Winner of the 1993 PWA/St. Martin's Press Best First Private Eye Novel contest, The Heaven Stone introduces a fresh voice in author David Daniel and a likable new protagonist in Alex Rasmussen, ex-cop turned private investigator, who is drawn into the world Lowell, Massachusetts's, Cambodian refugee community. The only member of his family to escape the killing fields of Cambodia, Bhuntan Tran wound up in the decaying factory town of Lowell. Working two menial jobs (although he held a Ph.D), Tran was well on his way to achieving the American dream when he was shot, execution-style, in his own home. The police are convinced the killing was drug-related and aren't too concerned with a solution. An attractive Chinese-American social worker refuses to accept so easy an answer and commissions Rasmussen to dig out the real story. Against the background of an industrial town where new immigrants are clashing with the long-settled Yankee population, Rasmussen's investigation opens up not only dark links to the victim's past but old wounds of the detective's own.

There is a widespread belief, among both political scientists and government policymakers, that "democracies don't fight each other." Here Joanne Gowa challenges that belief. In a thorough, systematic critique, she shows that, while democracies were less likely than other states to engage each other in armed conflicts between 1945 and 1980, they were just as likely to do so as were other states before 1914. Thus, no reason exists to believe that a democratic peace will survive the end of the Cold War. Since U.S. foreign policy is currently directed toward promoting democracy abroad, Gowa's findings are especially timely and worrisome. Those who assert that a democratic peace exists typically examine the 1815-1980 period as a whole. In doing so, they conflate two very different historical periods: the pre-World War I and post-World War II years. Examining these periods separately, Gowa shows that a democratic peace prevailed only during the later period. Given the collapse of the Cold War world, her research calls into question both the conclusions of previous researchers and the wisdom of present U.S. foreign policy initiatives. By re-examining the arguments and data that have been used to support beliefs about a democratic peace, Joanne Gowa has produced a thought-provoking book that is sure to be controversial.

In July of 1999, Brax Bragg was on the brink of something big. After being published twice in the Mercer University literary review, he gleaned his lyrical poetry and set out to be the next Bob Dylan. Many nights of paying his dues while singing across the Southeast soon paid off for Bragg. He quickly went from a one-man minstrel to recording a CD with his new band. Shows were booked, and Bragg left for a short vacation before setting out on the road. All this was tragically cut short by a car accident which claimed the life of Bragg as well as his younger brother. Brax Bragg's unique creative gifts have not been lost. Bullet Proof Bible, a collection of Bragg's work, contains over 450 pieces of poetry, song lyrics, and essays as taken from his journals, notebooks, and personal writings. The selections are arranged in alphabetical order, and a detailed Appendix provides chronological information as well as other historical notes. Bullet Proof Bible reflects what Brax Bragg will always be--an innovative wordsmith and a keen perceiver of human behavior, blessed with the ability to make it sound unique.

A number of ill-meaning residents of North Central Illinois tried to iron out their problems with questionable solutions in the years before World War II. The Golden Age of Crime if you will. Read of more than 40 cases of mayhem from a kinder, gentler time in rural America. A time so law abiding, you could walk for blocks in some towns and never leave a crime scene.

An award-winning barbecue cook serves up generous helpings of culinary history and lore, along with authentic recipes for this famous Southern dish. With roots in Native American, African and European cooking traditions, Brunswick stew developed in colonial- and Federal-era Virginia, when squirrel was a necessary ingredient. By the nineteenth century, the mouthwatering delicacy had become an important part of politicking, celebrating and family gatherings. At the same time, it spread beyond Virginia, following barbecue culture into the Carolinas, Georgia, Tennessee and Kentucky. Drawing on historical and contemporary sources, author and Brunswick stew expert Joe Haynes entertains with barbecue stew history, legend and lore, complete with authentic recipes.

DESCRIPTION OF CONTENT: This is the story of everything that happens to -- and a lot that runs through the mind of -- John Galen, M. D., as he darts from patient to patient in the office, ER, operating room, home, and kidney dialysis suite during his day and night on duty. Patients come and go, but two special cases dominate the narrative drive. Written in the first person and present tense, it is derived from the 40-year experience of the author, William Waters, M. D., who is also the son of - and father of - doctors.

Policymaking and Peace is the third volume of a three-volume set that examines the multidimensional role of policy in the development and promotion of democracy, prosperity, and peace. The Peace volume brings together international contributions on the policy challenges faced by national and multinational bodies to counter violent separatism and encourage the acceptance of an increasingly pluralistic world. The chapters analyze the pivotal role of the United Nations, arms control and international security, mechanisms of internal and international dispute resolution, the growth of international crime, and the development of multinational bodies to promote law and order.

This discounted ebundle of the John Matherson Series includes: One Second After, One Year After, The Final Day “Forstchen is the prophet of a new Dark Age. The wise will listen.” —Stephen Coonts From New York Times bestselling author, William R. Forstchen: In the span of a single second, the United States is plunged into darkness as an Electro Magnetic Pulse (EMP) wipes out all electricity. Trains, planes, cars, phones, computers, power plants, electronics and electrical equipment—all comes to a screeching halt. The country is in chaos, and everyone wants to know why. Whatever the cause, looting, food riots, and global insurrection are the order of the day. The New Dark Ages are suddenly upon us in this series exploring the potential aftermath of a very real threat. One Second After — In the novel that was cited on the floor of Congress as a book all Americans should read, professor John Matherson struggles to save his family and his small North Carolina mountain town after America loses a war in one second, a war that will send the country back to the Dark Ages. One Year After — Two years after nuclear weapons were detonated above the United States and brought America to its knees, the survivors of Black Mountain, North Carolina, are beginning to recover technology and supplies they had once taken for granted, like electricity, radio communications, and medications. When a “federal administrator” arrives in a nearby city, they dare to hope that a national government is finally reemerging. But the new regime is beginning to look a lot like tyranny. The Final Day — Since the detonation of nuclear weapons above the United States more than two years ago, the small town of Black Mountain, North Carolina has suffered famine, civil war, and countless deaths. Now, after defeating a new, tyrannical federal government, John Matherson and his community intend to restore their world to what it was before the EMP apocalypse. For the most part, they are succeeding . . . but progress is halted when the national government overturns the Constitution and a terrible truth is revealed: the people in power may have seen the EMP strike coming all along. Other Tor books by William R. Forstchen Pillar to the Sky We Look Like Men of War At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.