Showing results by narrator "Joe Hempel" in All Categories

Of all the white American pop music groups that hit the charts before the Beatles, only the Beach Boys continued to thrive throughout the British Invasion to survive into the 1970s and beyond. The Beach Boys helped define both sides of the era we broadly call the sixties, split between their early surf, car, and summer pop and their later hippie, counterculture, and ambitious rock.

Although scholars have long recognized that local American parties play an important role in elections, surprisingly little is known about the individuals who lead these typically small, volunteer-based organizations. As Small Power shows, local party leaders influence the electoral process in myriad ways. Drawing from a survey of over 850 Democratic and Republican local party chairs, a nationally representative sample of voters, and dozens of in-depth interviews, the authors describe how parties are organized, who party chairs are, and how they serve the party.

In the aftermath of the release of Dr. Hallie Hayes’ weapon aboard the Nidus, Justin Barclay and his fellow survivors are forced to flee for their lives, but they soon realize they can’t run forever. The weapon is multiplying like a sentient plague...and it will consume everything and everyone in its path. As Justin and Hallie form new alliances with old rivals, facing down monstrous foes and treacherous enemies, they work to destroy the weapon and escape the infected ship. But the plague has other intentions—and it will not be stopped.

After barely surviving the horrors in ACM mine 1134, Justin Barclay and his ghostly tagalong board a colonist ship bound for a new world. As they explore the futuristic colonist city within the ship, they quickly realize all is not as it seems. The arrival of Dr. Hallie Hayes, a fugitive scientist, arrives on the colonist ship shortly after. Her charge: get her life’s work to the core Coalition planets before it falls into the wrong hands. But she’s too late.

Justin is excited to start his new job at an energy mine, on a distant planet - until things begin to go wrong. Small things. Annoying glitches in the mining complex's tech. Enough to aggravate him. Enough to notice a connection. When the first miner dies from a tech-related accident, Justin can no longer turn a blind eye. But the mine's brass don't want him digging for answers - even though something from the mine's past is lurking beneath the surface.... And it wants blood.

Everyone’s heard stories about ghost ships. But they’re just stories, right? On the hunt for a missing friend, Marcus and Solomon find a massive black ship in the unexplored regions. Now, they have to find a way to save their trapped friend, and defeat a galaxy-threatening danger. It won’t be easy, but that won’t stop Marcus. He never leaves a friend behind, and this time won’t be any different.

All Marcus Drake wanted was a nice, quiet vacation with his best friend, Solomon Keys, and his girlfriend, Iaka Kazumi. He figured two weeks on Pleasure Planet Four would be perfect. But things never seem to work out the way Marcus plans. They’ve barely settled in when Solomon gets kidnapped.

By-the-book Detective Asante Royo can only sweep up Fall River’s filth for so long without getting dirty. When he’s called to an apparent suicide at an apartment complex notorious for its prostitution racket and drug trade, he doesn’t shed a tear for the life wasted. Yet, something about the scene haunts his thoughts, and when his investigation gets swept under the rug, he has a hard time living with its stain.

Iaka Kazumi is enjoying her life as a research scientist, at least until her former Earth Force boss calls. Iaka finds herself dragged back into the dangerous world of espionage and running for her life. Marcus Drake and Solomon Keys rush to try and save her before it’s too late. Hunted by black-masked assassins while on the trail of a dangerous techno-cult, Marcus, Solomon, and Iaka crisscross the galaxy in an attempt to save the Earth from a dark fate. An old enemy becomes an ally, and the final battle will leave the Earth changed forever.

When a distress beacon far off the main trade routes appears on the scanner, they stop to investigate. The source, a large ship with a gaping hole in the hull, drifts dead in space. Aboard the derelict ship, floating millions of miles from the nearest civilization, a single woman, Earth Force Agent Iaka Kazumi, survives in a sealed cryochamber. When Marcus wakes Iaka, he steps into a conspiracy that could take down the entire Earth government. Marcus, Solomon, and Iaka soon find themselves on the run from Earth Force agents who want them silenced, permanently.

