by Brad Thor

The Apostle - Brad ThorCHAPTER 1NANGARHAR PROVINCE, AFGHANISTANNext to a stream of icy snowmelt from the Hindu Kush, a small caravan unloaded its contraband. Cases filled with weapons, money, communications equipment, and other ge...

by William Boyd

Armadillo - William BoydChapter 1In these times of ours – and we don’t need to be precise about the exact date – but, anyway, very early in the year, a young man not much over thirty, tall – six feet...

by Arnaldur Indridason

Arctic Chill - Arnaldur Indridason1They were able to guess his age, but had more trouble determining which part of the world he came from.They thought he was about ten years old. He was wearing a grey anorak, unzipped, with ...

by Carol Goodman

Arcadia Falls - Carol Goodman1We’re lost, my daughter tells me for the third time in an hour. I told you we should have gotten GPS. Lexy’s mother has it and they never get lost.We’re not lost, I reply, bitin...

by Bronwyn Scott

Arabian Nights with a Rake - Bronwyn ScottChapter INorthern Desert of Algeria, May, 1833Alex Grayfield unwrapped t...

by Elizabeth Kelly

Apologize, Apologize! - Elizabeth KellyCHAPTER ONEI GREW UP ON MARTHA’S VINEYARD IN A HOUSE AS BIG AND loud...

by Adam Nevill

Apartment 16 - Adam NevillPROLOGUEWhen he heard the noise Seth stopped and stared, as if trying to see through the front door of apartment sixteen, the teak veneer aglow with a golden sheen. Right after descending the stairs ...

by Jamie Sobrato

Any Way You Want Me - Jamie Sobrato1THE NEW GUY in the office was a serious distraction.How was a girl supposed to concentrate when there was a six-foot-tall specimen of male perfection strutting around, on his way to the co...

by Russell Andrews

Aphrodite - Russell AndrewsAcknowledgmentsAs always, the list is a long one: To Bill Goldman, for the obit, the readings, the guidance, and, as usual, everything else; Hilary Hale, for being a great and supportive editor; Jamie...

by Beryl Bainbridge

Another part of the wood - Beryl BainbridgeIntroductionLike all Beryl Bainbridge’s novels, Another Part of the Wood sets off at a cracking pace, and never slows down. We find ourselves immediately in a strange setting &nda...

by Danielle Steel

Answered prayers - Danielle Steel1FAITH MADISON LOOKED SMALL AND SERIOUS AND STYLish, as she set the table, tossed a salad, and glanced into the oven at the dinner she'd prepared. She was wearing a well-cut black suit, and...

by Hilary Thayer Hamann

Anthropology of an American Girl_ A Novel - Hilary Thayer HamannPart 1 - OpalAutumn 1979High school is closer to the core of the American experience than anything else I can think of.—KURT VONNEGUT, JR.1Kate turned to check t...

by Edward O. Wilson

Anthill_ a novel - Edward O. WilsonPROLOGUETHIS IS A STORY about three parallel worlds, which nevertheless exist in the same space and time. They rise together, they fall, they rise again, but in cycles so different in magnitu...

by Ayn Rand

Anthem - Ayn RandEpigraphThey existed only to serve the state. They were conceived in controlled Palaces of Mating. They died in the Home of the Useless. From cradle to grave, the crowd was one—the great WE.In all that was ...

by Peter Anghelides

TORCHWOOD:ANOTHER LIFE by Peter AnghelidesONEYou’ve never been the kind of soldier who would disobey a direct order. That’s about to change right now. Because here you are gripping the cold and pitted plastic of the ...

by Elaine Beale

Another Life Altogether_ A Novel - Elaine BealeACKNOWLEDGMENTSMY THANKS GO FIRST TO CINDY SPIEGEL AND MIKE MEZZO AT Spiegel & Grau for their invaluable insights and skillful editing, and to my agent, Eric Simonoff. I am deeply...

by MARC BEKOFF

THE ANIMAL MANIFESTO - SIX REASONS FOR EXPANDING OUR COMPASSION FOOTPRINT - MARC BEKOFFINTRODUCTIONOur Common Bonds of CompassionAnyone who says that life matters less to animals than it does to us has not held in his hands an...

