The Appeal

"Welcome to Lockwood, proud home of The Fairway Players, who, under the creative control of Martin Hayward, the owner of the local country club, are putting on a production of Arthur Miller's "All My Sons." The star, as always: Martin's wife, Helen, the only person in the troupe with any real acting talent. But this is not a production like any other: just as rehearsals get under way, tragedy strikes: Poppy Reswick, Martin and Helen's beloved granddaughter, is diagnosed with a rare form of cancer. An experimental treatment is available from the US - at a massive cost. The Players and the entire town rally in order to raise the 250,000 pounds needed to give Poppy a chance at survival. Not everybody is convinced that the experimental treatment is all it's cracked up to be, however. First among the doubters is Sam Greenwood, who has only recently moved to Lockwood with her husband, Kel, after spending several years as an NGO worker in Sub-Saharan Africa. Are her suspicions justified? Or does she merely have an axe to grind with the doctor who's looking after Poppy? The tension within the community is palpable, and on the night of the Players' dress rehearsal, things come to a head. The next day, a dead body is found, and soon afterwards, an arrest is made. In the run-up to the trial, two law students find themselves sifting through the evidence in the form of e-mails, texts, and letters, trying to make sense of it all and unmask the real killer"--

#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • In a crowded courtroom in Mississippi, a jury returns a shocking verdict against a chemical company accused of dumping toxic waste into a small town’s water supply, causing the worst “cancer cluster” in history. The company appeals to the Mississippi Supreme Court, whose nine justices will one day either approve the verdict—or reverse it. The chemical company is owned by a Wall Street predator named Carl Trudeau, and Mr. Trudeau is convinced the Court is not friendly enough to his interests. With judicial elections looming, he decides to try to purchase himself a seat on the Court. The cost is a few million dollars, a drop in the bucket for a billionaire like Mr. Trudeau. Through an intricate web of conspiracy and deceit, his political operatives recruit a young, unsuspecting candidate. They finance him, manipulate him, market him, and mold him into a potential Supreme Court justice. Their Supreme Court justice. Don’t miss John Grisham’s new book, THE EXCHANGE: AFTER THE FIRM!

Discover the hidden secrets of mass appeal...and use them to create unbreakable allegiance for products, people, and ideas!

“Scottoline is a master.”—Philadelphia Inquirer Murder, intrigue, and romance collide in New York Times bestselling author Lisa Scottoline’s clever and fast-paced legal thriller. Starting over again after her divorce, Philadelphia lawyer Grace Rossi works part time for handsome Judge Armen Gregorian in the federal appeals court. Assigned to an explosive death penalty appeal, a long day of work unexpectedly leads to a night of passion with the chief judge. But when Gregorian is found dead the next morning, an apparent suicide, Grace knows she must uncover the truth. Suddenly this working mother finds herself investigating a murder, unearthing a secret bank account, and following a trail of bribery and judicial corruption hidden even from the FBI. In no time at all, Grace under fire takes on a whole new meaning. With the help of an undercover federal agent, she will risk everything to see justice done.

A sparkling contemporary retelling of Pride and Prejudice set in the tantalizing world of New York City burlesque, perfect for fans of The Kiss Quotient and The Roommate. After a betrayal derailed her interior design career, Liz Bennet found a fresh start in New York. Now an executive assistant by day and stage kitten by night, she’s discovered a second home with the performers at Meryton, Manhattan’s top-tier burlesque venue. Love’s the last thing on her mind when she locks eyes with Will Darcy across the crowded club, yet the spark between them is undeniable—that is, until she overhears the uptight wealth manager call her merely “tolerable.” Bennet is determined to write Darcy off, but once their besties fall head-over-heels, they’re thrown into each other’s orbit again and again. Each encounter begins to feel more heated than the last, but is their chemistry enough to topple that terrible first impression? What’s more, when a charming newcomer arrives on the scene with accusations against Darcy, and a sudden development leaves Meryton’s fate in jeopardy, Bennet will have to decide who to trust in time to salvage her design dreams, her heart, and the stage she shares with her found family…

