Böcker utgivna av Open Road Media

In this suspense novel by the bestselling author of The Devil's Advocate, a Catskills realtor's life begins to unravel after discovering her doppelganger. Cynthia Palmer Warner is worried her imagination is running away with her. Her husband, Stephen, and brother, Jason, are working long hours to grow the Palmer family business, and Jason's misogynistic attitude seems to be wearing off on Stephen. Stephen is antagonizing his wife more and more and Cynthia can't stand it. But when she finds old news clippings about Karla Hoffman, things get worse. Karla was the same age, had the same face and the same odd marital dilemma. The trouble is, Karla was murdered by her brother fifty years ago, and Cynthia can't help but wonder if she'll meet the same fate . . . "An expert weaver of suspense." --Fresh Fiction

An ad exec's dream date drags her into a twisted conspiracy in this romantic suspense tale by the bestselling author of The Devil's Advocate. Twenty-six-year-old Jillian Caldwell is on the verge of a promotion at a New York City advertising agency. Her mother, however, is more concerned that Jillian is the only one of her children who isn't married or engaged. It's not that Jillian hasn't tried. The men she's dated were just terribly boring and predictable. She wants a man with an air of mystery . . . Thirty-year-old Ron Cutler is a confident man who knows what he wants. He needs someone to help him expand his chain of upstate department stores, but after meeting Jillian, he'll settle for a date. That is followed by a full-blown romance, and Ron eventually surprises her with an engagement ring. When Jillian discovers something about Ron she doesn't like--he's disappears. Phone calls don't help. There's no number in Ron's name. His department store has never heard of him. They do, however, know a John Cutler, and Jillian decides to dig deeper. To find answers, she begins a twisted journey through a family's past that will irrevocably change her future . . . "A master of psychological thrillers." --V. C. Andrews

How far would you go to protect your child? An absorbing new novel of psychological suspense by the author of Venus Was Her Name. Three friends at pivotal points in their lives have some serious decisions to make . . . Gina is struggling with demons from her past while trying to be the opposite of her feckless mother. She is about to lose everything and will do whatever it takes to avoid following in her parents' footsteps. Babs also has a battle on her hands, with her husband and her grown-up kids. After putting everyone first for so long, will she find the courage to break free? Robin has her own secret to keep, a vow to honour, and a fragile daughter to protect. But when her back is against the wall, and she has nowhere to turn, who will help her? These women, beset by threats, obstacles, and anguish, must find their paths forward. Each woman is living on the edge but for one of them, it's the final straw. Who will it be?

A young Iraqi shares the true story of his wartime experiences after he was recruited by the US Army as an interpreter. Fahdi was a twenty-one-year-old, upper-middle class, English-speaking student at Baghdad University when he was recruited right off the street to serve as an interpreter for a US Army unit just days after the fall of Saddam Hussein's regime. Over the next two years, Fahdi would go on to translate for US drill sergeants training new Iraqi Army recruits in Ramadi; serve alongside US Marines during the first Battle of Fallujah; and eventually land a position as a linguist with Iraq's newly formed national intelligence agency in Baghdad. Along the way, he suffered combat injuries, faced the challenges of integrating with American soldiers in US camps, was hunted by local insurgency groups for assisting the "infidels"--and eventually fell in love with an American service member. As told to that service member--now his wife and the author of her own memoir, A Foreign Affair--this is a unique firsthand perspective on one of the United States' most controversial foreign conflicts.

From the author of Obsessed: Six women fight to survive a kidnapper's lethal game as a seventh is about to be drawn into his lair . . . Noa Vickerman, host of a late-night confession show, gets a call from a man claiming he has six young women imprisoned. At first, it's dismissed as a prank--but that changes when the first body shows up. As the captives huddle in fear, he puts them through challenges, intent on finding a single special woman that suits his ultimate purpose. Meanwhile, with police watching her every move and the public following the story breathlessly, Noa is determined to save the women--but will she have to put herself within the monster's reach to do so?

