Robert Harris

Archangel

SUMMARY: Archangel is a remarkably literate novel--and simultaneously a gripping thriller--that explores the lingering presence of Stalin amidst the corruption of modern-day Russia. Robert Harris (whose previous works include Enigma and Fatherland) elevates his tale by choosing a narrator with an outsider's perspective but an insider's knowledge of Soviet history: Fluke Kelso, a middle-aged scholar of Soviet Communism with a special interest in the dark secrets of Joseph Stalin. For years, rumors have circulated about a notebook that the aging dictator kept in his final years. In a chance encounter in Moscow, Kelso meets Papu Rapava, a former NKVD guard who claims that he was at Stalin's deathbed and says that he assisted Politburo member Beria in hiding the black oilskin notebook just as Stalin was passing. Before Kelso can get more details, Rapava disappears, but the scholar is energized by the evidence Rapava has provided. As Kelso begins to pursue his historical prize, however, his investigation ensnares him in a living web of Stalinist terror and murder. It soon becomes clear that the notebook is the key to a doorway hiding many secrets, old and new. Harris's understanding of Soviet and modern Russian is impressive. The novel rests on a seamless blend of fact and fiction that places real figures from Soviet history alongside Kelso and his fictional colleagues. Especially disturbing are the transcripts from interrogations and the excerpt from Kelso's lectures on Stalin; the documents provide chilling evidence to support Kelso's claim: "There can now be no doubt that it is Stalin rather than Hitler who is the most alarming figure of the twentieth century." --Patrick O'Kelley

Karen Hancock

Arena

Callie Hayes is living a life of fear and disillusionment when she volunteers for a psychology experiment that promises to turn her life around. As her orientation proceeds, Callie becomes frightened by the secrecy and evasion she encounters. When she demands to be released from the program, she is suddenly dropped into a terrifying alien world and into a perilous battle between good and evil. With limited resources and only a few cryptic words to guide her, Callie embarks on a life-changing journey. Will she decipher the plans the Benefactor has established for her escape, or will she succumb to the deception of the Arena?

Anthony Horowitz

Ark Angel

Amanda Hocking

Ascend

John Harvey

Ash & Bone

Michele Hauf

Ashes of Angels

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

The halo hunter[HTML_REMOVED]s shoulders hit the wall, the back of his skull thudding rather loudly from impact. Samandiriel held him with ease—and one hand—about the neck. The hard knob of an Adam[HTML_REMOVED]s apple gulped against his palm. Mortals were startlingly delicate.

To the hunter[HTML_REMOVED]s favor, he didn[HTML_REMOVED]t kick at him, but merely hung calmly. The mortal[HTML_REMOVED]s pulse banged beneath his palm. Quite a unique feeling. Samandiriel had no pulse.

"You[HTML_REMOVED]re… second… seen…"

"Stop mumbling, human," Samandiriel said. A leather messenger bag strapped over one of the hunter[HTML_REMOVED]s shoulders revealed its contents. He sorted through the dozens of clanking halos in the bag, but couldn[HTML_REMOVED]t resist asking, "Second?"

"A–angel," the hunter croaked.

"That you[HTML_REMOVED]ve seen? Well, aren[HTML_REMOVED]t you lucky? Most mortals never get to see such a thing. Do you marvel over me?"

"Uh, sure. M–marvel."

One halo glowed, but before Samandiriel could touch it, he felt a prickle of awareness, brought on by an intruder approaching from behind.

Turning, and keeping the halo hunter pinned to the wall, he thrust out a hand to stop the person who approached. The simple gesture slammed the intruder against the opposite wall. Apparently more willful than the halo hunter, this one dropped to her feet and came at him again. The tiny female flashed a sneer and wielded ineffectual fists before her.

"Vinny…okay…"

The woman stood straight, dropping her fists, evidently understanding the hunter[HTML_REMOVED]s abbreviated reassurance.

Before she could dodge, Samandiriel placed the heel of his palm against her forehead. A flash of her memory assaulted his brain and he grasped a very pertinent detail about her.

"Vampire?" He made a fist to swing—

"No!" The hunter squirmed and now he did kick, but only managed a knee to Samandiriel[HTML_REMOVED]s thigh. "She[HTML_REMOVED]s not dangerous!"

Bouncing on her fancy high heels as if ready for the next swing, the vampire in question quirked a brow and huffed, disagreeing with the assessment of her lacking danger. "Another angel?"

