Books published by Open Road Media

Intrigue sets the stage for bloody combat in the series that ';draw[s] on a combination of philosophy, science-fiction, and erotica' (Vice). The games of Gor are diverse, as are their players. There are the games of planetary politics, in which worlds are contested. And those of cities and ubarates, of ponderous cavalries and fleets of lateen-rigged ships. And smaller games, bloody games, played on a square of sand, in which the counters and pieces are edged weapons. And, too, there is Kaissa, common on Gor, played with pieces of wood, on a board of a hundred squares. The major land power in the northern latitudes of known Gor has long been the imperium of mighty Ar. Against her hegemonies on the continent, plans by her major enemies, the maritime ubarates of Cos and Tyros, have been carefully drawn to involve attack from without and subversion from within. Cabot, once of Earth, is drawn into these intrigues. Rediscover this brilliantly imagined world where men are masters and women live to serve their every desire. Players of Gor is the 20th book in the Gorean Saga, but you may enjoy reading the series in any order.

Tarl Cabot is caught up in intrigues and rivalries on the planet of Gor in this science fantasy adventure. On Gor, there are numerous mercenary companiessome larger, some smallerwhose services may be purchased or bid upon for given periods of time. The allegiance of these companies is to their pay and their captains. The forces of Cos and Tyros, powerful maritime ubarates, and their allies have now beached upon the mainland and are utilizing the city of Torcodino as a repository for supplies, in preparation to march on a nigh-undefended and unprepared Ar. Should Ar fall, the disinterested tolerances and neutralities, and even the balance of power long sustained between Ar and the great maritime ubaratesthings that made the existence of the independent companies possiblewill vanish, a development threatening the very existence of the independent companies. But when Cabot arrives in Ar, it is a city rife with doubt, dissension, and treason. To whom shall the letters be delivered, and whom can he trust? Rediscover this brilliantly imagined world where men are masters and women live to serve their every desire. Mercenaries of Gor is the 21st book in the Gorean Saga, but you may enjoy reading the series in any order.

';A really fun, Beowulf-style action story' in the long-running, cult classic science fiction adventure series set on a Counter Earth (Pulp Week). Former Earthman Tarl Cabot is now a powerful Tarnsman of the brutal and caste-bound planet of Gor, also known as Counter Earth. He embarks on an adventure in the dangerous and mysterious wilderness of Gor, pitting his warrior's skills against treacherous outlaws, bandits, and fighters. Three different women are working to bring change to Tarl's far-from-peaceful life on Gor: Talena, his onetime queen and first love; Elizabeth, his brave fighting partner; and the Amazonian Verna, chief of the fierce and wild panther women. As Tarl journeys through the wilderness, the fates of these three remarkable women will finally be decided. Rediscover this brilliantly imagined world where men are masters and women live to serve their every desire. Marauders of Gor is the 9th book in the Gorean Saga, but you may enjoy reading the series in any order.

Chaos reigns on the Counter-Earth in the long-running series that ';draw[s] on a combination of philosophy, science-fiction, and erotica' (Vice). After the disaster of the delta campaign, Ar is essentially defenseless. The forces of Cos and her allies are welcomed into the city as liberators. Ar's Station, which held out so valiantly against superior forces in the North, is denounced as traitorous. Veterans of the delta campaign are despised and ridiculed. Patriotism and manhood are denigrated. Lawlessness and propaganda are rampant. Marlenus, the great ubar, who might have organized and led a resistance, who might have rallied the city, is presumed dead somewhere in the Voltai Mountains. Tarl is concerned with a warrior's vengeance upon sedition and treachery, and, in particular, with meeting one who stands high among the conspiratorsa beautiful woman now enthroned as ubara, whose name is Talena. Rediscover this brilliantly imagined world where men are masters and women live to serve their every desire. Magicians of Gor is the 25th book in the Gorean Saga, but you may enjoy reading the series in any order.

