When Canadian teen Delora James finds herself banished to Germany for the summer, reading the professor's old journals seems like a good time- waster. Once Del begins to read the translated diary of Garda - a teenager in World War II, pregnant and desperate - she is engaged by Garda's compelling story. Through a series of rebellions, she begins to draw similarities between her own world and Garda's, and is able to see past her own hostility. Sixteen-year-old Delora has been shipped off to Hamburg, Germany to live with her controlling sister. Her 'behaviour' at home has caused considerable concern so she is under house arrest till she proves she can behave otherwise. Through her sister, she meets an English professor who asks her advice on a book she is working on. Del then encounters 16-year-old Garda, whose journals make up the professor's story. Del is transported back to Nazi Germany in the Fall of 1942, is riveted by Garda's story and draws parallels not only between the...

From a land before time comes a hero for today ... Spynosaur - he's going to make crime extinct! A hilarious new series from award-winning author Guy Bass, perfect for fans of MY BROTHER IS A SUPERHERO, THE ASTOUNDING BROCCOLI BOY, DARKMOUTH and HAMISH AND THE WORLDSTOPPERS. When Spynosaur is accused of eating the princess of Canada's prized pet, Pugsy Malone, he has his Right to Spy revoked! Facing imprisonment in Department 6's inescapable prison, The Bin, Spynosaur goes rogue. Together with his sidekick, Amber, Spynosaur is pursued across the globe by his former fellow agents, including Danger Monkey, Dr Newfangle, and expert tracker Jet Setter. Convinced he's been framed, Spynosaur goes looking for the one villain capable such a diabolical deed, his arch enemy, Ergo Ego. But without his gadgets and equipment, and with the full force of Department 6 bearing down on him, can our hero evade capture long enough to clear his name? There's...

Join Stitch Head, a mad professor's forgotten creation, as he steps out of the shadows into the adventure of an almost-lifetime... The Spider's Lair is Book 4 in the Stitch Head series by award-winning author Guy Bass (Dinkin Dings and the Frightening Things). When Arabella lands up in the orphanage, Stitch Head leaves Grotteskew and its creatures behind and sets out on a daring rescue. But a far more gruesome monster awaits, and soon Stitch Head is trapped in its web with no chance of escape...

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"Master craftsman" (Los Angeles Times) and beloved author Rick Bass explores ecological, social, and personal landscapes through this collection that brings together his best-loved essays and brand-new piecesFor acclaimed writer and environmental activist Rick Bass, it can be wearying to dwell relentlessly upon the broken, the fragmented, the dead and dying and doomed to extinction. Activism is a necessary part of the environmental movement, but so is the time-honored celebration of the beauty that inspires us.Spanning his storied career, these new and selected essays attempt to take a brief step to the side, away from lamentation and prescription, to inhabit, as deeply as possible, the greater depths of the beauty in each moment. With Every Great Breath ranges from the extremely local—a long-form essay about the community affected by the largest Superfund site in U.S. history, in Libby, Montana—to the far-flung: the Galápagos,...

Boogie Bass feels like he can't do anything right, but when he joins an after-school American Sign Language club, he turns out to be a natural!The After-School Superstars—Nixie Ness, Vera Vance, Nolan Nada, and Boogie Bass—are back in a new after-school adventure starring Boogie. He is clumsy and goofy, but now that he is at the American Sign Language camp at his school, he finds his hidden talent. He may not believe in himself, but the rest of his class does, especially when they visit a school for the Deaf and Boogie leads the way with his exuberant personality helping students to learn about each other and make new friends. Vetted by an expert from Gallaudet University and complete with additional material full of facts about American Sign Language, Boogie Bass is an excellent addition to The After-School Superstar series. Each book features recurring characters and highlights one activity they do at their after-school program, along with illustrations...

Seventeen-year-old Jo McNair is one minute late for her curfew, and thanks to her controlling father, she's now locked out, cold and wandering the streets. She has no money and nowhere to sleep. Halfway through the night she meets someone who says they're with a group working with at-risk kids, helping them get back on their feet. Jo gratefully accepts the offer of shelter for the night, only to find she has walked into a kidnapper's trap. Now Jo and several other teens are being held prisoner. Their captors drug them regularly and force them to donate their blood. What is so special about the teens' blood? And how long before they're drained dry? When one of the teens doesn't return, Jo suspects their days are numbered. She has to find a way to escape before their time runs out.

Noah Scape loves dinosaurs and spaghetti with tomato sauce. But Noah doesn't always get what he wants and when school doesn't revolve around dinosaur facts and lunch isn't always his tried and tested favourite, well... enough is enough! It's time for him to stop wishing and to decide on exactly what he needs; a world full of Noahs! Particularly suitable for struggling, reluctant or dyslexic readers aged 8+

Available again, an acclaimed collection from an American master that USA Today called "Powerful . . . lyrical, vivid, engaging." Originally published twenty-five years ago, Platte River is one of the early collections that established Rick Bass's reputation as a master of the short form and one of the best writers of his generation. It contains three novellas of contemporary America, each informed by the mysteries of nature and the heart. Set along borders, both physical and immaterial, all of the novellas combine a spare but radiant naturalism with an outsize aspiration to folklore or myth.In the title story, a former pro linebacker living a simple, isolated life in the Canadian woods just across the border from Montana struggles with his artist girlfriend's desire to escape. Invited by his best friend from their college football days to give a talk at the school where the friend now teaches, he flies to northern Michigan. In the class the next...

Peru: 1939 American treasure hunter Richard Jericho and British anthropologist Wilkins Chapman have uncovered antiquities from around the world. But in a long-lost jungle ruin, they discover something more than they expected. As war brews in Europe and the fabric of reality comes apart, they journey across the globe chasing clues. Answers leads to more questions as they piece together a puzzle older than primal memory itself. And the more they part the veil, the more of what lies beyond the veil spills into our reality.

Surging out of the sea, the Bass Rock has for centuries watched over the lives that pass under its shadow on the Scottish mainland. And across the centuries the fates of three women are linked: to this place, to each other.In the early 1700s, Sarah, accused of being a witch, flees for her life.In the aftermath of the Second World War, Ruth navigates a new house, a new husband and the strange waters of the local community.Six decades later, the house stands empty. Viv, mourning the death of her father, catalogues Ruth's belongings and discovers her place in the past – and perhaps a way forward.Each woman's choices are circumscribed, in ways big and small, by the men in their lives. But in sisterhood there is the hope of survival and new life. Intricately crafted and compulsively readable, The Bass Rock burns bright with anger and love.

