Be careful what you wish for... "I'm actually a smart girl who would make any man an excellent wife. But no man sees that. No man is interested in my mind or personality, just my whatevers. So here is my wish: I'm board stiff. I want Adventure, Excitement, and Romance.” So begins Piers Anthony's 38th Xanth novel, in which Irrelevant Candy, looks at her reflection in the water of the shallow well and sees luxuriant midnight black hair to her breathtakingly slender waist, matching dark eyes in a lovely face. A torso coming yea-close to absolute perfection. She was man's desire. That was part of the problem. And in the shallow magic of a wishing well, she asks her wish to be granted. Something happens. A sudden whirlwind surrounds her, lifting her up and ripping off her clothing. She is changing, somehow. Then she falls flat on the ground. Literally. She has been transformed into a flat, stiff board with two knotholes for eyes.

Wodi grew up hearing tales of the outside world. Living in an isolated, technologically advanced city, it was hard to imagine that the rest of humanity suffered at the hands of sadistic, godlike monsters called flesh demons. Then Wodi finds himself exiled into the wasteland, victim of a death sentence handed out for no reason that he can understand...Demonworld is the first in a ten-book series that chronicles the life of Wodan, a son of laborers and heir to an amazing destiny.Wodi grew up hearing tales of the outside world. Living in an isolated, technologically advanced city, it was hard to imagine that the rest of humanity suffered at the hands of sadistic, godlike monsters called flesh demons. Then Wodi finds himself exiled into the wasteland, victim of a death sentence handed out for no reason that he can understand. Moving boxes in his father’s store and attending the local university did nothing to prepare him for the horrors that lay ahead.Unfortunately for the ones behind his exile, the wasteland turns Wodi into a force to be reckoned with. His journey through baking, wind-tortured deserts and poisoned oases wakes something up inside of him, and Wodi learns that the human spirit has strength that few can imagine… and also comes equipped with terrifying weapons that those who crossed him cannot even begin to comprehend.

In this boisterous story collection, mischief abounds in the quiet corners of the British Empire on which the sun never setsAs the overseer of the kitchen at the British embassy in Vulgaria, De Mandeville has begun to abuse his power. He subjects the King's guests to a blistering Madras curry, a French onion soup served without spoons, and a table so loaded with vegetation that the party can hardly see the food. But worst of all, he has begun to cook with garlic, that fragrant bulb so beloved by diplomats that it must be banned, lest foul breath cripple the Empire. De Mandeville is due for comeuppance, and no breath mint can save him now."If Garlic Be the Food of Love" is only the first story in this invaluable peek at life in British diplomatic circles. After the ninth, the reader will wonder not how the British Empire came apart, but how De Mandeville, Polk-Mowbray, and the King's other dips ever got it started in the first place.

Humanity paid a price in exchange for utopia. Psycho Island is the story of the price we paid.Humanity finally achieved the impossible. Utopia was no longer a dream, but reality. Many nations accepted the authority of the Shepherds, a special class of people who lived by an ideal that others could not. Crime was a thing of the past, and humanity’s dark side was pushed back into the shadows. The streets were not exactly paved with gold, but at least they were safe. But humanity paid a price in exchange for utopia. Psycho Island is the story of the price we paid.

Viola Roberts is at it again! The sleepy seaside town of Astoria, Oregon is the last place you'd expect to find a dead body. That is until the director of the local museum turns up dead in the study and Viola's friend, Portia, is accused of the crime. Viola ignores her looming deadline and bout of writer's block and sets out with her best friend, Cheryl, to solve the murder. From starting riots at local dive bars to breaking into crime scenes, Viola will stop at nothing to prove Portia innocent even if it means putting herself in the crosshairs of the killer. The Stiff in the Study is book two of the Viola Roberts Cozy Mysteries, a fun, feel-good, bookish cozy mystery series.

Bryn Davis knows working at Fairview Mortuary isn't the most glamorous career choice, but at least it offers stable employment--until she discovers her bosses using a drug that resurrects the clientele as part of an extortion racket. Now, Bryn faces being terminated--literally, and with extreme prejudice. Wit the help of corporate double-agent Patrick McCallister, Bryn has a chance to take down the bigger problem--pharmaceutical company Pharmadene, which treats death as the ultimate corporate loyalty program. She'd better do it fast, before she becomes a zombie slave--a real working stiff. She'd be better off dead. . .

James "Iceman" Bracelyn is wound tighter than a vintage Rolex. Besides his CEO role at Ponderosa Resort, he's guardian of the family's biggest secrets, including a doozy that keeps him up at night. Alone. In that big bed he'd rather not share, thank you very much.That's fine with Lily Archer, who likes her flings flaming hot and fleeting. Her man-eater rep might be slightly exaggerated, but she'll gladly dial it up to rescue James from himself—and a bottle of Glenlivit—at his brother's wedding.Intimacy's the last thing either one wants, but it's tough to dodge when they're drawn together by the world's drooliest dog, a TPing escapade gone wrong, and a good old-fashioned desktop hookup. That's problematic for James, whose ability to hide the family's riskiest secret is complicated by the secret's refusal to get the hell out of his guest room.Can Iceman keep his frigid shell intact while falling for the hottest science geek sex goddess...

They paid millions of dollars to take part in a ritual of human sacrifice. They are a nameless brotherhood, a collective of bankers, military men, and corporate executives whose endless hunger has been the driving force behind every atrocity ever committed. Tonight, they are going to cook a world-famous chef in an electric chair on live television.They paid millions of dollars to take part in a ritual of human sacrifice. They are a nameless brotherhood, a collective of bankers, military men, and corporate executives whose endless hunger has been the driving force behind every atrocity ever committed. Tonight, they are going to cook a world-famous chef in an electric chair on live television. Sigmund plans to make a great deal of money from this execution. So why does he feel like the guy strapped into the electric chair is pulling one over on him? Come and Watch a Man Die! is a strange story about living things being more than just meat, the universe being more than just molecules rubbing up against one another, and transcendence through unimaginable acts of violence.

