They were the deadliest ships of World War II. From 1940–1943, German commerce raiders disguised as peaceful cargo ships and flying the flags of neutral and allied nations, prowled the oceans searching for unsuspecting Allied shipping. These heavily armed yet carefully disguised warships roamed like twentieth-century pirates, striking in the blackness of night or slicing out of the foggy seas like hungry sharks.In the autumn of 1941, the British Admiralty has had enough. Hundreds of thousands of tons of Allied shipping have been lost to the nine known German commerce raiders. And intelligence suggests that a tenth commerce raider – known only as Raider X — is now scouring the seas in search of hapless victims.Unable to set a trap for these elusive ghosts, the British devise another plan. Bait, in the guise of one expendable man, Harlan Thatcher, will spell an end to Raider X before she can carry out her awful agenda.Thatcher’s mission is simple: travel on the most attractive merchant ship on the seas and when Raider X strikes, endure long enough to be taken captive on board. Once there, destroy the ship and her crew. It’s certain suicide. But Thatcher’s got little choice but to accept.After surviving a brutal attack on the merchant ship he travels on, Thatcher becomes a prisoner of the German Navy. But he’s not alone. There are other survivors as well. One of them, a raven-haired beauty named Cyra, may not be what she claims. And as quickly as Thatcher becomes the hunter, he may also become the hunted.

MWA Grandmaster Burke spins a tale replete with colorful prose and epic confrontations in his second novel to feature smalltown Texas sheriff Hackberry Holland (after Lay Down My Sword and Shield). An anonymous phone call leads Holland, a Korean vet who survived a POW camp, to the massacre and burial site of nine Thai women, a crime that brings FBI and ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) officials running. As a slew of bad guys relocated from New Orleans after Katrina grapple for advantage in new territory, mercurial killer Preacher Jack Collins finds plenty of work. Pete Flores, a possible witness to the massacre, and his girlfriend are targeted by Collins for elimination, and by the FBI for bait. Holland must protect the hapless Flores and his girl from both. Three strong female characters complement the full roster of sharply drawn lowlifes. The battle of wills and wits between Holland and Collins delivers everything Burke's fans expect.

In Rain Storm, Rain has fled to Brazil to escape the killing business and the enemies who have been encircling him. But his knack for making death seem to have been of “natural causes” and his ability to operate unnoticed in Asia continue to create unwelcome demand for his services. His old employer, the CIA, persuades him to take on a high-risk assignment: a ruthless arms dealer supplying criminal groups throughout Southeast Asia.The upside? Financial, of course, along with the continued chimera of moral redemption. But first, Rain must survive the downside: a second assassin homing in on the target; the target’s consort – an alluring woman named Delilah with an agenda of her own; and the possibility that the entire mission is nothing but an elaborate setup. From the gorgeous beaches of Rio to the glitzy casinos of Macao to the gritty back streets of Hong Kong and Kowloon, Rain becomes a reluctant player in an international game far deadlier and more insidious than he has ever encountered before.

War with their archrival, the evil Ansara clan, is unavoidable. For Mercy Raintree, a war means she must assume her position as guardian of the Sanctuary-the sacred Raintree home place deep in the Smoky Mountains. But doing so threatens to disclose her most prized secret-one Mercy has kept to herself for six years.As the solstice looms and the battle heats up, Dranir Judah Ansara gathers his forces, intending to wipe every Raintree from the face of the land. Including Mercy, whom he's claimed as his to kill. Then he comes face-to-face with her-and with her daughter, Eve. Will Mercy's closely guarded secret change not only the outcome of the battle-but also Judah 's own bitter heart?

