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Philadelphia, some time in the 21st century - Casper Beech is a corporate drone, a man beaten down by debt, a wage-slave to the Consortium that dominates the American economy. One day his boss sends him in for neural imprinting - to have new job skills implanted directly in his brain, because it's faster and cheaper than training him by older methods. But a computer glitch loads the wrong file, and Casper is programmed with something that has nothing to do with his job. Instead of learning a new software package, he learns a new way of thinking - a mindset designed by a secret government agency for use in enemy nations, and never meant to be unleashed in the United States. Lethal government agents seek to correct the error in a steadily-escalating conflict, while Casper struggles to survive, to remain true to himself despite his new programming, and to find out just what was in... THE SPARTACUS FILE<

Stephanie Plum, the brassy babe in the powder blue Buick, is back, and she's having a bad hair day - for the whole month of January. She's been given the unpopular task of finding Mo Bedemier Trenton's most beloved citizen, arrested for carrying concealed, gone no-show for his court appearance. And to make matters worse, she's got Lula, a former hooker turned file clerk - now a wannabe bounty hunter - at her side, sticking like glue. Lula's big and blonde and black, and itching to get the chance to lock up a crook in the trunk of her car. Morelli, the New Jersey vice cop with the slow-burning smile that undermines a girl's stronger resolve is being polite. So what does this mean? Has he found a new love? Or is he manipulating Steph, using her in his police investigation, counting on her unmanageable curiosity and competitive Jersey attitude? Once again, the entire One for the Money crew is in action, including Ranger and Grandma Mazur, searching for Mo, tripping down a trail littered with deaddrug dealers, leading Stephanie to suspect Mo has traded his ice-cream scoop for a vigilante gun. Cursed with a disastrous new hair color and an<

EDITORIAL REVIEW: Stephanie Plum's got rent to pay, people shooting at her, and psychos wanting her dead every day of the week (much to the dismay of her mother, her family, the men in her life, the guy who slices meat at the deli...oh, the list goes on). An ordinary person would cave under the pressure.But hey, she's from Jersey.Stephanie Plum may not be the best bounty hunter in beautiful downtown Trenton, but she's pretty darn good at turning bad situations her way...and she always gets her man. InTo The Nines, her cousin Vinnie (who's also her boss) has posted bail on Samuel Singh, an immigrant who becomes an illegal alien by violating his Visa and extending his stay in the United States. When the elusive Mr. Singh goes missing, Stephanie is on the case. But what she uncovers is far more sinister than anyone imagines and leads to a group of killers who give new meaning to the word "hunter..."In a race against time that takes her from the Jersey Turnpike to the Vegas strip, Stephanie Plum is on the chase of her life.<

Mi nombre es Gwen Frost, y voy a la Academia Mythos -una escuela de mitos, magia y chicos guerreros, donde aún el más tonto sabe cortar una cabeza con la espada y Logan Quinn, el chico espartano caliente de la escuela, también parece estar muerto. Pero más tarde, las cosas han sido extrañas, al menos para Mythos. Primero, la muchacha tacaña Jasmine Ashton, fue asesinada en la Biblioteca de Antigüedades. Entonces, alguien robó el Tazón de las Lágrimas, un artefacto mágico que puede usarse para causar la Segunda Guerra del Caos. Ya sabes, la muerte, destrucción y montón de cosas malas, muy malas. Estas cosas extrañas siguen pasando en Mythos, pero estoy determinada a encontrar quién mató a Jasmine y porqué -especialmente desde que debería haber sido yo una de las personas muertas...<

SUMMARY: As bungling bounty hunter Stephanie Plum deals with the usual bail jumpers and struggles with chaotic relationships, a new twist emerges in the form of a mysterious female stalker. The latest madcap adventure in Janet Evanovich's Stephanie Plum series, Twelve Sharp will delight both new readers and devoted fans.<

Amazon.com Review

Brew up a pot of your favorite gourmet java and enjoy the latest adventure of forensic anthropologist Gideon Oliver, who this time around exercises his wits on a coffee plantation in Tahiti. Aaron Elkins has a sharp, cool eye for detail; his descriptions of a flawed tropical paradise going through some serious business changes ring true. And the family that runs the coffee plantation has enough diversity to keep everyone guessing about the death of one of its members until the last drop. To bone up on Gideon Oliver in paperback, try: The Dark Place, Dead Men's Hearts, Fellowship of Fear, Icy Clutches, Make No Bones, Murder in the Queen's Armes, and Old Bones.

