Sherlock Holmes and The Element of Surprise: The Wormwood Scrubs Enigma


J. Andrew Taylor - 2011
    “Come Watson! The game is yet again afoot!” Do you remember the first time that you accompanied Sherlock Holmes and Doctor Watson through the dark and foggy side streets and lanes of Victorian London? Do you still thrill as you recall the way that the shadows played upon the fog and gas lit streetlamps, the distant sound of the clock tower at Westminster, the menacing sound of footsteps upon the cobblestone streets and a forlorn cry for help in the night?When two prison guards are found beheaded in the barren countryside surrounding Her Majesty’s Prison at Wormwood Scrubs, Inspector Lestrade seeks Holmes’ singular powers to determine how the murders could have been committed in separate locations with the only footprints being those of the murdered guards themselves.With Doctor Watson at his side, Holmes sets out on this new adventure and uncovers deeper mysteries still; mysteries that will not only test the detectives’ powers of observation and deduction, but his skepticism of the paranormal as well.

The Mahāsiddha Field (The Mahāsiddha Series, #1)


Dwai Lahiri - 2019
    Indian mythology is replete with tales of Dévas battling the Asuras constantly. The interesting thing to note is that whether it is a God or an incarnation of a deity in human form, aka an Avatār, there was also a human element involved in these stories. The teachers of the Dévas (gods) and the Asuras were human sages, known as Rishis.    Find out what happens when seemingly unconnected individuals get drawn into a world of suspense and action, as mythology collides with their world in the book 'The Mahāsiddha Field', the first in a new sci-fi/fantasy series!   An elderly wandering mendicant in South India, two young Indian-American men, two soldiers from the Indian Army and a mysterious sage from high up in the Himalayas are thrown together in an adventure unlike any other; as a most unlikely adversary leaps out of the world of Indian Mythology to challenge their beliefs, their sanity and their courage.

The Secret Life of Lula Darling (Lula Darling Series Book 1)


Alex Dean - 2017
    A supernatural event. A life filled with great purpose.Lula Darling is a fourteen-year-old slave growing up on a plantation in Natchez, Mississippi in 1854. After the untimely deaths of her father, and then brother, her perilous life could not seem to get any worse. Under the watchful eye of the slave owner and his father, an inventor, Lula, along with her mother, Ella Mae, are losing any and all hope of ever being free from the bondages and terrors of slavery. But one day, while hiding in fear in the slave owner's attic Lula makes a startling discovery that transports her through time and space into the future and changes her life forever.What readers are saying about the Lula Darling Series:"Awesome Story""As an avid reader this story was truly captivating. I couldn't put the book down.""I chose a 5 star rating because the book was very interesting wasn't anything boring about the story line. I would recommend this book to my family and friends.""Great short story that I would recommend to young readers. A message that there's still compassion within people to help one another, no matter the obstacles they encounter.""I would recommend this book to anyone. The story line is compelling and it gives way to a great series. The thought of time travel and being transported from such a depraved period to modern times is mind boggling.""I Loveddd this book, I wish it was made into a movie"

Daddy with a Deadline


Marilyn Shank - 2012
    Newly widowed after watching her marriage crumble, Annie isn’t exactly prepared for a gentleman caller—especially a handsome cowboy who claims her dead husband sent him.Trent isn’t sure how he got into this situation either. Why would a man he barely knows ask him for such an outlandish favor? More to the point, why does Trent feel obligated to help? The last time he opened his heart was to his ex-wife. And she trampled on it.But once Annie reluctantly allows Trent to help with the usually joyful business of shopping for baby furniture and throwing a shower, a spark ignites between them—even as they lock horns. Can two people so unlucky in love let their guards down and trust their hearts? Or will Annie’s due date be the end of what might have been?

