The Hidden Staircase

      Carolyn Keene
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After receiving a call from her friend Helen Corning, Nancy agrees to help solve a baffling mystery. Helen's Aunt Rosemary has been living with her mother at the old family mansion, and they have noticed many strange things. They have heard music, thumps, and creaking noises at night, and seen eerie shadows on the walls. Could the house be haunted? Just as soon as she hangs up the phone, a strange man visits Nancy's house to warn her and her father that they are in danger because of a case he is working on buying property for a railroad company. This warning leads Nancy and her father Carson to search for the missing Willie Wharton, a landowner, who can prove he signed away his land to the railroad and save the railroad from a lawsuit. Will Nancy be able to find the missing landowner and discover how these mysteries are related?

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    Arena 13

      Joseph Delaney
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Welcome to Arena 13. Here warriors fight. Death is never far away... Leif has one ambition: to become the best fighter in the notorious Arena 13. Here, punters place wagers on which fighter will draw first blood. And in grudge matches, they bet on which fighter will die. But the country is terrorized by the creature Hob, an evil being who delights in torturing its people, displaying his devastating power by challenging an Arena 13 combatant in a fight to the death whenever he chooses. And this is exactly what Leif wants... For he knows Hob's crimes well. and at the heart of his ambition burns the desire for vengeance. Leif is going to take on the monster who destroyed his family. Even if it kills him.

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    Claudia and the Bad Joke

      Ann M. Martin
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Claudia's not worried when she hears her newest baby-sitting charge, Betsy Sobak, is a great practical joker. After all, how much harm can one little girl do? Plenty. Claudia breaks her leg as a result of one of Betsy's mean joke... and now she's talking about quitting the club. "Baby-sitting," she says, "is just too dangerous." Kristy thinks Betsy needs to be taught a lesson. She also thinks the Baby-sitters are just the ones to do it. Watch out, Betsy Sobak! The joke war is on!

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    Naughty Boss

      Whitney G.
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He definitely wasn't supposed to get that email... Subject: My Boss. Have I already told you that I hate my boss today? Sexy as hell or not, this pompous, arrogant, ASSHOLE asked me to pick up his dry cleaning the second I walked through the door. Then he told me that I needed to take his Jaguar to a car wash that was ten miles outside of the city, but only after I needed to stand in a never-ending line to buy some type of limited, hundred-dollar watch. I honestly can't wait to see the look on his face two months from now when I tell him that I'm quitting his company and that he can kiss my ass. KISS. MY. ASS. All those former fantasies about him kissing me with his "mouth of perfection" or bending me over my desk and filling me with his cock are long over. OVER. Your bestie, Mya PS--Please tell me your day is going better than mine... Subject: Re: My Boss. No, you haven't already told me that you hate your boss today, but seeing as though you've sent me this email directly, I know now... Yes, I did ask you to pick up my dry cleaning the second you arrived to work to day. (Where is it?) And I did tell you to take my Jaguar to the car wash and pick up my thousand-dollar watch. (Thank you for taking five hours to do something that could be accomplished in two.) You don't have to wait two months from now to see the look on my face when you tell me you're quitting. I'm standing outside your office at this very moment. ( Open the door. ) No comment on your "fantasies," although I highly doubt they're "long over." Your boss, Michael PS--Yes. My day is definitely going far better than yours... A steamy, office-romance novella from New York Times bestselling author, Whitney G. *

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    Cassidy

      Lori Wick
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Token Creek, Montana Territory — 1880 Cassidy Norton is a fine seamstress who makes her living sewing for others. Amid the bustle of a busy frontier town, her life is rich. What time her business doesn’t take, her friends and church family fill. But Cassidy hasn't always lived in Token Creek, and few people know her full story. So she struggles with a nagging unsettledness in her heart. Cassidy's friend Meg is married to a rancher and has a baby, something Cassidy wants for herself. But that would mean revealing the details of her life. Will Cassidy find the strength to take that risk?

