A famed motorcycle traveller is sent to Mars to explore the red planet for colonization. Earth is doomed by pollution and over-exploitation of its resources. Can she find a new place for the human-race to live - and should she ?Jacqui explored the Earth on her venerable Royal Enfield 500cc motorbike in the early 21st century. One hundred and twenty years later her cryonically preserved body is thawed and she is flown to explore Mars as part of mankind's effort to find new worlds to colonize. Earth is doomed through over-population,decimation of its resources and choking pollution. She knows that she is being used as a symbol of the struggle to survive,and though anxious to do her best she is plagued with doubts that the human-race will inevitably ruin another planet. Riding her trusty steed Enfield,now powered by an electric motor,she surveys the landscape,coming across a promising plain. Pausing to take photographs,Jacqui falls into a reverie as she encounters an ancient Martian.

In the middle of the Indian Ocean, a NUMA research vessel is taking water samples at sunset, when a crew member spots a sheen of black oil ahead of them. But it is not oil. Like a horde of army ants, a swarm of black particles suddenly attacks the ship, killing everyone aboard, while the ship itself goes up in flames. A few hours later, Kurt Austin and Joe Zavala are on their way to the Indian Ocean. What they will find there on the smoldering hulk of the ship will eventually lead them to the discovery of the most audacious scheme they have ever known: a plan to permanently alter the weather on a global scale. It will kill millions . . . and it has already begun. Filled with the boundless invention unique to Clive Cussler, this is one of the most thrilling novels yet from the grand master of adventure.

Delia never thought her love of adventure and artifact hunting would lead her to discover such oddities as man-slaying monsters, magical swords, and elves on motorcycles. Oh, and there’s also the Ancient Spartan warrior who’s been stranded in the present—he’s offering to work as her bodyguard in exchange for English lessons. She’s barely wrapped her mind around these strange new developments when another monster arrives, this time in Sedona, Arizona. The tourist town is known for its majestic rock formations, “healing vortexes,” and ruins left by the Sinagua, a native people who mysteriously disappeared hundreds of years ago. Monsters are a more recent development. This one is leaving death and destruction in its wake, and Delia and her friends are the only ones who know what’s going on. They’re also the only ones with a weapon that can harm the creature—if they can find it. To add to their problems, a centuries-old evil has been reawakened, one that threatens to deliver the people of Sedona to the same fate as the Sinagua. And Delia and her friends along with them.

Moran of the Lady Letty, originally published in 1898, was Frank Norris's first published novel. Although an avid fan of Norris, having read some of his nautical adventure stories in the collection A Deal in Wheat, I did not approach this work with very high expectations. Soon after diving in, however, I was pleasantly surprised by how well-written and entertaining it is. Ross Wilbur is an educated young member of San Francisco's upper class. Killing time one afternoon before a society ball, he decides to take a stroll along the waterfront, where he is abducted by a sea captain and forced into service among the crew of a schooner. After an abusive welcome, he is informed by the captain that they will be fishing for sharks along the coast of Mexico for a few weeks, after which time Wilbur will be returned to his home port. After overcoming the initial shock of his capture, Wilbur resigns himself to his fate and actually begins to enjoy life at sea. The shark hunting is interrupted, however, when the crew stumbles upon a drifting, apparently abandoned ship named the "Lady Letty." Upon investigation they discover one survivor aboard, who, much to Wilbur's surprise, turns out to be a woman. Far from a damsel in distress, Moran, as the young woman is named, soon proves herself as fiercely independent, coarsely mannered, and physically powerful as any masculine sailor on the high seas.

Daniel Defoe (1660?-1731) was a prolific English writer who became one of the first Western writers to write novels and turn them into a sought after literary genre. During his life, Defoe wrote more than 500 books, pamphlets and journals on topics as wide ranging as politics, crime, religion, psychology, supernatural events, and even economics. While those are all impressive accomplishments, Defoe’s name has lived on through Robinson Crusoe, one of the first and finest novels ever written. The book is written as a fictional autobiography of Robinson Crusoe, a castaway who spends nearly 30 years on a tropical island, where he encounters all kinds of danger and adventures. Published in the early 18th century, the novel may have been inspired by a real Scottish castaway, Alexander Selkirk, who lived for nearly 5 years on a Pacific Island. That island’s name has since been changed to Robinson Crusoe Island. Robinson Crusoe was a stark departure from the typical literature of the day, which was still based on ancient mythology, legends, and history.

