Inspector Zhang Gets His Wish (A Free Short Story)

      Stephen Leather
     Inspector Zhang Gets His Wish (A Free Short Story)

Inspector Zhang loves mysteries, but as a Detective Inspector with the Singapore Police Force he knows that mysteries are few and far between. There are relatively few crimes in the city state and those that are committed are usually solved quickly. But that all changes when Inspector Zhang is called to a top Singapore hotel where a guest has been found murdered in a locked room.Washington Irving’s short story of a New England schoolteacher and his chilling encounter with the Headless Horseman is one of the United States’ most celebrated literary works. A classic for Halloween and campfires, the story has been adapted multiple times for stage and screen since its publication in 1820. The following version is a complete edition of the classic tale, including its original spelling and formatting. It is intended to be a free ebook version of Washington Irving’s haunting masterpiece. As a bonus, it contains an exclusive excerpt from "A Soul to Steal," The Sanheim Chronicles, Book One, which features the Headless Horseman in an entirely new mythology.

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    Original Parts

      Steven Donahue
     Original Parts

Homicide detectives Nate Leeman and Penny Segel investigate the murders of several people who were killed for their artificial body parts. They suspect the killer is selling the stolen body parts on the black market. Det. Leeman objects to the use of artificial body parts in humans, and his beliefs jeopardize his job and his safety during the investigation.Warriors of Gaia tells the epic story of a future world and the girl bound by her sacred pledge to save it…Erin Taylor, a high school junior, never planned to be a savior, but a combination of outrageous circumstances casts her in that role. She and her friends must free their people from slavery in a cruel and dangerous future world. Opposing them is The Court, which will go to any lengths to stop them. In the tradition of Hunger Games, this is a tale of a small band of teens who dare to challenge the most powerful institution on earth.

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    The Quiet Girl

      Peter Høeg
     The Quiet Girl

A Chicago Tribune Favorite Book of 2007 The internationally acclaimed bestselling author of Smilla's Sense of Snow returns with this "engrossing, beautifully written tale of suspense . . . captivating" (The Miami Herald). Kaspar Krone is a world-renowned circus clown, and a man in some deep trouble. Drowning in gambling debt and wanted for tax evasion, Krone is drafted into the service of a mysterious order of nuns who promise him reprieve in return for his help safeguarding a group of children with mystical abilities that Krone also shares. When one of the children goes missing, Krone sets off to find the young girl and bring her back, making a shocking series of discoveries along the way. The Quiet Girl is an exuberant philosophical thriller that is "every bit as adventuresome and ambitious as Smilla's Sense of Snow, even more so" (Cleveland Plain Dealer).

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    School of the Dead

      Avi
     School of the Dead

From Newbery Medalist Avi comes the spine-tingling story of Tony Gilbert, who must solve a mystery surrounding the ghost of his uncle Charlie. For most of Tony Gilbert’s life, he always thought of his uncle as “Weird Uncle Charlie.” That is, until Uncle Charlie moves in with Tony and his family. He’s still odd, of course—talking about spirits and other supernatural stuff—but Uncle Charlie and Tony become fast friends. Between eating ice cream and going to the movies, Tony is having more fun with Uncle Charlie than he ever could have imagined. So when Uncle Charlie dies suddenly, Tony is devastated. So sad, in fact, he starts seeing Uncle Charlie everywhere! Tony recently transferred to the Penda School, where Uncle Charlie went as a kid. The school is eerie enough on its own without his uncle’s ghost making it worse. On top of which, rumors have been circulating about a student who went missing shortly before Tony arrived. Could that and Uncle Charlie’s ghost be related? Full of twists and turns that get spookier by the chapter, School of the Dead is a fast-paced mystery that Avi’s fans will devour!

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    A Death in Belmont

      Sebastian Junger
     A Death in Belmont

A fatal collision of three lives in the most intriguing and original crime story since In Cold Blood. In the spring of 1963, the quiet suburb of Belmont, Massachusetts, is rocked by a shocking sex murder that exactly fits the pattern of the Boston Strangler. Sensing a break in the case that has paralyzed the city of Boston, the police track down a black man, Roy Smith, who cleaned the victim's house that day and left a receipt with his name on the kitchen counter. Smith is hastily convicted of the Belmont murder, but the terror of the Strangler continues. On the day of the murder, Albert DeSalvo—the man who would eventually confess in lurid detail to the Strangler's crimes—is also in Belmont, working as a carpenter at the Jungers' home. In this spare, powerful narrative, Sebastian Junger chronicles three lives that collide—and ultimately are destroyed—in the vortex of one of the first and most controversial serial murder cases in America.

