Bøger udgivet af Gale, a Cengage Group

In this collection of nine short stories, L. J. Martin does what he sets out to do in his novels: make 'em laugh, make 'em cry. And of course, thrill them.

"These eight stories range in length from flash fiction to novella. In "Incident at Blue Nose Creek," an investigator pursues a suspect for the serial murders of three saloon girls. In "Visitors in Cantera," the narrator receives a visit from questionable relatives. In "In the Breaks," a girl goes deer hunting with her grandfather and has to fend off unwelcome advances from a young man. In "Man of Trees," a homesteader helps solve the murder of an old hobo. In "Night Horse," a man is killed when his plan to avenge his brothers death is thwarted, and the narrator has to fight for his life. In "Darkness in Burnett," the main character leaves Burnett, but his conscience compels him to return and help find the killer. In "Buckskin Ruby," a flashy stranger goes to work for a grading crew and exposes a murderer. In "Next to the Last Chance," a ranch hand wants to get out of the criminal way of life, as does the gang leaders woman, but the odds are against them"--

In the midst of Reconstruction, pioneering homesteader, livestock breeder, and would-be innkeeper Hamish "Cashdown" Musgrave brings his sprawling family into the Palouse Prairie. Before they succeed, they face claim-jumpers and bandits; floods, fires, and blizzards; and diseases, locusts, and crop losses. But soon Hamish's brother Callum goes missing and remains mysteriously elusive. The railroad refuses to build a line past the Musgrave stagecoach inn and store, and newcomers threaten the very existence of the Palus Indians, despite Hamish's efforts to help the band. Meanwhile, Hamish's attraction to the Paluses' sacred mountain, Steptoe Butte, becomes a fateful obsession. How will Hamish save his fortune? What will become of his spellbound love for Steptoe Butte? And what will he learn of Callum's long self-exile? This novel is the saga of the high-spirited Musgrave clan and their many pioneer friends, as well as the region's tribes and scoundrels. It is a story of courage, resilience, triumphs, and losses among intrepid Washington Territory settlers, following them through the epochal changes of the late 19th century.

"New York Times bestselling author of Orphan #8, Kim van Alkemade returns with a gripping and poignant historical saga in which an unmarried college student who's given up her baby for adoption helps a Dutch Holocaust survivor search for his lost mother. 1960, New York City: College student Rita Klein is a pioneering woman in the new field of computer programming--until she unexpectedly becomes pregnant. At the Hudson Home for Unwed Mothers, social workers pressure her into surrendering her baby for adoption. Rita is struggling to get on with her life when she meets Jacob Nassy, a charming yet troubled man from the Netherlands who is traumatized by his childhood experience of being separated from his mother during the Holocaust. When Rita learns that Hitler's Final Solution was organized using Hollerith punch-card computers, she sets out to find the answers that will help Jacob heal. 1941, The Hague: Cornelia Vogel is working as a punch-card operator at the Ministry of Information when a census of Holland's population is ordered by the Germans. After the Ministry acquires a Hollerith computer made in America, Cornelia is tasked with translating its instructions from English into Dutch. She seeks help from her fascinating Jewish neighbor, Leah Blom, an unconventional young woman whose mother was born in New York. When Cornelia learns the census is being used to persecute Holland's Jews, she risks everything to help Leah escape. After Rita uncovers a connection between Cornelia Vogel and Jacob's mother, long-buried secrets come to light. Will shocking revelations tear them apart, or will learning the truth about the past enable Rita and Jacob to face the future together"--

"Two years ago, a hostile Prime Minister launched the Monochrome inquiry, investigating "historical over-reaching" by the British Secret Service. Monochrome's mission was to ferret out any hint of misconduct by any MI5 officer--and allowed Griselda Fleet and Malcolm Kyle, the two civil servants seconded to the project, unfettered access to any and all confidential information in the Service archives in order to do so. But MI5's formidable First Desk did not become Britain's top spy by accident, and she has successfully thwarted the inquiry at every turn. Now the administration that created Monochrome has been ousted, the investigation is a total bust--and Griselda and Malcolm are stuck watching as their career prospects are washed away by the pounding London rain. Until the eve of Monochrome's shuttering, when an MI5 case file appears without explanation. It is the buried history of a classified operation in 1994 Berlin--an operation that ended in tragedy and scandal, whose cover-up has rewritten thirty years of Service history."--Provided by publisher.

