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The Story of Peter Pan, Retold from the fairy play by Sir James Barrie
L. Frank Baum
Children's Books / Fantasy / Fiction
This is a reproduction of a book published before 1923. This book may have occasional imperfections such as missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. that were either part of the original artifact, or were introduced by the scanning process. We believe this work is culturally important, and despite the imperfections, have elected to bring it back into print as part of our continuing commitment to the preservation of printed works worldwide. We appreciate your understanding of the imperfections in the preservation process, and hope you enjoy this valuable book.

Not Dead Enough
Part #3 of "DS Grace" series by James, Peter
On the night Brian Bishop murdered his wife, he was sixty miles away, asleep in bed at the time. At least, that's the way it looks to Detective Superintendent Roy Grace who is called in to investigate the kinky slaying of beautiful young Brighton socialite, Katie Bishop. Soon, Grace starts coming to the conclusion that Bishop has performed the apparently impossible feat of being in two places at once. Has someone stolen his identity, or is he simply a very clever liar? As Grace digs deeper behind the facade of the Bishops' outwardly respectable lives, it starts to become clear that all is not at all as it first seemed. And then he digs just a little too far, and suddenly the fragile stability of his own troubled, private world is facing destruction.

Host
James, Peter
Using artificial intelligence and cryogenics, Joe hopes to defeat death.
When he meets Juliet, whose research claims to show a way to transfer
human consciousness into a computer, he believes the final breakthrough
is near. Then tragedy strikes and Joe has to face the terrifying
consequences.

Picture You Dead
Peter James
Literature & Fiction / Mystery Thriller / Young Adult
Discover the darkness that lurks around every corner in the latest instalment of Peter James's award-winning detective series, which is now a major ITV programme starring John Simm as Roy Grace.Detective Superintendent Roy Grace finds himself plunged into an unfamiliar and rarefied world of fine art. Outwardly it appears respectable, gentlemanly, above reproach. But beneath the veneer, he rapidly finds that greed, deception and violence walk hand-in-hand.Harry and Freya, an ordinary couple, dreamed for years of finding something priceless buried amongst the tat in a car boot sale.It was a dream they knew in their hearts would never come true – until the day it did...They buy the drab portrait for a few pounds, for its beautiful frame, planning to cut the painting out. Then studying it back at home there seems to be another picture beneath, of a stunning landscape. Could it be a long-lost masterpiece from 1770? If genuine, it could be worth...

SSC (2013) Short Shockers
Peter James
Literature & Fiction / Mystery Thriller / Young Adult
From a woman intent on revenge to a restaurant critic with a fear of the number thirteen, and from an unusual Italian aphrodisiac to a story of ghostly terror, these are darkly humorous tales of murderous lovers, duplicitous dealings and urban domesticity turned on its head. Funny, sad, but always shocking, each tale carries a twist that will haunt readers for days after they turn the final page . . . This 25,000 word collection, available exclusively in this ebook edition, includes: 12 Bolingbroke Avenue (First published in 1998) Number Thirteen (First published in 2010) Just Two Clicks (First published in 2004) Dead on the Hour (First published in 2006) Virtually Alive (First published in 1997) Meet Me at the Crematorium (First published in 2009) Venice Aphrodisiac (First published in 2011) Time Rich (First published in 2013) Christmas is for the Kids (First published in 1993)

Left You Dead
Peter James
Literature & Fiction / Mystery Thriller / Young Adult
DETECTIVE SUPERINTEDENT ROY GRACE INVESTIGATES'Peter James has penetrated the inner workings of police procedures, and the inner thoughts and attitudes of real detectives, as no English crime writer before him' The TimesNO BODY. NO TRACE.NO CRIME?Niall and Eden Paternoster start their Sunday the same way they always do – with a long drive, a visit to a country house and a quick stop at the local supermarket on the way home.But this Sunday ends differently – because while Niall waits and waits in the car park for Eden to pick up supplies, Eden never returns. She's not waiting for him at home, and none of their family or friends have heard from her.Gone without a trace, Niall is arrested on suspicion of her murder. When DS Roy Grace is called in to investigate, it doesn't take long to realize that nothing is quite as it seems – and this might be his most mysterious case yet . . .Sunday...

Find Them Dead
Part #16 of "DS Roy Grace" series by James, Peter
Roy Grace, creation of the award-winning author Peter James, unearths a powerful criminal network in Find Them Dead.
Ending his secondment to London’s Met Police, Roy Grace gets a tip-off about a county lines drugs mastermind operating out of Brighton. On his first day back in his old job in Sussex, he is called to a seemingly senseless murder.
Separately, Meg Magellan finally has her life back together, five years after the car crash that killed her husband and their son. Her daughter, Laura, now 18, is on her gap year travelling in South America with a friend, and Meg misses her badly. Laura is all she has in the world.
In between jobs, Meg receives a summons for jury service. She’s excited – it might be interesting and will help distract her from constantly worrying about Laura. But when she is selected for the trial of a major Brighton drugs overlord, everything changes.
Gradually, Grace’s investigation draws him increasingly into the sinister sphere of influence of the drug dealer on trial. A man utterly ruthless and evil, prepared to order the death of anyone it takes to enable him to walk free.
Just a few days into jury service, Meg arrives home to find a photograph of Laura, in Ecuador, lying on her kitchen table. Then her phone rings.
A sinister, threatening stranger is on the line. He tells her that if she ever wants to see Laura alive again, it is very simple. At the end of the trial, all she has to do is make sure the jury says just two words . . . Not guilty.
**

