The Burning Claw

      Quinn Loftis
     The Burning Claw

Jacque’s mind wandered as she hovered somewhere between life and death. Her body longed to let go, to sink into the peaceful abyss, to the place where she didn’t have to worry about rabid, child-snatching vampires and the carnage they’d caused to so many innocent families. But something kept her here, tethered to this world, something she couldn’t quite remember hovered just on the edge of her consciousness, something vital. It wasn’t Fane, he would be with her on the other side, she knew that. If she died, he died too and he wouldn’t have it any other way. She could feel Peri’s presence in her body. The fae was fighting, expending every ounce of her energy to keep her and Fane alive and the strain was taking its toll on the fae. But why? Why was the fae fighting as if her own life depended upon Jacque’s survival? Jacque was starting to remember someone else—someone that depended on her. A brand new life, precious and perfect…her son. Costin’s best friend lay as if sleeping, clinging to life by a mere thread, held at the other end by the powerful fae. But the thread holding Costin to his own sanity was just as feeble. Sally, his world, his light, his brown-eyes, the only thing that keeps the darkness at bay, was gone. Simply vanished. Costin didn’t know how or where, and it was tearing him up inside. The young boy, Titus, his adopted son, was the only thing that kept his wolf from taking over completely. Costin would be strong for the boy for as long as he could, but he wasn’t sure how long he could keep the feral would at bay. Bethany, the brave young girl that had been rescued from the clutches of the vampire coven to which she’d served as food for the past seven years, was now sharing a room with her true mate, with absolutely no understanding of what that meant. Though the girl had proven to be resilient, she had no idea how to handle her the huge dominating werewolf that had staked his claim on her. Drake was past the point of feral when he’d found her, and that kind of darkness doesn’t let go without a fight. The strongest of alpha females, raised with a full understanding of pack law and the power of the mate bond, would have had a tough time dealing with the wolf. Bethany, a dormant, who had no idea who or what she was, didn’t stand a chance.

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    The Stolen Relic

      Carolyn Keene
     The Stolen Relic

My friends and I knew before we got to Arches National Park that it's full of red cliffs arches, and rock formations -- plenty of places for hiking, biking, and getting lost. It's a good thing there are park rangers and guides to help tourist like us find our way. Or at east that's what we thought, until of the guilds left for a second to investigate some noise, and never came back. It seems unlikely that a respected tour guide who knows the area like the back of her hand could just get lose. Something's fishy. And you can bet I'm going to get to the bottom of this before I find my way home.

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    Day of the Living Pizza

      Vickie Johnstone
     Day of the Living Pizza

A Smarts & Dewdrop Mystery, book 1.Detective Smarts of Crazy Name Town has a problem. Doctor Boring has been bumped off, and the only clues at the scene are some olives, tomatoes, mushrooms and a sprinkle of oregano. With the townsfolk dropping like flies and Pizza Dudes stumbling down the streets, Officer Dewdrop has an idea.For ages 10+.A Smarts & Dewdrop Mystery, book 1.Detective Smarts of Crazy Name Town has a problem. Doctor Boring and his receptionist have been bumped off, and the only clues at the scene are some olives, tomatoes, mushrooms and a sprinkle of oregano. With the townsfolk dropping like flies and strange-looking figures stumbling down the streets mumbling "Pizza!", Officer Dewdrop has an idea.Juvenile fiction/YA/age 10+This story is contained in The Gage Project book, published by Inknbeans Press, which is raising money for children's charities.

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    Toby's God

      Tom Georges
     Toby's God

Toby's life has been a perfect one, and it's not an accident. Toby has a god, and his god is going to take action.Toby's life has been a perfect one, and it's not an accident. Toby has a god, and his god is going to take action.Have you ever wondered if the things in your life just fell into place, as if orchestrated from without? That your choices really were not choices? Delve into the dark reality that is Toby's life to see what - or who - was really driving it: Toby's God.

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    Fatal Slip

      Marina Oliver
     Fatal Slip

When her son dies, Dodie is determined to find the murderer.Flamboyant, wealthy, middle aged and several-times married Dodie Fanshaw is in Madeira to help make a film about her early life as a chorus girl and Hollywood starlet, and her husbands. She is not amused when her son Jake, indifferent actor, appeals to her for money. Instead of going back to England he remains in Madeira, and contrives to alienate Dodie's friends, a rival actor, the Madeiran family who run the hotel where he had been staying, and a wealthy, elderly woman with whom he is now living. The situation becomes intolerable when Jake, drunk and abusive, comes uninvited to a party on a yacht on New Year's Eve, arranged to watch the annual Funchal firework spectacle. When his body is discovered next day in the harbour, Dodie asks was he killed or was it an accident? She is determined to discover which of the many enemies he has made could have killed him, but most of them had the opportunity.

