It's the summer of 1998 and for five years, over a hundred mangled and desecrated bodies have been found dumped in the Chihuahua desert outside of Juárez, México, just across the river from El Paso, Texas. The perpetrators of the ever-rising number of violent deaths target poor young women, terrifying inhabitants on both sides of the border. El Paso native Ivon Villa has returned to her hometown to adopt the baby of Cecilia, a pregnant maquiladora worker in Juárez. When Cecilia turns up strangled and disemboweled in the desert, Ivon is thrown into the churning chaos of abuse and murder. Even as the rapes and killings of "girls from the south" continue--their tragic stories written in desert blood--a conspiracy covers up the crimes that implicate everyone from the Maquiladora Association to the Border Patrol. When Ivon's younger sister gets kidnapped in Juárez, Ivon knows that it's up to her to find her sister, whatever it takes. Despite the sharp warnings she gets from family, friends, and nervous officials, Ivon's investigation moves her deeper and deeper into the labyrinth of silence. From acclaimed poet and prose-writer Alicia Gaspar de Alba, Desert Blood is a gripping thriller that ponders the effects of patriarchy, gender identity, border culture, transnationalism, and globalization on an international crisis.

When Jame returned to Knorth hall to help her brother Torisen name all the fallen fighters’ death banners stored there, she made the disturbing discovery that those banners splattered with their owners’ blood also have trapped their owners’ souls. She also found a contract proving her cousin Kindrie to be legitimate, proving that there are three full-blooded Knorth. Three full-blooded Knorth means that the Three-Faced God can be manifested—something that none of the three are likely to want to do, if they have any choice in the matter. .      Returning with this unwelcome knowledge to school at Tentir, Jame continued to dodge the attentions of an unwanted admirer, strengthen her link to her feline hunting ounce, work with the rathorn colt Death’s-head to insure that it doesn’t resume its attempts to kill her, and, of course, kept causing plenty of unintended havoc. She also had to help fight off attacks from hillmen, repel a stampede of yarkcarn (think warthogs the size of mammoths), fight in the Winter War (a mock conflict—or, at least, that’s how it was supposed to be), and solve the mystery behind the death of her evil uncle, who somehow is still spectrally manifesting himself in nasty ways.      No doubt about it—Jame is back, and with a vengeance, as the popular and critically-praised fantasy adventure series continues. “Hodgell has crafted an excellent and intricate fantasy with humor and tragedy, and a capable and charming female hero. Highly recommended.” —Library Journal 

Desert Blood: The Juárez Murders Alicia Gaspar de Alba, March 31, 2005, ISBN 1-55885-446-0, Clothbound, $23.95 An incisive mystery that delves into the violent deaths of young women plaguing the US / Mexico border It’s the summer of 1998 and for five years over a hundred mangled and desecrated bodies have been found dumped on the Chihuahua desert outside of Juárez, México, just across the river from El Paso, Texas. The perpetrators of the ever-rising number of violent deaths target poor young women, terrifying inhabitants of both sides of the border. El Paso native Ivon Villa has returned to her hometown to adopt the baby of Cecilia, a pregnant maquiladora worker in Juárez. When Cecilia turns up strangled and disemboweled in the desert, Ivon is thrown into the churning chaos of abuse and murder. Even as the rapes and killings of "girls from the south" continue—their tragic stories written in desert blood—a conspiracy covers up the crimes that implicate everyone from the Maquiladora Association to the Border Patrol. When Ivon’s younger sister gets kidnapped in Juárez, Ivon knows that it’s up to her to find her sister, whatever it takes. Despite the sharp warnings she gets from family, friends, and nervous officials, Ivon’s investigation moves her deeper and deeper into the labyrinth of silence. From acclaimed poet and prose-writer Alicia Gaspar de Alba, Desert Blood is a gripping thriller that ponders the effects of patriarchy, gender identity, border culture, transnationalism, and globalization on an international crisis.

The long-awaited fifth novel in P. C. Hodgell's acclaimed fantasy adventure series.

