But when a terrified woman falls through his bathroom ceiling, he's forced back into a life of gunfights, double agents and paranormal research. The secret he's been keeping for nearly four decades might reunite him with his lost love, or kill millions.This new short story by John August falls into the genre of paranoid "spy-fi" popularized by writers like Jorge Luis Borges and shows like The Prisoner and The Man from U.N.C.L.E.== What Others Say =="I really dug the story. Gave it a glance just to see, got totally hooked, and blazed on through to the end."-- Michael Chabon (The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay, The Yiddish Policemen's Union) "The Variant" is both a good, fun, smart story and an interesting experiment in indie self-publishing for fiction."-- John Gruber, daringfireball.net== About the Author ==An excerpt of The Variant is available at johnaugust.com/variant About the AuthorJohn August is the screenwriter of eight feature films, including Go, Big Fish, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and Corpse Bride. He wrote and directed the 2007 movie The Nines.He can be found on Twitter, @johnaugust

    

    The crew’s daring plan might be the only way to save humanity.Meanwhile, a research station in orbit around Venus could hold the key to survival. The scientists on board have been studying an alien creature that may be connected to Earth’s imminent demise—if only they could make contact…The events of Mission One and Deep Black culminate in this thrilling conclusion to the Titan Chronicles.

    He is destined to make history like John Glenn and Neil Armstrong. Pierce’s idyllic world screeches to a halt when, three weeks before the historic flight, his wife is killed in a tragic car accident.Determined to carry on with the groundbreaking flight in spite of his grief, Pierce is changed forever when, during the flight, his body is transformed into light. The shock of it all puts Pierce into a deep coma and when he wakes time is not relevant to his mind. Suddenly able to step into visions of the past, Pierce struggles to make sense of what he sees as he learns that his wife’s death was not an accident, but murder and her murderers are after him. As Pierce and the beautiful attorney, Vanessa Trace, sort through the bizarre attacks on Pierce and his vivid visions of the past, they cannot substantiate any evidence to his claims. In a frantic race to stay alive, Pierce and Vanessa find themselves matching wits with a conspiracy with seemingly endless resources and a police department convinced Pierce is a murderer, while at the same time they question whether or not Pierce himself is crazy.Standing out from traditional suspense novels, Speed of Light is fast-paced, intelligent and intricately layered with mind expanding concepts.

    The aliens are Adjudicators, an ancient race whose ethos is to judge other species and reduce their survivors to a stone age existence.Tolvern sends a desperate message back to headquarters and retreats with her damaged ship to friendly systems. By the time she returns, the aliens have already invaded Alliance territory with a powerful fleet of star fortresses and accompanying dragoon ships, trapping and laying siege to the allied fleet.While repairing her ship, Tolvern cobbles together a squadron of damaged allied warships, former raiders, and the local survivors of an Adjudicator attack to drive off the alien fleet.The following books are included in this set:Alliance StarsAlliance ArmadaAlliance Insurgent

    Emily Morrison undertakes a controversial drug study over protests from fringe groups and even some colleagues. Soon she’s facing death threats and a letter bomb that maims her secretary. Then a young coed suddenly dies after taking the experimental medication. Emily figures out what killed the girl—not the study drug but DIFP, a toxic chemical from her lab. A diabetic, Emily discovers the same toxin in her insulin. But when the police find a bottle of DIFP in Emily’s office, she suddenly changes from victim to suspect.Then a professional killer comes after her, and he eliminates anyone who gets in the way. Emily knows she must confront this stalker on her terms, but she’ll have to do it without help, using only the element of surprise. And that’s just her first step in uncovering the truth – she needs to find out who hired the killer before someone else tries to finish what he started."An intriguing thriller set against a backdrop of clinical drug tests and medical research." — Kirkus Reviews

    Under social media pressure, NASA sends David Anderson to the island to investigate the death and vindicate the agency. But Anderson is not the only newcomer to the island. More people are dying. Anderson and his team must figure out what is killing everyone before they, too, become victims. But how do you stop a killing machine that keeps evolving?Michael Crichton and Douglas Preston fans will enjoy the hard science fiction in this action-packed thriller.“Scary as hell.”“Bone-chillingly frightening.”

