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SUMMARY:
Winner of the Swedish Crime Academy Award for Best Crime Novel, international sensation Kjell Eriksson has quickly built a name for himself in the United States. In this highly acclaimed follow-up to The Cruel Stars of the Night, Manuel Alavez’s life is in ruins. One of his brothers is dead, the other is in jail, and the man who double-crossed both men is running a high-class successful restaurant. A series of dramatic events inevitably leads to murder, and Inspector Ann Lindell is forced to sample many fine meals at the restaurant as she attempts to thwart a cunning killer.

EDITORIAL REVIEW: Bruce Feiler Reviews Dracula in Love **Bruce Feiler is one of America’s most popular voices on faith and family. He is the author of five New York Times bestsellers, including Walking the Bible, Abraham, and America’s Prophet. His latest book, The Council of Dads, tells the uplifting story of how friendship and community can help one survive life’s greatest challenges. Read his review of Dracula in Love:** Gorgeously written and erotically charged, the novel Dracula in Love is like its century-jumping central characters: deeply rooted in the past while pushing ageless mythology into strikingly current realms. Historical novels should have plenty of history, and this novel surely does. Romantic novels should have their share of sex and romance, and this novel delivers both. But its true revelation is its gripping sense of anticipation, heartache, discovery, and unflinching chill. With Dracula in Love Karen Essex turns her inimitable, piercing gaze to illuminating what should be familiar terrain--Victorian England--and what might seem like well-trod territory--a certain Count. Her considerable trick is to make you forget entirely all the baggage that attends her story by planting us firmly in the shoes and the psyche of one of the "victims," Mina Harker. I am walking up the steps of the finishing school with the quivering heroine; I am secreting away in London’s subterranean shadows with the jilted lover; I am traveling into the mysteries of southern Austria and Ireland's haunted west coast (yes, begone tired Transylvania!) where our heroine discovers her own dark powers. I shudder in horror and delight when the fangs make their inevitable plunge. I met Karen Essex when both of us were briefly embedded in the Southern gothic world of Nashville. She would soon unearth some of history’s most misunderstood women and vividly revive them for contemporary ears. From Kleopatra (note the provocative spelling) to the countess of Elgin (and her fascinating courtesan doppelganger from the ancient world, Aspasia) to feuding sisters who posed for Leonardo (watch the genius brought down to earth!), Karen overturns history’s conventions and shows how these women are keenly relevant today. I am hardly a vampire freak. The Twilight books "eclipsed" me. And I’ve never owned a set of plastic fangs. But I do love Karen Essex, and this novel is enough to make me a little bloodthirsty.<

In this major publishing event, two of the most important names in epic fantasy offer the first of a four-book series.<

From Publishers Weekly

In the bestselling Eddings duo's disappointing second entry in their Dreamers series (after 2003's The Elder Gods), the four gods (one for each point of the compass) face a new menace in the Land of Dhrall. Neither omnipotent nor omniscient, head god Dahlaine, his brother Veltan and their two sisters aren't even particularly bright. The Vlagh, an evil insectoid creature that's trying to take over the world by producing an army of mutated snake people, goes south to carry the fight for domination to Veltan's realm. The dreamers (the younger gods) forecast the coming horde and provide enough information for Dahlaine and his siblings to prepare themselves. Indeed, the gods' preparations for one rather tedious, unexciting battle occupy the bulk of the book. This fantasy comes as a great letdown from the authors of the luminous Belgariad series (Pawn of Prophecy, etc.). No true hero shines forth, and the gods' powerlessness makes them worse than cardboard cutouts. Filled with second- or even third-hand action, the story lacks urgency. The next volume desperately needs to be better in order to save the series.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Review

Praise for David Edings: 'Fantastic escapism' The Irish Times 'Offers an absorbing storyline and some memorable characters as, once again, the author touches all the right fantasy bases, with warring gods, political intrigues, supernatural creatures and appealingly human magicians involved in a titanic war over the course of seven millennia. Eddings fans will no doubt snatch this novel off the shelves while readers new to the authors' world won't find a more appropriate place to begin exploring it.' Publishers Weekly 'There's no denying Eddings' offerings do entertain. This novel is for fantasy fans fed up with more fusty fare, or for anyone who likes mischief and merriment.' West Australian

Review

Praise for David Edings: 'My ideal summer read! Having enjoyed the entire ten-book serial, I was delighted to be able to read this latest addition as it not only provides fantastic escapism in itself, but, being a prequel, will make my re-reading of the other books all the more fascinating.' The Irish Times 'All the verve and pace we've come to expect.' The Dark Side 'Offers an absorbing storyline and some memorable characters as, once again, the author touches all the right fantasy bases, with warring gods, political intrigues, supernatural creatures and appealingly human magicians involved in a titanic war over the course of seven millennia. Eddings fans will no doubt snatch this novel off the shelves while readers new to the authors' world won't find a more appropriate place to begin exploring it.' Publishers Weekl

About the Author

David Eddings was born in Washington State in 1931 and grew up near Seattle. He graduated from the University of Washington and went on to serve in the US Army. Subsequently he worked as a buyer for the Boeing company and taught college-level English. His first novel was a contemporary adventure, but he soon began a spectacular career as a fantasy writer with his bestselling series The Belgariad.