     When Jame returned to Knorth hall to help her brother Torisen name all the fallen fighters’ death banners stored there, she made the disturbing discovery that those banners splattered with their owners’ blood also have trapped their owners’ souls. She also found a contract proving her cousin Kindrie to be legitimate, proving that there are three full-blooded Knorth. Three full-blooded Knorth means that the Three-Faced God can be manifested—something that none of the three are likely to want to do, if they have any choice in the matter. .      Returning with this unwelcome knowledge to school at Tentir, Jame continued to dodge the attentions of an unwanted admirer, strengthen her link to her feline hunting ounce, work with the rathorn colt Death’s-head to insure that it doesn’t resume its attempts to kill her, and, of course, kept causing plenty of unintended havoc. She also had to help fight off attacks from hillmen, repel a stampede of yarkcarn (think warthogs the size of mammoths), fight in the Winter War (a mock conflict—or, at least, that’s how it was supposed to be), and solve the mystery behind the death of her evil uncle, who somehow is still spectrally manifesting himself in nasty ways.      No doubt about it—Jame is back, and with a vengeance, as the popular and critically-praised fantasy adventure series continues.   “Hodgell has crafted an excellent and intricate fantasy with humor and tragedy, and a capable and charming female hero. Highly recommended.” —Library Journal

When Jame returned to Knorth hall to help her brother Torisen name all the fallen fighters’ death banners stored there, she made the disturbing discovery that those banners splattered with their owners’ blood also have trapped their owners’ souls. She also found a contract proving her cousin Kindrie to be legitimate, proving that there are three full-blooded Knorth. Three full-blooded Knorth means that the Three-Faced God can be manifested—something that none of the three are likely to want to do, if they have any choice in the matter. .      Returning with this unwelcome knowledge to school at Tentir, Jame continued to dodge the attentions of an unwanted admirer, strengthen her link to her feline hunting ounce, work with the rathorn colt Death’s-head to insure that it doesn’t resume its attempts to kill her, and, of course, kept causing plenty of unintended havoc. She also had to help fight off attacks from hillmen, repel a stampede of yarkcarn (think warthogs the size of mammoths), fight in the Winter War (a mock conflict—or, at least, that’s how it was supposed to be), and solve the mystery behind the death of her evil uncle, who somehow is still spectrally manifesting himself in nasty ways.      No doubt about it—Jame is back, and with a vengeance, as the popular and critically-praised fantasy adventure series continues. “Hodgell has crafted an excellent and intricate fantasy with humor and tragedy, and a capable and charming female hero. Highly recommended.” —Library Journal 

Its mysterious symbols and rituals had been used in secret for centuries before Freemasonry revealed itself in London in 1717. Once known, Freemasonry spread throughout the world and attracted kings, emperors, and statesmen to take its sacred oaths. It also attracted great revolutionaries such as George Washington and Sam Houston in America, Juarez in Mexico, Garibaldi in Italy, and Bolivar in South America. It was outlawed over the centuries by Hitler, Mussolini, and the Ayatollah Khomeini. But where had this powerful organization come from? What was it doing in those secret centuries before it rose from underground more than 270 years ago? And why was Freemasonry attacked with such intense hatred by the Roman Catholic church? This amazing detective story answers those questions and proves that the Knights Templar in Britain, fleeing arrest and torture by pope and king, formed a secret society of mutual protection that came to be called Freemasonry. Based on years of meticulous research, this book solves the last remaining mysteries of the Masons—their secret words, symbols, and allegories whose true meanings had been lost in antiquity. With a richly drawn background of the bloody battles, the opportunistic kings and scheming popes, the tortures and religious persecution throughout the Middle Ages, it is an important book that may require that we take a new look at the history of events leading to the Protestant Reformation.

Its mysterious symbols and rituals had been used in secret for centuries before Freemasonry revealed itself in London in 1717. Once known, Freemasonry spread throughout the world and attracted kings, emperors, and statesmen to take its sacred oaths. It also attracted great revolutionaries such as George Washington and Sam Houston in America, Juarez in Mexico, Garibaldi in Italy, and Bolivar in South America. It was outlawed over the centuries by Hitler, Mussolini, and the Ayatollah Khomeini. But where had this powerful organization come from? What was it doing in those secret centuries before it rose from underground more than 270 years ago? And why was Freemasonry attacked with such intense hatred by the Roman Catholic church? This amazing detective story answers those questions and proves that the Knights Templar in Britain, fleeing arrest and torture by pope and king, formed a secret society of mutual protection that came to be called Freemasonry. Based on years of meticulous research, this book solves the last remaining mysteries of the Masons—their secret words, symbols, and allegories whose true meanings had been lost in antiquity. With a richly drawn background of the bloody battles, the opportunistic kings and scheming popes, the tortures and religious persecution throughout the Middle Ages, it is an important book that may require that we take a new look at the history of events leading to the Protestant Reformation.

