In fact, Assistant Chief Constable Desmond Iles is extremely present in this the 25th of the Bill James series following his shady and sometimes violent police career. But he is absent from a crucial conference and therefore unable to give vital advice to a colleague from a different force, A.C.C. Esther Davidson. She is having big trouble from a local gang, the Guild, and proposes to put an out-located officer - that is, an undercover spy - into the criminal outfit. Iles might have been able to dissuade her if he'd been around. One of his own undercover officers was murdered not long ago and he has promised himself never to place anyone in such danger again. Esther goes ahead, with terrible consequences. Iles does, belatedly, try to help her, and there is even possibility of some sex between the two, but Iless real speciality is in nailing villains and not charming the fairer opposition, and so ultimately he ends up sticking with his real talents.

Catherine Asaro is a popular SF writer, combining her diverse talents to blend hard science fiction and heartrending romance into a sweeping epic known as the Saga of the Skolian Empire. This is her trademark series. Ever since Primary Inversion, her very first novel, this series has continued to grow, building a significant readership and receiving widespread praise.All of Asaro's considerable talent is on display in Spherical Harmonic, the direct sequel to The Radiant Seas.Separated for decades by circumstance and political machinations, the Ruby Dynasty, hereditary rulers of the Skolian Empire, struggle to bring together the tattered remnants of their family in the shadow of a disastrous interstellar war. Too many have died, others are presumed lost, yet they must move quickly if they are reassume their rightful place as rulers of Skolia.At the publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management software (DRM) applied.

Hailed as the perfect series for kids not quite ready for Harry Potter, THE SECRETS OF DROON series is enchanting young readers everywhere! Forget Frosty... there's a new snowman tromping through Droon! An ancient snow beast named Murn has woken up from a deep sleep, and he is NOT a morning person. In fact, Murn is destroying villages all over Droon! Eric and his friends must journey up north to the mysterious ice caves to stop the beast. Finding the cave entrance is tricky, but that's nothing compared to what they find deep inside. Surprise! The "ice beast" is not at all what they expected...

No doubt about it, little brothers can be monsters. When sixth grader Jake Doolittle finds a baby on the doorstep and his mother decides to keep it, those words are more than just an expression. Instead, they perfectly describe the way his new little brother, LD, sprouts pointy ears, thick fur, and fangs in moonlight.Not only is LD a monster. . . . other monsters have plans for him. But together with his friend "Weird Lily" Carker, Jake isn't about to let anything happen to the baby. The little guy is still his brother, even if it turns out that LD may be the key to saving the world--or destroying it.Soon Jake and Lily are on a perilous quest through Always October, a world populated with monsters ranging from the venomous to the ridiculous. Master of comic suspense Bruce Coville presents a tale of ominous dangers and hairbreadth escapes, of the conflict between forces of dark and light, and of the lengths to which one boy will go to save...

Afternoon kindergarten is having a field day, and Junie B. Jones is team captain! Only, here's the problem. Room Eight keeps on winning too many events. And so how will Room Nine ever become the kindergarten champions? As Captain Field Day, will Junie B. find a way to lead her team to victory? Or will it be up to someone else to save the day?

To Portland, With Love is a short story from the bestselling Story of Us series. Rory and Houston are living a seemingly perfect life in their picturesque house on the lake, but all is not as rosy as it seems. Rory’s discontent with the new yuppie lifestyle she feels she’s supposed to adopt is bleeding into all aspects of their marriage, and Houston is not at all pleased. Will the stress of Rory’s first book signing bring them to the brink?

Discover the bone-chilling adventures that made Goosebumps one of the bestselling children's book series of all time. Now with all-new bonus materials!What has two eyes, a mouth, and wrinkly green skin? Mark's shrunken head! It's a present from his Aunt Benna. A gift from the jungle island of Baladora.And Mark can't wait to show the kids at school!But late one night the head starts to glow. Because it's actually no ordinary head. It gives Mark a strange power. A magical power. A dangerous power...It's our tenth fan-favorite prequel to R.L. Stine's blockbuster Goosebumps HorrorLand series. Now with all-new bonuses including an author interview, gross-out facts, and more!

In the eight years since his first full-length novel Gridlinked was published by Pan Macmillan, Neal Asher has firmly established himself as one of the leading British writers of Science Fiction, and his novels are now translated in many languages. Most of his stories are set in a galactic future-scape called 'The Polity', and with this collection of marvellously inventive and action-packed short stories, he takes us further into the manifold diversities of that amazing universe. No one does monsters better than Neal Asher, so be prepared to revisit the lives and lifestyles of such favourites as the gabbleduck and the hooder, to savour alien poisons, the walking dead, the Sea of Death, and the putrefactor symbiont.

Professor William Waterman Sherman just wants to be alone. So he decides to take a year off and spend it crossing the Pacific Ocean in a hot-air balloon the likes of which no one has ever seen. But when he is found after just three weeks floating in the Atlantic among the wreckage of twenty hot-air balloons, naturally, the world is eager to know what happened. How did he end up with so many balloons . . . and in the wrong ocean?

Few authors have achieved such renown as World Fantasy Life Achievement honoree and Science Fiction Writers of America Grand Master Andre Norton. With the love of readers and the praise of critics, Norton's books have sold millions of copies worldwide.Effortlessly spinning tales of adventure through the distant worlds of outer space and the inner worlds of dream and psychic experience, Andre Norton sends you on a breathtaking journey of the imagination in this collection of her finest works. Follow the path to Moon Mirror, and enter the shimmering lands that lay beyond.

