Six shots. Five dead. One heartland city thrown into a state of terror. But within hours the cops have it solved: a slam-dunk case. Except for one thing. The accused man says: You got the wrong guy. Then he says: Get Reacher for me. And sure enough, from the world he lives inâno phone, no address, no commitmentsâexâmilitary investigator Jack Reacher is coming. In Lee Childâs astonishing new thriller, Reacherâs arrival will change everythingâabout a case that isnât what it seems, about lives tangled in baffling ways, about a killer who missed one shotâand by doing so give Jack Reacher one shot at the truth.
The gunman worked from a parking structure just thirty yards awayâpoint-blank range for a trained military sniper like James Barr. His victims were in the wrong place at the wrong time. But why does Barr want Reacher at his side? There are good reasons why Reacher is the last person Barr would want to see. But when Reacher hears Barrâs own words, he understands. And a slam-dunk case explodes. Soon Reacher is teamed with a young defense lawyer who is working against her D.A. father and dueling with a prosecution team that has an explosive secret of its own. Like most things Reacher has known in life, this case is a complex battlefield. But, as always, in battle, Reacher is at his best.
Moving in the shadows, picking his spots, Reacher gets closer and closer to the unseen enemy who is pulling the strings. And for Reacher, the only way to take him down is to know his ruthlessness and respect his cunningâand then match him shot for shotâŚ
The remarkable, acclaimed series of interconnected detective novels â from the author of 4 3 2 1: A Novel The New York Review of Books has called Paul Austerâs work âone of the most distinctive niches in contemporary literature.â Moving at the breathless pace of a thriller, this uniquely stylized trilogy of detective novels begins with City of Glass, in which Quinn, a mystery writer, receives an ominous phone call in the middle of the night. Heâs drawn into the streets of New York, onto an elusive case thatâs more puzzling and more deeply-layered than anything he might have written himself.
In Ghosts, Blue, a mentee of Brown, is hired by White to spy on Black from a window on Orange Street. Once Blue starts stalking Black, he finds his subject on a similar mission, as well. In The Locked Room, Fanshawe has disappeared, leaving behind his wife and baby and nothing but a cache of novels, plays, and poems.
This Penguin Classics Deluxe Edition includes an introduction from author and professor Luc Sante, as well as a pulp novel-inspired cover from Art Spiegelman, Pulitzer Prize-winning graphic artist of Maus and In the Shadow of No Towers. For more than seventy years, Penguin has been the leading publisher of classic literature in the English-speaking world. With more than 1,700 titles, Penguin Classics represents a global bookshelf of the best works throughout history and across genres and disciplines. Readers trust the series to provide authoritative texts enhanced by introductions and notes by distinguished scholars and contemporary authors, as well as up-to-date translations by award-winning translators.
Sir Damian Cray is a philanthropist, peace activist, and the world's most famous pop star. But still, it's not enough. He needs more if he is to save the world. Trouble is, only Alex Rider recognizes that it's the world that needs saving from Sir Damian Cray. Underneath the luster of glamour and fame lies a twisted mind, ready to sacrifice the world for his beliefs.
But in the past, Alex has always had the backing of the government. This time, he's on his own. Can one teenager convince the world that the most popular man on earth is a madman bent on destructionâbefore time runs out?
"It has served us well, this myth of Christ." - Pope Leo X, 16th Century
In a hail of fire and flashing sword, as the burning city of Acre falls from the hands of the West in 1291, The Last Templar opens with a young Templar knight, his mentor, and a handful of others escaping to the sea carrying a mysterious chest entrusted to them by the Order's dying Grand Master. The ship vanishes without a trace.
In present day Manhattan, four masked horsemen dressed as Templar Knights emerge from Central Park and ride up the Fifth Avenue steps of the Metropolitan Museum of Art during the black-tie opening of a Treasures of the Vatican exhibit. Storming through the crowds, the horsemen brutally attack anyone standing between them and their prize. Attending the gala, archaeologist Tess Chaykin watches in silent terror as the leader of the horsemen hones in on one piece in particular, a strange geared device. He utters a few cryptic Latin words as he takes hold of it with reverence before leading the horsemen out and disappearing into the night.
In the aftermath, an FBI investigation is led by anti-terrorist specialist Sean Reilly. Soon, he and Tess are drawn into the dark, hidden history of the crusading Knights, plunging them into a deadly game of cat and mouse with ruthless killers as they race across three continents to recover the lost secret of the Templars.
