Miranda's ex-lover is found murdered. She had a motive and the opportunity. After being arrested for the crime, Miranda is shocked to learn she's been released on bail--bail posted by someone determined to remain anonymous. Is someone trying to help Miranda? Or is someone trying to manipulate Miranda and draw her into the dark and secret world of a murdered man, where everybody's presumed guilty?

Alex McAuliff has received an offer he can’t refuse: two million dollars for a geological survey of Jamaica. All Dunstone Limited requires is his time, his expertise, and his absolute secrecy. No one—not even McAuliff’s handpicked team—can know of Dunstone’s involvement. But British Intelligence is aware of the deal, and they’ve let Alex in on a secret of their own: The last survey team Dunstone dispatched to Jamaica vanished without a trace. Now it’s too late to turn back. Alex already knows about Dunstone—which means he knows too much. From the moment he lands in Jamaica, Alex is a marked man. On an island paradise where a beautiful woman might be a spy and every move could be his last, Alex’s only clue to survival is a single mysterious word: Halidon. Praise for Robert Ludlum   “Don’t ever begin a Ludlum novel if you have to go to work the next day.”—Chicago Sun-Times “Ludlum stuffs more surprises into his novels than any other six-pack of thriller writers combined.”—The New York Times BONUS: This edition includes an excerpt from Robert Ludlum’s *The Bourne Identity.*

Ephraim Goodweather, director of the New York office of the Centers for Disease control, is one of the few humans who understands what is really happening. Vampires have arrived in New York City, and their condition is contagious. If they cannot be contained, the entire world is at risk of infection. As Eph becomes consumed with the battle against the total corruption of humanity, his ex-wife Kelly, now a vampire herself, is ever-more determined to claim their son Zack. As the Biblical origins of the Ancient ones are gradually revealed, Eph learns that there is a greater, more terrible plan in store for the human race - worse even than annihilation ...

War erupted in the Spratly, between China and Philippines. Stingray is the most advanced flying boat of China that wreak havoc to her enemies, the Philippines and its ally, the United States. The craft can even sink the Aegis cruiser of the U.S., as boasted by China.Shannon and Ally love the fall when they can go to the cabin and have fun with their cousins at Thanksgiving. Their new dog Becca has fun too, swimming in the pond.

The hooker was young, pretty. . . and dead, butchered in a Greenwich village apartment. The prime suspect, a minister's son, was also dead, the victim of a jailhouse suicide. The case is closed, as far as the NYPD is concerned. Now the murdered prostitute's father wants it opened again-and that's where Matthew Scudder comes in. But this assignment carries the unmistakable stench of sleaze and perversion, luring ex-cop-turned-investigator Scudder into a sordid world of phony religion and murderous lust where children must die for their parents most secret, unspeakable sins.

How far would you go for a promotion? how important are your dreams and aspirations above others? What are you willing to sacrifice or more importantly who are you willing to sacrifice to get what you want? These are the questions and consequences that Mark Fletcher has face in his quest for a coveted Flying Squad position.“It's impossible,” Dennis Jewel said, “even if you'd got a case of JD tucked under your arm there, I'd be telling you the same thing.”Mark Fletcher placed the bottle of Jack Daniels Old No 7 he had brought along as a sweetener on the desk between them. “Dennis,” he said, “what say you lock the door there, we pull a couple of glasses out've your bottom drawer and we sip a little of this amber nectar and see if you don't change your mind.”“There's no way I'm going to do that,” Jewel replied, “not while we've got an operation running. You think I can conjure blokes up out of the air or something? I'm not a bloody magician, Fletch.” Fletcher sighed. He's come to the Borough for a favour and he'd expected to have to haggle, but here was Jewel sitting on his backside just acting stubborn. “What operation trumps a murder?”“Zatopek, you know, the lorry hi-jacking thing.”“Zatopek?”“Don't you start,” Jewel took a pack of cigarettes out of his pocket and glanced wistfully at the image of a rotting lung on the packet. The only place he could light up these days was skulking in the station yard with the last of the diehards. “Some comedian up at the dream factory came up with that stupid name, something about it's got to run the distance.”“Christ,” Fletcher said, “Now I've heard everything.”“Well it don't change a thing,” Jewel insisted, turning the cigarette packet over in his hand. “I'm committed a hundred percent and if they get wind up the road that I'm even thinking of loaning blokes to you on the old pals act, they're going to have my balls, it's as simple as that.”Mark Fletcher regarded his friend for a moment as he marshalled his thoughts for a new gambit. Jewel was a heavily built man, solid with beefy shoulders which bulged under his shirt. He had a head of tight grey curls and his face wore a permanently perplexed expression. They were the same rank, detective chief inspector, only Jewel was a guv'nor on the Borough wide CID under the wing of the Metropolitan Police Major Crime Directorate with his own complement of detectives. He took his orders from New Scotland Yard. Normally the Borough would be only too happy to

