DI Christy Kennedy returns in Departing Shadows, a deceit-laden tale of intrigue, which takes him from London to Brighton and back, and into the arms of the West End's most celebrated up-and-coming actress, Nealey Dean. But all's not well in vibrant Camden Town, as Kennedy investigates a death just outside a diplomatic compound, and finds his investigation immediately stymied by the invocation of diplomatic privilege. The deceased, an actress of a different sort, hostess and social media influencer Gabriella Byrne, left behind a world of mystery, where even those who knew her best did not know her well. As Kennedy interviews witnesses and checks alibis, his investigation brings him from London's hallowed palaces of power to seamy gentlemen's clubs, each with smoke and mirrors of their own. Along the way, he discovers just how far some people will go to protect their darkest secrets, in this, the 11th DI Christy Kennedy mystery. About the series: The Christy Kennedy Mysteries are mostly set round and about Camden Town and Primrose Hill. Just as in real police work there is usually more than one crime being investigated in each book. Detective Inspector Christy Kennedy is an Ulsterman living in leafy Primrose Hill and working in vibrant Camden Town. Kennedy loves the art of detection, he's addicted to the puzzle of the crime; it's his only drug. He's a bit of a loner and doesn't socialise a lot. He's clean-cut, dresses well, very well, but he doesn't have a drink problem. Not really a career policeman, he's content to work away while others trip over each other as they leapfrog over him for promotion. He's not bothered about the career ladder at all, as long as the powers that be allow him to get on with solving the crime. Kennedy's around about thirty-eight years old, loves tea and the music of the Beatles, Ray Davies and Jackson Browne and not necessarily in that order. He has recently met Ann Rea whom he considers to be his soul mate. He is desperate for this relationship to work. He has spent his entire life waiting for the someone special to come along and now she has, he feels ill equipped to deal with the politics of love.

A welcome return for Brendy McCusker… Charles crafts with such a careful eye on the sparks that can fly-some of them charming, some witty, some downright menacing-between characters who don't happen to see eye to eye, or sometimes even to be operating in the same galaxy. Once again, it's hard to resist a hero who realizes, "He just had a habit of opening his mouth and not knowing what was going to come out." (Kirkus Reviews). "Charles's skillful depiction of the many sides of love and its strange bypaths lifts this clever novel well above the genre average." - Publishers Weekly "Paul Charles is an outstanding author of crime fiction novels. They are models of character development and powerful observations of people the detectives meet." - Irish American News

In 1981, six children in the small village of Medjugorje claimed that Our Lady had appeared to them. Since then millions of pilgrims have traveled from across the world to pray in this special place. In conversation with Finbar O'Leary, Vicka, one of the six, tells of her special relationship with Our Lady and relays many of the messages which she says the `Queen of Peace' has given to her. Vicka also discusses her own sufferings and the journeys on which Our Lady has brought her.

A lone building on a small island off Ireland's Donegal coast, St Ernan's is politely known as a "retirement home" for priests. The exiled residents are guilty of such serious offenses as entrepreneurship, criticizing the church, or getting too friendly with the flock. But things take a turn when Fr Matthew McKaye is found dead in the kitchen, a pot of potatoes boiling on the range. Has one of these isolated outcasts committed murder? Starrett soon discovers that ten clergy alone on an island can concoct a great deal of mischief, but what could the young priest have done to get himself murdered? Long-buried grievances are awakened by the ghosts of Starrett's seminarian past, and though Starrett excels at untangling facts from speculation, this investigation is going to require all the procedural discipline he can muster. "Charles makes Starrett's third case leisurely, literate, ingenious… and as old-fashioned as the idea that priests are pillars of private morality." - Kirkus Reviews "In Irish author Charles's atmospheric third Inspector Starrett mystery, Starrett investigates a murder at a home for wayward Catholic priests. They soon find that there are plenty of secrets the inhabitants and surrounding townsfolk would like to keep well buried." - Publisher's Weekly "The reader of St Ernan's Blues will learn a lot about the priests at St Ernan's and a lot about human nature." - Irish American News