Climbing to the top of the social ladder is hardâfalling from it is even harder. Regina Afton used to be a member of the Fearsome Fivesome, an all-girl clique both feared and revered by the students at Hallowell High... until vicious rumors about herâand her best friend's boyfriendâstart going around. Now Regina's been frozen out, and her ex-best friends are out for revenge.
If Regina were guilty, it would be one thing, but the rumors are far from the terrifying truth, and the bullying is getting more intense by the day. She takes solace in the company of Michael Hayden, a misfit with a tragic past whom she herself used to bully. Friendship doesn't come easily for these onetime enemies, and as Regina works hard to make amends for her past, she realizes Michael could be more than just a friend...if threats from the Fearsome Foursome don't break them both first.
Tensions grow and the abuse worsens, as the final days of senior year march toward an explosive conclusion in this dark tale from the author of Cracked Up To Be.
HE IS ONE OF THE MOST HAUNTING CHARACTERS IN ALL OF LITERATURE. AT LAST THE EVOLUTION OF HIS EVIL IS REVEALED.
Hannibal Lecter emerges from the nightmare of the Eastern Front, a boy in the snow, mute, with a chain around his neck. He seems utterly alone, but he has brought his demons with him.
Hannibalâs uncle, a noted painter, finds him in a Soviet orphanage and brings him to France, where Hannibal will live with his uncle and his uncleâs beautiful and exotic wife, Lady Murasaki.
Lady Murasaki helps Hannibal to heal. With her help he flourishes, becoming the youngest person ever admitted to medical school in France.
But Hannibalâs demons visit him and torment him. When he is old enough, he visits them in turn.
He discovers he has gifts beyond the academic, and in that epiphany, Hannibal Lecter becomes deathâs prodigy.
C is for Calculated
How do you go about solving an attempted murder when the victim has lost a good part of his memory? It's one of Kinsey's toughest cases yet, but she never backs down from a challenge. Twenty-three-year-old Bobby Callahan is lucky to be alive after a car forced his Porsche over a bridge and into a canyon. The crash left Bobby with a clouded memory. But he can't shake the feeling it was no random accident and that he's still in dangerâŚ
C is for Crime
The only clues Kinsey has to go on are a little red address book and the name "Blackman." Bobby can't remember who he gave the address book to for safekeeping. And any chances of Bobby regaining his memory are dashed when he's killed in another automobile accident just three days after he hires Kinsey.
C is for Corpse
As Kinsey digs deeper into her investigation, she discovers Bobby had a secret worth killing forâand unearthing that secret could send Kinsey to her own early deathâŚ
In the dazzling new thriller from the master of dark suspense, the hand of fate reaches out to touch an ordinary man with greatness. So long as he is ready. So long as he is, above all, afraid.
Jimmy Tock comes into the world on the very night his grandfather leaves it. As a violent storm rages outside the hospital, Rudy Tock spends long hours walking the corridors between the expectant fathers' waiting room and his dying father's bedside. It's a strange vigil made all the stranger when, at the very height of the storm's fury, Josef Tock suddenly sits up in bed and speaks coherently for the first and last time since his stroke.
What he says before he dies is that there will be five dark days in the life of his grandson â five dates whose terrible events Jimmy will have to prepare himself to face. The first is to occur in his 20th year; the second in his 23rd year; the third in his 28th; the fourth in his 29th; the fifth in his 30th.
Rudy is all too ready to discount his father's last words as a dying man's delusional rambling. But then he discovers that Josef also predicted the moment of his grandson's birth to the minute, as well as his exact height, weight, and the fact that Jimmy would be born with syndactyly â the unexplained anomaly of fused digits on his left foot. Suddenly, the old man's predictions take on a chilling significance.
What terrifying events await Jimmy on these five dark days? What nightmares will he face? What challenges must he survive? As the novel unfolds, picking up Jimmy's story at each of these crisis points, the path he must follow will defy every expectation. And with each crisis he faces, he will move closer to a fate he could never have imagined.
For who Jimmy Tock is and what he must accomplish on the five days his world turns is a mystery as dangerous as it is wondrous â a struggle against an evil so dark and pervasive only the most extraordinary of human spirits can shine through.
Tertuliano MĂĄximo Afonso is a history teacher in a secondary school. He is divorced, involved in a rather one-sided relationship with a bank clerk, and he is depressed. To lift his depression, a colleague suggests he rent a certain video. Tertuliano watches the film and is unimpressed. During the night, noises in his apartment wake him. He goes into the living room to find that the VCR is replaying the video, and as he watches in astonishment, he sees an actor who looks exactly like himâor, more specifically, exactly like the man he was five years before, moustachioed and fuller in the face.
