House of Jaguar


Mike Bond - 1993
    Badly injured, he escapes on a nightmare trek through the jungle, hunted by the Army, the CIA, and death squads. Healed by guerrilla doctor Dona Villalobos, he falls in love with her and tries to save her from the War’s widening horror of insanity, tragedy, and death. Caught in the crucible of violence and love, he learns the peaks and depths the human heart can reach, and what humans will do for, and to,each other. Based on the author’s own experiences as one of the last foreign correspondents left alive in Guatemala after over 100 journalists had been killed by Army death squads. • “A riveting thriller of murder, politics, and lies.” —London Broadcasting • “An extraordinary story that speaks from and to the heart. And a terrifying depiction of one man’s battle against the CIA and Latin American death squads.” —BBC • “A riveting story where even the good guys are bad guys, set in the politically corrupt and drug infested world of present-day Central America.” —Middlesborough Evening Gazette • “The climax is among the most horrifying I have ever read.” —Liverpool Daily Post • An ideal thriller for the beach, but be prepared to be there when the sun goes down.”—Herald Express Biography Mike Bond "The master of the existential thriller" (BBC) Best-selling novelist, war and human rights correspondent, environmental activist, award-winning poet and international energy expert, Mike Bond has lived and worked in many dangerous, remote and war-torn regions of the world. His critically acclaimed novels depict the innate hunger of the human heart for good, the intense joys of love, the terror and fury of battle, the sinister vagaries of politics and multinational corporations, and the magical beauty of the vanishing natural world. His latest novel, SAVING PARADISE, the epic of a Hawaiian surfer and former Special Forces vet caught up in the murder of a beautiful Honolulu reporter, has been called the "eco-novel of the decade" for its depiction of corporate and political corruption and the battle for Hawaii's remaining paradises. His four previous novels are all based on his experiences in far, dangerous corners of the world: THE LAST SAVANNA: A former British commando battles elephant poachers who then kidnap the woman he loves, in this acclaimed inside story of Africa's disappearing savannas, animals and freedoms. CROSSFIRE: A British undercover agent fights for his life in Beirut at the height of the Lebanese War -- a deep look into the Middle East's ancient wars and hatreds. FIRE LIKE THE SUN: An international best-seller about U.S. nuclear warheads lost in the Himalayas, a manhunt through Nepal, Iran, Greece, Algeria, France, Virginia and Colorado. HOUSE OF JAGUAR: Vietnam vet and weed smuggler Joe Murphy loses his plane in a Guatemalan jungle attack, falls in love with the woman guerrilla who heals him, and fights to protect them both as the death squads hunt them down.

A Curious Invasion


Marie Andreas - 2018
     Dr. Nettie Jones is a new agent for The Society for the Exploration of the Unexplainable, a secret organization protecting England from unnamed sources. Being half-vampire is an added complication. The Society doesn't yet appreciate Nettie but fate steps in when invaders from a dying planet begin following her the same day Queen Victoria chooses to be turned into a vampire. Things become dangerously interwoven when Nettie discovers that a supposed accident was in fact an act of betrayal by one of the agents of the Society. The first shot in a larger conspiracy Nettie and her fellow Society agents must pull together to thwart the alien invaders, fight off the vampire infestation, and rescue the Queen from becoming the longest ruling undead monarch, even if that rescue is against her will.

The Name of the Star


Maureen Johnson - 2011
    The police are left with few leads and no witnesses. Except one. Rory spotted the man believed to be the prime suspect. But she is the only one who saw him - the only one who can see him. And now Rory has become his next target...unless she can tap her previously unknown abilities to turn the tables.

Unstoppable Octobia May


Sharon G. Flake - 2014
    Her heart condition makes her special - and, some folks would argue, gives this ten-year-old powers that make her a "wise soul." Thank goodness for Auntie, who convinces Octobia's parents to let her live in her boarding house that is filled with old folks. That's when trouble, and excitement, and wonder begin. Auntie is non-traditional. She's unmarried and has plans to purchase other boarding homes and hotels. At a time when children, and especially girls, are "seen, not heard," Auntie allows Octobia May the freedom and expression of an adult. When Octobia starts to question the folks in her world, an adventure and a mystery unfold that beg some troubling questions: Who is black and who is "passing" for white? What happens when a vibrant African American community must face its own racism?And, perhaps most important: Do vampires really exist?