    Alex is reluctant to expose the crime until he's analyzed the heck out of it, but at the urging of his less-cautious assistant, he brings his discovery to the FBI.When Alex's life is threatened, he's placed into an experimental witness protection program. As a guinea pig for a risky scientific procedure he is changed in ways he never thought possible. That's when things start going wrong.If Alex can't overcome his cautious nature and fight the president while maintaining his anonymity, the United States will be forever changed.

    Skilled. Dangerous. Some of the words used to describe Master Sergeant Diosa Alberich of the Galactic Council Marine Corps. Her call sign: Warlock. As one of the toughest and most-accomplished Striker Team Leaders in the Corps, Warlock has had her share of victories...and failures. And now, with her old team in shambles, she moves on to advanced Phase V training and a new team, ready and anxious for action. But right out of the gate things go wrong. Pirates have attacked a tramp steamer mother-ship, something they should have no interest in. But these guys are determined, and along the way Warlock is injured. An event that will change her life forever. Now equipped with a sophisticated, neural-linked bionic eye, the device is more than just a way to see. It's the most-advanced sensor array around, giving Warlock seemingly super-human abilities. And in her line of work, super abilities always come in handy. But when the powers-that-be decide Warlock is a risk, more than an advantage, she finds herself fighting not only the enemy, but her own people, determined to keep this new super-weapon under their ultimate control. Despite the forces allied against her, Warlock follows a higher calling, and sets out to save one of the most vital assets the Realm has against the Empress and her deadly forces...if it doesn't kill her in the process. Call Sign Warlock, Op File Revenge is military science fiction at its best. Full of action and adventure in a universe of exotic worlds, alien beings and heroic figures. And this figure isn't only smart, skilled and dangerous, she's also up for the challenge. Call Sign Warlock, Op File Revenge is set in author J. Clifton Slater's Galactic Council Realm universe. Warning: There is no magic or fantasy in the novel, just good old-fashioned Space Marine adventure. Pick up your copy of Call Sign Warlock, Op File Revenge today. Other novels by J. Clifton Slater: Space Opera, Galactic Council Realm series: On Station, On Duty, On Guard & On Point Historical Fiction, Clay Warriors Stories series Clay Legionary, Spilled Blood, Bloody Water, Reluctant Siege, & Brutal Diplomacy

    When she finds an orphaned girl, Sam, hidden in some bushes along the Rogue River, in an instant, a bond is formed. AJ quickly learns that Sam's and her guardian's lives are in danger from a team of hired killers. But AJ commits to helping eight-year-old Sam. A competitive athlete, AJ Scott isn't one to quit, give up, or do anything halfway, not even when she and Sam end up in a road race with killers in pursuit.When Hunter Jones's cousin dies, he becomes eight-year-old Samantha Wilson's guardian and sets aside any pursuit of personal happiness. Sam becomes his lot in life, and he loves her dearly. But Hunter, a big data analyst, will soon release a research report proving that the largest Internet search engine in the world is being used by its owners to influence American political thought with the intent of controlling elections. He hints at his findings in a radio interview and the news goes viral. Within hours, a team of hired killers attacks Hunter and Sam, intending to eliminate them and steal his research findings. Hunter hides Sam and eludes the killers. But when he returns, Sam is gone. Enraged, Hunter Jones will storm the gates of Hades to get her back, and whoever took her will pay a steep price.Set in Southern Oregon, Seattle, Washington DC, and Eastern Oregon, near Paulina Lake, Slanted is a gritty, high-action, romantic suspense adventure about commitment, sacrifice, love and faith.

    Her job isn’t easy, but it has always been black and white—criminals versus victims. Now she is the victim, and the very system she’s fought to uphold is suddenly corrupt, the lines between good and bad are blurred and her world has turned upside down. She’s always known that world existed—a world of power so immense that a single phone call can result in people disappearing or political offices being vacated, a world where doctors are available at a moment’s notice. She’s never been part of that world—never wanted to be. The body count is rising, and unless she finds proof beyond a reasonable doubt against a corrupt former federal judge, and a notorious criminal defense attorney, it will continue to rise.

