Persuasion unfolds against the backdrop of early 19th-century England, where societal norms and familial expectations shape the lives of its characters. At the heart of the narrative is Anne Elliot, a woman of quiet strength and discernment. The story begins with a fateful decision: Anne, guided by the counsel of her family, reluctantly breaks off her engagement with the charming and ambitious Captain Frederick Wentworth. Eight years pass, and the...

'Twas the week before Christmas, and Julia Snowden's escape from New York has just hit a snag. Fresh off accidentally poisoning half her colleagues with her "Killer Eggnog," Julia's would-be subletter, Imogen Geinkes, is now jobless and homeless-leading Julia to invite the young woman home for the holidays in Maine. But when they unload the rental truck in Busman's Harbor, they find something that wasn't on anyone's packing list: the body of Imogen's...

'Tis the season for hot chocolate and mouthwatering treats. But sometimes too much of a good thing can be downright deadly . . . CHRISTMAS COCOA MURDER by CARLENE O'CONNOR Siobhán O'Sullivan's hopes for a quiet Irish Christmas are dashed when the local Santa turns up dead in a carnival dunk tank of hot cocoa. Now instead of hunting down holiday gifts, she's pursuing a heartless killer. Seems the dead Santa was no angel either, stealing neighborhood...

“This book is a chance to get a fix on some of India’s best crime writers” (The Globe and Mail, Toronto).
 
These fourteen original stories, from some of India’s most outstanding literary talents, take you into a world of sex in parks, male prostitution, and vigilante rickshaw drivers. Set in a city plagued by religious riots, soulless corporate dons, and murderous servants, this collection offers...

Rapunzel and Prince Benjamin are both trapped, one in a tower by an evil witch, the other by his royal duties, but when their paths cross, aided by friends and a little luck, conditions change for them both.

In this short story by four great Victorian authors, a woman's fascination with an abandoned house reveals mystery and intrigue within. Written by Charles Dickens, Wilkie Collins, Elizabeth Gaskell, and Adelaide Anne Procter, "A House to Let" tells the story of an elderly woman who moves to London for a change of scenery. Fascinated by signs of life emanating from a supposedly abandoned house, she entreats two rival helpers to investigate. On their...

In "The Cruel Equations," a planetary explorer finds out how lethal it can be when a robot guard has been designed to do too perfect a job. The fifteen other stories in this collection are "Can You Feel Anything When I Do This?", "Cordle to Onion to Carrot," "The Petrified World," "Game: First Schematic," "Doctor Zombie and His Little Furry Friends," "The Same to You Doubled," "Starting From Scratch," "The Mnemone," "Tripout," "Notes on the Perception...

This is Carl Van Vechten's 1921 collection of short stories, 'Lords of the Housetops'. Every story is linked by a common theme of cats, each telling a fantastic tale of feline adventure and daring-do. This volume is ideal for children with a love of cats. The stories include: 'Cats', 'The Cat', 'Zut', 'A Psychical Invasion', 'The Afflictions Of An English Cat', 'Gipsy', 'The Blue Dryad', 'Dick Baker's Cat', 'The Black Cat', 'Madame Jolicoeur's Cat',...

Nothing is sweeter than the first kiss of summer...
Say You'll Stay by Susan Mallery
Shaye Harper has sworn off men for good. But when she meets army vet Lawson Easley during a pit stop on the road to a fresh start, she's drawn in by the quirky town—and the handsome stranger she can't resist. Lawson knows there's no place better than Wishing Tree. Too bad the woman he's certain is "the one" is just passing through...unless he can convince...

Available for the first time in one volume: three delectably puzzling mystery stories—including the Anthony Award–winning story “Lucky Penny”—starring the inimitable taxi-driving Boston private investigator Carlotta Carlyle
Six-foot-tall, redheaded ex-cop and Boston-based private eye Carlotta Carlyle is “the genuine article: a straightforward, funny, thoroughly American mystery heroine” (New...