In the first book in bestselling author Lisa Regan's new series, a one-night stand sets a detective on the trail of a terrifying unsolved crime. With his career on thin ice and fresh ink on his divorce papers, Sacramento PD Detective Connor Parks goes searching for solace at the bottom of a bottle...and winds up in the arms of a beautiful woman. By morning she's gone, and the one clue she left behind sends Connor on a desperate mission to unravel a decade-old mystery--her abduction. Presumed dead for the last ten years, Claire Fletcher has been living her life as "Lynn," a woman in the terrifying grip of her captor. After her unforgettable night with Connor, Claire clings to the hope that she'll see him again, that he'll follow her into the dark. But anyone who gets close to Claire has a way of turning up dead...and she's unwittingly made Connor next on the list. Before long, it becomes disturbingly clear: finding Claire Fletcher isn't just going to be dangerous--it could be deadly. Revised edition: This edition of Finding Claire Fletcher includes editorial revisions.

Five years ago, Claire Fletcher escaped her abductor. But some scars never fade, and surviving was just the beginning... When Claire sees a car full of children careen into a river, she rushes to the rescue. But the driver, a mother named Leah Holloway, prefers to drown. For Claire and her ex, Detective Connor Parks, it doesn't add up. What would motivate a woman with a beautiful family and a successful career to resort to such unspeakable extremes? What Connor finds out confirms Claire's suspicions of something dreadful behind Holloway's picture-perfect facade: a link between the terrified mother and a serial strangler targeting Sacramento soccer moms. As Claire and Connor are drawn back together, their investigation leads them to unearth everything Holloway was hiding. What they find could be the only way to stop a killer from striking again.

After years as a patrol cop, detective Jocelyn Rush is almost immune to the depravity that stalks the meaner streets of Philadelphia...almost. After saving her three-year-old daughter from a carjacking, she ends up in the emergency room--and discovers that Anita, a former prostitute and acquaintance from her old days on the beat, has been hideously mutilated in a brutal assault. With the help of her partner and Philadelphia's Special Victims Unit, Jocelyn discovers that Anita isn't the first victim of these attacks and it looks like she won't be the last. When the violence hits closer to home, Jocelyn knows she must do whatever it takes to stop the sadistic attacker--even if it means confronting a terrible secret from her painful past. Award-wining author Lisa Regan's Hold Still is a captivating thriller that crackles with intensity.

FBI analyst Kassidy Bishop is assigned to the "For You" killer's task force after a series of sadistic murders bearing the same signature arise in different parts of the country. The homicides are both calculated and savage, occurring in different states, but bearing the same signature: the words "for you" scribbled at each crime scene. The case chills Kassidy, bringing back memories of her own encounter with a violent criminal five years earlier. Kassidy's mentor, legendary agent Talia "The Confessor" Crossen knows the task force assignment is Kassidy's chance to prove to her colleagues that she belongs in the Behavior Analysis Unit. For five years, other FBI agents and profilers scoffed at Kassidy's appointment to the BAU, believing she was only offered the position in exchange for her silence about the brutal assault that almost killed her. The stakes rise when the task force links the killer's signature to Kassidy. As more and more bodies turn up, Kassidy must delve into her past and the mysterious death of her twin sister, which holds the key to uncovering the killer's identity. The closer Kassidy comes to finding the killer, the closer she comes to a deadly confrontation that could cost her everything-including her own life.

USA Today Bestselling Author, Lexy Timms, weaves a story of loss, danger, and risking it all for love. Always have an escape plan… Stalked and hunted, Claire Carpenter barely manages to escape the clutches of the serial killer who murdered her brother. She doesn't know why she's become the killer's target, but she knows that FBI agent Fletcher Hughes is the only man who can keep her safe. And the only man who can banish her fear with a single, scorching kiss. With Fletcher guarding her and watching her every move, the lines between staying professional and giving into temptation get blurred. Leaving Claire caught between her need to get justice and her dangerously intense desire for Fletcher. Special Agent Fletcher Hughes knows better than to have an affair with the lead witness in a murder investigation. He has to protect Claire at all costs and his growing attraction to her will only get in the way. Too bad he can't keep his hands off her. The chemistry between them burns too hot to ignore and the woman who started off as off-limits becomes his number one obsession. As Fletcher fights to protect her from a dangerous killer, he's quickly losing the battle against his desire for Claire. A physical, no strings attached relationship might be the only way for both of their hearts to come out of this unscathed. That is, if they live long enough to solve the case and catch a killer before he strikes again. Betrayal At The Bay Series: Devil's Bay Devil's Deceit Devil's Duplicity Search Terms: mafia romance, dark romance, romantic suspense, contemporary romance, Mob romance, crime romance, thriller, bully romance dark romance, billionaire romance, new adult romance, sexy hero, hot and steamy, fake girlfriend, romance, ageless romance, FICTION / Romance / Contemporary FICTION / Romance / New Adult FICTION / Romance / Romantic Comedy F, sexy, hired wife, coming of age romance, bully romance college, mafia, enemies to lovers, moutain man, motorcycle club romance, steamy romance, alpha bad boy, biker romance, love and sex, harlequin romance, bad boy romance, heist crime, heist thriller

