Touching on the themes of the popular FX series Justified featuring U.S. Marshall Raylan Givens, Valdez Is Coming is New York Times bestselling author Elmore Leonard's classic western tale of corruption, justice, and vengeance. Forced to gun down an innocent man, part-time sheriff Roberto Valdez is nearly killed and run out of town when he seeks justice for the dead man’s family. But the same townsfolk who laughed at Valdez’s dark skin, mocked his decency, and tied him to a cross will find themselves on the wrong side of a gun when the lawman comes back to deliver his own brand of justice.

Just in time for the 2020 election, the bestselling chapter book series continues with the newest Questioneer, Sofia Valdez   Miss Lila Greer announces it’s time for Grade Two to get a class pet, and she wants the kids to participate in choosing which one. After all, they will all have to share the responsibility of caring for it. The class narrows it down to two options: Team Turtle and Team Bird. Sofia is named Election Commissioner, in charge of overseeing a fair and honest election between the two teams. There’s a class-wide campaign, complete with posters, articles, and speeches. Then it’s time for the election! But when the votes are counted, there’s a tie, and one vote is missing. How will the class break the tie? And what happened to the vanishing vote? It’s up to Sofia Valdez and the Questioneers to restore democracy! Â

They laughed at Roberto Valdez and then ignored him. But when a dark-skinned man was holed up in a shack with a gun, they sent the part-time town constable to deal with the problem -- and made sure he had no choice but to gun the fugitive down. Trouble was, Valdez killed an innocent man. And when he asked for justice -- and some money for the dead man's woman -- they beat Valdez and tied him to a cross. They were still laughing when Valdez came back. And then they began to die...

A tale of dark, brutal, and gritty historical fantasy. The year is 1241. The self-righteous paladin knight, Camila Chastaine, sets out on a journey to discover the truth of her past; a past of tragic demonic possession only hinted at through whispers from Satan, Prince of Hell. Camila’s companions, her fellow paladins Talitha and Atrael, along with the sorceress, Fausta, are sent on a mission to determine the cause of several mysterious deaths in a distant mountain outpost. An ancient terror of the night awakens from its long slumber; and blood begins to flow, the blood of the unholy. Will the truth that Camila seeks destroy the few remaining threads of her sanity, or will the awakening of primal evil be her ultimate demise and that of her friends?

In this science-fiction / fantasy adventure, Cosamian Dastou is the last living being known as a Saint. Immune to a system of mass-hypnotism that controls modern life, he is worshipped and reviled in equal measure. When an attempt to kill him fails, the resulting devastation sets up an action-packed story in which Dastou and his friends fight off enemies whose skills match or exceed their own.In this genre-melding science-fiction / fantasy adventure, Cosamian Dastou is the last living Saint. In a world where modern life is controlled by a system of mass-hypnotism known as the Social Cypher, he is immune to it, free in a way that very few can say they are. His abilities cause some people to think of him as a god, while many others believe he is a monster, a danger to all.Dastou has decided that, with no more Saints, it is his final duty to free the world from the Social Cypher. He has collected those who apprenticed under his people in the past, who share a similar but weaker immunity, and they now teach others, helping to make them immune and skilled in ways beyond what they may have ever imagined. Everything is going shockingly well, with Dastou’s school prospering and his student body powerful and talented. When all is seemingly too easy, someone tries to kill him with an attack that instead hurts or kills dozens of innocents.The resulting devastation sets up an action-packed adventure in which Dastou and his friends go to strange, secret places, fight terrifying new enemies, and try to survive against a guardian whose skills match or exceed their own.

The New York Times bestselling author of Wench returns to the Civil War era to explore the next chapter of history—the trauma of the War and the end of slavery—in this powerful story of love and healing about three people who struggle to overcome the pain of the past and define their own future.The Civil War has ended, and Madge, Sadie, and Hemp have each come to Chicago in search of a new life.Born with magical hands, Madge has the power to discern others' suffering, but she cannot heal her own damaged heart. To mend herself and help those in need, she must return to Tennessee to face the women healers who rejected her as a child.Sadie can commune with the dead, but until she makes peace with her father, she, too, cannot fully engage her gift.Searching for his missing family, Hemp arrives in this northern city that shimmers with possibility. But redemption cannot be possible until he is reunited with those taken from him.In the...

Diamonds may be a collector's best friend, but for Dante Rocco, a courier for precious stones and metals, the next delivery could mean death.Someone is robbing and killing couriers of precious gems and metals in Europe. Global Diamond Couriers in New Orleans assigns their human Italian, Dante, to make a major delivery in Venice. Although pickpocketing is the usual crime there, a wary Alexandros, Dante's vampire lover, insists he and Malcolm, the other staff immortal, go along as bodyguards.In Rome, they board the Orient Express to Venice, and Malcolm is welcomed by Nick, a human steward whom he'd met years earlier. The hot, younger man seduces him into a whirlwind romance. But when Nick appears unannounced in their secret Venetian hotel, he's sucked into a maelstrom of danger and deceit none of them may survive.This story has been previously published.

