What is a single life worth? In our modern world, where wars are on the cusp of igniting at a moment’s notice, new diseases ravage entire populations, and hidden atrocities erase the lives of thousands, what can the death of a single person mean?

It can mean the tenuous line between peace and destruction.

Kurt Ramis knows this, as he watches the aftermath of an assassination on his television set. His years in the CIA have prepared him for such a dreadful day.

“Rasul” knows this, as he follows his young guide down the streets of New York City, with a gift for his adopted country.

The soldiers and sentries of Camelot’s Corridor, deep under the sands of Texas know this, as they prepare the secret bunker for the President’s arrival.

Mike Keogh knows this, as he remembers fallen friends, betrayals, and mention of a secretive monster named the Tangerine Demon.

Jessie Rosen will know it soon enough, as she descends the steps to Kubrá, to meet her deliverer. Her new family descends those steps as well, calling for their Lord to hear their prayers.

Phil Barr begrudgingly knows this, as he cowers in his palatial Hollywood Hills mansion, murderers and thugs auditioning on live TV, sirens ringing in his ears. This wasn’t how his charmed life was supposed to turn out.

And DaRWIn knows this best of all, as it predicted the assassination, and the calamitous after-effects some time ago.

On a certain day, on a certain street in the Middle East, the taking of a single life will mean everything, and it will shake the foundation of humanity. It will be the pulling of a loose strand in mankind’s tapestry, undoing the progress of a thousand years, ripping apart at the seams countless lives, countless societies.

Intertwining lives and stories, some saved and some ended, some Going, some Gone…

Valentina Hunter's parents think they've just hit the jackpot. When her mother invents a product that makes her family millionaires overnight, they buy a new house and new cars, and enroll their daughter in the ultra-exclusive Palm Lake private school.

The school comes with an excellent resume; more Palm Lake graduates go on to the Ivy League than any other private school in the area. Ninety percent of them start college with at least a year’s worth of Advanced Placement credits, and they earn more perfect ACT scores per capita than the students at any other high school.

Valentina’s mother and father are ecstatic, but Val doesn’t share the sentiment; she would rather go to the local public school with all her middle school friends. Events only increase her desire, as Valentina quickly finds herself embroiled in bitter social battles and hostile vendettas, leaving her to question whether she’ll even be able to survive the first month.

Sejak peristiwa pagi hari saat melihat mata Tari bengkak, Ari jadi penasaran. Benarkah itu hanya karena Ari menghapus nomor HP Ata dari HP Tari, ataukah karena Angga? Kalau memang karena Angga yang notabene musuh bebuyutan Ari, Ari ingin tahu apa yang telah dilakukan cowok itu terhadap Tari.

Setelah menemukan a shoulder to cry on pengganti Angga dalam diri Ata, perlahan-lahan Tari mulai melupakan Angga. Sikap Ata yang bertolak belakang dengan Ari membuat Tari nyaman bersama Ata. Ia pun curhat habis-habisan kepada Ata yang lembut, penuh perhatian, baik hati, dan yang baru belakangan Tari sadari berhasil membuat jantungnya berdebar tak keruan. Gangguan dan intimidasi Ari sampai tidak diacuhkannya. Inilah yang membuat Ari makin salah tingkah—kini saingannya bukanlah Angga, melainkan saudara kembarnya sendiri.

Namun, saat Tari merasa telah menemukan pelabuhan hatinya, satu rahasia besar perlahan-lahan terkuak. Tari merasa... lambat laun Ata semakin mirip Ari....

Katherine Hart is thrilled to be recruited by Knight Enterprises, the most prestigious venture-capital company in the world. That is, until she makes the acquaintance of the company’s infamous CEO, Dominic Knight.

At thirty-two, Dominic is a self-made billionaire with fearsome ambition and a temper to match. He is also impossibly attractive and dangerously charming when he wants to be.

To Kate, Dominic seems like the perfect predator, and she resolves to be cautious despite the obvious chemistry between them, telling herself she can always leave if Dominic grows too demanding. What she doesn’t know is that the decision isn’t hers to make...

Dominic Knight has found a new plaything, and Mr. Knight always gets what he wants.

James and Bianca’s tumultuous story continues in the sequel to In Flight. James has initiated Bianca into a dark and drugging world of passion and pain. He taught her about her own submissive, masochistic nature, and she fell swiftly and deeply in love with the undeniably charming and impossibly beautiful Mr. Cavendish. However, a painful misunderstanding and the return of the brutally violent demon of her past have combined to overwhelm Bianca, and, confused and hurt, she pushes him away.