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    Horton Halfpott; Or, the Fiendish Mystery of Smugwick Manor; Or, the Loosening of M’Lady Luggertuck’s Corset

      Tom Angleberger
     Horton Halfpott; Or, the Fiendish Mystery of Smugwick Manor; Or, the Loosening of M’Lady Luggertuck’s Corset

Tom Angleberger's latest, loopiest middle-grade novel begins when M'Lady Luggertuck loosens her corset (it's never been loosened before!), thereby setting off a chain of events in which all the strict rules of Smugwick Manor are abandoned. When, as a result of "the Loosening," the precious family heirloom, the Luggertuck Lump (quite literally a lump), goes missing, the Luggertucks look for someone to blame. Is it Horton Halfpott, the good-natured but lowly kitchen boy who can't tell a lie? Or one of the many colorful cast members in this silly romp of a mystery.

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    Eye of the Witch (Paranormal Detective Mystery series, book 2)

      Dana E. Donovan
     Eye of the Witch (Paranormal Detective Mystery series, book 2)

Book 2 in the Detective Marcella mysteries: Pride, paranoia and paranormal forces all conspire to derail Detective Marcella’s investigation into a series of suspicious suicides in New Castle, Massachusetts. In this sequel to The Witch’s Ladder, Marcella learns that because of the ties that bind their pasts, every potential victim is also a possible suspect.Edited by Leslie Mitchell at G2 Freelance Editing and re-released 2/6/13. Extended Edition. Blood Slave. Captured, taken from her beloved family and woods, Aria’s biggest fear is not the imminent death facing her, but that she will be chosen as a blood slave for a member of the ruling vampire race. No matter what becomes of her though, Aria knows she must keep her identity hidden from the monsters imprisoning her. She has already been branded a member of the rebellion, but the vampires don't know the true depth of her involvement with it, and they must never know. Though hoping for death, Aria’s world is turned upside down when a vampire named Braith steps forward to claim her. He delays her execution, but Aria knows it’s only a matter of time before he drains her, and destroys her. Especially once she learns his true identity as a prince within the royal family, who started the war that ultimately brought down humankind, reducing them to nothing more than servants and slaves. Aria is determined to hate the prince, determined not to give into him in any way, but his strange kindness and surprising gentleness astonish her. Torn between her loyalties to the rebellion, and her growing love for her greatest enemy, Aria struggles to decide between everything she has ever known and a love she never dreamed of finding.Mature YA/New Adult. This book contains some language, violence, and sexual situations. Recommended for ages sixteen and up.Cover art by EbooklaunchThis series is now complete. Recommended reading order for The Captive Series.Captured (Book 1)Renegade (Book 2)Refugee (Book 3)Salvation (Book 4)Redemption (Book 5)Broken (The Captive Series Prequel) Vengeance (Book 6)Unbound (Book 7)

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    Patchwork

      Karsten Knight
     Patchwork

Before I Fall meets Inception in this time-bending YA mystery from the author of Nightingale, Sing. "My last thought before the black seas consume me is to wonder what morbid twist of fate allowed a prom, a proposal, an act of terrorism, and the deaths of everyone I know to converge on the same night." Renata Lake thought her relationship would be the only casualty of prom. Then the bomb went off. It was supposed to be a night to remember—a cruise through Boston Harbor, dancing beneath the stars. But when an explosion tears the ship apart, Renata wakes up in Patchwork, an ethereal world where all her memories have been stitched haphazardly together. In order to catch the assassin who murdered her friends, she’ll have to navigate the twisted landscape of her mind and relive critical moments from her past in search of clues. Can she uncover the killer’s identity and find her way back to the man she once loved before it’s too late? Don’t miss the twist ending of this dark, modern-day reimagining of the phoenix myth that will thrill fans of Passenger and A Thousand Pieces of You.