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    The Full Cupboard of Life

      Alexander McCall Smith
     The Full Cupboard of Life

Here is the fifth novel in the internationally bestselling No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency hit series. Once again we are transported to Gaborone, capital city of Botswana, and into the world of Mma Ramotswe and her friends.THE NO. 1 LADIES’ DETECTIVE AGENCY. FOR ALL CONFIDENTIAL MATTERS AND ENQUIRIES. SATISFACTION GUARANTEED FOR ALL PARTIES. UNDER PERSONAL MANAGEMENT.Mma Ramotswe and Mr. J.L.B. Matekoni are still engaged, but with no immediate plans to get married. Mma Ramotswe wonders when a wedding date will be named, but she is anxious to avoid putting pressure on her fiancé. For indeed he has other things on his mind -- particularly a frightening request (involving a parachute jump) made by Mma Potokwani, the persuasive matron of the orphan farm.Mma Ramotswe herself has weighty matters on her mind. She has been approached by a wealthy lady to check up on several suitors. Are these men interested in her or just her money? This may be difficult to find out, but it’s just the kind of case Mma Ramotswe likes and she is, as we know, a very intuitive lady.Meanwhile, Mma Makutsi -- plucky assistant detective and deputy manager of the Tlokweng Road Speedy Motors garage -- is moving. Her entrepreneurial venture, the Kalahari Typing School for Men, is thriving and with this new income she has rented two rooms in a house. Her spare time is occupied with planning the move, the décor and her new life in a house with running water all to herself.In the background of all this is Botswana, a country of empty spaces and echoing skies, a country so beautiful and entrancing that it breaks your heart. Mma Ramotswe has prepared the bush tea and is waiting for us to join her.

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    Ruby and Olivia

      Rachel Hawkins
     Ruby and Olivia

A spooky middle-grade story that's full of fun, friendship, and humor--perfect for fans of Ingrid Law and Lisa Graff. Ruby is best friends with Emma, but she and Emma's twin sister Olivia are definitely not friends. Unfortunately, Emma will be away for the summer, while Ruby and Olivia are going to be stuck at a community service day camp for troublemakers--together. To kick off the spirit of service, the campers are outfitted with bright pink polka-dotted t-shirts with smiley faces on the front, then tasked with cataloging the contents of an abandoned mansion. Sorting through objects in an old house sounds boring, and working with each other is that last thing the girls want to do, but the stuff is actually pretty cool. There's everything from mink stoles to golf clubs to stuffed deer heads . . . and . . . wait . . . is that stuffed deer head watching them? When the taps run freezing cold and doors slam inexplicably, Ruby and Olivia wonder if the other campers are having a bit of fun, or if the abandoned mansion is looking for new residents. To solve the mystery, Ruby and Olivia will have to put their grudges aside and figure out how to be a team with or without Emma.

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    The Weirdo

      Theodore Taylor
     The Weirdo

Chip Clewt, known simply as the weirdo, lives like a hermit in the Powhatan Swamp, a National Wildlife Refuge that is at the center of a heated controversy between local hunters and environmentalists. A hunting ban on the Powhatan is about to expire. The environmentalists want to protect the wildlife; the hunters are oiling their guns. Then someone completely unexpected comes forward to spearhead the conservation effort--the weirdo. *Includes a reader's guide. *

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    Anomaly

      K. A. Tucker
     Anomaly

She was merely a pawn in their game. And then something happened. Once the fragile, naïve human, Evangeline has become altogether … different. A being who holds formidable power, she may be the key to changing the course of fate. Or she could be the final nail in the world’s coffin. But Evangeline doesn’t know exactly what she is, what she can do. She knows only that she has to stop an enemy far worse than the Sentinel and the sorceresses—one driven by revenge. And he’s hunting the man she loves. As Evangeline fights to keep Caden alive and the human population from eradication, she can’t help but sense the imminent doom. Find out if fate will prevail in the harrowing conclusion to the Causal Enchantment series.

