The Girl Who Played with Fire [AUDIOBOOK] [UNABRIDGED]

The Girl Who Played with Fire [AUDIOBOOK] [UNABRIDGED] Author: Vance, Simon (Reader) Vance, Simon ISBN: 0-7393-8417-1

Category: Swedish (Language) Contemporary Fiction

Audio CD Random House Audio

Amazon.com Review Amazon Best of the Month, July 2009: The girl with the dragon tattoo is back. Stieg Larsson's seething heroine, Lisbeth Salander, once again finds herself paired with journalist Mikael Blomkvist on the trail of a sinister criminal enterprise. Only this time, Lisbeth must return to the darkness of her own past (more specifically, an event coldly known as "All the Evil") if she is to stay one step ahead--and alive. The Girl Who Played with Fire is a break-out-in-a-cold-sweat thriller that crackles with stunning twists and dismisses any talk of a sophomore slump. Fans of Larsson's prior work will find even more to love here, and readers who do not find their hearts racing within the first five pages may want to confirm they still have a pulse. Expect healthy doses of murder, betrayal, and deceit, as well as enough espresso drinks to fuel downtown Seattle for months. --Dave Callanan --This text refers to the Hardcover edition. From Publishers Weekly Fans of intelligent page-turners will be more than satisfied by Larsson's second thriller, even though it falls short of the high standard set by its predecessor, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, which introduced crusading journalist Mikael Blomkvist and punk hacker savant Lisbeth Salander. A few weeks before Dag Svensson, a freelance journalist, plans to publish a story that exposes important people involved in Sweden's sex trafficking business based on research conducted by his girlfriend, Mia Johansson, a criminologist and gender studies scholar, the couple are shot to death in their Stockholm apartment. Salander, who has a history of violent tendencies, becomes the prime suspect after the police find her fingerprints on the murder weapon. While Blomkvist strives to clear Salander of the crime, some far-fetched twists help ensure her survival. Powerful prose and intriguing lead characters will carry most readers along. (Aug.) Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo [AUDIOBOOK] [UNABRIDGED]

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo [AUDIOBOOK] [UNABRIDGED] Author: Vance, Simon (Reader) Vance, Simon ISBN: 0-307-57758-9

Category: Fiction

Audio CD Random House Audio

Amazon.com Review Amazon Best of the Month, September 2008: Once you start The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, there's no turning back. This debut thriller--the first in a trilogy from the late Stieg Larsson--is a serious page-turner rivaling the best of Charlie Huston and Michael Connelly. Mikael Blomkvist, a once-respected financial journalist, watches his professional life rapidly crumble around him. Prospects appear bleak until an unexpected (and unsettling) offer to resurrect his name is extended by an old-school titan of Swedish industry. The catch--and there's always a catch--is that Blomkvist must first spend a year researching a mysterious disappearance that has remained unsolved for nearly four decades. With few other options, he accepts and enlists the help of investigator Lisbeth Salander, a misunderstood genius with a cache of authority issues. Little is as it seems in Larsson's novel, but there is at least one constant: you really don't want to mess with the girl with the dragon tattoo. --Dave Callanan --This text refers to the Hardcover edition. From Publishers Weekly Starred Review. Cases rarely come much colder than the decades-old disappearance of teen heiress Harriet Vanger from her family's remote island retreat north of Stockholm, nor do fiction debuts hotter than this European bestseller by muckraking Swedish journalist Larsson. At once a strikingly original thriller and a vivisection of Sweden's dirty not-so-little secrets (as suggested by its original title, Men Who Hate Women), this first of a trilogy introduces a provocatively odd couple: disgraced financial journalist Mikael Blomkvist, freshly sentenced to jail for libeling a shady businessman, and the multipierced and tattooed Lisbeth Salander, a feral but vulnerable superhacker. Hired by octogenarian industrialist Henrik Vanger, who wants to find out what happened to his beloved great-niece before he dies, the duo gradually uncover a festering morass of familial corruption--at the same time, Larsson skillfully bares some of the similar horrors that have left Salander such a marked woman. Larsson died in 2004, shortly after handing in the manuscripts for what will be his legacy. 100,000 first printing. (Sept.) Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

