Stross's lively third volume in his Merchant Princes SF series (after 2005's The Hidden Family) finds 33-year-old Boston journalist Miriam Beckstein still caught in a "barely post-feudal" alternate world where she's part of a mafiosa-like family called "the Clan." The Clan is holding Miriam's mother hostage in an effort to force the reluctant, thoroughly modern Miriam to make a politically advantageous marriage. Also dragged into deadly Clan politics is Miriam's ex-boyfriend, Mike Fleming, a DEA agent who has infiltrated Miriam's world on the orders of Homeland Security. Miriam's foolish, headstrong decisions help propel the fast-paced plot. Mike's discovery that the Clan may have planted nuclear weapons on our world raises the ante. While Miriam can be frustratingly dense, playing right into her captors' hands, the book gallops along to a cliffhanger ending that will leave readers eagerly awaiting future installments

When Milo Morai, the Undying High Lord, and his Horseclans warriors found the tower ruins, they welcomed it as the perfect citadel from which to hold off the packs of ravenous wolves eager for their blood. But the ancient building hid a secret far more dangerous than either wolves or any human foe, for in its depths waited The Hunter—the penultimate product of genetic experimentation gone wild, one of the few descendants of a powerful breed that had long outlasted its human creators. The Hunter—who, with fang, claw, and blood-chilling speed—would challenge the Undying Lord himself to a battle to the death

When her parents are killed by an earthquake, 5-year-old Ayla wanders through the forest completely alone. Cold, hungry, and badly injured by a cave lion, the little girl is as good as gone until she is discovered by a group who call themselves the Clan of the Cave Bear. This clan, left homeless by the same disaster, have little interest in the helpless girl who comes from the tribe they refer to as the "Others." Only their medicine woman sees in Ayla a fellow human, worthy of care. She painstakingly nurses her back to health-a decision that will forever alter the physical and emotional structure of the clan. Although this story takes place roughly 35,000 years ago, its cast of characters could easily slide into any modern tale. The members of the Neanderthal clan, ruled by traditions and taboos, find themselves challenged by this outsider, who represents the physically modern Cro-Magnons. And as Ayla begins to grow and mature, her natural tendencies emerge, putting her in the middle of a brutal and dangerous power struggle.Although Jean Auel obviously takes certain liberties with the actions and motivations of all our ancestors, her extensive research into the Ice Age does shine through-especially in the detailed knowledge of plants and natural remedies used by the medicine woman and passed down to Ayla. Mostly, though, this first in the series of four is a wonderful story of survival. Ayla's personal evolution is a compelling and relevant tale. -Sara Nickerson -This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title

From world-renowed author Erich Segal comes a powerful and moving saga of five extraordinary members of the Harvard class of 1958 and the women with whom their lives are intertwined. Their explosive story begins in a time of innocence and spans a turbulent quarter century, culminating in their dramatic twenty-five reunion at which they confront their classmates-and the balance sheet of their own lives. Always at the center; amid the passion, laughter, and glory, stands Harvard-the symbol of who they are and who they will be. They were a generation who made the rules-then broke them-whose glittering successes, heartfelt tragedies, and unbridled ambitons would stun the world

What surprises can await a suburban housewife, going to a class reunion? Some get older, some get balder, some get… deader? A challenge for Jane Jeffry, who is a cross between Miss Marple and Erma Bombeck

Gene Wolfe’s The Book of the New Sun is an extraordinary epic, set a million years in the future, on an Earth transformed in mysterious and wonderful ways. Severian is a torturer, exiled from his guild after falling in love with one of his victims, and now journeying to the distant city of Thrax, armed with his ancient executioner’s sword, Terminus Est. Won Nebula Award for Best novel in 1981. Won Locus Award for Best Fantasy Novel in 1982. Nominated for Hugo and World Fantasy Awards in 1982

Thomas Copeland has just turned forty years old, but unlike some men his age, he’s not going to have a midlife crisis. Sure, he works at a small grocery store on the North Carolina coast, he doesn’t have many friends, and he’s unmarried and childless, but he’s content with his simple life. Others, however, are not so content, and they want to make sure Thomas knows it. Between a family curse, wanderlust-filled (and lust-filled) co-workers, a dangerously unhappy sister, and a vindictive ex-friend-with-benefits, Thomas finds himself in an exhausting battle to maintain his idyllic lifestyle. Will Thomas be able to resolve — or at least survive — these dramas? Will he find love, or just tepid one-night stands? Will his boss ever notice he’s cleaned the bathroom? What will he get his Secret Santa giftee? And what will be the ultimate fate of the grocery store where he works? “The Clerk” is both satirical and poignant, a riveting exploration of the choices people make in the pursuit of freedom and success. You’ll never look at a grocery store the same way again

