Showing results by narrator "Chris Ciulla" in All Categories

Over the last generation, the United States has undergone seismic changes. Stable institutions have given way to frictionless transactions, which are celebrated no matter what collateral damage they generate. The concentration of great wealth has coincided with the fraying of social ties and the rise of inequality. How did all this come about? In Transaction Man, Nicholas Lemann explains the United States’ - and the world’s - great transformation by examining three remarkable individuals who epitomized and helped create their eras

Lauren, Drew, and Rob go on a relaxing vacation that turns into a nightmare. As Lauren sunbathes by the lake, she sees the man from next door lugging something heavy into a boat. The night before, Lauren thought she heard a woman screaming. What is their rich and famous neighbor hiding? Women are vanishing in this beautiful corner of Tennessee, full of woods and water. Detective Chris Bailey has his hands full. He’s investigating a drowning from last summer. The woman was never identified. But a pattern is emerging.

Earl Thomas, a straight-laced taxman with his fair share of police encounters, is the begrudging foreperson in a high-stakes trial in Miami. Laura Hurtado-Perez is a physician whose unassuming manner conceals a private pain. Joseph Cole is the founder of his local neighborhood watch, unduly obsessed with the families around him.

Elon Musk is the visionary behind SpaceX and CEO of the electric car company Tesla. He is working on unique and daring improvements to both public transit and solar energy. And then, there's his highly-publicized plans for colonizing Mars.... But behind the mind-blowing headlines and legendary drive is the story of a bullied and beaten school boy, who through creativity and determination decided to rewrite his story and find his own way to make the world a better place. And to do so with a sense of fun and style.

It's been said that all great literature boils down to one of two stories—a man takes a journey, or a stranger comes to town. While mystery writers have been successfully using both approaches for generations, there's something undeniably alluring in the nature of a stranger: the uninvited guest, the unacquainted neighbor, the fish out of water. In the newest collection of stories by the Mystery Writers of America, each author weaves a fresh tale surrounding the eerie feeling that comes when a stranger enters our midst, featuring stories by prolific mystery writers.

Hitler's American Friends, by Bradley W. Hart, is an audiobook examining the strange terrain of Nazi sympathizers, nonintervention campaigners, and other voices in America who advocated on behalf of Nazi Germany in the years before World War II. Americans who remember World War II reminisce about how it brought the country together. The less-popular truth behind this warm nostalgia: Until the attack on Pearl Harbor, America was deeply, dangerously divided.

The Viking's Consort is the exciting finale to the Clan Hakon series by USA Today best seller Quinn Loftis. Two worlds collide in this epic historical fiction centered on an undeniable chemistry that smolders against the odds. Richly written and injected with moments of humor, this action-packed romantic tale will leave you breathless.

One murdered, one missing. Both are almost identical. Detective Nik Pohl has seen every shade of darkness in his career. Not used to playing by the rules, he finds himself frozen out by his superiors. What’s worse, now he’s being blackmailed by a shadowy businessman into investigating a seemingly crimeless disappearance. A young woman, Viola, left her home months ago, leaving a letter to her parents saying she wouldn’t be coming back. With a little digging Nik discovers the case of an almost identical-looking woman, who went missing in similar circumstances.

When former journalist Rain Winter was 12 years old, she narrowly escaped an abduction while walking to a friend’s house. The abductor was eventually found and sent to prison, but years later was released. Then someone delivered real justice - and killed him in cold blood. Now Rain is living the perfect suburban life, spending her days as a stay-at-home mom. But when another criminal who escaped justice is found dead, Rain is unexpectedly drawn into the case.

Far away in his palace at Phyrexes, a lich king returns to life with murder on his mind. His target? Samuel James Tolliver and anyone close to him. His method? Power to rival the gods, legions of undead warriors, and half a century's worth of wicked cunning and skill. Elsewhere the keepers of the System have taken notice of him and watch patiently with knives sharpened. Beyond them, an unknown power awakens and takes deadly offense at Sam's very existence.

