In a Bangkok drunk on the nation's financial miracle - and high on an assortment of other things - the narrator meets Thong, a young, beautiful male hustler who works at a nightclub. As his romantic obsession with Thong grows, the narrator tries to convince himself that it transcends its commercial nature, but he is quickly forced into a hard look at the connections between desire and exploitation, personal and national identity. Lawrence Chua vividly combines Southeast Asia's troubled history with evocations of its modern face - its polyglot culture, its colonial past, the cool futurism of its skyscrapers and its sex industry. Written in hard-bitten, dazzling prose, Gold by the Inch is a stunning debut.

    From exploring an empty house with dreadful secrets to the account of an eccentric children’s ayah and from vengeful animals carrying a spirit to a bunch of anxious children in a stark landscape—these are some of the most interesting stories about the supernatural. Selected and compiled by Ruskin Bond, this collection includes stories by authors like Rudyard Kipling, Algernon Blackwood, R.L. Stevenson and Alice Perrin, among others.

    But one of her extreme good deeds goes horribly wrong, implicating Holly in a string of murders. Holly is suddenly in a different kind of fight for her life. Only two other people know Holly was at the site of the murder, and one of them is the killer. Making matters stickier is the fact that the detective assigned to the case is her old high school crush and present day nemesis. The clock is ticking as Holly is forced to play a dangerous game. Will Holly find the killer before he ruins what’s left of her life? Or will she spend her final days alone and behind bars? Random Acts of Deceit: "Break up with Chase Dexter, or I’ll kill him.” Holly Anna Paladin never expected such a gut-wrenching ultimatum. But the man threatening her makes it clear he’s dead serious. With home invasions, hidden cameras, and bomb threats, Holly must make some serious choices. Whatever Holly decides, the consequences will either break her heart or break her soul. She tries to match wits with the masked man, but he’s always a step ahead of her. The more she fights, the deeper she’s drawn into the perilous situation. Dealing with the ultimatum, her sister’s wedding problems, and riots that have broken out in the city, Holly’s nearly at her breaking point. She must discover the identity of this mystery man before someone she loves dies. But the deceit is threatening to pull her under . . . six feet under. Random Acts of Malice: When Holly Anna Paladin’s boyfriend, police detective Chase Dexter, says he’s leaving for two weeks and can’t give any details, she wants to trust him. But when she discovers Chase may be involved in some unwise and dangerous pursuits, she’s compelled to intervene. Holly gets a run for her money as she’s swept into the world of horseracing. The stakes turn deadly when a dead body surfaces and suspicion is cast on Chase. At every turn, more trouble emerges, making Holly question what she holds true about her relationship and her future. Just when she thinks she’s on the homestretch, a dark horse arises. Holly might lose everything in a nail-biting fight to the finish. Random Acts of Scrooge: Christmas is supposed to be the most wonderful time of the year, but a real-life Scrooge is threatening to ruin the season’s good will. Holly Anna Paladin can’t wait to celebrate Christmas with family and friends. She loves everything about the season—celebrating the birth of Jesus, singing carols, and baking Christmas treats, just to name a few. But when a local family needs help, how can she say no? Holly’s community has come together to help raise funds to save the home of Greg and Babette Sullivan, but a Bah-Humburgler has snatched the canisters of cash. Holly and her boyfriend, police detective Chase Dexter, team up to catch the Christmas crook. Will they succeed in collecting enough cash to cover the Sullivans’ overdue bills? Or will someone succeed in ruining Christmas for all those involved?

    The search for Ellen's errant husband leads Elvis into the seamier side of Hollywood. He soon learns that Mort Lang is a down-on-his-luck talent agent who associates with a schlocky movie producer, and the last place he was spotted was at a party thrown by a famous and very well-connected ex-Matador. But no one has seen him since - including his B-movie girlfriend. At the same time the police find Mort in his parked car with four gunshots in his chest - and no kid in sight - Ellen disappears. Now nothing is what it seems, and the heat is on. It's up to Elvis Cole and his partner Joe Pike to find the connection between sleazy Hollywood players and an ex-Matador. FREE FALL Read by James Daniels (Sandra Burr, Jill Sovis) Elvis Cole is just a detective who can't say no, especially to a girl in a terrible fix. And Jennifer Sheridan qualifies: Her fiance, Mark Thurman, is a decorated LA cop with an elite plainclothes unit, but Jennifer's sure he's in trouble - the kind of serious trouble that only Elvis Cole can help him out of. Five minutes after his new client leaves his office, Elvis and his partner, the enigmatic Joe Pike, are hip-deep in a deadly situation as they plummet into a world of South Central gangs, corrupt cops, and conspiracies of silence. And before the case is through, every cop in the LAPD will be gunning for a pair of escaped armed-and-dangerous killers - Elvis Cole and Joe Pike. LULLABY TOWN Read by James Daniels (Joyce Bean, Russell Byers) Hollywood's newest wunderkind is Peter Alan Nelson, the brilliant, erratic director known as the King of Adventure. His films make billions, but his manners make enemies. What the boy king wants, he gets, and what Nelson wants is for Elvis to comb the country for the airhead wife and infant child the film-school flunkout dumped en route to becoming the third biggest filmmaker in America. It's the kind of case Cole can handle in his sleep - until it turns out to be a nightmare. For when Cole finds Nelson's wife in a small Conneticut town, she's nothing like what he expects. The lady has some unwanted - and very nasty - mob connections, which means Elvis could be opening the East Coast branch of his P.I. office . . .at the bottom of the Hudson River.

