"Mika Blake works in law enforcement, and is married to one of the most distinguished detectives on the police force. Everything looks good on the outside-- but Rasheem is controlling and two-timing, so Mika buries herself into her career. She soon crosses paths with Jakeel, an ex-con fresh out of prison. The jovial jailbird piques her interest, and Mika soon forgets that there are certain lines you just don't cross. Now she's playing with two men on opposite sides of the law. Can Mika walk away, or will she make a move that could lead to murder and mayhem in her once quiet life?"--Provided by publisher.

Mika works in law enforcement and is married to one of the most distinguished detectives on the police force. While everything looks good on the outside, Mika’s home life is anything but normal. With a controlling, two-timing husband, she buries herself into her career. She soon crosses paths with Jakeel, an ex-con fresh out of prison. The jovial jailbird piques her interest, and Mika soon forgets that there are certain lines you just don’t cross. Playing a risky game, she finds herself in a very dangerous situation, playing with two men on opposite sides of the law. Can Mika walk away, or will she make a move that could lead to murder and mayhem in her once quiet life?

A “superior thriller”(Oakland Press) about a man, a dog, and a terrifying threat that could only have come from the imagination of #1 New York Times bestselling author Dean Koontz—nominated as one of America’s best-loved novels by PBS’s The Great American Read. On his thirty-sixth birthday, Travis Cornell hikes into the foothills of the Santa Ana Mountains. But his path is soon blocked by a bedraggled Golden Retriever who will let him go no further into the dark woods. That morning, Travis had been desperate to find some happiness in his lonely, seemingly cursed life. What he finds is a dog of alarming intelligence that soon leads him into a relentless storm of mankind’s darkest creation...

One man's search to find his role in the world is revealed in the writer's portrait of his youthful political activism and entry into a Trappist monastery

The story of the director behind Harold and Maude, Being There, and other quirky classics: “A superb biography of this troubled, talented man.” —Tucson Citizen Hal Ashby set the standard for subsequent independent filmmakers by crafting unique, thoughtful, and challenging films that continue to influence new generations of directors. Initially finding success as an editor, Ashby won an Academy Award for editing 1967’s In the Heat of the Night, and translated his skills into a career as one of the quintessential directors of 1970s. Perhaps best remembered for the enduring cult classic Harold and Maude, Ashby quickly became known for melding quirky comedy and intense drama with performances from A-list actors such as Jack Nicholson in The Last Detail, Warren Beatty and Goldie Hawn in Shampoo, Jon Voight and Jane Fonda in Coming Home, and Peter Sellers and Shirley MacLaine in Being There. But Ashby’s personal life was difficult. After enduring his parents’ divorce, his father’s suicide, and his own failed marriage all before the age of nineteen, he became notorious for his drug abuse, which contributed to the decline of his career near the end of his life. Ashby always operated outside Hollywood’s conventions, and though his output was tragically limited, the quality of his films continues to inspire modern directors as varied and talented as Judd Apatow and Wes Anderson, both of whom acknowledge Ashby as a primary influence. In Being Hal Ashby: Life of a Hollywood Rebel, the first full-length biography of the maverick filmmaker, Nick Dawson masterfully tells the turbulent story of Ashby’s life and career.

Although contemporary art may sometimes shock us, more alarming are recent attempts to regulate its display. Drawing upon extensive interviews, a broad sampling of media accounts, legal documents and his own observations of important events, sociologist Steven Dubin surveys the recent trend in censorship of the visual arts, photography and film, as well as artistic upstarts such as video and performance art. He examines the dual meaning of arresting images--both the nature of art work which disarms its viewers and the social reaction to it. Arresting Images examines the battles which erupt when artists address such controversial issues as racial polarization, AIDS, gay-bashing and sexual inequality in their work.