In The Shadow Of The Hanging Tree

Born into slavery, Henry's life is spent working on plantations. Freed at the onset of the Civil War, he's on the run from Confederate militiamen. He finds himself caught in the middle of a powerful family drama while assisting a young couple. Henry must battle hatred and the ghosts of his past during this turbulent time in American history.

Ambition will fuel him. Competition will drive him. But power has its price. It is the morning of the reaping that will kick off the tenth annual Hunger Games. In the Capitol, eighteen-year-old Coriolanus Snow is preparing for his one shot at glory as a mentor in the Games. The once-mighty house of Snow has fallen on hard times, its fate hanging on the slender chance that Coriolanus will be able to outcharm, outwit, and outmaneuver his fellow students to mentor the winning tribute. The odds are against him. He's been given the humiliating assignment of mentoring the female tribute from District 12, the lowest of the low. Their fates are now completely intertwined - every choice Coriolanus makes could lead to favor or failure, triumph or ruin. Inside the arena, it will be a fight to the death. Outside the arena, Coriolanus starts to feel for his doomed tribute . . . and must weigh his need to follow the rules against his desire to survive no matter what it takes.

Ben Aaronovitch's bestselling Rivers of London urban fantasy series • “The perfect blend of CSI and Harry Potter.” —io9 Suspicious deaths are not usually the concern of Police Constable Peter Grant or the Folly—London’s police department for supernatural cases—even when they happen at an exclusive party in one of the flats of the most expensive apartment blocks in London. But the daughter of Lady Ty, influential goddess of the Tyburn river, was there, and Peter owes Lady Ty a favor. Plunged into the alien world of the super-rich, where the basements are bigger than the houses, where the law is something bought and sold on the open market, a sensible young copper would keep his head down and his nose clean. But this is Peter Grant we’re talking about. He’s been given an unparalleled opportunity to alienate old friends and create new enemies at the point where the world of magic and that of privilege intersect. Assuming he survives the week…

In 1640, Alys Bailey was accused of witchcraft and sentenced to hang. Today, Alys is said to haunt Lockwood Hall, the Tudor manor house where she died. When Nicole Rayburn travels to Lockwood Hall and begins to research Alys's story for a new book, she discovers startling irregularities in Alys's case. Nicole's suspicions mount as every answer leads to more questions. What really happened to Alys? And what became of her son, who disappeared the day she was hanged? Could it be that Alys's death was the result of a well-planned conspiracy, or is there another, less obvious answer? And who is trying to sabotage Nicole's attempts to discover the truth?As Nicole delves deeper into Alys's life, with the help of a handsome crime writer and a history-obsessed vicar, she comes to realize that things are not quite as they appear, and people will sometimes do the unthinkable to protect their secrets.Perfect for fans of Susanna Kearsley, Barbara Erskine, and Kate Morton

Rose Marshall died in 1952 in Buckley Township, Michigan, run off the road by a man named Bobby Cross—a man who had sold his soul to live forever, and intended to use her death to pay the price of his immortality. Trouble was, he didn’t ask Rose what she thought of the idea. It’s been more than sixty years since that night, and she’s still sixteen, and she’s still running. They have names for her all over the country: the Girl in the Diner. The Phantom Prom Date. The Girl in the Green Silk Gown. Mostly she just goes by “Rose,” a hitchhiking ghost girl with her thumb out and her eyes fixed on the horizon, trying to outrace a man who never sleeps, never stops, and never gives up on the idea of claiming what’s his. She’s the angel of the overpass, she’s the darling of the truck stops, and she’s going to figure out a way to win her freedom. After all, it’s not like it can kill her. You can’t kill what’s already dead.

WHEN GRACIE McBRIDE, the wild girl who had left town eighteen years earlier, is found dead in an apparent suicide shortly after her homecoming, it sends shock waves through her native Starvation Lake. Gus Carpenter, executive editor of the Pine County Pilot, sets out to solve the mystery with the help of his old flame and now girlfriend, Pine County sheriff deputy Darlene Esper. As Gus and Darlene investigate, they can’t help but question if Gracie’s troubled life really ended in suicide or if the suspicious crime-scene evidence adds up to murder. But in such a small town it’s impossible to be an impartial investigator—Gracie was Gus’s second cousin; Darlene’s best friend; and the lover of Gus’s oldest pal, Soupy Campbell. Yet with all the bad blood between Gus and Gracie over the years, Gus is easily distracted by other problems. His employer is trying to push him out, the locals are annoyed that his stories have halted construction on a new hockey rink, and Darlene’s estranged husband has returned to reclaim his wife. When Gus tries to retrace Gracie’s steps to discover what happened to her in the eighteen years she was away from Starvation Lake, he’s forced to return to Detroit, the scene of his humiliating past. And though he’s determined to find out what drove Gracie back home, Gus is unprepared for the terrible secrets he uncovers. The second book in Bryan Gruley’s irresistible Starvation Lake series, The Hanging Tree is a compelling story about family and friendship, sex and violence, and the failure of love to make everything right.

Set in the mid 1800s, The Hanging Tree is a bittersweet tale of the love between two slaves. It weaves a story that evokes both happiness and sadness with threads of love, loss, superstition and threat. Isaac and Oneesha live on a cotton plantation in Louisiana. They are afforded greater liberty than many of their people, but their lives still fall under the constant shadow of their position as slaves, a shadow that contains much which is fearful and perilous. Savouring fleeting rendezvous during the hours of darkness, they toil through the days and hope that their prayers for freedom will be answered. The Hanging Tree is by one of the most prolific and diverse contemporary authors and displays the power of the written word to stir the soul. It is sure to leave a lasting impression on the hearts and minds of readers. This novella is available in paperback and Kindle formats. Edwin Page is the author of the acclaimed historical novels Where Seagulls Fly and Song of the Sea, which are among the many fiction and non-fiction titles he has had published.

Palaeontologist Kathryn Widd is in the Kenyan wild investigating hominid skull fragments. She becomes intrigued by a 1908 safari and the British nobleman who died mysteriously. The further she probes, the more deeply she is drawn into past lives and ancient, mysterious forces of violence. When palaeontologist Kathryn Widd is called to the Kenyan wilderness to investigate a set of hominid skull fragments, she little suspects how profoundly the journey will change her. As she studies the ancient fossils, she becomes intrigued by the tale of a 1908 safari and the British nobleman who died mysteriously near the site of her dig. The further she probes, the more deeply she is drawn into past lives and a world turned upside down by ancient, mysterious forces of violence. Surrounded only by the vast wasteland of African desert, her forgotten sexuality is gradually reawakened - first by Marion Macmillan, the neglected wife of Kathryn's alcoholic colleague, then by the mystic nomad Daniel Tregallion. As the academic significance of the findings begins to attract worldwide attention, Kathryn finds herself drawn into a vortex of dark passion, native curses, and devastating political violence.