When Kimberly finds a magic sword, she is taken away from Earth and her abusive father to a world called Auviarra, a place she thought her grandfather had invented.Striving to become the kind of hero she has always read about, Kimberly soon discovers a growing darkness inside, a darkness that is being cultivated by the evil creatures she is hunting. Will she stay human, or succumb to the magic?Kimberly is at a loss when her grandfather passes away unexpectedly. Left at the mercy of an abusive father, she is forced to watch as her grandfather's legacy is demolished, piece by piece before her eyes.The one thing her father cannot touch, however, are the stories of Auviarra, the magical world that made her grandfather's books famous. When Kimberly discovers a magical blade that shouldn't even exist, she is whisked away to a land of heroes and villains. Taken in by a band of misfits, she tries to measure up to the stories she loved so much.However, something has followed her to Auviarra, a shadow from her grandfather's past. In the process of hunting it down, she soon discovers that she's inherited something other than a magical blade, something that will threaten to undo who she is.

Jamie Kendrick is known for his bad decisions—jacking a squad car and turning it over in a ditch, for example. But he's going to show everyone. With some help from his brother—and a court-ordered ankle monitor—Jamie's going to get sober, join the army, and shake his white trash reputation. That is, until someone frames him for the grisly murders of his brother's family.Jamie Kendrick is known for his colossally bad decisions—jacking a squad car and turning it over in a ditch, for example. But he’s going to show everyone. With some help from his brother—and a court-ordered ankle monitor—Jamie is going to get sober, join the army, and shake his white trash reputation. He’s actually doing a decent job until someone frames him for the grisly murders of his brother's family. No one believes that Jamie is innocent. No one but a mysterious blonde with a gun. She gives Jamie a choice: spend the rest of his life in prison or help her take down the man who killed his brother and set him up.

A routine Saturday turns potentially deadly when Marcus crosses paths with three strangers. Questions are raised as quickly as they are answered in this first episode, "Two Flowers."Marcus Armstrong struggles to keep his daughter safe in a bleak world which has been forever changed by a mysterious contagion. A routine Saturday turns potentially deadly when Marcus crosses paths with three strangers. Questions are raised as quickly as they are answered in this first episode, "Two Flowers."

In 1865, English explorer Samuel Baker buys a woman out of slavery in Eastern Europe. From that impetuous gesture springs a love story and an enduring partnership. Together they traverse Northern Africa to follow the course of the Nile River in search of its headwaters.Baker’s Woman opens in 1859 Bulgaria, the western edge of the Ottoman Empire. Refugee white girls are captured and offered for sale. Englishman Sam Baker is touring Eastern Europe to introduce an Indian Prince to Continental society and some boar hunting in the forests. With the prince he attends a slave sale, and out-bids pashas to save one delicate waif. Once back at his lodgings he realizes he has no idea what to do with the girl. The prince’s companion, a wealthy independent European Countess, takes young Florence in hand for clothing, an introduction to social customs, womanly advice and a large dose of kindness. Sam employs tutors to prepare Florence for employment as a governess. She speaks German and Hungarian, and now learns English and French. But reluctant to give her up to service, Sam takes a job to oversee the extension of the trans-European railway. He rents a house on the Black Sea where Florence can continue her studies. Florence waits to see what is expected of her and Sam confesses his love and asks if she can love him. They spend an idyllic summer. He tells her his dreams of locating the headwaters of the Nile. She declares she will follow him anywhere. They sail for Constantinople where Sam buys identity papers for his “wife”. From there they go on to Alexandria and Cairo. Sam arranges supplies, barges, and crew. In April 1861 they begin their journey up the Nile. At the cataracts they must leave the river and take to camels, following a trade route across the eastern Nubian desert. Florence is ill; Sam revises plans and they stay awhile in Abyssinia’s highlands. In the spring, astride Arabian horses, they arrive at the Blue Nile and follow it west to Khartoum. On boats they travel south to Gondokoro. It is a dismal trading camp, but Khartoum’s British consul is there awaiting explorers Speke and Grant. Sam meets with the Consul and gives him papers to assure Florence’s support should he die. The Consul asks Sam why he has not married her, and Sam, says opportunities have passed. The Consul reminds Sam that he is the British Law. With relief and a full heart, Sam then proposes and he and Florence are married. Speke and Grant straggle in. They reached Lake Victoria, which Speke and Burton had found, but failed to find its link to the Nile. With Speke’s maps in hand Sam and Florence leave the river. In the foothills they encounter their first native tribe. The Obbo take them in and guide them to the border of another tribe, where the reception is less than friendly. In the next stretch both are ill and stop to rest. A Parkani tribesman meets them and agrees to take them to the shore of the lake they seek. Within the week they overlook a body of water stretching to the horizon. Sam names the lake Albert for the Queen’s Consort and remembers the date- March 16, 1864, almost 3 years since they left Cairo. Before they can return they must find two locations: the place where the White Nile flows into the lake and the place where Speke’s ‘Somerset Nile’ flows in from Lake Victoria. Acquiring canoes and oarsmen they reach the headwaters of the Nile as it flow north. Going back along the shore they reach the mouth of a sluggish stream. It is not promising but they ascend the river and reach a high waterfall that holds back a wide river. They have achieved their goals. Throughout the journey human and animal lives have been lost to fevers, hostilities and accidents from river to desert to jungle or forest. Exhausted but with little time to rest, they must catch a boat before the spring floods. Reaching the Obbo village they are guided back to the Nile and follow the river to Gondokoro and Khartoum. From there it is a camel ride to the Red Sea and Suez, a train to Alexandria and a ship for France. Sam’s family and the Countess are there to welcome them.They arrive in Britain in October 1865, 6 years after traversing continents on a journey that began in a slave market.

