Winter S Night

Merrily Watkins is the most singular of crime fiction protagonists... As ever [Rickman]'s supremely skillful at teasing out the menace that lies behind English folk customs and legends and weaving them into a compelling contemporary narrative. - Mail on Sunday IN THE DARK HEART OF THE COUNTRYSIDE... When Aidan Lloyd's bleak funeral is followed by a nocturnal ritual in the fog, it becomes all too clear that Aidan, son of a wealthy farmer, will not be resting in peace. Aidan's hidden history has reignited an old feud, and a rural tradition begins to display its sinister side. It's already a fraught time for Merrily Watkins, her future threatened by a bishop committed to restricting her role as diocesan exorcist for Hereford. Suddenly there are events she can't talk about as she and her daughter Jane find themselves potentially on the wrong side of the law. In the city of Hereford, DI Frannie Bliss, investigating a shooting, must confront the apparent growth of organised crime, also contaminating the countryside. On the Welsh border, the old ways are at war with the modern world. As the days shorten and the fog gives way to ice and snow, a savage killing draws Merrily Watkins into a conflict centred on one of Britain's most famous medieval churches, its walls laden with ancient symbolism. Midwinter of the Spirit, televised last year to worldwide critical acclaim, was the first novel to reflect the reality of exorcism in modern Britain. All of a Winter's Night is the 15th episode in this electrifying series.

New York Times bestselling author Brenda Jackson brings you the story of Riley Westmoreland. He never mixes business with pleasure—until Alpha Blake. And even when her past threatens their affair, Riley knows…one night will never be enough. Plus a Brenda Jackson favorite—The fourth in the Steele Family Series, Risky Pleasures

You go into a bookshop and buy If on a Winter's Night a Traveller by Italo Calvino. You like it. But alas there is a printer's error in your copy. You take it back to the shop and get a replacement. But the replacement seems to be a totally different story. You try to track down the original book you were reading but end up with a different narrative again. This remarkable novel leads you through many different books including a detective adventure, a romance, a satire, an erotic story, a diary and a quest. But the real hero is you, the reader.

Before Father Patrick Bergquist moved to Alaska, he imagined himself spending his free evenings wrapped in a warm quilt, reading novel after novel during the long arctic winters. Those idealized expectations were met with the unavoidable reality of winter's harshness, a pervasive darkness that made it neither realistic nor helpful to merely wait out the winter and hope for spring." And yet, says Bergquist, this is what we as a Catholic Church are tempted to do in the enduring darkness of the sexual abuse crisis. We want to wrap ourselves in the secure blanket of tradition and memory, thinking that this crisis too will pass-or worse still, that it has already passed. Bergquist admits he is "but a simple parish priest, no saint and surely no scholar." But it is precisely his perspective as a parish priest that gives rise to his poetic and prophetic voice. He speaks from his heart, soul, and experience in a way few others have done. He names and validates the pain and fear, the hopes and dreams that so many of us share. The Long Dark Winter's Night is both realistic and helpful. Patrick Bergquist was ordained in 1990. He is a diocesan priest of the Missionary Diocese of Northern Alaska and has been pastor of St. Raphael Catholic parish in Fairbanks since 1998. "

On a Ghostly Winter's Night, is a compilation of articles written by Winter Balefire over the span of 8 years and featured as a monthly column within two different magazines. These articles cover four main genres, Lore, Occult, Urban Legends and the Paranormal. Within this book are sixty selections ranging from the history of Halloween, candle magic, ghost hunting for beginners, superstitions, as well as taboo topics such as Necromancy, blood magic, new summoning rituals, and curses.

Grieving over the loss of his love, werewolf Bowen MacRieve enjoys a passionate encounter with his enemy, the witch Mariketa the Awaited, but when sinister forces threaten her life, Bowen must use all his skills to keep her alive.

Riley Westmoreland never mixes business with pleasure—until he meets his company's gorgeous new party planner. But when he gets Alpha Blake into bed, he realizes one night will never be enough. That's when her past threatens to end their affair. So Riley does what any Westmoreland male would do…he vows to win her heart—for good.

