Kadir Nelson explains the history of the Negro National League that played baseball from the 1920s to 1947. Through this history, he shares the story of amazing men who endured horrible circumstances to do what they loved: play ball. Read by Dion Graham.  2 audio discs (approximately 2 hr.)

In 1849, the body of Edgar Allan Poe has been buried in an unmarked grave in Baltimore. Concluded by everyone as a second-rate writer who met a disgraceful end, one lone admirer, Quentin Clark, puts his own career and reputation at risk in a crusade to salvage Poe's. Quentin soon finds...  more

In 1849, the body of Edgar Allan Poe has been buried in an unmarked grave in Baltimore. Concluded by everyone as a second-rate writer who met a disgraceful end, one lone admirer, Quentin Clark, puts his own career and reputation at risk in a crusade to salvage Poe's. Quentin soon finds himself enmeshed in sinister machinations involving international political agents and the lost secrets of Poe's final hours, and must himself turn master investigator to escape Poe's grisly fate. Note: Disc 6 is an enhanced CD that includes Matthew Pearl's Audio Afterword in MP3 audio file format. 6 sound discs; disk 6 requires an MP3-compatible CD player

T his is the remarkable story of one endearing dog?s search for his purpose over the course of several lives. More than just another charming dog story, A Dog?s Purpose touches on the universal quest for an answer to life?s most basic question: Why are we here? Surprised to find himself reborn...  more

T his is the remarkable story of one endearing dog?s search for his purpose over the course of several lives. More than just another charming dog story, A Dog?s Purpose touches on the universal quest for an answer to life?s most basic question: Why are we here? Surprised to find himself reborn as a rambunctious golden-haired puppy after a tragically short life as a stray mutt, Bailey?s search for his new life?s meaning leads him into the loving arms of 8-year-old Ethan. During their countless adventures Bailey joyously discovers how to be a good dog. But this life as a beloved family pet is not the end of Bailey?s journey. Reborn as a puppy yet again, Bailey wonders?will he ever find his purpose? Heartwarming, insightful, and often laugh-out-loud funny, A Dog?s Purpose is not only the story of a dog?s many lives, but also a dog?s-eye commentary on human relationships and the unbreakable bonds between man and man?s best friend. This beautifully crafted novel teaches us that love never dies, that our true friends are always with us, and that every creature on Earth is born with a purpose.

This is a collection of uplifting, encouraging, and inspirational thoughts for the graduate. This little book mixes Scripture and the wisdom of some of the most thoughtful people in history, including St. Francis, Winston Churchill, Mother Teresa, John Wooden, Eleanor Roosevelt, Ronald Reagan,...  more

This is a collection of uplifting, encouraging, and inspirational thoughts for the graduate. This little book mixes Scripture and the wisdom of some of the most thoughtful people in history, including St. Francis, Winston Churchill, Mother Teresa, John Wooden, Eleanor Roosevelt, Ronald Reagan, Julian of Norwich, and many others. Many literary greats are represented, including A.A. Milne, C.S. Lewis, J.R.R. Tolkien, Emily Dickinson, Charles Dickens, and William Shakespeare. It is perfect for casual reading, or whenever the new graduate needs a bit of encouragement or some timeless wisdom to face a new challenge.

From the New York Times bestselling author of Under and Alone comes an intimate and riveting account of federal law-enforcement agent William Queen?s relentless hunt for one of America?s most cold-blooded criminals.As an agent with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, William Queen must...  more

From the New York Times bestselling author of Under and Alone comes an intimate and riveting account of federal law-enforcement agent William Queen?s relentless hunt for one of America?s most cold-blooded criminals.As an agent with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, William Queen must tackle a number of challenging cases, including going undercover to investigate a group of violent skinheads and infiltrating and busting a ring trafficking in high-powered explosives, drugs, and firearms. In the winter of 1985, he faces his toughest mission to date: he must apprehend Mark Stephens, a notorious narcotics trafficker who has been terrorizing the communities around Los Angeles with frequent rampages involving machine guns and hand grenades. A recluse living in the treacherous backwoods outside the city, Stephens is a cunning survivalist. Nobody has been able to catch him, but Queen is determined to take him down. Queen?s unique expertise is not taught in any police academy or ATF training seminar?he honed his outdoorsman abilities as a kid. Stephens may have finally met his match in the unwavering Queen, who is adept at hunting and trapping and living for weeks in the wild. Queen will use these skills?along with surveillance, confidential informants, and intelligence gathering?as he doggedly tracks his dangerous quarry, a chase that culminates in a gripping showdown high in the San Bernardino Mountains.A fascinating look into the daily life of an ATF agent and a taut portrayal of a monthlong manhunt, Armed and Dangerous depicts a classic race against time?lawman versus outlaw?in a harrowing true story of life-or-death suspense.From the Hardcover edition.

After being dumped by his longtime girlfriend, twenty-eight-year-old Justin Halpern found himself living at home with his seventy-three-year-old dad. Sam Halpern, who is "like Socrates, but angrier, and with worse hair," has never minced words, and when Justin moved back home, he began...  more

After being dumped by his longtime girlfriend, twenty-eight-year-old Justin Halpern found himself living at home with his seventy-three-year-old dad. Sam Halpern, who is "like Socrates, but angrier, and with worse hair," has never minced words, and when Justin moved back home, he began to record all the ridiculous things his dad said to him: "That woman was sexy ... Out of your league? Son, let women figure out why they won't screw you. Don't do it for them." "Do people your age know how to comb their hair? It looks like two squirrels crawled on their heads and started fucking." "The worst thing you can be is a liar ... Okay, fine, yes, the worst thing you can be is a Nazi, but then number two is liar. Nazi one, liar two." Almost two million people now follow Mr. Halpern's philosophical musings on Twitter, and in this book, his son weaves a brilliantly funny, touching coming-of-age memoir around the best of his quotes. An all-American story that unfolds on the Little League field, in Denny's, during excruciating family road trips, and, most frequently, in the Halperns' kitchen over bowls of Grape-Nuts, Sh*t My Dad Says is a chaotic, hilarious, true portrait of a father-son relationship from a major new comic voice. Unabridged: 3 Compact Discs, Running Time: 3 hours, Narrator: Sean Schemmel.

In Victorian times, the language of flowers was used to convey romantic expressions. But for Victoria Jones, flowers have been more useful in communicating darker messages. After spending her childhood in the foster-care system, she finds it difficult to connect with people, and her only...  more

In Victorian times, the language of flowers was used to convey romantic expressions. But for Victoria Jones, flowers have been more useful in communicating darker messages. After spending her childhood in the foster-care system, she finds it difficult to connect with people, and her only solace is in flowers and their meanings. Now 18, and on her own, Victoria spends her first few nights in a public park, where she plants and tends a small garden. Soon a local florist recognizes Victoria's gift for helping others through the flowers she selects for them. But a mysterious encounter causes Victoria to realize what's been missing from her life. And when she's forced to confront a painful secret from her past, she must decide whether it's worth risking everything for a second chance at happiness.

A beautiful woman paid it with her body. A seedy lawyer used somebody else's money. It's the vig - the exorbitant interest mob loan sharks take on their money. Now, in the city by the Bay, everyone has to pay… Down-and-out-lawyer Rusty Ingraham left behind a murdered woman...  more

A beautiful woman paid it with her body. A seedy lawyer used somebody else's money. It's the vig - the exorbitant interest mob loan sharks take on their money. Now, in the city by the Bay, everyone has to pay… Down-and-out-lawyer Rusty Ingraham left behind a murdered woman and a houseboat splattered with blood. All the evidence said Ingraham was in San Francisco Bay. Dead. But a friend of Ingraham's, former cop and prosecutor Dismas Hardy, isn't so sure. And Hardy has to find out, because a stone-cold killer, now paroled, once threatened to kill Ingraham and Dismas Hardy both. Now, to save his own skin, Dismas must face down liars and killers on both sides of the law. From mob foot soldiers to brokenhearted lovers to renegade cops, a dozen lives are tied to the fate of Rusty Ingraham - and the payback has only just begun… Read by David Colacci.  Unabridged: 9 sound discs (ca. 11 hr.) 

HOLIDAYS ON ICE collects six of David Sedaris' most profound Christmas stories into one slender volume perfect for use as a last-minute coaster or ice scraper. This drinking man's companion can be enjoyed by the warmth of a raging fire, the glow of a brilliantly decorated tree, or even the...  more

HOLIDAYS ON ICE collects six of David Sedaris' most profound Christmas stories into one slender volume perfect for use as a last-minute coaster or ice scraper. This drinking man's companion can be enjoyed by the warmth of a raging fire, the glow of a brilliantly decorated tree, or even the backseat of a van or police car. It should be read with your eyes, felt with your heart, and heard only when spoken to. It should, in short, behave much like a book. And, oh, what a book it is!

On May 13, 1945, twenty-four American servicemen and WACs boarded a transport plane for a sightseeing trip over “Shangri-La,” a beautiful and mysterious valley deep within the jungle-covered mountains of Dutch New Guinea. Unlike the peaceful Tibetan monks of James Hilton’s...  more

On May 13, 1945, twenty-four American servicemen and WACs boarded a transport plane for a sightseeing trip over “Shangri-La,” a beautiful and mysterious valley deep within the jungle-covered mountains of Dutch New Guinea. Unlike the peaceful Tibetan monks of James Hilton’s bestselling novel Lost Horizon, this Shangri-La was home to spear-carrying tribesmen, warriors rumored to be cannibals. But the pleasure tour became an unforgettable battle for survival when the plane crashed. Miraculously, three passengers pulled through. Margaret Hastings, barefoot and burned, had no choice but to wear her dead best friend’s shoes. John McCollom, grieving the death of his twin brother also aboard the plane, masked his grief with stoicism. Kenneth Decker, too, was severely burned and suffered a gaping head wound. Emotionally devastated, badly injured, and vulnerable to the hidden dangers of the jungle, the trio faced certain death unless they left the crash site. Caught between man-eating headhunters and enemy Japanese, the wounded passengers endured a harrowing hike down the mountainside—a journey into the unknown that would lead them straight into a primitive tribe of superstitious natives who had never before seen a white man—or woman. 

To love, honor...and poison - the true story of a wife brought to justice. For four months, arsenic consumed the body of promising young pediatric AIDS researcher Eric Miller. No one thought that his wife could be capable of such a horrible crime - except for veteran homicide investigator...  more

To love, honor...and poison - the true story of a wife brought to justice. For four months, arsenic consumed the body of promising young pediatric AIDS researcher Eric Miller. No one thought that his wife could be capable of such a horrible crime - except for veteran homicide investigator Chris Morgan, a man who would spend the next four years in his pursuit of justice.

