Detective Chief Inspector David Webb finds no dearth of suspects in a baffling murder involving a pretty French coed.

Herb just wanted to photograph the cheerleaders in the school showers, but then he realizes he may also have photographed a murder.

A New York Times Notable Book A revised collection with thirteen essays, including six new to this edition and seven from the original edition, by the “star in the American literary firmament, with a voice that is courageous, honest, loving, and singularly beautiful” (NPR). Brilliant and uncompromising, piercing and funny, How to Slowly Kill Yourself and Others in America is essential reading. This new edition of award-winning author Kiese Laymon’s first work of nonfiction looks inward, drawing heavily on the author and his family’s experiences, while simultaneously examining the world—Mississippi, the South, the United States—that has shaped their lives. With subjects that range from an interview with his mother to reflections on Ole Miss football, Outkast, and the labor of Black women, these thirteen insightful essays highlight Laymon’s profound love of language and his artful rendering of experience, trumpeting why he is “simply one of the most talented writers in America” (New York magazine).

After the news of the death of her beloved brother, Royal Cabot, Mary Cabot of Massachusetts was shattered. Royal was a soldier who got shot in the American Civil War. Their parents are dead, and Mary could not find sympathy and relief from anyone, including her acquaintances, the church deacon, or the pastor. She slowly starts to despair and loses faith in religion. She finally turns to Winifred Forceythe, her widowed aunt who luckily arrived from Kansas with her daughter, Faith. The novel follows their conversations. Winifred portrays a fascinating image of heaven and slowly restores her niece's faith. Several significant events follow as the story moves forward. The author shows a brilliant development in the character of Mary. Much of the plot is presented as a dialogue about the afterlife between the niece and the aunt. The novel describes heaven as somewhat similar to Earth but a lot better. In contrast with the beliefs of Calvinism, the author's version of paradise is more human, where the dead have spiritual bodies and live in houses, raise families, and experience various activities.

To fall in love is to be young again. To count the cost is to die a little bit inside. In Speak Softly My Love, Inspector Gilles Maintenon goes out for a quart of milk and stumbles across a dead man. The trouble is, when the dead get up and walk away. They have one too many missing-person reports, too many wives, girlfriends and other mysterious blondes. Enticing as it is, Gilles has a heavy court schedule. Without a body and a firm identification, what can they really do? It’s a time of budget restraint and limited resources—and the work keeps piling up. The suave but inexperienced Detective Hubert, and the raw but persistent Detective Tailler must handle the case. All Maintenon can do is keep his mouth shut and let them give it a shot. In this, the fifth in the noir Inspector Gilles Maintenon Mystery Series, author Louis Shalako transports the reader into the gritty reality of murder in Paris, 1931. An unforgettable mystery, one that is dark, witty and entertaining.

In this “gripping psychological thriller” (New York Post), two best friends at an exclusive Manhattan girls’ school make a pact: they will lose their virginity before graduation. Carole is a shy, overweight scholarship student who finds herself under the spell of the charismatic, pedigreed Naomi—it’s an unlikely friendship that will set in motion a series of events with dire and far-reaching consequences. Enter Eddie, a slick Upper East Side prep school dropout, expelled from a half-dozen private schools on the East Coast. Eddie is handsome, fatally charming, and more than willing to help the girls accomplish their goal. But something about him is not quite right—his overly familiar way with Naomi, his hair-trigger temper, the stories that just don't add up—and on one bitterly cold holiday weekend in an isolated cabin deep in the Vermont woods, a horrifying twist develops in the girls’ plan. #1 bestselling author Wally Lamb says, “Pam Lewis is a sly and sure-footed storyteller whose literary tale of treachery, deception, and truth sits comfortably alongside Donna Tartt's The Secret History and Patricia Highsmith's The Talented Mr. Ripley."

