Panic In Philly

"This is one of the most enjoyable books I have read in some time. It is in the running for one of the top 5 books for 2015. I know the year is not even half over, but the book is that good." -Word Refiner An OpenBooks science fiction best seller of monsters, Gods, and aliens, unlike anything you've ever read. Philadelphia. Elzi on every corner, cops just itching to crack a skull, and the Gaespora lordin' it up in their high towers while the rest of the filth dribbled down the sewer. Saru had a way out. All she had to do was find the girl, one skinny stray with blue, blue eyes--bluer than anyone had ever seen--and ten million fat bucks were hers. Except someone was killing blue-eyed girls, and they were A-list, major-league, cold-sweat effective. And something about the end of all existence if she failed. No Dogs in Philly is a Lovecraftian Cyberpunk Noir with aliens, monsters, extra-dimensional death Gods and a hardboiled female protagonist. It tackles questions of existence and the role humans play in this particular universe. Rated R for strong language, mentions of sex, and graphic violence. Contains intense horror and potentially disturbing imagery. No Dogs in Philly may appeal to fans of H.P. Lovecraft, Neal Stephenson, China Mieville, Dan Simmons, Gyo, Tank Girl, Swamp Thing, Spawn, science fiction, horror, cyberpunk, absurdism, urban fantasy, new weird, weird fiction, slipstream, and speculative fiction. Keywords: dark books, gritty books, noir books, horror books, weird books, strange books, unique books, different books, controversial books, challenging books, surprising books, unsettling books, disturbing books, bizarre books, unusual books, scary books, absurd books, crazy books, violent books, bloody books, gory books, books like sandman slim, books like snowcrash, books like neal stephenson, books like neil stephenson, books like lovecraft, books like william gibson, books like gibson, books with dark covers, books with female heroines, black humor, quick reads, weird book series, books that make you think, gritty thrillers, dark thrillers, sci fi thrillers, weird thrillers, alien books, monster books, metaphysical books.

_________________ ‘Thank goodness for Katie Fforde, the perfect author to bring comfort in difficult times. She really is the queen of uplifting, feel good romance.’ AJ PEARCE _________________ FROM THE SUNDAY TIMES #1 BESTSELLING AUTHOR Will opening the door lead to love and happy endings? Lorna and her friend Philly work together in the grounds of a beautiful manor house in the Cotswolds. But even though they are surrounded by family and friends, the door to true love remains resolutely closed - until the day they discover a beautiful secret garden deep in the manor's grounds. Could this be the sign that their luck is about to change? _________________ The whole world loves Katie Fforde's work: 'Like a good wedding, it will leave you wiping away the tears' SUNDAY EXPRESS 'Modern-day Austen. Great fun' RED 'Katie’s writing is life-enhancing and, like the love affairs, delicious. I enjoyed every minute!' ELIZABETH BUCHAN 'Top-drawer romantic escapism' DAILY MAIL 'Warm, brilliant and full of love' HEAT 'Delicious - gorgeous humour and the lightest of touches' SUNDAY TIMES 'Effortlessly lovable, warm and fun' CLOSER 'Curl up on the sofa with this book and dream ... delightful' THE LADY 'Deliciously enjoyable' WOMAN AND HOME 'Uplifting and delightful' HOT BRANDS COOL PLACES

A murder mystery featuring Lord Edward Corinth and Verity Browne. 1937. Lord Benyon is on board the Queen Mary, bound for New York, where his mission is to persuade President Roosevelt to supply Britain with arms and money, if it comes to war with Germany. Those who want him to fail will stop at nothing to prevent him from reaching an agreement with the American President. So, when Lord Benyon refuses police protection, Special Branch enlists the help of Lord Edward Corinth: he is to board the ship and keep an unofficial eye on Benyon. Verity Browne is aboard the Queen Mary too, going to America on behalf of the Communist Party to liaise with sympathisers to their cause. There is indeed a murder on board, but not that of Lord Benyon: the victim is a right-wing Senator from North Carolina. The obvious suspect would be Warren Fairley, an African-American singer, actor, and communist. But the Senator has enraged many of his fellow passengers, such as Sam Forrest, the union organiser with whom Verity is so taken... Praise for David Roberts: 'The plot is both intricate and enthralling, like Poirot on the high seas, and lovingly recorded by an author with a meticulous eye and huge sense of fun' Michael Dobbs, author of Winston's War 'A classic murder mystery [...] and a most engaging pair of amateur sleuths' Charles Osborne, author of The Life and Crimes of Agatha Christie 'A perfect example of golden-age mystery traditions with the cobwebs swept away' Guardian