Mechanic Mercy Thompson has friends in low places--and in dark ones--and now she owes one of them a favor. Since she can shapeshift at will, she agrees to act as some extra muscle when her vampire friend Stefan goes to deliver a message to another of his kind. Original.

"In a nice Mexican bar, the air now cool, the glare gone briefly, a glass in hand, calm, yes calm, music from speakers . . . a soothing music, and the eyes of everyone in the place seem peaceful, the bartender a smile . . . it is safe but then, the thought comes that only at such moments can you be taken, that it is not the midnight street, the dark alley, the clot of cholos leaning against a wall on the corner, the police with their cash register eyes, the new pickups, huge and with darkened glass, no, it is not these signals of menace that one must be on guard for, it is this moment in the bar, this calm, the music, the bead of moisture slowly trickling down the glass, that is when they will come, you will disappear, yes, you will leave with them, be forced into a car and leave behind you only very vague memories which before the next drink is swallowed will have vanished, it is always when you relax and feel safe in this place that you are no longer safe, that the pain and terror come and to be honest, the thing you have been dodging but waiting for, the credit flashing on the screen that says The End. That is what everyone on every street here knows and waits for and never mentions . . ."--Charles Bowden, from DreamlandWhat do you call a place where people are tortured and murdered and buried in the backyard of a nice, middle-class condo? Where police work for the drug cartels? Where the meanings of words such as "border" and "crime" and "justice" are emptying out into the streets and flowing down into the sewers? You call it Juárez or, better yet, Dreamland.Realizing that merely reporting the facts cannot capture the massive disintegration of society that is happening along the border, Charles Bowden and Alice Leora Briggs use nonfiction and sgraffito drawings to depict the surreality that is Ciudad Juárez, Mexico. Starting from an incident in which a Mexican informant for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security murdered a man while U.S. agents listened in by cell phone--and did nothing to intervene--Bowden forcefully and poetically describes the breakdown of all order in Juárez as the power of the drug industry outstrips the power of the state. Alice Leora Briggs's drawings--reminiscent of Northern Renaissance engraving and profoundly disquieting--intensify the reality of this place where atrocities happen daily and no one, neither citizens nor governments, openly acknowledges them.With the feel of a graphic novel, the look of an illuminated medieval manuscript, and the harshness of a police blotter, Dreamland captures the routine brutality, resilient courage, and rapacious daily commerce along the U.S.-Mexico border.

He was willing to give up eternity to have her, but would he die to keep her? HER IMMORTAL SAVIOR Prince Sebastian Thorn is known in the vampire world for his protectiveness of mortals, but when he helps the all-too-human Laurel Mayfield escape a stalker, he is unprepared for the humanity and the passion she reawakens in him. Would she want him if she discovered his secret? HIS MORTAL PASSION Laurel Mayfield is a small-town girl with big-city dreams and a cautious view on men ... until she meets Sebastian in a cemetery. Sophisticated, drop dead gorgeous, controlled and chivalrous, he's every woman's Prince Charming, but with a dark edge she can neither understand or resist. THEIR TIMELESS LOVE Drawn to each other with inexplicable heat, can their desire survive the truth of his nature, and the scheming vampires that seek his power? When they revisit his past, will she choose the hot-blooded mortal man he once was, or the dark Prince he has become?

