Instead of the construction booms and twelve-hour shifts her parents’ generation had known, the Mercury Amy Jo knew was marred by empty houses, old strip mines, and vacant lots. It wasn’t quite a ghost town—only because many people had no choice but to stay.The year Burns turned ten, this sleepy town suddenly woke up. Howard Lotte, its beloved piano teacher, was accused of sexually assaulting his female students. Among the countless girls questioned, only seven came forward. For telling the truth, the town ostracized these girls and accused them of trying to smear a good man’s reputation. As for the remaining girls—well, they were smarter. They lied. Burns was one of them.But such a lie has its own consequences. Against a backdrop of fire and steel, shame and redemption, Burns tells of the boys she ran from and toward, the friends she abandoned, and the endless performances she gave to please a town that never trusted girls in the first place.This is the story of growing up in a town that both worshipped and sacrificed its youth—a town that believed being a good girl meant being a quiet one—and the long road Burns took toward forgiving her ten-year-old self. Cinderland is an elegy to that young girl’s innocence, as well as a praise song to the curative powers of breaking a long silence.

    That is, until she finds herself accused of murder.Filled with newfound confidence, Zoe is enjoying the respect she is receiving all of a sudden from the inhabitants of the beautiful coastal village of Maratea in southern Italy. But just how far will her determination to take control of her life go? When she is discovered standing over the dead body of her bullying boss, the murder weapon in her hand, it looks as though it has gone way too far.When the local carabinieri regard the case as solved, travel writer and part-time sleuth Giò Brando investigates further, disturbed by her sister Agnese’s distress at having sold Zoe the scent that apparently transformed her into a killer. But it appears all the other suspects have watertight alibis for the time of the killing.With her shrewd granny’s words “A wolf is always a wolf, a lamb is always a lamb” echoing in her mind, Giò is sure that Zoe remains the gentlest of lambs. And then a chance remark in Leo’s Bar leads her to the truth – a truly heartless plan was put into action as Maratea’s clock struck two.◆◆◆ Cosy mystery fans, synchronise your watches and grab yourself a cappuccino. It’s time to help Giò investigate murder most horrid and make sure everyone gets what they deserve ◆◆◆---"When the Clock Chimes Two" is a short story in the heart warming and compelling "An Italian Village Mystery" series. Beloved by fans of Rhys Bowen, Agatha Christie, MC Beaton. Each book can be read as a standalone or enjoyed in sequence.Book 0 (prequel) - And Then There Were BonesBook 1 - Murder on The RoadBook 2 - A Fair Time for DeathBook 3 - A Mystery Before ChristmasBook 4 - Peril at the Pellicano Hotel

    Now, years on, Ali's greatest fear is that her happiness and contentment might be taken away from her. But just as Max's star is rising, unsettling incidents at their artisan bakery in Dublin's creative quarter threaten to damage the reputation of the bakery. Finn and Jo were running away from heartache when they met in Australia over 20 years ago. But now Finn is in shock after the demise of his gritty role in a popular television crime drama, and Jo fears for him and their marriage. Then an accident on a Saturday night has devastating consequences for both families, tearing their lives apart in ways they never imagined.

    She is also a twin. Because their adoption was closed, she and her sister lack both a health history and their adoption papers―which becomes an issue for Julie when, at forty-eight years old, she finds herself facing several serious health issues.To launch the probe into her closed adoption, Julie first needs the support of her sister. The twins talk things over, and make a pact: Julie will approach their adoptive parents for the adoption paperwork and investigate search options, and the sisters will split the costs involved in locating their birth relatives. But their adoptive parents aren't happy that their daughters want to locate their birth parents―and that is only the first of many obstacles Julie will come up against as she digs into her background.Julie's search for her birth relatives spans years and involves a search agency, a PI, a confidential intermediary, a judge, an adoption agency, a social worker, and a genealogist. By journey's end, what began as a simple desire for a family medical history has evolved into a complicated quest―one that unearths secrets, lies, and family members that are literally right next door.

    The city nestled along the Mighty Mississippi. She returns to Burlington. The solitude she desires as she restores her grandmother's small house isn't turning out to be all she hoped for. Before she knows it her cousin Casey is at the door desperate to find refuge from a high pressure job she can no longer sell her soul for. Together the two discover long hidden answers to old family mysteries as they also seek the answers to the sudden changes in their lives. But it is Mary's unanticipated ownership of the family ancestral white elephant that brings family members unexpectedly to her door in the middle of the night. Before long, the small house is once again crowded with family. From her Aunt Charlie who longs to be free of the cloistering concern of her grown children to nineteen year old Mallie who dreams of something different than what her parents dream of for her. Return to Cedar Hill, first in the Hills of Burlington books, brings six women together, family and friends, each at a crossroad in their lives, and searching for something they've not yet found.

    She won. Now the nightmare begins...When Livia Prescott fights off a terrifying assault in a deserted car park, the media celebrates her bravery. After a difficult year watching her father fade away, her business struggle, and her marriage fall apart, it feels good to speak out and strike back.But as the police search for her attacker, menacing notes start arriving at Livia’s doorstep. And her bravery turns into suspicion and fear. As the notes continue to arrive, it’s clear that someone has decided to rip her life apart. But is it a stranger or someone much closer to home? In fact, is there anyone she can now trust?When her family and friends are drawn into her stalker's focus - with terrifying consequences - the choice becomes simple. Fight back or lose the people she loves the most.

