Showing results by narrator "Brian Holsopple" in All Categories

Kelp has a plan, and John Dortmunder knows that means trouble. His friend Kelp is a jinx, and his schemes, no matter how well intentioned, tend to spiral quickly out of control. But this one, Kelp swears, is airtight. He read it in a book.

In county lock-up for a traffic charge, Kelp came across a library of trashy novels by an author named Richard Stark. The hero is a thief named Parker whose plans, unlike Kelp and Dortmunder's, always work out. In one, Parker orchestrates a kidnapping so brilliant that, Kelp thinks, it would have to work in real life.

In the 1960s, on the heels of the Brown vs. Board of Education decision and in the midst of the growing Civil Rights Movement, Ku Klux Klan activity boomed, reaching an intensity not seen since the 1920s, when the KKK boasted over 4 million members. Most surprisingly, the state with the largest Klan membership-more than the rest of the South combined-was North Carolina, a supposed bastion of southern-style progressivism.

The independence of the Federal Reserve is considered a cornerstone of its identity, crucial for keeping monetary policy decisions free of electoral politics. But do we really understand what is meant by "Federal Reserve independence"? Using scores of examples from the Fed's rich history, The Power and Independence of the Federal Reserve shows that much common wisdom about the nation's central bank is inaccurate.

The Byzantine Fire is much more than a flawless ninety-carat ruby. As a stone it's worth over a million dollars, a value vastly increased by its pure gold band - but its history is what makes it priceless. A ring that has been fought for with sword and pen and passed from nation to nation by all manner of theft and trickery, has finally made its way to the United States. The US agrees to return it to Turkey, but it's about to be stolen twice more.

Coffins fill the basement of a crumbling Los Angeles movie theater. Five vampires crowd around fading horror idol Bela Lugosi, peppering him with questions. A malfunctioning plastic fang causes one of the undead-wannabes to lisp. The effect is less than fearsome, but Lugosi is terrified, for one of these oddballs has been making threats on his life. He hires Toby Peters to provide security against his unbalanced fans. The detective is not concerned, but he should be.

Robert East loved his older brother, Tom, but always resented Tom’s favored role in the family cattle business based at their San Antonio Viejo ranch near Hebbronville, Texas, just north of the Rio Grande. Tom was a figure to be reckoned with, a cattleman with ambitions to supplant their Uncle Bob Kleberg, head of the enormous King Ranch, as the leading cattle raiser in Texas. Robert, by contrast, was a cowboy who cared little for what occurred beyond the San Antonio Viejo’s main gate.

In Fateful Lightning, two-time Lincoln Prize-winning historian Allen C. Guelzo offers a marvelous portrait of the Civil War and its era, covering not only the major figures and epic battles, but also politics, religion, gender, race, diplomacy, and technology. He examines the strategy, the tactics, and the logistics of the Civil War and brings the most recent historical thinking to bear on emancipation, the presidency and the war powers, the blockade and international law, and the role of intellectuals, North and South.

Can humanity survive what it never saw coming? On October 15 at 2:15 a.m. Earth vanished. A scattered few woke alone in a world with no rules, other than survival at any cost. These survivors aren't truly alone... Someone or something is watching them. And waiting... Strangers unite. Sides are chosen.

Time is running out. Eleven alien vials hold the fate of humanity, but who can be trusted with them? In their race to save the world, the Black Island Guardsmen must put Paola in a danger unlike anything she’s ever faced. How far will the Guardsmen go to get the vials? Can Mary protect her daughter from an insidious alien who’s caused too much destruction?

A group finds itself taking refuge at The Sanctuary, a religious compound with an enigmatic leader called The Prophet. A serial killer finds himself leading an unlikely group of survivors. A young man searches to prove himself to his group, and avoid being bullied ever again. A young child is called to perform another miracle at great personal cost. Every decision. Every action. Every dream. Every alliance. Every secret. Every betrayal.

