Private World

Sheriff Cliff Lansing is a single father, a part-time rancher, and an overworked lawman suddenly faced with a serial killing spree. A madman is moving through San Phillipe County on New Mexico's Continental Divide, leaving an owl feather by each of his ritually mutilated victims. While Lansing first suspects that Apache tribal politics lie behind the killings, he cannot ignore a troubled boy who claims to see the murders in his sleep, and then leads Lansing to the bodies. Suddenly, the sheriff is plunged into a bizarre world of Native American legend and magic.

When Lola comes home to her parents' house to find a horde of relatives mourning her death, no one is more surprised than she is. The news had reported that one Lola Cruz, private investigator, was found murdered in an alley, causing great alarm in the Cruz family. Before Lola can say, "boo", a cop comes to the house. It turns out the dead woman had a driver's license with Lola's information.

Veronica is late, and Julián is increasingly convinced she won't ever come home. To pass the time, he improvises a story about trees to coax his stepdaughter, Daniela, to sleep. He has made a life as a literature professor, developing a novel about a man tending to a bonsai tree on the weekends. He is a narrator, an architect, a chronicler of other people's stories. But as the night stretches on before him, and the hours pass with no sign of Veronica, Julián finds himself caught up in the slipstream of the story of his life—of their lives together.

Collected here are intersecting tales not just about Rimes but about friends, antagonists, and passersby who move through his world. Included are his first case as a PI, two pieces written by Bobby Chance, the backstory of a trial that shaped a friendship, the whereabouts of the Spider after his departure from Buffalo, and a novelette (inspired by two historic murder cases) that puts Rimes in the presence of someone truly demonic.

In mid September of 1943, Detroit private detective Sam Flanagan is contacted by the husband of a woman who drowned in their backyard pool six weeks ago. Along with the Detroit Police Department, Wayne County Coroner Fergus Macgregor is calling it “accidental”. And without any real evidence pointing in a different direction, that’s all they can do. The husband, Victor Girard, just wants to make sure he knows the whole story behind this tragic occurrence. There are troubling thoughts that continue to linger in his mind.

Sam is hot under the collar, and it has nothing to do with the summer swelter! The frail woman waltzed into his office on a steamy Saturday in July, wanting Sam to exonerate her husband of the charge of murder. But the murders occurred over 19 years ago and the man in question was killed in prison some months back. But that wasn't the worst of it! It just so happens that her husband was Carlo "the Confessor" Andolucci, the once-notorious Purple Gang member.

Ex-Israeli operative turned private investigator, Dotan Naor - to settle a bet - agrees to locate the missing son of former acquaintance, now ruthless Israeli arms merchant, Willy Mizrachi. Willy, who does not hesitate to sell killing machines to the most heinous players in the world, is desperate to find his only son, Itiel, who has headed to an ashram in the Himalayas. The Himalayas are also host to groups of young Israelis who have completed their mandatory military service - a sort of rite of passage.

Private detective Bill Smith is hurtled headlong into the most provocative - and personal - case of his career when he receives a chilling late-night phone call from the NYPD, who is holding his 15-year-old nephew Gary. But Gary escapes Bill's custody and disappears into the dark, unfamiliar streets. Bill and his partner, Lydia Chin, try to find the missing teen; their search takes them to a small town in New Jersey, where they discover that one of Gary's classmates was murdered.

In Shanghai, excavation has unearthed a cache of European jewelry dating back to World War II. The jewelry was immediately stolen by a Chinese official who fled to New York City. Hired by a lawyer specializing in the recovery of Holocaust assets, Chin and Pilarsky are to find any and all leads to the missing jewels. But Lydia soon learns that there is much more to the story than they've been told.

