Bøger udgivet af Speaking Volumes LLC

Nick Polo-San Francisco-based, smart and slick private eye-sometimes bends the rules to get what he wants. But now he's in prison for bending the rules a bit too far, and he is given an ultimatum: The mayor of San Francisco is being blackmailed and no one can help her because even the cops may be involved. If Polo wants to get out of jail-and get his P.I. license back-he's got to find out who's behind the scam, stop it, and tell no one. His investigation takes him from the luxurious resort areas of Sonoma County to the dangerous drug-and-pornography underworld of San Francisco's inner city. His suspects range from the seediest petty criminals and hit men to the most powerful men in the municipal government. As the investigation intensifies, and the pieces fall into place, there becomes only one thing Polo is sure of: he'd gladly go back to jail-if he could only get there alive.

T.D. Stash, part-time sleuth, was over his cool head 'n dirty business in the Everglades: There was an adorable little girl who claimed her loving father wanted her to be an adorable corpse... a tycoon who bred killer alligators for profit and pleasure... a sex kitten with skin you'd love to touch and claws you didn't want to feel... a pair of twin sadists who offered a double dose of pain for your money. And as Stash cast his line for the savage secret below the surface of the swampland, the fever of fear rose in direct proportion to death's chilling revelations...Praise for Rodman Philbrick"ONE OF THE BEST SINCE TRAVIS McGEE!"─Orlando Sentinel

SUNKEN GOLD BECOMES BLOOD MONEY IN A GULF-STREAM STORM OF SEX AND SLAYINGThe Rosario, a Spanish galleon loaded with gold, sank four centuries ago off the Florida Keys. Now a, smooth-as-silk-tongued treasure hunter named Harper King said he had the key to finding that fortune, with a lot of other people's money. And it was up to T. D. Stash, laid-back fishing guide and part-time detective operating out of Key West, to put on his sleuthing cap, climb into diving gear, and plunge into the depths of a mystery where hammerhead sharks below the surface were nothing compared to the human ones above it. In less time than a hurricane could wink its eye, Stash was deeply immersed in a case of ghoulish greed where sex was the ultimate sales pitch and death the final payoff...

A T.D. STASH CRIME ADVENTUREDRUGS, DAMES, DEATH-A BUBBLING BREW OF DANGER IN THE FLORIDA KEYSKEYS TO TROUBLEA young kid in over his head in the kind of snow that doesn't melt but kills. An aging rock star running out of voice and money. His Brit wife, as beautiful, cold and cutting as an icicle. A female cabdriver who turned the meter off when it came to sex. A local lawman who played by the rules and a narc who made his own. A woman painter who liked her landscapes bare and her men nude. A kidnapping that was either real or faked, and a corpse that couldn't be denied.T.D. Stash thought he had seen everything in anything-goes Key West. But the laid-back fishing guide, sometimes private eye, was wrong. And unless he got to the bottom of drugs, deceit, greed and sex, he would wind up dead... THE NEON FLAMINGO.

Crime writer J.D. Hawkins believes that "bad things happen when people lie, even when good people lie."Was macho crime writer Howard Holton living a lie up to the time when he drowned in the Nantucket surf? And why has Holton's unsolved death come back to haunt novelist Fiona Darling, who has a few secrets of her own to hide?When Hawkins and his gutsy life mate Megan Drew set out to prove that Fiona is the author of a certain manuscript, they stumble into a deadly family secret that will leave one victim hanging from a velvet noose and another running for her life.In a tale of intrigue, greed, and betrayal that will test his intimacy with Meg and put him at risk of felony arrest, Jack Hawkins must confront not only the dark nightmare that leads to murder, but the quirks and kinks of human nature-and that, as he and Megan discover, is the only real mystery worthy of our attention.Walk on the Wateris the fourth novel featuring J.D. Hawkins and Megan Drew, and in terms of complexity, suspense, and crackling good writing, it just may be the best yet.

