From the New York Times–bestselling author, this vintage romantic thriller set on a Napa Valley winery “all but begs to be made into a TV miniseries” (Publishers Weekly). A tough-as-nails reporter at NBC, Kelly Douglas is on her way to the top. Her latest story—a profile of the famed Rutledge Estate winery in Napa Valley—could make her career, but the dream assignment turns into a nightmare when it puts her face-to-face with the one man she hoped to never see again: her abusive father, Len Dougherty. Len won a portion of the winery in a settlement with the family years ago. And he’s been a thorn in their side ever since. Kelly can only hope he doesn’t foul up her story—or her budding romance with the charming winery manager, Sam Rutledge. But when Kelly’s reporting uncovers a murder at the vineyard, Len threatens to ruin her life once and for all. With over 300 million copies of her novels in print, New York Times–bestselling author Janet Dailey is a legend of romantic suspense. In this page-turning tale, she brings her “mastery of sweeping romance, divided loyalties, and searing passion” to Northern California wine country (Lanier County News).

Isabella Stewart's Tangled Vines, Island Crimes is set in the quintessential seaport town of Edgartown on the island of Martha's Vineyard, seven miles off the coast of Cape Cod. In the summer, 120 thousand descend on the island, including many notable celebrities: Jackie Onassis, Barack Obama, Bill and Hillary Clinton. But come September, the island shrinks to its year-round population of seventeen thousand hardy souls...some of whom abound in criminal activities. Her first book in a series features Maria, the island's leading real estate broker, who is determined at all costs to get accepted into the prestigious Yacht Club despite her Portuguese working-class background; and Rick, an attorney who takes advantage of Maria's greed and makes himself all-knowing. But when the pressures of her new marriage to a handsome off-islander make it more-than-necessary to keep her real estate sales flowing in, will it also make living life on the island - and keeping him interested enough in her increasing wealth and lifestyle- impossible? This is not a beach novel taking place in the soft summer winds; it is the flip side taking place in the off-season when the wild vines take hold of vacant summer properties and weaken their foundations, climb and strangle trees, and weave a cloth of deception that is stronger than twine. Written by someone who lives year-round in this place that only is accessed by boat or airplane, Stewart's accounts of island corruption and crimes are intense and ... truer than fiction ... that lead to death. She gives an insight into the dichotomy between the wealthy summer residents and the domestic- and working-class lives of islanders-the good, the bad, and the (almost) unbelievable.

Poems by Sylvia Plath, Anne Sexton, Erica Jong, Nikki Giovanni, Liv Ullman, and others explore the intense relationship between mothers and daughters.

The pain of China's Cultural Revolution well behind them, Benfu and his treasured Calla Lily are content in their old age surrounded by their family of adopted daughters. Once abandoned, the girls are now cherished members of the Zheng family. Yet there remains an emptiness in their hearts: their only biological daughter, Dahlia, was abducted as a newborn 30 years before. When their daughter Linnea discovers an unexpected clue about what really happened to Dahlia, the elderly couple's hopes are reignited. Will their search bring their daughter back to them, and are they ready to face the secrets of the past?

On October 12, 2005, a massive fire broke out in the Wines Central wine warehouse in Vallejo, California. Within hours, the flames had destroyed 4.5 million bottles of California's finest wine worth more than $250 million, making it the largest destruction of wine in history. The fire had been deliberately set by a passionate oenophile named Mark Anderson, a skilled con man and thief with storage space at the warehouse who needed to cover his tracks. With a propane torch and a bucket of gasoline-soaked rags, Anderson annihilated entire California vineyard libraries as well as bottles of some of the most sought-after wines in the world. Among the priceless bottles destroyed were 175 bottles of Port and Angelica from one of the oldest vineyards in California made by Frances Dinkelspiel's great-great grandfather, Isaias Hellman, in 1875. Sadly, Mark Anderson was not the first to harm the industry. The history of the California wine trade, dating back to the 19th Century, is a story of vineyards with dark and bloody pasts, tales of rich men, strangling monopolies, the brutal enslavement of vineyard workers and murder. Five of the wine trade murders were associated with Isaias Hellman's vineyard in Rancho Cucamonga beginning with the killing of John Rains who owned the land at the time. He was shot several times, dragged from a wagon and left off the main road for the coyotes to feed on. In her new book, Frances Dinkelspiel looks beneath the casually elegant veneer of California's wine regions to find the obsession, greed and violence lying in wait. Few people sipping a fine California Cabernet can even guess at the Tangled Vines where its life began.

