A ruined castle. A town picking up the pieces. And a mysterious stranger who could change everything. The fire may be out, but smoke and suspicion still linger in Santa Lucia. Though the townspeople still gather for espresso at the town café and swap recipes at the butcher shop, their iridescent blue sky is clouded by a veil of uncertainty and mistrust. The statue of the Madonna, set in a wall outside the café, watches it all in collected silence. But when New Yorker Alessandro arrives to claim his inheritance, it unearths long buried secrets. His renovation plans set off a chain reaction of dangerous relationships and forbidden romance while exposing explosive truths—not just for himself, but for the people who call this village home. Will rising secrets brought to the surface destroy peaceful village life forever? "The second book in this series was exactly what I hoped it would be! The rich descriptions of the town, the plot twists and turns, the characters who came alive...this was a great read! I felt like I was in Santa Lucia and knew these characters myself." "Well done and the twists and turns are unique and spellbinding. Cannot wait for book three." "I absolutely loved the first book of this series and I couldn't wait for book two! The Silent Madonna didn't disappoint. I couldn't put the book down. I actually stayed up all night to read it! I read very quickly because I was so anxious to find out what happened. As soon as I finished, I started all over again so I can savor every word. I definitely recommend this book, especially if you love Italy!" "Like meeting old friends in small town Italy. Following the lives of old friends and meeting new ones. Suspense, mystery and romance. I can't wait for the next in the series." "Falling in love with the people of Santa Lucia. The excitement never seems to end in this small Italian village." "This second book in the Santa Lucia series is a real page-turner. In fact, I raced through it and then went back and took my time to reread it! The characters are well developed and so is the plot. I cared about the characters and their challenges and triumphs. And the details of life in a small Italian town like Santa Lucia are authentic and believable. I can’t wait for the next book in the series. Brava!"

Entertainers were the first group of successful women to capture the public eye, taking to the stage in vaudeville and film and redefining their place in society. June Sochen introduces the white, African American, and Latina women who danced on Broadway, fell on bananas in silent films, and wisecracked in smoky clubs, as well as the modern icons of today's movies and popular music. S ochen considers such women as Mae West, Bette Davis, Shirley Temple, Lucille Ball, and Mary Tyler Moore to discover what show business did for them and what they did for the world of entertainment. She uses the life of 30s and 40s Latina star Lupe Velez as a case study of the roles available to Latinas in popular culture. She then contrasts her story with that of the African American action star Pam Grier to demonstrate the old and new ways minority women are portrayed in popular culture. From Mae to Madonna places each woman within the context of her time and talks about her relationship with dominant female stereotypes. Sochen discusses women's roles as Mary, Eve, and Lilith and asks thought-provoking questions. Why did the Depression give women movie stars so many important roles while the so-called feminist 1970s did not? Why has television been a congenial venue for women comics while film has not? In examining how entertainers worked within or transformed particular genres and how their personal and public lives affected their careers, From Mae to Madonna casts the spotlight on a series of remarkable women and their dramatic effect on America's popular culture.

One of the biggest bestsellers of all time, and one of the first and most influential spy novels of the twentieth century, is back in print for the first time since 1948 Alan Furst fans will note that train passengers in his bestselling thrillers are often observed reading The Madonna of the Sleeping Cars. It’s a smart detail: First published in 1927, the book was one of the twentieth century’s first massive bestsellers, selling over 15 million copies worldwide. It’s the story of two tremendously charming characters who embark on a glamorous adventure on the Orient Express—and find themselves on a thrilling ride across Europe and into the just-barely unveiled territories of psychoanalysis and revolutionary socialism. Gerard Seliman—technically, a Prince—is so discouraged by the demise of his marriage that he flees to London to become the personal assistant of a glamorous member of the British peerage, Lady Diana Wyndham. But he soon finds himself involved in a wild scheme by Lady Diana to save herself from looming financial ruin while simultaneously fending off rich lotharios. At the center of it all: a plan to rescue her rights to a Russian oil field now under the control of revolutionaries who don’t like capitalists. The book that set the standard for intellectual thrillers of political and social intrigue, The Madonna of the Sleeping Cars, with its jetsetting and witty protagonists, is still as fresh a page-turner as ever—and as fun.

