Easy Way Out

Patrick O'Neil spends his days avoiding clients at the travel agency he works for and his nights avoiding his safe, but passionless romance with his lover Arthur. A tale of doing what you want to do as opposed to what you're supposed to do, McCauley's comedy is filled with longing and truth.

The sequel to No Safety in Numbers; a modern day Lord of the Flies for fans of apocalyptic thrillers It's Day 7 in the quarantined mall. The riot is over and the senator trapped inside is determined to end the chaos. Even with new rules, assigned jobs, and heightened security, she still needs to get the teen population under control. So she enlists Marco's help--allowing him to keep his stolen universal card key in exchange for spying on the very football players who are protecting him. But someone is working against the new systems, targeting the teens, and putting the entire mall in even more danger. Lexi, Marco, Ryan, and Shay believe their new alliances are sound. They are wrong. Who can be trusted? And who will be left to trust? The virus was just the beginning.

SHORTLISTED FOR THE PRIME MINISTERS LITERARY AWARD FOR FICTION 2017 SHORTLISTED FOR THE ALS GOLD MEDAL 2017 LONGLISTED FOR THE INDIE AWARD FOR FICTION 2017 LONGLISTED FOR THE MILES FRANKLIN LITERARY AWARD 2017 LONGLISTED FOR THE ABIA AWARD LITERARY FICTION 2017 'Amsterdam is so damn good. He is up there with the best, Delillo and the like, original as Tsolkias, but most importantly he is a master storyteller in his own right, assured and compelling, he somehow articulates things you know deep down but never been able to put your finger on. I never want to stop reading him.' - Anna Krien, bestselling author of NIGHT GAMES, INTO THE WOODS and US and THEM If you could help someone in pain, would you? Evan is a nurse, a suicide assistant. His job is legal . . . just. He's the one at the hospital who hands out the last drink to those who ask for it. Evan's friends don't know what he does during the day. His mother, Viv, doesn't know what he's up to at night. And his supervisor suspects there may be trouble ahead. As he helps one patient after another die, Evan pushes against legality, his own morality and the best intentions of those closest to him, discovering that his own path will be neither quick nor painless. He knows what he has to do. In this powerful novel, award-winning author Steven Amsterdam challenges readers to face the most taboo and heartbreaking of dilemmas. Would you help someone end their life? 'The Easy Way Out is a perfect storm of a novel. Superbly written and instantly engaging, with great characters and a killer (excuse the pun) premise' - Sydney Morning Herald 'There's something fresh and engaging about Steven Amsterdam's writing ' - Australian Women's Weekly

Patrick O'Neil is a travel agent who never goes anywhere. His closest confidante, Sharon, is chain-smoking her way to singles hell, passing up man after man. His parents, proprietors of a suburban men's store whose fortunes are sagging more visibly than its customers, can't agree how best to interfere in their sons' lives. And his lover, Arthur (a nice golden retriever of a guy to whom Patrick can't quite commit), wants to cement their relationship by buying a house. Then a call comes in the middle of another sleepless night. Tony, Patrick's straight-as-an-arrow younger brother, has fallen in love with a beautiful lawyer who is turning him on to...opera. Unfortunately, she's not the woman he's already pledged to marry. Tony's life is a mess. Finally, the brothers have something in common.

This is Book 2 in the Detective McDaniel Thriller series. The series is best read in order. Please consider reading Book 1, Hold Back the Night, before enjoying The Easy Way Out. Still reeling from his encounter with a depraved child killer and a professional hitman on the city’s waterfront, Homicide Detective Darren McDaniel is thrown back into the fray. A headless corpse washes up in a secluded cove near the industrial district. The body shows signs of extreme trauma – torture – prior to being tossed into the sea. The brutal excess of violence disturbs McDaniel, pulling him into the investigation. But, with no head, no usable fingerprints, and advanced decomposition, the remains offer few clues to the identity of the victim, or the perpetrator. McDaniel, and his partner, Brent Vanderwyk, begin investigating reports of missing persons, hoping to match an open case with their victim. A disturbing pattern soon emerges - multiple subjects on the fringes of society have disappeared over the past few years. The case that started with a headless corpse on the beach quickly spins out of control, expanding to include at least five men, dead or missing. All of them are directly connected to a treacherously entangled trio – a petty drug-lord, a sheriff’s detective, and a bombshell femme fatale. McDaniel and Vanderwyk slowly unravel the tangled mess of lies, deception, trickery, and murder. As the pieces fall into place, they learn that a sixth victim has been taken. The detectives formulate a plan to capture the killer and save his latest victim before it’s too late. But as they race to the rescue, the mission quickly unravels, plunging the detectives into gunfights, car chases, mayhem on the high seas, and a nail-biting conclusion that will leave you on the edge of your seat.

She was willing to take off everything - but her mask! Engineering robots and all non-living creatures was easy for Virginia - not so much with people. So when her best friend dragged her to the company Halloween party, Virginia went kicking and screaming - well as much as her Playboy bunny costume allowed for any movement. But with her mask in place and her normal reserve as tiny as her costume, Dr. Farrell suddenly let loose. Wild and wanton, she fell into the muscular arms of the costumed and masked Bandit. His virile charms and passionate kisses penetrated her reserve. At the stroke of midnight, when the masks were to come off, Virginia fled - leaving her bunny tail in the palm of the handsome bandit's hand. Dr. Alex Braddock was determined to find the curvy ass that fit the tail. He was stunned whit it appeared that his new boss, Dr. Farrell was his sexy rabbit. But was it the prim, professional Virginia? She resembled oatmeal! Or her wanton twin sister, Ginger? She got turned on by the navel in an orange!

Ted Williams hit .406 for the season in 1941? a feat not matched since. In this inspirational picture book, authentic sportswriting and rich, classic illustrations bring to life the truly spectacular story of the Red Sox legend, whose hard work and perseverance make him the perfect role model for baseball enthusiasts of all ages.

"Think of the heart-racing chase of The Hunger Games, but a giant mall is your arena."--Seventeen.com A suspenseful survival story and modern day Lord of the Flies set in a mall that looks just like yours. A biological bomb has just been discovered in the air ducts of a busy suburban mall. At first nobody knows if it's even life threatening, but then the entire complex is quarantined, people start getting sick, supplies start running low, and there's no way out. Among the hundreds of trapped shoppers are four teens. These four different narrators, each with their own stories, must cope in unique, surprising manners, changing in ways they wouldn't have predicted, trying to find solace, safety, and escape at a time when the adults are behaving badly. This is a gripping look at people and how they can—and must—change under the most dire of circumstances. And not always for the better.