Review

Praise for David Eddings:‘My ideal summer read… Having enjoyed the entire ten-book serial, I was delighted to be able to read this latest addition as it not only provides fantastic escapism in itself, but, being a prequel, will make my re-reading of the other books all the more fascinating.’ THE IRISH TIMES‘All the verve and pace we’ve come to expect.’THE DARK SIDE‘Offers an absorbing storyline and some memorable characters as, once again, the author touches all the right fantasy bases, with warring gods, political intrigues, supernatural creatures and appealingly human magicians involved in a titanic war over the course of seven millennia. Eddings fans will no doubt snatch this novel off the shelves while readers new to the authors’world won’t find a more appropriate place to begin exploring it.’PUBLISHERS WEEKLY‘There’s no denying Eddings’offerings do entertain. This novel is for fantasy fans fed up with more fusty fare, or for anyone who likes mischief and merriment.’WEST AUSTRALIAN

About the Author

LEIGH EDDINGS has collaborated with her husband for more than a dozen years on numerous bestsellers.

From Publishers Weekly

Eddings begins his new Elenium series in a world that has different names but much the same feel as those of his bestselling Belgariad and Malloreon series. Fans will find themselves back in step as the Pandion knight Sparhawk sets off to find a cure for his poisoned Queen Ehlana. PW praised Eddings's "graceful, fluid style of storytelling."
Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

A young queen's life and a country's future lie in the balance as an exiled Pandion knight, a Styric "witch," an aging squire, and a mysterious child begin a long and arduous trek through foreign lands in search of an elusive cure for an unknown disease. The author of the popular "Belgariad" and "Malloreon" series draws once more on his particular strengths, combining heroic yet humorous characters with exotic settings and tangled politics to create a fast-moving fantasy that will appeal to his large readership. Highly recommended.-- JC
Copyright 1989 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Publishers Weekly

Sir Sparhawk and his companions seek the Bhelliom, an antidote to a rare poison administered to Elenia's queen. "Eddings's delightful style propels the reader along a well-crafted and carefully unfolding course, and even through the few places he falls back on cliches of the genre," said PW.
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

The Pandion knight Sparhawk and his companions continue their quest for the Bhelliom, the legendary jewel whose power alone can save a dying queen. Eddings's strength lies in his ability to create thoroughly likable heroes with personalities that transcend the formulaic fantasy genre. Graceful prose and judicious humor add style to this excellent addition to fantasy collections. Recommended.
Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Publishers Weekly

Eddings should satisfy his many fans with the final volume of his Elenium fantasy trilogy, an adroit mixture of the exalted and the mundane.
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Review

'What separates the grown-up authors from the boys is the quality of the writing and David Eddings is one of the best' Western Mail 'Sparhawk is the best-realized hero in modern fantasy' Daily Telegraph

From Publishers Weekly

Magic, insurrection, rebirth and new gods and cultures propel this first volume of a proposed second trilogy featuring Sir Sparhawk, Queen Ehlana and other stalwarts of Eddings's best-selling Elenium trilogy. The distant Tamul Empire, endangered by civil unrest exacerbated by paranormal (or magical, depending on the point of view) incidents, begs help from Sparhawk, destroyer of the Elder God Azash and savior of the Elenes. Undertaking the long journey to Tamul, the knight, his royal wife, their daughter Princess Danae and assorted followers encounter unrest in each of the lands through which they pass. Incidents taking more or less the same form--rumors, supported by rabble-rousing orators, of ancient heroes reborn to lead the downtrodden--arouse Sparhawk's suspicion of godly or magical opposition to his cause. Arriving in the Tamul capital, Sparhawk and his cohorts thwart a plot against the emperor but find disturbing evidence that the Troll-Gods and other old enemies are at work. Eddings' likable, spirited characters are not deeply etched but they reflect his original touch nevertheless.
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

Hard on the heels of the Elenium trilogy, Eddings launches a new fantasy epic featuring the futher adventures of Pandion knight Sparhawk and his companions. Eddings is a first-class storyteller with a gift for easy humor and colorful characters. There will be considerable demand for this title.
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Publishers Weekly

