Showing results by narrator "P.J. Ochlan" in All Categories

Nearly a decade after his triumphant Charlie Chan biography, Yunte Huang returns with this long-awaited portrait of Chang and Eng Bunker (1811-1874), twins conjoined at the sternum by a band of cartilage and a fused liver, who were "discovered" in Siam by a British merchant in 1824. Bringing an Asian American perspective to this almost implausible story, Huang depicts the twins, arriving in Boston in 1829, first as museum exhibits but later as financially savvy showmen who gained their freedom and traveled the backroads of rural America to bring "entertainment" to the Jacksonian mobs.

Since the death of his father by a drunk driver, Giulio Rodari has touched alcohol only twice—and the second time was the night his ex-girlfriend, Patrizia, was murdered. The morning after, the celebrated children’s author awoke to a black hole in his memory—and to accusations of the crime. He had been known to stalk her. He had confronted her in an intoxicated rage on her last night alive. Beyond that, Giulio doesn’t remember a thing.

Rip-offs are a dangerous game, but heist man Miles Keller thinks he’s found a good strategy: rob rich New York criminals and then retire early, before word’s out about his true identity. New town, new name, no worries. Retirement can’t come soon enough, though. The NYPD is investigating him for the shooting of a hit man named Jack Deen, who was targeting Lucy Gates - a former police informant and Miles’ ex-lover. Miles thinks shooting hit men counts as altruism, but in any case a murder charge would make life difficult.

Scrappy tough guy and three-time loser Johnny Keough is going a little stir-crazy awaiting trial for an alleged assault charge involving his girlfriend, Madonna, and a teapot. Facing three to five years in a maximum-security prison, Johnny knows this might just be the end of the road. But when Madonna doesn't show up for court due to a fatal accident, shell-shocked Johnny seizes his unexpected "clean slate" as a sign from above and embarks on an epic hitchhiking journey across Canada to deliver her ashes to a fabled beach on the outskirts of Vancouver.

His father is a white trapper, his mother an Athabascan Indian who walks a thousand miles in winter to reunite with her family. Thus, Jimmy Huntington learns early how to survive on the land. Huntington is only seven when his mother dies, and he must care for his younger siblings. A courageous and inspiring man, Huntington hunts wolves, fights bears, survives close calls too numerous to mention, and becomes a championship sled-dog racer.

For New Yorkers Catherine and Mark, a picturesque coastal village in Sicily offers an escape from the shadow over Catherine's career and a chance to rebuild their eroding marriage. Catherine sets up an art studio, while Mark explores the exciting potential of Italy's languishing agricultural regions. For a moment, there's hope for healing on the banks of the sparkling lagoon. But the appearance of a mysterious young boy shakes their relationship to its core.

For New Yorker Nick Dalca, wealth is a birthright. But his perfect life is starting to crumble. During a flight to Europe, his private jet goes missing with his wife and son aboard. They are presumed dead. Having no one left, Nick makes a shocking decision: to negotiate the sale of his business conglomerate, a deal which may turn him into one of the richest men in the world. Faced with making many decisions alone, he is drawn to his longtime secretary, Anne. She has one special gift. A gift that can radically alter his destiny.

Hanna Donnelly is the station captain's pampered daughter, and Nik Malikov is the reluctant member of a notorious crime family. Together they struggle with the realities of life aboard the galaxy's most boring space station, blissfully unaware that Kady Grant and the Hypatia are headed right toward Heimdall with news of the Kerenza invasion.

The tight-knit residents of Blue Moon Mountain, nestled high in the Colorado Mountains, form an interconnected community of those living off the land, stunned by the beauty and isolation all around them. So when, at the onset of winter, the town veterinarian commits a violent act, the repercussions of that tragedy will be felt all across the mountainside, upending their lives and causing their paths to twist and collide in unexpected ways.