He sleeps badly. Against his own better judgement, Tertuliano decides to pursue his double. As he establishes the man's identity, what begins as a whimsical story becomes a dark meditation on identity and, perhaps, on the crass assumptions behind cloningâthat we are merely our outward appearance rather than the sum of our experiences.
A Reluctant Hero
Trey may have saved Luke's life, but he still thinks of himself as a coward who can barely stand to be outdoors. Now Trey finds out Luke has been taken prisoner at Population Police headquarters. Trey is terrified, but he knows that if he doesn't rescue his friend, no one will.
At police headquarters, Trey impersonates an officer to try getting to Luke. But just when it looks like he's close, Trey suddenly finds himself in danger of exposing not just himself but all shadow children.
In the aftermath of a crisis that threatens the safety of all shadow children â illegal third-borns in a society that allows only two children per family â Trey's friends expect him to take charge â a function he doesn't want or think he can do. Trey's new role leads him to travel with Luke Garner's brother, Mark, to Population Police headquarters. There he impersonates an officer to try to rescue Luke, who has been taken prisoner. The nonstop adventure puts all three boys in danger and risks exposing the underground movement to help all shadow children.
In this, the fifth book in the Shadow Children series, Margaret Peterson Haddix returns to the futuristic setting and compelling characters she created in Among the Hidden. With an adrenaline-fueled plot and surprising twists, Haddix has again crafted a story that is suspenseful until the last page.
Anita Blake, the Vampire Hunter, finds her life more complicated than ever in this latest installment of the New York Times bestselling series.
A vampire serial killer who preys on strippers is on the loose. Called in to consult on the case, Anita fears her judgment may be clouded by a conflict of interest. For she is, after all, the consort of Jean-Claude, the ever-intoxicating Master Vampire of the City.
Surrounded by suspicion and overwhelmed by her attempts to control the primal lusts that continue to wrack her, Anita does something unprecedented: she calls for help.
Everything's Eventual marks the first collection of stories by Stephen King since his Nightmares & Dreamscapes nine years prior. This collection includes a O. Henry Prize winner, two other award-winning stories, four stories featured in The New Yorker, and the famous e-book, "Riding the Bullet", which captivated over half a million readers online.
"Riding the Bullet," now available in print, narrates the story of Alan Parker, a hitchhiker facing a perilous journey to see his dying mother, only to take a ride that leads him astray.
"Lunch at the Gotham CafĂŠ" depicts a sparring couple's lunch that turns gruesomely bloody when the maĂŽtre d' loses his composure.
"1408", available in print for the first time, tells the tale of a successful writer specializing in haunted locations, whose experience in Room 1408 at the Dolphin Hotel is so horrifying that he abandons writing about ghosts.
In "That Feeling, You Can Only Say What It Is In French," experience the terror of dĂŠjĂ vu at 16,000 feet.
Stephen King masterfully explores encounters with the dead, the near-dead, and the mundane fears of life, from quitting smoking to yard sales, in these fourteen dark tales. Intense, eerie, and instantly compelling, this collection showcases the fertile imagination of one of the greatest storytellers of our time.
Nine-year-old Trisha McFarland strays from the path while she and her recently divorced mother and brother take a hike along a branch of the Appalachian Trail. Lost for days, wandering farther and farther astray, Trisha has only her portable radio for comfort. A huge fan of Tom Gordon, a Boston Red Sox relief pitcher, she listens to baseball games and fantasizes that her hero will save her. Nature isn't her only adversary, though - something dangerous may be tracking Trisha through the dark woods.
Just days before a massive exhibition opens at the popular New York Museum of Natural History, visitors are being savagely murdered in the museum's dark hallways and secret rooms. Autopsies indicate that the killer cannot be human... But the museum's directors plan to go ahead with a big bash to celebrate the new exhibition, in spite of the murders.
Museum researcher Margo Green must find out whoâor whatâis doing the killing. But can she do it in time to stop the massacre?
Two brothers on opposite sides of the law battle it out on the streets of New York in this chill-inducing thriller, a follow-up to BRIMSTONE.
As the previous installment came to a close, vicious dogs and armed men surrounded FBI Special Agent Aloysius Pendergast and his demise seemed certain. Nevertheless, he did leave behind a legacy: a letter for his friend, NYPD Lieutenant Vincent D'Agosta. Its contents ask D'Agosta to assume the responsibility of pursuing Pendergast's younger brother Diogenes, an insane and vengeful genius who has sworn to commit the perfect crime on January 28 -- which is now only one week away.
