A Journey through Challenges

Four never-before-published paranormal tales from a quartet of top-tier talents.In the realm between the living and the undead, between human and immortal, four of today's most thrilling authors explore the delight that ensues when opposites come together...New York Times bestselling author MaryJanice Davidson challenges a charlatan exorcist with a sexy dead woman-and an unnatural romance.USA Today bestselling author Emma Holly introduces a beautiful scientist to the realm of the Demon World...and an irresistible male she has experimented on.National bestselling author Vickie Taylor throws a hell-bent man into the arms of a beautiful dark angel who is driven by ethereal desires of her own.And award-winning author Catherine Spangler gives a vampire prostitute a last chance at redemption when an angelic hunk offers her a night of divine lovemaking.

Journalist Abigail Pogrebin is many things--wife, mother, New Yorker--but the one that has defined her most profoundly is "identical twin." As children, she and her sister, Robin, were inseparable. But when Robin began to pull away as an adult, Abigail was left to wonder not only why, but also about the very nature of twinship. What does it mean to have a mirror image? How can you be unique when somebody shares your DNA?In One and the Same, Abigail sets off on a quest to understand how genetics shape us, crisscrossing the country to explore the varied relationships between twins, which range from passionate to bitterly resentful. She speaks to the experts and tries to answer the question parents ask most--is it better to encourage their separateness or closeness? And she paints a riveting portrait of twin life, yielding fascinating truths about how we become who we are.From the Trade Paperback edition.

From a legendary translator: a magnificent new rendering of Spains national epicVenture into the heart of Islamic Spain in this vibrant, rollicking new translation of The Song of the Cid, the only surviving epic from medieval Spain. Banished from the court of King Alfonso, the noble warrior Rodrigo Diaz, know as the Cid, sets out from Castile to restore his name. In a series of battles, he earns wealth and honor for his men and his king, as well as fame and admiration for himself. But it is in rescuing his daughters from their ill-suited marriages that the Cid faces the ultimate challenge to the medieval heroic ideal.

Meet The Bear—a cat who carries the weight of the world on his furry shoulders, and whose wise, owl-like eyes seem to ask, Can you tell me why I am a cat please? Like many intellectuals, The Bear would prefer a life of quiet solitude with plenty of time to gaze forlornly into space and contemplate society's ills. Unfortunately, he is destined to spend his days surrounded by felines of a significantly lower IQ. There is Janet, a large man cat who often accidentally sets fire to his tail by walking too close to lighted candles; Ralph, a preening tabby who enjoys meowing his own name at 5AM; and Shipley, Ralph's brother, who steals soup but is generally relaxed once you pick him up and turn him upside down. And then there's Tom Cox, writing with wit and charm about the unexpected adventures that go hand-in-hand with a life at the beck and call of four cats. This heartwarming Sunday Times bestselling memoir about a man at the mercy of his unpredictable,...

Fourteen-year-old Ben Tracy goes to Pakistan with his environmental-activist mother, who then travels across the border into Afghanistan, leaving Ben behind, where it’s safe. But Ben and his new friend, Aarya, are kidnapped and find themselves caught up in a terrifying planned Taliban attack that could destroy Southern Afghanistan killing thousands. And when Ben sees their kidnappers are carrying some sort of weapon that looks like a suitcase, he realizes that their lives are in serious danger.

What have we not done to live forever? Adam Leith Gollner, the critically acclaimed author of The Fruit Hunters, weaves together religion, science, and mythology in a gripping exploration of the most universal of human obsessions: immortality. Raised without religion, Adam Leith Gollner was struck by mankind’s tireless efforts to cheat aging and death. In a narrative that pivots between profundity and hilarity, he brings us into the world of those whose lives are shaped by a belief in immortality. From a Jesuit priest on his deathbed to antiaging researchers at Harvard, Gollner— sorting truth from absurdity—canvasses religion and science for insight, along with an array of cults, myths, and fringe figures. He journeys to David Copperfield’s archipelago in the Bahamas, where the magician claims to have found “a liquid that reverses genes.” He explores a cryonics facility, attends a costume party set in the year 2068 with a group of radical life-extensionists, and soaks in the transformative mineral waters at the Esalen Institute. Looking to history, Gollner visits St. Augustine, Florida, where Ponce de León is thought to have sought the Fountain of Youth. Combining immersive reporting, rigorous research, and lyrical prose, Gollner charts the rise of longevity science from its alchemical beginnings to modern-day genetic interventions. He delves into the symbolic representation of eternal life and its connection to water. Interlaced throughout is a compelling meditation on the nature of belief, showing how every story we tell about immortality is a story about the meaning of death. “Part journalist, part detective, part scientist.” (New York Post). Adam Leith Gollner has written a rollicking and revelatory examination of our age-old notion of living forever.**

