The astonishing and impressive first collection of short stories from New York Times bestselling author Neil Gaiman An elderly widow finds the Holy Grail beneath an old fur coat in a second-hand store . . . A stray cat fights and refights a nightly battle to protect his adoptive family from an unimagiable evil . . . A young couple receives a wedding gift that will reveal a chilling alternate history of their marriage . . . Beneath a bridge by the railroad tracks, a frightened little boy bargains for his life with a most persistent troll . . . Such miraculous inventions and more await within Neil Gaiman’s first collection of short fiction, a gift of wonder and delight from one of the most unique literary artists of our day. In his capable hands, magic is no mere illusion, but a powerful means to reveal the nature of our humanity obscured in the smoke of our fears and anxieties . . . and reflected in the funhouse mirrors of our dreams.

Argues that despite increasing levels of government action, illicit drugs are more readily available than ever, and analyzes the failure of our drug policy

A con artist and seductress, Meredith Spooner lived fast—and died young. But her final scam—embezzling more than a million dollars from a college endowment fund—is coming back to haunt Leonora Hutton. The tainted money is stashed away in an offshore account for Leonora. And while she wants nothing to do with the cash, she discovers two other items in the safe-deposit box: a book about Mirror House—the place where Meredith engineered her final deception and a set of newspaper stories about an unsolved murder that occurred there thirty years ago. Now Leonora has an offer for Thomas Walker, another victim of Meredith’s scams and seductions. She’ll hand over the money—if he helps her figure out what’s going on. Meredith had described Thomas as “a man you can trust.” But in a funhouse-mirror world of illusion and distortion, Leonora may be out of her league…

In this deceptively simple little book, Ms. England has made accessible for both professionals and the general public the theory linking neurochemical science to the behaviors and relational patterns observed in persons with addictions and those who love them. As a professional working with families ravaged by addiction, and as a member of Al-Anon seeking to grow and be a good steward of the life experiences that are mine, I am challenged by this book to seek ways to apply its techniques with clients and my own life...Ms. England's book reminds me in the particularly memorable way of any good story...that there is both danger and delight in this activity of living.

Smoke and Mirrors is a fast-paced journey through history revealing the secrets that have been hidden behind a web of lies and deceit over the last 2,000 years. A nonfiction book from an emerging author and international expert unveils the hidden reasons behind the U.S. Federal Reserve bank bailouts between 2007 - 2010, as well as dramatic details concerning major historical events impacting lives today. Author S. Jason Cunningham takes the reader on a fast paced journey through history exposing alternate theories, based on historical fact, revealing hidden secrets and ultimately exposing a matrix of deceit leading our world towards a future world war. The author taps into her 18-year career in high-profile international relations, business and conflict resolution within the Middle East and North Africa region exposing inside information to reveal the truths that are hidden behind the smoke and mirrors. Discover fact from fiction concerning some of the most profound events in mankind's history and set your soul free. Smoke and Mirrors takes you back into the past millenniums of history up to present day, and encourages us to re-examine our most firmly held social, economic, political and religious beliefs. This book exposes secret societies and elite oligarchies and truly "connects the dots" of history with astonishing and shocking, yet truly believable, conclusions. From Julius Caesar to John F. Kennedy to the Rothschild dynasty - from the Roman Empire to the Holy Roman Catholic Church to the NATO alliance - from Nero's devaluation of the Roman Denarius to FDR's mandate that all Americans turn in their gold to the 16 Trillion U.S. Dollars in recent bank bailouts by the Federal Reserve Bank - from the crucifixion of Jesus Christ to the assassination of Lincoln to the murder of Muammar Gaddafi, Smoke and Mirrors lays the historical ground work, does the analysis, and then reveals the shocking truths so long hidden by powerful people and their story tellers throughout history.

In the deft hands of Neil Gaiman, magic is no mere illusion . . . and anything is possible. In Smoke and Mirrors, Gaiman's imagination and supreme artistry transform a mundane world into a place of terrible wonders—where an old woman can purchase the Holy Grail at a thrift store, where assassins advertise their services in the Yellow Pages under "Pest Control," and where a frightened young boy must barter for his life with a mean-spirited troll living beneath a bridge by the railroad tracks. Explore a new reality, obscured by smoke and darkness yet brilliantly tangible, in this extraordinary collection of short works by a master prestidigitator. It will dazzle your senses, touch your heart, and haunt your dreams.

A history of the politics of air pollution.