Robert Pendleton is a chemical genius with a fertilizer worth a fortune to whoever controls the formula. Not surprisingly, the Bank, his notoriously exclusive backer, wants to keep an eye on its investment. But so does the CIA. And the Chinese government. And a few shadier organizations. So when Pendleton disappears from a conference in San Francisco, along with all of his research, Neal Carey enters the picture. Neal knows the Bank is calling in its chips in return for paying his grad school bills. He thinks this assignment will be a no-brainer -- until he meets the beguiling Li Lan and touches off a deadly game of hide-and-seek that will lead him from San Francisco's Chinatown to the lawless back streets of Hong Kong, and finally into the dark heart of China. In a world where no one is what they seem, Neal must unravel the mystery of a beautiful woman and reach the fabled Buddha's Mirror, a mist-shrouded lake where all secrets are revealed.

Small-time stoolie, Jake "The Spinner" Jablon, made a lot of new enemies when he switched careers, from informer to blackmailer. And the more "clients, " he figured, the more money - and more people eager to see him dead. So no one is surprised when the pigeon is found floating in the East River with his skull bashed in. And what's worse, no one cares - except Matthew Scudder. The ex-cop-turned-private-eye is no conscientious avenging angel. But he's willing to risk his own life and limb to confront Spinner's most murderously aggressive marks. A job's a job after all - and Scudder's been paid to find a killer - by the victim. . . in advance.

It was Anna's fault. She was the one that insisted they go through the corn maze. And Jeff will never let her forget it. Because now this couple is trapped in an endless cycle of fear and bitter recriminations as they look for a way out of the labyrinth...before their marriage shatters.Tommy started believing in impossible things the day he caught a bus along with a man curiously dressed as a live size teddy bear. What followed was the most bizarre journey of his life.Join Tommy and his reluctant school friends on an adventure as they meet, elephant men, talking owls, the Man of Christmas, and many more. All whilst being chased by a Duchess who knows their deepest personnel secrets

**Experience a heart-pumping and thrilling tale of suspense! Originally published in THRILLER (2006),edited by #1 * New York Times* bestselling author James Patterson. In this Thriller Short, New York Times bestselling author F. Paul Wilson places his urban mercenary, Repairman Jack, in an almost impossible situation. Repairman Jack just wants to be left alone, but that’s difficult to do when a robber is poking a .357 revolver in your face at the local drugstore. Things only get worse when three more stoned gunmen join the fray and threaten a crowd of customers. Not a big fan of heroics, Jack rises to the occasion. But being the hero is hard when you like to avoid closed-circuit cameras and the only weapons at your disposal come from the shopping aisles. With everyone locked inside the store, the situation demands quick reflexes and a ton of ingenuity. But if Jack doesn’t act quickly, his anonymity will end at the morgue. Don’t miss any of these exciting Thriller Shorts: James Penney’s New Identity by Lee Child Operation Northwoods by James Grippando Epitaph by J. A. Konrath The Face in the Window by Heather Graham Kowalski’s in Love by James Rollins *The Hunt for Dmitri * by Gayle Lynds Disfigured by Michael Palmer and Daniel Palmer The Abelard Sanction by David Morrell Falling by Chris Mooney Success of a Mission by Dennis Lynds The Portal by John Lescroart and M. J. Rose The Double Dealer by David Liss Dirty Weather by Gregg Hurwitz Spirit Walker by David Dun At the Drop of a Hat by Denise Hamilton The Other Side of the Mirror by Eric Van Lustbader Man Catch by Christopher Rice Goodnight, Sweet Mother by Alex Kava Sacrificial Lion by Grant Blackwood Interlude at Duane’s by F. Paul Wilson The Powder Monkey by Ted Bell Surviving Toronto by M. Diane Vogt Assassins by Christopher Reich The Athens Solution by Brad Thor Diplomatic Constraints by Raelynn Hillhouse Kill Zone by Robert Liparulo The Devils’ Due by Steve Berry The Tuesday Club by Katherine Neville Gone Fishing

