So far, New York Times bestselling author Dana Stabenow has written 30 science fiction, mystery, suspense and thriller novels and short stories after earning a Journalism degree from the University of Alaska in 1973. She sold her first book, Second Star, to Ace Science Fiction in 1990. Her third novel launched her beloved Kate Shugak mystery series: A Cold Day for Murder. The book won the Edgar award for “Best Paperback Original” in 1993, and it tops today’s Buffet.
Dana’s inspiration for Kate Shugak, her most famous character, occurred in 1991, when she was in Alaska, visiting her aunt in the sprawling Wrangel-St. Elias National Park. That afternoon at the park, Dana and her aunt bumped into some old men — unemployed locals commonly referred to as “Park Rats,” who clearly resented the park’s rangers. Before long, Dana could imagine the grisly murder of a park ranger, and her book’s plot was already taking shape.
Alaska is the setting for most of Dana’s books. “I always begin with a place,” she said. “I don’t care if it’s the moon or a Coast Guard cutter, once I have the location, I figure out who lives there and how much trouble I can get them into.”
As most of Dana’s books are, this is an enjoyable whodunit.
For years, Dana has been in negotiations with TV and film producers who want to adapt her Kate Shugak series into a film or TV series, and she has repeatedly turned down six-figure offers. The sticking point: Dana insists that all filming be done in her home state of Alaska. It seems neither side will budge.
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A Cold Day for Murder (Kate Shugak #1)
Mystery > Women Sleuths
Author: Dana Stabenow
Somewhere in the hinterlands of Alaska, among the millions of sprawling acres that comprise “The Park,” a young National Park Ranger has gone missing. When the detective sent after him also vanishes, the Anchorage DA’s department must turn to their reluctant former investigator, Kate Shugak. Shugak knows The Park because she’s of The Park, an Aleut who left her home village of Niniltna to pursue education, a career, and the righting of wrongs. Kate’s search for the missing men will take her from self-imposed exile back to a life she’d left behind, and face-to-face with people and problems she’d hoped never to confront again.
The first novel in the popular Kate Shugak Series, A Cold Day for Murder established Dana Stabenow as a new voice in Alaskan mystery writing, and earned her an Edgar Award.
Deadly Offerings (Deadly Trilogy)
Mystery > Police Procedurals
Author: Alexa Grace
Anne Mason thinks she’ll be safe living in the Midwest building a wind farm. She may be dead wrong. Someone is dumping bodies in her corn field and telling Anne they are gifts—for her.
As the body count rises, Anne realizes a cold-blooded serial killer is patiently waiting and watching her every move. And he won’t stop until he ends her life. It is clear there are no limits to this killer’s thirst for revenge or how far he will go to get it.
After a nasty divorce, Anne Mason does not want to get romantically involved, especially with ex-husband’s attorney, Michael Brandt.
The ruggedly handsome new County Prosecutor is the last person Anne can trust, but may offer her only chance at survival from a psychopathic killer. But will she survive the passion that rages between them?
Her Minnesota Man
Christian Fiction > Romance
Author: Brenda Coulter
Rock star Jackson Bell has just given his heart to God. Resolved to abandon his wicked lifestyle and eager for instruction in Christian living, he heads home to Owatonna, Minnesota and the girl-next-door he’s secretly loved for years. Dismayed to find Laney Ryland in the midst of a faith crisis, “Jeb” quickly formulates a plan: he’ll help Laney get her faith back, and then he’ll find her a good Christian man to marry so she can get started on that big family she longs for.
It won’t be easy, watching another man slide a ring onto Laney’s finger. But she deserves only the best, and Jeb means to see that she gets it. Now if only her great-aunts, those pesky 79-year-old matchmaking triplets known as the Three Graces, will just stay out of his way . . . .
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Love at Any Cost (The Heart of San Francisco Book #1)
Romance > Historical > Christian Fiction
Author: Julie Lessman
Jilted by a fortune hunter, cowgirl Cassidy McClare is a spunky Texas oil heiress without a fortune who would just as soon hogtie a man as look at him. Hoping a summer visit with her wealthy cousins in San Francisco will help her forget her heartache, Cassidy travels west. But no sooner is she settled in beautiful California than Jamie McKenna, a handsome pauper looking to marry well, captures her heart. When Jamie discovers the woman he loves is poorer than he is, Cassidy finds herself bucked by love a second time. Will Jamie discover that money can’t buy love after all? And can Cassidy ever learn to fully trust her heart to a man?