Alexis Bass' Happily and Madly is a mature, twisty, compulsively readable YA suspense novel about a young girl who embraces a fate bound in love and mystery. Maris Brown has been told two things about her destiny:1. She will fall happily and madly in love.2. She could be dead before she turns eighteen.The summer before that fateful birthday, Maris is in the wealthy beach town of Cross Cove with her estranged father and his new family—and the infamous Duvals. Since the youngest member of the Duval family, Edison, is back from college and back in the arms of Maris's new stepsister, her summer looks to be a long string of lazy days on the Duval's lush beach.But Edison is hiding something. And the more Maris learns about him, the more she's given signs that she should stay as far away from him as possible. As wrong as it is, Maris is drawn to him. Around Edison, she feels truly alive and she's not willing to give...

This novel of young men seeking glory in the Republic of Texas is "a surprisingly absorbing rendition of a terrible episode in American history" (The Oregonian).The Diezmo tells the incredible story of the Mier Expedition, one of the most absurd and tragic military adventures in the history of Texas—a country and a state, as Rick Bass writes, that was "born in blood." In the early days of the Republic of Texas, two young men, wild for glory, impulsively volunteer for an expedition Sam Houston has ordered to patrol the Mexican border. But their dreams of triumph soon fade into prayers for survival, and all that is on their minds is getting home and having a cool drink of water.After being captured in a raid on the Mexican village of Mier, escaping, and being recaptured, the men of the expedition are punished with the terrible diezmo, in which one man in ten is randomly chosen to die. The survivors end up in the most dreaded prison in Mexico....

A fast-paced middle-grade offering from internationally acclaimed author Karen Bass Reluctantly touring Halifax with his family, twelve-year-old Laz Berenger accidentally stumbles through a time tunnel to a 1745 war zone. Caught by English sailors from the American colonies, his only hope for freedom is to spy for them in the French fortification at Louisbourg. But he finds himself torn in three directions when the commander at Louisbourg becomes closer to him than his own father. Angry over his family's recent move and current enforced holiday in Halifax, twelve-year-old Laz Berenger rebels against a guided tour of the Citadel and sets out to explore on his own. In one dark tunnel, his St. Christopher medal burns suddenly hot. There's a strange smell, and Laz blacks out. When he wakes up, everything happens at once. A sword is put to his throat. Men who look like extras from Pirates of the Caribbean hand him over to a ship's captain who strips him...

In New Angeles, crime is a fact of life in the city. But when a routine murder investigation leads to more questions than answers, homicide detective Harold Jacobson finds himself unraveling a conspiracy. As pieces of the puzzle start to come together, the big picture is revealed to be more than he ever bargained for. The only thing Harold knows for sure is that he isn't being paid enough to deal with this.

The second tall-but-true tale in the darkly comic new series SKELETON KEYS from the award-winning duo behind STITCH HEAD...Greetings! My name is Skeleton Keys and these fantabulant fingers of mine can open doors to hidden worlds... Join me for the strange tale of Luna Moon, whose family is disappearing before her very eyes...Luna is the only one to mourn the death of her grandfather Old Man Moon – the rest of her family couldn't be happier to see the back of the bad-tempered old miser. But as they celebrate his demise with a giddy jig, Aunt Summer vanishes ... only to reappear as a painting.While Luna is convinced her grandfather has kept his word to haunt them from beyond the grave, Skeleton Keys is certain that this is the work of an unimaginary. Can he get to the bottom of the mystery before the whole of Luna's family disappears?Read Skeleton Keys' first unbelievably true tale: THE UNIMAGINARY FRIEND! Perfect for fans of David Walliams, AMELIA FANG and THE NOTHING TO...

He's back! Join Stitch Head, a mad professor's forgotten creation, as he steps out of the shadows into the adventure of an almost-lifetime... When an unexpected visitor crash-lands on top of Castle Grotteskew, Stitch Head knows it can only mean trouble. Eccentric explorer, Dotty Dauntless, has bet her fortune on delivering a monster to the Venture Club – the problem is, all the castle's monsters are as meek as kittens...

When Canadian teen Kurt Schreiber goes to Germany to find out what his grandfather did during World War II, he learns more than he bargained for. A lot more.   Kurt's opa – grandfather – has never been willing to talk about his time as a German soldier, so Kurt has some deep concerns about what he might have done during the war. He's seen the movies, like Schindler's List, and he hopes and prays his grandfather couldn't have been involved in atrocities. Spending a year in Germany to do language training seems like a good chance to find out more, or at least to improve his German. One day, he visits the graveyard in the town he's staying in, just outside Berlin. An old man speaks to him, calling him by his grandfather's name, which was also Kurt Schreiber. It is Herr Brandt, the elder Schreiber's life-long friend. Kurt gets to know this man – the only one who can tell him all about his grandfather's time in the war – because he was there. Kurt learns...

"Greetings! To the imaginary and the unimaginary! To the living, the dead and everyone in between, my name is Keys... Skeleton Keys. And these fantabulant fingers of mine can open doors to hidden worlds and secret places ... doors to the limitless realm of all the imagination."Ben can't believe it when his imaginary friend the Gorblimey becomes unimaginary. The Gorblimey is loyal and kind ... and real! But Skeleton Keys is far from convinced by the Gorblimey's friendly ways. He's got the twitch, which is (almost) never wrong, and it's telling him the Gorblimey is dangerous and needs banishing to the endless void of Oblivion. To send him packing, all he needs to do is open the door with his key-shaped bony finger ... and order will be restored.But as Ben battles to save his new friend from Oblivion, the Gorblimey is soon the least of Skeleton Keys' worries. For strange things happen when imaginations run wild and it seems that there's more than one...

Rock star. Rich. Famous.I'm Nate Calloway, bassist for The UnBroken. I'm living the dream. Only it's not my dream. Mine was bigger and classier with the love of my life at my side. Don't get me wrong. I'm grateful for everything the band has done for me. I just want... more.The cost of having it all means choosing fame, money, and screaming fans over my passion for playing. After a hand injury forces me to take some time away from touring, I just might find out that having it all is still within my grasp. As long as I don't fall in love with her all over again.Ballerina. Stardom. Prestige.I'm Alexis Thompson, ballerina for the New York City ballet. I worked my whole life—sacrificed my heart and soul—to get here. Especially my heart. When I say I gave up everything to dance, I mean...everything.Maybe my torn Achilles tendon is karma for breaking his heart. I can't let that sacrifice be in vain. When an old friend offers me the chance...

Buck 'n' Bronco are mascots at the Happy Ranch theme park. It's their mission to Bring the Happy™ to your day! But when Happy Ranch is demolished to make way for a futuristic new park, Buck 'n' Bronco find themselves without a home and without a job. They head out on the road, determined to prove they've still got what it takes. Can Buck 'n' Bronco Bring the Happy™ out in the real world, or are they doomed to be yesterday's mascots?