The 16th Amendment to the Constitution is why Americans pay income taxes. But what if there were problems associated with that amendment? Secrets that call into question decades of tax collecting? In fact, there is a surprising truth to this hidden possibility. Cotton Malone, once a member of an elite intelligence division within the Justice Department known as the Magellan Billet, is now retired and owns an old bookshop in Denmark. But when his former-boss, Stephanie Nelle, asks him to track a rogue North Korean who may have acquired some top secret Treasury Department files—the kind that could bring the United States to its knees—Malone is vaulted into a harrowing twenty-four hour chase that begins on the canals in Venice and ends in the remote highlands of Croatia. With appearances by Franklin Roosevelt, Andrew Mellon, a curious painting that still hangs in the National Gallery of Art, and some eye-opening revelations from the $1 bill, this riveting, non-stop adventure is trademark Steve Berry—90% historical fact, 10% exciting speculation—a provocative thriller posing a dangerous question: What if the Federal income tax is illegal?

Cat o'Nine Tales is the fifth collection of irresistible short stories from the master storyteller. Ingeniously plotted, with richly drawn characters and Jeffrey Archer's trademark of deliciously unexpected conclusions, this new collection has the added bonus of thirteen charming illustrations by the internationally acclaimed artist Ronald Searle. Some of these twelve stories were inspired by the two years Jeffrey Archer spent in prison, including the story of a company chairman who tries to poison his wife while on a trip to St. Petersburg---with unexpected consequences. "The Red King" is a tale about a con man who discovers that an English lord requires one more chess piece to complete a set that would be worth a fortune. In another tale of deception, "The Commissioner," a Bombay con artist ends up in the morgue after he uses the police chief as bait in his latest scam. "The Perfect Murder" reveals how a convict manages to remove an old enemy while he's locked up in jail, and then set up two prison officers as his alibi. In "Charity Begins at Home," an accountant realizes he has achieved nothing in his life, and sets out to make a fortune before he retires. And then there is Archer's favorite, "In the Eye of the Beholder," in which a handsome star athlete falls in love with a three-hundred-pound woman . . . who happens to be the ninth-richest woman in Italy. Jeffrey Archer is the only author to have topped international bestseller lists with his fiction, nonfiction, and short stories. Cat o'Nine Tales is Archer at his best: witty, poignant, sad, surprising, and unforgettable.

166 is a dark, horrific short story about the 7/7 London bombings- from the perspective of thee home ground terrorist Germaine Lindsay. A deep, realistic portrayal of a man's last thoughts before murdering countless people.166 is a dark, horrific short story about the 7/7 London bombings- from the perspective of the home ground terrorist Germaine Lindsay. The student written story displays a deep, realistic portrayal of a man's last thoughts before stealing the lives of countless people.

How far would you go to help a friend in trouble? Ben Perkins might go so far as to risk his job, but with a friend like David Telano, in the kind of trouble he's in, he'll wind up risking his life.How far would you go to help a friend in trouble? Ben Perkins might go so far as to risk his job, but with a friend like David Telano, in the kind of trouble he's in, he'll wind up risking his life. With the encouragement of his girlfriend Jessie, a 24 hour a day weed smoker, Ben is soon mixed up in a war that's going on just beneath the surface of his quiet Ohio town. On one side is a former newspaper editor, radicalized by the murder of her girlfriend, and on the other is a wealthy businessman running a drug-smuggling operation from a private airfield. In between them is Ben, who starts out trying to help a friend but ends up just trying to stay out of jail and continue breathing.

Kerry McGrath is a dedicated prosecutor and a devoted mother. When her daughter's face is cut in a car accident, Kerry is relieved that the plastic surgeon who treats her is the eminent Dr. Charles Smith. Then Kerry notices something bizarre. Two of Smith's patients bear an uncanny resemblance to Suzanne Reardon, a young woman killed eleven years earlier. Why would Dr. Smith create look-alikes of a murder victim? A chilling tale of obsession by America's reigning queen of suspense.

Stunning European-based thriller from an acclaimed young British author: ‘A class act’ – Sunday Times; ‘First in a field of one’ – Literary Review Lisbon 1944. In the torrid summer heat, as the streets of the capital seethe with spies and informers, the endgame of the Intelligence war is being silently fought. Andrea Aspinall, mathematician and spy, enters this sophisticated world through a wealthy household in Estoril. Karl Voss, military attaché to the German Legation, has arrived embittered by his implication in the murder of a Reichsminister and traumatized by Stalingrad, on a mission to rescue Germany from annihilation. In the lethal tranquility of this corrupted paradise they meet and attempt to find love in a world where no-one can be believed. After a night of extreme violence, Andrea is left with a lifelong addiction to the clandestine world that leads her from the brutal Portuguese fascist régime to the paranoia of Cold War Germany, where she is forced to make the final and the hardest choice.