Hot on the trail of a killer in Manhattan, Pendergast must face his most brilliant and dangerous enemy: his own brother. An undying hatred between them. Now, a perfect crime. And the ultimate challenge: Stop me if you can...
Su nombre despierta terror en el corazĂłn de los hombres. A lo largo de siglos, se le ha considerado un mito. Ahora, alguien se atreve a buscarlo a travĂŠs de los rincones mĂĄs oscuros de Europa y Asia y buceando en lo mĂĄs remotos pasajes de la historia.
Durante aĂąos, Paul fue incapaz de contarle a su hija la verdad sobre la obsesiĂłn que ha guiado su vida. Ahora, entre sus papeles, ella descubre una historia que comenzĂł con la extraĂąa desapariciĂłn del mentor de Paul, el profesor Rossi. Tras las huellas de su querido maestro, Paul recorriĂł antiguas bibliotecas de Estambul, monasterios en ruinas en Rumania, remotas aldeas en Bulgaria... Cuanto mĂĄs se acercaba a Rossi, mĂĄs se aproximaba tambiĂŠn a un misterio que habĂa aterrorizado incluso a los poderosos sultanes otomanos, y que aĂşn hace temblar a los campesinos de Europa del Este. Un misterio que ha dejado un rastro sangriento en manuscritos, viejos libros y canciones susurradas al oĂdo. Para Paul y su hija llegar al final dela bĂşsqueda puede significar un destino mucho peor que la muerte. Porque a cada paso que dan, se convencen mĂĄs de que ĂŠl les estĂĄ esperando. Y en sus corazones, retumba una pregunta angustiosa... ÂżEs posible que la tumba de Vlad el Emperador esconda algo mĂĄs que el cuerpo de un asesino legendario?
In a future where the Population Police enforce the law limiting a family to only two children, Luke, an illegal third child, has lived all his twelve years in isolation and fear on his family's farm in this start to the Shadow Children series from Margaret Peterson Haddix. Luke has never been to school. He's never had a birthday party, or gone to a friend's house for an overnight. In fact, Luke has never had a friend.
Luke is one of the shadow children, a third child forbidden by the Population Police. He's lived his entire life in hiding, and now, with a new housing development replacing the woods next to his family's farm, he is no longer even allowed to go outside. Then, one day Luke sees a girl's face in the window of a house where he knows two other children already live. Finally, he's met a shadow child like himself. Jen is willing to risk everything to come out of the shadowsâdoes Luke dare to become involved in her dangerous plan? Can he afford not to?
At the age of eight, Brian Lackey is found bleeding under the crawl space of his house, having endured something so traumatic that he cannot remember an entire five-hour period of time. During the following years, he slowly recalls details from that night, but these fragments are not enough to explain what happened to him, and he begins to believe that he may have been the victim of an alien encounter.
Neil McCormick is fully aware of the events from that summer of 1981. Wise beyond his years and curious about his developing sexuality, Neil found what he perceived to be love and guidance from his baseball coach. Now, ten years later, he is a teenage hustler, a terrorist of sorts, unaware of the dangerous path his life is taking. His recklessness is governed by idealized memories of his coach, memories that unexpectedly change when Brian comes to Neil for help and, ultimately, the truth.
From the New York Times bestselling author, here is the first novel in the explosive Power of the Dog seriesâan action-filled look at the drug trade that takes you deep inside a world riddled with corruption, betrayal, and bloody revenge.
Set about ten years prior to The Cartel, this gritty novel introduces a brilliant cast of characters. Art Keller is an obsessive DEA agent. The Barrera brothers are heirs to a drug empire. Nora Hayden is a jaded teenager who becomes a high-class hooker. Father Parada is a powerful and incorruptible Catholic priest. Callan is an Irish kid from Hellâs kitchen who grows up to be a merciless hit man. And they are all trapped in the world of the Mexican drug FederaciĂłn.
From the streets of New York City to Mexico City and Tijuana to the jungles of Central America, this is the war on drugs like youâve never seen it.
Something's out there... Reed Shelton organized this survival weekend. He hired the best guide in the region and meticulously trained, studied, and packed while encouraging his wife, Beck, to do the same. But little did they know that surviving the elements would become the least of their worries.