No Good Like It Is


McKendree R. Long III - 2010
     2d Lieutenant Dobey Walls meets and bonds with veteran Corporal Jimmy Melton. As the Civil War begins, they leave to join the 8th Texas Cavalry in Houston, then take part in the first and the final charges of the Army of Tennessee. Between those events, they ride with Nathan Bedford Forrest, play an honorable role in the Fort Pillow Massacre, harass Sherman with Shannon's Raiders, and visit the second best brothel in Atlanta. As surrender looms, they're released to search for Dobey's long-missing family in the Texas Panhandle. Their efforts are hampered by destitute farmers, lonely widows, dangerous militia, freed slaves, and runaways, who increase their numbers and excitement. In the process, they save a quadroon and her daughter from Yankee deserters who have stolen a Union payroll. This act of mercy brings them romance but puts Pinkerton detectives and a renegade lawman on their trail.

Dockyard Dog


Lyle Garford - 2016
    Upon recovering he meets Captain Horatio Nelson, newly appointed to command of the Northern Leeward Islands squadron and the Royal Navy Dockyard at English Harbour in Antigua. Nelson's primary task is stamping out rampant American smuggling activity. But to succeed, Nelson needs information.Lieutenant Ross serves as a spy for Nelson against the smugglers, but they aren't his only foe. French and American spies supporting the smugglers are playing for far higher stakes, sowing the seeds of violent unrest. Lieutenant Ross is soon in the midst of desperate action and working with a beautiful slave woman to gain information as he struggles to stop to their plot.Dockyard Dog is the first novel in the Evan Ross series. Fans of Julian Stockwin, Dewey Lambdin, and Alexander Kent will enjoy reading this series.

Taking the Fall


A.P. McCoy - 2013
    He's one of the country's up-and-coming young jockeys and this season his sights are set on getting right to the top, but his demons threaten to overwhelm him. Duncan was taught everything he knows by his father, Charlie, a former trainer whose career and reputation were destroyed when a series of bitter rivalries got out of hand. It ruined him and Charlie hasn't been able to set foot on a racecourse since. Now, with his father's health rapidly declining, Duncan is desperate to beat the best and at the same time take down the men responsible for Charlie's ruin. But can he do both or must he choose between his family and his future?

Searching for Lincoln's Ghost


Barbara J. Dzikowski - 2011
    After losing both parents in a car accident and being raised by a grandmother obsessed with death, Andi is struggling with an unusual quest for a girl her age-- to determine whether there is life after death.It is 1966, and Castalia, Indiana, like most cities of that time, is grappling with social and cultural change. Meanwhile, rumors have long swirled around Castalia's Lincoln Elementary School. Over its long history, the school has produced two sixth graders who claim to have seen Lincoln's ghost in the school's auditorium. When Andi prays on her dead mother's rosary to be the next to encounter Lincoln's ghost in order to confirm the existence of an after-life, a complex chain of events is set into motion, including the appearance of John Malone, a new boy at school who harbors an explosive secret, and mysterious moaning emanating from behind the dark stage after school. While Andi desperately seeks answers to life's most difficult questions, an unlikely new friend emerges--a mystical bait shop owner named Ezra.Searching for Lincoln's Ghost is a story about coming-of-age during the tumultuous 1960s, exploring such disturbing topics as personal isolation, fear and depression, bullying, social and racial intolerance. Peppered with Lincoln folklore and history, it is a timeless tale of the power of love, empathy, and how the actions of one person can profoundly impact another.

Unlovely


Carol Walsh Greer - 2013
    The lucky ones live to regret it.Don't misunderstand: it's not that Claudia Milford wants people to get hurt. Claudia wants what's best for everyone; her motives are pure and her goals are noble. It's just that sometimes people don't really know what (or who) is best for them. Claudia sees things more clearly than most of her peers. It takes plenty of nerve to act on that intelligence. Of course, Claudia shouldn't be expected to put her own needs last. That wouldn't make sense. And Claudia is a sensible person, no matter what the doctors may conclude.Some people are born crazy, some become crazy, and some have crazy thrust upon them. Claudia Milford thrusts crazy all over the place.

Mother of Rain


Karen Spears Zacharias - 2013
    Though family and community support helps, her hold on sanity remains tenuous.

After the Execution


James Raven - 2012
    He's lost everything - his wife, his dreams, his future. He finally enters the death chamber at the famous 'Walls' prison in Texas. He's strapped to a gurney and given an injection of lethal drugs in front of witnesses. Minutes later he's pronounced dead. But that's not the end of it. After the execution comes the shocking revelation - Jordan is still alive. And to stop him talking he has to die all over again - before he brings down the entire American justice system.