Two battered soldiers, having recently escaped an ambush by insurgents, make their way through the unforgiving desert in the hopes of finding refuge and water.Death is only the beginning in this fast-paced, science fantasy novella. Caught in the fray of treachery and deceit, Dia Thorpe must unravel the mysteries of her past before her past unintentionally stabs her in the back. She is hurled into a peril fraught journey of incredible discoveries and evil twists. An interplanetary adventure to learn who she is, all the while avoiding the wrath of a God; a logic-bound being, driven by the will to end all suffering. Quickly.Who saved her from imprisonment on Earth? Why? What explained her ability to heal? Did answers to Dia's questions lie in the beautiful city of Avalon?This is a fiction novella of 23,000 words and is part 1 in the Silvaera’s Spire series.Extract:“It’s ready.” Said Kant, who had been busying himself behind a panel in the far corner. “Are you ready?” Dia hadn’t even considered this. The importance of seeing Daniel again was paramount. She looked down at her sword in its sheath and her almost impenetrable outfit, then across to the gun which was now hanging from a loop on her skirt. “I am ready.” She finally replied, her voice calm but serious.Kant wordlessly shifted closer to Dia and clasped her hand. A moment later the room and everything in existence had simply gone, including Dia herself. She could neither feel nor sense.Then Kant was there, she could feel him. Then she could see green light. It was overwhelming at first, but after a few seconds, Dia’s eyes adjusted to the brightness and the green focused into individual objects. There were great trees, vines, bushes and long grasses in all directions but one; to Dia’s side there was a path cutting its way through the jungle. She knew where this led. She remembered it now. It was a path created by herself and Daniel long ago, before peace had become war. Before Ssus. She felt comforted somewhat by the sights before her and the familiar smells of foliage. Beckoning Kant to follow, she began to follow the path through the undergrowth.They walked onwards for some time. It wasn’t a difficult walk as the path somehow prevented itself from becoming overgrown. When they came to rivers or great chasms, there were bridges which seemed far too sophisticated for the area. Once, the path took them directly through a mountain, the underground passageway lit by white-flamed torches which apparently never burned out.

She was definitely the most interesting woman Barry had met at Penbrooke College, but when she claimed to be a superhero, he realized she must be crazy. Then again, maybe he was the one losing his mind, because the more time he spent with her, the less crazy she seemed.It started with a chance encounter in the Student Union. She was definitely the most interesting woman Barry had met at Penbrooke College, but when she claimed to be a superhero, he realized she must be crazy. That was before he found himself being chased by drug dealers, kidnapped by gangsters, and caught in the tangled web of a global conspiracy. Maybe his new friend is crazy, or maybe she really is a superhero... Barry's not really sure anymore. He's just hoping he survives long enough to graduate.

A terrible surprise awaits the people vacationing in Cape May County this year, as those soaking in the rays will be forced to turn their attention from tan lines and funnel cake to simply surviving the rest of the week.It's that time of the year again, that row of calendar boxes that we all spend months looking forward to. Summer vacation. A chance to escape the daily grind, to relax, unwind, reconnect and get some sun. For Jeff, those days have always been spent in Cape May, NJ, and this year is no different. At least in that respect. But a terrible surprise awaits those vacationing in Cape May County this year, as those soaking in the rays will be forced to turn their attention from tan lines and funnel cake to simply surviving the rest of the week.

Hal was insufferable, always bragging about himself. Everything was a matter of logic, he claimed and I was not able to refute this. There was a robbery at a motel where we were staying and he and I were suspects. But Hal knew who had stolen the money, he said. It was the mistress! Nonsense, I claimed, no proof. Oh, how I wished he could be proved wrong one time! Had that one time come?Hal was insufferable, always bragging about himself. Everything was a matter of logic, he claimed and I was not able to refute this. There was a robbery at a motel where we were staying and he and I were suspects. But Hal knew who had stolen the money, he said. It was the mistress! Nonsense, I claimed. No evidence. No proof. Oh, how I wished he could be proved wrong one time! Had that one time come?