Mean Woman Blues is the NINTH book in Edgar-winner Julie Smith’s Skip Langdon mystery series

THE MOST DANGEROUS MAN IN THE WORLD IS TRYING TO KILL HER…

That would be the Rev. Errol Jacomine, crazy as a fox that just ate a loon, and more dangerous than a cell full of serial killers. She’s Detective Skip Langdon, the New Orleans cop who’s twice smashed his criminal endeavors, yet each time he’s managed to slip away. Now he’s mad. In both senses of the word. And he has the connections to have her killed—or worse, those she loves.

After one near-miss and several nasty threats, Skip is driven by fear that she’ll lose the people dearest to her. Despite finding herself disgraced in her own home town (Jacomine knows how to frame as well as kill), she goes on the hunt for a maniac with a gift for conning people and the extreme makeover to make it work.

THREE ANGRY WOMEN, EACH ONE DISSED, SCORNED, AND HELL-BENT...

But by now Jacomine’s madness has escalated to the point that he’s finally gone too far with too many people. Before it's over, more than one person’s stalking him, and some are women feeling as mean as their quarry. If Langdon doesn't get there first, there’ll be a bloodbath. If she does, only one person will walk away—and Jacomine’s as lucky as he’s ruthless.

"Smith combines a powerful heroine, creepily believable villain, and rich New Orleans setting." -Booklist

Fans of Nevada Barr, Ace Atkins, Laura Lippman, and Karin Slaughter will love Detective Skip Langdon’s pluck and charm in this action-packed psychological thriller.

This saga of a son of the working class who grows into a piano prodigy is “hypnotically readable . . . The best story I know of in a long, long time” (Vanity Fair).
 
As a boy, Claude Rawlings looks up through the grated window of his basement apartment to watch the world go by. Poor, lonely, supported by a taxi-driver mother whose eccentricities spin more and more out of control, he faces the terrible task of growing up on the margins of life, destined to be a spectator of that great world always hurrying out of reach. But there is an out-of-tune piano in the small apartment, and in unlocking the secrets of its keys, as if by magic, Claude discovers himself. He is a musical prodigy.
 
Body & Soul is the story of a young man whose life is transformed by a gift. The gift is not without price—the work is relentless, the teachers exacting—but the reward is a journey that takes him to the drawing rooms of the rich and powerful, private schools, a gilt-edged marriage, and Carnegie Hall. Claude moves through this life as if he were playing a difficult composition, swept up in its drama and tension, surprised by its grace notes. Music, here, becomes a character in its own right, equaled in strength only by the music of Frank Conroy’s own unmistakable and true voice.
 
Bristling with character and invention, Body & Soul is Dickensian in its range and richness. This is a novel with all the emotional appeal and moral gravity of a classic bildungsroman, but with a tone as contemporary as a jazz riff—an unforgettable achievement by one of the great writers of our time.

“I’m the fixer your board hired to clean up your mess.”

“So you show up here, break into my house, and take a bath?”

Emily Stanton’s perfect life just became a disaster. She has a trust fund brother looking for a handout, a father who is more board member than dad, and a mother who thinks she should give up on this whole billionaire CEO thing and meet a man with a pre-nup and a yacht.

Oh, and then there’s that “misunderstanding” with law enforcement witnessed by Miami’s paparazzi. Now her billion-dollar deal is on the line, and there’s a naked man in her bathtub who claims he’s going to make all her problems disappear.

Charming—and happy to bend the rules when necessary—Derek Price has made a living polishing the tarnished images of the rich and famous. He’s never lost, and he never takes clients to bed. Until the dazzling Emily. Derek promised her a win and offered up a lifetime supply of orgasms as part of the deal. But if he can’t stop her enemies, he’ll end up losing much more than he bargained for.

Author Notes: An enemies-to-allies-to-lovers workplace romcom with a meet-nude, four lady billionaire BFFs, a hero whose many talents include styling hair and picking pockets, the best dang drag queen brunch in Miami, and a shameless romance novelist cameo.

