With his hated father dead, a man’s life takes a dangerous turn. He doesn’t cry when his father, Frank, dies. The old man was an abusive, self-absorbed drunk, and when cancer takes him to his deathbed, his son is there to watch. At Frank’s final moment he leans over and whispers in his ear, letting the dying man know that he’s glad to see him go. His only inheritance is a heavy, leather-bound book. He has never seen it before, and has trouble believing that his brutal, ignorant father ever touched something so beautiful. But the volume is well-thumbed, full of aphorisms and advice written in the dead man’s hand. Soon after he reads it, the son finds his life spiraling out of control. If he doesn’t want to follow Daddy to the grave, he had best heed the lessons of the book. The Bibliomysteries are a series of short tales about deadly books, by top mystery authors.

"Does experiencing a suspenseful situation allow one to develop virtue?" "The suspense writer, Charlotte Armstrong (1905-69), no doubt believed that it could. In her works she implied the benefits of experiencing suspense by illustrating the rhetorical benefits of resolving it ethically or virtuously. Thus, in their dealings with other characters, her protagonists discover a virtuous approach to resolving suspense that involves an expanded view of the language one uses and the perspective one adopts." "After writing a number of theatrical plays, Armstrong began writing mysteries - whodunits - and then, at the advice of her literary agent, changed directions. She began writing suspense stories so that her readers, if not the other characters, would know the identity of the villain. This move left her free to focus on how one creates suspense and to what end." "Her shift in focus coincided with the family's move from New Rochelle, NY, to Glendale, CA, in the mid 1940s in time for Armstrong to absorb the elements of suspense in the new genre of film noir. Nonetheless, while informed by film noir, Armstrong's work is set in the everyday, the commonplace, where with one simple action, a series of events are set into motion that keep readers in high suspense." "In Armstrong's correspondence, one observes the lucrative market of women's magazines and newspapers for serialized novels and short stories, the painful bottom line of publishing houses, the diplomatic skills of literary agents toward their authors, the advent of television and its markets for, and marketing of, literary works, and the ever-present and ever-elusive offers from the film industry." "This book seeks to understand Armstrong's contribution to popular fiction through an exploration of her childhood diaries, her adult correspondence, her published and cinematic works, the reviews of those works, and the recollections of her agent, children, and grandchildren. What emerges is the portrait of a writer whose determination, curiosity, analytic mien, and ideas about humanity shaped her writing in ways that fascinated her critics and readers, a fashion that perhaps unconsciously recognized the virtue of suspense in her written works."--BOOK JACKET.

In a virtual reality game where she can fly, someone is aiming to take her down. Mel Mesini is a New York City restaurateur and an avid virtual reality world traveler. She's risen above her misfit life and now bears a striking resemblance to her glamorous gaming avatar. But her successful life-both online and in reality-takes a swerve the night her father is seriously injured in a hit-and-run. Mel is careened back to her judgmental hometown, where being the daughter of the town's crazy lady had made her the outcast she was. To make matters worse, Officer Jeremy Stiles, the man whose harsh, rejecting words had cut her the deepest, is heading the investigation. Jeremy knows he hurt Mel and attempts to make amends by finding her father's assailant. When he realizes she's the actual target, his plan for reconciliation turns to one of protection-whether she wants his help or not. What he wants are answers, especially about this online game she plays. Is it a harmless pastime as she says? Or is she using it to cover something up? As a faceless predator destroys the things that matter to her, Jeremy knows he's running out of time before she loses the one thing that matters most-her real life.

"Twenty-three years ago, four year old Elizabeth Banner witnessed her mother's brutal murder in her home in Virtue Falls, Washington, but has no memory of it. Her father was convicted of the crime, but he was innocent and the killer is still out there. And her investigation could provoke another bloody murder--her own"--

The first look at the philosophy behind the Captain America comics and movies, publishing in advance of the movie release of Captain America: The Winter Solider in April 2014. In The Virtues of Captain America, philosopher and long-time comics fan Mark D. White argues that the core principles, compassion, and judgment exhibited by the 1940’s comic book character Captain America remain relevant to the modern world. Simply put, "Cap" embodies many of the classical virtues that have been important to us since the days of the ancient Greeks: honesty, courage, loyalty, perseverance, and, perhaps most importantly, honor. Full of entertaining examples from more than 50 years of comic books, White offers some serious philosophical discussions of everyone’s favorite patriot in a light-hearted and accessible way. Presents serious arguments on the virtues of Captain America while being written in a light-hearted and often humorous tone Introduces basic concepts in moral and political philosophy to the general reader Utilizes examples from 50 years of comics featuring Captain America, the Avengers, and other Marvel superheroes Affirms the value of "old-fashioned" virtues for the modern world without indulging in nostalgia for times long passed Reveals the importance of the sound principles that America was founded upon Publishing in advance of Captain America: The Winter Soldier out in April 2014.

From the New York Times bestselling author of There Was an Old Woman comes a novel about a professional organizer with a deadly problem she may not be able to clean up. Emily Harlow is a professional organizer who helps people declutter their lives; she’s married to man who can’t drive past a yard sale without stopping. He’s filled their basement, attic, and garage with his finds. Like other professionals who make a living decluttering peoples’ lives, Emily has devised a set of ironclad rules. When working with couples, she makes clear that the client is only allowed to declutter his or her own stuff. That stipulation has kept Emily’s own marriage together these past few years. She’d love nothing better than to toss out all her husband’s crap. He says he’s a collector. Emily knows better—he’s a hoarder. The larger his “collection” becomes, the deeper the distance grows between Emily and the man she married. Luckily, Emily’s got two new clients to distract herself: an elderly widow whose husband left behind a storage unit she didn’t know existed, and a young wife whose husband won’t allow her stuff into their house. Emily’s initial meeting with the young wife takes a detour when, after too much wine, the women end up fantasizing about how much more pleasant life would be without their collecting spouses. But the next day Emily finds herself in a mess that might be too big for her to clean up. Careful what you wish for, the old adage says . . . now Emily might lose her freedom, her marriage . . . and possibly her life.

From New York Times bestselling author, Christina Dodd, comes the newest thriller of this “remarkable, mesmerizing series” (Library Journal starred review) set in the quaint -- and deadly -- coastal town of Virtue Falls.