In this lively and colorful book of popular history, journalist Betsy Israel shines a light on the old stereotypes that have stigmatized single women for years and celebrates their resourceful sense of spirit, enterprise, and unlimited success in a world where it is no longer unusual or unlikely to be unwed. Drawing extensively on primary sources, including private journals, newspaper stories, magazine articles, advertisements, films, and other materials from popular media, Israel paints remarkably vivid portraits of single women—and the way they were perceived—throughout the decades. From the nineteenth-century spinsters, of New England to the Bowery girls of New York City, from the 1920s flappers to the 1940s working women of the war years and the career girls of the 1950s and 1960s, single women have fought to find and feel comfortable in that room of their own. One need only look at Bridget Jones and the Sex and the City gang to see that single women still maintain an uneasy relationship with the rest of society—and yet they radiate an aura of glamour and mystery in popular culture. As witty as it is well researched, as thoughtful as it is lively, Bachelor Girl is a must-read for women everywhere.

M?lodie is the heartfelt memoir of a Japanese man's life with his golden retriever—or rather of his golden retriever's life with him. Fidelity, patience, attachment, love and family ties are illuminated through the demands and joys of living with a large dog in a small apartment in Tokyo.Akira Mizubayashi's attachment to M?lodie profoundly transforms how he lives his life and makes him reimagine the nature of relationships between humans and animals.In his homage to M?lodie, Mizubayashi offers a moving account of faithful love and compromise.