From #1 New York Times bestselling author Brandon Sanderson, the Mistborn series is a heist story of political intrigue and magical, martial-arts action.

For a thousand years the ash fell and no flowers bloomed. For a thousand years the Skaa slaved in misery and lived in fear. For a thousand years the Lord Ruler, the "Sliver of Infinity," reigned with absolute power and ultimate terror, divinely invincible. Then, when hope was so long lost that not even its memory remained, a terribly scarred, heart-broken half-Skaa rediscovered it in the depths of the Lord Ruler's most hellish prison. Kelsier "snapped" and found in himself the powers of a Mistborn. A brilliant thief and natural leader, he turned his talents to the ultimate caper, with the Lord Ruler himself as the mark.

Kelsier recruited the underworld's elite, the smartest and most trustworthy allomancers, each of whom shares one of his many powers, and all of whom relish a high-stakes challenge. Only then does he reveal his ultimate dream, not just the greatest heist in history, but the downfall of the divine despot.

But even with the best criminal crew ever assembled, Kel's plan looks more like the ultimate long shot, until luck brings a ragged girl named Vin into his life. Like him, she's a half-Skaa orphan, but she's lived a much harsher life. Vin has learned to expect betrayal from everyone she meets, and gotten it. She will have to learn to trust, if Kel is to help her master powers of which she never dreamed.

This saga dares to ask a simple question: What if the hero of prophecy fails?

Other Tor books by Brandon Sanderson

The Cosmere

The Stormlight Archive
The Way of Kings
Words of Radiance
Edgedancer (Novella)
Oathbringer

The Mistborn trilogy
Mistborn: The Final Empire
The Well of Ascension
The Hero of Ages

Mistborn: The Wax and Wayne series
Alloy of Law
Shadows of Self
Bands of Mourning

Collection
Arcanum Unbounded

Other Cosmere novels
Elantris
Warbreaker

The Alcatraz vs. the Evil Librarians series
Alcatraz vs. the Evil Librarians
The Scrivener's Bones
The Knights of Crystallia
The Shattered Lens
The Dark Talent

The Rithmatist series
The Rithmatist

Other books by Brandon Sanderson

The Reckoners
Steelheart
Firefight
Calamity

At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.

In THE PERFECT BLOCK (Book #2), rookie criminal profiler Jessie Hunt, 29, picks up the pieces of her broken life and leaves suburbia to start a new life in downtown Los Angeles. But when a wealthy socialite is murdered, Jessie, assigned the case, finds herself back in the world of picture-perfect suburbia, hunting a deranged killer amidst the false facades of normalcy and sociopathic women.

Jessie, thriving again in downtown LA, is sure she’s moved on from her suburban nightmare. Ready to put her failed marriage behind her, she lands a job with the local police department, deferring her acceptance to the FBI’s Academy.

She is assigned a straightforward murder in a wealthy neighborhood, a simple case to start her career. But little do her bosses know, there's more to the case than anyone suspected. Nothing can prepare her for her first case, one that will force her to probe the minds of the wealthy, suburban couples she’d thought she’d left behind. Behind their polished family pictures and manicured hedges, Jessie realizes, perfection is not what it seems.

A fast-paced psychological suspense thriller with unforgettable characters and heart-pounding suspense, THE PERFECT BLOCK is book #2 in a riveting new series that will leave you turning pages late into the night.

Book #3 in the Jessie Hunt series—THE PERFECT HOUSE—is now also available!

A Quick guide to personal style, positive attitude and inner strength. With combination of outer appearance and inner strength find the best in you. Simple and effective ways to have a positive attitude and winning personality

Award Winning Book Series

A fun read, a tool for life, a hidden object game and a coloring book - All in one book!

"You're fat! You're a small baby! You sound weird!"
I bet i can find something about you that's different!

