Kirjahaku

Twelve women connected by the death of another, realizing what they most want from life and reaching for it - this is the year of discovery, the year of new beginnings.Orphaned at ten, Melanie Barlow was raised by her grandparents, given everything she could want and cherished by the two people who meant the world to her. Growing up, Mel knew what they expected from her - graduate high school with honors, go to college, get a career in computer engineering, then start a family. The problem was starting a family.Mel knew early on that she was different and that she wanted different things in her life, but the things she wanted did not fit with her grandparents' worldview. Mel must now decide whether it's more important to be herself or if it's better to lie to everyone, including herself, just to keep the peace.

Twelve women connected by the death of another, realizing what they most want from life and reaching for it - this is the year of discovery, the year of new beginnings.Margot Yates has known loss. First her husband died of a heart attack, then her daughter of breast cancer. Margot has tried to accept all that life has put before her, but her faith is badly shaken with Meredith's passing. Facing the uncertainty of a future alone, she has no plans to find love again, until Jack Davis attempts to change her mind. Jack wants Margot to take a chance, to trust that there can be life after loss, but is Margot ready for that? Can she give her heart to someone knowing that she might lose him in the end?

Twelve women connected by the death of another, realizing what they most want from life and reaching for it - this is the year of discovery, the year of new beginnings.Angela Grayson ran for the school board when she was a student at UC Berkeley, then she became mayor of her hometown shortly after she graduated. Marrying young, Angela found herself trapped in an abusive marriage where her husband controlled every aspect of her life. Escaping him seemed impossible, but she prevailed and even found herself in a new relationship that was everything her first marriage wasn't.However, the scars were there and Angela swore she would never again feel like she had no control. She decided to run for state senate, but even in today's world, a woman of color has to fight for the respect she deserves.Angela is determined to help other women escape the same nightmare she faced, but when she runs up against a chauvinistic legislature, what will she have to do to make them take her mission seriously?

Twelve women connected by the death of another, realizing what they most want from life and reaching for it - this is the year of discovery, the year of new beginnings.Rosie's life seemed perfect to outside observers. She had a good marriage and two sons who were doing well in school, but something was missing. Her job as a loan officer had become tedious, but the idea of going back to school when her family needed her seemed like a risky move. Until she met Madelyn Yates and discovered that sometimes you have to take a risk if you want to live out your dreams.Now Rosie faces going to college decades after most people have already left, but unlike her classmates, Rosie has responsibilities that do not make room for things like lectures and midterms. Will she be able to balance it all or will the strain drive a wedge between her and those she loves most?

Twelve women connected by the death of another, realizing what they most want from life and reaching for it - this is the year of discovery, the year of new beginnings.Lizzie Reed wanted to be a pediatric nurse after watching her younger sister, Margaret, struggle as an infant with a hole in her heart. Going to college had been a given from the time she was a child. Her parents never planned it any other way, but when Lizzie goes to a party and wakes up in a guy's bed without any memory of how she got there, the world comes crashing down around her.How can she pick up and move on as if nothing ever happened? And what do you do when you can't remember an event, but everyone is telling you you need to take a stand? Lizzie has to face her demons and make a decision that may change the course of her life forever. More than that, she has to face her parents and let them know she isn't the same little girl they think she is.

Peyton and Marco have solved more cases than many senior members of the San Francisco PD, but this case (the death of a high end real estate agent) is proving more difficult than the others.With no evidence, no suspects, and no motive, Peyton fears they won't get a break in the case before the killer strikes again.In the multi-million dollar San Francisco real estate market, realtors are literally dying for a sale.

Zion has settled into her new routine in Sequoia. She runs her coffee shop, spends her evenings on dinner dates with her lawyer boyfriend, and enjoys the calm, quiet of her little cottage. However, summer tourist season begins and the Sequoia Chamber of Commerce decides to hold Redwood Stock.The rock festival brings a whole new clientele to sleepy Sequoia - loud music, tattoos, and late night parties - but it also brings revenue. Until a young woman drops dead after the concert and everyone becomes a suspect. Once again, Zion teams up with ex-cop Tate Mercer to find the murderer before anyone else is killed.

