SUMMARY:
Right now, I'm a redhead. I've been blonde and brunette as the situation requires, though an unscheduled colour change usually means relocating in the middle of the night. So far, I'm doing well here. Nobody knows what I'm running from. And I'd like to keep it that way.Eighteen months ago, Corine Solomon crossed the border to Mexico City, fleeing her past, her lover, and her 'gift' - for Corine is a handler: she can touch something and know its history, and sometimes, its future. Using her ability, she can find the missing - and that's why people never stop trying to find her. People like her ex, Chance . . . Chance's uncanny luck has led him to her doorstep. He needs her help. Someone dear to them both has gone missing in Laredo, Texas, and the only hope of finding her is through Corine's gift. But their search is going to get dangerous as the trail leads them into a strange dark world of demons and sorcerers, ghosts and witchcraft, zombies - and the blackest of black magic.

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SUMMARY:
Whenever Corine Solomon touches an object, she immediately knows its history. But the future concerns her more when former ally Kel Ferguson wlaks through her door with a warning for her: the Montoya cartel is coming for her-but they don't just pack guns. They use warlocks, shamans and voodoo priests. And Corine has become enemy number one...

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Product Description

ABSORBING Lynn Ames's first novel, The Price of Fame, has been called "absorbing and filled with romance" (Lori L. Lake, Midwest Book Review). Now Ames is back with the second installment in the lives of Katherine Kyle and Jamison Parker. SPINE-TINGLING SUSPENSE Kate and Jay want nothing more than to focus on their love. But as Kate settles into a new profession, she and Jay become caught up in the middle of a deadly scheme-pawns in a larger game in which the stakes are nothing less than control of the country. OUTSTANDING ACTION In her new novel of corruption, greed, romance, and danger, Lynn Ames takes us on an unforgettable journey of harrowing conspiracy-and establishes herself as a mistress of suspense. THE COST OF COMMITMENT It could be everything...

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Review

Promiss to be a series with legs-and tails. (_Publishers Weekly_) Endearing...resonates with charm...sleuth Beatrix positively shines. (_School Library Journal_)

Product Description

The author of Peter Rabbit and other tales, Beatrix Potter is still, after a century, beloved by children and adults worldwide. In this first Cottage Tale, Albert introduces Beatrix, an animal lover and Good Samaritan with a knack for solving mysteries. With help from her entourage of talking animal friends, Beatrix sets out to win over the human hearts of Sawrey, where she's just bought an old farm--and plans to stay.

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From Publishers Weekly

Starred Review. As in 2004's The Tale of Hill Top Farm, Albert skillfully blends fact and fiction in her second Beatrix Potter tale set in the quaint English Lake District village of Near Sawrey. Beatrix is in the midst of renovating Hill Top Farm when she discovers the body of Ben Hornby, a local sheep owner who has recently had more than his share of bad luck. She suspects foul play and joins the local constable and real-life solicitor William Heelis in investigating the cause of Hornby's demise. Still reeling from the sudden death of her fiancé, Beatrix becomes more involved with her fellow villagers, in particular 11-year-old Caroline, who lives with her grandmother, Lady Longforth. Vivid descriptions of Sawrey and its environs, attractive human characters and unobtrusive animals with delightful personalities combine to create a mystery that's a stellar tribute to the famous children's author. As charming as the "little books" themselves, this is sure to delight Beatrix Potter fans and cozy lovers everywhere. (July 5)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From School Library Journal

Adult/High School–In this second entry in a delightful and cozy mystery series, Albert hits her stride. Miss Potter is starting to make a life for herself, both on her farm and in the villages of Far and Near Sawrey. She's acquired a herd of Herdwick sheep, is remodeling the farmhouse, and is slowly recovering from the death of her fiancé. Nefarious and curious events begin to happen: the body of a local shepherd is found at the base of a cliff; a pair of badgers is missing, presumably to be used in an illegal badger-baiting fight; and rich Lady Longford is putting forward her own candidate to teach in the Sawrey School. The animals (who can talk to one another) have been joined by the redoubtable Professor Galileo Newton Owl and the stalwart Bosworth Badger XVII, hotelier and genealogist of the badger clan. The plot moves swiftly and surely, with deft characterizations and comic charm, culminating in a rally of Big Folk and animals to save the innocent and punish the guilty. As in the first Cottage Tale, Albert has included research resources, recipes, a glossary, a map, an author's note, and a particularly helpful cast of characters. Teens will enjoy this small gem of a mystery revolving around the sweet Miss Potter, her neighbors, and the charming creatures she holds dear._–Jane Halsall, McHenry Public Library District, IL_
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