Celebrate the heroic swagger of Agent 007 with the ultimate fan’s guide to all things James Bond.For millions of American men who grew up in the 1950s and 60s, James Bond was the ultimate masculine icon. He was stylish, smart, and sophisticated. He was ready for adventure, unafraid of danger, and irresistible to women. In short, he was everything his young male fans wanted to be. In this volume, authors Bob Blackwood and John L. Flynn think back on the importance of James Bond in their lives, and the lessons they learned from his movies and novels. Covering everything from cars and clothes to how to order a martini, this is a loving celebration of the man they call “Bond, James Bond.”

From one of America's longest-serving foreign correspondents, a biography of France's controversial politician and statesman. The first major biography of Charles de Gaulle written from an American perspective, this book offers a compelling assessment of the French army officer, politician, and statesman. Author Don Cook, former bureau chief for the Los Angeles Times, delineates de Gaulle's obsession with power and how the military man rose to leadership in the years following the fall of France during the Second World War. Recounting de Gaulle's triumphant quest to find dignity and independence for France, Cook masterfully brings to life one of Europe's most influential leaders of the twentieth century.

This biography recounting the Argentinean president’s rise, fall, and remarkable return to power is “a formidable achievement” (Kirkus Reviews, starred review). Latin America has produced no more remarkable or enduring political figure than Juan Perón. Born to modest circumstances in 1895 and trained in the military, he rose to power during a period of political uncertainty in Argentina. A shrewd opportunist who understood the needs and aspirations of the country’s workers, Perón rode their votes to the presidency and then increased their share of the nation’s wealth. But he also destroyed the independence of their unions and suppressed dissent. Ousted in a coup in 1955, Perón wandered about Latin America and finally settled in Spain, where he masterminded an astonishing political comeback that climaxed in his reelection as president in 1973. Joseph A. Page’s engrossing biography is based upon interviews, never-before-inspected Argentine and US government documents, and exhaustive research. It spans Perón’s formative years; his arrest and dramatic rescue by the descamisados in 1945; his relationship with the now mythic Evita; the violence and mysterious murders that punctuated his career; his tragic legacy, personified by his third wife, Isabel, who assumed the presidency after his death under the influence of a Rasputin-like astrologer; and the continuing appeal of Perónism in Argentina. In addition, Page’s study of Argentine-American relations is particularly penetrating—especially in its description of the struggle between Perón and US ambassador Spruille Braden. “It would probably take a novel stamped with the surrealistic genius of a Gabriel García Márquez to render all the madness, perverse magic and tragedy of Juan Domingo Perón and his Argentina. But Joseph A. Page has come up with the next best option. . . . A clearly written, definitive study.” —The New York Times Book Review

First in a Samoan-set series featuring police officer Apelu Soifua: “Enright’s portrait of cultural collision is the heart of this engaging series debut.” —Booklist   The city of Tafuna may be located on a tropical paradise, but it’s no stranger to crime. Just like anywhere else in the world, it has its fair share of murder, drugs, and robbery. Which makes Apelu Soifua the perfect man for his job. He’s a cop of two worlds: San Francisco, where he started his career, and now his native Samoa.    Following up on a routine burglary call, Apelu heads to a palangi, or Caucasian, neighborhood. The victim, a VP at SeaKing Tuna—the largest employer on the island—reports only a few items missing. But a fatal shooting at a nightclub a few days later points Apelu to the executive’s hard-partying daughter. With some help from local reporter Lupe, Apelu chases a wave of violence that stems from the burglary—and seeks out what really went missing. The investigation puts Apelu in over his head and is about to be dragged under . . .   “Perfect for any armchair traveling mystery lover. Enright’s descriptions of the Samoan landscape—where the frigate birds are as much a part of the sky as the clouds—are vivid and poetic.” —Kittling: Books  “Enright meticulously interweaves the experience and landscapes of Samoa’s mountains, rain forests and jungles that he knows so well.” —Providence Journal  “The island setting is a terrific backdrop for the story, one that has Soifua bridging the cultural chasm between the local population and the American community.” —Mysterious Reviews