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    Wings of a Sparrow

      Dougie Brimson
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Rob Cooper, self-confessed football fanatic and editor of the United FC fanzine, Wings Of A Sparrow, returns from watching his team succumb to yet another defeat to discover that not only has he inherited an estate worth in excess of six million pounds, but that it has been left to him by an uncle he never knew he had. However, even as Rob is struggling to come to terms with these two bombshells, he is hit with another. For the estate contains ownership of an almost bankrupt professional football club. And the terms of the will are such that Rob will only receive his inheritance if he takes over the running of the club and manages to keep them going for the coming season. The problem is, the club concerned are the local and very bitter rivals of the club Rob and his family have passionately supported all their lives. But after wrestling with his conscience, and driven by his wife’s desire for instant wealth, he accepts the challenge with a promise to the United faithful that he will do whatever he can to ensure that whilst his new club might survive, its supporters are about to experience the most depressing season in their history! And so, in the full glare of the media spotlight, he sets out to do what most football fans could only ever dream about; humiliate their local rivals. The trouble is, it just doesn’t work out like that!

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    The Lion's Skin

      Rafael Sabatini
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"The man that once did sell the lion's skin while the beast lived, was killed with hunting him. Remember that!" His back to the wall, the shadow of the noose over him, Justin Caryll flung these words at the brother who sought to destroy him. Since childhood and his mother's cruel death, young Caryll had been bred in France by his guardians for one purpose—to wreak their vengeance on the father who had never known him. But Caryll did not complete his mission. Instead, he sailed for England and plunged into a maelsrom of dissension and revolt that teemed with danger for him—and for beautiful Mistress Winthrop who loved him. But, in the end the hunter failed, and in this case, the lion was generous.

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    Oracle's Moon

      Thea Harrison
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When Grace Andreas's sister, Petra, and her husband are both killed, Grace inherits the Power and responsibilities of the Oracle of Louisville, as well as her sister's two young children--neither of which she is prepared for. Then Khalil, Demonkind and Djinn Prince of House Marid, decides to make himself a part of the household both as guardian and counterpoint to Grace's impudence towards the Elder Races.

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    The Carlswick Affair

      SL Beaumont
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Who do you trust when everyone around you has secrets? Stephanie Cooper's fateful meeting with James Knox, guitarist for indie band The Fury, in Carlswick village sets off an unforeseen chain of events. A family feud dating back to World War II threatens to keep them apart, but however great the danger Stephanie knows she must uncover the secrets hidden beneath the ancient roof of Knox ManorHonorable Mention San Francisco Book Festival 2014“Move over Nancy Drew. There’s a new teenage heroine in town, and her name is Stephanie Cooper…This page-turning novel will be devoured by young adults and mystery lovers.”Stephanie Cooper is visiting her grandmother in the English village of Carlswick before starting her university studies. Her new relationship with the charismatic guitarist for local indie band The Fury looks promising, but an unexplained death and a family feud dating back to World War II threatens to keep them apart. As Stephanie delves into the mysterious circumstances surrounding her great-aunt’s death, she begins to uncover the secrets and deceptions of a previous generation. Village gossip about a tragic wartime romance is mingled with whispers of clandestine visitors, art smuggling and perhaps, collaboration with the Nazis.Someone does not want Stephanie to discover the truth about her family's past. That someone may kill to stop her.

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    Uncle Tom's Children

      Richard Wright
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The restored text established by the Library of America The Library of America has insured that most of Wright's major texts are now available as he wanted them to be read - Alfred Kazin, New York Times Book Review "We have an opportunity to assess Wright's formidable and lasting contribution to American literature. But this time we have texts intended as the author originally wished them to be read. The works that millions know are, as it turns out, expurgated and abbreviated versions of what Wright submitted for publication. By returning to typescripts, galleys, page proofs, the editors have restored deletions and changes demanded by Wright's publisher...They have returned to the 1970 second printing of Uncle Tom's Children>/i> which included one additional story, Bright and Morning Star, and The Ethics of Jim Crow, thus offering us all the selections Wright wished the collection to have." - Charles Johnson, *Chicago Tribune Cover Illustration: David Diaz*

