By 22, Kareem Bezel has done everything, including fraud, theft, receiving stolen property, theft by deception, identity theft, and embezzlement, to get through Ivy League Columbia University. His crafty spree of thievery propped his older brother, Andre Bezel's illicit drug business right into the cross hairs of corrupt DEA Agent Lucas McKenzey. Set in Philadelphia and its suburbs, LAUGH NOW, proposes that, although you're taken out the ghetto, if you were born to be a hustler that is what you'll be. The story shifts to New York, New York, but before the brothers get there, Dre is under suspicion for a murder. By the story's end, the brothers have a decorated federal agent exposed for the fraud that he is, and a story to tell: "The agent made us do it, or he would have us locked up like he did our dad." Does the bold statement help them avoid mandatory federal terms of imprisonment?

Assistant United States Attorney Barnswell thinks that he has everything he needs to convict the Bezel brothers. Dre and Kareem are on trial for allegedly violating a laundry list of statues in the United States Code. Problem is, Kareem Bezel sees things quite differently and sets out to prove their innocence in the Philadelphia trial of the year: United States of America vs. Andre and Kareem Bezel, et al. Appropriately, someone must die in order for Kareem to get his way.

FIRST LAUGH is the prequel to Laugh Now. It is the back story of Kareem Bezel to highlight why he became such a prolific thief by high school, and why Andre Bezel decided to follow in their father's foot steps and sell drugs, despite their father's life sentence. First Laugh also gets into why the brothers have such a love/hate relationship. This is a must read for all Laugh Now, Die Later lovers and those anticipating LAST LAUGH, the next novel in this series set to release January 2014.

From Ann Cleeves—New York Times bestselling and award-winning author of the Vera and Shetland series, both of which are hit TV shows—comes the stunning new Vera Stanhope novel. "Ann Cleeves is one of my favorite mystery writers."—Louise Penny"As a huge fan of both the Shetland and Vera series of books, I had high expectations for Cleeves' latest. . . . A stunning debut for Cleeves' latest crimefighter."—David Baldacci on The Long CallOn the first snowy night of winter, Detective Inspector Vera Stanhope sets off for her home in the hills. Though the road is familiar, she misses a turning and soon becomes lost and disorientated. A car has skidded off the narrow road in front of her, its door left open, and she stops to help. There is no driver to be seen, so Vera assumes that the owner has gone to find help. But a cry calls her back: a toddler is...

Maddie Arnette traded in her hard-news crime reporting for softer, feel-good features after her husband's death. But her lifelong addiction to the dark side of journalism, bolstered by years of meeting sources in back alleys and visiting grisly crime scenes, still clamors for Maddie's attention.When Suzanne Parker falls to the pavement in front of Maddie during the Oak City Marathon, Maddie assumes it's an accident. That is, until Suzanne whispers words that make Maddie's skin go cold: my husband is trying to kill me.Maddie's personal experience with domestic violence in her family connects her to Suzanne in a way that she can't ignore. Soon, Maddie's allegiance to protecting her new friend and discovering the truth about Suzanne's husband becomes an obsession, one that leads her down a dangerous path. When someone turns up dead, Maddie finally realizes she is all in again with crime reporting, but this time she may be in over her head.

The world's greatest detective, Hercule Poirot—legendary star of Agatha Christie's Murder on the Orient Express and Death on the Nile—returns to solve a fiendish new mystery. Hercule Poirot is travelling by luxury passenger coach from London to the exclusive Kingfisher Hill estate. Richard Devonport has summoned him to prove that his fiancée, Helen, is innocent of the murder of his brother, Frank. There is one strange condition attached to this request: Poirot must conceal his true reason for being there from the rest of the Devonport family. On the coach, a distressed woman leaps up, demanding to disembark. She insists that if she stays in her seat, she will be murdered. A seat-swap is arranged, and the rest of the journey passes without incident. But Poirot has a bad feeling about it, and his fears are later confirmed when a body is discovered in the Devonports' home with a note that refers to 'the seat that you shouldn't have sat in'. Could this new murder and the peculiar...

