Abraham's Battle - Sara Harrell Banks Abraham Small is a free black man -- an ex-slave -- who is now the caretaker of a Gettysburg estate and its owner's spirited young daughter. Private Lamar Cooper is a white Confederate soldier, a poor boy who has never known a slave and barely understands the cause he is fighting for. The two meet by chance before the battle -- only long enough to establish that they both miss their homeland, and to crystallize for Abraham that he should be fighting for what he believes in: the end of slavery.
Their paths cross one more time, on the battlefield of Gettysburg. Abraham is now a member of the Union ambulance corps; Lamar a critically wounded soldier. Should Abraham aid this boy who is his enemy? Are there moments when differences vanish and we are all simply human beings with a duty to help one another?
In Sara Harrell Banks's powerful novel -- culminating in a moving encounter between Abraham Small and Abraham Lincoln -- this difficult question is eloquently addressed.
The Reiver - Jackie Barbosa Duncan Maxwell, laird of Lochmorton Castle, gets the shock of his life when he discovers the reiver captured in a raid on his lands is not a boy, but a young woman. Although she flatly refuses to tell him her name or how she came to be riding with a raiding party, Duncan cannot countenance imprisoning a woman in his dungeon but neither can he release her without compensation. Unable to ransom her back to her family, he treats her as an honored - though exceptionally well-supervised - guest. He takes to calling her Reva and determines to seduce the truth of her identity from her. There’s just one problem - the reiver may steal his heart before he can reveal her secrets.
All She Wants for Christmas - Amy Rose Bennett When confirmed bluestocking, Tessa Penrose, is thoroughly compromised at a Yuletide ball by Jasper, the Earl of Arlington, she is none too pleased to have to marry him. But not only her reputation is at stake. Can Tessa trust this disreputable rogue with a secret she will do anything to hide? One thing is certain: she dare not trust her husband with her heart.
Midnight In The Garden Of Good And Evil - John Berendt Shots rang out in Savannah's grandest mansion in the misty, early morning hours of May 2, 1981. Was it murder or self-defense? For nearly a decade, the shooting and its aftermath reverberated throughout this hauntingly beautiful city of moss-hung oaks and shaded squares. John Berendt's sharply observed, suspenseful, and witty narrative reads like a thoroughly engrossing novel, and yet it is a work of nonfiction. Berendt skillfully interweaves a hugely entertaining first-person account of life in this isolated remnant of the Old South with the unpredictable twists and turns of a landmark murder case.
It is a spellbinding story peopled by a gallery of remarkable characters: the well-bred society ladies of the Married Woman's Card Club; the turbulent young redneck gigolo; the hapless recluse that owns a bottle of poison so powerful it could kill every man, woman, and child in Savannah; the aging and profane Southern belle who is the "soul of pampered self-absorption"; the uproariously funny black drag queen; the acerbic and arrogant antiques dealer; the sweet-talking, piano-playing con artist; young blacks dancing the minuet at the black debutante ball; and Minerva, the voodoo priestess who works her magic in the graveyard at midnight. These and other Savannahians act as a Greek chorus, with Berendt revealing the alliances, hostilities, and intrigues that thrive in a town where everyone knows everyone else.
A Gathering of Days: A New England Girl's Journal, 1830-32 - Joan W. Blos I, Catherine Cabot Hall, aged 13 years, 6 months, 29 days…do begin this book.
So begins the journal of a girl coming of age in nineteenth-century New Hampshire. Catherine records both the hardships of pioneer life and its many triumphs. Even as she struggles with her mother’s death and father’s eventual remarriage, Catherine’s indomitable spirit makes this saga an oftentimes uplifting and joyous one.
The Boy in the Striped Pajamas - John Boyne If you start to read this book, you will go on a journey with a nine-year-old boy named Bruno. (Though this isn't a book for nine-year-olds.) And sooner or later you will arrive with Bruno at a fence.
Fences like this exist all over the world. We hop you never have to encounter one.
Going Bovine - Libba Bray Can Cameron find what he’s looking for?
