The Burnside Mystery Series, Boxed Set #2 (Books 4-6)


David Chill - 2018
    But nothing is the way it seems in this gripping mystery, and as the close calls evolve into murder, the drama grows and the tension mounts. Private Investigator Burnside, the former football star and LAPD officer, enters into a confounding world that gets murkier as the probe deepens. From former clients to spurned lovers to angry underworld figures, there are an inordinate number of people who harbor reasons to kill. With many avenues to go down, Burnside doggedly pursues an investigation that mystifies everyone involved, and also leads the police to suspect Burnside himself of a capital crime. Combining an intricate plot with compelling characters, Burnside goes down yet another treacherous path. Fraught with wry humor, the unexpected climax of the story will take readers by surprise -- in more ways than one. CORNER BLITZ (Book 5):The Governor of California's teenage daughter has gone missing, and it's happened right in the middle of a nasty re-election campaign. Adamant about keeping the investigation quiet, the governor brings in Burnside to find her. But when the case evolves into murder, everything changes and Burnside is plunged into a scenario where things are not what they appear to be. Cobbling together the world of politics, sports and teen romance, Corner Blitz moves through the wealthy canyon enclaves to the mean streets near downtown Los Angeles. And as Burnside overcomes the many obstacles in the investigation, he also comes face-to-face with his own past, one that haunts him to this day.The fifth Burnside mystery continues to deliver the witty banter and unexpected surprises that readers have enjoyed in this series. Corner Blitz follows Burnside on another tightly written mystery, loaded with plot twists, and finishes with an unforeseen, yet very satisfying ending.NICKEL PACKAGE (Book 6):A vicious killer is on the loose. Their targets are connected, but the motives are unclear. Brought in by a Fortune 500 company to do a simple background check, Private Investigator Burnside is suddenly thrown into the middle of a sea of carnage. And as he moves forward into this harrowing case, his own life is placed in mortal danger.Desperate to find the culprit before they strike again, Burnside faces his biggest challenge yet, and one in which a single wrong move -- or an ill-timed quip -- could prove to be very deadly.Filled with unexpected obstacles in his journey, the story leads Burnside into the glitz of the entertainment industry, but as he pushes forward, he discovers the harsh corruption that lies seething beneath the surface.Nickel Package embarks on another vivid tour through the eclectic world that is Los Angeles. From the tony corporate suites to the seemingly peaceful middle-class neighborhoods to the gritty urban neighborhoods, the reader is introduced to intriguing new areas and fascinating characters.And it wouldn't be a Burnside novel if it weren't loaded with irreverent humor! Nickel Package delivers an exciting mystery that is both compelling to follow -- and marvelous to read.

In The Middle of Middle America


David B. Lyons - 2021
    

The President Is Missing - A Free Preview of the Novel


Bill Clinton - 2018
    . . Clinton's insider secrets and Patterson's storytelling genius make this the political thriller of the decade." --Lee Child The publishing event of 2018: Bill Clinton and James Patterson's The President Is Missing is a superlative thriller . . . one that can really happen, and one that must not be missed. The President Is Missing confronts a threat so huge that it jeopardizes not just Pennsylvania Avenue and Wall Street, but all of America. Uncertainty and fear grip the nation. There are whispers of cyberterror and espionage and a traitor in the Cabinet. Even the President himself becomes a suspect, and then he disappears from public view . . . Set over the course of three days, The President Is Missing sheds a stunning light upon the inner workings and vulnerabilities of our nation. Filled with information that only a former Commander-in-Chief could know, this is the most authentic, terrifying novel to come along in many years. And a timely, historic story that will be read--and talked about--for years to come.