The fascinating characters that roam across the pages of Emma Donoghue's stories have all gone astray: they are emigrants, runaways, drifters, lovers old and new. They are gold miners and counterfeiters, attorneys and slaves. They cross other borders too: those of race, law, sex, and sanity....  more

The fascinating characters that roam across the pages of Emma Donoghue's stories have all gone astray: they are emigrants, runaways, drifters, lovers old and new. They are gold miners and counterfeiters, attorneys and slaves. They cross other borders too: those of race, law, sex, and sanity. They travel for love or money, incognito or under duress. With rich historical detail, the celebrated author of Room takes us from puritan Massachusetts to revolutionary New Jersey, antebellum Louisiana to the Toronto highway, lighting up four centuries of wanderings that have profound echoes in the present. Astray offers us a surprising and moving history for restless times. Narrated by Khristine Hvam, James Langton, Robert Petkoff, Suzanne Toren, and Dion Graham ; afterword read by the author.  6 sound discs (6 hr., 30 min.)

Based on the author s true life experiences, How Coffee Saved My Life is a funny, tragic, provocative and touching story of a rich, white, North American overachiever who spends a year in Uruguay in hopes of becoming a more responsible and sensitive member of the global community. Throughout the...  more

Based on the author s true life experiences, How Coffee Saved My Life is a funny, tragic, provocative and touching story of a rich, white, North American overachiever who spends a year in Uruguay in hopes of becoming a more responsible and sensitive member of the global community. Throughout the book, vignettes tied to the Spanish language flow from observation to theological analysis.

Described by the Chicago Tribune as "a classic," The Rise of Theodore Roosevelt stands as one of the greatest biographies of our time. The publication of The Rise of Theodore Roosevelt on September 14th, 2001 marks the 100th anniversary of Theodore Roosevelt becoming president. From...  more

Described by the Chicago Tribune as "a classic," The Rise of Theodore Roosevelt stands as one of the greatest biographies of our time. The publication of The Rise of Theodore Roosevelt on September 14th, 2001 marks the 100th anniversary of Theodore Roosevelt becoming president. From the Trade Paperback edition. Read by Harry Chase.  Abridged: 8 sound discs (ca. 9 hr.) 

The first volume of a special seven volume series In Craig Kennedy the American nation might justifiably lay claim to their own Sherlock Holmes, for here is a detective whose activities projected him into the modern age. Where Conan Doyle's famous character of a more gentle era relied on his...  more

The first volume of a special seven volume series In Craig Kennedy the American nation might justifiably lay claim to their own Sherlock Holmes, for here is a detective whose activities projected him into the modern age. Where Conan Doyle's famous character of a more gentle era relied on his superb powers of analysis, Kennedy is able to combine his own intellectual powers with the technological marvels of a new age. Arthur B. Reeve's classic 'Craig Kennedy' stories began appearing in 1910, ensuring him of a place as a dominant crime fighter for the emerging 20th century. Kennedy is perhaps the natural evolution of the 'great detective' and the reader cannot but imagine that Holmes would have embraced his newly created techniques with equal enthusiasm. Here the reader will discover the application of lie detectors, gyroscopes, seismographs and an arsenal of other equipment, both real and imagined, to the solving of crimes and the bringing of criminals to justice. This special Leonaur collection of the 'scientific' detective of Columbia University comprises seven substantial volumes, each in a colour coordinated cover. Leonaur hard backs are cloth bound, have fabric head and tail bands and feature gold foil lettering on their spines, so this may be the ideal way to collect and own the marvellous Craig Kennedy detective story series. In the first volume, the reader will find two complete books of intriguing detective stories to enjoy-The Poisoned Pen and The Silent Bullet, both originally published in 1912. Within its pages enthusiasts can puzzle over many a dastardly crime and, of course, an equal number of brilliantly deduced solutions.

The Tattooist of Auschwitz is based on the true story of Lale and Gita Sokolov, two Slovakian Jews, who survived Auschwitz and eventually made their home in Australia. In that terrible place, Lale was given the job of tattooing the prisoners marked for survival--literally scratching numbers into...  more

The Tattooist of Auschwitz is based on the true story of Lale and Gita Sokolov, two Slovakian Jews, who survived Auschwitz and eventually made their home in Australia. In that terrible place, Lale was given the job of tattooing the prisoners marked for survival--literally scratching numbers into his fellow victims' arms in indelible ink to create what would become one of the most potent symbols of the Holocaust. Lale used the infinitesimal freedom of movement that this position awarded him to exchange jewels and money taken from murdered Jews for food to keep others alive. If he had been caught he would have been killed; many owed him their survival. There have been many books about the Holocaust--and there will be many more. What makes this one so memorable is Lale Sokolov's incredible zest for life. He understood exactly what was in store for him and his fellow prisoners and he was determined to survive--not just to survive, but to leave the camp with his dignity and integrity intact, to live his life to the full. Terrible though this story is, it is also a story of hope and of courage. It is also--almost unbelievably--a love story. Waiting in line to be tattooed, terrified and shaking, was a young girl. For Lale--a dandy, a jack-the-lad, a bit of a chancer--it was love at first sight and he determined not only to survive himself, but to ensure that Gita did, too. His story--their story--will make you weep, but you will also find it uplifting. It shows the very best of humanity in the very worst of circumstances. Like many survivors, Lale and Gita told few people their story after the war. They eventually made their way to Australia, where they raised a son and had a successful life. But when Gita died, Lale felt he could no longer carry the burden of their past alone. He chose to tell his story.

In the sixth title in the successful Woods Cop Mystery series, another suspenseful who-done-it finds Grady Service with an unexpectedly complex, truly rotten, and important case on his hands. This time tainted eggs are showing up in caviar and Service must expose a ring of...  more

In the sixth title in the successful Woods Cop Mystery series, another suspenseful who-done-it finds Grady Service with an unexpectedly complex, truly rotten, and important case on his hands. This time tainted eggs are showing up in caviar and Service must expose a ring of corruption in state government and perhaps within his own beloved DNR, one that could lead him all the way to the top.  Making enemies at every level of the state, Service rousts out the people on the take. Can he get to the source of the contaminated eggs and prove it? Pitting corporate greed against the health of the general public isn't something Service takes lightly. He doesn't rest until there has been full exposure in a case that takes him from the wilds of the Upper Peninsula to the jungles of the state capital, into the maw of the Ukrainian mafia in New York City and onto distant beaches of Central America.

After a long and eventful life, Allan Karlsson ends up in a nursing home, believing it to be his last stop. The only problem is that he's still in good health-and tomorrow is his hundredth birthday. A big celebration is in the works, but Allan really isn't interested (and he'd like a bit more...  more

After a long and eventful life, Allan Karlsson ends up in a nursing home, believing it to be his last stop. The only problem is that he's still in good health-and tomorrow is his hundredth birthday. A big celebration is in the works, but Allan really isn't interested (and he'd like a bit more control over his vodka consumption). So he decides to escape. He climbs out the window in his slippers and embarks on a hilarious and entirely unexpected journey, involving, among other surprises, a suitcase stuffed with cash, some unpleasant criminals, a friendly hot-dog stand operator, and an elephant. Quirky and utterly unique, The 100-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out the Window and Disappeared has charmed over two million people around the world.

As a little girl, Jane has no one. Her mother Vivienne Margaux, the powerful head of a major New York theater company has no time for her. But she does have one friend -- Michael -- and no one can see him but her. But Michael can't stay with Jane forever, and on her eighth birthday, her...  more

As a little girl, Jane has no one. Her mother Vivienne Margaux, the powerful head of a major New York theater company has no time for her. But she does have one friend -- Michael -- and no one can see him but her. But Michael can't stay with Jane forever, and on her eighth birthday, her imaginary friend must leave her. When Jane is in her thirties, working for her mother's company, she is just as alone as she was as a child. Her boyfriend hardly knows she's there and is more interested in what Vivienne can do for his career. Her mother practically treats her as a slave in the office, despite the great success of Jane's first play, "Thank Heaven." Then she finds Michael -- handsome, and just the same as she remembers him, only now he's not imaginary. For once in her life, Jane is happy -- and has someone who loves her back. But not even Michael knows the reason behind why they've really been reunited. Read by Ellen Archer.  5 audio discs (CD) (approximately 5 hr., 30 min.)

Four masked men -- thieves, rivals, and friends from the tough streets of Charlestown -- take on a Boston bank at gunpoint. Holding bank manager Claire Keesey hostage and cleaning out the vault were simple. But career criminal Doug MacRay didn't plan on one thing: falling hard for Claire....  more

Four masked men -- thieves, rivals, and friends from the tough streets of Charlestown -- take on a Boston bank at gunpoint. Holding bank manager Claire Keesey hostage and cleaning out the vault were simple. But career criminal Doug MacRay didn't plan on one thing: falling hard for Claire. When he tracks her down without his mask and gun, their mutual attraction is undeniable. With a tenacious FBI agent following his every move, he imagines a life away from his gritty, dangerous work -- a life centered around Claire. But before that can happen, Doug and his crew learn that there may be a way to rob Boston's venerable baseball stadium, Fenway Park. Risky yet utterly irresistible, it would be the perfect heist to end his criminal career and begin a new life. But, as it turns out, pursuing Claire may be the most dangerous act of all. Read by: Donnie Wahlberg Abridged - 5 CDs, 6 hours

Devon Brady is a devoted veterinarian working in a makeshift hospital on a remote search and rescue mission. When a man arrives with his wounded black Lab, Ned, she has no idea that she is about to be plunged into a whirlwind of terror and destruction. Jude Marrock is out for revenge and...  more

Devon Brady is a devoted veterinarian working in a makeshift hospital on a remote search and rescue mission. When a man arrives with his wounded black Lab, Ned, she has no idea that she is about to be plunged into a whirlwind of terror and destruction. Jude Marrock is out for revenge and has no choice but to involve Devon in a high-stakes cat-and-mouse game with an escalating body count. She doesn't trust him one bit, but when the shots start flying and friends start falling, she finds herself with nowhere else to run. And there are innocent lives, both human and animal, at stake, including those of Ned and his mysterious pack. Is Jude Devon's salvation or her damnation? Are the secrets he's protecting worth killing for...or dying for? With a lightning-fast pace, unforgettable characters, and gut-wrenching action, Dark Summer is compelling new terrain for this master storyteller. Read by Joyce Bean Unabridged: 10 CDs, 11 hrs.

From the author of the classic book, Playing God in Yellowstone, comes a rare book about the relationship of dogs, people, and the land they inhabit. Alston Chase tells a deeply personal and exceptionally moving story of his relationship with his animal companions over a period of thirty years....  more

From the author of the classic book, Playing God in Yellowstone, comes a rare book about the relationship of dogs, people, and the land they inhabit. Alston Chase tells a deeply personal and exceptionally moving story of his relationship with his animal companions over a period of thirty years. The title of the book was inspired by the words of Rudyard Kipling: "When we are certain of sorrow in store/ Why do we always arrange for more/ Brothers and sisters, I bid you beware/ Of giving your heart to a dog to tear." The book is at one level about the Jack Russell terriers Ifrit, Bungee, and their own friends as well as the people who nominally owned them and other dogs as well. Alston Chase tells of his search for the immortality of dogs, what makes them special, and why we willingly give them our hearts knowing that someday they'll die and leave us bereft. Chase's connection to his dogs is strong as the pull of the land that he loves. He writes of both, and the spirits of both, as "inseparable ghosts." To Chase, land is a community of living things that is born and eventually dies, like dogs and people - but their spirits live on. Rich in poetic citations, We Give Our Hearts to Dogs to Tear presents a deeply moving belief that though people and dogs may perish and the land may change beneath one's feet, the essence of each individual soul is immortal.

