Book picks similar to
Guests of the Nation by Frank O'Connor
short-stories
third-year-uni
20th-century
fiction
The Abandoned Girl
Diane Winger - 2017
Rejected by her father and his new family, she is shipped off to be raised by relatives she knows solely by reputation, and the reality is even worse than the stories she’s heard. Her hopes for her future fade as they strip away her independence and strive to tame her wild spirit.Pregnant at sixteen, Katharine also knows what it’s like to be left behind. Lonely and lost, she seeks a path back to the simple dreams she once held dear.When their paths intersect, the repercussions shape both of their worlds in ways neither could imagine.
Saddle Mountain
Paul L. Thompson - 2013
From 1873 until his death in 1896, Judge Isaac Charles Parker policed seventy-four thousand square miles, with two hundred or so lawmen. The area was called by several names; Last of the Western Frontier, Hell’s Fringe, The Nations and Indian Territory just to name a few. Several more names were used, but should not appear in print at this time.
The Rifleman (The M. Allen Western Gunfighter Collection #1)
M. Allen - 2017
The United States Bounty Hunter Western Adventures
Beneath A Colesberg Sky
Jeffrey Whittam - 2015
From Dakota’s Black Hills to the gold and diamond fields of Southern Africa, Jim O’Rourke and his daughter, Kathleen step from the sailing ship Eudora and take their covered wagon deep inside a vast and ancient wilderness. The land is raw-boned and unforgiving – the men and women who search its heart for wealth, love and adventure, even more so. Smoke from a thousand fires clung to a broken landscape and towering above it, churned from a vast and open wound in the earth’s crust, were those billowing clouds of powdered Kimberlite; as yellow, ochrous fingers they reached upwards for over a thousand feet, deep inside the heart of that darksome Colesberg sky.
SUMMER OF THE PLAGUE (Molly Titchen Book 2)
Gordon John Thomson - 2015
In the spring of 1665, England is recovering from a terrible winter, yet the country has other severe problems to face as the sun finally returns. The King, Charles II, had been welcomed back as a saviour on his restoration five years before, but is now resented by increasing numbers of his own people. And in March, the King declares war on the Dutch, England’s great seagoing trade rivals… Worse news comes to Restoration London, though, when there is an outbreak of the plague in April. This is terrible news in particular for the wealthy young physician and merchant Henry Raven, who believes that the outbreak is not natural but has been caused by an old enemy plotting his revenge against the city of London. Henry Raven, together with his friends from the Royal Society, Dr William Croone and Robert Hooke, organize the city’s fight against the spread of the disease. Raven’s delectable young mistress, Molly Titchen, is a precocious seventeen-year-old actress at the new King’s theatre in Drury Lane who is torn between her devotion to Henry Raven, and her love of strutting the stage in breeches parts. When Molly gives a bed for the night to one sick young actor, her kind action is misunderstood by Raven who believes that she has been unfaithful to him. Then Molly falls on hard times herself, and is aided not by her jealous lover, but by a strange Moorish apothecary, and a mysterious Frenchman, Philippe Desargues, Comte de Mésanger... Henry Raven has other problems to trouble his mind too, apart from his fight against the plague and his wish to save his relationship with Molly. Firstly, a close childhood friend, Esther Linney, has disappeared from her cottage on the estate of Raven’s family home in Dorset, Salwayash Manor, and gone to London. Raven’s sister Catherine asks her brother to find Esther in London, and discover why she left Dorset in such mysterious circumstances. Raven also has to deal with the fact that his sister has clearly fallen in love with their wealthy neighbour, the recently widowed Ralph Warboys, who is a handsome man yet one with a haunted past. And then strange events unfold in the quiet Dorset countryside when two young girls are found dead in suspicious circumstances... As the plague rages through London, Raven finds himself having to defend Esther Linney against a charge of witchcraft, while also trying to save Molly from an implacable enemy. But his greatest challenge is to discover the secrets of an old family curse, and to unmask a cruel murderer…
Runaway Best Seller
Lee Silber - 2012
But that's not so easy to do when he's a well-known pro baseball player being prosecuted for your murder and you unexpectedly become a best-selling author. Suddenly your new, quiet life in the tropics gets very complicated—and extremely dangerous.Does Kate return to California to bask in the glory of her newfound fame—and free her husband who beat her to within an inch of her life? Or, does she remain in hiding on a remote island living simply and happily and let justice take its course? That decision may not be Kate's to make when a series of events forces the issue as this story races to a surprising conclusion.ABOUT THE AUTHORWith the phrase "Best Seller" in the title, author Lee Silber knew this book had better be good. It may be his first novel, but he has written 18 other works of non-fiction and won ten awards for literary excellence, including the Theodore S. Geisel Award. Like his main character, Lee escaped life on the mainland and moved to Hawaii where he worked a number of odd jobs (including a stint as a suntan consultant) before his brothers lured him back to California to open a chain of surf shops. Since that time, Silber has had a successful run as an author, corporate trainer, and consultant—helping creative people master the business side of the arts and teaching business people how to become more creative.