A ruler's body double finds that life isn't easy for an Earth girl on Gor in the cult classic series that's ';a legend in speculative fantasy' (Boing Boing). In their contentions with Priest-Kings, Kurii, savage denizens of the Steel Worlds concealed within the asteroid belt, have frequently had recourse to human allies and subversion. In accord with such projects, Kurii have occasionally sought to place and support congenial administrations in key cities. One such city is Corcyrus. Corcyrus is ruled by a beautiful womanthe cruel, arrogant, much-hated Sheila, an agent of Kurii. It is thought to be advisable to find a double for Sheila, who, in case of military or political disaster, may serve as her proxy or substitute. For this role, an unwitting young Earth girl, Tiffany Collins is chosen and brought to Gor. Tiffany, fleeing for her life, finds herself alone, frightened, and friendless, a vulnerable Earth female, no more than a lovely, defenseless barbarian on the beautiful, perilous world of Gor. Rediscover this brilliantly imagined world where men are masters and women live to serve their every desire. Kajira of Gor is the 19th book in the Gorean Saga, but you may enjoy reading the series in any order.

Panther girls take center stage on Counter Earth in the series that ';draw[s] on a combination of philosophy, science-fiction, and erotica' (Vice). Former Earthman Tarl Cabot is now a powerful Tarnsman of the brutal and caste-bound planet of Gor, also known as Counter Earth. He embarks on an adventure in the dangerous and mysterious wilderness of Gor, pitting his warrior's skills against those of treacherous outlaws, bandits, and fighters. Three different women are working to bring change to Tarl's far-from-peaceful life on Gor: Talena, his onetime queen and first love; Elizabeth, his brave fighting partner; and the Amazonian Verna, chief of the fierce and wild panther women. As Tarl journeys through the wilderness, the fates of these three remarkable women will finally be decided. Rediscover this brilliantly imagined world where men are masters and women live to serve their every desire. Hunters of Gor is the 8th book in the Gorean Saga, but you may enjoy reading the series in any order.

An Earth man and former slave rises through the ranks of the Gorean army. Thrust into a life full of woeful twists and turns, Jason Marshall has contended with the prehistoric customs and immeasurable power of the Goreans. His struggles on Gor, a planet resembling Earth, included escaping imprisonment, enslavement, and redeeming lost land. Jason has fought to regain control of his life. Having ascended to a position of power in the Gorean army, Jason must prevail in a battle that seems destined to destroy Gor. Jason has a lot riding on his success as a war leader: prestige, wealth, and an Earth girl of goddess-like beauty. Will Jason be able to win the war and avoid a fate worse than death? Rediscover this brilliantly imagined world where men are masters and women live to serve their every desire. Guardsman of Gor is the 16th book in the Gorean Saga, but you may enjoy reading the series in any order.

In Ghost Dance, it is through Chance's keen eyes and weary heart that readers embark on a journey of discovery and sorrow.On the run across the plains, Chance stumbles upon Running Horse, a Sioux warrior enacting the sacred and violent ritual of the Sun Dance. Quickly, Chance is pulled into the world of the Sioux people. As their civilization teeters on the brink of destruction, the Sioux perform the mournful and frightening Ghost Dance. Clashes with the white man are frequent; the Wounded Knee Massacre approaches, still in the unknown distance; and violence and anger threaten the traditions of a proud and once great people. Nearby, in her quaint sod house, Miss Lucia Turner awaits the full impact of those clashes. Dust on the horizon signals great change coming to her once simple life. Lucia will soon become a different kind of woman.With Ghost Dance, author John Norman brings the same vigor and passion of storytelling and imagination that enriches his classic Gor novels to a vivid story of historical upheaval and personal exploration.

A man from Earth battles his way out of slavery on the planet of Gor, where men are meant to be masters over women. Emotionally lost, Jason Marshall finds himself thrust into a lengthy struggle to save his beloved from slavery on an Earthlike world called Gor. Kidnapped and helpless, Jason begins a life on Gor as a slave and becomes a prominent warrior. He must battle his way to freedom, if only to liberate his love from the clutches of the alien slave emporium. Will Jason overcome the numerous obstacles he encounters? Will he ever reunite with the girl he loves? Can he survive the trials and tribulations he must endure on Gor? Rediscover this brilliantly imagined world where men are masters and women live to serve their every desire. Fighting Slave of Gor is the 14th book in the Gorean Saga, but you may enjoy reading the series in any order.