Few can rival attorney Andy Carpenter's affection for golden retrievers, especially his own beloved Tara. After he astonishes a New Jersey courtroom by successfully appealing another golden's death sentence, Andy discovers that this gentle dog is a key witness to a murder that took place five...  more

Few can rival attorney Andy Carpenter's affection for golden retrievers, especially his own beloved Tara. After he astonishes a New Jersey courtroom by successfully appealing another golden's death sentence, Andy discovers that this gentle dog is a key witness to a murder that took place five years before. Andy pushes the boundaries of the law even further as he struggles to free an innocent man by convincing an incredulous jury to take canine testimony seriously. It will take all the tricks Andy's fertile mind can conceive to get to the bottom of a remarkable chain of impersonations and murder, and save a dog's life, and his own, in the process.

The Concrete Blonde: This high-voltage thriller opens with Homicide Detective Bosch battling charges as the chief defendant in a civil suit against the LAPD. The family of a notorious serial killer whom Bosch shot during an arrest four years ago has accused Bosch of killing the wrong man. This...  more

The Concrete Blonde: This high-voltage thriller opens with Homicide Detective Bosch battling charges as the chief defendant in a civil suit against the LAPD. The family of a notorious serial killer whom Bosch shot during an arrest four years ago has accused Bosch of killing the wrong man. This allegation becomes horrifyingly plausible when a new murder occurs with all the hallmarks of the dead slayer's style. The Last Coyote: Harry attacked his commanding officer and is suspended indefinitely, pending a psychiatric evaluation. At first he resists the LAPD shrink, but finally recognizes that something is troubling him and has for a long time. In 1961, when Harry was twelve, his mother, a prostitute, was brutally murdered with no one ever accused of the crime. Trunk Music: Back on the job after an involuntary leave of absence, LAPD homicide detective Harry Bosch is ready for a challenge. But his first case is a little more than he bargained for. It starts with the body of a Hollywood producer in the trunk of a Rolls-Royce, shot twice in the head at close range - what looks like "trunk music," a Mafia hit. Abridged. Read by Dick Hill.

Days before the Pearl Harbor attack plunges the U.S. into World War II, private eye Maggie Sullivan is hired to find a missing engineer in Dayton, Ohio. Has Gil Tremain been kidnaped, or has he turned traitor ? to his employer and maybe his country? As Maggie pieces together his last...  more

Days before the Pearl Harbor attack plunges the U.S. into World War II, private eye Maggie Sullivan is hired to find a missing engineer in Dayton, Ohio. Has Gil Tremain been kidnaped, or has he turned traitor ? to his employer and maybe his country? As Maggie pieces together his last movements, she finds there are secrets the man?s ex-wife and his employers don?t want uncovered. Maggie herself is attacked and an innocent witness is murdered. The ruthlessness of her opponent ? or opponents ? becomes even clearer when there?s an attempt to abduct Tremain?s young daughter. Still more chilling, Maggie?s investigation suddenly attracts the attention of a local crime kingpin. The attack on Pearl Harbor presses every cop in the city into service protecting manufacturing and research facilities. Stunned by the knowledge their nation will soon be at war, even fearful the mainland itself will be bombed, people cling to family and friends. Schedules and routines shatter. Amid the disruption, alone and aware she can?t count on help from the police, Maggie races to save a man who has now become a liability to his captors. Maximum Moxie, fifth book in the author?s popular Maggie Sullivan mysteries series, gives readers fast-paced twists and turns along with a rare and vividly painted closeup view of a watershed event in 20th century American history.

A novel -- inspired by the most celebrated regiment in the Red Army -- about a woman’s sacrifice, courage, and love in a time of war. Russia, 1941. Katya Ivanova is a young pilot in a far-flung military academy in the Ural Mountains. From childhood, she’s dreamed of taking to the...  more

A novel -- inspired by the most celebrated regiment in the Red Army -- about a woman’s sacrifice, courage, and love in a time of war. Russia, 1941. Katya Ivanova is a young pilot in a far-flung military academy in the Ural Mountains. From childhood, she’s dreamed of taking to the skies to escape her bleak mountain life. With the Nazis on the march across Europe, she is called on to use her wings to serve her country in its darkest hour. Not even the entreaties of her new husband -- a sensitive artist who fears for her safety -- can dissuade her from doing her part as a proud daughter of Russia. After years of arduous training, Katya is assigned to the 588th Night Bomber Regiment -- one of the only Soviet air units composed entirely of women. The Germans quickly learn to fear nocturnal raids by the daring fliers they call “Night Witches.” But the brutal campaign will exact a bitter toll on Katya and her sisters-in-arms. When the smoke of war clears, nothing will ever be the same -- and one of Russia’s most decorated military heroines will face the most agonizing choice of all. 

Lane Mercer, sent to Longview, Texas in July, 1942 is part of a select group of women working undercover for the fledging federal agency, the Office of Strategic Services. Assigned to protect the man carrying out President Roosevelt?s initiative to build the nation?s first overland pipeline to...  more

Lane Mercer, sent to Longview, Texas in July, 1942 is part of a select group of women working undercover for the fledging federal agency, the Office of Strategic Services. Assigned to protect the man carrying out President Roosevelt?s initiative to build the nation?s first overland pipeline to hurry East Texas crude to the troops, she discovers there?s more to Longview than the dossiers implied. There?s intrigue, mayhem, and danger. Shamed from a botched OSS mission in France, Lane struggles to fulfill her mission and keep from drowning in guilt. Getting involved in local life is out of the question. Between family, do-gooders, and Nazi threats, she?s knitted into a series of events that unravel all of her carefully constructed plans, revealing that sometimes the life one has to save, is one's own.

Three Chicago women have been found strangled, embalmed, and posed as if still alive. Doubting the findings of the local PD’s profiler, The FBI calls on forensic psychologist Zoe Bentley to investigate. Zoe quickly gets off on the wrong foot with her new partner, Special Agent Tatum...  more

Three Chicago women have been found strangled, embalmed, and posed as if still alive. Doubting the findings of the local PD’s profiler, The FBI calls on forensic psychologist Zoe Bentley to investigate. Zoe quickly gets off on the wrong foot with her new partner, Special Agent Tatum Gray. Zoe’s a hunter, intense and focused; Tatum’s a smug maverick with little respect for the rules. Together, they must descend into a serial killer’s psyche and untangle his twisted fantasies, or more women will die. But when the contents of three inconspicuous envelopes reveal a chilling connection to gruesome murders from Zoe’s childhood, suddenly the hunter becomes the hunted.

The case was closed, but for journalist Nancy Rommelmann, the mystery remained: What made a mother want to murder her own children?On May 23, 2009, Amanda Stott-Smith drove to the middle of the Sellwood Bridge in Portland, Oregon, and dropped her two children into the Willamette River. Forty...  more

The case was closed, but for journalist Nancy Rommelmann, the mystery remained: What made a mother want to murder her own children?On May 23, 2009, Amanda Stott-Smith drove to the middle of the Sellwood Bridge in Portland, Oregon, and dropped her two children into the Willamette River. Forty minutes later, rescuers found the body of four-year-old Eldon. Miraculously, his seven-year-old sister, Trinity, was saved. As the public cried out for blood, Amanda was arrested, convicted, and sentenced to thirty-five years in prison.Embarking on a seven-year quest for the truth, Rommelmann traced the roots of Amanda?s fury and desperation through thousands of pages of records, withheld documents, meetings with lawyers and convicts, and interviews with friends and family who felt shocked, confused, and emotionally swindled by a woman whose entire life was now defined by an unspeakable crime. At the heart of that crime: a tempestuous marriage, a family on the fast track to self-destruction, and a myriad of secrets and lies as dark and turbulent as the Willamette River.

A chilling true crime story of poisonous family secrets, love gone wrong, and a cold case that refused to stay buried?In late summer of 2012, millionaire landowner Göran Lundblad went missing from his farm in Sweden. When a search yielded nothing, and all physical evidence had seemingly...  more

A chilling true crime story of poisonous family secrets, love gone wrong, and a cold case that refused to stay buried?In late summer of 2012, millionaire landowner Göran Lundblad went missing from his farm in Sweden. When a search yielded nothing, and all physical evidence had seemingly disappeared, authorities had little to go on?except a disturbing phone call five weeks later from Göran?s daughter Maria. She was sure that her sister, Sara, was somehow involved. At the heart of the alleged crime: Sara?s greed, her father?s land holdings, and his bitter feud with Sara?s idler boyfriend. With no body, there was no crime?and the case went as cold and dark as the forests of southern Sweden. But not for Therese Tang. For two years, this case was her obsession.A hard-working ex-model, mother of three, and Missing People investigator, Therese was willing to put her own safety at risk in order to uncover the truth. What she found was a nest of depraved secrets, lies, and betrayal. All she had to do now, in her relentless and dangerous pursuit of justice, was prove that it led to murder.

Despite constant efforts to declutter your home, do papers still accumulate like snowdrifts and clothes pile up like a tangled mess of noodles? Japanese cleaning consultant Marie Kondo takes tidying to a whole new level, promising that if you properly simplify and organize your home once,...  more

Despite constant efforts to declutter your home, do papers still accumulate like snowdrifts and clothes pile up like a tangled mess of noodles? Japanese cleaning consultant Marie Kondo takes tidying to a whole new level, promising that if you properly simplify and organize your home once, you’ll never have to do it again. Most methods advocate a room-by-room or little-by-little approach, which doom you to pick away at your piles of stuff forever. The KonMari Method, with its revolutionary category-by-category system, leads to lasting results. In fact, none of Kondo’s clients have lapsed (and she still has a three-month waiting list).  With detailed guidance for determining which items in your house “spark joy” (and which don’t), this international bestseller featuring Tokyo’s newest lifestyle phenomenon will help you clear your clutter and enjoy the unique magic of a tidy home -- and the calm, motivated mindset it can inspire.