Twelve women connected by the death of another, realizing what they most want from life and reaching for it - this is the year of discovery, the year of new beginnings. As the youngest of three sisters, Mika is thrown into turmoil by the death of her oldest sister, Meredith. She can't admit that Meredith's death has shaken her horribly, so she self-medicates with alcohol and finds herself in an abusive relationship.When her ex-boyfriend makes bail, Mika fears what he'll do to her and her family. As her life unravels, she turns to the only coping mechanism she has, but this only accelerates her decent. When Brendan Ward, a recovering alcoholic, offers to sponsor her, Mika responds with fury, but as things continue to come undone in her life, she wonders if she can learn to trust him before it's too late.

Twelve women connected by the death of another, realizing what they most want from life and reaching for it - this is the year of discovery, the year of new beginnings.Roxanne Rosales moved from Boston to California after college to pursue a career in marketing. She enjoyed her work, but something was missing. Being alone in a new place felt intimidating. Until she met Mika Yates and her family.Roxanne's plans to go home evaporate after Mika befriends her and introduces her to Henry. The widower with two small children makes Roxanne think she might have found someone who could make her time in Sacramento less lonely, but when she discovers a lump in her breast, Roxanne is faced with the very real fear that she might have breast cancer. It's a diagnosis that Henry isn't ready to face again, but can Roxanne face it alone?

Twelve women connected by the death of another, realizing what they most want from life and reaching for it - this is the year of discovery, the year of new beginnings.Moira Sykes has a dream. She wants to open a women's health clinic and shelter for women who need help. The dream has almost become a reality, but the fact that she's focusing on helping women escape bad situations has drawn the attention of men who are threatened by her mission.When Moira receives a death threat, Detective Nathaniel Hayes steps in to protect her, but can he save her from an enemy that is determined to stop her dream in its tracks?

When Peyton and Marco embark upon a vacation to Kauai, they are only looking for sunshine, blue waters, and white sand. Although they feel guilty about stealing time for themselves, they know they may not get another chance to concentrate on each other without the pressure from both of their jobs driving them apart.The beautiful island of Kauai welcomes them and they begin to relax, until a body is found floating in the hot tub at their hotel with a poisoned arrow sticking out of his chest. Whether they want it or not, they are suddenly thrust into a mystical whodunit, but the one thing Marco and Peyton do well is work together, and there is no one who can solve a case quite like they can.

Now that spring has arrived and the snow has melted, Zion and Tate look forward to warmer weather, more customers and time to explore the beautiful Sierras. Logan is doing well in his final year in school and Zion is about to open the coffee kiosk. Everything is running smoothly.Until Lorenzo Whitefeather summons Tate to the Acorn Casino with a mysterious death he needs help solving before the federal government gets involved. Zion doesn't like Tate entangling himself with the taciturn, intimidating casino boss, so she insists on helping him solve yet another mystery.So much for leaving the mean streets of San Francisco for paradise.

The cover indicates fall, but again NCPA offers this warning: Don't Judge a Book by its Cover. Our 2nd ALL Holidays volume returns with stories, flash fiction and more poems: free-form, rhyming, Haiku, and split sequence. Visit traditional and non-traditional celebrations from 30 authors sharing holidays from Thanksgiving to Halloween: Hanukkah * Christmas * New Year's Eve * Valentine's Day * St. Patrick's Day * Memorial Day * Mother's & Father's Days * 4th of July. In addition, Chinese New Year * High School Reunion * Costa Rican Especial Day * Unbirthday * Arbor Day * National Cat Day * Best Friends' Day * MLK Day * Philippine Quinceanera * Purple Heart Day. Back for the 6th time, series favorites, semi-feral Nacht complains about fireworks * Dex & Felicity, our romantic shapeshifter foxes with two happy surprises: one from Grandma * More romance in the air thanks to a power outage in Washington state * an elevator and dropped briefcase. letters take us on a trip back in time * a ring brings memories * missing important signs * "unmeasured" ingredients * missing in San Francisco * special shed called "The Magazine" * once precious grandson turned little demon * an unruly pumpkin * Christmas with little ones in Germany * another word for donkey * pharmacies open on Christmas * Golden Corral buffet; like cooking at home used to be * jingle bells ringing. A young boy's wish comes true * another's belief in Santa is prolonged * "feral" boys learn a lesson * little girls fix a special breakfast * crashing a Gothic Mansion party * Caribbean funky amphibian shoes * Good Shepherd pendant * meaningful box of stamped, blank cards * a play at a small school in the 60s * a visit from Humpty * one final celebration with Beethoven. NCPA's Second Holiday anthology is as stuffed with fun and entertaining stories as the turkey is with dressing.