Yitzakh and Naomi, brother and sister, escaped the Warsaw ghetto in 1942. The two Jews were drawn to what their father repeatedly called their homeland, Palestine. As they stepped upon the shore of their new home, two strong but different forces ensnared them. Naomi fell in love with a quiet Arab introduced as Anwar. Yitzakh felt the land absorb him and consume his soul. A longed-for peace seduced the two but soon vanished as World War II engulfed the area. The Nazis that pushed Yitzakh and Naomi from Warsaw now forced Anwar and Naomi away from their home. Made to live in western Syria, the young couple produced a son, Abraham. However, his future was denied his mother. The former "Ghetto Rat," Yitzakh, was forced back to violence, a partisan's life, and into a tenuous partnership with a strong ruthless Arab named Hafez. The war ended, and Palestine soon became the State of Israel and the once partisan comrades became enemies of necessity. In 1967 Syria and Israel clashed in the Golan, and Abraham, Anwar, Yitzakh, and Hafez became embroiled in a vicious plot to destroy one country and solidify the strength of another. A master's chess game of violence began and under the direction of the two former comrades, all became pawns. An unforeseen element, with roots that mimicked Yitzakh and captured Abraham as surely as Anwar had captured his mother, entered the clash. It would take all of Yitzhak's guile, ferocity, and love to save his country without destroying the ones he held dear. Hafez, as well as voices and memories from the past, haunted the old Jew, as the two warriors moved elements of their world to face and destroy each other.

Sputnik, the Virgin Mary, a murder... 1957. In the secluded Eastern European village of Baia Luna, life orbits around church, work, home and the pub. This is very much the case for fifteen-year-old Pavel Botev - that is, until the seismic shift of world politics is felt even in his small community. When Communist party officials arrive and claim Baia Luna for the Soviet Union, Pavel's schoolteacher commits grisly suicide. Piecing together her diaries, Pavel slowly unravels the tragic story of his schoolteacher's affair with an ambitious party official and, on the very last page, he finds a single scrawled message - Send him to hell. Naturally, Pavel promises his dead teacher that he'll do just that. Meanwhile, crackled radio reports of the US-Soviet space race keep the villagers occupied and somewhat imaginative; when the statue of the Virgin Mary is stolen from the chapel, Pavel's grandfather and his gypsy best friend assume the obvious - that the Russians have kidnapped it and sent it to the moon. It seems farfetched, but when the old man mysteriously disappears, it seems that maybe the Kremlin really has taken an extraordinary interest in an ordinary place, and only Pavel stands in the way...

A Powerful book of adventure and faith" - FRANK SCHAEFFER - New York Times best selling author of fiction and nonfiction. With unexpected turns and a full dose of scholarly intrigue along the way, The Madonna Files is a contemporary religious thriller that explores the hidden secrets of Catholic Church. Five years in the making, The Madonna Files is "The most prophetic book of our times" The Madonna Files has been compared to Da Vinci Code, the historical fiction by Malachi Martin, The Shack, even G.K. Chesterson's Father Brown mysteries. Stephen Ryan's explosive debut novel challenges the prevailing orthodoxies of American history and Christianity, and reveals the dynamic presence of the Virgin Mary throughout the ages. On the quiet campus of M.I.T., a math professor is asked by the Vatican to determine the probability that six children are telling the truth. The children, from a small town in Bosnia, a town filled with sacred drama, say they see the Virgin Mary.

Following the internationally acclaimed Gold of Kings, Storm Syrrell returns in the compelling story of The Black Madonna. Antiques expert Storm Syrrell heads to Europe to investigate the clandestine trade in religious artifacts. She dismisses superstitious tales of miraculous healings and divine omens. Yet when an obsessive Russian oligarch calls—just as her friend Harry Bennett vanishes—all assumptions must be cast aside. Storm seeks answers in a medieval monastery. There, the scarred visage of an icon provokes ever more startling questions. Is she prepared to confront both earthly and spiritual powers? Storm remains haunted by lessons in love and betrayal that lie just outside her grasp. But hesitation now holds mortal consequences.