From the internationally bestselling author of Somewhere in France comes an enthralling historical novel about one of the most famous wedding dresses of the twentieth century -- Queen Elizabeth's wedding gown -- and the fascinating women who made it. Millions will welcome this joyous...  more

From the internationally bestselling author of Somewhere in France comes an enthralling historical novel about one of the most famous wedding dresses of the twentieth century -- Queen Elizabeth's wedding gown -- and the fascinating women who made it. Millions will welcome this joyous event as a flash of color on the long road we have to travel. --Sir Winston Churchill on the news of Princess Elizabeth's forthcoming wedding. London, 1947: Besieged by the harshest winter in living memory,�burdened by onerous shortages and rationing, the people of postwar Britain are enduring lives of quiet desperation despite their nation's recent victory. Among them are Ann Hughes and Miriam Dassin, embroiderers at the famed Mayfair fashion house of Norman Hartnell. Together they forge an unlikely friendship, but their nascent hopes for a brighter future are tested when they are chosen for a once-in-a-lifetime honor: taking part in the creation of Princess Elizabeth's wedding gown. Toronto, 2016: More than half a century later, Heather Mackenzie seeks to unravel the mystery of a set of embroidered flowers, a legacy from her late grandmother. How did her beloved Nan, a woman who never spoke of her old life in Britain, come to possess the priceless embroideries that so closely resemble the motifs on the stunning gown worn by Queen Elizabeth II at her wedding almost seventy years before? And what was her Nan's connection to the celebrated textile artist and holocaust survivor Miriam Dassin? With The Gown, Jennifer Robson takes us inside the workrooms where one of the most famous wedding gowns in history was created. Balancing behind-the-scenes details with a sweeping portrait of a society left reeling by the calamitous costs of victory, she introduces readers to three unforgettable heroines, their points of view alternating and intersecting throughout its pages, whose lives are woven together by the pain of survival, the bonds of friendship, and the redemptive power of love.

A new collection of inspiring personal philosophies from another noteworthy group of peopleThis second collection of This I Believe essays gathers seventy-five essayists?ranging from famous to previously unknown?completing the thought that begins the book?s title. With contributors who run the...  more

A new collection of inspiring personal philosophies from another noteworthy group of peopleThis second collection of This I Believe essays gathers seventy-five essayists?ranging from famous to previously unknown?completing the thought that begins the book?s title. With contributors who run the gamut from cellist Yo-Yo Ma to ordinary folks like a diner waitress, an Iraq War veteran, a farmer, a new husband, and many others, This I Believe II, like the first New York Times bestselling collection, showcases moving and irresistible essays.Included are Sister Helen Prejean writing about learning what she truly believes through watching her own actions, singer Jimmie Dale Gilmore writing about a hard-won wisdom based on being generous to others, and Robert Fulghum writing about dancing all the dances for as long as he can. Listeners will also find wonderful and surprising essays about forgiveness, personal integrity, and honoring life and change.Here is a welcome, stirring, and provocative communion with the minds and hearts of a diverse, new group of people?whose beliefs and the remarkably varied ways in which they choose to express them reveal the American spirit at its best.

As a boy, Will Klein had a hero: his older brother, Ken. Then, on a warm suburban night in the Kleins’ affluent New Jersey neighborhood, a young woman -- a girl Will had once loved -- was found brutally murdered in her family's basement. The prime suspect: Ken Klein. With the evidence...  more

As a boy, Will Klein had a hero: his older brother, Ken. Then, on a warm suburban night in the Kleins’ affluent New Jersey neighborhood, a young woman -- a girl Will had once loved -- was found brutally murdered in her family's basement. The prime suspect: Ken Klein. With the evidence against him overwhelming, Ken simply vanished. And when his shattered family never heard from Ken again, they were sure he was gone for good. Now eleven years have passed. Will has found proof that Ken is alive. And this is just the first in a series of stunning revelations as Will is forced to confront startling truths about his brother, and even himself. As a violent mystery unwinds around him, Will knows he must press his search all the way to the end. Because the most powerful surprises are yet to come.

In the world of high-octane coffee shops, asking for a decaf is a good way to get a hot jolt of scorn. But Clare Cosi, manager of the historic Village Blend, is determined to please all of her customers, even if it kills her... Get the Lead Out At the Village Blend, Clare Cosi's...  more

In the world of high-octane coffee shops, asking for a decaf is a good way to get a hot jolt of scorn. But Clare Cosi, manager of the historic Village Blend, is determined to please all of her customers, even if it kills her... Get the Lead Out At the Village Blend, Clare Cosi's best baristas may refer to a decaffeinated espresso as a "why bother?" but Clare knows a good percentage of her customer, prefer the neutered brew. So when an old friend of her ex-husband develops the world's first botanically decaffeinated coffee bean and smuggles it into the country, Clare believes it's a business opportunity she needs to investigate...at least until the first dead body shows up. With casualties piling up and a complicated blend of old and new loves muddying the waters, it's up to Clare to find the murderer before one of her near and dears takes the fall. Otherwise, her latest addition to the menu will prove to be a real buzz killer...

Since his retirement from the Navajo Tribal Police, Joe Leaphorn has occasionally been enticed to return to work by former colleagues who seek his help when they need to solve a particularly puzzling crime. They ask because Leaphorn, aided by officers Jim Chee and Bernie Manuelito, always...  more

Since his retirement from the Navajo Tribal Police, Joe Leaphorn has occasionally been enticed to return to work by former colleagues who seek his help when they need to solve a particularly puzzling crime. They ask because Leaphorn, aided by officers Jim Chee and Bernie Manuelito, always delivers. But this time the problem is with an old case of Joe's—his "last case," unsolved, is one that continues to haunt him. And with Chee and Bernie just back from their honeymoon, Leaphorn is pretty much on his own. The original case involved a priceless, one-of-a-kind Navajo rug supposedly destroyed in a fire. Suddenly, what looks like the same rug turns up in a magazine spread. And the man who brings the photo to Leaphorn's attention has gone missing. Leaphorn must pick up the threads of a crime he'd thought impossible to untangle. Not only has the passage of time obscured the details, but it also appears that there's a murderer still on the loose. Performed by George Guidall.  6 sound discs (ca. 7 hr.)

Two kids with the same name lived in the same decaying city. One went on to be a Rhodes Scholar, decorated combat veteran, White House Fellow, and business leader. The other is serving a life sentence in prison. Here is the story of two boys and the journey of a generation. In December 2000, the...  more

Two kids with the same name lived in the same decaying city. One went on to be a Rhodes Scholar, decorated combat veteran, White House Fellow, and business leader. The other is serving a life sentence in prison. Here is the story of two boys and the journey of a generation. In December 2000, the Baltimore Sun ran a small piece about Wes Moore, a local student who had just received a Rhodes Scholarship. The same paper also ran a series of articles about four young men who had allegedly killed a police officer in a spectacularly botched armed robbery. The police were still hunting for two of the suspects who had gone on the lam, a pair of brothers. One was named Wes Moore.  Wes just couldn’t shake off the unsettling coincidence, or the inkling that the two shared much more than space in the same newspaper. After following the story of the robbery, the manhunt, and the trial to its conclusion, he wrote a letter to the other Wes, now a convicted murderer serving a life sentence without the possibility of parole. His letter tentatively asked the questions that had been haunting him: Who are you? How did this happen?That letter led to a correspondence and relationship that have lasted for several years. Over dozens of letters and prison visits, Wes discovered that the other Wes had had a life not unlike his own: Both had grown up in similar neighborhoods and had had difficult childhoods, both were fatherless; they’d hung out on similar corners with similar crews, and both had run into trouble with the police. At each stage of their young lives they had come across similar moments of decision, yet their choices would lead them to astonishingly different destinies.Told in alternating dramatic narratives that take readers from heart-wrenching losses to moments of surprising redemption, The Other Wes Moore tells the story of a generation of boys trying to find their way in a hostile world. From the Hardcover edition.

From a phenomenal new voice in suspense fiction comes a book that will forever change the way you look at the people closest to you?Shadow Cove, Washington, is the kind of town everyone dreams about?quaint streets, lush forests, good neighbors. That?s what Sarah thinks as she settles into life...  more

From a phenomenal new voice in suspense fiction comes a book that will forever change the way you look at the people closest to you?Shadow Cove, Washington, is the kind of town everyone dreams about?quaint streets, lush forests, good neighbors. That?s what Sarah thinks as she settles into life with her new husband, Dr. Johnny McDonald. But all too soon she discovers an undercurrent of deception. And one October evening when Johnny is away, sudden tragedy destroys Sarah?s happiness.Dazed and stricken with grief, she and Johnny begin to rebuild their shattered lives. As she picks up the pieces of her broken home, Sarah discovers a shocking secret that forces her to doubt everything she thought was true?about her neighbors, her friends, and even her marriage. With each stunning revelation, Sarah must ask herself, Can we ever really know the ones we love?

Set in the 1920s, this clever new series takes readers to the height of the Jazz Age. From speak-easies to the bohemian scene, New York to Paris, they'll follow Bedford Green, a man-about-town who rubs elbows with famous personalities, dabbles in art dealing, and solves a few crimes.  

Private Jack Morgan investigates the disappearance of the biggest superstar couple in Hollywood. Thom and Jennifer Harlow are the perfect couple, with three perfect children. They maybe two of the biggest mega movie stars in the world, but they're also great parents, philanthropists and just...  more

Private Jack Morgan investigates the disappearance of the biggest superstar couple in Hollywood. Thom and Jennifer Harlow are the perfect couple, with three perfect children. They maybe two of the biggest mega movie stars in the world, but they're also great parents, philanthropists and just all-around good people. When they disappear without a word from their ranch, facts are hard to find. They live behind such a high wall of security and image control that even world-renowned Private Investigator Jack Morgan can't get to the truth. But as Jack keeps probing, secrets sprout thick and fast--and the world's golden couple may emerge as hiding behind a world of desperation and deception that the wildest reality show couldn't begin to unveil. Murder is only the opening scene.

Daughter of Queen Isabella and King Ferdinand of Spain, Katherine of Aragon has been fated her whole life to marry Prince Arthur of England. The match becomes as passionate as it is politically expedient. But tragically, Arthur falls ill and extracts from his young bride a death bed promise to...  more

Daughter of Queen Isabella and King Ferdinand of Spain, Katherine of Aragon has been fated her whole life to marry Prince Arthur of England. The match becomes as passionate as it is politically expedient. But tragically, Arthur falls ill and extracts from his young bride a death bed promise to marry his brother Henry, become Queen, and fulfill their dreams and her destiny. Widowed and alone in the avaricious world of the Tudor court, Katherine has to sidestep her father-in-law's desire for her and convince him, and an incredulous Europe, that her marriage to Arthur was never consummated, that there is no obstacle to marriage with Henry. For seven years she endures the treachery of spies, the humiliation of poverty, and intense loneliness and despair while she waits for the inevitable moment when she will step into the role she has prepared for all her life. 5 CDs, run time 5.5 hours

Lady Almina and the Real Downton Abbey tells the story behind Highclere Castle, the real-life inspiration and setting for Julian Fellowes?s Emmy Award-winning PBS show, and the life of one of its most famous inhabitants, Lady Almina, the 5th Countess of Carnarvon. Drawing on a rich store of...  more

Lady Almina and the Real Downton Abbey tells the story behind Highclere Castle, the real-life inspiration and setting for Julian Fellowes?s Emmy Award-winning PBS show, and the life of one of its most famous inhabitants, Lady Almina, the 5th Countess of Carnarvon. Drawing on a rich store of materials from the archives of Highclere Castle, including diaries, letters, and photographs, the current Lady Carnarvon has written a transporting story of this fabled home on the brink of war.   Much like her Masterpiece Classic counterpart Lady Cora Crawley, Lady Almina was the daughter of a wealthy industrialist, Alfred de Rothschild, who married his daughter off at a young age, her dowry serving as the crucial link in the effort to preserve the Earl of Carnarvon's ancestral home.  Throwing open the doors of Highclere Castle to tend to the wounded of World War I, Lady Almina distinguished herself as a brave and remarkable woman.   This rich tale contrasts the splendor of Edwardian life in a great house against the backdrop of the First World War and offers an inspiring and revealing picture of the woman at the center of the history of Highclere Castle.