A critically acclaimed nature writer explores the citizen scientist movement through the lens of entomological field research in the American Southwest. Award-winning nature writer Sharman Apt Russell felt pressed by the current environmental crisis to pick up her pen yet again. Encouraged by the phenomenon of citizen science, she decided to turn her attention to the Western red-bellied tiger beetle, an insect found widely around the world and near her home in the Gila River Valley of New Mexico. In a lyrical, often humorous voice, Russell shares her journey across a wild, rural landscape tracking this little-known species, an insect she calls "charismatic," "elegant," and "fierce." What she finds is renewed optimism in mysteries still left to be explored, that despite the challenges of climate change, there is a growing diversity of ways ordinary people can contribute to the research needs of scientists today in the name of environmental activism. Offering readers a glimpse into the pioneering field of citizen science, Diary of a Citizen Scientist documents one woman's transformation from a feeling of powerlessness to engaged hopefulness. Winner of the John Burroughs Medal and the WILLA Literary Award for Best Creative Nonfiction Named one of the top ten best nature books of 2014 by GrrlScientist in The Guardian

"[A] gritty, wide-angled modern noir . . . The first standalone novel by Birtcher, author of the Mike Travis series, pulls no punches." --Kirkus Reviews In 1976, as America celebrates its bicentennial, the drug game changes. Cocaine makes a comeback, bringing with it a previously unheard of level of violence. The copious amounts of blow crossing the US-Mexico border herald the beginning of a brave new--and terrifying--world. Far from the brutality on the border, the nameless narrator and his partner--both Vietnam vets--live a mostly peaceful life growing pot under the northern California redwoods. But when their livelihood is threatened by heavily armed robbers and a worthless rat, they find themselves drawn into a war with no good guys. Caught in the crossfire between a paranoid Mexican drug kingpin and dirty federal agents, they'll soon realize that--like every other player in the game--they're just pawns in a vast conspiracy that starts at the top . . . "A top-class thriller." --San Francisco Book Review "White-knuckle tension and crisp, clean prose . . . Many books call themselves 'thrillers, ' but this is the real deal." --Publishers Weekly (starred review) "Birtcher combines a gritty, action-filled thriller with a nuanced, almost contemplative character drama . . . Thoroughly entertaining." --Booklist "A thriller with genuine shocks and chills." --Cafe Libri

"The novel combines the mystery and honesty of Craig Johnson's Longmire with the first-person narration of a fiercely independent Oregon character." --Sheila Deeth, author of John's Joy Winner of the 2018 Killer Nashville Readers' Choice Award 2017 Foreword Indies Finalist for Historical A Korean War veteran, Ty Dawson finds refuge running his family's cattle ranch, the Diamond D, one of the largest in Oregon--and there's no place he'd rather be. But in 1973, the country falls into turmoil with the last soldiers returning from Vietnam, the stand-off at Wounded Knee, and the ongoing Watergate scandal. And it isn't long before Ty finds his own peace and quiet shattered by outside forces. A string of mysterious cattle deaths leads to the murder of a cowhand, but that's just the beginning. News leaks that the Bureau of Land Management plans on a wild horse slaughter, which brings protestors and news cameras to the area, not to mention a violent biker gang known as the Charlatans. Overwhelmed, the sheriff appoints Ty as undersheriff. And as events spiral out of control, Ty must take matters into his own hands to protect his family, his land, and his way of life . . . "A masterful work of a time gone by. Birtcher possesses a rare skill that is the envy of many a writer. He deftly employs literary prose to reveal the life of a hard-driven man. Ty Dawson is a cowboy, lawman, father and philosopher like none other." --Neal Griffin, Los Angeles Times-bestselling author of The Burden of Proof "[A] fast-moving series launch . . . Birtcher takes readers on an exciting ride." --Publishers Weekly