William Black's debut short story collection looks closely at lives lived in the heart of coal country-now fracking country-in Northeastern Pennsylvania. Two miners battered by a cave-in try to wrestle down the river that altered the course of their lives. A suicide pact leaves a family and its town bewildered and struggling for words. A fracking crew confronts the vast mysteriousness of things hidden in the depths of the earth and the lives that take place on its surface.In these starkly beautiful, incandescent stories, characters struggle with the grip that their locale and its past have on them, and they are consumed by searching-for love, for escape, for brief moments of clarity that give them the courage to continue.William Black's stories have appeared in The Sun, The Southern Review, Threepenny Review, Crazyhorse, Prairie Schooner, the Florida Review, and many other journals and magazines. He lives in Scranton, Pennsylvania and teaches at Johns Hopkins University. "Black is at his best as a social realist in a blue-collar milieu." - Kirkus Reviews Feb. 15, 2014

In this new series from Paul Charles, formerly retired policeman Brendy McCusker is forced to return to work following his wife's flight to America with their nest-egg. On his first major case in Belfast he partners with DI Lily O'Carroll to locate the two missing sons of a wealthy businessman. But before that case is resolved, an American banker working in Belfast is brutally murdered down on leafy Cyprus Avenue and McCusker and O'Carroll are put on the case. While the list of suspects grows ever longer, McCusker find himself juggling his move to Belfast, O'Carroll's frequent blind dates, his status as a hired-back rent-a-cop, and being a single man while trying hard not to have his head turned by Belfast's beautiful women - one mysterious one in particular. There is no relief when McCusker and O'Carroll eventually find a suspect with an air-tight alibi , which only one of the detectives believes is genuine... "Continuously absorbing, with a nice rapport between the hero and heroine." - Kirkus Reviews "Introducing a new lead character and a new setting gives the book a real sense of freshness. Readers will definitely want to see more of Brendy McCusker." - Booklist "Charles launches his new Brendy McCusker series with this twist-filled tale of betrayal and revenge." - Publishers Weekly "Charles has created an endearing character in his new novel." - NY Journal of Books

Married deacons in the Catholic Church often face difficulties in reconciling the seemingly competing demands of family and Church. In striving to live out service to the People of God in two different sacraments, Matrimony and Holy Orders, often the first approach is to try to manage the demands according to predetermined priorities: "Which one comes first?" Yet, in this extended reflection Chaback completely reframes the question as one of integrated servanthood. Theologically profound, yet very pastoral in their practical approach, these essays help to explore the dynamic of living these two sacraments side-by-side, and indicate how the lived presence of Christ in the life of the deacon can shine forth as an integrated whole. Written from the Catholic perspective, Chaback's approach will be of interest to the married clergy of all traditions. Reflection questions are included. "Most valuable, both from the perspective of formation for the permanent diaconate, and the fruitful exercise of this important ministry in the Church." - Archbishop Beniamino Stella, Prefect of the Congregation of the Clergy. Msgr Chaback has been director of the Office of the Permanent Diaconate for the Diocese of Allentown since 2008. Ordained by Paul VI in 1970, Chaback earned his STD from the Pontifical Lateran University. He taught at St. Charles Borromeo Seminary from 1972 until 1992. "A small book with profound implications for married permanent deacons." - Catholic Lib. World

