He is increasingly adrift in a modern world into which, more and more, he doesn't seem to fit. The sorrows and losses that have scarred his life and crushed his soul are close to taking what's left of the ranch and home his Grandfathers built. His self respect and his life are circling the drain when fate drops him into the path of Amanda Blake, a desperate young woman, and her son. The girl is struggling to escape a life of brutal slavery and give her son the chance at a decent life. Acting out of the habits of a long and un-gentle life, Ben finds he is unable to walk away from that life and death struggle of a helpless woman and her son. For him, there are no options. The Honor and Values of his ancestors, and everything he is demand, he must help. Along the way he discovers that there is indeed life and Love left in his heart, and a reason for fresh hope. As they struggle to survive, the idea begins to form that though they might be an unlikely pair; his need for her is as great as her need for him. Together, they find the courage to create for each other, A Pair of Second Chances.

    But her well-connected husband, Griffin—who is running for governor—is her prime suspect.Just before the attack, Claire was preparing for an exhibit of her shadow boxes, one of which clearly accuses Griffin of a violent crime committed twenty-five years ago. If the public were to find out who her husband is, his political career would be over. Claire’s certain her husband and his powerful supporters would kill her to stop the truth from getting out.When one of Claire’s acquaintances is murdered, the authorities suspect the homicide is linked to the attack on Claire. As the dual investigations unfold, Claire must decide how much she’s willing to lose to take down her husband and the corrupt group of elites who will do anything to protect Griffin’s interests and their own.

    Jones’s latest case involves a body found in the basement vault of a local bookstore, and scratchings on the inside of the door that seem to be a coded message, in this novella by Jayne Ann Krentz, New York Times bestselling author of In Too Deep and the Arcane Society novels.

    Her Mr. Perfect boyfriend, Matt Ryan, is a talented artist who hopes to attend Pratt Institute in New York, and Ali plans to major in journalism at a prestigious college. Both Ali and Matt are outstanding students. Their future possibilities seem endless. Then the inconceivable happens Ali becomes pregnant. Suddenly, her entire world shifts. Everything she was sure of changes. What should she do about this baby, about Matt, about her life? Ali is faced with the dilemma of responsibility and choice. She's supported by a fun, loyal best friend, Monica, but Ali knows that now, nothing will ever be the same again. She's abruptly and unwillingly forced into the world of adulthood as she faces the crisis of being a pregnant, unwed teenager."

    There aren’t enough pills in the world to numb her fears of seeing her classmates again … especially after what she did all those years ago.Her sorority sister Heidi Blanchard, equally guilty, will be at the same exclusive restaurant that night. In the aftermath of their secret shame, Heidi’s turned lying into a sport and has lost her compass for truth. She’s there for a job … or so she thinks.Bindi Bridges, former guidance counselor at Bayshore, has no idea about the alumni dinner or Heidi’s job offer. She’s at Crave to learn who her husband’s been sleeping with, tipped by an unknown source.Mason Pace is there to meet a headhunter. His life is about to turn around — a relief, after the horror that happened eleven years ago.Seven others -- each seeking their own redemption and hiding their own sordid sins -- are just as ignorant of the sinister purpose behind this elegant event.Their host? A Hollywood star with glamour to spare and all the money in the world to spend on that most useful of hobbies: revenge and the extraction of secrets.The only guest not in attendance is the one who deserves to be there most: Casey Davis. What happened to Casey? And who’s to blame? Pretty Killer is Agatha Christie for the modern age. It’s Truant & King at their duplicitous best, weaving a tale with more layers than stratified ground in which a murderer digs a stone cold grave … proving that revenge isn’t always best when it’s cold — and sizzles when it’s piping hot.

    Well, this is actually a case of dognapping. At least the reward is real... but is it enough to face the gun-toting dognapper? Armed with the strongest weapon available, Salem and Viv save the day once again, using an age-old magnet that has an attraction few can resist, BACON!

    Being on live TV in a small town has never been so funny, until Stella covers the town’s first murders in years.When the prime suspect’s girlfriend enlists Stella to help clear his name, she uncovers another shocking crime that could expose a handful of powerful insiders.Who is honest, who can’t be trusted, and who committed the murders? Stella is on a tight deadline to find out. Can she help free an innocent man, or will the real culprit get away with murder?

    Abduction cases are taken very seriously by all of the parties involved. None more so than by Chase Grant, a detective in Seattle’s eighteenth precinct. The clock starts the moment he gets the call from a parent, and the first twelve hours are crucial. Every move counts, and every choice matters. If he missteps, then a child might not come home. But today was different. He got a call about a missing child. And then another, and another, and another…

    She thought that was the worst thing that could happen to her, but soon she realizes it’s just the beginning of an everlasting nightmare. Lexy:Lexy, an au pair from London, moves to Seattle to help Lorraine with her infant son. But she didn’t come for the child…she came for something else. Ella:When Ella receives a call from her sister, Lorraine, who begs her to leave San Diego to spend time with her, she decides to take a few days off from work to visit her. Frightened to see how much Lorraine has weakened since her diagnosis eight months ago, she packs a bag and heads to Seattle with a foreboding feeling that this might be the last time she sees Lorraine. But on her way to the airport, she learns that something shocking has happened since she last spoke with Lorraine and now. To make matters worse, once Ella arrives in Seattle, Lorraine’s story keeps changing, making Ella question how reliable her sister really is. Soon Ella is entangled in a mysterious investigation, and more so, in the lives of everyone involved. She realizes not only that she won’t go home anytime soon but also that she’ll never look at others the same way she did before.