It’s been over a month since the shocking attack that hospitalized her, and since she told a distraught James that she needed space, but her feelings haven’t gone away. Even she knew that it was only a matter of time before he would cast his spell on her again…

Much Ado About Nothing, one of Shakespeare's most beloved comedies, intertwines two very different tales of love. On one hand, we have the young lovers Hero and Claudio, whose journey to the altar is thwarted by the villainous Don John. On the other, the story of Beatrice and Benedick showcases how pride and mutual antagonism can be overcome when friends decide to intervene, turning their merry war into an unexpected romance.

The play also delves into the themes of honor, shame, and societal expectations, providing a rich tapestry of human emotions and interactions. From the humorous misunderstandings and witty banter to the dramatic accusations and eventual reconciliations, Much Ado About Nothing remains a timeless exploration of love and its various complications.

No Exit presents a compelling portrayal of hell unlike any other. In this existentialist drama, three characters find themselves locked together in a room for eternity, with no escape. The play explores the psychological torment and humiliation that comes from being stripped of all pretenses under the unrelenting gaze of others. It's a place where secrets are laid bare and the deepest deeds are exposed to the harsh light of judgement. The true torture of this hell lies not in physical pain, but in the endless psychological anguish and introspection. This thought-provoking piece is a testament to Sartre's brilliance in exploring the human condition.

Nothing Can Come Between Us is a gripping drama that delves into the dark sides of lust and hate, weaving a tale of sex, drugs, money, and betrayal.

After experiencing a devastating heartbreak, the beautiful and alluring McKeisha undergoes a transformation, revealing an evil persona. Her unstable nature leads her to develop an unhealthy obsession with her naive best friend's boyfriend. When a crisis hits, McKeisha seizes the opportunity to commit the ultimate betrayal, embarking on a journey of backstabbing and deceit, stopping at nothing to achieve her desires.

As McKeisha's childhood friends, Sha'Lena and Dominique, reach their dreams of musical stardom, her jealousy intensifies. The story escalates to a tragic climax where one girl's life is cut short. Will they find the courage to end this deadly friendship, or will McKeisha become ensnared in her own web of deception?

Lieber Herr Miggel,

Streitgenossen habe ich genossen über den 1. Mai, sehr gut wie Familienumfeld und Charakter zusammen kommen, die Rivalitäten innerhalb und zwischen den Kanzleien, die Komik der präzisen Erfassung der steuerlichen Problematik des Lösegeldes, alles um nur nicht auf den Punkt zu kommen, glaubhaft wie größte jurisitische Rationalität bemüht wird um höchste Irratonalität anzugehen.

Das steigert sich alles schön bis zur Mitte, dann treten die Streitgenossen und mit ihnen die Story auf der Stelle. Auch das überraschende Ende ist nicht ganz so überraschend, man hat irgendso eine zweite ebene erwartet, wenn auch nicht diese. Das schwächt den pay-off (Hornberger Schiessen).

Sicher gute Vorlage für einen TV Krimi/Gesellschaftsdrama, allerdings in USA eher als bei uns; ich höre die Anwaltsserien haben hier wenig Zuspruch, bin da ber kein Spezialist. Jedenfalls eine empfehlenswerte Lektüre.

Kompliment
Ihr Volker Schlöndorff

It only seems to start Theo Lindner, an internationally active law firm partner and father, an ordinary working day: In an unexpected meeting scheduled, he learns that his colleague Joachim Peters has been the victim of a kidnapping - the 20 million euro ransom to the members of the Board of their private pay.

Within the firm a thrilling tug of war starts at the adequate handling of the emergency, on the one hand, anyone can associate a potential victim of the kidnap victims to identify the other hand, see all their material well-being threatened for years to come.

The situation is alarming and, as encrypted, the second sign of life references to Peters' whereabouts, and he seems to contain Theo Lindner, with whom he privately nothing extraordinary, explicitly send out greetings.

A breathtaking, exciting thriller in the legal environment, authentic and psychologically brilliant.

Nur scheinbar beginnt für Theo Lindner, Partner einer international agierenden Anwaltskanzlei und Familienvater, ein ganz normaler Arbeitstag in Berlin: In einer unvorhergesehen anberaumten Sitzung erfährt er, dass sein Kollege Joachim Peters Opfer einer Entführung geworden ist – die 25 Millionen DM Lösegeld sollen die Mitglieder der Sozietät aus ihrem Privatvermögen berappen.

Innerhalb der Sozietät beginnt ein nervenaufreibendes Tauziehen um den adäquaten Umgang mit der Notlage, denn einerseits kann sich jeder Teilhaber als potenzielles Opfer mit dem Entführten identifizieren, andererseits empfinden alle ihr materielles Wohlergehen auf Jahre hinaus bedroht.