In Antarctica, a glacial earthquake swallows up a team of scientists...and exposes a mysterious monument older than the Earth itself.In Peru, archaeologist Dr. Conrad Yeats is apprehended by U.S. Special Forces...to unlock the final key to the origins of the human race.In Rome, the pope summons environmental activist Dr. Serena Serghetti to the Vatican...and reveals a terrifying vision of apocalyptic disaster.In space, a weather satellite reveals four massive storms forming around the South Pole...and three U.S. spy satellites disappear from orbit.These are the end times, when the legends of a lost civilization and the prophecies of the world's great religions lead a man and a woman to a shattering discovery that will change the fate of humankind. This is the ultimate voyage, a journey to the center of time, as awe-inspiring as the dawn of man--and as inevitable as doomsday. This is RAISING ATLANTIS...."RAISING ATLANTIS PULLS YOU INTO AN ASTONISHING WORLD OF SCIENTIFIC FACT AND FICTION, SUSPENSE, AND GOOD OLD-FASHIONED ADVENTURE. Thomas Greanias is a superb writer who knows how to tell a tale with style and substance. Thoroughly entertaining."—Nelson De Mille"RAISING ATLANTISIS A WONDERFULLY HONED CLIFFIS A WONDERFULLY HONED CLIFF-HANGER HANGER—an outrageous adventure with a wild dose of the supernatural."—Clive Cussler "A GRIPPING PLOT…colorful characters…and some clean, no-nonsense writing…adds to the reading speed and suspense."—Chicago Tribune"IT'S A LOT LIKE THE DA VINCI CODE, BUT I LIKE THE ENDING ON THIS ONEBETTER…. A gripping page-turner."—Sandra Hughes, CBS News "The DaVinci Code started the new genre of historical mysteries, but Raising Atlantis shines in its own light."—Publishers Weekly"IRRESISTIBLY ADDICTING."—San Francisco Chronicle"A roller coaster that will captivate readers from Dan Brown and Michael Crichton, penetrating one of the biggest mysteries of our time."—The Washington Post"An enchanting story with an incredible pace."—The Boston Globe

Three apparent suicides: a brilliant engineer, an infamous lawyer, and a controversial politician. Three strangers with nothing in common – and no obvious reasons for killing themselves. Police lieutenant Eve Dallas found the deaths suspicious. And her instincts paid off when autopsies revealed small burns on the brains of the victims. Was it a genetic abnormality or a high-tech method of murder?

Dublin, 1963. Au moment où le président Kennedy prépare son voyage officiel en Irlande, des meurtres de ressortissants étrangers viennent perturber le sommeil du ministre de la Justice.On a découvert le cadavre d’un Allemand accompagné d’une note destinée au colonel Otto Skorzeny, le chef de commando préféré d’Hitler, qui vit paisiblement sur le sol irlandais et a mis au point des filières d’exfiltration d’anciens nazis, les « ratlines ». Manifestement quelqu’un s’en prend aux criminels de guerre. Individus isolés ou groupes organisés ?Peu désireux de voir un scandale s’ébruiter, le ministre de la Justice charge l’un de ses meilleurs officiers de renseignements, le lieutenant Albert Ryan, de faire toute la lumière sur les crimes. Plus facile à dire qu’à faire. A mesure qu’il enquête, Ryan va non seulement craindre pour sa vie à plusieurs reprises mais aussi se retrouver face à un terrible cas de conscience.Stuart Neville vit en Irlande du Nord dans le comté d’Armagh. Il a remporté le Los Angeles Times Book Prize et le Prix Mystère de la critique pour Les Fantômes de Belfast. Il démontre avec Ratlines qu’il n’a rien perdu de son formidable sens de l’action et des rebondissements.

UNARMED OVER HOSTILE TERRITORY… For a moment Wilson froze and looked at the white-helmeted pilot who sat high on the nose of the colossal fighter. Across the small void, he saw the pilot’s eyes peer over his mask. Dark, chilling eyes… Wilson kicked right rudder to slide closer and jam any chance for a bandit gunshot. When the bandit pulled all the way over, almost on its back but in control, he cursed in frustration at what he knew was coming next. The hostile fighter reversed over the top in a negative-g maneuver, his nose tracking down on Wilson like a falling sledgehammer in slow motion. Horrified, Wilson realized he faced an imminent snapshot. With the little air speed he had, his inverted his Hornet to avoid the attack. His aircraft still rolling, Wilson saw that the monster had another weapon at its disposal…Raven One places you with Wilson in the cockpit of a carrier-based FA-18 Hornet… and in the ready rooms and bunkrooms of men and women who struggle with their fears and uncertainty in this new way of war. They must all survive a deployment that takes a sudden and unexpected turn when Washington orders Valley Forge to respond to a crisis no one saw coming. The world watches — and holds its breath.Retired Navy Captain Kevin Miller fills his novel with flying action and adventure — and also examines the actions of imperfect humans as they follow their own agendas in a disciplined world of unrelenting pressure and danger.

