Anyone who has ever stood on the shores of Monterey Bay, watching the rolling ocean waves and frolicking otters, knows it is a unique place. But even residents on this idyllic California coast may not realize its full history. Monterey began as a natural paradise, but became the poster child for industrial devastation in John Steinbeck’s Cannery Row,and is now one of the most celebrated shorelines in the world. It is a remarkable story of life, death, and revival—told here for the first time in all its stunning color and bleak grays. The Death and Life of Monterey Bay begins in the eighteenth century when Spanish and French explorers encountered a rocky shoreline brimming with life—raucous sea birds, abundant sea otters, barking sea lions, halibut the size of wagon wheels,waters thick with whales. A century and a half later, many of the sea creatures had disappeared, replaced by sardine canneries that sickened residents with their stench but kept the money flowing. When the fish ran out and the climate turned,the factories emptied and the community crumbled. But today,both Monterey’s economy and wildlife are resplendent. How did it happen? The answer is deceptively simple: through the extraordinary acts of ordinary people. The Death and Life of Monterey Bay is the biography of a place, but also of the residents who reclaimed it. Monterey is thriving because of an eccentric mayor who wasn’t afraid to use pistols, axes, or the force of law to protect her coasts. It is because of fishermen who love their livelihood, scientists who are fascinated by the sea’s mysteries, and philanthropists and community leaders willing to invest in a world-class aquarium. The shores of Monterey Bay revived because of human passion—passion that enlivens every page of this hopeful book.

The fifth book in the Dave Cubiak Door County Mystery series. After a prominent medical director collapses of a suspected heart attack, Sheriff Dave Cubiak is drawn into a web of lies and long-buried secrets. Dedicated and new fans alike will find themselves captivated as he untangles the twisted threads of this intricate mystery.

No one noticed anything suspicious about the death of a wounded soldier at the height of the Civil War—not, that is, until almost a hundred years later. In 1957, young Washington, D.C., police sergeant Ben Carey heads up a team of officers in a dilapidated house three blocks from the Capitol. Though Carey’s career is on the rise, his marriage is circling the drain, and as he spends more time at the office, he discovers there is something not quite right about this decaying old home. It harbors some dark secrets—connecting him to the long-dead soldier and others in ways he can't understand. With his personal life in shambles, and forces from within the house vying for his attention, Carey casts reason aside and begins an investigation to uncover the truth about what happened in this haunted place. As he peels back the layers of history, he finds courage and love, but also deception, greed, jealousy, and murder. Twisting through time—between an America torn by Civil War and the prosperous 1950s—Murder Bay is a mystery that spans eras and the gulf dividing what can and cannot be explained. “The impressive first in a historical series, which effortlessly alternates between Washington, D.C., in 1862 and the same city 95 years later...this debut shows definite promise.” —Publishers Weekly “Very nicely done....Recommended.” —Library Journal “An involving, period-perfect story. The action is fast-paced and convincing...the characters are expertly drawn.” —ForeWord

"Park ranger and former Chicago homicide detective Dave Cubiak is elected Door County sheriff, but his success is overshadowed when a tragic death occurs in the isolated fishing village of Gills Rock."--From NoveList.

In the 1980s, the San Francisco Bay Area was heaven for hardcore headbangers. Shunning Hollywood hairspray and image in favor of a more dangerous street appeal, the Bay Area thrash metal scene was home toExodus,Metallica,Testament,Possessed,Death Angel,Heathen,Vio-Lence,Attitude Adjustment, Forbidden, andBlind Illusion -- and served as a second home to like-minded similar bands likeSlayer,Mercyful Fate,Anthrax,Megadeth, and more. Beginning as teenagers taking snapshots of visiting heavy metal bands during the 1970s, Brian "Umlaut" Lew and Harald "O." Oimoen documented the birth and growth of the local metal scene. Featuring hundreds of unseen live and candid color and black-and-white photographs,Murder in the Front Row captures the wild-eyed zeal and drive that madeMetallica,Slayer, andMegadeth into legends, with over 100 million combined records sold.

Murder has a long and distinguished history in San Francisco. The city and its Bay Area can stand proudly with Paris, London, and New York in the splendour of its misdeeds -- murders that have suspense, horror, audacity, and flair. The homicides chronicled in Murder by the Bay have been selected because a convergence of personality, circumstance, character, and geography makes them peculiarly San Franciscan. Each of these crimes illustrates an historic importance, each has impacted its times -- either in the course or application of the law or in the manner in which the affair revealed a shortcoming in society. They range from the Montgomery Street killing of James King of William, editor of the Daily Evening Bulletin, in 1856 to the sensational trial of early movie comedian Fatty Arbuckle who was accused of killing a showgirl at a party in the St. Francis Hotel to the shocking "City Hall Murders" in which former city supervisor Dan White killed Mayor George Moscone and Supervisor Harvey Milk. Most were solved, some were not. They are murders that fascinated the city and frequently the country, sometimes for weeks, often for years and even decades.

"Explores the roots and repercussions of the infamous killing of Eric Garner by the New York City police"--