Though as cunning as ever, the formidable Skullion - previously head porter, now elevated to Master - is showing signs of physical frailty after his stroke. So the tricky business of appointing a new Master must start all over again. Meanwhile the College's monstrous debts refuse to go away, and a sinister American media mogul seems determined to make a television documentary on the premises, destroying part of the chapel in the process. Moreover, the widow of the previous Master is convinced that her husband was murdered, so she plants an agent in the Senior Common Room to dig up an unpleasant truth that everyone else would prefer kept under the carpet. Faced with such continuing crises, the instinct of the true Porterhouse man is to reach for the bottle - or to fall back on the subtle and traditional Cambridge skills of blackmail and kidnap. But will those be enough?

Adam didn't believe all the stories about Spooksville. Adam has just moved to the small town of Springville. The first day there, he meets Sally, who tells him the city's real name is Spooksville, because of the all the spooky things that go on in it. Adam doesn't believe her until they team up with Watch and go in search of the Secret Path - a magical path that leads to other Spooksvilles. Together, Adam, Sally, and Watch will take the Secret Path and pass through a dark doorway. On the other side they will find a terrifying Spooksville where there are huge spiders, living skeletons, evil black knights, and a witch who just loves to make dolls - out of kids.

Wildly comic, erotic, and perverse, Rikki Ducornet's dazzling novel, Phosphor in Dreamland, explores the relationship between power and madness, nature and its exploitation, pornography and art, innocence and depravity. Set on the imaginary Caribbean island of Birdland, the novel takes the form of a series of letters from a current resident to an old friend describing the island's seventeenth-century history that brings together the violent Inquisition, the thoughtless extinction of the island's exotic fauna, and the amorous story of the deformed artist-philosopher-inventor Phosphor and his impassioned, obsessional love for the beautiful Extravaganza. The Jade Cabinet, Ducornet's novel that was a finalist for the National Book Critics Circle Award, was described by one reviewer as "Jane Austen meets Angela Carter via Lewis Carroll." Phosphor in Dreamland can be described as Jonathan Swift meets Angela Carter via Jorge Luis Borges. This is Ducornet at her...

From the award-winning author of "The Butcher Boy" comes a new novel of extraordinary power that, according to the San Francisco Chronicle, "confirm[s] McCabe's standing as one of the most brilliant writers to ever come out of Ireland".In "The Dead School", Patrick McCabe returns to the emotionally dense landscape of small-town Ireland to explore the inner lives of two men: a headmaster and a schoolteacher, each man the product of a soul-stifling culture, each battling his own demons of loss and betrayal. Tension coils--until tragedy strikes a young student in their charge, and the latent despair and rage that has festered in their hearts explodes onto the page. As in "The Butcher Boy", McCabe demonstrates his remarkable command of the vernacular and an uncanny ability to pinpoint the exact moment when ordinary minds take flight into madness. Equally compelling, equally heartbreaking in its impact", The Dead School" has established McCabe as one of the most celebrated writers of literary fiction today. "A spellbinding story of betrayal and broken dreams narrated to a wonderfully menacing effect...the sheer force of his language...positively thrums with life".-- "Los Angeles Times" " "The Dead School" makes compelling literature....The writing is seamless, the effect shocking: Imagine "Apocalypse Now" cheerfully narrated by Jimmy Stewart".-- "The Seattle Times" "McCabe [is] as skilled and significant a novelist as Ireland has produced in decades".-- "Kirkus Reviews" (starred review)

After a harrowing fall, Jane wakes up in Aldrick's castle with no memory of him or their past. Determined to win her heart again and help her remember, Aldrick takes care of Jane as she recovers, showing her around the castle and making romantic gestures. But Jane remains distant and confused, questioning her feelings for the monster she's been told about in stories. As Aldrick becomes increasingly frustrated, their relationship hangs in the balance. Will Jane fall in love with him again, or will she choose to leave the castle and forget their past forever?

Lady Druscilla Selby will do anything to protect her beloved sister, who is recovering from having been kidnapped and held to ransom. But her father hired a mysterious new footman, Scotsman Kyle Duncan, to protect Druscilla. Duncan was hiding a secret Druscilla must discover; for no matter how dashing or charming, a footman can be no match for an earl's daughter ... Regency Romance by Marcy Stewart; originally published by Zebra

Mariska couldn't be happier. Living an almost fairy-tale life, she is popular, adored by her parents, and is engaged to be married to the most attractive man in her village. But her world is torn when war approaches the peaceful village of Bakshami. Mariska risks everything she has in order to search for her parents who left to negotiate and find peace. With a young warrior as her companion, she travels beyond the safety of her village. Together they search for Mariska's parents and peace for their village in a time of terrible uncertainty.

From Booker Prize-winner Ben Okri: a deceptively simple modern fable with an ancient origin. A young man finds himself living among invisible beings who have built a utopia based on one principle: that we must repeat or suffer every experience until we experience it properly and fully for the first time. 'The hero of this novel finds what he did not seek, and goes where he did not intend to go. As I did in writing it.' BEN OKRI.