    He knows that something else must have happened in California to cause the death of Chris, who loved life too much to take his own. He also knows that he must go West to find out what did happen. In California he discovers corruption, immorality and pain that shocks him to the very core of his being but he also discovers exhilaration and pleasure that changes him forever. First published in 1973, To Die in California was the first novel to reveal what lies behind West Coast bright lights and glitz.

    Four of Michaela Thompson's delightful international mystery novels—set in France, Italy, and India—each featuring bright and funny leading ladies, are on sale as a box set.Take the grand tour! Cuddle up and enjoy these exotic and thrilling adventures one after the other. MAGIC MIRROR SACRE BLEU! THEY KILLED A MAN FOR A MIRROR!Florida transplant Georgia Lee Maxwell doesn't take to Paris at first, despite the fact that she's at least leaving a no-good man and a hated job as a society editor. Now she's a Paris correspondent, thank you very much—a dream come true for any journalist.There's just a slight down side—she arrives in freezing rain, gets caught in a traffic jam caused by a bomb scare, and hates her apartment; but the real Bonjour is finding herself face down on a museum floor during a robbery. Three terrifying masked gunmen shoot the unfortunate security guard and make off with only a mirror. Does it have some prophetic ability? Does someone know something the gendarmes don't? Here's what Georgia Lee knows: If she finds out first, she's a journalistic hero. If she doesn't, she's dead. A TEMPORARY GHOST A GHOST-WRITING GIG IN PROVENCE--SHE'S LIVING THE DREAM! UNTIL THE KILLING STARTS...In journalist Georgia Lee Maxwell's second adventure, she leaves her new home in Paris for Provence, where she's been offered a lucrative ghost-writing job. But her co-author, suspected murderess Vivien Howard, the widow of a wealthy New York financier, seems strangely uninterested in writing her memoir Vivian was widely believed to have murdered her husband but was never charged with the crime, and now she promises to tell all.Amid the beauties of Provence, settled in, a charming renovated farmhouse, Georgia Lee finds a household full of ill-feeling, not to mention suspicious characters. Frustrated by Vivien's lack of cooperation and unnerved by threatening letters, Georgia Lee soon realizes that she has become a player in a more dangerous game than she could have imagined. And then there's another murder. VENETIAN MASK AT CARNIVAL IN THE FLOATING CITY—AN ARTLESS YOUNG AMERICAN, A MYSTERIOUS MASKED COUNT, AND MURDERThe surreal splendor of Venice glitters and mesmerizes as six so-called friends who, it turns out, barely know each other meet at Carnival to play a malignant game that quickly turns murderous. Sally, the “Tallahassee lassie” spurned by the rest as a virtual hayseed, is swept up by a mysterious count, attending masked balls, operas, and Carnival revels even as she mourns her marriage and dodges a deadly pursuer. “Things should happen at Carnival,” says her unlikely protector, who resembles Harlequin in more than his costume. “If they go on just the same, there’s no reason for Carnival at all.” There’s absolutely no chance of that in this psychological tour de force of surging identities wrestling to emerge in people forced by violence to confront their inner Harlequins and Medusas. FAULT TREE HELLO, IT’S YOUR PAST CALLING…“Placing blame&rdqu

    Someone killed my brother. I don't like that. If the police can't take care of it, then I'll bury my own dead."Nick English meant every word, but his efforts to find his brother's killer started a chain reaction of murder and violence that would nearly end his own life.Here is a story of organized blackmail punctuated by sudden and gruesome murder. Written with the punch and speed of a rivet gun, I'll Bury My Dead confirms James Hadley Chase's reputation as a leading writer of all-action, edge-of-your-seat thrillers that demand to be read in a single sitting.

    For sophisticated booklover Julia Kydd, life’s too short for politics. With her cropped hair and penchant for independent living, Julia wants only to launch her own new private press. But as a woman, Julia must fight for what’s hers—including the inheritance her estranged half brother, Philip, has challenged, putting her aspirations in jeopardy.When her friend’s sister, Naomi Rankin, dies suddenly of an apparent suicide, Julia is shocked at the wealthy family’s indifference toward the ardent suffragist’s death. Naomi chose poverty and hardship over a submissive marriage and a husband’s control of her money. Now, her death suggests the struggle was more than she could bear.Julia, however, is skeptical. Doubtful of her suspicions, Philip proposes a glib wager: if Julia can prove Naomi was in fact murdered, he’ll drop his claims to her wealth. Julia soon discovers Naomi’s life was as turbulent and enigmatic as her death. And as she gets closer to the truth, Julia sees there’s much more at stake than her inheritance…

    Alex Klear, a veteran intelligence officer, is sent to the Balkans on a hastily planned rendition which goes terribly bad. Alex decides it's time to retire. However, when he is persuaded to go to Germany as part of an operation connected to the rendition, he finds himself caught between two dynamic women, an old girlfriend and the female colonel running the 'op.' While there, he becomes a target of the Kosovo Liberation Army, a murder suspect to the German police, and for his superiors the perfect fall guy to take the heat for a badly botched secret operation. With Kosovo's independence declaration coming closer by the day, the secret war heats up and Alex comes to realize that he is at the center of a murky conspiracy aimed at making the United States an international pariah.

    Everyone calls it suicide. Josie knows it isn’t . . . but fears it could be. After all, she had provided Gabe with a motive. The clues are so strong that even Josie begins to believe Gabe shot himself. But when a horrific slaying occurs literally at her feet, she knows Gabe was murdered, and her determination to prove it carries her toward dark corners of the beach strip and exposes the darker sides of its residents. Fending off her fears with humour and outrage, she encounters a drug-crazed drifter, an organized-crime boss with romance on his mind, a woman with a murderous past and a pervert who’s been frequenting her garden shed. When a chance remark leads Josie to the astonishing truth of Gabe’s death, her story takes a shocking turn that no one could have seen coming.