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    Death Doesn't Bargain

      Sherrilyn Kenyon
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Death Doesn’t Bargain is the second historical fantasy title in New York Times bestselling author Sherrilyn Kenyon’s Deadman’s Cross series. Where Deadmen tell their tales, and every soul is damned or redeemed by the final choices they make. The Deadmen are back... But so are the demons who have broken free of their eternal prison and are bent on mankind's destruction. The worst of the lot is Vine, determined to claim their lives for taking hers. She will see the world burn...and has the perfect lure to destroy them all. One of their own. Kalder Dupree has never known a day of mercy. Born to the cruelest of mer-races, he sacrificed himself for his crew and is in Vine's hands. He expects no mercy or rescue. Yet Cameron Jack is determined to set Kalder free. As a Hellchaser, it's her calling, and she cannot allow even a not-so-innocent to be tortured for an act of kindness that spared her damnation. To defeat evil, it sometimes takes an even worse evil, and Cameron is willing to do whatever she must to make this right. If Vine thought she had her hands full before, she hasn't seen anything nearly as powerful as Cameron's resolve.

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    The Ballad of the Sad Cafe

      Carson McCullers
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A classic work that has charmed generations of readers, this collection assembles Carson McCullers's best stories, including her beloved novella "The Ballad of the Sad Café." A haunting tale of a human triangle that culminates in an astonishing brawl, the novella introduces readers to Miss Amelia, a formidable southern woman whose café serves as the town's gathering place. Among other fine works, the collection also includes "Wunderkind," McCullers's first published story written when she was only seventeen about a musical prodigy who suddenly realizes she will not go on to become a great pianist. Newly reset and available for the first time in a handsome trade paperback edition, The Ballad of the Sad Café is a brilliant study of love and longing from one of the South's finest writers.

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    Child 44

      Tom Rob Smith
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A Selection of Barnes & Noble Recommends A gripping novel about one man's dogged pursuit of a serial killer against the opposition of Stalinist state security forces, Child 44 is at once suspenseful and provocative. Tom Rob Smith's remarkable debut thriller powerfully dramatizes the human cost of loyalty, integrity, and love in the face of totalitarian terror. A decorated war hero driven by dedication to his country and faith in the superiority of Communist ideals, Leo Demidov has built a successful career in the Soviet security network, suppressing ideological crimes and threats against the state with unquestioning efficiency. When a fellow officer's son is killed, Leo is ordered to stop the family from spreading the notion that their child was murdered. For in the official version of Stalin's worker's paradise, such a senseless crime is impossible an affront to the Revolution. But Leo knows better: a murderer is at large, cruelly targeting children, and the collective power of the Soviet government is denying his existence. Leo's doubt sets in motion a chain of events that changes his understanding of everything he had previously believed. Smith's deftly crafted plot delivers twist after chilling twist, as it lays bare the deceit of the regime that enveloped an impoverished people in paranoia. In a shocking effort to test Leo's loyalty, his wife, Raisa, is accused of being a spy. Leo's refusal to denounce her costs him his rank, and the couple is banished from Moscow. Humiliated, renounced by his enemies, and deserted by everyone save Raisa, Leo realizes that his redemption rests on finding the vicious serial killer who is eviscerating innocent children and leaving them to die in the bleak Russian woods. The narrative unfolds at a breathless pace, exposing the culture of fear that turns friends into foes and forces families to hide devastating secrets. As Leo and Raisa close in on the serial killer, desperately trying to stay a step ahead of the government's relentless operatives, the reader races with them through a web of intrigue to the novel's heart-stopping conclusion. About the Author The serial killer in Child 44, Tom Rob Smith's first novel, was suggested by the true story of Andrei Chikatilo, who murdered over 50 women and children in Russia during the 1980s. By setting his fiction three decades before Chikatilo's crimes, the author has added powerful elements of political suspense to his page-turning tale. "I moved it to the 1950s," Smith explains, "because that's when opposing the state was most dangerous. You'd lose your life in the '50s; if you did it in the '80s you'd lose your apartment." His considerable research into Stalin's Soviet Union supports the powerful human drama at his story's heart. Though Child 44 is Smith's first novel, his skill as a storyteller and his experience as a screenwriter are apparent in the book's absorbing plot and suspenseful pacing. He points to his days on commuter trains as another influence. "There was no way to do that journey without a book: a book you could get wrapped up in, a book you could read standing up, a book you'd miss your tube stop for. That was the kind of book I wanted to write." Originally from Norbury in South London, the 28-year-old Smith started writing plays in school and continued while he attended Cambridge, from which he graduated in 2001. After spending a year in Italy on a creative writing scholarship, he became assistant story editor for a British soap opera, then moved to Phnom Penh with the BBC to be the story consultant for Cambodia's first soap opera. He currently lives in London. From Our Booksellers A pulse-raising, edge-of-your-seat thriller! --Laura Brauman, Bourbonnais, IL Expertly atmospheric and brilliantly quease-inducing. --Seth Christenfeld, White Plains, NY If Thomas Harris had set a story in the Gulag, this would have been it. --Melissa Willits, Carmel, IN A fascinating look into Stalinist Russia. --Michele Williams, Long Beach, CA A brilliant debut thriller that fans of Gorky Park will devour. --Margie Turkett, Annapolis, MD