METAtropolis [AUDIOBOOK] [CD] [UNABRIDGED]

METAtropolis [AUDIOBOOK] [CD] [UNABRIDGED] Author: Schroeder, Jay Lake Tobias Buckell Elizabeth Bear John Scalzi Karl Scalzi, Michael Hogan Scott Brick Kandyse McClure Alessandro Juliani St McCl, Michael Hogan, Scott Brick, Kandyse McClure, Alessandro Juliani, Stef Scalzi, John Buckell, Tobias ISBN: 1-4233-9493-3

Category: Science Fiction And Fantasy

Audio CD Brilliance Audio on CD Unabridged

From Publishers Weekly Starred Review. Editor Scalzi (Zoe's Tale) and four well-known writers thoughtfully postulate the evolution of cities, transcending postapocalyptic clichés to envision genuinely new communities and relationships. Self-sustaining walled cities struggle with their responsibilities to dying suburbs in Scalzi's Utere Nihil Non Extra Quiritationem Suis; goods are exchanged through multiple microtransactions in Tobias S. Buckell's Stochasti-City and a reputation economy in Elizabeth Bear's The Red in the Sky Is Our Blood. A lone man attempts to overthrow an early enclave in Jay Lake's In the Forests of the Night, while Karl Schroeder's To Hie from Far Celenia brilliantly combines steampunk, urban sociology and network theory as entire subcultures go off the grid. Each story shines on its own; as a group they reinforce one another, building a multifaceted view of a realistic and hopeful urban future. (Aug.) Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition. Product Description Welcome to a world where big cities are dying, dead - or transformed into technological megastructures. Where once-thriving suburbs are now treacherous Wilds. Where those who live for technology battle those who would die rather than embrace it. It is a world of zero-footprint cities, virtual nations, and armed camps of eco-survivalists. METAtropolis is an intelligent and stunning creation of five of today's cutting-edge science-fiction writers: 2008 Hugo Award winners John Scalzi and Elizabeth Bear; Campbell Award winner Jay Lake; plus fan favorites Tobias Buckell and Karl Schroeder. Together they set the ground rules and developed the parameters of this "shared universe", then wrote five original novellas - all linked, but each a separate tale. Bringing this audiobook to life is a dream team of performers: Battlestar Galactica's Michael Hogan ("Saul Tigh"); Alessandro Juliani ("Felix Gaeta"); and Kandyse McClure ("Anastasia 'Dee' Dualla"); plus legendary audiobook narrators Scott Brick (Dune) and Stefan Rudnicki (Ender's Game). John Scalzi, who served as Project Editor, introduces each story, offering insight into how the METAtropolis team created this unique project exclusively for audio.

Fear the Worst [AUDIOBOOK] [CD] [UNABRIDGED]

Fear the Worst [AUDIOBOOK] [CD] [UNABRIDGED] Author: Schirner, Buck (Reader) Schirner, Buck ISBN: 1-4233-9838-6