Rediscover this brilliantly imagined world where men are masters and women live to serve their every desire. This enchanting escapade is the most important quest of Tarl Cabot's career. He must retrieve a potent shield ring from a strange explorer. It is imperative that the omnipotent Priest-Kings obtain this ring so that the Goreans do not challenge their enormous power. Throughout his expedition, Cabot learns of uncharted territories on Earth's cosmic counterpart. In the dense forests he discovers, Cabot must use his skills to endure the perils that await his arrival. Cabot will encounter Gor's barbarism in full force through enchantingly dangerous beasts, bloodthirsty men, and exotic kingdoms. Explorers of Gor is the 13th book in the Gorean Saga, but you may enjoy reading the series in any order.

A shy librarian from Earth learns her true female nature as a slave dancer on the planet Gor in this fantasy series where men dominate women. Doreen Williamson is a quiet, shy librarian on Earth. Like many other young women, she is distrustful of her attractions, frightened of men, introverted in manner and sexually inhibited. She lives within a quiet, lonely, dissatisfying, sheltered, and frustrated desperation, distant from her true self, her nature denied, her only friends books and her secret thoughts. In the realization and enactment of a profound fantasy, after acute self-conflict, she dares to study a form of dance in which she is at last free to move her body as a female, a form of dance in which she may revel in her beauty and womanhood, a form of dance historically commanded by masters of selected, suitable slaves: belly dance. She must then dance, for the first time, before men. In doing so, she discovers her own desirability and that she may be well bid upon. Rediscover this brilliantly imagined world where men are masters and women live to serve their every desire. Dancer of Gor is the 22nd book in the Gorean Saga, but you may enjoy reading the series in any order.

A woman from Earth is forced into sex slavery on the fantasy planet of Counter Earth in this Gorean Saga novel. In this installment of the Gorean Saga, beautiful and headstrong Elinor Brinton of Earth finds herself thrust into the savage world of Counter Earth, also known as Gor. Brinton must relinquish her earthly position as a beautiful, wealthy, and powerful woman when she finds herself a part of the harsh Gorean society. She is powerless as a female pleasure slave in the camp of Targo the slave-merchant. Forced to learn the arts of providing pleasure to any man who buys her, Elinor is determined to escape. Nevertheless, she is sold for a high price, and her master is determined to get his money's worth... Rediscover this brilliantly imagined world where men are masters and women live to serve their every desire. Captive of Gor is the 7th book in the Gorean Saga, but you may enjoy reading the series in any order.

On the run from a death squad, General Half-Ear lures his pursuers into the land of the Red Savages on the planet of Gor. Half-Ear, or Zarendargar, a Kur general fallen from favor in the Steel Worlds, now sought by a death squad of his savage compeers, has determined to lure his pursuers into the Barrens, the vast prairies to the east of known Gor, populated by warring tribes known to Goreans as the Red Savages. He has arranged matters in such a way that he will be abetted in his stand against the death squad and its human allies by a human ally of his ownhis former foe, Tarl Cabot. The ancestors of the Red Savages, like those of many other Goreans, were brought to Gor long ago in Voyages of Acquisition by the Priest-Kings. The Red Savages were settled in an area not unlike that of their former home, a sweeping, almost endless grassland, where they tend to continue their former ways of lifeand war. Rediscover this brilliantly imagined world where men are masters and women live to serve their every desire. Blood Brothers of Gor is the 18th book in the Gorean Saga, but you may enjoy reading the series in any order.

A monstrous alien race attempts to conquer the Earth-like planet of Gor, where men are warriors and women are sex slaves. Thefight for survival on the primitive, Earth-like world Gor continues with a ferocity that matches the rest of the series. On Gor, there are three different kinds of beings that are labeled beasts: the Kurii, a monster alien race that is preparing to invade Gor from space; Gorean warriors, who fight with viciousness almost primitive in its bloodlust; and then there are the slave girls of Gor, lowly beasts for men to treat as they see fit, be it as objects of labor or desire. Now all three come together as the Kurii fight to take over Gor with its first beachhead on the planet's polar ice cap. As all three kinds of beasts struggle together, an incredible adventure is told, one that begins in lands of burning heat and ends up in the bitter cold of the polar north among the savage red hunters of the polar ice pack. Rediscover this brilliantly imagined world where men are masters and women live to serve their every desire. Beasts of Gor is the 12th book in the Gorean Saga, but you may enjoy reading the series in any order.

