Free Book (ADE/PDF) - Awake in the Dark (One Day Only)

Awake in the Dark: The Best of Roger Ebert ($9.99 Kindle), by Roger Ebert with foreword by David Bordwell, is free today (only) from the University of Chicago.

Book Description
Roger Ebert has been writing film reviews for the Chicago Sun-Times for over forty years. In fact, no critic alive has reviewed more movies than he has. Yet his essential writings have never been collected in a single volume—until now. With Awake in the Dark, both fans and film buffs can finally bask in the best of Ebert’s work. The reviews, interviews, and essays collected here present a picture of his numerous contributions to the cinema and cinephilia. From The Godfather to GoodFellas, from Cries and Whispers to Crash, the reviews in Awake in the Dark span some of the most exceptional periods in film history.

In addition, the extraordinary interviews gathered in Awake in the Dark capture Ebert engaging not only some of the most influential directors of our time—Martin Scorsese, Steven Spielberg, Woody Allen, Robert Altman, Werner Herzog, and Ingmar Bergman—but also some of the silver screen’s most respected personalities, including actors as diverse as Robert Mitchum, James Stewart, Warren Beatty, and Meryl Streep.

America’s most celebrated film critic, Ebert is a writer whose exceptional intelligence and bursts of insight have shaped the way we think about the movies. Awake in the Dark will be a treasure trove not just for fans of this seminal critic but for anyone desiring a fascinating and compulsively readable chronicle of film since the late 1960s.

Click HERE to sign up for the free book. You'll need to enter your email address, then check your email for the link to download the book. Mine arrived within seconds and I'd recommend downloading the book today as well (you get a .ACSM file, which, when opened, will load the PDF book inside of Adobe ADE). This is a DRM'd PDF that is not compatible with the Kindle.

Bargain Book Roundup - Non-fiction (Part I)

Remember to check before one-clicking, as prices can change from minute to minute. These are in no particular order, but all all non-fiction.

Lincoln Legends: Myths, Hoaxes, and Confabulations Associated with Our Greatest President ($1.17), by Edward Steers Jr.

Book Description
The folklore surrounding history's towering figures often overshadows actual scholarship, both in terms of quantity and in terms of prevalence in the public consciousness. As one might expect with a revered national icon, nearly every facet of Abraham Lincoln's life has been subject to mythmaking as well as academic inquiry of widely varying quality and accuracy.

In Lincoln Legends, noted historian and Lincoln expert Edward Steers Jr. carefully scrutinizes some of the most notorious tall tales and distorted ideas about America's sixteenth President. Did Abraham Lincoln write his greatest speech on the back of an envelope on the way to Gettysburg? Did he appear before a congressional committee to defend his wife against charges of treason? Was Lincoln an illegitimate child? Was he gay? Edward Steers weighs the evidence in these and other heated debates about the Great Emancipator. Steers's conclusions will satisfy some and disappoint others, and he just might settle some of these enduring questions once and for all.

Saving the Jews: Franklin D. Roosevelt and the Holocaust ($1.33), by Robert N. Rosen

Book Description
Saving the Jews is a rigorously researched narrative and interpretive history of how FDR and his administration dealt with the Nazi persecution of the Jews and the Holocaust, 1933-1945. It disputes the generally accepted view that Roosevelt abandoned the Jews of Europe and that America was a passive, callous bystander to the Holocaust, and reveals the true story.

The author has conducted new research that explains how the Roosevelt administration and American Jewry saved the passengers on the S.S. St. Louis; how American Jews (and the Jews of Palestine) opposed the bombing of Auschwitz and never asked Roosevelt to bomb the camps; how America and other western democracies saved over seventy percent of German Jewry from Hitler; how Rauol Wallenberg was sent to save Jews by the American government. The research done on this book has found no credible evidence that FDR was an anti-Semite but found that Roosevelt was personally close to many Jews. FDR secretly developed the strategy for the Wagners-Rogers Bill (allowing 20,000 German Jewish children to enter the U.S. in 1938, 1939). Yet most historians continue to accuse him of failing to support the bill.