Frog has saved the princess (and probably the whole world), but all is not well in Kingdomland. The King and Queen of Everything are determined to flatten anyone who gets in their way, and they want Frog as their royal champion. Can Frog help them defeat a boastful bragon, a shamefaced shyclops and (yet another) army of alien invaders? The second hilarious tale about a frog on a serious mission, in a world where nobody is sure what the bumbles is going on!

Seventeen-year-old Erich is a prisoner of war working at a northern Alberta logging camp. Twelve-year-old Max goes to school—reluctantly—in the nearby town. The two would be unlikely friends, except that neither has anyone else to turn to. At the height of World War II, nobody wants to befriend a German. It doesn't matter that Erich was forced into the military by his father, or that Max was proudly born in Canada. They are both easy targets for the locals' grief and anger against the Nazis. The other prisoners are no more welcoming, distrustful of Erich's perfect English and his dislike for Nazism. Still, when a series of accidents shake the logging camp, they pressure Erich to question the Canadians and find the saboteur—even if his questions get him into trouble. Caught between angry prisoners and suspicious captors, Erich is afraid to take any action at all. It is only when Max's schoolyard tormentors cross a dangerous line that Erich realizes that his real...

This book is intended for anyone who's in a collapsing system because of their government officials. Anyone who's looking for answers, questioning reality, and/or having a spiritual awakening; this book is for you. This will help your ascension process and give you the necessary tools to help create your reality. You're the co-creator of your own reality, and it's time to reclaim your power. These characters in this book are relatable, so, it'll help your progression. What these characters go through and the issues they face are what people are going through right now. You're not in solitude, and you're enough. You're more than superfluous, and you have to feel that in your soul, spirit, heart, and mind to generate that energy from yourself. It's okay to be solivagant because that time alone is necessary. This book is about a group of real people, real feelings, real emotions, going through multiple apocalyptic events that...

Going off the grid in New Angeles can be deadly, but Harold's out of time and out of patience. On the run from the law, detective Harold Jacobson delves into the gritty underbelly of New Angeles. To clear his name of murder, he must solve a bigger mystery. As Harold follows a trail of clues through the night life of the city, he risks becoming part of the criminal element he once hunted down.

New Angeles is in turmoil. The government, the corporations, and the organized crime families have the city in an iron grip. As that grip tightens, the people decide they will not take it anymore. When the citizens rise up and the city burns, Harold sees an opportunity to exploit the chaos. But is his crusade one of justice, or vengeance?

A brilliant Indian scientist with self esteem problems faces off against a redneck jet pilot in a bass fishing contest that defies probability.When super popular redneck fighter pilot Gator challenges theoretical permutational mathematician and supernerd, Inderjit to a fish off, Inderjit thinks he's got it covered because he was raised on the Ramaputrya river in India and can out fish any man on the planet. Unfortunately for Inderjit, he's in Florida and they don't fish with nets. Feeling pressured to prove himself, Inderjit steals a work-in-progress device to maybe give himself an edge. This proves, of course, why mathematicians make bad gamblers because they think about statistics instead of remembering that the house always wins, even when it loses. Also, there is a largemouth bass.

From USA Today and Amazon International Bestselling Author Edwin Dasso comes the Seventh book in the Jack Bass Black Cloud Chronicles.Jack Bass, MD, discovers that new medical technology can work wonders...if it doesn't kill you first. Jack is working feverishly with two of his favorite past students to figure out what is behind the chaos of medical technology gone crazy.Is it a bigger issue than anything they could have imagined?Although, this book is part of a series, it is easily enjoyed as a stand alone novel. Praise for Death Hub: "I love to read a good thriller and I was not disappointed with Death Hub." "... entertaining, exciting and scary at times." "Cyber Security is a Priority... definitely a scary idea."

"Get ready to laugh! Elizabeth Bass Parman is a true Southern storyteller. I couldn't have loved it more." —Fannie Flagg, New York Times bestselling authorPosey Jarvis knows she's the rightful empress of Cooke County . . . She just needs to make everyone else realize it too.Thirty-eight-year-old Posey Jarvis is the self-appointed "empress" of rural Spark in Cooke County, Tennessee. She spends her days following every word about her idol and look-alike Jackie Kennedy, avoiding her stalwart husband Vern, and struggling to control her newly defiant daughter Callie Jane—all while sneaking nips of gin. When Posey unexpectedly inherits a derelict mansion from her quirky old aunt Milbrey, she finagles her way into hosting her high school's twentieth reunion there. She cares nothing about seeing her classmates, but she cares deeply about seeing the love of her life, a man who dumped her nineteen years ago. Possums are nesting...

Deep in the arctic wastes of the Long Night lies a Dwarven fortress called Firehorn. Its 2000 citizens have fought off the evil that dwells there for generations, and have even bested the war hungry Goblin empire to the south. But now something unspeakable has risen from the depths of the earth intent on tormenting those who have dared disturb its slumber...NOTE: This is a novella inspired by the fantasy computer game Dwarf Fortress.Beyond the taiga and deep into the arctic wastes of the Long Night lies a Dwarven fortress called Firehorn. Its 2000 hardy citizens have fought off the encroaching evil that dwells there for generations, and have even bested the war hungry Goblin empire to the south. But despite their prosperity, the fortress is rife with tension; a food shortage pits neighbor against neighbor, a vampire stalks the fortress at night preying on the weak, and worst of all, something unspeakable has risen from the depths of the earth intent on tormenting those who have dared disturb its slumber...

Laura Norder lives her life by the Golden Rules and so should everybody else. But being Sheriff of Butts Canyon at the age of ten is a big job to handle, and when a no-good rule-breaking bandit causes chaos in the town, enough is enough! It's time for Laura to step up to the plate and catch the masked mischief-maker before he breaks any more of her rules! Particularly suitable for struggling, reluctant or dyslexic readers aged 8+

Buck 'n' Bronco are mascots at the Happy Ranch theme park. It's their mission to Bring the Happy™ to your day! But when Happy Ranch is demolished to make way for a futuristic new park, Buck 'n' Bronco find themselves without a home and without a job. They head out on the road, determined to prove they've still got what it takes. Can Buck 'n' Bronco Bring the Happy™ out in the real world, or are they doomed to be yesterday's mascots?

