Deadman's Crossing

      Joe R. Lansdale
     Deadman's Crossing

Deadwood meets The Walking Dead in this wild and profane Western romp featuring zombies, werewolves, killer bees, and one pissed-off gun-slinging preacher. The Wild West has never seen the likes of Reverend Jebidiah Mercer, a hard man wielding a burning Bible and a bottle of whiskey in the battle between God and the Devil. Frankly, he's not sure he gives a damn who wins. As the not-so-good Reverend tangles with a Lofecraftian horror and joins a renegade named Flower to battle a horde of cannibalistic fiends, only this is certain: Mercer's blasphemous journey is laced with relentless action, terrifying evil, and nonstop humor. This supernatural epic of the Old West that never was will leave you heartily cheering for the good guys--if you can just figure out who the good guys are.

Read online

  • 105

    The Water's Edge

      Karin Fossum
     The Water's Edge

A married couple, Reinhardt and Kristine Ris, are out for a Sunday walk when they discover the body of a boy and see the figure of a man limping away. They alert the police, but not before Reinhardt, to Kristine's horror, kneels down and takes photographs of the dead child with his cell phone. Inspectors Konrad Sejer and Jakob Skarre begin to make inquiries in the little town of Solberglia. But then another boy disappears, and an explanation seems more remote than ever. Meanwhile, the Ris's marriage starts to unravel as Reinhardt becomes obsessed with the tragic events and his own part in them. A riveting portrayal of a community - its insiders, its outsiders, its fissures, and its secrets - from Norway's "Queen of Crime," Karin Fossum.

Read online

  • 105

    Saint Jack

      Paul Theroux
     Saint Jack

Jack Flowers knew he needed to shake things up when he jumped into the Straits of Malacca and hitched a ride to Singapore. Deftly identifying the fastest route to fame along the seedy port, Jack starts hiring girls out to lonely tourists, sailors, bachelors — anyone with some loose change and a wandering eye — soon making enough money to open two pleasure palaces. But just as Jack is finally coming into his own, a shocking tumble toward the brink of death leaves him shaken, desperate to pull himself up to greatness. Depressed and vulnerable, he's quick to do business with Edwin Shuck, a powerful American working to take down an unsuspecting general. Marked with Paul Theroux's trademark biting humor and audacious prose, Saint Jack is a gripping work from an award-winning author.

Read online

  • 105

    Serpent Mage

      Greg Bear
     Serpent Mage

In this sequel to THE INFINITY CONCERTO Michael Perrin, a teenage poet returns to contemporary Los Angeles hoping to lead a normal life. But his time trapped in the dangerous faerie land of the Sidhe has left him with magical skills and a mystery to solve. The Song of Power still hangs in the air, strange bodies have been discovered in a nearby hotel, and an ancient creature calls to Michael from the waters of Scotland.Worlds are falling apart. An apprentice needs training. Could an unfinished symphony save the world and create a lasting peace between humans and the Sidhe?A classic YA novel that blends the intricacies of complex SF with the wonder and danger of fantasy, THE SERPENT MAGE a sequel to THE INFINITY CONCERTO was re-written and expanded from its original version to form the series SONGS OF EARTH AND POWER. This E-Reads edition is based on those expanded works.

Read online

  • 105

    Rogue

      Gina Damico
     Rogue

Lex, a teenage Grim Reaper, has the power to Damn souls, and it's getting out of control. Her boyfriend, Driggs, is dead . . . sort of. She's a fugitive, on the run from the maniacal new mayor of Croak and the townspeople who want to see her pay the price for her misdeeds. Uncle Mort rounds up the Junior Grims to flee Croak once again, but this time they're joined by Grotton, the most powerful Grim of all time. Their new mission is clear: Fix his mistakes, or the Afterlife will cease to exist, along with all the souls in it. The gang heads for Necropolis, the labyrinth-like capital city of the Grimsphere. There, they discover that the Grimsphere needs a reboot. To do that, the portals to the Afterlife must be destroyed . . . but even that may not be enough to fix the damage. Things go from bad to worse, and when at last the fate of the Afterlife and all the souls of the Damned hang in the balance, it falls to Lex and her friends to make one final, impossible choice.