All 16-year-old Cameron wants is to get through high school—and life in general—with a minimum of effort. It’s not a lot to ask. But that’s before he’s given some bad news: he’s sick and he’s going to die. Which totally sucks. Hope arrives in the winged form of Dulcie, a loopy punk angel/possible hallucination with a bad sugar habit. She tells Cam there is a cure—if he’s willing to go in search of it. With the help of a death-obsessed, video-gaming dwarf and a yard gnome, Cam sets off on the mother of all road trips through a twisted America into the heart of what matters most.
A Great and Terrible Beauty - Libba Bray A Victorian boarding school story, a Gothic mansion mystery, a gossipy romp about a clique of girlfriends, and a dark other-worldly fantasy—jumble them all together and you have this complicated and unusual first novel.
Sixteen-year-old Gemma has had an unconventional upbringing in India, until the day she foresees her mother's death in a black, swirling vision that turns out to be true. Sent back to England, she is enrolled at Spence, a girls' academy with a mysterious burned-out East Wing. There Gemma is snubbed by powerful Felicity, beautiful Pippa, and even her own dumpy roommate Ann, until she blackmails herself and Ann into the treacherous clique. Gemma is distressed to find that she has been followed from India by Kartik, a beautiful young man who warns her to fight off the visions. Nevertheless, they continue, and one night she is led by a child-spirit to find a diary that reveals the secrets of a mystical Order. The clique soon finds a way to accompany Gemma to the other-world realms of her visions "for a bit of fun" and to taste the power they will never have as Victorian wives, but they discover that the delights of the realms are overwhelmed by a menace they cannot control. Gemma is left with the knowledge that her role as the link between worlds leaves her with a mission to seek out the "others" and rebuild the Order. A Great and Terrible Beauty is an impressive first book in what should prove to be a fascinating trilogy.
Rebel Angels - Libba Bray Ah, Christmas! Gemma Doyle is looking forward to a holiday from Spence Academy, spending time with her friends in the city, attending ritzy balls, and on a somber note, tending to her ailing father. As she prepares to ring in the New Year, 1896, a handsome young man, Lord Denby, has set his sights on Gemma, or so it seems. Yet amidst the distractions of London, Gemma’s visions intensify–visions of three girls dressed in white, to whom something horrific has happened, something only the realms can explain...
The lure is strong, and before long, Gemma, Felicity, and Ann are turning flowers into butterflies in the enchanted world of the realms that Gemma alone can bring them to. To the girls’ great joy, their beloved Pippa is there as well, eager to complete their circle of friendship.
But all is not well in the realms–or out. The mysterious Kartik has reappeared, telling Gemma she must find the Temple and bind the magic, else great disaster will befall her. Gemma’s willing to do his intrusive bidding, despite the dangers it brings, for it means she will meet up with her mother’s greatest friend–and now her foe, Circe. Until Circe is destroyed, Gemma cannot live out her destiny. But finding Circe proves a most perilous task.
The Sweet Far Thing - Libba Bray It has been a year of change since Gemma Doyle arrived at the foreboding Spence Academy. Her mother murdered, her father a laudanum addict, Gemma has relied on an unsuspected strength and has discovered an ability to travel to an enchanted world called the realms, where dark magic runs wild. Despite certain peril, Gemma has bound the magic to herself and forged unlikely new alliances. Now, as Gemma approaches her London debut, the time has come to test these bonds. The Order - the mysterious group her mother was once part of - is grappling for control of the realms, as is the Rakshana. Spence's burned East Wing is being rebuilt, but why now? Gemma and her friends see Pippa, but she is not the same. And their friendship faces its gravest trial as Gemma must decide once and for all what role she is meant for.
Born in a Mission in China, Lucy Waring finds herself with fifteen small children to feed and care for. The way she tackles this task leads to her being thrown into the grim prison of Chengfu, where she meets Nicholas Sabine - a man about to die.
He asks her a cryptic riddle, the mystery of which echoes through all that befalls her in the months that follow...
She is brought to England and tries to make a new life with the Gresham family, but she is constantly in disgrace and is soon involved in the bitter feud between the Greshams and a neighbouring family.
There is danger, romance and heartache for Lucy as strange events build to a point where she begins to doubt her own senses.
How could she see a man, long dead, walking in the misty darkness of the valley? And who carried her, unconscious, into the labyrinth of Chiselhurst Caves and left her to die?