For the first time in his life, Robert Ryder doesn't have orders. He has just buried his son Mark; his career in the French Foreign Legion is finished. Unable to settle into civilian life, he drifts to Thailand, where he learns of a man on death row for dealing with the same drug lords responsible for Mark's deadly overdose. However, the smugglers find Ryder before he can find them. Kidnapped to Burma, Ryder escapes and realizes his mission. Facing the reality of a growing drug culture and the greed that fuels it, Ryder aims to make peace with his past by exacting retribution in the best way he knows. With the vengeance of a father wronged and the precise brutality of a Foreign Legionnaire, Ryder infiltrates the organization. But the deeper he goes, the more familiar the faces become. "Walk With The Devil is a scintillating fuel pumped thriller. A true in your face juggernaut of adrenaline, plotting and pace. Both a fascinating insider's view of The Legion, and a deeply moving compassionate examination of loss. This is thriller writing of the highest order and Tom Foote is the new name to reach for. Foote rules on just every level there is!" - Ken Bruen "Walk With the Devil is Tom Foote at the peak of his Powers! Read it!" - Stuart Woods "An old-fashioned, no-holds-barred revenge story." - Publishers Weekly "A meticulously detailed and very exciting story of revenge. Think of Ryder as having the wrath of an Old Testament prophet and skills of a professional killer." - Irish AmNew

A leading journal of Irish Studies, New Hibernia Review opens each issue with a personal essay. For the first time, here is a selection of the finest of these, of which four have been recognized as "Notable Essays of the Year" in Best American Essays. This engaging collection sheds light on the perplexing state of being an Irish American-though the question is usually posed in deflected ways. Often deeply personal, each account in Extended Family: Essays on Being Irish American from New Hibernia Review tackles this question with verve; the conclusions range from the piquant, to the humorous, to the bittersweet. This book marks a welcome re-evaluation of the Irish Diaspora that is sure to challenge and stimulate our current understandings. James Silas Rogers has previously co-edited After the Flood: Irish America, 1945 - 1960 and published a poetry chapbook, Sundogs. He is the editor of New Hibernia Review at the University of St. Thomas, and served as president of the American Conference for Irish Studies from 2009 to 2011. "This elegantly written volume, gathered from many voices, shows that "Irish" is in the eyes of the beholder." - Irish Music & Dance Assoc. April 2013 "Luminous meditations on Irish life, heritage and experience... [the book] succeeds as well as it does by offering personal as well as political readings of contemporary Irish American experience." - Irish Voice

H.L. Mencken, in his illustrious career as a journalist, made his reputation with satirical writing and controversial ideals. Although his is a name not customarily associated with short fiction, it was his first literary love. From 1900 to 1919, he published nearly 60 stories and short-shorts, sometimes pseudonymously. Here for the first time, 30 of Mencken's thoroughly entertaining stories are collected, showcasing Mencken's wit and skill in a medium for which he is not well known. Meet a bumbling anarchist newspaper editor; the `Charmed Circle' of Long Island in a story strikingly prescient of F. Scott Fitzgerald; a shop owner whose mannequins belie a horrific secret; and a pair of wily entrepreneurs working in the Caribbean, among plenty of other excellent, amusing, and memorable stories. "Superb, clever, or hilarious use of language… Read Epithalamium, a sendup of the social rigmarole of marriage for its exquisite choice of words, or the Poe-esque The Window of Horrors, about a clothier and his obsession with life-like mannequins, for its chills. For quintessential Mencken, read The Man of God, whose lowly grocer becomes an evangelist." - Publishers Weekly

Adjusting to the sweltering heat of the Mississippi Delta is the least of Teri's troubles. Dragged there by her mother's ill-advised search for career development, she must now drudge her way through a new school, the constant tension between her parents, and the duplicitous nature of teenagers and adults alike. But then she meets a strange boy at school, Nother Martin, and as their relationship develops she is drawn into a world of moonshine and roadhouses, fortune tellers and grizzled Blues legends. In contrast to her own tangled relationships, she finds comfort in Nother's strong family bonds and his roots in the depthless South. As Teri learns about bad behavior and untimely death, she discovers a better, wiser version of herself. "The mind of a smart teen girl is a universe that has attracted many writers, and David Racine's Teri is one of the best. A tightly woven and gorgeously written report from inside a unique person, by a writer who knows the world and doesn't allow it to lie." - Andrei Codrescu "A complex story line, well-developed characters, evocative descriptions, and quirky humor create an inviting read." - Library Journal "There is much to admire in Racine's treatment of character and setting."-Booklist "Racine's beautiful prose deftly handles these alternate narratives... [Teri's] perceptive voice adds depth and pathos to this modern-day bildungsroman." - Publishers Weekly