You are standing inside a busy city bank, wary of three suspicious people you just saw come in. Suddenly an EAR-SPLITTING SCREAM makes you jump. The alarm starts ringing. One of the suspicious trio, a man, has pulled a grenade out of his bag. The woman has just melted the security camera with her laser shooter. Do you get down on the floor like they tell you? Or try to escape when they turn their backs? 30 minutes. 30 paths. You choose if you live or die.

10 STORIES10 DANGEROUS SITUATIONS10 BRAVE KIDS20 MINUTES TO ESCAPEQuinn gets thrown overboard into an icy ocean. Can he outwit the circling shark? Ashling is watching a history-making science experiment—but it's about to go horribly wrong... Oscar hides from two secret agents while something much more dangerous hunts all three of them!

Once in a lifetime, a writer puts it all together. This is Rahiem Brooks's best book ever.TotalFor 4 years, Rahiem Brooks has written unputdownable, pulse-racing novels. Now, he has written a book that surpasses all of them. LAST LAUGH is the thriller he was born to write.CityAll over the City of Philadelphia, crimes are being committed. Andre Bezel and his nemesis, former DEA Agent Lucas McKenzey, both want to commit the ultimate one, though: kidnapping Kareem Bezel from federal custody. Andre wants to rescue his brother from a lengthy prison term, while McKenzey wants to kill him. Whose wish will come true?

Zola loves living on Boomerang Street with her mum and her nonna. Every day of the week is an adventure. But Zola has a problem. No matter how much she tries, she can't keep out of trouble!Collect all seven stories in the series – one for every day of the week.

Seven stories, seven whispers into the ears of life: A Yi's unexpected twists of crime burst from the everyday, with glimpses of romance distorted by the weaknesses of human motive. A Yi employs his forensic skills to offer a series of portraits of modern life, both uniquely Chinese, and universal in their themes. His years as a police officer serve him well as he teases the truth from simple observation, now brought into the English language in a masterful translation by Alex Woodend. The stories include Two Lives, Attic, Spring, Bach, Predator. The first in the new Flame Tree Press series, Stories from China. FLAME TREE PRESS is the new fiction imprint of Flame Tree Publishing. Launching in 2018 the list brings together brilliant new authors and the more established; the award winners, and exciting, original voices.

A shoe-in read for fans of Ellery Adams and Kate Carlisle, On Borrowed Crime is the first in Kate Young's new Georgia-set, sweet tea filled, Jane Doe Book Club mysteries.The Jane Doe book club enjoys guessing whodunit, but when murder happens in their midst, they discover solving crimes isn't fun and games... Lyla Moody loves her sleepy little town of Sweet Mountain, Georgia. She likes her job as receptionist for her uncle's private investigative firm, her fellow true crime obsessed Jane Doe members are the friends she's always wanted, and her parents just celebrated their fiftieth wedding anniversary. But recently, with her best friend Melanie on vacation, and her ex-boyfriend and horrible cousin becoming an item and moving in next door to her, her idyllic life is on the fritz. The cherry on top of it all is finding Carol, a member of the club, dead and shoved into a suitcase, left at Lyla's front door.Unusual circumstances notwithstanding,...

Book 2 in The After Another Trilogy ...  The past never stays where it belongs--why would it? It's the only thing left to warn about the future.  * Note: One Breath After Another is book 2 in the After Another trilogy. 

He finds the unfindable, but she's terribly good at hiding … Penny Dunsworth is dead. Well, she should be—a piece of her certainly is. The broken girl she once was no longer exists. Now a trained assassin for The League, she's turned into the worst nightmare for the monsters who once haunted her every waking moment. She has to be … it's the only way to keep her past safe. That is if she can keep it from catching up. Luca Puzza is chasing a ghost. He's never once been able to catch her in the five years that he spent searching. Until now. The promise he made to find the girl who disappeared without a trace turned into an obsession that changed his life. But the woman he was looking for is only a shadow of who he finds. She's dangerous … for his heart and life, and so are the secrets she's protecting. One can only play with monsters for so long before they start to notice you're not the same. In this world, predators can just as easily become prey. Except she stopped being a victim long ago.And it's time for this to end. * Note: One Step After Another is book one of the After Another trilogy following the same couple over a journey that takes them from present, to past, to future. The books should be read in order. The trilogy discusses triggering topics that may be uncomfortable for some. Please be advised and read at your own discretion.