When the story opens, the eponymous hero of Rudolfo Anaya's novel is in an ambulance en route to a hospital for crippled children in the New Mexican desert. A poor boy from Albuquerque, 16-year-old Tortuga takes his name from the odd, turtle-shaped mountain that is rumored to possess miraculous curative powers. Tortuga is paralyzed, and not even his mother's fervent prayers can heal him. But under the mountain's watchful gaze, with the support of fellow patients, he begins the Herculean task of breaking out of his shell and becoming whole again.

Métis journalist Leo Desroches has just been released from jail. Fortunately for him, he is re-hired at the paper to write a popular column about crime. It’s summer; the city is hot and buzzing with mosquitoes, and it’s on track for a record number of homicides. Called to the scene of an apparent overdose of a young Native man in the inner city, Leo witnesses some rocks falling out of the body bag, and he picks them up. At first he believes they are crack cocaine but discovers that the rocks are really rough diamonds.

Len Moscow has always been a man of mystery. But after being transferred to George Lee’s Psychiatric Hospital, the ruthless nurses in charge of straightening him out soon realize just how little they know about this self-centered, eccentric murder suspect.

P.I. Bill Smith is sent on a high-stakes chase when an electronically modified voice on his cell phone informs him that Lydia Chin, his occasional partner, has been kidnapped. Now, if Bill wants to keep Lydia alive, he'll have to play an elaborate game of the kidnapper's devising. The first move sends him to an abandoned building, where Bill finds the corpse of a small Chinese woman dressed like Lydia and the building being rapidly surrounded by police. Now he's on the run....

Lydia Chin, a Chinese-American P.I. who lives in New York City's Chinatown, is hired for a simple job. She's to deliver the ransom for a set of stolen sketches that comprise the inaugural collection of fashion designer Genna Jing and her new label, Mandarin Plaid. But everything on this simple job goes terribly wrong. The ransom is stolen out from under Lydia, her sometimes partner, Bill Smith, is arrested, and just as she is trying to sort out exactly what is really going on, the client fires her.

American-Born Chinese P.I. Lydia Chin is called in on what appears to be a simple case. Jeff Dunbar, art world insider, wants her to track down a rumor. Contemporary Chinese painting is sizzling hot on the art scene and no one is hotter than Chau Chun, known as the Ghost Hero. A talented and celebrated ink painter, Chau's highly-prized work mixes classical forms and modern political commentary. The rumor of new paintings by Chau is shaking up the art world. There's only one problem - Ghost Hero Chau has been dead for twenty years, killed in the 1989 Tianamen Square uprising.

A little sex. A little death. Most people would kill to live in glamorous Palm Beach, with its beautiful women, five-star resorts, and dazzling coast. But most people don't know what really goes on in the bedrooms of the rich and famous....Mark Durand did - and now the handsome high-class "walker," who escorted the wealthiest women to posh affairs, is dead, his beheaded corpse found in an abandoned cattle pen.

Introducing the ultimate audiobook bundle for anyone looking to learn about the world of hedge funds and private equity! This comprehensive collection includes two essential titles: "Hedge Funds and Private Equity" and "The Golden Age of Hedge Funds." This bundle will teach you about hedge funds, different strategies and techniques used by hedge funds and how to evaluate the potential risks and rewards of these investment vehicles.

At the end of World War II, John Christiansen, a Mormon soldier, was visiting the Vatican when the Pope singled him out. “You must be a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I’d like to talk to you.” John found himself in the very rare position of having a private audience with Pope Pius XII. What did the Pope want to know about the Mormon church? This fascinating account comes from a recording discovered on an old reel-to-reel tape.

BrainGymJr focuses on strengthening aptitude through application and use of Mathematics, English and Real-world Skills across puzzles & stories. In this book, Children enjoy learning with five fun conversational short stories that introduce an interesting new concept from the real-world environment while enabling language skills.

BrainGymJr is a child development platform that teaches children how to think, not what to think. We orient children to think independently, creatively and adopt a solution-oriented approach. This is done through reinforcement of age-appropriate content in the form of challenges and conversational learning through interactive stories.