During their first night of camping, an unearthly wail pierces the calm of the forest. Then someoneâno, somethingâemerges from the dense woods and begins pursuing them. Everything that follows is a blur to Reedâexcept for the unforgettable image of a huge creature carrying his wife into the darkness.
Dependent on the efforts of a small town and a band of friends, Reed knows they have little time to find Beck. Even more important, he soon realizes that they aren't the only ones doing the hunting. Something much faster, more relentlessâand definitely not humanâhas begun to hunt them.
Enter an adrenaline-laced epic where dreams and reality collide. Fleeing his assailants through deserted alleyways, Thomas Hunter narrowly escapes to the roof of a building. Then a silent bullet from the night clips his head...and his world goes black.
From the blackness comes an amazing reality of another worldâa world where evil is contained. A world where Thomas Hunter is in love with a beautiful woman. Then he remembers the dream of the chase as he reaches to touch the blood on his head.
Where does the dream end and reality begin? Every time he falls asleep in one world, he awakes in the otherâboth facing catastrophic disaster. Thomas is being pushed beyond his limits...even beyond the limits of space and time.
Black is an incredible story of evil and rescue, betrayal and love, pursuit and death, and a terrorist's threat unlike anything the human race has ever known.
Some say the world hangs in the balance of every choice we make. Now the fate of two worlds hangs in the balance of one man's choice.
In the fourth book of the bestselling Cirque Du Freak series, Darren Shan and Mr. Crepsley embark on a dangerous trek to the very heart of the vampire world. But they face more than the cold on Vampire Mountainâthe vampaneze have been there before them.
Will a meeting with the Vampire Princes restore Darren's human side, or turn him further toward the darkness? Only one thing is certainâDarren's initiation into the vampire clan is more deadly than he can ever have imagined.
Gateway opened on all the wealth of the Universe... and on reaches of unimaginable horror.
When prospector Robinette Broadhead ventured out to Gateway on the Heechee spacecraft, he was determined to find the right mission that would make him his fortune.
Three missions later, now famous and permanently rich, Rob Broadhead faces the haunting memories of what happened to him and what he has become.
Join him on a perilous journey into his own psyche, which proves to be even more horrifying than the nightmare trip through the interstellar void that he pushed himself to undertake!
The award-winning, best-selling suspense masterwork, now a major motion picture event. Enter a world where nothing is what it seems. Where your closest friend could be your greatest enemy.
Kevin Parson is alone in his car when his cell phone rings. A man calling himself Slater offers a deadly ultimatum: "You have exactly three minutes to confess your sin to the world. Refuse, and the car you're driving will blow sky high." Then the phone goes dead.
Kevin panics. Who would make such a demand? What sin? Yet not sure what else to do, Kevin swerves into a parking lot and runs from his car. Just in case.
Precisely three minutes later, a massive explosion sets his world on a collision course with madness. And that's only the first move in this deadly game.
From the #1 best-selling fiction author comes a powerful story of good, evil, and all that lies between.
Jack Rally is an eighteen-year-old boy who is evil and witty. He receives an opportunity from an older film-maker named Mr. Bigsley whose films are films of actual murders. Jack takes the opportunity and runs with it, becoming a master of his murderous profession. Jack, the brutal young man that he is, enjoys murdering and causing havoc in this setting of a more brutal future for mankind and mankind's ways. The tale can be called a psychotic masterpiece and is unique in its content, psychological base, and theme.
All around the globe, people are being reported dead or missing. In Berlin, a woman vanishes from the city streets. In Paris, a man plunges from the Eiffel Tower. In Denver, a small plane crashes into the mountains. In Manhattan, a body washes ashore along the East River. At first, these seem to be random incidents, but the police soon discover that all four of the victims are connected to Kingsley International Group (KIG), the largest think tank in the world.
Kelly Harris and Diane Stevensâyoung widows of two of the victimsâencounter each other in New York, where they have been asked to meet with Tanner Kingsley, the head of KIG. He assures them that he is using all available resources to find out who is behind the mysterious deaths of their husbands. But he may be too late. Someone is intent on murdering both women, and they suffer a harrowing series of near escapes.
Who is trying to kill them and why? Forced together for protection, suspicious of each other and everyone around them, and trying to find answers for themselves, the two widows embark on a terrifying game of cat and mouse against the unknown forces out to destroy them.
Taut with suspense and vivid characterization, full of shocking twists, and with an unnervingly realistic premise that could alter all of our lives, Are You Afraid of the Dark? is Sidney Sheldon at the top of his game.