Chaz Wilmot makes his living cranking out old-master parodies for ads and magazine covers. When he's offered a job restoring a Venetian palace fresco, he is at first, skeptical -- he immediately sees it is more a forgery than a restoration. But he is soon seduced by the challenge and throws...  more

Chaz Wilmot makes his living cranking out old-master parodies for ads and magazine covers. When he's offered a job restoring a Venetian palace fresco, he is at first, skeptical -- he immediately sees it is more a forgery than a restoration. But he is soon seduced by the challenge and throws himself into the work, doing the job brilliantly. This feat attracts the attention of Werner Krebs, a shady art dealer who becomes Wilmot's friend and patron. Wilmot is suddenly working with a fervor he hasn't felt in years, but without warning, he finds himself reliving moments from his past -- not as memories but as if they are happening all over again. Soon, he believes he can travel back to the 17th century where he lived as the Spanish artist Diego Rodriguez de Silva Velazquez. Wilmot begins to fantasize that as Velazquez, he has created a masterpiece and when the painting actually turns up, he doesn't know if he painted it or if he imagined the whole thing. Little by little, Wilmot enters a secret world of gangsters, greed and murder, with his mystery patron at the center of it all, either as the mastermind behind a plot to forge a painting worth hundred of millions, or as the man who will save Wilmot from obscurity and madness. Audio Review: Suspending disbelief is easy with Michael Gruber's thoroughly engrossing novel. Artist Chaz Wilmot has never lived up to his potential. He wastes his great talent doing commercial hackwork to survive. After agreeing to participate in a drug study investigating the source of creativity, Wilmot's reality suffers a seismic shift. Eric Conger gives voice to Wilmot as he slips between his life in the 21st century and his life as the Spanish painter Diego Velazquez. Is Wilmot/Velazquez painting the soon-to-be priceless nude, or is he hallucinating as he commits forgery? Conger's performance highlights Wilmot's anguish, disorientation, and uncertainty. VENUS will appeal to listeners who enjoy a little art history, a little mystery, a literate and entertaining bit of imagination, and a smart narration. 9 sound discs (11 1/2 hr.)

In September 2001, the headless body of an elderly man washing ashore in Galveston, Texas. also recovered were garbage bags containing the severed limbs of the victim -- and a newspaper with a home delivery address that left arresting officers to the downscale apartment of Robert Durst, an...  more

In September 2001, the headless body of an elderly man washing ashore in Galveston, Texas. also recovered were garbage bags containing the severed limbs of the victim -- and a newspaper with a home delivery address that left arresting officers to the downscale apartment of Robert Durst, an unkempt transient who dressed in drag. Incredibly, his bail was posted the following morning. New York authorities were quick to make the unbelievable connection. This was the Robert Durst, the dashing real estate scion whose family's fortune was worth hundreds of millions of dollars. He was also the Robert Durst who was a "person of interest" in the number of a prominent woman journalist, as well as a high-profile suspect in the mysterious disappearance of his first wife 20 years earlier. How could Robert Durst degenerate from a powerful New York City businessman to a cross-dressing fugitive wanted in a murder investigation? The answer was more startling than anyone who knew him could ever have imagined...

From New York Times bestselling author Rhys Bowen comes a haunting novel about a woman who braves her father’s hidden past to discover his secrets... In 1944, British bomber pilot Hugo Langley parachuted from his stricken plane into the verdant fields of German-occupied...  more

From New York Times bestselling author Rhys Bowen comes a haunting novel about a woman who braves her father’s hidden past to discover his secrets... In 1944, British bomber pilot Hugo Langley parachuted from his stricken plane into the verdant fields of German-occupied Tuscany. Badly wounded, he found refuge in a ruined monastery and in the arms of Sofia Bartoli. But the love that kindled between them was shaken by an irreversible betrayal. Nearly thirty years later, Hugo’s estranged daughter, Joanna, has returned home to the English countryside to arrange her father’s funeral. Among his personal effects is an unopened letter addressed to Sofia. In it is a startling revelation. Still dealing with the emotional wounds of her own personal trauma, Joanna embarks on a healing journey to Tuscany to understand her father’s history -- and maybe come to understand herself as well. Joanna soon discovers that some would prefer the past be left undisturbed, but she has come too far to let go of her father’s secrets now...

New York Times bestselling author Laurence Leamer offers an unprecedented look at the culture of excess in the elite community of Palm Beach.

What?s worse than the failure of the health care system to adequately care for seniors? The fact that it?s actually doing them harm. In A Bitter Pill, Dr. John Sloan investigates the reasons why the medical community is unable to provide lasting health to seniors, concluding that incorrect...  more

What?s worse than the failure of the health care system to adequately care for seniors? The fact that it?s actually doing them harm. In A Bitter Pill, Dr. John Sloan investigates the reasons why the medical community is unable to provide lasting health to seniors, concluding that incorrect assumptions have led to the current health crisis among the elderly. In a remarkable argument, Sloan contends that medical measures based in prevention actually do seniors more harm than good, diminishing their current quality of life in the hopes of preventing future disease. Sloan maintains that we must understand what those in poor health really need ? a way to enjoy the final stages of their lives. A valuable resource for caregivers, nurses, doctors, and children of the elderly, this book may just turn the tide of medical misconception that has plagued the senior community.

One of the best-known, most frequently performed of modern plays, displaying Ibsen's genius for realistic prose drama. A classic expression of women's rights, the play builds to a climax in which the central character, Nora, rejects a smothering marriage and life in "a doll's house."

A Nameless Detective mystery story that starts with the theft of exotic animals from San Francisco's Fleishhacker Zoo…and ends with murder. Expensive and endangered animals are being stolen from the Felishhacker Zoo. At the behest of a previous client -- who also happens to be...  more

A Nameless Detective mystery story that starts with the theft of exotic animals from San Francisco's Fleishhacker Zoo…and ends with murder. Expensive and endangered animals are being stolen from the Felishhacker Zoo. At the behest of a previous client -- who also happens to be an animal enthusiast -- the Nameless Detective takes the case and finds himself patrolling the zoo after hours as a night watchman. He has one theory about the thefts already: the animals are being stolen by a collector or someone who knows their worth on the black market. However, as the Nameless Detective searches for answers, the clues begin to debunk his theory that the job was done by an outsider.… Read by Stacy Keach; Unabridged: 1 CD, 1 hr. 42 minutes

A teacher is found murdered, and Maigret is presented with two clues and a gaggle of suspects. The Inspector, however, is preoccupied with a suspicious pathway nearby. An absorbing study of human appetites suppressed to the bursting point by small-town respectability. 

Pete Hamill's collected stories about Brooklyn present a New York almost lost but not forgotten. They read like messages from a vanished age, brimming with nostalgia---for the world after the war, the days of the Dodgers and Giants, and even, for some, the years of Prohibition and the...  more

Pete Hamill's collected stories about Brooklyn present a New York almost lost but not forgotten. They read like messages from a vanished age, brimming with nostalgia---for the world after the war, the days of the Dodgers and Giants, and even, for some, the years of Prohibition and the Depression. THE CHRISTMAS KID is vintage Hamill. Set in the borough where he was born and raised, it is a must-read for his many fans, for all who love New York, and for anyone who seeks to understand the world today through the lens of the world that once was. The Christmas kid -- The price of love -- A death in the family -- Wishes -- The love of his life -- Good-bye -- Changing of the guard -- Footsteps -- A poet long ago -- The car -- Just the facts, ma'am -- 6-6-44 -- The trial of Red Dano -- Leaving paradise -- Lullaby of Birdland -- The boarder -- The men in black raincoats -- The radio doctor -- The challenge -- A hero of the war -- The final score -- Gone -- You say tomato, and ... -- 'S wonderful -- The warrior's son -- The second summer -- The sunset pool -- The lasting gift -- The man with the blue guitar -- The hitter bag -- Trouble -- The home country -- The waiting game -- The home run -- Up the roof -- The book signing Read by Henry Leyva.  7 audio discs (approximately 6 hr.) 

From the bestselling author of The Hamilton Affair, a novel based on a thrilling chapter of Civil War history and African American history, how Harriet Tubman lead a Union raid to free 750 slaves.It?s May 1863. Outgeneraled and outgunned, a demoralized Union Army has pulled back with massive...  more

From the bestselling author of The Hamilton Affair, a novel based on a thrilling chapter of Civil War history and African American history, how Harriet Tubman lead a Union raid to free 750 slaves.It?s May 1863. Outgeneraled and outgunned, a demoralized Union Army has pulled back with massive losses at the Battle of Chancellorsville. Fort Sumter, hated symbol of the Rebellion, taunts the American navy with its artillery and underwater mines. In Beaufort, South Carolina, one very special woman, code named Moses, is hatching a spectacular plan. Hunted by Confederates, revered by slaves, Harriet Tubman plots an expedition behind enemy lines to liberate hundreds of bondsmen and recruit them as soldiers. A bounty on her head, she has given up husband and home for the noblest cause: a nation of, by, and for the people.The Tubman Command tells the story of Tubman at the height of her powers, when she devises the largest plantation raid of the Civil War. General David Hunter places her in charge of a team of black scouts even though skeptical of what one woman can accomplish. For her gamble to succeed, ?Moses? must outwit alligators, overseers, slave catchers, sharpshooters, and even hostile Union soldiers to lead gunships up the Combahee River. Men stand in her way at every turn--though one reminds her that love shouldn?t have to be the price of freedom.

What won't we try in our quest for perfect health, beauty, and the fountain of youth? Well, just imagine a time when doctors prescribed morphine for crying infants. When liquefied gold was touted as immortality in a glass. And when strychnine -- yes, that strychnine, the one used in rat...  more

What won't we try in our quest for perfect health, beauty, and the fountain of youth? Well, just imagine a time when doctors prescribed morphine for crying infants. When liquefied gold was touted as immortality in a glass. And when strychnine -- yes, that strychnine, the one used in rat poison -- was dosed like Viagra. Looking back with fascination, horror, and not a little dash of dark, knowing humor, Quackery recounts the lively, at times unbelievable, history of medical misfires and malpractices. Ranging from the merely weird to the outright dangerous, here are dozens of outlandish, morbidly hilarious "treatments" -- conceived by doctors and scientists, by spiritualists and snake oil salesmen (yes, they literally tried to sell snake oil) -- that were predicated on a range of cluelessness, trial and error, and straight-up scams. With vintage illustrations, photographs, and advertisements throughout, Quackery seamlessly combines macabre humor with science and storytelling to reveal an important and disturbing side of the ever-evolving field of medicine.