Agatha Award (nominee)Publisher's WeeklyAn ingenious plot and sufficient flow of blood keep the pages flying in Harris's (Sweet and Deadly) third novel, as a series of killings patterned after celebrated murders is perpetrated on the small community of Lawrenceton, Ga. Twenty-eight-year-old Aurora (Roe) Teagarden, professional librarian, belongs to the Real Murders club, a group of 12 enthusiasts who gather monthly to study famous baffling or unsolved crimes. As a meeting is to begin, Roe discovers the massacred body of a club member. She recognizes the method of slaughter as imitating the very crime she was to address that night-suddenly her life as armchair sleuth assumes an eerie reality. The murderer continues to claim victims, each in the style of a different historical killer. Roe herself becomes a target, and also attracts two admirers, Robin Crusoe, a famed mystery writer new to Lawrenceton, and club member/detective Arthur Smith. Death seems to have infused new life into her waning social calendar, an irony not lost on this pensive character. Harris draws the guilty and the innocent into an engrossing tale while inventing a heroine as capable and potentially complex as P. D. James's Cordelia Gray. (Dec.)School Library JournalYA- Someone is killing the crime buffs of the Real Murders Society in Lawrenceton, Georgia. A librarian, Aurora Teagarden, sets out to catch the brutal murderer after fellow club members end up as victims. The uncanny resemblances to famous crimes challenge Roe and her two admirers, policeman Arthur Smith and mystery writer Robin Crusoe, to pursue the criminal. The lighthearted, witty handling of characters contrasts with the heightening suspense as Aurora seeks clues by searching past mysteries for the killer's identity-until she is caught in the sadistic web of terror herself. Clever pacing along with ample red herrings and judiciously placed clues keep Harris's story moving briskly. Let's hope for another fast-paced mystery featuring Aurora and her friends.- Mary T. Gerrity, Queen Anne School, Upper Marlboro, MD***Aurora Teagarden, Lawrenceton, Georgia, librarian and member of a club devoted to the study of famous crimes, has prepared what she thinks ought to be a riveting speech for the Real Murders Society. But a playful murderer steals the show with a real-life re-enactment of the case Aurora has chosen, casting one of the club members as victim. Gathering her wits about her after the shock of discovering the body, Aurora-Roe to her friends-provides some tips for policeman Arthur Smith, another member of the club, on the similarities between the cases.Soon bespectacled Roe is receiving attentions not only from Arthur but from mystery writer Robin Crusoe. Robin is new in town and a tenant of the apartment complex Roe manages for her mother. It is not long, however, before the unwonted glow of romance Roe is basking in is overshadowed by the murderer, who seems to have chosen her for his next victim. Roe is too smart to fall prey to the ghoulish prankster but he hits his mark the next time, killing the parents of one of her friends, again in the style of an earlier crime. Lawrenceton appears to have a serial killer on its hands, and an audacious one at that. He taunts the police further by planting evidence in one of their own vehicles, and on the properties of society members.Roe is sure one of her fellow history buffs is guilty but can’t decide whether it’s Philip Allison, a mentally disturbed library worker; Gilford Doakes, whose special interest is mass murders; or someone seemingly more stable, like reporter Sally Allison or banker Bankston Waite. Supported by Arthur and Robin, between whom she is not yet ready to choose, Roe scours the chronicles of old murders and the real settings of the crimes for the clues that will crack the case.