Boston medical examiner Dr. Maura Isles literally meets her match and must face a savage serial killer and shattering personal revelations in this brilliant novel of suspense.
Dr. Maura Isles makes her living dealing with death. As a pathologist in a major metropolitan city, she has seen more than her share of corpses every dayâmany of them victims of violent murder. But never before has her blood run cold, and never has the grim expression âdead ringerâ rung so terrifyingly true. Because never before has the lifeless body on the medical examinerâs table been her own.
Yet there can be no denying the mind-reeling evidence before her shocked eyes and those of her colleagues, including Detective Jane Rizzoli: the woman found shot to death outside Mauraâs home is the mirror image of Maura, down to the most intimate physical nuances. Even more chilling is the discovery that they share the same birth date and blood type. For the stunned Maura, an only child, there can be just one explanation. And when a DNA test confirms that Mauraâs mysterious doppelgänger is in fact her twin sister, an already bizarre murder investigation becomes a disturbing and dangerous excursion into a past full of dark secrets.
Searching for answers, Maura is drawn to a seaside town in Maine where other horrifying surprises await. But perhaps more frightening, an unknown murderer is at large on a cross-country killing spree. To stop the massacre and uncover the twisted truth about her own roots, Maura must probe her first living subject: the mother that she never knew... an icy and cunning woman who could be responsible for giving Maura lifeâand who just may have a plan to take it away.
Breaking the Rules
Just when fifteen-year-old Bobby Pendragon thinks he understands his purpose as a Traveler â to protect the territories of Halla from the evil Saint Dane â he is faced with an impossible choice.
The inhabitants of Eelong are in danger of being wiped out by a mysterious plague. The only way Bobby can stop it is to bring the antidote from another territory. Since moving items between territories is forbidden by the Traveler rules, if Bobby chooses to save Eelong he could endanger himself, his friends, and the future of every other being in Halla.
In his new work, Michel Houellebecq combines erotic provocation with a terrifying vision of a world teetering between satiety and fanaticism, to create one of the most shocking, hypnotic, and intelligent novels in years.
In his early forties, Michel Renault skims through his days with as little human contact as possible. But following his fatherâs death, he takes a group holiday to Thailand where he meets a travel agentâthe shyly compelling ValĂŠrieâwho begins to bring this half-dead man to life with sex of escalating intensity and audacity.
Arcing with dreamlike swiftness from Paris to Pattaya Beach and from sex clubs to a terrorist massacre, Platform is a brilliant, apocalyptic masterpiece by a man who is widely regarded as one of the worldâs most original and daring writers.
While restoring a 15th-century painting which depicts a chess game between the Duke of Flanders and his knight, Julia, a young art expert, discovers a hidden inscription in the corner: Quis Necavit Equitem. Translation: Who killed the knight?
Breaking the silence of five centuries, Julia's hunt for a Renaissance murderer leads her into a modern-day game of sin, betrayal, and death.
In the virtual reality game Heir Apparent, there are way too many ways to get killedâand Giannine seems to be finding them all. Which is a darn shame, because unless she can get the magic ring, locate the stolen treasure, answer the dwarf's dumb riddles, impress the head-chopping statue, charm the army of ghosts, fend off the barbarians, and defeat the man-eating dragon, she'll never win.
And she has to, because losing means she'll dieâfor real this time.
Ring is a chillingly told horror story that begins with a mysterious videotape warning that the viewer will die in one week unless a certain, unspecified act is performed. Exactly one week after watching the tape, four teenagers die one after another of heart failure.
Asakawa, a dedicated journalist, becomes intrigued by his niece's inexplicable death. His investigation takes him from a bustling metropolitan Tokyo, filled with modern society's fears, to rural Japanâa mountain resort, a volcanic island, and a countryside clinicâhaunted by the past.
Asakawa's attempt to solve the tape's mystery before it's too lateâfor everyoneâassumes an increasingly deadly urgency. This novel is a masterfully suspenseful mystery and a post-modern trip.
1996, Egypt. Searching for a treasure on the Nile, Dirk Pitt thwarts the attempted assassination of a beautiful U.N. scientist investigating a disease that is driving thousands of North Africans into madness, cannibalism, and death.
The suspected cause of the raging epidemic is vast, unprecedented pollution that threatens to extinguish all life in the world's seas. Racing to save the world from environmental catastrophe, Pitt and his team, equipped with an extraordinary, state-of-the-art yacht, run a gauntlet between a billionaire industrialist and a bloodthirsty West African tyrant.