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    Blood of Stars and Gods

      Melissa Petreshock
     Blood of Stars and Gods

Forever does not go on unchanged. Caitriona Hayden’s destiny as the Dracopraesi dragon’s North Star is no clearer to her than it was weeks ago. However, Cait’s eternal future seems a minor concern while the vengeful elves continue taunting the dragons, now using violence against the human population in their desire for war. Battles of war aren’t the only ones fought. King Corrin struggles to make peace with his coming end, and as his family bonds heal, stronger relationships and alliances form among Cait and her dragons. Theo may have won her heart, but Oliver fills a void long left by the passing of her uncle, and each dragon is a part of Cait’s family. But a darkness bleeds through to change their world. When faced with decisions of life and death, Cait, Theo, and demigod Dante must choose unpredictable paths, chance outcomes of eternal consequences, and make dubious promises. As Cait displays unexpected abilities, complications arise, more details of her destiny are revealed, and she discovers the inherent risks of fearing change. Every era has a beginning and an end. There are things in the world no one is meant to stop. BLOOD OF STARS AND GODS is book two in the exciting Stars and Souls trilogy, sequel to Amazon #1 Contemporary Fantasy: FIRE OF STARS AND DRAGONS!

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    A Little Taste of Poison

      R. J. Anderson
     A Little Taste of Poison

Twelve-year-old Isaveth tries to take down the man who framed her father for murder in this lively follow-up to A Pocket Full of Murder, which Kirkus Reviews called “thoroughly entertaining.” The city of Tarreton is powered by magic, from simple tablets that light lamps to advanced Sagery that can murder a man from afar. Isaveth has a talent for spell-making, but as a girl from a poor neighborhood she never dreamed she could study at the most exclusive magical school in the city. So when she’s offered a chance to attend, she eagerly accepts. The school is wonderful, but old and new enemies confront Isaveth at every turn, and she begins to suspect her scholarship might be more a trap than a gift. Even her secret meetings with Esmond, her best friend and partner in crime-solving, prove risky—especially once he hatches a plan to sneak her into the biggest society event of the season. It’s their last chance to catch the corrupt politician who once framed her father for murder. How can Isaveth refuse?

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    Killing With Confidence

      Matt Bendoris
     Killing With Confidence

A serial killer who uses self-help motivational books to become a better murderer. The brutal death of a glamorous self-made millionairess. And an ageing, technophobic investigative journalist April Lavender with her young side-kick Connor Presley determined to crack the case – even if it kills them.Osiris Vance is a killer with standards. Addicted to motivational books by self-help gurus, he refines his technique with each slaying, aiming to fulfil his ambition to become the greatest ever serial killer. Why be ordinary? The brutal murder of glamorous self-made millionaire Selina Seth leaves her husband the prime suspect. But ageing, technophobic investigative journalist April Lavender and her young side-kick Connor Presley think otherwise. They soon unravel a web of ruthless ambition and a string of adulterous affairs. Trying to stay ahead of the press pack, they have to contend with a detective with issues, a vengeful gangster, a perfectionist serial killer and a newspaper regime setting them up to fail. April believes they can find her real killer - if they are given the time.

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    Naked Letter

      Lucus Anthony Ren
     Naked Letter

Think now. While you can. It will start soon. You'll be distracted. Letters written to a man in prison in another country. Slowly they begin unraveling his past he can't recall clearly. Why was he here, and where exactly is that? Who is writing them? And could he have done what the letters spoke of?Conventional; last person in the world to commit crime; not very self-aware, and very compassionate; believes he is a very good example of what the best is. The analyst remarked, two weeks before a man is to leave on a three week vacation. Before the holiday his analyst released notes of their consultation to his ex-business partners saying to his patient, 'Done with the best intentions for your partners.' Awaiting trial for embezzlement in a foreign country he can't recall which, letters arrive filling his mind of the forgotten past. Or was it someone else's?Another short tale from Lucus Anthony Ren of black humor thriller, love, and really, stupid people, where reading between the lines might not be well advised.

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    Hard News

      Jeffery Deaver
     Hard News

Rune is an aspiring filmmaker with more ambition than political savvy, paying her dues as an assistant cameraperson for the local news. But she's got her eyes on the prize, the network's hot newsmagazine, *Current Events* -- and she's got the story she knows will get her there. Poking around in the video archives, Rune spots a taped interview with Randy Boggs, who's doing hard time in Attica for a murder he claims he didn't commit. Rune can't say exactly why, but she's sure he's innocent. If she can prove it, *Current Events* won't merely report the news, it'll make news -- and Rune's career. But what she could be writing is Randy Boggs's epitaph -- and her own. Rune's newly discovered witness soon turns up dead. A hit man from Miami is on Rune's trail, and Boggs is finding prison even more dangerous than before. Someone wants this story killed, and it could be the girl with the camera who ends up on the cutting room floor.

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