Smiley's People

      John le Carré
     Smiley's People

John le Carre's classic novels deftly navigate readers through the intricate shadow worlds of international espionage with unsurpassed skill and knowledge and have earned him -- and his hero, British Secret Service agent George Smiley -- unprecedented worldwide acclaim.Rounding off his astonishing vision of a clandestine world, master storyteller le Carre perfects his art in Smiley's People.In London at dead of night, George Smiley, sometime acting Chief of the Circus (aka the British Secret Service), is summoned from his lonely bed by news of the murder of an ex-agent. Lured back to active service, Smiley skillfully maneuvers his people -- the no-men of no-man's land -- into crisscrossing Paris, London, Germany, and Switzerland as he prepares for his own final, inevitable duel on the Berlin border with his Soviet counterpart and archenemy, Karla.

Read online

  • 372

    Forget About Me

      Marion Francis
     Forget About Me

They say there are two ways to get out of a bad situation; simple and hard. This is a story that takes someone down both paths. Deals behind closed doors are made while others made out in the open. But this is no ordinary game of cat and mouse. New Orleans is a big city with lots of graveyards and swampy routes. Take the wrong one and you may not back it back...They say there are two ways to get out of a bad situation; simple and hard. This is a story that takes someone down both paths. Deals behind closed doors are made while others made out in the open. But this is no ordinary game of cat and mouse. New Orleans is a big city with lots of graveyards and swampy routes. Take the wrong one and you may not make it back. Thus the sayin' "Two go out, but one came back."Heather had no idea how one night would turn her life around. "Timing is everything" she was told. "Do exactly as I tell you and in the order I tell you, and you'll succeed." is all the advise that was giving to her when she decided that she had enough.

Read online

  • 371

    To the crusher

      Quelli di ZEd
     To the crusher

Warning: experimental translation (hybrid)Behind the old crusher, on top of the country hill, it consumes the revenge of a man that, at distance of few days, discovers to have completed a well more serious crime of that that believed to have put into effect.I point out the error of Thomas Hobbes in equating the prince with Leviathan and of parliaments with Behemoth. It is the other way around. Autocratic administration of the state is clearly the logical condition of good governance and true democracy. World history is dominated by the war between prince and shaman. Parliaments, courts, capital cities and stock exchanges are ruses behind which the shaman and his witch consort hide. I explain the true purpose of the state as a commonwealth, that is to say, a generator of wealth. I offer ways to keep the human family unit strong and to eliminate the corruption of nationalism. The nations are of the fruit of the tree of Babel and so evil like the tree that generated them. I suggest that the military should take on the role of hunter/warrior, as was the state of the warrior in the past (energy in place of meat, minerals in place of hides.) This is the best way to stay militarily secure and economically prosperous. I briefly point out that the stubborn refusal to accept the existence of witchcraft in modern life is a grievous error. These misers of the mind encourage ignorance at every turn to exalt their relative position in society.

Read online

  • 371

    Reapers Never Smile

      Stephanie Prochaska
     Reapers Never Smile

When James Caffery moves across the country a week before the start of senior year, his whole life changes. An old lamp buried in an alley can help him summon the ghost of a girl who died last year. But his new friend has problems of her own; reapers are after her. If he wants to keep her around, he’ll need to track them down, fast. The problem? James has just one clue: reapers never smile.All James Caffery wanted was to finish high school in the city where he grew up. But when his family moves across the country a week before the start of senior year, everything changes. Instead of having tons of friends and being on the varsity basketball team, James is now stuck hanging out with the nerdiest kid in school.With no one at school to talk to and both of his parents still at work, James decides to take the long way home. In a back alley, he finds an antique lamp buried in a pile of trash. He lights it, and realizes he can summon the ghost of a girl who died the year before. When he learns that she went to his new school, James is convinced that he’s not only found a new friend, but someone who can help him connect with the kids in his new school. But his new friend has problems of her own. It’s not long before he learns that reapers are after her, eager to capture the spirit that’s been evading them. Now, if he wants to keep his friend around, he’s going to have to track down the reapers before they can find her. The only problem? James knows exactly one thing about them: reapers never smile.

Read online

  • 371

    At His Gates: A Novel. Vol. 2 (of 3)

      Mrs. Oliphant
     At His Gates: A Novel. Vol. 2 (of 3)

Excerpt from At His Gates, Vol. 2 of 3: A Novel Norah had closed the garden door heedlessly after her. They were thus shut in, the four together confronting each other, unable to escape. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.

Read online

  • 370

    Lexicon

      Max Barry
     Lexicon

Sticks and stones break bones. Words kill. They recruited Emily from the streets. They said it was because she's good with words. They'll live to regret it. Wil survived something he shouldn't have. But he doesn't remember it. Now they're after him and he doesn't know why. There's a word, they say. It shouldn't have got out. But it did. And they want it back... Find out why in one of the most mind-bending, page-turning, thrilling novels you'll ever read.

