Showing results by narrator "Joe Hempel" in All Categories

A missing family member sends Lawson on a trip to New York City only to run smack into vampire organized crime. Now they've got Lawson right where they want him - and they want him to switch sides and betray the Balance. But Lawson's got more than one play in his book, and if he has to go to the wall to rescue his cousin and stop the Syndicate from unleashing a new synthetic drug on the masses, that's just what he'll do.

Meet Lawson. A cynical, wisecracking vampire charged with protecting the Balance - the secret existence of a race of living vampires that have evolved alongside humanity for thousands of years. Named after the Hindu god of destruction, Shiva is half-vampire and half-lycanthrope. Able to change her appearance into anyone she pleases, she is one of the most dangerous assassins on the planet. Belarus, the head of the vampire governing body, the Council, is Shiva's next target. 

Unfazed by chaos and bad luck, Melvin Scott knows, "Some things a man must do himself. No matter how dumb that man is." His wife disagrees. In debt over his head, he learns that a penny will grow to more than $10,000,000 in 30 days if it doubles every day. He realizes that other things can grow that fast, too. Bacteria. Disease. Cures. Almost anything. Scott finds hope, and the adventures begin. 

America's intelligence security is in the hands of a million private contractors. Now one hacker may bring down their entire system. Four months ago, Alex Vane's friend James Stacy was murdered by private security contractors working for the intelligence-industrial complex. Alex exposed the killers, but most of the system survived, including the amoral torturer known only as Amand. From within Cuba's internet desert, James' widow, Innerva Shah, seeks her own kind of revenge.

It's the spring of 2000, and Alex Vane is living the dream. He's brilliant, handsome, driven, and he has just landed his first major reporting job: covering New York's biggest trials for the city's second-biggest daily, The New York Standard. As if his luck couldn't get any better, Alex befriends a top prosecutor who helps him uncover a secret about a legendary defense attorney. When he breaks the story, the trial of the East Coast's most deadly drug kingpin falls into turmoil. But as he digs deeper, the story begins to unravel. 

Of all the names I’ve been called in Manhattan, “good guy” has never been one of them. But that’s what I have to become the day my father’s law firm, sexy lawyer Violet Keats, a salacious scandal, a hot new court case, and one unlucky bet fall into my lap. Being “the boss” has never been harder. Being office enemies with Violet Keats? Never hotter. But then one night - and one gamble - change everything. I guess earning that “good guy” title is going to be much harder than I thought....

In a style reminiscent of John Cheever and Alice Munro, Michael Nye's second collection of stories, Until We Have Faces, contends with transfixing themes: marital and familial estrangement, ways of trespass, the intractable mysteries and frights of modern life, the uncertainty of knowledge and truth, the gulfs between people and the technology we use, the frailty of our economic lives - while underlining throughout the persistency of love. His consummate skill, penetrating wit, and unfailing emotional generosity are on full display in this fine new collection.

Luke Titan. Esteemed college professor. Genius scientist. Incisive psychiatrist. Brilliant FBI agent. He was all of these things, until he paralyzed one FBI partner and tried to gut another. After waging war on the US government and killing thousands, he's driven his ex-partner, Christian Windsor, to the brink of insanity. Now, Titan is on the run one final time, and Christian will stop at nothing to catch him. Then kill him. But is Luke actually running, or is he putting the final touches on his masterpiece? Is he luring Christian to him so he can finish what he started years ago?

Morris, Rudi, Ivan, and Beck are best friends for life. So when one of the teens is drafted into the Vietnam War, the others sign up, too. Although they each serve in a different branch, they are fighting the war together - and they pledge to do all they can to come home together. Haunted by dreams of violence and death, Morris makes it his personal mission to watch over his friends - and the best place to do that is in the US Navy. Stationed off the coast of Vietnam on the USS Boston, Morris and his fellow sailors provide crucial support to the troops on the ground.

For 10 years Bill Stokes was a roving reporter and columnist for the Milwaukee Journal. He has written reams of material about his vivid impressions of people, animals, events, personal activities, and "things in general". Bill Stokes obviously enjoys his role as Wisconsin's favorite journalist. In this delightful book he shares that fun with all.

Faith Cadena hopes to make a new life for herself on a new world far from Earth. After doing hard time for a crime committed in her youth, all she wants now is a chance at a fresh start. Booking passage on an interstellar colony barge, Faith expects an uneventful three-year voyage spent in cryogenic stasis. But her dream of a better life becomes a nightmare when she is prematurely awakened halfway through her journey and finds herself trapped aboard a ship of horrors.

Nikki Graves has a history of going through the baseball roster with an eye for talent - the kind of talent that keeps things spicy between the sheets. But, once she meets Braden Bradford, catcher for the Ravens, her talent scout days are done. He's the one. Braden has never met a woman like Nikki, and he can't get enough of her smart mouth and big heart. But life isn't always as direct and certain as the connection between Braden and Nikki. When family objections and career trajectories begin to crowd the plate, will Braden be able to keep his catch of a lifetime?

Are you a victim of low confidence, low self-esteem, and insecurity - and are they preventing you from the life that you want and deserve? Does this leave you afraid to take action? Continually sitting on the sidelines and thinking about the "what ifs" in your life? All of this can be changed, improved, and upgraded with an injection of explosive, unshakeable confidence!

This year's stories are by an award-nominated author of horror and suspense. Two of the stories are novellas. Hear dark tales of terror and intrigue from an alien child left on an Earth overrun by zombie cannibals to the first killer in all the world, Cain, the murderer of Abel, his brother. This is a worthy addition to the ongoing yearly series of Sinister, these eight tales will make your dreams restless.

A collection of short stories, flash fiction, and micro works. Slush includes previously published stories "Skull of Snakes", "Jackie Boy", and "Sweet 16" alongside a fresh batch of terrifying stories to help you sleep at night.

At seventeen, Mia Rose Ellis is haunted by a tragic summer and painful secrets. Seeking refuge in the forest behind her house, however, she finds two things that change everything: a rotten corpse and an archaic journal filled with horrifying tales. As Mia begins to read the eerie stories of a terrifying, malicious creature, she begins to realize the forest surrounding her house is more dangerous than she could've imagined.

As lawman, rancher, and Korean War veteran, Ty Dawson has his share of problems in the southern Oregon county he calls home. Despite how rural it is, Meriwether can't keep modernity at bay. The 1970s have changed the United States—and Meriwether won't be spared. A standoff looms when the US Fish & Wildlife Service seeks to separate longtime cattleman KC Sheridan from his water supply—ensuring the death of his livestock. If that's not enough trouble, a Portland detective is found dead in a fly-fishing resort cabin.

Nathan Wade is awakened in the middle of the night to find his home has been invaded. Knocked out, he awakens, bound next to his wife and daughter, and is forced to watch unspeakably cruel atrocities committed against his family by a trio of masked maniacs. Atrocities so vile, so depraved, his life will be forever changed.

Based on very real and practical commentary, life experience, and occasionally, tongue-in-cheek-misfortunes of horror legends, Necessary Death explores how the horror genre offers individuals a unique opportunity for insight and understanding of their own lives.

Although scholars have long recognized that local American parties play an important role in elections, surprisingly little is known about the individuals who lead these typically small, volunteer-based organizations. As Small Power shows, local party leaders influence the electoral process in myriad ways. Drawing from a survey of over 850 Democratic and Republican local party chairs, a nationally representative sample of voters, and dozens of in-depth interviews, the authors describe how parties are organized, who party chairs are, and how they serve the party.