Too Close to the Sun ($1.71), by Curtis Roosevelt

Book Description
Curtis Roosevelt was three when he and his sister, Eleanor, arrived at the White House soon after their grandfather's inauguration. The country's "First Grandchildren," a pint-sized double act, they were known to the media as "Sistie and Buzzie." In this rich memoir, Roosevelt brings us into "the goldfish bowl," as his family called it-that glare of public scrutiny to which all presidential households must submit. He recounts his misadventures as a hapless kid in an unforgivably formal setting and describes his role as a tiny planet circling the dual suns of Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt. Blending self-abasement, humor, awe and affection, Too Close to the Sun is an intimate portrait of two of the most influential and inspirational figures in modern American history-and a thoughtful exploration of the emotional impact of growing up in their irresistible aura.

By His Own Rules : The Ambitions, Successes, and Ultimate Failures of Donald Rumsfeld ($2.23), by Bradley Graham

Book Description
A penetrating political biography of the controversial Defense Secretary, by a longtime military affairs correspondent for the Washington Post. Once considered among the best and brightest of his generation, Donald Rumsfeld was exceptionally prepared to assume the Pentagon's top job in 2001. Yet six years later, he left office as the most controversial Defense Secretary since Robert McNamara, widely criticized for his management of the Iraq war and for his difficult relationships with Congress, administration colleagues, and military officers. Was he really the arrogant, errant, over-controlling Pentagon leader frequently portrayed or as his supporters contend, a brilliant, hard-charging visionary caught in a whirl of polarized Washington politics, dysfunctional federal bureaucracy, and bad luck? Bradley Graham, who closely covered Rumsfeld's challenging tenure at the Pentagon, offers an insightful biography of a complex and immensely influential personality. What emerges is a layered and revealing portrait of a man whose impact on U.S. national security affairs will long out-live him.

Running Alone: Presidential Leadership from JFK to Bush II -- Why It Has Failed and How We Can Fix It ($1.17), by James MacGregor Burns

Book Description
A Pulitzer Prize-winning historian accounts for the growing isolation of America's presidents--from JFK to George W. Bush--and proposes solutions to reconnect them with the citizens they serve

A disastrous war in Iraq, prisoner abuse, secret wiretaps--the presidency of George W. Bush represents a crisis in American democracy. How did this happen? In Running Alone the revered political scientist and commentator James MacGregor Burns sets the imperial presidency of George W. Bush in the context of half a century of presidential politics.

In his 1960 campaign, John F. Kennedy turned his back on the Democratic Party. He relied instead on his personal charisma and his family's vast wealth to win office. Once elected, he governed much as he had run: alone. He ignored the Democratic platform and instead sought counsel from a small group of hand-picked advisors, including his own brother.

Kennedy fundamentally reshaped the role of President, and each of his successors has built on this model. American presidents have become increasingly isolated from the parties that brought them to power. Democratic presidents--Johnson, Carter, and Clinton--did tremendous damage to the Democratic Party by abandoning its core principles. Republican presidents have managed to lead more effectively in isolation, but have imperiled the nation in the process.

Drawing on his own personal letters, interviews, and recollections of America's presidents, Burns charts the decline of genuine leadership in the Oval Office and offers a stirring vision of what the presidency can and should be. America deserves better leaders, and with unsurpassed knowledge of American history and politics, Burns shows us the way forward.

Paranoid Nation: The Real Story of the 2008 Fight for the Presidency ($1.67), by Matt Towery

Book Description
An analysis of the 2008 presidential election

The Most Exclusive Club: A History of the Modern United States Senate ($1.24), by Lewis Gould

Book Description
The first complete account of the modern United States Senate, and the people who shaped its role in the twentieth century

The Senate was originally conceived by the Founding Fathers as an anti-democratic counterweight to the more volatile House of Representatives, but in the twentieth century it has often acted as an impediment to needed reforms. A hundred years ago, senators were still chosen by state legislatures, rather than by direct elections. Now, in the wake of the 2004 elections, and the consolidation of Republican control, the Senate is likely to become a crucible of power shifts that will have enormous impact on American politics in the twenty-first century.