Stop Them Dead
Peter James
Literature & Fiction / Mystery Thriller / Young Adult
'Peter James is one of the best British crime writers, and therefore one of the best in the world.' - LEE CHILD, author of The Jack Reacher seriesDiscover the darkness that lurks around every corner in the latest instalment of the award-winning Grace series, now a major ITV series.A ruthless crime. A race against time.In the dead of night, a farmer hears a suspicious noise. It's everyone's worst nightmare: a break-in. When he confronts the intruders, he has no idea that just minutes later he will be left lying in a pool of blood. But the chilling truth lies not in the act itself, but what the perpetrators were willing to kill for.At the scene of the crime, Detective Superintendent Roy Grace senses something amiss. This is no mere botched robbery; it's the tip of the iceberg of a nationwide crime epidemic. Ruthless gangs, operating with military precision, have discovered a new black market flourishing in the shadows – an unthinkable...

Faith
Peter James
Literature & Fiction / Mystery Thriller / Young Adult
Ross Ransome is at the top of his profession; one of the most successful, and certainly one of the richest, plastic surgeons in the business. Such a man would expect his wife to be perfect - and why not? After all, he has spent enough hours in surgery to get her that way. But when his wife falls ill she turns her back on conventional medicine, and her arid marriage, and seeks help from the world of alternative medicine and a charismatic therapist who promises not just medical salvation. For Ransome, this is the ultimate betrayal. It defies logic, and Ross Ransome is a profoundly logical man. Logically, he can see no reason why any man should have his wife when he can't. It's all completely rational...

Dead at First Sight
Peter James
Literature & Fiction / Mystery Thriller / Young Adult
Roy Grace, creation of the CWA Diamond Dagger award winning author Peter James, exposes the dark side of the internet in Dead at First Sight.You don't know me, but I thought I knew you . . . A man waits at a London airport for Ingrid Ostermann, the love of his life, to arrive. Across the Atlantic, a retired NYPD cop waits in a bar in Florida's Key West for his first date with the lady who is, without question, his soulmate. The two men are about to discover they've been scammed out of almost every penny they have in the world – and that neither women exist. Meanwhile, a wealthy divorcée plunges, in suspicious circumstances, from an apartment block in Munich. In the same week, Detective Superintendent Roy Grace is called to investigate the suicide of a woman in Brighton, that is clearly not what it seems. As his investigations continue, a handsome Brighton motivational speaker comes forward. He's discovered his identity is...

Wish You Were Dead
Peter James
Literature & Fiction / Mystery Thriller / Young Adult
Wish You Were Dead is a Quick Read short story from bestselling author Peter James.Roy Grace and his family have left Sussex behind for a week's holiday in France. The website promised a grand house, but when they arrive the place is very different from the pictures. And it soon becomes clear that their holiday nightmare is only just beginning.An old enemy of Roy, a lowlife criminal he had put behind bars, is now out of jail – and out for revenge. He knows where Roy and his family have gone on holiday. Of course he does. He's been hacking their emails – and they are in the perfect spot for him to pay Roy back . . .

Peter of New Amsterdam: A Story of Old New York
Harry Castlemon
Children's
Leopold is delighted to publish this classic book as part of our extensive Classic Library collection. Many of the books in our collection have been out of print for decades, and therefore have not been accessible to the general public. The aim of our publishing program is to facilitate rapid access to this vast reservoir of literature, and our view is that this is a significant literary work, which deserves to be brought back into print after many decades. The contents of the vast majority of titles in the Classic Library have been scanned from the original works. To ensure a high quality product, each title has been meticulously hand curated by our staff. This means that we have checked every single page in every title, making it highly unlikely that any material imperfections – such as poor picture quality, blurred or missing text - remain. When our staff observed such imperfections in the original work, these have either been repaired, or the title has been excluded from the Leopold Classic Library catalogue. As part of our on-going commitment to delivering value to the reader, within the book we have also provided you with a link to a website, where you may download a digital version of this work for free. Our philosophy has been guided by a desire to provide the reader with a book that is as close as possible to ownership of the original work. We hope that you will enjoy this wonderful classic work, and that for you it becomes an enriching experience. If you would like to learn more about the Leopold Classic Library collection please visit our website at www.leopoldclassiclibrary.com

They Thought I Was Dead
Peter James
Literature & Fiction / Mystery Thriller / Young Adult
'This is the one I've been waiting for. And it's a masterpiece of suspense. I quite literally couldn't put it down - even when I was supposed to be doing other things . . .' - Barbara Erskine, author of The Dream WeaversPeter James, the number one, multi-million copy bestselling author of the Grace series returns with a thrilling new novel: a Roy Grace story told from a new perspective.Some will know how it begins . . .My name is Sandy.My husband is Detective Superintendent Roy Grace.But when I disappeared, even he couldn't find me . . .This is my story.There's more to Sandy than meets the eye. A woman with a dubious past, a complicated present and an uncertain future.Then she was gone.Some will think they know how it ends . . .Her disappearance caused a nationwide search. Even the best detective on the force couldn't find her.They thought she was dead.But nobody knows this . ....