In the tenth book of the acclaimed DI Christy Kennedy series, a successful investment banker is found dead under unusual circumstances. While it looks like the case of an autoerotic escapade gone wrong, Kennedy has other suspicions. After working through a battery of interviews, and uncovering a potential political scandal, Kennedy follows the trail to California. There he is intrigued by an attractive police officer investigating her husband's murder. But the redoubtable DI still finds time to get his man. "A bit of luck and an astonishing clue lead Kennedy to San Francisco, where a door opens into an entirely new mystery with engrossing twists of its own. Haunted by a broken romance, bewildered by a new one, the reserved and courtly Kennedy proves irresistible to women, much to his (and the reader's) delight." - Publishers Weekly "The tenth Christy Kennedy mystery finds the Camden Town detective inspector following the clues to a man's death all the way to California."--Booklist. "An intriguing mystery." - Half Moon Bay Review "One murder leads to another and DI Kennedy goes trans-Atlantic in his 10th appearance… Charles serves up his usual pleasant concoction at his usual leisurely pace." - Kirkus Reviews "The characters are handled well, and Charles adds enough flavor to the dialogue to distinguish everyone from each other." - Mystery Scene Magazine

Enslaved by their own fears, the characters in this riveting collection are straining for redemption. Their choices reflect the well-worn patterns we carve for ourselves through our idiosyncrasies-our dominant traits. A basketball coach teaches moral ambiguity; a divorcee clutches at sanity; a mother struggles with her son's paternity; a childless man regrets his youthful onanism. Through their shared experiences these tangible characters undergo the sad, hilarious search for wholeness and security. Set in the stark isolated landscape of Southern Alberta, Eric Freeze's debut collection is a deftly-crafted study of desperate mortals careening through their liminal moments, grasping for certainty. "An honest record, a way to trace the passage of time and understand the little stories of our past" - Boston Review "Freeze Builds his sentences with the intricate grace of the snowflakes so often falling from the sky in these stories, all of them peculiarly sad and funny and beautiful." - Ben Percy "The fiction in Dominant Traits seems grounded in the quirkiness that is the everyday, that is where we learn about the human heart and its odd acts of defiance, generosity, courage, ineptitude." - Darrell Spencer "Excellent stories... Freeze produces realistic, believable people and delves deeply into their psyches to create truly enjoyable character studies." - Booklist

Derrybeg and Back offers us a splendid poetic journey from the riven shores of County Donegal to the grit of inner-city America. Along the way we visit churches, airports, schools, half-way houses and more, which John McNamee depicts with a keen eye for local detail. But the many vividly illustrated places to which McNamee takes us evoke another voyage, the journey inward. With a strong sense of justice McNamee negotiates matters of faith, loneliness, longing, and love. McNamee addresses these concerns, experienced by all, with exceptional poignancy, in a delightfully organized collection of poems.

The stories in this new collection from Tom Noyes show us everyday characters weighing the evidence of their circumstances and seeking ways to understand more fully the mysteries that define their lives. The beauty of each story comes from the reckless hope of these characters, their sometimes blind faith in the possibilities of human connection. "Stories that follow truly human characters as they deal with the common problems of life, such as the death of a father and the relationship with his son, a boy struggling with illiteracy, the suicide of a loved one- all things that everyday people may deal with, but all written intriguingly to glue readers to the page. 'Spooky Action at a Distance' is deftly written and highly recommended." - Midwest Book Review "Humor, surprise, and eminently engaging narrators." NewPages.com "His command of craft allows him to unfold characters in a way that moves past mere cleverness and down into emotional tectonics of faith, affection, loyalty, and grief." - Image Magazine

In a shuffling odyssey through the heart of the American Midwest (a mini-van road trip to the Ozarks with his two youngest kids), he confronts his past, imagines his future, and redefines his love for his children.