It is not until she returns to China that Lucy finds, amid high adventure, the answer to all that has baffled her.
Anastasia's Album - Hugh Brewster Shielded from St Petersburg society, the last tsar's four daughters enjoyed a simple life of almost cloudless happiness. Their evenings were spent with their parents, reading aloud and pasting snapshots into albums. Drawing on these precious personal keepsakes - long hidden in Russian archives - this work offers a glimpse into the intimate family life of the last Romanovs. Illustrated in scrapbook style with Anastasia's own letters, photographs and watercolours, this album brings the youngest of the tsar's daughters to life - a tomboy who scrambled up snowy mountains to sled down on a silver tray. Letters from Anastasia's final heartbreaking days in captivity show that even the filthy conditions and the brutal treatment of her revolutionary jailers could not shake her faith.
To Be a Princess - Hugh Brewster Princesses live in splendid palaces with servants to grant their every wish....or do they? Here the stories of twelve real princesses reveal what life behind the palace walls is really like. "This night I think to die," declares Elizabeth Tudor as she shivers in the Tower of London in 1554. Her half sister, Queen Mary, sees her as a rival to the throne. But Elizabeth survives, and in four more years, she is queen. Two hundred years later, fourteen-year-old Marie Antoinette of Austria is told she will marry the heir to the French throne, whom she hasn't even met. She could never have imagined that the crowds who cheer her and her young husband will one day cry out for their blood.Princess Victoria is eleven when she learns she will someday become England's queen. Princess Ka'iulani of Hawai'i is told just the opposite. "You will never be queen," whispers her dying mother in an eerie prophecy. For Anastasia and her three sisters, daughters of the Tsar of Russia, home is a beautiful palace surrounded by gardens and lakes. But war and revolution will shatter their sheltered world forever. The world will also change for Ayesha Devi, daughter of an Indian maharajah, and for Elizabeth and Margaret Rose, the two little princesses of 1930s' Great Britain. And they change with it, setting the style that is followed by the princesses of today. Throughout this handsome book, elegant portraits and period artifacts and photographs complement the story of each princess and recreate the worlds in which they lived. Together, the lives of these young royal women tell a story more fascinating than any fairy tale.
Beyond the Myth: The Story of Joan of Arc - Polly Schoyer Brooks The king was going mad . . . So begins Polly Schoyer Brooks's account of one of history's most compelling stories and one of the world's most popular heroines-Joan of Arc. Brooks tells us of a fifteenth-century France ravaged by war, plague, and religious conflict; of a king who suffered fits of madness and his weak son who made a disappointing successor; and of a peasant girl from the countryside who accomplished what appeared to be miracles by rallying the dispirited French nation with her desire to see the rightful king rule. Little more than a year after her astounding triumphs-uniting the nation and securing the throne for Charles VII with her victory over the English at Orlean-nineteen-year-old Joan was imprisoned on charges of witchcraft and sorcery, tried for heresy, and burned at the stake. Polly Schoyer Brooks's detailed narrative unveils the spirited young woman who became a patron saint and continues to inspire courage and faith.
Angels and Demons - Dan Brown An ancient secret brotherhood. A devastating new weapon of destruction. An unthinkable target. When world-renowned Harvard symbologist Robert Langdon is summoned to his first assignment to a Swiss research facility to analyze a mysterious symbol -- seared into the chest of a murdered physicist -- he discovers evidence of the unimaginable: the resurgence of an ancient secret brotherhood known as the Illuminati...the most powerful underground organization ever to walk the earth. The Illuminati has now surfaced to carry out the final phase of its legendary vendetta against its most hated enemy -- the Catholic Church.
Langdon's worst fears are confirmed on the eve of the Vatican's holy conclave, when a messenger of the Illuminati announces they have hidden an unstoppable time bomb at the very heart of Vatican City. With the countdown under way, Langdon jets to Rome to join forces with Vittoria Vetra, a beautiful and mysterious Italian scientist, to assist the Vatican in a desperate bid for survival.
