romans

Near-future London. It has become popular for folks to have a small implant that allows one access to a more robust social media experience-- Panopticon-- directly as an augmented reality. Moremi has the implant, and she can see inside the minds and dreams of others. When the British government plans to make the connection procedure compulsory, they promise Panopticon will end human suffering and usher in a perfect world. Orpheus, raised by a neo-Luddite father, questions everything. Orpheus and Moremi uncover the nefarious effects of the technology, but find themselves unable to agree on whether it should be destroyed or continued. -- adapted from back cover.

"On a mission from Heracles to find his lost Golden Apple, Julius and his pals come face-to-face with a minotaur in a labyrinth, must find some way to trick a one-hundred-headed dragon at the Garden of Hesperides, and wind up in the palace of King Midas himself. But what on earth will the gods on Mount Olympus have to say about the gang's antics in the underworld? Madcap hijinks abound in another adventure with broad appeal for fans of historical fiction and comedy alike. It's all Greek to Julius Zebra and his pals in this fourth exciting, action-packed, hilarious adventure brimming with entertaining facts about the ancient world."--.

Unable to afford rent, Mia--a community college student--lives out of her car, cleaning houses of the well-to-do in the LA area to meet her shoestring budget. Then Covid hits, and everything changes.

"A modern tale of unexpectedly falling in love and finding your voice, Kiss the Girl is the highly anticipated third installment in the acclaimed and best-selling Meant to Be collection. Ariel del Mar is one of the most famous singers in the world. She and her sisters--together, known as the band Siren Seven--have been a pop culture phenomenon since they were kids. On stage, wearing her iconic red wig and sequined costumes, staring out at a sea of fans, is where she shines. Anyone would think she's the girl who has everything. But lately, she wants more. Siren Seven is wrapping up their farewell tour, and Ariel can't wait to spend the summer just living a normal life--part of a world she's only ever seen from the outside. But her father, the head of Atlantica Records, has other plans: begin her breakout solo career immediately, starting with a splashy announcement on a morning talk show. The night before, Ariel and her sisters sneak out of their Manhattan penthouse for a night of incognito fun at a rock concert in Brooklyn. It's there that Ariel crosses paths with Eric Reyes, dreamy lead singer of an up-and-coming band. Unaware of her true identity, Eric spontaneously invites her on the road for the summer. And for the first time in her life, Ariel disobeys her father--and goes with him. Caught between the world she longs for and the one she's left behind, can Ariel follow her dreams, fall in love, and, somehow, find her own voice?"--.

"Nick and Noah's rocky relationship is struggling through its worst moment, and it seems that nothing can go back to the way it was before. They will have to surmount a new and frightening set of challenges to finally understand if they are really made for each other or if being apart is their only chance to be happy. Love is not always enough, and forgiveness sometimes doesn't fix what's been broken. But can you forget such a strong connection? How can memories tattooed on the heart be erased? Will they be able to leave the past behind and start over?"--.

"Benny Catspaw's perpetually sunny disposition is tested when he loses his job, his reputation, his fianc?e, and his favorite chair. He's not paranoid. Someone is out to get him. He just doesn't know who or why. Then Benny receives an inheritance from an uncle he's never heard of: a giant crate and a video message. All will be well in time. How strange - though it's a blessing, his uncle promises. Stranger yet is what's inside the crate. He's a seven-foot-tall self-described "bad weather friend" named Spike whose mission is to help people who are just too good for this world. Spike will take care of it. He'll find Benny's enemies. He'll deal with them. This might be satisfying if Spike wasn't such a menacing presence with terrifying techniques of intimidation. In the company of Spike and a fascinated young waitress-cum-PI-in-training named Harper, Benny plunges into a perilous high-speed adventure, the likes of which never would have crossed the mind of a decent guy like him."--.

NYC detective Michael Bennett teams up with a former Army Ranger and sniper whose long, unexplained absences from duty causes suspicions during the investigation of a serial killer.

"Margaret Murphy is a weaver of fantastic tales, growing up in a world where the truth is too much for one little girl to endure. Her first memory is of the day her friend Agnes died. No one blames Margaret. Not in so many words. Her mother insists to everyone who will listen that her daughter never even left the house that day. Left alone to make sense of tragedy, Margaret wills herself to forget these unbearable memories, replacing them with imagined stories full of faith and magic--that always end happily. Enter Poor Deer: a strange and formidable creature who winds her way uninvited into Margaret's made-up tales. Poor Deer will not rest until Margaret faces the truth about her past and atones for her role in Agnes's death." --.

"When six-year-old Beatrice Willoughby vanished at the Amadeuses' annual All Hallows Eve party, people in the tiny mountain town of Nevermore were quick to whisper: They were always odd. Their house is full of dark magic. And when Mort Amadeus was pegged for the crime, the Amadeuses, once the center of society, retreated. They closed their doors, disappeared from life. People almost forgot. Until thirteen years later, when six envelopes land at the doorstep of six households in town: We cordially invite you to a celebration on the 31st of October this Saturday evening at the Amadeus household. So begins the mystery of who was really responsible for the missing girl thirteen years ago. Was it Duchess von Pelt, whose face no one has ever seen? Mrs. Raven, the keeper of the local inn? Wormwood, the Amadeuses' mysterious caretaker? Dr. Foozle, the town pharmacist? Count Baines, who seems to know when unlucky things are about to happen? Judge Ophelius, who presided over Beatrice's case originally? Mr. and Mrs. H, a couple who no one can ever quite remember? Or somehow, might precocious, eleven-year- old Dewey and his storytelling dad, Chaucer, be somehow mixed up in all this? The guests must work together to identify the guilty party among them over the course of the evening--but beware the ticking clock, because at midnight, everything is going to change! Told from different perspectives, this is a sly, darkly funny mystery. Filled with strange characters and set in a mansion deep, deep in the woods. G. Z. Schmidt has crafted an unforgettable puzzle, perfect for reading on a dark autumn night" --.

"How does a child become an entrepreneur? While most people prefer the relative safety of working at a job for somebody else, others are more interested in the independence, excitement, and creative problem solving that are all part of starting our own business and being an entrepreneur. But as Ethan and Emily Tuttle learn in their latest adventure, being an entrepreneur isn't easy -- especially when you're up against some tough competition. Join the twins as they dive into the ins and outs of becoming business owners, solving the many problems that pop up along the way."--Page 4 of cover.