On October 15, humanity went missing. A handful of scattered survivors woke up to find the world empty of friends, family, and neighbors. Now, they are home. But they're not alone. The Darkness has killed nearly everyone on the planet. But it is no longer the biggest threat to humanity. Can this band of survivors overcome an even greater threat before all is lost?

Congressman Ken Buck (R-CO) is blowing the whistle on the real-life House of Cards going on behind the scenes in our nation's capital. Elected in 2014 as president of one of the largest Republican freshman classes ever to enter Congress, Buck quickly realized why nothing gets done in Congress, and it isn't because of political gridlock - in fact, Republicans and Democrats work together all too well to fleece taxpayers and plunge America deeper into debt.

Lee Nez is a nightwalker - a Navajo vampire. He's also a New Mexico state police officer. Paired with sexy FBI agent Diane Lopez, Lee is tracking down violent smugglers who have killed two cops while bringing silver and turquoise across the border from Mexico. Shocked to discover that the smugglers are Navajo shapeshifters/skinwalkers, Lee and Diane realize they must wipe out the whole pack, and fast, before the skinwalkers realize there's a nightwalker on their tails. Werewolves and vampires are deadly enemies.

In the Age of the Customer, sales effectiveness depends mightily on the buyer experience. Despite nearly universal agreement on the need for creating value in every step of the buyer’s journey, sellers continue to struggle with how to create that value and connect meaningfully with buyers. New research bridges the gap and reveals the behavioral blueprint for sellers that makes buyers more likely to meet with them - and more likely to buy from them.  

Just as grownups do not believe in the Tooth Fairy, the Easter Bunny, or Santa Claus, "Investing adults" know that there is no such creature as the Stock-picking Fairy or the Market-timing Fairy. Further, there is no Risk Fairy who will write you cheap options that will protect your stock holdings against loss. Investing adults are familiar with Gene Fama, Zvi Bodie, Jack Bogle, and Burton Malkiel, and understand that a mean variance optimizer does not blend vegetables. In other words, this series is not for beginners.

Velocity Overdrive: The Road to Reinvention is the third book from entrepreneur and former dealer Dale Pollak's Velocity series. In his prior books, Velocity: From the Front Line to the Bottom Line and Velocity 2.0: Paint, Pixels & Profitability, Pollak introduced the Velocity Method of Inventory Management TM and the application of market-based metrics for improving the performance of used vehicle departments. Velocity Overdrive shifts the discussion of velocity principles and metrics to the next level.

As one of the world’s leading field biologists, George Schaller has spent much of his life traversing wild and isolated places in his quest to understand and conserve threatened species - from mountain gorillas in the Virunga to pandas in the Wolong and snow leopards in the Himalaya. Throughout his celebrated career, Schaller has spent more time in Tibet than in any other part of the world, devoting more than thirty years to the wildlife, culture, and landscapes that captured his heart and continue to compel him.

The Japan News is an English-language daily newspaper published by The Yomiuri Shimbun, a leading Japanese newspaper with the largest circulation in the nation. Launched in 1955, the English paper was long known as The Daily Yomiuri but changed to its current name in April 2013 as part of a major renewal of the newspaper’s content. Drawing on The Yomiuri Shimbun’s broad news coverage network, The Japan News offers the latest and most reliable information about Japan to the world and is an excellent source of both domestic and foreign news. The Japan News also has a partnership with The...

Take four friends, put them on two Ural motorcycles (complete with sidecars), send them off on a 2,500-mile odyssey retracing history’s most famous retreat, add what some might consider an excessive amount of Vodka, and you’ve got Sylvain Tesson’s Berezina, a riotous and erudite book that combines travel, history, comradery, and adventure.

Dale Pollak, innovator and leader of the automotive sales and management industry, will once again, have you rethinking how to manage the used car business. More than a how-to business book, Gross Deception is a story of finding a problem in the reliance on gross profit and the trials to create a solution. This thoughtfully written book not only shows you the trial and error of potential answers, but also how to apply the answer that culminated from years of work.