Showing results by narrator "Joel Leslie" in All Categories

Busy concentrating on family issues, Jimmy hasn't taken a new case in nearly three months, and when a call comes in from Philip Connelly, who wants proof that his wife, Myra, is cheating, Jimmy is torn. Take the case or say no. He rejects it, only to learn a week later that Philip has been found dead in a park on Staten Island. The police believe it was suicide, but Myra - a self-admitted adulteress - is convinced he was murdered.

Fifteen years ago, NYPD officer Joseph McSwain was gunned down while trying to stop a robbery. His murder was never solved. Until now. For his son, Hell's Kitchen private detective Jimmy McSwain, his father's death has defined him, defied him, and denied him his chance at happiness. But the shooting death of a young officer named Denson Luke has reignited the investigation into the mysterious Blue Death conspiracy. Jimmy still must earn a living, so he cannot ignore a family in distress. New neighbors Carmen Ramirez and her young son, Sonny, are clearly running from danger.

The dual forces of good and evil take center stage in the fourth installment in the Jimmy McSwain Files, one that finds the tortured, sexy detective battling an unforeseen enemy: happiness. Yet murder will soon rear its desperate chill, hurtling Jimmy into the highest society and the lowest of lives.

The Harold Calloway Theatre on West 47th Street is home to the new play Triskaidekaphobia, and its playwright has been receiving threatening messages. Theater owner and lead producer Wellington Calloway has hired Jimmy to investigate, but it's a case not without its complications. His mother is the head usher there, and Jimmy grew up on its aisles. His ex, Remy, is also the costume designer for the show, a man he hasn't seen in years.

This collection contains the seventh and eighth Bureau stories: Caroled and Camouflaged. Caroled: Charles Grimes hasn’t celebrated Christmas in years, so spending December in San Francisco while keeping an eye out for monsters sounds like an easy way to earn a few bucks. He should have learned by now that nothing is ever easy. Camouflaged: Ever since Ralph Crespo was trapped in human form, he’s been going through the motions at a job he once loved. Maybe that’s why the Bureau chief seems to have demoted him to messenger.

Simeon Bell just hasn’t been himself. Although he has spent a happy year as a roustabout with the Carnival of Mysteries—accompanied by his beloved, Crow Rapp—lately something has felt off. Maybe he hasn’t been himself because he doesn’t fully know who he is. Abandoned in a foundling home as an infant, he has never known anything about his family and has never met another of his kind. A tiny box found on the carnival midway leads Simeon and Crow on a quest to Simeon’s childhood home in the Victorian slums of London, where he discovers the ability to move through time.

This collection includes the charming London-based novellas of the With a Kick series - A Twist and Two Balls and Slap and Tickle. Also included are two short stories featuring the characters in these titles.

When Broadway actor Jonah receives word that his uncle has passed away and named him the heir to a property in Carlisle, Pennsylvania, Jonah’s plan is to settle the estate as quickly as possible and return to his life in New York City. Much to Jonah’s surprise, the inheritance includes the Ashford Cemetery—and its hunky groundskeeper, recent Bosnian immigrant Luka Pavelka.

Julian Massey has always been sickly. When the young man's parents send him to the seaside town of Urchin Cove to recuperate, he finds himself stranded in a tiny cabin with only the quirky local inhabitants for company. Then a storm blows through, and he finds an unexpected discovery washed up on the beach: an unconscious man. After stealing a treasure, Kit Archer is taken prisoner by a ruthless pirate, Captain Booth. When a storm hits the pirate ship, Kit is able to escape, but not without serious injuries.

This collection includes Clare London's second two charming London-based novellas of the With a Kick series - Pluck and Play and Double Scoop.

Their love is forbidden by rules, religion, and risk. Yet, still they can't resist. Captain Hugh Wilkes is on his last tour of duty in Afghanistan. The British Army is withdrawing, and Wilkes expects his posting to be event-free. That is, until he meets his Afghan interpreter, Rustam Balkhi, who awakens desires in Wilkes that he'd almost forgotten about, and that won't be ignored. They may be back on British soil, but the battle isn't over. When Captain Hugh Wilkes fell for Rustam Balkhi he knew things would never be easy.

It's finals week during Tony McNeil's second year in law school, and he's struggling to keep up. Frankly, he'd rather be cooking. Then he meets first-year student Eddie Cohen-Fernandez, who's heartsick over missing his family's annual Festivus celebration. Tony can use his culinary skills to lift Eddie's spirits, but finding long-term happiness? That just might require a Festivus miracle.

A mutual interest in art draws two shy university students together. Ben admires Vinnie's painting of the university building, so Vinnie invites him to an exhibition of his artwork. From a wealthy family, Ben purchases some of Vinnie's art and arranges for the artist to personally hang the paintings in his apartment. Ben commissions Vinnie to paint his portrait, in order to spend more time with the artist. On the night of the sitting, Vinnie fingerpaints the starry night on Ben's chest... and they kiss.

Praesidium is the most prosperous city-state in the world, due not only to its location at the mouth of a great bay but also to its strict laws, stringently enforced. Ordinary criminals become bond-slaves, but the worst punishment—to be suspended in a dreamless frozen state known as Stasis—is doled out by the wizard and reserved for only the most serious of traitors.

My name is Larson Blackburn. If anyone had written a fiction novel that mirrored my life over the past year, I would've called it "Science" fiction, or accused said author of being high on crack. . . but the truth is, I'd be the one in denial. You see, through the most unlikely chain of events, it seems I've fallen in love with my nemesis. That's right. The one and only Troy Babilonia, a.k.a. "Babu the Literary Critic." Remember him? The one that attempted to 'black ball' my masterpiece of literary fiction and take me down with it?

His career as an operatic tenor was finally taking off, and he would be damned if he let some stalker keep him from his dreams. But he had made the mistake of telling his uncle about the threatening letters the creep had been leaving. Now he was saddled with a muscle-bound bodyguard who was seriously cramping his love life. No matter what Anthony did, he couldn't get rid of the stubborn Brit. Freddie just didn't fit in with his glamorous life. And how did the man never sleep?

The King is dead. One by one, heads of state fall—ritualistic, symbolic, and terrifyingly precise. The CIA sends in their best: Will and Thomas. They're partners in espionage and lovers in a world where one wrong move means a bullet—or worse. Their orders? Hunt the killers. Keep it quiet. Don't die.

With their band on the brink of stardom, Johnny Gehrings is cast out by his stepmother and half-brothers because he’s not pretty enough for social media. He takes some solace when Zimri Hayes quits the band too—beautiful Zimri, who is Johnny’s secret heart’s desire. A job at a grocery store and a part-time music gig at a drag club pay the bills, but Johnny is still emotionally adrift, a wanderer abandoned in the forest. And when Zimri is offered a chance to make it big, Johnny fears that a devious manager will eat Zimri alive.

Donick Walsh: king of the school bullies, secret dancer, closet-case. What’s to be done when a football injury means he can never play again? Dance in the school musical, of course! Not like he has a choice. Fingers crossed his father doesn’t find out! Enter Michael Penrose: theatre-kid, and Donick’s former best friend. For years Michael has been the object of Donick’s ridicule simply because Michael is out and proud, and Donick is afraid. Suddenly confronted with his old friend, Donick sinks under the weight of the guilt of his past. How can a bully make amends for all the hurt he’s caused?

At a time when coming out of the closet is chic, it is certainly not that way for Brad Archer. After a traumatic sexual encounter in high school, Brad, now in college, is having trouble with romantic relationships. He has dates with girls that fail miserably and continues to have horrific nightmares about both his past and the fears for his future.