Read online

  • 370

    Agents of Change

      Guy Harrison
     Agents of Change

Calvin, a young corporate manager, acquires the abilities of shapeshifting and telekinesis after joining an agency charged with spreading the world's good karma. After he's framed for murder, Calvin must elude the authorities while also defending the world against the machinations of the agency's wayward sister organization."...a fast-paced exploration of corruption and power...an exciting story packed with twists, disasters and suspense." — Emma Hunneyball, In PotentiaAn amiable corporate manager by day and a matchmaker whenever he can get around to it, Calvin Newsome’s new dream job falls into his lap when he’s recruited by a secret worldwide organization whose agents use uncanny abilities to empower and influence everyday downtrodden individuals. Disaster strikes, however, when an elaborate scheme leaves Calvin as a prime murder suspect...and his new employer is presumably to blame.With the authorities on his heels and his life left in ruin, Calvin uses his new powers to blend in until a journey for freedom becomes a quest for peace. As the agency’s complementary organization threatens the security of all of earth’s inhabitants, Calvin teams up with unlikely allies and battles startling enemies hellbent on unleashing their power in a twisted version of justice, innocent lives be damned.

Read online

  • 369

    Slipping

      Shandy L. Kurth
     Slipping

I think I'm losing my mind. The alternative would be I'm seeing ghosts. If I'm going crazy, I should check myself into a nuthouse as soon as possible. But if I'm not... if she's really a ghost, listening to her could mean the difference between life and death.Can a shy artist gain the upper hand in a face-off against her domineering twin?Will paint cans fly as two teams from vastly different backgrounds butt heads?Will a fun-loving volunteer find the courage to carve his own path?Follow three teens as they grapple with issues of love, loss, friendship, identity, and harbored prejudices in a race against time to complete their artwork in the 2nd Annual National High School Fresco Painting Competition.

Read online

  • 369

    Transgressions

      Sarah Dunant
     Transgressions

Elizabeth is a modern woman. Smart. Independent. As sexual as she wants to be–with whomever she wants to be. But a breakup with her academic boyfriend has hit her harder than she cares to admit. And while her latest gig, translating a glitzy Czech thriller into English, offends her literary sensibilities, it arouses others with its steamy scenes of eroticism, violence, submission, and dominance. Then, when her favorite Van Morrison CD disappears from its rack and her house is inexplicably violated, Elizabeth is afraid she’s starting to lose it–she even consults a local vicar about the possibility of poltergeists. But what this woman in the lovely Victorian is experiencing is not supernatural. Nor is it madness. For in the dead of night, she will suddenly come face-to-face with her tormentor. She will smell him, she will touch him, and she will make a choice. Then the real haunting will begin.

Read online

  • 369

    The Wrong Man

      John Katzenbach
     The Wrong Man

Scott Freeman is a man of reason–a college professor grounded in the rational and practical. But he becomes uneasy after finding an anonymous love letter hidden in his daughter’s room: “No one could ever love you like I do. No one ever will. We will be together forever. One way or another.” But the reality of Ashley’s plight far exceeds Scott’s worst suspicions. One drink too many had led Ashley, a beautiful, bright art student, into what she thought was just a fling with a blue-collar bad boy. But now, no amount of pleading or reasoning can discourage his phone calls, ardent e-mails, and constant, watchful gaze. Michael O’Connell is but a malignant shadow of a man. His brash, handsome features conceal a black and empty soul. Control is his religion. Cunning and criminal skill are his stock-in-trade. Rage is his language. The harder Ashley tries to break free, the deeper Michael burrows into every aspect of her life, so she turns in desperation to her divorced parents and her mother’s new partner–three people still locked in a coldly civilized triangle of resentment. But their fierce devotion to Ashley is the common bond that will draw them together to face down a predator. For Ashley’s family, it is a test of primal love that will drive them to the extreme edge–and beyond–in a battle of wills that escalates into a life-or-death war to protect their own. From the bestselling master of suspense, John Katzenbach, The Wrong Man is an elegantly crafted and breathtakingly intense read that asks the question, “How far would you go to save the child you love?” From the Hardcover edition.