by CARLOS RUIZ ZAFON

The Angel's Game - CARLOS RUIZ ZAFONAct OneCity of the Damned1A writer never forgets the first time he accepted a few coins or a word of praise in exchange for a story. He will never forget the sweet poison of vanity i...

by MIGNON F. BALLARD

The Angel Whispered Danger - MIGNON F. BALLARDCHAPTER ONEI saw an angel today, Josie announced.Really? I glanced at the ten-year-old in the passenger seat beside me. My daughter was sometimes given to flights of fancy, but sinc...

by Michael Ondaatje

Anil's Ghost - Michael OndaatjeAuthor’s NoteFrom the mid-1980s to the early 1990s, Sri Lanka was in a crisis that involved three essential groups: the government, the antigovernment insurgents in the south and the separa...

by Danielle Trussoni

Angelology - Danielle TrussoniDevil’s Throat Cavern, Rhodope Mountains, BulgariaWinter 1943The angelologists examined the body. It was intact, without decay, the skin as smooth and as white as parchment. The lifeless aquamarine...

by Nava Semel

And the Rat Laughed - Nava SemelAnd the Rat LaughedNava Semel (b. 1954, Tel Aviv, Israel) holds an MA in Art History and is an art critic. Semel has worked as a TV, radio and recording producer and as a journalist. She ha...

by Charles Williams

And The Deep Blue Sea by Charles Williams1At sunset the next day after the Shoshone went down, the wind dropped to a gentle breeze, and by midnight it was calm. Now that the sea no longer broke, the raft stopped capsizing ...

by EOIN COLFER

And Another Thing…Douglas Adams’sHitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy:Part Six of ThreeEOIN COLFERAcknowledgementsI would like to thank Douglas Adams for dismantling my perspective and rebuilding it in another dimension. Thank...

by Jack McDevitt

Ancient shores - Jack McDevitt1Pretty, in amber, to observe the formsOf hairs, or straws, or dirt, or grubs, or worms;The things, we know, are neither rich nor rare,But wonder how the devil they got there.—Alexander Pope, An ...

by Dell Magazine

Analog SFF, December 2009 - Dell MagazineReader's Department: EDITORIAL: CONTROL by Stanley SchmidtOne of John W. Campbell's most famous editorials in Astounding looked at what was once a popular basis for science-fictional...

by Veronica Roth

Insurgent (Divergent #2) by Veronica RothCHAPTER ONEI WAKE WITH his name in my mouth.Will.Before I open my eyes, I watch him crumple to the pavement again. Dead.My doing.Tobias crouches in front of me, his hand on my left sho...

by Veronica Roth

Divergent (Divergent #1) by Veronica RothCHAPTER ONETHERE IS ONE mirror in my house. It is behind a sliding panel in the hallway upstairs. Our faction allows me to stand in front of it on the second day of every third month...

by Veronica Roth

Allegiant (Divergent #3) by Veronica RothCHAPTER ONETRISI PACE IN our cell in Erudite headquarters, her words echoing in my mind: My name will be Edith Prior, and there is much I am happy to forget.So you’ve never seen ...

by Philip Pullman

The Amber Spyglass - Philip PullmanEpigraphThe morning comes, the night decays, the watchmen leave their stations;The grave is burst, the spices shed, the linen wrapped up;The bones of death, the cov’ring clay, the sinews s...

by Tim Thornton

The Alternative Hero - Tim ThorntonSUGGESTED LISTENING: Dodgy, Homegrown (A&M, 1995)Thieving Magpiesare finishedYou know how it is sometimes.You’re at a festival. You’ve been drinking all day, the only thing you’ve ...

by Dan Vining

Among the Living - Dan ViningTHE QUICKONEA rugged malibu canyon, a clear night. The smooth black road ahead, unstriped, wound through slow turns, the headlights igniting the underbrush. There was a song on the radio over the l...

by Oscar Casares

Amigoland - Oscar Casares1The One With The Flat Face was taking her time coming around with the cart. She had stopped to visit with The Friendly Turtle and the two of them were talking and talking, as if it had been years...