The prize possession of former football hero, part-time media personality and full-time blowhard BJ Baker has been stolen from his palatial Palm Beach home. Baker has called in the Mayor, the police, the sheriff and everyone else he can co-opt into the search. But if he really wants the person who can find it, one name keeps coming up. Miami Jones. Problem is, he can't stand Jones. And the feeling is mutual.Miami takes on a jealous husband, a feisty ex-con and a police detective desperate to claim everyone else's 15 minutes of fame, and he finds that Florida is home to so many retired athletes he could start a pensioner football league. But can Miami hunt down the culprit before they graduate from theft to something far more deadly?˃˃˃ "Put Spenser and Travis McGee together, and you have Miami Jones..." - Amazon reviewer for the Miami Jones series.˃˃˃ Q&A with the Author:Q: Why a Florida mystery series? A: A lot of things came together to make the series happen. Of course I always loved Florida mystery novels, there’s a whole lineage of them. And all those crazy Florida adventures of and Mssrs Hiaasen and Dorsey and co. My family moved to the Sunshine State, and everything about the place made me want to create a bunch of fun loving characters. The kinds of people you’d love to share a beer with, in a casual place with a plate of smoked fish dip. But the kinds of folks who live by their convictions - salt of the earth you might say. There’s a lot of folks like that in Florida, along with more whack jobs per square miles than anywhere I’ve ever been.Q: Who is Miami Jones? Is he you?A: He’s not me, let’s start there. He’s got a bucket load more bravado than me. But he’s a thinker. His baseball career didn’t define him, but it did help form him, and I wanted to explore that side of it - the fact that most college sportsmen and women don’t go pro, and those that do mostly don’t last, and somehow that gets looked on as a sad thing. Miami doesn’t believe it is. Pro sports taught Miami to fake it until you make it, but at the same time to never believe your own press. Mostly he doesn’t. He’s too cheeky by half, but don’t we all like the idea of serving up a good one liner when we don’t really have the guts to do it? He’s not one of these private investigators who shoot to kill without repercussions. He feels bad when he acts bad, but it doesn’t stop him doing it if required.Q: Is he a hard boiled detective?A: I call him soft boiled. It’s what happens to normal people when left out in the Florida sun. He calls them as he sees them, but he’d never call his girlfriend a dame. She’d tear him a new one if he did.Q: There’s a sports theme in the series. Is it a men’s adventure?A: Yes and no. Lots of ladies enjoy sports so that doesn’t mean anything. But the sports are infused in Miami’s thinking, rather than being pervasive in the stories. More than half of my readers on my email list are women, so it might be a men’s adventure, but it’s not just for male readers.Q: Speaking of women, Miami’s girlfriend knows how to handle him.A: That she does. I hate those stories and movies where the 'love interest' is nothing more than someone to serve the martinis. Danielle is Miami’s equal in every way. She’ll out think him most days, and she even has his measure in most physical endeavors. But she’s still a woman, so she doesn’t see the world in the same way as Miami and 'the boys'. And that’s a good thing.Q: Will we see her in her own private eye series?A: No. For a start, she’s not a gumshoe, she’s a sheriff’s deputy. She believes in the rule of law and doing things by the book. Mostly. That creates some tension between them because Miami can be a little too keen to go off reservation.

She's got two problems... A threatening competitor. Can she keep her hormones in check? At nineteen, Erika has a lot going on. She's the brains behind an up and coming startup. With rival companies starting to take notice, she's focused only on the survival of her social media business. Then she bumps into him. Literally. Erika's captivated by this man she's never met. She thinks there may be a spark. Or maybe she's just been single too long. Another distraction is not what she needs. She's worked too hard to let her business fail. But, he's oh so handsome. She can't take her eyes off him. His face, or his body. Being in his presence brings heat to Erika's cheeks, among other things. Who is he? Is there more to him than just being a hot guy? She now starts to wonder where her priorities are in life. Creating her dream business or being wrapped in the arms of this stranger? Does she dare try and go for what she wants... success and love? Can she have both? Or will she have to choose one over the other? You'll enjoy this sweet romance story with a twist, because it will keep you turning pages. Get it now. 

Embark on a thrilling journey through the vibrant chaos of New Orleans during Mardi Gras in this humorous romantic suspense series by USA Today Bestselling author Pauline Baird Jones. NOPD Homicide Detective Ben Baker's "just friends" dynamic with a mysterious redhead careens into a murder mystery that pulls him deep into the unpredictable world of Maia Henry and her eccentric family. As Mardi Gras unfolds its crescendo, the complexities of their romance become the least of Ben's worries. For data scientist Maia Henry, a routine visit to her mother becomes a whirlwind of unpredictability when she crosses paths with Ben Baker. With beads flying, masks concealing more than faces, and shadows revealing old grudges and new challenges, Ben and Maia must navigate the city's parades, jazz melodies, and culinary delights. Every turn exposes a new twist – where loyalties are tested, secrets unveiled, and the ultimate puzzle Ben seeks to solve is the one...

Solar Stiff is presented here in a high quality paperback edition. This popular classic work by Chas. A. Stopher is in the English language, and may not include graphics or images from the original edition. If you enjoy the works of Chas. A. Stopher then we highly recommend this publication for your book collection.

