An empire on the edge of war threatens to crumble in this action-packed fantasy novel of epic adventure and revenge. They call him the Usurper. Once the Kisian empire was ruled by gods. Now Kin Ts'ai, a man of common blood, sits on the Crimson Throne. At his command, the last Otako emperor was executed and a new era began. But claiming an empire is easier than holding it. In the north where loyalty to the Otako name runs deep, a rebellion grows. And Emperor Kin will learn that killing one Otako, doesn't mean you've killed them all. Vengeance is coming. The Vengeance TrilogyThe Blood of WhisperersThe Gods of ViceThe Grave at Storm's End For more from Devin Madson, check out: The Reborn EmpireWe Ride the Storm

"A complex tale of war, politics, and lust for power." —The Guardian War built the Kisian Empire. War will tear it down. Seventeen years after rebels stormed the streets, factions divide Kisia. Only the firm hand of the god-emperor holds the empire together. But when an unexpected betrayal destroys a tense alliance with neighboring Chiltae, all that has been won comes crashing down. In Kisia, Princess Miko Ts'ai is a prisoner in her own castle. She dreams of claiming her empire, but the path to power could rip it, and her family, asunder. In Chiltae, assassin Cassandra Marius is plagued by the voices of the dead. Desperate, she accepts a contract that promises to reward her with a cure if she helps an empire fall. And on the border between nations, Captain Rah e'Torin and his warriors are exiles forced to fight in a foreign war or die. As an empire dies, three warriors will rise. They will have to ride the storm or drown in its blood. We Ride the Storm is the epic launch of a bold and brutal fantasy series, perfect for readers of Mark Lawrence, John Gwynne, and Brian Staveley. Praise for The Reborn Empire: "An exciting new author in fantasy." —Mark Lawrence, author of Red Sister "Imaginative worldbuilding, a pace that builds perfectly to a heart-pounding finale and captivating characters. Highly recommended." —John Gwynne, author of The Shadow of the Gods The Reborn Empire We Ride the Storm We Lie with Death We Cry for Blood We Dream of Gods For more from Devin Madson, check out: The Vengeance Trilogy The Blood of Whisperers The Gods of Vice The Grave at Storm's End

When it comes to political cunning, manipulation, ambition, and furthering an agenda, the forty-seven behind-the-scenes players in these pages are the gold standard. An intriguing twist on the popular ôgreat leadersö view of history, this extraordinary book focuses on dominant advisors, counselors, officials, and other king whisperers, from biblical times to the twenty-first century. They represent some of the most effective speakers, writers, revolutionaries, ideologues, and villains in world history. Whether in control of battle fields, ballot boxes, or even entire empires, these influential people rose to positions of influence from the dark shadows and narrow corridors of power. Book jacket.

From international bestselling author Paul Cleave comes a gripping thriller about a dedicated family man, who may or may not have inherited his serial killer father’s penchant for violence. WINNER OF NEW ZEALAND’S PRESTIGIOUS NGAIO MARSH AWARD FOR BEST CRIME NOVEL OF 2011 Edward Hunter has it all—a beautiful wife and daughter, a great job, a bright future . . . and a very dark past. Twenty years ago, a serial killer was caught, convicted, and locked away in New Zealand’s most hellish penitentiary. That man was Edward’s father. Edward has struggled his entire life to put the nightmares of his childhood behind him. But a week before Christmas, violence once again makes an unwelcome appearance in his world. Is Edward destined to be just like his father, to become a man of blood? A true master of the genre, Paul Cleave unveils a brutally vivid picture of a killer’s mind and a city of fallen angels captured at the ends of the earth.

Red is a page-turning historical fantasy that invokes the fairy tale Little Red Riding Hood and the horror of the Brothers Grimm. The year is 1891; the place, Bezidu Nou, Romania. For four hundred years, the townsfolk have been telling the tale of a wicked wolf, a beast created by evil that prowls the forest at the town’s border, waiting to be summoned, waiting for a daughter to be sacrificed. Ever since she was a small child, Rose has suffered terrible abuse at the hands of her father and grandmother. She dreams of escape but doesn’t know it’s possible until she meets Alina and a coven of witches. With them, for the first time, she is loved and empowered, and when she discovers that she is going to be sacrificed to summon the Wolf, rather than succumb to her fate, she wields it. Asserting the strength in sisterhood, the coven help her fight the curse, and as they do, they uncover the twisted truth of who the Wolf really is. Disturbing, cleverly engaging, and dripping with mystery, Red breaks away from the binary of good versus evil.

