Thicker Than Blood - The Complete Andrew Z. Thomas Trilogy

Description

Now in a single volume...all of Crouch's Andrew Z. Thomas/Luther Kite novels that lead up to his and J.A. Konrath's thriller STIRRED...

THICKER THAN BLOOD: The Complete Andrew Z. Thomas Trilogy (Desert Places, Locked Doors, and Break You), is now available in a single ebook featuring a goldmine of killer bonus features, including the never-before-released alternate endings to both Desert Places and Locked Doors, which together comprise the length of an additional novel.

DESERT PLACES: A Novel: "Greetings. There is a body buried on your property, covered in your blood. The unfortunate young lady's name is Rita Jones. In her jeans pocket you'll find a slip of paper with a phone number on it. Call that number. If I have not heard from you by 8:00 p.m., the police will receive an anonymous call. I'll tell them where Rita Jones is buried on your property, how you killed her, and where the murder weapon can be found in your house. (I do believe a paring knife is missing from your kitchen.) I strongly advise against going to the police, as I am always watching you." Andrew Z. Thomas is a successful writer of suspense thrillers, living the dream at his lake house in the piedmont of North Carolina. One afternoon in late spring, he receives a bizarre letter that eventually threatens his career, his sanity, and the lives of everyone he loves. A murderer is designing his future, and for the life of him, Andrew can't get away.

LOCKED DOORS: A Novel: Seven years ago, suspense novelist Andrew Thomas's life was shattered when he was framed for a series of murders. The killer's victims were unearthed on Andrew's lakefront property, and since he was wanted by the FBI, Andrew had no choice but to flee and to create a new identity. Andrew does just that in a cabin tucked away in the remote wilderness near Haines Junction, Yukon. His only link to society is by e-mail, through which he learns that all the people he ever loved are being stalked and murdered. Culminating in the spooky and secluded Outer Banks of North Carolina, the paths of Andrew Thomas, a psychotic named Luther Kite, and a young female detective collide. Locked Doors is a novel of blistering suspense that will scare you to death.

BREAK YOU: A Novella: Following the events of Desert Places and Locked Doors, Andy Thomas and Violet King are hiding out in the wilds of northern Canada, where Violet has a four-month-old son and a burgeoning romance with Andy. On a cold, rainy night at their cabin in the woods, the promise of an idyllic life that seems just around the corner is shattered when a man from their past, a monster of pure malevolence, returns. What he has in store for them will challenge their understanding of evil and stretch the fibers of their love to the breaking point.

This 220,000-word ebook is absolutely loaded with content, including 2 full-length novels, a 20,000-word novella, an introduction, forewords to every book, an afterword, the short story, "Ginsu Tony" upon which Desert Places was based, the never-before-released 100-page alternate ending of Desert Places, the never-before-released 140-page alternate ending of Locked Doors, and more. This is everything written by Blake that you need to read in advance of the release of Blake's and J.A. Konrath's upcoming collaboration novel, Stirred.

At $7.99, this ebook is a bargain, as its core elements retail separately for almost $9.00, and the alternate ending material alone is the length of an additional novel.

About the Author:

BLAKE CROUCH is the author of five novels and numerous short stories, including Run, Desert Places, and the Serial series. He lives in Colorado, where he is at work on a new book. His website is www.blakecrouch.com.

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Now in a single volume...all of Crouch's Andrew Z. Thomas/Luther Kite novels that lead up to his and J.A. Konrath's thriller STIRRED...

THICKER THAN BLOOD: The Complete Andrew Z. Thomas Trilogy (Desert Places, Locked Doors, and Break You), is now available in a single ebook featuring a goldmine of killer bonus features, including the never-before-released alternate endings to both Desert Places and Locked Doors, which together comprise the length of an additional novel.

DESERT PLACES: A Novel: "Greetings. There is a body buried on your property, covered in your blood. The unfortunate young lady's name is Rita Jones. In her jeans pocket you'll find a slip of paper with a phone number on it. Call that number. If I have not heard from you by 8:00 p.m., the police will receive an anonymous call. I'll tell them where Rita Jones is buried on your property, how you killed her, and where the murder weapon can be found in your house. (I do believe a paring knife is missing from your kitchen.) I strongly advise against going to the police, as I am always watching you." Andrew Z. Thomas is a successful writer of suspense thrillers, living the dream at his lake house in the piedmont of North Carolina. One afternoon in late spring, he receives a bizarre letter that eventually threatens his career, his sanity, and the lives of everyone he loves. A murderer is designing his future, and for the life of him, Andrew can't get away.