Billionaire
Peter James
Literature & Fiction / Mystery Thriller / Young Adult
From Peter James, the award-winning author of the Roy Grace series, comes Billionaire, an exhilarating financial thriller.City stockbroker Alex Rocq leads a comfortable life - with a luxury flat in London, a country cottage, a very expensive car, and a lucrative job that still leaves time for leisure. But all this isn't enough. After receiving a tip-off, Alex decides to play the commodities market for himself. He soon learns the hard way that fortune doesn't always favour the brave, and his luck comes to an abrupt end. When he is offered the chance to write off his debts - in exchange for special services and silence - Rocq can't believe his luck. But how far will a desperate man go to harness the power players around him?

Dead Man's Time
Peter James
Literature & Fiction / Mystery Thriller / Young Adult
In Dead Man's Time, the latest from international bestselling author Peter James, Roy Grace finds himself up against that most dangerous of all adversaries—a man with fury in his heart who has nothing to lose. New York, 1922. Five-year-old Gavin Daly and his seven-year-old sister, Aileen, are boarding the SS Mauretania to Dublin—and safety. Their mother has been shot and their Irish mobster father abducted. Suddenly, a messenger hands Gavin a piece of paper on which are written four names and eleven numbers, a cryptic message that will haunt him all his life, and his father's pocket watch. As the ship sails, Gavin watches Manhattan fade into the dusk and makes a promise, that one day he will return and find his father. Brighton, 2012. Detective Superintendent Roy Grace investigates a savage burglary in Brighton, in which an old lady is murdered and £10m of antiques have been taken, including a rare vintage watch. To Grace’s surprise, the antiques are unimportant to her family—it is the watch they want back. As his investigation probes deeper, he realizes he has kicked over a hornets nest of new and ancient hatreds. At its heart is one man, Gavin Daly, the dead woman’s ninety-five-year-old brother. He has a score to settle and a promise to keep—both of which lead to a murderous trail linking the antiques world of Brighton, the crime fraternity of Spain’s Marbella, and New York.Roy Grace, in a race against the clock to stop another killing, has met his most dangerous adversary yet.**

Need You Dead
Peter James
Literature & Fiction / Mystery Thriller / Young Adult
From multi-million copy bestselling author and winner of the CWA Diamond Dagger award, Peter James, Need You Dead sees Roy Grace faces his most mysterious case yet."Peter James has penetrated the inner workings of police procedures, and the inner thoughts and attitudes of real detectives, as no English crime writer before him." The TimesLorna Belling, desperate to escape the marriage from hell, falls for the charms of another man who promises her the earth. But, as Lorna finds, life seldom follows the plans you've made. A chance photograph on a client's mobile phone changes everything for her. When the body of a woman is found in a bath in Brighton, Detective Superintendent Roy Grace is called to the scene. At first it looks an open and shut case with a clear prime suspect. Then other scenarios begin to present themselves, each of them tantalisingly plausible, until, in a sudden turn of events, and to his utter disbelief, the...

Dead if You Don't
Peter James
Literature & Fiction / Mystery Thriller / Young Adult
A PARENT'S WORST NIGHTMARE IS GRACE'S DEADLIEST CASE . . .
Roy Grace, creation of the CWA Diamond Dagger award winning author Peter James, faces his most complex case yet in Dead If You Don't.
Kipp Brown, successful businessman and compulsive gambler, is having the worst run of luck of his life. He’s beginning to lose, big style. However, taking his teenage son, Mungo, to their club’s Saturday afternoon football match should have given him a welcome respite, if only for a few hours. But it’s at the stadium where his nightmare begins.
Within minutes of arriving at the game, Kipp bumps into a client. He takes his eye off Mungo for a few moments, and in that time, the boy disappears. Then he gets the terrifying message that someone has his child, and to get him back alive, Kipp will have to pay.
Defying instruction not to contact the police, Kipp reluctantly does just that, and Detective Superintendent Roy Grace is brought in to investigate. At first it seems a straightforward case of kidnap. But rapidly Grace finds himself entering a dark, criminal underbelly of the city, where the rules are different and nothing is what it seems . . .
**Review
In my thirty four years of policing, never have I come across a writer who so accurately depicts "The Job" -- Detective Investigator Pat Lanigan, Office of the District Attorney, NYPD No one can deny James's success as a crime novelist . . . The Grace stories almost always go to the top of the bestseller lists, not least because they are supremely well-told. James writes meticulously researched police procedurals, so informed that you can smell the canteen coffee . . . enthralling * Daily Mail * Meticulous research gives his prose great authenticity . . . James manages to add enough surprises and drama that by the end you're rooting for the police and really don't know if they will finally get their men * Sunday Express * James just gets better and better and deserves the success he has achieved with this first-class series * Independent on Sunday * Peter James is one of the best crime writers in the business -- Karin Slaughter Peter James has penetrated the inner workings of police procedures, and the inner thoughts and attitudes of real detectives, as no English crime writer before him. His hero, Roy Grace, may not be the most lively cop, nor the most damaged by drink, weight or misery, but he's one of the most believable * The Times *
About the Author
Peter James is the international bestselling author of many award-winning novels. His Detective Superintendent Roy Grace series, set in Brighton, has been translated into thirty-seven languages with worldwide sales of over nineteen million copies, and has given him many Sunday Times number ones. In 2015 WHSmith customers publicly voted him the Greatest Crime Author of All Time and in 2016 he became the recipient of the coveted CWA Diamond Dagger lifetime achievement award for sustained excellence. Peter has also written a short story collection, A Twist of the Knife, and his standalone titles include Perfect People and The House on Cold Hill. The Perfect Murder, Dead Simple and Not Dead Enough have all been turned into smash-hit stage plays. All his novels reflect his deep interest in the world of the police. Three of his novels have been filmed and before becoming a full-time author he produced numerous films, including The Merchant of Venice, starring Al Pacino and Jeremy Irons.