by Nick Taylor

American-made_the enduring legacy of the WPA_when FDR put the nation to work - Nick TaylorPROLOGUEThe human toll of the Great Depression of the 1930s is almost impossible for us to fathom. When Franklin D. Roosevelt took office...

by Danielle Steel

Amazing Grace - Danielle SteelChapter 1Sarah Sloane walked into the ballroom of the Ritz-Carlton in San Francisco and thought it looked fantastic. The tables were set with cream-colored damask cloths, the silver candlesticks, flat...

by Mark Mills

Amagansett - Mark MillsDedicationFor Caroline, Gus and Rosie;and to the memory ofJohn N. Cole (1923-2003)EpigraphI stand as on some mighty eagle’s beak,Eastward the sea absorbing, viewing, (nothing but sea and sky,)The tossing...

by Edie Jarolim

Am I Boring My Dog_And 99 Other Things Every Dog Wishes You Knew - Edie JarolimINTRODUCTIONYou’re writing a book about dogs? my friend Sharon asked, sounding surprised. I never really thought of you as a dog person. Shar...

by Richard Morgan

Altered Carbon - Richard MorganAltered CarbonTakeshi Kovacs Book 1Richard MorganThis book is for my father and mother:JOHNfor his iron endurance and unflagging generosity of spirit in the face of adversity&MARGARETfor the -white ho...

by Mercedes Lackey

Alta - Mercedes LackeyONEOVERHEAD, the stars that filled the night sky, the ornaments upon the robe of the Goddess of the Night, seemed close enough to touch. The kamiseen wind whined in the tops of the trees of the oasis b...

by Lisi Harrison

Alphas - Lisi Harrison1WESTCHESTER, NYBODY ALIVE DANCE STUDIOTHURSDAY, JULY 22ND11:37 A.M.There were five Skye Hamiltons in the Body Alive Dance Studio. One on each mirrored wall and one in the flesh. As in-the-flesh Skye step-tu...

by James Patterson

Along Came a Spider - James PattersonAcknowledgmentsI would like to thank Peter Kim, who helped me learn about the private lives, the secrets, and the taboos that still exist all across America. Anne Pough-Campbell, Michael Ouwe...

by James Goss

Almost Perfect - James Goss1. STATUS UPDATESEMMA WEBSTER IS…Emma Webster is still looking for love.Emma Webster is watching Desperate Housewives (again!!!!)Emma Webster is looking forward to Friday.Emma Webster is going out again!!...

by Assaf Gavron

Almost Dead_ A Novel - Assaf Gavron1I climbed aboard the Little No. 5 as I did every morning on my way to work. ‘Little No. 5’ is what I call the minibus-sized cab which follows the route of the No. 5 bus. It&...

by Charlaine Harris

All Together Dead - Charlaine HarrisACKNOWLEDGMENTSThere are a few people I’ve thanked before and need to thank again: Robin Burcell, former cop and present writer, and FBI Agent George Fong, who were great about answering...

by Brian Holden Reid & John Keegan

The American Civil War and the wars of the Industrial Revolution - Brian Holden Reid & John KeeganINTRODUCTIONI began an earlier book with the sentence The First World War was a cruel and unnecessary war. The American Civil W...

by S. T. Joshi

American supernatural tales - S. T. JoshiAcknowledgmentsThe author and publisher are grateful for the following parties for permission to reprint the following copyrighted works:H. P. Lovecraft, The Call of Cthulhu, copyright ? 192...

by Bret Easton Ellis

American psycho_ a novel - Bret Easton EllisApril FoolsABANDON ALL HOPE YE WHO ENTER HERE is scrawled in blood red lettering on the side of the Chemical Bank near the corner of Eleventh and First and is in print large enoug...

by Vince Flynn

American Assassin - Vince FlynnPRELUDEBEIRUT, LEBANONMITCH Rapp stared at his reflection in the dusty, cracked mirror and questioned his sanity. There was no shaking, or sweaty palms. He wasn’t nervous. It was just a cold,...