Isaias Hellman, a Jewish immigrant, arrived in California in 1859 with very little money in his pocket and his brother Herman by his side. By the time he died, he had effectively transformed Los Angeles into the modern metropolis we see today. In Frances Dinkelspiel's groundbreaking history, the early days of California are seen through the life of a man who started out as a simple store owner only to become California's premier money-man of the late 19th and early 20th century. Growing up as a young immigrant, Hellman quickly learned the use to which "capital" could be put, founding LA's Farmers and Merchants Bank, that city's first successful bank, and transforming Wells Fargo into one of the West's biggest financial institutions. He invested money with Henry Huntington to build trolley lines, lent Edward Doheney the funds that led him to discover California's huge oil reserves, and assisted Harrison Gary Otis in acquiring full ownership of the Los Angeles Times. Hellman led the building of Los Angeles' first synagogue, the Wilshire Boulevard Temple, helped start the University of Southern California and served as Regent of the University of California. His influence, however, was not limited to Los Angeles. He controlled the California wine industry for almost twenty years and, after San Francisco's devastating 1906 earthquake and fire, calmed the financial markets there in order to help that great city rise from the ashes. With all of these accomplishments, Isaias Hellman almost single-handedly brought California into modernity. Ripe with great historical events that filled the early days of California such as the Gold Rush and the San Francisco earthquake, Towers of Gold brings to life the transformation of California from a frontier society whose economy was driven by the barter of hides and exchange of gold dust into a vibrant state with the strongest economy in the nation.

A tangled web of lies characterizes the life Laura Mabry has built for herself and her son after the tragic death of her husband. But Laura's carefully constructed world slides off its axis when she stumbles upon the body of a young college student on the recreational trails of Raleigh's Greenway. What's worse, Detective Jon Locklear is Laura's worst nightmare...and her dream come true. Jon has spent years trying to forget Laura. Past experience has taught him that he can't trust her, but old habits—like old loves—die hard. When the killer turns his attention on Laura, Jon may be the only one who can save her. Truth and murder lurk just around the corner for Laura. Can she find the courage to face her deepest fears and unravel the lies of her past before she and her son become the Greenway Killer's next victims?

Winner of the John Newbery Medal Winner of the Coretta Scott King Author Award Award-winning author Amina Luqman-Dawson pens a lyrical, accessible historical middle-grade novel about two enslaved children’s escape from a plantation and the many ways they find freedom. After an entire young life of enslavement, twelve-year-old Homer escapes Southerland Plantation with his little sister Ada, leaving his beloved mother behind. Much as he adores her and fears for her life, Homer knows there’s no turning back, not with the overseer on their trail. Through tangled vines, secret doorways, and over a sky bridge, the two find a secret community called Freewater, deep in the recesses of the swamp. In this new, free society made up of escaped slaves and some born-free children, Homer cautiously embraces a set of spirited friends, almost forgetting where he came from. But when he learns of a threat that could destroy Freewater, he hatches a plan to return to Southerland plantation, overcome his own cautious nature, and free his mother from enslavement. Loosely based on a little-mined but important piece of history, this is an inspiring and deeply empowering story of survival, love, and courage.

Four sexy short stories featuring four hot alpha heroes, headlined by #1 New York Times bestselling author Lora Leigh. In Erin's Kiss by Lora Leigh, ex-Marine Turk has become Erin's sworn protector. The target of her CIA-operative brother's foes, Turk is the only port Erin has to cling to in a storm. He promised her brother long ago never to touch her—but how can he resist a woman who aches to be with him as much as he burns for her? In misTaken by Laurelin McGee, Jaylene is an independent woman whose feminist values run deep. The last thing she wants is a man telling her what to do. Until she meets her mysterious new neighbor. He makes her realize that you can still be strong and relinquish control... in the bedroom. But as their passion consumes them, Jaylene isn't sure he is who he says he is. In Burn for Me by Shiloh Walker, Tate longs to spend his nights with Ali, a woman he's loved for years. But while Ali's heart aches for him, her head has reservations. Ali knows that Tate has unresolved anger that is a force to be reckoned with...but the heat that blazes between them is undeniable. Now both Tate and Ali are left to wonder: Can love really conquer all? In Tangled by Kate Douglas, Nate shows up to work at Tangled Vineyards ready to do what he loves best—craft award-winning wines. But when something better comes in the form of Cassie, the winemaker and former owner, Nate is completely love-drunk. Getting involved with Tangled's mixologist is a bad way to start off a new job, but with Cassie as a temptation, Nate doesn't stand a chance.

"When Elise Beckett's long-distance beau, Stuart, offers her a dream job in organic horticulture research, she's torn between the opportunity of a lifetime and her responsibilities at her family's River Bend vineyard. But before Elise has time to make her decision, Uncle Edmond -- the family's money-loving and temper-toting black sheep -- is found dead on vineyard land. What seems to be an accidental drowning proves to be murder, and every Beckett, even Elise, is a suspect. Sheriff's Deputy Jackson Landry must catch Edmond's killer, and Elise is determined to help him -- whether he wants her to or not. Delving deeper into the mystery, Jackson and Elise become tangled in a long vine of suspects and dark secrets. Now a race is on for them to stop the deadly plot before the murderer claims another victim."--