Funny, moving and sharply observed, these stories are confirmation of Boyd's status os one of English fiction's finest writers. Here are twenty-two gripping tales told in bold, distinct voices from Brazil to Africa and from Nice to Hollywood. The eclectic omnibus, previously published as the collections On the Yankee Station and The Destiny of Nathalie 'X', is a must read for any lover of the short story. Killing lizards -- Not yet, Jayette -- Bizarre situations -- Hardly ever -- The care and attention of swimming pools -- Next boat from Douala -- Gifts -- My girl in skin-tight jeans -- Histoire vache -- On the Yankee Station -- Bat-girl! -- Love hurts -- Extracts from the journal of Flying Officer J. -- The coup -- Long story short -- The destiny of Nathalie 'X' -- Transfigured night -- Hotel des Voyageurs -- Never saw Brazil -- The dream lover -- Alpes Maritimes -- N is for N -- The persistence of vision -- Cork.

When it was published in 1995, Mary Karr's The Liars' Club took the world by storm and raised the art of the memoir to an entirely new level, as well as bringing about a dramatic revival of the form. Karr's comic childhood in an east Texas oil town brings us characters as darkly hilarious as any of J. D. Salinger's--a hard-drinking daddy, a sister who can talk down the sheriff at twelve, and an oft-married mother whose accumulated secrets threaten to destroy them all. Now with a new introduction that discusses her memoir's impact on her family, this unsentimental and profoundly moving account of an apocalyptic childhood is as "funny, lively, and un-put-downable" (USA Today) today as it ever was

From Publishers WeeklyA "spooker," as explained in this absorbing new thriller from Ing, is a getaway kit prepared by a spy, to be used in the event he must disappear, even from his employers. The well-equipped spooker may contain jewels, cash, false ID and other kinds of treasure. When a spy and his spooker disappear, the assumption is that he has opted out-but maybe he's dead, a victim of a very specialized robber. When Gary Landis of the Drug Enforcement Agency becomes the target of a particularly malevolent team of criminals, his mentor, Swede Halvorsen, who's a retired LAPD cop, and Swede's granddaughter Janelle jump into the fray to set things right. Ing's earlier novels (Butcher Bird, etc.) imaginatively described the special world of experimental aircraft and weaponry. Here he enters new territory, both geographically (California's Central Valley from Bakersfield to Fresno, detailed with accurate local color) and thematically, proving that he is a master of ground-based spy novels as well as of high-in-the-sky techno-thrillers. The high-tech touches that do appear, including an intriguing ultra-light aircraft, are pure Ing, who seems to have relished creating the peculiar world of his two monstrous villains. Tinged with a sense that life is bittersweet, this is a welcome offering from an always entertaining author. Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc. From Library JournalDean (Butcher Bird, LJ 11/1/93) offers a fast-paced thriller about the murder of an undercover agent. In the intelligence community, we are told, an agent always maintains a well-hidden kit that contains false identification, money, and necessary papers in the event that he or she has to disappear quickly and without a trace. Is it possible that agents are being murdered by those who covet these kits, or "spookers"? When Gary Landis is murdered and no clues are forthcoming, the government agency for which Landis worked moves into high gear seeking a solution. Ing employs tautly written prose while keeping the pace flowing swiftly, smoothly, and with a maximum of suspense. His book is not for the squeamish, since there is much violence and depravity. However, if one perseveres, there is a well thoughtout story and conclusion. Recommended, with slight reservations, for larger fiction collections.-?Erna Chamberlain, SUNY at BinghamtonCopyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.

DOMESDAY IS COMINGIn 1086, England's mighty king, William the Conqueror, sends out surveyors and census takers to record the resources of his land and its people. Some welcome these inquisitive royal agents and their day of judgment. Others hate them. But wherever the king's men go they bring excitement; *and sometimes murder. . . .Calamity smolders on the Welsh-English frontier, where three powerful men squabble over the same rich tract of land. When King William's clever agents; soldier Ralph Delchard and lawyer Gervase Bret; arrive to settle the dispute, one of the claimants has been brutally burned alive, and the king's men are saddled with a formidable murder investigation. Before the frightful truth shines clear, everyone will be scorched by the flames of violence. . . ."Marston is a marvel at re-creating the atmosphere of the times while constructing a fascinating murder case".; *Anniston Star"[An] outstanding medieval mystery brimming with intrigue, suspense, and authentic historical detail".; *Booklist

Karen rescues a sad, old pony from an "everything must go" estate sale, then has to find a solution for how to keep him.

Young doctor Gina Panzella has known her boss, plastic surgeon Dr. Duncan Lathram, almost her entire life, and respects him deeply. Charming and brilliant, Duncan has invented a dissolving implant that allows incisions to heal without scarring. Duncan's artistry in the operation room is the salvationof Washington's biggest power players whenever they need touch-ups for C-Span. But there are a few things about Duncan that Gina can't quite figure out. Why did he trade vascular surgery for the more profitable but less vital plastic surgery, and why won't he accept his patients' medical insurance? What caused his daughter's death and the breakup of his marriage? Why do his tirades agains the new congressional medical ethics committee have such a bitter personal sting? And what is his connection to two committee members who died in accidents not long after Duncan operated on them? Soon Gina's curiosity about Duncanis replaced by suspicion and fear. With the help of Gerry Canney, a high school classmate now working for the FBI, Gina determines to find out what ruined Duncan's personal life and aroused his wrath against the congressmen. She find a man much more complex and mysterious than the sharp-tongued but kindhearted physician she though she knew. Then two more congressmen fall ill after Duncan's surgery. And Gina discovers another kind of implant in Duncan's arsenal. . . .