Lawrence Block
Grifter's game

Con man Joe Marlin was used to scoring easy cash from gullible women. But that was before he met Mona Brassard - and found himself holding a stolen stash of raw heroin. Now that Joe has fallen hard for Mona, he's got to pull off the most dangerous con of his career. One that will leave him either a killer - or a corpse. Block's debut novel under his own name is a classic example of prime pulp fiction, with an ending that will astonish even the most jaded crime fiction fan.

`Lawrence Block combines three characteristics that rarely show up in the same crime writer: he's versatile, he's prolific, and he's damn good ... a modern master of crime fiction'- Booklist

Dale Brown
Act Of War

Act of War takes readers deep into the new world of intelligence-focused warfare, and introduces a new hero: 32-year-old army engineer Jason Richter, designer of a whole array of futuristic infantry weapons and devices to hunt down a new breed of enemy. His unlikely partner is FBI Special Agent Kelsey Cornell, a no-nonsense intelligence officer who is caught between two brutal worlds: the terrorists who kill without remorse and Richter's high-tech military hunter-killers who will stop at nothing to destroy them. As the head of a top-secret military unit, code-named Task Force TALON, Richter must lead his group against a cabal of international terrorists - backed by a powerful consortium - who are determined to destabilize the global economy.

After her good friend Godwin has a nasty quarrel with John, his significant other, full-time needlework-shop owner and part-time sleuth Betsy Devonshire finds herself with a roommate. Betsy doesn't mind having company, though Godwin is restless and unhappy over the sudden break-up. But sadness turns to grief when Betsy and Godwin discover John dead in his home, and Godwin is arrested for the murder. Betsy knows her friend couldn't be the killer, and sets out to prove it.

`Fans o f Margaret Yorke will relate to Betsy's growth and eventual maturity.... You need not be a needlecra fter to enjoy this... Delightful'- Mystery Times