TROUBLED BLOOD is the next thrilling instalment in the highly acclaimed, international bestselling series featuring Cormoran Strike and Robin Ellacott, written by J.K. Rowling under the pseudonym Robert Galbraith.Praise for the Strike series:"The work of a master storyteller"Daily Telegraph"A blistering piece of crime writing"Sunday Times"Unputdownable"Daily Express"Highly inventive storytelling"Guardian"Superb...an ingenious whodunnit"Sunday Mirror"Come for the twists and turns and stay for the beautifully drawn central relationship" Independent"Outrageously entertaining"Financial Times

The battle might be lost, but the war isn't over.Once it was home to half a billion people. A year after the nuclear war, Europe is a radioactive, storm-ravaged wasteland through which a hundred million undead inexorably march. In their wake, they leave nothing but ruins. Ahead of them flee those few who managed to survive this long. Chasing them are the dregs of humanity. Once known as the Rosewood Cartel, they kill, loot, and destroy as indiscriminately as the living dead.Hope might be lost, but it could still be found, as can a future for the last remnant of humanity. Those who built a sanctuary on Anglesey, in Dundalk, in Creil are the help that came to others. In this, their darkest hour, but with a new dawn so close, they will not give up.Set in the Faroe Islands, France, Denmark, and elsewhere, the battle has begun, but the war hasn't yet been lost.

Save Australia, Save the World.Three weeks after the outbreak, most nations have collapsed. An ever-increasing number of refugees flee, by boat and air, to the perceived safety of the remote Pacific nations. In Australia, every able body is conscripted, local and newcomer alike. The lucky few are put to work in the new factories, farms, and mines. The unlucky many are given tools for weapons, put aboard cruise-ships and cargo freighters, and returned to the ever-moving frontline. But even though the death toll rises, victory is still within reach.The recordings made in North America by Pete and Corrie Guinn contained more than the siblings realised. The footage from Canada and Michigan is further confirmation the outbreak was no accident. The Canadian scientist, Dr Avalon, can prove it.As Commissioner Tess Qwong takes justice to the increasingly lawless outback, Anna Dodson brings order to the chaos of Parliament House, and Dr Avalon works on a weapon to...

As one year ends, and our old world fades into memory, a new future is born.On a frozen archipelago, where it is too cold to farm, a few thousand survivors from across the Atlantic have found a refuge. The arduous process of turning a sanctuary into a home begins once more for these weary travellers who've been chased from Britain, from Ireland, from France and Denmark. But their work is not yet done. The missing Marines cannot be left behind. The French and Ukrainians cannot be abandoned. The cartel can never be forgotten.As soldiers once again become civilians, the dangers of malnutrition replace the everyday spectre of starvation. Potential mutiny supersedes being overrun by the undead. Boredom replaces fear. Slowly, they relax, allowing themselves to enjoy the simple pleasure of music and plays, of weddings and births, of life without the imminent prospect of death. But all is not what it seems in the snowy wastes surrounding their town.While Europe is a...

A Scottish police inspector deals with forgeries and false identities in a new murder mystery in the "superior series" (TheNew York Times). When a lobster fisherman discovers a dead body in Scotland's Firth of Forth, DCI Karen Pirie is called into investigate. She quickly discovers that the case will require untangling a complicated web—involving a long-ago disappearance, art forgery, and secret identities—that seems to surround a painter who can mimic anyone from Holbein to Hockney. Meanwhile, a traffic accident leads to the discovery of a skeleton in a suburban garage. Karen has a full plate, and it only gets more stressful as the man responsible for the death of the love of her life is scheduled for release from prison, reopening old wounds just as she was getting back on her feet. From a Diamond Dagger Award winner and multiple Edgar Award finalist, Still Life is a tightly plotted mystery featuring an investigator...