Torben is faced with a terrible choice: rescue the woman he loves from the clutches of a madman or save his people from attack by a ruthless foreign invader. He longs to save Allete, especially since the clan's oracle has prophesized that she will become his queen and help unite the clans. But if saving the princess means abandoning his clan, the choice would be unconscionable. Torben races across land and sea on a collision course with Magnus, Allete's kidnapper and Torben's former king. Their meeting will change the fate of Clan Hakon - either saving it from destruction or splintering it forever.

Contains books three and four of the Metal Fury series. Steel Legion: Jack learns about a ship with signal access to the lead manufacturing vessel. In order to get past the ship’s defenses, Jack needs to harness the full power of his Will to pilot his mech for maximum effort. Iron Samurai, In the aftermath of a black hole, anything is possible. Still, he never thought he would end up here. He’s been banished to the edge of the galaxy. His powers are failing. And now Jack might be trapped with an exiled enemy.

Newspapers called him the “the man with the cast-iron toes,” “the best drop-kicker in wrestling,” and “one of the mat game's biggest box office attractions.” But Dr. John “Dropkick” Murphy's legacy extends far beyond the wrestling ring. Decades before the Betty Ford Center became a household name—and long before the band the Dropkick Murphys named themselves in his honor—the phrase going to Dropkick’s meant a person struggling with addiction needed help and would soon get some.

Its summer 1860, and former army Captain Nathan Chambers has returned home to Virginia to claim his inheritance: a large plantation with more than one hundred slaves. Nathan wants no part of slavery and intends to sell the farm and all its slaves. But even as he arrives home, enduring fearful and downcast stares from despondent black faces, he knows what he must do and the price he must pay for doing it.

She was the small-town southern beauty transformed into a Hollywood love goddess. He was the legendary crooner whose voice transfixed the world. They were Ava Gardner and Frank Sinatra. Separately they were irresistible; together they were an explosive combination. Ava’s star is rising just as Frank’s career—and public image as a family man—is taking a hit. Gone are the days of the screaming bobbysoxers and chart-topping hits. Ava, however, finds herself gracing the front page of every tabloid in America. Jealousy and cheating abound.

The Starbreakers were your classic teenage heroes. Using their combined powers and skills, they were the most successful group of glintchasers in Corsar. But that all changed the day the city of Relgen died. The group went their separate ways, placing blame on each other. Brass carried on as a solo act. Snow found work as a notorious assassin. Church became a town’s spiritual leader. Angel was the owner of a bar and inn. And after overcoming his own guilt, Phoenix started a new life as a family man. Seven years after their falling out, a hefty bounty is placed on their heads.

Refereeing homeowner association spats over acceptable mulch color was never part of Kylee Kane’s post-Coast Guard retirement plans. The irate combatants are trying the security consultant’s patience when gunfire erupts and a SWAT team swarms in. How did they arrive before any possible report of an active shooter? Two days later, Kylee discovers a ghost boat. Not a soul onboard. Among the missing are presidents of HOAs managed by her employer. Are the incidents linked?

When a neurotic statistics geek gets invited to his twenty-five-year high school reunion, he spends his life savings remaking his identity to wow his old classmates. Only one tiny problem: his new persona gets him mistaken for a drug kingpin and sends him running for his life with the very people who used to make it miserable.

Back in 1986, Clint Broden was a novice New York defense attorney building a family with his wife, Anne, and impatient for his career to take off. That’s when his defense of his closest friend, Nick Zamora, made headlines. In spite of his lingering suspicions that his soul mate since childhood had a secret, Clint was dedicated to believing Nick hadn’t murdered his new bride.

Two thousand arrests. One hundred off-duty arrests. Six thousand assists. Fifteen shootings. Eight shot. Four kills. These are not the performance statistics of an entire NYPD unit. They are the record that makes Detective 2nd Grade Ralph Friedman a legend.