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    Ella & Jasper Shorts

      Jennifer Oberth
     Ella & Jasper Shorts

When Ella marries Joe Westin, she inherits a father-in-law who gets her into more trouble than the bad guys. As a former thief turned government agent, Ella thinks she’s up for any assignment that comes her way, but Jasper Westin just might be more than she can handle.Set in the 1820s, these three quick reads offer a fun glimpse into Ella’s family life.Ernest EffortMissing MonkeyClose QuartersWhen Ella marries Joe Westin, she inherits a father-in-law who gets her into more trouble than the bad guys. As a former thief turned government agent, Ella thinks she’s up for any assignment that comes her way, but Jasper Westin just might be more than she can handle.In Ernest Effort, a parrot-keeper is kidnapped, and a dangerous pirate orders Ella to find his son immediately. Not one to give in to demands, Ella makes an announcement that stuns everyone.In Missing Monkey, Jasper’s cohorts have misplaced their pet monkey, but the primate isn't the only thing that’s vanished. Ella needs to track the monkey down before nightfall or Jasper will pay the consequences.In Close Quarters, Ella is in a grim predicament—she and Jasper are about to be hanged for murder, and while she’s armed to the teeth, the only weapon at her disposal is her tongue. What could go wrong?Set in the 1820s, these three quick reads offer a fun glimpse into Ella’s new family life.Ernest Effort (2,205 words)Missing Monkey (1,479 words)Close Quarters (3,500 words)

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    The Dead London Chronicles: Vol III, August 2016

      Claire Plaisted
     The Dead London Chronicles: Vol III, August 2016

Step back in time for volume III of an 18th century world where highwaymen roamed the roads, artists faded in obscure unhappiness, silk-clad poodles held London society enraptured and viscounts couldn't feel their own thumbs. Here be monsters, magic and lonely doctors, not to mention a cavalcade of rogues, royals and revelry.Step back in time for volume III of an 18th century world where highwaymen roamed the roads, artists faded in obscure unhappiness, silk-clad poodles held London society enraptured and viscounts couldn't feel their own thumbs. Here be monsters, magic and lonely doctors with a penchant for the work of the old masters, not to mention a cavalcade of rogues, royals and revelry. These are The Dead London Chronicles.The threads of the tapestry are still being woven, and what the Chronicles contain, we can only guess.The story updates weekly on its own dedicated website or here in collected monthly editions, written by Catherine Curzon and Willow Winsham.

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    The Forgotten Girl

      Jessica Sorensen
     The Forgotten Girl

Twenty-one year-old Maddie Asherford is haunted by a past she can’t remember. When she was fifteen years old, there was a tragic accident and she was left with amnesia. In the aftermath, Maddie’s left struggling with who she is—the forgotten girl she was six years ago or the Maddie she is now. Sometimes it even feels like she might be two different people—the good Maddie and the bad one. Good Maddie goes to therapy, spends time with her family, and works on healing herself. Bad Maddie rebels and has dark thoughts of hurting people and sometimes even killing them. For the most part, Maddie manages to keep her twisted thoughts hidden. That is until she starts having blackouts. Each time she wakes up from one, she’s near a murder scene with no recollection of what happened the night before and this helpless feeling like she’s losing control of her life. Maddie doesn’t want to believe she’s a killer, but she begins to question who she really was in her past. If she was bad Maddie all along and that maybe she was a killer.

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    Contract With God

      Juan Gomez-jurado
     Contract With God

A lost treasure, a Nazi war criminal, and a lifelong quest to find a missing heirloom are the starting points for this new novel from the author of God's Spy. Father Anthony Fowler, CIA operative and member of the Vatican's secret service, the Holy Alliance, pays a visit to a war criminal living under a pseudonym because of the terrible experiments he performed on Jewish children. Fowler offers him a deal - he will not reveal the man's true identity in exchange for a huge candle covered in fine filigree gold. But it isn't the gold Fowler is after - it is the metallic object preserved within the wax, a missing fragment of an ancient map. Soon Fowler is involved in an expedition to Jordan set up by the enigmatic head of Kayn industries, a reclusive billionaire who has links to the highest levels of the Catholic Church. But there is a traitor in the group who has links to terrorist organisations back in the US, and who is patiently awaiting the moment to strike. From wartime Vienna to terrorist cells in New York and a lost valley in Jordan, Contract with God is a thrilling read about a quest for power and the secrets of an ancient world.