by Tim Davys

Amberville - Tim DavysCHAPTER 1Early one morning at the end of April there was pounding on the door to Eric Bear and Emma Rabbit’s apartment on brick-red Uxbridge Street. The morning rain had let up, the wind had died ...

by Mathias Malzieu & Sarah Ardizzone

The Boy with the Cuckoo-Clock Heart - Mathias Malzieu & Sarah ArdizzoneAuthor’s NoteMy character Georges Méliès is inspired by the original Méliès (1861–1938, the first cinematographic director, f...

by Kevin Malarkey and Alex Malarkey

The Boy Who Came Back from Heaven: A Remarkable Account of Miracles, Angels, and Life beyond This World by Kevin Malarkey and AlexMalarkeyAcknowledgmentsHow could Alex and I thank anyone before thanking God in Heaven, who saved...

by John Boyne

The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas - John BoyneJOHN BOYNE was born in Ireland in 1971 and isthe author of six nov...

by Lisi Harrison

Boys R Us - Lisi HarrisonWESTCHESTER, NYTHE BLOCK ESTATESunday, October 11th5:35 P.M.Claire Lyons trudged across the immaculately manicured lawn of the Block estate, feeling the same way she felt after a worthy contestant got vot...

by Andy McNab & Robert Rigby

Boy soldier - Andy McNab & Robert RigbyPROLOGUE1997, ColombiaFergus had chosen the base camp carefully. He was always careful. Being careful had kept him alive during his twelve years in the Regiment and now that he was operat...

by Harry Turtledove

American Empire_Blood and Iron - Harry TurtledoveIntroductionThe Great War is over. After three years of brutal conflict, the United States have defeated the Confederate States and Canada—as, in Europe, the German Empire and Aust...

by Madison Smartt Bell

All Souls' Rising - Madison Smartt BellPrefaceIN 1791, THE COLONY OF SAINT DOMINGUE, established on the western half of the island which Columbus had named Hispaniola and which the native Amerindians (before their wholesale e...

by Naomi Rich

Alis - Naomi Rich1Alis stood nervously in the doorway. She wondered why she was wanted. Her parents had been much troubled of late, and several times she had caught her father gazing at her unhappily. She did not think she ...

by Lewis Carroll

Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking-Glass - Lewis CarrollAlice’s Adventures in WonderlandPREFACETo TheEIGHTY-SIXTH THOUSANDEnquiries have been so often addressed to me, as to whether any answer to the H...

by Robert Gilmore

Alice in Quantumland_ An Allegory of Quantum Physics - Robert GilmorePrefacen the first half of the twentieth century, our understanding of the Universe was turned upside down. The old classical theories of physics were replaced...

by Will Adams

The Alexander Cipher - Will AdamsACKNOWLEDGMENTSThis book has been over a decade in the contemplation and writing, and during that time I’ve received help, encouragement, and advice from a great many people—too many to ack...

by Melanie Benjamin

Alice I Have Been_ A Novel - Melanie BenjaminAcknowledgmentsIT’S NOT OFTEN AN AUTHOR CAN SAY A BOOK TRULY WOULDN’T have been written without one person’s influence, but Alice I Have Been would never have come a...

by Anna McPartlin

Alexandra, Gone - Anna McPartlinAcknowledgmentsThe first time I heard Jack Lukeman sing, we were both teenagers. His voice was as big then as it is now, and it’s something I’ll never forget. He was a kid and he co...

by Brandon Sanderson

Alcatraz Versus the Evil Librarians -by Brandon SandersonAUTHOR’S FOREWORDI AM NOT A GOOD PERSON.OH, I KNOW WHAT THE STORIES SAY ABOUT ME. THEY CALL ME OCULATOR DRAMATUS, HERO, SAVIOR OF THE TWELVE KINGDOMS…. THOSE, HOWEVE...

by Peter Ackroyd

Albion_ The Origins of the English Imagination - Peter AckroydINTRODUCTIONAlbionOf the English imagination there is no certain description. It has been compared with a stream or river, in the same manner as English poetry. It ma...

by Gennifer Choldenko

Al Capone Shines My Shoes -by Gennifer Choldenko1.THE CREAM OF THE CRIMINAL CROPMonday, August 5, 1935Nothing is ...