Don't let your child deal with this alone!
Whether it's your size, weight, color, voice, the way you walk or even how youGiggle and snort.We're all somehow different, but kids can be mean and know how to triggerthose pain points!
Although this book talks about a short girl which gets bullied by her classmates as an example , this story and the tool she is taught may be applied to any other day to day scenario in life.
Through an inspiring tale about the sun and the moon and how everyone no matter how different they are has unique traits and skills, this real life story shows parents and kids alike what is really important in life - like having a good heart and turning bullying into new friendships.

Here's what readers are already saying about this amazing picture book:

(5*)- "I've read several indie children's books already and come across some really bad or mediocre illustrations. However, not this one! The illustrations in this are really beautiful, they capture what is being said perfectly. These illustrations give life to the story!" - Nikki

(5*)- "Asaf has a very clever way of writing these stories without the child realizing that there is a meaning behind them and is teaching them to be kind" - sallyann

(5*)- "I love the interactivity of the book and the image search game at the end. This would be a great book to have in a classroom or summer reading program" - Lindsey

(5*)- "For every parent to a kid who is a little bit different or actually any parent at all...Short or Tall is a must read book. My girl (3yo) loves it and the colourful illustrations, and she even enjoys explaining now why you shouldn't mock other kids" - AR

>>> Grab your copy now and read it with your kids tonight

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ Prince Trent Konig ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

I was born an Elite and forged by the king.

I’m ruthless and soulless, a bastard to fear.

I’m merciless, I’m fierce, and trained to kill.

I’m broken, I’m evil, not worthy of her love.

My Baby Girl has a halo; she’s truly an angel.

I always knew she’s my soul mate, and yet I force myself to wait.

This wild need compels me to claim her and drives me insane.

My heart aches, my soul rages, and I refuse to have her near.

I can’t crown her my queen; thus, the kingdom is not at peace.

The danger and intrigue shroud the Elite.

The wrath of war is in the air, and a woman’s scorn is always a power to fear.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ Lady Yvette Kaiser ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

I pray he forgets his past deeds, his fears and believes in the greatness that he is.

No matter what he thinks, no matter where he goes, I keep my eye on him, waiting for his call.

I wait, I dream, I think of him.

I place my heart in his hands, knowing that he’s my man.

I only know that we belong, and our souls are fated to be one.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Experience the world of the ruthless masters, the Elite Supreme Power dictating society and the world.

Taste the excitement and the mysterious allure of falling in love.

Enjoy the opulence, the adventure, the power wars, the suspense, the corruption, the drama, lies, secrets, and the omnipresent danger cloaking their life.

The Elite power is supreme, but love brings them to their knees!

Note ~ Elite Power, Supreme Legacy Series are also standalone stories and no cliffhangers. (Dark Mafia Romance . . . . . . HEA)

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ Excerpt! ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

"Baby Girl you're my weakness! I have to work, I have responsibilities, and I’m dark. You know why we need to wait, and you know that I have needs, but that doesn’t mean that you’re not my heart, my queen.”

Yvette clear green eyes tear up, she sniffs, glaring at him she points her index finger against his hard-chiseled chest, emphasizing every word.
“Don’t you get it?

Really? I can’t stand this! You keep telling me that. I’m trying to be patient.
Do you know, do you understand that I’m hurting? Yes, I hurt when I know that
you’re out. . . . out there with some hussies! I. . . . . want . . . .you, I want to see you every day!”

“Baby Girl.”

“Do you know what I want? I want you to handle your needs yourself or come to me. This bullshit that I have needs doesn’t cut it!”

“Ok, I’ll handle it because we’re waiting!”



 

★★★★★ "Fun, fast, fresh!" - Word Junkie
★★★★★ "This stand-alone is easy to read and hard to put down." -BookZilla

Imagine your favorite teachers from high school are dying, mysteriously murdered one by one soon after the arrival of the new English instructor...