Ghost Squad


Claribel A. Ortega - 2020
    Shortly before Halloween, Lucely and her best friend, Syd, cast a spell that accidentally awakens malicious spirits, wreaking havoc throughout St. Augustine. Together, they must join forces with Syd's witch grandmother, Babette, and her tubby tabby, Chunk, to fight the haunting head-on and reverse the curse to save the town and Lucely's firefly spirits before it's too late. With the family dynamics of Coco and action-packed adventure of Ghostbusters, Claribel A. Ortega delivers both a thrillingly spooky and delightfully sweet debut novel.

Beholding Bee


Kimberly Newton Fusco - 2013
    Every day she endures taunts for the birthmark on her face—though her beloved Pauline, the only person who has ever cared for her, tells her it is a precious diamond. When Pauline is sent to work for another carnival, Bee is lost.Then a scruffy dog shows up, as unwanted as she, and Bee realizes that she must find a home for them both. She runs off to a house with gingerbread trim that reminds her of frosting. There two mysterious women, Mrs. Swift and Mrs. Potter, take her in. They clothe her, though their clothes are strangely out of date. They feed her, though there is nothing in their house to eat. They help her go to school, though they won't enter the building themselves. And, strangely, only Bee seems able to see them.Whoever these women are, they matter. They matter to Bee. And they are helping Bee realize that she, too, matters to the world--if only she will let herself be a part of it.This tender novel beautifully captures the pain of isolation, the healing power of community, and the strength of the human spirit.

Three Bird Summer


Sara St. Antoine - 2014
    But this year will be different. There will be no rowdy cousins running around tormenting Adam. There will be no Uncle John or Aunt Jean. And there'll be no Dad to fight with Mom. This year, the lake will belong just to Adam.But then Adam meets Alice, the girl next door, who seems to want to become friends. Alice looks just like the aloof, popular girls back home—what could he and she possibly have in common?Turns out, Alice isn't like the girls back home. She's frank, funny, and eager for adventure. And when Adam's grandma starts to leave strange notes in his room—notes that hint at a hidden treasure somewhere at the lake and a love from long ago—Alice is the one person he can rely on to help solve the mysteries of Three Bird Lake.

The Kensington Reptilarium


N.J. Gemmell - 2013
    Enter if you dare . . . The Caddy kids are having the best time. Dad’s away hunting and eldest sister Kick is looking after Scruff, Pin and Bert – and they’re loving it. Until they find out their father is missing . . .This is the story of how four loud, grubby urchins from the Aussie outback find themselves in the heart of London, where the first peacetime Christmas after the six long, hard years of World War II promises to be a big one.Except for the Caddy kids. Their Scrooge-like Uncle Basti hates children. He prefers the company of the hundreds of snakes in his terrace house – the fabled Kensington Reptilarium. But fate lends the Caddy kids a helping hand in the guise of the outraged authorities who want to close down the Reptilarium. With the police about to descend – and the kids about to riot if they don’t get their Christmas wishes – can sour old Basti possibly be transformed in time?A feel-good tale that will have you cheering on these four fearless bush kids as they take on the world!

A New Darkness


Joseph Delaney - 2014
    This three-book arc will introduce brand-new readers to Joseph Delaney’s haunting world, and delight longtime fans.Tom Ward is the spook, the one person who can defend the county from ghosts, ghasts, boggarts, witches, and other bloodthirsty creatures of the dark. But he’s only seventeen, and his apprenticeship was cut short when his master died in battle. No one trusts Tom’s skill, not till he’s proven himself. And a fifteen-year-old girl named Jenny knows more about the three mysterious deaths in the county than Tom does. She is a seventh daughter of a seventh daughter and she wants to be Tom’s first apprentice—even though a female spook is unheard of. Together, Tom and Jenny will uncover the grave danger heading straight toward the county, and they’ll team up with a witch assassin to confront it. A New Darkness begins a three-book series that will introduce new readers to Joseph Delaney’s deliciously scary imagination and delight his longtime fans. A New Darkness is perfect for every reader who loves thrills, chills, action, and adventure-no prior knowledge of the Last Apprentice series necessary! The Last Apprentice series, the first internationally bestselling series about Tom Ward, is soon to be a major motion picture, Seventh Son, starring Jeff Bridges, Ben Barnes, Alicia Vikander, Kit Harington, Olivia Williams, Antje Traue, Djimon Hounsou, and Julianne Moore as Mother Malkin.