by Eoin Colfer

Airman -by Eoin ColferPROLOGUEConor Broekhart was born to fly, or more accurately he was born flying. Though Broe...

by Charles Williams

Aground by Charles Williams1They were down at Miami International between thunder showers at 3:40 p.m. Ingram, a ...

by Anne Bronte

Agnes Grey -by Anne BronteIntroductionIt is impossible for any of us to approach the Bront?s without calling up ...

by Andy McNab

Aggressor -by Andy McNabPART ONE1Monday, 5 April 1993The three of us clung to the top of the Bradley armoured f...

by Edith Wharton

The Age of Innocence - Edith WhartonINTRODUCTION006The Age of Innocence is Edith Wharton’s most romantic nove...

by Simon R. Green

Agents of Light and Darkness - Simon R. GreenOneEveryone Believes in SomethingThere is only the one church in the Nightside. It’s called St. Jude’s. I only ever go there on business. It’s nowhere near the Stree...

by Stephen R. Donaldson

Against All Things Ending (The Last Chronicles of Thomas Covenant, Book 3) - Stephen R. DonaldsonAcknowledgmentsThe...

by Agatha Christie

Agahta Christie_ An autobiography - Agatha ChristiePREFACEAgatha Christie began to write this book in April 1950; ...

by Mia Zachary

Afternoon Delight - Mia Zachary1TO: Rei Davis <[email protected]>FR: Phoebe J. Hollinger <[email protected]>RE: Are you...

by Alex Scarrow

Afterlight -by Alex ScarrowAcknowledgementsThis book required a lot more research than I expected it to. The person to whom I&rsquo;m most indebted is Chris Gilmour, a man with a lot of experience in the North Sea and knowledg...

by Merrie Destefano

Afterlife_The Resurrection Chronicles by Merrie DestefanoPART Ia&euro;?Remember, death is a choice.And I know youa&euro;?ve all heard the latest rumor,that One-Timers dona&euro;?t really exist.They say that everybodya&euro;?s a First-Ti...

by Haruki Murakami & Jay Rubin

After the quake_ stories -by Haruki Murakami & Jay RubinEpigraphLiza! What was it yesterday, then? It was what it was. That&rsquo;s impossible! That&rsquo;s cruel!—Fyodor Dostoevsky, Demonsradio: . . . garrison already decimated b...

by Evie Wyld

AFTER THE FIRE,A STILL SMALL VOICE by Evie WyldAcknowledgementsI am grateful to Laetitia Rutherford for her generous wisdom and guidance and for asking me to write in the first place. Ellah Allfrey, Nikki Christer and Diana Cog...

by Kylie Ladd

After the Fall -by Kylie LaddDedicationFor Craig.Always.And only.EpigraphTrip over love, you can get up.Fall in love and you fall forever.—ANONYMOUSKATEI had been married three years when I fell in love. Fell, tripped and landed...

by Mark Twain

The Adventures of Tom Sawyer - Mark TwainINTRODUCTIONThe Adventures of Tom Sawyer is Mark Twain&rsquo;s other book, the one, it is said, that prepared the way for his masterpiece, Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, and in which th...

by Richard W Leech M.D

The Adventures of Button Broken Tail by Richard W Leech M.DPrefaceThis book written in simple English prose with the fullest intention of entertaining the reader. However, do not fear to pick up a Webster&#39;s Dictionary; it i...

by Richard Laymon

After Midnight -by Richard LaymonINTRODUCTIONHello.I&rsquo;m Alice.I&rsquo;ve never written a book before, but figured I might as well start by saying who I am.Alice.That&rsquo;s not my real name. I&rsquo;d have to be an idiot to...

by Haruki Murakami

After dark -by Haruki Murakami1Eyes mark the shape of the city.Through the eyes of a high-flying night bird, we take in the scene from midair. In our broad sweep, the city looks like a single gigantic creature—or more like ...

by Jonathon King

Acts of Nature -by Jonathon KingONEI have my arms around her, my chest pressed into her back, the tops of my thighs against her hamstrings, and I can feel a vibration from deep inside of her. Or maybe it is my own trembli...