    

    Now living in a secret location, under the new identify of James Ryker, he wants nothing more than to be left alone, the chance to start a new life away from chaos, violence, destruction and deceit.It’s not long, however, before Ryker’s short-lived idyll is destroyed when he is tracked down by Peter Winter, his ex-boss at the JIA. Winter brings with him news of the murder of a woman in Spain, Kim Walker, whose fingerprints match those of one of Ryker’s former adversaries who’s been missing presumed dead for years - an infamous female assassin known as the Red Cobra.A cyberattack at the JIA led to the Red Cobra’s profile being compromised, and Winter believes JIA agents may now be at risk too, Ryker included. But Ryker knew the elusive Red Cobra better than anyone, and when he sees the grisly pictures of Kim Walker’s corpse, he has news for Winter - she isn't the assassin at all ...So just who is the mystery dead woman? And where is the real Red Cobra? THE BLACK HORNET: What do you do when the love of your life vanishes without a trace? If you’re ex-intelligence agent James Ryker you search for the answers whatever the cost, however much blood and sacrifice it takes...Six months ago Lisa was taken from Ryker, and he’ll stop at nothing to find out who is responsible and why. Following a trail to Mexico, the ex-Joint Intelligence Agency asset soon finds himself in the firing line of enemies he long thought he’d left behind. Set-up for the murder of a former informant, Ryker is thrown into a crumbling jail run by The Black Hornet, the notorious leader of a Mexican drug cartel. But what connects the cartel to the informant’s murder, and to Lisa’s disappearance? And just who is the mystery American claiming he can help Ryker in his hour of need? THE SILVER WOLF: Ryker wants blood, and one way or another he’ll get it...Still tormented by the disappearance of his wife, ex-intelligence agent James Ryker sets out on a personal mission of revenge, prepared to go to any lengths in search of the truth.The trail takes him from the crystal waters of Mexico’s Caribbean coast, back to a place he thought he would never set foot again - his country of birth, England. But there he discovers more than even he bargained for. Stumbling across a terrorist attack targeted against his old employers - the secretive Joint Intelligence Agency -the faint clues to many events in his recent past are all seemingly linked to one mysterious character; The Silver Wolf.But just who is the Silver Wolf, and why is he hell-bent on punishing not just Ryker, but his closest allies at the JIA too?Has Ryker finally met his match?The Silver Wolf is a globe-trotting thriller that sees James Ryker at his hard-nosed best as he fights the ghosts of his past. As skilled as Jason Bourne, as no-nonsense as Jack Reacher, James Ryker delivers in another heart-pounding thriller. The James Ryker books are fast-paced thrillers filled with twists and turns and intrigue that will appeal to readers of big-hitting thrillers by the likes of Lee Child, David Baldacci, Mark Dawson

    Late one evening she is brutally beaten, robbed and left to die.A few days later two bodies are found in the same house the assault took place. Others follow and a sewer of corruption contained beneath the razzamatazz of a General Election leads to shattering revelations and murderous passions; causing her well-organised world to turn into an arena of pursuit and terror, and where the only certainty is that nothing is certain.Bursting with penetrating insight into the seedy, sleazy world of political funding, Foxy Lady breathlessly leads the reader into the dark and sordid twilight world which lurks beneath the glamorous surface of the upper echelons of society. Revealing the true depths of the corruption which taints the lives of those who stride the corridors of power.

    From M A Comley, New York Times bestselling author of the DI Sara Ramsey series who has sold over 3 million copies to date.Does time ever truly heal an aching heart?DI Katy Foster and her partner, DS Charlie Simpkins arrive at a crime scene where the victim has been torched in his own vehicle.But who is the killer and what is their motive?Over the course of a week, several more men are murdered and Katy is put under severe stress to find the culprit when clues are sparse and the crimes are happening frequently.Until finally, a suspect emerges with a heartbreaking motive and a truly wicked agenda.Giving up their weekend off to try to locate the suspect, leaves Katy and Charlie reeling when a child goes missing in connection with the investigation.With a child’s fate in their hands, Katy and Charlie are thrust into a dangerous race against the clock.Other books in this series are:Gone in SecondsUltimate DilemmaShot of SilenceTaste of Fury