My mother probably came up with the idea "if the shoe fits, wear it." In 1959, she purchased a beautiful pair of gray high heels. Only one other person could wear those high heels, and I was not the one. That year came quietly, but then the others came. A mother and six children. How could sixteen people live in a house with three bedrooms and one bath? Who were they? Why were they here? How long would they stay? We had no idea that each of us would be forever changed in 1959, the year known historically as the year of change. Most of us would find ourselves viewing a picture of those high heels long after we saw them in the back of our Ford station wagon as our father backed out of the driveway that fateful day. But those high heels held secrets to a horrible but brave story that now must be told. My father was a man of his word and a man of words. He taught the importance of knowing what to say and meaning what we said. Would words bring us together? Would their leaving destroy any chance of our becoming family?

Featuring a vivid selection of contemporary fashion photography, this volume is a visual odyssey through ideas of beauty, danger and seduction. Its exploration of the confluence of art, fashion and fetish in the cult of high heels swooping down fashion show runways and city streets everywhere is an enticing mixture whimsy, allure and luxury. It will appeal to anyone with an interest in fashion or contemporary photography.

Set in the 1950's in Westchester County, New York, High Heels begins as sixth-grader Dolores Morgan escapes from her tormented childhood at home by visiting the town library. Almost every afternoon, behind the stacks and all the way into the dimly backroom, she is not alone. It is in books that she finds friends from all over the world - David Copperfield, The Pathfinder, The Great Gatsby, The Count of Monte Cristo, and her little friend, Huw, as he works in the coal mines with his dad in How Green Was My Valley. She goes with Master David when he receives his beatings and he comes with her when she receives hers, and together, they learn endurance. From The Count of Monte Cristo, she learns the power that comes with being on time, and, from each of her fictional friends she takes solace, feels less alone and less afraid. Are fictional mentors and glorious daydreams enough to nurture her spirit through a family life filled with trauma? They have to be. She must prevail.

New York Times, and USA Today Bestselling series! "Gemma Halliday's Maddie Springer is like the west coast version of Janet Evanovich's Stephanie Plum - only more stylish!" - LG Book Club Baguettes, bodies, and haute couture galore! Shoe designer turned amateur sleuth, Maddie Springer, is at it again, this time in fabulously fashionable Paris. When Europe's designer de jour, Jean Luc LeCroix, invites Maddie to show her creations at Paris Fashion Week, Maddie's sure she's died and gone to heaven. That is until Jean Luc's top model is found dead on the runway, stabbed with a familiar stiletto heel. Sure someone is trying to frame her, Maddie enlists the help of her friends, including the sexy Detective Jack Ramirez, to uncover a daring jewel heist, a devious blackmailer, and even a few skeletons lurking in the closets of those closest to her. But as the evidence mounts, Maddie becomes the prime suspect and Ramirez is stuck between a badge and a cute blonde with a tendency for trouble. Will he stand by her as she attempts to track down an international killer, or will this be the case that finally comes between them? One thing's for sure, if Maddie doesn't uncover the real killer soon, she may be saying her final adieu. Other Books in the High Heels Series: #1 Spying in High Heels #2 Killer in High Heels #3 Undercover in High Heels #3.5 Christmas in High Heels (short story) #4 Alibi in High Heels #5 Mayhem in High Heels #5.5 Honeymoon in High Heels (short story) #5.75 Sweetheart in High Heels (novella) #6 Fearless in High Heels #7 Danger in High Heels #8 Homicide in High Heels #9 Deadly in High Heels What critics are saying about Alibi in High Heels: "ALIBI IN HIGH HEELS is a clever and stylish addition to Gemma Halliday's laughter-infused Maddie Springer series." - Chicago Tribune "Halliday is on top of her game, and readers will love Maddie's new adventure." - Booklist "If you're in the mood for a fun, fast, easy read cozy, you can’t go wrong with ALIBI IN HIGH HEELS! I wasn’t just a reader, I was truly along for the ride. Gemma Halliday has created a delightful reluctant sleuth!" - Futures Mystery Anthology Magazine "I started ALIBI IN HIGH HEELS around 2 pm and read non stop until 11 pm when I finished it. The writing was so engaging and so fun that I did not want to put this book down. This is a 5 star book that I HIGHLY recommend to Janet Evanovich fans who are looking for a new author to try that they will LOVE!!! ALIBI IN HIGH HEELS is the best book that I have read in a while, and I can't wait to read more books by Gemma Halliday." - Fresh Fiction "Maddie Springer is like a cross between Paris Hilton and Stephanie Plum, only better. The dialogue is snappy and the suspense beautifully interwoven with Ms. Halliday’s unique humor. This is one HIGH HEEL you’ll want to try on again and again " - Romance Junkies

Best Fifteen Books of March 2019, Refinery29 Best Nonfiction Books of 2019, Paste Magazine Object Lessons is a series of short, beautifully designed books about the hidden lives of ordinary things. Fetishized, demonized, celebrated, and outlawed, the high heel is central to the iconography of modern womanhood. But are high heels good? Are they feminist? What does it mean for a woman (or, for that matter, a man) to choose to wear them? Meditating on the labyrinthine nature of sexual identity and the performance of gender, High Heel moves from film to fairytale, from foot binding to feminism, and from the golden ratio to glam rock. Summer Brennan considers this most provocative of fashion accessories as a nexus of desire and struggle, sex and society, violence and self expression, setting out to understand what it means to be a woman by walking a few hundred years in her shoes. Object Lessons is published in partnership with an essay series in The Atlantic.

Heiress Lori Granger looks like a million bucks--and is famous for giving much of her fabulous fortune away. But her generosity has outstripped her checkbook, and not even her glamorous image and come-hither eyes can save her now. Certainly not with Jackson James in the picture . . . Hired by her dad's estate to control her spending, this CPA with linebacker shoulders and gray flannel suits invades her space, insults her dog, and refuses to loosen his grip on her trust fund. Worse, he seems immune to her charms--unless she's close enough to kiss. Not a man to cross the line with a client, even when the attraction is hotter than a pair of Lori's highest sling-backs, Jackson agrees to help her find a husband to fulfill a condition of her father's will. Yet sharing her dreams with him makes Lori wonder: Could this infuriating Mr. Straight be the one to make them all come true?

The bestselling U.K. sensation, hailed as "the most fabulous instruction manual the world has ever seen" by Vogue.com Can you make yourself up in five minutes flat? Make the first move without breaking a sweat Hang a picture without becoming unhinged Get out of a car -- or an unpleasant situation -- gracefully in a short skirt Load an iPod as effortlessly as a dishwasher If not, international style and fashion journalist Camilla Morton can help you navigate these and more than two hundred other hazards of modern living with grace and aplomb. Much more than just a style manual or crash course in social skills, How to Walk in High Heels also illuminates the finer points of achieving better homes and gardens, tackling technophobia, climbing the career ladder, and joining the jet set. From the practical, such as what to do when a heel breaks and how to catch a mouse, to the imaginative, such as how to enjoy karaoke and swim in sunglasses, How to Walk in High Heels overflows with useful nuggets of advice delivered in the author's inimitable witty style, accompanied by a foreword from Dior's John Galliano and a Louis Vuitton trunkful of insight from experts including: -Manolo Blahnik on How to Pick a Shoe -Dolce & Gabbana on How to Get Ready in Five Minutes -Gisele Bundchen on How to Look Good in a Photo -Jade Jagger on How to Compile Your Own Soundtrack This comprehensive do-everything-better bible takes the guesswork out of flaunting your fabulousness so that you can stop teetering and start striding confidently through the obstacle course of life.