In the North American Confederacy . . . People are free--really free. Free to do as they please, whether it be starting a business, running for elected office, or taking target practice in the back forty. There's not a whole lot of government, nor is there a lot of crime, because everyone who wants to carries a gun, and isn't afraid to use it.But someone has bombed the Endicott Building, killing hundreds of people, and Win Bear, the only licensed detective in the confederacy, has to find out who did this dastardly deed, and why. Because whoever did it has already shown their willingness to commit more terrorist acts, no matter how many people are hurt.And that can't go on, or soon the confederacy will be just as the bad old United States--and that is something they want to avoid at all costs.At the publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management software (DRM) applied.From Publishers WeeklySermon battles for space with story (and often wins) in Smith's sequel to The Probability Broach (1980), which continues the adventures of cross-time private detective Win Bear in the North American Confederacy, an alternate world that's supposed to be a libertarian, even anarchist Utopia. The serpent in this Eden is a statist plot to generate so much fear of terrorism by cross-temporal immigrants that people will demand a (gasp!) government. Of course, Win and his stout-hearted companions, Militia Captain Will Sanders and centenarian grande dame Lucy Kropotkin, do a splendid job of beating off the clutching tentacles of government. Along the way, there's much effective satire (the statist plotters include a Bennett and Buckley Williams), absorbing if not always plausible world-building and some lighthearted development of the concept of sapience among anthropoids and cetaceans. However, readers will also find the book laboring under a ponderous weight of libertarian philosophizing. Moreover, the plot opens with the evil statists committing two terrorist acts with four-figure death tolls, while throwaway lines like "An armed playground is a polite playground" may put off those who don't share Smith's views. This preachy book sends a message that rings hollow in the world post-September 11. (Feb. 6)Fiction.Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.From Library JournalWin Bear makes his living as a detective in the North American Confederacy, an alternate America without taxes, government, or police. When a group of dissidents, the Franklinites, launches a campaign of terror to force governmental order upon the population, Bear takes matters into his own hands and declares war on his enemy. The sequel to The Probability Broach continues the adventures of a likable and resourceful hero who stumbled upon another world and chose to make his home in it. Smith's libertarian slant may limit the book's appeal, but general readers may overlook this issue thanks to the fast-paced storytelling and sharp-tongued, folksy prose. For large sf collections. Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

Joey McMillian is man that everyone loves. Women fall at his feet everywhere he goes, and men want to be him. Working at the fire department in the small shore town where he grew up, staying close to the only constant in his life, his best friends, has been all Joey thought he wanted in life. While his friends have all found love and started families, Joey bounces from woman to woman, never opening himself up to the opportunity of loving someone and being truly loved in return. Kat Pierce is a fiercely independent thirty something who knows Joey’s womanizing ways far too well. When she lands a teaching job and moves into her cousin’s house at the shore, she finds herself with Joey more than she would like. There’s always been an attraction between the two of them, but Kat knows better than to act on her feelings. Her heart has been broken before, and she knows Joey is a one way ticket to having it broken again. Will Joey and Kat find the love they are looking for?

Things are out of control for the Sinclair boys! With two already in the NHL, Jace Sinclair is ready to follow in his brothers’ HUGE skates in the last Bellevue Bullies novel… Jace Sinclair here, and I’m amazing. There is no other way to describe me. I am the leading scorer for the Bellevue Bullies, I’m the captain, and people love me: my family, my teammates, my coach, and the NHL. This is my last year in college–I already have one foot in the draft. Hockey keeps me warm even when it’s freezing. It’s always there when nothing else is. And it pushes me to be the best I can be. It’s my one and only love. That is, until I see her against a tree with a guitar. Avery. The last thing I wanted was to meet anyone. My heart is on the bench because of what happened with my parents, and I don’t want that for myself. I don’t want to be hurt by anyone. I can’t give them that power. But my heart is begging for ice time, and I can’t control it around her. I’ve always been in the background. No one has ever had time for me and that’s fine; I’ve learned to cope. Coming from a family where hockey is life, the last thing I want is some big, burly hockey player charging at me. I don’t have time for it, but Jace Sinclair isn’t one to be deked around. I didn’t want to meet anyone. I didn’t want to end up freezing the puck with him. It’s not what I want. I have demons. I have issues. Living in the shadows, no one even knew until it was too late. But Jace wants to know. He wants me. And that scares me the living hell out of me. We were so worried about what would happen if we fell, but we never thought what could happen in the process of falling. We never saw it coming. But it’s here, and the repercussions are not pretty. We should have known that there is no way out of the zone when you are being Hooked by Love. **

Nothing can be farther from the truth than this view of the subject. In reality, what the Church fought for during this long struggle was--not power, but--liberty. She refused to admit that she was a corporation existing by the permission, or the creation of the State. She claimed to be a spiritual society, existing by the fiat of the will of God, entirely independent in her own sphere, having a government of her own; executive, legislative, and judicial rights and duties of her own; an end of her own, far above and beyond the affairs of this world. It was for this liberty and independence that her martyrs had died, her confessors languished in prison, her saints prayed and suffered. When the rulers of the world became Christian, the difficulties in the way of her liberty did not cease; they only assumed a new form.

A Washington, D.C., crime lord fights for his life in court while P.I. Derek Strange finds a woman whose testimony could mean death or freedom for the crime lord.

The fourth book in Kristen Callihan’s Darkest London series set in Victorian London will appeal to fans of New York Times bestselling authors Amanda Quick, Gail Carriger, and Hannah Howell.

Imagine a book filled with stories and poems written by kids who love animals. Writing gives us the chance to use our imagination, to be creative, to explore our deepest thoughts and feelings, and to discover the gifts and talents we have inside. Pet Alliance of Greater Orlando is proud to present original works that showcase how young authors view the world around them.Imagine a book filled with stories and poems written by kids who love animals. Writing gives us the chance to use our imagination, to be creative, to explore our deepest thoughts and feelings, and to discover the gifts and talents we have inside.Pet Alliance of Greater Orlando is proud to present original works that showcase how young authors view the world around them. The writings and artwork are truly from the heart and strive to portray the hands-on experiences with shelter pets and knowledge gained during Shelter Friends Summer Camps. You will not find these imaginative and creative ideas anywhere else.Pet Alliance of Greater Orlando educates, shelters, places, and heals pets and their families with compassionate, responsible care maintained to the highest professional standards. We create more caring communities by promoting happier, healthier pets and their families.