The Painting


Charis Cotter - 2017
    When Annie finds a painting of a lonely lighthouse in their home, she is immediately drawn to it--and her mother wishes it would stay banished in the attic. To her, art has no interest, but Annie loves drawing and painting.When Annie's mother slips into a coma following a car accident, strange things begin to happen to Annie. She finds herself falling into the painting and meeting Claire, a girl her own age living at the lighthouse. Claire's mother Maisie is the artist behind the painting, and like Annie, Claire's relationship with her mother is fraught. Annie thinks she can help them find their way back to each other, and in so doing, help mend her relationship with her own mother.But who IS Claire? Why can Annie travel through the painting? And can Annie help her mother wake up from her coma?The Painting is a touching, evocative story with a hint of mystery and suspense to keep readers hooked.

The Ethan I Was Before


Ali Standish - 2017
    He was always ready for adventure and always willing to accept a dare, especially from his best friend, Kacey. But that was before. Before the accident that took Kacey from him. Before his family moved from Boston to the small town of Palm Knot, Georgia.Palm Knot may be tiny, but it’s the home of possibility and second chances. It’s also home to Coralee, a girl with a big personality and even bigger stories. Coralee may be just the friend Ethan needs, except Ethan isn’t the only one with secrets. Coralee’s are catching up with her, and what she’s hiding might be putting both their lives at risk.

Suee and the Shadow, Part 2


Ginger Ly - 2014
    Can anyone save the school?The Zero Detective Club is on the case! New friends Suee, Haeun and Hyunwoo must solve the mystery of the Zeroes before they fall victim to the Zero disease. The Zero Detective Club must make a plan, follow the clues and save the day. However, one member of the club has something she isn't telling the others.

The Faceless Fiend : Being the Tale of a Criminal Mastermind, His Masked Minions and a Princess with a Butter Knife, Involving Explosives and a Certain Amount of Pushing and Shoving


Howard Whitehouse - 2007
    For the time being, they're safe from the headmistress and monsters of St. Grimelda's School. Their relative calm in the Yorkshire dales, however, is about to be shattered. A ruthless master criminal known as the Faceless Fiend wants very much to kidnap their haughty houseguest Princess Purnah, and it's obvious he'll stop at nothing (after all, he has no face to lose). With help from Aunt Lucy, the heroic butler Lal Singh and the hapless Professor Bellbuckle, Emmaline and Rubberbones devise an escape plan so bold, so clever, so completely insane that -- things get a lot worse. Follow our friends into the maze-like depths of darkest Victorian London as the villainous plot to abduct Princess Purnah leads to desperate chases, food fights, ridiculous costumes, balloons over London, famous fictional detectives, rat-killing contests and assorted mayhem.

The Children of the King


Sonya Hartnett - 2012
    Cecily and Jeremy have been sent to live with their uncle Peregrine in the English countryside, safe from the war, along with a young refugee named May. But when Cecily and May find two mysterious boys hiding in the ruins of a nearby castle, an extraordinary adventure begins.

The Cuban Affair


Nelson DeMille - 2017
    At age thirty-five he’s living in Key West, owner of a forty-two-foot charter fishing boat, The Maine. Mac served five years in the Army as an infantry officer with two tours in Afghanistan. He returned with the Silver Star, two Purple Hearts, scars that don’t tan, and a boat with a big bank loan. Truth be told, Mac’s finances are more than a little shaky.One day, Mac is sitting in the famous Green Parrot Bar in Key West, contemplating his life, and waiting for Carlos, a hotshot Miami lawyer heavily involved with anti-Castro groups. Carlos wants to hire Mac and The Maine for a ten-day fishing tournament to Cuba at the standard rate, but Mac suspects there is more to this and turns it down. The price then goes up to two million dollars, and Mac agrees to hear the deal, and meet Carlos’s clients—a beautiful Cuban-American woman named Sara Ortega, and a mysterious older Cuban exile, Eduardo Valazquez.What Mac learns is that there is sixty million American dollars hidden in Cuba by Sara’s grandfather when he fled Castro’s revolution. With the “Cuban Thaw” underway between Havana and Washington, Carlos, Eduardo, and Sara know it’s only a matter of time before someone finds the stash—by accident or on purpose. And Mac knows if he accepts this job, he’ll walk away rich…or not at all.Brilliantly written, with his signature humor, fascinating authenticity from his research trip to Cuba, and heart-pounding pace, Nelson DeMille is a true master of the genre.