Showing results by narrator "Joe Hempel" in All Categories

Eight deliciously talented mystery authors have lent their skills of crafting murder and suspense to this collection of gripping short stories. Each of these eight provocative tales is designed to entertain and mystify—and maybe even chill you to your core. Get lost in the wild imaginations of such New York Times bestselling writers as Andrew Child, Heather Graham, Reed Farrel Coleman, and John Gilstrap, plus authors Rick Bleiweiss, Jennifer Graeser Dornbush, Amanda Flower, and Don Bruns.

For over 100 years, the Temple of Ran has been sacrificing young wizards in order to steal their power. When Lorit discovers that he holds the rare ability to use magic, he becomes their next target. At first, he runs, working to master his abilities on the move so that one day he might be able to resist them. But that was before the Temple targets his beloved sister, Chihon. In order to save her life, he infuses her with his own power. Now, they're both targets.

With the Chamber of Eternity secure, Otto must now recover the second piece of the Immortality Engine. But that task will be far from easy. For the second piece, The Heart of Alchemy, lies far to the east in the fabled Celestial Empire. Assassins, undead, monstrous beasts, and demon worshippers all stand between Otto and his prize. And even more daunting, Valtan, the last living arcane lord, is determined to stop him. The cost be damned. Can Otto overcome the forces arrayed against him and take the next step down the road to immortality?

Yaz knows where his people are being held. But rescuing hundreds of villagers scattered across the kingdom is no easy task, especially with Carttoom's army hunting you. When some of the more militant slaves start burning farms and killing people, all Hell breaks loose. Meanwhile, The Dark Sages are determined to capture Ariel and enslave her power for their own evil ends. The battle is joined. The Slave War has begun.

With the empire secure, Otto turns his focus west. The first piece of the Immortality Engine lies across the ocean in Lord Colt’s Workshop. Complicating Otto’s mission, Eddred of Markane is already in Colt’s Land, trying to persuade them to help him defeat the empire. Can Otto navigate a web of politics and intrigue unlike anything he’s ever encountered? Or, will his mission fail before he even reaches Colt’s workshop?

Finally! Discover how to create to-do lists that work! Do you feel frustrated because you can't seem to finish every item on your daily to-do lists? Do you feel discouraged because you're not effectively managing your workload and responsibilities at your office and home? The good news is that there's a simple solution. It's a matter of using an approach specifically designed to help you organize, manage, and address every task and responsibility on your plate in a timely fashion.

Talon always thought the stories about the Pale Princess were just that, stories. At least, he did until she showed up, took control of most of his people, and forced him to flee for his continued existence. And who does the most powerful vampire in the world turn to when he needs help? Who else? Conryu Koda, the Reaper’s Chosen, and the human charged with hunting down and eliminating the servants of the newly arrived demon lords. But is even Conryu powerful enough to defeat someone that can control vampires?

The Exceptional Crimes Unit stopped another criminal: Lucy Speckle. The brilliant FBI agent, Christian Windsor, pushed her to suicide....watching as she cut her own throat. It changed Christian, though, and those around him are starting to notice. He's darker. Harsher. Crueler. His partner, Luke Titan, couldn't be happier because he engineered the whole thing. If anyone knew Titan's true intentions, they'd call him a psychopath. They'd lock him up. They'd put him in the electric chair. Too bad his genius keeps him hidden in the shadows.

After the failure in Straken, Otto is forced to accept that as long as Garenland’s enemies can send reinforcements through the portals, the Northern Army has no hope of taking Marduke. But Otto has a plan: Seize control of the portals, and turn the enemy’s strength against them. To accomplish this seemingly impossible goal, Garenland’s top spies are dispatched to place magical patches on the portals in every capital. Behind enemy lines and on their own, it will be a miracle if the spies can survive, much less complete their missions.

