Showing results by narrator "Michael Rahhal" in All Categories

The United States occupation of Iraq is a swamp of incompetence and self-delusion. The CPA has disbanded the Iraqi army and police as a consequence of its paranoid policy of de-Ba'athification of Iraqi society. Tales of hubris and reality-denial abound, culminating in Washington hailing the mess "a glorious mission accomplished". Inspector Muhsin al-Khafaji is a mid-level Iraqi cop who deserted his post back in April. Khafaji has lived long enough in pre- and post-Saddam Iraq to know that clinging on to anything but poetry and his daughter Mrouj is asking for trouble.

One. Lee D. Beck counted the first wave and waited for the second, knowing that he’d have a chance of surviving if he could hold his breath, maintain his composure, and count to six, the number of waves in a typical set. The leash of his surfboard, wedged in coral, was holding him captive underwater. If he freed himself before the waves broke, they would send him tumbling into the reef behind him. The waves kept coming. Lee kept counting. Six. Seven.... Thirteen.

The Weavers. They were boisterous, rambunctious, some would even say wild, and until recently, unwed. First, Arlan, the oldest, got himself a mail-order bride, followed by his younger brother, Benjamin, one of identical twins. Now it was Calvin’s turn. But Calvin’s mail-order bride was different, really different. For one, she was Italian, an immigrant who spoke broken English. She was also the most beautiful woman Calvin had ever seen. But this vision of loveliness had a not so lovely secret.

Coupon-clipping police superintendent Jonah Merlin thinks he has an open-and-shut case on his hands after the body of a beautiful woman is found discarded in a run-down building in Tel Aviv. All evidence points to two suspects, but finding them will require unorthodox methods to decode the cryptic words sprayed at every crime scene. As the body count rises, graffiti expert Rai Zitrin and precocious 17-year-old Zoe Navon agree to help Merlin uncover the connection between the killing spree and the words of Polish writer Bruno Schulz.

Eloise was the least adventurous of her sisters, and thought she wanted a life of peaceful serenity alongside a quiet man, one civilized and genteel. But did she know herself well enough to stick to her own assumptions? Seth Jones gave the appearance of a dutiful, yet bumbling hotel clerk, while his brother Ryder was considered the rugged hero, one who'd saved his wife and himself from death. How could Seth compare to that?

Bernice Caulder had been unlucky in love for as long as she can remember, and now that she was a mail-order bride, she wondered if her bad luck hadn't followed her from her home town of Independence, Oregon all the way to Nowhere, a tiny speck of a town in the Washington territory. Why else would her husband-to-be be having such a hard time making up his mind about her?

As a public information officer for the US Supreme Court, idealist Hope Denby knows how to spin a story. A journalist at heart, she loves being in the middle of a juicy scoop and has her sights set on future press secretary for the White House. When a Supreme Court chief justice is accidentally killed in a road-rage accident and a high-profile conspiracy blogger claims it was premeditated murder, Hope has to shut down the paranoid blogger - until she discovers that he is not as crazy as she thought.

The mystery matchmaker has struck again! Independence was a quiet little town, until the antics of Mercy, Martha, and Maude brought a mail-order bride last summer for their unsuspecting pastor. Now, four mail-order brides later, the town is about to get another, only this bride, (not to mention three out of the previous four) were sent for by a mystery matchmaker! This time Jess Templeton is the unsuspecting groom, and chaos erupts when his bride arrives.

Someone in Independence is sending off for mail-order brides and they've struck again! This time Julian Smythe is the culprit's latest victim, and naturally, he hasn't a clue. Throw in the antics of Mercy, Martha, Maude, and their newest partner in crime, Mahulda, and you've got enough chaos to drive any mail-order bride crazy. And that's exactly what the four matrons do!

Meticulously researched history is woven into an extraordinary family saga. 1911, a time of continuing upheaval for Polish Jews, an era of exodus, when the poor and proud seek new lands of promise across vast seas; bold dreams are followed toward a brighter future. The turbulence of the times separate sisters Anna and Dvoyra.