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    Deliverance

      C. J. Redwine
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Everything hangs in the balance, and nothing is certain: Rachel has been kidnapped by enemy forces and is being taken to Rowansmark while Logan, imprisoned and awaiting trial, is unable to leave Lankenshire. Separated from each other and their Baalboden comrades, each must find a way to achieve what they desperately want: to rid their world once and for all of the Commander and the tech that controls the deadly Cursed One. Fighting through her pain and embracing the warrior she’s become, Rachel will do whatever it takes to escape her enemies’ clutches and join Logan in his fight. But when she learns a secret that changes everything, she realizes that escaping Ian and his tracker friends is no longer an option if she wants to save the people she loves. Instead, she’ll have to destroy Rowansmark from the inside out—if she can survive the journey through the Wasteland. Logan needs allies if he wants to thwart Rowansmark’s power grab and rescue Rachel. But securing allies will mean betraying his beliefs and enlisting the help of the man he hates more than anyone: Commander Jason Chase. Driven by his fierce love for Rachel and his determination to make their world safe, Logan may be just the weapon the city-states need to defeat the Cursed One. But as Rowansmark bears down and uneasy alliances are tested, will Rachel and Logan’s love for each other be enough to surmount the unbelievable odds against them?

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    Midnight Encounters

      Elle Kennedy
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Wrong bed.right man? Between her waitressing job, volunteer work, and college classes, there are never enough hours in the day for Maggie Reilly. Especially not for a relationship. She's got the perfect arrangment, though-a lover she meets three or four times a year. This weekend is one of those rare times, and she's more than ready for a few nights of stress-busting sex. But when she shows up at the hotel expecting to hop into bed with one man, she accidentally ends up with quite another: Ben Barrett, Hollywood's most notorious bad boy. Ben, determined to lay low after another scandal, has checked into the hotel for some much-needed sleep. What he gets is a scorching-hot makeout session with a gorgeous, naked redhead. He won't accept her apology, but what he will accept is a place to hide out-in her arms. In exchange, he'll give her what she wants. A full week of no-strings sex. Ben soon finds out that one week with the fiery redhead is definitely not enough. He finds himself wanting more. A lot more. Now if only he can convince Maggie that a bad boy might just be good for her-and the best thing that's ever happened to both of them. Warning: This title contains a sexy movie star and a sassy redhead who know exactly how to heat up the sheets. The wild sex might require the use of an air-conditioner. Graphic language and explicit sex.