Prince Frog is convinced he's destined to rule the world ... the trouble is, the world has ended. Undeterred, Frog sets out to claim his crown, armed with nothing more than a pair of Catastrophe Pants and his trusty stick, Basil Rathbone. But Frog soon realizes that the world isn't quite as ended as he thought. He discovers a magical kingdom, filled with wild landscapes, strange creatures ... and a princess sitting on his throne. Together with his new friend, Sheriff Explosion the sheep, Frog seeks to prove his princeliness and escape the clutches of the princess who's sure he'd make a better pet than a prince. But just when Frog thinks things can't get any worse, he discovers he is actually the prince of an invading alien army and that he's just given the go-ahead for an all-out alien invasion. Can he and the princess put aside their differences long enough to save the kingdom – and the world?

Balancing heart-intelligent intimacy and surprising humor, the poems in Ellen Bass's Mules of Love illuminate the essential dynamics of our lives: family, community, sexual love, joy, loss, religion and death. The poems also explore the darker aspects of humanity—personal, cultural, historical and environmental violence—all of which are handled with compassion and grace. Bass's poetic gift is her ability to commiserate with others afflicted by similar hungers and grief. Her poem "Insomnia" concludes: "may something/ comfort you—a mockingbird, a breeze, rain/ on the roof, Chopin's Nocturnes, the thought/ of your child's birth, a kiss,/ or even me—in my chilly kitchen/ with my coat on—thinking of you."Marketing Plans:National advertisingNational media campaignAdvance reader copiesCourse adoption mailingAuthor Tour:BerkeleyBostonMinneapolisSan...

The year was Something Something. Humans had spread like peanut butter across the galaxy, looking for new planets to call Somewhere.One of those planets was Somewhere Five One Three. When the humans arrive on Somewhere 513, they discover that the robots sent to prepare the planet for Humanity's arrival have chosen to keep it for themselves. Only one robot remains loyal – K1-NG, aka King of the Robots. But even with the most powerful robot on their side, the outlawed humans don't stand a chance. Ten years on, Gnat and her sister Paige are the only humans left and have spent their lives hidden underground. Now they must venture out in search of the one robot that stood by the humans. There's just one problem – the once mighty K1-NG has vowed never to help another human for as long as he lives... The first in a hugely original and entertaining new trilogy for middle grade readers from the award-winning author of STITCH HEAD. For fans of Maz Evans and Thomas Taylor.

When a baby is born, you count the fingers and toes, you wait for the cry, and finally, there is a sense of relief that everything is ok. Over the next few months, you learn so much about this tiny human and, of course, plenty of reading about what to expect. But what happens when the expectations aren’t met? When there is no sign of the first smile? Or there is no babbling back to you? Your first thought is that you are paranoid. Every baby is different and yours is just taking a little longer to develop. And then the suspicions start to add up. Fear, panic, stress are just some of what arises. As the issues become more apparent, your own health starts to suffer as you give everything to make sure your child is taken care of. Autism is a highly complex disorder – one that not even scientists completely understand. You shouldn’t set such parenting standards where you know exactly what to do. Just like your child, you are going to need a little bit of extra education to support your ASD child. In Parenting a Child With Autism , here is just a fraction of what you will And much more. You don’t need to be a psychologist or have special training. What you need to do is act fast, because one of the most consistent pieces of advice you will hear from any ASD expert is that early intervention is always best. Every parent goes through life doubting their skills. When you are parenting an ASD child, these doubts can have a significant impact on their development. But all of that can change – starting today!

A new hilarious series from best-selling author Guy Bass, perfect for fans of My Brother is a Superhero, The Astounding Broccoli Boy and Astrosaurs. SPYNOSAUR is secret agency Department 6's not-so secret weapon. Created by mysterious science rays, Spynosaur has the mind of a super spy and the body of a dinosaur. Dedicated to protecting the world from criminal masterminds, this prehistoric powerhouse dishes out justice and puns to a host of eccentric enemies. But when he and his sidekick daughter Amber are sent to rescue a captured fellow agent, Spynosaur becomes embroiled in a plot to frame him. Can he and Amber clear his name in time to save the world?

The first three Body Farm novels — Carved in Bone, Flesh and Bone, and The Devil's Bones — took readers deep into the backwoods of East Tennessee, where fascinating forensic science mixed with extraordinary characters, including the Farm's charismatic founder. Now, in the latest installment of the New York Times bestselling series Kathy Reichs calls "the real deal," truth, lies, war, and history intertwine in a story that reaches new heights of suspense. This is Jefferson Bass's most ambitious and enthralling book yet. Bones of BetrayalDr. Bill Brockton is in the middle of a nuclear-terrorism disaster drill when he receives an urgent call from the nearby town of Oak Ridge — better known as Atomic City, home of the Bomb, and the key site for the Manhattan Project during World War II. Although more than sixty years have passed, could repercussions from that dangerous time still be felt today? With his...

Miranda Lovelady, Dr. Bill Brockton's protÉgÉ, is spending the summer helping excavate a newly discovered chamber beneath the spectacular Palace of the Popes in Avignon, France. There she discovers a stone chest inscribed with a stunning claim: inside lie the bones of none other than Jesus of Nazareth. Faced with a case of unimaginable proportions, Miranda summons Brockton for help proving or refuting the claim. Both scientists are skeptical—after all, fake relics abounded during the Middle Ages—but evidence for authenticity looks strong initially, and soon grows stronger.Brockton and Miranda link the bones to the haunting image on the Shroud of Turin, revered by millions as the burial cloth of Christ, and then a laboratory test finds the bones to be two thousand years old. The finding triggers a deadly tug-of-war between the anthropologists, the Vatican, and a deadly zealot who hopes to use the bones to bring about the Second Coming—and trigger the end of time.Set against an international landscape, and weaving a rich tapestry of religion, history, art, and science, The Inquisitor's Key takes Jefferson Bass to an exciting new level of suspense.Review“This series . . . just keeps getting better. [Bones of Betrayal] features both the most compelling story and the best portrayal yet of Brockton, who has completed the transition from fictional representation of coauthor Bass to fully realized protagonist.” (Booklist )“Carved in Bone has a unique corpse, solid science, quirky humor and a loveable protagonist. That a novel like this can be described as charming is a tribute to the team that created some very human, down-to-earth characters.” (USA Today )“A superb mystery novel—well-plotted, filled with memorable characters, based on accurate forensic science and written with more flair and literary sensibility than anything by John Grisham. The novel, in fact, is in Cornwell’s league, high praise indeed.” (Charlotte Observer on The Devil's Bones )“The Sherlock Holmes for bones has arrived. . . . A privileged glimpse into the world of a ground-breaking pioneer.” (Katherine Ramsland, Author of The Forensic Science of C.S.I. ) About the AuthorJefferson Bass is the writing team of Dr. Bill Bass and Jon Jefferson. Dr. Bass, a world-renowned forensic anthropologist, founded the University of Tennessee's Anthropology Research Facility—the Body Farm—a quarter century ago. He is the author or coauthor of more than two hundred scientific publications, as well as a critically acclaimed memoir about his career at the Body Farm, Death's Acre. Dr. Bass is also a dedicated teacher, honored as National Professor of the Year by the Council for Advancement and Support of Education. Jon Jefferson is a veteran journalist, writer, and documentary filmmaker. His writings have been published in the New York Times, Newsweek, USA Today, and Popular Science, and broadcast on National Public Radio. The coauthor of Death's Acre, he is also the writer and producer of two highly rated National Geographic documentaries about the Body Farm.

