Everyone loves a mystery, even Wesley. Three mystery adventures are presented here. They all make for great fun. In the first mystery story, aEURoeWesley Meets a Mysterious Stranger,aEUR an encounter that turns out poorly for Wesley. Who is that mysterious stranger? The second story, aEURoeWesley and the Mystery Egg Affair,aEUR begins when trouble befalls a couple of Wesley's bird friends. An egg is missing replaced by a different egg. Wesley is the sleuth in this adventure, seeking to learn who stole the missing egg and why. There's more to this case than meets the eye. In the aEURoeWesley and the Night VisitoraEUR mystery adventure, a crime is committed late at night. Food is missing from Wesley's dish. Who is this nighttime thief? Wesley, joined by a couple friends, sets out to uncover clues the thief unintentionally leaves behind. Eventually, these clues point to an astonishing solution.

Wesley, barely eight weeks old, came to live with a couple that he knows as Granddad and Gramme. He grew and gradually took upon himself the watchdog role. Wesley, of course, is the star of all the Wesley's Adventure stories. He's a real dog living in a real place. The aEURoePool MonsteraEUR story is an early-adventure challenge Wesley faces. He is awakened by something or someone struggling in Gramme's swimming pool. Approaching the pool, he's startled to see the creature's tail swishing side to side slapping the surface. Dare he go closer? Or should he run and hide? The aEURoeOld Mr. BuzzardaEUR story begins one early morning before sunrise. Old Mr. Buzzard, like a ghost, alights on the roof. Wesley sounds the alarm, rousing the household. Why has Old Mr. Buzzard come? For what or for whom is he waiting? Later that morning, while Wesley is away, Old Mr. Buzzard leaves. But under unusual circumstances their paths will again cross that very day. In the aEURoeWesley Runs AwayaEUR story, Wesley doesn't plan to run away. And he certainly doesn't plan, under unusual weather conditions, to be lost. But lost he is. Night falls and conditions worsen. How can he possibly find his way home? It won't be easy! Be careful, Wesley. Not everyone out there wishes you well!

Wesley loves to run. He considers himself the fastest thing on four feetaEUR"well, almost. Three Wesley's Adventures stories are selected, each about running fast and who runs faster. In the aEURoeWesley's Marvelous NoseaEUR story, Wesley, during a hike with Granddad, smells the scent of a rabbit ahead on the trail. As Wesley comes nearer sniffing the ground, Mr. Rabbit runs for his life. Wesley gives chase, slowly gaining on the exhausted rabbit. Mr. Rabbit tries to hide and rest. But Wesley's marvelous nose leads him to the hiding place, and the race continues. In the aEURoeWesley and the Roadrunner RacesaEUR story, a small voice brashly interrupts Wesley's nap challenging him to a footrace. This unusual challenger runs on two feet, not fouraEUR"thus begins a three-race series to see who runs faster. aEURoeOutrun by a dumb bird!aEUR Wesley mutters after the first race. The aEURoeWesley to the RescueaEUR story begins when an excited Mrs. Mockingbird brings news that an intruder is loose in Wesley's territory. Puzzled, Wesley rushes to investigate. What he discovers leads to a heart-thumping chase and a chilling confrontation fueled by ancient instincts that ends with. . . but that's for the story to tell.

Before Burke, before Cross, Andrew Vachss created Wesley: a ruthless assassin who would stop at nothing to take out his targets. A BombBuilt in Hell is Wesley's story. While doing extended time for killing a fellow prisoner, Wesley meets Carmine Trentoni in a New York state prison. Carmine's life sentence hasn't cut him off from his outside sources, and he sees great potential in Wesley to carry out his revenge, and carry on his lucrative business. Wesley emerges from prison prepared to be the perfect hitman: calculating, deadly, and driven by money. On his release from prison, Wesley follows Carmine's directions to locate a Mr. Petraglia—the Q to his working-class James Bond. Pet and Wesley set up shop in Brooklyn, and execute their assignments, from a rising Chinatown mobster to a visiting Haitian dignitary, with finesse—and, occasionally, more explosives than are strictly called for. But Wesley isn't satisfied with his low-profile lot, and sets out to make a mark on the city that everyone will notice—which he does, in a shocking, dynamite conclusion.