Halloween night in Sorenson, Wisconsin, usually resembles any other small town: trick-or-treaters, costume parties, and lots of cheerfully scary decorations. But Deputy Coroner Mattie Winston is finding this year a little different, because among all the fake carnage is a very real, very dead body...When Mattie and her boss/best friend, Izzy, are called to the home of waitress and part-time model Shannon Tolliver, they find the ghoulish decorations just a bit too authentic. For among the fake blood and skeletons is the corpse of Shannon herself - and the evidence screams murder. Since the whole town knows Shannon recently had a very public argument with her estranged husband, Erik, he's suspect No. 1 for homicide detective Steve Hurley. Tall, dark, and blissfully blue-eyed detective Steve Hurley, that is...But Mattie happens to know Erik truly loved his wife, and is simply incapable of the brutal act - even though he owns the exact same calibre handgun as the murder weapon...Determined to unearth the truth - and maybe spend a little quality time with Detective Hunky - Mattie puts her scalpel-sharp medical skills to work, and digs a little deeper. What she uncovers is stranger than anyone could have imagined...It seems Shannon's murder is just the tip of a very fatal iceberg. Now, in order to solve a case that's getting more dangerous by the minute - and to save Erik from the slammer - Mattie will have to risk everything to catch a killer who's capable of doing anything once he's cornered. And this time, it's not just Mattie's life that's on the line...

Sir Pelham Grenville Wodehouse wrote more than a hundred books and at least twenty film scripts, and he collaborated on more than thirty plays and musical comedies with the likes of George Gershwin, Cole Porter, and Irving Berlin. Best known as the creator of Jeeves -- the impossibly wise, supremely well-mannered gentleman's gentleman -- and Wooster -- his unflaggingly affable but bumbling employer -- Wodehouse invokes the very British spirit of a bygone era in a gentle satire that, as Evelyn Waugh puts it, "satisfies the most sophisticated taste and the simplest." In "Stiff Upper Lip, Jeeves," fate conspires to draw Bertie Wooster back to Totleigh Towers, the site of an earlier ordeal that nearly landed our hero in prison and, worse still, in continuing danger of marriage to Madeline Bassett, the svelte and sadly syrupy daughter of the house. Only one thing stands between Bertie and the dreaded state of matrimony, and that is his good friend Gussie Fink-Nottle, lover of newts and Madeline Bassett. So long as Gussie and Madeline continue to profess their undying love for each other, Bertie is safe...but disaster looms when Gussie rebels at Madeline's attempt to turn him into a vegetarian. Throw in the intrigues of Miss Stiffy Byng and her dog Bartholomew to gain the Reverend Stinker Pinker a vicarage, the renewed rivalry of art collectors Sir Watkyn Bassett and Bertie's Uncle Tom, and the irresistible cooking skills of American Emerald Stoker (who happens to be the younger sister of Bertie's old friend Pauline, whom he also narrowly avoided marrying), and you have trouble of the sort that only Jeeves can mend. In other words, here is a classic version of one of the greatplots of the English language from the Master himself.

(This short story features characters from the author's Maggie Sullivan mysteries series.)Depression-era private investigator Maggie Sullivan knows how to be tough when she needs to and polish her nails when she doesn't. A job offer from a blonde at a dime store lunch counter lures her to a still-warm corpse in an alley. His gold watch and cufflinks are still on him, but not his shoes and socks.A night of grilling by homicide cops does nothing to improve Maggie's mood, which deteriorates further when they laugh off a lead she gives them and imply she solves cases by batting her eyes instead of using her brains.Aided by a ragtag newsboy, Maggie baits a trap for the killer. He shows up with a knife. But Maggie wields a .38 as expertly as she does an emery board — and she doesn't back down for thugs or authorities when she's after answers.

Back from the dead…and back on the case!Even being murdered doesn’t keep a good detective down, and in the Unnatural Quarter—inhabited by ghosts, vampires, werewolves, mummies, and all sorts of creatures that go bump (or thud!) in the night—a zombie P.I. fits right in. Dan Chambeaux, a.k.a. “Shamble,” solves a string of madcap cases with his ghost girlfriend Sheyenne, his Best Human Friend Officer Toby McGoohan, and his firebrand lawyer partner Robin Deyer.Working Stiff contains seven cases from the files of Chambeaux & Deyer Investigations. Dan Shamble has to solve the mystery of a stolen deck of fortune-telling cards and the undeath-defying feats of a vampire trapeze artist, finds himself sealed in a coffin in the back of a truck with no idea where he’s being taken, and is even hired by Santa Claus to find his lost “naughty and nice” list. Being trapped in an unbreakable monster-proof crypt, deciphering a string of mysterious zombie graffiti, investigating the murder of a costumed fan at a science fiction convention where the monsters are the normal attendees, or tracking down a kidnapped hellhound for legendary vigilante werewolf cop Hairy Harry—it’s all in a day’s work for Dan Shamble, Zombie P.I.

Once again Lillian Byrd is down on her luck, strumming her mandolin for spare quarters alongside Blind Lonnie, Detroit's resident blues guitarist. But a chance encounter with her childhood friend Duane is about to completely turn her life upside-down. One summer night when Lillian was twelve, flames ripped through the Polka Dot, her parents' beloved tavern. Three bodies were found in the ashes: those of her mother, her father, and the barmaid, Trix Hawley. Or so Lillian has always thought. But when Lillian and Duane put their stories together, the past erupts into a wild enigma. As the two friends travel-accompanied by the tenacious crime writer Minerva LeBlanc-to the underbelly of Las Vegas to find the truth about their parents, Lillian must face the demons of the past in ways she never dreamed possible.