Wheelchair-bound author Jack Hawkins complains only mildly when the producer of the TV movie made from his police novel changes the black widow of the title to a blonde, when her dead cop husband metamorphoses from black to a matching shade, and when the small, cynical Casey himself is made over to suit the appearance of the hunk who plays him. But then events that vary from mean pranks to potential murder begin to occur. Jack and his fiancee, Megan, are impelled into a search for the reason that this harmless and basically simpleminded film should be imperiling the lives of not only the actors and crew but some of Jack's policeman friends as well.What they find is alarming: Behind the tricks and the mayhem is an unbalanced mind-one capable of being clever, devious, and blindly determined on revenging an imagined hurt.The hunt takes Jack to an encounter with a hired assassin, to the estate of the leader of a right-wing military cult, and finally, into an underground hiding place where he is held, bound and helpless, in what is a terrifying prison and a perverted shrine.This is Rodman Philbrick's third novel about the ingenious and quietly dauntless Hawkins and his spirited Meg; readers who haven't met them previously will want to catch up quickly.

The scene is Boston, in the middle of a bone-chilling fall. J.D. Hawkins, author of mysteries, wheelchair-bound, and the solver of crimes in Shadow Kills, becomes involved in a new case. Two young children are kidnapped-and their father just happens to be the lawyer representing the mother of a slain youth killed by a policeman. The father also happens to be Finian X. Fitzgerald, close friend of Hawkins, who is pressured into dropping the case. With help from J.D. the children are recovered unharmed. But, the private investigator sent to rescue them is murdered, and so begins the real mystery. Following a maze of clues, Hawkins finds himself drawn into the underground world of the police department, the shrouded community of the Catholic Church, and the troubled world of a priest.As the trail into the two sacred Boston communities gets hotter, as the danger to J.D., his lover Megan, and the two children increases, Ice for the Eskimo reveals the full scope and detail of this new chiller.

For a brief, idyllic time Brooke and Morgan shared a rare and tempestuous passion-before his suspicions and angry accusations sent her away. Now she lives in a run-down section of Boston and works in a dingy nightclub, forcing herself to smile seductively at strangers. No one suspects she is married to wealthy, powerful Morgan Kent... and is hiding their son from him...Then the morning news turns her world upside down-and once again Brooke is captivated by the man she hoped to escape forever...

Fleeing in confusion after tragedy ended her loveless "society" marriage, Kate Danbury sought refuge in a remote Wisconsin farmhouse-and blissful escape in the arms of Blake Koehler. Their "arrangement" lasted an idyllic week-until an intruding world and a jealous woman forced Kate to marry Blake... or lose him.Tested too soon, their very private passion became a public scandal, a nightmare of betrayal. Once again Kate ran from the man who had loved her... and lied to her.

Alone and penniless on a remote Mediterranean island, Andrea Donnelly finds herself freed by widowhood from a disastrous marriage, but still bound by emotional trauma. A job as cook at the secluded Villa Verdon offers her a chance to rebuild her shattered self-esteem.But there the owner, Matthew Carleton, a charismatic British TV-producer, stirs in her burning passions she's never known. Does he intend to destroy her fragile defenses... or save her with his strong embrace?

Once a flamboyant strawberry blonde, now an aloof "Snow Queen" hiding within the corporate bureaucracy, Amie Fletcher is promoted to assistant to president Liam's Kane-and faces her deadliest enemy. Terror clutches at her. Then cool reasoning inspires a plan to exact revenge... Determined to find Liam's inner weakness, Amie meets his demands with lightning speed and calculated seduction. But the kisses she provokes send her reeling into ecstasy and confusion. Trapped by Liam's power both to expose her past and to conquer her heart, she's consumed with the realization that, in avenging the past, she may be destroying all hope for the future.

