1820s Britain: after the wars with France, when unemployment was high and soldiers could be paid off, when the government was desperately afraid of social unrest, any crime was drastically punished and thousands were hung. But one could petition the King and an investigation might ensue. The man in the dark cell in Newgate Prison was due to hang in a week. He had been found guilty of murdering the aristocrat whose portrait he was painting. He claimed to be innocent - but then the hangman had never hung a guilty man, he said. But even in 1820, the Home Secretary could occasionally use his powers to grant mercy if his investigator found cause and Rider Sandman, once of the First Foot Guards, is given the job. Rider Sandman, a hero of Waterloo, has family debts to repay but when his first steps in the investigations produce a sizeable bribe to look the other way, this only arouses his smouldering anger over the condition of England, a country which he and others in Wellington's army had fought to preserve. Stepping between gentlemen's clubs and taverns, talking to aristocrats, fashionable painters, their models, and their mistresses, dodging professional cut-throats and deceptive swordsmen, Sandman uncovers a conspiracy of silence, a group whose proudest boast was that they would do anything for any one of them. Sandman is a wonderful character, as yet undaunted by the sleazy streets, dank jails or the looming scaffold, and uncorrupted by politicians, sneering gentlemen or frightening bruisers, an investigator in the making and a brilliant, but very different, hero for all Bernard Cornwell fans. Bernard Cornwell worked for BBC TV for seven years, mostly as producer on the Nationwide programme, before taking charge of the current Affairs department in Northern Ireland. In 1978 he became editor of Thames Television's Thames at Six. Married to an American, he now lives in the United States.

This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work was reproduced from the original artifact, and remains as true to the original work as possible. Therefore, you will see the original copyright references, library stamps (as most of these works have been housed in our most important libraries around the world), and other notations in the work.This work is in the public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work.As a reproduction of a historical artifact, this work may contain missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

A Lady's Scorn Wrongly branded a spy, the dark and handsome Viking lord Selig Haardrad suffered greatly in the dungeons of Lady Erika of Gronwood. And as he hung in chains, his magnificent body wracked with pain and fever, one thought sustained him: revenge! A Viking's Vengence Now Destiny's great wheel has turned--and Selig's exquisite, honey-haired tormentor has been delivered into the Norseman's hands. Now it is Selig who is the master, bound and determined to break the proud spirit of his captive "ice queen" and to conquer her with passion's sword -- never dreaming that his own heart will be vanquished by sensuous desire. . .and victorious love.

Rich, colorful and bursting with excitement, this remarkable story turns James Alexander Thom's power and passion for American history to the epic story of Tecumseh's life and give us a heart-thumping novel of one man's magnificent destiny--to unite his people in the struggle to save their land and their way of life from the relentless press of the white settlers.

Nova Skylar is tired of her dead end job as cruise ship nurse aboard the Entitled, an interstellar pleasure vessel. She’s looking forward to a long-awaited vacation on Jolieterre with her human lover when an attack by space pirates ruins her plans. Fiction/short story/sci-fi/satireFollowing a massive plague, humanity is forced to retreat into orbit and begin searching for a new home. Quickly discovering that they are not alone, Commander Dalton James and his crew will have to lean on their extensive military experience in order to confront an enemy unlike anything we've ever seen before. Both blood and whiskey will be spilled as the fleet struggles to survive.The Fleet is a best-selling series with over 100K downloads to its credit. Continue your adventure today with the second trilogy of books.

THE STUNNING FOURTH BOOK IN THE DS ALEXANDRA CUPIDI INVESTIGATIONS FROM ONE OF CRIME FICTION'S FINEST WRITERS A DOUBLE MURDER The naked corpses of Aylmer and Mary Younis are discovered in their home. The only clues are a note written in blood and an eerie report of two spectral figures departing the crime scene. Officer Jill Ferriter is charged with investigating the murders while her colleague Alex Cupidi is on leave, recovering from post-traumatic stress. AN ELABORATE SCAM The dead couple had made investments in a green reforestry scheme in Guatemala, resulting in the loss of all their savings. What is more disturbing is that Cupidi and Ferriter's disgraced former colleague and friend Bill South is also on the list of investors and the Younis's were not the only losers. AN UNLIKELY KILLER Despite being in counselling and receiving official warnings to stay away from police work Cupidi finds herself dragged into the case and begins to trawl among the secrets and lies that are held in the fishing community of Folkestone. Desperate to exonerate South she finds herself murderously compromised when personal relationships cloud her judgement. Pacey, intense and riddled with surprising twists, The Trawlerman shows that deceit can be found in the most unlikely places. The brooding waters of the Kent coastline offer an ominous backdrop for this lively page-turner of corruption, mental health and the complexities of human connection. Shaw's novels combine a strong central character with an atmospheric setting and original plots. Sunday Times The Trawlerman is an excellent, totally absorbing crime novel which can only augment the reputations of William Shaw. Shotsmag   [A] terrifically atmospheric thriller mixing a twisting plot with a considered meditation on the lasting effects of close contact with violence Daily Mail