From Publishers Weekly

Gideon Oliver, the shrewd, witty and self-deprecating forensic anthropologist, is at the top of his form in his ninth appearance (after Dead Men's Hearts, 1994). This tale, populated with a memorable and well-defined cast, finds Gideon traveling to Tahiti with friend and FBI agent John Lau to investigate what might have been the murder of Brian Scott, manager of the thriving, family-owned Paradise Coffee Plantation and common-law husband of the owner's daughter Therese. Amid rumors of Mafia retaliation for earlier, unfriendly testimony by plantation owner Nick Druett, Gideon runs into unexpected obstacles. Neither Nick nor Therese wants Brian's body exhumed; Nick's good friend, the pompous head of the local gendarmerie, agrees. Gideon, perceptive as always, notices something extraordinary in the official photographs of Brian and, as the ensuing investigation progresses, the seemingly close-knit family begins to unravel. Therese, who is docile and uncommunicative, her politically correct sister and other, more devious family members are all at odds over a lucrative offer to buy the plantation, a move Brian had opposed. Zipping along at a smooth and rapid clip, the story combines masterfully etched characters and suggestions of lingering aromas of frangipani and coconut palms with the consummate panache of its hero. Elkins rewards his readers with a riveting mystery even while altering forever the way they will view their trendy, upscale coffee. Mystery Guild featured alternate; author tour.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.

It's Stephanie Plum, New Jersey's "fugitive apprehension" agent (aka bounty hunter), introduced to the world by Janet Evanovich in the award-winning novel "One for the Money." Now Stephanie's back, armed with attitude -- not to mention stun guns, defense sprays, killer flashlights, and her trusty .38, Stephanie is after a new bail jumper, Kenny Mancuso, a boy from Trenton's burg. He's fresh out of the army, suspiciously wealthy, and he's just shot his best friend. With her bounty hunter pal Ranger stepping in occasionally to advise her, Stephanie staggers kneedeep in corpses and caskets as she traipses through back streets, dark alleys, and funeral parlors. And nobody knows funeral parlors better than Stephanie's irrepressible Grandma Mazur, a lady whose favorite pastime is grabbing a front-row seat at a neighborhood wake. So Stephanie uses Grandma as a cover to follow leads, but loses control when Grandma warms to the action, packing a cool pistol. Much to the family's chagrin, Stephanie and Granny may soon have the elusive Kenny in their sights. Fast-talking, slow-handed vice cop Joe Morelli joins in the case, since the prey happens to be his young cousin. And if the assignment calls for an automobile stakeout for two with the woman who puts his libido in overdrive, Morelli's not one to object. Low on expertise but learning fast, high on resilience, and despite the help she gets from friends and relatives, Stephanie eventually must face the danger alone when embalmed body parts begin to arrive on her doorstep and she's targeted for a nasty death by the most loathsome adversary she's ever encountered. Another case like this and she'll be a real pro. "Two for the Dough" is irresistible fun and powerful suspense entertainment from an acclaimed author who is already a national star.<

From Publishers Weekly

Forensic sleuth Gideon Oliver accompanies his second wife, Julie, to an unusual gathering of conservation experts in the Scilly Isles in Edgar-winner Elkins's engaging 13th whodunit to feature the man known as the "Bone Detective" (after 2005's Where There's a Will). Frustrated by his passive role and forced to bite his tongue when opinions are voiced that strike him as lacking intellectual rigor, Oliver leaps at a chance to examine some human remains stored at the local museum. His casual look becomes something more when he determines that one humerus bone is a recent relic, leading to his rousing the sleepy local constabulary to a murder probe. When the victim turns out to have belonged to the conservation group, the circle of suspects centers on the surviving members. Elkins excels in making his hero's skills plausible and accessible to a lay audience, though some readers might wish for more depth of characterization. (June)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

A conference on the Isles of Scilly off the coast of Cornwall is the picturesque setting for Edgar-winning Elkins' latest forensic caper. His husband-wife team of Julie and Gideon Oliver (Julie, a supervising park ranger at Olympia National Park in Washington; Gideon, a forensic anthropologist) allows Elkins to do several things at once: get the couple invited to different venues; pack in enough local lore to function as a travel guide for readers; and provide two different perspectives on whatever bones Gideon stumbles across. This time, Julie has been invited to attend a biodiversity conference hosted by an eccentric Russian genius. Gideon pokes around the Neolithic sites and, not surprisingly, finds a contemporary tibia. While the local constabulary is denying that this can possibly be the result of foul play, a murder occurs at Star Castle, the site of the conference. Although the writing is precious at times, the forensic accuracy is admirable, and the plotting compelling. Connie Fletcher
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Review

"This book has it all: suspense, romance, action and adventure." --Readers Favorite Reviews

"Rio and Eddie are a hot combination of sexy bad ass meets dark, fearless hero." --Happily Ever After Reviews

Product Description

Book two of the Soul Searchers series picks up where Broken Wings left off. Rio Laraquette's back in Vegas and settling into her normal routine--except that Eddie LaCall has invaded her space. The two share a mutual attraction and an undeniable connection.

When Eddie's scarred past comes back to haunt him his attachment to Rio strengthens even though neither completely trusts the other. Just when it looks like a poker tournament is bringing them together, their budding relationship gets backburnered when a stalker goes from creepy to dangerous, making several attempts on the reluctant lovers' lives.

Will these two souls--who've been searching for each other across eternity--finally get to share a lifetime together, or will they once again end up as star-crossed lovers?

• Vegas, Baby is about 85,000 words.
  

This title is also available in the convenient Broken Wings/Vegas, Baby 2-Pack. These are books one and two in the Soul Searchers series.