Science Thriller

Tracking down Aunt Lavender's kidnapper is proving to be more difficult than running through a swimming pool filled with peanut butter. Every lead we uncover ends with more questions than answers.

Nobody knew where it came from. Nobody knew why it came. When an eight-foot-tall man made of stone appears in the middle of a busy city center one July afternoon, two-bit (and antisocial) reporter Andy Pointer assumes it's just a publicity stunt. Indeed, so does everyone else...until the Stone Man begins to walk, heading silently through the wall of the nearest building, flattening it, and killing several people inside as a result.

Could we be living in a time of which there is more prophetic writings than of any period in history? Noah Parker, like many in the United States, has been asleep at the wheel. During his complacency, the founding precepts of America have been slowly, systematically destroyed by a conspiracy that dates back hundreds of years. The signs can no longer be ignored and Noah is forced to pull his head out of the sand and see things for what they really are.

After barely escaping with my life, returning to Faerie is the last thing I want to do. But my mission has grown only stronger now that I've sworn to save more held trapped in that realm. If only I know about their fate, then I'm sure as hell going to save them. Even if it means returning to hell.

When Malia Kwan exhibits unusual abilities, government agents show up at her home to apprehend her and her twin brother, Jaden - and all hell breaks loose. After their parents are killed, Jaden and Malia flee into the night, becoming fugitives. Before long, they discover their true identities are tied to the lost city of Atlantis - and to the origins of humanity itself. And now a threat emerges that could wipe out the entire human race - unless Jaden and Malia can stop it!

After everyone returns from Charleston, Honeysuckle Hollow has been growing by leaps and bounds with new residents seeking magical sanctuary. All the residents of the Southern supernatural small town try their best to be welcoming. Unfortunately, one of the most important people in Charli Goodwin's life is teetering on the brink. Just when things are looking their bleakest, Charli notices that small changes in everyone's normal lives are adding up to bigger problems and has to hurry to find out who's behind the chaos.

If Lexi Balefire's matchmaking skills seem like magic, it's for a good reason - being witchy runs in her family. Too bad the family magic has passed her by. Without access to enough power, Lexi might never control the Balefire legacy. Even worse, power might turn her into a wicked witch like her mother and grandmother before her. Lexi can only hope her dedication to bringing soul mates together is enough to counteract her family's sordid past.

When I ran from home, I did it to protect my family from myself. I am not to be trusted. There's a creature living inside me that I cannot control. I was doing the world a favor by hiding, and doing what I did best: finding missing animals. But when my father shows up at my door and asks me to find my missing sister, I'm unable to say no because it's my sister, and my wolf's interested. And my wolf always gets her way. Except, when she's interested, people end up dead, too.

We're the D'Artigo sisters: Half-human, half-Faerie, we are savvy - and sexy - operatives for the Otherworld Intelligence Agency. But our mixed-blood heritage short-circuits our talents at all the wrong times. My sister Delilah shapeshifts into a tabby cat whenever she's stressed. Menolly's a vampire who is still trying to get the hang of being undead. And me? I'm Camille - a wicked-good witch. Except my magic is as unpredictable as the weather, which my enemies are about to find out the hard way.

When you stand for something in life, you're bound to make some enemies. It's just my luck that my enemy turned out to be a really evil asshole with very powerful magic. Hector Haworth is coming after me no matter how hard I keep pretending he isn't. I've got two things he wants badly: a wolf he can possess, and the Reaper String - an enchanted item that can give him access to even more power. Giving up my freedom for the safety of my sister felt like a small price to pay - right until she went and disappeared again.

Magic can be a blessing or a curse. Emma Ayers is about to discover the biggest secret of her life - she's a witch. When tragedy upends Emma's idyllic life, she is taken in by a mysterious woman - the matriarch to Hell's Belles, a secret society of debutante witches in the historic city of Charleston. With Emma's help, they'll try to defeat an enemy that wants all the powers the Belles are gifted with - and who will stop at nothing to get them. Even if it means destroying everyone in the path, including the city they protect.

When an EMP devastates the nation's power supply, it doesn't take long for society to spiral out of control. There's no government to guide people. There's no power and no order. Only chaos and panic. In the immediate aftermath of the devastation, five survivors-a self-sufficient survivalist, a university student, a plane crash survivor, a young girl, and an escaped prisoner-all face a dangerous, treacherous journey towards safety. But as the day goes on, tensions reach breaking point; our survivors soon realize this solar event is far more dangerous than they could ever have imagined.

The last thing patrol cop Kate Prospero expected to find on her nightly rounds was a werewolf covered in the blood of his latest victim. But then, she also didn't expect that shooting him would land her in the crosshairs of a Magic Enforcement Agency task force, who wants to know why she killed their lead snitch. The more Prospero learns about the dangerous new potion the MEA is investigating, the more she's convinced that earning a spot on their task force is the career break she's been wanting. But getting the assignment proves much easier than solving the case.

Life in Abney, Texas, is predictable and safe - until the night a massive solar flare wipes out all modern technology. Shelby Sparks, novelist and single mom, had one goal: to provide for her diabetic son. In the wake of this global disaster, her mission hasn't changed. Only now, medication is a priceless commodity and the future resembles an apocalyptic nightmare. Max Berkman and Shelby were once sweethearts, but he lost his chance at claiming her love years ago. When the abrupt loss of power ushers him into a leadership role, he rises to the occasion.

Police Chief Delaney Reed can handle the Valkyries, werewolves, gill-men and other paranormal creatures who call the small beach town of Ordinary, Oregon their home. It’s the vacationing gods who keep her up at night. With the famous rhubarb festival right around the corner, small-town tensions, tempers, and godly tantrums are at an all-time high. The last thing Delaney needs is her ex-boyfriend reappearing just when she's finally caught the attention of Ryder Bailey, the one man she should never love.

All I want is to pay the rent and find a boyfriend. But an insane vampire thinks I hold the key to his takeover of the city, and I have a new stalker. At least for now, I've dodged the Illuminati's Hunters, but life is still a little too challenging. Rival vampire lords want to use me against each other, and the mysterious members of the Columbia Club are offering bounties for vampires and werewolves. I'm lucky that the gang at Rosie's has my back, because I'm going to need them.

Ellie Jordan's job is to catch and remove unwanted ghosts. Part detective, part paranormal exterminator, Ellie operates out of Savannah, Georgia - the most haunted city in the United States. When a family contacts her to deal with a disturbing presence in the old mansion they've recently purchased, Ellie first believes it to be a typical, by-the-book specter, a residual haunting by a restless spirit. Instead she finds herself confronting an evil that is older and more powerful than she'd ever expected.

Between 1910 and 1920, vigilantes and law enforcement-including the renowned Texas Rangers - killed Mexican residents with impunity. The full extent of the violence was known only to the relatives of the victims. The Injustice Never Leaves You offers an invaluable account of why these incidents happened, what they meant at the time, and how a determined community ensured that the victims were not forgotten.

Rudolph "Rudy" Dersch is the newly minted CEO of the world's largest, multi-trillion-dollar corporate conglomerate. But the job comes with an unexpected twist - an invitation to join the Consortium, a small, secretive group of global elites who effectively decide what's best for the rest of humanity. How does Rudy's struggle to reconcile business and family impact the world's future? And who, if anyone, can break the Consortium's iron grip on the status quo?

Drew Hayes presents the fifth book in the Fred, the Vampire Accountant series.