Kingdoms in the Air brings together the very best of Shacochis's culture and travel essays in one livewire collection that spans his global adventures and his life passions; from surfing, to his obsession with the South American dorado, to the time he went bushwhacking in Mozambique. Replete with Shacochis's signature swagger, humor, and crystalline wisdom, Kingdoms in the Air is a majestic and essential collection from one of our most important writers.

When army intelligence officer Heather Langstrom's military convoy is ambushed and she's taken prisoner, she knows she'll need all her strength and courage to survive, escape her captors, and report the whispers of unrest brewing in the Middle East. Delta Force Captain Jace Reed isn't one to throw caution to the wind, but when his team stumbles upon beaten and weak Heather fleeing the terrorist training camp they've been dispatched to destroy, he'll risk everything to get her to safety.

After several assassination attempts on an allied royal, the CIA sends in operative Christina Madison - who bears a striking resemblance to the monarch - to pose as the famous princess and draw out her would-be killer. When Delta Force lieutenant Gabriel Morgan's team is assigned to Christina's undercover protection detail, he's less than thrilled. Gabe wants nothing to do with a woman whose rumored screwup nearly got her last team killed. Not to mention there's bad blood between Gabe and the CIA .

On a secret assignment for MI-5, British SAS soldier Trevor Carswell is deep undercover with The Philosophy of Bedlam, a homegrown anarchist group responsible for several museum bombings. He's on the brink of unearthing their motives when Scotland Yard foils their latest attack. Desperate to escape, the Bedlamites take civilian hostages - among them, a woman Trevor never expected to see again.

In Mississippi Noir, literary crime fiction master Tom Franklin has assembled a phenomenal short-story collection that highlights a mesmerizing and diverse set of styles and subject matter. Urban, suburban, and rural settings alike unveil new shades of darkness that fall upon Mississippi's past and present.

Akashic Books continues its groundbreaking series of original noir anthologies. Each story is set in a distinct neighborhood or location within the city of the book. In the wake of Chicago Noir, Twin Cities Noir, and Kansas City Noir - all popular volumes in the Akashic Noir Series - comes the latest Midwest installment, St. Louis Noir. Masterfully curated by Scott Phillips, author of The Ice Harvest (adapted for film, starring John Cusack and Billy Bob Thornton), this volume will chill the listener with heartland menace.

The Art of War was written in the sixth century BC by the high-ranking military general and strategist Sun Tzu. Though it is most commonly known as an ancient Chinese military treatise, The Art of War has become more versatile and is currently being used worldwide in business management.

Zer is no angel - well, not anymore. He's explored every flavor of sin imaginable, drinking in the pleasures of humanity. But now he must find the woman who carries his salvation in her very blood...a woman like Nessa St. James. Nessa has considered the bargain the Fallen offer. Anything she wants in exchange for accepting Zer's bond? No way. Not her. Not when she finds out about the mind-blowing ritual involved, and the marks of surrender that will ink her skin. But with a serial killer to stop and centuries of experience on his side, this is one job Zer's going to nail.

From their sacred Garden, the three fates control all life and maintain balance in the world. But one of the fates has been captured by the evil elf queen, placing the future of every being, including Death herself, in jeopardy. And only one hero can defeat the elf queen: Danr the half-troll. In order to rescue the missing fate, Danr must first acquire the fabled Bone Sword.

Religious liberty isn't a principle for Americans alone, though it certainly has played an important role in the history of the United States. Religious liberty is a matter of authority and allegiance for people of every land. To whom one owes ultimate allegiance is a matter of the conscience, and one that should be protected in every nation. But what if religious liberty gives way, and churches are faced with the difficult decision between allegiance to their country and allegiance to their conscience?

Eleven-year-old Rocco is an Italian immigrant who finds himself alone in New York City after he's sold to a padrone by his poverty-stricken parents. While working as a street musician, he meets the boys of the infamous Bandits' Roost, who teach him the art of pickpocketing. Rocco embraces his new life of crime - he's good at it, and it's more lucrative than banging a triangle on the street corner. But when he meets Meddlin' Mary, a stronghearted Irish girl who's determined to help the horses of New York City, things begin to change.