Embarking on a frantic hunt through sealed crypts, dangerous catacombs, deserted cathedrals, and the most secretive vault on earth, Langdon and Vetra follow a 400-year-old trail of ancient symbols that snakes across Rome toward the long-forgotten Illuminati lair...a clandestine location that contains the only hope for Vatican salvation.
The Da Vinci Code: Special Illustrated Edition - Dan Brown The Da Vinci Code has intrigued and thrilled millions of readers around the world. Now all the artwork, symbols, architecture, and historic locations—over 160 images—are beautifully compiled in this full-color collector's edition.
A mind-bending code hidden in the works of Leonardo da Vinci. A desperate race through the cathedrals and castles of Europe. An astonishing truth concealed for centuries… unveiled at last.
While in Paris on business, Harvard symbologist Robert Langdon receives an urgent late-night phone call. The elderly curator of the Louvre has been murdered inside the museum, a baffling cipher found near the body. As Langdon and a gifted French cryptologist, Sophie Neveu, sort through the bizarre riddles, they are stunned to discover a trail of clues hidden in the works of Da Vinci–clues visible for all to see and yet ingeniously disguised by the painter.
The stakes are raised when Langdon uncovers a startling link: the late curator was involved in the Priory of Sion—an actual secret society whose members included Sir Isaac Newton, Botticelli, Victor Hugo, and Da Vinci, among others. Langdon suspects they are on the hunt for a breathtaking historical secret, one that has proven through the centuries to be as enlightening as it is dangerous. In a frantic race through Paris, and beyond, Langdon and Neveu find themselves matching wits with a faceless powerbroker who appears to anticipate their every move. Unless they can decipher the labyrinthine puzzle, the Priory's secret—and an explosive ancient truth—will be lost forever.
Instantly catapulted to the top of the bestseller lists around the world, The Da Vinci Code is simultaneously lightning-paced, intelligent, and intricately layered with remarkable research and detail. From secrets embedded in the Mona Lisa and The Last Supper, to the symbols of ancient Egypt, to the architecture of landmarks such as the Louvre, Westminster Abbey, Rosslyn Chapel, and more, this fully illustrated collector's edition delivers the complete reading experience of Dan Brown's riveting novel—from the opening pages to the unpredictable and stunning conclusion.
The Da Vinci Code - Dan Brown An ingenious code hidden in the works of Leonardo da Vinci.
A desperate race through the cathedrals and castles of Europe.
An astonishing truth concealed for centuries . . . unveiled at last.
While in Paris, Harvard symbologist Robert Langdon is awakened by a phone call in the dead of the night. The elderly curator of the Louvre has been murdered inside the museum, his body covered in baffling symbols. As Langdon and gifted French cryptologist Sophie Neveu sort through the bizarre riddles, they are stunned to discover a trail of clues hidden in the works of Leonardo da Vinci—clues visible for all to see and yet ingeniously disguised by the painter.
Even more startling, the late curator was involved in the Priory of Sion—a secret society whose members included Sir Isaac Newton, Victor Hugo, and Da Vinci—and he guarded a breathtaking historical secret. Unless Langdon and Neveu can decipher the labyrinthine puzzle—while avoiding the faceless adversary who shadows their every move—the explosive, ancient truth will be lost forever.
The Lost Symbol - Dan Brown WHAT IS LOST... WILL BE FOUND
In this stunning follow-up to the global phenomenon The Da Vinci Code, Dan Brown demonstrates once again why he is the world's most popular thriller writer. The Lost Symbol is a masterstroke of storytelling - a deadly race through a real-world labyrinth of codes, secrets, and unseen truths...all under the watchful eye of Brown's most terrifying villain to date. Set within the hidden chambers, tunnels, and temples of Washington, DC., The Lost Symbol accelerates through a startling landscape toward an unthinkable finale.
As the story opens, Harvard symbologist Robert Langdon is summoned unexpectedly to deliver an evening lecture in the U.S. Capitol Building. Within minutes of his arrival, however, the night takes a bizarre turn. A disturbing object - artfully encoded with five symbols - is discovered in the Capitol Building. Langdon recognizes the object as an ancient invitation...one meant to usher its recipient into a long-lost world of esoteric wisdom.