With delectable descriptions and a romantic sensibility, bestselling author Julie Lessman brings the Gilded Age to life in this sumptuous new series. Readers will faithfully follow Lessman to the West Coast for more romance, passion, and surprising revelations found in Love at Any Cost.
Remembering Christmas
Religious & Inspirational Fiction > Romance
Author: Dan Walsh
Rick Denton lives his life on his terms. He works hard, plays hard, and answers to no one. So when his mother calls on Thanksgiving weekend begging him to come home after his stepfather has a stroke, Rick is more than a little reluctant. He’s never liked Art and resents the man’s presence in his life, despite the fact that his own father abandoned the family when Rick was just twelve. When what was supposed to be just a couple days helping out at the family bookstore turns into weeks of cashing out old ladies and running off the homeless man who keep hanging about, Rick’s attitude sours even more.
Still, slowly but surely, the little bookstore and its quirky patrons–as well as the lovely young woman who works at his side each day–work their magic on him, revealing to Rick the truth about his family, his own life, and the true meaning of Christmas. With skillful storytelling, Dan Walsh creates a Christmas story will have readers remembering every good and perfect gift of Christmas.
Recession-Proof Retirement: Safe Strategies to Manage Wealth and Retirement Income
Personal Finance > Retirement Planning
Author: Mark J. Orr CFP
In thinking about your own retirement, does it seem “more probable” to you that your money will outlive you… or that you will outlive your money? In either case, the proven strategies in this book can safely make your savings work much harder. A successful retirement is no longer a “slam dunk”. With fewer retirees getting sizable pensions, the lingering effects of the great recession of 2008, a decade of stock market volatility and continuing historically low interest rates, managing finances for a long and prosperous retirement can be tricky for all but the very wealthy.
Along with the high likelihood of living through more recessions, longevity and inflation are the big demons to beat during retirement. Many retirees have yet to fully consider, plan and invest for these nearly inevitable occurrences.
This book shows examples of how his clients are using these financial strategies and solutions for a more secure monthly income. The income planning strategies combined with what he believes are some of the best types of retirement investments to beat inflation and your likely longevity.
A BiggerPockets Guide: How to Rent Your House
Real Estate > Investments
Author: Brandon Turner, Joshua Dorkin
This short, easy-to-read guide is packed full of actionable tips gained from years of real estate investing trial-and-error. The techniques shared within this guide will walk you through the entire process, step-by-step, to get your home rented with the least amount of stress possible.
From “the five initial questions you must ask yourself before getting started” to the final handing off of the keys, this guide is the definitive guide for any landlord. No matter what your background, this guide from BiggerPockets.com will help you gain the knowledge needed to successfully rent your property out to quality tenants who pay on time, won’t trash the home, and will help you build your wealth.
Rebekka Franck Series Box Set
Suspense > Horror
Author: Willow Rose
This is the first three books in the Rebekka Franck series by international Best-Selling Author Willow Rose. They are followed by Seven, Eight … Gonna stay up late and the last and final book Nine, Ten … Never sleep again.
Set in the Danish coastal town of Karrebaeksminde, journalist Rebekka Franck returns to her hometown with her six year old daughter. She is trying to escape her ex-husband and starting a new life for her and her daughter, when the small sleepy town experiences a murder. One of the kingdoms wealthiest men is brutally murdered in his summer residence in Karrebaeksminde. While Rebekka Franck and her punk photographer Sune try to cover the story for the local newspaper another murder happens on a high society rich man. Now Rebekka Franck realizes that the drowsy little kingdom of Denmark has gotten its first serial killer and soon a series of dark secrets – long buried but not forgotten – will see the day of light.
Used (Getting Inside of V – Book 1)
Literature & Fiction
Author: Kate Lynne
The name’s V… I’m beautiful in every sense of the word physically. But on the inside, I’m a black pit. There aren’t any happily ever after in the works for me or those whose lives I poison.
I hold the key to my pleasure and I’ll be damned if I ever give it up again. God forsake those that stand in my way of ultimate gratification.
You may regret me, but you’ll never forget me.