I Follow You
Peter James
Literature & Fiction / Mystery Thriller / Young Adult
From the number one bestselling author, Peter James, comes I Follow You, a nerve-shredding standalone thriller.To the outside world, suave, charming and confident doctor Marcus Valentine has it all. A loving wife, three kids, a great job. But there's something missing, there always has been. . . . or rather, someone . . . Driving to work one morning, his mind elsewhere and not on the road, he almost mows down a female jogger on a crossing. As she runs on, Marcus is transfixed. Infatuated. She is the spitting image of a girl he was crazy about in his teens. A girl he has never been able to get out of his mind.Lynette had dumped him harshly. For years he has fantasized about seeing her again and rekindling their flame. Might that jogger possibly be her all these years later? Could this be the most incredible coincidence?Despite all his attempts to resist, he is consumed by cravings for this woman. And when events take a tragically...

(1989) Dreamer
Peter James
Literature & Fiction / Mystery Thriller / Young Adult
The last night that Sam had the dream, she was seven years old; and that was the night her parents were to die. Twenty five years later her childhood is but a bad memory. Now married to a wealthy Eurobond dealer, she has a child, two homes and a highly successful career. An enviable lifestyle. But for Sam it is becoming a nightmare. Because the childhood dreams are returning - and this time they are coming true...Gradually and subtly, the dreams of the night foretell the disasters of the day - and no-one believes her, nothing can help her. As psychiatrists, clairvoyants and dream therapy fail her, she is left to confront the evil alone, without knowing its name: hallucination, premonition, reincarnation or psychic projection? Whatever it is, it won't relinquish its hold. And then Sam starts dreaming her own death...

Short Shockers
Peter James
Literature & Fiction / Mystery Thriller / Young Adult
From a woman intent on revenge to a restaurant critic with a fear of the number thirteen, and from an unusual Italian aphrodisiac to a story of ghostly terror, these are darkly humorous tales of murderous lovers, duplicitous dealings and urban domesticity turned on its head. Funny, sad, but always shocking, each tale carries a twist that will haunt readers for days after they turn the final page . . . This 25,000 word collection, available exclusively in this ebook edition, includes: 12 Bolingbroke Avenue (First published in 1998) Number Thirteen (First published in 2010) Just Two Clicks (First published in 2004) Dead on the Hour (First published in 2006) Virtually Alive (First published in 1997) Meet Me at the Crematorium (First published in 2009) Venice Aphrodisiac (First published in 2011) Time Rich (First published in 2013) Christmas is for the Kids (First published in 1993)

Left You Dead
Part #17 of "DS Roy Grace" series by James, Peter
Detective Superintendent Roy Grace investigates the case of a missing woman in Brighton in the 17th novel in Peter James’s bestselling series. Is this Roy Grace’s most challenging case yet? A mystery that is leaving him totally confounded for the first time in his career.
Most Sundays, Niall and Eden Paternoster like to go for a drive and visit country houses. She likes to look at them, he likes to dream that one day . . . However, most weeks they also end up bickering about something or other. This particular Sunday he wants to get back to catch the start of the French Grand Prix but she insists they stop somewhere to buy cat litter. Reluctantly, he pulls into the car park of a large supermarket and waits while she dashes in. He waits. And waits. But Eden doesn't come back out, she’s gone. When he gets home she’s not there either, and none of their friends or family have heard from her.
A few days later Niall is arrested on suspicion of her murder despite vigorously protesting his innocence. But as Roy Grace is called in to investigate the disappearance of Eden Paternoster, it soon transpires that nothing is as it seems . . .
**

