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The comfort of ghosts / by Winspear, Jacqueline,1955-author.;
"London, 1945: Four adolescent orphans with a dark wartime history are squatting in a vacant Belgravia mansion - the owners having fled London under heavy Luftwaffe bombing. Soon after a demobilized British soldier, ill and reeling from his experiences overseas, takes shelter with the group, Maisie Dobbs visits the mansion on behalf of the owners. Maisie is deeply puzzled by the children's reticence. Their stories are evasive and, more mysteriously, they appear to possess self-defense skills one might expect of trained adults in wartime. Her quest to bring comfort and the promise of a future to the youngsters and to the ailing soldier brings to light a decades-old mystery concerning Maisie's first husband, James Compton, who was killed while piloting an experimental aircraft. As Maisie picks apart the threads of her dead husband's life, she is forced to examine her own painful past and question beliefs she has always accepted as true. The award-winning Maisie Dobbs series has garnered hundreds of thousands of followers around the world, readers who are drawn to a woman who is of her time, yet familiar in ours - and who inspires with her resilience and capacity for endurance at the worst of times. This final assignment of her own choosing not only opens a new future for Maisie Dobbs and her family, but serves as a fascinating portrayal of the challenges facing the people of Britain at the close of the Second World War"--
Subjects: Detective and mystery fiction.; Novels.; Dobbs, Maisie (Fictitious character); Orphans; Reflection (Philosophy); Women private investigators; World War, 1939-1945;
Available copies: 1 / Total copies: 2
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Grace under fire [sound recording] / by Garwood, Julie,author.; Brentmoor, Samantha,narrator.; Brilliance Audio (Firm),publisher.;
Read by Samantha Brentmoor."A Navy SEAL will need every bit of his extensive skill set when he appoints himself as bodyguard to a woman determined not to need one in this thrilling new novel from #1 New York Times bestselling author Julie Garwood. Isabel Grace MacKenna had a hundred things to do today. Killing someone wasn't one of them. It was supposed to just be a quick visit to Boston for the Buchanans' anniversary party. But after getting lost, she ends up with a wounded man stumbling into her and then his shooter coming after them both. When she fires back in self-defense, she doesn't expect him to drop dead. The police are torn between believing that she's an innocent bystander or more deeply involved, but thanks to the Buchanans dispatching Navy SEAL and now lawyer Michael Buchanan to deal with the police, Isabel is finally free to go. Isabel knows that she should be more grateful for Michael's help, but since she loathed him for years, gratitude is the last thing she feels. But somehow, Michael has appointed himself her de facto guardian, and he's sticking to her like glue despite their constant bickering and sizzling attraction. Even when Isabel goes to Scotland to claim her inheritance, Michael follows her, but he isn't the only thing Isabel can't shake. Mysterious threats against Isabel have escalated, and before they can deal with their growing feelings for each other, they must first survive"--System requirements: CD-MP3 player or computer with MP3-capable software. Can be played on iPod (through iTunes). Can be used with a DAISY player.
Subjects: MP3 (Audio coding standard); Romance fiction.; Audiobooks.; Novels.; Bodyguards; Lawyers; Man-woman relationships; Threats of violence;
Available copies: 1 / Total copies: 1
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Anywhere you run : a novel / by Morris, Wanda M.(Wanda Michelle),1959-author.;
It's 1964 and Violet Richards is in more trouble than she's ever been in her life. It was an act of self-defense against her white rapist, Huxley Broadus. But with the color of Violet's skin, there is no way she can escape Jim Crow justice, not in Jackson, Mississippi. Before anyone can find Huxley's body or finger Violet as the killer, she decides to run. With the help of her white beau, Dewey Leonard, a lovesick boy intent on marrying her up North, they make it to Birmingham before she sneaks away and catches a Greyhound bus bound for Washington, D.C. But desperation has her winding up in the small rural town of Chillicothe, Georgia. Back in Jackson, Marigold, Violet's older sister, has dreams of attending law school. But she is in a different kind of trouble: she's pregnant and unmarried. Working for the Mississippi Summer Project, Marigold has been trying to use her smarts to further the cause of the Black vote. But after the Project's lawyer, and her baby's father, abandons her and news of Huxley's murder brings the police to her door, Marigold sees no choice but to marry another man and leave Jackson behind. After a quick marriage, they move to Ohio seeking the promise of a better life and no more segregation. Two sisters on the run, one from the law, the other from social shame. What they don't realize is that there's a man hot on their trail. This man has his own brand of dark secrets and a disturbing motive for finding the sisters that is unknown to everyone but him.