In The Most Exclusive Club, acclaimed political historian Lewis Gould puts the debates about the Senate's future into the context of its history from the Progressive Era to the war in Iraq. From charges of corruption to the occasional attempt at reform, Gould highlights the major players, issues, and debates (including the League of Nations, the McCarthy hearings, and the Iran-Contra affair) that have shaped the institution. Beyond the usual outsized figures such as Lyndon Johnson, Strom Thurmond, and Barry Goldwater, Gould also tells the story of the lesser-known Senate leaders who have played a vital role in America's upper house.

Filled with colorful anecdotes, this is a long-awaited history of one of the most powerful political bodies in the world, written by a master. Gould's sweeping narrative combines deft storytelling with a fresh look at the crucible of contemporary political debate and decision-making.

April 4, 1968 ($1.38), by Michael Eric Dyson; this is the later of two editions, both at the same price.

Book Description
On April 4, 1968, at 6:01 PM, while he was standing on a balcony at a Memphis hotel, Martin Luther King, Jr. was shot and fatally wounded. Only hours earlier King-the prophet for racial and economic justice in America-ended his final speech with the words, "I may not get there with you, but I want you to know tonight, that we as a people will get to the Promised Land." Acclaimed public intellectual and best-selling author Michael Eric Dyson uses the fortieth anniversary of King's assassination as the occasion for a provocative and fresh examination of how King fought, and faced, his own death, and we should use his death and legacy. Dyson also uses this landmark anniversary as the starting point for a comprehensive reevaluation of the fate of Black America over the four decades that followed King's death. Dyson ambitiously investigates the ways in which African-Americans have in fact made it to the Promised Land of which King spoke, while shining a bright light on the ways in which the nation has faltered in the quest for racial justice. He also probes the virtues and flaws of charismatic black leadership that has followed in King's wake, from Jesse Jackson to Barack Obama. Always engaging and inspiring, April 4, 1968 celebrates the prophetic leadership of Dr. King, and challenges America to renew its commitment to his deeply moral vision.

Can You Hear Me Now? ($2.40), by Michael Eric Dyson

Book Description
Over the last 20 years, Michael Eric Dyson has become one of America's most visible-and quotable-public intellectuals. Whether in his sixteen books, or in countless newspapers, television and radio appearances, or on stages, podiums, and pulpits across the world, Dyson has spun an enchanting web of words that has caught the attention of the masses and elites alike. He has weighed in on a myriad array of topics - from faith to fatherhood, and from race to sex, as well as sports, manhood, gender, music, leadership, politics, language, love, justice, literature, suffering, death, hope, relationships and much, much more. Can You Hear Me Now?, offers a sampling of Dyson's sharp wit, profound thought, and edifying eloquence on the enduring problems of humanity, from love to justice, and the latest topics of the day, including race and the presidency. It is both revealing and relevant, and at once thoughtful provoking and uplifting. Whether he is writing about Jay-Z or Barack Obama, addressing racial catastrophes or opportunities, or speaking about religion or the felicities of King's rhetoric, Dyson's intellect shines with insight and inspiration. Can You Hear Me Now? captures Dyson's incredible facility with words, and his prodigious intelligence, at a time when he has gained greater fame as a public intellectual, university professor, best-selling author, and most recently, as one of the first prominent blacks to endorse President Barack Obama. The time is ripe for his wit, wisdom and worldview, and this book is Dyson's most accessible compendium of thinking on a broad range of topics that haunt and shape the nation.

The Political Zoo ($1.17), by Michael Savage

Book Description
As Aristotle said, "Man is a political animal." Talk radio sensation and New York Times best-selling author Michael Savage is afraid that the ancient philosopher was all too right, and in ways he never could have imagined. In Savage's funniest, most biting book yet, the nation's fiercest independent thinker invites you to take a riotous tour through The Political Zoo-an outrageous look at today's most prominent politicos and pundits as the reptiles, rats, and birds of prey they most resemble.

Animal by animal and cage by cage, Savage brandishes his irreverent wit to keep these beasts in check. Serving as resident biologist and zookeeper, Dr. Savage asks that you watch your step when approaching the widemouth copperhead Ted Turner (also known as Mouthus desouthus), do not feed the ego of stuffed turkey Alec Baldwin (Notalentus anti-americanus), and please keep your children with you at all times around wolf boy Bill Clinton (Fondlem undgropeum).