In a weedy lot on the outskirts of Memphis, two boys watch a shiny Lincoln pull up to the curb... Eleven-year-old Mark Sway and his younger brother were sharing a forbidden cigarette when a chance encounter with a suicidal lawyer left Mark knowing a bloody and explosive secret: the whereabouts of the most sought-after dead body in America. Now Mark is caught between a legal system gone mad and a mob killer desperate to cover up his crime. And his only ally is a woman named Reggie Love, who has been a lawyer for all of four years. Prosecutors are willing to break all the rules to make Mark talk. The mob will stop at nothing to keep him quiet. And Reggie will do anything to protect her client — even take a last, desperate gamble that could win Mark his freedom... or cost them both their lives

She was found stabbed to death on a quiet, shaded street in one of Los Angeles ' safest neighbourhoods. For three months the police have found no clues to the murder of Hope Devane, psychology professor and controversial author of a pop-psych bestseller, and angry indictment of men. Now homicide detective Milo Sturgis, newly assigned to the case, turns to his friend, psychologist Dr Alex Delaware, looking for insights into Devane's life. To both men the cold stalking of Hope Devane suggests calculation fuelled by hate – an execution. They discover why as they unlock, one by one, the very private compartments of her life: her marriage, her shadowy work for a Beverly Hills clinic, the Conduct Committee she ran with an iron hand at the University, and her baffling link to another murder victim. But it is when Alex delves into her childhood that he begins to understand the formidable woman she was – and the ties that entangled her life until the horrifying act of betrayal that ended it

On New Year's Eve, 1940, James Paradine makes a speech to his family. Valuable documents have disappeared and the culprit has until midnight to confess. A few minutes after twelve James is dead and it is up to retired governess turned private detective Miss Silver to solve the mystery

An easygoing young girl becomes inextricably involved with the Emerson family when she takes a job as their handyman

Wizardly schemes, Jorian knew, went oft a-gley. But this time the wizard's plan seemed simple. Since ancient prophecy foretold that the clocks would save Iraz, Jorian must repair the great tower clocks that his father had built. If everything went well, Karadur could then plan the rescue of Jorian's beloved wife, Queen Estrildis, from Xylar. And Jorian would be appointed Clockmaster of Iraz, a position that would require him to break a pirate siege, placate an amorous priestess, and stay at least one step ahead of the Royal Guard of Xylar - where he was still wanted as the star attraction at a royal beheading!

Visit 1920s steampunk Seattle. Exile yourself to a far-future colony world where everyone’s name is the same. Join a fleet of boats seeking storms in a post-apocalyptic America. Dive to 113 feet and find the secret of your father’s disappearance. Run from the radioactive sunrise or wait for it to take you; solve murder mysteries or become a victim yourself. For the past six years, Josh Roseman has been taking readers on journeys through time and space, bringing compelling characters and worlds to life while never forgetting the human elements. THE CLOCKWORK RUSSIAN AND OTHER STORIES collects fifteen pieces, from novellas to flash-fiction, including the titular story (in print for the first time ever), in which a former police detective with a secret is hired to find out who killed a Russian watchmaker’s brother. Whether you like action or introspection, high technology or the near-future, short stories or longer adventures, THE CLOCKWORK RUSSIAN AND OTHER STORIES has a story for you. (Unless you like zombies. There aren’t any zombies in this book. Sorry.)

Evaline Stoker and Mina Holmes never meant to get into the family business. But when you’re the sister of Bram and the niece of Sherlock, vampire hunting and mystery solving are in your blood. And when two society girls go missing, there’s no one more qualified to investigate. Now fierce Evaline and logical Mina must resolve their rivalry, navigate the advances of not just one but three mysterious gentlemen, and solve murder with only one clue: a strange Egyptian scarab. The stakes are high. If Stoker and Holmes don’t unravel why the belles of London society are in such danger, they’ll become the next victims

Third in the national bestselling series-military science fiction on the edge. Rogue clone Wayson Harris is stranded on a frontier planet-until a rebel offensive puts him back in the uniform of a U.A. Marine, once again leading a strike against the enemy. But the rebels have a powerful ally no one could have imagined