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From Publishers Weekly

At the start of Albert's enchanting third Beatrix Potter mystery set in England's Lake District (after 2005's The Tale of Holy How), Miss Potter discovers that her beloved Hill Top Farm is overrun with rats. In the nearby town of Far Sawrey, mild-mannered vicar Samuel Sackett also finds himself plagued with unwanted visitors: a cousin and his wife who have long overstayed their welcome. There are also rumors that a mysterious Mr. Richardson plans to build holiday villas on the shores of Lake Windermere, and he appears to be in league with Mrs. Kittredge, the beautiful new wife of the master of Raven Hall. Ridley Rattail, one of Hill Top Farm's resident rats, contrives to rid the farm of its unwanted rodents, but when his program backfires, he must seek a way to redeem the situation. Rich descriptions of the countryside and the imaginative rendering of the animal characters make this gentle tale a delight from start to finish. (July)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

In this third installment in the Cottage Tales of Beatrix Potter, the Edwardian-era cozy series from the author of the China Bayles mysteries, Miss Potter seals her reputation for untangling intrigues in her Lake District village. While she waylays the schemes of two swindlers and joins village children in a search for the area's legendary fairies, whimsical subplots (a series staple) reveal interactions among canny, talkative, and occasionally even well-dressed members of the animal community. Readers inclined to judge such elements twee in a book for grown-ups aren't likely to warm to this series, but those who--like Albert's heroine--champion the benefits of "dreaming, imagining, creating, improvising, and fancying" will find themselves happily absorbed, to the point of forgiving the awkward manner in which facts about the historical Potter are plunked into the fiction. Extensive character lists and recipes to rumble the stomachs of anglophiles (bubble and squeak, sticky buns) flesh out this amiably realized world, in which lapses in good feelings and right behavior are always passing anomalies. Jennifer Mattson
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

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From Publishers Weekly

Albert's charming fourth Beatrix Potter mystery (after 2006's The Tale of Cuckoo Brow Wood) finds our heroine unexpectedly in possession of a foundling child, Baby Flora. The reader knows the mysteriously twinkly Mrs. Overthewall stole Flora from her teenage mother, Emily, a maid at the gloomy and possibly haunted Hawthorn House, and left her on the Potter doorstep, but Beatrix—not having read the prologue—suspects the child of having gypsy origins. Capt. Miles Woodcock and his sister, Dimity, gladly give Flora a new home, leaving Beatrix to solve the mystery of her old one. Other thoughts of families and youngsters abound: Jemima Puddleduck broods over a nest of long overdue eggs; Reynard the Fox struggles with his unnatural fondness for Jemima; and the village gossips bring all their matchmaking powers to bear on Beatrix and the highly eligible Captain Woodcock. The whimsical blend of romance, mystery and nostalgia will keep cozy fans happily entertained. (Sept.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Product Description

Miss Beatrix Potter finds the abandoned Baby Flora—and a scarab ring—on her doorstep. An investigation reveals that the ring was pawned and reclaimed by a resident of the vacant and supposedly haunted Hawthorn House. Now Beatrix and her animal friends are left pondering these utterly puzzling happenings.

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From Publishers Weekly

At the start of Albert's delightful fifth cottage tale (after 2007's The Tale of Hawthorn House), Beatrix Potter, dismayed by the frosty atmosphere at home in London with her demanding parents, returns to Hill Top Farm in the Lake District, where she gets caught in a blizzard. As she catches up on local gossip, Beatrix learns of the demise of a longtime resident, Hugh Wickstead, killed by a falling tree limb in the woods. Was Hugh the victim of a curse after he unearthed ancient treasure? Of course, the animals have their own stories to tell, and Beatrix turns to them for help in the investigation. Familiar creatures pop up along the way, including Pickles, a fox terrier that belonged to Hugh and may hold the secret to his master's death. As Beatrix reconnects with village life, her 1909 book, The Tale of Ginger and Pickles, begins to take shape. Readers will delight in Albert's special blend of fact and fiction. (Oct.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

Starred Review This whimsical, amiable, enchanting, gentle, and charming tale is the fifth (and best) in Sharon Wittig Albert’s series featuring Miss Beatrix Potter. It succeeds on many levels and for many audiences. Readers should not expect a traditional mystery as there is no murder; instead, there is a series of intrigues to be untangled by the tactful Miss Potter. The puzzles include the death of the antiquarian Hugh Wickstead (killed by a falling treetop), a fireball burning down a barn, the mysterious appearance of a long-lost sister of Mr. Wickstead, and a missing treasure. This is also a fantasy, with talking animals and dragons who seem to know more about the puzzles than any of the humans. In true old-fashioned style, the narrator is omniscient and regularly tells the reader information to which the book’s characters are not privy. This technique was used by Potter herself in her little tales and by Baum in the Oz books. There is also a real-life romance beginning to flourish between the two “real” characters, Beatrix Potter and her solicitor, Will Heelis. On yet another level, this is an engaging historical novel imparting much information about the life of Beatrix Potter in December 1909 in the village of Near Sawrey in the Lake District of England. Readers who begin with the open mind of a child will be well rewarded. --Judy Coon

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Product Description

The latest delightful tale in Albert's Beatrix Potter series.