Category: English Canadian Novel And Short Story

Audio CD Brilliance Audio on CD Unabridged

Amazon.com Review Amazon Exclusive: Lisa Gardner Reviews Fear the Worst Lisa Gardner is the New York Times bestselling author of eleven novels, including Say Goodbye and The Neighbor. She lives with her husband and daughter in New England. She is currently at work on her next thriller, Live to Tell, which will be publish in 2010. Read her exclusive Amazon guest review of Fear the Worst: Linwood Barclay is a #1 bestselling crime novelist in Britain and a major European suspense star. So when I received the advanced reading copy of his latest novel, Fear the Worst, my first reaction was guilt--what rock have I been hiding under that I've never heard of an author who counts Michael Connelly, Tess Gerritsen, and Joseph Finder among his fans? My next response was sheer anticipation. There's nothing better than discovering a great new author. I immediately cracked open Fear the Worst, hoping for the best. Long and short of it--Barclay delivers on the hype. Fear the Worst starts with one of the better opening lines I've read in a while: “The morning of the day I lost her, my daughter asked me to scramble her some eggs.” It's such a simple sentence, speaking of everyday domesticity. You can picture a father. You can picture a daughter. Yet you're already filled with dread. A bad thing has happened. And yeah, for the next four hundred pages, the bad thing gets a lot worse. This tension-filled dichotomy of an ordinary man caught in extraordinary circumstances isn't new territory. Harlan Coben would be drawn to this plot, not to mention a few others. But Barclay writes with a voice that's all his own. His ordinary man, Timothy Blake, is at that middle-aged point in life where he's racking up more losses than wins. First marriage has collapsed. Car dealership went down the drain. Parenting a teenage daughter remains a mystery. Blake is a man who's down but not out, which makes his efforts to find his missing daughter realistic, compelling and completely nerve-wracking. The supporting cast is equally well-done: the prickly ex-wife; the daughter's troubled BFF; the female detective who seems to spend most of her time on the phone dealing with her own kid. Barclay excels at creating people you immediately recognize, and even if you don't like them all, you understand them. He also stays true to his characters; Blake doesn't magically turn into Rambo just because bad guys are now trying to gun him down. The prickly ex-wife doesn't suddenly crave reconciliation, just because they're now working together to find their child. By not taking the easy road, Barclay sets the stage for several shocking plot twists, not to mention one helluva dramatic climax. Previous Barclay fans should enjoy this fast-paced outing. And if you've been hiding under a rock like me, time to crawl out and discover a great new author. --Lisa Gardner --This text refers to the Hardcover edition. From Publishers Weekly In Barclay's new thriller, Tim Blake, a car salesman in a Honda dealership in Milford, Conn., has more troubles than a Yugo up for its inspection sticker: his wife has left him to shack up with a car dealer rival; he has a devil-wears-Prada–style boss; and, worst, his teenage daughter, Sydney, has disappeared from her summer job at the Just Inn Time hotel. Barclay does a decent job of depicting the fright, fantasies and rage of a parent whose child faces prolonged and uncertain danger, but the narrator exists chiefly as a sketch or plot device rather than a complex, compelling individual. The author explores a timely social issue, human trafficking, but the villains behind it are even less defined than the narrator. Still, Barclay (Bad Move) earns a solid A for his page-turning plot. In short, this is a functional stripped-down Civic of a book that gets you there. (Aug.) Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

The Scoop (Godmother)

The Scoop (Godmother) Author: Ross, Natalie (Reader) Ross, Natalie ISBN: 1-4233-4531-2

Category: American Light Romantic Fiction

Audio CD Brilliance Audio on CD Unabridged

Product Description Teresa “Toots” Amelia Loudenberry has crammed a great deal of living — not to mention eight much-loved husbands — into her varied and rewarding life. Newly single, Toots is ready to taste life again, and fate has just handed her the perfect opportunity. The owner of the gossip rag where Toots's daughter works is about to lose the paper to his gambling debts. Eager to find a way to keep her daughter employed among the movers and shakers of Hollywood, Toots calls on her three trusted friends — Sophie, Mavis, and Ida — to help her pull some strings. Together, they'll hatch a plan that promises thrills, laughter, and more than a hint of danger. Putting aside her widow's weeds (black was never her color), Toots will prove that you should never underestimate a Southern lady of a certain age, and that each day can be a gift, if you're willing to claim it… About the Author Fern Michaels is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of Fool Me Once, Sweet Revenge, The Nosy Neighbor, Pretty Woman, and dozens of other novels and novellas. There are over seventy million copies of her books in print. Fern Michaels has built and funded several large day-care centers in her hometown, and is a passionate animal lover who has outfitted police dogs across the country with special bulletproof vests. She shares her home in South Carolina with her four dogs and a resident ghost named Mary Margaret.