Mackenzie August is starting a new life. After a successful but destructive career as a high-profile California homicide detective, and then a less successful and even more destructive stint working for a church, he has moved to Virginia to start over as an instructor. The only thing he's bringing with him is Kix, his infant baby boy. He plans for peaceful living with his son, but trouble soon finds him as his new co-workers begin showing up dead outside of his classroom...

Sheriff Blake Gatlin has moved to rural Montana for a fresh start, but when he meets Brandyne, a single mom of five struggling to make ends meet he is determined to be the only man around helping her out.

But Brandyne is determined to stand on her own two feet very aware that Blake isn’t jumping in for a ready-made family. But when Brandyne’s past comes knocking she is forced to decide between love and what is right for her children.

MARRIED IN MONTANA
His Promise
Love's Promise
A Promise of Forever
 

She's a kitchen witch who can't cook and there's a dead guy haunting her dreams. When Tamsyn's life starts to feel like one big hex, will moving to her aunt's B&B on a remote Maine island work like a charm, or be her worst choice ever?

Tamsyn Bassett is having a bad week. Like, the losing your job and getting dumped by your boyfriend kind of bad. So when her great aunt invites her to spend the summer at her inn, Tamsyn jumps at the chance. Instead of the peaceful getaway she expected, she's immediately confronted with the preposterous revelation that she's descended from a long line of kitchen witches and is the last hope of her generation to keep magic alive in Pinecroft Cove. That she's the world's worst cook could be an issue.

As if navigating a strange new world of spells, magic, and exploding blueberry pies isn't enough to handle, that awkward boy who had a crush on her when they were kids seems to turn up everywhere she looks. Only now that he's a super dreamy doctor, it's Tamsyn's turn to be the awkward one. If she didn't know better, she'd swear someone put a hex on her.

One more thing. Tamsyn's pretty sure she's being haunted, and not by just any ghost but by Doctor Dreamy's dead uncle. If she can't harness her powers in time to figure out the truth behind his mysterious death, she may never have a moment of peace again.

When death strikes the island’s controversial real estate mogul, will Tamsyn’s newly discovered powers be any match for murder?

Don’t miss the new Witches of Pinecroft Cove series of paranormal cozy mysteries!

HELLO, IT’S YOUR PAST CALLING…

“Placing blame” thinks Marina Robinson, “is my life’s work. And why?” There’s a lot in her past to account for—nightmares and terrors, crimes and betrayals that happened half a world away, ten years go. Now she’s an engineer with a great job. She’s a failure analyst, an investigator who figures out what causes accidents, and she’s working on her most fascinating case--the fatal crash of a roller coaster--when suddenly the phone rings. And her world tilts…

The elusive, unidentified caller can be only one person—Catherine, her beloved younger sister who supposedly died in a fire ten years ago. Once again—for the moment abandoning her case--Marina is inexorably drawn back to India, the country that seduced her so long ago in so many ways, where something unspeakable happened to a child, and where she herself participated in misdeeds so shocking she can’t forgive herself. She starts by tracking Catherine’s lost lover, Nagarajan, the irresistibly charismatic guru under whose spell Catherine fell those many years ago, a man so dangerous, so full of hubris he took his name from Indian snake gods, and who at times seemed more serpent than human. But who is also reportedly dead—a suicide in a jail cell.

Thus begins an odyssey of fear and danger--far from dead, Nagarajan seems to be everywhere, and so do his disciples (at least those who haven't gone mad from guilt). Nowhere, it seems, is Marina safe, nor is anyone who knows anything about the young victim of Nagarajan’s atrocities. Wherever she turns, the path seems strewn with fresh bodies. Just when the jig seems up, Marina calls on her skills as a failure analyst and Thompson pulls off a surprise ending that will leave you gasping.

Fault Tree is that rare novel that pulls us into the exotic experience of a stranger in a strange land, much like Ruth Prawer Jhabvala's Heat and Dust or Gregory David Roberts' Shantaram.