EDITORIAL REVIEW: **"One of the funniest and most unusual books of the year....Gross, educational, and unexpectedly sidesplitting."—*Entertainment Weekly*** *Stiff* is an oddly compelling, often hilarious exploration of the strange lives of our bodies postmortem. For two thousand years, cadavers—some willingly, some unwittingly—have been involved in science's boldest strides and weirdest undertakings. They've tested France's first guillotines, ridden the NASA Space Shuttle, been crucified in a Parisian laboratory to test the authenticity of the Shroud of Turin, and helped solve the mystery of TWA Flight 800. For every new surgical procedure, from heart transplants to gender reassignment surgery, cadavers have been there alongside surgeons, making history in their quiet way. In this fascinating, ennobling account, Mary Roach visits the good deeds of cadavers over the centuries—from the anatomy labs and human-sourced pharmacies of medieval and nineteenth-century Europe to a human decay research facility in Tennessee, to a plastic surgery practice lab, to a Scandinavian funeral directors' conference on human composting. In her droll, inimitable voice, Roach tells the engrossing story of our bodies when we are no longer with them.

Death is never pretty, and deputy coroner Mattie Winston's latest case is no exception. But this victim certainly was strikingly beautiful...before someone stuck that knife into her chest. Mattie knows everyone in the charmingly small town of Sorenson, Wisconsin, so the deceased is definitely a stranger from out of town. If a woman this attractive had moved into town, the news would have surely hit the gossip mill in record time. So what was the victim doing here, laid out in this desolate field? Things only get murkier with the arrival at the scene of the usually stoic and dependable detective Steven Hurley; one look at the body and he turns as white as the newly fallen snow...and excuses himself from the case. It turns out the victim was a top investigative reporter from Chicago, and Hurley not only knew her...they dated a year and a half ago, until she broke it off. While Mattie grapples with her jealousy of a gorgeous dead woman, Hurley swears her to secrecy and tells her...that knife in his ex's chest is his! It's a case with more twists than Maddie's own crazy love life, and it'll take all of her forensic skills to unravel the increasingly bizarre clues and find the killer...before she herself becomes just another cold case!

The Demonworld saga continues in Shepherd of Wolves. Rumors about the flesh demons withdrawing from the wasteland grind to a shrieking halt when an entire nation is overrun and destroyed in a single night. In the aftermath of the demonic onslaught, an army of subhuman cretins gathers under the standard of Khan Vito, a legendary soldier who has sworn to cleanse the world of the great lie of civilization. He leads his horde of dogmen on a death march through the wasteland… and they will not stop until Pontius has been put to the torch. As Pontius prepares for war, the financial elite promise wealth and glory to anyone with the guts – and stupidity – to face the horde and slow its advance. Even though he knows that the Suicide Contracts were never anything more than a public relations maneuver, Wodan joins the enterprise. But as plans fall apart and give way to terror, the people of Pontius soon realize that the seven doomed boys whose lives they threw away may be their only hope for survival.

“The Invader has taken everything from us… except our free will.”- Admiral Franks, “Transmissions from Black Heaven”Remember the Choose Your Own Adventure books? Remember playing the lead role, making choices and influencing the story, and either surviving or dying based on your choices? Solo-gaming books used to be everywhere – and then they disappeared for no good reason.Now, they’re back.In Heavy Metal Thunder, our solar system has been overrun by extraterrestrial invaders. You play as a soldier in the human resistance. While cut off from your unit, you find out that your allies in the resistance are being tracked down by the alien invaders and will be ruthlessly crushed… unless you can find them and warn them before it’s too late.On your journey you’ll meet the wild dregs of the solar system, and it will be up to you to choose how to deal with them. Do you help out those who have given up the fight against the invaders, or do you take shortcuts and gun down anyone in your way? As you learn how to fight the invaders you’ll gain levels and new skills, but limited resources will make it impossible to save everyone.Heavy Metal Thunder is the first book in an epic series that chronicles your role in humanity’s war against the mysterious and overpowering invaders. In later installments you can lead other soldiers, join an elite special forces unit, and even command your own battleship. All sections are hyperlinked, so you won’t have to worry about flipping through dozens of sections after making a choice. No dice are required, but you can keep track of your stats and equipment if you’re down with RPGs and nerd culture.For more info on Heavy Metal Thunder, check out Heavy Metal Thunder series.

Wrongly convicted of murder, a death-row chorus girl lives for revenge, in this novel from "the grand dame of mystery mixed with screwball comedy" (Ed Gorman). Anna Marie St. Clair was a normal Wisconsin-farm-girl-turned-mistress when she was framed for the murder of her racketeer boyfriend, one of Chicago's sleaziest politicians. Sentenced to death, and only hours from getting fried, a lucky hitch sets Anna Marie free, but she blackmails the corrupt warden into informing the tabloids that she took her volts like a real trouper. What better payback than to haunt the lives of those who tried to steal hers? As the shapeliest ghost in the Windy City, she's going to prove that dying well is the best revenge. Even luckier for Anna Marie, she has enthusiastic backup: attorney John J. Malone, who's got a soft spot for scrappy dames; her best friend, nightclub stripper Milly Dale; and crime reporter Jake Justus and his wife, Helene, who are always game...

International Bestselling Romantic Comedy and Humorous Mystery Author D. D. Scott is back...this time, with a brand new series and a new co-author too. For Stuck with a Stiff – Book One of the Stuck with a Series - think Castle and Beckett gone-country meet Betty Boop and My Cousin Vinny. And for all of you D. D. Scott Bootscootin’ Books and Cozy Cash Mystery Fans, The Mom Squad joins the fun!

Demonworld is the first in a ten-book series that chronicles the life of Wodan, a son of laborers and heir to an amazing destiny. Wodi grew up hearing tales of the outside world. Living in an isolated, technologically advanced city, it was hard to imagine that the rest of humanity suffered at the hands of sadistic, godlike monsters called flesh demons. Then Wodi finds himself exiled into the wasteland, victim of a death sentence handed out for no reason that he can understand. Moving boxes in his father’s store and attending the local university did nothing to prepare him for the horrors that lay ahead. Unfortunately for the ones behind his exile, the wasteland turns Wodi into a force to be reckoned with. His journey through baking, wind-tortured deserts and poisoned oases wakes something up inside of him, and Wodi learns that the human spirit has strength that few can imagine… and also comes equipped with terrifying weapons that those who crossed him cannot even begin to comprehend.