"Others have been here before me?" Samandiriel asked the hunter. "That[HTML_REMOVED]s right, I[HTML_REMOVED]m the second." He loosened his grip to allow the man to slide to the floor and stand of his own volition. "Where is the other? What was his name?"

"Zaqiel. He[HTML_REMOVED]s dead now. But the vampires—"

"Are summoning the Fallen?" Samandiriel spoke the knowledge he[HTML_REMOVED]d pulled from the vampiress. "You can verify that is true?"

"Yes, tribe Anakim," said the hunter. "But she[HTML_REMOVED]s not with the bad vampires. She[HTML_REMOVED]s with me."

Samandiriel assessed the twosome. He read the mortal hunter[HTML_REMOVED]s confidence, yet the man maintained a healthy respect for the divine. While the female, who seemed to match his cockiness, possessed an innate fear of him that held her at a distance. He did not fault her vampirism. Hate was not in his arsenal. But he would be cautious. He[HTML_REMOVED]d not dealt with a fanged one in the short time he[HTML_REMOVED]d walked the earth.

Shoving his hand into the messenger bag, Samandiriel claimed the one halo that glowed blue and held it before him. "This one is mine."

"I can see that."

"Luck in your quest, mortal. And you." He turned to the vampiress, who backed against the wall. He placed a palm against her forehead and strained the details of the angel sum–monings from her. She knew much. It was information he needed.

Vampires had summoned him to earth?

His original goal to stalk his fellow Fallen in order to win his return Above remained. However, with vampires in the mix, now he[HTML_REMOVED]d have to change tactics.

The hard–driving rock anthem blasted a sexy, moaning chorus that enticed Cassandra onto the dance floor of club Schwarz. She didn[HTML_REMOVED]t understand a lot of German, but the lyrics didn[HTML_REMOVED]t matter. The beat thundered in her heart. Warm bodies dancing close by brushed her skin and, at times, matched her rhythm with a sexy rotation of hips.

The club decor was black, covering everything from the walls, tables, ceiling, glasses and goblets (including the drinks in clear glass) and bathrooms. The lighted floors flashed white squares and illuminated most, and the sparkles in the black paint shimmered as if it was a midnight sky.

She loved this club, and it had been too long since she[HTML_REMOVED]d been here. After completing the angel sculpture something had compelled her to get out of the flat and let loose. It was high time she kicked her lacking social life into gear.

She[HTML_REMOVED]d lost track of her date but wasn[HTML_REMOVED]t overly concerned. Marcus wasn[HTML_REMOVED]t exactly a date. The guy down the street had asked her out a dozen times and she[HTML_REMOVED]d finally succumbed. A little too tug–the–tie for her—though she did find his glasses sexy—he was probably at the bar nursing a vodka neat. He was a computer tech at MasterSysteme, yet it was apparent Marcus had no idea how to let loose after hours. He refused to dance, telling her to go off and enjoy herself.

Constantly on guard was her normal MO, had been since she was a teen, so learning to let loose once in a while had become a necessity to her survival.

Flipping her long black hair over her shoulders, she toyed with the red–and–white ribbons her hairdresser braided within the strands every other month. She didn[HTML_REMOVED]t like the idea of dreads, so the ribbons added that something extra she wanted in the style.

Sashaying sideways, a gorgeous dancer with dark stubble that emphasized his square jaw followed her gyrations. They spun and bumped hips and shoulders in fun play. He had a sexy smile, but she[HTML_REMOVED]d seen him making out with a blonde earlier beneath a black steel nude bent over the archway that led to the private rooms. She couldn[HTML_REMOVED]t abide double–dipping.

The beat changed, relaxing, and the dance floor sighed as couples paired up, while lone figures swayed to their own design.

Not ready for a break, Cassandra danced closer to the edge of the floor where the lighted tiles flashed. It was cooler here, and she knew she[HTML_REMOVED]d worked up a good sheen of perspiration, because she could smell her spearmint body lotion.

Smiling, because she smelled like a stick of spearmint gum, Cassandra realized this particular let–loose night had been a long time coming. It felt amazing forgetting.everything.

There was so much to forget. Dark things. Evil things.

Impossible things. But only for the night. After a decade of training, she[HTML_REMOVED]d never completely let down her guard.

Casting her gaze about the shadows lining the dance floor, she stopped herself from surveillance with a mental slap to her wrist. Just dance. Enjoy some mindless fun! But her vision landed on a man who stared at her.