by Mark Twain

Adventures of Huckleberry Finn -by Mark TwainTHE WORLD OF MARK TWAIN AND ADVENTURES OF HUCKLEBERRY FINN1835 Samuel Langhorne Clemens is born prematurely in Florida, Mis souri, the fourth child of John Marshall Clemens and Jane L...

by Sena Jeter Naslund

Adam & Eve -by Sena Jeter NaslundPART ONEWHEN THE PIANO FALLSA NUDE COUPLE is standing in the shade of a small, leafy tree. The quality of the filtered light on their bare skin attracts me, and I stand with them to enjoy ...

by Philip Caputo

Acts of Faith -by Philip CaputoDedicationWith thanks to my wife, Leslie, for her advice and patience through a project that took more than four years; to Asya Muchnik for her superb translation work, and to Patrick Butler, Dal...

by A. J. Hartley

Act of Will -by A. J. HartleyTRANSLATOR&rsquo;S PREFACEUntil a few years ago, the collection of manuscripts now known as the Hawthorne Saga had been sitting in a climate-controlled case in an obscure English library for over a...

by Roberto Escobar & David Fisher

The Accountant&#39;s Story:Inside the Violent World of the Medellin Cartel by Roberto Escobar & David FisherAuthor&rsquo;s NoteIn our world of instant communications it has become relatively simple to become a legend. To be anoint...

by Angie Fox

The Accidental Demon Slayer by Angie FoxDedicationFor my parents, Ted and Marie Fox,who pretended not to notice the flashlightI kept under my bed for when I hadto read just one more chapter.THE MORNING AFTERI woke to find Dimi...

by Tom Cain

The Accident Man:A Novel by Tom CainPRELUDEThe night air was weighed down with heat and the sea rippled lazily against the pebbled beach.There was a guard on the wooden jetty, but it was past ten o&rsquo;clock with no moon i...

by Vince Flynn

Act of Treason -by Vince FlynnACKNOWLEDGMENTSW ith the exception of researching and touring, the life of a writer tends to be very solitary—never more so than when under deadline. Every year my wife, Lysa, puts up with the l...

by Barbara McMahon

Accidentally the Sheikh&#39;s Wife -by Barbara McMahonCHAPTER ONEBETHANNE SANDERS lined up the aircraft with the designated runway and began the final descent. The new jet handled like a dream—all the way from Texas to the coas...

by Danielle Steel

Accident - by Danielle SteelChapter 1It was one of those perfect, deliciously warm Saturday afternoons in April, ...

by S. J. Rozan

Absent Friends -by S. J. RozanBOYS&#39; OWN BOOKChapter 1imageSecrets No One KnewJuly 4, 1976Four boys, three girls, high and soaring, skin sizzling, tingling under the dizzying stars. Everything open and opening: the ragtop to t...

by James Grippando

The Abduction-by James GrippandoPrologue: March 1992At eleven o&rsquo;clock, the screaming finally stopped.It had started as a whimper, faint but steady. With each shaky breath it strengthened, growing more shrill by the minute, cu...

by Donna Leon

About Face - by Donna Leon1He noticed the woman on their way to dinner. That is, as he and Paola paused in front of the window of a bookstore, and he was using the reflection to adjust his tie, Brunetti saw the woman&rsqu...

by Ronald C. White Jr.

A. Lincoln A Biography by Ronald C. White Jr.CHAPTER 1A. Lincoln and the Promise of AmericaHe signed his name A. Lincoln. A visitor to Abraham Lincoln&rsquo;s Springfield, Illinois, home at Eighth and Jackson would find A. Linc...

by Colson Whitehead

Zone One - By Colson WhiteheadFRIDAYThe gray layer of dust covering things has become their best part.He always wanted to live in New York. His Uncle Lloyd lived downtown on Lafayette, and in the long stretches between visits...

by Leo Sullivan

Zero Degrees Part 1 - By Leo SullivanAuthor&rsquo;s NoteFirst and foremost I would like to thank the Lord Almighty for giving me the gift of writing. Thank you to my parents, family members and friends who have been there fo...