The Paradise Gig (Key West Capers Book 15)
Laurence Shames - 2020
FICTION: Poolside at their motel, the Fab Four fell into conversation with a snappy-dressing local named Bert the Shirt, who listened as the band worked out a harmony to the most beautiful song he’d ever heard--and wouldn’t hear again for over half a century. FACT: That night, the Beatles played an unannounced free concert in the motel bar. Everyone was welcome. Local musicians showed up with guitars and keyboards, and had the once-in-a-lifetime experience of jamming with the Beatles till 4 am. This legendary event has forever after been known to Key West locals as THE PARADISE GIG.FICTION: Next day, hung over and exhausted, the Beatles left for the airport, having somehow lost a stained and battered notebook that held a priceless stash of unrecorded songs. NOW CUT TO THE PRESENT: A beautiful woman is doing a yoga headstand on a Key West beach when she’s abducted by a pair of thugs. An aspiring young singer is offered a recording deal that seems a bit too good to be true. Bad things happen to a couple of one-hit wonders…And old Bert hears a new song that is hauntingly familiar, but that he can’t quite place.Could it possibly be the same song he’d heard at poolside so many years before? Could it be that all the present mayhem circles back through the decades to THE PARADISE GIG? Could the precious, even sacred, Beatles notebook possibly turn up after all these years? Could Bert be the hero who would rediscover that stash of unheard songs for music lovers everywhere—and save a young singer’s life in the process? With Nacho, his intrepid Chihuahua, at his side, and with no one but bumbling detective Pete Amsterdam for an ally, the undaunted Bert the Shirt sets out through the Florida haze to piece it all together, learning along the way how much the world has changed—and how much it has not. In equal parts suspenseful and nostalgic, funny and romantic, this time-bending caper celebrates the power of music and the many tricks of memory, the joys of youth and the comforts of age, and the free and funky spirit of Key West.
Seven Fingers a' Brazos
Eric H. Heisner - 2018
When a wagon train of homesteaders is massacred by outlaws, a young male survivor is determined to rescue his stolen siblings. Dragged from his now peaceful existence, former military scout, Holton Lang invests himself in the search for the stolen captives as well as the difficult task of keeping the young man alive. As the search continues across three states, Holton meets old friends and finds new meaning in life as his job of survival embraces a newfound kinship.
Witness Protection Collection: Books 1 – 3
H.L. Wegley - 2019
Book 1 - No Safe Place When Randi, a world-class, middle-distance runner, literally runs into Matt on an Olympic National Park trail, she believes she's found someone who can help heal her heart. But she learns Matt has secrets that threaten both her heart and her life. Matt is a prodigal trying to come home from the far country, but how much is he willing to give to restore his honor? No Safe Place is a clean, action-filled, romantic-suspense story that races from the scenic beaches of the Olympic National Park to the beauty of Lake Chelan in Central Washington State, a story of courage, honor, faith, forgiveness, and love. Book 2 - No True Justice They forced Gemma Saint into witness protection, not to protect her, but to silence her. After testifying in a high-profile case, Gemma, a young intern at an influential media outlet, is forced into WITSEC by corrupt DOJ officials hoping to silence her. When Gemma’s testimony at a retrial threatens their elaborate conspiracy to control the upcoming presidential election. Gemma learns from her WITSEC Inspector her identity was compromised and someone in the DOJ has sent a team to kill her. Gemma seeks help from Lex James, a young investigative journalist and offers him the biggest story of his career. But Lex was recently given custody of his deceased sister’s four-year-old twins, Josh and Caleb. Sparks fly when Lex and Gemma meet, and the boys see their mother in her. But can she endanger this fragile family? Should she run away, sacrificing her life and the course of her beloved country? Lex has difficult choices, too. But the highly gifted boys, Josh and Caleb, have their own opinion about what should happen, and it is not wise to underestimate four-year-old boys with 200 IQs. No True Justice is a clean, high-action, romantic-suspense story set among the breathtaking canyons and rivers around Lake Billy Chinook in Eastern Oregon. Book 3 - No Turning Back When, Drew West, a young man much like her dead father, offers Beth Sanchez protection, will trusting him bring another massacre, one that takes her life too? How can a young cowboy from Central Oregon protect her from the vengeful leader of a Drug Cartel who wants her dead? Drew has reasons for wanting to protect Beth, reasons that run deep, all the way to his heart and even deeper yet, to his soul. No one in his charge will ever be hurt again, no matter the cost. But can he convince Beth of that or will she opt for witness protection? Set near Big Bend National Park and in Central Oregon, near the Deschutes River, No Turning Back is a clean, high-action, romantic-suspense story about love, courage, and the futility of human vengeance.