A twenty-two-year-old perennial virgin, Englishman Grant Stoddard didn't know what to do with his life in America—until he won an X-rated online contest, the prize being intercourse with an infamous married sex columnist. He consequently wound up delivering mail at Nerve.com but accidentally found his calling as a gonzo sex reporter who would try any and every lurid activity his crafty coworkers devised—from offering himself up as man-bait at a hard-core gay bar to attending an elite orgy, to being a hapless participant in a sexual home invasion—all the while wishing he could be safely tucked in bed.Working Stiff is the humble, hilarious, and delightfully salacious fish-into-water story of a young man who followed his heart—and other organs—into places where few would dare to venture.

Iain Levison can find work but not fulfillment. The frustration of dead-end, deadhead labor induces a kind of pink-slip payback syndrome as the realization sets in that his college degree will gain him little by way of psychic wages on the job. He is adrift in a workaday world where one human is as good as the next and all are expendable. Meaningless promises abound, "like when they were telling us [at commencement that] we were the future of the world, the bright shining blah blah blah." In ten years, Iain Levison has lived in six states and worked at forty-two jobs, from fish cutter in Alaska to furniture mover in North Carolina, film-set gopher, oil deliveryman, truck driver, crab fisherman . . . He quit thirty of them, got fired from nine, and has difficulty remembering the other three. Whatever could go wrong often did, hilariously. A Working Stiff's Manifesto makes Nickel and Dimed look like chump change. It is a funny book about the...

This funny and charming second book in our promising new mass market mystery series features Pauline Sokol, a sassy 30--something ex--nurse turned medical insurance fraud investigator.Pauline Sokol has just escaped serious bodily harm during her first investigation, when her second case file is literally thrown into her lap. And this one seems to be a doozie----with one suspect already dead! Pauline's sleuthing leads her to the Senior Citizen's Clinic, where she realizes that her deceased suspect was part of an illegal Viagra ring! Pauline is soon going undercover as a senior hot mama and chasing down leads at the local bingo parlor.Between fending off some wrinkled "over--70" admirers, and helping the sexy investigator Jagger with his own case at the Senior Clinic, Pauline is again faced with a murderer on the loose! Adding to her panic is the reality that her attraction to Jagger is intensifying, despite the fact that the handsome and reliable Nick is courting...

It's Christmas Day in the sleepy town of Sorenson, Wisconsin, but instead of unwrapping presents, deputy coroner Mattie Winston is at the burnt remains of a house, where a charred body has been found. The victim is none other than Jack Allen—a paraplegic

The epic Demonworld saga continues in The Pig Devils. Wodan has returned to Haven, but his homeland no longer seems quite like home now that his eyes have been opened by the wasteland. When everyone around him is either deluded or possibly in on the conspiracy against him, Wodan’s only guidance can come from the broken circle of old men that he once considered his heroes. Pontius, a city in the wasteland ruled by four gangs locked in an eternal orgy of violence, learns of the existence of Haven and its advanced technology. Boris, the Living Scar, plans a crusade to free the people of Haven from their lives of ease and open their hearts to the joys of his ancient, sadistic religion. Mankind has been on the brink of extinction for so long that full-scale war has not been practiced since the time of the Ancients. Now, with the help of the flesh demons, war will return. For news and info on Kyle B. Stiff's other projects, including Heavy Metal Thunder and Demonworld, check out www.heavymetalthunderseries.wordpress.com. For insights into the mind of Kyle B. Stiff, check out www.kylebstiff.wordpress.com. **About the Author Kyle B. Stiff used to review video games for a living and developed a reputation as an out-of-control maverick because he never once used the phrase "edge of your seat" or claimed that a game would leave the player "breathless". He is hard at work writing and rewriting the various books in two epic series, Demonworld and Heavy Metal Thunder. The first is a post-apocalyptic "hero's journey" through the human condition; the second follows a branching narrative structure that borrows elements from the classic Choose Your Own Adventure and Lone Wolf gamebooks, then updates the genre with quality writing and adult themes. Kyle B. Stiff has been around long enough to know that he knows very little about the world, but he still studies mythology and human behavior because it's fun to make an effort to understand. He currently lives with his soulmate somewhere in Kentucky. But really, is his physical location all that important when he can always be reached at primeentertainer@gmail.com or seen at www.kylebstiff.wordpress.com? 

Experienced pastry chef Johnson whips up an insider's look at San Francisco's cut-throat restaurant trade. Cranky Mary Ryan has sunk a lot of time and talent into the in-vogue American Fare, the town's hottest spot, while grieving over her broken marriage. At work very early one morning, she steps on a laundry bag stuffed with the dead body of one of her employees. The investigation soon exposes all the dirty secrets that the food business would like to keep secret: the philandering chefs, the silly whims of the dining public, the hiring of illegal aliens, and the subsistence-living pay scale. Events begin to spiral that, in time, take out the restaurant's celebrity chef and force Mary to use her unique skills to uncover a poisonous scheme...