Volume 3 of Play & Culture Studies builds on the foundations established in the first two volumes of this series. Our purpose is to further discourse and understanding about the complex phenomenon we know as play. Play, as a human and animal activity, can be understood in terms of cultural, social, evolutionary, psychological, and philosophical perspectives.This effort necessarily includes inquiry from a range of disciplines, including history, sociology, psychology, education, biology, anthropology, and leisure studies. Work from a number of those disciplines is represented in this book.

In this comprehensive, practical, and unsettling look at computers in children's lives, Jane M. Healy, Ph.D., questions whether computers are really helping or harming children's development. Once a bedazzled enthusiast of educational computing but now a troubled skeptic, Dr. Healy examines the advantages and drawbacks of computer use for kids at home and school, exploring its effects on children's health, creativity, brain development, and social and emotional growth. Today, the Federal Government allocates scarce educational funding to wire every classroom to the Internet, software companies churn out "educational" computer programs even for preschoolers, and school administrators cut funding and space for books, the arts, and physical education to make room for new computer hardware. It is past the time to address these issues. Many parents and even some educators have been sold on the idea that computer literacy is as important as reading and math. Those who haven't hopped on the techno bandwagon are left wondering whether they are shortchanging their children's education or their students' futures. Few people stop to consider that computers, used incorrectly, may do far more harm than good. New technologies can be valuable educational tools when used in age-appropriate ways by properly trained teachers. But too often schools budget insufficiently for teacher training and technical support. Likewise, studies suggest that few parents know how to properly assist children's computer learning; much computer time at home may be wasted time, drawing children away from other developmentally important activities such as reading, hobbies, or creative play. Moreover, Dr. Healy finds that much so-called learning software is more "edutainment" than educational, teaching students more about impulsively pointing and clicking for some trivial goal than about how to think, to communicate, to imagine, or to solve problems. Some software, used without careful supervision, may also have the potential to interrupt a child's internal motivation to learn. Failure to Connect is the first book to link children's technology use to important new findings about stages of child development and brain maturation, which are clearly explained throughout. It illustrates, through dozens of concrete examples and guidelines, how computers can be used successfully with children of different age groups as supplements to classroom curricula, as research tools, or in family projects. Dr. Healy issues strong warnings, however, against too early computer use, recommending little or no exposure before age seven, when the brain is primed to take on more abstract challenges. She also lists resources for reliable reviews of child-oriented software, suggests questions parents should ask when their children are using computers in school, and discusses when and how to manage computer use at home. Finally, she offers a thoughtful look at the question of which skills today's children will really need for success in a technological future -- and how they may best acquire them. Based on years of research into learning and hundreds of hours of interviews and observations with school administrators, teachers, parents, and students, Failure to Connect is a timely and eye-opening examination of the central questions we must confront as technology increasingly influences the way we educate our children.

Presents detailed descriptions and reviews of virtually every movie that has opened nationally over the past year, reports from the major film festivals, interviews with important movie figures, and essays on the movie world.

“This beautiful book is an amazing new window into the ingredients, the recipes, the stories of my home country.” —José Andrés In Spain, long-time Barcelona resident Jeff Koehler gathers the country’s many time-honored dishes and age-old culinary customs, and distills the Spanish table down to its essence—food that is prepared simply but full of homemade flavors, and always meant to be shared. Each chapter is an ode to Spain’s delightful kitchen, from gazpachos, salt cod, and poultry, to savory and sweet conserves. The story of the country is told through two hundred recipes from classics like Shellfish Paella, Artichoke Egg Tortilla, and creamy Flan to delicacies such as Chilled Melon Soup with Crispy Jamon and Monkfish Steaks with Saffron. Dishes from Spain’s leisurely multicourse meals and simple tapas alike celebrate seasonal ingredients: wild mushrooms, asparagus, and local game. Sidebars trace Spain’s rich culinary traditions, taking us from ancient Moorish cities to the arid fields of the Castilian countryside, and allow us to meet the people who still, with devotion, cultivate them. Accompanying these are hundreds of evocative photos of the markets, orchards, green hills, and fishing ports from which this delicious cuisine originates. Add to this a thorough glossary that includes techniques such as preparing snails, using saffron, and making perfect fish stock, as well as a helpful source list. Novices and veterans of the Spanish kitchen alike will gain a deeper understanding not only of Spain’s cuisine but of its culture. A New York Times Book Review Notable Cookbook