The hungry look wasn[HTML_REMOVED]t new. She caught men staring at her all the time across the stacks or a research table in the library. So the Stevens sisters were hot—as she[HTML_REMOVED]d often heard men comment—so what? What she looked like on the outside was vastly different from her insides because, Glory Hallelujah, no one wanted to deal with her baggage.

Still, she[HTML_REMOVED]d never refuse interest. And tech guy would understand. Hell, Marcus was still nursing that vodka. And was that a bespectacled redhead with whom he was conversing animatedly?

"Ditched so soon?" It was difficult summoning irritation. They looked like a great couple. "Go for it, bloke."

Moving along the dance floor, she noted her observer continued his intense task. The man gave new meaning to chiseled features. Every part of his face—square chin, straight long nose, smooth forehead, pale yet strong mouth—called for notice, and then combined to form an overall captivating result.

Sexual allure spilled from his pores like pheromones she could actually see. The melting look in his eyes oozed over Cassandra[HTML_REMOVED]s skin. All he was doing was standing there! Had to be a celebrity. The club was famous for them, though normally the celebs did not turn her head. She wasn[HTML_REMOVED]t into paparazzi or the materialistic lifestyle.

A crisp white dress shirt strained across the man[HTML_REMOVED]s chest like tight sheets on a bed. Cassandra imagined running her fingers across the white fabric and putting a few wrinkles in it for good measure. Wrinkled sheets sounded inviting tonight.

Because seriously, she[HTML_REMOVED]d known she and Marcus wouldn[HTML_REMOVED]t mesh the moment he[HTML_REMOVED]d suggested the opera as his first choice for the evening.

Crooking her finger, she invited her mysterious observer to join her. He navigated the crowded dance floor with an ease that belonged to fictional characters, like the brooding vampire in a Gothic novel, and matched her slow, sensual dance moves as if trying to mirror her. A little awkward with the hips, but he was at least on the beat.

Obviously not a dancer, but she didn[HTML_REMOVED]t care. His focused attention shimmied over her skin, feeling like warm rain. And he was all hers. No one else in the room stood in their air.

Mercy, but she[HTML_REMOVED]d been too deeply enmeshed in her own projects and worries lately. The world was putting out men who resembled Hollywood warrior gods? She[HTML_REMOVED]d been missing out.

But not any longer.

Turning and swaying before him, she invited his hand to her hip and held it there with hers. He leaned in to smell her hair. Vanilla shampoo, combined with her spearmint body lotion, mixed a sensual combination. He stroked her hair and drew out his hand, trailing a red ribbon along his forefinger. A tilt of his head and a sweet smile displayed his wonder over the decoration.

Cassandra shrugged and winked. She wanted to nuzzle her nose against his neck, divine his scent and whisper an invitation, but she wasn[HTML_REMOVED]t pushy, and she wasn[HTML_REMOVED]t a tease.

All right, so maybe a bit of a tease. But she[HTML_REMOVED]d come here with another man; she would not ditch him. That was just plain rude.

Unless Marcus and the redhead developed plans of their own.

Suddenly itchy, Cassandra rubbed the heel of her palm ov...

Sven Hassel

Assignment Gestapo

Robert A Heinlein

Assignment in Eternity

Mary Hooper

At the Sign of the Sugared Plum

'You be going to live in the city, Hannah?' Farmer Price asked, pushing his battered hat up over his forehead. 'Wouldn''t think you'd want to go there . . . Times like this, I would have thought your sister would try and keep you away.' Hannah is oblivious to Farmer Price's dark words, excited as she is about her first ever trip to London to help her sister in her shop 'The Sugared Plum', making sweetmeats for the gentry. Hannah does not however get the reception she expected from her sister Sarah. Instead of giving Hannah a hearty welcome, Sarah is horrified that Hannah did not get her message to stay away - the Plague is taking hold of London.

Based on much research, Mary Hooper tellingly conveys how the atmosphere in London changes from a disbelief that the Plague is anything serious, to the full-blown horror of the death carts and being locked up - in effect to die - if your house is suspected of infection.

Charlaine Harris

Aurora Teagarden #01 - Real Murders

SUMMARY: Though a small town at heart, Lawrenceton, Georgia, has its dark side-and crime buffs. One of whom is librarian Aurora "Roe" Teagarden, a member of the Real Murders Club, which meets once a month to analyze famous cases. It's a harmless pastime-until the night she finds a member killed in a manner that eerily resembles the crime the club was about to discuss. And as other brutal "copycat" killings follow, Roe will have to uncover the person behind the terrifying game, one that casts all the members of Real Murders, herself included, as prime suspects-or potential victims.