"Consumed with grief, driven by vengeance, a man undertakes an unrelenting odyssey across the lawless post-Civil War frontier seeking redemption in this fearless novel from the award-winning and New York Times bestselling author of News of the World. Union soldier John Chenneville suffered a traumatic head wound in battle. His recovery took the better part of a year as he struggled to regain his senses and mobility. By the time he returned home, the Civil War was over, but tragedy awaited. John's beloved sister and her family had been brutally murdered. Their killer goes by many names. He fought for the North in the late unpleasantness, and wore a badge in the name of the law. But the man John knows as A.J. Dodd is little more than a rabid animal, slaughtering without reason or remorse, needing to be put down. Traveling through the unforgiving landscape of a shattered nation in the midst of Reconstruction, John braves winter storms and confronts desperate people in pursuit of his quarry. Untethered, single-minded in purpose, he will not be deterred. Not by the U.S. Marshal who threatens to arrest him for murder should he succeed. And not by Victoria Reavis, the telegraphist aiding him in his death-driven quest, yet hoping he'll choose to embrace a life with her instead. And as he trails Dodd deep into Texas, John accepts that this final reckoning between them may cost him more than all he's already lost."--

In Dimpna Wilde's veterinary practice, an imminent meteor shower has elevated the usual gossip to include talk of shooting stars and the watch parties that are planned all over Dingle. But there are also matters nearer at hand to discuss including the ragtag caravan of young people selling wares by the roadside, and the shocking death of Chris Henderson, an elderly local, in a hit-and-run. Just hours before his death, Henderson had stormed into the Garda Station, complaining loudly about the caravan's occupants causing noise and disruption. One of their members is a beautiful young woman named Brigid Sweeney, and Dimpna is shocked when Brigid later turns up at her practice, her clothing splattered in blood and an injured hare tucked into her shirt. Brigid claims that a mysterious stranger has been trying to obtain a lucky rabbit's foot. Dimpna is incensed at the thought of anyone mutilating animals, but there is far worse in store. On the night of the meteor shower, Dimpna finds Brigid s body tied to a tree, her left hand severed. She has bled to death. Wrapped around her wrist is a rabbit's foot. Brigid had amassed plenty of admirers, and there were tangled relationships within the group. But perhaps there is something more complex than jealousy at play. The rabbit's foot, the severed hand, the coinciding meteor shower the deeper Dimpna and Detective Sargeant Cormac O'Brien investigate, the more ominous the signs seem to be, laced with a warning that Dimpna fears it will prove fatal to overlook.

"Reclusive Sally Diamond causes outrage by trying to incinerate her dead father. Now she's the center of attention, not only from the hungry media and police detectives, but also a sinister voice from a past she does not remember. As she begins to discover the horrors of her early childhood, Sally steps into the world for the first time, making new friends, big decisions, and learning that people don't always mean what they say. But who is the man observing Sally from the other side of the world, and why does he call her Mary? And why does her new neighbor seem to be obsessed with her? Sally's trust issues are about to be severely challenged in this "inventive, addictive, and bold""--

Raise a glass to Cece Barton, a widowed single mom and recent L.A.-to-California-wine-country transplant who suddenly finds herself at the center of a murder investigation in this sparkling new mystery series from Agatha Award-winning author Maddie Day. As the manager of Vino y Vida Wine Bar in Colinas, Cecelia "Cece" Barton's first Alexander Valley harvest is a whirlwind of activity. Her twin sister, Allie Halstead, who owns a nearby Victorian bed & breakfast, is accustomed to the hustle and bustle of peak tourist season. But Cece barely has a moment to enjoy her new home in between worrying about her estranged college-age daughter, juggling her responsibilities at the bar, and navigating the sticky politics of the local wine association. Just when it seems things can't grow any more intense, Colinas is rocked by a murder within the wine community . . . and Cece is identified as a possible suspect! With her reputation and her livelihood on the line--and the Sonoma County deputy sheriff breathing down her neck--Cece has no choice but to open up her own murder investigation. Tensions are already high in the valley, as a massive wildfire creeps toward Colinas, threatening homes, vineyards, and the vital tourist trade. And now, with a murderer on the loose, and Cece's sleuthing exposing the valley's bitterest old rivalries and secret new alliances, Colinas feels ready to pop! But with Allie's help, Cece is determined to catch the killer and clear her name before everything she's worked so hard for goes up in flames . . .