Constance had an adventurous spirit, but was it adventurous enough to make a life with Ryder Jones? His country speech bordered on barbaric (at least to her) and his isolated way of life out on the prairie scared her to death! Would she ever see her sisters again? How could she possibly adapt to living with such a man?

Her sister gone, her roommates soon to follow, Leora Mitchell must now face the fact that she, along with the others, are mail-order brides. For years, her life revolved around Brown’s Textile Mill, her sister Lottie, and their friends. Now, as mail-order brides, they’d be scattered across the country, ready to start a new life. The only problem was Leora had no idea what that life looked like, nor did she have any idea who she was without the familiar faces she loved so much.

Ambrosia Winters and her father are in trouble, big trouble. If she doesn't consent to marry her father's crooked business partner, Reginald Van Cleet, he'll slap false charges on her father, and bring him to complete ruin, if not worse. To escape the madman, Cecil Winters will do anything to save his daughter from suffering such a horrible fate. But what?

Mercy, Martha, and Maude are at it again! Not only has Martha Tindle sent away for a mail-order bride for her son, Morgan, without telling him, but her cantankerous sister, Eunice, is coming to town for a visit. The three matchmaking meddlers are beside themselves when things don't go as planned, and poor Martha is not only stuck with a son who doesn't want a bride, but a sister who has other ideas of whom he should marry. Then there's the bride herself...Daisy Evers, a woman with a secret she hopes to keep hidden, whether she marries or not.

Elsie Waller came to Clear Creek after the death of her grandfather. She had high hopes for her life in the little town, including looking for a husband. Imagine her elation when she happens upon the man of her dreams the very day after she arrives! Of course, the fact he was half frozen did put a damper on things, but once the townsfolk of Clear Creek thawed him out, she endeavored to make sure Bowen Drake stayed around long enough to see she'd make him a mighty fine wife. The only question was, "How?"

Logan Kincaid was sent to Oregon City on ranch business for the Cooke brothers and the Triple C. He sold the cattle he brought, played detective for the Cooke's as instructed, due to the mayhem of several weeks prior. (You can listen about them in Her Prairie Viking Prairie Brides, Book Four.) Unfortunately, he came up empty-handed. He'd hoped beyond hope he'd have something to bring back to Clear Creek that would help the Cookes and the tiny town....

They say love covers a multitude of sins, and for matchmakers Mercy, Martha, and Maude, it's a good thing! Fearing the town's new pastor is lonely, they decide to take matters into their own hands and order him a mail-order bride! Imagine his surprise when he finds out. Only he doesn't! Mercy, Martha, and Maude see to that!

Eva Brock's mother was the most overbearing, controlling, and opinionated woman she had ever known, and if she didn't escape out from under her roof, she'd have Eva married off to a man not twice but three times her age! Her only hope was to become a mail-order bride and marry herself off before her mother did. Finn Mullany wasn't looking for a wife and didn't want one. Or, rather, he didn't deserve one! He'd made some mistakes of late that cost his best friend his sight.

Samantha Carter had never considered becoming a mail-order bride. She was to marry as soon as she turned 18 and thus be out of her uncle's hair, not to mention his house. But her uncle had other plans, and wanted Samantha for himself. When she found out his intentions, she ran to the only mail-order bride service she knew of and begged Mrs. Ridgley to send her somewhere, anywhere.

While investigating a government cover-up, former FBI agent Mitch Monroe is framed for murder. A wanted man, Mitch has no choice, he needs Special Agent Caroline Foster - the FBI's top sniper and a woman who wants nothing to do with him - to clear his name. After sharing a night of passion with Mitch a year ago, Caroline hasn't been able to get him out of her head. On the run, Mitch and Caroline can't fight their reigniting passion. She'll lose her career if she proves Mitch is innocent...he'll lose his life if she doesn't.