Relics were everywhere in medieval society. Saintly morsels such as bones, hair, teeth, blood, milk, and clothes, and items like the Crown of Thorns, coveted by Louis IX of France, were thought to bring the believer closer to the saint, who might intercede with God on his or her behalf. In the first comprehensive history in English of the rise of relic cults, Charles Freeman takes readers on a vivid, fast-paced journey from Constantinople to the northern Isles of Scotland over the course of a millennium.In "Holy Bones, Holy Dust," Freeman illustrates that the pervasiveness and variety of relics answered very specific needs of ordinary people across a darkened Europe under threat of political upheavals, disease, and hellfire. But relics were not only venerated--they were traded, collected, lost, stolen, duplicated, and destroyed. They were bargaining chips, good business and good propaganda, politically appropriated across Europe, and even used to wield military power. Freeman examines an expansive array of relics, showing how the mania for these objects deepens our understanding of the medieval world and why these relics continue to capture our imagination.

"Someone is knocking at the door to Grace Adams' house, and he won't stop. Grace thinks she knows who it is, but when she goes to her second floor window for a look she sees a woman she doesn't recognize. The woman isn't alone for long before a man emerges from the dark of the surrounding woods, stabs her, and leaves her for dead. Trying to help, Grace goes to the woman and is shocked to find that it's her mother Leanne--a woman who abandoned her 11 years before. There's nothing she can do, and Leanne is already past the point where she can tell Grace what happened all those years ago or why she came back now. While Grace was only a child when Leanne left her, Detective Macy Greeley has been waiting for Leanne ever since she disappeared from Collier, MT. She's looking to close a case that has been haunting the town for far too long, but Collier is a hard-bitten place where the people are fierce when it comes to keeping their feuds between themselves and keeping secrets hidden in the past. Karin Salvalaggio's outstanding crime fiction debut Bone Dust White is an absolutely stunning work that signals the entrance of a major new talent"--

"Dust Off the Bones is a terrific sequel to one of my favorite novels of the last few years and takes us in a new and wholly unexpected direction with many of our favorite characters from Only Killers and Thieves. Highly recommended." — Adrian McKinty, author of The Chain “A complex, sophisticated morality play….Fast-paced and brimming with colorful, realistic detail, DUST OFF THE BONES paints a vivid portrait of colonial Australia in the midst of its transition to independence as the 20th century begins while posing disturbing questions about the country’s historic cruelty to its native inhabitants.” — Kirkus Reviews (starred review) “Howarth’s sequel to Only Killers and Thieves is as searing and savage as the Australian frontier setting that both novels share…This masterly tale of trauma and retribution is more than worthy of the original.” — Publishers Weekly (starred review) “Rich and vivid….Recommended to readers of Kate Grenville, Peter Carey, and Colleen McCullough.” — Booklist “Engrossing….a riveting, action -packed tale of life in Australia between 1890 and 1910…[with] strong women characters.” — Library Journal (starred review) “An unsparing exploration of guilt and Australia’s violent origins and also a quest for redemption and peace. It is a measure of Howarth’s skill that the reader wants the McBride boys to reach their goals with such intensity that the book is almost too painful to read. Howarth has been compared to Cormac McCarthy; this pair of books shows the comparison is deserved.” — The Times (London) “The villainous Inspector Edward Noone is one of the most compelling antagonists in recent historical fiction…It is testament to Howarth’s skill as a writer that his narrative both engages and challenges in its accomplished depiction of a brutal and violent age.” — The Guardian “A gripping tale of adventure [and] a moving account of redemption”. — Sunday Times (London)

Benny, Nix, Lou, and Lilah journey through a fierce wilderness that was once America searching for the jet they saw months ago, while evading fierce animals and a new kind of zombie. "The third time's the charm with even more adventureNand goreNas the Rot & Ruin series continues."N"Kirkus Reviews."

In the Rot & Ruin, it’s a matter of death and life. All four books in the action-packed zombie series Booklist calls “an impressive mix of meaning and mayhem,” now available in one paperback boxed set. In the zombie-infested world Benny has grown up in, teens must work once they turn fifteen. Benny isn’t interested in the family business, but he reluctantly agrees to train as a zombie killer with his big brother Tom. He expects a dull job, whacking zoms for cash. What he discovers is a vocation that will teach him what it really means to be human. This boxed set contains paperback editions of the complete series: Rot & Ruin, Dust & Decay, Flesh & Bone, and Fire & Ash.

A dark, compelling fantasy for readers of The Graveyard Book about a mysterious girl seeking the truth about the magic that brought her to life. Made of dust and bone and imagination, Irréelle fears she's not quite real. Only the finest magical thread tethers her to life—and to Miss Vesper. But for all her efforts to please her cruel creator, the thread is unravelling. Irréelle is forgetful as she gathers bone dust. She is slow returning from the dark passages beneath the cemetery. Worst of all, she is unmindful of her crooked bones. When Irréelle makes one final, unforgivable mistake by destroying a frightful creature just brought to life, Miss Vesper threatens to imagine her away once and for all. Defying her creator for the very first time, Irréelle flees to the underside of the graveyard and embarks on an adventure to unearth the mysterious magic that breathes bones to life, even if it means she will return to dust and be no more. With echoes of Neil Gaiman's The Graveyard Book and Jonathan Auxier's The Night Gardener, debut author Heather Kassner crafts a gorgeously written story humming with magic, mystery, and dark imaginings.