Die Lage spitzt sich zu, als das zweite Lebenszeichen verschlüsselte Hinweise auf Peters’ Aufenthaltsort zu enthalten scheint und er Theo Lindner, mit dem ihn privat nichts außergewöhnlich verbindet, explizit Grüße zukommen lässt …

Ein atemberaubend spannender Krimi im Juristen-Milieu, authentisch und psychologisch brillant.

Un couple qui a tout pour être heureux, se voit brutalement arracher sa petite fille de 5 ans. Layla a disparu.

Brisés, ils se séparent.

Cinq ans plus tard, elle est retrouvée vivante à l'endroit exact de sa disparition.

Les interrogations succèdent à la joie des retrouvailles.

Où était-elle ?

Avec qui ?

Pourquoi est-elle revenue ?

Against all odds, Katniss Everdeen has won the annual Hunger Games with fellow district tribute Peeta Mellark. But it was a victory won by defiance of the Capitol and their harsh rules. The Capitol is angry. The Capitol wants revenge.

Suzanne Collins continues the amazing story of Katniss Everdeen in Catching Fire, the second novel of the phenomenal Hunger Games trilogy. Read Chapters one and two to find out what happens next.

Meet Romeo Prince in the Amazon & USA Today bestselling novel, Sweet Home. Now, hear the story from his lips: unbarred, uncensored, and raw to the bone.

It makes me laugh when I hear folks think Molly and I rushed into things too fast, spouting that we couldn't possibly have felt what we did for each other in such a short space of time. I say, how the hell would they know? We made it, didn't we? She became my whole life, didn't she?

And as for my folks not being real, being true? Tell that to me aged ten, eleven, twelve—damn, all my bastard life—when I was never enough, when I was beaten until I bled for being too good at football and not being everything they'd dreamed: the perfectly dutiful son. Tell that to thousands of kids around the world getting wailed on by asshole parents for whatever stupid reason; tell them evil don't exist in their eyes.

Forget Romeo and Juliet. This is the story of me and my girl, from my lips. No mushy sentiment, no cheese, just the plain, hard truth. And, because I'm feeling generous, I'm going to let you in on more of our story too.

Sweet Rome is a New Adult Companion Novel to Sweet Home—contains adult content, sexual situations, and mature topics. Suited for ages 18 and up.

Set adrift by his wife's sudden death and struggling to keep a grip on reality, Bunny Munro does the only thing he can think of - with his young son in tow, he hits the road. An epic chronicle of one man's judgement and death, The Death of Bunny Munro is an achingly tender portrait of the relationship between father and son.

A New York Times bestseller! Red Queen meets The Hunger Games in this epic novel about what happens when a senator’s daughter is summoned to the galactic court as a hostage, but she’s really the galaxy’s most dangerous weapon in disguise.

A Diabolic is ruthless. A Diabolic is powerful. A Diabolic has a single task: Kill in order to protect the person you’ve been created for.

Nemesis is a Diabolic, a humanoid teenager created to protect a galactic senator’s daughter, Sidonia. The two have grown up side by side, but are in no way sisters. Nemesis is expected to give her life for Sidonia, and she would do so gladly. She would also take as many lives as necessary to keep Sidonia safe.

When the power-mad Emperor learns Sidonia’s father is participating in a rebellion, he summons Sidonia to the Galactic court. She is to serve as a hostage. Now, there is only one way for Nemesis to protect Sidonia. She must become her. Nemesis travels to the court disguised as Sidonia—a killing machine masquerading in a world of corrupt politicians and two-faced senators’ children.

It’s a nest of vipers with threats on every side, but Nemesis must keep her true abilities a secret or risk everything. As the Empire begins to fracture and rebellion looms closer, Nemesis learns there is something more to her than just deadly force. She finds a humanity truer than what she encounters from most humans. Amidst all the danger, action, and intrigue, her humanity just might be the thing that saves her life—and the empire.

'A thing to marvel at, a thing to be grateful for.' A rich American art-collector and his daughter Maggie buy in for themselves and to their greater glory a beautiful young wife and noble husband. They do not know that Charlotte and Prince Amerigo were formerly lovers, nor that on the eve of the Prince's marriage they had discovered, in a Bloomsbury antique shop, a golden bowl with a secret flaw. The superstitious Amerigo, fearing for his gilded future, refuses to accept it as a wedding gift from Charlotte. 'Don't you think too much of "cracks,"' she is later to say to him, 'aren't you too afraid of them? I risk the cracks...' When the golden bowl is broken, Maggie must leave the security of her childhood and try to reassemble the pieces of her shattered happiness.

In this, the last of his three great poetic masterpieces, James combined with a dazzling virtuosity elements of social comedy, of mystery, terror, and myth. The Golden Bowl is the most controversial, ambiguous, and sophisticated of James's novels.