It's been three years since Shahwaz Ali Mirza and Vikrant Singh foiled dreaded terrorist Munafiq's attempt to leak State secrets from a naval server in Lakshadweep. Now posted with RAW, they have the task of providing security for BSF Special Director General Somesh Kumar, on his way to visit former Prime Minister Parmeshwar Naidu, who has been hospitalized after a car accident. However, Kumar's convoy is attacked by terrorists. They manage to kill him before being gunned down themselves. A tip-off leads the duo to a hotel on Mira Road where the prime suspect, Al Muqadam, is hiding. Vikrant recognizes him as Ayyub, the brother of one of his long-time informants, Mazhar Khan. Just when it looks like things can't get more difficult, Major Daniel Fernando gets in touch claiming that there is more to Naidu's accident than meets the eye. Soon, the entire team from the Lakshadweep operation finds itself getting together for a new mission... Hussain Zaidi is back with his irresistible cast of characters in this sizzling story of politics, betrayal and unimaginable terror.

The brilliant new mystery from the bestselling, award-winning author of Murder Most Unladylike.Daisy and Hazel are finally back at Deepdean, and the school is preparing for a most exciting event: the fiftieth Anniversary.Plans for a weekend of celebrations are in full swing. But all is not well, for in the detectives' long absence, Deepdean has changed. Daisy has lost her crown to a fascinating new girl - and many of the Detective Society's old allies are now their sworn enemies.Then the girls witness a shocking incident in the woods close by - a crime that they're sure is linked to the Anniversary. As parents descend upon Deepdean, decades-old grudges, rivalries and secrets begin to surface, and soon Deepdean's future is at stake.Can the girls solve the case - and save their home?

In Archer Mayor's enthralling The Orphan's Guilt, a simple drunk driving arrest snowballs into a homicide investigation, as Joe Gunther and his VBI team peel back layer upon layer of history to learn the long-hidden truth.John Rust is arrested for drunk driving at a routine stop by a Vermont state trooper. Looking to find mitigating circumstances, his lawyer hires a private eye to look into the recent death of the driver's younger brother. The brother died at twenty-eight due to medical issues arising from a childhood brain injury. But then it's revealed that the brain injury was the result of shaken baby syndrome, rendering his death a murder—bringing in Joe Gunther and his Vermont Bureau of Investigation team. But that murder quickly becomes more than an ancient tale of avarice, betrayal, and murder as the vengeful memories of parties unknown are stirred to the point of violence. As the original subject, John Rust, disappears, Joe Gunther and...

What counts as funny, what as toxic, and who gets to decide? Explore the serious business of stand-up with Andrew Hankinson, author of cult classic You Could Do Something Amazing With Your Life [You Are Raoul Moat]. AMY SCHUMER. LOUIS CK. JERRY SEINFELD. CHRIS ROCK. They all worked the Comedy Cellar in Greenwich Village, honing their acts, experimenting, taking risks. It was a safe space, thanks to the principles of its first owner, Manny Dworman, then his son Noam. The only threat to freedom of expression was a lack of laughs.But how did a New York taxi driver, born in Tel Aviv, create comedy's most important stage? How did he influence some of the biggest names in stand-up? What are the limits of a joke? Who decides? And why does the comedians' table matter so much?Andrew Hankinson speaks to the Cellar's owner, comedians, and audience members, using interviews, emails, podcasts, letters, text messages, and previously private documents to...

The start of a gripping new crime thriller series introducing ex-SAS trooper Jack Tate! Perfect for fans of James Deegan, Tom Clancy and Mark Greaney Don't miss the explosive start to the Jack Tate series. A catastrophic attack. A country in chaos. A race to prevent war. British M16 agent, and former SAS trooper, Jack Tate is trying to escape his past when he witnesses a terrorist attack of unthinkable scale. An electro-magnetic pulse knocks out the US power grid, killing anything with a computer processor, throwing the whole country into chaos. Under the cover of the blackout, a clandestine operation aims to assassinate prominent public figures on US soil. Looting and violence spreads across the country. And Jack Tate's past comes back to haunt him. As the only intelligence operative on the ground, he is hurled into a mission that will put him – and the people he loves – in immediate danger. With the fate of the United States on the line, only he can prevent the horror of a new...