A young man falls in love despite himself and the object of his affection is long dead.This is the companion teacher's guide to The Secret in the Hidden Cave, a middle grade novel for children ages 9 - 12. The questions, discussion prompts and activities were created by the author, a 30 year veteran teacher. This teacher's guide is appropriate for use in public, private and home school settings and may be reproduced or condensed as deemed necessary. There are over 130 choices which can be modified to meet the teacher's needs or objectives. The activities cover musical, artistic, spoken and written categories.

Phyllis Lund is a lawyer with her own firm out of Minneapolis. She also has a night job, as it were, fighting for environmental causes.This time around, she and her retired investigative reporter friend have found a story much bigger than they're used to...one that involves a military secret, and a trap they can't see. A trap built specifically for them.Mae and Ben are polar opposites. They live and work on a cotton plantation in the deep South of Georgia. Mae is thought to be nameless, and commands high respect, while Ben is clumsy and a coward. But when Mr. Martin shows up, Mae and Ben are thrown into a whirlwind of decisions. The risk of death and recapture, hang over their heads. Will they run to freedom, or will they stay, where their stories are.

September 1938 Hitler is determined to start a war. Chamberlain is desperate to preserve the peace. The issue is to be decided in a city that will forever afterwards be notorious for what takes place there. Munich. As Chamberlain’s plane judders over the Channel and the Fürher’s train steams relentlessly south from Berlin, two young men travel with secrets of their own. Hugh Legat is one of Chamberlain’s private secretaries, Paul Hartmann a German diplomat and member of the anti-Hitler resistance. Great friends at Oxford before Hitler came to power, they haven’t seen one another since they were last in Munich six years earlier. Now their paths are destined to cross again as the future of Europe hangs in the balance. When the stakes are this high, who are you willing to betray? Your friends, your family, your country or your conscience?