Itsy’s principles are put to the test and she decides they are more important than her current job. Not believing in coincidence, when she gets the opportunity to work at a detective agency she is hoping that she will find her mother’s killer who she has been searching for 25 years, Unable to further the search alone, she is aided by her new friends at the agency in resolving her cold case.For those readers of "The Cat's Dowry" that might have wondered what happened to Gabby and Dolly after their adventures the answer is within the pages of this story. Their lives intertwine to complete the story and move on.[Since she had some free time before her appointment, the idea of working on her mother's file crossed her mind. She picked up the file. The file was now over an inch thick. She opened the cover and spread out the top sheets to review her progress. She quickly put the pages back, closed the cover and put the file back in the drawer in her nightstand. Whenever she worked on the case, she would get horribly depressed. She couldn't afford to let that happen today. She had to keep positive and upbeat. There would be another time it just isn't today. Even if she had someone else to share, the task with it wasn't so bad. However, if she was alone, it tore her up. ]

As the world struggles to control overpopulation and famine and maintain destruction and death, the American Government has come down to the deployment of the military throughout the states and approves a new policy. Youth are arrested and sent to a remote island. John steps to carry out the mission. He has to make a difficult decision.As the world struggles to control overpopulation and famine and maintain destruction and death, the American Government has come down to the deployment of the military throughout the states and approves a policy to end violence; a device will detect people hit by violent behavior. Youth are arrested and sent to a remote island to be cruelly punished and exposed to the world John is a lawyer and former Marine who steps to carry out the mission. However a group of mob gets involved to organize a worldwide contest and capitalize on the event. John has to make the difficult decision whether to fulfill the mandate given by his superiors and follow the rules or lead to the destruction of the new system.

Fans of Jonathan Stroud's Bartimaeus books will devour this book - a cracking adventure brimming with magic, intrigue and a treasure trove of characters that the reader can't help but fall for. We find everyone's favourite irascibly insolent djinni serving at the court of King Solomon in 950 BC Jerusalem, where he is causing his customary chaos and must help a girl assassin sent by the Queen of Sheba to steal the all-powerful Ring of Solomon. The comic relief is perfectly timed, the dialogue sharp and snappy and the fiendishly clever plot perfectly handled with Jonathan's trademark flair and command of language. Thrills, chills and a danger-spiked finale - this is one of the publishing events of the year.

A body on the tracks A teenage terrorist A mysterious wish-granting machine The world’s worst private detective The second volume in the Guys Read Library of Great Reading is chock-full of mystery, intrigue, and nefarious activity. Featuring some of the best writers around, and compiled by certified guy Jon Scieszka, Guys Read: Thriller is a pulse-pounding collection of brand-new short stories, each one guaranteed to keep you riveted until the final page.