Charlaine Harris

Aurora Teagarden #02 - A Bone to Pick

SUMMARY: Aurora Teagarden's life was pretty much in order, though she wouldn't have objected to a nice relationship. All things considered, however, there wasn't anything to complain about. Then Jane Engle died. Aurora and Jane had been friends - not particularly close friends, but they'd both been members of the Real Murder Society and on occasion had shared tea, as well as an interest in crime. So Aurora was surprised to discover that she was named in Jane's will as the heir to her home and some money . . . about a half million dollars, in fact. A nice house, a lot of money . . . things were looking up nicely. But the house held a secret - a fact that was frighteningly obvious the first time Aurora went there and realized that someone had broken in, had been searching for something. It didn't take long to discover the secret: Jane had hidden a skull, and Aurora had just found it. Aurora Teagarden was no stranger to a good mystery, but she wasn't quite certain what to do with this one. Before she has a chance to consider her next move, someone decides that she already knows too much. Now she has a few more questions to answer: Whodunit? Who was it done to? And who seemed to keep on wanting to do it?

Charlaine Harris

Aurora Teagarden #03 - Three Bedrooms, One Corpse

SUMMARY: It's a simple if shocking question, and former librarian Aurora Teagarden is just the person to find the answer. Basking in an inheritance that makes her financially independent, Roe's looking for a new occupation. Her days as a librarian are over. Real estate might be fun, she thinks. And who better to teach her the tricks of the trade than her Lauren Bacall look-alike mother, Aida Brattle Teagarden Queensland, who happens to own one of the major real estate firms in town? Signing on as an apprentice, Roe agrees to show an expensive house to some out-of-town clients. The house has its charms, but the clients are not too thrilled with what's been left behind in the master bedroom: the corpse of real estate woman Tonia Lee Greenhouse. And Tonia's only the first victim. It quickly becomes clear that the killer is someone familiar with the real estate community in Lawrenceton, someone who has access to the houses that are on the market. Roe's not too sure she likes real estate, after all. She hadn't counted on murder. But she definitely likes her well-to-do client, Martin Bartell. In fact, it may be love at first sight. With memorable characters and lots of small-town southern charm, this witty and wise mystery proves that author Charlaine Harris is among the best of the new generation of crime writers.

Charlaine Harris

Aurora Teagarden #04 - The Julius House

SUMMARY: Love at first sight turns into newlywed bliss for former librarian Aurora Teagarden— until violence cuts the honeymoon short.Wealthy businessman Martin Bartell gives Roe exactly what she wants for their wedding: Julius House. But both the house and Martin come with murky pasts. And when Roe is attacked by an ax-wielding maniac, she realizes that the secrets inside her four walls—and her brand-new marriage—could destroy her.

Charlaine Harris

Aurora Teagarden #05 - Dead over heels

SUMMARY: What's the world coming to - when you can't relax with an ice-cold beverage in your own backyard without a body falling from the sky and landing in your garden? Part-time librarian and frequent amateur investigator Roe Teagarden has good reason to ask herself this question when the remains of one of the Lawrenceton, Georgia police department's finest catapults into her flower bed one beautiful sunny morning. Roe's friend and bodyguard, the long-legged, bikini-clad Angel Youngblood, is mowing the grass and Roe is reclining on a lounger when a small red-and-white plane flies low overhead and drops its unlikely debris more or less at Roe's feet. Roe's husband of two years, wealthy businessman Martin Bartell, immediately wonders if the killer chose his dumping place to send some kind of message to Roe. And the mystery deepens when two federal agents arrive in town to investigate the murder. It's only when Madeleine the cat provides a clue that Roe and Martin realize Roe herself may be in danger and that using Roe's yard as a temporary landfill for dead bodies was no accident.

