In Joe Gannon's debut novel, Night of the Jaguar, a former Sandinista guerrilla comandante turned cop investigates a series of murders that appear to be political executions. Sandinista Police Captain Ajax Montoya is six days sober and losing his mind. How else to explain his nights waking in bed, his hand wrapped around that bloody-minded stiletto from the old days, or the presence outside his window, a face with no eyes watching him? How far the heroic have fallen. Ajax was once the gallant comandante guerrillero. A hero of the Nicaraguan revolutionaries in their long uprising against the Ogre and his hated National Guard. Back then he'd been the guy who got the bloody missions -- as a lowly grunt with that blade, or the commander of an entire front. Back then he knew what was what and who to trust. But as the clarity of war gave way to the hazy reality of peace, Ajax fared less well. And after he took the fall for an assassination he had no part of, he tumbled into a bottle, and maybe out of his mind. Now he's a homicide investigator in Managua solving murders and sweating through the nightmares from his guerilla days. When he's called to investigate a robbery turned gruesome murder, Ajax recognizes the marks of a surprising enemy - the CIA mercenary army known as The Contra. This isn't just a random murder; this is an execution, a call to war. Or is it? And why does no one want to know but Ajax? As the bodies pile up and a red-headed gringa who should be his enemy enchants his thoughts, Ajax questions whether he can stay sober, sane, and alive long enough to figure it all out.

A family struggles to face the war, amidst the war-torn streets of London. Dee Williams writes a heartrending saga of war, family and love in London's East End, in Lights Out Till Dawn. Perfect for fans of Harry Bowling and Dilly Court. Before World War II has even been officially declared, ten-year-old Hazel Morgan and her eight-year-old brother Peter are evacuated, leaving London for the safety of the Sussex countryside. With her children gone and her husband John in the army, Rene Morgan misses her family terribly. When she learns that John has become a prisoner of war, she has to take on the highly dangerous job of firewatcher. Meanwhile, Hazel and Peter are desperate to go back home. Returning to the city, they are overjoyed to be reunited with their mother and Gran. But their father is still far away and the worst of the war is yet to come. As the air raids increase, the Morgans must face the terror of the Blitz together... What readers are saying about Lights Out Till Dawn: 'This is an excellent read and I was disappointed when I finished it because I wanted it to go on forever... This book is well written and I managed to read it in two sittings. The characters were very well drawn and likeable... Great read. Can't recommend enough' 'I love Dee Williams stories. She goes into great detail and it is as if you are living it' 'Great read, the book draws you in. Keep up the great work. Dee Williams has the knack of bringing the characters to life'

Vainglory begins in France in 1429, the year of the Siege of Orléans, as Victoire de Gloriole regains possession of the family castle from the English following the Battle of Agincourt. Having consolidated his position by marrying a beautiful Englishwoman, Victoire sets out to rebuild a dynasty and a castle. However some years on, he finds himself without a legitimate heir, and at war with a family of scheming cousins. From Joan of Arc and the 15th century wars with the English through to Catherine de Medici and the slaughter of the Huguenots, Vainglory tells the story of a power-hungry family who will let nothing and no one get in their way. Cleverly plotted and beautifully written, it is a historical novel of rare class.

From the pen of acclaimed writer M. Shayne Bell, winner of the Writers of the Future Contest, here are futures to make come true . . . and also futures that should never come true -- but will.

"The latest entry in National Geographic's popular photo line gives readers a front-row seat to the wonders of landscape photography. Choosing from among the world's best portfolios, curators at National Geographic have arranged a symphony of photographs that tell the story of a single day, from dawn's first light to the closing moments of sunset, from daylight to dark. Short legends accompany every photograph to explain the picture, the scene it conveys, or how the photographer captured it, along with quotations from literature that provide historical context. With the widest possible array of perspectives, close-ups, and details, these photos present a lifetime of vision, each page a new experience of time and light"--

When it comes to obesity, diabetes, heart disease, cancer, and depression, everything you believe is a lie. With research gleaned from the National Institutes of Health, T.S. Wiley and Bent Formby deliver staggering findings: Americans really are sick from being tired. Diabetes, heart disease, cancer, and depression are rising in our population. We’re literally dying for a good night’s sleep. Our lifestyle wasn’t always this way. It began with the invention of the lightbulb. When we don’t get enough sleep in sync with seasonal light exposure, we fundamentally alter a balance of nature that has been programmed into our physiology since day one. This delicate biological rhythm rules the hormones and neurotransmitters that determine appetite, fertility, and mental and physical health. When we rely on artificial light to extend our day until 11 p.m., midnight, and beyond, we fool our bodies into living in a perpetual state of summer. Anticipating the scarce food supply and forced inactivity of winter, our bodies begin storing fat and slowing metabolism to sustain us through the months of hibernation and hunger that never arrive. Our own survival instinct, honed over millennia, is now killing us. Wiley and Formby also reveal: -That studies from our own government research prove the role of sleeplessness in diabetes, heart disease, cancer, infertility, mental illness, and premature aging -Why the carbohydrate-rich diets recommended by many health professionals are not only ridiculously ineffective but deadly -Why the lifesaving information that can turn things around is one of the best-kept secrets of our day. Lights Out is one wake-up call none of us can afford to miss.

Boys' Life is the official youth magazine for the Boy Scouts of America. Published since 1911, it contains a proven mix of news, nature, sports, history, fiction, science, comics, and Scouting.