Hugh Dunnit may be a schoolboy, but that doesn't stop him from cracking the toughest cases. Like the case of the shredded maths homework. Sure, lesser minds might collar Hugh's new dog, Shelter. But Hugh knows there's more to sniff out. Working through the suspects, Hugh digs up a bigger mystery: just where does Shelter come from?A brilliantly funny detective story with comic-book art throughout by Lee Cosgrove.

Hugh Dunnit may be a schoolboy, but that doesn't stop him from cracking the toughest cases. Like the case of the shredded maths homework. Sure, lesser minds might collar Hugh's new dog, Shelter. But Hugh knows there's more to sniff out. Working through the suspects, Hugh digs up a bigger mystery: just where does Shelter come from?A brilliantly funny detective story with comic-book art throughout by Lee Cosgrove.

The first full-length novel by one of our finest fiction writers, Where the Sea Used to Be tells the story of a struggle between a father and his daughter for the souls of two men, Matthew and Wallis-his protégés, her lovers. Old Dudley is a Texan whose religion is oil, and in his fifty years of searching for it in Swan Valley he has destroyed a dozen geologists. Matthew is Dudley's most recent victim, but Wallis begins to uncover the dark mystery of Dudley's life. Each character, the wildlife, and the land itself are rendered with the vivid poetry that is that hallmark of Rick Bass's writing.

Past, present, and future collide to throw respected forensic anthropologist Bill Brockton’s successful, secure life into devastating turmoil in this poignant novel in the New York Times bestselling Body Farm mystery series.It’s been ten years since Dr. Bill Brockton created the Body Farm—the world’s first postmortem research facility dedicated to advancing the frontiers of forensic science—and the researcher is at the pinnacle of his career. Under his leadership, the University of Tennessee’s forensic anthropology program has become the most prominent in the world, and Brockton’s skills and knowledge are in high demand among top law enforcement. Calling him in for a number of high profile cases, the FBI now wants him to identify the charred remains of a maverick millionaire, killed in a fiery plane crash.But a storm is about to hit Brockton with cataclysmic force. First, his identification of the crash victim is called into question. Then he receives a threatening message from the serial killer who attempted to murder the scientist and his family a decade ago. And from Brockton’s beloved wife Kathleen—his lodestone and his source of security—he gets the most shocking news of all. Will Brockton be able to weather this deluge . . . or has he finally reached the breaking point?ReviewThe Bone Yard is especially good and should fnd an audience with CSI fans and devotees of crime fiction in general. (Wilmington Star News) The Bone Thief is a compelling read. Long after the last page is turned, readers will continue to ponder their positions on organ donation—the signature of memorable writing. (Chattanooga Free Press) The forensic thriller meets a formidable slice of history. . . . In addition to being a riveting mystery with an intricately emotional conclusion, Bones of Betrayal bears witness to the past with great respect for the long shadow it casts. (Washington Post) A superb mystery—well-plotted, flled with memorable characters, based on accurateforensic science and written with more fair and literary sensibility than anything byJohn Grisham. The novel, in fact, is in Cornwell s league, high praise indeed. (Houston Chronicle on Carved in Bone) Entertaining. . . . Fascinating forensics. . . . Readers . . . will take to Dr. Bill, a hero with a big heart who isn t afraid to tackle complicated issues. (Publishers Weekly on Flesh and Bone) Carved in Bone has a unique corpse, solid science, quirky humor and a loveable protagonist. That a novel like this can be described as charming is a tribute to the team that created some very human, down-to-earth characters. (USA Today) Clever and compelling. (Booklist on The Inquisitor's Key) --(Booklist on The Inquisitor's Key) From the Back CoverPast, present, and future collide to throw respected forensic anthropologist Bill Brockton's successful, secure life into devastating turmoil in this, the most poignant novel yet in the New York Times bestselling Body Farm mystery series"Bad guys lie. Bugs always tell you the truth."Dr. Bill Brockton—founder of the University of Tennessee's macabre Body Farm—is riding high, enjoying professional acclaim and personal contentment. While celebrating his thirtieth wedding anniversary with his loving wife, Kathleen, Brockton recalls how close he once came to losing Kathleen and their son at the hands of a sadistic serial killer named Satterfield. But that was long ago, and in the years since Satterfield's conviction, Brockton's family has grown to include a lovely daughter-in-law and two lively grandsons. His career has flourished, too, as the Body Farm's pioneering research—along with Brockton's forensic expertise—have brought him respect, renown, and high-profile cases.Now the FBI needs Brockton's help with his highest-profile case ever: identifying the remains of a pilot killed in a fiery plane crash outside San Diego. Are the charred bones indeed those of Richard Janus, a maverick humanitarian whose daring airlifts to international disaster sites made him a celebrity? And was the nighttime crash on a mountainside an accident, or was it suicide—or murder?But a storm is about to hit Brockton with cataclysmic force. First, he discovers he's landed in the middle of a nasty political battle involving warring feds, secret agendas, a ruthless drug kingpin, and a celebrity whose life was a labyrinth of secrets. Then Brockton's identification of the crash victim is called into question, as is the future of his research facility. Reeling from these shocking blows, he receives a gruesome threat from the killer who nearly murdered the Brocktons more than a decade before. But worse is to come: from his beloved Kathleen—his lodestone and his source of security—Brockton gets the most shocking news of all.Will the legendary Dr. Bill Brockton be able to weather the onslaught . . . or will it push him beyond his breaking point?

The Wild Marsh is Rick Bass's most mature, full account of life in the Yaak and a crowning achievement in his celebrated career. It begins with his family settling in for the long Montana winter, and captures all the subtle harbingers of change that mark each passing month — the initial cruel teasing of spring, the splendor and fecundity of summer, and the bittersweet memories evoked by fall.It is full of rich observation about what it takes to live in the valley — ruggedness, improvisation and, of course, duct tape. The Wild Marsh is also tremendously poignant, especially when Bass reflects on what it means for his young daughters to grow up surrounded by the strangeness and wonder of nature. He shares with them the Yaak's little secrets — where the huckleberries are best in a dry year, where to find a grizzly's claw marks in an old cedar — and discovers that passing on this intimate local knowledge, the knowledge of home, is a kind of rare...