Two Years, 262 Bodies, and the Making of a Medical Examiner The fearless memoir of a young forensic pathologist’s “rookie season” as a NYC medical examiner, and the cases—hair-raising and heartbreaking and impossibly complex—that shaped her as both a physician and a mother. Just two months before the September 11 terrorist attacks, Dr. Judy Melinek began her training as a New York City forensic pathologist. With her husband T.J. and their toddler Daniel holding down the home front, Judy threw herself into the fascinating world of death investigation—performing autopsies, investigating death scenes, counseling grieving relatives. Working Stiff chronicles Judy’s two years of training, taking readers behind the police tape of some of the most harrowing deaths in the Big Apple, including a firsthand account of the events of September 11, the subsequent anthrax bio-terrorism attack, and the disastrous crash of American Airlines flight 587. Lively, action-packed, and loaded with mordant wit, Working Stiff offers a firsthand account of daily life in one of America’s most arduous professions, and the unexpected challenges of shuttling between the domains of the living and the dead. The body never lies—and through the murders, accidents, and suicides that land on her table, Dr. Melinek lays bare the truth behind the glamorized depictions of autopsy work on shows like CSI and Law & Order to reveal the secret story of the real morgue.

Every fall, hunting season in Sorenson, Wisconsin, leads to some accidental injuries. Deputy coroner Mattie Winston just hopes the hunters don't bring any more business to her office. But somebody seems to have declared open season on land developers. One real estate developer who's recently come to town has been found dead in the woods with an arrow through his neck. Now it's up to Mattie to get to the bottom of the killing. That might be easier if she wasn't also hunting for Detective Hurley's teenage daughter, Emily, who has suddenly disappeared. With a homicidal William Tell out on the loose, Mattie is desperate to find Emily before the killer notches another arrow...

Car mogul Daniel Walker is celebrating New Year’s Eve alone. Or at least he thinks he is. At midnight, he runs outside naked for a quick roll in the snow. But when he tries to get back in the house, he can’t. He’s been locked out.From Publishers WeeklyAt the start of Logue's tepid eighth mystery featuring Pepin County, Wis., deputy sheriff Claire Watkins (after 2008's Point No Point), Dan Walker, who's been celebrating New Year's Eve alone in his cabin's new sauna, finds himself locked out of his cabin after a brief naked roll in the snow. Subzero temperatures ensure that he's frozen stiff by the next morning. Miraculously, Dan revives, but is unable to recall what happened to him, though it appears someone deliberately locked him out. Suspicion falls on Dan's soon-to-be-ex-wife, Sherri, as well as his spoiled daughter, Danielle, but other suspects soon emerge. Meanwhile, a possible change in Claire's long-term relationship with Rich Haggard, among other personal issues, complicate Claire's hunt for who wanted Dan dead. Series fans may enjoy the rough Wisconsin winter and revisiting old friends, but Logue fails to generate much suspense or excitement. (June) Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. From BooklistIt is New Year’s Eve in Pepin County, Wisconsin, 20 below zero with lots of snow. Daniel Walker is relaxing in his sauna, enjoying a bottle of vodka and a cigar and contemplating a new land deal and a divorce. At midnight, he leaves the sauna for a nude roll in the snow, but when he tries to get back inside, the door won’t open. When his soon-to-be-ex discovers him frozen in a pile of snow the next morning, she calls for help and the paramedics take him to the hospital to see if he can be saved. Sheriff’s investigator Claire Watkins has to figure out whether the incident was an accident or a crime. Daniel Walker made many people unhappy: his wife, his daughter, those on the wrong sides of his land deals. As she investigates, Claire ponders her own relationship with boyfriend Rich. After the death of her husband many years ago, she has been hesitant to remarry. The freezing weather echoes the relationships in this story. Some are frozen, while others, previously icy, show signs of thawing. A satisfying entry in a consistently entertaining series. --Barbara Bibel

A letter received by an old woman's son after her death alerts Detective Inspector C. D. Sloane that one woman's death by natural causes in a local nursing home may actually be murder. But that is just the beginning of the odd goings-on in this nursing home catering to former members of a WWII regiment."Intricate, witty, and thoughtfully delightful . . ."—Publishers Weekly on A Going Concern

The Demonworld saga continues in The Love of Tyrants. The wasteland king, Wodan, was admired and envied for his achievements… but to him, it counted for little. He knew the demons were out there, glutting themselves on human corpses, growing fat on suffering. He believed the peace enjoyed by his people was only the calm before the storm. Wodan needed power to save his people - raw, ruthless power. He had a choice. Would he be content with the power of a king, or would he bend his knee to one greater than himself in order to achieve a victory that only he believed in?

True believer Murray Whelan makes his debut in Shane Maloney's first thriller set among the ethnic feuds, union machinations and sexual politics of his city's working class heartland.The fiddle at the Pacific Pastoral meat-packing works was a nice little earner for all concerned until Herb Gardiner reported finding a body in number 3 chiller.Enter Murray Whelan, minder, fixer and general dogsbody for the Minister of Industry. Between playing off party factions and pursuing the kohl-eyed Ayisha, it's all in a day's work for Murray to hose down the situation at Pacific Pastoral. Then the lairy V8 turns up. And after that, it gets personal. Because don't you just hate it when somebody tries to kill you and you don't know who or why?'Stiff is hilarious...a witty, controversial, intelligent book, both genuinely frightening and genuinely funny.' Herald Sun

When Mattie Winston catches her husband Dr. David Winston receiving some very special loving care from R.N. Karen Owenby, she quits her job and moves out. Mattie's best friend Izzy offers her a place to stay and suggests she'd be a natural as deputy coroner. Now, instead of taking patients' pulses, Mattie's weighing their hearts and livers. But Mattie's first homicide call turns out to be for none other than Nurse Karen, and even though she saw her ex in a heated argument with the newly deceased the night before, she refuses to believe David could be a killer. Keeping mum about what she saw, Mattie is also left speechless by the sight of hunky Detective Steve Hurley...From learning the ropes on her new job to sorting out her feelings about her ex and dealing with her growing attraction to Detective Hurley, Mattie's in deep water and in danger of sinking quickly, especially when she places herself dead center in the path of a desperate - yet determined - killer...