"In a nice Mexican bar, the air now cool, the glare gone briefly, a glass in hand, calm, yes calm, music from speakers . . . a soothing music, and the eyes of everyone in the place seem peaceful, the bartender a smile . . . it is safe but then, the thought comes that only at such moments can you be taken, that it is not the midnight street, the dark alley, the clot of cholos leaning against a wall on the corner, the police with their cash register eyes, the new pickups, huge and with darkened glass, no, it is not these signals of menace that one must be on guard for, it is this moment in the bar, this calm, the music, the bead of moisture slowly trickling down the glass, that is when they will come, you will disappear, yes, you will leave with them, be forced into a car and leave behind you only very vague memories which before the next drink is swallowed will have vanished, it is always when you relax and feel safe in this place that you are no longer safe, that the pain and terror come and to be honest, the thing you have been dodging but waiting for, the credit flashing on the screen that says The End. That is what everyone on every street here knows and waits for and never mentions . . ."--Charles Bowden, from DreamlandWhat do you call a place where people are tortured and murdered and buried in the backyard of a nice, middle-class condo? Where police work for the drug cartels? Where the meanings of words such as "border" and "crime" and "justice" are emptying out into the streets and flowing down into the sewers? You call it Juárez or, better yet, Dreamland.Realizing that merely reporting the facts cannot capture the massive disintegration of society that is happening along the border, Charles Bowden and Alice Leora Briggs use nonfiction and sgraffito drawings to depict the surreality that is Ciudad Juárez, Mexico. Starting from an incident in which a Mexican informant for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security murdered a man while U.S. agents listened in by cell phone--and did nothing to intervene--Bowden forcefully and poetically describes the breakdown of all order in Juárez as the power of the drug industry outstrips the power of the state. Alice Leora Briggs's drawings--reminiscent of Northern Renaissance engraving and profoundly disquieting--intensify the reality of this place where atrocities happen daily and no one, neither citizens nor governments, openly acknowledges them.With the feel of a graphic novel, the look of an illuminated medieval manuscript, and the harshness of a police blotter, Dreamland captures the routine brutality, resilient courage, and rapacious daily commerce along the U.S.-Mexico border.

FBI agent and psychic, Brianna Reece, descends from an ancient and powerful bloodline of witches, only she doesn’t know it. But now that legacy has come back to bite her—literally. In the shadows of night in Denver Colorado, a serial killer is hunting women, and FBI agent Brianna Reece is hunting the killer. Unlike any case she’s worked before, Brianna can’t ignore the prickling at the back of her neck when she glimpses the resemblance she shares with the victims. The investigation begins to touch even closer to home when it is revealed that all of the victims were also psychic. Complicating matters further, Brianna is captivated by the FBI’s prime suspect Nathan Donovan. Though she senses he is hiding something from her, the attraction she feels for him is compelling, and unlike anything she’s ever experienced. Through a chance twist of fate, Nathan learns of Brianna’s ancestry and is forced to divulge secrets to Brianna that will change her life forever. When she learns that the killer is an evil vampire, and he’s now set his sights on her, Nathan alone holds the key to awakening her dormant powers. Now he must race to teach her how to control her emergent gifts before she becomes the next victim.

With the blood spell broken, Kane clawed his way out of the ground and searched for the soul mate that had freed him only to find that she’d vanished. With nothing left to lose and revenge on his mind, he started a war. The last thing he expected was to find his elusive soul mate in the path of destruction he’d caused. Quickly becoming obsessed, he watches when she isn’t looking, listens when he’s not been invited, and stalks her every move… and the demon that haunts him knows she is his weakness. To protect her, Kane vows to make her hate him, even if he has to join the demon side to do it. But how can he protect her from her greatest enemy of all when that enemy is himself?

New Orleans detective Jack Brenner is struggling with a faltering marriage, an injured partner, and an overbearing lieutenant when Emmett Floyd Graves, a convict facing lethal injection, sends Jack word through his lawyer that he has information about the unsolved murder of Jack’s cousin, a civil-rights worker killed in the summer of 1972. Jack is intrigued but suspicious, and before he can figure out whether he’s being played, he and his new temporary partner, Keisha Lundy, are assigned to the drive-by shooting of a teenage boy. Eerily, both Steven Bowen and Jack’s cousin David were distance-running phenomenons at the same high school where Jack himself was a champion hurdler. Jack juggles the Bowen case with his own secret investigation of Graves’s claim, backed up by Keisha, who knows what it’s like to lose a young family member through violence. Jack thinks he has time to make sense of things before bringing anyone else into it. But then television reporter Willow Ashe, an old flame from Jack’s past, comes on the scene. She not only stirs up old memories of hot nights on the levee, but breaks Graves’s story on the evening news for all the world to see, including Jack’s lieutenant, wife, and aunt. Jack is in hot water at work and at home. But the publicity gets him what he wants---a chance to solve his cousin’s murder.  The two crimes, separated by thirty years, send Jack and Keisha shuttling between the Big Easy underworld and the delta town of Bon Terre. Jack’s gut tells him that the Dixie Mafia kingpin who runs Bon Terre is somehow connected to both murders. Proving it will put him and people he cares about in the line of fire.An impressive debut set among the moonlit bayous, great houses, and old ghosts of Louisiana, Bound by Blood delivers a fine balance of humor, violence, and sorrow.

