl by Joan Johnston Killing Time by Jon Land Boldt’s Broken Angel by Ridley PearsonOriginally published in THRILLER 2 (2009),edited by #1 New York Times bestselling author Clive Cussler.

The Nation's Favourite


Simon Garfield - 1999
    Matthew Bannister said he was going to reinvent the station, the most popular in Europe. But things didn't go exactly to plan. The station lost millions of listeners. Its most famous DJs left, and their replacements proved to be disasters. Radio 1's commercial rivals regarded the internal turmoil with glee. For a while a saviour arrived, in the shape of Chris Evans. But his behaviour caused further upheavals, and his eventual departure provoked another mass desertion by listeners. What was to be done? In the middle of this crisis, Radio 1 bravely (or foolishly) allowed the writer Simon Garfield to observe its workings from the inside. For a year he was allowed unprecedented access to management meetings and to DJs in their studios, to research briefings and playlist conferences. Everyone interviewed spoke in passionate detail about their struggle to make their station credible and successful once more. The result is a gripping and often hilarious portrait a much loved national institution as it battles back from the brink of calamity.

The Kate Shugak Novels, Vol 2


Dana Stabenow - 2012
    They've been having some serious problems with the white stuff—not snow, but cocaine—and their highly-paid, isolated, somewhat stir-crazy employees have been overdosing at an alarming rate. Kate's job is to identify the dealer and staunch the flow before more people die. It's never that simple, of course.In Play with Fire, Kate and friends stumble across a naked, decaying corpse in the woods. Judged death by misadventure by the Troopers, Kate's sense of justice demands that she launch her own investigation, leading her to ask some very uncomfortable questions of a frontier faith community. Questions that might drive someone to kill…again.In Blood Will Tell, Kate is forced to involve herself in Native politics, attending the annual Federation convention in Anchorage and investigating the deaths of several board members. Opposition to a new development project seems to have been the link tying the victims together, but when Kate poses the question that all detective work begins with—cui bono?—she finds there are more suspects on the list than not.Also included: the two Kate Shugak short stories, "Wreck Rights" and "Cherchez la Femme."

The Season: The Secret Life of Palm Beach and America's Richest Society


Ronald Kessler - 1999
    With their beautiful 3.75 square-island constantly in the media glare, Palm Beachers protect their impossibly rich society from outside scrutiny with vigilant police, ubiquitous personal security staffs, and screens of tall hedges encircling every mansion.To this bizarre suspicious, exclusive world, New York Times bestselling author Ronald Kessler brought his charm, insight, and award-winning investigative skills, and came to know Palm Beach, its celebrated and powerful residents, and its exotic social rituals as no outside writer ever has. In this colorful, entertaining, and compulsively readable book. Kessler reveals the inside story of Palm Beach society as it moves languidly through the summer months, quickens in the fall, and shifts into frenetic high speed as the season begins in December, peaks in January and February, and continues into April.When unimaginable wealth combines with unlimited leisure time oil an island barely three times the size of New York's Central Park, human foibles and desires, lust and greed, passion and avarice, become magnified and intensified. Like laboratory rats fed growth hormones, the 9,800 Palm Beach residents—87 percent of whom are millionaires—exhibit the most outlandish extremes of their breed.To tell the story, Kessler follows four Palm Beachers through the season. These four characters—the reigning queen of Palm Beach society, the night manager of Palm Beach's trendiest bar, a gay "walker" who escorts wealthy women to balls, and a thirty—six-year-old gorgeous blonde who says she "can't find a guy in Palm Beach"—know practically everyone on the island and tell what goes on behind the scenes.Interweaving the yarns of these unfor-gettable figures with the lifestyle, history, scandals, lore, and rituals of a unique island of excess, The Season creates a powerful, seamless, juicy narrative that no novelist could dream up.

Jacqueline Wilson's Happy Holidays


Jacqueline Wilson - 2015
    Jacqueline Wilson's Happy Holidays is the perfect summer read for any fan! Don’t just spend your summer holiday with just one pal from Jacqueline Wilson’s world, hang out with a whole bunch of them! As well as puzzles, fun facts and activities this bumper book also features short stories from:Tracy BeakerHetty FeatherBeauty (from Cookie)Gemma (from Best Friends)Lily (from Lily Alone)Plus a holiday adventure with Tim and Biscuits from Cliffhanger! Whether you’re spending the day making sandcastles on the beach, or spending all your pocket money in the seafront arcades, it’s going to be an amazing summer with Jacqueline Wilson!

