Sam Roskoe

Beneath a Bloodshot Moon

Deborah Raney

Beneath a Southern Sky

Savannah Russe

Beneath the Skin

SUMMARY: No one can tell that Daphne Urban is a vampire. But the government knows-and she's been recruited to spy for them. To get over a recent break-up, Daphne must throw herself into her work, joining her colleagues to chase down a ruthless enemy. Mysterious, cruel, and unstoppable, this assassin is dead-set on killing a certain presidential candidate. Now Team Darkwing has to find him before it's too late. But soon, Daphne finds herself drawn back into the life she once rejected: a secret vampire underworld, where all pleasures-like human blood-can be found.

Lori Roy

Bent Road

From Publishers Weekly

Starred Review. Set in the mid '60s, Roy's outstanding debut melds strong characters and an engrossing plot with an evocative sense of place. When Negro boys start phoning Elaine, Arthur Scott's teenage daughter, Arthur decides it's time to leave Detroit and return to the small Kansas town that he left 20 years earlier after his sister Eve's mysterious death. His wife, Celia, resents the move that will put her close to in-laws she barely knows and that will change her family dynamic. That Arthur's younger daughter, Eve-ee, resembles her late aunt unsettles Arthur's older sister, Ruth, and Ruth's husband, Ray, who have never seen Eve-ee before. When a neighbor's child disappears, suspicion uncomfortably settles on Ray, who was suspected in Eve's death. Roy couples a vivid view of the isolation and harshness of farm life with a perceptive look at the emotions that can rage beneath the surface. This Midwestern noir with gothic undertones is sure to make several 2011 must-read lists. (Apr.)
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.

Review

"Even the simplest scenes crackle with suspense."
-Beth Perry, People

"Lori Roy masterfully mixes a noir approach with gothic undertones for an engrossing story about family secrets and tragedies. . . . Bent Road is one of the best debuts of 2011."
-Oline Cogdill, McClatchy-Tribune News Service

David L Robbins

The Betrayal Game

From Publishers Weekly

In this muddled follow-up to 2006's engaging The Assassins Game, Robbins attempts to create suspense by revisiting the multiple attempts made on Fidel Castro's life in the early 1960s. Professor Mikhal Lammeck—an expert on political murder—arrives in Cuba on the eve of the much-rumored U.S.-supported invasion at the Bay of Pigs, but soon finds himself transformed from detached academic into participant. Thrust into this murky world of double-crossings and shadowy government missions, Lammeck becomes privy to a conspiracy involving a former U.S. marine sharpshooter. Robbins has set himself a daunting task in maintaining tension and interest when the reader knows Castro will survive. Unfortunately, the author doesn't manage to overcome the challenges he sets for himself, and his efforts to weave together fictional characters and historical events are heavy-handed at best. (Feb.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

Professor Mikhal Lammeck, last seen in The Assassins Gallery (2006), when he was charged with foiling an attempt on FDR’s life, returns for another brush with history. In 1961, with the world still stunned by Fidel Castro’s rise to power, Lammeck goes to Havana to witness what he believes will be the dictator’s assassination. He doesn’t realize that he will become the key to the success or failure of the scheme. Along with building suspense, Robbins’ dialogue-heavy tale includes fascinating reflections on the complexities of who to trust and how to choose one’s allies, all of which provides considerable insight into the cold war at its peak. Surprises await along the way, although the biggest twist might be obvious to a history major. The novel concludes with two sets of annotations: one to reference while reading and the second to use only after the entire novel is finished. This betrayal game should be played by anyone with a love for blendings of history and suspense; fans of Stephen Hunter’s Havana (2003), also about a planned assassination of Castro, will be especially interested. --Jeff Ayers

Morgan Rice

Betrayed

Morgan Rice

Betrothed

In BETROTHED (Book #6 in the Vampire Journals), Caitlin and Caleb find themselves, once again, back in time-this time, in the London of 1599.London in 1599 is a wild place, filled with paradoxes: while on the one hand it is an incredibly enlightened, sophisticated time, breeding playwrights like Shakespeare, on the other, it is also barbaric and cruel, with daily public executions, torture, and heads of prisoners impaled on spikes. It is also a time of superstition and grave public danger, with a lack of sanitation, and the Bubonic Plague spreading in the streets, carried by rats.In this environment Caitlin and Caleb land, on the search for her father, for the third key, for the mythical shield that can save humankind. Their mission takes them through a whirlwind of London's most amazing medieval architecture, through the British countryside's most breathtaking castles. It takes them back into the heart of London, where they just might meet Shakespeare himself, and see one of his plays live. It brings them to a little girl, Scarlet, who just might become their daughter. And all the while, Caitlin's love for Caleb deepens, as finally they are together-and as Caleb might just finally find the perfect time, and place, to propose to her.Sam and Polly have traveled back, too, and as they find themselves stuck together on their own journey, their relationship deepens, as they each, despite themselves, can't help feeling more deeply for each other.But all is not well. Kyle has come back, too, as has his evil sidekick, Sergei, and they are both intent on destroying everything good in Caitlin's life. It will be a race to the finish, as Caitlin is forced to make some of the hardest decisions of her life if she is to save everyone who is dear to her, save her relationship with Caleb-and try to make it out alive.BETROTHED is Book #6 in the Vampire Journals (following TURNED, LOVED, BETRAYED, DESTINED and DESIRED), and yet it also stands alone as a self-contained novel. BETROTHED is nearly 70,000 words.