(1991) Twilight
Peter James
Literature & Fiction / Mystery Thriller / Young Adult
From Publishers WeeklyBritish author James returns to the mysteries of life after death with better success than he achieved in Possession. When a Sussex newspaper assigns Kate Hemingway to report on the noises that seem to be coming from the grave of a newly buried woman, she finagles access to a private exhumation--where it emerges that the woman had been buried alive. Meanwhile, James unfolds another story, set 20 years earlier: Harvey Swire, a pudgy, unpleasant schoolboy, has a near-death experience following a cycling accident; subsequently he undergoes frequent out-of-body episodes and develops an unhealthy fascination with the afterlife. The two plots are paced expertly, so that Kate's investigation into a hasty cover-up lands her afoul of the sinister Swire, now a prominent anesthesiologist. The two collide in a gripping climax, with a highly satisfying twist at the end. Characters are boldly drawn, and Kate proves an exceptionally likable heroine. James's attention to detail lends substance to what might seem a far-fetched plot--his research into near-death experiences and modern medical practices make this a convincing, sophisticated thriller with a suitably spine-tingling supernatural twist. Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc. From Library JournalReporter Kate Hemingway sneaks into an exhumation and sees gruesome evidence that the victim died struggling to get out of the coffin. Doctors, hospital, and undertakers deny that anything was wrong; her newspaper refuses to support her story. As Kate continues to investigate--at her peril--James ( Dreamer , LJ 6/1/90) intertwines the parallel story of an anesthesiologist whose own near-death experience has left him obsessed with finding out whether there is life beyond the grave. His descent into madness is relentless, logical, and absolutely believable. A compelling novel of suspense, despite the occasionally gross stupidity of the heroine. Recommended.- Marylaine Block, St. Ambrose Univ. Lib., Davenport, Ia.Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Find Them Dead
Peter James
Literature & Fiction / Mystery Thriller / Young Adult
Roy Grace, creation of the award-winning author Peter James, unearths a powerful criminal network in Find Them Dead.A Brighton gangster is on trial for conspiracy to murder, following the death of a rival crime family boss. As the jury file into Lewes Crown Court, twelve anonymous people selected randomly from fifty, there is one person sitting in the public gallery observing them with keen interest, and secretly filming them. Later, a group of the accused's henchmen sit around a table with the full personal details of each of the twelve jurors in front of them. They need to influence two of them – a jury can convict if directed on a 10-2 majority verdict but no less. But which two? When Roy Grace is called in to investigate a murder that has links to the accused and the trial, and the suspicion that an attempt has been made to intimidate jurors, he finds the reach and power of the accused's tentacles go higher than he had ever imagined.