Read online

  • 369

    The Purgatorium: The Purgatorium Series, Book One

      Eva Pohler
     The Purgatorium: The Purgatorium Series, Book One

Seventeen year-old Daphne is surprised when her parents let her go with her friend to a getaway resort on an island off the coast of California. She eventually learns they have sent her for experimental "suicide therapy," but when she becomes lost on the haunted side of the island, she wonders if her parents have sent her there to help her or to punish her.Seventeen year-old Daphne Janus is surprised when her parents let her go with her friend to a getaway resort on an island off the coast of California. They haven't let her out of their sight since last New Year's Eve, when she could no longer stand the way they looked at her. Her sister would still be alive if it weren't for Daphne.Her friend, Cam, takes her to a mostly uninhabited island with a wildlife preserve on one side and Chumash Indian ruins on the “haunted” side. Daphne decides she will have one last "hurrah" before she finishes what she started last New Year's Eve. However, things seldom go as planned...The resort is beautiful, the beach pristine, and the views from the headland amazing. The only thing missing is the boyfriend who left her when she could no longer love anyone. Then strange things begin to happen on the island that soon have Daphne running for her life. She eventually learns that her parents have sent her for experimental "suicide therapy," but when her horse bucks her off during a trail ride and she becomes lost on the haunted side of the island, she wonders if her parents have sent her there to help her or to punish her.

Read online

  • 368

    The Case

      Sean May
     The Case

Seth and Nina were sent to Berlin to do a simple job: Recover a briefcase full of priceless artwork and bring it back to New York City. When they get back and the case goes missing, Seth and Nina will need to fight their way through the layers of the criminal underworld to get the case back.Seth and Nina were sent to Berlin to do a simple job: Recover a briefcase full of priceless artwork and bring it back to New York City. When they get back and the case goes missing, Seth and Nina will need to fight their way through the layers of the criminal underworld to get the case back. With their kingpin, a mysterious man named Parker, breathing down their necks to get the case back, Seth and Nina have two choices: get the case back or die trying.

Read online

  • 368

    What Doesn't Kill You

      Iris Johansen
     What Doesn't Kill You

It's the deadliest poison known to man. He's the only one who knows its true power. She's the only one who can stop the evil. The chase is on. . . . Number-one bestselling author Iris Johansen showcases one of her most fascinating characters yet, pitted against one of the most ruthless killers, in a novel that will make you forget to breathe. . . . Catherine Ling was abandoned on the streets of Hong Kong at age four. Schooled in the art of survival, she traded in the only commodity she had: information. As a teenager, she came under the tutelage of a mysterious man known only as Hu Chang---a skilled assassin and master poisoner. As a young woman, she was recruited by the CIA and now she is known as one of their most effective operatives. Having lived life in the shadows, Catherine is aware of the wobbly moral compass of her existence and even more aware of just how expendable she is to those she deals with. When her old friend Hu Chang creates a formula that's not only deadly but completely untraceable, the race begins to be the first to get it. With rogue operative John Gallo also on the hunt, Catherine finds herself up against a group so villainous and a man so evil that she may not survive in her quest to protect those she cares about: Hu Chang and Luke---the son who was stolen from Catherine and only recently brought home safe. Using all of her formidable skills, Catherine Ling proves the age-old belief that what doesn't kill you makes you stronger. Iris Johansen is at her page-turning best in this novel that takes you from the corridors of Langley to the alleyways of Hong Kong and the darkest places of the human soul.

Read online

  • 368

    Anything But Ordinary

      Kody Thomas
     Anything But Ordinary

When Jake wakes up, he expects the day to be just like every other day, ordinary. So when his crush asks him to help her get out of a dangerous situation, he isn't expecting the danger to include hiding from dangerous people, explosions, and being face to face with the barrel of a gun. Fearing for their lives makes him realize he must share his feelings for her, if they can make it through alive.When Jake wakes up, he expects the day to be just like every other day, ordinary. So when Jake heads to school for one of his last days of college, little does he know that his whole life is about to be turned upside down.When his best friend (and crush) Olivia asks him to help her get out of a dangerous situation, he is determined to help her and finally share the feelings he has been hiding. But he doesn't realize the danger she is in. After being chased by dangerous people, almost being blown up, and being face to face with the barrel of a gun, he is realizing it might not be so easy to share how he feels.With the help of his friends, can Jake help save Olivia and finally make his feelings known? Or are they in over their heads? What Jake does know is that his life will never be ordinary again.

Read online

  • 367

    Beneath the Lake

      Dee Garretson
     Beneath the Lake

A short old-fashioned ghost story: Sally Cooper thought the lake and the cabins at the resort were picture postcard perfect, something a city girl like her had only imagined. She didn’t know the lake held secrets beneath that quiet water, secrets needing to come to the surface. The past doesn’t stay buried. 3500 words in length. Bonus- Read the first few pages of BANE OF THE TITANIC.‘We are the priests of Arandarta, Caitria. We deal with the dead, not the living, and while we do not seek to hasten death, nor do we attempt to prolong life. The goddess comes for all of us when she will, and the Book of Nine states that she has no need of healers among her servants.’As snow blankets the city she lives in, Caitria seeks refuge in the temple of the goddess of death. While stranded there, she seeks to change the minds of the brothers, to convince them that one day she too will serve their goddess.

Read online

  • 366