McKenna Brady thinks her junior year of high school is going to be the best ever when she’s welcomed into the elite group of popular girls at Weeping Willow High School led by blond, gorgeous Olivia Richmond. Prior to junior year, McKenna was known in her small town as the girl whose twin sister died in a tragic house fire, and she’s overjoyed at the prospect of redefining her identity. She has a date to the Homecoming dance with Olivia’s handsome older brother, and a good chance of being elected to student council. For the first time since McKenna’s parents divorced, things are looking up. But everything changes the night of Olivia’s Sweet Sixteen sleepover birthday party. Hannah, the shy, mysterious new girl in town, suggests that the girls play a scary game called Light as a Feather, Stiff as a Board, during which Hannah makes up elaborate stories about the future ways in which beautiful Olivia, brassy Candace, and athletic Mischa will die. The game unsettles McKenna because she’s already escaped death once in her life, but she doesn’t want to ruin her friends’ fun. It’s only a game, she reminds herself. But it doesn’t seem like a harmless game a week later when Olivia dies unexpectedly in a violent car crash, exactly as Hannah predicted. And something begins haunting McKenna’s bedroom at night, leaving her clues that all seem to point to Hannah. McKenna enlists the help of her cute next-door neighbor Trey in finding out exactly what kind of curse Hannah has put on all of the popular girls in the junior class. As Hannah rises to popularity and seemingly steps into the life Olivia left unfinished, McKenna and Trey know they only have a limited amount of time to bring an end to Hannah’s game before more lives are lost. Ages 13+

The Demonworld saga continues in Book Three: The Floyd Street Massacre. Slavers. Demon worshippers. Masters of the art of mind control through ritual torture. Sadists, flesh carvers, pain junkies. A secret society that owns every peace-preaching church in Pontius. They are the UGLY, and they are one of the most ancient powers in the wasteland. For over a thousand years they have either crushed every foe they’ve encountered, or scarred them beyond recognition. Now they face their greatest challenge. He is a warrior who does not fear death, a philosopher who believes that mankind’s shackles must be broken, a strategist who undermines their power structure from the shadows, and an artist whose great work is the creation of a better world. He is an exile without a home… and his name is WODAN.

What begins as a two-night camping and kayaking trek in the untamed Alaskan wilderness turns into a test of survival for Cody and her cousin Derek. While their mothers are in Juneau picking up supplies for Yakutat Lodge, the cousins sneak off in an old pickup. The taste of freedom is soon tainted when Cody's kayak is lost on the rising tide, washing away her life vest and precious supplies.

This bestselling classic mystery filled with "clever sleuthing" (Publishers Weekly) by two brothers looking for information about their missing mother from three-time Edgar Award­–winning author Willo Davis Roberts is a thrilling roller coaster ride of a read.Rick and Kenny's Pa was right all along—troubles really do happen in threes. First Pa's truck was robbed, then Pa ran off, leaving Rick, Kenny, and Ma to fend for themselves, and now Ma has disappeared, too! Rick knows Ma would never leave them on purpose—but then, where is she? Waiting in Uncle Henry's trailer park doesn't seem to be getting them any closer to figuring out what happened. Instead the brothers, along with their new friends Connie and Julie, head to the abandoned Wonderland Amusement Park next door to search for answers. But what they find inside sends them on the most terrifying roller coaster ride of their lives. Could whoever took Ma be after them as well?

A private investigator risks his life for the sake of a French basketball player Sometimes B. F. Cage can't remember what he's doing in Paris. He had a successful business in California doing dirty work for people who could afford to keep their hands clean, but the French don't seem to need his particular skills. When his nearly empty wallet is stolen, he pities the thief who took it. When the robber comes back, Cage knows he is in trouble. Her name is Val Merchadier, and she wants a job. To show him what she's capable of, she easily locates the missing millionaire whom Cage has been tracking for weeks. She finds him—and then lets him go while pointing a pistol at B.F.'s chest. Miss Merchadier has bigger fish to fry than helping a down-and-out investigator. She's in love with that rarest of creatures—a French professional basketball player—and hires Cage to protect her beau from those who want him dead, drawing him into a web of drug...

Enten, the god of winter, has spent centuries avoiding rejection from women. He might be cold to the depths of his very soul, but one woman—his Chosen—holds the key to melting his permafrost. To keep her, though, he must embrace the heat sweeping through his heart—and his body. Unfortunately, he and the group of gods he calls brothers are trapped on Earth's plane by a malevolent force that could bring violence to her doorstep. Gloria Wingfeather lived through hell, physically and emotionally singed by the viciousness of her ex-husband. For years, she's dedicated her time and her heart to making a life for herself. The sexy god of chill has the potential to heal those charred wounds or to set her ablaze with passion.

Final BidThanksgiving with her fault-finding mother has Odelia Grey stewing in her own juices. But her husband’s cousin Ina—who shows up to dinner alone with ugly bruises—clearly has it worse. Things quickly go downhill after Odelia’s mother decides to extend her visit a few extra days to attend a storage auction with Ina, who owns a consignment shop. The day of the auction, the thrill of bargain hunting gives way to tragedy when Ina’s husband is found inside a storage locker—dead.Praise:“[A] real treat for chick-lit and mystery fans who like feisty women.”—Library Journal (starred review)“I’d like to spend more time with Sue Ann Jaffarian’s Odelia.”—Publishers Weekly“[T]ight plotting, first-class humor, and vivid descriptions.”—Kathleen Hennrikus for the New York Journal of Books“Plus-size reading pleasure—try this one on!”—Lee Child, New York Times bestselling author of the Jack Reacher novels“[A]n intriguing, well-plotted mystery that will entertain  and inspire.”—The Strand Magazine***