The two haunting, poetic novellas that comprise The Bass Saxophonebrilliantly evoke the comedy and sadness of life under the Nazi and Soviet dictatorships. They are prefaced by a remarkable memoir of Skvorecky's jazz-obsessed youth. Jazz is a symbol of freedom in both these novellas.In Emoke, which is set in the shadow of the Communist regime, jazz becomes the means by which a jaded young man plots the seduction of a mysterious girl enmeshed in superstition and the occult. Spurned, but fascinated, he is drawn into her tortured existence until catapulted into the final bitter comedy.In The Bass Saxophone a young Czechoslovakian student living under the rule of the Nazis is lured by his love of jazz - the "forbidden music" - into secretly and dangerously playing in a German band, with bizarre and unexpected results.Written with the lyrical intensity of a great jazz performance, these two extraordinary novellas are among Skvorecky's...

A riveting history--the first full account--of the involvement of Richard Nixon and Henry Kissinger in the 1971 atrocities in Bangladesh that led to war between India and Pakistan, shaped the fate of Asia, and left in their wake a host of major strategic consequences for the world today.Giving an astonishing inside view of how the White House really works in a crisis, The Blood Telegram is an unprecedented chronicle of a pivotal but little-known chapter of the Cold War. Gary J. Bass shows how Nixon and Kissinger supported Pakistan's military dictatorship as it brutally quashed the results of a historic free election. The Pakistani army launched a crackdown on what was then East Pakistan (today an independent Bangladesh), killing hundreds of thousands of people and sending ten million refugees fleeing to India--one of the worst humanitarian crises of the twentieth century.Nixon and Kissinger, unswayed by detailed warnings of genocide from American...

The Pinkerton Detective Agency had a competitor. Who knew? Wanted Sam Bass introduces the Great Western Detective League and a colorful cast of law enforcement professionals operating across the west in the late eighteen hundreds. Sam Bass launches his outlaw career in 1877 with high stakes stage and train robberies. Wells Fargo and Union Pacific want Bass and his gang. Crafty bounty hunter Briscoe Cane takes the case for the league. Pinkerton assigns agent Beau Longstreet. While Cane dogs the gang's trail, Longstreet entertains ladies with information on Bass. With a hefty stack of reward money at stake, Cane and Longstreet match wits to bring down Bass in a winner-take-all race to a bloody showdown in a dusty Texas town.

The Diezmo tells the incredible story of the Mier Expedition, one of the most absurd and tragic military adventures in the history of Texas — a country and a state, as Rick Bass writes, that was "born in blood." In the early days of the Republic of Texas, two young men, wild for glory, impulsively volunteer for an expedition Sam Houston has ordered to patrol the Mexican border. But their dreams of triumph soon fade into prayers for survival, and all that is on their minds is getting home and having a cool drink of water. After being captured in a raid on the Mexican village of Mier, escaping, and being recaptured, the men of the expedition are punished with the terrible diezmo, in which one man in ten is randomly chosen to die. The survivors end up in the most dreaded prison in Mexico. There they become pawns in an international chess game to decide the fate of Texas, and with their hopes of release all but extinguished, they make one desperate, last-ditch effort to...

The sequel to  Dance on the Wind  continues the saga of the adventures of Titus ""Scratch"" Bass, a nineteenth-century Kentucky farm boy who becomes a frontiersman along the Ohio River. Reprint. From Publishers Weekly Fourth in Johnston's series of historicals about mountain man Titus Bass (after One-Eyed Dream), this entry goes back to Titus's youth, in the early 1800s. The opening pages, covering the future legend's years as a Kentucky farmboy, move slowly as Titus debates whether to run away from home. The story picks up speed, plot and action when, restless and hungry for adventure at age 16, he finally does, joining the jolly crew of a flatboat carrying cargo from Cincinnati to New Orleans, a dangerous 1000-mile trip down the majestic Ohio and Mississippi rivers. Handy with a long rifle, pistol and knife, Titus survives Indian attacks, barroom brawls and highway robbery, leaving few opponents upright. When not slugging, shooting and stabbing, he expends his remaining teenage energy as a randy-and not too particular-backwoods Lothario. After his successful trip downriver, Titus still dreams of going west to see the far mountains, plains and buffalo. Then, abruptly, Johnston puts the brake on the pace and rhythm of his story by having his hero languish in St. Louis as a blacksmith until he is 30. The novel's final hundred pages are as dull as the first hundred, as Titus makes horseshoes, gets drunk and listens to others tell tales of the mysterious West. Still, the historical and geographic descriptions are vivid, as are the many hearty and colorful characters. Hopefully, the next Titus Bass book will find both the mountain man and his creator busy with the action that each handles so well.

Long considered one of the most gifted practitioners of the short story, Rick Bass is unsurpassed in his ability to perceive and portray the enduring truths of the human heart. Now, at last, we have the definitive collection of stories, new and old, from the writer Newsweek has called "an American classic."To read his fiction is to feel more alive-connected, incandescently, to "the brief longshot of having been chosen for the human experience," as one of his characters puts it.These pages reveal men and women living with passion and tenderness at the outer limits of the senses, each attempting to triumph against fate. Bass provides searing insights into the complexity of family and romantic entanglements, and his lush and striking language draws us ineluctably into the lives of these engaging people and their vivid surroundings. The intricate stories collected in For A Little While—brimming with magic and wonder, filled with hard-won empathy, marbled...

I can confirm that should you ever find yourself on stage playing the bass guitar with tree left hands, it is usually he one in the middle that is the real one. The other two are probably phantoms. Playing the Bass with 3 Left Hands tells the story of one of the most influential, revered and ultimately demented British bands of the 1980s, Spacemen 3. In classic rock n roll style they split up on the brink of their major breakthrough. As the decade turned sour and acid house hit the news, Rugby's finest imploded spectacularly, with Jason Pierce (aka Jason Spaceman) and Pete Kember (aka Sonic Boom) going their separate ways. Here, Will Carruthers tells the whole sorry story and the segue into Spirtualised in one of the funniest and most memorable memoirs committed to the page.

Best Western Historical Novel—Western Writers of AmericaBryan Woolley creates a compelling story giving antihero Sam Bass a fictional life, bringing him alive through six alternating voices—Maude, the whore who was Bass' lover; Mary Matson, the African American who took him in and tended him as he lay dying; Dad Egan, the lawman who was once a father-figure to young Sam Bass but feels compelled to bring down the outlaw; Frank Johnson, who rode with Bass but left the outlaw life to reappear as a small-town doctor; and Jim Murphy, the well-meaning saloonkeeper who makes a bargain with the law and brings down Sam Bass.

