Showing results by narrator "Lee Ann Howlett" in All Categories

Ten years after a tragic incident on the lake, an AA meeting in a small, religious town in the deep south of the USA descends into bitterness and chaos when a flood hits. Trapped within the local church, tempers escalate and well-buried secrets begin to emerge. Personalities clash, reputations are dissected and questioned, and everybody's demons are laid bare.

Floyd Dell has been called "one of the most flamboyant, versatile, and influential American Men of Letters of the first third of the 20th century". Though he was primarily a newspaper and magazine editor, most prominently of the radical left-wing magazine The Masses, he also published many best-selling feminist works. As a staunch advocate of feminism, socialism, psychoanalysis, and progressive education, his writing greatly shocked the American bourgeoisie at the time, to the point where it became so controversial, he was put on trial twice for his subversive literature.

A man is found dead in the study of his New York City house and Detective Gryce is called upon to deduce the how and why of his murder - if it is indeed a murder. With the assistance of Miss Amelia Butterworth, Gryce must investigate the meaning of the meager clues, including the cries of a talking bird, in order to uncover what happened to the victim. Solving this crime will involve several generations of two families. Author Anna Katharine Green was often referred to as "the mother of the detective novel" and was an early influence on Agatha Christie.

Published in 1871, Little Men is a sequel to the novel, Little Women. It tells the continuing story of Jo March, who has married Professor Bhaer, with whom she now runs a small school.

Special Agent Floy Turner returns for her final crime-fighting battles. With the first page bringing us back to historical 9/11, Floy finds herself in a precarious situation as she and her team face the potential threats of entering and searching the apartments of the 9/11 terrorists mere hours after the attacks. From escorting renown serial killer Aileen Wournos to her execution to interrupting the insidious ploys of kidnappers, cybercrime predators, and human traffickers, Turner uses her seasoned investigator’s skills to ensure justice is served.

Dying to Get Married is a modern day morality tale of the perversion of an American dream. Julie Miller was a successful executive, who, through a newspaper ad, met who she thought was "Mr. Right". Little did she know that he had a violent past and a predisposition for bizarre sexual rituals.

Guarding the Secrets recounts the terror-stricken life and murder of 16-year-old Tina Isa, who was condemned by her other family members for becoming Americanized, before her father, an accused Palestinian terrorist, murdered her in November 1989. The killing was recorded by accident due to the FBI having bugged the house in an attempt to prove the father's ties to terrorism. The events leading up to the murder are expertly told by author Ellen Harris, including Tina's older sisters urging their father to kill their younger sister.

On a fall evening in Corvallis, Oregon, in 1967, 17-year-old Dick Kitchel, a senior at the high school, disappeared after attending a party. Ten days later, his body was spotted by two children as it floated down the Willamette River. He had been beaten and strangled. Now, nearly 50 years later, a classmate, New York Times best-selling author Rebecca Morris, returns to her hometown to write about how the murder changed the town and the lives of Dick Kitchel's friends.

In this story, by American writer Dorothy Parker, a woman gives a laundry list of men she's not married to. She also convincingly states the reasons why she is not and would not want to be married to the various men. Parker's wit and humor shine through as the eccentricities and foibles of the men are described.

Ejaz Ahmad was handsome, charismatic, and a self-made businessman. He arrived in the United States from Pakistan determined to fulfill his mother's dying wish: to come to America, complete his education, and make his mark in the world. Settling in Memphis, Tennessee, Ejaz became owner of several businesses, father to a handsome boy, and a devout Muslim. The only thing missing in his life was a wife, someone special to protect, honor, and love. Leah Ward was a pretty girl, but a prison parolee with a questionable past.

What if Abel had killed Cain, but there was no jury of his peers? In 1928 Georgia, a black man who kills a white man is automatically guilty, but the bedwarmer's son, an ex-slave, is no normal black man. And the dead white man is his half-brother. Once his lily-white lawyer lady learns the truth, everything changes. Can she save him from swinging?

Mr. and Mrs. Wheelock live with their five-year old daughter in a small house in a tidy suburb. Although they present the picture of a happy little family, the old adage "appearances can be deceiving" could certainly apply to their household. This was American author and celebrated wit Dorothy Parker's first published short story.

This delightful children’s classic consists of 26 short rhymes all relating to the temptingly delicious pumpkin pie waiting to be eaten at the Thanksgiving table. Each letter of the alphabet is used to describe the actions - naughty and nice - of those waiting for their slice. A wonderful holiday listen for young children.

These articles reflect how Selfridge was viewed by the press in the U.S. and London along with how he was seen by his fellow merchants and tradesmen during the years his store was built and thrived. There are also a number of sections in Selfridge’s own words. He loved publicity and was very interested in the ideas of his competitors, employees, and how business was done in other countries.

An American institution, Sun Records has a history with many chapters: its Memphis origins with visionary Sam Phillips, the breakthrough recordings of Elvis Presley, and the studio's immense influence on the sound of popular music. But behind the company's chart toppers and legendary musicians there exists another story, told by Barbara Barnes Sims. In the male-dominated workforce of the 1950s, 24-year-old Sims found herself thriving in the demanding roles of publicist and sales promotion coordinator at Sun Records.

One woman learns the consequences of having a PlaceNook account when all her "friends" show up on her doorstep unannounced.

Ann Eliza and Evelina Bunner are two unmarried sisters who own a small notions shop in a shabby section of New York City circa 1900. The older sister, Ann Eliza, buys a small clock for her sister's birthday from a tiny shop and meets the owner, a German immigrant named Herman Ramy. Once Mr. Ramy enters their lives, things begin to change in ways that neither sister could have imagined.

American Kate Chopin, now considered an early feminist, was a prolific writer of short stories in addition to two novels. Most of her stories were set in Louisiana, where she moved after marrying. Characters in her stories are as varied as her themes. Her use of irony and her ability to write so convincingly of characters from diverse backgrounds are hallmarks of her work. This collection includes "The Kiss", "The Unexpected", "An Egyptian Cigarette", "The Locket", "The Blind Man", and "Her Letters".

War has always changed men physically and mentally. They go away as healthy physically fit young men; when they come back, if they do they are not the same young man who went away. They may have suffered disabling physical injury in addition to a mental injury that may or may not manifest itself physically, but typically it is there. In World War I they called it shell-shocked, today we call it PTSD. This is a short story by Edna Ferber of a healthy, husky, and slightly arrogant in a nice way young man, and the beautiful girl awaiting his return home.

A blind man shuffles along a busy neighborhood street attempting to sell pencils to residents and people passing by. The blazing sun and too many layers of clothing don't appear to hamper his persistence. What occurs in this story illustrates American writer Kate Chopin's use of irony and the element of luck in all our lives.