Read online

  • 105

    The Hearts Series

      L.H. Cosway
     The Hearts Series

***Special pre-order price of just 99c!***Get the first four books in L.H. Cosway's Hearts series, plus BRAND NEW bonus novella, Cross My Heart.The Hearts Boxset Bundle includes:Six of Hearts (book #1)Hearts of Fire (book #2)King of Hearts (book #3)Hearts of Blue (book #4)Cross My Heart (bonus novella #5.75)Cross My Heart Blurb:Iris Garrigan has nothing.Well, that's not entirely true. She has her trusty Doc Martin boots. She has her Bowie obsession. And she has the stray cat that sneaks into her bed and keeps her company at night – it's a quid pro quo relationship. The cat gets a warm body and she gets something alive beside her when she would otherwise be alone.She also has a job. Sure, washing dishes hardly has her rolling in dough, but with no permanent abode it's the best she can do. She knows her new boss only lets her work in his restaurant out of pity, but she isn't above cashing in on a little human compassion if it means she can survive to live another day.Everything is...

Read online

  • 105

    Decompression

      Juli Zeh
     Decompression

A psychological thriller in the tradition of Patricia Highsmith about two couples caught in a web of conflicting passions while deep-sea diving off the beautiful Canary IslandsIn the late 1990s, Sven Fiedler and his girlfriend, Antje, left Germany for the island of Lanzarote, rejecting what Sven considered a vulgar culture of materialism and judgment. The young couple set up a diving service catering to tourists eager to bask in the warm sunshine and explore the silent, gleaming marine paradise that makes this otherwise barren volcanic island such a remarkable retreat. Sven's approach was simple: take the mechanics of diving seriously, instruct his clients clearly, and stay out of their personal business as best he can.And life on the island goes smoothly until two German tourists--Jola von der Pahlen, a daytime soap star on the verge of cinematic success, and Theo Hast, a stalled novelist--engage Sven for a high-priced, intensive two-week diving...

Read online

  • 105

    The Burglar in the Rye

      Lawrence Block
     The Burglar in the Rye

Amazon.com ReviewLawrence Block is such a gifted writer that even a native New Yorker will be fooled into thinking that the Paddington Hotel, described in the opening pages of Burglar in the Rye, is a real institution. Block's descriptions of this enclave of artists, writers, and rock musicians is thoroughly convincing--although in actuality, the Paddington is a combination of the real-life Chelsea Hotel and Block's outrageous imagination.This is Bernie Rhodenbarr's ninth heist. Bernie is a gentleman burglar who runs a used bookstore in between criminal acts, steals mostly from the rich, and only hurts people when it becomes absolutely necessary.The Paddington is where Bernie goes to liberate the letters of a reclusive writer named Gulliver Fairborn from a literary agent. Fairborn's resemblance to J.D. Salinger and, of course, the fact that the woman who hired Bernie to steal the letters had an affair with Fairborn when she was a teenager, no doubt lend the book its title. But by the time Bernie gets to the Paddington, the agent has been shot, the letters already liberated--and a cop in the lobby recognizes our favorite burglar from a previous encounter. Now all Bernie has to do is find out who else wanted those letters badly enough to kill for them. In typical Rhodenbarr tradition, the plot is less interesting than the trappings: the books Bernie reads, the fascinating objects he picks up along the way. The reader also learns about some mind-expanding facts, such as the existence of a tiny South American fish that swims up a man's urine stream and lodges in his private parts! Or did Block make that up, too?Other Bernie picks include: , and . --Dick AdlerFrom Publishers WeeklyBlock's addictive series about bookseller/burglar Bernie Rhodenbarr (The Burglar Who Painted Like Mondrian, etc.) continues as our hero invades the hotel suite of an aged literary agent in search of a cache of letters, by a respected and reclusive writer, that are wanted by people both legitimate and not. As he usually does, Bernie finds a corpse on the other side of the locked door he so neatly opens, and he is immediately suspected of murder by his nemesis, sticky-fingered Ray Kirschmann of the NYPD. More murder ensues before Bernie, with the help of his lesbian buddy Carolyn, can get a handle on the proceedings. But when he does, and has gathered all the principals into a room for the inevitable explanatory/accusatory windup ("I suppose you're wondering why I summoned you all here," he gets to say, to his and the reader's delight, time and again), he hits on a solution that fingers a most unlikely suspect, satisfies all the claimants to the letters and leaves him (and Ray) richer. Block's effortless mastery of his material, his relaxed ease, are as pleasurable as always, and he has some splendid fun with an author not unlike J.D. Salinger. This is the prolific Block's only new novel of the year, and it's a steal at any price. (July) Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Read online