"The world of politics is filled with uncivilized, snarling, rapacious beasts that, like untrained mutts, raise their legs and urinate on everything we hold dear," says Savage. And this sensational book is your guide for navigating the jungle of today's animal-political kingdom.

The Sages ($1.17), by Charles R. Morris

Book Description
Throughout the violent financial disruptions of the past several years, three men have stood out as beacons of judgment and wisdom: Warren Buffett, George Soros, and Paul Volcker. Though their experiences and styles vary-Buffett is the canny stock market investor; Soros is the reader of shifting global tides in trade and currencies; and Volcker is the regulator and governor, sheriff and clean-up crew-they have very much in common. All three men have more than fifty years of deep involvement in markets. All are skeptical of Wall Street frenzies. They believe that markets tend to be right, but usually only over the medium term. They have seen too many cycles of herd-driven, emotion-riding booms and busts to make their views hostage to the sweeping and simplistic assumptions of "efficient-markets" models. With the benefit of his own deep understanding of markets and finance, Morris brilliantly analyzes the records of these men, distilling their wisdom and experience-and argues for the importance of consistent values in navigating the treacherous terrain of today's globalized world.

Think Like A Champion ($1.33), by Donald Trump

Book Description
Who better to give advice to aspiring leaders than Donald Trump, America’s best-known entrepreneur? Trump’s most basic strategies, principles, and thoughts are abridged here for the perfect pocket-sized gift for a budding boss.

Donald Trump shares his thoughts on life, personal and professional, in essays that reveal his winning strategies and lofty goals. With a foreword by Robert Kiyosaki, author of Rich Dad Poor Dad, Trump covers “Learn to Think on Your Feet,” “Keep it Short, Fast, and Direct,” “There are Times When You Should Move On,” and “How to Get Rich.”

Thriving in the New Economy: Lessons from Today's Top Business Minds ($1.32), by Lori Ann LaRocc

Book Description
Thriving in the New Economy gives you a unique look into some of today's best economic and business minds. A series of close profiles, the book offers inspirational personal stories, useful advice, and actionable strategies you can use immediately to skirt financial peril, seize opportunities, and flourish in the New Economy.

• Profiles include financial publisher Steve Forbes, The Vanguard Group founder Jack Bogle, Former National Economic Council Director and Former Special Assistant to the President on Economic Policy Lawrence Lindsey, former FDIC chair Donald Powell, Saks CEO Steve Sadove, Toyota Motor Sales U.S.A. President Jim Lentz, legendary vulture investor Wilbur Ross and more
• Looks at how leaders in economics, banking, automobiles, real estate, and retail are not just avoiding the unraveling economy, but actively evolving and growing their businesses
• Foreword by H. Wayne Huizenga; Afterword by Rudy Giuliani

If you're looking for the way forward through today's business wilderness, Thriving in the New Economy lets you in on how some leaders use challenges not just to survive but thrive.

Meltdown ($1.24), by Katrina vanden Heuvel

Book Description
America's economy is in meltdown. Banks have failed, foreclosures are sweeping the housing market, and the Dow Jones has suffered its worst losses since the Great Depression. Faced with a complex and spiraling crisis, the government has poured billions of taxpayer dollars into a bailout with no end in sight. At every step of the way, The Nation, America's leading progressive weekly magazine, has tackled the most urgent questions facing the nation's leaders and its citizens with clarity and insight. Stretching back twenty years, Meltdown draws together the best of the magazine's coverage of the financial crisis and explores what steps President Obama and his new administration must take to ensure a more secure future for everyone.

