Books with author A. J. Wagner

Praise for The Science of Sherlock Holmes""Holmes is, first, a great detective, but he has also proven to be a great scientist, whether dabbling with poisons, tobacco ash, or tire marks. Wagner explores this fascinating aspect of his career by showing how his investigations were grounded in the cutting-edge science of his day, especially the emerging field of forensics.... Utterly compelling.""—Otto Penzler, member of the Baker Street Irregulars and proprietor of The Mysterious Bookshop""E. J. Wagner demonstrates that without the work of Sherlock Holmes and his contemporaries, the CSI teams would be twiddling their collective thumbs. Her accounts of Victorian crimes make Watson's tales pale! Highly recommended for students of the Master Detective.""—Leslie S. Klinger, Editor, The New Annotated Sherlock Holmes""In this thrilling book, E. J. Wagner has combined her considerable strengths in three disciplines to produce a work as compelling and blood-curdling as the best commercial fiction. This is CSI in foggy old London Town. Chilling, grim fun.""—John Westermann, author of Exit Wounds and Sweet Deal""I am recommending this delightful work to all of my fellow forensic scientists.... Bravo, Ms. Wagner!""—John Houde, author of Crime Lab: A Guide for Nonscientists""A fabulously interesting read. The book traces the birth of the forensic sciences to the ingenuity of Sherlock Holmes. A wonderful blend of history, mystery, and whodunit.""—Andre Moenssens, Douglas Stripp Professor of Law Emeritus, University of Missouri at Kansas City, and coauthor of Scientific Evidence in Civil and Criminal Cases

Margaret lives in a constant state of fear. Fear of her mother, whose constant state of anger and unwillingness to speak of Margaret's past have long since pushed Margaret away. Fear of disappointing her father should he ever discover the events of that day. Most of all, Margaret lives in fear of her abuser's return. Margaret turns to self-harm to cope with her pain and fear. Only when her self-inflicted injuries bring her near death does she realize she has the power and the support from an unlikely place to stand up to her fears and believe in herself again. Tristis Manor is a novella from The Never Chronicles, an epic fantasy series.

Stripped of his powers and banished to The Never, James must save himself before he can save his fellow sorcerers from imminent demise. Prophesied by the greatest of all seers to be the sorcerer who would bring an end to the Epoch Terminus—the destruction of his kind—James grew up developing his powers under the watchful eye of his mentor, Akil Karanis. James’s insular world is shattered when he is found guilty of murdering Akil and exiled to The Never, a mysterious and dangerous place reserved for the worst of the worst, a land from which no one returns. Powerless and alone, James quickly learns that the land itself poses a greater threat than its inhabitants. If he is to have any chance of returning to his family, any chance of proving his innocence, any chance of saving his kind, he must survive the dangers and temptations meant to ensnare both body and mind in order to discover what no one else has been able to discover—a way home.

Precocious sixteen year-old Amelia Silver, an armchair philosopher determined to define purpose with a capital P, is already too negative for her own good. But when her parents drag her halfway across the planet, from her comfortable working class home in Venice Beach to a palatial monstrosity in Encino a month before high school starts, she turns to the dark side. An outsider among the strange, affected people walking the streets of the San Fernando Valley, Amelia enters eleventh grade and meets Lilith, a trash-talking, cigarette smoking sophisticate whose family and lifestyle — filthy rich parents who pay her to stay out of their hair — dramatically influences Amelia's life. Later, when Lilith mysteriously disappears, Amelia is thrown into the spotlight. Under scrutiny, she quickly discovers that it's not so easy to navigate the Valley's self-absorbed sub-culture without adopting a devil may care mind-set, and eventually succumbs to wicked bouts of emotional narcolepsy that mar her judgment. Rebelling against her own convictions, Amelia begins to take personal risks; she leans that ultimately, purpose is as subjective as her insight. Seeped in pop-culture “Into Oblivion” is a sharp, dark, quirky, and ultimately hopeful reminder that meaning is what we make of it, and that even the worst errors in judgment are redemptive.Trigger Warnings: 'Into Oblivion' depicts depression, drug use, peer pressure, and suicidal ideation ala, HBO's 'Eupohria' including, graphic and non-consensual sexual scenes.

Run Son, Run is a wonderful story about the wild horses of our American West. Son is a yearling colt who is forced to separate from his band and escape capture by the two-leggeds and their evil birds. Though he’s terrified, he’s also brokenhearted about being separated from his family. He’s also determined to warn others of his kind about the danger that will soon pursue them too. Along the way, he meets other small animals who’ve lost their families, and they become his band, stirring his instinct to lead and protect, but also building his confidence as a future band stallion. Run Son, Run is a sweet, magical story that will inform both children and adults about the perils our American wild horses face, and man’s present day effect on them in the wild public lands of our American West. Told from young Son’s point of view, this story demonstrates that the same freedom we've struggled to keep as Americans is the same freedom our wild ones now struggle to keep. Author Susan Fox

Her interest in honey bees was awakened while volunteering at the Museum of Natural Science. After countless hours of researching and observing honey bee behavior she became mesmerized by their behaviors. After taking copious notes, she realized she had written a book! Finally, she was able to bring her long-time passion for writing (she started writing short stories in the third grade) into fruition.

Run Son, Run is a wonderful story about the wild horses of our American West. Son is a yearling colt who is forced to separate from his band and escape capture by the two-leggeds and their evil birds. Though he’s terrified, he’s also brokenhearted about being separated from his family. He’s also determined to warn others of his kind about the danger that will soon pursue them too. Along the way, he meets other small animals who’ve lost their families, and they become his band, stirring his instinct to lead and protect, but also building his confidence as a future band stallion. Run Son, Run is a sweet, magical story that will inform both children and adults about the perils our American wild horses face, and man’s present day effect on them in the wild public lands of our American West. Told from young Son’s point of view, this story demonstrates that the same freedom we've struggled to keep as Americans is the same freedom our wild ones now struggle to keep. Author Susan Fox