The Divine Comedy by Dante, Illustrated, Purgatory, Volume 1


Dante Alighieri - 2004
    You may find it for free on the web. Purchase of the Kindle edition includes wireless delivery.

Stay With Me


Reina Torres - 2016
    His old life was calling him back. A chance meeting would put them on a new path - together. Hayden Samuels worked hard to make something of himself. Unable to follow in his father’s footsteps he found work that gave him a purpose and joy. Now he has to return and tell his father that he wants to live his life on his own terms, even if that strains their relationship to the breaking point. But when the stage rolls into town he comes face to face with a young woman that makes him think twice about leaving. Edythe Devon had worked for her father for years and now she wants a life of her own. Taking a chance by moving to the town of Sweetwater Springs, Montana, she arrives just in time to meet a young man who makes her dream of more than just ‘getting by’ on her own. But there are those who would keep the two apart and a family emergency might just divide them for good. Is there enough between them to bring them back together before it’s too late? This sweet Western romance, set in the time after Debra Holland’s book, Beneath Montana’s Sky, and before the Brides of the West series, includes a number of friendly faces from Sweetwater Springs and will introduce you to new friends as well. Click the 'Buy Now With 1-Click" button to read "Stay With Me"

The Chrysanthemum, the Cross, and the Dragon


Iver P. Cooper - 2018
    Cooper's latest alternate history novel, a new contribution to Eric Flint's 1632 Universe, the romance between Juan Cardona, an officer in Spain's Manila garrison, and Huang Mingyu, a young, beautiful Chinese woman, is threatened when a Dutch-Japanese force launches a surprise attack on 17th century Manila. Manila falls and Juan is rescued by Huang Mingyu, who proves to have hidden talents and connections. It is then up to Juan to warn the incoming Manila galleon of the Dutch-Japanese threat before it blunders into Manila Bay, and to prove his worth to Mingyu's family. Who have interests of their own in the region....Will true love prevail when Japan (the chrysanthemum), Spain (the cross) and China (the dragon) come into conflict?For readers unfamiliar with the 1632 universe, it posits a cosmic catastrophe -- the RIng of Fire -- that throws the West Virginia town of Grantville into 17th century Germany. By 1633, the ripples caused by this event have reached East Asia, and the Japanese are determined to forestall the missionary-instigated Shimabara Rebellion of 1637.

The Wisdom Tooth (short story from Possible Side Effects)


Augusten Burroughs - 2006
    Only thing is, it's owned by a doll collector. The awkward intimacies of a little country inn provide the backdrop for this hilarious story from Augusten Burrough's new collection, Possible Side Effects.If you like the story, be sure to download the whole audiobook.

The Riftwar Legacy: The Complete 4-Book Collection


Raymond E. Feist - 2013
    Feist. This bundle includes the complete Riftwar Legacy.The bundle includes: Krondor: The Betrayal (1), Krondor: The Assassins (2), Krondor: Tear of the Gods (3) and the new novella Jimmy and the Crawler.From the endlessly inventive mind of one of fantasy’s all time greats, comes a spellbinding new adventure featuring old favourites Jimmy, Locklear and Pug.It is nine years on from the aftermath of Sethanon. There has been peace awhile and it’s been needed. But news is feeding through to the people of the Kingdom of the Isles that deadly forces are stirring on the horizon. The bringer of the latest tidings is Gorath, a moredhel.The bloodletting has started. Nighthawks are murdering again. Politics is a dangerous, cut-throat game once more. At the root of all this unrest lie the mysterious machinations of a group of magicians known as The Six.Meanwhile, renegade Tsurani gem smugglers, a rival criminal gang to the Mockers led by someone known only as The Crawler, and traitors to the crown are all conspiring to bring the Kingdom of the Isles to its knees.Join the adventure with all four books in the Riftwar Legacy series which includes the new novella, Jimmy and the Crawler!