Renowned forensic anthropologist Bill Bass—founder of the Body Farm—tackles one of his most baffling cases ever in this real-life spellbinder In 1978, 56-year-old Leoma Patterson left a bar in Clinton, Tennessee, and was never seen again. Six months later, a female skeleton was found on a wooded lakeshore in a neighboring county. The bones were consistent with those of the missing woman, and one of Patterson's daughters recognized a ring found at the death scene as her mother's. The bones were buried, and six years later, a relative of Patterson's—one of the men she was last seen alive with—confessed to killing her. Case closed.But the tentative identification—made years before DNA testing was available to confirm it—failed to convince some of Patterson's relatives. And so it was that in 2005 Dr. Bass found himself winding around hairpin curves to the mountainside grave, where he would unearth the disputed remains and collect...

A heroic reconstruction of the forgotten life of a wrongfully convicted man whose story becomes an historic portrait of the Jim Crow South.Caliph Washington's life was never supposed to matter. As a black teenager from the vice-ridden city of Bessemer, Alabama, Washington was wrongfully convicted of killing an Alabama policeman in 1957. Sentenced to death, he came within minutes of the electric chair—nearly a dozen times. A Kafka-esque legal odyssey in which Washington's original conviction was overturned three times before he was finally released in 1972, his story is the kind that pervades the history of American justice. Here, in the hands of historian S. Jonathan Bass, Washington's ordeal and life are rescued from anonymity and become a moving parable of one man's survival and perseverance in a hellish system.He Calls Me by Lightning is both a compelling legal drama and a fierce depiction of the Jim Crow South that forces us to take account of the...

Stitch Head steps out of the shadows into the adventure of an almost-lifetime.

In the summer of 1990, Dr. Bill Brockton—a bright, ambitious young forensic scientist—is hired by the University of Tennessee to head, and to raise the profile of, the school's small Anthropology Department. Six months later, the ink on his contract barely dry, Brockton is called to a gruesome crime scene in a rural area to identify a corpse and determine how the woman died. But the case—one of Brockton's first murder investigations in Tennessee—could also prove to be his last when he runs afoul of both the county sheriff and an angry mob intent on administering their own swift, rough brand of "justice." With his back to the wall, Brockton is forced to think fast, talk faster, and hope for a miracle.

With the end of the beaver trade at hand, free trappers like Titus Bass must somehow make their way on a changing frontier. Drawn by the promise of adventure and wealth, Bass joins an expedition to Spanish California, where the ranchos have horses and mules in abundance. Their plan is to steal the livestock and drive it back east across the great Mojave Desert to sell to fur traders for top dollar. But pursuit by formidable Mexican soldiers and an attack by fierce Digger Indians take their toll on Bass and his fellow raiders. Arriving back in the Rockies, the mountain man discovers that even the famous Jim Bridger has abandoned trapping and settled down to trade with overland immigrants plying the Oregon Trail. Wondering where his own trail will lead him, Bass journeys south for a reunion with an old friend in Taos-only to be caught up in the "Taos Rebellion." And in its tragic aftermath, Titus finds himself once again an outsider in a world he no longer recognizes. From Publishers Weekly This latest installment in the apparently never-ending adventures of intrepid mountain man Titus Bass aka "Scratch" carries Johnston's fearless hero far from the Rockies on a horse raid in pre-Mexican War California. Joining up with a band of two dozen similarly ragtag refugees from the failing beaver trade, Bass trails across the deadly desert lands of the Southwest, fighting thirst, hunger and, of course, frequent battles with fierce adversaries. Along the way, he's shot several times, pierced by a number of arrows and always saved from certain death by the arrival of some friend or other left dangling in a previous novel. Upon their return, and after slaughtering a number of evil Mexicans, the rustlers discover only a small market for their four-legged booty. Bass and his bigoted buddies end up rescuing settlers caught in the Taos Rebellion, an uprising of Pueblo Indians. There's little of value in this picaresque tall tale. Bass is the only character who is developed beyond one dimension, and his heroics strain belief. The plot is episodic and quirky, with pitched battles against the odds occurring frequently, linked by Bass's ruminations on his adventures in previous Johnston novels, complete with footnotes to direct the reader to the proper title. The story is pockmarked with meticulous lessons in woodcraft and even, at one point, wall plastering. Other footnotes clarify geographic and linguistic references for the uninitiated. Brief outbursts of realism and description indicate that Johnston has done his homework, but the novel is further marred by careless overwriting, including hokey, inconsistent and often anachronistic dialect.

Krista Avery moved to the sleepy town of Mt. Eve, Virginia, away from big city life, enticed there by a research doctor that is fascinated with her blood. Trying to build a life for herself after a horrific event in her past sent her into a spiral, she is a woman battling a rare blood disorder and the memories she has never dealt with. Returning home from the hospital after the Doctors experimental treatment, a dizzy spell forces her to pull over to the side of the road. Lawson “Kade” McKaden is a State Trooper, ready to retire, returning home after a transport to a Federal Prison that wasn’t supposed to be his. After a stint in the Air Force and a satisfying career, he is ready to leave the uniforms behind for the life of a rancher. But a broken down car on the side of the road calls to his sense of responsibility and the sick woman inside calls to his heart. They have more in common than they know. An escaped rapist turned serial killer is hunting her. She was his first and he has plans to be her last. Together can they beat back the demons from her childhood? Will Krista have to face the demon from her past alone, or is she Kade’s for… His Safe Keeping?

In Buffalo Palace , the young Titus Bass sights, and then sets out into, the vast Rocky Mountain country, where he has his initial experiences with trapping beaver, surviving the freezing winter, fighting fierce Indians and even fiercer fellow mountain men, and celebrating at the hard-earned summer rendezvous. Most memorably, we walk with Titus as he first sees the immense herd which originally fueled his wanderlust, and now feeds, clothes and houses the frontier's pioneers, when he reaches the country lovingly called the "Buffalo Palace."

GQ called the three short novels in this collection "wondrous." A woman returns to live on her family's west Texas ranch . . . a man tracks his wife through a winter wilderness . . . an ancient ocean buried in the foothills of the Appalachians becomes a battleground for a young wildcat oilman and his aging mentor. Here is Bass at his magical, passionate, and lyrical best.