The power of three unsung women to change history in their quest for love, freedom, and second chances... New York socialite Caroline Ferriday has her hands full with her post at the French consulate and a new love on the horizon. But Caroline’s world is forever changed when Hitler’s...  more

The power of three unsung women to change history in their quest for love, freedom, and second chances... New York socialite Caroline Ferriday has her hands full with her post at the French consulate and a new love on the horizon. But Caroline’s world is forever changed when Hitler’s army invades Poland in September 1939, and then sets its sights on France. An ocean away from Caroline, Kasia Kuzmerick, a Polish teenager, senses her carefree youth disappearing as she is drawn deeper into her role as courier for the underground resistance movement. In a tense atmosphere of watchful eyes and suspecting neighbors, one false move can have dire consequences. For the ambitious young German doctor, Herta Oberheuser, an ad for a government medical position seems her ticket out of a desolate life. Once hired, though, she finds herself trapped in a male-dominated realm of Nazi secrets and power. The lives of these three women are set on a collision course when the unthinkable happens and Kasia is sent to Ravensbrück, the notorious Nazi concentration camp for women. Their stories cross continents, from New York to Paris, Germany, and Poland, as Caroline and Kasia strive to bring justice to those whom history has forgotten.

In this luminous prequel to her beloved Cobbled Court Quilts series, New York Times bestselling author Marie Bostwick takes listeners into the heart of a small Texas town and the soul of a woman who discovers her destiny there?Welcome to Too Much?where the women are strong-willed and the men are...  more

In this luminous prequel to her beloved Cobbled Court Quilts series, New York Times bestselling author Marie Bostwick takes listeners into the heart of a small Texas town and the soul of a woman who discovers her destiny there?Welcome to Too Much?where the women are strong-willed and the men are handsome yet shiftless. Ever since Mary Dell Templeton and her twin sister Lydia Dale were children, their Aunt Velvet has warned them away from local boys. But it?s well known that the females in Mary Dell?s family have two traits in common?superior sewing skills and a fatal weakness for men.While Lydia Dale grows up petite and pretty, Mary Dell just keeps growing. Tall, smart, and sassy, she is determined to one day turn her love of sewing into a business. Meanwhile, she?ll settle for raising babies with her new husband, Donny. But that dream proves elusive too, until finally, Mary Dell gets the son she always wanted?a child as different as he is wonderful. And as Mary Dell is forced to reconsider what truly matters in her family and her marriage, she begins to piece together a life that, like the colorful quilts she creates, will prove vibrant, rich, and absolutely unforgettable?

England 1371: a solemn convoy wends its way into York. William of Wykeham, Bishop of Winchester, is bringing home the remains of Sir Ranulf Pagnell, patriarch of a powerful local family, who has died in France. But the family hold the bishop responsible for Sir Ranulf's death, and ill...  more

England 1371: a solemn convoy wends its way into York. William of Wykeham, Bishop of Winchester, is bringing home the remains of Sir Ranulf Pagnell, patriarch of a powerful local family, who has died in France. But the family hold the bishop responsible for Sir Ranulf's death, and ill feeling surrounds his arrival. An accident in the grounds of York Minster nearly kills the bishop. Then, only a few days later, his townhouse is found ablaze, When the body of a young woman is discovered in the undercroft of the house, scandal threatens to destroy Wykeham. The Archbishop of York, John Thoresby, ask Owen Archer for his help. The one-eyed spy is troubled. Was the fire an accident or arson? Was the woman trapped or the fire started to conceal a corpse? Stationing guards in front of the smoulder remains, he starts to ask questions. When it appears the dead woman was a midwife known to many of the city's women, including Lucie, Owen's wife, his quest becomes personal.

Hailed by The New York Times Book Review as a "grippingly told" story of "power and relevance," here is the true, untold account of the first American women to prove their mettle under combat conditions. Later, during three years of brutal captivity at the hands of the Japanese, they also...  more

Hailed by The New York Times Book Review as a "grippingly told" story of "power and relevance," here is the true, untold account of the first American women to prove their mettle under combat conditions. Later, during three years of brutal captivity at the hands of the Japanese, they also demonstrated their ability to survive. Filled with the thoughts and impressions of the women who lived it, "every page of this history is fascinating" (The Washington Post). We Band of Angels In the fall of 1941, the Philippines was a gardenia-scented paradise for the American Army and Navy nurses stationed there. War was a distant rumor, life a routine of easy shifts and evenings of dinner and dancing under the stars. On December 8 all that changed, as Japanese bombs rained on American bases in Luzon, and the women's paradise became a fiery hell. Caught in the raging battle, the nurses set up field hospitals in the jungles of Bataan and the tunnels of Corregidor, where they saw the most devastating injuries of war, and suffered the terrors of shells and shrapnel. But the worst was yet to come. As Bataan and Corregidor fell, a few nurses escaped, but most were herded into internment camps enduring three years of fear and starvation. Once liberated, they returned to an America that at first celebrated them, but later refused to honor their leaders with the medals they clearly deserved. Here, in letters, diaries, and firsthand accounts, is the story of what really happened during those dark days, woven together in a compelling saga of women in war.

Nearly two thousand years after this beloved and controversial young revolutionary was brutally killed by Roman soldiers, more than 2.2 billion people attempt to follow his teachings and believe he is God. In this riveting and fact-based account of Jesus's life and times, Julius Caesar,...  more

Nearly two thousand years after this beloved and controversial young revolutionary was brutally killed by Roman soldiers, more than 2.2 billion people attempt to follow his teachings and believe he is God. In this riveting and fact-based account of Jesus's life and times, Julius Caesar, Cleopatra, Caesar Augustus, Herod the Great, Pontius Pilate, and John the Baptist are among the many legendary historical figures who stand out. Killing Jesus not only takes listeners inside this most volatile epoch, it also recounts the seismic political and historical events that made Jesus's death inevitable and changed the world forever. Read by Bill O'Reilly.  5 sound discs (6 hr.)

How long can you protect your heart? For years, rumors of the "Marsh Girl" have haunted Barkley Cove, a quiet town on the North Carolina coast. So in late 1969, when handsome Chase Andrews is found dead, the locals immediately suspect Kya Clark, the so-called Marsh Girl. But Kya is not...  more

How long can you protect your heart? For years, rumors of the "Marsh Girl" have haunted Barkley Cove, a quiet town on the North Carolina coast. So in late 1969, when handsome Chase Andrews is found dead, the locals immediately suspect Kya Clark, the so-called Marsh Girl. But Kya is not what they say. Sensitive and intelligent, she has survived for years alone in the marsh that she calls home, finding friends in the gulls and lessons in the sand. Then the time comes when she yearns to be touched and loved. When two young men from town become intrigued by her wild beauty, Kya opens herself to a new life--until the unthinkable happens.

How much can a family forgive? Francis Gleeson and Brian Stanhope, rookie NYPD cops, are neighbors in the suburbs. What happens behind closed doors in both houses... the loneliness of Francis’s wife, Lena, and the instability of Brian’s wife, Anne, sets the stage for the explosive...  more

How much can a family forgive? Francis Gleeson and Brian Stanhope, rookie NYPD cops, are neighbors in the suburbs. What happens behind closed doors in both houses... the loneliness of Francis’s wife, Lena, and the instability of Brian’s wife, Anne, sets the stage for the explosive events to come. A lifelong friendship and love blossoms between Kate Gleeson and Peter Stanhope, born six months apart. One shocking night their loyalties are divided, and their bond will be tested again and again over the next thirty years.

The 1951 regular baseball season was as good as over. The Brooklyn Dodgers led the New York Giants by three runs with just three outs to go in their third and final playoff game. Not once in the 278 preceding playoff and World Series games had a team overcome a three-run deficit in the ninth...  more

The 1951 regular baseball season was as good as over. The Brooklyn Dodgers led the New York Giants by three runs with just three outs to go in their third and final playoff game. Not once in the 278 preceding playoff and World Series games had a team overcome a three-run deficit in the ninth inning. But New York rallied, and at 3:58 pm on October 3, 1951, Bobby Thomson hit a home run off Ralph Branca. The Giants won the pennant. The Echoing Green follows the reverberations of that one moment from the West Wing of the White House to the Sing Sing death house to the Polo Grounds clubhouse where, in Harlem, a home run forever turned hitter and pitcher to hero and goat. Abridged: 5 Compact Discs, Running Time: 6 hours, Narrator: Joshua Prager (author). It was also in that center-field block of concrete where, after a home run, one of the Giant's coaches tucked away a Wollensak telescope. The spyglass would remain undiscovered until 2001 when Joshua Prager laid bare on the front page of the Wall Street Journal a Giant secret: from July 20, 1951, through the very day of the legendary game, the orange and black stole the finger signals of opposing catchers. The Echoing Green places that revelation at the heart of a larger story, recreating in extravagant detail the 1951 pennant race and illuminating as never before the impact of both one moment and a long-guarded secret on the lives of Bobby Thomson and Ralph Branca. A wonderfully evocative image of the great American pastime, The Echoing Green is baseball history, social history and biography -- an irresistible story from any angle.

The Gillette-Brown murder case from which Dreiser drew his An American Tragedy was a sensation in its day. Newsman Craig Brandon has done a remarkable job of researching the case and the family backgrounds of the two principles and is probably more familiar with the complete story than Dreiser...  more

The Gillette-Brown murder case from which Dreiser drew his An American Tragedy was a sensation in its day. Newsman Craig Brandon has done a remarkable job of researching the case and the family backgrounds of the two principles and is probably more familiar with the complete story than Dreiser ever was. Yet with all this information, this new treatment reads like a novel. Accompanied with over 100 photos, Murder in the Adirondacks sheds new light on what was a "Yellow Journalist's" delight in 1906. A must read for all Dreiser students.

General George S. Patton, Jr. died under mysterious circumstances in the months following the end of World War II. For almost seventy years, there has been suspicion that his death was not an accidentâۥand may very well have been an act of assassination. Killing Patton takes...  more

General George S. Patton, Jr. died under mysterious circumstances in the months following the end of World War II. For almost seventy years, there has been suspicion that his death was not an accidentâۥand may very well have been an act of assassination. Killing Patton takes readers inside the final year of the war and recounts the events surrounding Patton's tragic demise, naming names of the many powerful individuals who wanted him silenced. Read by Bill O'Reilly.  7 audio discs (9 hr.)

To be the child of a compulsive hoarder is to live in a permanent state of unease. Because if my mother is one of those crazy junk-house people, then what does that make me? When her divorced mother was diagnosed with cancer, New York City writer Jessie Sholl returned to her hometown of...  more

To be the child of a compulsive hoarder is to live in a permanent state of unease. Because if my mother is one of those crazy junk-house people, then what does that make me? When her divorced mother was diagnosed with cancer, New York City writer Jessie Sholl returned to her hometown of Minneapolis to help her prepare for her upcoming surgery and get her affairs in order. While a daunting task for any adult dealing with an aging parent, it’s compounded for Sholl by one lifelong, complex, and confounding truth: her mother is a compulsive hoarder. Dirty Secret is a daughter’s powerful memoir of confronting her mother’s disorder, of searching for the normalcy that was never hers as a child, and, finally, cleaning out the clutter of her mother’s home in the hopes of salvaging the true heart of their relationship—before it’s too late. Growing up, young Jessie knew her mother wasn’t like other mothers: chronically disorganized, she might forgo picking Jessie up from kindergarten to spend the afternoon thrift store shopping. Now, tracing the downward spiral in her mother’s hoarding behavior to the death of a long-time boyfriend, she bravely wades into a pathological sea of stuff: broken appliances, moldy cowboy boots, twenty identical pairs of graying bargain-bin sneakers, abandoned arts and crafts, newspapers, magazines, a dresser drawer crammed with discarded eyeglasses, shovelfuls of junk mail . . . the things that become a hoarder’s “treasures.” With candor, wit, and not a drop of sentimentality, Jessie Sholl explores the many personal and psychological ramifications of hoarding while telling an unforgettable mother-daughter tale.