Who will like it: fans of intricate mysteries with an adventurous female protagonist, as well as readers who loved Heat and Dust, Shantaram, John Irving’s A Son of the Circus, Paul Scott’s The Raj Quartet, M.M. Kaye’s The Far Pavilions, even H.R.F. Keating’s Inspector Ghote mystery series and E.M. Forster’s Passage to India Plus all Indian movies--and the Masterpiece Theater series Indian Summers!

PRAISE FOR FAULT TREE:

“[Michaela Thompson] presents us with what is perhaps the off-beat thriller of the year, part mystery, part mysticism, difficult to categorize but easy to enjoy.” -SAN DIEGO UNION

“[Thompson] cleverly weaves threads of past and present into a cogent tale that speeds the reader through mystic India and home again in an adventure that both thrills and logically unveils an elusive mystery.” -LIBRARY JOURNAL

“Full of danger and breathless action . . . Very skillfully plotted. There are well-laid clues to reward the reader who is not swept away. Another cornerstone of [Thompson's] writing is carefully researched and vividly drawn settings. Her Indian cities and countrysides are as convincing as the Florida coast in Hurricane Season.” -SAN JOSE MERCURY NEWS

“In this first installment of Sutter’s new series, heroine Jade Monroe has just completed FBI training and is assigned to help track down a serial killer in the Houston area. As bodies accumulate, the agents learn that each victim’s death involved a cement block, and their job is to figure out why. The smart, risk-taking heroine that readers came to admire in Sutter’s previous Jade Monroe novels is back and in rare form, and the stakes have never been higher, especially when Jade makes a rash decision that threatens to end her FBI career when it’s barely begun. The action never slows down in this book, a wild romp of a thriller that Sutter fans will find deeply satisfying.” Angela M., Editor, Red Adept Editing


Murder happens in Houston, but when the most recent murders take on disturbing similarities, local law enforcement officers fear a serial killer is roaming their streets.

Former sheriff’s department sergeant Jade Monroe has just graduated from the FBI’s serial crimes unit in homicide and is called to Houston with her partner, J.T. Harper, to take on her first assignment—apprehending the person responsible for these gruesome crimes.

With victims piling up and the clock ticking, Jade and J.T. need to intensify their search because there’s no sign the killer is slowing down.

After a late-night epiphany while she’s alone, Jade suddenly comes face to face with the killer, and now Jade is missing. The clock continues to tick—but this time it’s for her.

There is an ancient evil in the Back Country, dormant for centuries but now hungry and lurking. When it sets its sights on an unsuspecting mother one routine morning along an isolated stretch of highway, a quiet farming family is suddenly thrust into a world of unspeakable terror, and a young girl must learn to be a hero.

From a USA Today Bestselling author, a timely and intense new mystery.
 

Until you know who to trust, trust no one.

The disappearance of a prep school girl from an affluent family leads to a world of hidden secrets more shocking and horrifying than anyone could imagine.

FBI Agent Victoria Heslin investigates alongside local police, but the mysteries only get deeper. Why are the girl’s parents so uncooperative? And why are the local authorities resisting her help?

When her efforts uncover a sex trafficking operation, Heslin enlists friend and fellow Agent Dante Rivera to go rogue and try to save the girls, before it’s too late.

Pretty Little Girls is the second book in the Agent Victoria Heslin Series by USA Today Bestselling Author Jenifer Ruff. It can be read as a standalone.

Praise from Amazon and Goodreads Reviewers:

“Captivating, relevant, impactful.”

“Eye-opening!”

“An important topic handled with taste and empathy.”

“Timely and scary!”

“Once you start you won’t be able to breathe until the end.”

“Could not put this down!”

“Timely and realistic. It hits a nerve and gets the blood boiling. Jenifer Ruff has the ability to bring you INTO the story instead of just observing it.”
 

Grab your copy today!

Susan Mallery, #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Fool’s Gold romances, proves there’s nowhere better than Happily Inc to rekindle first love.