From the "New York Times"- and "USA Today"-bestselling author of the Shifter series comes the first novel in a new paranormal romance trilogy. Original.

Zack Ravenscroft loves women - all women - and they love him. The irresistibly seductive owner of the hottest casino in Nevada, Zack has tasted every wicked pleasure Sin City can offer. But never in his 600 years as a vampire has he seen a morsel as delectable as Kaitlyn Sherrad, the mysterious young newcomer in town. Zack knows nothing about her - except that he craves her. Kaitlyn is half vampire, half human - and all woman. As the cherished daughter of the Carpathian Coven's master, she has been given every luxury a girl could desire. Now her only need is for a prince. But though she's ready to gamble her heart on Zack, a powerful enemy stalks their every move...watches their every kiss...and waits to destroy their undying love.

Colonia Juarez, one of the two remaining Mormon Colonies in Mexico, has existed and prospered for one hundred and twenty-five years. During that time many interesting and important things have occurred which have had far reaching effects on the lives of thousands of people scattered throughout the world. These have included revolutionary upheavals, the founding and growth of the Juarez Stake Academy (Academia Juarez), the coming of the paved highway to the colony, three centennial celebrations within a period of twelve years, and two visits within two years from the Lord's Prophet and President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, even Gordon B. Hinckley. His second visit was for the dedication of the Colonia Juarez Chihuahua Temple. Although there are currently fewer than 200 descendents of the original colonists living in Colonia Juarez, literally thousands still refer to it as "down home".The last complete history of Colonia Juarez, written by Nelle Spilsbury Hatch, was released in 1954. The time is right for an up-date of the history of this loved community. This is especially true in light of the uncertainty which currently exists due to the brutal drug cartel-related acts committed almost daily throughout the state of Chihuahua, including the region where Colonia Juarez and Colonia Dublan are situated. Can the lessons of the past help us deal with the realities of today? And, what of the future?

Colonia Juarez, one of the two remaining Mormon Colonies in Mexico, has existed and prospered for one hundred and twenty-five years. During that time many interesting and important things have occurred which have had far reaching effects on the lives of thousands of people scattered throughout the world. These have included revolutionary upheavals, the founding and growth of the Juarez Stake Academy (Academia Juarez), the coming of the paved highway to the colony, three centennial celebrations within a period of twelve years, and two visits within two years from the Lord's Prophet and President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, even Gordon B. Hinckley. His second visit was for the dedication of the Colonia Juarez Chihuahua Temple. Although there are currently fewer than 200 descendents of the original colonists living in Colonia Juarez, literally thousands still refer to it as "down home". The last complete history of Colonia Juarez, written by Nelle Spilsbury Hatch, was released in 1954. The time is right for an up-date of the history of this loved community. This is especially true in light of the uncertainty which currently exists due to the brutal drug cartel-related acts committed almost daily throughout the state of Chihuahua, including the region where Colonia Juarez and Colonia Dublan are situated. Can the lessons of the past help us deal with the realities of today? And, what of the future?