The Return of the Great Depression ($1.59), by Vox Day

Book Description
In this sophisticated yet readable book, Vox Day - one of the few economics writers to predict the current worldwide financial crisis - explains why it is likely to continue. Vox shows that the policies being pursued in Europe, Asia, and the United States are very similar to Japan's failed policies of the past 20 years and, therefore, doomed to similar results. According to Vox, the economic theories behind those policies are flawed and account for why most economists were unable to anticipate the recession or see that their expectations of an imminent recovery are incorrect. Vox applies a different theory, the one he used to predict the current crisis, to show that the world is in the early stages of a massive economic contraction. Then he turns to the six scenarios presently envisioned by the world's leading economists and assesses which is most likely to unfold. As the title suggests, Vox concludes that the most probable scenario is a Great Depression 2.0 that will be larger in scale and scope than that of the 1930s.

Rich is a Religion ($1.93), by Mark Stevens

Book Description
The secret to building and maintaining wealth isn't a specific stock-picking strategy. Instead, it's a philosophy and behavior that you need to understand and practice in order to have the peace of mind that comes with wealth. It is, in bestselling author Mark Stevens's words, "A means of thinking and behaving . . . a financial religion."

Amidst today's dramatic downturns in the economy—massive layoffs at banks and brokerages, housing foreclosures, and high unemployment—people keep blaming Wall Street institutions or the government for their personal money woes. However, the problem stems less from the system and more from individual behaviors. While portfolios shrink in value, people continue to live beyond their means, always trying to outspend their neighbors. People are working harder than ever and have less time to enjoy the comforts they do have.

If you're stressed about your financial future, stuck at a job that you hate, or feel trapped by your income, Rich Is a Religion is a road map that will help you transform your life. By showing you the mindset of millionaires and billionaires whom the author has known, you will learn how to make more money than you ever thought possible and how you can preserve this money for your entire life, regardless of economic downswings. With the insights found here, you'll also quickly learn the difference between doing well financially and creating true wealth.

What Wives Wish their Husbands Knew about Sex: A Guide for Christian Men ($1.59), by Ryan Howes, Richard Rupp & Stephen W. Simpson

Book Description
It's an unfortunate reality that many men grow up in churches that suppress their God-given sexual urges. As a result, many Christian men, single and married, are frustrated with their love lives and their sex lives. The authors of this book claim that Christian men should be the greatest lovers in the world and then work to show men how to do it. They help men: 

• learn what the Bible says about a healthy sex life 
• discover how to relate to women as men instead of as boys 
• address psychological and spiritual issues that interfere with healthy sexuality 
• learn specific techniques that create a strong relationship, great foreplay, and passionate sex 

Solidly based in Scripture and informed by the experiences of the authors, all respected sex therapists, What Wives Wish Their Husbands Knew about Sex dispels the myths that keep good Christian men from experiencing sex as God meant it to be. Perfect for any man, it is also a great book for counselors and pastors who work with men.

Masters of Sex ($3.76), by Thomas Maier

Book Description
In Masters of Sex, critically acclaimed biographer Thomas Maier offers an unprecedented look at William Masters and Virginia Johnson, their pioneering studies of intimacy, and the sexual revolution they inspired. Masters and Johnson began their secret studies in a small Midwest laboratory, and soon became the nation's top experts on sex. Over the course of more than forty years, they analyzed and explained the secrets of orgasm, emotional fulfillment, and sexual dysfunction. But they divorced after twenty years amid a clash of success, betrayal, and jealousies. Weaving interviews with the notoriously private William Masters and the ambitious Virginia Johnson, Maier offers a titillating portrait of the legendary couple. Entertaining, revealing, and beautifully told, this groundbreaking book sheds light on the eternal mysteries of desire and intimacy, and their complicated roles in the American psyche.

Binge: What Your College Student Won't Tell You ($1.33), by Barrett Seaman

Book Description
In Binge, Barrett Seaman reveals what every parent, student, and educator needs to know about the college experience. Seaman spent time with students at twelve highly regarded and diverse colleges and universities across North America­. During his two years of research, he immersed himself in the lives of the students, often living in their dorms, dining with them, speaking with them on their own terms, and listening to them express their thoughts and feelings. Portraying a campus culture in which today’s best and brightest students grapple with far more than academic challenges, Binge conveys the unprecedented stresses on campus today. While sharing revealing interviews and the often dramatic stories, Seaman explores the complexities of romantic relationships and sexual relations, alcohol and drug use, anxiety and depression, class and racial boundaries, and more. Despite the disturbing trends, Seaman finds reasons for optimism and offers provocative and well-informed suggestions for improving the undergraduate experience. Sometimes alarming, always fascinating, and ultimately hopeful, Binge is an extraordinary investigative work that reveals the realities of higher education today.

