A glamorous birthday dinner in the Hollywood Hills ends with the famous host dead and every guest under suspicion in The Last Guest, a dark, cinematic suspense debut reminiscent of an Agatha Christie page-turner crossed with David Lynch's Mulholland Drive. “The Last Guest is a sharp, unshrinking look at the costs of submission—to power and control, to ambition and desire, even to the wish to protect those we love by forcing memory underground.”—Paula McLain, author of The Paris Wife and When the Stars Go Dark When Elspeth Bell attends the fiftieth birthday party of her ex-husband, Richard Bryant, the Hollywood director who launched her acting career, all she wants is to pass unnoticed through the glamorous crowd in his sprawling Los Angeles mansion. Instead, there are only seven other guests—and Richard's pet octopus, Persephone, watching over them from her tank as the intimate party grows more surreal (and rowdy) by the hour. Come morning, Richard is dead—and all of the guests are suspects. In the weeks that follow, each guest comes under suspicion: the school friend, the studio producer, the actress, the actor, the new partner, the manager, the cinematographer, and even Elspeth herself. What starts out as a locked-room mystery soon reveals itself to be much more complicated, as dark stories from Richard's past surface, colliding with memories of their marriage that Elspeth vowed never to revisit. She begins to wonder not just who killed Richard, but why these eight guests were invited—and what sort of man would desire to possess a creature as mysterious and unsettling as Persephone. The Last Guest is a stylish exploration of power—the power of memory, the power of perception, the power of one person over another.

Painstakingly researched, this illustrated reference captures the spirited imagination of Dame Agatha and the intriguing atmosphere of her tales. Includes a comprehensive Christie biography, cross-referenced with plot synopses and character listings. Photos throughout.

Is Landscape . . . ? surveys multiple and myriad definitions of landscape. Rather than seeking a singular or essential understanding of the term, the collection postulates that landscape might be better read in relation to its cognate terms across expanded disciplinary and professional fields. The publication pursues the potential of multiple provisional working definitions of landscape to both disturb and develop received understandings of landscape architecture. These definitions distinguish between landscape as representational medium, academic discipline, and professional identity. Beginning with an inquiry into the origins of the term itself, Is Landscape . . . .? features essays by a dozen leading voices shaping the contemporary reading of landscape as architecture and beyond.

I started in fine dining the summer of '79. At the time Perrier was the rage. The in thing was to order, and be heard ordering, Perrier. This bottle sat on everyone's table - an excellent drink with dinner and wine. My book is a collection of memories that I recall all too often - thoughts of events that occurred over twenty-five years that are too interesting not to be told. The best I can do is let you read about them. I wish I could tell you....I wish you were there. Being a waiter, and especially a maitre d', was fun not knowing what unique experience would occur today, and involve me. Unintentionally and willingly I had the best job of my life. If any waiter, or restaurant employee, or any type of worker had a more interesting or exciting job than I, more power to them.

Let Dummies be your wedding planner and get hitched without a hitch Planning A Wedding For Dummies covers everything you need to know to pull off the perfect celebration on your big day. This book even makes it fun! We take the stress out of wedding planning, simplifying the whole process and giving you the tools you need to plan and execute a memorable day. Send out those save-the-dates, manage any crisis that might arise on the day of, and everything in between. Dummies has your back. This friendly For Dummies book is your guide on the exciting journey of planning all the events leading up to the wedding, as well as post-wedding activities. Planning A Wedding For Dummies includes tips and checklists to keep you organized, whether you’ll have 10 guests or 1,000 guests. Break down the wedding planning process into simple steps, so you can stay on track Laugh along as you read stories about real-life couples who have gone before you and gain insight into wedding day outcomes and scenarios Keep everything in perspective to keep your wedding stress-free Find worksheets and checklists to help you through budgeting and beyond With this perfect guide, you can plan a perfect wedding—and say “I do” on the best day of your life!

Constantine Versus the Bankers is the epic of what went wrong and still goes wrong in a seemingly Christian setting. In spite of setbacks, it examines what is yet to be accomplished toward Peace in this world. There is, nevertheless, a de facto kind of oneness in politics, religion, education and public ethos, albeit, as four distinctly separate Estates, and not always in harmony. This results at times in human failure and more often in pernicious conspiracies at work. Constantine still is maligned, from contemporary world leaders to historians, while Christians still are selectively being killed with evermore-imaginative cunning. Consider the sources vilifying Christianity: they are the same agencies hunting down the Holy Apostles on their Mission, with the same combination of Murky Forces and modern internationalist adepts. While considered a "sacred cow," the Bankers of all grades are popularly held on the highest pedestal and glorified as saviors, greater than God. As matters today stand, the only solutions to cultural, political, social, economic and educational impasses come through going deeper into private, national and international debt, sinking down into the cavernous jaws of the interest-bearing Vipers. To believe in an irreversibly coming doom is to question whether there is a God, or not.

Shark. Tarantula. Sharkantula. When a genetically modified tarantula finds itself loose in the Great White shark exhibit at Shark World, the feisty arachnid sinks its fangs into the main attraction. Without warning, the Great White mutates into Sharkantula and the opening day show turns deadly. The mutated shark/tarantula hybrid is hungry and ready to feast upon the flesh of those that don't run away fast enough to escape her webbing. Desperate to stop the carnage, a group of Shark World employees join forces with the tarantula's keeper in an effort to stop the devastation before Sharkantula can escape the confines of the aquatic theme park and spread her terror across the United States.

Her dreams were stolen in the tide pool where she took her last breath… Unfortunate accident or foul play? Either way, a luxury singles tour ends in tragedy for a woman who’d come to Oahu for a fresh start. The other tourists say Vanessa was secretive or desperate for excitement. She must have been alone when she snuck out to the treacherous tide pool in the moonlight. But when objects mysteriously wash ashore, including a luminous bracelet made of rare shells, it becomes clearer that her death was no accident. It’s up to private investigator Pari Malik to uncover the truth. She’ll dig up clandestine relationships, concealed motives, and hidden agendas. It’s a race against time to solve the perplexing mystery before an unknown killer strikes again or gets away with murder. The intriguing characters and thrilling mystery of Lurking Below The Surface will keep you guessing until the very end. It is the fifth novel in the Pari Malik Mystery Series and it can be read as a stand-alone book.