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    A Man for Mia

      Linda Kage
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Love is about to bloom for Mia Stallone... Photographer Drew Harper's sister is convinced of one thing: the resident of 410 South Elm Street is her husband's mistress. The cheater had sent roses there after all. When Drew helps with a little reconnaissance at that address, he meets Mia - who doesn't seem the mistress type at all. In fact, she seems like a once-in-a-lifetime kind of woman... Plagued by survivor's guilt from the kind of loss no one could guess, Mia Stallone is afraid to let herself be happy. When Drew shows up in her yard asking questions, she feels a spark she never thought she'd feel again. But is his interest in her only in gaining information for his sister? And will he still love her when he learns the truth behind her loss - or solves the mystery of that rose delivery?

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    At the Stroke of Midnight

      Tara Sivec
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Meet the Naughty Princess Club: a brand new series from USA Today bestselling author Tara Sivec that introduces readers to Fairytale Lane and the hilarity—and romance—that ensue when three women start a new business to make it rain. Once upon a time Cynthia was the perfect housewife. Between being the President of the PTA and keeping her home spotless without a hair (or her pearls) out of place, her life was a dream come true. Her husband was once her knight in shining armor, but now he’s run off with all their money…and the babysitter. Dressed as a princess at the annual Halloween block party on Fairytale Lane, she meets two other “princesses” also facing money troubles: antique store owner Ariel and librarian Isabelle. When the women are invited to wear their costumes to a party where they’re mistaken for strippers, Cindy, Ariel, and Belle realize that a career change could be the best way to make their money problems go bippity-boppity-boo. But can structured Cindy approach a stripper pole without sanitizing wipes? And could the blue-eyed anti-prince that has been crossing her path become Cindy’s happily ever after? At the Stroke of Midnight is a hilarious, empowering story where princesses can save themselves while slaying in stilettos.

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    The Hadassah Covenant

      Robert Holdstock
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The modern-day Hadassah, introduced to readers in the previous novel, is the wife of Israelbs Prime Minister, with all its reflected power but also its isolation. The inner pain she feels as her beloved land and people are terrorized by political strife and bombings is made even more personal as her own father comes under attack. And then she learns of information that could have tragic repercussions on Jews living in Iraq, where Queen Esther had laid her own life on the line to save her people. The successor to Xerxes has no love for the Jews, and when he discovers the Star of David medallion on Leah (the young queenbs candidate Esther wrote to in Hadassah), he is outraged. Leah is delegated to the brejectedb category, virtually a prisoner for life in the kingbs palace, with no hope and no future.Will Queen Esther and Mordecai be able to rescue Leah from the bash heapb of Persian royal tradition? And even if they can, will Leah ever be able to truly love someone after all she has been through?

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    Lamb to the Slaughter

      Karen Ann Hopkins
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"A well-crafted tale of murder begotten by the collision of two incompatible worlds."-Kirkus Reviews The death of a teenage Amish girl in a cornfield looks like an accident, but sheriff Serenity Adams suspects foul play. To solve the murder, she must investigate the nearby Amish community with the help of a man who was shunned years ago. Lamb to the Slaughter is a story about the intertwining lives of three unlikely people in an Indiana Amish Community and the devastating results when a rebellious teenage girl is found shot to death in a corn field during the harvest. Serenity Adams is the newly elected young sheriff in the country town of Blood Rock and besides dealing with the threatening behavior of her predecessor, she now has a dead Amish girl on her plate. At first glance, the case seems obvious. The poor girl was probably accidentally shot during hunting season, but when the elders of the Amish community and even the girl’s parents react with uncaring subdued behavior, Serenity becomes suspicious. As she delves deeper into the secretive community that she grew up beside, she discovers a gruesome crime from the past that may very well be related to the Amish girl’s shooting. Serenity enlists the help of the handsome bad-boy building contractor, Daniel Bachman, who left the Amish when he was nineteen and has his own dark reasons to help the spunky sheriff solve the crime that the family and friends who shunned him are trying desperately to cover up. Serenity’s persistence leads her to a stunning discovery that not only threatens to destroy her blossoming romance with Daniel, but may even take her life in the end.

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