The Amateurs [AUDIOBOOK] [CD] [UNABRIDGED]

The Amateurs [AUDIOBOOK] [CD] [UNABRIDGED] Author: Miller, Dan John (Reader) Miller, Dan John ISBN: 1-4233-6697-2

Category: American Mystery & Suspense Fiction

Audio CD Brilliance Audio on CD Unabridged

From Publishers Weekly In Sakey's so-so thriller, four friends--travel agent Jenn Lacie, trader Ian Trevarian, hotel doorman Mitch McDonnell and bartender Alex Kern--meet every Thursday night at the Chicago restaurant where Alex bartends and commiserate over their unsatisfying lives. When Alex's boss, Johnny Love Loverin, asks him to act as muscle for a shady back-office deal, the group decides, almost on a whim, to steal Johnny's money. The heist goes smoothly until an altercation in the alley behind the bar leads to murder, and the four friends find themselves with $250,000 and a dead body. Making matters worse, Mitch and Jenn discover that the deal they interrupted wasn't about drugs or guns but something far more deadly. Sakey (Good People) does what he can with the weak premise, but his characters will elicit little sympathy from readers who won't care why the foursome carried out their poorly planned and executed scheme. (Aug.) Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition. From The Washington Post From The Washington Post's Book World/washingtonpost.com Reviewed by Patrick Anderson Four friends, 30-something and losers all, meet weekly in a Chicago bar and call themselves the Thursday Night Drinking Club. One of them, Alex, who once hoped to be a lawyer, is the bartender; he's behind in his child-support payments and may lose the right to see his beloved daughter. Ian, a stockbroker, lost all his money in the recent crash, has an expensive cocaine habit and owes a $30,000 gambling debt to some people who are threatening to remove various body parts. Mitch is a doorman in a fancy hotel; his many problems include being hopelessly infatuated with Jenn, the fourth member of the group. Jenn is a sexy travel agent who can't find true love and can't afford to visit the exotic destinations she sends clients to. She yearns for adventure, but the best she can do is occasional loveless sex with Alex, the bartender. So how is an exciting novel to be written about these four rather dreary barflies? Not to worry: The drama begins one night when the bar owner, a sleazebag who calls himself Johnny Love, hits on Jenn and insults Mitch. Then Alex, the bartender, who loathes his boss, discovers that Johnny has a big stash of money in his safe that he apparently plans to use in a drug deal. The four friends come up with the bright idea of stealing the money. That way Alex can pay his child support, Ian can pay his gambling debt, Mitch can impress Jenn and Jenn can have a little excitement in her humdrum life. Just thinking about the caper gives her a "delicious shiver" up her spine. The robbery, as any bright 9-year-old could predict, is a disaster. One of our heroes kills someone and, despite the ski masks the robbers wear, a whole posse of hardened criminals is soon closing in on them. The author, Marcus Sakey, is at his most inventive as he conjures up an endless series of dumb decisions for the robbers to make. The initial plan was idiotic, the clues they left as to their identities were moronic, the lies they tell both to the police and the criminals hounding them are equally inane, and their endless finger-pointing only makes things worse. Their ineptitude keeps the plot spinning. This is Sakey's fourth novel. The first, "The Blade Itself" (2007), received admiring reviews -- including one by yours truly -- and was nominated for an Anthony Award. Sakey brings a good deal of talent to his crime thrillers. He writes vivid prose, lively dialogue and gripping scenes of action and suspense. For instance, a criminal says of a lesser one, "He's stupid, not dumb," a nice distinction. We see Jenn "painting her toenails and trying not to think," which pretty well sums her up. The coke-addled Ian "wanted a bump or another drink, could feel the liquidity of his buzz fading -- and the problems teeming behind it ready to jump him if he let them." When poor lovesick Mitch is admitted to Jenn's bathroom, he finds, to his bewilderment: "She had te

Once a Runner [AUDIOBOOK] [CD] [UNABRIDGED]

Once a Runner [AUDIOBOOK] [CD] [UNABRIDGED] Author: Lawlor, Patrick (Reader) Lawlor, Patrick Girard ISBN: 1-4418-0087-5