Not Dead Yet
Peter James
Literature & Fiction / Mystery Thriller / Young Adult
Roy Grace tracks a stalker obsessed with a Hollywood starlet in Not Dead Yet, the latest from #1 international bestselling author Peter JamesDays before one of Hollywood’s hottest stars, Gaia Lafayette, leaves her Bel Air home for a movie role on location in Brighton, England, there is a bungled attempt on her life. The whole city of Brighton awaits Gaia’s arrival, including her dangerously obsessive Number One fan looking for revenge and an anxious Detective Superintendent Roy Grace, charged with protecting Gaia.When a mutilated torso is found on a chicken farm miles away in the countryside, Roy Grace has no reason at all to connect this to the star’s visit to the county. But as events rapidly begin to unfold, Roy Grace and his team find themselves in a desperate race against time to save Gaia’s life from a clever maniac who will stop at nothing to kill her.About the AuthorPETER JAMES is the #1 international bestselling author of the Roy Grace series with more than 13 million copies sold all over the world. His novels have been translated into thirty-five languages; three have been filmed and two are currently in development. All of his novels reflect his deep interest in the world of the police, with whom he does in-depth research. He has produced numerous films, including The Merchant of Venice, starring Al Pacino, Jeremy Irons, and Joseph Fiennes. He lives in England.Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.NOT DEAD YET (Chapter 1)I am warning you, and I won't repeat this warning. Don't take the part. You'd better believe me. Take the part and you are dead. Bitch.Gaia Lafayette was unaware of the man out in the dark, in the station wagon, who had come to kill her. And she was unaware of the email he had sent. She got hate mail all the time, mostly from religious nutters or folk upset by her swearing or her provocative costumes in some of her stage acts and music videos. Those emails were screened and kept from bothering her by her trusted head of security, Detroit-born Andrew Gulli, a tough ex-cop who'd spent most of his career on close protection work for vulnerable political figures.He knew when to be worried enough to tell his boss, and this piece of trash that had come in, on an anonymous Hotmail account, was not something he figured had any substance. His employer got a dozen like this every week.It was 10 p.m. and Gaia was trying to focus on the script she was reading, but she couldn't concentrate. She was focused even more on the fact that she had run out of cigarettes. The sweet, but oh so dim-witted Pratap, who did all her shopping, and who she hadn't the heart to fire because his wife had a brain tumour, had bought the wrong brand. She had her limit of four cigarettes a day, and didn't actually need any more, but old habits die hard. She used to mainline the damned things, claiming they were essential for her famed gravelly voice. Not so many years back she'd have one before she got out of bed, followed by one burning in the ashtray while she showered. Every action accompanied by a cigarette. Now she was kicking free, but she had to know they were in the house. Just in case she needed them.Like so much else she needed in life. Starting with her adoring public. Checking the count of Twitter followers and Facebook likes. Both were substantially up again today, each nearly a million up in the past month alone, still keeping her well ahead of both the performers she viewed as her rivals, Madonna and Lady Gaga. And she now had nearly ten million subscribers to her monthly e-newsletter. And then there were her seven homes, of which this copy of a Tuscan palazzo, built five years ago to her specification on a three-acre lot, was the largest.The walls, mirrored full length floor-to-ceiling to create the illusion of infinite space, were decorated with Aztec art interspersed with larger-than-life posters of herself. The house, like all her others, was a catalogue of her different incarnations. Gaia had reinvented herself constantly throughout her career as a rock star, and more recently, two years ago at thirty-five, had started reinventing herself again, this time as a movie actor.Above her head was a huge, framed monochrome signed photo of herself in a black negligee, titled WORLD TOUR GAIA SAVING THE PLANET. Another, with her wearing a tank top and leather jeans, was captioned, GAIA REVELATIONS TOUR. Above the fireplace, in dramatic green was a close-up of her lips, nose and eyes - GAIA UP CLOSE AND PERSONAL.Her agent and her manager phoned her daily, both men reassuring her just how much the world needed her. Just the way that her growing social networking base - all outsourced by her management company - reassured her, too. And at this moment, the one person in the world she cared about most - Roan, her six-year-old son - needed her just as much. He padded barefoot across the marble floor, in his Armani Junior pyjamas, his brown hair all mussed up, his face scrunched in a frown, and tapped her on the arm as she lay on the white sofa, propped against the purple velvet cushions. 'Mama, you didn't come and read me a story.'She stretched out a hand and mussed up his hair some more. Then she put down the script and took him in her arms, hugging him. 'I'm sorry, sweetie. It's late, way past your bedtime, and Mama's really busy tonight, learning her lines. She has a really big part - see? Mama's playing Maria Fitzherbert, the mistress of an English king! King George the Fourth.'Maria Fitzherbert was the diva of her day, in Regency England. Just like she herself was the diva of her day now, and they had something profound in common. Maria Fitzherbert spent most of her life in Brighton, in England. And she, Gaia, had been born in Brighton! She felt a connection to this woman, across time. She was born to play this role!Her agent said this was the new King's Speech. An Oscar role, no question. And she wanted an Oscar oh so badly. The first two movies she had made were okay, but had not set the world on fire. In hindsight, she realized, it was because she hadn't chosen well and the scripts were - frankly - weak. This movie now could give her the critical acclaim she craved. She'd fought hard for this role. And she'd succeeded.Hell, you had to fight in life. Fortune favoured the brave. Some people were born with silver spoons so far up their assholes they stuck in their gullets, and some, like herself, were born on the wrong side of the tracks. It had been a long journey to here, through her early days of waiting tables, and two husbands, to the place she was now at, and where she felt comfortable. Just herself, Roan and Todd, the fitness instructor who gave her great sex when she needed it and kept out of her face when she didn't, and her trusted entourage, Team Gaia.She picked up the script and showed him the white and the blue pages. 'Mama has to learn all this before she flies to England.''You promised.''Didn't Steffie read to you tonight?' Steffie was the nanny.He looked forlorn. 'You read better. I like it when you read.'She looked at her watch. 'It's after ten o'clock. Way past your bedtime!''I can't sleep. I can't sleep unless you read to me, Mama.'She tossed the script on to the glass coffee table, lifted him down and stood up. 'Okay, one quick story. Okay?'His face brightened. He nodded vigorously.'Marla!' she shouted. 'Marla!'Her assistant came into the room, cellphone pressed to her ear, arguing furiously with someone about what sounded like the seating arrangements on a plane. The one extravagance Gaia refused to have was a private jet, because of her concerns over her carbon footprint.Marla was shouting. Didn't the fuckwit airline know who Gaia was? That she could fucking make or break them? She was wearing glittery Versace jeans tucked into black alligator boots, a thin black roll-neck and a gold neck chain carrying the flat gold globe engraved Planet Gaia. It was exactly the same way her boss was dressed tonight. Her hair mirrored her boss's, too: blonde, shoulder length, layered in a sharp razor cut with a carefully spaced and waxed fringe.Gaia Lafayette insisted that all her staff had to dress the same way - following the daily emailed instructions of what she would be wearing, how her hair would be. They had, at all times, to be an inferior copy of herself.Marla ended the call. 'Sorted!' she said. 'They've agreed to bump some people off the flight.' She gave Gaia an angelic smile. 'Because it's you!''I need cigarettes,' Gaia said. 'Wanna be an angel and go get me some?'Marla shot a surreptitious glance at her watch. She had a date tonight and was already two hours late for him, thanks to Gaia's demands - nothing unusual. No previous personal assistant had lasted more than eighteen months before being fired, yet, amazingly, she was entering her third year. It was hard work and long hours, and the pay wasn't great, but the work experience was to die for, and although her boss was tough, she was kind. One day she'd be free of the chains, but not yet. 'Sure, no problem,' she said.'Take the Merc.'It was a balmy hot night. Gaia was smart enough to understand the small perks that went a long way.'Cool! I'll be right back. Anything else?'Gaia shook her head. 'You can keep the car for the night.''I can?''Sure, I'm not going anywhere.'Marla coveted the silver SL55 AMG. She looked forward to driving the fast bends along Sunset to the convenience store. Then to picking up Jay in it afterwards. Who knew how the night might turn out? Every day working for Gaia was an adventure. Just as every night recently, since she had met Jay, was too! He was a budding actor, and she was determined to find a way, through her connection with Gaia, to help him get a break.She did not know it, but as she walked out to the Mercedes, she was making a grave mistake.NOT DEAD YET Copyright © 2012 by Really Scary Books / Peter James.