"Afternoon tea isn't just about flavorful brews and delicious treats. It's also about presentation--fine china teacups with coordinated saucers and plates. With her stock running low, Lily visits an antiques fair for replacements. She snaps up a charming Peter Rabbit-themed tea set in a wicker basket, but later a woman named Kimberly demands to buy it back--then removes an envelope hidden in the basket's lining. An acquaintance of Lily's is on the trail of the tea set too. She and Kimberly are searching for their mother's final will. Then one of the sisters is found dead on the grounds and it'll take some savvy sleuthing from Lily to find the answers"--

"It's Christmastime, and this holiday season, things are heating up for the bakers at Fairy Tale Cupcakes, in the newest Cupcake Bakery Mystery from New York Times bestselling author Jenn McKinlay. When up-and-coming singing sensation Shelby Vaughn arrives in town for two weeks of concert dates, she hires her old friend Angie and the rest of the bakery crew to supply cupcakes for the VIP guest lounge every night. After overhearing Shelby in a heated argument with her manager, Mel is concerned, but she and the crew decide to make the best of their time working with the star. Just as the bakers fall into the rhythm of the job, Shelby's manager is found dead, clutching a bit of fabric from a Santa suit and a cupcake. With the bakery crew and Shelby's backup dancers all dressed in similar Santa costumes, it's impossible to say who is the killer. When all suspicions lead back to Shelby, Mel and Angie stand up for their friend, determined to prove her innocence before she's frosted for a crime she didn't commit"--

"When NASA sent astronauts to the moon in the 1960s and 1970s the agency excluded women from the corps, arguing that only military test pilots--a group then made up exclusively of men--had the right stuff. It was an era in which women were steered away from jobs in science and deemed unqualified for space flight. Eventually, though, NASA recognized its blunder and opened the application process to a wider array of hopefuls, regardless of race or gender. From a candidate pool of 8,000 six elite women were selected in 1978--Sally Ride, Judy Resnik, Anna Fisher, Kathy Sullivan, Shannon Lucid, and Rhea Seddon. In The Six, acclaimed journalist Loren Grush shows these brilliant and courageous women enduring claustrophobic--and sometimes deeply sexist--media attention, undergoing rigorous survival training, and preparing for years to take multi-million-dollar payloads into orbit. Together, the Six helped build the tools that made the space program run. One of the group, Judy Resnik, sacrificed her life when the Space Shuttle Challenger exploded at 46,000 feet. Everyone knows of Sally Ride's history-making first space ride, but each of the Six would make their mark"--

"Uncover the evidence-based science to slowing the effects of aging, from the New York Times bestselling author of the How Not to Die series."--Provided by publisher.

"After a long, cold, and snowy winter, it seems as though spring may be arriving early in North Harbor. Sarah Grayson is particularly looking forward to tagging along to an open house with her friend Detective Michelle Andrews. But it turns out the house has a haunted history, and when a ghost hunter is found dead on the premises, Sarah knows the best way to arrive at a solution is by investigating the not-so-dearly departed"--

This humorous book "is written in the style of iconic bestselling travel guides. But instead of recommending must-see destinations in Mexico, Thailand, or Rome, this book outlines journeys through the afterlife, as dreamed up over the past 5,000 years of human history by our greatest prophets, poets, mystics, artists, and TV showrunners. Where's the best place to grab a bite to eat in the ancient Egyptian underworld? Which circles of Dante's Inferno have the nicest accommodations? How does one dress like a local in the heavenly palace of Hinduism's Lord Vishnu, or avoid the flesh-eating river serpents in the Klingon afterlife? What are the hidden treasures to be found off the beaten path in Hades, Valhalla, or NBC's The Good Place? This book answers all those questions and more about the world(s) to come"--

"An unforgettable memoir by an award-winning poet about being kidnapped from his Black father and raised by his white supremacist grandparents. When Shane McCrae was three years old, his grandparents kidnapped him and took him to suburban Texas. His mom was white and his dad was Black, and to hide his Blackness from him, his maternal grandparents stole him from his father. In the years that followed, they manipulated and controlled him, refusing to acknowledge his heritage--all the while believing they were doing what was best for him. For their own safety and to ensure the kidnapping remained a success, Shane's grandparents had to make sure that he never knew the full story, so he was raised to participate in his own disappearance. But despite elaborate fabrications and unreliable memories, Shane begins to reconstruct his own story and to forge his own identity. Gradually, the truth unveils itself, and with the truth, comes a path to reuniting with his father and finding his own place in the world. A revelatory account of a singularly American childhood that hauntingly echoes the larger story of race in our country, Pulling the Chariot of the Sun is written with the virtuosity and heart of one of the finest poets writing today. And it is also a powerful reflection on what is broken in America--but also what might heal and make it whole again"--