Rick and Bubba's Expert Guide to God, Country, Family, and anything else we can think of ($2.41), by Rick Burgess & Bubba Bussey

Book Description
Rick and Bubba are two of America's zaniest syndicated radio hosts. Now, Rick and Bubba bring their own brand of southern humor and homespun wisdom to the book world. Rick and Bubba's Expert Guide to God, Country, Family, and Anything Else We Can Think Of is a sometimes touching, always hilarious, look at the world through Rick and Bubba's eyes. Rick and Bubba wax eloquent on everything from little league soccer to the frustrations of getting the family ready for church on a Sunday morning, to big Southern hair.

The Rick & Bubba Code: The Two Sexiest Fat Men Alive Unlock the Mysteries of the Universe ($1.55), by Rick Burgess & Bubba Bussey

Book Description
Zany radio hosts Rick & Bubba rocketed onto the New York Times bestseller list with their first book, Rick & Bubba's Expert Guide to God, Country, Family and Anything Else We Can Think Of. Now, Rick & Bubba are back and this time the world truly isn't safe.

In The Rick & Bubba Code, Rick and Bubba tackle subjects ranging from the South, politics, and romance to manhood, in-laws, and political correctness. No cow is sacred. No hold is barred. Laugh along with the "sexiest fat men alive" as they uncover the mysteries of the universe.

Lives of the Planets: A Natural History of the Solar System ($1.21), by Richard Corfield

Book Description
A grand overview of the dynamic and endlessly fascinating backyard of astronomy--our solar system.

Lives of the Planets describes a scientific field in the midst of a revolution. Planetary science has mainly been a descriptive science, but it is becoming increasingly experimental. The space probes that went up between the 1960s and 1990s were primarily generalists--they collected massive amounts of information so that scientists could learn what questions to pursue. But recent missions have become more focused: Scientists know better what information they want and how to collect it. Even now probes are on their way to Mercury, Venus, Mars, and Pluto, with Europa--one of Jupiter's moons--on the agenda.

In a sweeping look into the manifold objects inhabiting the depths of space, Lives of the Planets delves into the mythology and the knowledge humanity has built over the ages. Placing our current understanding in historical context, Richard Corfield explores the seismic shifts in planetary astronomy and probes why we must change our perspective of our place in the universe. In our era of extraordinary discovery, this is the first comprehensive survey of this new understanding and the history of how we got here.

Two Free Online Games for Kindle: Sudoku and Word Morph

Both of these online games from MobileReference are repeat freebies of a sort - they were a penny last year, so not quite free. Today they are truly free. Unlike the recent active content games from Amazon however, these are played on the internet, so do require some type of online access, either via wifi or 3G. For those using apps, however, this is an advantage, as they appear to be compatible with all the apps. If the destination web site ever disappears, though, they'll probably stop working. I know that having played the games from Amazon, I definitely prefer the active content games, instead.

Sudoku Volume 1

Game Description
Our best interactive Sudoku puzzles are now available for Kindle! Whether you are a novice to Sudoku or an experienced player this collection will sharpen your mind.

Each Sudoku volume contains 20 different Sudoku puzzles: five puzzles for each difficulty level.

The objective of a Sudoku game is to fill a 9x9 grid so that the numbers 1 through 9 occur exactly once in each row, column, and 3x3 box.

With Mobi Sudoku you can:

• Check your progress at any time. The number of wrong entries will be reported.
• Remove errors. Use it if you feel you made too many mistakes and want to keep your correct entries but remove incorrect ones.
• See the solution
• Reset the puzzle if you want to start over.
• Add a clue if you feel that you are stuck. A single number will be added to a randomly chosen empty cell.

Note: Whispernet wireless needs to be turned on when a new game is loaded. Once a game is loaded, wireless can be turned off to conserve battery power.