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    A Tale of the Other Kind

      Leandi Cameron
     A Tale of the Other Kind

Kai Emery likes to be indiscernible; however, his infatuation for his classmate, Sienna Fynn, has made his invisibility status all the more impossible to upkeep. His world spirals out of control when he discovers that he is a shapeshifting were-leopard, and finds himself unable to control his newfound anatomy. An unpredictable vampire enters his life, leading him down a path that soon reveals his destiny, and discloses another world, filled with magic and terrifying darkness. When he finds himself in danger from the god of magic and darkness for disobeying a curse bestowed upon his kind, forbidding him from falling in love with a human, he has to fight for survival, and protect everyone that he loves.

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    Beyond the Reflection's Edge

      Bryan Davis
     Beyond the Reflection's Edge

Sixteen-year-old Nathan Shepherd has a great life traveling where the careers of his father, an investigator, and mother, a renowned violinist, take him ... until his parents are found murdered. Left with only a mirror and notes from his father's last case, Nathan goes into hiding at the remote country home of Tony, his father's college buddy, and Tony's teenage daughter, Kelly. The mysterious mirror must be a clue to what happened to his parents, and when images appear in it---people and things that don't exist---Nathan and Kelly painstakingly gather evidence. But the killers want the mirror too, and danger threatens the teens at every turn. As it becomes evident that Nathan's father had stumbled upon dark forces at work in the world, several questions arise. Could it be that the mirror is a portal to a parallel world? Could this technology be used for evil purposes? And could his parents still be alive, trapped in another dimension? Nathan and Kelly struggle to solve the mystery before they too become victims. This chilling, hair-raising adventure is jam-packed with action in a fantastical world where nothing is as it seems, and even mirrors tell lies.

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    The Orlando File (Book One)

      Ian C.P. Irvine
     The Orlando File (Book One)

Six of the world's leading geneticists have all 'committed suicide' in the past seven days, the brother-in-law of a journalist being the latest to die. Establishing that those who died were all employees of the Gen8tyx Company, a secretive research company based in Orlando, the journalist -Kerrin Graham- sets out to discover the truth behind their deaths.Book One of Two Parts: Please note that Book One continues seamlessly into and is concluded in Book Two. This is an excellent way to introduce yourself to this new and exciting author!- If you enjoy Book One, to continue the story you may then choose to download Book Two. Alternatively, readers are recommended to purchase the full omnibus edition containing both Book One and Book Two. For fans of Lee Child, Kathy Reich, Tess Gerritsen. The Story: the Orlando File is a fast paced thriller, based upon the latest state-of-the-art discoveries in genetics and stem-cell research. The result is a truly scientific adventure but with a thrilling twist.When Kerrin Graham, a retired cop and now an investigative journalist with the Washington Post, receives a call in the middle of the night, his life is about to be turned upside down.Six of the world's leading geneticists have all 'committed suicide' in the past seven days, his brother-in-law being the latest to die. Establishing that those who died were all employees of the Gen8tyx Company, a secretive research company based in Orlando, Kerrin sets out to discover the truth behind their deaths.Discovering that those who died were killed to stop them unveiling the results of their revolutionary stem-cell research, a discovery that could usher in a new age of hope and health for all humanity, Kerrin vows to find who was responsible for their deaths and to uncover the powerful secret they were killed to protect.On a trail that takes him around the world and back, Kerrin uncovers a sinister organization that will stop at nothing to protect the secret behind the mysterious 'Orlando Treatment'.When those around him start to die, and his wife disappears, it becomes a race against time to find the missing 'Orlando File', the only hope of saving his crippled wife and proving to an unsuspecting world, the truth behind the sinister Chymera Corporation of America.And yet, when Kerrin eventually understands just what the Orlando File contains, he is faced with a choice no man should ever have to make, and everyone who reads this book must ask the same question:"What would I do, if I were him?"...and anyone who reads this book could learn a simple little known medical fact that could extend their life by 20 years.

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