Megan Brookfield's world is deeply shaken when her "husband" is exposed as a spy... and she is accused of being his accomplice! Suddenly England seems a very hostile place indeed.When handsome agent Steve Callahan is assigned to guard Megan, he proves a suspicious jailer, and Megan chafes under his cold regard. Then, in the intimacy of their enforced isolation on a remote Welsh mountain, their distrust slowly warms to burning passion... and Megan seeks sweet refuge in Steve's strong arms. But their tenuous understanding remains fraught with uncertainty... and with the unspoken knowledge that their idyllic days may be numbered.

Suburban homemaker Allison Embry believes she has gotten away with killing her young boyfriend... until she gets a call from his drug supplier with a proposition that threatens to destroy her family and the comfortable life she has built.Atlanta Police Lieutenant Paxton Davis, nearing retirement, must find the Midtown Murderer before he strikes again. For Davis, this case is all too reminiscent of the 1979-1980 child murders that marked the beginning of his career.Widowed newspaper writer Tom Williams plans to pursue his lifelong dream, to travel the US and chronicle his experiences. Then Tom receives word that an unknown assailant has killed a third lawyer nearby. As he ponders what else can go wrong, his daughter, a criminal defense attorney, calls to say she's leaving her husband and moving home with her two sons.For Parker, storytelling is all about the characters. Here we meet an assortment of eccentric people, from the affluent to the destitute, the good, the bad, the unforgettable.Pronounced Ponce, Book Three in The Tom Williams Saga, takes us on a high-speed chase through some of Atlanta's most colorful neighborhoods.

Farewell to South Shore taps into and articulates a woman's emotions related to dealing with a changing society, particularly its expectations of women. Farewell to South Shore creates an instant rapport between the main character and the reader who has experienced change in her own life. It explores the sadness of dealing with divorce, single motherhood, a friend's abortion, a beloved cousin suffering from AIDS, changing mores, and the joys resulting from a loving family, rewarding career, finding new love in middle age, and making the world a better place. The book inspires perseverance and determination to help take charge of one's own life in a rapidly changing world-a world vastly different than the idyllic South Shore of the main character's youth.

Cara Knight attends a party in historic Georgetown that turns deadly when she discovers the hostess conked on the head. Can Cara solve the crime, or will it be a case of the housekeeper did it?A mother working toward tenure in academic social work, Cara already juggles enough but can't let an innocent woman go to jail with her children in foster care. Pushing her way into the intrigue, Cara's visiting mother-in-law might end up in the Potomac if Cara can't keep her in check. She'll need to sort through suspects going all the way to Congress and solve the case before Cara's own family lands in danger.Murder in Georgetown is the thrilling book one in The Academic Mom Mysteries. If you like amateur female sleuths in academia, moms struggling with work-life balance, and the backdrop of the nation's Capital, then you will love Jacque Rosman's cleverly constructed new mystery.

Clint's sitting in a chair in front of a hotel in the town of Firecreek, Wyoming. Just sitting there observing the townspeople, he can tell there is much turmoil beneath the surface. Curious, he begins to ask questions, and finds that a swamper in the saloon knows everything because people ignore him. He cleans several of the saloons, and quite a few of the stores, and therefore knows everything that's going on. As a result, Clint gets involved in several disputes which result in lead flying.

Wrong Place...Right TimeFollow Hollywood sensation Al Ferrari on a true-crime odyssey as he navigates the tough urban environment of Greater Boston in the late 1980s. Meet Lonely Larry, Crazy Louie, Jumbo Zal, Pete Pistol and The Plum Girl as they help Al along the way to stardom.In this book, you will learn:- How not to burn a car- How to turn a Celica into a Rolls-Royce- How not to rip off Sears- How to really piss off the Mob. . . and more!Recommended for aspiring celebrities everywhere.Soon to be a motion picture.