Midsummer Meeting


Elvi Rhodes - 2000
    She was lonely and unsettled - her parents had been killed in a car accident, her boyfriend had decided to go back to his wife, and as a painter she led a solitary life in her North Yorkshire home town. But she felt immediately at home in the gracious stone house that had been bequeathed to her, and was made welcome by the local residents - in particular, by the members of the Mindon Amateur Dramatic Society (somewhat appropriately known as MADS) presided over by the formidable Ursula. Ursula liked to run things her way, and brooked no opposition when the ambitious decision was made (largely by herself) to put on A Midsummer Night's Dream as their next production. Petra , to her surprise and pleasure, was put in charge of the wardrobe. Rivalries, squabbles, love affairs and seething resentments threatened to scupper the production, and all Ursula's managerial skills were needed to prevent disaster. But Petra had more pressing things on her mind than the costumes for the cast. A mystery from her past began to haunt her - and the answer to that mystery might solve the puzzle of why she had been left such a beautiful house by a total stranger.

Duck Duck Wally


Gabe Rotter - 2007
     Meet Wally Moscowitz. His day job is top secret. As ghostwriter for Oral B, the most famous gangsta rapper in the world, Wally is the real mastermind behind Godz-Illa Records' best-selling artist, and the best-kept secret in the Industry. But if word gets out about Wally's true profession, Godz-Illa's kajillion-dollar rap empire will be sunk, and Wally will be dead meat. When Wally comes home one particularly bizarre afternoon to find a ransom note and his best friend and dog, Dr. Barry Schwartzman, missing, Wally goes to great lengths to stop the dognappers while keeping the big secret under wraps. He must, if he wants to walk away with his job, not to mention his life, intact. The hunt for Dr. Schwartzman and the blackmailing thug who is trying to reveal hip-hop's biggest conspiracy becomes a wild-goose chase in which everyone becomes a suspect: Sue Schadenfreude, Wally's girlfriend, who makes a pretty penny massaging Barbra Streisand's papillon, Yenta; Pardeep Vishvatma, Wally's neighbor, who keeps a watchful eye on all the suspicious characters lurking about the hood; Jerry Silver, Wally's slick-rick, self-styled superagent; Abraham "Dandy" Lyons, Wally's boss and Godz-Illa's CEO-badass with Suge Knight's street cred and Tony Soprano's "friends"; Jem, the fiery, achingly familiar vixen who steals Wally's heart; Yo Yo Pa and Teddy Bizzle, Oral B's entourage; and the mysterious mob crew: Five-two Lou, Six-seven Kevin, and Balsamic Vinny, who show up when Wally needs them most. Duck Duck Wally is a hilarious romp through the absurdities of Los Angeles, the bombastic details of hip-hop culture, and a day in the life of what was supposed to be the painfully ordinary existence of Wally Moscowitz.

Things You Shouldn't Say Past Midnight: A Comedy in Three Beds


Peter Ackerman - 2000
    Ever been racially slurred in the sack? Ever been subjected to strangers yelling at you at 3am about the most intimate details of your life? Ever been to New York? Six characters from wildly different backgrounds make love, war and hysteria late one night in the cultural, sexual and generational smorgasbord that is Manhattan.

Samurai's Apprentice


David Walters - 2011
    All this seems far removed from Kami, a boy who quietly goes about his everyday life in his farm village until one day he trips over the unconsious body of a warrior hidden in the long grass.That discovery will lead him on an adventure across the warring kingdoms, facing assassins and enemy soldiers as he journeys to the capital to face the new Shogun. Through his travels he aspires to become a samurai, and in his many challenges he eventually comes to understand what it means to be one.

A Girl Apart


Russell Blake - 2017
    A mysterious phone call.A deadly international conspiracy.A brutal killer who'll stop at nothing to keep the sins of the past hidden.When investigative journalist Leah Mason returns home to El Paso with her career in flames and her romantic life in tatters, things seem like they can't get any worse.Leah soon discovers she couldn't be more wrong.Bludgeoned by life's body blows, her prospects change overnight when she sets out on the trail of a brutal killer who's terrorized a city for decades.Can she discover the truth before he claims another victim? Is the handsome stranger she finds herself drawn to hiding a secret that could cost Leah her life?If you love lightning-paced mysteries from Connoly, Archer, and Patterson, A Girl Apart is sure to be one you can't put down.Get it now!

