A detective takes on mad scientists when a D&D fantasy world turns deadly in this “ thrilling combination” of “not-quite-science-fiction and suspense” (Playboy). With a genius IQ, a past career as a circus acrobat, and a black belt in karate, criminology professor Dr. Robert Frederickson—better known as “Mongo the Magnificent”—has a decidedly unusual background for a private investigator. He also just so happens to be a dwarf. When Mongo’s sister asks him to investigate the death of his nephew, Tommy—the victim of an apparent murder-suicide—the private detective soon learns that everything’s tied to the computer game Tommy and his friends created: an elaborate quest based on J. R. R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings. The clues send Mongo on a cross-country journey, from a painful visit to his former hometown in Nebraska and back to New York, then on to the rugged coastline of California’s Big Sur and, ultimately, the frozen depths of the Arctic Ocean, where a mad genius will stop at nothing to achieve total Armageddon. Grounded by his completely original private detective Mongo, author George C. Chesbro “writes wonderfully strange mystery novels” (Boston Sunday Herald). The Beasts of Valhalla is the 4th book in the Mongo Mysteries, but you may enjoy reading the series in any order.

A circus-performer-turned-PI who’s also “the most engaging criminologist to appear in decades” must save his brother from a cult and a terrorist plot (Booklist). With a genius IQ, a past career as a circus acrobat, and a black belt in karate, criminology professor Dr. Robert Frederickson—better known as “Mongo the Magnificent”—has a decidedly unusual background for a private investigator. He also just so happens to be a dwarf. After a series of traumas and an accidental poisoning, Mongo’s brother, Garth Fredrickson, is lying unresponsive in an off-limits government psychiatric facility. But that won’t stop New York City’s most resourceful private eye—because if there’s one person in the world Mongo would do anything for, it’s Garth. With a little unorthodox therapy, Mongo manages to bring his brother back to the real world. But it quickly becomes clear that Garth isn’t himself. Soon the siblings are estranged, and Garth ends up in the center of a cult—an unsuspecting pawn in an international terrorist plot. Up against thousands of believers willing to do anything to protect their “new Messiah,” Mongo will risk his life to save him . . . The Cold Smell of Sacred Stone is the 6th book in the Mongo Mysteries, but you may enjoy reading the series in any order.

Marine explorer Dirk Pitt must rely on the nautical lore of Jules Verne to stop a ruthless oil baron with his sights set on political power in this #1 New York Times-bestselling series. In the middle of its maiden voyage, a luxury cruise ship using revolutionary new engines suddenly catches fire and sinks. Its alarms stay silent; its sprinkler system remains inactive. Nearby NUMA special projects director Dirk Pitt notices smoke and races to the rescue. He's too late to save the engineer behind the ship's new technology, but helps the man's daughter, Kelly Egan, escape with her father's work in a leather briefcase. While Ms. Egan strives to uncover the hidden value in her father's inventions, Pitt is hired on by maritime insurers to investigate the wreckage. Neither are prepared for the mechanical marvels they'll soon be forced to confront. The machines could only be the stuff of legend, described in the tales of Viking explorers or the accounts of Jules Verne. And they may be Pitt and Egan's only hope when an oil tycoon with a plan of his own appears on the scene. Before journey's end, Pitt will take on a power-mad millionaire, tread upon territory previously known only to Verne's illustrious Captain Nemo, and make shocking discoveries about his own past.

In a battle between two ancient evils, can one naïve young man become the last hope against powerful creatures of legend?David Dolan thinks he's already got the world figured out. But when a collapsed bridge plunges him into the icy Hudson, he's pulled deep into the deadly realm that exists between life and death. And with his earthly form trapped in a coma, he's vulnerable to the horde of demons hell-bent on his utter destruction.Traversing the road to the afterlife, David seeks the wisdom and skills he needs to fight the demonic forces reigning havoc on his allies above ground. But as one hellish threat closes in on his defenseless body, David must defeat another terrifying fiend waiting in the shadows to use him...Can David escape the world beneath the veil in time to stop the bloodshed?Beneath the Veil is the gripping first book in The Valor of Valhalla dark urban fantasy series. If you like reluctant heroes, infernal myths, and bloody epic clashes, then you'll love Martin Kearns's formidable foray into the unknown.