'Surely destined to conquer the world . . . Astonishingly good' RUTH JONES'So beautifully written . . . will remain with you for a long time' LYNDA LA PLANTE'Contender for thriller of the year' JON COATES, SUNDAY EXPRESSWith the staggering intensity of James Lee Burke and the absorbing narrative of Jane Harper's The Dry, We Begin at the End is a powerful novel about absolute love and the lengths we will go to keep our family safe. This is a story about good and evil and how life is lived somewhere in between.'YOU CAN'T SAVE SOMEONE THAT DOESN'T WANT TO BE SAVED . . .'Thirty years ago, Vincent King became a killer. Now, he's been released from prison and is back in his hometown of Cape Haven, California. Not everyone is pleased to see him. Like Star Radley, his ex-girlfriend, and sister of the girl he killed.Duchess Radley, Star's thirteen-year-old daughter, is part-carer,...

'A very special book' DIANA HENRY. 'Perfect' NINA STIBBE. The Little Library Year takes you through a full twelve months in award-winning food writer Kate Young's kitchen. Here are frugal January meals enjoyed alone with a classic comfort read, as well as summer feasts to be eaten outdoors with the perfect beach read to hand. Beautifully photographed throughout, The Little Library Year is full of delicious seasonal recipes, menus and reading recommendations. 'A wonderful, brilliant book' RUBY TANDOH. 'The best present a food-obsessed bookworm could ask for' OLIA HERCULES. 'Tender, gorgeous, clever and generous' ELLA RISBRIDGER. 'Bibliophile foodies have a treat in store for them. Many treats, in fact' JASPER FFORDE.

"Mofina is one of the best thriller writers in the business."—Library Journal Deep in the woods of upstate New York a woman flees a blazing barn. She is burned beyond recognition, and her dying words point police to a labyrinth of "confinement rooms"—rooms designed to hold human beings captive—where they make other chilling discoveries. In Manhattan, Kate Page, a single mom and reporter with a newswire service, receives a heart-stopping call from a detective on the case. A guardian angel charm found at the scene fits the description of the one belonging to Kate's sister, Vanessa, who washed away after a car crash in a mountain river twenty years ago. Kate has spent much of her life searching for the truth behind her little sister's disappearance. Now, a manhunt for a killer who's kept a collection of victims prisoner for years without detection becomes her final chance to either mourn Vanessa's...

There's no line we won't cross for love. Detective Erin O'Reilly's mom always wanted her to find the right man. Instead, she found gentleman gangster Morton Carlyle. They've been helping each other survive New York's mean streets, while building a precarious relationship. But now, in the wake of a brutal mob hit, Erin and her K-9 partner Rolf are following a trail that implicates some of Carlyle's associates. Loyalties are strained to the breaking point as the bodies pile up in a burgeoning underworld war. Along the way, Erin and Carlyle confront impossible questions: How far will you go to protect those you love? Where do you draw the line? And if you have to betray someone, can you live with the consequences?

Too many sweets can cause tooth decay, cavities... and death.Valentine's Day with the NYPD: love is in the air, alimony payments are due, and a two-timing dentist is dead after a bad batch of holiday chocolate. As the detectives follow the chocolate trail back to its source, they uncover a rich assortment of suspects. Every step of the investigation reveals new motives, secrets, and agendas.Meanwhile, Detective Erin O'Reilly is trying to juggle the demands of the case with her ongoing relationship, but mixing business and pleasure can get complicated. Carlyle's Irish Mob colleagues have agendas of their own, and it'll take all of Erin's ingenuity and guts, along with her K-9 partner Rolf's trusty teeth, to chew their way to the heart of the mystery.