We were created on the outer edge of the universe, and powerful ancients continue to watch us from that home far away. The ancients use 100% of their brains, which enables them to perform fantastic feats no earthly creature could imagine. Many years ago, these ancient beings altered the human DNA, removing our capability to use 100% of our brains, therefore keeping us forever beneath their reign and keeping them forever safe from human attack. Despite the lessened use of our brains, the human race has developed high-tech radar devices that travel into space, searching for intelligent life. The ancients have become aware of this technology; they are now concerned that humans have advanced enough to bring war. In an effort to avoid the inevitable, the ancients are coming to Earth to destroy the human race. Extermination is eminent, until Earth connects with its sister planet. Together, the humans must fight back against this ancient power that seeks to destroy. The Outer Edge is not merely science fiction; it is an authoritative vision of our living universe. These fictional tribulations have direct and irrefutable links to science. And so the question remains: is science fiction truly fiction at all, or does it peer into the depths of fact and foreshadow devastation yet to come? Decipher the true riddles of the universe with The Outer Edge.These riddles include the science based posits on how the afterlife and prayer are indeed true. We also answer how the psychics, mediums and all the paranormal work through science. ForeWord Clarion Review FICTION The Outer Edge: Our Origins From Dust to Us William N. Ellis III (The Messenger) Trafford Publishing 978-1-4269-4204-4 Three Stars (out of Five) Where do we come from? is perhaps the most popular existential question. Over the years, there have been numerous possible answers: the Big Bang, divine creation over seven days, adaption from single-celled organisms. Ultimately, the answer to the question is not necessarily about where we came from, but why we are here. William N. Ellis IIIs latest book, The Outer Edge, explores a theory that seeks to answer both. Jampa and Pammy are siblings from the Outer Edge, the perimeter of the universe. As young members of the Ancient Good, they protect the unified grid from beings like Riverway, a member of the Ancient Evil. The outcome of the battle leads Ancient Good to journey to a blue planet called Earth. There, the story switches to Gene, a common salesman, living with his wife and family in Ohio. After a near accident in his home, Gene discovers he has an extraordinary gift and opportunity. Under the guidance of Pammy and eventually Jampa, Gene must defend Ancient Good against Ancient Evil in a great debate. The Outer Edge is a modern quantum mysticism parable, similar to works like What the BLEEP do we know?! It champions knowledge, compassion, and love as a way to work with and shape the universe. Ellis claims to have used automatic writing, in addition to having received ideas for the story as messages from the spirit realm (thats why hes the messenger, not the author). The result is clear, precise writing, particularly when it comes to crafting tense, powerful scenes. After Jampa makes a speech, Ellis writes, The entire hall erupted in a frenzy of applause. From left to right to top to bottom, warriors slammed their palms together and parted their lips to cheer and whistle. Briefly, a tear trickled in Jampas eye, for the idea of living beings committed to lives of goodness never failed to move him. Ellis commits a portion of the book to building up for a war, but after a skirmish between two characters the author goes straight to negotiating the treaty. The story does have very strong central characters. For instance, Riverway, his antagonist, is chilling and diabolical, yet strangely sympathetic after you learn why he is like he is. Although Ellis might rush his characters through plot points, he gives them clever, descriptive dialogue. In one scene, Pammy advises Gene, saying, Battling against evil is like trying to floss using barbed wire. The Outer Edge is fascinating. Its the perfect work for introducing others to the concepts in quantum mysticism. Even if readers only comprehend The Outer Edge on a surface level, its an interesting tale of good versus evil with a sci-fi bent. While it might be slightly confusing to those unfamiliar with the ideas, its a thought-provoking answer to anyone who wonders how humankind got here. Katerie Prior

Written by Jay Bonansinga, based on the original series created by Robert Kirkman, The Walking Dead: Descent follows the events of The Fall of the Governor, and Lilly Caul's struggles to rebuild Woodbury after the Governor's shocking demise. Out of the ashes of its dark past, Woodbury, Georgia, becomes an oasis of safety amidst the plague of the walking dead – a town reborn in the wake of its former tyrannical leader, Philip Blake, aka The Governor. Blake's legacy of madness haunts every nook and cranny of this little walled community, but Lilly Caul and a small ragtag band of survivors are determined to overcome their traumatic past... despite the fact that a super-herd is closing in on them. This vast stampede of zombies, driven by inexorable hunger and aimed directly at Woodbury, becomes their first true test. But Lilly and company refuse to succumb, and in a stunning counteroffensive, the beleaguered townspeople save themselves by joining forces with a mysterious religious sect fresh from the wilderness. Led by an enigmatic preacher named Jeremiah, this rogue church group seems tailor made for Woodbury and Lilly's dream of a democratic, family-friendly future. The two factions meld into one, the town prospers, and everything seems hopeful for the first time since the plague broke out. But things – especially in the world of the walking dead – are often not what they seem. Jeremiah and his followers harbor a dark secret, the evidence of which very gradually begins to unravel. Along with a popular TV show also based on Kirkman's AMC comic books, The Walking Dead franchise is just getting better and better with Bonansinga's newest novel. In a stunning and horrifying finale, the world for Lilly and her close friends is turned upside down, and it is solely up to Lilly Caul to cleanse the town once and for all of its poisonous fate. These novels continue to be a great companion for fans of the television series and graphic novels!