LOCKED DOORS: A Novel: Seven years ago, suspense novelist Andrew Thomas's life was shattered when he was framed for a series of murders. The killer's victims were unearthed on Andrew's lakefront property, and since he was wanted by the FBI, Andrew had no choice but to flee and to create a new identity. Andrew does just that in a cabin tucked away in the remote wilderness near Haines Junction, Yukon. His only link to society is by e-mail, through which he learns that all the people he ever loved are being stalked and murdered. Culminating in the spooky and secluded Outer Banks of North Carolina, the paths of Andrew Thomas, a psychotic named Luther Kite, and a young female detective collide. Locked Doors is a novel of blistering suspense that will scare you to death.

BREAK YOU: A Novella: Following the events of Desert Places and Locked Doors, Andy Thomas and Violet King are hiding out in the wilds of northern Canada, where Violet has a four-month-old son and a burgeoning romance with Andy. On a cold, rainy night at their cabin in the woods, the promise of an idyllic life that seems just around the corner is shattered when a man from their past, a monster of pure malevolence, returns. What he has in store for them will challenge their understanding of evil and stretch the fibers of their love to the breaking point.

This 220,000-word ebook is absolutely loaded with content, including 2 full-length novels, a 20,000-word novella, an introduction, forewords to every book, an afterword, the short story, "Ginsu Tony" upon which Desert Places was based, the never-before-released 100-page alternate ending of Desert Places, the never-before-released 140-page alternate ending of Locked Doors, and more. This is everything written by Blake that you need to read in advance of the release of Blake's and J.A. Konrath's upcoming collaboration novel, Stirred.

At $7.99, this ebook is a bargain, as its core elements retail separately for almost $9.00, and the alternate ending material alone is the length of an additional novel.

About the Author:

BLAKE CROUCH is the author of five novels and numerous short stories, including Run, Desert Places, and the Serial series. He lives in Colorado, where he is at work on a new book. His website is www.blakecrouch.com.

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Concert and Live Music Photography: Pro Tips from the Pit

Description

If you've ever wanted to take dynamic and vibrant digital photos of your favorite band in concert, but aren't sure how to tackle such obstacles as approaching the stage, tricky lighting situations, or even what equipment to use, then look no further! Concert and Live Music Photography is a comprehensive guide to shooting live music performances, providing you with the right information on equipment, camera settings, composition, and post-processing to get the best out of each performance shot. J. Dennis Thomas, whose work has appeared in such magazines as Rolling Stone, SPIN, and Country Weekly, shares tips on lighting, common problems, etiquette, and recommended camera settings for shooting in a variety of different venues, including clubs, bars, outdoor concerts, theatres, stadiums, and arenas. He also explains how to get the right credentials to get you closer to each performance.

Jam packed with over 160 photos from today's top concerts, this book will not only give you the information you need to start taking rockin' photos of your favorite musicians, but will spark your creativity when you're anticipating the next shot.

For the on-the-go photographer, a cool companion website features additional tips, venue troubleshooting, and an equipment checklist when you need to think on your feet while running to another gig.

*Focuses solely on digital capture *Features over 160 electrifying images of top performers like Jay-Z and Green Day in concert * Offers tips on how to catch vibrant live action shots in some of the most difficult lighting situations, such as lowlight and strobes

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American Sphinx: The Character of Thomas Jefferson

Description

National Bestseller 

For a man who insisted that life on the public stage was not what he had in mind, Thomas Jefferson certainly spent a great deal of time in the spotlight--and not only during his active political career. After 1809, his longed-for retirement was compromised by a steady stream of guests and tourists who made of his estate at Monticello a virtual hotel, as well as by more than one thousand letters per year, most from strangers, which he insisted on answering personally. In his twilight years Jefferson was already taking on the luster of a national icon, which was polished off by his auspicious death (on July 4, 1896); and in the subsequent seventeen decades of his celebrity--now verging, thanks to virulent revisionists and television documentaries, on notoriety--has been inflated beyond recognition of the original person.

For the historian Joseph J. Ellis, the experience of writing about Jefferson was "as if a pathologist, just about to begin an autopsy, has discovered that the body on the operating table was still breathing." In American Sphinx, Ellis sifts the facts shrewdly from the legends and the rumors, treading a path between vilification and hero worship in order to formulate a plausible portrait of the man who still today "hover[s] over the political scene like one of those dirigibles cruising above a crowded football stadium, flashing words of inspiration to both teams." For, at the grass roots, Jefferson is no longer liberal or conservative, agrarian or industrialist, pro- or anti-slavery, privileged or populist. He is all things to all people. His own obliviousness to incompatible convictions within himself (which left him deaf to most forms of irony) has leaked out into the world at large--a world determined to idolize him despite his foibles.