Near the creek that runs behind her Pennsylvania house, Willow Bellamy has converted an old barn into an art school—though the place does still have some animal inhabitants, including Rembrandt, the owl who lives up in the rafters. And while it's important for any artist to have a vision, Willow can sometimes see things others can't, just like her mother and grandmother before her. Not that she would exactly call herself a witch . . . When some local merchants gather in the studio for a painting party, they focus their attention on a still life with flowers and an assortment of garden tools, including antique pruning shears that disappear—at the same time despised restaurant owner Evangeline Fletcher is murdered. Willow must use all her gifts to find the killer, although it means teaming up with a handsome, mysterious detective whom Willow fears she may have accidentally conjured from a canvas. This investigation is sure to be a hoot . . . ...

"Reading a perfectly plotted Agatha Christie is like crunching into a perfect apple: that pure, crisp, absolute satisfaction." —Tana French, New York Times bestselling author of the Dublin Murder Squad novelsAn all-new collection of winter-themed stories from the Queen of Mystery, just in time for the holidays—including the original version of "Christmas Adventure," never before released in the United States!There's a chill in the air and the days are growing shorter . . . It's the perfect time to curl up in front of a crackling fire with these wintry whodunits from the legendary Agatha Christie. But beware of deadly snowdrifts and dangerous gifts, poisoned meals and mysterious guests. This chilling compendium of short stories—some featuring beloved detectives Hercule Poirot and Miss Marple—is an essential omnibus for Christie fans and the...

'He's gone...'When his daughter Samantha calls in the dead of night, John Rebus knows it's not good news. Her husband has been missing for two days.Rebus fears the worst - and knows from his lifetime in the police that his daughter will be the prime suspect.He wasn't the best father - the job always came first - but now his daughter needs him more than ever. But is he going as a father or a detective?As he leaves at dawn to drive to the windswept coast - and a small town with big secrets - he wonders whether this might be the first time in his life where the truth is the one thing he doesn't want to find...

"He's gone..." When his daughter Samantha calls in the dead of night, John Rebus knows it's not good news. Her husband has been missing for two days. Rebus fears the worst – and knows from his lifetime in the police that his daughter will be the prime suspect. He wasn't the best father – the job always came first – but now his daughter needs him more than ever. But is he going as a father or a detective? As he leaves at dawn to drive to the windswept coast – and a small town with big secrets – he wonders whether this might be the first time in his life where the truth is the one thing he doesn't want to find...A thrilling new Rebus novel about crime, punishment, and redemption, from the Edgar Award-winning "genius" of the genre (Lee Child, bestselling author of the Jack Reacher series)

Can a house divided against itself hope to stand?Rowland Sinclair doesn't fit with his family. His conservative older brother, Wilfred, thinks he's reckless, a black sheep; his aging mother thinks he's her son who was killed in the war. Only his namesake Uncle Rowly, a kindred spirit, understands him—and now he's been brutally murdered in his own home.The police are literally clueless, and so Rowly takes it upon himself to investigate the crime. In order to root out the guilty party, he uses his wealth and family influence to infiltrate the upper echelons of both the old and the new guard, playing both against the middle in a desperate and risky attempt to find justice for his uncle. With his bohemian housemates—a poet, a painter, and a free-spirited sculptress—watching his back, Rowly unwittingly exposes a conspiracy that just might be his undoing.

When Melanie, a car thief, is sent to find a certain vehicle only to discover it's owned by dangerous hit-woman, Brenda, the two begin to wonder if their fateful encounter wasn't just pure coincidence. It turns out they both work for a man named Felix Eberhart, who may or may not have had the hopes that Melanie and Brenda opened fire the second they laid eyes on each other. Melanie learns that Felix's network of car thieves, fixers, and drug runners have all been set against one another. But why? Business was going so well...FLAME TREE PRESS is the new fiction imprint of Flame Tree Publishing. Launched in 2018 the list brings together brilliant new authors and the more established; the award winners, and exciting, original voices.