Farthest House


Margaret Lukas - 2014
    Amelie-Anaïs, buried on the Nebraska hilltop where the family home resides, tells this story of deceit, survival, and love from beyond the grave. Following Willow's life and Willow's incredible passion to paint despite loneliness, a physical handicap, and being raised by a father plagued with secrets, Amelie-Anaïs weaves together the lives of four enigmatic generations."Not since 'The Lovely Bones' have we experienced such a moving tale of love, suspense, and family secrets narrated by a ghost. Lukas creates a complex, moving story with brilliant lyricism and hard won realism. She is a rare writer who makes you devour her words. Readers of Alice Hoffman and Anita Shreve will love this novel...and stay up all night to finish it!" -Jonis Agee, author of "The River Wife"“Margaret Lukas has written a page-turner of a novel. 'Farthest House,' boldly narrated by an unsettled spirit, is part-ghost story and a full-out love story of a family coming to terms with its mysterious past, much of it lived in an ancestral home set within a gorgeously rendered Nebraska landscape. Above all, Farthest House is the story of Willow, a bewildered little girl who grows into a passionate painter. I can’t remember the last time I rooted so enthusiastically for a heroine.” –Anna Monardo, author of "The Courtyard of Dreams" and "Falling in Love with Natassia"“Haunting and eerily beautiful, Margaret Lukas' 'Farthest House' is like the family treasure chest one finds in the attic. It may seem inviting at first, but open at your own risk. An ode to both what we should and should never know about the generations that preceded us, 'Farthest House' is an unsettling, unforgettable book.” Holiday Reinhorn, author of "Big Cats: Stories"

The Only Blue Door


Joan Fallon - 2009
    Their father has been killed at Dunkirk and their mother goes into hospital to have her fourth child, leaving the children with a neighbour. In one of the worst bombing raids of the war their home is destroyed and the neighbour is killed. Bewildered and frightened, the children wander the streets until they are taken in by some nuns. But their problems are not over; no-one can trace their mother and, labelled as orphans, they are sent as child migrants to Australia.The story traces their adventures in their new country, the homesickness, the heartbreak when Billy is separated from his sisters and the loneliness of life in a cold and unfeeling orphanage. Eventually the children make new lives for themselves, but Maggie is still convinced that her mother is alive and once she is old enough, begins to search for her.The story, a work of fiction, is based on the experiences of real people and reflects the attitudes of the day to child migration during and after the Second World War.

Sword for Hire


Griff Hosker - 2017
    His hopes of inheriting his family's manor are dashed when Prince John takes power in his brother's absence. With a handful of men Sir Thomas is forced to travel to Sweden where he joins The Jarl Birger Brosa fighting the Estonians, Karelians and Slavs. Fighting in a the harsh environment of a Baltic winter makes Sir Thomas and his men stronger. There he learns of further treachery and dishonour among Bishops, Kings and Princes who value thrones more than men.

Long Dance Home


Julie Mayerson Brown - 2012
    But on her 29th birthday, her grand plan begins to unravel, and the disciplined, former ballerina’s life is turned upside down. Newly unemployed and devastated to learn she and her boyfriend are not on the same page, Cece returns to Clearwater, her hometown in Northern California wine country, hoping to find comfort for her broken heart with her family. Being back in Clearwater only adds to her stress, however, when she reluctantly agrees to help rescue a small-town production of The Nutcracker. Having once been the ballerina that would make Clearwater famous, Cece’s return attracts attention, inspires gossip, and forces her to examine a decision she made years before at the most vulnerable time of her life. As old wounds are opened and secrets revealed, long-held beliefs about Cece’s childhood are challenged, leading her to question everything she thought she knew about family, love, and herself.As Cece struggles to accept the truth, she lets go of one dream and discovers a new one, opening her heart to a purpose and a future she had never imagined. “A perfect, cozy read for the holidays. Delving into the topics of loss and regrets, this book is full of surprises. Heartwarming and poignant.” Lisa Manterfield, author of A Strange Companion.