Because gramophonic technology grew up alongside Ireland’s progressively more outspoken and violent struggles for political autonomy and national stability, Irish Modernism inherently links the gramophone to representations of these dramatic cultural upheavals. Many key works of Irish literary modernism—like those by James Joyce, Elizabeth Bowen, and Sean O’Casey—depend upon the gramophone for their ability to record Irish cultural traumas both symbolically and literally during one of the country’s most fraught developmental eras. In each work the gramophone testifies of its own complexity as a physical object and its multiform value in the artistic development of textual material. In each work, too, the object seems virtually self-placed—less an aesthetic device than a “thing” belonging primordially to the text. The machine is also often an agent and counterpart to literary characters. Thus, the gramophone points to a deeper connection between object and culture than we perceive if we consider it as only an image, enhancement, or instrument. This book examines the gramophone as an object that refuses to remain in the background of scenes in which it appears, forcing us to confront its mnemonic heritage during a period of Irish history burdened with political and cultural turbulence.

The dramatic true story of two brothers living parallel lives on either side of the U.S.-Mexico border—and how their lives converged in a major criminal conspiracy José and Miguel Treviño were bonded by blood and a shared vision of a better life. But they chose different paths that would end at the same violent crossroads—with considerable help from the FBI and an enigmatic, all-American snitch. José was a devoted family man who cut no corners in his pursuit of the American dream. Born in Nuevo Laredo, a Mexican border town on a crucial smuggling route, José was one of thirteen children raised by a hardworking ranch hand. He grew up loving the sprawling countryside and its tough, fast quarter horses, but in search of opportunity he crossed the border into Texas to look for work as a bricklayer. He kept his nose clean. He stayed out of trouble. Back in Mexico, José’s younger brother Miguel was leading a different life. While José struggled to make ends meet, Miguel ascended to the top ranks of Los Zetas, a notoriously bloody drug cartel—his crimes had become the stuff of legend and myth on both sides of the border. He was said to have burned rivals alive, murdered Mexican and American law enforcement officers, and launched grenades at a U.S. consulate. José, married with kids and now a U.S. citizen, gave every indication of rejecting his brother’s criminal lifestyle. Then one day he showed up at a quarter-horse auction and bid close to a million dollars for a horse—the largest amount ever paid for a quarter horse at an auction. The humble bricklayer quickly became a major player in the quarter-horse racing scene that thrived in the American Southwest and Mexico. That caught the attention of an eager young FBI agent named Scott Lawson. He enlisted Tyler Graham, an American rancher who would eventually breed José’s champion horse—nicknamed Bones—to help the FBI infiltrate what was revealing itself to be a major money-laundering operation, with the ultimate goal of capturing the infamous Miguel Treviño. Joe Tone’s riveting, exquisitely layered crime narrative, set against the high-stakes world of horse racing, is an intimate story about family, loyalty, and the tragic costs of a failed drug war. Compelling and complex, Bones sheds light on the perilous lives of American ranchers, the morally dubious machinery of drug and border enforcement, and the way greed and fear mingle with race, class, and violence along America’s vast Southwestern border. Praise for Bones “The true-life tale of the Zetas’ foray into quarter horses is masterfully recounted. . . . [a] finely-painted cast of characters . . . Tone weaves the threads together with skillful pacing and sharp prose, marking him as an important new talent in narrative nonfiction. . . . Tone adds some vivid details [and] digs deep into the colorful world of quarter-horse racing.”—The New York Times Book Review