Adult

For many years, Donna Leon has written essays for European publications. Collected here are the best of these: over 50 funny, charming, passionate and insightful essays that range from battles over garbage in the canals to the troubles with rehabbing Venetian real estate. She shares episodes from her life in Venice, explores her love of opera and recounts tales from in and around her country house in the mountains.

Guilt and grief have driven a wedge between crime-fighting partners psychologist Tony Hill and ex-DCI Carol Jordan. Meanwhile, someone is killing women --- women who bear an unsettling resemblance to Carol. And when the evidence begins to point in a disturbing direction, thinking the unthinkable seems the only possible answer. Cornered by events, Tony and Carol are forced to fight for themselves and each other as never before.

Flashbacks and multilayered stories reveal the life of Taro, a relentlessly ambitious Japanese immigrant trying to make his fortune. These flashbacks include memories of an impoverished upbringing as an orphan, his eventual rise to wealth and success --- despite racial and class prejudice --- and an obsession with a girl from an affluent family that has haunted him all his life. A TRUE NOVEL then widens into an examination of Japan’s westernization and the emergence of a middle class.

In the fourth installment of Brad Taylor’s bestselling thriller series, the Taskforce --- led by Pike Logan and his partner, Jennifer Cahill --- must stop a suicide bomber intent on triggering a global epidemic. THE WIDOW'S STRIKE ties together government-sanctioned terrorist activities, nefarious multinational conglomerates, and frighteningly plausible science.

Lieutenant Colonel Michael Parson is happy with his new assignment as safety officer at a Kyrgyzstan air base. However, on his second day, a C-27 crashes on the runway with a load of electronic gear --- and opium. Parson investigates not only the crash but the source of the cargo, and the answers they find will lead them into a conflict as lethal as any they have known.

Andy Carpenter’s accountant, Sam Willis, receives a phone call from Barry Price, a high school friend he hasn’t spoken to in years, pleading for help with something too frightening to discuss on the phone. Barry needs Sam’s financial acumen and Andy's legal expertise, but by the time Sam makes it to Barry's house, Barry has already taken off on a private airplane headed somewhere. They soon learn that Barry’s plane has crashed and come to the terrifying realization that Sam was also supposed to have been killed on that plane.

Captain Alexei Korolev has his own room in an apartment, a job in the police force that puts food on the table, and his good health. But for the first time in a long time, Korolev is about to be truly happy: his son Yuri is coming to visit for an entire week. Shortly after Yuri’s arrival, an important man has been murdered, and Korolev is the only detective they’re willing to assign to this sensitive case. Korolev is suddenly faced with much more than just discovering a murderer’s identity; he must decide how far he’ll go to see justice served . . . and what he’s willing to do to protect his family.

From the moment of its publication in 1961, REVOLUTIONARY ROAD was hailed as a masterpiece of realistic fiction and as the most evocative portrayal of the opulent desolation of the American suburbs. It's the story of Frank and April Wheeler, a bright, beautiful, and talented couple who have lived on the assumption that greatness is only just around the corner.

Named one of the 20 Best Young American Novelists by Granta magazine, Elizabeth McCracken is a writer of fabulous gifts. THE GIANT'S HOUSE, her first novel, is an unforgettably tender and quirky novel about the strength of choosing to love in a world that offers no promises, and no guarantees.

It’s 1988 and Dexter Mayhew and Emma Morley have only just met. But after only one day together, they cannot stop thinking about one another. Over twenty years, snapshots of that relationship are revealed on the same day---July 15th---of each year. Dex and Em face squabbles and fights, hopes and missed opportunities, laughter and tears. And as the true meaning of this one crucial day is revealed, they must come to grips with the nature of love and life itself.