Sir Sparhawk and his wife, Queen Ehlana of Elenia, encounter ever more sinister plots in the second book of The Tamuli , following Domes of Fire , as they try to help the emperor of Tamuli take a firm grasp of the government. In a world of many gods, whose powers depend on the number and fervor of their worshippers, the royal couple find themselves pawns in the struggle of one entity to free his followers, albeit bloodthirsty and un-neighborly, from constraints placed upon them eons previously. Unrest spreads throughout Tamuli, with indications of sorcery and meddling by various gods, prompting the goddess Aphrael, reincarnated as the royal couple's young daughter Danae, to retrieve the powerful sapphire-rose jewel Bhelliom, hidden a few years earlier after being used to destroy the evil god Azash. While Sparhawk, Aphrael (now in the guise of the child Flute) and various companions race through a hostile countryside, encountering the mythical and abhorred Shining Ones, the queen and emperor play a more stylized game to keep the enemy at bay. Neatly blending simplicity and complexity, this tale of comradeship, dastardly doings, multiple gods, strange races and noble and ignoble humans is vintage Eddings.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Kirkus Reviews

Book Two of Eddings's latest trilogy (Domes of Fire, 1992): a second set of yarns about the Pandion Knight, Sparhawk, his wife, Queen Ehlana, and a supporting cast of thousands. This time out, our heroes quickly learn who is behind the latest crop of troubles: Zalasta, the Styric sage, who for hundreds of years has secretly nursed a virulent hatred of the child-goddess Aphrael, her sister Sephrenia, and the good guys in general. Sparhawk, meanwhile, learns to communicate with Bhelliom, the powerfully magical blue jewel that he has just retrieved from the sea with Aphrael's help. He has also made contact with the legendary Shining Ones, supposedly ghoulish types whose touch is death; they turn out to be victims of Zalasta's treachery and a centuries-old misunderstanding. The Shining Ones, in the process of becoming transcendental, need Bhelliom's assistance; in exchange, Xanetia, who can read minds, will help to expose the conspiracy that Zalasta created against the emperor Sarabian. Behind Zalasta, it emerges, is the god Cyrgon; he's prodding the Trolls to go to war by pretending to be their gods (they are actually trapped inside Bhelliom), so again Sparhawk must do rapid negotiating: the Troll-Gods, in return for their freedom, agree to restrain their Trolls and help defeat Cyrgon. Finally, Ehlana, left idiotically unprotected, is kidnapped by the bad guys. And so to volume three. Very little action, a great deal of chat, and lots of rather pointless embroidery. At least those who enjoyed volume one should be happy; non-fans need not bother. -- Copyright ©1993, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

From Publishers Weekly

In this conclusion to the trilogy begun with Domes of Fire, Sir Sparhawk must rescue his wife, Queen Ehlana of Elenia, from the followers of the mad god Cyrgon. Her kidnapping occurs as various Church Knights and Atan troops are finishing what they believe are mopping-up operations against the enemies of the Tamuli emperor, Sarabian. Ehlana's abductor is the son of the Styric renegade masterminding a plot against the emperor. Her safe return is promised in exchange for Bhelliom, the powerful living gem responsible for the destruction of the evil god Azash. The Pandion knight Berit, disguised as Sparkhawk by a spell, moves from place to place following the kidnappers' instructions, while Sparhawk, in another guise, seeks allies, and the child-goddess Aphrael (reborn as Ehlana's and Sparhawk's daughter Danae) calls on some reluctant fellow gods to lend aid. These moves are gravely complicated by the machinations of Cyrgon, who has unleashed Klael, the ancient embodiment of evil. A new note of introspection gives a fuller dimension to Eddings's rousing adventure.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

To rescue his beloved Queen from the clutches of a mad god's minions, the Pandion Knight Sparhawk confronts a monster capable of destroying his world. The conclusion to the latest series by the best-selling author of "The Belgariad" and other fantasy series promises to be a much-requested title. Libraries should purchase according to demand.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.

An unprecedented series of hurricanes has swollen the Mississippi River to unheard-of levels and is threatening to put New Orleans and most of the low-lying areas of the South under water. Fifteen-year-old Stephen is spending the summer with his father near a small town north of Lake Pontchartrain when another powerful hurricane arrives and the levees on the Mississippi River completely fail. In the anarchy and chaos that results, Stephen's father is killed, and the boy is left to fend for himself. Stephen soon encounters Angela, a college student whose parents have also been killed. Navigating the labyrinth of flooded fields and towns in an airboat, the two set out in search of Stephen's mother and higher ground. Armed with both guns and the skills his survivalist father has taught him, and repeatedly confronted by those who will kill for food, water and weapons, Stephen struggles to maintain hope and his humanity in the face of violence and desperation.<

SUMMARY: Trouble seems to find Stephanie everywhere she goes, and once again she's struggling with her tangled love life, chaotic family, and her God-given gift for destroying every car she drives. This time, Plum has decided to quit her job as a bounty hunter. She's tired of creeps, weirdos and stalkers. But just when she thinks she's out, they pull her back in! So fasten you seatbelt and hang on ? Stephanie's back in town.<