"[A] fast-paced mystery . . . Fans of the prolific Stuart Woods and Randy Wayne White will hope that Birtcher's engaging series has an equally long life." --Booklist A Nero Award Finalist After twenty years in the LAPD, Mike Travis should be enjoying his retirement in Hawaii. Instead, he's become a reluctant PI who can't manage to stay out of trouble--much to the chagrin of his long-suffering girlfriend. This time, the problem is his brother, Valden, head of the family company of Van de Groot Capital. A mover and shaker, he's in Los Angeles for a political fundraiser at the home of a powerful pharmaceutical titan. But first, he's being blackmailed. Someone has a compromising video of him and a young woman who is definitely not his wife--and they want three million dollars for it. That's when he calls Travis. With his longtime connections in Los Angeles--including his former partner on the force--Travis has everything under control, until he doesn't. Now entangled in a web of murder, finance, and politics, only Travis can unravel a conspiracy international in scope--and unparalleled in evil . . . "Birtcher is a solid, fluent writer; the story unfolds with good-humored ease, and Travis is a personable narrator . . . All of the elements are in place for a tense thriller." --Kirkus Reviews "Well-executed . . . Readers will hope they don't have to wait another seven years for the world-weary Travis's next adventure." --Publishers Weekly "A thrilling page turner with a very complicated plot that all comes together in the end . . . Highly recommended." --Detective Mystery Stories

The second Sheriff Dawson mystery has "lots of twists and turns that stretch back over years, then a mind-blowing ending that puts everything into place" (Killer Nashville). Winner--2019 Best Book of the Year, Killer Nashville Ty Dawson, now the sheriff of Oregon's Meriwether County, is ready to put a trying year behind him, but he's afforded no such luck. In a country still coming to grips with the Vietnam War, Watergate, and Charles Manson, Ty's neck of the woods isn't safe from the turmoil--especially when a commune of young so-called hippies springs up out of nowhere . . . A longtime local sheep rancher accuses the Rainbow Ranch residents of livestock theft, putting Ty in the middle of a culture clash. Though Ty finds no evidence of a crime, the rancher brings in his own stock detective. Behind fences topped with razor wire, the commune and its enigmatic guru hold secrets of their own--many of which have nothing to do with peace, love, and understanding. Tensions flare, setting off a bloody wave of violence that will forever scar the place Ty calls home, unless he can stop it. "Elegantly written . . . Ty may strike some readers as almost too smart, too well educated, and too pedantic for a small-town sheriff, but his insights into 1970s social issues make him an irresistible spokesman for the era." --Publishers Weekly "A modern Western . . . The characters are well developed, and place descriptions make it easy to visualize the landscapes." --New York Journal of Books

An "eerie, elliptical masterpiece set in a South African boarding school in the early 1960s. . . . First-rate psychological suspense . . . played out flawlessly" (Kirkus Reviews). The members of an elite girls swim team are the reigning queens at their South African boarding school. And then Italian student Fiamma Coronna joins their ranks. Beautiful, athletic, and suddenly commanding all the coach's attention, Fiamma is the envy of every girl on the team--until the summer she walks into the rural grasslands surrounding the school and disappears. Forty years later, the former teammates return to the school for a reunion, and the memory of that summer emerges like a long buried secret, the shocking, violent truth of what really happened to Fiamma no longer able to be contained . . . "Riveting . . . while evocative of The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie and Picnic at Hanging Rock, Kohler's writing is so smoothly confident and erotic that she has produced a tale resonant with a chilling power all its own." --Elle "A stunning and singular tale of the passion and tribalism of adolescence, Cracks lays bare the violence that lurks in the heart of even the most innocent. Shocking, reminiscent of Lord of the Flies . . . conjures up the wildness of the veld and the passion and drama of adolescence . . . peculiarly satisfying." --The Times Literary Supplement "A disturbing, note-perfect novel. Dissection of evil has rarely been so extravagantly executed." --San Francisco Chronicle "Polished, compact and chilling . . . Powerful." --Publishers Weekly A Library Journal and Newsday Best Book of the Year, now a major motion picture starring Eva Green

“A comedy of errors [and] bedroom farce” from an award-winning author critically acclaimed for his satiric stories of love and Jewish experience (Kirkus Reviews).   Reunited at their Jewish day school reunion, Guido and Charlie find themselves attracted to the same woman, a beautiful cellist named Aviva. Guido, a photographer, makes his move by going to Aviva for music lessons and soon enough, they become lovers. What Guido doesn’t know is that his friend Charlie, a psychologist, has taken Aviva as a client and is a party to the relationship through Aviva’s weekly confessions.    Written from the point of view of all three characters, with a swirl of delightful supporting characters and even a directory of footnotes that adds expansions, humor and surprises to the narrative, Diary of an Adulterous Woman is a highly entertaining look at desire, jealousy, the power of secrets and the all-too-human complications both longing and love can bring.