Federal Judge Adam Willow, a former Marine commando, demands perfect justice. Some defendants are acquitted by juries in his Chicago courtroom, but none survive. Set in Chicago in the late 1980's and early '90s, the commando Judge takes matters into his own hands. He starts when he is left alone with a defendant who has escaped justice, and in a moment of pure impulse, he kills the man. Emboldened by the experience, he goes on to murder more defendants. But when he kills a corrupt Supreme Court Justice, and an innocent man is put on trial for the murder, Judge Willow faces a crisis of conscience. He tries to save the defendant, but he fails. His law clerk, a beautiful Asian woman with whom he is having an affair, tries to soothe him. But in the end, the Judge must sit in trial on himself in the Court of Last Resort.

A Special Christmas Edition Roxy Doyle and the Christmas GiftRoxy Doyle meets Sam Dunham and becomes more smitten with him than she ever has another man. In fact, she thinks she's in love with him. So when he asks her for a favor, she doesn't see any reason to turn him down. He asks her if she will go to Lincoln, Nebraska and deliver his daughter a special gift for Christmas. He tells her his ex-wife hates him so much she won't let him see the little girl.Roxy rides to Lincoln and finds a town deep in the throes of Christmas. The entire town is decorated, and there's a party in the park. She meets the little girl, and her mother, who turns out to be married to the sheriff. She also hears horrible things about Sam that cause her to think he might not be the man she thinks he is. When there's a bank robbery and a murder, Roxy finds herself on the trail of the culprits, partnered with her most unusual sidekick-Santa Claus!

When thirteen-year-old Ricky Diaz discovers that his mother was murdered by drug dealers, he's desperate for revenge. But his father, a former drug enforcement agent, refuses the mission the DEA now offers: to steal an airplane with an American-made radar detector that the cartel uses to smuggle drugs from Mexico.Angry with his father for throwing away to avenge his mother's death, Ricky decides to take matters into his own hands-he will steal the plane. He runs away to Mexico, disguising himself as one of the many rateros, or homeless children. Life on the streets proves extremely hard and dangerous, and he's barely surviving when he meets Soledad, a crafty but kindhearted ratera. With her help, he must find a way to get into the drug cartel's compound and take the plane-or end up as yet another casualty in the raging drug war.In this thrilling novel, author Ben Mikaelsen sheds light on America's war on drugs and the grittiness of street life while exploring an unexpected friendship and the healing power of family."Readers who require a fast-paced plot with lots of action, tension, and danger will find everything they want in Mikaelsen's latest novel....A dynamite story." -Booklist (starred review)A California Young Readers' Medal WinnerA Pacific Northwest Library Association Readers' Choice

Trouble's brewing.Big trouble.A couple of the big ranchers in the area have been pushing around the smaller ones, bullying them, and a few of the smaller ranchers aren't going to take it anymore. Tom Fielding runs a string of packhorses and works for the big outfits, but that doesn't mean he's ready to stand by and do nothing. Lots of folks have warned him not to take sides, not to make powerful enemies. But Tom knows when something is just plain wrong, you have to stand up against it ... even if that means putting yourself in the middle of an all-out war."Spur-winner Nesbitt doesn't write traditional novels or routine shoot-em-ups. Gather My Horses is an emotional story, full of believable people with rich detail and a sense of purpose. Nesbitt breathes life, rich in characterization, to this beautifully written novel." -Roundup Magazine

AWARD-WINNING AUTHORAmerica's History is His Story, is a daily devotional of history and patriotism. If you embrace the power of the Christian faith, if you love the United States of America, if you cherish your family, and if you respect the contributions of our brave military personnel, then you should love this book. Each daily reading is brimming with the qualities of faith, family and freedom.

