A town shrouded in the occult. An evil that lurks in the dark. The SCU returns in a hair-raising novel from New York Times bestselling author Kay Hooper. Nellie Cavendish has very good reasons to seek out her roots, and not only because she has no memory of her mother and hardly knew the father who left her upbringing to paid caregivers. In the eight years since her twenty-first birthday, very odd things have begun to happen. Crows gather near her wherever she goes, electronics short out when she touches them, and when she’s upset, really upset, it storms. At first, she chalked up the unusual happenings to coincidence, but that explanation doesn't begin to cover the vivid nightmares that torment her. She can no longer pretend to ignore them. She has to find out the truth. And the only starting point she has is a mysterious letter from her father delivered ten years after his death, insisting she go to a town called Salem and risk her life to stop some unnamed evil. Before her thirtieth birthday. As a longtime member of the FBI's Special Crimes Unit, Grayson Sheridan has learned not to be surprised by the unusual and the macabre--but Salem is different. Evidence of Satanic activities and the disappearance of three strangers to the town are what brought Salem to the attention of the SCU, and when Gray arrives to find his undercover partner vanished, he knows that whatever’s hiding in the seemingly peaceful little town is deadly. But what actually hides in the shadows and secrets of Salem is unlike anything the agents have ever encountered.

New York Times bestselling author Kay Hooper is back with a brand new thrilling paranormal suspense novel in the Bishop/Special Crimes Unit series. The small town of Salem has been quiet for months—or so Bishop and his elite Special Crimes Unit believe. But then Hollis Templeton and Diana Hayes receive a warning in Diana's eerie "gray time" between the world of the living and the realm of the dead that a twisted killer is stalking Salem, bent on destroying in the most bloody and horrifying way possible the five families that founded the town. The stakes are high, especially for new friends Nellie Cavendish and Finn Deverell, both members of the Five, and this time Bishop and his wife Miranda will lead the team to hunt down a vicious killer and uncover a dark and ancient curse haunting Salem.

A troubled codebreaker faces an epic plot reaching back through centuries of America's secret history Salem Wiley is a genius cryptanalyst, courted by the world's top security agencies ever since making a breakthrough discovery in her field of quantum computing. She's also an agoraphobe, shackled to a narrow routine by her fear of public places. When her mother's disappearance is linked to a plot to assassinate the country's first viable female presidential candidate, Salem finds herself both target and detective in a modern-day witch hunt. Drawn into a labyrinth of messages encrypted by Emily Dickinson and centuries-old codes tucked inside the Beale Cipher, Salem begins to uncover the truth: an ancient and ruthless group is hell-bent on ruling the world, and only a select group of women stands in its way. Praise: "A fast-paced, sometimes brutal thriller reminiscent of Dan Brown's The Da Vinci Code."—Booklist (starred review) "Complex protagonists who overcome many obstacles take adventurous readers on a hair-raising thrill ride."—Library Journal (starred review) "The fascinating historical information combined with a storyline ripped from the headlines will hook conspiracy theorists and action addicts alike."—Kirkus Reviews "This suspenseful tale has something for absolutely everyone to enjoy."—Suspense Magazine "Fans of The Da Vinci Code are going to love this book."—Crimespree Magazine "Salem's Cipher is the best kind of fun. A witchy romp with plenty of adventure, intrigue, thrills, friendship, and heart."—Chelsea Cain, New York Times bestselling author "Salem's Cipher is a bona fide page-turner—packed with wonderfully complex characters, surprising twists and thrilling action. Troubled, razor-sharp Salem is truly a heroine to cheer for. I'd follow her anywhere."—Alison Gaylin, USA Today bestselling author

Salem is a young warrior and Medea is a solid white angel dragon, as well as the princess of the northern angel dragons. She is a fireless type of dragon with fur instead of scales. Angel dragons didn't possess the ability to breathe fire and they had very little defense since they didn't have scales, but fur instead. The angel dragons did possess the ability to use advanced magic, being a magical type of dragon they had the ability to use advanced magic. Together Salem and Medea will set out to defend Delmore and the light from the rise of the evil country of Tarkay sought on taking over Delmore and all of the peaceful countries to spread its darkness. Tarkay seeks to defeat Delmore and all the other peace-loving countries, they want to defeat everything good and extinguish the light. Tarkay is lead by the evil King Grevill, the evil king of Tarkay that wants to spread his evil and destroy the powers of the light, the force of good. King Grevill will use one of the evil dragon stones to try to take over the angel dragons so that he can defeat the dragon friends. Salem will have to take up the legendary magical staff known as the Legends Staff to block Grevill in his tracks to save the light. Salem will learn who he is, the first leg of his journey at becoming the great wizard will be realized. With his angel dragon Medea by his side he will rise up to drive darkness back, bringing all of the powers of the light with him. Join Salem and Medea on their quest to save the human race and to save the powers of the light from the rising darkness. For more information about the future of the series and the books more information can be found at the official website. https://www.armorstrongbooks.com/ #Dragons #Dragon_Rider #Dragon_Friend #Dragon_Princess #Fantasy #Epic_Fantasy #Dragons_Fantasy

Unmasking the social and political messages found in popular culture Sometimes movies, television shows, political speeches, and music lyrics seem to be about one thing on the surface but express other serious social and political issues when we examine them more closely. Using methods of formal analysis, Uncovering Hidden Rhetorics: Social Issues in Disguise offers students and scholars a key to unlocking hidden text that abounds in popular culture. Key Features Weaves meticulous analysis with popular culture throughout, keeping students and scholarly readers alike engaged and interested Empowers students to find hidden themes in texts of everyday life and inspires ongoing critical thinking Using a clear and engaging style and examples of well-known works makes formal analysis more accessible Intended Audience Interested scholars and upper-level undergraduate students enrolled in such courses as rhetoric and popular culture, contemporary rhetorical theory/criticism, media criticism, popular culture and mass communication, rhetorical methods, and so forth will find this compelling text an informative and delightful read.

Stephen King is the world's best-selling horror writer. His work is ubiquitous on bookstore, supermarket, and personal library shelves and has been faithfully adapted into some of the most iconic horror films of the twentieth century. This study explores his writing through the lenses of contemporary literary and cultural theory. Through analyses of some of his best-known work, including "Carrie" and "Misery," the authors argue that King offers ways of encountering and understanding some of our deepest fears about life and death, the past and the future, technological change, other people, monsters, ghosts, and the supernatural.This is the first extended critical-theoretical engagement with King's writing, and will be of interest to students, academics, and fans of horror fiction.

Nellie Cavendish has very good reasons to seek out her roots, and not only because she has no memory of her mother and hardly knew the father who left her upbringing to paid caregivers. In the eight years since her twenty-first birthday, very odd things have begun to happen. Crows gather near her wherever she goes, electronics short out when she touches them, and when she's upset -- really upset -- it storms. At first, she chalked up the unusual happenings to coincidence, but that explanation doesn't begin to cover the vivid nightmares that torment her. She can no longer pretend to ignore them. She has to find out the truth. And the only starting point she has is a mysterious letter from her father delivered ten years after his death, insisting she go to a town called Salem and risk her life to stop some unnamed evil. Before her thirtieth birthday.