The first in a terrific series by New York Times bestselling author Ellery Adams. Welcome to Hope Street Church, where friendships are formed, fresh starts are encouraged, and mysteries are solved. Cooper Lee was at a crossroads. Her boyfriend of five years had just left her for another woman, she was living in an apartment above her parents’ garage, and her job as a copier repairperson was feeling a little, well, repetitious. Hoping for a fresh start and a new outlook on life, she joins the Bible study group at Hope Street Church. The last thing she expects while studying the Bible is a lesson in murder. When Brooke Hughes, the woman who first invited Cooper to Hope Street, is found murdered in her home, all signs point to her husband as the culprit. But Wesley Hughes was an elder at Hope Street Church, and the members of the Bible study are filled with disbelief that such a kind and loving man could take a life, much less his wife’s. Unwilling to let an innocent man and friend be railroaded into prison, the Bible group decides to investigate on their own. As Cooper and this humorously diverse group of people—including a blind folk artist, a meteorologist with a taste for younger women, and a soft-spoken web designer who might be out to catch Cooper’s eye—dig deeper into the clues, they’re about to discover that finding the truth sometimes takes a leap of faith. Includes heavenly recipes from Magnolia Lee’s kitchen! A Note from the Author: Dear Reader, The Hope Street mysteries were originally published by St. Martin’s Press and written under the name Jennifer Stanley. The titles, in order, were Stirring Up Strife, Path of the Wicked, and The Way of the Guilty. I have completely rewritten all three novels and am now publishing them under the name Ellery Adams as The Path of the Crooked, The Way of the Wicked, and The Graves of the Guilty. If you’ve read the original books, you will find the basic plot of the above titles unchanged. My intention was to polish the writing in each installment and rerelease the novels as crisper, cleaner, more engaging books. Stay tuned for forthcoming novels in the Hope Street mystery series as well. Thank you for supporting cozy mysteries. Your friend, Ellery Adams

The Western World is divided between two opposing worldviews: that of the relativistic M'n-M culture (the culture of materialism and meaningless) and that deriving from the divine narrative preserved by the Hebrew and Greek Scriptures. A personal journey in living, this book contrasts these two ways of thinking, shows the way out of the human dilemmas common today, and encourages us to take up the challenge to Walk a Straight Path in a Crooked World, the path leading to happiness and a hope that lasts longer than a lifetime.

A collection of poems focus on the mix of cultures within America, juxtaposing the author's experiences in Eastern Europe and Southeast Asia against contemporary life in the United States.

Issue 1 of The Crooked Path Journal contains the following articles: Inside the Wicker Man - Peter Paddon The Origin of the Word "Witch" - R.J. Thompson Witch's Ritual For Getting Rid of Evil Magic - "Ku Potula" - Radomir Ristic Tapping the Bone - Peter Paddon Morning - Hedgewizard Usage of Animals and Animal Body Parts in Traditional Witchcraft - Radomir Ristic Candlemas and the Land Ceremonies Charm R.J. Thompson Cosmic Soup and the Mighty Dead - Peter Paddon The Rite of Candlemas and the Land Ceremonies Charm R.J. Thompson Blacksmith as Magus - Radomir Ristic Celtic Nine Poems - Peter Paddon As I Do Will It - Ann Finnin Walking the Crooked Path - Peter Paddon Turning The Hand of Fate - Raven Womack Making a Traditional Witches' Besom - Peter Paddon The Crooked Path Journal is a quarterly magazine for Traditional Witches, Cunningfolk and other practitioners of the Nameless Art.

From the bestselling author of The Girl From the Train, comes another compelling coming of age story of delayed love, loss, and reconciliation in WWII-era South Africa. Lettie has always felt different from and overshadowed by the women around her– this friend is richer, that friend is more beautiful, those friends are closer. Still, she doesn’t let this hold her back. She works hard to apply her mind, trying to compensate for her perceived lack of beauty with diligent academic work and a successful career as a doctor. She learns to treasure her friendships, but she still wonders if any man will ever return her interest. Marco’s experience in the second world war have robbed him of love and health. When winters in his native Italy prove dangerous to his health even after the war has ended, he moves to South Africa to be with his brother, husband to one of Lettie’s best friends. Marco is Lettie’s first patient, and their relationship grows as she aids him on the road back to restored health. In the company of beloved characters from The Child of the River, Marco and Lettie find a happiness that neither of them thought possible. With that joy comes pain and loss, but Lettie learns that life—while perhaps a crooked path—is always a journey worth taking.