SPUR AWARD-WINNING AUTHOR - ROD MILLEROn a lonely road in a remote desert stands a roadhouse. Formerly a home station on a now abandoned stagecoach route, it is the only source of water and supplies for miles. Accommodations are crude and coarse, the hospitality rough and raw, the proprietor boorish and vulgar. Travelers are few and far between, and almost all must stop for water-which comes at a price. A mounted mail carrier who visits the roadhouse with some regularity suspects there is more to the place than meets the eye, and he comes to believe that for some travelers the roadhouse is the end of the road...All My Sins Remembered is destined to join the ranks of the frontier classic. Here is suspense as taut as freshly strung barbed wire, rock-solid period detail, and an emotional roller-coaster ride set against a West that is both historically accurate and stunningly immediate. Rod Miller does what only a handful of writers have ever done: make you care about (and even perhaps root for) an astonishingly evil man. -Loren D. Estleman Western Writers Hall of Fame authorOne of the more powerfully haunting novels to come along in years, Miller's All My Sins Remembered stands shoulder to shoulder with such literary classics as Cormac McCarthy's Blood Meridian and Charles Frazier's Cold Mountain. A brutal, beautifully rendered masterpiece, guaranteed to stay with you long after the last page is turned. -Michael Zimmer Winner of the Spur Award and Western Heritage Wrangler AwardIt is not by chance that Rod Miller has taken his title, All My Sins Remembered, from Shakespeare's Hamlet for this novel. Comparable to the Bard, his book is about madness-with Biblical dimensions. -True West magazine

When Sheriff Heath Royal seeks relief for his tormented conscience by attending church services for the first time since his youth, he is beckoned to an empty seat by the wealthy, recently widowed Rebekka Korhenen Brando, and both are immediately, although unwittingly, stirred by an unintentional rekindling of the feelings that almost led to a marriage between them twenty-five years earlier.Gossipy church members and malicious tongue waggers from the small community of Shady Spring, Texas, watch in amusement and sometimes in horror as the former lovers struggle through a series of challenges and near-death experiences to determine whether the forces of evil or the roundabout intervention of God Himself will allow them a life together.Standing in their way is a demented ranch foreman convinced that he and Rebekka are destined for each other. Heath's dubious future as a lawman, and grudge-bearing outlaws who want to put the sheriff into his grave. The solutions may be divined under the sheltering limbs of a magnificent old oak tree where Heath and Rebekka seek solace and open their hearts to each other.

CALIFORNIA YOUNG READERS' MEDAL WINNER A DARING RESCUE-or a deadly risk?Ever since Josh's older brother died, his father has been drinking too much and taking his anger out on Josh. But when he orphans a bear cub, it's more than Josh can stand. Josh insists on rescuing the bear cub-only to find that he must surrender it to game officials.Knowing the cub will be sent to a research labo­ratory, Josh makes a defiant choice. Taking only his brother's motorcycle, the cub, and his dog, Josh runs away to the mountains, vowing to stay until the hunting laws are changed. But the mountains hold unexpected menace, and Josh's bid for justice soon becomes a battle to survive."A fast and suspenseful survival story."-Bulletin, Center for Children's Books¿ International Reading Association Award Winner¿ Western Writers of America Spur Award Winner¿ California Young Readers' Medal Winner¿ Wyoming Indian Paintbrush Book Award Winner¿ CBC/IRA Favorite Paperback for 1994

Award-Winning author James DuermeyerBones Don't Lie, Book Four, in the Nathan Wolf series: When U.S. Marshal Nathan Wolf is contacted by a rancher regarding the disappearance of horses, he soon finds that there is far more at stake than a few head of livestock. He comes face to face with a bullying outlaw named Ivan Malone who intends to steal the third-generation ranch from its rightful owners through guile, theft, threats, extortion, and ultimately murder of the ranch owners. To further complicate the situation, the list of characters who wish to seek revenge and kill the outlaw continues to grow and includes a nearby Comanche Chief, a prospector's young son, and the outlaw's own mother. With the help of his Texas Ranger friend Ben Steele, it is all Marshal Wolf can do to keep the revenge-minded folks from taking the law into their own hands before the outlaw is brought to justice. But, the road to justice and revenge can take many dangerous and dramatic turns as Marshal Wolf discovers.