In this personal, eloquently-argued essay—adapted from her much-admired TEDx talk of the same name—Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, award-winning author of Americanah, offers readers a unique definition of feminism for the twenty-first century, one rooted in inclusion and...  more

In this personal, eloquently-argued essay—adapted from her much-admired TEDx talk of the same name—Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, award-winning author of Americanah, offers readers a unique definition of feminism for the twenty-first century, one rooted in inclusion and awareness. Drawing extensively on her own experiences and her deep understanding of the often masked realities of sexual politics, here is one remarkable author’s exploration of what it means to be a woman now—and an of-the-moment rallying cry for why we should all be feminists

Recommended Summer reading by TIME, Entertainment Weekly, Real Simple, and Elle. A breathtaking feat of reportage, American Fire combines procedural with love story, redefining American tragedy for our time.The arsons started on a cold November midnight and didn?t stop for months. Night after...  more

Recommended Summer reading by TIME, Entertainment Weekly, Real Simple, and Elle. A breathtaking feat of reportage, American Fire combines procedural with love story, redefining American tragedy for our time.The arsons started on a cold November midnight and didn?t stop for months. Night after night, the people of Accomack County waited to see which building would burn down next, regarding each other at first with compassion, and later suspicion. Vigilante groups sprang up, patrolling the rural Virginia coast with cameras and camouflage. Volunteer firefighters slept at their stations. The arsonist seemed to target abandoned buildings, but local police were stretched too thin to surveil them all. Accomack was desolate?there were hundreds of abandoned buildings. And by the dozen they were burning.The culprit, and the path that led to these crimes, is a story of twenty-first century America. Washington Post reporter Monica Hesse first drove down to the reeling county to cover a hearing for Charlie Smith, a struggling mechanic who upon his capture had promptly pleaded guilty to sixty-seven counts of arson. But as Charlie?s confession unspooled, it got deeper and weirder. He wasn?t lighting fires alone; his crimes were galvanized by a surprising love story. Over a year of investigating, Hesse uncovered the motives of Charlie and his accomplice, girlfriend Tonya Bundick, a woman of steel-like strength and an inscrutable past. Theirs was a love built on impossibly tight budgets and simple pleasures. They were each other?s inspiration and escape?until they weren?t.Though it?s hard to believe today, one hundred years ago Accomack was the richest rural county in the nation. Slowly it?s been drained of its industry?agriculture?as well as its wealth and population. In an already remote region, limited employment options offer little in the way of opportunity. A mesmerizing and crucial panorama with nationwide implications, American Fire asks what happens when a community gets left behind. Hesse brings to life the Eastern Shore and its inhabitants, battling a punishing economy and increasingly terrified by a string of fires they could not explain. The result evokes the soul of rural America?a land half gutted before the fires even began. 8 pages of illustrations

Come nose around in the creepier corners of the Grand Rapids of yesteryear. Discover why Hell's Bridge persists as such an oft-told urban legend and what horrific history earned Heritage Hill the title of Michigan's most haunted neighborhood. Mingle with the spooky inhabitants of the Phillips...  more

Come nose around in the creepier corners of the Grand Rapids of yesteryear. Discover why Hell's Bridge persists as such an oft-told urban legend and what horrific history earned Heritage Hill the title of Michigan's most haunted neighborhood. Mingle with the spooky inhabitants of the Phillips Mansion, Holmdene Manor, San Chez Restaurant and St. Cecilia Music Center. Meet the guests who never quite checked out of the Amway Grand. Read the true stories behind the Michigan Bell Building and the Ada Witch Legend. Nicole Bray, Robert Du Shane and Julie Rathsack illuminate the shadows of local sites you thought you knew.

Come on, Bayview, you know you've missed this. A ton of copycat gossip apps have popped up since Simon died, but in the year since the Bayview four were cleared of his shocking death, no one's been able to fill the gossip void quite like he could. The problem is no one has the...  more

Come on, Bayview, you know you've missed this. A ton of copycat gossip apps have popped up since Simon died, but in the year since the Bayview four were cleared of his shocking death, no one's been able to fill the gossip void quite like he could. The problem is no one has the facts. Until now. This time it's not an app, though -- it's a game. Truth or Dare. Phoebe's the first target. If you choose not to play, it's a truth. And hers is dark. Then comes Maeve and she should know better -- always choose the dare. But by the time Knox is about to be tagged, things have gotten dangerous. The dares have become deadly, and if Maeve learned anything from Bronwyn last year, it's that they can't count on the police for help. Or protection. Simon's gone, but someone's determined to keep his legacy at Bayview High alive. And this time, there's a whole new set of rules. 

It's just another day at the office for London book editor Samantha "Sam" Clair. Checking jacket copy for howlers, wondering how to break it to her star novelist that her latest effort is utterly unpublishable, lunch scheduled with gossipy author Kit Lowell, whose new book will...  more

It's just another day at the office for London book editor Samantha "Sam" Clair. Checking jacket copy for howlers, wondering how to break it to her star novelist that her latest effort is utterly unpublishable, lunch scheduled with gossipy author Kit Lowell, whose new book will dish the juicy dirt on a recent fashion industry scandal. Little does she know the trouble Kit's book will cause-before it even goes to print. When police Inspector Field turns up at the venerable offices of Timmins & Ross, asking questions about a package addressed to Sam, she knows something is wrong. Now Sam's nine-to-five life is turned upside down as she finds herself propelled into a criminal investigation. Someone doesn't want Kit's manuscript published and unless Sam can put the pieces together in time, they'll do anything to stop it.

Clever Deceptions have always captured our imagination. The mechanisms behind the frauds and scandals that pepper human history have intrigued people since time began, and the modern media are active in inviting or censoring public knowledge of otherwise private affairs. Now The World's 50...  more

Clever Deceptions have always captured our imagination. The mechanisms behind the frauds and scandals that pepper human history have intrigued people since time began, and the modern media are active in inviting or censoring public knowledge of otherwise private affairs. Now The World's 50 Greatest Frauds explores the stories behind and the fallout caused by the world's most famous economic scandals and political cover-ups.

In this latest entry in Jacqueline Winspear’s acclaimed, bestselling mystery series -- “less whodunits than why-dunits, more P.D. James than Agatha Christie” (USA Today) -- Maisie Dobbs takes on her most personal case yet, a twisting investigation into the brutal killing of a...  more

In this latest entry in Jacqueline Winspear’s acclaimed, bestselling mystery series -- “less whodunits than why-dunits, more P.D. James than Agatha Christie” (USA Today) -- Maisie Dobbs takes on her most personal case yet, a twisting investigation into the brutal killing of a street peddler that will take her from the working-class neighborhoods of her childhood into London’s highest circles of power. Perfect for fans of A Lesson in Secrets, The Mapping of Love and Death, or other Maisie Dobbs mysteries -- and an ideal place for new readers to enter the series -- Elegy for Eddie is an incomparable work of intrigue and ingenuity, full of intimate descriptions and beautifully painted scenes from between the World Wars, from one of the most highly acclaimed masters of mystery, Jacqueline Winspear.

When an infected bolt of cloth carries plague from London to an isolated village, a housemaid named Anna Frith emerges as an unlikely heroine and healer. Through Anna's eyes we follow the story of the fateful year of 1666, as she and her fellow villagers confront the spread of disease and...  more

When an infected bolt of cloth carries plague from London to an isolated village, a housemaid named Anna Frith emerges as an unlikely heroine and healer. Through Anna's eyes we follow the story of the fateful year of 1666, as she and her fellow villagers confront the spread of disease and superstition. As death reaches into every household and villagers turn from prayers to murderous witch-hunting, Anna must find the strength to confront the disintegration of her community and the lure of illicit love. As she struggles to survive and grow, a year of catastrophe becomes instead annus mirabilis, a "year of wonders." Inspired by the true story of Eyam, a village in the rugged hill country of England, Year of Wonders is a richly detailed evocation of a singular moment in history. Written with stunning emotional intelligence and introducing "an inspiring heroine" (The Wall Street Journal), Brooks blends love and learning, loss and renewal into a spellbinding and unforgettable read. "The novel glitters . . . A deep imaginative engagement with how people are changed by catastrophe." (The New Yorker) "Year of Wonders is a vividly imagined and strangely consoling tale of hope in a time of despair." (O, The Oprah Magazine) "Brooks proves a gifted storyteller as she subtly reveals how ignorance, hatred and mistrust can be as deadly as any virus. . . . Year of Wonders is itself a wonder." (People )

In 1890, Mollie Babcock stepped off the train in Salt Lake City, Utah, to start a new life. She had left her husband and their medical practice in Iowa, and with only a few hundred dollars in her pocket and a great deal of pride, set out to find a new position as a physician. She was offered a...  more

In 1890, Mollie Babcock stepped off the train in Salt Lake City, Utah, to start a new life. She had left her husband and their medical practice in Iowa, and with only a few hundred dollars in her pocket and a great deal of pride, set out to find a new position as a physician. She was offered a job as doctor to the miners at Bannack, Montana, and thus began her epic adventures in the Rocky Mountain West. This is rhe true story of a medicine woman who found opportunity in the wide-open spaces of America's frontier west. Pioneer Doctor: The Story of a Woman's Work, is not just a beautifully written and thoroughly researched story of a fascinating woman's life, it is also the story of an era when daring women ventured forth and changed history for the rest of us.

The hardscrabble folks of Troublesome Creek have to scrap for everything... everything except books, that is. Thanks to Roosevelt's Kentucky Pack Horse Library Project, Troublesome's got its very own traveling librarian, Cussy Mary Carter. Cussy's not only a book woman, however,...  more

The hardscrabble folks of Troublesome Creek have to scrap for everything... everything except books, that is. Thanks to Roosevelt's Kentucky Pack Horse Library Project, Troublesome's got its very own traveling librarian, Cussy Mary Carter. Cussy's not only a book woman, however, she's also the last of her kind, her skin a shade of blue unlike most anyone else. Not everyone is keen on Cussy's family or the Library Project, and a Blue is often blamed for any whiff of trouble. If Cussy wants to bring the joy of books to the hill folks, she's going to have to confront prejudice as old as the Appalachias and suspicion as deep as the holler.