Word Morph Volume 1

Game Description
How do you make a flip from a flop? Obviously, by changing the i to an o. This is how you play Word Morph. At each step, you can change one letter to form a new word. The task is to transform the starting word one letter at a time until you spell the ending word.

For example, here is a puzzle:

east
----
----
west

You can get from east to west like this:

east
past
pest
west

Often puzzles have more than one solution. In the east to west example, you could also do:

east
last
lest
west

or

east
vast
vest
west

Bargain Book Roundup - Under Three Bucks

A number of these are likely to go back up in price on the first of next month, so grab them while they are marked down.

Hollywood Tough ($2.99 Kindle, B&N  &  Kobo), by Stephen J. Cannell, is the third in the Shane Scully series.

Book Description
Detective Shane Scully is back in the good graces of the department, hailed as a hero after bringing down a deadly gang of rogue cops in The Viking Funeral. At a glamorous Hollywood party with his new wife, Alexa, Shane overhears a famous producer make a suspicious remark about the strange deaths of his two ex-wives. Is he serious or merely joking around with his coterie of hangers-on? This becomes more than just police business, because the party is to celebrate the engagement of the producer to Alexa's closest friend.

Against his wife's wishes, Shane begins to look into this heavy-hitter's past. At the same time, he becomes aware of a high-profile wiseguy's attempt to control Hollywood's unions. He initiates an elaborate and expensive sting operation, actually setting up a phony production company to produce a bogus movie at LAPD expense. The plan is to draw the starstruck wiseguy into revealing his real purpose for coming to L.A. But before long the overbudgeted movie is rocketing into production. Tough, streetwise Scully, who thought he'd seen just about everything, is astounded by the distorted egos and total insanity of the movie business, and while he struggles to keep his sting operation from spinning wildly out of control, he and Alexa find themselves and Shane's teenaged son, Chooch, involved in something much bigger than they had ever imagined, something that puts all their lives on the line.

To Pleasure A Lady ($2.39 Kindle & B&N; $2.99 Kobo), by Nicole Jordan, is the first in her trilogy, The Courtship Wars.

Book Description
Marcus Pierce, a strikingly handsome aristocrat with a wicked reputation, inherits guardianship of Arabella Loring and her two younger sisters–and immediately declares his intention to marry them off. But gorgeously defiant Arabella sparks frustration–and something deeply erotic–in Marcus. After matching both wits and swords with her, Marcus concludes that this beautiful and formidable foe must be his.

Having sworn off marriage and men, Arabella wishes to be left alone to run her finishing school for young ladies. To that end, she boldly accepts Marcus’s intimate challenge: If he can woo and win her within two weeks, she’ll take her place in his bed as his wife. However, if she can resist his considerable charms, the Loring sisters will be granted their independence. Thus an extraordinary game of seduction begins. . . .

Alone ($2.39 Kindle & B&N; $2.99 Kobo), by Lisa Gardner, is the first in her Detective D.D. Warren series.

Book Description
Alone . . . Massachusetts State Trooper Bobby Dodge watches a tense hostage standoff unfold through the scope of his sniper rifle. Just across the street, in wealthy Back Bay, Boston, an armed man has barricaded himself with his wife and child. The man’s finger tightens on the trigger and Dodge has only a split second to react . . . and forever pay the consequences.

Alone . . . that’s where the nightmare began for cool, beautiful, and dangerously sexy Catherine Rose Gagnon. Twenty-five years ago, she was buried underground during a month-long nightmare of abduction and abuse. Now her husband has just been killed. Her father-in-law, the powerful Judge Gagnon, blames Catherine for his son’s death . . . and for the series of unexplained illnesses that have sent her own young son repeatedly to the hospital.

Alone . . . a madman survived solitary confinement in a maximum security prison where he’d done hard time for the most sadistic of crimes. Now he walks the streets a free man, invisible, anonymous . . . and filled with an unquenchable rage for vengeance. What brings them together is a moment of violence—but what connects them is a passion far deeper and much more dangerous. For a killer is loose who’s woven such an intricate web of evil that no one is above suspicion, no one is beyond harm, and no one will see death coming until it has them cornered, helpless, and alone.

Quicksand ($2.99 Kindle, B&N & Kobo), by Iris Johansen, is the eighth in her Eve Duncan series.

