The McNamara family is scattered across a city at war. They’re riding the hard edge of a civilization facing extinction and they are far from safe. With the population in swift decline, life has become a death sentence. The McNamara’s are an ingenious, resilient bunch, however, and they refuse to take the collapse of the modern world lying down.Desperate to save her family, her life in constant peril, Saint Francis Memorial ER nurse, Cincinnati McNamara, is tackling a new, morally bankrupt reality. As the modern world crumbles before her eyes, she will fight for a husband who will stop at nothing to protect his family, a teenage daughter who will do anything to forget the horrors she’s survived, and a brother who is fresh out of the military and shaped by a war he just left behind.Cornered in the killing fields, stuck between three evils and forced to fight, this once ordinary family will attempt the extraordinary: they’ll try to escape a world now backsliding into a nightmarish landscape more reminiscent of the stone ages than the once famed city by the bay.The Last War is a fast-paced, edge-of-your-seat thriller about an ordinary group of survivors struggling to escape San Francisco in the face of insurmountable odds, an abysmal loss of life and the dawn of a new, post-apocalyptic dark age.

    Utterly brilliant." Marjorie Hall-Venmore - reviewer A couple and their young son burn to death in a house fire. A girl dies from a nut allergy. A woman falls under a train during the rush hour. An accountant falls down the steps to his basement.Their deaths appear to be accidents but Gloria knows they were murdered because she murdered them. And every time Gloria kills she buys a doll.But how many dolls will she need to keep her satisfied?When Gloria takes a room as a lodger her behaviour starts to spin out of control. Gloria wants love and happiness and friendship and she will do anything she can to get what she wants... What everyone is saying about The Doll Collector: "Amazing book. Loved it from beginning to end." Tracey Shults - reviewer"The ending was a real twist and I did not see it coming" Michelle Debnam - reviewer"OMG. A crime book with a difference." Nicki's Book Blog"The Doll Collector is one hell of a creepy read that is sure to give you goosebumps." Chelle's Book Reviews"I highly recommend this book.... a breath of fresh air and not too graphic." Peggy Beaver - reviewer"OMG I loved this twisty and creepy read which had a couple of twists I just didn't see coming!" Sandra Robinson - reviewer The Doll Collector is a twisty and gripping serial killer thriller. It will appeal to fans of psychological thrillers, as well as fans of authors like Mel Sherratt, Sharon Bolton, Jenny Blackhurst and Rachel Abbott.

    Arpita Basu, the only daughter-in-law of Basu family, is here to tell you a story that will leave your stomach hurting with chuckles and laughter. A Chudail to her prim mother-in-law, inexistent to the devil father-in-law, a damped down bomb to her once best friend Naveena and well, nothing whatsoever to her own husband Akash, the 23-year-old finds herself questioning the very concept of familism as her six months of tumultuous married life is hit with unanswerable questions sprouting every now and then in her head.Speaking of head, what do you think is its importance in Mrs. Basu's life? Oh boy, you're in for a surprise! Because the quirks of their tongue-in-cheek relationship is bound to make you split your sides.However, in a split second Mrs. Basu's life goes kaput as her dark past comes knocking at the door. While she struggles to keep it at bay, her husband leaves her side with no promise of coming back ever.Is it mere coincidence that her past holds a connection to the disappearance of her husband? Or, is it what Mrs. Basu deserves for all she did in the past?This chapter of her life will unravel the mysteries of the present, all the knots of the past and the road to the future. Of course, in the most hilarious way possible.

    MEET THE PINK MAGNOLIA CLUBHolly Weeks, whose boyfriend has lured her to the sale under false pretenses, wants to walk barefoot on a Tahitian beach and read a thousand books for pleasure. There are many other goals on her "Life List," but getting married isn't one of them. Never mind that she's in love. Now if she could only figure out what's holding her back. Maggie Prescott is lonely in her empty nest. When her husband forgets their twenty-fifth anniversary, she wonders whether she even wants to share a nest with him anymore. Donating her wedding gown seems like the right thing to do. Grace Hardeman, who's volunteering at the sale, wishes for health, happiness, and a party with loved ones to mark fifty years of marriage. But soon she's facing the fight of her life. Together, these three women at turning points in their lives learn there's nothing like friendship to strengthen a heart that's in danger of breaking.