Colonia Juarez, one of the two remaining Mormon Colonies in Mexico, has existed and prospered for one hundred and twenty-five years. During that time many interesting and important things have occurred which have had far reaching effects on the lives of thousands of people scattered throughout the world. These have included revolutionary upheavals, the founding and growth of the Juarez Stake Academy (Academia Juarez), the coming of the paved highway to the colony, three centennial celebrations within a period of twelve years, and two visits within two years from the Lord's Prophet and President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, even Gordon B. Hinckley. His second visit was for the dedication of the Colonia Juarez Chihuahua Temple. Although there are currently fewer than 200 descendents of the original colonists living in Colonia Juarez, literally thousands still refer to it as "down home".The last complete history of Colonia Juarez, written by Nelle Spilsbury Hatch, was released in 1954. The time is right for an up-date of the history of this loved community. This is especially true in light of the uncertainty which currently exists due to the brutal drug cartel-related acts committed almost daily throughout the state of Chihuahua, including the region where Colonia Juarez and Colonia Dublan are situated. Can the lessons of the past help us deal with the realities of today? And, what of the future?

His gaze haunts her like no other. Her beauty leaves him speechless. One caress, one kiss, one taste of the enigmatic Ariel and a maelstrom engulfs D'Nar. One touch of the dark, virile vampyr and her secret passion ignites-a forbidden craving to be taken and overcome by this superior race. Before long, they are bound not only by her blood and his need for it, but by her humanity as their desire swells in time to the desert wind that whirls around them. When Ariel agrees to become D'Nar's concubine, she has no idea their mutual attraction will explode into a fury of ecstasy. But can this irresistible passion survive the growing distrust between human and vampyr? Can it survive an ancient evil bent on revenge? And knowing all the odds stacked against them, could it ever blossom into love? In order for their world to survive, Ariel and D'Nar learn that desire alone will not carry them to the end of their quest. Only when they trust each other enough to love unconditionally can they save their civilization-and themselves.

When Chris Jeffries is rescued from a vicious beating by a tall dark stranger, it's not difficult to imagine he'd be willing to reward the stranger with more than just a handshake. Getting to know Chris better is very much on Carlos Galeano's mind also - the lonely vampire, still grieving over the death of his lover, feels that at last he has found the one to make his existence more bearable. The two embark on a relationship that, at first, seems to be all they can desire and hope for. But trouble in the guise of Martin Kellogg, a vampire hunter, along with Frank and Billy, two petty criminals, soon disrupts Carlos and Chris's dreams of a happy ever after ending to their idyllic bond. Carlos turns to his friend Marcus Verano for help in thwarting the vampire hunter's attempts to track him down. Martin regards Chris as the bait that will lead him to Carlos, and after a couple of narrow escapes from the hunter, Carlos decides that in order to protect Chris, he must tell him the truth - a decision that may forever end his dream of an enduring love.

The world of the undead is a vast one, with many stories remaining to be told. In 30 Days of Night: Juarez, Matt Fraction (Invincible Iron Man) introduces Lex Nova, former private detective and free-range madman, on the hunt for the bloodsuckers killing a whole mess of Mexican girls. And it ain't a pretty picture, but the art is, thanks to 30 Days co-creator and the Eisner and Scream Award-nominated Ben Templesmith!

When Chris Jeffries is rescued from a vicious beating by a tall dark stranger, it's not difficult to imagine he'd be willing to reward the stranger with more than just a handshake. Getting to know Chris better is very much on Carlos Galeano's mind also - the lonely vampire, still grieving over the death of his lover, feels that at last he has found the one to make his existence more bearable. The two embark on a relationship that, at first, seems to be all they can desire and hope for. But trouble in the guise of Martin Kellogg, a vampire hunter, along with Frank and Billy, two petty criminals, soon disrupts Carlos and Chris's dreams of a happy ever after ending to their idyllic bond. Carlos turns to his friend Marcus Verano for help in thwarting the vampire hunter's attempts to track him down. Martin regards Chris as the bait that will lead him to Carlos, and after a couple of narrow escapes from the hunter, Carlos decides that in order to protect Chris, he must tell him the truth - a decision that may forever end his dream of an enduring love.

The world of the undead is a vast one, with many stories remaining to be told. In 30 Days of Night: Juarez, Matt Fraction (Invincible Iron Man) introduces Lex Nova, former private detective and free-range madman, on the hunt for the bloodsuckers killing a whole mess of Mexican girls. And it ain't a pretty picture, but the art is, thanks to 30 Days co-creator and the Eisner and Scream Award-nominated Ben Templesmith!