Kira Brightwell never backs down from a challenge. But her abduction and the man responsible still haunt her. Even her closest friendships suffer from the strain of her ongoing quest for justice. Kira finds herself isolated and alone. How much more must she sacrifice to take down the Procurer? The stakes get raised in this fifth collection of cases from the Kira Brightwell mystery series by award-winning author, Jacquelyn Smith: In the Clinch: A Kira Brightwell Novel (Kira Brightwell Book 5) Tale of the Tape: A Kira Brightwell Short Novel Ground Work: A Kira Brightwell Short Story In the Clinch: A Kira Brightwell Novel (Kira Brightwell Book 5) Kira Brightwell never thought it would come to this. So close! With the origins of the serial abductor known as the Procurer finally unraveled, her nemesis finally seemed within reach... Until he pulled the rug out from under her. Her ties to family and friends sacrificed in her obsessive quest for vengeance, Kira finds herself isolated and alone. An easy target for someone like the Procurer—if she chooses to continue to pursue him. A single question remains. How much more does she want to lose? Kira’s search for the Procurer takes an unexpected turn in this gripping fifth novel from the Kira Brightwell mystery series. Tale of the Tape: A Kira Brightwell Short Novel A bootleg Nine Inch Nails cassette tape. Weird thing for Kira to find abandoned by a sewer grate on her way to school. The hand-drawn NIN logo in marker catches Kira’s eye. Who tossed the tape? And why? Kira pockets it, of course. Seems a shame to leave it in the gutter. Who knows what kind of extra tracks she might find on it? ...Now she only needs to figure out a way to play the thing. A twisting, short novel of Kira’s high school past from the Kira Brightwell mystery series. Ground Work: A Kira Brightwell Short Story Kira Brightwell thinks she knows her best friend and roommate pretty well—better than anyone else, at least. Rob’s life seems straightforward from the outside. He stays in the apartment and keeps to himself, preferring the company of his laptop to most other people (Trevor Wright in particular). He gathers information from behind the scenes, while Kira takes the lead out in the real world in her ongoing search for the serial abductor known as Procurer. But Rob has a secret. Something he keeps even from Kira. ...And an unexpected case threatens to expose everything. A fun, stand-alone story from the Kira Brightwell mystery series.

Obsession. Kira Brightwell’s obsession to catch the serial abductor known only as the Procurer drives her. Can she finally put a face to the name? The past holds secrets in many of her cases. How far must she go to uncover it? Find out in this fourth collection of action and intrigue from the Kira Brightwell mystery series by award-winning author, Jacquelyn Smith: Game Plan: A Kira Brightwell Novel (Kira Brightwell Book 4) Ring Girl: A Kira Brightwell Short Story Weigh In: A Kira Brightwell Short Novel Game Plan: A Kira Brightwell Novel (Kira Brightwell Book 4) Kira Brightwell knows how to bring it—whether facing an opponent in the cage, or chasing down a criminal on a case. Finally, four years after her abduction escape, a tenuous link to the Procurer. A link that leaves her with more questions than answers. Questions that lead to unexpected places. But Kira knows the serial abductor stopped underestimating her a long time ago. ...And she needs to tread carefully if she wants to outwit him. The ongoing game of cat-and-mouse between Kira and the Procurer picks up the pace in this suspenseful fourth novel in the Kira Brightwell mystery series. (Originally published under the pen name Kat Irwin.) Ring Girl: A Kira Brightwell Short Story Enemies since high school… Kira and Trevor never expected to end up solving cases together. Trevor knows that Kira does most of the solving, but he likes to think his raw charm and charisma count for something... And when the opportunity to prove himself as more than a stunningly handsome sidekick falls into his lap in the form of a beautiful client, how can he possibly refuse? A short story misadventure of Kira and Trevor from the Kira Brightwell mystery series. Weigh In: A Kira Brightwell Short Novel Kira Brightwell wishes she could forget her high school years. But years after graduation, she finds herself walking the familiar hallways once more—thanks to her former tormentor and current sidekick, Trevor Wright. (Will he ever stop making her life difficult?) An old friend of his needs help with a problem. The kind only Kira can solve. ...Assuming she can step up to the challenge. A fun, stand-alone short novel from the Kira Brightwell mystery series.

Kira Brightwell never thought it would come to this. So close! With the origins of the serial abductor known as the Procurer finally unraveled, her nemesis finally seemed within reach... Until he pulled the rug out from under her. Her ties to family and friends sacrificed in her obsessive quest for vengeance, Kira finds herself isolated and alone. An easy target for someone like the Procurer—if she chooses to continue to pursue him. A single question remains. How much more does she want to lose? Kira’s search for the Procurer takes an unexpected turn in this gripping fifth novel from the Kira Brightwell mystery series by the author of the Mackenzie Quinn mysteries, Jacquelyn Smith.

Winner of: The Pulitzer Prize The National Book Critics Circle Award The Anisfield-Wolf Book Award The Jon Sargent, Sr. First Novel Prize A Time Magazine #1 Fiction Book of the Year One of the best books of 2007 according to: The New York Times, San Francisco Chronicle, New York Magazine, Entertainment Weekly, The Boston Globe, Los Angeles Times, The Washington Post, People, The Village Voice, Time Out New York, Salon, Baltimore City Paper, The Christian Science Monitor, Booklist, Library Journal, Publishers Weekly, New York Public Library, and many more... Nominated as one of America’s best-loved novels by PBS’s The Great American Read Oscar is a sweet but disastrously overweight ghetto nerd who—from the New Jersey home he shares with his old world mother and rebellious sister—dreams of becoming the Dominican J.R.R. Tolkien and, most of all, finding love. But Oscar may never get what he wants. Blame the fukú—a curse that has haunted Oscar’s family for generations, following them on their epic journey from Santo Domingo to the USA. Encapsulating Dominican-American history, The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao opens our eyes to an astonishing vision of the contemporary American experience and explores the endless human capacity to persevere—and risk it all—in the name of love.

Most of us believe that we will finally feel satisfied and content with our lives when we get the good news we have been waiting for, find a healthy relationship, or achieve one of our personal goals. However, this rarely happens. Good fortune is often followed by negative emotions that overtake us and result in destructive behaviors. "I don't deserve this," "this is too good to be true," or any number of harmful thought patterns prevent us from experiencing the joy and satisfaction we have earned. Sound familiar? This is what New York Times bestselling author Gay Hendricks calls the Upper Limit Problem, a negative emotional reaction that occurs when anything positive enters our lives. The Upper Limit Problem not only prevents happiness, but it actually stops us from achieving our goals. It is the ultimate life roadblock. In The Big Leap, Hendricks reveals a simple yet comprehensive program for overcoming this barrier to happiness and fulfillment, presented in a way that engages both the mind and heart. Working closely with more than one thousand extraordinary achievers in business and the arts—from rock stars to Fortune 500 executives—whose stories are featured in these pages, the book describes the four hidden fears that are at the root of the Upper Limit Problem. The Big Leap delivers a proven method for first identifying which of these four fears prevents us from reaching our personal upper limit, and then breaking through that limitation to achieve what Hendricks refers to as our Zone of Genius. Hendricks provides a clear path for achieving our true potential and attaining not only financial success but also success in love and life.

A clear and concise guide to a unique training system for riders of all levels, written by one of the world's most respected dressage riders.

THE STORY: A mother coming to terms with her daughter. A composer coming to terms with his genius. And, even though they're separated by 200 years, these two people share an obsession that might, even just for a moment, make time stand still. Drama