"Three holiday favorites from New York Times bestselling authors! Silver Bells by Debbie Macomber A single dad's rambunctious teenage daughter hatches a plot to find her father a wife, and she has just the woman in mind. He may claim he's not interested in remarriage, but perhaps the magic of the holiday season will help him change his mind. On a Snowy Christmas by Brenda Novak When their private plane crashes in the Sierra Nevada shortly before Christmas, two political enemies discover that survival means more than just staying alive. In their case, it also means falling in love... The Perfect Holiday by Sherryl Woods What's a holiday without a handsome husband? To a matchmaking aunt, it isn't very festive at all! So she sends the perfect man to her single niece. But will he become the perfect groom-to-be by Christmastime?"--

"Sage Flores has been running from her family - and their 'gifts' - ever since her younger sister Sky died. Eight years later, Sage reluctantly returns to her hometown. Like slipping into an old, comforting sweater, Sage takes back her job at Cranberry Rose Company and uses her ability to communicate with plants to discover unusual heritage specimens in the surrounding lands. What should be a simple task is complicated by her partner in botany sleuthing: Tennessee Reyes. He broke her heart in high school, and she never fully recovered. Working together is reminding her of all their past tender, genuine moments - and new feelings for this mature sexy man are starting to take root in her heart. With rare plants to find, a dead sister who keeps bringing her coffee, and another sister whose anger fills the sky with lightning, Sage doesn't have time for romance. But being with Tenn is like standing in the middle of a field on the cusp of a summer thunderstorm - supercharged and inevitable"--

"A sense of duty sends Bran Tremayne to Cornwall to confront his heritage of British nobility. Abandoned at birth, Bran wants nothing to do with the remains of his family. But as a special agent for the Home Office, he can't turn away from the vulnerable woman he encounters in the Cornish countryside. Merryn's amnesia makes her past a mystery to them both, but Bran uncovers that she is at the center of a plot between French agents and Cornish smugglers. From misty woodlands to stormy shores, the two join forces with a band of loyal Cornishmen to bring down a common enemy. Yet will their growing love survive the coming peril?"--Back cover.

"The charming international bestseller about an unlikely friendship between an elderly door-to-door bookseller and a nine-year-old girl that changes his life. Small-town German bookseller Carl Kollhoff delivers his books to special customers in the evening hours after closing time, walking through the picturesque alleys of the city. These people are almost like friends to him, and he is their most important connection to the world. When Kollhoff unexpectedly loses his job, it takes the power of books and a nine-year-old girl to make them all find the courage to rebuild their bonds with each other. A bestselling phenomenon internationally, Carsten Henn's The Door-to-Door Bookstore is a feel-good novel about books and friendship"--

"Two hotel receptionists--and arch-rivals--find a collection of old wedding rings and compete to return them to their owners, discovering their own love story along the way. It's the busiest season of the year, and Forest Manor Hotel is quite literally falling apart. So when Izzy and Lucas are given the same shift on the hotel's front desk, they have no choice but to put their differences aside and see it through. The hotel won't stay afloat beyond Christmas without some sort of miracle. But when Izzy returns a guest's lost wedding ring, the reward convinces management that this might be the way to fix everything. With four rings still sitting in the lost & found, the race is on for Izzy and Lucas to save their beloved hotel--and their jobs. As their bitter rivalry turns into something much more complicated, Izzy and Lucas begin to wonder if there's more at stake here than the hotel's future. Can the two of them make it through the season with their hearts intact?"--

"Captured in the last year of the Civil War, Lucas Cain becomes a POW in the infamous Andersonville prison. There he learns how to survive the cruelty of the Confederate guards, and the perfidy of a few who are prisoners themselves. When the war ends, Lucas and almost 1,500 others crowd aboard the riverboat Sultana, which has a capacity of just under 400 passengers. After an unforeseen event occurs, Lucas finds himself further adrift. Returning home to Cape Girardeau, Missouri, Lucas becomes a police officer. At the time, Cape Girardeau policemen received no salary, but were paid for specific tasks, including receiving bounties for prisoners captured. Lucas also finds an unexpected love interest in a journalist who works for the Cape Girardeau newspaper. Tragedy strikes, and Lucas finds himself no longer able to remain in Cape Girardeau. He begins a western drift, rambling without a specific destination. He becomes a bounty hunter, and is very successful at it, eventually finding an opportunity to settle accounts with an old enemy"--

"As proprietors of the growing D&T Cattle Company, Casey Tubbs and Eli Doolin finally have a business of their own. Unfortunately, the meat market has seen better days, leaving Casey and Eli no choice but to procure cash by any means necessary-- usually by robbing banks. Dogged by U.S. marshals and Texas Rangers, they're gaining notoriety and being hailed as heroes by folks who have been victimized by corrupt bankers. Deputy U.S. Marshal Colton Gray is determined to teach them to respect law and order from the barrel of his gun."--Provided by publisher.