Subjects: Thrillers (Fiction); Historical fiction.; Novels.; African American women; African Americans; African Americans; Fugitives from justice; Secrecy; Sisters; Unmarried mothers; Unplanned pregnancy;
Available copies: 1 / Total copies: 1
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The Unit : my life fighting terrorists as one of America's most secret military operatives / by Gamal, Adam,author.; Kennedy, Kelly,1970-author.;
Includes bibliographical references and index."The first and only book to ever be written by a member of America's most secret military unit -- an explosive and unlikely story of immigration, service, and sacrifice. Inside our military is a team of operators whose work is so secretive that the name of the unit itself is classified. Highly-trained in warfare, self-defense, infiltration, and deep surveillance, 'the Unit,' as the Department of Defense has asked us to refer to it, has been responsible for preventing dozens of terrorist attacks in the Western world. Never before has a member of this unit shared their story -- until now. From Adam Gamal, one of the only Muslim Arab Americans to serve inside 'the Unit,' comes a gripping firsthand account of our nation's most secretive military group. When Adam arrived in the United States at the age of nineteen, he spoke no English, and at 5'1" and 112 pounds, he was far from what you might expect of a soldier. But compelled into service by a debt he felt he owed to his new country, he rose through the ranks of the military to become one of its most elite and skilled operators. With humor and humility, Adam shares stories of life-threatening injuries, of the camaraderie and capabilities of his team, of the incredible missions -- but also of the growth he experienced as he learned to adhere to more moderate Islamic beliefs. Enthralling and eye-opening, The Unit is at once a gripping account of the fight against terror and an urgent examination of the need for diversity"--
Subjects: Biographies.; Personal narratives.; Gamal, Adam.; United States. Army. Special Forces; United States. Army; Egyptian Americans; Muslims; Special operations (Military science); Terrorism;
Available copies: 1 / Total copies: 1
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The lost sons of Omaha : two young men in an American tragedy / by Sexton, Joe,1959-author.;
"On May 30, 2020, in Omaha, Nebraska, amid the protests that rocked our nation after George Floyd's death at the hands of police, thirty-eight-year-old white bar owner and Marine veteran Jake Gardner fatally shot James Scurlock, a twenty-two-year-old Black protestor and young father. What followed were two investigations of Scurlock's death, one conducted by the white district attorney Don Kleine, who concluded that Gardner had legally acted in self-defense and released without a trial, and a second grand jury inquiry conducted by African American special prosecutor Fred Franklin that indicted Gardner for manslaughter and demanded he face trial. Days after the indictment, Gardner killed himself with a single bullet to the head. The deaths of both Scurlock and Gardner gave rise to a toxic brew of misinformation, false claims, and competing political agendas. The two men, each with their own complicated backgrounds, were turned into grotesque caricatures. Between the heated debates and diatribes, these twin tragedies amounted to an ugly and heartbreaking reflection of a painfully divided country. Here, Joe Sexton masterfully unpacks the whole twisting, nearly unbelievable chronicle into a meticulously reported and nuanced account of the two deaths, explaining which claims were true and which distorted or simply false. The Lost Sons of Omaha carefully examines some of the most pressing issues facing America today, including our country's dire need for gun control and mental health reform; the dangerous spread of fake news, particularly on social media; and the urgent call to band together in the collective pursuit of truth, fairness, and healing"--
Subjects: Murder victims; Trials (Manslaughter);
Available copies: 1 / Total copies: 1
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Anywhere you run [text (large print)] : a novel / by Morris, Wanda M.(Wanda Michelle),1959-author.;
It's 1964 and Violet Richards is in more trouble than she's ever been in her life. It was an act of self-defense against her white rapist, Huxley Broadus. But with the color of Violet's skin, there is no way she can escape Jim Crow justice, not in Jackson, Mississippi. Before anyone can find Huxley's body or finger Violet as the killer, she decides to run. With the help of her white beau, Dewey Leonard, a lovesick boy intent on marrying her up North, they make it to Birmingham before she sneaks away and catches a Greyhound bus bound for Washington, D.C. But desperation has her winding up in the small rural town of Chillicothe, Georgia. Back in Jackson, Marigold, Violet's older sister, has dreams of attending law school. But she is in a different kind of trouble: she's pregnant and unmarried. Working for the Mississippi Summer Project, Marigold has been trying to use her smarts to further the cause of the Black vote. But after the Project's lawyer, and her baby's father, abandons her and news of Huxley's murder brings the police to her door, Marigold sees no choice but to marry another man and leave Jackson behind. After a quick marriage, they move to Ohio seeking the promise of a better life and no more segregation. Two sisters on the run, one from the law, the other from social shame. What they don't realize is that there's a man hot on their trail. This man has his own brand of dark secrets and a disturbing motive for finding the sisters that is unknown to everyone but him.
