Kirjahaku

A psychologist and an electrical worker have been buddies since childhood. Billy, the electrician, has a dream to be a licensed contractor, but, in what looks to be a brawl, his opponent is killed. Did he strike the deadly blow? The shrink's marriage is in trouble and he meets a single mother, Hannah, as he agonizes over being faithful to his wife of a dozen years, or pursuing his yearning for a vital new love. His wife's cousin from Nebraska is a fundamentalist who sees Jack Crossly as the enemy, and tries to catch him in the act of betrayal. Was he a third party who struck the deadly blow in Billy's fight? Billy's young girlfriend recently dumped a UCLA graduate student-who is bitter at Billy. Could he have killed the man in the brawl? Hannah's ten-year-old daughter becomes a pawn in this deadly game of chess. It takes Detective Hartunian, working with Jack, to track down the culprit(s).

A senseless murder brings Detective Gomez and Hartunian into the mix. Liliana, a beautiful, tall, Chicana detective, is intrigued by a writer, whose novel seems to be the model for someone's ruthless crime against an innocent elderly man. The Trail leads to two rival Chicano gangs from East Los Angeles, each trying to throw blame on the other. The bizarre family of the victim stands to benefit from the murder, but the actual deed may well have been contracted out Gomez and Hartunian pull all possible suspects together in an Agatha Cristie ending.

When an emergency light goes on as their jet is landing at LAX, Jason and Rosanna meet and agree to go for coffee. He is a social worker and avowed atheist, she teaches Comparative Religion at a community college. Their connection is challenged by an historical mystery that doesn't permit Rosanna to commit, compounded by former boyfriend, Carter Trustworthy, a Scientologist and a poor loser. Each family, Jason's and Rosanna's, have lost a brother, both mothers suffering from persistent depression. The final twist reveals the stunning mystery, along with painful family secrets that tear into all hearts, yet, in the end, uplift all.

Since his parents split, Clare Candle has been a Momma's boy, and now, past thirty, he retraces his path to adulthood, explores his resentment, the struggle to be his own person, and to clarify the dreams that foul his nights. He meets Abby at a Writer's Guild Seminar in Los Angeles and the two connect romantically and through their troubled histories. Kentucky "Ken" Prism, another writer wanna be, disrupts their lives with his raunchy tales and nefarious motives. Love is elusive, old hurts exposed, justice uncertain, and family secrets laid bare, as the nocturnal angst is resolved-with startling revelations.

Wealthy, mega-successful parents reared Harry Schiff to hunger for fame and fortune. At college he sees others throw off family fiats and successfully begin to define themselves. He meets Juliet, driven to be an actor, sensuous, passionate, yet never with commitment. His good friend, Katy Bloom, also a striving actor, becomes his confidante, secretly in love with him. A fourth buddy, Galen Thurston, an Adonis, blessed with Hollywood connections, gets a seeming break because of his father, but with strings. A tragedy explodes when Galen discovers his father's ugly secret. The group's chemistry is altered with an intrigue that involves both Harry's and Galen's parents. Juliet is on her rocket to fame, her own family's tale so sordid that she cannot tolerate her father's presence. Is Harry Juliet's toy? She would deny it, but eventually, Harry must face off his two demons: his parents' domination and Juliet's emotional indifference.

Ted Bronte's life is filled with energy that belies his seventy years. Age, he insists is a self definition. As a young man, he has a stormy relationship with Kacey Cloud that cannot last. After an incident, he meets Annie, the love of this life, yet their connection is destroyed by tragedy. Annie's sister, Julie, leaving a bad marriage, mother of winsome daughter, Megan, approaches Ted, seeking friendship -- which turns out to be more. An old schoolmate, Tillie De Main, appears on the scene, with bizarre dreams; disappointed by the loss of his own marriage, he hooks onto Julie, suffering from the loss of teen-age Megan, who has run off. Despite Ted's warning, the two unhappy people form a bond that turns nasty, and causes Julie to sink into a deep depression. Ted's life-long friend, Zandor, cautions him to let Julie find herself. In present time, Zandor's own illness complicates the denouement, which, despite a tragic loss, ends on a positive note, as stepdaughter Megan surfaces again after an absence of ...

Hawkshaw Press presents the first volume in Stan Charnofsky's CHARLOTTE SMART MYSTERY SERIES.This cozy mystery finds Charlotte on the trail of a murderer after her friend, Claire Hazelton, is found dead. Claire's granddaughter, Meredith, also suspects foul play. Soon it appears as if Charlotte may be the killer's the next victim. Can she solve the mystery before the murderer strikes?

"Its ability to build strong characters who step out of their familiar roles to tackle unprecedented issues makes for a riveting story that's hard to put down, powered by the attraction of a small-town investigator operating in big-city environments of stage productions and an older female detective who is faced with either retirement or developing more skills to address ongoing mysteries."MIDWEST BOOK REVIEWCharlotte Smart is back, and New York may never be the same again After helping to solve murder mysteries in Pennsylvania and New Jersey, 70-year-old Charlotte Smart is summoned to The Big Apple by an actor brother, Broadway, whose beautiful fashion model sister, Brooklyn, was pushed down a flight of stairs.Charlotte, who insists she is not a police-woman, is set up in a posh hotel in Times Square, and teams with a big-city detective. It's a heady and stirring challenge.Is Charlotte ready for this tough new adventure?