Tech Trends 24/7 and the Impact of COVID-19 is a game-changing book. During this decade, we will experience the greatest change in technology innovation in history driven by massive technology disruption that has been accelerated by the COVID-19 pandemic. These technology forces will have a riveting effect on our everyday personal and business lives. Tech Trends 24/7 and the Impact of COVID-19 provides a captivating, fast-paced tour on how technology innovation is enhancing our world covering important technologies.

A woman’s body is found floating in a sultry Florida mangrove. She has no ID, and there is no indication of cause of death. Who is she? Who killed her? Everyone has dark secrets that will be revealed. Rookie Detective Tom Lange couldn’t have landed a more difficult first case. The only thing he has to go on is the woman’s butterfly tattoo. His boss, Lauren Blythe, piles the pressure on, and the medical examiner won’t tell him what he needs to know.

A hurricane is due to hit Florida hard. Two men take the opportunity to rob an expensive home. Surprised by neighbors, the burglars kill two people...and seven-year-old girl Lemon Madras disappears. Is the little girl dead or alive? Agent Tom Lange is taken off suspension and brought in to find her.

On her drive to work, Heather Moss gets a phone call that will turn her life upside-down. The caller knows where her kids are, what they are wearing, and even what Heather is doing herself at that very moment. If she doesn’t do what he wants, her two little girls will die. Then an inmate dies in the county jail. He was a witness who could have brought down notorious criminal Mario Palumbo.

When a bandit raid destroys his home, Gabriel Kane believes his whole family is killed in the fire. Burdened by guilt, he dedicates his life to bringing those responsible to justice. Xander Kane has a secret place, a crawlspace under the kitchen perfect for stealing snacks. When the bandits attack Xander is trapped by the flames. Xander emerges hours later scarred and near death, his whole world reduced to ashes. Blind with rage, Xander dedicates his life to killing those responsible.

John Rast went to the Ren Faire looking for a fight. Well, a simulated fight, with blunt swords and safety equipment. But when his final opponent turns into a living, fire-breathing dragon, John finds himself in the fight of his life. It's John or nothing stopping a disaster in its tracks - and the only real weapon at hand is his mom's Volvo. So John decides to let it roll....

As a stay-at-home dad taking care of triplets, Andrew Mayhem's days of getting into wild adventures are over. His life is measured in diaper changes. Sleep has become an abstract concept, something oft-discussed with his wife, Helen, but rarely experienced. So, when internet celebrity explorer Percival Longshore asks Andrew and his best friend, Roger, to travel with him on a good old-fashioned treasure hunt, Andrew laughs off the idea.

In this dark and hilarious new adventure, Andrew has started up a private investigation business with his best friend Roger (slogan: "We Solve Weird Problems"). Since his options in life will become somewhat more limited after his wife Helen gives birth to triplets, it's his last-ditch effort to get out of being stuck with a corporate day job. One of their first clients is an attractive woman named Shirley. Keeping with the kind of luck Andrew has had his entire life, her problem is: "I think I may be a serial killer".

Death stalks the living. Seven writers have fled to Mirror House, a picturesque mansion by the sea. Each member of the group is running from a terrible premonition of their own death on July 24. What they don’t know is they were, in fact, prophesizing the end of the world, for on that very day, billions will die from a relentless heatwave triggered by global warming.

The Wrestlers' Wrestlers spotlights elite performers and analyzes exactly what made them your favorite wrestler's favorite wrestlers. Authors Dan Murphy and Brian Young interviewed more than 40 in-ring veterans, historians, referees, and promoters to get a unique insider's look at the people who have made a lasting impact on the world of professional wrestling. It offers a special peek "behind the curtain" and a rare look into the top stars' thoughts on their peers, their influences, and their personal favorites.