"Charters interweaves many important topics--immigration, civil rights, women's rights--into her exciting novel . . . An evocative portrait of South Boston." --Kirkus Reviews After the deaths of her mother and infant sister during Ireland's Great Famine, thirteen-year-old Mary Boland makes her way to the Queenstown harbor and onto a coffin ship bound for America. But what happens during her transatlantic passage is enough to quash the strongest of dreams. After being assaulted by crewmembers, Mary thinks of ending her life--until a young Black slave named Kamua comes to her rescue . . . Forming a bond as strong as siblings, Mary and Kam reach Boston, determined to forge their own paths. No longer an innocent soul, Mary trusts no one, putting her faith in her own instincts. It is on the teeming streets of South Boston that she'll find a new home and a new purpose as a midwife, helping poverty-stricken women survive their pregnancies. And it is in this city, full of possibility, where Mary's heart will heal, and find the strength to survive the harsh choices she is forced to make, and grow into a woman true to herself . . . "The story of a young Irish girl's struggles told with an authentic, historically accurate voice." --Sallie Bissell, author of the Mary Crow series "To read Shanty Gold is to immerse oneself in a wild ride of discovery, romance, and the search for a new way of life. . . . A tale that will grab your heart and senses, with twists and turns along the way." --Susan Blexrud, author of the Fang series

The daughter of Irish immigrants and the son of an African slave forge their own destiny in Boston, in this compelling sequel to Shanty Gold. Boston, 1870. Nellie's mom and Neo's father met on a coffin ship sailing from Ireland to America, a journey they barely survived. Having heard this tale since childhood, the two teenagers now crave an adventure of their own. When an unfounded rumor gets Nellie suspended from school and puts her future in jeopardy, the lifelong friends flee to New York City to join a circus. And though their escapade is short-lived, it teaches both of them about courage, kindness, and acceptance. Rising above her scandalous background, Nellie inches toward her dream of becoming a teacher, while Neo battles against prejudice and hatred to marry the woman he loves. As they struggle with the hopes and expectations laid upon them by their parents, they'll navigate through tragedy and betrayal on a journey towards their hearts' true desires. Praise for Shanty Gold "Charters interweaves many important topics--immigration, civil rights, women's rights--into her exciting novel . . . Gripping." --Kirkus Reviews "The story of a young Irish girl's struggles told with an authentic, historically accurate voice." --Sallie Bissell, author of the Mary Crow series "To read Shanty Gold is to immerse oneself in a wild ride of discovery, romance, and the search for a new way of life. . . . A tale that will grab your heart and senses, with twists and turns along the way." --Susan Blexrud, author of the Fang series

Fascinating personal histories are revealed through the stories of cherished objects, in this anthology celebrating the meaningful mementos of our lives. Amber Lanier Nagle has always been interested in keepsakes, whether her own or those she encounters in her friends' homes. Seemingly ordinary items--a glass bluebird, a pocketknife, a dime-store locket, a faded fishing lure, a dented cake pan, a model train car--become priceless treasures when their stories are uncovered. In Project Keepsake, Nagle collects the tales of these objects and their beloved memories from contributors near and far. "Why do you keep this?" Nagle asks. "Where did it come from?" And then she listens as the stories pour out. Told in first-person by both seasoned and aspiring writers, every essay in the anthology is unique--yet each reveals common threads that connect us all and celebrate the glorious human experience.