    It offer in a nutshell and interesting historical perspective of each country."--Dato Zaid Ibrahim, Member of Parliament for Kato Bharu, Malaysia "A Short History of South-East Asia is one of my best references whenever I need to look for factual information and explanation about major events in South-East Asia, covering the most recent period and going back more than a thousand year."--Narongchai Akrasanee, Former Thailand Minister of Commerce "Any businessman doing or wanting to do business in SE Asia must understand the history of the area if he is to be successful. The history of each country plays an important part in understanding the country's culture and behaviour. This easily read book provides this invaluable information - ignore it at your peril."--Mike M. Courtnall, President, Asian Building and Manufacturing Markets, BHP Steel Limited "Succinct, reliable, historical surveys of each state of ASEAN, reaching right up to the present day. Such a country-by-country approach has real value for the business visitor of the tourist moving around this complex region. No one seeking to identify opportunities and dangers in Southeast Asia can ignore the historical processes that shape the different societies."--Anthony Milner, Basham Professor of Asian History, Australian National University "This authoritative, concise, balanced and accessible history neatly fills the gap between the tourist guides and the weighty academic tomes. It gives the reader an authentic "feed for history," so necessary to understand the present."--Stephen Grenville, Former Deputy Governor, Reserve Bank of Australia "The interpretation of events in this book has managed to capture to a considerable degree Southeast Asian perceptions of its history. To have achieved this in such a brief text is impressive."--Nono Anwar Makarim, Founder and Counsel to Makarim and Taira Chairman, Aksara Foundation, Jakarta

     Want to know about the Second World War but don't want to wade through thousands of pages? Want to know the facts and discover the why/who/what/when of WW2 without being bored rigid? You have come to the right place! This 'Layman's Guide' has been written to educate, engage and entertain readers - especially those who perhaps have not read too much about WW2 before. Short, sharp chapters are written with a pace and style not normally found in history books (which, let's be honest, can be pretty tough to read sometimes!) More akin to a nice easy chat over a cup of tea rather than a heavy historical text the story flows naturally, albeit without mountains of minutiae. This Layman's Guide provides enough detail to gain a good grounding of knowledge and understanding , without the reader becoming overwhelmed in detail and complexity.

    E. "Doc" Smith MEGAPACK™ collects 11 works by Smith, including entries in the Lensman, Skylark, Subspace, and Lord Tedric series -- in all, more than 1,700 pages of galaxy-spanning adventure! Included are:TRIPLANETARYFIRST LENSMANTHE VORTEX BLASTERTHE GALAXY PRIMESMASTERS OF SPACETHE SKYLARK OF SPACESKYLARK THREESPACEHOUNDS OF IPCSUBSPACE SURVIVORSTEDRICLORD TEDRICIf you enjoy this ebook, don't forget to search your favorite ebook store for "Wildside Press Megapack" to see more of the 250+ volumes in this series, covering adventure, historical fiction, mysteries, westerns, ghost stories, science fiction -- and much, much more!

    This book is highly recommended to fourth year high school or first year college students.

    Patterson's fundamentally serious but playful literary style. Patterson writes like the love child of Henry Miller and Mary Karr, with all the contradictions that implies -- a philosopher who thinks best over a glass of fine wine; an ex-Catholic still haunted by the image of the Crucifixion; an irreverent political satirist whose patriotism flies the flag of another iconoclast, Thomas Paine. Patterson grew up with a foot planted in each of two worlds -- one in Washington DC, the Capital of the Empire as he calls it, where the wheels of power spin, and one in rural Ontario, where his Canadian mother insisted the family spend their summers. His father, one of the wizards of twentieth century newspaper publishing, introduced him to the city's wheels of money and power, which he would later navigate as an entrepreneur, starting his first business at 20. But those Canadian summers introduced him to a different world - one where a cedar strip boat was better than any car, and where the ghosts of those who'd previously inhabited the family's island house floated out over the water of Lovesick Lake. It is those two worlds that blend in this collection, in reflections both serious and playful, on what it means to be a man, an artist, an iconoclast, a patriot, a lover, as the 20th century rolls over into the 21st.