The text of this World's Classics paperback is that of the first English edition (1905). James's Preface is included, and a new introduction, notes, and selected variant readings.

"An eternity is such a long time to rule alone. Will you join me in Hell?"

The Archangel Lucifer, Sovereign of Hell, was awakened ahead of his time by the blood of a teenage girl. To satisfy his curiosity, he revived her from her untimely death and granted her a final wish worth dying for.

Kali's life has been one tragedy after another. Orphaned since the day she was born, Kali was brought up by her unfeeling grandmother, who also passed away shortly after Kali turned fourteen. The world was too big of a place for a small soul like her to survive on her own. Kali had no choice but to rely on her childhood friend, Chevalier, for financial support. The two clung to each other, and together they tried to survive the undercurrent beneath the murky water in the sea of life.

But that is only the beginning. Weeks before her sixteenth birthday, Kali will meet a man who will ruthlessly tear the sheer fabric of her life and thrust her into a world far more dangerous than anything she could fathom.

A fast-paced novel filled with supernatural intrigue and dark romance.

Every story has two sides, and in this new book, the epic love story between Kiera and Kellan is shown through his eyes. All Kellan Kyle needs is his guitar, and some clean sheets of paper. Growing up in a house that was far from a home, he learned a hard lesson: You're worthless.

Now his life is comfortably filled with passionate music, loyal band mates, and fast women... until he meets her. Kiera makes him ache for more. Makes him feel for the first time that he's worth more. But there's one problem— she's his best friend's girl.

Just when Kellan thought his emotional defenses were rock solid, Kiera's indecisive heart wreaks havoc on his soul, changing him forever. Losing Kiera is not an option.

Six months ago, I was happy. I was simply Naomi Carradine. One month ago, I was admitted into a psych ward.

Yesterday, Lachlan visited me. Kissed me. And told me that I’m starting to lose my mind. Hours later, Max haunted my thoughts, reminding me I’m not crazy and that he needs my help. A few minutes ago, I drifted further from reality, trying to unravel the past. And now...everyone thinks I’m insane.

But, I know he's real, and I know he needs me. Do you believe me?

Behind the walls of a mental hospital, Naomi Carradine feels her world breaking to pieces. She’s starting to believe all the voices questioning her sanity. Only visitors from the outside world keep her tethered to reality. But deep in her thoughts, Naomi is haunted by memories of a golden summer that twisted into a waking nightmare of obsessive love and fractured truths.

Just home from college, Naomi moves in with her best friend, Lana, the daughter of a Virginia senator. At a lavish party thrown by Lana’s father, Naomi meets a sexy stockbroker named Max and finds herself unable to resist his charms. One fiery kiss and she’s going back for more, beginning a terrifying descent. Having witnessed the unspeakable, Naomi has only one hope of escape: unraveling the devastating secrets of her past.

For Olivia, romantic bliss has never felt so right as it does with Cash. Unpredictable, except when it comes to satisfying her desires, Cash’s bad boy reputation is well-earned, but he’s turning his life around with the one woman who accepts him for who he is.

Until strangers from the past turn Olivia and Cash’s world upside down. What they want is something only Cash can give them. And if he doesn’t deliver, then they’re taking the one thing that Cash values the most.

Olivia always knew that in falling for Cash she was likely to get burned. But this new threat is beyond anything she imagined. Now she has to trust Cash with her life—and for Olivia that’s much easier than letting go, and trusting him with her heart.

Ein Wimpernschlag und mein ganzes Leben stand Kopf. Erneut. Vom ersten Moment an wusste ich, er war der attraktivste Junge, den ich je gesehen hatte. Der Arroganteste. Der Beliebteste. Der Wildeste. Der Einzige, den ich wollte.

Der Mensch, der mir die grausamsten Schmerzen bereitete. Höllenhunde. Apokalyptische Reiter. Verfolgung, Verzweiflung, Wahn. Unendliche Qualen. Er war der Einzige, den ich wollte - und er würde mich am liebsten ins Fegefeuer werfen.

Licht und Dunkelheit. Unschuld und Abgrund. Gut und Böse. Gefühl und Verstand. Er war mein größter Albtraum. Trotzdem hatten wir niemals eine Wahl. Denn eine Welt versucht und zu trennen, indes die andere sich bemüht, uns zusammenzuführen. Beide werden uns prüfen. Dritte entscheiden.

Doch Vereinbarungen, Verträge und Regeln hin oder her, Liebe ist stärker. Es ist unser Kampf für das Schicksal. Weder er, noch ich, sind gewillt zu verlieren. Ja, ich war verdammt. Verdammt verliebt. Und Morgan Vegard? Er ist mein Seelenverwandter.