Millhiser outdoes herself yet again in The Rampant Reaper, an effort sure to leave both loyal fans and new readers clamoring for the next installment of this unconventional and engaging series. Literary agent and amateur sleuth Charlie Greene accompanies her mother to her great-great-aunt's funeral under great duress--after all, Charlie herself is adopted, and this part of her extended family has never made her feel that welcome. Plus, it's in Myrtle, Iowa, about as far from Charlie's life as a high-powered California literary agent as one can get. But she agrees to go. How bad could it be? In one of Marlys Millhiser's quirky, offbeat mysteries, that is the world's biggest rhetorical question. Because someone may be offing the elderly in this midwestern town's only nursing home, and it falls to Charlie, the suspicious outsider, to put all the pieces together. Dealing with a passel of wacky relatives she's never met and a vicious killer as well won't be the easiest task she's ever been handed, but Charlie's good humor and recently acquired investigative experience should be more than enough to finish the job. That is, if she can escape the prying eyes that seem to peer at her from every corner of the tiny town.

Earth was a beautiful place, but all beautiful things can and will die given enough time. So surely enough, the world died, or at least as it was known. Many monstrosities were born of this cataclysm. Only Man and Reaper were of the old world, though reapers came soon before this death ... In a new reality born from the corpse of the last, an ancient being known as The Reaper John Doe wanders the wilderness alone with his pale horse. After a time, he happens upon an old friend by the name of Forbol. Forbol leads John to a city rife with hate. Although John is nomadic—as are most lone Reapers—he is called to stay and fulfill a sacred duty. As member of the Nomad Order, he must answer The Call of the Nomad. Cruelty and bloodshed require John to set things right, but this dangerous adventure is much more than the Reaper expects. Tumble into the wondrous sparks of magic and science, the bloody darkness of humanity, and the bizareness of life in Samuel Grom’s Blood Tower.

The seventh installment in morbid world of mythology incarnate that is the Malazan Book of the Fallen

I’m marked for death. If I can get this Deathmark removed, I can help save the world from total ruin. Only thing is, Brent Hume, Grim Reaper and love of my life, is hot on my trail, zeroing in on the mark that beckons him. The Reaper’s instinct cannot be denied. He would sooner stop breathing than ignore a Deathmark’s call. He’s a tireless supernatural hunter, and I’m his top prey. If I don’t find a way to stop him from doing his job, everything and everyone I love will suffer. The world will suffer. And I’m sick of letting people down, dammit. But even as I run from him, I want to run toward him. The Deathmark series is best enjoyed in order. Series Order: Book #1 The Reaper's Kiss Book #2 The Reaper's Sacrifice Book #3 The Reaper’s Embrace

Like other fictional characters, female sleuths may live in the past or the future. They may represent current times with some level of reality or shape their settings to suit an agenda. There are audiences for both realism and escapism in the mystery novel. It is interesting, however, to compare the fictional world of the mystery sleuth with the world in which readers live. Of course, mystery readers do not share one simplistic world. They live in urban, suburban, and rural areas, as do the female heroines in the books they read. They may choose a book because it has a familiar background or because it takes them to places they long to visit. Readers may be rich or poor; young or old; conservative or liberal. So are the heroines. What incredible choices there are today in mystery series! This three-volume encyclopedia of women characters in the mystery novel is like a gigantic menu. Like a menu, the descriptions of the items that are provided are subjective. Volume 3 of Mystery Women as currently updated adds an additional 42 sleuths to the 500 plus who were covered in the initial Volume 3. These are more recently discovered sleuths who were introduced during the period from January 1, 1990 to December 31, 1999. This more than doubles the number of sleuths introduced in the 1980s (298 of whom were covered in Volume 2) and easily exceeded the 347 series (and some outstanding individuals) described in Volume 1, which covered a 130-year period from 1860-1979. It also includes updates on those individuals covered in the first edition; changes in status, short reviews of books published since the first edition through December 31, 2008.

A guide to series fiction lists popular series, identifies novels by character, and offers guidance on the order in which to read unnumbered series.

From the suburbs of Washington, D.C. and Northern Virginia to the bat infested caves of Wuhan, China, this book traces the myriad networks of the virus that brought the world to its knees. Ravi R. Iyer, M.D. gives readers a ringside seat to the COVID-19 pandemic, highlighting the calculations of those who influenced the fate of millions and the science that saved the world. The author analyzes the various forces and decisions that unleashed the most catastrophic disaster mankind has experienced in this century while zeroing in on the horror, pain, struggles, and triumphs of common people who faced the coronavirus. Written in a fast-flowing style, the book explores how patients battled the disease and how science may have unleashed it on the world. From the failures of governments and leaders to the triumphs of individual men, The Reaper’s Dance is a story of the tapestry of human hubris and humility, courage, and cowardice with an enduring cautionary message for all mankind.