Showing results by narrator "Carol Monda" in All Categories

Greenwich Village, 1959. Claire Bishop sits for a portrait - a gift from her husband - only to discover that what the artist has actually depicted is Claire's suicide. Haunted by the painting, Claire is forced to redefine herself within a failing marriage and a family history of madness. Shifting ahead to 2004, we meet West, a young schizophrenic obsessed with a painting he encounters in a gallery: a mysterious image of a woman's suicide.

Samantha Johnston, a reporter for the LA Beat, is determined to attend the wedding of one of America’s hottest actors in hopes of learning the identity of his mystery bride. But, not only does Samantha sneak into the church, she ends up saying, “I do.”

Photographer Cass Neary is desperate to get home, and she's already lost her camera - like losing a limb. Now her only chance is to cash in on a deal that a friend is about to cut for a legendary illuminated manuscript: The Book of Lamps and Banners. Rumored to have been rescued from the Library at Alexandria, the Book is said to contain ancient esoteric knowledge, even an otherworldly power. So when an intruder brazenly steals the manuscript, Cass and her ex-con lover, Quinn, must get it back.

What would happen if a star writer went back to the darker themes of the original fairy tales for plots, and then crossed the Disney princesses with Charlie's Angels? What he'd end up with is The Mermaid's Madness, a whole new take on The Little Mermaid. And with Jim C. Hines penning the tale, you can bet it won't be "They lived happily ever after."

As the story opens, Cass arrives in London, where she's arranged to meet her long-lost lover, Quinn O'Boyle. When Quinn fails to show at their rendezvous point, Cass meets the eccentric couple Mallo and Morven Dunfries. When Mallo catches Cass rifling through his medicine cabinet in search of drugs, he threatens to turn her in to the authorities then puts her to work as a runner for his illegal goods. Cass makes a delivery to Poppy Teasel, a famous singer from long ago.

Vanessa Lawrence had a talent: falling for the wrong man. Case in point, her ex-husband. On the outside, the football player had looked perfect - handsome and rich. But Mr. Perfect turned out to be a lying, manipulative philanderer, and Vanessa vowed never to compromise herself for a man again.Then she met Nick DeAngelo. He was also handsome and rich. And he just happened to be a former football player. His disarming charm gave her a rush, and he sure knew how to sweep a girl off her feet.

Whether laughing to tears reading Otherwise Known as Sheila the Great or clamoring for more unmistakable "me too!" moments in Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret, girls all over the world have been touched by Judy Blume's poignant coming-of-age stories. Now, in this anthology of essays, 24 notable female authors write straight from the heart about the unforgettable novels that left an indelible mark on their childhoods and still influence them today. After growing up from Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing into Smart Women, these writers pay tribute to one of the most beloved authors of all time.

Littlefield, Massachusetts, named one of the Ten Best Places to Live in America, full of psychologists and college professors, is proud of its fine schools, its girls' soccer teams, its leafy streets, and charming village center. Yet no sooner has sociologist Dr. Clarice Watkins arrived to study the elements of "good quality of life" than someone begins poisoning the town's dogs. Are the poisonings in protest to an off-leash proposal for Baldwin Park - the subject of much town debate - or the sign of a far deeper disorder?

New York Times best-selling author Carla Neggers introduces Lizzie Rush in this gripping tale where nothing and no one is as they seem. Utilizing skills her ex-spy father taught her, Lizzie brings down an international crime kingpin. But now this outlaw has her targeted for revenge. Her only hope may be intelligence man Will Davenport - but can he be trusted?

New York, August 1974: a man is walking in the sky. Between the newly built Twin Towers, the man twirls through the air. Far below, the lives of complete strangers spin towards each other: Corrigan, a radical Irish monk working in the Bronx; Claire, a delicate Upper East Side housewife reeling from the death of her son; Lara, a drug-addled young artist; Gloria, solid and proud despite decades of hardship; Tillie, a hooker who used to dream of a better life and Jazzlyn, her beautiful daughter raised on promises that reach beyond the skyline of New York.

The largest uncut diamond in the world, the Minstrel's Rough, is little more than legend. Brought into the Pepperkamp family in 1548, it has been handed down to one keeper in each generation. Juliana Fall has inherited its splendor from her uncle—and, unwittingly, its legacy of danger. Juliana's mother wants nothing more than to bury her memories of the Nazi occupation of the Netherlands.

Mystery sensation Pelecanos pens the lead story and edits this groundbreaking collection of stories detailing the seedy underside of the nation's capital. This is not an anthology of ill-conceived and inauthentic political thrillers. Instead, in D.C. Noir, pimps, whores, gangsters, and con-men run rampant in zones of this city that most never hear about.

Few people can say they have seen some of the most significant moments of the 20th century unravel before their eyes. Marita Lorenz is one of them. Born in Germany at the outbreak of World War II, Marita was incarcerated in a Nazi concentration camp as a child. In 1959, she traveled to Cuba where she met and fell in love with Fidel Castro. Yet upon fleeing to America, she was recruited by the CIA to assassinate Castro. Torn by love and loyalty, she couldn't bring herself to slip him the lethal pills.

Amanda Eyre Ward stormed onto the literary scene with this resounding first novel that commanded immediate acclaim. In Sleep Toward Heaven, Karen sinks inside herself as she awaits execution for murder. Karen’s prison doctor, Franny, is drowning in her own guilt over the death of a patient, and Celia, the widow of one of Karen’s victims, tries desperately to move on with her life.

With each sensational chapter, A Dangerous Woman documents the life of Florence Gould, a fabulously wealthy socialite and patron of the arts, who hid her dark past as a Nazi collaborator in 1940s Paris. Born in turn-of-the-century San Francisco to French parents, Florence moved to Paris, aged 11. Believing that only money brought respectability and happiness, she became the third wife of Frank Jay Gould, son of the railway millionaire Jay Gould.

He'd loved a vampire once, only to have her murdered by vengeful Freebloods. Now, to save his son, Garret Fox must look to another Freeblood for help. Garret knows the empathic vampire Artemis can't deny his request once she reluctantly drinks his human blood. But although their connection runs deep, their attraction hot, Garret can never forget what Artemis truly is.

Hellfire Canyon features Alf Brolin, a tall drink of water who guns down innocent victims with the same carelessness with which he quotes classic literature. Federal trooper Zach Thomas, however, lacks any appreciation for Brolin's airs and means to see the outlaw put six feet in the ground.

Moses Mann didn't need to be in an interrogation room to be intimidating. Molly Rogers found that out the hard way. Her brother had been accused of smuggling and murder, and now Moses considered her a suspect, as well. But what type of dirty little secrets did he expect to find in a single mother's life? Moses was no ordinary agent poking around Texas border country. And he kept finding new reasons to bring his investigation to Molly's farm. Yet trusting him - especially around her son - came so easily. She finally had someone who would speak up for her.

When a spell gone wrong shatters Snow White's enchanted mirror, a demon escapes into the world. The demon's magic distorts the vision of all it touches, showing them only ugliness and hate. It is a power that turns even friends and lovers into mortal foes; one that will threaten humans and fairies alike.

CBA best-selling author Delia Parr, acclaimed for her award-winning historical romances, concludes her Candlewood trilogy with this stirring sequel to Refining Emma. In a quaint 1840s village in Upstate New York, the genteel proprietress of a bustling boarding house must rely on her wisdom, determination, and faith to reconcile the conflicting demands of family, friendship, and love.