Showing results by narrator "J. Bruce McRell" in All Categories

Ethshar and the Northern Empire have been at war for hundreds of years. Hardly anyone alive remembers why, or over what. The tempest, turmoil, and war are endless, and the killing more endless still. The war has become not just a way of life, but an institution; no one dares to dream that it could end. Not even Valder of Kardoret, Ethsharitic Scout, trapped behind enemy lines.

When the foreigners confronted Sterren in Ethshar of the Spices, he was uneasy. When they all but abducted him, taking him to an obscure kingdom in the south, he knew he was in a terrible predicament. A predicament some might actually find appealing - he was by heredity the Ninth Warlord of Semma, least of the small kingdoms; he was a noble, and his rank afforded him material privileges, even in a place as insignificant and obscure as Semma. But the office also carried certain terrible responsibilities: He was to win the war the stupid king had stirred up by his arrogance.

Here are five funny, entertaining, delectable mystery stories featuring Peter "Pit Bull" Geller, who may be a bit damaged physically (in an auto accident), but has lost neither his biting wit nor his keen sense of how the upper crust manages their criminal ways. Included are "Pit and the Pendulum", "Pit on the Road to Hell", "A Christmas Pit", "Dog Pit", and "Horse Pit" (winner of the Black Orchid Award from the Nero Wolfe Society and Alfred Hitchcock's Mystery Magazine). Great story from a master storyteller!

These legendary mystics want a peaceful life. But with the fate of humanity hanging in the balance, a new mission brings them too close to darkness. Anne Le Clair and Michael Levy prefer the mundane joys of parenthood to any more world-saving. But when all the crystal key holders are summoned to Peru, they must once more answer the call of duty. For there in the Andes, lies a mystical doorway that can usher in a new golden age. Preparing for an ancient ritual to open the gate for the Old Ones to return, the couple is trailed by a sinister magician.

During the late 19th and early 20th centuries, African American men were seldom permitted to join the United States armed forces. There had been times in early US history when Black and White men fought alongside one another; it was not uncommon for integrated units to take to battle in the Revolutionary War.

In 1980, Exxon U.S.A., the world's largest corporation, began development of a five-billion-dollar oil shale industry in the pristine Colorado River Valley. Within eighteen months, Exxon had canceled its elaborate Colony project and 2,100 workers were immediately laid off. Boomtown Blues chronicles the social, environmental, and economic havoc created by one of the most expensive boom and bust cycles in the history of the American West.

Billionaire Scott Hollister’s ambition is to become a senior partner at his law firm. His track record is good and he has seniority, but he doesn’t have the appropriate corporate image. He needs a house, an attitude adjustment, and most importantly, a wife. He finds a woman interested in dating him—not just in dating his wallet—but the woman he is falling in love with is a waitress at a local diner who has mistaken him for being a homeless man after a mishap jogging in the park. He pretends to be penniless while courting Caroline, all while fighting off corporate sharks.

The foremost expert on the subject describes how Native languages, which were essentially unknown outside tribal contexts and thus could be as effective as formal encrypted codes, came to be used for military communication during World War I.

Deborah Baxter, the personal assistant to a powerful CEO, never expected her boss would want her to pose as his fake fiancée. She is plenty attracted to him, but she’s a 38-year-old single mother - now turned empty-nester - who hasn’t dated in years. Does she really want to go on romantic dates with her boss of 20 years? She says "yes" anyway.

Billionaire James Nielson plans to close many of his business' installations, including the original factory started by his grandfather in the small town of Newbury, when a woman - whom he had a sexual fling with over a year ago - abandons her baby at his company’s headquarters claiming he is the father. He and his baby daughter visit Newbury during the holidays where he hires a local woman, Melanie Frank, to be his nanny.

When Avery Hansen awakens, it's not to the warmth of her bed, but to the sterile white walls of an unfamiliar hospital room. Her mind races with fragments of the night before—a gathering of girlfriends at the local bar, laughter echoing in the air amid clinking glasses and upbeat chatter—now drowned by the eerie silence and the pungent scent of antiseptic.

There’s a serial killer murdering Irish American tourists all over Ireland. Jim O’Flannery of the Boston Globe and Megan Kennedy of the Irish Times are teamed up to report on the killings. They want to work together but also to stay clear of each other emotionally; there was a lot of trouble with the opposite sex in the past. But, Jim’s guardian angel appears, as a leprechaun, to pester and cajole Jim into getting involved with Megan. Jim can see Seamus. Megan can’t.

After the President of the United States is poisoned, Vampire COLONY agent Mason Warner steps in as the man's double. He manages the President's hectic schedule just fine until the political party sends in a public relations expert to clean up the President's image. She is the one woman from Mason's past whom he has never forgotten — the woman who is the measuring stick he compares all other women to — but he compelled her decades ago to forget their one night together.

A broad range of perspectives from natives and nonnatives makes this book the most complete account and analysis of the Lakota ghost dance ever published. A revitalization movement that swept across native communities of the West in the late 1880s, the ghost dance took firm hold among the Lakotas, perplexed and alarmed government agents, sparked the intervention of the US Army and culminated in the massacre of hundreds of Lakota men, women, and children at Wounded Knee in December 1890.

What if a book delves into the lives of the very town you live in and reveals to you some personal stories of people you know? Or thought you knew. Arcane Delights. Clifton Heights' premier rare and used bookstore. In it, new owner Kevin Ellison has inherited far more than a family legacy, for, inside are tales that will amaze, astound, thrill...and terrify. An ancient evil thirsty for lost souls. A very different kind of taxi service with destinations not on any known map. Three coins that grant the bearer's fondest wish.

Gabriel, a devoted single father, seeks a haven for his daughter, Anne, during a raging blizzard. They stumble upon a state-of-the-art smart home, a beacon of hope. But what begins as a refuge turns into a nightmare when the house locks them in, its sophisticated technology refusing to release them.

Alexander discovers his parents want him to marry and stay closer to home... his parents threaten to cut him off financially and he’s forced to approach the Vampire Council for a new marriage contract...Dionora is enjoying her new job at the Vampire Council Marriage Office. The holidays take an exciting turn for her when she discovers the next match she does is for her ex-fiancé. Revenge is sweet with this sensual, romantic comedy.

Broken engagement, a disappointed father, an emotional mother - what else could a wounded soldier ask for? Tommy has no idea that his sweet nurse remembers him prior to his injuries. Always professional, Abby treats Tommy no differently because of their awkward past. Once the truth is out, what will become of their friendship and budding romance?

After faking his death from an assassination attempt on the president and retiring his first and only alias with the Colony, Daniel Brighton discovers the mandatory sabbatical to be less than exciting. He chooses to do a favor and act as a security guard for a fading pop-singer, Lori Austin, whose career is winding down. He travels across Europe with her and discovers her past to be one of deception and intrigue with a history leading directly back to the Colony itself.

Sammy Lee Gott has been a son, brother, husband, father, soldier, and all around good guy for the last 75 years. During his life's journey, he has learned the power of humor. This is a collection of his personal story and jokes.