Lisa Railsback

Betti on the High Wire

From School Library Journal

Grade 4–6—Babo is the adolescent daughter of circus performers who were killed during a burst of political unrest and violence in an unnamed country. She believes that foreigners simply want to take kids away from their friends and country, making it impossible for them to ever locate their birth parents, and stripping them of their identities. Therefore, she is incredulous and angry when she gets word that an American couple wants to adopt her. Her resistance breaks down a bit when she discovers that a younger orphan is going to the same town that she is. She decides that she will stay until George is settled, and will enlighten the Americans about her country's plight. She worries daily that her parents may come looking for her, clinging to her unrealistic fantasy that they are still alive. Her new family is loving and patient, but Babo, now called Betti, must contend with insults from children who judge her stories to be melodramatic lies. Gradually, she begins to feel comfortable in this country and she grows to trust and love her new family. Railsback captures many aspects of culture dissonance well, and the challenge of bridging two cultures. However, some readers may find the mix of conventional and rudimentary English hard to follow. The plot is convincing and may well resonate with children who have had to adjust to a new situation, but will not likely appeal to a wide audience. Still, the book will be useful in collections that serve adoptees from foreign countries, and also for those patrons who are curious about the experiences of children in countries that are disrupted by war and unrest.—Deborah Vose, East Middle School and South Middle School, Braintree, MA
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

In an undisclosed war-torn country, Babo is an orphan who doesn't like the Melons—the foreigners with round, pink faces. The Melons visit her and the other leftover kids on the circus campgrounds where they live. Babo wants to stay with the other children and tell them stories of her circus family's high-wire act, but instead she is adopted by some American Melons, ahem, the Buckworths, who promptly change her name to Betti. To say that the transition is difficult is putting it mildly. Betti hoards food, her progress in English is slow, and she has trust issues to spare. She hopes her new family will send her back, but they are always understanding, Mrs. Buckworth in particular, who lost her parents, too. This international adoption story is heartwarming and refreshing, and Betti's new beginning is realistic and at times full of adventure. Without really knowing it, she adapts to her new life and finds a place with her family, though she recognizes that her internal conflicts won't ever fall completely away. Grades 4-6. --Courtney Jones

Savannah Russe

Beyond the pale

SUMMARY: The government knows that Daphne Urban is a vampire, and they have an ultimatum: spy for them, or be killed. The choice is easy. She can speak 13 languages, has a genius IQ, and has escaped detection for nearly five hundred years-making her perfect for Team Darkwing. Her first mission is to get close to Bonaventure, a shady arms dealer with an unexpected gift for seduction. But when Darius, a darkly sexy vampire slayer, begins chasing her, Darius is torn between desire and duty. For his lithe, young prey is also his ultimate temptation.

Frank Richards

Billy Bunter of Greyfriars School

Jennifer Rardin

Bitten in Two

Anne Rice

Blackwood farm

Lestat visszatér, mint megváltó és démon, és természetesen főszereplő a kapzsiság és a gyűlölet nemzedékeken átnyúló, családi rémdrámájában, amelyben van vérszomj és árulás, megszállottság és anyagyilkosság. Blackwood Farm pompás déli udvarházában, a louisianai sötét mocsári ciprusok között véres titkok és családi kísértetek lappanganak. A ház és a titkok örököse a fiatal, szeles és jóképű Quinn Blackwood, Lestat gyámoltja. Ám Quinnt nemcsak a múlt és a saját vágyai fenyegetik, hanem az ezeknél sokkal veszélyesebb familiáris, a lidérces doppelgänger, amely képes lenne elpusztítani őt és a többieket. Csupán a túlvilági és az evilági hatalmak – Lestat és a Mayfair-család – szövetsége óvhatja meg Quinnt önmagától és a szellemeitől, vagy mentheti meg halálra ítélt szerelmét önnön halandóságától. Anne Rice idegborzoló tehetségének legjavát adja ebben a félrevezetően jámbor című, sokkoló, kegyetlen és fülledten érzéki regényben. Vámpírok és boszorkányok, férfiak, nők és lidércek vergődnek a halál és a pusztulás, a vér és a tűz, a kegyetlenség és a végzet hálójában.