A determined woman must decide where her loyalties lie in a divided world in this second installment of the thrilling Vengeance Trilogy. Two emperors. One empire. War has shattered Kisia. In the north, supporters rally around Katashi Otako proclaiming him the True Emperor. While in the South, Kin Ts'ai holds the key to keeping the throne: Princess Hana Otako. The only daughter of the last Otako ruler, Hana must choose between being loyal to her family or her country. Is the right emperor the man the people want? Or the one they need? But in the shadows lurk one final secret that could upend even the most carefully made plans. The Vengeance TrilogyThe Blood of WhisperersThe Gods of ViceThe Grave at Storm's End For more from Devin Madson, check out: The Reborn EmpireWe Ride the Storm

A gripping literary thriller and smash bestseller that has taken Italy, France, Germany and the UK by storm. Six severed arms are discovered, arranged in a mysterious circle and buried in a clearing in the woods. Five of them appear to belong to missing girls between the ages of eight and eighteen. The sixth is yet to be identified. Worse still, the girls' bodies, alive or dead, are nowhere to be found. Lead investigators Mila Vasquez, a celebrated profiler, and Goran Gavila, an eerily prescient criminologist, dive into the case. They're confident they've got the right suspect in their sights until they discover no link between him and any of the kidnappings except the first. The evidence in the case of the second missing child points in a vastly different direction, creating more questions than it answers. Vasquez and Gavila begin to wonder if they've been brought in to take the fall in a near-hopeless case. Is it all coincidence? Or is a copycat criminal at work? Obsessed with a case that becomes more tangled and intense as they unravel the layers of evil, Gavila and Vasquez find that their lives are increasingly in each other's hands. The Whisperer, as sensational a bestseller in Europe as the Stieg Larsson novels, is that rare creation: a thought-provoking, intelligent thriller that is also utterly unputdownable.

SPOKEN IN WHISPERS is the autobiography of a remarkable woman. Nicci Mackay is a horse whisperer, one of only a few people in the world who can calm agitated horses or revive their broken spirits by translating what they say.Nicci, who has had the extraordinary gift of being able to communicate with animals since childhood, tells her story with honesty and humou r.She writes about a life dedicated to animals-from her years spent as groom and jockey in a racing yard, when she operated in secret, to more recent times, after the media discovered her amazing abilities. She now spends her time travelling extensively, translating and interperating on behalf of animals for their owners. Nicci gives the reader a rare and facinating insight into the minds, emotions and bewildering behaviour of our four-legged friends, from thoroughbred stallions to sheepdogs, opening the door to their world through often hilarious, sometime poignant, but always thought-provoking adventures and encounters with the animals she has met throughout her life. As well as horses, Nicci has worked with a variety of domestic pets, farm animals and birds. This will delight all those who share her love of animals.

Single mother Ella is struggling. About to turn forty, the last thing Ella needs in her life is more complications, but she suspects her brush with angels may not be over yet. Ella’s daughter, Indie, is keeping a huge secret. But it's not until she meets the new kids at school that she begins to learn about her true powers. Luci has been busy. With the help of her whisperers, she’s figured out how to destroy the Angelic Realm. The only problem is the one person who can help her secure the final ingredient won’t help. As Indie explores her growing abilities, she enters a world of fate and power that Ella left behind sixteen years ago. She will soon discover that this world is on the brink of war, and that she may be the most powerful weapon of all. For over two thousand years, Ella’s and Zac’s lives have been intertwined. When fate no longer exists and the past catches up to the present, will the bond of blood be enough to unite two worlds?

The story is told by Albert N. Wilmarth, an instructor of literature at Miskatonic University in Arkham. When local newspapers report strange things seen floating in rivers during a historic Vermont flood, Wilmarth becomes embroiled in a controversy about the reality and significance of the sightings, though he sides with the skeptics. Wilmarth uncovers old legends about monsters living in the uninhabited hills who abduct people who venture or settle too close to their territory.