The House on Cold Hill
Peter James
Literature & Fiction / Mystery Thriller / Young Adult
They said the dead can't hurt you . . . They were wrong. The House on Cold Hill is a chilling and suspenseful ghost story from the multi-million copy bestselling author of Dead Simple, Peter James.Moving from the heart of Brighton and Hove to the Sussex countryside is a big undertaking for Ollie and Caro Harcourt and their twelve-year-old daughter Jade. But when they view Cold Hill House - a huge, dilapidated Georgian mansion - Ollie is filled with excitement. Despite the financial strain of the move, he has dreamed of living in the country since he was a child, and he sees Cold Hill House as a paradise for his animal-loving daughter, the perfect base for his web-design business and a terrific long-term investment. Caro is less certain, and Jade is grumpy about being separated from her friends.Within days of moving in, it becomes apparent that the Harcourt family aren't the only residents of the house. A friend of Jade's is the first to see the spectral woman, standing behind her as the girls talk on FaceTime. Then there are more sightings, as well as increasingly disturbing occurrences in the house. As the haunting becomes more malevolent and the house itself begins to turn on the Harcourts, the terrified family discover Cold Hill House's dark history, and the horrible truth of what it could mean for them . . .

Love You Dead
Peter James
Literature & Fiction / Mystery Thriller / Young Adult
An ugly duckling as a child, Jodie Bentley had two dreams in life - to be beautiful and rich. She's achieved the first, with a little help from a plastic surgeon, and now she's working hard on the second. Her philosophy on money is simple: you can either earn it or marry it. Marrying is easy, it's getting rid of the husband afterwards that's harder, that takes real skill. But hey, practice makes perfect . . .Detective Superintendent Roy Grace is feeling the pressure from his superiors, his previous case is still giving him sleepless nights, there have been major developments with his missing wife Sandy, and an old adversary is back. But worse than all of this, he now believes a Black Widow is operating in his city. One with a venomous mind . . . and venomous skills. Soon Grace comes to the frightening realization that he may have underestimated just how dangerous this lady is.Love You Dead is the gripping twelfth book in Peter James' Roy Grace series.

(1998) Denial
Peter James
Literature & Fiction / Mystery Thriller / Young Adult
When Thomas Lamark's mother takes an overdose rather than face the end of her acting career, Thomas decides that someone must pay for her death. The most obvious candidate is her psychiatrist, for surely he should have prevented her suicide?

(1990) Sweet Heart
Peter James
Literature & Fiction / Mystery Thriller / Young Adult
A novel from the author of "Possession" and "Dreamer" in which the impossible becomes real and the horrific is commonplace. When a couple move into a millhouse beside a swirling stream, sinister memories of a previous existence start to haunt them.

Miracle on the 17th Green
James Patterson; Peter de Jonge
Travis McKinley is an ordinary man living an ordinary life - he has a job that he despises, a marriage that has lost its passion, children from whom he feels disconnected, and at age fifty, a sense that he has accomplished nothing of consequence with his life. But on Christmas Day, he goes out to play a round of golf, and for the first time, he finds himself in the "zone." He sees the putting line that has eluded him for years. Always a fairly good golfer, he finds himself playing like a pro and is so caught up in his excitement that he continues to play, sinking putt after putt, missing Christmas dinner with his wife and family. It is too much for his already troubled marriage. His family collapses - but Travis is soon too busy living his dream to notice. His amazing new golf skills catapult him into the PGA Senior Open at Pebble Beach, where he advances to the final round with two of his heroes, Jack Nicklaus and Raymond Floyd. And with his wife, children, and a live television audience watching, a miracle takes place on the 17th green that will change Travis, and his family, forever.

You Are Dead
Peter James
Literature & Fiction / Mystery Thriller / Young Adult
The last words Nick Walton hears from his fiancee, Logan Somervile, are in a terrified mobile phone call from her. She has just driven into the underground car park beneath the apartment block where they live in Brighton, and saw a man acting strangely. Then she screams and the phone goes dead. The police are on the scene within minutes, but Logan has vanished, leaving behind her neatly parked car and telephone.That same afternoon, workmen digging up an old asphalt path in a park in another part of the city, unearth the remains of a young woman in her early twenties, who has been dead for 30 years.At first, to Detective Superintendent Roy Grace and his Major Crime Team, these two events seem totally unconnected. But then another young woman in Brighton goes missing and another body from the past surfaces. At the same time a strange man visits an eminent London psychiatrist, claiming to have a piece of information on the missing woman, Logan, that turns out, at...