What really happened on that remote Tennessee farmstead on a chilly fall night in 1828? Sixteen years later, Zacharias Neil, Andrew Jackson Thomkins, and Zack’s little brother, Aaron, are determined to find out. An eerie tale of paranormal terror. Warning for mild language and strong dialect.Kristen's life gets more complicated as she deals with losing the only man she's really ever loved....her father, only to find out that almost everything she has ever known was a lie. Her only ally as she's running to save her life from someone trying to kill her is her father's neighbor, an ex-police officer and writer, who knows just how to get under Kristen's skin. Circumstances push the two together and they learn that they are more compatible than they first thought. This book is a novella, or about 27,000 words, and is filled with love, passion, intrigue and mystery.Sample Preview: Although it was a beautiful autumn day, it felt more like spring as Kristen Casey walked down the sidewalk. The only real difference was that the trees had shed their normal shades of green for more bold and brilliant ambers, oranges and reds. Kristen passed an elderly couple who gave her a sympathetic smile, which she politely returned. It was odd that a place so beautifully landscaped couldn’t be more appreciated by its visitors. The lawn had all been freshly mowed and the scent of fresh-cut grass was in the air. Kristen found herself transported briefly back in time to when she was in elementary school. She would walk from her father’s house everyday to school. For a short-cut, she would cut through an apartment complex where at least twice a week, they were cutting their grass. The smell, to her, meant that spring had arrived. Towards the end of the school year, she would always be so restless because all she wanted to do was be outside, where she could enjoy all that nature offered her. She’d give anything to be that naïve, playfully restless girl once more. But, she wasn’t a little girl anymore. She was twenty-eight, and had learned the hard way that life wasn’t just full of sunshine and rainbows. And nothing demonstrated that better than where she was right now. Even though she was surrounded by sunshine, a bright blue sky, freshly mowed lawn and well manicured topiaries, she was also surrounded by pain and sorrow. Kristen looked around. She had a habit of reading the names and messages on the carved pieces of stone. She could only imagine how many lives were affected by all of the names before her. “I’m here, Dad,” she said as she placed the flowers she had been carrying next to her recently deceased father’s headstone. Be sure to sign up for the free newsletter at PorterlanceBook.com to find out about all the great releases we offer by Rory Chambers and our other best-selling authors, like M.D. James, Matt Zachary, James McCullough, and John Green. Books by Rory Chambers:Dangerous Reunion (Book 1: Class of ’92 Series)Surviving Las Vegas (Book 2: Class of ’92 Series)Secret Obsessions (Book 3: Class of ’92 Series)Class of ’92 Series (All 3 Books)Steel Glances (Book 1: Rocky Mountain Novella Series)Identity Crisis (Book 2: Rocky Mountain Novella Series)Legally Comatose (Book 3: Rocky Mountain Novella Series)Mountain Novella Series (All 3 Books)

Midnight at the Bowling Alley is the story of Oscar, who attends his partner's mother's bizarre late night birthday party at a remote bowling alley and wants nothing more than to go home. But will he find that he's doomed to be stuck with Zeke's family forever? Is this possibly the last night on Earth? Was anything ever real?(Note: this is the revised text, posted 07/30/2014)Midnight at the Bowling Alley is the story of Oscar, who attends his partner's mother's bizarre late night birthday party at a remote bowling alley and wants nothing more than to go home. But will he find that he's doomed to be stuck with Zeke's family forever? Is this possibly the last night on Earth? Was anything ever real? This ebook began as a live story, meaning it was posted online and made available as it was written, uploaded again with each revision. It became the most successful of my live stories, with an average of at least 10 reads per day, and sometimes as high as 100. Now, in final form, it's available for free from Smashwords! Let's welcome back the most popular story I have ever written, and the story that earned over half of the readership I have to this date.*TRIGGER WARNING* Contains references to violence and sexual abuse.

Joey is one of those whom “Trinity” has titled “Irreverent.” He refuses to worship the evil organization and accept the eternal consequences waiting those who do. Instead, he searches for souls to rescue with his message of salvation. Joey battles his fear, pain, doubt, and faith along his epic journey. It is the situations he encounters that helps give him the miraculous answers.Chaos and evil rule the world. You must bear the brand, or run from the mark and fend for your life. The worldwide organization policing the mark is “Trinity.” Without their brand on your hand or forehead you cannot buy anything of value; especially those things that sustain life. Those not bearing the brand must hide and figure out a way to survive the demonic forces searching them out. “Trinity” is more than an organization. It is a religion that will drag you to Hell. There is no turning back once you have received their brand. Joey is one of those whom “Trinity” has titled “Irreverent.” He refuses to worship the evil organization and accept the eternal consequences waiting those who do. Instead, he searches for souls to rescue with his message of salvation. Joey battles his fear, pain, doubt, and faith along his epic journey. It is the situations he encounters that helps give him the miraculous answers he is desperately looking for. Join Joey as he races the clock that tick-tocks towards the end of time. Watch his fears become a second thought as the final sands of time sifts down the glass of time. His adventures take him through Heaven and Hell. But, the most important path he’ll take is the one leading through the coming hell on Earth. Is this prophetic? Or, is this just fantasy? Will you be like Joey and choose the tribulation? Only time can answer those questions! This story may become the field manual to surviving the predicted judgments and wrath to come. Or, it just may be another fanatical fantasy dealing with the prophetic phobia on the “end of the age.” Either way, the only thing you will lose is yourself in this most captivating adventure. This story is unlike any story ever told.