From an award-winning journalist, this "grippingly suspenseful true-crime tale details the foiling of a wealthy Texan's plot to have his wife murdered" (Publishers Weekly). To the world, Linda DeSilva's marriage to Robert Edelman was perfect. He was her college boyfriend turned wealthy and successful husband, and the father of her children. But what friends and family didn't know was that the Texas real estate tycoon who set her up with a luxurious life in Dallas was also her abuser. When she asked him for a divorce, the violence against her only escalated, until the shocking moment she learned her husband had hired an assassin to take her life. From acclaimed journalist and author Jim Schutze, "My Husband's Trying to Kill Me!" is the riveting true-crime account of how Linda DeSilva worked with the FBI to trap her husband before he could act on his murderous intentions--and how the sting operation nearly got her killed instead. A shocking and sensational story of a wife and mother's escape from the marriage that went from American dream to every woman's worst nightmare. "Numbing." --Kirkus Reviews

In "a solid account of what appears to be a shocking injustice" an award-winning journalist uncovers the bias that led to a woman's conviction for murder (The New York Times). When a prominent Alabama doctor is brutally killed, his wife and her twin sister are charged with conspiracy to murder. But while her twin was acquitted of the crime, Betty Wilson was charged with killing her husband. Probing into a trial that deliberated on Betty's promiscuity, her alcoholism and her adulterous affair with a black man rather than any physical evidence against her, critically acclaimed journalist Jim Schutze reveals how sex, politics and corruption could possibly have led to a scandalous miscarriage of justice that kept the real killer from facing full penalty for his cold-blooded deed. A fascinating true crime account, By Two and Two is a page-turning investigation into the harrowing details of a sensational murder case.

An "excellent true-crime study" of a female serial killer given the death penalty for poisoning at least three men between 1973 and 1989 (Publishers Weekly). Widowed Blanche Taylor Moore was about to lose her second spouse to symptoms that mysteriously mirrored those that killed her first husband--as well as her previous boyfriend. When an investigation reveals arsenic poisoning, the hideous truth about the wife and mother comes to light. Did the abuse Blanche suffered as a child at the hands of her alcoholic father turn her into a murderer she became? In this riveting true crime account, critically acclaimed journalist Jim Schutze explores the harrowing motivation and chilling details of the lives, loves, and victims of North Carolina's oldest living inmate on death row. "Involving . . . chronicle of the murderous career of a Bible Belt Borgia." --Kirkus Reviews

"Death, drugs and the occult meet in grisly inquiry at the Mexican border" in this true crime account of a mass murder by a serial killing cult leader (The New York Times). When Mark Kilroy vanished while on spring break in Matamoros, Mexico, the search for the missing pre-med student led to a gruesome discovery on a lonely stretch of land called Rancho Santa Elena: a mass grave containing Mark's mutilated corpse along with the remains of thirteen other people. The investigation uncovered how the victims were brutally killed at the hands of drug trafficker and cult leader Adolpho Constanzo, known by his followers as El Padrino, or The Godfather. Constanzo was a serial killer who, along with his followers, tortured and cannibalized innocent people in the barbaric religious ritual of human sacrifice. Written by critically acclaimed journalist Jim Schutze, Cauldron of Blood is a must-read for true-crime fans.

A young mother is trapped with a killer thirty thousand feet up, in this gripping midair murder mystery by the author of Open Your Eyes. On a plane to Barbados, nurse Melissa sits with her young son, Theo. On the same flight, up in first class, are a bride- and groom-to-be, heading for their tropical wedding destination, accompanied by family and friends. When two members of the wedding party die in mysterious circumstances, it becomes clear that a killer is on board. Trapped in the cabin thousands of feet above the Atlantic, tensions mount as accusations fly--and when little Theo seems to vanish into thin air, this bizarre flight becomes even more turbulent . . . Will Melissa be able to use her medical knowledge to find her son and bring a cold-blooded killer to justice before it's too late?

