A collection of excerpts from Julie Kramer’s novels. SILENCING SAM In this town, gossip kills . . . When a widely despised gossip columnist is found shot to death, Riley Spartz must secretly investigate a case in which she becomes the prime suspect. In the wake of the brutal murder, she discovers that news and gossip have more in common than she ever imagined. KILLING KATE Not all angels are divine . . . As TV reporter Riley Spartz discovers a serial killer drawing chalk outlines shaped like angels around the bodies of his victims, she unearths an eerie legend dating back nearly a century. Tracking clues to an Iowa cemetery, Riley finds an infamous Black Angel monument that may be connected to the string of homicides throughout the Midwest. Now she is up against a delusional young man who believes the statue is urging him to kill. SHUNNING SARAH An insular Amish town . . . A secret that won’t stay buried . . . Minneapolis’s star investigative reporter Riley Spartz is constantly in search of her next TV sweeps piece. When she hears that a young boy is trapped at the bottom of a sinkhole, she smells ratings. Little does she know just how big the story will be—not only does it involve a tragic murder, but the local Amish community as well. Once Riley is on the case, though, she sees that solving it will be anything but easy. DELIVERING DEATH Be careful what you open… When Riley Spartz receives a package of teeth in the mail at work, she’s quickly embroiled in a homicide investigation that spirals into one of the odder cases the Minneapolis police force has ever seen. Though the cops try to keep certain grisly details quiet, this murder has a strange twist—it seems that the killer wants the crime publicized. As the stakes continue to rise for her job and her life, Riley must outwit the killer in a trap that could leave yet another person dead...

When Riley Spartz sees a want ad reading 'Wedding Dress for Sale: Never Worn', her news instincts tell her that the backstory might make an intriguing television sweeps piece. The groom, Mark, last seen at the rehearsal dinner, never showed up for the wedding. His own mother, eager to spare him further embarrassment, waited weeks before filing a missing-person report. But when her missing-person's case leads to a murder investigation, Riley discovers a startling motive for Mark's disappearance - and a TV exclusive guaranteed to win the ratings - if she lives to report it...

Inside the desperate world of TV news, a reporter discovers a serial killer is targeting women named Susan.Riley Spartz is recovering from a heartbreaking, headline-making catastrophe of her own when a Minneapolis police source drops two homicide files in her lap.Both cold cases involve women named Susan strangled on the same day, one year apart. Riley sees a pattern between those murders and others pulled from old death records. As the deadly anniversary approaches, she stages a bold on-air stunt to draw the killer out and uncover a motive that will leave readers breathless.

A collection of three page-turners in Julie Kramer’s bestselling series featuring television reporter Riley Spartz—for fans of Janet Evanovich and Sue Grafton. Silencing Sam When a widely despised gossip columnist is found shot to death, TV reporter Riley Spartz must secretly investigate a case in which she becomes the prime suspect. Amid murder, she discovers news and gossip have more in common than she ever imagined. Killing Kate Crime-solving means high ratings for Minnesota TV reporter Riley Spartz when she nails the culprit behind Silencing Sam (“Sexy, sinister.” —Linda Fairstein). But the stakes rise when Riley must piece together a serial killer’s murderous motive for Killing Kate. Shunning Sarah When Riley hears that a young boy is trapped in a sinkhole located in the peaceful Amish farm country outside Minneapolis, her reporter’s nose catches the sweet odor of a TV sweeps piece. But not even Riley realizes just how big the story really is…

Dashing Lord Harry Traemore is perfectly content to live out his days in the pursuit of pleasure. But when he's named by the Prince Regent as one of society's "Impossible Bachelors," Harry is drafted into a ribald romantic wager. The rules of engagement are scandalously simple: The bachelor whose mistress wins the title of "Most Delectable Companion" gets to remain unmarried. Harry is utterly unconcerned about his status...until his latest lightskirt abandons him. Enter Lady Molly Fairbanks. Harry's childhood friend— actually, "foe" is more like it—is the most unlikely companion of all. She's attractive but hot-headed, and in no mood for games. Besides, what could the self-indulgent Harry possibly know about what makes a woman delectable? It's time for Molly to teach him a lesson once and for all...but will it lead to "happily ever after"?

A domestic story told in numerous original and endearing voices. The story opens with Wesley, a tenth grader, and involves his two sets of parents (the mom and her second husband, a very thoughtful doctor; and the father who has become a major gay lawyer/activist and his fabulous "significant other" who owns a restaurant). Wesley is a fabulous kid, whose equally fabulous best friend Theo has just won a big school election and simultaneously surprises everyone in his life by announcing that he is gay. No one is more surprised than Wesley, who actually lives temporarily with his gay father and partner, so that he can get to know his rather elusive dad. When a dramatic and unexpected trauma befalls the boys in school, all the parents converge noisily in love and well-meaning support. But through it all, each character ultimately is made to face certain challenges and assumptions within his/her own life, and the playing out of their respective life priorities and decisions is what makes this novel so endearing and so special.

In his phenomenal bestseller Listening to Prozac, Peter Kramer explored the makeup of the modern self. Now, in his superbly written new book, he focuses his intelligent, compassionate eye on the complexities of partnerships and why intimacy is so difficult for us. With the art of a novelist and the skill of a brilliant psychiatrist, Kramer addresses advice seekers struggling with such complex questions as: How do we choose our partners? How well do we know them? How do mood states affect our assessment of them and theirs of us? What does “working on a relationship” truly entail? When should we try to improve a relationship, and when should we leave? Equally at home with Shakespeare, Emerson, and Kierkegaard as it is with Freud and Jung, Should You Leave? is a literary tour de force from a uniquely insightful observer and a profoundly resonant and helpful approach to resolving dilemmas of the heart.

Kangaroos have enacted many laws that discriminate against other animals but when they make it illegal for elephants to eat noodles, pasta-loving Noodlephant and her friends invent a machine to fight back.

We spend countless hours training our dogs, but how often do we consider what they have to teach us? "Our canine companions aren't just our best friends," explains Tami Simon "They naturally embody many of the spiritual principles we ourselves aspire to." The Dharma of Dogs shares the reflections of Buddhist writers and other teachers who have found a source of deep truth and practical wisdom beneath the furry surface of our four-legged friends. For anyone who loves dogs--and who has learned and grown through this special relationship--these essays offer humor, solace, inspiration, and insight into the life lessons our dogs make available to us. Readers join bestselling authors such as Alice Walker, Geneen Roth, Lama Surya Das, Mark Nepo, and others to explore such themes as unconditional love, connecting with nature, facing our fears, and more.

A World Book Night book. A New York Times-bestselling book about the extraordinary abilities of man's best friend. When Cat Warren adopted Solo, an unruly German shepherd puppy, she soon began to wonder what she'd let herself in for. Solo's boundless energy was what made him loveable -- but it also made him exhausting, and difficult to train. Then she struck upon an idea: what Solo needed was something to do. Like many dogs, Solo was destined to work: using his nose to help the police locate missing people. In this lively, accessible book, Warren details Solo's journey from troublesome pup to expert cadaver dog, and explores the fascinating hidden world of animals that do essential work and the handlers who train them.