Lt. Wayson Harris was born and bred as the ultimate soldier. But he is unique, possessing independence of thought. And when the military brass decide to blame the clones for the decimation of the U.A. republic, Lt. Harris decides to stop being the scapegoat, with all the firepower he can muster

2514 A.D.: An unstoppable alien force is advancing on Earth, wiping out the Unified Authority's colonies one by one. It's up to Wayson Harris, an outlawed model of a clone, and his men to make a last stand on the planet of New Copenhagen, where they must win the battle and the war - or lose all

After a blistering defeat by alien forces, clone soldier Lt. Wayson Harris and his brethren have been exiled to the far reaches of the galaxy where the Unified Authority intends to use them as targets for live-fire training exercises. But the clones they created and trained to fight have founded their own empire. Now, Harris will unleash his rage against the might of the U.A. Fleet, leading an army with everything to fight for, and one thing to die for-revenge

Earth, 2516 A.D.: The Unified Authority has spread human colonies across the Milky Way, keeping strict order with a powerful military made up almost entirely of clones. But now the clones have formed their own empire, and they aim to keep it…no matter who they must defeat

PFC Wayson Harris is just another clone born and bred to fight humanity's battles for them. But when he learns that his fellow Marines are being slaughtered to make room for the newer model of clone soldier, he goes AWOL―and plans revenge

The Closers puts Harry Bosch back in the Los Angelese Police Department, where he was meant to be, and sets him to solving old cases, which is what he always did best, alongside Kiz Rider, who was always the best of the partners fate, and Connolly, gave him. They are working on the death of a bi-racial teenager back in the 1980s, abducted from her bedroom and shot dead. The racial tensions of the time are clearly a factor – the DNA of a known racist is trapped in blood on the gun – but in a Michael Connolly novel, things are never as simple as they seem. And Bosch finds, not to his especial surprise, that he has been asked back into the LAPD as someone's weapon in the dance of departmental politics. The death of Backy Verloren was a tragedy – the investigation of her murder was a series of mistakes that left her father an alcoholic mess and her mother an obsessive trapped in the past, and someone profited by their misery. Connolly is always at his best when Harry is caught up in the problems of other people, rather than his own, and this excellent, twisty police procedural is a snappy return to form

Cloud atlas is a cleverly written book consisting of six seperate, but connecting stories set across six different periods in time. Each story has been chopped in two and symmetrically placed in the book so you don’t discover the conclusion to the first tale until the very end of the book. This layout effectively creates a storytelling ripple where the sixth and final story is told, as a whole, at the books central core, before the reader then moves back out in the direction they came to discover each of the other characters destiny’s

Moon has spent his life hiding what he is — a shape-shifter able to transform himself into a winged creature of flight. An orphan with only vague memories of his own kind, Moon tries to fit in among the tribes of his river valley, with mixed success. Just as Moon is once again cast out by his adopted tribe, he discovers a shape-shifter like himself... someone who seems to know exactly what he is, who promises that Moon will be welcomed into his community. What this stranger doesn't tell Moon is that his presence will tip the balance of power... that his extraordinary lineage is crucial to the colony's survival... and that his people face extinction at the hands of the dreaded Fell! Now Moon must overcome a lifetime of conditioning in order to save and himself... and his newfound kin

"Saer is one of the best writers of today in any language." — Ricardo Piglia "What Saer presents marvelously is the experience of reality, and the characters' attempts to write their own narratives within its excess." — Bookforum In modern-day Paris, Pichón Garay receives a computer disk containing a manuscript — which might be fictional, or could be a memoir — by Doctor Real, a nineteenth-century physician tasked with leading a group of five mental patients on a trip to a recently constructed asylum. Their trip, which ends in disaster and fire, is a brilliant tragicomedy thanks to the various insanities of the patients, among whom is a delusional man who greatly over-estimates his own importance and a nymphomaniac nun who tricks everyone — even the other patients — into sleeping with her. Fascinating as a faux historical novel and written in Saer's typically gorgeous, Proustian style, The Clouds can be read as a metaphor for exile — a huge theme for Saer and a lot of Argentine writers — as well as an examination of madness. Juan José Saer was the leading Argentinian writer of the post-Borges generation. The author of numerous novels and short-story collections (including Scars and La Grande), Saer was awarded Spain's prestigious Nadal Prize in 1987 for The Event. Five of his novels are available from Open Letter Books. Hilary Vaughn Dobel has an MFA in poetry and translation from Columbia University. She is the author of two manuscripts and, in addition to Saer, she has translated work by Carlos Pintado