Charlaine Harris

Aurora Teagarden #06 - A Fool and His Honey

SUMMARY: Charlaine Harris's beloved amateur sleuth, liberated Southern belle Aurora Teagarden, makes her long- anticipated return in this charming mystery about family secrets and small-town intrigue. Everything in Roe's life finally seems to be going her way. She's newly and quite happily married to Martin Bartell, happy to be back at her part-time job at the library, and settled into her dream home just outside Lawrenceton, Georgia--and there haven't been any dead bodies in Roe's life for quite a while. But when mild-mannered Darius Quattermain goes crazy in her backyard when he should be stacking firewood, it turns out to be just the first in a string of troublesome events. The next is the arrival of Martin's flighty niece Regina, who shows up unannounced with a baby no one knew she was expecting. Before anyone can figure out what's going on, Regina disappears, leaving behind her baby--and her husband, Craig, whose brutally murdered corpse is discovered on the outside steps of Roe and Martin's home. Now the existence of the baby is only the first question of many--such as, Where did Craig come from? Who went after him with the ax? And why? Roe and Martin abandon the sunny warmth of Georgia for snowy Corinth, Ohio, hoping that tracing Regina and Craig's steps will get them some answers. In this fifth book in Charlaine Harris's series blending mystery, humor, and a hearty helping of Southern charm, there's just no telling what they'll find.

Charlaine Harris

Aurora Teagarden #07 - Last scene alive

SUMMARY: In the first installment of the Aurora Teagarden series, Real Murders, the small town of Lawrenceton, Georgia, was beset by a series of horrific murders. Librarian Aurora "Roe" Teagarden teamed up with true crime writer Robin Crusoe to catch the killer, and the results of their investigation have gone down in Lawrenceton history. Now Robin is back in town, set to begin filming the movie version of the terrible events of so many years ago. Of course he's not alone-he brings with him a cast and crew the size of which nearly overwhelms the tiny excitement-starved town. Roe is disturbed to discover that the film's crew includes her stepson, who despises her, as well as an actress set to play her in the film. Everyone in Lawrenceton suddenly goes movie crazy, mentally composing awards-acceptance speeches while prancing around the fringes of the set awaiting discovery. Roe's not so crazy about the whole thing...and neither is a secret, vicious murderer. When bodies start dropping, it's up to Roe to reprise her role as amateur sleuth and stop the carnage before it gets out of hand. It's no problem for the beloved small-town librarian in this wonderfully cozy installment in the adored Aurora Teagarden mystery series.

Charlaine Harris

Aurora Teagarden #08 - Poppy done to death

SUMMARY: On the way to a lunch meeting of her local book discussion group, the Uppity Women, small-town Southern librarian Aurora "Roe" Teagarden is shocked and dismayed to find her sister-in-law Poppy lying bloody and dead right outside her own back door. Poppy had her flaws, certainly-she and her husband were having trouble staying faithful to each other-but she didn't deserve to be so brutally murdered.Investigating a case like this is never easy, of course, given the gossipy atmosphere of any small town, what with Poppy and her husband's extramarital affairs, the local police detective (who also happens to be a former boyfriend of Roe's) and his seemingly unresolved feelings for Poppy, and the need to protect Poppy's family. But Roe is also coping with a burgeoning romantic relationship as well as the sudden appearance of her teenaged half brother. All in all, it's a lot for one woman to have on her plate, even one as together as Roe.Longtime readers and new fans alike will delight in Roe's exploits as she employs her impeccable knowledge of small town politics and enchanting Southern charm to solve the crime in this wonderful installment of Charlaine Harris' terrific cozy series.

C C Hunter

Awake at Dawn

Teri Hall

Away

Review

"This worthy sequel to Hall's The Line (2010) continues to build a dystopian world rich with suspense and moral choices . . . Her dystopian world comes across vividly, and her characters stand out as varied and real." (Kirkus)

"Hall's imaginative dystopian world takes the concepts of good vs. evil and modern vs. primitive into fresh territory with plenty of comparisons to today's world . . . at the conclusion of Away, readers will find themselves eagerly hoping for a third installment." (VOYA Voice of Youth Advocates)

From the Inside Flap

When Rachel crosses The Line she leaves behind everything she has ever known and enters a strange new world: Away. Life there is hard, and survival is never guaranteed. Bizarre, wild creatures roam the forests, and people--the same people she's always been told are dangerous and untrustworthy--have gifts she's never thought possible.

Rachel has to rely on Pathik, the boy she risked her own life for, to help her navigate the strange customs. He's exasperating, but she thinks she can trust him, and she hopes he'll lead her to answers about her father. As it turns out, he leads her to more than she bargained for, and Rachel finds herself on an adventure filled with life and death choices, dark conspiracies, and unthinkable sacrifice.

In a place with no technology, no electricity, no medicine, and very little hope, Rachel discovers that only one thing makes life worth living. If only it's not too late.