In the scorching desert, Pitt finds a gold mine manned by slaves and uncovers the truth behind two enduring mysteries: the fate of a Civil War ironclad and its secret connection with Lincoln's assassination, and the last flight of a long-lost female pilot.
Now, amidst the blazing, shifting sands of the Sahara, Dirk Pitt will make a desperate standâin a battle the world cannot afford to lose!
Four women with nothing in common, united only in death. Four brutalized victims of a brilliant monster - a "Mr. Nobody", moving undetected through a paralyzed city, leaving behind a gruesome trail of carnage... but few clues. With skilled hands, an unerring eye, and the latest advances in forensic research, an unrelenting female medical examiner - Kay Scarpetta - is determined to unmask a maniac. But someone is trying to sabotage Kay's investigation from the inside. And worse yet, someone wants her dead...
It's just before New Year, and Frank, an overweight American tourist, has hired Kenji to take him on a guided tour of Tokyo's nightlife. But, Frank's behavior is so odd that Kenji begins to entertain a horrible suspicion: his client may in fact have murderous desires. Although Kenji is far from innocent himself, he unwillingly descends with Frank into an inferno of evil, from which only his sixteen-year-old girlfriend, Jun, can possibly save him.
Will Alexander, the sheriff of a small town in southern Appalachia, is embroiled in a baffling murder case that offers neither a body nor a suspect. Determined to uncover the truth, he embarks on a quest to discover what truly happened to the local thug, Holland Winchester.
This brilliant southern gothic novel, by the award-winning and bestselling author Ron Rash, observes the consequences of love and murder across generations. Told from the perspectives of the sheriff, a local farmer, his wife, their son, and the sheriff's deputy, the story unfolds through their unique voices, exploring crime, shifting suspicion, blame, and guilt with each new revelation.
Set in the 1950s Appalachian South Carolina, the narrative is woven with themes of infidelity, jealousy, betrayal, and the inexorable march of progress as a valley fills with water behind a new dam. One Foot in Eden signals the arrival of one of the most mature and distinctive voices in southern literature.
In the Nevada desert, an experiment has gone horribly wrong. A cloud of nanoparticles -- micro-robots -- has escaped from the laboratory. This cloud is self-sustaining and self-reproducing. It is intelligent and learns from experience. For all practical purposes, it is alive.
It has been programmed as a predator. It is evolving swiftly, becoming more deadly with each passing hour.
Every attempt to destroy it has failed.
And we are the prey.
Blue is for Nightmares unfolds the story of Stacey's junior year at boarding school, a year filled with challenges and dark secrets. Stacey is not the most popular, the smartest, or the prettiest girl at school. She harbors a crush on her best friend's boyfriend and a deeper, darker secret that could shatter her friendships. Moreover, Stacey is haunted by nightmares that feel all too real, reminiscent of a past tragedy she once ignored, resulting in a fatal outcome.
These nightmares now focus on Drea, her best friend, who has become the obsession of an unsettling stalker. The situation escalates from disturbing emails and phone calls to the appearance of white lilies, ominously echoing the flowers in Stacey's dreams. As the school reels from a brutal murder with no witnesses and no clear alibis, suspicion spreads, leaving everyone a potential suspect.
Armed with the folk magic passed down by her grandmother, Stacey seeks to uncover the truth and protect those she cares about. But the question remains: Will her magic be enough to reveal the killer, or will the killer bring Stacey's worst nightmares to life?
In this Deluxe Spellbook Edition, readers will discover spells, poems, and meditations contributed by fans, alongside an interview with Laurie Faria Stolarz, enriching the narrative with a touch of the real-world magic that inspires the series.
Milla Edge is fueled by an obsession to fill the void in other peopleâs lives. She finds lost childrenâall the while trying to outrun the brutal emotions stemming from a tragedy in her past.
Traveling to a small village in Mexico on a reliable tip, Milla begins to uncover the dire fate of countless children who have disappeared in the labyrinth of a sinister baby-smuggling ring. The key to nailing down the organization may rest with an elusive one-eyed man.
As Millaâs search for him intensifies, the mission becomes more treacherous. For the ring is part of something far larger and more dangerous, reaching the highest echelons of power.
Racing into peril, Milla suddenly finds herself the huntedâin the crosshairs of an invisible, lethal assassin who aims to silence her permanently.
Lestat is back with a vengeance and in thrall to Rowan Mayfair. Both demon and angel, he is drawn to kill but tempted by goodness as he moves among the pantheon of Anne Rice's unforgettable characters.