The Ever Open Door
Glenice Crossland - 2008
Jim's only complaint is that Sally is too soft hearted for her own good, always at the beck and call of any neighbour, friend or even stranger. Sally, on the other hand, accuses Jim of being a soft touch for anyone after a drink or two at the Rising Sun. Both accept that neither will ever change and they love each other and their daughter Daisy deeply.
Theirs is a close-knit family in a close-knit community where gossip - both good and bad - abounds and neighbour looks out for neighbour and friend for friend. And when Sally's generosity leads to an inheritance it should mean a change of life for the better, instead it brings danger and difficult choices for them all...
and Cain Smiled (Shad Cain Book 10)
Lou Bradshaw - 2020
But it was anyone’ guess, whether or not he would stay that way for long. Bunny, like the wild and crazy Coonskin Kelly and the level headed and even the even-tempered Wellington, were the men who turned Cain from boy to man. Without their help, he may not have survived his first fall and winter in the Rocky Mountains. Cain makes it a habit to do what he can for the all the old trappers he comes across. Slipping a few dollars in one of their pouches, was pretty common with Shadrac Cain. He had been told by an unreliable source that the elder of the group had passed away. But a much more reliable source knew for certain that the old trapper was still above ground and needing help. There seems to be an organized force working to get Bunny out of his home and off his wild and nearly worthless land. Ride along with Cain and Dog as they do all they can to keep the old man’s final years’ worth living. Somewhere along the way another soul came into Cain’s life and takes a big chunk of his heart.
The Ghost of Harry Black
Dave Garty - 2015
She decides to swap the hectic streets of London for a slower pace of life in the sleepy Kent village of Cloverdale St Mary, but her move to the countryside runs into problems when she finds that her new home is haunted. Meadow Cottage is still home to the man who re-built it from a derelict ruin twenty years before, the ghost of Harry Black. Candice defies his attempts to force her to leave and they agree to share the idyllic village home. The question is can a mortal and a ghost live together?
The Guns of the Broke Knife Mine
Tracy T. Thurman - 2018
To the daughter he’d left many years before. After crossing the desert, at the Colorado River, he comes across a woman and her young grandson, survivors of a brutal stage robbery. He finds himself in a small mining town in Arizona territory, wearing the badge of a Deputy U.S. Marshal, being the arm of the law in the town, tracking down outlaws and uncovering a sinister plot based on deception and corruption. A plan to rob, kill and terrorize, in the interests of cleaning out the Broke Knife Mine once and for all. Taking the wealth, and leaving nothing but dust and dead men behind. Pete Cooper encounters men who are cold blooded killers. He encounters honest men who work hard for a living. He also encounters a refined woman who, in spite of his rough edges, falls in loves with him. ‘The Guns of the Broke Knife Mine’, is a tale of the west. There’s action, intrigue, adventure, and even a little romance. It’s a tale of good men overcoming evil, and in a few cases, men overcoming the evil that lives within themselves. Does he ever make it back to Kansas to see his daughter? You ask. Well, I reckon you’ll have to read it to find out. Saddle up pard.
Mail Order Bride's Baby And Her Idealistic Lumberjack (A Western Historical Romance Book) (Evergreen Frontier)
Florence Linnington - 2021
Can't Get You Out of My Head
Sue Shepherd - 2018
But it's time to get on with her life. Could a seductive Italian, a smooth-talking charmer or backpacking around Australia be the answer?Lisa feels she's always lived in her sister's shadow. Maybe now it's her turn for some fun, whatever the consequences. But will her drunken antics land Beth in trouble?And when it comes to the crunch, will one sister have to give up what she wants so the other can have what she needs?Another entertaining page-turner from the No.1 bestselling author of Doesn't Everyone Have a Secret? – where things, and people, are not always as they first appear!