Dark Slayer / Dark Peril


Christine Feehan - 2016
    Until she picks up the scent of her lifemate. The curse of all Carpathian women.Branded a criminal, Razvan is a Dragonseeker from one of the greatest Carpathian lineages. Fleeing from a lifetime of imprisonment, he seeks the dawn to end his terrible existence.Ivory and Razvan are made for each other. For as long as they dare to live.DARK PERILDominic, of the Dragonseeker lineage, is desperate to go to the heart of the enemy camp and learn their plans. It is a mission from which there is no return.Solange Sangria is one of the last jaguar people, fighting to save the remaining shapeshifters from her own father. She plans one last battle, accepting that she will not come out alive.They have lived their lives alone, but at the end of their time, they find each other.

Afterthoughts


Lawrence Block - 2011
    Collected here for the first time are more than forty-five afterwords from the works that made him a master of modern fiction.  Each afterword is an insightful reflection on the experiences that have brought Block’s fiction to life, from the lessons he learned as a reader at a literary agency to the unlikely—and semi-autobiographical—origins of the acclaimed Matthew Scudder series. Witty and inspiring, Afterthoughts is a must-read for Block fans and mystery lovers alike. This ebook features an illustrated biography of Lawrence Block, including rare photos and never-before-seen documents from the author’s personal collection. A collection of afterwords from Mystery Writers of America Grand Master Lawrence Block’s most acclaimed worksIn a career spanning more than fifty years, Lawrence Block has produced over one hundred books, ranging in genre from hard-boiled detective stories to pseudonymous erotica. Collected here for the first time are more than forty-five afterwords from the works that made him a master of modern fiction.  Each afterword is an insightful reflection on the experiences that have brought Block’s fiction to life, from the lessons he learned as a reader at a literary agency to the unlikely—and semi-autobiographical—origins of the acclaimed Matthew Scudder series. Witty and inspiring, Afterthoughts is a must-read for Block fans and mystery lovers alike. This ebook features an illustrated biography of Lawrence Block, including rare photos and never-before-seen documents from the author’s personal collection. “Block is one of the best!” —The Washington PostLawrence Block (b. 1938) is a Grand Master of the Mystery Writers of America and an internationally acclaimed New York Times bestselling author. His awards include a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Private Eye Writers of America and the Cartier Diamond Dagger Lifetime Achievement Award from the Crime Writers’ Association (UK). Although he is best known for his four main mystery series, Block explored a variety of genres, including thrillers and erotica, and developed an early following as a pulp-fiction writer under a number of pseudonyms. Born in Buffalo, New York, Block has three daughters and currently lives with his wife in New York City.

The Jodi Picoult Collection #2: Perfect Match, Second Glance, and My Sister's Keeper


Jodi Picoult - 2012
    But when her own five-year-old son, Nathaniel, is traumatized by a sexual assault, Nina and her husband, Caleb, a quiet and methodical stone mason, are shattered, ripped apart by an enraging sense of helplessness in the face of a futile justice system that Nina knows all too well. In a heartbeat, Nina's absolute truths and convictions are turned upside down, and she hurtles toward a plan to exact her own justice for her son—no matter the consequence, whatever the sacrifice. Second GlanceSecond Glance, an eerie and engrossing work, delves into a virtually unknown chapter of American history—Vermont's eugenics project of the 1920s and 30s—to provide a compelling study of the things that come back to haunt us—literally and figuratively. Do we love across time, or in spite of it? My Sister's KeeperMy Sister's Keeper examines what it means to be a good parent, a good sister, a good person. Is it morally correct to do whatever it takes to save a child's life, even if that means infringing upon the rights of another? Is it worth trying to discover who you really are, if that quest makes you like yourself less? Should you follow your own heart, or let others lead you? Once again, Jodi Picoult tackles a controversial real-life subject with grace, wisdom, and sensitivity.

Issue in Doubt


David Sherman - 2013
    Seventeen of them had not developed interstellar travel. Those were destroyed by the species that did reach the stars. That space-faring eighteenth decimated the human colony on the Semi-Autonomous World Troy. A Marine Force Recon platoon sent to investigate is wiped out almost to the last man. In reaction, the North American Union assembles the largest army seen since the major wars of the 20th Century. A Marine Corps Combat Force is sent to "kick in the door," backed up by a four-division Army corps to take the planet back. The initial landing is unopposed. It isn't until the fleet carrying the Army corps is approaching Troy that the enemy strikes, with devastating effect.