Marissa: I didn't want this life. But sometimes you're forced to make the best of the crappy hand you've been dealt. I wanted to teach my daughter that. No matter what happens you face your problems head-on. Never cower. Never give up. Then someone took her and I had to put my faith in a system that had failed me, and my hope in a man I didn't know.

Just your average father-son story. But with abduction, torture, and murder. Out of nowhere, a retired 60-year old handyman goes on a murder-spree, abducting healthy young people and torturing them with hand-tools. After he's caught, a media fascination in The Handyman swells. People want to know why he snapped. They want to hear all the grisly details. But he'll only tell his gruesome story to one person - his estranged son.

The move into 889 Morgan Road was supposed to be a fresh start for Joseph Dubois and his family. What they got instead was a nightmare. At night, guttural noises issue from behind the walls, and the family reports seeing a terrifying figure wandering the premises. Desperately seeking someone with experience in supernatural matters, Joseph calls upon his uncle, Marcel. Retired surgeon Marcel Dubois has a special gift: The ability to communicate with his dead wife. Harnessing this gift allows him to plumb the depths of the afterlife and to confront the paranormal.

Does your mind blank in conversation and create awkward silence? Do you run out of things to say and struggle to keep dialogue flowing? (A) Conversation isn't scripted, (B) it's 100% unpredictable, and (C) it can be terrifying at times. How do you prepare for such a thing? By learning how to apply improv comedy techniques to roll with any punch and improve your conversations and social interactions.

For centuries, the governments of the world have kept the half-elf Morgana locked in a prison where she couldn't use her magic. Now, her fanatical followers are on the verge of setting her free. Meanwhile, the best hope of defeating her is trapped in an inter-dimensional library unaware of the chaos engulfing the Alliance.

Christian Windsor's odd genius brought him and his FBI unit fame when he stopped the sadistic murderer called The Surgeon. Christian's genius couldn't reveal the sociopath working right next to him, though: the world-renowned psychiatrist, Luke Titan. Dead bodies begin showing up again, but this time, Christian knows them. The killer doesn't want other people: He wants Christian. A delusional psychopath thinks Christian can bring God's return, which gives Luke Titan the perfect opportunity to continue his own sick purpose.

Conryu Koda wants nothing more than to be left alone to live a quiet life. But the universe seems to have other plans for him. While back at the Arcane Academy to watch his friend’s graduation, Conryu is summoned to hell by The Reaper himself. What new threat has appeared that warrants the attention of the lord of hell?

Laugh Tactics is full of strategies that dissect, break down, and analyze all of the types of humor that you'll encounter in daily conversation - stuff you can really use with people you talk to. We're not all trying to become standup comedians, and this isn't a book about ha-ha jokes with setups and punch lines. Learn to simply make a better impression on people, put them at ease, charm them, and make them smile with you.

When her husband leaves her for a younger woman, transplant surgeon Harlow James finds herself alone, without family, and barely a career. So she trades the bright lights of Manhattan for the open road and ends up at the Pearl, a sustainable home outside of Taos, New Mexico where she hopes to find out where she went wrong. Instead, she finds the perfect man. Too bad he's too young for her.... Set amidst the enchanting landscape of Taos, New Mexico, Everything She Ever Wanted explores one woman's search for the things that really matter.

Defeat a three-headed fire breathing monster? All in a day's work for the world's only male wizard. Conryu returns to the academy after surviving his first semester by the narrowest of margins. Little does he know the monstrous threats waiting for him in the second half of the year. Back in Sentinel City things aren't progressing any better as the devious Lady Raven plots the city's destruction from her hidden lair. The exciting third book in the Aegis of Merlin series finds Conryu facing an ever-growing list of dangers. Can he conqueror his foes before time runs out?

Nothing has gone right for Conryu Koda since learning he's a wizard. On his first day at The North American Alliance's Arcane Academy he's greeted by protestors and pelted with tomatoes. On the second day he nearly dies in a magical ritual. It's all downhill from there. With enemies around every corner, not to mention a crazy professor, will Conryu even make it to winter break?