    He just wanted a quiet life. Something his mother was not going to allow. There again he never for one moment imagined he would have to look into the death of a 90-year-old lady who was gambling away her family fortune. The Hayden Detective Agency has no need of clients. The very existence of the Agency allows Martin Hayden to claim his large monthly allowance from the family fortune - without lifting a finger. Martin’s biggest problem is his interfering mother, who understands her idle son too well. She takes steps to find him not just clients but also a personal assistant to keep an eye on him. Under pressure from the women in his life, Martin agrees to take on his first client. How hard can it be to follow a 90-year-old woman who spends her time losing money at roulette tables? As it turns out harder than Martin ever thought possible, especially with the old lady dying in strange circumstances. Soon the Reluctant Detective is grappling with shady estate agents, an intellectual artist, missing charity money and an irritating Indian waiter. Luckily for Martin there is help in the form of Colin, a transvestite who, apart from having very good fashion sense, is an expert at breaking into houses.

    With a street value over eight million dollars, the grungy duo sets up a buyer then rumbles through Florida in their 1973 El Camino to unload the square grouper and end their financial woes. Unfortunately, in their efforts to make the rendezvous, they become unexpectedly entangled with a host of unsavory characters, including an expatriate haunted by his single testicle, a destitute real estate developer with a penchant for GMILFs, a toupee-wearing pederast, Florida’s first closet-gay Governor, and a game warden turned eco-maniac, all of whom must be dealt with as a Category 5 hurricane, Cyclone Tyrone, spins ashore.

    Number five Kitchener Avenue heralds the start of a new life for the Hope family. For pregnant Miriam it is a warm, safe environment to bring up her child. For her sister, fourteen-year-old Barbara, it means independence . . . and boys. And for Fred it provides the security he craves for his young family. In the lead up to Christmas, the Hopes settle in, and start to make happy memories in their new home. But World War II is round the corner, and this carefree life can't last. Soon the family are split up. Bar, wanting to do her bit for the war effort, joins the ATS, while Miriam and her children are evacuated to the countryside and away from her husband. As the country is thrown into turmoil, can the Hope family come back together and find the happiness they crave? 'A Winter Hope is a heartwarming novel following two sisters from pre-war to post-war, their parallel stories filled with love and loss. I found myself completely wrapped up with their experiences and shed a tear at the twists and turns of their lives.' Mollie Walton, author of The Daughters of Ironbridge 'I have long been a fan of Sheila Newberry's novels. I love their wonderful warmth and charm.' Maureen Lee, bestselling author of The Seven Streets of Liverpool 'Reading a Sheila Newberry book is like having dinner with your mother in her warm and cosy kitchen. You can feel the love and care put into every juicy morsel' - Diane Allen, bestselling author of For the Sake of Her Family Previously published as The Family at Number Five.

    She returns home triumphant, but there is trouble brewing—the Serpentes face peril from both internal and external forces, and El’Jyiurma finds herself caught up in the middle. With word of their existence growing, they catch the attention of a race they’d rather not meet. At the same time, they must battle the hatred and fear that automatically comes from humans, based merely on their appearance. Fearing an invasion from outside forces, President Frazier of Gieliv sends a desperate plea to the Serpentes, requesting help to bolster their weak navy. With a potential attack looming, the king of the Serpentes sends El’Jyiurma to the Gieliv system to foster diplomatic relations and help defend Gieliv. Hard choices have to be made, and El’Jyuirma is in the hot seat. Which is the more significant threat, and how can it be stopped? A wrong choice could lead to the end of the Serpentes civilization, and El’Jyiurma has little time to decide.