    

    All by different authors.

    But one glance over the fence at his lovely but reticent neighbour. Maya is enough to launch him on a path of no return. He finds himself playing friend, partner, co-conspirator, and finally the entirely unexpected role of saviour as Maya, suffocating under the weight of a loveless marriage and a suspicious husband, turns to him for help. With characteristic case and insight, Jaishree Misra writes in her new novel of the transforming power of love and of the joy and heartbreak of giving yourself to another, for better or for worse.

    Weil and is packed with magic, romance, witches, and an enchanting setting you'll fall in love with. Brianna Morgan’s life hasn’t always been a walk in the park. Losing both parents in a tragic car accident was not easy to deal with for a seventeen-year-old. But she’s adjusted well considering, that is until a new guy at school stirs things up. Gavin Mason is wickedly hot, and his stormy sapphire eyes are shrouded with mystery and secrets. Brianna is drawn to him, but he isn’t the guy who captivates her dreams. Lukas Devine looks like the boy next door and it’s his sunny face that heats up her unusual slumber. Brianna never felt normal. But when Gavin reveals things that could change her world forever, opening her eyes to impossibilities, Brianna is forced to face her destiny. Will she embrace what is hers by birthright? Thousands of copies sold. Millions of pages read. Dive in and see why readers are addicted. Take advantage of this limited time bundle!

    12 full-length novels by 9 best-selling authors. The Madness of Viscount Atherbourne and Secrets of a Viscount are available exclusively in this bundle to KU readers. TEMPTING HIS MISTRESS Samantha Holt What could possibly induce at woman to follow in the footsteps of her mother and further sully her reputation by becoming a mistress? ALEXANDRA Lauren Royal and Devon Royal Alexandra Chase likes being the perfect daughter, thank you very much. Why bother chafing against society's restrictions when she could be basking in the warm glow of its approval? But when her brother's best friend—and secret obsession—returns from a long spell abroad, she loses interest in the suitable young lord she's expected to marry. Suddenly, family duty and a flawless reputation seem less important than the chance, however slight, that her girlhood crush might notice her now that she's all grown up... TO TAME A HIGHLAND EARL Tarah Scott Miss Eve Crenshaw wishes to marry for love. When London's most notorious rakehell breaks into her bedchamber in the dead of night and ruins her, she plans a daring elopement that shocks even the earl. LADY STAR Claudy Conn Never, in all her twenty years of life, had Star Berkley seen the likes of Sir Edward. He was so damned arrogant, so damned fashionable, and so damned insolent—and he was the most handsome man she had ever come across! THE UNWANTED HEIRESS Amy Corwin An American heiress nobody wants; a duke every woman desires; and a murder no one expects. Some nights just don't go as planned. THE KISS OF A VISCOUNT Linda Rae Sande A kiss is just a kiss ... or is it? George-Bennett Jones finds himself in love with Lady Elizabeth. His competition for her hand is the blond, blue-eyed Gabriel Wellingham. George has been tutored by his mistress, though, and employs the rules he has learned in an attempt to gain the upper hand in his quest for Elizabeth's hand. THE GRACE OF THE DUKE Linda Rae Sande They say time heals all wounds, but what of those left by love? Lady Charlotte takes matters into her own hands when she travels to Wisborough Oaks to marry Joshua Wainwright. The Duke of Chichester is recovering from burns and has no intention of subjecting a woman to what the ton refer to as "His Grace with half a face." When it appears someone is trying to kill him, Joshua sends his estate manager to London to find out who would benefit from his death. THE SEDUCTION OF AN EARL Linda Rae Sande You can't teach an old dog new tricks... but what about his mistress? It will take the antics and devotion of man's best friend to teach Henry and Hannah that sometimes love is right in front of your nose. TEMPTING MISS ALLENDER Wendy Vella Seven years after her disastrous debut, Miss Patience Allender has reluctantly returned to society. No longer the meek, mild Miss, she will never again allow a man to humiliate her.

    The six short stories in this bundle were originally available at everynighterotica.com Every Night Erotica published my first story and I will be eternally grateful.*This ebook contains mature content and is intended for adults 18 years and older*