Originally published in 1983, when the novel sold thousands of copies in its first printing, The Helmsman is the starting point for Bill Baldwin's epic, eight-part militaristic space opera—The Helmsman Saga. Using actual histories of World Wars I and II as template, the novel chronicles the adventures of StarSailor and extraordinary Helmsman Wilf Brim during an epoch of discord and outright war among various star-nations within our own galaxy. This special, "Director's Cut" Edition is heavily re-written, a la George Lucas' rewrite of the Star Wars Trilogy, to bring it more in line with later novels in the series, as well as existing "Director's Cut" Editions of Galactic Convoy, The Trophy; the five other "Director's Cut" editions to come; and the continuation novel now in the works: The Turning Tide. The novel begins as Brim—a 21-year-old SubLieutenant in the Imperial Fleet—arrives at the Eorean Starwharves, a maintenance complex within the planet-spanning Fleet base on watery Gimmas-Haefdon. On first assignment since receiving his commission, Brim is fresh from The Helmsman's Academy, where he weathered years of torment from wealthy classmates because of his impoverished background. Heretofore, the Academy had been a "private club" for the scions of Imperial wealth; however, enormous numbers of casualties during the present war with the League of Dark Stars has called for desperate measures to expedite replacement of these losses. Brim's first ship is I.F.S. Truculent, a “T”-class destroyer, just the right kind of starship for the young Brim to cut his teeth on—with challenges galore to rapidly make a veteran of the young Helmsman. And even though his torments continue, in part because of long-held prejudices among the wealthy, the starship is populated with a crew largely made up from races and economic classes glad to help the young man with his career in any way they can. As one might expect, the love interest for this poor-as-a-church mouse hero is none other than one of the Empire's most beautiful, most desirable royalty: Princess Margot of the Effer'wyck star kingdom. And though nothing goes easily for Brim—including Princess Margot herself—he acquits himself with bravery, aplomb, and daring as he begins carving a future for himself in the midst of a long, complex Galactic struggle.

Welcome. Have a seat. The doll will move if you ask nicely. She's got a story to tell. But be warned. One-Eyed Doll isn't just any tale. This is a Scary Tale. Meet Malick Rice and his sister, Tiana. Two kids who love to hunt for hidden treasure and are about to make their biggest find yet. A small box, locked tight, buried behind a deserted house. A box meant to stay buried forever...

A little boy and his grandfather embark on a quest to find the old man's missing birthday in Diana Rosie's debut novel, Alberto's Lost Birthday.Alberto is an old man. But he doesn't know how old - he remembers nothing before his arrival at an orphanage during the Spanish civil war. He rarely thinks about his missing childhood, but when seven-year-old Tino discovers his grandfather has never had a birthday party, never blown out candles on a birthday cake, never received a single birthday present, he's determined things should change. And so the two set out to find Alberto's birthday.Their search for the old man's memories takes them deep into the heart of Spain - a country that has pledged to forget its painful past. As stories of courage, cruelty and love unfold, Alberto realises that he has lost more than a birthday. He has lost a part of himself. But with his grandson's help, he might just find it again.

NYT bestselling author Susan Wittig Albert returns to Depression-era Darling, Alabama . . . ​where the ladies of the Dahlias, the local garden club, are happy to dig a little dirt! In the seventh book of this popular series, it looks like the music has ended for Darling's favorite barbershop quartet, the Lucky Four Clovers—just days before the Dixie Regional Barbershop Competition. Another unlucky break: a serious foul-up in Darling's telephone system—and not a penny for repairs. And while liquor is legal again, moonshine isn't. Sheriff Buddy Norris needs a little luck when he goes into Briar Swamp to confront Cypress County's most notorious bootlegger. What he finds upends his sense of justice. Once again, Susan Wittig Albert has told a charming story filled with richly human characters who face the Great Depression with courage and grace. She reminds us that friends offer the best of themselves to each other, community is what holds us together, and luck is what...

Madam, I am directed by the Secretary of State for India to inform you that your acceptance as a member of the VAD has been approved with effect from 16th June 1944Madge Graves had never been further from her hometown of Dover than London, yet not long after qualifying as a nurse she boarded a ship which would take her thousands of miles away to Bombay. She could barely imagine what life would be like there: how hot could it really be? How would she bear being so far from the white cliffs of home?While she knew that her time in Chittagong would be tough, she couldn't have imagined the horrors that war would present her. Yet she also found friendship and camaraderie among the nurses and troops that she worked alongside.It was in Chittagong that Madge would also meet the man who was to be the love of her life, Captain Basil Lambert. Would their fragile newfound love be able to survive the heady, violent final weeks of the Second World War and the...

The latest "entertaining," "tangy," and "hilarious" Jack Daniels mystery from Anthony, Macavity, and Gumshoe Award finalist J.A. Konrath In Whiskey Sour, Chicago police Lieutenant Jacqueline "Jack" Daniels hunted down a killer dubbed "The Gingerbread Man." In Bloody Mary, she busted a psychopath with a penchant for dismemberment. In Rusty Nail, it was a serial killer with a doozy of a family tree. And now, in Dirty Martini, Jack faces her toughest adversary yet: a sicko who's poisoning the city's food supply. Can she catch him -- and decide whether to accept boyfriend Latham's surprise proposal -- without destroying both her reputation and her sanity

Aspiring author Ivy Seidel accepts a part-time position teaching writing to a group of convicted criminals hoping the experience will add depth and darkness to her own work.But in the haunting writings of charismatic inmate Vance Harrow she discovers a talent possibly greater than her own. And in the startling, disturbing stories Harrow has to tell, Ivy finds a dangerous new purpose--and a terrifying temptation that lures her into an inescapable world of shadows.

The peace and quiet of a remote homestead in the 1880s American West is shattered by the arrival of two shadowy outriders searching for 'the healer'. When the farmer refuses to help them, they raze the house to the ground using guns that shoot bolts of energy instead of bullets...In the town of Redwater, the Doctor and Martha learn of a snake-oil salesman who's patent medicines actually cure his patient. But when the Doctor and Martha investigate they discover the truth is stranger, and far more dangerous. Caught between the law of the gun and the deadly plans of intergalactic mercenaries, the Doctor and Martha are about to discover just how wild the West can become... Featuring the Tenth Doctor and Martha as played by David Tennant and Freema Agyeman in the hit Doctor Who series from BBC Television.

"Waites stands out in the field of young British noir writers . . . with his bruised characters, raw-edged dialogue, and extraordinary night vision."-Marilyn Stasio, The New York Times Book ReviewThe body is discovered in an abandoned burial ground: a young woman, blond, ritualistically mutilated, apparently. Her eyes and mouth have been crudely sewn shut.The police come up with a suspect quick enough: the victim's boyfriend, Michael Nell, who has a notoriously uncontrollable temper as well as an incriminating record of violence against women. His lawyer, however, is not convinced that Nell is a killer.All Joe Donovan has to do is prove the truth of Michael Nell's alibi. The job proves not to be routine, as Donovan's inquiries lead him and his crack team of operatives deep into Newcastle's murky underworld of child-trafficking and prostitution. When the second body shows up, the former investigative journalist knows he's up against more than local gangsters.Still bearing the scars of his own crushing history since the disappearance of his six-year-old son three years before, Donovan now finds himself enmeshed in the dark biography of an elusive, deranged serial killer whom he can profile but cannot identify. The killer meanwhile obliges the authorities with maddeningly cryptic clues to his twisted, deadly intents, but all the while time for the next young, unsuspecting victim is fast running out.**