Category: American Contemporary Fiction - Individual Authors +

Audio CD Brilliance Audio on CD Unabridged

Review "By far the most accurate fictional portrayal of the world of the serious runner. . . a marvelous description of the way it really is." -- Kenny Moore, of Sports Illustrated "I hate to use a clich, but I couldn't put it down." -- Joe Henderson, Runner's World "I'm jealous. This is very close to the kind of book I've wanted to write for years. . . [Parker] has shown an ability to find that vein that runners have within them, and write about it better than anyone ever has." -- Don Kardong, of Runner's World "I've read `Once a Runner' six times and still enjoy it immensely. It continues to renew my heart to `go after the fire, not the smoke." -- J.A. Sandoz, Olympia, WA "My 17-year-old son was transfixed with `Once a Runner'. . ." -- Jon Boon, Columbia, MD "Perhaps the best novel ever written about running. There are parts of Once a Runner that are pure poetry. I have never read descriptions of what it is to run and race as accurate and compelling as Parker's." -- Tom Jordan, Track & Field News "The best piece of running fiction around. Beg, borrow, or buy a copy, and you'll never need another motivator." -- Dave Langlais, Runner's World "There is a remarkable parallel between the pacing of this novel and a well-run race." -- Ed Ayres, Running Times --This text refers to the Paperback edition. Review "The best novel ever written about running." -- Runner's World "Part training manual, part religious tract, part love story, and all about running, Once a Runner is so inspiring it could be banned as a performance-enhancing drug." -- Benjamin Cheever, author of Strides: Running Through History with an Unlikely Athlete "By far the most accurate fictional portrayal of the world of the serious runner...a marvelous description of the way it really is." -- Kenny Moore, Sports Illustrated "There is a remarkable parallel between the pacing of this novel and a well-run race." -- Ed Ayres, Running Times "Perhaps the best novel ever written about running. There are parts of Once a Runner that are pure poetry. I enjoyed it thoroughly and have never read descriptions of what it is to run and race as accurate and compelling as Parker's." -- Tom Jordan, Track & Field News "The best piece of running fiction around. Beg, borrow, or buy a copy, and you'll never need another motivator." -- Dave Langlais, Runner's World --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

Almost Home [AUDIOBOOK] [CD] [UNABRIDGED]

Almost Home [AUDIOBOOK] [CD] [UNABRIDGED] Author: Carter, Debbie Macomber Cathy Lamb Judy Duarte and Mary Merlington, Joyce Bean Sandra Burr Tanya Eby and Laural (Reader) Lamb, Cathy Carter, Mary stories.., Bestselling authors Cathy Lamb, Debbie Macomber, Judy Duarte, an ISBN: 1-4418-0071-9

Category: American Light Romantic Fiction

Audio CD Brilliance Audio on CD Unabridged

Product Description “Whale Island” by Cathy Lamb Family secrets and imposing friends are making Chalese feel like an outsider in her very own home on beautiful Whale Island. But it's only when a shocking revelation makes her feel truly lost that she opens her heart to the possibilities the past offers – including a chance at love with the last man she expected… “Queen of Hearts” by Judy Duarte Her high school reunion is coming up, and advice columnist Jenn Kramer couldn't be dreading it more – until she lays eyes on Marcos. Jenn hardly noticed him when they were kids, but now he's all grown up…and how deliciously he's changed… “The Honeymoon House” by Mary Carter It doesn't get more romantic than Andy Beck's cottage on Martha's Vineyard. But love is the last thing on his mind – he just wants to get the cottage ready for his best friend's honeymoon. At least that's the plan, until he finds the gorgeous Maid of Honor ransacking his house – in the most irresistible way… “The Marrying Kind” by #1 New York Times bestselling author Debbie Macomber High school sweethearts Katie and Jason haven't seen each other in ten years – and now she's walked back into his life. With one look, the love they shared comes flooding back – only now the odds seem stacked against them. But when something's meant to be, all bets are off… About the Author Debbie Macomber, the author of Back on Blossom Street, Twenty Wishes, and 8 Sandpiper Way, has become a leading voice in women's fiction worldwide. Her work has appeared on every major bestseller list, including those of The New York Times, USA Today, and Publishers Weekly. She is a multiple award winner, and there are more than sixty million copies of her books in print. Cathy Lamb, the author of Julia's Chocolates, The Last Time I Was Me, and Henry's Sisters, lives in Oregon. She is married with three children. Judy Duarte lives with her family in Southern California. Mary Carter is a freelance writer and a graduate of the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in New York City. She currently lives in Seattle where in between drinking lattes and learning to kayak, she is at work on a new novel.