    But can she be sure which one? A year after one of their identical twin daughters, Lydia, dies in an accident, Angus and Sarah Moorcroft move to the tiny Scottish island Angus inherited from his grandmother, hoping to put together the pieces of their shattered lives. But when their surviving daughter, Kirstie, claims they have mistaken her identity--that she, in fact, is Lydia--their world comes crashing down once again.As winter encroaches, Angus is forced to travel away from the island for work, Sarah is feeling isolated, and Kirstie (or is it Lydia?) is growing more disturbed. When a violent storm leaves Sarah and her daughter stranded, they are forced to confront what really happened on that fateful day.

    Inside, he encounters the Count who lives there, a strange old man who begins to talk. And as the Count does, the visitor learns of an ancient legend, of the noble family's mysterious secret, and of the curse that overshadows them...

    Little does she know that Victor Hill, a man from her childhood, has been following her for years and thinks it's time he makes his presence felt... Oblivious to the evil lurking behind her, Jodie is certain that nothing can spoil her life, but a call from the manager of the nursing home where she works changes everything. Then the discovery of a parcel tied to her front door rocks her world further and as everything begins to crumble around her, she wonders who she can trust. Is the man from her past responsible for her torment or does someone much closer to home have Jodie in their sights?

    Her battle is not against soldiers but against her neighbors and a thousand years of tradition. Born during Ho Chi Minh’s revolution against the French, she was just a baby when his followers in the village, out of spite, came to her home one night and murdered the men in the family, driving her mother mad with fear and rage. She was fourteen when her mother forced her to marry and have a child with a brutal man who beat and tortured her, finally leaving her for dead beside the road. Recovered, she ran away with her infant son, only to discover there was no place for them. To save her baby’s life, she returned home in disgrace, only to face the Viet Cong. In desperation she escaped again, leaving her child in safety, she thought. On Saigon’s deadly streets, with no identity papers, she became an outlaw, hiding from her ex-husband, grieving for her lost child. Homeless, penniless and pursued, only her dream of freedom kept her alive. Then one day she would meet a saintly woman, who gave her hope, and an Irish-American naval officer, who gave her love. Crossing the Bamboo Bridge is a tale of mothers and daughters, and of their children. It is a tale of war, and grief, and a young girl’s dreams. It is a stunning epiphany of hope where there is none, of courage in the face of despair, of love, respect and freedom.

    She won’t look at her husband. She can’t stand her daughter. And she doesn’t want to have this baby. Having this baby means moving on, and she just wants to go back to before. Before their family was torn apart, before the blame was placed.Alienated by their own guilt and struggling to cope, the Sadler family unravels. They grow up, grow apart, never talking about their terrible secret.That is until Linda’s daughter finds out she’s pregnant. Before she brings another Sadler into the world, Bea needs to know what happened twenty-five years ago. What did they keep from her? What happened that couldn’t be fixed?A devastating mistake, a lifetime of consequences. How can you repair something broken if pieces are missing?Missing Pieces is Laura Pearson’s debut novel.

    She thinks back to 1942 when her sister Betty vanished having fled over the mountains from Burma to Assam to escape the Japanese invasion. Whilst packing, Edith comes across some letters which may hold clues to Betty’s mysterious disappearance.The discovery propels Edith on an epic journey to Assam, where she is forced to face devastating secrets of love and betrayal from the war years.

    Adam is living a very ordinary life until he becomes aware of the link between the worlds and discovers that, as a Daydreamer, he is one of the very few people who can travel freely between the two and achieve impossible things. You would think that being in control of your dreams would be fun. But when both worlds are threatened by a new and growing danger and when Nightmares not only roam the dream world but also start chasing him even while he is awake, Adam realises that he will need all of his new found powers just to survive the night. With the help of a very unusual band of friends Adam now has to save both worlds, discover more about his past and, if he can, try and avoid yet another detention.The Boy who Dreamt the World is the first book in the Daydreamer Chronicles series.

    She is eight weeks pregnant and married to the man of her dreams. But after returning home from a celebratory meal, she finds a wreath from her sister's grave hanging above the bed and a kitchen knife embedded in her pillow. There are no signs of a forced entry. Nothing is stolen. And no one other than the cleaner has a key to the house.Then a campaign of terror begins. Beth becomes increasingly paranoid as it becomes clear that someone close to the family is behind these disturbing events.But who would want Beth dead?Does the past hold the clue?And can Beth find the answer before it's too late?Torment is a story of misplaced loyalty, revenge and sacrifice.

    Their courtship by mail results in matrimony – on the very day they meet each other face to face for the first time! Molly adores her new husband and wants nothing more than to make him happy. But sometimes, his rules just get in her way. He wouldn't really take her in hand, would he? He's just joking, teasing her. Right? He'd been right about the rustlers, though. After a very tough night, they were caught, and now, surely, Derek could loosen up those rules. Besides, what he never finds out won't hurt, will it? Publisher's Note: This sweet Old West romance contains elements of power exchange.