"Beaten and humiliated, young Richard Hamilton is dropped, bound and filthy, onto the deck of Dave Green's boat, the Maria. In no time, he's looking into the barrel of Green's pistol as the trader contemplates shooting the worthless philosopher as a means of motivating his men. Captured by Packrat, Heals Like A Willow dreams of the White Mist Dog and fights a battle of wits with the Pawnee as he transports her eastward in search of his father. Meanwhile, Richard begins to discover something inside himself, but he's still dedicated to escaping the Maria and making his way back to Boston. All of which comes to a head when he and Travis run headlong into Willow and Packrat. For both Willow and Richard, Maria's hard ascent up the Missouri becomes a journey of discovery; but danger lurks on all sides as scheming boatmen, desperate Native chiefs, and passions of the heart all conspire to destroy them. In the end, Willow will make a choice that will change her and Richard's lives forever"--

"Perley's elder brother, Rubin, who manages the Triple-G Ranch decides to try breeding some Hereford cattle with the ranch's longhorns. He asks Perley to deliver the contract for the Herefords, a simple task. But nothing ever remains simple when Perley is involved. And for the reluctant fast gun, it means a nightmare journey through hell itself...The trouble starts when Perley and his sidekick, Possum, meet some damsels in distress-a lovely group of saloon girls with a broken wagon wheel. Being a good Samaritan, Perley feels honor-bound to help them. But when the travelers cross paths with an ornery gang of vicious outlaws, things turn deadly-and fast. It only gets worse from there, for Perley agrees to escort them to Nacogdoches-next to Angelina County, a section of which is infested with a special breed of vermin known as the Tarpley family. And this corrupt clan has a gunslinger-who'd love nothing more than to take down a living legend like Perley Gates . "--

"No one expects the police to knock on the million-dollar, two-story home of the perfect cul-de-sac housewife. But soccer mom Lara Love Hardin has been hiding a shady secret: she is funding her heroin addiction by stealing her neighbors' credit cards. Lara is convicted of thirty-two felonies and becomes inmate S32179. She learns that jail is a class system with a power structure that is somewhere between an adolescent sleepover party and Lord of the Flies. Furniture is made from tampon boxes and Snickers bars are currency. But Lara quickly finds the rules and brings love and healing to her fellow inmates as she climbs the social ladder to become the "shot caller," showing that jailhouse politics aren't that different from the PTA meetings she used to attend. When she's released, she reinvents herself as a ghostwriter. Now, she's legally co-opting other people's identities and getting to meet Oprah, meditate with The Dalai Lama, and have dinner with Archbishop Desmond Tutu. But the shadow of her past follows her. Shame is a poison worse than heroin--there is no way to detox. Lara must learn how to forgive herself and others, navigate life as a felon on probation, prove to herself that she is more good than bad, and much more. The Many Lives of Mama Love is a heartbreaking and tender journey from shame to redemption, despite a system that makes it almost impossible for us to move beyond the worst thing we have ever done"--

"When an actor in a local play is attacked during a performance, Bruno must learn whether it was an accident, a crime of passion, or an assassination attempt with implications far beyond the small French village. The town of Sarlat is staging a reenactment of its liberation from the British in the Hundred Years War when the play's French hero, Brice Kerquelin, is stabbed and feared fatally wounded. Is it an unfortunate prop malfunction--or something more sinister? The stricken man happens to be number two in the French intelligence service, in line for the top job. Bruno is tasked with the safety of the victim's daughters, Claire and Nadia, as well as their father's old Silicon Valley buddies, ostensibly in town for a reunion. One friend from Taiwan, a tycoon in chip fabrication, soon goes missing, and Bruno suspects there may be a link to the French government's efforts to build a chip industry in Europe--something powerful forces in Russia and China are determined to scuttle. Wading through a tangle of rivalries and secrets, Bruno begins to parse fact from fiction--while also becoming embroiled in some romantic complications, and, of course, finding time to put together some splendid meals."--