92 Pacific Boulevard

92 Pacific Boulevard Author: Burr, Sandra (Reader) Burr, Sandra ISBN: 1-4233-4874-5

Category: American Light Romantic Fiction

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Product Description 92 Pacific Boulevard Cedar Cove, Washington Dear Listener: I'm not much of a letter-writer. As the sheriff here, I'm used to writing incident reports, not chatty letters. But my daughter, Megan -- who'll be making me a grandfather soon -- told me I had to do this. So here goes. I'll tell you straight out that I'd hoped to marry Faith Beckwith (my one-time high school girlfriend) but she ended the relationship last month, even though we're both widowed and available. There were a few misunderstandings between us, some of them inadvertently caused by Megan. However, I've got plenty to keep me occupied, like the unidentified remains found in a cave outside town. And the fact that my friend, Judge Olivia Griffin, is fighting cancer. And the break-ins at 204 Rosewood Lane -- the house Faith happens to be renting from Grace Harding… If you want to hear more, come on over to my place or to the sheriff's office -- if you can stand the stale coffee! Troy Davis “The books in Macomber's contemporary Cedar Cove series are irresistibly delicious and addictive.” – Publishers Weekly About the Author Debbie Macomber, the author of Summer on Blossom Street, 8 Sandpiper Way, Twenty Wishes, Back on Blossom Street, and 74 Seaside Avenue, has become a leading voice in women's fiction worldwide. Her work has appeared on every major bestseller list, including those of the New York Times, USA TODAY and Publishers Weekly. She is a multiple award winner, and won the 2005 Quill Award for Best Romance. More than sixty million copies of her books have been sold worldwide.

The Bells of San Filipo [AUDIOBOOK] [CD] [UNABRIDGED]

The Bells of San Filipo [AUDIOBOOK] [CD] [UNABRIDGED] Author: Bond, Jim (Reader) Bond, Jim ISBN: 1-4418-0453-6

Category: American Western Fiction

Audio CD Brilliance Audio on CD Unabridged

From Library Journal Although Jim Gore has been mining for years, he still hopes the small vein of ore he is working will eventually lead to the "mother lode." His daily routine is broken when he finds a Mexican who is carrying a pack loaded with 50 pounds of pure silver. Gore traces the Mexican back to the ghost town of San Filipo, and the adventure begins. Brand (The Whispering Outlaw, Audio Reviews, LJ 2/15/95) peoples this mythical town with the ghost of a nun, the legendary bells, and Diego Ramirez. Ramirez, heir to the lost fortunes of San Filipo, has come to claim the wealth of his ancestors. The return of this wealth has been announced by the eerie ringing of the bells?bells that were lost when San Filipo burned 100 years ago. Don Estaban, heir to a lost empire, sees the treasure of San Filipo as a quick way to rebuild his former wealth. Written in 1926, this story combines mythology and mystery to make an intriguing adventure. Recommended.?Theresa Connors, Arkansas Technological Univ., Russellville Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title. Product Description Jim Gore prospects the barren hills of the southwest, dreaming of striking it rich. He is a man as lonely and forgotten as the nearby ghost town itself, San Filipo. That is, until an earthquake uncovers the abandoned town's long-guarded secret - a treasure in silver! How much more is still hidden beneath the ruins? Jim meets the mysterious Chris Estaban, a man with secrets of his own, who tells Jim that he is also known as "The Doctor" and "Colonel Dice." Jim knows his only chance to get the silver is to team up with this mysterious gunman and gambler. But what he doesn't know is that his easy-going life will end forever when greed, violence and betrayal take over.