Sneaking into the majestic house on Park Row last night and unlocking the door for the well-dressed stranger had been exciting. Still, Roger knows that what he did for Circus was wrong, especially when he learns from the newspaper that one of the inhabitants was killed. But the fifty dollars he earned is a fortune! His mother never seems to have any change left over for dinner after she buys her daily supply of liquor. And his father is in the hospital, recovering from a gunshot wound. With fifty dollars Roger can buy those yellow trousers he's been admiring and a decent dress for Lulu, his younger sister. Now Circus is asking him to pull another job. In spite of the temptation of easy money, Roger vows he won't listen to that fast-talking redhead. Too many unanswered questions buzz through Roger's mind. Who shot his father? Why does Circus take such an interest in his father's health? Why does his father ask questions about a redheaded man? And what is Circus' connection to his father? My Crooked Family is both a gripping mystery and a powerful coming-of-age novel about a fourteen-year-old's decision to enter a world of professional crime.

In his youth, a mean-spirited stepfather teaches Vladimir Antonovich that the only way to succeed in life is to become highly proficient in the art of fighting. Vladimir's early years are filled with fights and brutality. At the age of eighteen, he's drafted into the Soviet Army. He swears he will kill his stepfather some day, once the Army shows him how.He faces a new brutality at the Course of the Young Soldier, but survives it, too, and is selected to attend an Airborne College where he is commissioned a lieutenant. Later, he marries Aleksandra and they have a son. The hate for his stepfather still burns.Eleven years later, in 1980, he's given a special assignment to Afghanistan where he assassinates a Mujahedin leader, after losing most of his men. He returns home a hero with the hate for his stepfather burning even more. He finally visits him one last time, and while they talk and drink vodka, ugly images flash. He recalls the brutality of his youth, the brutality of basic training, and the brutality of Afghanistan. His brain crackling with fire, a question flashes. Should he kill the old man or not?

Part the thorny bramble and take a walk along the bewitchingly mysterious Crooked Path. Within these pages discover a wealth of hands-on tips and techniques to begin your journey into the realm of Traditional Witchcraft. Learn to weave a powerful personal practice that is informed by folklore and grounded in your own location and natural landscape. Along the way you will find valuable information regarding the tools, rituals, and spells of this fascinating tradition, together with lessons on connecting with deities, familiar spirits, ancestors, and the spirits of place. With supportive advice and encouragement, Kelden provides everything you need to successfully navigate your own path, helping you master even advanced practices such as hedge-crossing as you transform your day-to-day experience into a life filled with magic and spirit.

Travelling alone in the depths of winter, Morlock Ambrosius (bitterly dry drunk, master of all magical makers, wandering swordsman, and son of Merlin Ambrosius and Nimue Viviana) is attacked by an unknown enemy. To unmask his enemy and end the attacks he must travel a long crooked way through the world: past the soul-eating Boneless One, past a subtle and treacherous master of golems, past the dragon-taming Khroi, past the predatory cities of Sarkunden and Aflraun, past the demons and dark gnomes of the northern woods. Soon he will find that his enemy wears a familiar face, and that the duel he has stumbled into will threaten more lives than his own, leaving nations shattered in its chaotic wake. And at the end of his long road waits the death of a legend.

Real estate developer Doug Sutherland thinks it is just going to be another sweltering summer day in Chicago. But when the foreman restoring his late fathers rundown office building discovers a skull and human bones encased in a crumbling Greek column, Sutherland is suddenly propelled into a cauldron of greed, sadism, and murder. The last thing Sutherland needs is bad publicity. When he learns the victim is notorious alderman Danny Delaney, however, he realizes a fifteen-year-old mystery is about to be solvedand that now, his deceased father is one of the prime suspects. Then the murdered mans notebook and videotapes suddenly surface, and Sutherland discovers that his father had more secrets than he ever realized. As he is relentlessly harassed for what he might knowendangering both his life and his businessSutherland must convince everyone that he knows nothing. Unfortunately, no one believes him. As a desperate Sutherland collaborates with an ambitious reporter and his calculating sister in a pursuit strewn with murder victims, he soon finds out that trusting the wrong person can lead to dire consequences.