Das BuchMaxim de Winter lernt in Monte Carlo nach dem Tod seiner Frau Rebecca ein bescheidenes junges Mädchen von natürlichem Charme kennen. Die beiden heiraten, und sieben Wochen später trifft die neue Mrs. de Winter an der Seite ihres Mannes auf Manderley, dem alten englischen Herrensitz, ein. Die Größe des Anwesens, die Zimmerfluchten, die Förmlichkeit der Dienstboten verwirren sie. Alles in diesem Haus trägt noch den Stempel Rebeccas, ihrer Vorgängerin, die -wie es scheint - in einer nahe gelegenen Bucht an der Küste bei einem Bootsunglück ums Leben gekommen ist.Während Maxim den Erinnerungen an seine erste Frau aus dem Wege geht und ihre früheren Räume verschlossen hält, treibt Mrs. Danver, die Haushälterin, geradezu einen Kult mit diesen Erinnerungen und begegnet der neuen Herrin mit kaum verhohlener Verachtung.Aus einigen Gesprächen, flüchtigen Eindrücken und merkwürdigen Begegnungen formt sich in der jungen Mrs. de Winter allmählich das Bild Rebeccas: schön, eigenwillig und intelligent. Von den Schattenseiten Rebeccas, die eine blutige Tragödie heraufbeschworen haben, erfährt sie erst, als ihre Ehe mit Maxim einer kaum erträglichen Belastungsprobe unterworfen wird.Mit höhnischer Wut scheint die Rache der Toten das Glück der Lebenden zerstören zu wollen, gespenstisch entsteigt die Wahrheit den sturmgepeitschten Fluten der Bucht vor Manderley, bis schließlich das stolze Herrenhaus nichts anderes mehr ist als ein verblassendes Traumbild im Leben zweier geprüfter, aber geretteter Menschen.Die AutorinDaphne Du Maurier wurde 1907 in London geboren. Nach dem Besuch einiger Privatschulen in Paris begann sie zu schreiben und schaffte mit «Rebecca», ihrem wohl bekanntesten Buch - 1940 von Alfred Hitchcock verfilmt - den Durchbruch zur anerkannten Autorin anspruchsvoller Unterhaltungsliteratur.Daphne Du Maurier starb 1989 in Cornwall und zählt bis heute zu den großen Roman-Schriftstellerinnen der Nachkriegszeit. Englischer Charme, Sinn für spannungsreiche Handlung und geschickte Charakterzeichnung machen den Reiz ihrer Romane aus.Weitere Werke von Daphne Du Maurier: Plötzlich an jenem Abend, Meine Cousine Rachel, Nächstes Jahr um diese Zeit, Gasthaus Ja-maica, Die Bucht des Franzosen, Die Vögel.Titel des Originals: «Rebecca» erschienen bei Gollancz, LondonEinzig berechtigte Übersetzung aus dem Englischen von Karin von Schab Neubearbeitete Ausgabe 1993Ungekürzte Buchgemeinschafts-Lizenzausgabe der Bertelsmann Club GmbH, Gütersloh der Buchgemeinschaft Donauland Kremayr & Scheriau, Wien des Deutschen Bücherbundes, Stuttgart und der angeschlossenen BuchgemeinschaftenCopyright © 1940 by Daphne Du Maurier

Last night I dreamt I went to Manderley again…Working as a lady's companion, the heroine of Rebecca learns her place. Life begins to look very bleak until, on a trip to the South of France, she meets Maxim de Winter, a handsome widower whose sudden proposal of marriage takes her by surprise. She accepts, but whisked from glamorous Monte Carlo to the ominous and brooding Manderley, the new Mrs de Winter finds Max a changed man. And the memory of his dead wife Rebecca is forever kept alive by the forbidding Mrs Danvers…Not since Jane Eyre has a heroine faced such difficulty with the Other Woman. An international bestseller that has never gone out of print, Rebecca is the haunting story of a young girl consumed by love and the struggle to find her identity.

In a daring plan, the Confederate Secret Service sends a group of cavalrymen to kidnap, or kill, President Abraham Lincoln by seizing the train secretly carrying him to Gettysburg on the eve of his famous Address.

Colonel Arthur Percy leads the rebel raiders into enemy territory. His crew includes Tom Flynn, an assassin sent to make sure Percy follows orders — or dies trying.

Lincoln is not the only valuable cargo on the train. A fortune in Union payroll is the target of a Baltimore belle and a tough gambler.

The situation is further complicated when the original crew of the seized train finds another locomotive and gives chase.

Based on a true story, Rebel Train runs a mile a minute in a steam-driven race through the farmlands and mountains of Maryland and Virginia. The outcome will decide not only the fate of Lincoln and the Raiders, but of the Union and the Confederacy.