The trio of brave friends who make up Shark, Inc—Luke, Maribel and Sabina—dive back into adventure in Stingers, the follow-up to bestselling author Randy Wayne White’s Fins. Marine biologist Doc Ford invites Maribel, Luke, and Sabina to a remote island in the Bahamas where lionfish, a beautiful and venomous inhabitant of the South Pacific that has invaded Florida and the Caribbean, are not just upsetting the balance of nature by damaging the coral reefs—their sting has put several people in the hospital. What Doc and Captain Hannah Smith don’t mention is that the island is riddled with limestone caves, once home to a band of pirates, and stories of Spanish gold have lured outlaw treasure hunters to the area. When the trio finds precious artifacts, they agree to guard the secret until they’ve thoroughly explored the spot. Soon, outlaws search for the trio, hoping they will lead them to riches.

The basis for the Peacock TV series Teacup: An extraterrestrial bounty hunter turns a Southern community into its private hunting ground in “the ultimate horror novel” (The Philadelphia Inquirer). The West Texas desert towns of Inferno and Bordertown have been slowly dying. The Snake River isn’t the only thing that divides them. Racism and gang wars have turned the sun-scorched flatlands into a powder keg. If anything can unite them now, it’s the UFO that comes crashing through the clouds. It brings with it a young alien named Daufin, a fugitive who has taken human form. She knows the terror that awaits this planet—because it’s looking for her. Stinger is an alien bounty hunter with an infinite capacity for death and a devious plan to find Daufin. Entombing the region in an inescapable dome, Stinger unleashes a violent fury unknown to humankind. Now, the few remaining survivors must come together to protect Daufin, themselves, and the world beyond. From Robert McCammon, the New York Times–bestselling and Bram Stoker Award–winning author, Stinger is “one of the best suspense novels of recent years” (Science Fiction Chronicle). It has now been adapted into one of the most hotly anticipated horror series on television: Teacup, premiering on Peacock this October.

A spicy second-chance standalone romance from the New York Times bestselling author of Archer's Voice. Sometimes, you don't even realize anything is wrong until someone comes along and changes you, and makes you want more. Grace Hamilton is the girl with a plan. She knows exactly where her life is going, and prides herself on always achieving her goals. She's never stepped outside the lines she draws for herself, and never considered what her heart truly wants. That is, until him. Carson Stinger doesn't play by any rules except his own. Working in the adult entertainment industry, he doesn't care what others think of his choices, and takes each day as it comes. No direction, no plan. He knows what women want from him, and in his eyes, it's all he has to offer...until her. When unexpected circumstances force them together, Grace and Carson are swept up into the electric chemistry between them, surrendering to a steamy Las Vegas weekend in each other's arms. But for two people whose worlds could never coexist, they know their time is short. That is, until their hearts get involved without their permission...

A rash of strokes among otherwise healthy black men transforms FBI Agent Robert Cavanaugh's otherwise boring post in Southern Maryland into a suddenly fascinating and dangerous job as he investigates. Reprint.

The bright galaxies, star clusters, and nebulae catalogued in the late 1700s by the famous comet hunter Charles Messier are still the most widely observed celestial wonders in the sky. The second edition of Stephen James O'Meara's acclaimed observing guide to the Messier Objects features improved star charts for helping you find the objects, a much more robust telling of the history behind their discovery - including a glimpse into Messier's fascinating life - and updated astrophysical facts to put it all into context. These additions, along with new photos taken with the most advanced amateur telescopes, bring O'Meara's first edition more than a decade into the twenty-first century. Expand your universe and test your viewing skills with this truly modern Messier guide. It is a must for all budding night watchers.

Nicknamed “the truck killer,” the AC-119K gunship and its counterpart, the AC-119G, were developed in the late 1960s in response to the needs of the U.S. military in Vietnam. This important book examines the evolution of these aircraft and their role within Vietnam, military policy, and geopolitical realities. Drawing on unpublished studies and a host of primary materials, William Head discusses the events that led to the birth of the AC-119, the planning and modification processes that followed, and its operational history. The G model, or “Shadow,” focused on air support and anti-personnel missions. “Stinger,” the K model, which could carry more cargo for longer distances, was suited for destruction of enemy vehicles. Though the AC-119 was only an interim asset, its descendants—the AC-130E, H, and U—have played an active role in the recent conflict in Iraq. A narrative of the crews and pilots who executed the missions and the engineers, designers, and the politicians responsible for the aircraft, Shadow and Stinger will be of interest to Vietnam veterans, historians, and scholars, as well as aviation enthusiasts.

It is the quintessential nature of humans to communicate with each other. Good communications, bad communications, miscommunications, or no communications at all have driven everything from world events to the most mundane of interactions. At the broadest level, communication entails many registers and modes: verbal, iconographic, symbolic, oral, written, and performed. Relationships and identities – real and fictive – arise from communication, but how and why were they effected and how should they be understood? The chapters in this volume address some of the registers and modes of communication in the ancient Near East. Particular focuses are imperial and court communications between rulers and ruled, communications intended for a given community, and those between families and individuals. Topics cover a broad chronological period (3rd millennium BC to 1st millennium AD), and geographic range (Egypt to Israel and Mesopotamia) encapsulating the extraordinarily diverse plurality of human experience. This volume is deliberately interdisciplinary and cross-cultural, and its broad scope provides wide insights and a holistic understanding of communication applicable today. It is intended for both the scholar and readers with interests in ancient Near Eastern history and Biblical studies, communications (especially communications theory), and sociolinguistics.