KVSPARROW is the story of a deniable intelligence operation.The setting is Pristina, Kosovo where a dead DIA case officer is receiving communications from his equally dead source. Fearing a career wrecking trap, DIA elects to send a contractor to assess, recruit and, if they are lucky, survive. The action is real, the story is fiction.Have you ever wondered how the shadow wars are really fought? You know James Bond, Jason Bourne and Jack Bauer are dramatic entertainment but still you wonder…what is it like to recruit a spy, evade hostile surveillance, plan an operation or engage in back alley combat? What goes through the mind of an operator as they maneuver their way through the complex factors that govern clandestine and covert operations? How do they think, feel, plan and react to danger? What tradecraft do they really use? And, above all, what kinds of people engage in these dangerous, often illegal, activities and for what reasons?If these thoughts have crossed your mind while skimming yet another novel meant merely to entertain, this may be the book for you. The story is fiction but the tradecraft and action are real, drawn from the author’s experience as a private contractor.The setting is Pristina, Kosovo where a dead DIA case officer is receiving communications from his equally dead source. Is it a come on, a trap set to ensnare another US intelligence officer? Is there an unknown subject willing to continue the work of the murdered source? The placement and access shown by the accurate intelligence provided tempts DIA to investigate. Losing another case officer is a career killer, however, so the decision is made to use a private intelligence contractor. This deniable operator can seek out the new source, assess the viability of recruitment and, if things go bad, die without taking anyone’s career with them.KVSPARROW lets you follow along inside the mind of an operator in one small engagement of the shadow wars.Welcome to the jungle…

She had survived, but she is still held captive… Of her memories, her loneliness, her delusions. But are they truly delusions? The survivor of a college dorm massacre, a woman accused of her lover’s murder, Madeline Hewitson is haunted by ghosts and tormented by a killer only she can see. At night, she works, writing and drawing the monster that slithers through her imagination, and living in fear of those moments when the doors of her mind unhinge and her nightmare lives in the daylight. A seasoned military veteran, Jacob Denisov lives alone in his small, darkened home, sleepless, starving, and angry. Every day he lives with the guilt that comes from his own failures and the carnage that followed. When neighbor Madeline Hewitson drives her car through the front wall of his house, she breaks his house—and his life—wide open. Forced to view the world outside, Jacob watches Maddie, recognizes a kindred spirit and wonders what she fears more than herself. Has someone caught her in a twisted labyrinth of revenge and compassion, guilt and redemption, murder and madness? When Maddie's imaginary killer takes form, she fights back. But will she be strong enough to triumph, or is the killer she fears no more than a shadow, an illusion…that watches?

Douglas Aspine knew that being CEO of a public company was twenty times more lucrative than winning the lottery. He was forty-five and time was running out when fate dealt him an unexpected opportunity. The company was old, staid and well-respected but it was under performing and Aspine was determined to turn it around *no matter who he had to crush. * Soon he was at war with the company's employees, unions, suppliers, financiers and co-directors * but nothing was going to stop him. * Not his chairman, not his wife, not his mistress, not the anonymous death threats and definitely not the press. Aspine could almost taste the glory, the riches and peer recognition he'd craved for so long. He knew he had countless detractors and enemies who he contemptuously labelled "losers"and paid no heed to. Would this prove to be a miscalculation of monumental proportions or would he prevail?