But what's really waiting for her in the notorious room 9? A man meets an old friend who claims to be haunted by a figure from their past. But when that friend does, who will the ghost haunt next? A town struggles to face the horrors of its past. But no matter how hard the local people try to forget, the victim of a terrible crime is determined to avenge her own death. Room 9 and Other Stories contains the new short stories Room 9, The Ghost of Daniel Dowd and The Horror of Blackforke House, as well as revised versions of The Disappearance of Rose Hillard and The Fan.

    Ross, a delightful story in which Miss Julia discovers the joy of giving and receiving gifts--and just in time for Valentine's Day Featuring the beloved stars of the Miss Julia novels--Luanne, Lillian, Hazel Marie, and of course, Miss Julia herself--"Miss Julia's Gift" is a funny and moving meditation on love, marriage, and the purpose of gift-giving. Miss Julia finds herself reminiscing about her first year of marriage to Sam Murdoch. Everything seemed perfect--alarmingly so. Miss Julia feared that Sam would morph from a sweet and loveable man into a replica of her loathsome first husband, the boring and deceitful Wesley Lloyd Springer. Even Sam's adorable habit of giving her gifts for all holidays and occasions--no matter how minor--caused Miss Julia anxiety. When will the other shoe drop, she wondered? After some soul-searching and valuable advice from her friends, Miss Julia comes to understand that Sam is nothing like Wesley--and never will be. Then, just in time for Valentine's Day, she thinks up the perfect romantic gift for her husband and realizes which gift she values most of all.

    But in relaying his suspicions to John Bachelor, who babysits retired spies like Solly, he sets in train events which will alter lives. Bachelor himself, a hair's breadth away from sleeping in his car, is clawing his way back to stability; Hannah Weiss, the double agent whose recruitment was his only success, is starting to enjoy the secrets and lies her role demands; and Lech Wicinski, an Intelligence Service analyst, finds that a simple favour for an old acquaintance might derail his career. Meanwhile, Lady Di Taverner is trying to keep the Service on an even keel, and if that means throwing the odd crew member overboard, well: collateral damage is her speciality.A drop, in spook parlance, is the passing on of secret information.It's also what happens just before you hit the ground. **THE LIST** 'Mick Herron is an incredible writer and if you haven't read him yet, you NEED to' Mark Billingham Dieter Hess, an aged spy, is dead, and John Bachelor, his MI5 handler, is in deep, deep trouble. Death has revealed that the deceased had been keeping a secret second bank account - and there's only ever one reason a spy has a secret second bank account. The question of whether he was a double agent must be resolved, and its answer may undo an entire career's worth of spy secrets.**previously published as two separate editions**

    . . a beautifully wrought hymn of praise to readers and book-lovers in the most sacred of places, the libraries where we find both." --Cassandra King, author of the best-selling novels The Sunday WifeWHEN ADELE COVINGTON becomes an author in her sixties, she goes on a book tour to speak to the Friends of the Library groups in ten small towns in her home state of Mississippi. Chasing her personal demons through the Christ-haunted South of her childhood, Adele befriends an eclectic group of wounded people and decides to tell their stories. From Eupora to Meridian, from a budding artist with an abusive husband to a seven-year-old with a rare form of cancer, each story contains elements of hope and healing and honors the heart, soul, and history of the Magnolia State.

    He vows to take it as slow as she needs but, this time, he won’t let her get away.Rebekah Jackson’s fears run deep since a traumatic incident in her youth. If perfect love casts out fear, then what she’d felt for Wade couldn’t have been love. Seeing him again brings all her longings and fears back to the surface. Can she put her trust in him and in the God who loves them both? Because, while second chances are rare, third chances are all but unheard of.

    You’ll encounter bodyguards, police officers, private detectives, bounty hunters, coroners, firefighters, vigilantes, hackers and a variety of oddballs. They share a knack for getting into trouble – but have the skills and determination to get themselves out.Each pulse-pounding story features the author’s main characters. When you find one you love, there’s a series behind it, waiting for you. Get 12 shots while you can and discover your new favourite crime thriller series.

    But the first thing I see when I get home is eighteen-year-old Callie, and after that relaxing is out of the question. The little brat is living in my house while her mother is on vacation, and I can't stop thinking about her and what I'd like to do to her - if only she wasn't half my age and completely taboo. She won't leave me alone, though, and when she barges into my bedroom I can't take any more. Turns out it's Callie's first time, and I'm all out of protection. Do you think I'm going to stop?This story is *too taboo* for us to leave an excerpt, so use the "Look Inside" feature to get a preview.