Space Team: The Collected Adventures: Volume 1 (Space Team #1-3)


Barry J. Hutchison - 2017
    He is mistaken.Abducted by aliens and whisked across the galaxy, Cal is thrown into a team of misfits and criminals, and sent on a top secret mission for the President of Space. And that's when everything starts to go very, very wrong...This box set collects the first three bestselling adventures of Cal Carver and the crew of the dread ship Shatner, by multi-award-winning author, Barry J. Hutchison: Space Team Space Team: The Wrath of Vajazzle Space Team: The Search for Splurt

Flushed: A funny short story


Svingen and Pedersen - 2018
    What’s the man to do? Leave the bathroom and say nothing on the matter? Or, take matters into his own hands?THE MEANTIME STORIES is a funny short read series that draws inspiration from Terry Pratchett, Monty Python, and Douglas Adams, all combined with a twist of Nordic Noir (human folly, abrupt and plentiful deaths, snappy dialogue, quirky deep thoughts, and absurd outcomes). It’s glittering darkness, and clouded light.Each story is a stand-alone, ready to be enjoyed when you yearn for 30 minutes of wacky, brainy, and laugh-out-loud entertainment. Longing for surprises, unexpected twists, and silliness with an edge? Look no further, because in the Meantime, anything can happen!

Too Much, Too Late


Marc Spitz - 2006
    Reunited more than a decade after their brief flirtation with fame in the early 1990s, the middle-aged members of the Ohio-based Jane Ashers suddenly find themselves hitting the big time, with a new record deal, a hit single, fame, fans, and a tour, that transforms their dream into a nightmare of colliding egos, family pressures, and too much success too late.

Hellbender


Frank J. Fleming - 2019
     The red flag was that he said he was Satan. But the deal was good: Listen to Satan’s story in exchange for some donuts. And Doug only half-fulfilled his part of the bargain. But maybe he should have listened better, because during his friend Bryce’s next scheme (theft with light to moderate treason—the usual), Doug and the rest of his friends—Lulu (the fun one) and Charlene (the not fun one)—end up with a powerful artifact, a small metal cube with world-ending power that Lulu decorated with bunnies. And now everyone wants the bunny cube, which means Doug, Bryce, Lulu, and Charlene are being pursued by an insane supermodel general, an army of sadists, a vast criminal organization, a smaller, more-in-startup-mode criminal organization, and an unstoppable killing machine—the worst kind of killing machine. Doug and his friends may be a bunch of losers who aren’t particularly smart or good at anything, but they have one thing going for them: a really cool name for their mercenary group. And now it’s up to Hellbender to save the world—well, what’s left of it. It’s pretty ruined and war-torn already. But, you know, they live there, so they kind of need it. It’s a mess, but that’s what you get for listening to Satan. Or half-listening.

Bird Box: free sampler (chapter 1)


Josh Malerman - 2014
    The doors are locked, the curtains are closed, mattresses are nailed over the windows.They are out there. She might let them in.The children sleep in the bedroom across the hall.Soon she will have to wake them. Soon she will have to blindfold them.Today they must leave the house. Today they will risk everything.

Meteor


Jerry Dawson - 2018
    Under social media pressure, NASA sends David Anderson to the island to investigate the death and vindicate the agency. But Anderson is not the only newcomer to the island. More people are dying. Anderson and his team must figure out what is killing everyone before they, too, become victims. But how do you stop a killing machine that keeps evolving?Michael Crichton and Douglas Preston fans will enjoy the hard science fiction in this action-packed thriller.“Scary as hell.”“Bone-chillingly frightening.”

Thermals (Anselm Gunnar)


Evan Currie - 2011
    At the Australian Solar Power facility that Tower City is built around, however, the inspector is about to learn that the man everyone thinks is hiding from the law is actually doing anything but.Thermals is a fast paced near future terrorism thriller that will keep you flipping the pages as fast as your reader, and your eyes, will allow. From the start it builds to a rising crescendo that will leave you breathless and cheering.