    And with her high school reunion coming up, she has no intention of reliving the worst four years of her life. Especially when all she has to show for the last decade is how the shy bookworm blossomed into...the shy town librarian. Ditching the event seems the best option until a blistering hot alternative roars into Lacy's life. Perhaps riding into the reunion on the back of Paris Montgomery's motorcycle will show her classmates how much she really has changed...While growing up as a foster kid, Paris Montgomery only felt at home in Sweetwater Springs, which is why he picked the small town to start over after his divorce. He can't afford to ruin this refuge with another doomed relationship - especially one with a woman who is his total opposite. But when the town's sweet librarian offers to help him reconnect with his foster dad, he finds they have more in common than he thought. Both are about to discover that home is where the heart is.

    In a bid for freedom a lone spaceship hurtled through space before crashing in the hills outside a small village in Spain. On Christmas Day a strong, silent man with blank eyes entered Bar Noche Azul. Only a 13-year-old boy could have guessed that there was any connection between the two.

    But when she buys a coat at a thrift shop with a key in its pocket, strange, even magical, occurrences begin to unfold, and she is inspired to create her best work ever. Fifty years earlier, it’s 1963, and the coat’s original owner, young heiress Sylvia Van Dam, is headed toward a disastrous marriage with a scoundrel. In a split-second reaction she does the unimaginable, which propels her on a trip of self-discovery to nature-filled Northern Arizona. When Anne and Sylvia’s lives intersect, they are both forced to face their fears―and, in the process, realize their true potential.

    She seeks revenge on the girl she suspects to have caused it all, Ananya. She is not going to take her downfall lying down. And now that she has her hands upon something that can ruin Ananya’s life, she can’t wait to have her vengeance. To gain back her pride, she aims to come out on top in the most prestigious quiz competition in the city and accidentally teams up with her once upon a time best friend, Shreya. Shreya stays at a distance and sees Natasha destroy herself in hatred, revenge and pain. It aches her to see her throw her life away like this. But what can she do about it?The Backbenchers - The Missed Call! traces the story of Natasha Malhotra, as she struggles with depression, suicidal tendencies, vengeance and the loss of social equity. Will she get her old life back? Or will she destroy herself in the process?

    Being a wallflower, dedicated to philanthropy, was her choice and she was happy with it.When her father sells her hand to settle his debts, Eleanor is shocked. Mainly because she has met her betrothed before. All alone, in secret, in the dark.Captain Nathan Reynolds, Earl of Brixton, was a soldier, who didn't need a bride. Upon his return to England, he is thrust, by his mother, into an arranged engagement to a heavenly creature who has never seen before. What confuses him more is that his intended seems to know him already.Despite their attraction and his sinister thoughts for Eleanor, Nathan cannot go through with the marriage until he discovers why his future was orchestrated behind his back. What begins as harmless research, quickly turns to a dangerous path.For a man with the same face as Nathan may destroy their lives before they ever walk down the aisle…Torn between light and dark, she must choose the side she belongs to…

    But the secret she has kept all this time is about to be discovered. Erin Harris has always known that she is different from the rest of her family. Over the years she has begun to put the pieces together and now she has to discover who she really is and where she comes from. Nina Harris has always put her marriage and family before everything. But now she must face up to the truth as her daughter is prepared to run off and search for a woman she doesn't know. There is no escaping the past. Kate, Erin and Nina all have to come to terms with what happened so many years before, and to find their own way of dealing with it.

    Henry Lawson is too often regarded as a legend rather than a writer to be enjoyed.In this selection John Barnes reveals Lawson not only as a writer who has delighted past generations.His short stories, some humourous, some wry, some moving are, above all, enjoyable.Stories includeThe Drover's WifeThe Bush UndertakerIn a Dry SeasonThe Union Buries its DeadHungerford'Rats'An Old Mate of Your Father'sMitchell: A Character SketchOn the Edge of a Plain'Some Day'Shooting the MoonOur PipesBill, the Ventriloqual RoosterThe Geological SpielerThe Iron-Bark ChipThe Loaded DogBrighten's Sister in LawA Double Buggy at Lahey's Creek'Water them Geraniums'Joe Wilson's CourtshipTelling Mrs BakerA Child in the Dark, and A Foreign Father