A former circus performer and criminology professor becomes a PI in “one of the best detective novels of the year” (TheNew York Times Book Review). With a genius IQ, a past career as a circus acrobat, and a black belt in karate, criminology professor Dr. Robert Frederickson—better known as “Mongo the Magnificent”—has a decidedly unusual background for a private investigator. He also just so happens to be a dwarf. Now a detective in New York City, Mongo is hired by the widow of a famous architect to find out if her husband is really dead—because a new building just went up and it looks like his work. As Mongo begins to uncover the surprising truth, his investigation gives a whole new meaning to an architect’s façade. The intrepid sleuth will need all of his extraordinary skills to find his man without losing his own life, as some very powerful forces want to send him back to the drawing board. With a freewheeling blend of mystery and science fiction elements, author George C. Chesbro introduces the man called Mongo, “the most engaging detective in decades” (Library Journal). Shadow of a Broken Man is the 1st book in the Mongo Mysteries, but you may enjoy reading the series in any order.

I know the answer to the world's deepest secret . . . Graham, a functioning alcoholic and Harvard medical student and the protagonist of Into the Rabbit Hole, stumbles across a puzzling communication from his deceased Navy Seal brother. Graham must work to unravel a litany of secrets sobering in their implications not only for himself, but for the past twelve-thousand years of human history and the secrets of the universe. Had he not, in his hungover state, opened the email, Graham could have continued on his predetermined successful, if dysfunctional, path and never embarked on the paradigm-shifting journey that so loosens his grasp on reality and obliterates not only what he chooses to believe but what he trusts as fact. With the help of his long-term girlfriend, his quirky Mensan best friend, his wild and athletic best girlfriend since childhood and his friend from Undergrad at Georgetown who followed him to Harvard for Grad school, he sets out to decode this complex cryptogram, which he soon discovers is charged with the potential to unhinge the very control that certain government officials are intent, at all costs, on maintaining. Micah T Dank takes the reader on an electrifying hunt for what is real and what is possible, encountering along the way politics, conspiracies, fringe medicine, history, and language, and what it means to survive—thrive, even—when you have the weight of the world on your shoulders. Beneath the Veil is the first book in a 6 books series Into the Rabbit Hole, that proves that love and humor may not be the answer, but that without these variables there is no worthy solution to any challenging problem or improbable situation.

When a circus-performer-turned-PI is drawn into the occult underworld, the result is “beautifully plotted and assured” (#1 New York Times–bestselling author Peter Straub). With a genius IQ, a past career as a circus acrobat, and a black belt in karate, criminology professor Dr. Robert Frederickson—better known as “Mongo the Magnificent”—has a decidedly unusual background for a private investigator. He also just so happens to be a dwarf. Mongo needs all his faculties when he’s hired to investigate a fellow professor who’s been experimenting with sensory deprivation. Soon after, a nun asks him to help clear a psychic of murder. And then, weirdest of all, his seven-year-old neighbor, Kathy, begs him to locate her father’s “Book of Shadows.” When Mongo finds Kathy’s father dead from what seems to be a ritual sacrifice—and the little girl lying comatose nearby—the distressed detective follows a trail of occult clues and discovers that all three of his cases are tied to something wicked. Now, to save Kathy from an unnatural end, Mongo will risk it all to separate the facts from something even stranger than fiction. An Affair of Sorcerers is the 3rd book in the Mongo Mysteries, but you may enjoy reading the series in any order. “Beautifully plotted and assured . . . The work of a master.” —#1 New York Times–bestselling author Peter Straub

Fenrir, the wolf monster from Norse mythology, a son of Loki was foretold to kill god Odin but was instead killed by Vidar, Odin's son. Here, he is depicted with Gleipnir, chain that gods commissioned from dwarfs to hold the mighty wolf Fenrir. Perfect for lovers of Nordic Norse mythology, Vikings, stories about Odin, Valhalla, Norse gods, beasts and battles. 7.44 x 9.69 - College Ruled - 120 pages

Nothing ever happens in Norway. But at least Ellie knows what to expect when she visits her grandmother: a tranquil fishing village and long, slow summer days. And maybe she'll finally get out from under the shadow of her way-too-perfect big brother, Graham, while she's there. What Ellie doesn't anticipate is Graham's infuriating best friend, Tuck, tagging along for the trip. Nor did she imagine boys going missing amid rumors of impossible kidnappings. Least of all does she expect that something powerful and ancient will awaken in her and that strange whispers will urge Ellie to claim her place among mythological warriors. Instead of peace and quiet, suddenly there's a lot for a girl from L.A. to handle on a summer sojourn in Norway! And when Graham vanishes, it's up to Ellie—and the ever-sarcastic, if undeniably alluring, Tuck—to uncover the truth about all the disappearances and thwart the nefarious plan behind them. Deadly legends, hidden identities, and tentative romance swirl together in one girl's unexpectedly epic coming-of-age.

As the rival Vikings retaliate, the King of Stavanger and his people are vulnerable with both of their champions seeking glory elsewhere. Eivor's prize is within her reach, but will she choose the power it could bring or does her destiny lie with her kingdom? And back at the merchant's castle, Sigurd faces off with the Assassin for a more personal treasure!