A Regency-era tale of a duel, a dilemma and undeniable desire...The Duel was meant to be like any other-avenge a lady's honor and win the day. But from the moment Keene Davies raises the cursed pistol, its clear it will ruin his life. His shot goes awry, his father's threatens to cut off Keene's inheritence if he doesn't marry a scandalous little hoyden named Sophie.Lamont like many eighteen year olds living in 2057 Boston has a convertible podcar, a girlfriend, and three good buddies. Unlike his peers he lives in a Genetic Research center, has a genetic mental disorder, and can shoot lightning out of his blade-staff. Lamont’s secure world is turned upside down when Grid-One, a podcar traffic relay station is hit by terrorists known as the Hakim killing one of his mentors along with thousands in a nationwide tragedy. The team vows revenge and is sent on their first mission to recapture the relay station. In the resulting battle his team is decimated by an unknown sun weapon. He and the only other survivor, his shy friend Mark are thrown into further disarray as they learn of two other Superion teams like theirs were also developed by the secretive Foundation. Fearing that they may be targeted for extermination they escape to the lunar resort of Nuevo Vegas. They both find jobs and are mentored by Jerry Hornish and Edwin Edwards, but both of these men have their own secrets and ties to the Foundation. As other Superion team survivors show up a makeshift team is formed they are mere pawns in a plot by a rival Foundation faction trying to wrest control from the true leader Osiris, an immortal alien who is reincarnated upon death. Are the inexperienced team members ready to take on their battle-hardened renegade predecessors? Will young Osiris arrive in time to help them?

This is a collection of 40 stories to illustrate the author's talent for capturing the spirit of a place. The stories include A Face in the Crowd and A Step Out of Time. Barbara Erskine is the author of Lady of Hay and Kingdom of Shadows.

The Maker is the enthralling second book in the science-fiction series From Heaven To Earth They Came. If you like ancient battles of the gods, dashing and romantic heroes and heroines, action-packed plots, and thrilling suspense, then you'll love Neal Roberts' historically inspired tale of ancient lore woven into our modern-day struggle for survival. David Schubert, now America's first ambassador to the ancient Anunnaki gods, is tasked with building a lasting peace between the two sides. Although the path toward such a peace is complicated by the vast superiority of Anunnaki weapons and spacecraft, David soon learns that an even greater threat to humanity is rapidly approaching. At the landing platform in Baalbek, David is brought aboard the goddess's pyramid shaped spacecraft (known as a "pyramidion"), where he is immediately informed that a thermonuclear missile of unknown origin has just been fired at the pyramidion from a point in Northern...

Fans of Bridgerton will love this "exuberant novel of manners for our own gilded age" (Stacy Schiff, author of Cleopatra) as we follow the Wilcox family's journey through riches and ruin.Among New York City's Gilded Age elite, one family will defy convention.Helen Wilcox has one desire: to successfully launch her daughters into society. From the upper crust herself, Helen's unconventional—if happy—marriage has made the girls' social position precarious. Then her husband gambles the family fortunes on an elevated railroad that he claims will transform the face of the city and the way the people of New York live, but will it ruin the Wilcoxes first? As daughters Jemima and Alice navigate the rise and fall of their family—each is forced to re-examine who she is, and even who she is meant to love.From the author of To Marry an English Lord, an inspiration for Downton Abbey, comes a charming and cutthroat tale of a...

In the first place, Mr. Yollop knew nothing about firearms. And so, after he had overpowered the burglar and relieved him of a fully loaded thirty-eight, he was singularly unimpressed by the following tribute from the bewildered and somewhat exasperated captive:

"An alternately charming and horrifying exploration of what it means to be human and how far we'll go in pursuit of personal and societal 'perfection.' I devoured this book." —Kiersten White, New York Times bestselling author of And I DarkenFor fans of television shows Black Mirror and Westworld, this compelling, mind-bending novel is a twisted look into the future, exploring the lengths we'll go to remake ourselves into the perfect human specimen and what it means to be human at all.The future is curious.STRONGERToday our bodies define us. We color our hair; tattoo our skin; pierce our ears, brows, noses. We lift weights, run miles, break records. We are flesh and blood and bone.FASTERTomorrow has different rules. The future is no longer about who we are—it's about who we want to be. If you can dream it, you can be it. Science will make us smarter, healthier, flawless in every way. Our future is...