Back in America after twenty years in Britain, Bill Bryson decided to reacquaint himself with his native country by walking the 2,100-mile Appalachian Trail, which stretches from Georgia to Maine. The AT offers an astonishing landscape of silent forests and sparkling lakes--and to a writer with...  more

Back in America after twenty years in Britain, Bill Bryson decided to reacquaint himself with his native country by walking the 2,100-mile Appalachian Trail, which stretches from Georgia to Maine. The AT offers an astonishing landscape of silent forests and sparkling lakes--and to a writer with the comic genius of Bill Bryson, it also provides endless opportunities to witness the majestic silliness of his fellow human beings. For a start there's the gloriously out-of-shape Stephen Katz, a buddy from Iowa along for the walk. Despite Katz's overwhelming desire to find cozy restaurants, he and Bryson eventually settle into their stride, and while on the trail they meet a bizarre assortment of hilarious characters. But A Walk in the Woods is more than just a laugh-out-loud hike. Bryson's acute eye is a wise witness to this beautiful but fragile trail, and as he tells its fascinating history, he makes a moving plea for the conservation of America's last great wilderness. An adventure, a comedy, and a celebration, A Walk in the Woods is destined to become a modern classic of travel literature.

This edition of Forster's classic novel reprints the authoritative text of the 1973 Abinger Edition together with five critical essays.

The year is 1855. The Crimean War is raging. The incompetence of British commanders causes the fall of the English government. The Empire teeters. Amid this crisis comes opium-eater Thomas De Quincey, one of the most notorious and brilliant personalities of Victorian England. Along with his...  more

The year is 1855. The Crimean War is raging. The incompetence of British commanders causes the fall of the English government. The Empire teeters. Amid this crisis comes opium-eater Thomas De Quincey, one of the most notorious and brilliant personalities of Victorian England. Along with his irrepressible daughter, Emily, and their Scotland Yard companions, Ryan and Becker, De Quincey finds himself confronted by an adversary who threatens the heart of the nation. This killer targets members of the upper echelons of British society, leaving with each corpse the name of someone who previously attempted to kill Queen Victoria. The evidence indicates that the ultimate victim will be Victoria herself. As De Quincey and Emily race to protect the queen, they uncover long-buried secrets and the heartbreaking past of a man whose lust for revenge has destroyed his soul. Based on actual attempts to assassinate Queen Victoria, Inspector of the Dead brilliantly merges historical fact with fiction, bringing a bloody chapter of Victorian England to vivid, pulse-pounding life.

An intimate, powerful, and inspiring memoir by the former First Lady of the United States. In a life filled with meaning and accomplishment, Michelle Obama has emerged as one of the most iconic and compelling women of our era. As First Lady of the United States of America—the first...  more

An intimate, powerful, and inspiring memoir by the former First Lady of the United States. In a life filled with meaning and accomplishment, Michelle Obama has emerged as one of the most iconic and compelling women of our era. As First Lady of the United States of America—the first African-American to serve in that role -- she helped create the most welcoming and inclusive White House in history, while also establishing herself as a powerful advocate for women and girls in the U.S. and around the world, dramatically changing the ways that families pursue healthier and more active lives, and standing with her husband as he led America through some of its most harrowing moments. Along the way, she showed us a few dance moves, crushed Carpool Karaoke, and raised two down-to-earth daughters under an unforgiving media glare. In her memoir, a work of deep reflection and mesmerizing storytelling, Michelle Obama invites readers into her world, chronicling the experiences that have shaped her -- from her childhood on the South Side of Chicago to her years as an executive balancing the demands of motherhood and work, to her time spent at the world's most famous address. With unerring honesty and lively wit, she describes her triumphs and her disappointments, both public and private, telling her full story as she has lived it -- in her own words and on her own terms. Warm, wise, and revelatory, Becoming is the deeply personal reckoning of a woman of soul and substance who has steadily defied expectations -- and whose story inspires us to do the same. Unabridged; read by the author.  14 CDs., 16 hrs.

The bestselling author of Los Alamos and Alibi returns to 1945. Hitler has been defeated, and Berlin is divided into zones of occupation. Jake Geismar, an American correspondent who spent time in the city before the war, has returned to write about the Allied triumph while pursuing a more...  more

The bestselling author of Los Alamos and Alibi returns to 1945. Hitler has been defeated, and Berlin is divided into zones of occupation. Jake Geismar, an American correspondent who spent time in the city before the war, has returned to write about the Allied triumph while pursuing a more personal quest: his search for Lena, the married woman he left behind. When an American soldier's body is found in the Russian zone during the Potsdam Conference, Jake stumbles on the lead to a murder mystery. The Good German is a story of espionage and love, an extraordinary re-creation of a city devastated by war, and a thriller that asks the most profound ethical questions in its exploration of the nature of justice, and what we mean by good and evil in times of peace and of war.    

Grade Level: 4-6 Age Level: 9-11 Listening Level: Grades 4-6Meli Lleshi is positive that her drawing of her teacher with his pelican nose is what started it all. The Lleshis are Albanians living in Kosovo, a country trying to fight off Serbian oppressors. Suddenly, they are homeless refugees. As...  more

Grade Level: 4-6 Age Level: 9-11 Listening Level: Grades 4-6Meli Lleshi is positive that her drawing of her teacher with his pelican nose is what started it all. The Lleshis are Albanians living in Kosovo, a country trying to fight off Serbian oppressors. Suddenly, they are homeless refugees. As they travel the dangerous roads at night and leave burning farms and houses behind, young and old alike find their courage and resilience constantly tested. It is humiliating to have to live in crowded tent cities with hundreds of other displaced persons. If it weren?t for Mama and Baba?s efforts to keep the family together, who knows what would happen to them?Then one day Baba makes a surprise announcement: they will all soon be going to a country far away. It will be a great adventure, he assures the family. There will be no more running from an enemy, and no turning back to their old way of life. But will they really find freedom at last? Meli wonders.

On location in Boston, bad-boy actor Jumbo Nelson is accused of the rape and murder of a young woman. From the start the case seems fishy, so the Boston PD calls on Spenser to investigate. The situation doesn't look good for Jumbo, whose appetites for food, booze, and sex are as outsized as...  more

On location in Boston, bad-boy actor Jumbo Nelson is accused of the rape and murder of a young woman. From the start the case seems fishy, so the Boston PD calls on Spenser to investigate. The situation doesn't look good for Jumbo, whose appetites for food, booze, and sex are as outsized as his name. He was the studio's biggest star, but he's become their biggest liability. In the course of the investigation, Spenser encounters Jumbo's bodyguard: a young, former football-playing Native American named Zebulon Sixkill. Sixkill acts tough, but Spenser sees something more within the young man. Despite the odd circumstances, the two forge an unlikely alliance, with Spenser serving as mentor for Sixkill. As the case grows darker and secrets about both Jumbo and the dead girl come to light, it's Spenser -- with Sixkill at his side -- who must put things right. 5 CDs, 360 min total, unabridged.  Joe Mantegna, narrator.

In this young adult adaptation of the acclaimed bestseller Just Mercy, which the New York Times calls "as compelling as To Kill a Mockingbird, and in some ways more so," Bryan Stevenson delves deep into the broken U.S. justice system, detailing from his personal experience his many challenges...  more

In this young adult adaptation of the acclaimed bestseller Just Mercy, which the New York Times calls "as compelling as To Kill a Mockingbird, and in some ways more so," Bryan Stevenson delves deep into the broken U.S. justice system, detailing from his personal experience his many challenges and efforts as a lawyer and social advocate, especially on behalf of America's most rejected and marginalized people. AS SEEN ON CBS THIS MORNING! In this very personal work--proceeds of which will go to charity--Bryan Stevenson recounts many and varied stories of his work as a lawyer in the U.S. criminal justice system on behalf of those in society who have experienced some type of discrimination and/or have been wrongly accused of a crime and who deserve a powerful advocate and due justice under the law. Through the Equal Justice Initiative (EJI), an organization Stevenson founded as a young lawyer and for which he currently serves as Executive Director, this important work continues. EJI strives to end mass incarceration and excessive punishment in the United States, working to protect basic human rights for the most vulnerable people in American society. PRAISE FOR JUST MERCY: A TRUE STORY OF THE FIGHT FOR JUSTICE: "It's really exciting that young people are getting a version tailored for them." --Salon "A deeply moving collage of true stories. . . . This is required reading." --Kirkus Reviews, STARRED REVIEW "Compassionate and compelling, Stevenson's narrative is also unforgettable." --Booklist, STARRED REVIEW PRAISE FOR JUST MERCY: A STORY OF JUSTICE AND REDEMPTION: "Important and compelling." --Pulitzer Prize-winning author TRACY KIDDER "Gripping. . . . What hangs in the balance is nothing less than the soul of a great nation." --DESMOND TUTU, Nobel Peace Prize Laureate "Inspiring and powerful." --#1 New York Times bestselling author JOHN GRISHAM

?[A] well-judged and hugely readable book . . . few are as entertaining.??Dominic Sandbrook, Sunday Times ?A. J. Baime is a master. His reporting and storytelling are woven to hypnotic effect. This is history and humanity in lush, vivid color.??Doug Stanton, author of The Odyssey of Echo...  more

?[A] well-judged and hugely readable book . . . few are as entertaining.??Dominic Sandbrook, Sunday Times ?A. J. Baime is a master. His reporting and storytelling are woven to hypnotic effect. This is history and humanity in lush, vivid color.??Doug Stanton, author of The Odyssey of Echo Company   Heroes are often defined as ordinary characters who get pushed into extraordinary circumstances, and through courage and a dash of luck, cement their place in history. Chosen as FDR?s fourth-term vice president for his well-praised work ethic, good judgment, and lack of enemies, Harry S. Truman was the prototypical ordinary man. That is, until he was shockingly thrust in over his head after FDR?s sudden death. The first four months of Truman?s administration saw the founding of the United Nations, the fall of Berlin, victory at Okinawa, firebombings in Tokyo, the first atomic explosion, the Nazi surrender, the liberation of concentration camps, the mass starvation in Europe, the Potsdam Conference, the controversial decision to bomb Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the surrender of imperial Japan, and finally, the end of World War II and the rise of the Cold War. No other president had ever faced so much in such a short period of time. The Accidental President escorts readers into the situation room with Truman during a tumultuous, history-making 120 days, when the stakes were high and the challenges even higher.

Paris, July 1942: Sarah, a ten-year-old girl, is taken with her parents by the French police as they go door to door arresting Jewish families in the middle of the night. Desperate to protect her younger brother, Sarah locks him in a bedroom cupboard -- their secret hiding place -- and promises...  more

Paris, July 1942: Sarah, a ten-year-old girl, is taken with her parents by the French police as they go door to door arresting Jewish families in the middle of the night. Desperate to protect her younger brother, Sarah locks him in a bedroom cupboard -- their secret hiding place -- and promises to come back for him as soon as they are released. Sixty Years Later: Sarah’s story intertwines with that of Julia Jarmond, an American journalist investigating the roundup. In her research, Julia stumbles onto a trail of secrets that link her to Sarah, and to questions about her own future.  Includes Reading Group Gold info with conversation with the author, some historical perspective info, a short bibliography, and reading group questions.