Betrayal of Trust: A J. P. Beaumont Novel
Mystery > Private Investigators
Author: J. A. Jance
Regularly $9.99, Today $1.99
At first glance, what happens on the video appearsto be a childish game: a teenage girl with dark,wavy hair smiles for the camera, a blue scarf tied around her neck. Then things turn dark andgruesome, and the girl ends up dead.
When a snuff film is discovered on a cell phone belonging to the governor of Washington State’s grandson—a boy with a troubled background who swears he doesn’t know the victim—the governor turns to an old friend, J. P. Beaumont, for help. Of the many horrors the Seattle private investigator has witnessed over the years, this one ranks near the top—especially since the crime’s multiple perpetrators might well be minors.
But this case of an apparent juvenile prank gone hideously wrong has deeper, more startling implications, leading Beau and Mel Soames—his partner in life and work—down a twisted path of corruption and lies that must be exposed before more young lives are obliterated.
Raise the Bar: An Action-Based Method for Maximum Customer Reactions
Business & Investing > Customer Service
Author: Jon Taffer
Regularly $9.99, Today $1.99
If there’s anyone who can prevent a bar or restaurant from going belly up, it’s Jon Taffer. Widely considered the greatest authority in the food and beverage, hotel, and hospitality industries, he runs the biggest trade show in the business and has turned around nearly 1,000 bars and at least that many restaurants.As host and co-producer of Spike TV’s Bar Rescue, a documentary-style series, Taffer gives struggling bars one last chance to succeed with a mixture of business acumen and tough love. Now he’s offering his no-nonsense strategy for eliciting just the right emotional reactions in customers to everyone.
Raise the Bar distills the secrets to running a successful enterprise with Reaction Management, a strategy and philosophy Taffer developed and uses in his business and on Bar Rescue. It works whether you’re running a storefront operation or a web-based company, whether you’re manufacturing widgets or providing a service.
Taffer’s overarching philosophy is this: All business is about creating the right reactions in your customers. Even better: You can control those reactions to a very large degree. Raise the Bar is the definitive manual on transforming a bar or restaurant with actionable, proven strategies for immediate impact.
Elizabeth the First Wife
Women’s Fiction > Humor
Author: Lian Dolan
Regularly $15.95, Today $2.99
Elizabeth Lancaster, an English professor at Pasadena City College, finds her perfectly dull but perfectly orchestrated life upended one summer by three men: her movie-star ex-husband, a charming political operative, and William Shakespeare. Until now, she’d been content living in the shadow of her high-profile and highly accomplished family. Then her college boyfriend and one-time husband of seventeen months, A-list action star FX Fahey, shows up with a job offer that she can’t resist, and Elizabeth’s life suddenly gets a whole lot more interesting. She’s off to the Oregon Shakespeare Festival for the summer to make sure FX doesn’t humiliate himself in an avant-garde production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream.
As she did so skillfully with her first novel, Helen of Pasadena, which spent more than a year on the Los Angeles Times bestseller list, Lian Dolan spins a lively, smart, and very funny tale of a woman reinventing her life in unexpected ways.
Red Scarf Girl: A Memoir of the Cultural Revolution
Children’s Books > Biographies
Author: Ji-li Jiang
Regularly $6.99, Today $1.99
It’s 1966, and twelve-year-old Ji-li Jiang has everything a girl could want: brains, tons of friends, and a bright future in Communist China. But it’s also the year that China’s leader, Mao Ze-dong, launches the Cultural Revolution—and Ji-li’s world begins to fall apart. Over the next few years, people who were once her friends and neighbors turn on her and her family, forcing them to live in constant terror of arrest. When Ji-li’s father is finally imprisoned, she faces the most difficult dilemma of her life.
This is the true story of one girl’s determination to hold her family together during one of the most terrifying eras of the twentieth century.
Warriors #1: Into the Wild
Children’s Books > Action & Adventure
Author: Erin Hunter
Regularly $6.99, Today $1.99
Fire alone can save our Clan…
For generations, four Clans of wild cats have shared the forest according to the laws laid down by the powerful ancestors. But the warrior code is threatened, and the ThunderClan cats are in grave danger. The sinister ShadowClan grows stronger every day. Noble warriors are dying — and some deaths are more mysterious than others.
In the midst of this turmoil appears an ordinary housecat named Rusty . . . Who may yet turn out to be the bravest warrior of them all.
Fire alone can save our Clan…
… See the rest of today’s Editor’s Picks here on page 2