And the Wind Whispered, the tale of three teenaged budding reporters who stumble onto a murder, which is only the beginning of the mystery. With visits from a virtual who's who of the Wild West, the boom town of Hot Springs, South Dakota will not soon forget 1894.Praise for And the Wind Whispered"It's rare to find a work that is a real delight in its uniformly feisty, believable protagonists who work within a plot that holds no boundaries. And the Wind Whispered is a remarkable achievement" ¿Diane Donovan, Midwest Book Review"...the book begins as any good murder mystery should, with a body. Throw in a dark cave and three snoopy kids, and you've a good story - if you know how to write it...Dan Jorgensen knows how" ¿Kevin Woster, KELO TV"And the Wind Whispered . . . contains several scenes that are so exciting they become almost impossible to put down. ... Jorgensen keeps his characters in plenty of danger throughout, making it easy for readers to keep turning the pages." ¿Paul F. Murray (Reader's Favorite)

Heart of Gold, this historical novel is Book Two, in Under the Canyon Sky: about the early Grand Canyon pioneers. It is the story of gold discovery, copper mines, rockslides, outlaws, beer-drinking burros, a railway on the brink, conflicting federal regulations, and badgering by a flourishing commercial tourist industry that fiercely opposes independents.Monte Bridgestone - miner, trail-builder, guide, hotel manager, and homesteader on the South Rim. He becomes emotionally attached to the Grand Canyon and advocates its protection for future generations to behold, experience and cherish.Kirby and Sabrina O'Brien - their romance springs from below the rim and their life together evolves from prospecting to ranching. They work to preserve the legacy of the canyon pioneers by planning and financing a Canyon Pioneers Museum.Clint McCarty - Monte's mining partner until a falling out over his rampant abuse of mining laws. He opposes making the Canyon a national park and wants it all for himself. His proliferation of mining claims hinders administrative control of the Canyon.Teddy Roosevelt - in his notorious address on the South Rim, he asks that the Canyon remain void of anything manmade. He establishes Grand Canyon National Monument, and twice returns for adventurous canyon mule trips."Follow the twists and turns of mining, politics and romance in Heart of Gold, Dick Brown's well-written continuing saga of pioneer life at the Grand Canyon. A definite page turner!" -Dr. Gary Fogel, Author and Adjunct Professor at San Diego State UniversityThe Grand Canyon's long journey from unexplored wilderness to a great American national park involves tangled bureaucracy, greedy schemes, fraudulent mining claims, and competition between favored commercial operators and private entrepreneurs. The government's rough start in managing this natural wonder and the pioneers conducting their own tourism enterprises create bitter conflicts that last for decades.

2023 FINALIST, PEACEMAKER AWARD OF WESTERN FICTIONEERS2023 FINALIST, WILL ROGERS MEDALLION AWARDIt's 1917, and the Mexican Revolution has the Big Bend of Texas aflame. But the firestorm is no greater than the one inside newspaper reporter Jack Landon. Disillusioned, he flees down the road to nowhere and finds himself in Esperanza. Populated by people of Mexican heritage, the small village on the Texas bank of the Rio Grande is a target of Texas Rangers Company B, which unjustly considers it a bandit den.Jack befriends a teenaged boy and his adult sister, Mary, who teaches in the Esperanza school. As Jack assimilates to life in Esperanza, the threat of Rangers looms large. Eventually a day of reckoning descends, and it envelops Jack and Mary and the entire village.This novel is based on what actually happened at Porvenir, Texas, on January 28, 1918-the darkest moment in Texas Rangers history.

Water...Every man needs it; one cannot live without it!A loving mother and her son, a malevolent husband, a gambler, a band of outlaws, a fierce Apache brave, and two determined lawmen are ALL in need of water. Their desperate pursuit of water eventually leads their individual paths to converge, ultimately culminating in multiple acts of conflict and violence.Who among them will live?Who will Die?Who will find water?