“A swift-paced survival tale that’s a cool blend of Lord of the Flies and Journey to the Center of the Earth.” —School Library Journal “A sharp meditation on the seemingly universal difficulties of being young, smart, and uncertain.” —BCCB “A multifaceted journey from darkness to light.” —Kirkus Reviews Winner of the Red Maple Fiction Award A class field trips turns into an underground quest for survival in the latest middle grade novel from the author of Edgar Award winner OCDaniel. Mr. Baker’s eighth grade class thought they were in for a normal field trip to Carlsbad Caverns in New Mexico. But when an earthquake hits, their field trip takes a terrifying turn. The students are plunged into an underground lake…and their teacher goes missing. They have no choice but to try and make their way back above ground, even though no one can agree on the best course of action. The darkness brings out everyone’s true self. Supplies dwindle and tensions mount. Pretty and popular Silvia does everything she can to hide her panic attacks, even as she tries to step up and be a leader. But the longer she’s underground, the more frequent and debilitating they become. Meanwhile, Eric has always been a social no one, preferring to sit at the back of the class and spend evenings alone. Now, he finds himself separated from his class, totally by himself underground. That is, until he meets an unexpected stranger. Told from three different points of view, this fast-paced adventure novel explores how group dynamics change under dire circumstances. Do the students of Mr. Baker’s class really know each other at all? Or do they just think they do? It turns out, it’s hard to hide in the dark.

Questioning both the popular condemnation of violent representation and the notion that violence can be constructive by empowering the identity of an integrated adult self, Wesley identifies a revealing pattern of "violent adventure" in recent fiction by American men.

Chronicles the author's rescue of an abandoned barn owlet, from her efforts to resuscitate and raise the young owl through their nineteen years together, during which the author made key discoveries about owl behavior.

Tamara Hayle is never going to be as rich as the Desmonds, one of Newark, New Jersey's most affluent and influential black families. But the struggling p.i. wouldn't want their troubles either, now that their rebellious daughter Gabriella has run off to Atlantic City, where a serial killer is prowling the streets. For a substantial fee, however, Tamara's willing to join the hunt for the missing African-American heiress -- expecially after Gabriella's last known roommate joins the ranks of the murdered. Somwhere in the twilight zone that separates the poor and the wealthy of color -- in the terrifying shadow of a deadly criminal kingpin -- are shocking secrets that Tamara needs to uncover. And suddenly the Desmonds' woes -- lethal and devastating -- have become Tamara's own.

'A beguiling author who interweaves past and present' The Times A teenage girl is strangled and left for dead on a lonely country lane in Devon. The police are baffled when she describes her attacker as having the head of a dog, but when the body of a woman is found mutilated and wrapped in a sheet, DI Wesley Peterson suspects the killer may be performing an ancient ritual linked to the jackal-headed Egyptian god, Anubis. Meanwhile, archaeologist Neil Watson has been called to Varley Castle to catalogue the collection of an Edwardian amateur Egyptologist. Neil discovers through his research that Wesley's strange case bears sinister similarities to four murders that took place near Varley Castle in 1903. As the Jackal Man's identity remains a frustrating enigma, it seems the killer has yet another victim in his sights. Someone close to Wesley himself . . . Whether you've read the whole series, or are discovering Kate Ellis's DI Wesley Peterson novels for the first time, this is the perfect page-turner if you love reading Elly Griffiths and Ann Cleeves. PRAISE FOR KATE ELLIS: 'I loved this novel . . . a powerful story of loss, malice and deception' Ann Cleeves 'Haunting' Independent 'Unputdownable' Bookseller 'The chilling plot will keep you spooked and thrilled to the end' Closer 'A gripping read' Best 'A fine storyteller, weaving the past and present in a way that makes you want to read on' Peterborough Evening Telegraph