This award-winning novel is "a delightful, inventive tale" about the pursuit of love and literary fame from "a compassionate and witty satirist" (Kirkus Reviews). It's the opportunity of a lifetime for middle-aged Ezra Shultish--a chance to the meet his literary hero, Nobel Laureate Bar Nun, a writer Ezra has worshipped for most of his career as a teacher and translator. Hoping to get a recording of the author reading his story, The Yemenite Girl, Shultish travels to Israel, where he finds himself pursuing his own Yemenite girl, as well as the elusive author. But will Ezra get the girl--or his own glimpse of literary fame? Winner of the Edward Lewis Wallant Book Award, The Yemenite Girl is Curt Leviant's comic novel on the nature of celebrity and the relationship between life and art. "Shultish is a man with a life of his own. . . . And the celebrity, too, is remarkably drawn. . . . [The book] is done with great tact, feeling, and skill." --Saul Bellow, Pulitzer Prize- and Nobel Prize for Literature-winning author "A passionate story . . . The charm of the text and the intensity of the subtext is what keeps the pages turning." --The New York Times Book Review "Good comic writing and satire on the Hebrew literary scene with its jealous politicking for literary prizes." --The Washington Post

A humorous collection of love stories from an award-winning author who has been called "a compassionate and witty satirist" (Kirkus Reviews). From Holocaust survivors to Yiddish artists, a petty thief and a Polish shiksa with a passion for Jewish history, what unites the delectable characters in Curt Leviant's witty collection of romantic tales is the universal desire for love and admiration. With settings as various as the Deep South, Boston, New York, Italy, Israel, each story is a wry look at romantic pursuit, each relationship as unique as the lovers themselves. Whether or not love succeeds for Leviant's all-too-human characters, the journey is always filled with humor and heart.

A former international arms dealer brings his unique expertise to this twisting, action-packed spy thriller. From his elegant home in Southern California, Jim Factor negotiates legitimate weapons deals for his clients in Europe. But when he's approached with a shady job that pays too well to refuse, the one-time deal may be his last. With the Russian mafia after him, Factor must disappear quick--and telling his wife, Diane, anything about the situation would only put her in danger. Hiding out in San Francisco and preparing for a life on the run, Factor is tracked down by a private detective--and the Russians aren't far behind. Now his only chance at survival is to fight a ruthless, deadly enemy face-to-face. From Alcatraz Island to Spain and the Balkans, The Missing Factor is an international spy thriller shot through with authentic spy craft.

An award-winning science and nature writer "presents a lively, confident, and free-flowing history of archaeology in America" (Booklist). Digging up the relics of the past is not without controversy. With insight and eloquence, Sharman Apt Russell reveals here that when it comes to archaeological study, there is more than one way to examine history. Raising provocative questions anew about subjects such as the role of humans in the extinction of the large land mammals of the Pleistocene epoch and the repatriation of Native American graves, Russell, winner of the John Burroughs Medal--whose recipients include Rachel Carson--explores the question of what we owe to our past. Through a series of interviews with archaeologists and activists who have helped modernize the field, Russell provides fascinating ideas about the role of archaeology in the stewardship of antiquity, as well as the implications for our common future. "Russell's work is thoughtful, beautifully written, and well documented. A good way for lay readers to become more informed." --Library Journal "Agile, cerebral, ruminative, entirely satisfying." --Kirkus Reviews

"In the tradition of Jean Auel, this well-researched novel authentically recreates the world of the Clovis people." --Publishers Weekly These children had never seen a tapir. They had never seen a mammoth. So reflects Willow, clan elder of the Clovis tribe, hunters and gatherers who lived on the grassy plains of the great Southwest more than eleven thousand years ago. Looking back on her life, Willow tells the story of when the land was abundant with bison, camels, mammoths, and lions. When communication with animals, plants, and even stones was possible, even essential, for survival. Inventively linking Willow's chronicle with that of the woolly mammoth matriarchs, award-winning author Sharman Apt Russell explores the impact of human interaction with the environment, shedding light on the archaeological mystery surrounding the mass extinction at the end of the Pleistocene. Recreating the lives of a prehistoric people while highlighting our deep connection to the past and the world around us, The Last Matriarch is a book for our times. "Books like this one can teach us not only the facts of the Paleolithic past, but also allow us to share the experiences of our ancestors. The Last Matriarch does both and does them beautifully." --Elizabeth Marshall Thomas, author of The Social Life of Dogs and Reindeer Moon "With a fluidly poetic style and vivid characterizations, Russell brings the ancient Southwest alive." --Booklist