From Ellis we learn that Jefferson sang incessantly under his breath; that he delivered only two public speeches in eight years as president, while spending ten hours a day at his writing desk; that sometimes his political sensibilities collided with his domestic agenda, as when he ordered an expensive piano from London during a boycott (and pledged to "keep it in storage"). We see him relishing such projects as the nailery at Monticello that allowed him to interact with his slaves more palatably, as pseudo-employer to pseudo-employees. We grow convinced that he preferred to meet his lovers in the rarefied region of his mind rather than in the actual bedchamber. We watch him exhibiting both great depth and great shallowness, combining massive learning with extraordinary naïveté, piercing insights with self-deception on the grandest scale. We understand why we should neither beatify him nor consign him to the rubbish heap of history, though we are by no means required to stop loving him. He is Thomas Jefferson, after all--our very own sphinx.

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Well timed to coincide with Ken Burns's documentary (on which the author served as a consultant), this new biography doesn't aim to displace the many massive tomes about America's third president that already weigh down bookshelves. Instead, as suggested by the subtitle--"The Character of Thomas Jefferson"--Ellis searches for the "living, breathing person" underneath the icon and tries to elucidate his actual beliefs. Jefferson's most ardent admirers may find this perspective too critical, but Ellis's portrait of a complex, sometimes devious man who both sought and abhorred power has the ring of truth.

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Stop Acting Rich: ...And Start Living Like A Real Millionaire

Description

The bestselling author of The Millionaire Next Door reveals easy ways to build real wealth

With well over two million of his books sold, and huge praise from many media outlets, Dr. Thomas J. Stanley is a recognized and highly respected authority on how the wealthy act and think. Now, in Stop Acting Rich ? and Start Living Like a Millionaire, he details how the less affluent have fallen into the elite luxury brand trap that keeps them from acquiring wealth and details how to get out of it by emulating the working rich as opposed to the super elite.

• Puts wealth in perspective and shows you how to live rich without spending more
• Details why we spend lavishly and how to stop this destructive cycle
• Discusses how being "rich" means more than just big houses and luxury cars

A defensive strategy for tough times, Stop Acting Rich shows readers how to live a rich, happy life through accumulating more wealth and using it to achieve the type of financial freedom that will create true happiness and fulfillment.

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Death Keeps Secrets: The Story of Amber, Nazis and the Men Who Discovered the Truth

Description

Summertime in Maine, 1998 . . . . A beach, a body, a bag of jewels. But not just any jewels - pieces from the famous Amber Room, stolen from Russia by the Nazis in WWII, then lost to the world. With a value that could be priceless and shrouded by murders and mystery, intelligence services, scholars and private treasure hunters have searched for it since the end of the war. What may have really happened to the Amber Room is about to be revealed. The discovery of the body piques the interests of five retired professionals on a fishing trip. Eager for adventure, they refer to themselves as old kids and call their small group "The OK Club". Now, inquisitiveness and impulsiveness take them from one country and intrigue to another as they evade the attentions of a psychotic killer. What they succeed in discovering will astound the experts. Is it fact or is it fiction - you decide! (Based on historical facts.)

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Whatever Happened to Thomas J. Reynolds? (The Walker Chronicles)

Description

THIS IS A SHORT STORY of approximately 5,800 words. This story references characters, locations and organizations from the full-length novel "The Dying of the Light: End," also by Jason Kristopher.

When you're done, don't miss the 5,000-word excerpt from the full novel!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

In the final days of the zombie apocalypse, Tom Reynolds led a group of AEGIS soldiers - 8th team - on what was supposed to be a relatively easy assignment. Land the overloaded C-17 Globemaster at McChord AFB just outside Seattle, Washington, and get the supplies and vehicles to AEGIS Bunker One.

Things didn't go as planned.

Reynolds and 8th team were attacked by religious zealots; their armored vehicles and supply trucks were taken out by homemade weapons and IEDs.

Reynolds and his men took refuge in an abandoned store, and called for backup. When rescue arrived hours later, the only thing they found were tattered scraps of uniforms and empty shell casings.

Reynolds and the entire 8th team were listed as KIA. This is their story.

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THIS IS A SHORT STORY of approximately 5,800 words. This story references characters, locations and organizations from the full-length novel "The Dying of the Light: End," also by Jason Kristopher.

When you're done, don't miss the 5,000-word excerpt from the full novel!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

In the final days of the zombie apocalypse, Tom Reynolds led a group of AEGIS soldiers - 8th team - on what was supposed to be a relatively easy assignment. Land the overloaded C-17 Globemaster at McChord AFB just outside Seattle, Washington, and get the supplies and vehicles to AEGIS Bunker One.

Things didn't go as planned.

Reynolds and 8th team were attacked by religious zealots; their armored vehicles and supply trucks were taken out by homemade weapons and IEDs.

Reynolds and his men took refuge in an abandoned store, and called for backup. When rescue arrived hours later, the only thing they found were tattered scraps of uniforms and empty shell casings.

Reynolds and the entire 8th team were listed as KIA. This is their story.

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