From Sky-High to Sci-Fi, you'll find an eclectic group of 30 stories in Beautiful Americas, the theme for NCPA's 7th Anthology. Join thirty authors, each with a delightful tale, as they take us: on a bike ride to Yellowstone, and close calls with bison * cross country skiing in Yosemite with someone ending up in a tree * hiking into the Grand Canyon on a honeymoon * on a grueling hike with 2 young daughters into Pele's Temple on the Big Island * hiking the Continental Divide to summit Fitzpatrick Peak in CO.Also playing with turtles in the Galapagos * a ride on a "Fun Ship" in the Bermuda Triangle * finding a cousin in Brazil, and a crack in the earth in NV.A move from CA to VA * a trip from CA to AZ * walking their land in CA * watching the nightlights in Detroit City * moving back and forth from east to west * more touring the US in a trailer * visiting family in NC * traveling Route 66 with Steinbeck and Kerouac* and finding the Golden Dream in Murphys, CA.There are Pecan rolls in WI * butterflies at 6 Flags in CA * cats, rats and roaches in LA * a glasshouse in PA * visiting the Sacramento River and Sea Ranch in CA * with lost tickets to a train and the ride gone astray from Stockton to San Bernardino *There are emotional, sad, happy, and fun stories, plus a teenage love story that lasts a lifetime. Some are circa Twilight Zone * Add three wild brothers and our two continuing storylines when Nacht the cat and a new feral, Taz, talk with their human, then go shape shifting with the fox and owl, Dex and Felicity, with their twins at Mount Rushmore What's next for our NCPA authors? Find out in our next anthology, Beautiful World, coming in May 2023

In Silvergate, where neon barely masks the grime, Detective James Black thought he'd seen it all. Then the bodies started to appear, each with ancient symbols carved into their flesh. As the corpses multiply, each more horrifically mutilated than the last, Black realizes he's hunting a killer who believes they're on a holy mission.The cryptic runes left at each scene mock Black's efforts, hinting at motives rooted in forgotten history and occult obsession. When the case turns brutally personal, Black's investigation plunges him into Silvergate's darkest corners, where deadly secrets lurk beneath the surface.As citywide panic erupts in violent riots, Black races to decipher the killer's twisted logic. But the deeper he digs, the more he questions everything he thought he knew - about the city, about himself, and about the thin line between sanity and madness.With a killer always one step ahead and his list of allies shrinking, Black must confront the darkness in his own past to have any hope of stopping the slaughter. In a city unprepared for such savagery, he'll be forced to decide how much of his humanity he's willing to sacrifice in the name of justice."The Rune Killer" - Where ancient brutality collides with modern justice, and one detective's obsession could unleash forces that will shatter reality itself.

For the past few months, Peyton has fought to become an integral part of the Ghost Squad. Their cases have taken them on adventures around the world, but nothing can prepare them for the most ironic case of their careers - solving a murder in the historic ghost town of Bodie.With Marco embroiled in his own battle with the Chechen mob, Peyton finds her attention divided between the situation at home and a suspect that's as ethereal as a ghost. Unfortunately, Radar is dead in the crosshairs and Peyton may be the only one who can save him.As the Ghost Squad ventures into the Wild West, Peyton begins to question whether there really are haunts in Bodie.