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SUMMARY: Although the Thomases were not initially liked by villagers, Trixie Thomas has become a model of domestic efficiency--the perfect wife. So it comes as a great shock to everyone when she is found dead--to everyone but police inspector Hamish Macbeth.<

Poison pen letters lead to murder in this new Hamish Macbeth mystery from M.C.Beaton. When the townspeople of Lochdubh begin receiving poison pen letters, no one takes them very seriously, even if they are full of wild accusations. But Hamish fears that they might lead to something deadly. His instincts prove correct when the town's postmistress is found hanging from a rope with a poison pen letter at her feet. Though it appears to be a suicide, Hamish suspects something more sinister. Attempting to trace the letters, the last thing Hamish needs is any distractions, but soon Jenny Ogilvie arrives in Lochdubh determined to seduce him. Realizing that she is unable to take Hamish's mind off his case, Jenny decides to do a little investigating of her own. Now, Hamish finds himself in a race to solve the mystery of the poison pen letters before someone else dies, including one likely target-Jenny.

EDITORIAL REVIEW: When Hamish Macbeth hears that there has been a murder at the home of the practical joker Arthur Trent, he doesn't race to the scene of the crime. The last time he was called to investigate a death at the manor, the victim turned out to be a manservant covered in fake blood. Ready for another prank, Hamish arrives to find Trent most decidedly dead.<

SUMMARY: HOLLYWOOD IN THE HIGHLANDS With the lovely Priscilla Halburton-Smythe away in London, Lochdubh Constable Hamish Macbeth pines for company during the long Scottish winter. He gets his wish -- and more -- when a troupe of flashy, urbane filmmakers clamors into the nearby town of Drim. Before long bedlam erupts around their make-believe mystery ...and culminates in the sudden appearance of one very real corpse. The initial suspect in the killing is one Patricia Martyn-Broyd, the aging mystery writer furious that her musty old cozies are getting a risque face-lift in their TV reincarnation. Yet, going behind the scenes, Hamish soon finds a town full of locals bitten by the movie bug and a cast of quarreling show business types, all harboring their own secrets, lies, and hidden agendas. And as the culprit strikes again, Hamish must quickly find the right killer -- or script the wrong finale to a show gone murderously awry.<

EDITORIAL REVIEW: "Pure bliss." Atlanta Journal & Constitution A Hamish Macbeth Mystery by the author of "Death of a Hussy." With a cold in his head and no place to go for Christmas, Hamish snaps up the invitation of drop-dead gorgeous Jane Wetherby to spend the holiday at her Scottish island health farm -- and figure out who is trying to kill her. When Hamish arrives on the island of Eileencraig, he finds threatening locals and fellow guests barely more civil, especially a terrible snob named Heather Todd. It seems like everyone on the island has a grudge against Jane. How to choose among so many suspects? But then one suspect is eliminated. Heather Todd is murdered. And suddenly Hamish's Christmas is looking very black indeed . . .<

SUMMARY: "ENTRANCING . . . A GEM." --Ocala Star-Banner Hamish Macbeth's life is going to pot. He's been promoted (horrors!), his boss is a dunce, and--to add insult to injury--a sinister self-proclaimed gypsy and his girlfriend have parked their rusty, eye-sore-of-a-van in the village. Hamish smells trouble and as usual he's right. The doctor's drugs go missing. Money vanishes. Neighbors grow suddenly unneighborly. And when the unsavory newcomer is murdered, Hamish regrets it only because his bones tell him the killer may be one of his friends. Nobody wants to volunteer even a scrap of useful information, so canny Hamish single-handedly sets about the delicate work of worming the facts out of his neighbors. Yet in the process he uncovers a story so bizarre that neither he nor the villagers may ever recover from it. . . . "EXCELLENT.. . . A cast of winning characters." --Publishers Weekly "Scottish writer M. C. Beaton develops the locals with humor and verve." --The Christian Science Monitor<

SUMMARY: Recovering addict Tommy Jarret rented a chalet to check on reports of a sea monster near the dour village of Drim. When he turns up dead, apparently of a drug overdose, Lochdubh constable Hamish Macbeth finds the lad's demise to be particularly fishy - and not of the local salmon variety. Hamish decides to infiltrate the illicit drug trade in nearby Strathbane, but his daft scheme springs a leak.<

SUMMARY: Murder is a Tasty Dish The most hated man in the most dour town in Scotland is sleeping with the fishes, or-more accurately-dumped into a tank filled with crustaceans. All that remain of the murdered victim are his bones. But after the lobsters are shipped off to Britain's best restaurants, the whole affair quickly lands on the plate of Constable Hamish Macbeth. Exiled with his dog, Towser, to the dreary outpost of Cnothan, Macbeth sorely misses his beloved Lochdubh, his formerly beloved Priscilla Halburton-Smythe, and his days of doing nothing but staring at the sheep grazing in a nearby croft. Now the lawman has to contend with a detective chief inspector who wants the modus operandi hushed up, a dark-haired lass who has an ulterior motive to seduce him, and a killer who has made mincemeat of his victim-and without doubt will strike again...<

SUMMARY:
A thirteen-year-old girl seemingly destined for a modeling career finds she has a deformation of the spine called scoliosis.