In A Letter to Three Witches, Elizabeth Bass introduced the sleepy college town of Zenobia, New York, where magic is very real. Now, a bride-to-be on a quest for the right wedding dress realizes it's time to embrace her inner witch, in this witty, lighthearted romantic comedy with an enchanted twist. Lots of people get pre-wedding jitters, but Bailey Tomlin's are a bit extreme. Paranoia . . . the sudden ability to communicate with her pet parrot . . . something odd is definitely happening. And while Bailey searches for the perfect dress, she discovers the unexpected reason why: her birth mother, Esme, is an actual witch, part of a magical clan in the neighboring town of Zenobia, New York. Esme insists that Bailey, too, has witch blood in her veins. That's not going to play well with Bailey's uptight future in-laws . . . Then there's Seton Atterbury, the man Esme somehow conjured into the present day from 1930, and who keeps crashing into...

Crack in the Sky continues the development of the young Titus Bass as he gradually learns the lore of the mountain man. From a raucous rendezvous of trappers to a searing fight with Comanche, from a frigid winter's chill to the angry heat of a chase with horse thieves, Titus Bass's West comes alive in the pages of this remarkable novel--and in its final scene, Titus Bass will meet young Josiah Paddock and form the deep friendship explored in the pagers of Carry the Wind.

In the tradition of Friday Night Lights and Outcasts United, ONE GOAL tells the inspiring story of the soccer team in a town bristling with racial tension that united Somali refugees and multi-generation Mainers in their quest for state—and ultimately national—glory.When thousands of Somali refugees resettled in Lewiston, Maine, a struggling, overwhelmingly white town, longtime residents grew uneasy. Then the mayor wrote a letter asking Somalis to stop coming, which became a national story. While scandal threatened to subsume the town, its high school's soccer coach integrated Somali kids onto his team, and their passion began to heal old wounds. Taking readers behind the tumult of this controversial team-and onto the pitch where the teammates become state champions and achieved a vital sense of understanding-ONE GOAL is a timely story about overcoming the prejudices that divide us.

Everyone's favourite frog has already saved the world TWICE with his incredible mightiness. Now it's the ultimate test of wills as Frog and his friends take to the skies to fight the bad-tempered extra-terrestrial Kroakan army ... hold on to your seats! Praise for The Legend of Frog: 'An awesome adventure just waiting to be made into a film!' Creative Steps

Renowned bone detective Bill Brockton and his intrepid assistant, Miranda, are about to get immersed in murder and intrigue in Avignon, France, home of the popes for most of the fourteenth century. But first, in this artful prequel to The Inquisitor's Key, other mischief is afoot in the ancient walled city. Inspector RenÉ Descartes of the French National Police is roused from a deep sleep to investigate a break-in at the Petit Palais, Avignon's museum of medieval masterpieces. Descartes's discovery plunges him into an elaborate, art-lined labyrinth: a labyrinth that leads him to a master forger's studio . . . and to a charred corpse. Just as he's finally closing the case, Descartes gets called to an even more bizarre death scene, where his path—and his fate—will collide with those of Brockton and Miranda.

What if you could dream your way into a different life? What if you could choose to live that life forever?Sloane and Maggie have never met. Sloane is a straight-A student with a big and loving family. Maggie lives a glamorously independent life as an up-and-coming actress in New York. The two girls couldn't be more different--except for one thing. They share a secret that they can't tell a soul. At night, they dream that they're each other. The deeper they're pulled into the promise of their own lives, the more their worlds begin to blur dangerously together. Before long, Sloane and Maggie can no longer tell which life is real and which is just a dream. They realize that eventually they will have to choose one life to wake up to, or risk spiraling into insanity. But that means giving up one world, one love, and one self, forever.This is a dazzling debut that will steal readers' hearts.

A definitive and eloquent book about deer hunting in Texas and the lessons it teaches about the cycles of life in nature and in a family, A Thousand Deer reaffirms Rick Bass's stature as one of America's finest nature writers.

If you want more, you have to give less.That's the secret to dating in high school. By giving as little as they expect to get in return, seventeen-year-old Aubrey Housing and her three best friends have made it to the second semester of their senior year heartbreak-free. And it's all thanks to a few simple rules: don't commit, don't be needy, and don't give away your heart.So when smoking-hot Nathan Diggs transfers to Lincoln High, it shouldn't be a big deal. At least that's what Aubrey tells herself. But Nathan's new-boy charm, his kindness, and his disarming honesty throw Aubrey off her game and put her in danger of breaking the most important rule of all: don't fall in love.

In this long-awaited prequel to his New York Times bestselling series, Jefferson Bass turns the clock back to reveal the Body Farm's creation-and Dr. Bill Brockton's deadly duel with a serial killer In the summer of 1992, Arkansas Governor Bill Clinton and Tennessee Senator Albert Gore begin their long-shot campaign to win the White House. In the sweltering hills of Knoxville at the University of Tennessee, Dr. Bill Brockton, the bright, ambitious young head of the Anthropology Department, launches an unusual-some would call it macabre-research facility, unlike any other in existence. Brockton is determined to revolutionize the study of forensics to help law enforcement better solve crime. But his plans are derailed by a chilling murder that leaves the scientist reeling from a sense of déjà vu. Followed by another. And then another: bodies that bear eerie resemblances to cases from Brockton's past. The police chalk up the first corpse to coincidence. But as the body count rises, the victims' fatal injuries grow more and more distinctive-a spiral of death that holds dark implications for Brockton himself. If the killer isn't found quickly, the death toll could be staggering. And the list of victims could include Brockton… and everyone he holds dear.

Mad Professor Erasmus has long forgotten his first creation, Stitch Head, leaving the lonely patchwork monster to take care of Castle Grotteskew all by himself. But when the professor is kidnapped by crusty pirates, Stitch Head decides to risk his almost-life to save his creator. He'll need a little help from his new friends, the Creature and Arabella, to learn to embrace his inner pirate and sail the seven seas in pursuit of his missing mentor.

A strange and powerful landscape summons strange and powerful happeningsRick Bass brings a lyrical lushness to the harsh backdrop of West Texas in his masterfully crafted fourth novel. All the Land to Hold Us is a sweeping tale of those who live on the desert's edge, where riches—precious artifacts, oil, water, love—can all be found and lost again in an instant.Roaming across the salt flats and skirting the salt lake, Richard, a geologist working for an oil company, hunts for fossils under the spell of Clarissa, the local beauty who plans to use her share of their plunder to get out of small, dusty Midland for good. A generation earlier, a Depression-era couple, Max and Marie Omo, numbly mines for salt along the banks of the briny lake until the emotional terrain of their marriage is suddenly and irrevocably altered. The strange, surreal arrival of a runaway circus elephant, careening across the sand, sets in motion Marie's final break from Max...