Subjects: Thrillers (Fiction); Historical fiction.; Large type books.; Novels.; African American women; African Americans; African Americans; Fugitives from justice; Secrecy; Sisters; Unmarried mothers; Unplanned pregnancy;
Available copies: 1 / Total copies: 1
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Little souls / by Dallas, Sandra,author.;
"Sandra Dallas's Little Souls is a gripping tale of sisterhood, loyalty, and secrets set in Denver amid America's last deadly flu pandemic. Colorado, 1918. World War I is raging overseas, but it's the home front battling for survival. With the Spanish Flu rampant, Denver's schools are converted into hospitals, churches and funeral homes are closed, and nightly horse-drawn wagons collect corpses left in the street. Sisters Helen and Lutie have moved to Denver from Ohio after their parents' death. Helen, a nurse, and Lutie, a carefree advertising designer at Neusteter's department store, share a small, neat house and each finds a local beau - for Helen a doctor, for Lutie a young student who soon enlists. They make a modest income from a rental apartment in the basement. When their tenant dies from the flu, the sisters are thrust into caring the woman's small daughter, Dorothy. Soon after, Lutie comes home from work and discovers a dead man on their kitchen floor and Helen standing above the body, an icepick in hand. She has no doubt Helen killed the man-Dorothy's father-in self-defense, but she knows that will be hard to prove. They decide to leave the body in the street, hoping to disguise it as a victim of the flu. Meanwhile Lutie also worries about her fiance "over there". As it happens, his wealthy mother harbors a secret of her own and helps the sisters as the danger deepens, from the murder investigation and the flu. Set against the backdrop of an epidemic that feels all too familiar, Little Souls is a compelling tale of sisterhood and of the sacrifices people make to protect those they love most"--
Subjects: Historical fiction.; Novels.; Influenza Epidemic, 1918-1919; Murder; Secrecy; Sisters;
Available copies: 1 / Total copies: 1
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Dark mirror : Edward Snowden and the American surveillance state / by Gellman, Barton,1960-author.; Soltani, Ashkan,contributor.;
Includes bibliographical references and index."Edward Snowden chose three journalists to tell the stories in his Top Secret trove of NSA documents: Barton Gellman of The Washington Post, Glenn Greenwald of The Guardian and filmmaker Laura Poitras, all of whom would share the Pulitzer Prize for Public Service. Poitras went on to direct the Oscar-winning Citizenfour. Greenwald wrote an instant memoir and cast himself as a pugilist on Snowden's behalf. Gellman took his own path. Snowden and his documents were the beginning, not the end, of a story he had prepared his whole life to tell. More than 20 years as a top investigative journalist armed him with deep sources in national security and high technology. New sources reached out from government and industry, making contact on the same kinds of secret, anonymous channels that Snowden had used. Gellman's reporting unlocked new puzzles in the NSA archive. And as Snowden's revelations faded somewhat from the public consciousness, the machinations he exposed continue still, with many policies unaltered despite societal outrage. Dark Mirror is a true-life spy tale that touches us all, told with authority and an inside view of extraordinary events. Within it is a chilling personal account of the obstacles facing the author, beginning with Gellman's discovery of his own name in Snowden's NSA document trove. Google notifies him that a foreign government is trying to compromise his account. A trusted technical adviser finds anomalies on his laptop. Sophisticated impostors approach Gellman with counterfeit documents, attempting to divert or discredit his work. Throughout Dark Mirror, the author wages an escalating battle against unknown digital adversaries who force him to mimic their tradecraft in self-defense. With the vivid and insightful style that marked Gellman's bestselling Angler, Dark Mirror is an inside account of the surveillance-industrial revolution and its discontents, fighting back against state and corporate intrusions into our most private spheres. Along the way, and with the benefit of hindsight, it tells the full story of a government leak unrivaled in drama since All the President's Men"--
Subjects: Snowden, Edward J., 1983-; Gellman, Barton, 1960-; United States. National Security Agency/Central Security Service.; Electronic intelligence; Electronic surveillance; Domestic intelligence; Leaks (Disclosure of information); Whistle blowing; Journalists;
Available copies: 1 / Total copies: 1
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The whole language : the power of extravagant tenderness / by Boyle, Greg,author.;