Book Description
Returning from Johansen’s New York Times bestselling thriller, Stalemate, forensic sculptor Eve Duncan is still reeling from the disappearance of her daughter, Bonnie. Deciding to take matters into her own hands, she enlists the clairvoyant skills of Dr. Megan Blair to help find her. No strangers to looking for clues where there seem to be none, the two women use their highly specialized talents to hunt down Bonnie’s elusive kidnapper and return her to her mother’s arms. But is Bonnie still alive? Will the two women find her in time? Iris Johansen strikes again with this non-stop, action packed thriller, keeping readers turning pages well into the night.

Dead Simple ($2.99 Kindle & B&N), by Peter James, is the first in his Detective Superintendent Roy Grace series.

Book Description
Four bodies, one suspect, no trace. The first case for detective superintendent Roy Grace, plus a free preview of his newest thriller, DEAD LIKE YOU, coming November 2010.

It was meant to be a harmless bachelor party prank. A few hours later four of his best friends are dead and Michael Harrison has disappeared. With only three days to the wedding, Detective Superintendent Grace - a man haunted by the shadow of his own missing wife - is contacted by Michael's beautiful, distraught fiancée, Ashley Harper. Grace discovers that the one man who ought to know Michael Harrison's whereabouts is saying nothing. But then he has a lot to gain - more than anyone realizes. For one man's disaster is another man's fortune . . .

Dead simple . . .

Sugar Daddy, the first in the Travis series by Lisa Kleypas, is currently $7.99 now $2.99 in the Kindle store, but just dropped to $2.99 in the Sony store. I reported the lower price to Amazon, so they may drop the price to match. In the meantime, those with EPUB readers can take advantage of the lower price from Sony.

Update: As of mid-morning, Amazon has lowered the price on this one to $2.99 also.

Book Description
SHE'S FROM THE WRONG SIDE OF THE TRACKS
Liberty Jones has dreams and determination that will take her far away from Welcome, Texas---if she can keep her wild heart from ruling her mind. Hardy Cates sees Liberty as completely off-limits. His own ambitions are bigger than Welcome, and Liberty Jones is a complication he doesn't need. But something magical and potent draws them to each other, in a dangerous attraction that is stronger than both of them.

HE'S THE ONE MAN SHE CAN'T HAVE
When Hardy leaves town to pursue his plans, Liberty finds herself alone with a young sister to raise. Soon Liberty finds herself under the spell of a billionaire tycoon---a Sugar Daddy, one might say. But the relationship goes deeper than people think, and Liberty begins to discover secrets about her own family's past.

WILL THEY FIND THEIR HEARTS' DESIRES OR WILL HEARTBREAK TEAR THEM APART?
Two men. One woman. A choice that can make her or break her. A woman you'll root for every step of the way. A love story you'll never forget.

Free Book (nook) - According to Jane

According to Jane ($8.79 Kindle), by Marilyn Brant, is free from B&N. This title was previously free last year in the Kindle store.

Book Description
In Marilyn Brant's smart, wildly inventive debut, one woman in search of herself receives advice from the ultimate expert in matters of the heart. . .

It begins one day in sophomore English class, just as Ellie Barnett's teacher is assigning Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice. From nowhere comes a quiet "tsk" of displeasure. The target: Sam Blaine, the cute bad boy who's teasing Ellie mercilessly, just as he has since kindergarten. Entirely unbidden, as Jane might say, the author's ghost has taken up residence in Ellie's mind, and seems determined to stay there.

Jane's wise and witty advice guides Ellie through the hell of adolescence and beyond, serving as the voice she trusts, usually far more than her own. Years and boyfriends come and go--sometimes a little too quickly, sometimes not nearly fast enough. But Jane's counsel is constant, and on the subject of Sam, quite insistent. Stay away, Jane demands. He is your Mr. Wickham.

Still, everyone has something to learn about love--perhaps even Jane herself. And lately, the voice in Ellie's head is being drowned out by another, urging her to look beyond everything she thought she knew and seek out her very own, very unexpected, happy ending. . .

Click HERE for the free book.