    But even worse, she doesn't care. She blames God for taking her husband and has since lost her way in both her faith, and her community. But life must go on, and to support herself she makes and mends quilts for the Amish and Englishers alike. Living alone in an apartment above her shop, she works only to live and seemingly not much else as she feels the need to almost punish herself, and God, at the same time. But all that changes when Levi, himself a widow, comes into her shop to mend an old quilt as a surprise for his daughter's first child. He's immediately taken with Hannah. And as his job is repair and fixing broken things in his workshop, his trained eye spots a few problems around her home that could use some neighborly help. But his heart spots some problems, too. Yet Hannah doesn't want the help, or the attention. She resists, but Levi won't take no for an answer. He repeatedly shows up to work on things, trying to slowly chip away at her gruff exterior and win a smile, if not a friend. But Hannah is comfortable in her pain. She certainly has no time for friendships, let alone love. Yet God, and Levi, just might have other plans. Can two people find what they need in the other, when they both need it the most? A desire to mend against a desire to harbor old pains. Will love win out, in this sweet Amish Romance? Read this new book by Emma Maas to find out today...

    His father is an abusive drunk with muddled religious views, and his mother, as hard as she tries to defend her son, only ever ends up delaying the inevitable. Things take a turn for the worse one Friday when Bobby brings home a black eye from school. The following day his father brings him out into the woods on a mission to do “God’s Work” and bring him into adulthood. A coming-of-age story about the sins of a father and a son’s chance to absolve himself from them.

     Yet a dark shadow casts its presence over each trip – 28 years ago Annabel’s Aunt Hilary was brutally murdered on a similar holiday when Annabel was just a toddler. With no one found guilty, the subject has been hushed away and is now taboo on their trips. When an over-zealous journalist starts digging around the murder, the suspicion and guilt in Annabel’s family comes back to the surface. Annabel starts researching into the truth, and the discovery of her much-maligned French mother Monique’s diary reveals some alarming details. With the added pressure of her marriage struggling and a series of anonymous phone calls, Annabel is drawn into the middle of a dark family secret. ‘Past Shadows’ is another absorbing murder mystery from crime thriller author Anthea Fraser. Praise for Anthea Fraser: “A superbly crafted, riveting, page-turner of a read" - Booklist “Ms Fraser is her dependable elegant, guileful self withholding the killer's identity till a dying fall" - Sunday Times “A well-mannered, well-plotted and well-told story” - Birmingham Post “Sympathetic, well-executed book, in which full attention is paid to human feelings and failings” - Yorkshire Post “Anthea Fraser is a worthy follower of the traditional whodunit system...The plot is sustained throughout, and her artistic detective who literally "draws conclusions" is an original character.” - Sunderland Echo Anthea Fraser has written all her life but did not begin to take it seriously until after marriage, when she found herself at home with two small daughters and embarked on a correspondence course with the London School of Journalism. She wrote short stories before turning to novels of the supernatural, and then to crime. Her novels include ‘The Seven Stars’, ‘The Ten Commandments’, ‘Death Speaks Softly’ and ‘Pretty Maids All in a Row’.

    Each story follows the life of a person living on a fictitious council estate in London. The stories illustrate the realities and struggles that ordinary people go through at a time when people are feeling disenfranchised and are frustrated at not having their voices heard. Ranging from a humorous look at the gentrification of London to the realities of living with addiction the stories place the reader in the shoes of each character allowing them to feel their emotions.

    

    First published in Macomber's Digital Magazine, these heartwarming stories are now available exclusively in this collection.A CEDAR COVE DAD’S ADVICEWelcome back to Cedar Cove. When we last saw Zach and Rosie Cox in 311 Pelican Court, they had divorced and were awarded joint custody of their two children: Eddie and Allison. Now a grown man, Eddie Cox is experiencing marital problems of his own and turns to his parents for advice. Will Ed and his wife, Emma, be able to resolve their issues and find love again?A FRESH NEW YEARAt the beginning of every January, Elle always started off writing down her goals for the year. The usual ones were: Visit her parents more often. Lose ten pounds. Be a good aunt to her niece and nephew. Visit Venice. And of course, find love. This was a fresh new year and Elle was finally feeling ready to start dating again. She set up an online dating profile and before she knew it, she was going on a date. What she didn’t know was that she would be catfished. Is there any chance to salvage her dreams and achieve the one goal she’s always dreamed of: love?DADDY’S GIRLFrom the time she could remember, Molly had always been a Daddy’s girl. When she makes the shocking discovery her dad isn’t her biological father, her whole life is called into question. What's more, her biological father doesn't have long to live, and Molly has to decide whether she wants to meet him before it's too late. Will she make the right decision?

    Can you imagine Draupadi in a Brothel house? How did she end there and who is responsible for that? Read this short story to meet her and know about her life.

    In this book, Tony and Jenny Brueski from Real Ghost Stories Online take the most haunting accounts from their podcast and share them here, including:• HAUNTED BUILDINGS AND BREWERIES• JEALOUS DEMONS AND PROTECTIVE SPIRITS• MESSAGES FROM RETURNED RELATIVES• GHOSTLY BATTLES FROM LONG-LOST WARS• EXORCISMS AND DARK ENERGIES• GRAVEYARD EXPLORATION GONE WRONG