A stylish romantic comedy and a brilliant follow up to All the Hopeful Lovers from the award-winning screenwriter.Maggie and Andrew are lovers who live apart -- Maggie in the country, Andrew in London. When Andrew is offered a job close to Maggie, moving in with her is the obvious next step. Or is it? Moving in together leads to marriage. Is this the man she wants to spend the rest of her life with?Maggie panics. Andrew is devastated. But when he turns the tables on her, Maggie begins to see him rather differently. Meanwhile Maggie's Sussex neighbours are living through their own intense dilemmas. Henry's midlife crisis is exacerbated by a plague of rabbits in his garden, but hiring petty criminal Terry to extend the fencing turns out rather badly. Henry's wife Laura is secretly adored by her brother in law, Roddy. He hovers in the wings waiting for the moment to declare himself; while screenwriter Alan's efforts to convert a Grade II...

RetailNow available for the first time as an eBook, this classic novel from Debbie Macomber explores the tender, intimate joys of love and family.A driven workaholic, CEO Caasi Crane has sacrificed all semblance of a personal life to build a West Coast hotel empire. But business as usual will never be the same when the man Caasi trusts with all her heart abruptly resigns. Having to replace her top manager isn’t the end of the world—or at least it shouldn’t feel like it. So why does it hurt so much to lose him?Blake Sherrill is excellent at his job, and he knows it. But when it comes to Caasi, the time has come to cut his losses. Ironically, now that he’s ready to walk away from the woman he cares for, he gets what he’s wanted all along: Caasi’s undivided attention. Dragging her into his family’s frenzy of potlucks, weddings, and bouncing babies, Blake tries to teach an isolated career woman about the world outside her lonely penthouse—and a love that’s strong enough last a lifetime.Praise for Debbie Macomber“No one tugs at readers’ heartstrings quite as effectively as Macomber.”—*Chicago Tribune“The reigning queen of women’s fiction.”*—The Sacramento Bee“It’s impossible not to cheer for Macomber’s characters. . . . When it comes to creating a special place and memorable, honorable characters, nobody does it better than Macomber.”—BookPage* Published by Debbie Macomber Books*

THE FIRST PART OF A SENSATIONAL NEW TWO-BOOK SEQUENCE THAT WILL BE THE BIGGEST AND MOST EPIC BEN HOPE ADVENTURE YET! TO POSSESS IT HE WILL PAY IN BLOOD Where ex-SAS major Ben Hope goes, trouble always follows… Ben Hope is trained to identify danger. So when he finds out that someone very important to him is working on a US container ship in the treacherous seas off the East African coast, he fears the worst. Within days the ship is hijacked by pirates. Taking matters into his own hands, Ben embarks upon the most daring rescue mission of his career … because this is no ordinary hostage situation. There is something on board the ship that’s more precious than life itself – and a bloodthirsty tyrant will kill to possess it. As events spiral out of control, Ben Hope’s skill and resourcefulness will be tested like never before. Ben would die to protect those close to him, but in a hostile environment, against ruthless warriors, even the ultimate sacrifice might not be enough… BEN HOPE is one of the most celebrated action adventure heroes in British fiction and Scott Mariani is the author of numerous bestsellers. Join the ever-growing legion of readers who get breathless with anticipation when the countdown to the new Ben Hope thriller begins … **Review ‘Slick, serpentine and very, very entertaining . . . If you’ve got a pulse, you’ll love Scott Mariani; if you haven’t, then maybe you crossed Ben Hope.’ SIMON TOYNE ‘Scott Mariani is an awesome writer.’ CHRIS KUZNESKI ‘Deadly conspiracies, bone-crunching action and a tormented hero with a heart . . . Scott Mariani packs a real punch.’ ANDY McDERMOTT ‘A romp of a read, each page like a tasty treat. Enjoy.’ STEVE BERRY About the Author Scott Mariani is the author of the worldwide-acclaimed action / adventure series featuring maverick ex-SAS hero Ben Hope. Scott’s books have topped the bestseller charts in his native Britain, with The Alchemist’s Secret, the first Ben Hope novel, having held the #1 Kindle position for a record-breaking six straight weeks. The Ben Hope series is translated into over twenty languages worldwide. Scott was born in Scotland, studied in Oxford and now lives and writes in rural west Wales.

Claire knew it was her duty to serve her Coven by participating in the local Shifter Pack's annual Mating Run, but just when she'd resigned herself to that duty the unthinkable happened: she fell in love. Nigel knew it was his duty to protect Claire and keep her safe from over-eager Wolves until the Run, but over the long weeks of guarding her body the unthinkable happened: he began to want her body for his own. Caught in a trap of family duty and desire, Nigel and Claire must decide what's really worth fighting for and all the while they're Hungry Like the Wolf.

THE THRILLING CONCLUSION TO YASMINE GALENORN'S "ADDICTIVE" (Smexy Books) BESTSELLING SERIES Eons ago, vampires tried to turn the dark Fae in order to harness their magic, only to create a demonic enemy more powerful than they could have imagined. Now, in a final push, Myst returns with a vengeance to bring the Golden Wood forever under the rule of the Indigo Court. Newly crowned Fae Queens Cicely and Rhiannon have embraced their destinies and claimed their thrones. But Myst is rising once more, and now, at the helm of her armies, she begins her final assault on the Golden Wood. As Fae, vampires, and magic-born alike fall under the tide of blood, Cicely and her friends must discover a way to destroy the spidery queen before they—and their people—face total annihilation.