Gregory Boyle, the beloved Jesuit priest and author of the inspirational bestsellers Tattoos on the Heart and Barking to the Choir, returns with a call to witness the transformative power of tenderness, rooted in his lifetime of experience counseling gang members in Los Angeles. Over the past thirty years, Gregory Boyle has transformed thousands of lives through his work as the founder of Homeboy Industries, the largest and most successful gang-intervention program in the world. Boyle's new book, The Whole Language, follows the acclaimed bestsellers Tattoos on the Heart, hailed as an "astounding literary and spiritual feat" (Publishers Weekly) that is "destined to become a classic of both urban reportage and contemporary spirituality" (Los Angeles Times), and Barking to the Choir, deemed "a beautiful and important and soul-transporting book" by Elizabeth Gilbert and declared by Ann Patchett to be "a book that shows what the platitudes of faith look like when they're put into action." In a community struggling to overcome systemic poverty and violence, The Whole Language shows how those at Homeboy Industries fight despair and remain generous, hopeful, and tender. When Saul was thirteen years old, he killed his abusive stepfather in self-defense; after spending twenty-three years in juvenile and adult jail, he enters the Homeboy Industries training and healing programs and embraces their mission. Declaring, "I've decided to grow up to be somebody I always needed as a child," Saul shows tenderness toward the young men in his former shoes, treating them all like his sons and helping them to find their way. Before coming to Homeboy Industries, a young man named Abel was shot thirty-three times, landing him in a coma for six months followed by a year and a half recuperating in the hospital. He now travels on speaking tours with Boyle and gives guided tours around the Homeboy offices. One day a new trainee joins Abel as a shadow, and Abel recognizes him as the young man who had put him in a coma. "You give good tours," the trainee tells Abel. They both have embarked on a path to wholeness. Boyle's moving stories challenge our ideas about God and about people, providing a window into a world filled with fellowship, compassion, and fewer barriers. Bursting with encouragement, humor, and hope, The Whole Language invites us to treat others-and ourselves-with acceptance and tenderness.
Subjects: Boyle, Greg.; Christian life; Church work with juvenile delinquents; Church work; Compassion.; Gang prevention.;
Available copies: 1 / Total copies: 1
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The fishermen and the dragon : fear, greed, and a fight for justice on the gulf coast / by Johnson, Kirk W.,author.;
Includes bibliographical references and index."A gripping, twisting account of a small town set on fire by hatred, xenophobia, and ecological disaster--a story that weaves together corporate malfeasance, a battle over shrinking natural resources, a turning point in the modern white supremacist movement, and one woman's relentless battle for environmental justice. By the late 1970s, the fishermen of the Texas Gulf Coast were struggling. The bays that had sustained generations of shrimpers and crabbers before them were being poisoned by nearby petrochemical plants, oil spills, pesticides, and concrete. But as their nets came up light, the white shrimpers could only see one culprit: the small but growing number of newly resettled Vietnamese refugees who had recently started fishing. Turf was claimed. Guns were flashed. Threats were made. After a white crabber was killed by a young Vietnamese refugee in self-defense, the situation became a tinderbox primed to explode, and the Grand Dragon of the Texas Knights of the Ku Klux Klan saw an opportunity to stoke the fishermen's rage and prejudices. At a massive Klan rally near Galveston Bay one night in 1981, he strode over to an old boat graffitied with the words U.S.S. VIET CONG, torch in hand, and issued a ninety-day deadline for the refugees to leave or else "it's going to be a helluva lot more violent than Vietnam!" The white fishermen roared as the boat burned, convinced that if they could drive these newcomers from the coast, everything would return to normal. A shocking campaign of violence ensued, marked by burning crosses, conspiracy theories, death threats, torched boats, and heavily armed Klansmen patrolling Galveston Bay. The Vietnamese were on the brink of fleeing, until a charismatic leader in their community, a highly decorated colonel, convinced them to stand their ground by entrusting their fate with the Constitution. Drawing upon a trove of never-before-published material, including FBI and ATF records, unprecedented access to case files, and scores of firsthand interviews with Klansmen, shrimpers, law enforcement, environmental activists, lawyers, perpetrators and victims, Johnson uncovers secrets and secures confessions to crimes that went unsolved for more than forty years. This explosive investigation of a forgotten story, years in the making, ultimately leads Johnson to the doorstep of the one woman who could see clearly enough to recognize the true threat to the bays--and who now represents the fishermen's last hope"--
Subjects: Ku Klux Klan (1915- ); Fisheries; Refugees; Vietnamese;
Available copies: 1 / Total copies: 1
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