An exotic setting and a passionate, forbidden affair make The Clouds Beneath the Sun an irresistible page-turner that is sure to satisfy readers looking for an intelligent blend of history, romance, and intrigue. Mackenzie Ford (a nom de plume) was introduced to readers in 2009 with the publication of Gifts of War, which was praised in USA Today as “an absorbing, morally complex read.” In a starred review, Library Journal said, “Ford keeps the reader on a knife’s edge as the lies build and the truth is only a word or misstep away. Highly recommended.” Now Ford takes us to Kenya in 1961. As a small plane carrying Natalie Nelson lands at a remote airstrip in the Serengeti, Natalie knows she’s run just about as far as she can from home. Trained as an archeologist, she accepted an invitation to be included in a famous excavating team, her first opportunity to escape England and the painful memories of her past. But before she can get her bearings, the dig is surrounded by controversy involving the local Masai people—and murder. Compounding the tension, Eleanor Deacon, friend of the Masai, who is leading the excavating mission, watches a rift grow between her two handsome sons. Natalie’s growing attrac­tion to Jack Deacon soon becomes a passionate affair that turns dangerous when she must give evidence in a trial that could spark even more violence and turmoil. The startling beauty of the Kenyan setting, the tension of loom­ing social upheaval, and the dizzying highs and crushing lows of a doomed love affair are all captured brilliantly on every page of this extraordinary and utterly unforgettable novel

Toby Greene has been reassigned. The Department: Section 37 Station Office, Wood Green. The Boss: August Shining, an ex-Cambridge, Cold War-era spy. The Mission: charged with protecting Great Britain and its interests from paranormal terrorism. The Threat: an old enemy has returned, and with him Operation Black Earth, a Soviet plan to create the ultimate insurgents by re-animating the dead

When Trae finds his mate in the most unlikely time and place, nothing will stop him from claiming her. Trae’s father, the current pack Alpha, is putting pressure on him to stop cavorting in the ménage club and find a mate. The responsibilities are weighing on him and Trae is starting to doubt whether he’ll find his mate before the time has run out on the ultimatum his father has given him. Then Olivia, a human, walks into his life. Olivia has a fantasy of being with two men at the same time. When her friend drags her to The Club to have her wildest desires fulfilled, the night turns out to be more than she expects. Trae, a wolf, and Anton, a vampire, are two sexy men who want to help bring her fantasy to life. However, when the true bite of passion shifts her life in a direction she never dreamed, can she trust her heart and the wolf that claims her as his?

Fallen angels, satanic manuals, and a passion for the works of Raphael Sabatini and Alexandre Dumas among others—this is the stuff of Spanish author Arturo Pérez-Reverte's engrossing novel The Club Dumas. Set in a world of antiquarian booksellers where dealers would gladly betray their own mothers to get their hands on a rare volume, The Club Dumasis a thinking person's thriller: in addition to a riveting plot, the book is full of intriguing details that range from the working habits of Alexandre Dumas to how one might go about forging a 17th-century text. Woven through these meditations is enough murder, sex, and the occult to keep both the hero, Lucas Corso, and the reader hopping. As in his previous novel, The Flanders Panel, set in the world of art restoration, Mr. Pérez-Reverte has written a literary thriller to tease both the intellect and adrenaline gland. Lucas Corso makes a complex, ultimately sympathetic hero, and there's plenty to delight in the intricate twists and turns the story takes before the mystery of The Club Dumas is finally solved

In celebration of the 75th anniversary of the first appearance of Nancy Drew, Applewood Books is pleased to release the 20th volume in its reproductions of the Original Nancy Drew-Just as You Remember Her. The Clue in the Jewel Box was ghostwritten by Mildred Wirt. It was first issued in January 1943. Its nostalgic dust jacket art and frontispiece were illustrated by Russell Tandy. In The Clue in the Jewel Box Nancy and her friends help Queen Madame Alexandra search for her missing grandson. With only an old photograph of the prince at four years of age, Nancy begins her search. She discovers a secret in a jewel box that helps reunite the royal family

The fishing season was on — Sheriff Bill Eldon was making his regular swing through the mountains — then death struck suddenly