When Langdon's beloved mentor, Peter Solomon - a prominent Mason and philanthropist - is brutally kidnapped, Langdon realizes his only hope of saving Peter is to accept this mystical invitation and follow wherever it leads him. Langdon is instantly into a clandestine world of Masonic secrets, hidden history, and never-before-seen locations - all of which seem to be dragging him toward a single, inconceivable truth.
Inferno - Dan Brown Harvard professor of symbology Robert Langdon awakens in an Italian hospital, disoriented and with no recollection of the past thirty-six hours, including the origin of the macabre object hidden in his belongings. With a relentless female assassin trailing them through Florence, he and his resourceful doctor, Sienna Brooks, are forced to flee. Embarking on a harrowing journey, they must unravel a series of codes, which are the work of a brilliant scientist whose obsession with the end of the world is matched only by his passion for one of the most influential masterpieces ever written, Dante Alighieri's The Inferno.
Dan Brown has raised the bar yet again, combining classical Italian art, history, and literature with cutting-edge science in this sumptuously entertaining thriller.
Origin - Dan Brown Robert Langdon, Harvard professor of symbology and religious iconology, arrives at the ultramodern Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao to attend a major announcement—the unveiling of a discovery that “will change the face of science forever.” The evening’s host is Edmond Kirsch, a forty-year-old billionaire and futurist whose dazzling high-tech inventions and audacious predictions have made him a renowned global figure. Kirsch, who was one of Langdon’s first students at Harvard two decades earlier, is about to reveal an astonishing breakthrough . . . one that will answer two of the fundamental questions of human existence.As the event begins, Langdon and several hundred guests find themselves captivated by an utterly original presentation, which Langdon realizes will be far more controversial than he ever imagined. But the meticulously orchestrated evening suddenly erupts into chaos, and Kirsch’s precious discovery teeters on the brink of being lost forever. Reeling and facing an imminent threat, Langdon is forced into a desperate bid to escape Bilbao. With him is Ambra Vidal, the elegant museum director who worked with Kirsch to stage the provocative event. Together they flee to Barcelona on a perilous quest to locate a cryptic password that will unlock Kirsch’s secret. Navigating the dark corridors of hidden history and extreme religion, Langdon and Vidal must evade a tormented enemy whose all-knowing power seems to emanate from Spain’s Royal Palace itself... and who will stop at nothing to silence Edmond Kirsch. On a trail marked by modern art and enigmatic symbols, Langdon and Vidal uncover clues that ultimately bring them face-to-face with Kirsch’s shocking discovery... and the breathtaking truth that has long eluded us.
Force My Hand - Em Brown Independent and always in command, Darcy Sherwood holds her own among the cads and rakes that frequent the dubious gaming hall where she works. When she has the opportunity to exact revenge upon the man who wronged her sister, she intends to provide the arrogant Baron Broadmoor the biggest set-down of his life. By requiring him to be her suitor.
But when the Baron begins to play his role too well, can Darcy resist falling for a man she despises?
Radcliff Barrington, Baron Broadmoor, has no intention of quietly submitting to Miss Sherwood – even if she does hold the deed that could ruin his family. He intends to turn the tables on Miss Sherwood. She must surrender the deed or surrender herself…
Passions flare to erotic heights as Darcy and Radcliff struggle to see who will submit to whom. And all bets are off as to who will win.
Submitting to the Rake - Em Brown Reader Advisory: This romantic erotica set in Regency England contains light BDSM elements and themes of submission and domination.
Desperate to save her cousin from certain ruin with a notorious rake, Miss Heloise Merrill impersonates her cousin and takes her place at the 'Chateau Debauchery.' Heloise intends to convince the rake -- Sebastian Cadwell, Earl of Blythe -- to turn his attentions elsewhere. What she doesn't intend is to be splayed across his legs and spanked!
Deprived of his intended guest, Sebastian Cadwell intends to provide the meddling Miss Merrill a much deserved set-down. But when his hand connects with her lovely derrière, he finds he wants to do more than just administer a light spanking. He wants her total submission.
Submitting to Lord Rockwell - Em Brown Reader Advisory: This romantic erotica set in the Regency period contains light BDSM elements and themes of submission and dominance.