Out of spite for having his haystacks burnt, Mr. Harmsworth barricades a common path through his orchard-and Tabitha Twitchet and her Cat Council want answers. Reliable witnesses, including some Big Folk, say the arson was the handiwork of a lantern-wielding specter. The mournful ghost has a message-and Miss Potter, for one, hopes to figure it out.

Meanwhile in Sawrey, romance buds between the schoolmarm and a confirmed bachelor; Hyacinth Badger hopes to be the first female to earn the Badger Badge of Honor; and a rumor has Beatrix and the solicitor practically betrothed. But the matter of the barricade involves everyone-and Miss Potter and her friends might have to take matters into their own hands-and paws.

About the Author

Susan Wittig Albert grew up in Illinois and earned her Ph.D. at UC- Berkeley. A former English professor, university administrator and vice- president, she also writes the China Bayles mysteries. She and her husband co- author a series of Victorian-Edwardian mysteries under the name Robin Paige.

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Daisy Buckhorn is used to keeping secrets. Pregnant and terrified, she left her family home ten years ago, hoping to never be found. Since then, she's made a name for herself. Only, the name isn't her own. "Julie Smith" is a successful attorney with a beautiful son...and the complete opposite of wild country girl Daisy.

When reality intrudes on Julie's perfect life in the form of Luke Montgomery—her first love—Daisy knows her secrets won't stay hidden for long. Not when her son is a near replica of Luke, who has come to bring her home. But the Oklahoma ranch still houses her darkest memory—and her biggest threat. Telling this truth could unravel everything she's built, and destroy any future she and Luke may have.<

SUMMARY: In the far future, the Heliothane Dominion is triumphant in the solar system, after a bitter war with their Umbrathane progenitors. But some of the Umbrathane have escaped into the distant past, where they can position themselves to wreak havoc across time and undo their defeat. The most fanatical of them is the superhuman Cowl, more monstrous than any of the creatures outside his prehistoric redoubt. Cowl sends his terrifying hyperdimensional pet, the torbeast, hunting through all the timelines for human specimens. It sheds its scales -- each one an organic time machine -- where its master orders. Anyone who picks one up is dragged back to the dawn of time, where Cowl awaits. Then the beast can feed, growing ever larger . . . In our own near-future, Tack is one of U-gov's programmable killers. When a scale latches onto him, his doom seems inevitable, but the Heliothane have other ideas: they can use Tack against Cowl. Tack is no stranger to violence, but the Heliothane, hardened in their struggle for humanity's very existence, have much to teach him. He will need it all for his encounter with Cowl.Once one of Tack's targets, Polly escaped with her life when a torbeast scale snatched her. Now, like Tack, she must learn fast as she is dragged back to Day Zero. To cheat death again, she will have to help him save the human race. With Cowl, Neal Asher, acclaimed author of Gridlinked and The Skinner, has created his most powerful novel yet.<

When Dido Twite sets foot back on English soil, more mischief awaits. As her friend Captain Hughes recovers from a carriage accident, Dido stays at the Dogkennel Cottages and meets the odd inhabitants of Tegleaze Manor: strange old Lady Tegleaze, her nephew, Tobit, and his wizened, witchy nurse, Sannie. Soon suspicious things happen. A priceless miniature is stolen. Tobit is framed and then kidnapped. A twin sister is found. And when Dido catches a glimpse of her rascally father in Petworth, she is sure she’s in the midst of another Hanoverian plot. Can she get to London to warn the king and save St. Paul's Cathedral from sliding into the Thames?<

About the Author

I started writing when I was about twelve. I'd just finished reading one of Elaine Mitchell's Brumby books, and hated the fact she killed off my favorite character--so I rewrote the book and changed the ending. I haven't stopped writing since, though it's only in the last few years I've seriously thought about getting published.

In 1997, I placed second in the Washington Romance Writers Novel Beginnings contest (specialty romance) with Heart of the Hunter. In 2000, I was short-listed in the Random House George Turner Prize with Spook Squad (urban fantasy). Dancing with the Devil is my first published book.

I live in Melbourne, Australia, and I'm a dessert and function cook by trade. I'm married to a wonderful man who not only supports my writing, but who does all the housework as well. We have one daughter, one dog and a garden full of weeds. When I'm not working or writing, I can be found parked in front of the TV watching re-runs of the X-Files or Buffy.

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In one vicious night, Kirby Brown’s world is torn apart. Her best friend is dead - killed by a madman who is now after Kirby - and she has no idea why. Doyle Fitzgerald has been sent to Melbourne to hunt down the killer but what he doesn’t expect to find is a circle of witches, and a sorceress determined to take that power for herself. And he certainly isn’t expecting to play bodyguard to a woman who is more than she seems. But while inexplicably drawn to Doyle, Kirby fears trusting him because of the magic that lies in his soul. Because Doyle isn’t the only one with power - Kirby’s magic is capable of destroying the world.<

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