The hot, urgent passion of an immortal for his human lover, the vengeful vampire who wants to kill them, and the world of precious stones.After seven-hundred years, Alexandros Nicolaides has adjusted to life as an immortal. Employed by a New Orleans diamond courier, the gemologist travels to Italy in the hope of gaining a new customer for that business. On the night train from Rome to Naples, he confirms what he's suspected—someone is following him.Human Dante Rocco has his reasons for tailing the tall blond. Unaware he follows an immortal, he's in for a bad shock. When Alex rescues him from thugs, a hot, urgent sexual bond flares between these two rivals for the courier account. As they struggle with the reality of their relationship, they discover they're now the ones being pursued—by an unstable, vengeful vampire.This work has been previously released.

Dastou, 26, is the last living Saint. He is respected, feared, and sometimes worshiped as a god. But he is no deity, just a freakishly brilliant man in a world that is much stranger than he could ever know. Attacked on foreign soil by a mysterious group, Dastou and his colleagues must find their enemies in order to discover the reason for the death and destruction centered around them.

Native American Raven is a successful architect and businessman. He's also an accomplished surfer who, out of fear, typically hides his orientation and is extremely discreet about any sexual liaisons. His haircut and clothing are those of a white man, and his employees and friends know nothing of his early life on a northern California Indian reservation.Now, six years after leaving the rez, a young man named Hunter literally surfs back into Raven's life. At first Raven doesn't recognize the guy who, as a boy, was his best friend, and also his first love. When he does finally recognize Hunter — now penniless, drunk, and a lover of the "glam look" — he sees him as a loser, an embarrassment, yet their reunion will shake some of Raven's most closely held beliefs.But is he up to the challenge? Will he release those stubborn beliefs and open himself to live life more fully and openly?

From Publishers WeeklyIn her debut, Perkins-Valdez eloquently plunges into a dark period of American history, chronicling the lives of four slave women—Lizzie, Reenie, Sweet and Mawu—who are their masters' mistresses. The women meet when their owners vacation at the same summer resort in Ohio. There, they see free blacks for the first time and hear rumors of abolition, sparking their own desires to be free. For everyone but Lizzie, that is, who believes she is really in love with her master, and he with her. An extended flashback in the middle of the novel delves into Lizzie's life and vividly explores the complicated psychological dynamic between master and slave. Jumping back to the final summer in Ohio, the women all have a decision to make—will they run? Heart-wrenching, intriguing, original and suspenseful, this novel showcases Perkins-Valdez's ability to bring the unfortunate past to life. (Jan.) Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. FromFour slave women accompany their masters to a resort in the free state of Ohio in the mid-1850s. Lizzie actually loves Drayle, the father of her two children—a brown-skinned boy named for his father and a girl white enough to pass. Reenie is the half sister of her owner, a cruel man who passes her along to the resort manager. Sweet is pregnant and has a relatively amiable relationship with her master, while Mawu is a wild red-haired woman bent on freedom from a cruel and violent owner. Frustrations mount as they consider their options, tempted to take advantage of the help offered by free blacks and a Quaker woman. But they are guilt-ridden about the prospect of leaving their children behind. The women rely on each other for support as they come together for three summers, catching up on their lives of woe and occasional joy. Drawing on research about the resort that eventually became the first black college, Wilberforce University, the novel explores the complexities of relationships in slavery and the abiding comfort of women’s friendships. --Vanessa Bush

In New Orleans, the killer still stalks, and confusion and passion heat up the reunion of human and vampire lovers.In this sequel to /Night Train To Naples,/confusion, danger and passion heat up the reunion of Italian diamond courier Dante Rocco and his once business rival, then lover—the vampire Alexandros Nicolaides. Alex has never wavered in what Dante means to him, but Dante arrives in New Orleans suddenly unsure of his feelings and the impulsive promise he'd made to leave Italy and move to America. In the historic richness of the French Quarter, Dante must decide how he really feels about Alex even as the powerful ruler of the Louisiana vampires complicates their lives, and Giacomo, an unstable vampire, arrives with their murders on his mind.This title has been previously published.

Can men who each bridge two worlds make a life together?Blaze Canis is doing what he loves best. As a shooting range instructor just outside Yellowstone National Park, the former Navy SEAL sniper is still handling firearms. When Shoshoni native Logan Rider walks into his class one morning, the attraction each man feels for the other is sudden, almost mystical. Since Blaze's teammates never knew he was gay, let alone a werewolf, he's confident in hiding his wolf nature from Logan, too.But will keeping his secret work, or will it blow up in Blaze's face as his relationship with the American native deepens?