For debt-ridden Deana Herwood, losing a hand of cards to the wealthy Lord Rockwell is bad enough. But when he proposes that she settle her loss to him by spending one night offering her body up to his pleasure, she finds herself caught in a bind.
After agreeing, she discovers that his carnal appetite includes a preference for the taboo. When she expresses her reservations, he offers an even more outrageous proposition—he will owe her a hundred pounds if she fails to spend at his hands. Can she win the wager or will her body succumb to the wicked attentions of Lord Rockwell?
Submitting to His Lordship - Em Brown In exchange for desperately needed funds, Miss Deana Herwood accepts Lord Rockwell's scandalous invitation to the Chateau Debauchery, but three nights of required submission may prove more than she can handle.
Lord Rockwell hopes a few nights at the Chateau Debauchery will sate his inconvenient desire for the woman he propositioned a year ago, but can he command Miss Herwood's submission a second time?
And in Chateau Debauchery, there exist two wings: the West Wing, where newer guests are introduced to the many facets of pleasure, and the East Wing, where seasoned guests take pleasure to its most wicked and wanton extremes.
Lord Rockwell intends to keep Miss Herwood safely in the West Wing, but the arrival of a rival and prior lover may lead them into the East Wing…
A Wicked Sea - Em Brown Pirates are not for the faint of heart. The dark passions of Marinette La Croix, the fierce and dreaded captain of the Bloody Baron, have met their match in fellow pirate Harry Edge. Harry, her first mate, is the only member of the crew to have spent a night with her--a mistake she refuses to make twice. Even if he once saved her life. Because pirates can't be trusted.
But Harry is determined to make her his...
There are no heroes in this dark and wicked romance. Only villains. You have been warned.
A More Wicked Sea - Em Brown In this dark sequel to A Wicked Sea, Captain Marinette La Croix faces a mutiny and the betrayal of her wickedly handsome first mate, the one man she had trusted above all others. She should have known to never trust a pirate.
Harry's Fall from Grace - Luisa Buehler When Harry and Grace met, they fell hard! Their whirlwind courtship culminated in a posh wedding—the promise of a ‘happily ever after’ lifetime seemed inevitable. Then British Intelligence tapped Harry to join an already shaky covert operation. What should have been an ‘in and out’ sortie, turned into betrayal and imprisonment. As each day passed, Harry struggled to stay alive, while back home Grace turned to her ex-boyfriend as the only person willing to defy the odds and mount a rescue attempt. The cunning terms of his help didn’t matter. All that mattered was saving Harry. Would he see it that way?
Harry's Loss of Grace - Luisa Buehler The plan to save Harry Marsden goes terribly wrong. Instead of a safe hand off to agents waiting to fly him home to the United States, the rendezvous never happens and the team is forced to leave before they are detained. Harry's paid rescuer panics and leaves him for dead. Alone, ill from exposure, without money, identification or contacts, help comes in the form of a farmer who takes him into his home. Harry is grateful but entirely confused. He knows he doesn't belong in South America, but beyond that he doesn't know anything else! With no memory, Harry can't begin to understand the danger he still faces and the danger that most certainly will befall his host. Will time be on his side? Will he remember before his enemy hears mention of the 'gringo' living in the mountains and sends men to finish the execution Harry cheated or will he remember and protect himself and his benefactors.
The Rosary Bride: A Cloistered Death - Luisa Buehler During the 1940's the women attending Regina College insisted a beautiful young woman wearing a 'fancy dress' haunted the halls near the chapel. Many claimed to see the apparition often entering, sitting, and softly crooning a mournful melody. Stories of the 'Rosary Bride' continue from generation to generation. Fifty years later, during the renovation of the college library, workers expose a skeleton. Grace Marsden, present at the discovery is drawn into the search for the victim's identity, fearing the remains will lead to skeletons in her own family closet. Against her husband, her best friend, and her own common sense Grace determines to find the truth. Her involvement grows beyond her control when the dead woman reaches out to her.
Complications arise when the investigating police inspector dredges up more old secrets and betrayal. Ignoring her husband's theory that the Inspector's motives are less than honorable, Grace continues her quest to solve the decades old homicide. Desperate to know the truth, Grace enlists the help of Sister Andrew, a nun who lived at Rosary during the 40's and has chronicled the college's history. But all too soon the treachery of the past meets the future and once again lives are lost.
