Showing results by publisher "Phoenix Books" in Literature & Fiction

America's richest legends come from the frontier - from the land where the events of a single moment might erase the lines between law and lawlessness, between safety and mortal danger, between heroes and villains. The carefully selected stories in this collection are vibrant proof that the great American West is a fertile ground to storytellers. Here's the most varied collection of short stories, by 17 highly acclaimed Western writers.

This is the story of a generation, shaped by the 60s, that has reached its time of reckoning, and of a man who must uncover the secrets of his father's past before he can live and love in the present. Mitch Rozier has spent half of his 50 years writing an environmental column for an alternative West coast paper. Now he finds himself back under his father's roof. Sisters Lexa and Mariah McCaskill wrestle with the past that has driven them away from domesticity:

Wisteria Lane has nothing on these grandes dames of mystery. In the expert hands of two of the mystery world's top storytellers, being a housewife takes on a whole new meaning.These two never-before-published stories by Nevada Barr and Sara Paretsky explore the dark side of the housewife psyche and are guaranteed to delight.

Little Saigon, Westminster, California, 1993. Anh, a diminutive, self-promoting, brash, Vietnamese beauty, supports her ever-extending family on tips from a gambling lawyer. Upon his disappearance, Anh turns to his secretary Jana, a tough, self-sufficient Anglo in need of money as desperately as Anh. Together they set up a bogus law practice in Little Saigon in which Anh supplies the clients while Jana plays lawyer.

The explosion in storytelling festivals and one-person shows demonstrate that Americans are growing disenchanted with the mass media and returning to the simple pleasures of a well-told story. Here is a survey of great contemporary monologues, including excerpts by Spalding Gray, Lynda Barry, Tom Bodett, and Peter Matthiessen.

Beaufort, South Carolina is home to the Smallwoods, a family closely knit but fiercely at odds. Georgie, the youngest, is tormented by worry for her son, who vanished two years earlier, and by her anger at her father. An unforgiving patriarch and ex-Marine, Georgie's father neglects her mother, belittles her brother Ashby, and denies her sister Claire the financial support she needs after a trying divorce.

Back in Pickax, Jim Qwilleran expects to resume a quiet life, but the people and animals of Pickax have other ideas. A noisy cardinal wakes him every morning, nosy neighbors drop by uninvited, and the Siamese cats—Koko and Yum Yum—misbehave, even sneezing on guests. As if they weren't bad enough, Qwill's long-time companion, Polly Duncan, acts as though she is in love—with another man. Worst of all, Qwill finds a body in his apple orchard. When his friend, Dennis Hough, becomes the chief suspect, Qwill embarks on a crusade to clear Hough's name and win back Polly's heart.

Dave Barry exposes natural childbirth for what it is: a pop phenomenon of the 1960's that, along with paisley bell-bottoms and creative sideburns, deserves a rest. His new book gives parents-to-be the hard facts they need. He examines the new federal law requiring prospective fathers to free themselves from their self-made macho prison - to laugh, cry, love and just generally behave like certified wimps.

In "Front Man", an aging screenwriter cast adrift in a youth-oriented Hollywood culture finds a scary way to make it back into the business. In "Nothing Will Hurt You", a father is obsessed by his daughter's murder and will stop at nothing to avenge her. In "Resurrection", a son is determined to preserve and care for a father in cryogenic sleep. David Morrell is a consummate storyteller, investing his tales with passion, sympathy, and irresistible narrative drive.

The most renowned American authors in Western fiction are brought together in one bang 'em-up, shoot-it-out collection! Including titles by Louis L'Amour, Brian Garfield, Marcia Muller, Bill Pronzini, Thomas Thompson, John M. Cunningham, Chad Oliver, Donald Hamilton, Loren D. Estleman and Owen Wister.

Subtitled "512 boorish, insensitive, and socially obnoxious pointers for leading a simple, self-centered life," this little book is a hilarious parody of the best seller with a similar name. Here are just a few of the gems contained within. Number 24: Give little kids clothes for their birthdays. Number 101: Argue with everybody. Number 326: Leave the alarm on when he doesn't have to get up. This guide is bound to bring at least 512 laughs.

When a mysterious benefactor offers three single, attractive career women the use of his Beverly Hills mansion, pool, and card for a year. At the exclusive polo grounds, spas, and parties of the very rich, all three women meet the desirable, wealthy men they dreamed of. But as the champagne bubbles fade, each one discovers that the dream has a dark side.

When the philanthropic, genial Dr. Jekyll becomes intensely submersed in the problems of good and evil and their affects on the nature of man, his deliberations soon drive him into his laboratory. There, he pursues to answer a question that has become his obsession: can the two opposing forces be separated?

In a speculative dystopian thriller based on the premise that the South won the Civil War, President Spencer Jefferson Lee is shocked to discover that underneath the facade of civil order in his world of very separate races, there is dissent. A protest group made up of "losers" among this "ideal" society— same-sex and cross-racial lovers and their children— threatens the seeming peace and order.

Perhaps the finest novel of nineteenth-century England, Bleak House embodies artful narrative, an engaging cast of characters, biting satire, and a detailed depiction of Victorian society. At the height of his creative power in this great work, Dickens pursues two great themes.

Following the success of Malice Domestic 1—recipient of the Agatha Award for Best Short Story and called "outstanding" by Publishers Weekly— acclaimed author Mary Higgins Clark serves a feast of original traditional mystery stories in classic Agatha Christie style. Featured writers include Amanda Cross, Frances Fyfield, and K.K. Beck.

Successful romance novelist Nat Noland has just had his cage severely rattled. After receiving an email directly from God, he just can't seem to get anywhere with his new novel. In Just Desserts, the grand poobah of American comedy, Carl Reiner, will have you holding your sides like never before. Follow Nat on his romps around New York City, as he tries to make sense of this divine intervention. Reminiscent of Mark Twain's Letters from the Earth, Just Desserts sparkles with the slapstick comedy and madcap hijinks that Reiner fans have loved for decades.

When Abe Ringel takes the case of Joe Campbell, the "White Knight" of the New York Knicks who stands accused of rape, he thinks he's found the perfect easy victory to get his career on track. But when Ringel's investigations suggest that Campbell is guilty and dangerous, the defense attorney must confront the conflict between his courtroom responsibilities and his ethics as a human being.

Nuala Anne McGrail has twice before amazed her faithful suitor, Dermot Coyne, with her psychic ability to "reach back" to the past and discover a wrong that needs righting. With their wedding only a few weeks away, Dermot's not a bit surprised when, while paying respects to his grandparents in Chicago's Mount Carmel Cemetery, Nuala points to the grave of the famous bootlegger Jimmy "Sweet Rolls" Sullivan .

Spanning almost thirty years, My Other Life traces the journey of a fictional Paul Theroux—from young bachelorhood in Africa to his travels between continents, from in and out of marriage through various affairs and multiple means of employment. From his early education at the knee of a highly eccentric uncle until his years as a fledgling novelist in London under the wing of the rapacious Lady Max, this writer of different guises eventually retreats alone to his hometown, where he finds the raw material to begin again.