Once the toast of good society in Victoria's England, the extraordinary conjurer Edward Moon no longer commands the respect that he did in earlier times. Still, each night he returns to the stage of his theater to amaze his devoted, albeit dwindling, audience, aided by his partner, the Somnambulist—a silent, hairless, hulking giant who, when stabbed, does not bleed. But these are strange, strange times in England, with the oddest of sorts prowling London's dank underbelly. And the very bizarre death of a disreputable actor has compelled a baffled police constabulary to turn once again to Edward Moon for help—inevitably setting in motion events that will shatter his increasingly tenuous grasp on reality. From Publishers WeeklyStarred Review. Set in Victorian London, this superb debut from British author Barnes raises the bar for historical thrillers, starting with its curious opening line: Be warned. This book has no literary merit whatsoever. A page-turner, it's full of peculiar characters, notably Edward Moon, a highly unorthodox detective, and Moon's bizarre sidekick, known only as the Somnambulist. Moon, a conjuror by profession whose act has fallen on hard times, has cracked some of the city's most notorious murders. Now, he's leading the investigation into a shadowy religious group aiming to overtake London and do away with its oppressive, bourgeois tendencies. Moon is a remarkable invention, a master of logic and harborer of all sorts of unnatural habits and mannerisms. The Somnambulist—a giant, milk-swigging mute—doesn't appear to be human at all, yet serves as Moon's moral as well as intellectual compass. Together, they wend their way through a London rich in period detail. Barnes saves his best surprise for the story's homestretch, when he reveals the identity of his narrator, who's been cleverly pulling strings since the opening. (Feb.) Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. Review"A cheeky tale...salvaged from the sensationalist novels of the past three centuries....it doesn't take an English-lit wonk to appreciate the antic mind that would name two of the grotesquely deformed prostitutes in Mrs. Puggsley's brothel after virginal victims of Count Dracula." (New York Times )"A cheeky tale...salvaged from the sensationalist novels of the past three centuries....it doesn’t take an English-lit wonk to appreciate the antic mind that would name two of the grotesquely deformed prostitutes in Mrs. Puggsley’s brothel after virginal victims of Count Dracula." -- New York Times"A comic extravaganza, deftly plotted, fiendishly clever, and wonderfully funny. . . . One of the classiest entertainments I've read." (Christopher Bram, author of Exiles in America )"A comic extravaganza, deftly plotted, fiendishly clever, and wonderfully funny. . . . One of the classiest entertainments I’ve read." -- Christopher Bram, author of Exiles in America"A first novel that shows all the polish and poise of a master storyteller..By turns disquieting, funny, and taunting." (St. Louis Post-Dispatch )"Anyone who loves a good, kind of creepy thriller most likely will find something to love in [these] pages.. Thoroughly enjoyable." (Kansas City Star )"Macabre wit and stylistic panache. Parliament should immediately pass a law requiring Barnes to write a sequel." (James Morrow, author of The Last Witchfinder and The Philosopher's Apprentice )"Magical, dark, beautifully odd-and utterly compelling-this is an astonishing debut." (Michael Marshall, author of The Intruders )"Old school entertainment in the penny-dreadful tradition that almost succeeds in being as sublime as it is ridiculous." (Entertainment Weekly )"Sneaky, cheeky, and dark in the best possible way, Jonathan Barnes' massively entertaining THE SOMNAMBULIST manages to make the familiar daringly unfamiliar. I enjoyed the heck out of this novel." (Jeff Vandermeer )"Strange, outrageous, and wonderful . There is much that is strange, magical, and darkly hilarious about this book . An original and monumentally inventive piece of work by a writer still in his 20s. Barnes seems to leave himself room for a sequel-a consummation devoutly to be wished." (Washington Post )"The Somnambulist is not your great-grandfather's mystery yarn." (Richmond Times-Dispatch )"This superb debut from British author Barnes raises the bar for historical thrillers." (Publishers Weekly )"This superb debut from British author Barnes raises the bar for historical thrillers." -- Publishers Weekly"[B]rilliant...Barnes crafts one of the finest first novels of the young century...Truly surprising plot twists and red herrings abound." (Austin Chronicle )"[B]rilliant...Barnes crafts one of the finest first novels of the young century...Truly surprising plot twists and red herrings abound." -- Austin Chronicle

Gwen Bishop, wife, mother, and struggling real estate agent, has two big fears: claustrophobia and being buried in suburban obscurity. When she signs her dream listing, a multi-million dollar beachfront property in Laguna Beach, California, she's sure her problems are behind her. And they would be, if it wasn't for the secret in the basement and the body in an upstairs bedroom.When the crime scene tape comes down, Gwen enlists the aid of a handsome co-worker with a background in construction to help her ready the house for sale and bolster her flagging courage. But every time they're ready to put it back on the market, something goes horribly wrong. She must face old fears and new ones, temptations and buried truths. Gwen is determined to sell the dream house—or die trying.

"I have no intention of marrying you!" Lizzie was astounded when her widowed father decided to marry Noah Jordan's beautiful sister. It made her all the more aware that it was time she found a husband of her own! But that didn't mean she was about to accept Noah's marriage proposal.... Noah was rich, gorgeous, charming, but he saw marriage to Lizzie simply as a means of keeping her under control--a temporary measure to give the newlyweds time alone. Lizzie was determined not to become a convenient bride--but Noah was equally determined to have her!

SAS Sergeant Geordie Sharp is required to undertake two top-secret missions, in the full knowledge that, if things go wrong, the authorities will deny all involvement. In the first mission he is to serve as a commander of a hit team on a Black, or 100 per cent non-attributable operation assigned to the SAW, the Regiment's ultra-secret Subversive Action Wing. His target is an Iraqi who defected to Libya after the Gulf War. The aim is to kill him and leave no clue to the identity or origin of the assassins. Returning to base, Sharp finds he must also carry out a high-level political assassination on mainland Britain. If he fails, his four-year-old son will die at the hands of the IRA. Trapped between opposing forces in a fight to the death, he twists and turns through a nightmare maze, desperately seeking some way of averting tragedy. Who will be hit the hardest — Geordie Sharp or the British government?