Can Grace name the 'Rosary Bride' before her killer strikes again?
The Lion Tamer: A Caged Death - Luisa Buehler Wagons rolling, flags furling, horns blaring, the circus comes to town! Children chase the wagons, daring for a glimpse of exotic wild creatures. The big cats roar, sending shivers through the crowd, but they edge closer, demanding to be scared, knowing they are safe. And then a skeleton is found in a bygone relic. Is anyone safe? Grace Marsden fights the lure of a decades old mystery surrounding a circus wagon, a phantom lion, and human bones uncovered at a local zoo. But when a dead woman sends her a letter and a dead man ends up in her neighbors yard, she can't ignore the lion tamer and his tale. Legend, fact, or fantasy? Grace needs to find out fast before she becomes his current prey.
The Station Master: A Scheduled Death - Luisa Buehler The eighth annual Depot Days celebration is drawing large crowds to the quaint old station. The buzz of an auction and the thrill of the win. Eager spectators crane their necks as the last antique trunk gives up its secret...Trouble Death has knocked at Grace Marsden's door before, but the stakes skyrocket when circumstances cast her husband as the number one suspect in a hit and run. Once again fate sets Grace on a collision course with a determined murderer. Suspicion raises ugly memories and peoples defenses when they realize their close-knit town harbors a killer. Who knows the secret? And who punched a one-way ticket to the end of the line for Grace?
The Scout Master: A Prepared Death - Luisa Buehler MERIT BADGE FOR MURDER
Hoping for some quality time with her eleven-year-old stepson, Grace Marsden volunteers to accompany the Boy Scouts on a cleanup project in Robinson Woods. But along with the trash, the group unearths a World War II-era army munitions crate containing curious skeletal remains. However, the box itself, not its contents, draws FBI investigators onto the scene.
Soon after the discovery, Grace is attacked by mysterious hooded figures. Is someone trying to stop her from finding out the crate's true origin, or has a cult claimed the forest for their sinister rituals? Before long, Grace finds that friends, family and other locals are all linked to a decades-old mystery…one that speaks to the darkest side of human nature. And Grace will need more than scout's honor to survive a killer's snare—and escape with her life.
The Lighthouse Keeper: A Beckoning Death - Luisa Buehler With a troubled marriage, and the haunting memories of ghosts, bones, and dead bodies, Grace Marsden needs solace. The invitation from her childhood friend presents Grace with an opportunity for respite on Christian Island. Georgian Bay in the off-season provides a perfect venue for relaxation, until a fluke snowstorm shatters the serenity. Grace and nine other people find themselves trapped on the island and the prime suspects in the mysterious death of an island Elder. An ancient Indian tragedy, island ghost sightings, and modern day treachery twist lives until more deaths and more danger make Grace unsure of whom she can trust. When the spirit of the lighthouse keeper beckons to her- is it to warn her or harm her?
The Innkeeper: An Unregistered Death - Luisa Buehler A runaway slave and a society girl lay entombed in an Oak Park cellar.
Renovations turn gruesome when skeletal remains are uncovered in the basement of an old boardinghouse. Forensics add a twist; the remains were entombed eighty years apart! Separated by age, gender, and social status the mystery of their identifies and their deaths is overshadowed by the unlikelihood of their final resting place.
Grace is drawn into the bizarre discovery when early police reports cast suspicion on her friends. That crisis contained she hopes to curtail further involvement. And does, until she sees the specter of the runaway slave. He waits outside the building that has hidden his remains for eighty years. He looks to Grace for justice and compassion.
Could she deny him in death wheat he fought to gain in life?
The Reenactor: A Staged Death - Luisa Buehler Grace finds herself at a reenactment camp when a stray bullet nearly misses her. Grace has a habit of stumbling into cold cases so a visit to a nearby cemetery finds a man in a Union officer’s uniform hovering near his own grave. He feels he was wrongly accused of stealing gold during the Civil War and points Grace in the direction of a box buried just under the surface near his gravesite. Meanwhile, Harry, Grace’s husband, has a haunting of his own as enemies from his past British Intelligence days track him down and vow vengeance on him and anyone close to him.