Shadow People
Part #2 of "Peter Warlock" series by James Swain
In Shadow People, national bestselling author James Swain’s brilliant follow-up to Dark Magic, magician Peter Warlock has a dark secret. A psychic who peers into the future, he is able to use the information to alert the authorities to pending trouble.During a séance Peter is confronted by a group of evil spirits called shadow people, beings who have the power to kidnap a person’s soul. Peter is taken to another plane, where he confronts a serial killer about to claim his next victim. It’s a harrowing encounter that Peter only barely manages to survive. Peter soon realizes that the shadow people are connected to the serial killer, and that he is a member of the Order of Astrum, a group of evil psychics who murdered his parents years ago. He must find the serial killer in real time before he claims his next victim. To save many lives, Peter may have to tap into a legacy that he has always dreaded…and a power that may consume him.

N (2011) Christmas is for the Kids
Peter James
Literature & Fiction / Mystery Thriller / Young Adult
It was Christmas Eve when Kate saw the young boy, struggling to hold the groceries in the supermarket. When she offers to give him a lift, it isn't long before his sadness hints at a deeper tragedy. What happened that Christmas at the Hogarth place? And can Kate make this Christmas better for him and his family? Featuring the first two chapters of Peter James's latest chilling novel, Perfect People.It was Christmas Eve when Kate saw the young boy, struggling to hold the groceries in the supermarket. When she offers to give him a lift, it isn't long before his sadness hints at a deeper tragedy. What happened that Christmas at the Hogarth place? And can Kate make this Christmas better for him and his family? Featuring the first two chapters of Peter James's latest chilling novel, Perfect People.

(1992) Prophecy
Peter James
Literature & Fiction / Mystery Thriller / Young Adult
Francesca Monsanto meets a man and his son racing to catch a train. It was a meeting meant to be and, as their relationship deepens, the coincidences that have brought them together take on a dark and dangerous aspect, for there is something about Frannie that brings out the worst in the son.

Peter Lawford
James Spada
This is the seminal biography of legendary actor and Kennedy in-law Peter Lawford. As "Publisher's Weekly" writes: "From Bobby-Sox idol to Kennedy spouse and Marilyn Monroe intimate, his life was a dizzying whirl of sex, scandal, an secrets even the tabloids dared not print... Once, Peter Lawford seemed to have it all: a handsome face, a sophisticated wit, a talent that won him overnight stardom and entree into a world of beautiful, powerful people. Veteran of film roles in 'Easter Parade', 'Little Women', 'Good News', and 'The Picture of Dorian Gray', the actor had romanced screen sirens Ava Gardner, Lana Turner, and Rita Hayworth; joined Frank Sinatra's Rat Pack; become one of sex goddess Marilyn Monroe's closest confidants; and capped it off by marrying into the famed Kennedy clan. But beneath the glamour of his movie-star life, his fairy-tale marriage, and his legendary friends, lived a man beset by childhood demons that would lead him into alcohol, drugs, shocking sexual...

The House on Cold Hill
James, Peter
They said the dead can't hurt you . . . They were wrong. The House on Cold Hill is a chilling and suspenseful ghost story from the multi-million copy bestselling author of Dead Simple, Peter James.Moving from the heart of Brighton and Hove to the Sussex countryside is a big undertaking for Ollie and Caro Harcourt and their twelve-year-old daughter Jade. But when they view Cold Hill House - a huge, dilapidated Georgian mansion - Ollie is filled with excitement. Despite the financial strain of the move, he has dreamed of living in the country since he was a child, and he sees Cold Hill House as a paradise for his animal-loving daughter, the perfect base for his web-design business and a terrific long-term investment. Caro is less certain, and Jade is grumpy about being separated from her friends.Within days of moving in, it becomes apparent that the Harcourt family aren't the only residents of the house. A friend of Jade's is the first to see the spectral woman, standing behind her as the girls talk on FaceTime. Then there are more sightings, as well as increasingly disturbing occurrences in the house. As the haunting becomes more malevolent and the house itself begins to turn on the Harcourts, the terrified family discover Cold Hill House's dark history, and the horrible truth of what it could mean for them . . .

The Lambs
Peter James Cottrell
<div>Ginchy, autumn 1916 The 9th Battalion, The Royal Dublin Fusiliers, known rather ominously as 'The Lambs', go over the top. In 1914, Kevin Flynn had hardly given the war a thought; everyone said it would be over by Christmas: the problem was no one said which year. Instead, desperate to impress a girl called Mary, Flynn and his friends, like thousands of fellow Irishmen eager not to miss the adventure of a lifetime, and keen to help set their country free, begin a journey that leads inexorably to the shattered ruins of Ginchy and suffering beyond imagination. Confronted by the vagaries of army life, the harsh realities of war and rising hostility at home, Flynn finds his courage, loyalty and love tested to the limit making him question whether it was worth becoming a lamb to the slaughter.</div>