SUMMARY: David Baldacci-the #1 bestselling author of The Whole Truth and First Family-returns with his most surprising, heart-stopping, and timely thriller to date . . . DELIVER US FROM EVIL - Evan Waller is a monster. He has built a fortune from his willingness to buy and sell anything . . . and anyone. In search of new opportunities, Waller has just begun a new business venture: one that could lead to millions of deaths all over the globe. On Waller's trail is Shaw, the mysterious operative from The Whole Truth, who must prevent Waller from closing his latest deal. Shaw's one chance to bring him down will come in the most unlikely of places: a serene, bucolic village in Provence. But Waller's depravity and ruthlessness go deeper than Shaw knows. And now, there is someone else pursuing Waller in Provence-Reggie Campion, an agent for a secret vigilante group headquartered in a musty old English estate-and she has an agenda of her own. Hunting the same man and unaware of each other's mission, Shaw and Reggie will be caught in a deadly duel of nerve and wits. Hitchcockian in its intimate buildup of suspense and filled with the remarkable characters, breathtaking plot turns, and blockbuster finale that are David Baldacci's hallmarks, DELIVER US FROM EVIL will be one of the most gripping thrillers of the year. SUMMARY: David Baldacci-the #1 bestselling author of The Whole Truth and First Family-returns with his most surprising, heart-stopping, and timely thriller to date . . . DELIVER US FROM EVIL - Evan Waller is a monster. He has built a fortune from his willingness to buy and sell anything . . . and anyone. In search of new opportunities, Waller has just begun a new business venture: one that could lead to millions of deaths all over the globe. On Waller's trail is Shaw, the mysterious operative from The Whole Truth, who must prevent Waller from closing his latest deal. Shaw's one chance to bring him down will come in the most unlikely of places: a serene, bucolic village in Provence. But Waller's depravity and ruthlessness go deeper than Shaw knows. And now, there is someone else pursuing Waller in Provence-Reggie Campion, an agent for a secret vigilante group headquartered in a musty old English estate-and she has an agenda of her own. Hunting the same man and unaware of each other's mission, Shaw and Reggie will be caught in a deadly duel of nerve and wits. Hitchcockian in its intimate buildup of suspense and filled with the remarkable characters, breathtaking plot turns, and blockbuster finale that are David Baldacci's hallmarks, DELIVER US FROM EVIL will be one of the most gripping thrillers of the year. SUMMARY: David Baldacci-the #1 bestselling author of The Whole Truth and First Family-returns with his most surprising, heart-stopping, and timely thriller to date . . . DELIVER US FROM EVIL Evan Waller is a monster. He has built a fortune from his willingness to buy and sell anything . . . and anyone. In search of new opportunities, Waller has just begun a new business venture: one that could lead to millions of deaths all over the globe. On Waller's trail is Shaw, the mysterious operative from The Whole Truth, who must prevent Waller from closing his latest deal. Shaw's one chance to bring him down will come in the most unlikely of places: a serene, bucolic village in Provence. But Waller's depravity and ruthlessness go deeper than Shaw knows. And now, there is someone else pursuing Waller in Provence-Reggie Campion, an agent for a secret vigilante group headquartered in a musty old English estate-and she has an agenda of her own. Hunting the same man and unaware of each other's mission, Shaw and Reggie will be caught in a deadly duel of nerve and wits. Hitchcockian in its intimate buildup of suspense and filled with the remarkable characters, breathtaking plot turns, and blockbuster finale that are David Baldacci's hallmarks, DELIVER US FROM EVIL will be one of the most gripping thrillers of the year.<

SUMMARY: In the year 2301, the wealthiest man in the universe is determined to commit murder in a world in which telepaths are used to detect possible crimes before they can happen. Reprint. 10,000 first printing.<

Review

'I enjoyed The Painted Man immensely. Action and suspense all the way.' Terry Brooks 'An absolute masterpiece... literally unputdownable, and deserves to be the next Big Thing in dark fantasy.' www.ozhorrorscope.com. 'A very accomplished debut fantasy. Recommended.' www.sfrevu.com. Reader Reviews: 'If the next two books in this series live up to this one it will be one day named as a classic fantasy series.' Joanne Horsley, (NSW) 'What a book!!! I am going to go insane waiting for the sequel/s to come out!!' Robert San Remo (NSW) 'Fantastic first book for his trilogy!! This is a name to remember.' Linda Naremburn (NSW) 'Absolutely brilliant! This one will easily slot up there as one of my top 5 or 10 favourites, and will be strongly recommended.' ANZ WA account manager response. 'The first in a fabulous new fantasy series that is likely to become a classic. Excellent fantasy literature; can't wait for the next book. The Cairns Post 'It is impossible to put this book down.' Merryl (Dianella, WA) 'An excellent book. It kept me awake long after I should have gone to bed.' Rachelle (Burnie, TAS) 'A great read and not your average fantasy.' Bonnie, Booktagger Rating: 9/10.

About the Author

Peter went to the University at Buffalo, where he studied Dungeons & Dragons, fencing, and girls. Somehow, he also managed to earn a (totally useful!) Bachelor of Arts degree in English with a minor in Art History in 1995. Following college, Peter spent approximately 8 months managing a comic shop and pondering what to do with his life. He then went into medical publishing, squandering ten years of his physical prime sitting in a cubicle. He contented himself with writing books he never hoped to sell. In June of 2007, his hard work and perseverance paid off, as he sold his 4th novel, THE PAINTED MAN, and in October of 2007, he left his day job to pursue writing full time. He lives in Brooklyn NY with his wife Dani and two cats, Jinx and Max Powers.

Nicholas St. Croix knows the evil of demons intimately-he was raised by one. Now the woman he loves has disappeared, and he knows his mother" is responsible. But Nicholas swears he'll find her, even if he has to go to Hell and back. "<

In Turquoise, New Mexico, a small group of hippies believe that the mountain north of town emits a constant, resonant hum that is only audible to a chosen few. They call themselves the Hearers, and the fact that fourteen-year-old Kevin Brown has never trusted them makes it all the worse when his own ears begin to ring, and he comes to realize The Turquoise Hum may be much more than a sound.<