Ian Rankin

Bleeding Hearts

James Rouch

Blind Fire

Epub2Go.com v1.2

Anne Rice

Blood and Gold: The Vampire Marius

Here is the glorious and sinister life of Marius: patrician by birth, scholar by choice and one of the oldest vampires of them all. From his genesis in ancient Rome, to his present day we follow the story of this aristocratic and powerful killer. His is a tale that spans the breadth of time. When the Visigoths sack his city, Marius is there; with the resurgence of the glory of Rome, he is there, still searching for his lost love Pandora. So prevalent is Marius that it is he who gives the dark gift to the illustrious vampire Armand. Intertwined with the stories of a magnificent Pantheon of the undead this account of Marius is the most wondrous and mind-blowing of them all.

Peter Robinson

Blood at the Root

Amazon.com Review

There's a deliberate lack of excessive angst and glamour in Peter Robinson's books about Inspector Alan Banks and his fellow Yorkshire coppers, so first-time readers might think them bland. But under the books' placid surfaces, whole worlds of crime and justice are being worked out. In this ninth book in his increasingly popular series, Robinson gives Banks some serious problems of a personal and professional nature: a neglected wife and a ruthlessly ambitious superior. He also drops Banks into a frighteningly realistic neo-Nazi group called the Albion League, whose activities include drug dealing and murder. Other books in the series available in paperback include Innocent Graves, Final Account, Gallow's View, and Hanging Valley.

From Kirkus Reviews

It looks like a common enough kind of crime: Outspoken young racist Jason Fox has been beaten and kicked to death in an alley on the way home from the pub where he insulted a trio of Pakistanis. But Mohammed (n‚ George) Mahmood and his friends insist that as much as they disliked Jason Fox, they had nothing to do with his murder, and there's not enough evidence to hold them. So Chief Inspector Alan Banks, more and more on the outs with his wife, plunges into the case, determined to find out who the ``policemen'' were who rummaged through Fox's flat before anyone knew he was dead, and what Fox's neo-Nazi mates in the Albion League know about his death. Unfortunately, the Albion League's headquarters are in Leeds, along with the home of Banks's favorite violist, Pamela Jeffreys--and Chief Constable Jeremiah Riddle's suspicions that Banks keeps returning to Leeds only to make beautiful music together with Pamela hardens into certainty after Banks follows an anonymous tip to Amsterdam on the very weekend when his squad is extracting a confession to the killing. Suspended from his job by Jimmy Riddle, Banks will have to work under the table with Detective Susan Gay (still sadly carrying a torch for him) to prove that sometimes you ought to look a convenient confession right back in the mouth. Though the unending whirl of soap-opera romance in Banks's life can wear thin, his ninth procedural (Innocent Graves, 1996, etc.) is abrim with racial tension, patient detective work, and the hero's appealing decency. -- Copyright ©1997, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

Anne Rice

Blood canticle

SUMMARY: Anne Rice continues her astonishing Vampire Chronicles in a new novel that begins whereBlackwood Farmleft off and tells the story of Lestat's quest for redemption, goodness, and the love of Rowan Mayfair. Welcome back to Blackwood Farm. Here are all of the brilliantly conceived characters that make up the two worlds of vampires and witches: Mona Mayfair, who's come to the farm to die and is brought into the realm of the undead; her uncle, Julian Mayfair, guardian of the family, determined to forever torment Lestat for what he has done to Mona; Rowan Mayfair, brilliant neurosurgeon and witch, who finds herself dangerously drawn to the all-powerful Lestat; her husband, Michael Curry, hero of the Mayfair Chronicles, who seeks Lestat's help with the temporary madness of his wife; Ash Templeton, a 5,000-year-old Taltos who has taken Mona's child; and Patsy, the country-western singer, who returns to avenge her death at the hands of her son, Quinn Blackwood. Delightfully, at the book's centre is the Vampire Lestat, once the epitome of evil, now pursuing the transformation set in motion withMemnoch the Devil. He struggles with his vampirism and yearns for goodness, purity and love, as he saves Patsy's ghost from the dark realm of the Earthbound, uncovers the mystery of the Taltos and unselfishly decides the fate of his beloved Rowan Mayfair. A story of love and loyalty, of the search for passion and promise,Blood Canticleis Anne Rice at her finest.

Ian Rankin

Blood Hunt

Michelle Rowen

Bloodlust

Jillian Conrad, injected with a poison that makes her blood both irresistible and deadly to vampires, races against time to find an antidote and help her dhampyr protector who has also been exposed to the poison, while trying to stop a secret society of vampires from achieving true immortality. Original. 40,000 first printing.

William Ryan

The Bloody Meadow