Marco Polo was nicknamed "Marco of the millions" because his Venetian countrymen took the grandiose stories of his travels to be exaggerated, if not outright lies. As he lay dying, his priest, family, and friends offered him a last chance to confess his mendacity, and Marco, it is said, replied "I have not told the half of what I saw and did." Now Gary Jennings has imagined the half that Marco left unsaid as even more elaborate and adventurous than the tall tales thought to be lies. From the palazzi and back streets of medieval Venice to the sumptuous court of Kublai Khan, from the perfumed sexuality of the Levant to the dangers and rigors of travel along the Silk Road, Marco meets all manner of people, survives all manner of danger, and, insatiably curious, becomes an almost compulsive collector of customs, languages and women. In more than two decades of travel, Marco was variously a merchant, a warrior, a lover, a spy, even a tax collector - but always a journeyer, unflagging in his appetite for new experiences, regretting only what he missed. Here - recreated and reimagined with all the splendor, the love of adventure, the zest for the rare and curious that are Jennings's hallmarks - is the epic account, at once magnificent and delightful, of the greatest real-life adventurer in human history.

Jayden St. Paul has issues. Big issues. He is turned into human and thrown to their world. He is as disoriented as a swan thrown in mud from a sparkling pond. There is no way out.But he tries to learn.He has to adapt. He needs to survive.And as he watches, he sees the signs—possibilities.A HUMAN, AND WORTHLESS... OR SO HE THOUGHTHIS NEW MISSION: FIND HIMSELF, FIND HIS WORTHJayden St. Paul has issues. Big issues. He is turned into human and thrown to their world. He is as disoriented as a swan thrown in mud from a sparkling pond. There is no way out.But he tries to learn. After a short while of wallowing, he comes out and investigates this world of humans. He observes them—what they like, eat, do, and say. He has to adapt. He is not ready to call himself human, but he needs to survive.But as he watches, he sees the signs—a smile, a caring hand on another's shoulder, laughter, delicious food, camaraderie, and friendship.Possibilities.How can he be not drawn to humans? Riddled now with their every qualities including their faults, how can he avoid to care? When one helpless female is kidnapped and is missed, Jayden finds that he has the power to instinctively know where she is. And his first act of caring is the first step that takes him to finding himself.If you wish to read more, download now!READER ADVISORY: This story contains contents that some reader may find objectionable, including sex and erotic themes.BONUS PREVIEW AT THE END OF THE BOOK!EXCERPTHer name was Marci Hayes. She was 26. She was described as attractive at 5’4” tall and 120 pounds. From her photo, he could see that she had shoulder length blonde hair and green eyes. He observed Marci’s image a bit more. Yes, he thought to himself, by human standards, she would look quite lovely.Would that be why she was taken? From what he knew of humans, they could be desirous of beautiful things.He went on to read the rest of the newspaper as he was going through his food. But he found that he couldn’t help but come back to the story of Marci Hayes. It felt as if he was inexplicably drawn to it. Something akin to a buzz or a hum that started somewhere in the back of his head was growing increasingly apparent as he scanned the news item once more.He stood up and reached for his wallet. Jocelyn arrived at his table as he was leaving her a generous tip.“Mind if I take the paper with me?” he asked as she started to clear his plates.She laughed in response. “For you honey, anything.” She straightened up, plates in hand, “It’s late and in a couple of hours I’ll have the new ones, anyway. Have a good evening!” She winked at him and turned to walk towards the kitchens.Jayden stared at her back for a moment, frowning a little. Not all humans were as exuberant, he observed. Could it be because he was, as she’d said, handsome, and she liked that? What else do human women liked in human men? Was her lively spirit the reason why he felt he could tolerate her, even like her as a friend?A human friend. For some reason, as he watched Jocelyn made an elderly couple laugh at another table on the other end of the diner, it didn’t seem such a bad idea.All Titles in the An Angel Bloodhound Series:1 - The Missing Heiress2 - Guarded Secrets3 - Angel Falling4 - Finders KeepersDownload and discover why readers are raving about Natalie Fields.Scroll up and get the book now!