Who do you blame for those mysterious smells? Read on for the perfect excuse.

An illustrated anthology of stories about dogs and their relationships with humans, for readers of varying levels. Includes stories by Jon Muth, Mark Teague, and Valerie Hobbs.

During the summer of 1974, fourteen-year-old Chuck Moretti works in his father's funeral home in a small eastern Kentucky mining town. He finds himself in situations that few adults could handle, encountering life-and-death events, exhilarating emergencies, and profound tragedies in the family business. But Chuck also yearns for resolution of his own adolescent issues and longs for his mother who died six years ago. Confused by his father's seeming lack of emotion as he carries out his funeral director's duties, Chuck frequently seeks solace and advice from Bart, an effeminate waiter at the ill-reputed Blistered Cat, a honky-tonk cafi across the street from the funeral home. In between hair-raising ambulance rides and fulfilling the most morbid duties of a mortician's assistant, Chuck wants to remain a teenager. He strives to maintain his bond with his best friend, Andy, and to develop his first romantic relationship with Molly Sue, a local preacher's daughter. He longs for the thrills of teenage antics, yet finds them somehow unsatisfying. Throughout the summer, Chuck draws on a spiritual connection he has formed with his mother and looks to her for answers he can't get from anyone else. In the end, he learns to listen to-and trust-the answers that come from heaven.

Zeke walks in to Clark's coffeeshop on opening day. Isn't Zeke... wasn't Zeke... Zippy the Calculator Boy, from back in elementary school? Except he has muscles now. And he's looking Clark up and down like he never did back in elementary school. Clark is straight, but he has to admit: Zeke is gorgeous. And intimidatingly smart, just like he was back in school. Plus those muscles. It's a little too much. Clark wouldn't mind reconnecting with his old buddy Zeke. For friend stuff. They can drive their Ferraris around. Jump off of casino boats. Stuff like that. So why does Clark want to kiss him? Clark is straight. Or so he says. And Zeke doesn't need love. Or so he thinks. Crema is a straight-to-gay romantic comedy with a wacky aunt, unadvised jumps off a casino boat, and a jock and a nerd finding their HEA.

An obsessed cop gets a second chance to take down a madman he failed to arrest a decade earlier in this thriller by the author of Combustion. Pittsburgh, 1986: The city is gripped in a panic as a maniac slips poison onto pharmacy shelves. All the evidence has pointed to Ron Corbett, but shoddy policework let Corbett off the hook and left the crime unsolved. Ten years later, it’s happening again. This time, for the most personal of reasons, Detective Downing has made it his mission to see Corbett behind bars. He enlists the help of Jim Christensen, a psychologist who specializes in memory, to interview Corbett’s son, now a young man with a painful past and problems of his own. Does the boy remember his father poisoning pill containers? Has he blocked memories of a horrific crime spree enacted in his own house? As Christensen explores the boy’s memory and Downing grows more obsessive investigating the case, both men fear that the killings now may not be as random as they once thought, and that unlocking memories may draw them too close to a vicious predator. “Time Release sizzles, cooks, and singes! It’s a whipcord thriller full of deftly drawn characters, intrigue, and taut action. This is a spellbindingly accomplished first novel”—James Ellroy, New York Times–bestselling author of The Big Nowhere “A fast, smart read and one fine thriller.”—Robert Ferrigno, New York Times–bestselling author of Prayers for the Assassin “Unexpected plot twists and breathless tension combine for a suspenseful ride that doesn’t let up.”—The Kansas City Star “Time Release is a fast, smart read and one fine thriller.” —Robert Ferrigno, New York Times bestselling author of Prayers for the Assassin “Unexpected plot twists and breathless tension combine for a suspenseful ride that doesn’t let up.” —The Kansas City Star

You really want to do the Ironman Triathlon, but there are so many questions you need answered. This book will answer 500 of those questions for you and will help you realize your dream of crossing that amazing finish line. There are also some very inspiring stories and great recipes submitted by triathletes around the world that make this one of a kind triathlon book even more special.

“Informative, witty . . . Kollmann delivers terse commentary and gory detail while puncturing common misconceptions about forensics.” —Booklist Step past the flashing lights into the true scene of the crime with this frank, unflinching, and unforgettable account of life as a crime scene investigator. Whether explaining rigor mortis or the art of fingerprinting a stiff corpse on the side of the road, Dana Kollmann details her true, unvarnished experiences as a CSI for the Baltimore County Police Department. “Riveting.” —M. William Phelps, New York Times bestselling author of We Thought We Knew You Unlike the popular crime dramas proliferating on today’s television networks, these forensic tales forgo glitz for grit to show what really goes on. Kollmann recounts stories that the cops and the CSI’s usually leave in the field, bringing the sights, smells, and sounds of a crime scene alive as never before. “Raw and real.” —Connie Fletcher, author of Every Contact Leaves a Trace Unveiling the process and science of crime scene investigation in all its can’t-tear-your-eyes-away fascination, Never Suck a Dead Man’s Hand takes you into the strange world behind the yellow tape, offering a truly eye-opening perspective on the day-to-day life of a CSI. “Gritty, witty, and heartfelt . . . a must-read.” —Aphrodite Jones, New York Times bestselling author of A Perfect Husband

Zeke must prove to his mom that he is responsible so she'll let him bring home the class guinea pig.

From working in a toothbrush factory and learning to always sterilize your brush to being a "stand-in" for Ms. Lara Flynn Boyle of Men in Black fame and figuring out very quickly that sitting around for 16 hours is way too boring even with craft services and a few famous people, the lessons we learn in life are somewhat universal. This mishmash collection of writing includes memoir-style stories, poems, songs and short scenes and plays. Jeanne’s first book, “Tell Our Story, I Will” chronicled she and her son’s challenges and triumphs navigating his diagnosis of Asperger’s Syndrome/high-functioning autism (available on Amazon) while this collection is a hodge-podge of her everyday life.