  • 105

    April North

      Lawrence Block
     April North

“Block is one of the best!” —The Washington Post Product Description Consumed by passion, a nice girl turned bad goes on a sexual tear that will threaten her reputation, her sanity, and ultimately, her life Innocent high school student April North gave her virginity to Dan, her long-time steady, an expression of pure love that she thought was the first step to marriage. But when Dan spreads the word, she finds herself marked with a scarlet letter—not A for adultery, but E for easy—and in a town like Antrim, Ohio, a girl with a reputation has no future at all. Ashamed of her newfound passion, she is ready to run away when she meets Craig, a twenty-something playboy with a fast car and fast friends who shows her that sex isn’t something to fear. Craig’s world of cocktail parties and casual flings is a side of adulthood April never imagined—a lifestyle that, if she isn’t ready for it, may spell her doom. This ebook features an illustrated biography of Lawrence Block, including rare photos and never-before-seen documents from his personal collection, and a new afterword written by the author.

Read online

  • 105

    Sword Art Online Progressive 1

      Reki Kawahara
     Sword Art Online Progressive 1

"There's no way to beat this game. The only difference is when and where you die..." One month has passed since Akihiko Kayaba's deadly game began, and the body count continues to rise. Two thousand players are already dead. Kirito and Asuna are two very different people, but they both desire to fight alone. Nonetheless, they find themselves drawn together to face challenges from both within and without. Given that the entire virtual world they now live in has been created as a deathtrap, the surviving players of Sword Art Online are starting to get desperate, and desperation makes them dangerous to loners like Kirito and Asuna. As it becomes clear that solitude equals suicide, will the two be able to overcome their differences to find the strength to believe in each other, and in so doing survive?

Read online

  • 105

    The Ghost of Josiah Grimshaw

      Suzy Turner Mo Yan Beth Hilgartner Willo Davis Roberts Joe R. Lansdale
     The Ghost of Josiah Grimshaw

The Ghost of Josiah Grimshaw, a Morgan Sisters novelAdopted sisters Lana Beth and Emma Jane are polar opposites, but when the same strange 'tattoo' suddenly appears and winds its way up their bodies within days of each other, they soon realise there's more to their relationship than they could ever have imagined. Sent off to London for two weeks of 'work experience', the Morgan Sisters soon find themselves being initiated into the ancient Praxos Foundation, one that protects the innocent while fighting evil, both human and supernatural.At the same time, Lana Beth and Emma Jane must also investigate why the sweet but sometimes pesky ghost of Josiah Grimshaw just won't leave them alone. When special investigator Ding Gou'er hears persistent rumors that there is cannibalism in the province called the Republic of Wine, he goes to learn the truth. Beginning at the Mount Luo Coal Mine, he meets Diamond Jin, legendary for his capacity to hold his liquor and fondness for young human flesh. A banquet is served during which the special investigator, by meal's end in an alcohol-induced stupor, loses all sense of reality. Interspersed are stories sent to Mo Yan himself by Li Yidou (aka Doctor of Liquor Studies), each one more mad than the next. Wild and politically explosive, The Republic of Wine proves that no regime can stifle creative imagination. The magical world Alexandra Scarsdale visited in Colors in the Dreamweaver's Loom is in trouble. The fabric of Fate is in danger of unraveling, and it will only get worse as the Feast of the Trickster draws near, and that malicious goddess comes into her full power. The Weaver knows the Trickster must be stopped, but the only person capable of doing that is Zan—Alexandra Scarsdale, a young college student whose life color is already woven into the Loom.Five companion—a Minstrel, a Swordswoman, a Shapeshifter, a Prophet, and a Heartmender—are sent to Earth to find Zan and bring her back to their world. The Trickster, aware of the plan, also goes to Earth to locate Zan and keep the Five from her. An intense and sometimes comic series of adventures ensues as the Five and the Trickster attempt to find their way among the strange people and customs of New England. The Five are helped by a group of Vermont teenagers, while the Trickster is aided by a Boston psychiatrist who thinks he's... "I didn't like Willie Groves, but I didn't hate him enough to want someone to kidnap him." Famous last words. Joey Bishop soon finds himself face-to-face with the kidnappers himself (as well as his archenemy) in this fast-paced, urban story that will leave you panting for your next breath.

Read online

  • 105