ISABEL DALHOUSIE - Book 9 Nothing captures the charm of Edinburgh like the bestselling Isabel Dalhousie series of novels featuring the insatiably curious philosopher and woman detective. Whether investigating a case or a problem of philosophy, the indefatigable Isabel Dalhousie, one of fiction’s most richly developed amateur detectives, is always ready to pursue the answers to all of life’s questions, large and small. In this latest installment of Alexander McCall Smith’s endearing Isabel Dalhousie series, the Edinburgh philosopher and amateur sleuth answers an unexpected appeal from a wealthy Scottish collector who has been robbed of a valuable painting. One afternoon over coffee at Cat’s delicatessen, a friend of Isabel’s shares a call for help from Duncan Munrowe. Crafty thieves have stolen a prized painting from his collection, a work by the celebrated French artist Nicolas Poussin that was earmarked for donation to the Scottish National Gallery. Munrowe has been approached by the thieves and hopes that Isabel will assist him in recovering the painting. Never one to refuse an appeal, she agrees, and discovers that the thieves may be closer to the owner than he ever would have expected. Against the backdrop of this intriguing case, Isabel copes with life’s issues, large and small. She and Jamie have begun to suspect that their three-year-old son, Charlie, might be a budding mathematical genius. What should be done about it? Then there is the question of whether Isabel should help a young couple who want to move in together—against the wishes of the girl’s parents. The boyfriend is hoping Isabel might intercede. As she wrestles with these problems, Isabel finds herself tested as a parent, a philosopher and a friend. But, as always, she manages to use the right combination of good sense, quick wits and a kind heart to come to the right solution, proving once again why Isabel Dalhousie has become one of Alexander McCall Smith’s most beloved characters. This ebook edition includes a Reading Group Guide

Now is an opportune moment to consider the shifts in youth and popular culture that are signalled by texts that are being read and viewed by young people. In a world seemingly compromised by climate change, political and religious upheavals and economic irresponsibility, and at a time of fundamental social change, young people are devouring fictional texts that focus on the edges of identity, the points of transition and rupture, and the assumption of new and hybrid identities. This book draws on a range of international texts to address these issues, and to examine the ways in which key popular genres in the contemporary market for young people are being re-defined and re-positioned in the light of urgent questions about the environment, identity, one’s place in the world, and the fragile nature of the world itself. The key questions are: • What are the shifts and changes in youth culture that are identified by the market and by what young people read and view? • How do these texts negotiate the addressing of significant questions relating to the world today? • Why are these texts so popular with young people? • What are the most popular genres in contemporary best-sellers and films? • Do these texts have a global appeal, and, if so, why? These over-arching themes and ideas are presented as a collection of inter-related essays exploring a rich variety of forms and styles from graphic novels to urban realism, from fantasy to dystopian writing, from epic narratives to television musicals. The subjects and themes discussed here reveal the quite remarkable diversity of issues that arise in youth fiction and the variety of fictional forms in which they are explored. Once seen as not as important as adult fiction, this book clearly demonstrates that youth fiction (and the popular appeal of this fiction) is complex, durable and far-reaching in its scope.

The second book in the Hex series features feisty witch Jazz and her drop-dead gorgeous vampire cop boyfriend in a new installment. On again, off again for over 300 years, Jazz and Nick are finally back together, but then Jazz thinks Nick has bitten her. Separated again, upset and angry, the two of them start having violent, recurring dreams in which each one figures in disturbing and menacing ways. They can't sleep, they can't eat, and they finally figure out they'd better get together and discover who's poisoning their dreams—and their relationship. Full of the fantastic secondary characters that Linda Wisdom's fans know and love, including Jazz's sister witches and a cast of delectable supernatural male characters, Hex Appeal is fun and funny paranormal romance at its best. "Filled with loads of sass and sensuality, plenty of laughs and a host of oddball characters who'll leave you in stitches and asking for more." —Book Loons "With a rollicking cast of supporting characters, biting wit and sensual scenes, 50 Ways to Hex Your Lover is 'a high-power keg of excitement!'" —Coffee Time Romance 4 Star Review—Romantic Times: "Longtime series author Wisdom makes a wickedly fun jump into the supernatural realm. Offbeat characters...offer insight into this highly intriguing new heroine. The balance of danger, adventure and the supernatural is excellent. With characters as rich and challenging as these, let's hope we haven't seen the last of them." "Wisdom, no stranger to romance fans, delivers a striking opening salvo in her new paranormal series... a zany, hot read." —Booklist

This series Dissertations in Language and Cognition explores issues of mental representation, linguistic structure and representation, and their interplay. The research presented in this series is grounded in the idea explored in the Collaborative Research Center The structure of representations in language, cognition and science (SFB 991) that there is a universal format for the representation of linguistic and cognitive concepts.