Silver Tesdal has a head for business and a mouth made for kissing, and banker Drew Lovato has his eye on both. But ever since he was dumb enough to let her go, she’s kept him at a distance. When the bank turns her down for a loan, Drew sees a double opportunity—he can finance her brilliant, unique idea to rock Happily Inc’s wedding industry and win back her trust.

Despite her reputation, Silver’s not as tough as she seems. Losing Drew nearly destroyed her. Still, his kisses are as tempting as his offer to invest in her business. If she can’t quite get over him, maybe she should get under him and knock him out of her system once and for all.

But her best laid plans begin to unravel as Silver finds herself falling even harder than when they were high school sweethearts. Which means that she’ll have to come clean about the secret she’s been hiding from him for years—and risk losing him forever.

"Thrilling, suspenseful and heart-stopping!" ~NYT Bestseller Alessandra Torre

He’s death for hire…

Some people measure life in hours. Days. Weeks. I measure mine in kills. A covert military mission gone wrong robbed me of my memory and any link to my past. This is my existence now. I execute and survive. Nothing more, nothing less. I was ready to write Isabel Foster’s name in my ledger of unfortunate souls until she uttered the one word that could stop the bullet meant for her. My name.

She knows my face. She knows me. She’s the key to the memories I’m not sure I want back. Now nothing is simple. I still have a job to do, and my soul isn’t worth saving. I’m not the man she thinks I am. I can’t love her. And sparing her life puts us both in the crosshairs.

Only trust can save her….
 
Sailing to London, Sophia Braighton only hopes to escape certain ruin. But when she arrives, her Great Aunt Daphne has other plans for the American-born beauty.  Determined to marry off her niece to a man of means, she propels Sophia into London society, not knowing that the young woman’s trust in men is shattered. In fact, Sophia never expects to ever feel anything for a man. Then again, she never expects to find herself in the
company of the dashing earl of Marlton….
 
From the moment he sees Sophia, Daniel Fallon feels alive in a way he has not since his broken engagement.  Though the vulnerable beauty shies from the passion burning bright between them, Daniel is determined to court her and make her his bride. And when he learns of the painful secret she harbors, he is equally determined to take revenge on the man responsible. But will the quest destroy him—and his future with his beloved?

The killer is cunning and ruthless, but even the best killers make mistakes.

Emerald O'Brien, author of unpredictable mysteries packed with suspense, brings you the first thrilling novel in the Avery Hart trilogy that keeps readers guessing until the final installment.

Avery Hart narrowly escapes death after being attacked in the woods of Crown River. Ten years later...
The body of a young woman is discovered along the path of a park in the same town.
The next woman to be attacked survives and reveals a potential link between the current killer on the loose and the attack on Avery years ago.
Noah Cotter, an ambitious new inspector, becomes drawn to the case when his curiosity combines with his attraction to Avery.
The dangerous search for truth appears to be muddied with each shocking secret brought to light as they realize that when someone is deceived for too long, sometimes...

Lies Come True

"An uncommonly well-characterized murder mystery about the friendship between a politician, a priest and a police lieutenant…" –Best Thrillers

Three friends, inseparable as children, take very different paths toward adulthood. In spite of the distances that emerge among them, they are thrust together by the tragedy of death. Each affected in different ways. Giuseppe Lozano, a candidate for U.S. Senate, returns home one night to find his wife and three children mysteriously murdered. There seems to be no motive, and little evidence is left at the scene. How will this affect him and his run for office? Giovanni Lozano, a Catholic priest, is forced to look beyond the violence to find the presence of God. As a brother and uncle, he feels anger and a desire for revenge. As a priest, he is torn by the call of a God who loves all people-good and bad. Can he forgive? Tom Moran, a detective with the Los Angeles Police Department, is charged with finding the murderer and building a case for justice. He feels no call to forgive. Nor is he driven by ambition. This case is personal. But can he deliver?

Three lives. Three friends. Will the bonds of friendship survive?