Here’s the problem: when Rox was hired, she told her smoking-hot boss Cash that she was married, but she’s not. Now, three years later, she’s kind of accidentally living with him, and he’s being a perfect gentleman, dang it. Everybody in the office said that Cash was a heartbreaker, that he’d bump her and dump her, so Rox decided not to become a statistic. She went out and bought herself some rings of the finest cubic zirconia so that she could work with Cash, who was several inches over six feet tall, emerald-eyed, ripped, gorgeous, his tailored suit clinging to his athletic body, sporting a British accent, and loaded. It had seemed like such a good idea at the time. But now, three years later, she and Cash have become friends. They travel together for work often, and they’re the best of buddies. When Rox gets thrown out of her apartment, Cash insists that she come live with him until they can find her a place because that’s what friends do. Now, even though everyone insists that Cash never goes after married women, something about him has changed. There are little touches, little slips, and Rox is more and more tempted to tell hunky, gorgeous Cash that she never was married. And then he’ll take her and break her, and then he’ll walk away, and then she’ll lose her job, and she still hasn’t found a place to live. And yet, every time he looks at her with mischief in his dark green eyes, every time they’re teasing and it somehow turns into tickling, every time she swats at him and somehow ends up in his arms, she wants so much to risk everything. What’s a working stiff to do when she falls in love with her friend, the boss?**

**For a limited time, buy one book and get another free! Only .99c!**<h2>My arrogant stepbrother has a secret.</h2>I never saw a dead body before I met my new stepbrother Easton Wright. Back then I was just another normal college girl trying to escape her small town life.Easton is an ex-FBI agent turned private investigator, and he thinks he’s the best thing to ever happen to our family. <b>His blood-boiling grin and tattoos all make me want to stay far, far away.</b>That is until my stepmom convinces me to come work for him. It’s supposed to be “good experience,” but I can tell Easton only wants to experience making me blush with all his filthy talk.I hate being in his office. He’s such a cocky bastard, but I can barely stop myself from imagining his rude lips against my neck.Things only get worse when a serial killer follows him home. The bodies are piling up, and Easton is somehow intimately connected with the murders.<b>He drives me insane, but I’m so deadly interested in everything he does.</b>I need to crack the case and get to the bottom of my mysterious stepbrother before I become the final tragedy.<i>STIFF is violent, very sexy, and features a hero with a dirty mouth. It’s only recommended for audiences 18+. STIFF is a standalone, full-length novel. No cliffhanger. Guaranteed HEA.</i><b>For a limited time, get BB’s bestselling novel Cocked, included here for free! Buy one steamy book, get another book free!</b>

Erotica/Romance. 99465 words long.

When Deputy Coroner Mattie Winston and her boss/best friend, Izzy, are called to the home of waitress and part-time model Shannon Tolliver, they find the ghoulish Halloween decorations a bit too authentic. Among the fake blood and skeletons is the corpse of Shannon herself. Since the whole town knows Shannon recently had a very public spat with her estranged husband, Erik, he's suspect number 1. But Mattie happens to know Erik truly loved his wife, and is simply incapable of the brutal act - even if he owns the exact same calibre handgun as the murder weapon...Determined to unearth the truth, Mattie puts her scalpel-sharp medical skills to work, and digs a little deeper. What she uncovers is stranger than anyone could have imagined...

Bryn Davis was killed on the job after discovering her bosses were selling a drug designed to resurrect the dead. Now, revived by that same drug, she becomes an undead soldier in a corporate war to take down the very pharmaceutical company responsible for her new condition...

This mystery **short story** features characters from the author's novels featuring depression-era private investigator Maggie Sullivan.A blonde in an expensive hat approaches Maggie at a dime store lunch counter, offering a staggering amount of money if the detective will meet a man who wants to hire her. Suspecting something amiss, Maggie refuses. But her empty bank account, plus curiosity, prompt her to turn up at the time and place appointed — only to encounter a body that's still warm.Irked when the detectives questioning her only snicker at the leads she suggests, and even more so by their insinuation that she solves cases by batting her eyes instead of using her brains, Maggie baits a trap for the killer.He shows up at Maggie's office ready to use a knife to get information he wants. But the gritty little private eye handles a .38 as competently as she does an emery board. The killer isn't the only one involved in a lucrative crime... and Maggie wants the satisfaction of...

Bekki has returned from her honeymoon and is settling into life with her new husband, Detective Nick Malonie. She had a fantastic honeymoon and despite the obvious hiccups of living with someone for the first time, she is enjoying married life and is excited to be returning to work. But then on her first day back a dead body is found among the hair products in the back of the delivery truck. The prime suspect is the driver of the truck, Tom, who is an old friend of Bekki’s. Bekki believes that he is innocent and goes searching for the real murderer. Is Bekki being deceived by a murdering Tom? Will Bekki get herself into a bind she cannot get out of? Or will she be saved by her handsome hubby? This is book 9 in the Bekki the Beautician Cozy Mystery Series but they do not have to be read in order

Exploring the boundaries between friendship and lovers, secrets and ethics, this second book in the Sin City Gigolos trilogy delivers steamy satisfaction.As a gigolo, Gage Adams has the perfect life: he gets all the sex he needs without caring about or committing to anyone or anything. When he meets his condo neighbor, Cassidy Hastings, and they instantly spark, he soon realizes she may be the perfect woman for him: wanting no commitment and offering no judgments. Their carefully crafted friends-with-benefits plan is foolproof—as long as they stay between those lines. Cassidy’s busy competing to write her company’s next hit video game, a challenge she’s determined to win with an industry-defying kickass female-fronted storyline. If she fails, her boss will show her and her unorthodox ideas to the door. Funny thing, though, the more she hangs out with Gage, the more that details about his gigolo career seep into her project. As the lines...