Sunday, December 2, 2012

Books in for Review

Here's a sample of the books that have just come in for review. Check them out and then stop by our site in a few weeks to read the reviews.

Quests of Shadowind: Sky Shifter by L.A. Miller Abducted...to an Alien World! Logan and Mindy Oakes wake up to discover everything has changed. Wrong beds, wrong clothes, wrong house. And, worst of all, their parents are missing. When they go outside, they run into a friend whose parents are also gone. In fact, all the grownups in town have inexplicably vanished. Then along comes a spider a giant, monstrous, mechanical horror. And that s the least of the nightmares that will befall the brother and sister in Shadowind, a dangerous, otherworldly dimension inhabited by ghostly creatures, cyborg animals and virtual humans a land where anything is possible, including being downloaded into a cryptic, evil role-playing game. In order to survive, Logan and Mindy band together with other kids determined to find a way back to the life they knew and loved. Ultimately they must battle the sinister cyber-lord for the Staff of the Sky Shifter, a powerful weapon that could destroy the universe...but might also be the key to getting back home.

Realm of the Unknown by James B. McPike After a gathering of people in Israel are inexplicably slain, a renowned investigator from the Ministry-Vince Ramsey-is called in to investigate. Some experts at the scene believe that only something supernatural could be responsible for such an atrocity. Ramsey ends up finding an ancient artifact that leads him to the Antiquities Authority, where he teams up with historical specialist April Fulton. Together they learn the artifact is linked to an ancient secret society founded by a famous Greek philosopher. Only it's much more sinister than they could have ever imagined. Being hunted down at every turn of their journey by ruthless assassins, they race to discover the truth-and finally encounter the diabolical villain controlling a powerful force only spoken about in the Book of Revelation.

End of Men by C.B. MurphyC. B. Murphy’s End of Men is a satiric tour de force about the ambiguity of identity where art intersects relationship. Inspired by The Magus, the book takes a successful Chicago couple through life-altering experiences ending on an Italian island run by a Warholian student of Aleister Crowley and his Iranian-feminist femme fatale. Adrift in midlife angst, financier Ben withholds the secrets of his wild past from his younger wife Kay. In horror at becoming a suburban “Beige,” Kay longs for her own walk on the wild side. As assistant curator of a feminist-themed outsider art exhibit, the End of Men, Kay contacts Ben’s estranged friends, the narcissistic Gordon and the exotic Shiraz, who run a film school on a Mediterranean island. Their secret is that it is a struggling place where underpaid Eurotrash produce factory art while working as grips and extras on Shiraz’s underfunded masterpieces of neo-feminist surrealism. When the self-styled enfants terribles premier their film at Kay’s museum, Ben’s past crashes through its barriers. Caught in the nether zone of grief and confusion, he accepts an invitation to “vacation” at the island described as an artists’ paradise. In Magus territory now, Ben and Kay become pawns in bizarre psychological games of erotic adventure with the promise of a renewed marriage through the reawakening of Ben’s wild heart. In this swirling circus of eccentricity, Ben’s ability to distinguish what is real quickly erodes as he and Kay become performers in Gordon and Shiraz’s final film, a reenactment of the immolation of Jacques de Molay, the last Knights Templar. As simmering violence threatens to become more than cinematic metaphor, Ben and Kay realize the manipulations have become dangerous.

That Night on Thistle Lane by Carla Neggers Librarian Phoebe O'Dunn deals in stories, but her passion for history has taught her that happy endings are rare. Her life in Knights Bridge, Massachusetts, is safe and uneventful...until she discovers the hidden room. Among its secrets is a cache of vintage clothing, including a spectacular gown-perfect for a gala masquerade in Boston. In the guise of a princess, Phoebe is captivated by a handsome swashbuckler who's also adopted a more daring persona. Noah Kendrick's wealth has made him wary, especially of women: everybody wants something. When Noah and Phoebe meet again in Knights Bridge, at first neither recognizes the other. And neither one is sure they can trust the magic of the night they shared-until an unexpected threat prompts them to unmask their truest selves. After all, it takes more than just the right costume to live out your personal fairy tale. It takes heart...and the courage to be more than you ever dreamed.

Dogs of War: The Stories of FDR's Fala, Patton's Willie, and Ike's Telek Dogs of War is a treasure trove of marvelous anecdotes, scintillating tidbits, and delightful photographs of three beloved dogs sharing the limelight with Roosevelt, Patton, and Eisenhower as they battled together in their efforts to save the world from fascism. It includes such stories as Fala accompanying FDR on board the USS Augusta, where the President and British Prime Minister Winston Churchill signed the Atlanta Charter; Willie, who shuddered with fear at the sounds of gunfire during combat but traveled with Patton everywhere; and Telek, who garnered front page coverage in the British tabloid media when he and "wife" Caacie, pregnant with puppies, were photographed at a kennel during a six-month quarantine after returning home with Ike from Algiers.Dogs of War celebrates the unconditional, loving bond for man and his best friend, pays tribute to World War II history as our nation approaches the 70th anniversary of Pearl Harbor, and resurrects the tremendous thrill of a forbidden wartime romance. Fala, Willie, and are three incredible dogs who will undoubtedly capture the world's heart!

Unbridled Greed: Money is the Motive - Fraud is the Means by Barry Johnson "When a major fraud investigation is thwarted by politics and bribes, Department of Justice investigator Bryan Hampton tires of fighting corruption and cronyism in Chicago. He transfers to Las Vegas to work with a former college classmate, Paul Dixon, newly appointed as U. S. Attorney for the Nevada District. Dixon has vowed to aggressively fight health care fraud and abuse, which victimizes countless patients and robs Americans of over five billion dollars annually. Hampton and Dixon team up with two private sector organizations and using sophisticated new software, massive data resources, and traditional investigative efforts, they uncover a highly organized fraud scheme swindling insurers of millions of dollars every month. What they don t realize until it s too late, is the degree of violence the criminals are willing to inflict, in order to feed their greed. The story powerfully exposes the corruption, greed and violence surrounding the crooks who perpetuate the fraud. "

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