One of the great things about midlife is having the experience and knowledge that comes from decades of navigating jerks and mansplainers. Unfortunately, I had nothing in my repertoire to help me deal with a true Trickster. Amid magical mushrooms, ghosts popping up in unexpected places, dangerous predators, strange pregnancies, barking cats, meowing dogs, and an endless array of other weirdness, I’m facing a foe unlike any I’ve encountered before as Lares of Rome. My new enemy is determined to destroy my dominion, and he doesn’t care who he takes out in the effort. He probably doesn’t realize it yet, but he’s in for a shipload of a battle. It’s going to take the combined effort of an entire town and all of my council and allies, but I have no intention of giving my people over to the type of madness the Trickster generates.

Willa Knight: Dweller. Slave. Non-magical being. In Minatsol, being a dweller means that you are literally no better than dirt. In fact, dirt might actually be more useful than Willa. Her life will be one of servitude to the sols, the magic-blessed beings who could one day be chosen to become gods. At least her outer village is far removed from the cities of the sols, and she won't ever be forced to present herself to them... Until one small mistake changes everything, and Willa is awarded a position to serve at Blesswood, the top sol academy in the world-a position that she definitely did not earn. Under the sudden, watchful eye of the gods, she will be tasked to serve the Abcurse brothers, five sols built of arrogance, perfection and power. They are almost gods themselves, and under their service she is either going to end up sentenced to death, or else they are going to ruin her so badly that she will wish for it. Either way, she is in trouble.This is a full novel, 90,000 words. Book 1 of 5 in the Curse of the Gods Series

There's a whole world of Dahl still to discover in a newly collected book of his deliciously dark tales for adults . . . How underhand could you be to get what you want? In these ten tales of dark and twisted trickery Roald Dahl reveals that we are at our smartest and most cunning when we set out to deceive others - and, sometimes, even ourselves. Here, among others, you'll read of the married couple and the parting gift which rocks their marriage, the light fingered hitch-hiker and the grateful motorist, and discover why the serious poacher keeps a few sleeping pills in his arsenal. Featuring extraordinary cover art by Charming Baker, whose paintings echo the dark and twisted world of Dahl's short stories. Roald Dahl reveals even more about the darker side of human nature in seven other centenary editions: Lust, Madness, Cruelty, Deception, War, Innocence and Fear.

Magic or spycraft? In 1953, against the backdrop of the Cold War, the CIA initiated a top-secret program, code-named MKULTRA, to counter Soviet mind-control and interrogation techniques. Realizing that clandestine officers might need to covertly deploy newly developed pills, potions, and powders against the adversary, the CIA hired America's most famous magician, John Mulholland, to write two manuals on sleight of hand and undercover communication techniques. In 1973, virtually all documents related to MKULTRA were destroyed. Mulholland's manuals were thought to be among them—until a single surviving copy of each, complete with illustrations, was recently discovered in the agency's archives. The manuals reprinted in this work represent the only known complete copy of Mulholland's instructions for CIA officers on the magician's art of deception and secret communications.

From New York Times Bestseller, Pepper Winters, comes The Master of Trickery Duet. An angsty, secretive romance where the heroine is selfless with her kindness and a hero who does his best to push her away. Set in a world of body paint, lies, and history. "Must be slim, able to stand for long periods of time, and be impervious to the cold.” The headline caught my attention. “Hours are negotiable, pay is minimal, clothing absolutely forbidden.” The second line piqued my curiosity. “Able to hold your bladder and tongue, refrain from opinions or suggestions, and be the perfect living canvas.” The third made me scowl. “Other attributes required: non-ticklish, contortionist, and obedient. Must also enjoy being studied while naked in a crowd.” The fourth made me shudder. “Call or email ‘YOUR SKIN, HIS CANVAS’ if interested in applying.” The final made my heart race. I should’ve kept scrolling past the advertisement. I should’ve applied for the boring receptionist job at minimum wage. I should’ve clicked on any other job where I got to keep my clothes on. But I didn’t. I applied. My interview is tomorrow… Finish this duet with The Living Canvas

Be vigil my children, for when the day comes that the gods of old arise again, and the Wanderer walks abroad, the Uncrowned King shall stand beside the Last Druin and unite the lands against the Void But do not be deceived, the Great Beast Azkalon, Lord of the Void, shall awaken from the Beyond, woe to the unwary for even the dead shall cower in his wake. ~From the Prophecy of the Uncrowned King~ War has come to us at last. We had been warned. But the hubris of men has blinded us to the past, and all the alliances of old have faded. The Druins, who had stood to oppose the gods who have ruled our people for countless generations, are no more. They had been betrayed. We allowed them to free us, and once we became strong again, we destroyed them. Where should we turn now? For five hundred years we have stood upon the might of our Imperium. Will we be able to contend against the might of gods? I fear the dark shadows that grows beneath the mountains, for our doom is fated by the deceit of our own pride. We stand alone. The old gods have returned, once again Thangar will know the might of the Dwarves who worship them. ~Spoken by the Forgotten The days of prophecy are upon us. Let the Uncrowned King ride the course of Fate.