Books with author Laural Merlington

Fading into the background isn’t the Sisterhood way. Even after all the adventures they’ve shared, the courageous, close-knit heroines of Fern Michaels’ New York Times bestselling series are always ready to embrace another challenge…All good things must come to an end. But Myra Rutledge isn’t ready to put the Sisterhood—the stalwart band of friends who’ve become legendary for meting out their own brand of justice—behind her just yet. Though she loves her beautiful home and her husband, Charles, Myra can’t deny that she’s restless. And as it turns out, she’s not the only one longing to dust off her gold shield and get back in action.When Maggie Spritzer, former editor-in-chief of the Post and an honorary member of the Sisterhood, arrives with a new mission in mind, Myra welcomes her in. Maggie’s newshound instincts haven’t dulled since she left the Post, and she suspects that two Maryland judges—identical twins Eunice and Celeste Ciprani—are running a moneymaking racket that sends young offenders to brutal boot camps, often on trumped-up charges.Soon the Vigilantes are gathering in their war room once more, catching up on the momentous events in each other’s lives even as they plan their campaign. The Ciprani twins are powerful and ruthless, and taking them down won’t be easy. But with the aid of formidable allies—including former President Martine Connor—Myra, Annie, Maggie and the gang concoct a scheme that will bring justice to the innocent—and leave the guilty blindsided…

In 1934, the fledgling Chinese Communist Party and its 200,000 soldiers were forced off their bases by Chiang Kai-Shek and his Nationalist troops.They walked more than 8,000 miles over mountains, grasslands, and swamps, ending up in the remote, barren north of China. Only one-fifth survived. They went on to launch the revolution that transformed China, and the Long March was forever enshrined as the defining moment of modern Chinese history. It also served as potent propaganda for Mao and for the Communist revolution.Seventy years later, Sun Shuyun set out to retrace the marchers' steps and to seek out and interview the aged survivors. The Long March is the stunning narrative of her extraordinary expedition. The rugged landscape had changed little. Shuyun's greatest difficulty was wrestling with the heroic images of the march she, and every Chinese citizen, had learned as a child. On each step of the journey, she uncovered shocking stories of starvation, disease, and desertion, of ruthless purges ordered by party leaders, of the mistreatment of women, and of thousands of futile deaths. Many who survived the march reported that their suffering continued long after the "triumph" of the revolution, recounting tales of persecution and ostracism that culminated in the horrific years of the Cultural Revolution.The Long March is at once a gripping retelling of an amazing historical adventure, an eye-opening account of how Mao manipulated it for his own purposes, and a moving portrait of China past and present.

There are places in the world where darkness rules, where it's unwise to walk. Sunshine knew that. But there hadn't been any trouble out at the lake for years, and she needed a place to be alone for a while.Unfortunately, she wasn't alone. She never heard them coming. Of course you don't, when they're vampires.They took her clothes and sneakers. They dressed her in a long red gown. And they shackled her to the wall of an abandoned mansion-within easy reach of a figure stirring in the moonlight.She knows that he is a vampire. She knows that she's to be his dinner and that when he is finished with her, she will be dead. Yet, as dawn breaks, she finds that he has not attempted to harm her. And now it is he who needs her to help him survive the day.

From one of Turkey's most acclaimed and outspoken writers comes a novel about the tangled histories of two families.In her second novel written in English, Elif Shafak confronts her country's violent past in a vivid and colorful tale set in both Turkey and the United States. At its center is the "bastard" of the title, Asya, a nineteen-year-old woman who loves Johnny Cash and the French Existentialists, and the four sisters of the Kazanci family who all live together in an extended household in Istanbul: Zehila, the zestful, headstrong youngest sister who runs a tattoo parlor and is Asya's mother; Banu, who has newly discovered herself as a clairvoyant; Cevriye, a widowed high school teacher; and Feride, a hypochondriac obsessed with impending disaster. Their one estranged brother lives in Arizona with his wife and her Armenian daughter, Armanoush. When Armanoush secretly flies to Istanbul in search of her identity, she finds the Kazanci sisters and becomes fast friends with Asya. A secret is uncovered that links the two families and ties them to the 1915 Armenian deportations and massacres. Full of vigorous, unforgettable female characters, The Bastard of Istanbul is a bold, powerful tale that will confirm Shafak as a rising star of international fiction.

In 1934, the fledgling Chinese Communist Party and its 200,000 soldiers were forced off their bases by Chiang Kai-Shek and his Nationalist troops.They walked more than 8,000 miles over mountains, grasslands, and swamps, ending up in the remote, barren north of China. Only one-fifth survived. They went on to launch the revolution that transformed China, and the Long March was forever enshrined as the defining moment of modern Chinese history. It also served as potent propaganda for Mao and for the Communist revolution.Seventy years later, Sun Shuyun set out to retrace the marchers' steps and to seek out and interview the aged survivors. The Long March is the stunning narrative of her extraordinary expedition. The rugged landscape had changed little. Shuyun's greatest difficulty was wrestling with the heroic images of the march she, and every Chinese citizen, had learned as a child. On each step of the journey, she uncovered shocking stories of starvation, disease, and desertion, of ruthless purges ordered by party leaders, of the mistreatment of women, and of thousands of futile deaths. Many who survived the march reported that their suffering continued long after the "triumph" of the revolution, recounting tales of persecution and ostracism that culminated in the horrific years of the Cultural Revolution.The Long March is at once a gripping retelling of an amazing historical adventure, an eye-opening account of how Mao manipulated it for his own purposes, and a moving portrait of China past and present.