Ten classic stories from the master of Hindi literature Nearly a century after they were written, Premchand’s numerous short stories, novels and plays, written both in Hindi and Urdu, continue to be a mirror to Indian society and its traditions. A Winter’s Night and Other Stories brings together, for young readers, some of his most powerful short stories. This is a world inhabited by people like Halku, forced to spend the bitterly cold winter night in the open, without a blanket; Kaki, the old invalid aunt, ill-treated by her own relatives; and Shankar, reduced to being a bonded labour for the sake of a handful of wheat. Premchand describes their plights with unflinching honesty. Yet all is not hopeless in this world. There is also little Hamid, who buys tongs for his old grandmother rather than toys for himself; Ladli, who saves her share of puris for her blind aunt; and Big Brother, trying in vain to remember the strange names of English kings and queens. Greed, dishonesty, cruelty abound in this world, as do kindness, bravery and humour. These ten stories are an ideal introduction to Premchand and his concerns and ideas that remain relevant to this day.

Enter if you dare... A man driving through a remote part of Denmark is forced to take shelter from a snowstorm in a lonely castle. Inside, he encounters the Count who lives there, a strange old man who begins to talk. And as the Count does, the visitor learns of an ancient legend, of the noble family's mysterious secret, and of the curse that overshadows them...

Return to Home Valley with book four in Karen Harper’s fan-favorite romantic suspense series Though she is deeply loved by her parents, the fact that Lydia Brand is adopted has always made her feel different—an outsider. But as Christmas approaches and she begins to search for answers about her biological parents, more questions surface. Soon it seems that the deaths of two women in her small town may not be coincidences, after all. And her pursuit of the truth has left her only with hints of a dark secret—and threats from an unseen adversary. While she does her best to stave off advances from her parents' preferred suitor, Lydia discovers that her heart truly belongs to the man who's been there all along: her friend Josh Yoder. It's only with his help that Lydia can ensure that the stillness of a winter's night means peace…and not danger.

YULE BE MINE by Jo Ann Ferguson Priscilla Flanders Hathaway and her new husband Neville are intending to spend Christmas together at their country estate with family--until a group of friends alight on their doorstep. The more the merrier . . . until they discover that one of their guests is about to commit murder . . . NO ROOM AT THE INN by Karen Frisch All the widow Rosemary Boughman wants for Christmas is to spend a joyous holiday with her young son in the small inn she's inherited. And if business picked up--or even started--that would be even better. What she gets, however, is a visit from her late husband's commanding officer . . . intent on keeping a promise. IN THE SEASON OF LIGHT AND LOVE by Sharon Sobel When her sister and brother-in-law are lost at sea, Miss Violet Makepeace vows to do anything she can to give her young niece and nephews a Christmas to remember. Unfortunately, she hadn't anticipated having to share them--and the holidays--with the rakish, absolutely irresistible James Hanford, Earl of Greenlough. A SEASON FOR GIVING by Shereen Vedam After one unsuccessful season, Miss Honoria Gilbert knows just what she wants in a husband. And she's finally found him. But Christopher de Wynter isn't your typical English gentleman. He's living a double life, doing undercover work for the crown, and has no intention of letting anyone get too close. But then again, he's never been up against the power of a young lady's Christmas wish . . .

Tales for a Long Winter's Night is a delightful collection of stories well-suited for snuggling into a cozy armchair in front of a roaring fire on a long winter's night. The stories take you from sunlit winter wonderlands to the darkest corners of the human heart. You can sail tropical waters, ford a creek in the Appalachian Mountains, or ride a dark and dangerous canyon with a headless ghost. There is love lost and love found, action and adventure and heart-pounding fear awaiting you. Sit by your fire and enjoy the magic of Tales for a Long Winter's Night.

A selection of short stories about life and death in the past, present, and future.

Winter out on the Minnesotan prairie in the 1880s tests the very souls of those who attempt to live and farm there. Christmastime usually means a celebration of light and warmth. But for some families, Christmastime means darkness and too much togetherness. As a blizzard rages, forcing one family to stay indoors, that togetherness pushes them all to the breaking point. How will the return of light find them? “On a Cold Winter’s Night”, a darker kind of Christmas story.

This work brings together eight Arthur Conan Doyle mystery classics. When first gathered into one volume in 1908, the book was entitled Round the Fire Stories, since the author recommended that they be read ideally "'round the fire upon a winter's night." According to Barzun & Taylor in A Catalogue of Crime, "As one reads 'The Man with the Watches,' 'The Lost Special,' 'The Jew's Breastplate,' 'The Black Doctor' and the rest, one marvels again at Doyle's natural gift of storytelling and one relishes his ingrained habit of giving clues, even when they serve narrative and are not to be used for ratiocination. These stories are worth reading even around a radiator."