Julien Mayfair, his tormentor; Rowan, witch and neurosurgeon, who attracts spirits to herself, casts spells on others and finds herself dangerously drawn to Lestat; Patsy, country and western singer, who was killed by Quinn Blackwood and dumped in a swamp; Ash Templeton, a 5,000 year old Taltos whose genes live on in the Mayfairs.
Now, Lestat fights to save Patsy's ghost from the dark realms of the Earthbound, to uncover the mystery of the Taltos and to decide the fate of Rowan Mayfair.
Both of Anne Rice's irresistible realms - the worlds of Blackwood Farm and the Mayfair Witches - collide as Lestat struggles between his lust for blood and the quest for life, between gratification and redemption.
An ancient sin. A long forgotten oath. A town with a deadly secret. Something sinister is at work in Hyde River, an isolated mining town in the mountains of the Pacific Northwest. Something evil. Under the cover of darkness, a predator strikes without warning--taking life in the most chilling and savage fashion.
The community of Hyde River watches in terror as residents suddenly vanish. Yet the more locals are pressed for information, the more they close ranks, sworn to secrecy by their forefathers' hidden sins.
Only when Hyde River's secrets are exposed is the true extent of the danger fully revealed. What the town discovers is something far more deadly than anything they'd imagined. Something that doesn't just stalk its victims, but has the power to turn hearts black with decay as it slowly fills their souls with darkness.
The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde Stevenson's famous exploration of humanity's basest capacity for evil, has become synonymous with the idea of a split personality. More than a moral tale, this dark psychological fantasy is also a product of its time, drawing on contemporary theories of class, evolution, criminality, and secret lives.
Also in this volume are The Body Snatcher, which charts the murky underside of Victorian medical practice, and Olalla, a tale of vampirism and The Beast Within which features a beautiful woman at its center.
This new edition features a critical introduction, chronology, suggestions for further reading, explanatory notes, and appendixes, including an abridged extract from A Chapter on Dreams and an essay on the scientific context of Jekyll and Hyde.
A storm struck on the night Laura Shane was born, and there was a strangeness about the weather that people would remember for years. But even more mysterious was the blond-haired stranger who appeared out of nowhere â the man who saved Laura from a fatal delivery. Years later â another bolt of lightning â and the stranger returned, again to save Laura from tragedy. Was he the guardian angel he seemed? The devil in disguise? Or the master of a haunting destiny beyond time and space?
Leaving Atlanta is a poignant and evocative coming-of-age novel by the talented Tayari Jones. Set against the harrowing backdrop of the Atlanta child murders of 1979, this story immerses you in the lives of three young black children navigating their way through a world fraught with fear and uncertainty.
The narrative unfolds through the perspectives of fifth-grade classmates Tasha Baxter, Rodney Green, and Octavia Harrison. As they return to school, they face not only the usual childhood challenges but also the terrifying reality of safety lessons, anxious parents, and an omnipresent sense of dread. Jones masterfully captures the innocence and resilience of childhood, painting a vivid picture of how these young souls strive to grow up and survive amidst the chaos.
With its rich storytelling and deep emotional resonance, Leaving Atlanta is a testament to the strength of the human spirit in the face of overwhelming odds. It's a story that will linger in your heart long after you've turned the last page.
This Present Darkness unfolds in the seemingly innocent small town of Ashton. But beneath its surface, a fierce battle is raging. The story kicks off when a skeptical reporter and a prayerful, hardworking pastor start to unveil mysterious events, plunging them into a terrifying New Age conspiracy aimed at enslaving not just the townspeople, but the entire human race.
The boundary between the physical and spiritual realms blurs as the conflict between the forces of good and evil escalates. This gripping narrative offers profound insights into the nature of spiritual warfare and the critical importance of prayer.
The Rand scientific expedition entered the lush wilderness of the Amazon and never returned. Years later, one of its members has stumbled out of the worldâs most inhospitable rainforest: a former Special Forces soldier â scarred, mutilated, terrified, and mere hours from death â who went in with one arm missing⌠and came out with both intact.
Unable to comprehend this inexplicable event, the government sends Nathan Rand into this impenetrable secret world of undreamed-of perils to follow the trail of his vanished father⌠toward mysteries that must be solved at any cost. But the nightmare that is awaiting Nate and his team of scientists and seasoned U.S. Army Rangers dwarfs any danger they anticipated⌠an ancient, unspoken terror â a power beyond human imagining â that can forever alter the world beyond the dark, lethal confines of the Amazon rainforest for better⌠and for worse.