Years ago Seychelle Sullivan had the chance to save a person's life. But on that summer night in Fort Lauderdale, lost in a world of teenage resentment and loneliness, Seychelle was not able to comprehend any pain but her own. Today Seychelle captains her forty-six-foot salvage boat out of Fort Lauderdale's New River. She's seen change sweep through South Florida, and has witnessed friends and lovers come and go. But she's never escaped that one moment when she could have made a difference and didn't. Now each time she rescues a ship in distress, a little hope stirs in her again. On a steamy Florida morning Seychelle is answering a Mayday call launched from a five-million-dollar Broward yacht called Top Ten. Racing her fiercest competitor for salvage rights, Seychelle has a personal stake in this rescue: Her former lover, Neal Garrett, is the yacht's hired skipper. But being the first to reach Top Ten will lead Seychelle to a bloody payday. A beautiful woman has been stabbed to death onboard. And Garrett is no where to be found. Even on shore, the pressures are mounting - Seychelle owes money on her boat, and her love life is in shambles. Within twenty-four hours of finding the dead woman and towing Top Ten out of the surf, Seychelle realizes that she has stepped into a lethal business involving some of South Florida's sleaziest criminals. While the police treat her as the prime suspect, Seychelle begins to unravel a tangled plot centered on a strip club where "all the girls are tens on top." Discovering the sordid secrets of the owner of the yacht she rescued and the fate of the man she once loved, Seychelle is connecting human predators with innocent victims, and a mystery on land with a mystery buried deep beneath the sea. Now, to find out what really happened to Neal Garrett, Seychelle must retrace his last steps, through two murders and a horrific crime wave to a final confrontation with someone who may want to kill her...or be her salvation.

With high school over, Emily Starr is ready to find her destiny - but she's not quite ready to leave the safety of New Moon farm. She knows that she doesn't need New York City or some other exotic locale to help her become a famous writer, but as all of Emily's friends begin moving away to pursue their own aspirations, she wonders if she's made the right decision. After suffering through a devastating illness, receiving rejection notices from multiple publishers, and nearly losing Teddy, her childhood sweetheart, Emily realizes that her quest for love, acceptance, and happiness is far from over. This new edition lovingly restores the original, unabridged text of the final volume of the Emily Starr trilogy and includes an all-new, exclusive introduction with special memories from L.M. Montgomery's granddaughter.

A Puritan tale of sin, repentance, conversion, and redemption from the acclaimed author of Robinson Crusoe. Moll Flanders, Defoe's 18th century classic novel, is at once a novel of sin and redemption and a playful and beguiling social commentary set between the Puritan age and the Age of Reason. Taking center stage in this whorl of irony, humor, pathos, and religious faith is one Moll Flanders—both the most plausible sinner and the most pious repentant in English literature. Moll is as controversial today as when she first appeared in 1722.This novel is part of Brilliance Audio's extensive Classic Collection, bringing you timeless masterpieces that you and your family are sure to love.

Grade Level: 4-6 Age Level: 9-11 Listening Level: 4-6 When Sol and Connie Blink move to Grand Creek, one of the first people to welcome them is an odd older woman, Fay Holaderry, and her friendly dog, Swift, who carries a very strange bone in his mouth. Sol knows a lot more than the average eleven-year-old, so when he identifies the bone as a human femur, he and Connie begin to wonder if their new neighbor is up to no good. In a spine-tingling adventure that makes them think twice about whom they can trust, Sol and Connie discover that solving mysteries can be a dangerous game ― even for skilled junior sleuths.

The heroine of this powerful novel is the spirited young American Isabel Archer. Blessed by nature and fortune, she journeys to Europe to seek her future, but what she finds may prove to be her undoing. She is courted by three men: an English aristocrat, an American gentleman, and a sensitive expatriate. Her invalid cousin becomes her benefactor and adviser. But it is after the ingenuous Isabel falls prey to the schemes of an infinitely more sophisticated older woman that her life takes shape. Rich in character and the interplay of tensions, The Portrait of a Lady is a brilliant, timeless, and essential American novel.

Civility and society come head to head in Henry James’ seminal work.The heroine of this powerful novel is the spirited young American Isabel Archer. Blessed by nature and fortune, she journeys to Europe to seek her future, but what she finds may prove to be her undoing. She is courted by three men: an English aristocrat, an American gentleman, and a sensitive expatriate. Her invalid cousin becomes her benefactor and adviser.But it is after the ingenuous Isabel falls prey to the schemes of an infinitely more sophisticated older woman that her life takes shape. Rich in character and the interplay of tensions, The Portrait of a Lady is a brilliant, timeless, and essential American novel.This novel is part of Brilliance Audio's extensive Classic Collection, bringing you timeless masterpieces that you and your family are sure to love.