At the height of the Cold War, a cashiered SEAL officer living in Japan is retained by a world-famous Russian dissident to rescue a friend from the Siberian Gulag. The SEAL officer recruits and trains a group to undertake the cold weather operation and even finagles an off-the-books diesel submarine . . . for a price. The rescue is grueling and the withdrawal harrowing. Red Ice takes place in Japan's Honshu and Hokkaido Islands, South Korea, Russia's Kuril Islands, the Sea of Okhotsk, and Siberia. It is a relentless tale of cross-cultural naval intrique as it is practiced in rubber boats and kayaks, in pup tents and snow caves, on skis, and aboard submarines. Red Ice is savagely authentic in its description of this brand of unconventional warfare and of the individual tensions that haunt the men who practice it.

Since his teens, Chris Markham's hitchhiking thumb has carried him into adventures across America. His first book, Mississippi Odyssey, is a journal of his experiences hitchhiking boat rides down the Mississippi River.

A well-to-do, upper-class young woman, intelligent, fashionable, educated, strikingly beautiful, exploitative, selfish, and haughty, a despiser of men as she knows them, taking them all as manipulable weaklings, meets a mysterious, unsettlingly attractive male at a cocktail party, one who is not only distant and seemingly immune to her brandished charms, but who seems to hold her, to her disgruntlement and indignation, in a subtle contempt. Later her life undergoes an unexpected, dramatic, and radical change. Seized and shipped with others as cargo, as human cattle, to the beautiful, green, fresh, perilous world of Gor, she finds she is now only an object and beast, a slave. She is collared and branded. Her clothing, if any, and her food, as it might be, are now at the whim of others. She learns to kneel, to address the free as "Master" or "Mistress," to strive to be pleasing, to obey immediately, beautifully, and without demur, in all things and in any respect, and to kiss a whip and hope that it will not be used on her. Later she meets again, on Gor, the mysterious man she met long ago at the cocktail party, only now she is before him, collared and branded, in a rag, on her knees, a lowly slave.

In October 1871, a massive forest fire incinerated the town of Peshtigo, Wisconsin. It was the deadliest fire in North American history, an event so intense that its release of energy was not approximated until the advent of thermo-nuclear weapons. At least 1,200 people perished-some in bizarre and disturbing ways-and the actual number of fatalities is unknown, perhaps as many as 1,500 were lost. Since the Great Chicago Fire occurred at the same time, Peshtigo was overshadowed and almost forgotten. In 2000, veteran wild-land firefighter Peter Leschak was faced with a hot and challenging fire season, tasked with the leadership of a helitack crew-an airborne fire team expected to be the "tip of the spear" on wildfire initial attacks. During that long summer he studied Father Peter Pernon's eyewitness account of the Pehstigo holocaust, and using his knowledge and experience as a firefighter, Leschak placed himself in Pernin's shoes, as much as possible being transported to the firestorm of 1871. Ghosts of the Fireground tells both tales: the horrific saga of Peshtigo, and the modern battles of a wildfire helicopter crew, seamlessly intertwining the stories to enhance them both.

The complexities and storms of the Telnarian Histories are brought to their unexpected and rousing climax. Following a palace coup, in the midst of intrigue and turmoil, Otto, the blond barbarian giant, King of the Otungs, a tribe of the Vandal Nation, has set aside the boy emperor, Aesilesius, and seized the throne of the vast, unstable, threatened Telnarian Empire. A raging torrent of complex, perilous events ensues. Can the throne be held? Can the empire survive? In The Emperor, we meet again fierce Abrogastes, the Far Grasper, lord of the Drisriaks, hegemonic tribe of the dreaded Aatii Nation, enemy to the Vandal Nation; his envious, treacherous son, Ingeld, aspirer to the High Seat of the Drisriaks; Sidonicus, devious, unscrupulous exarch of Telnar, seeker of power through the perversion of religion; envious Fulvius, his ambitious subordinate; a corrupt senate, an unruly citizenry, and private armies; Atalana, superstitious and cunning Empress Mother; her son, the reclusive boy emperor, Aesilesius; his lovely sisters, Alacida and Viviana, one of whom will learn chains and the whip; Julian, of the Aureliani, scion of an embittered and divided aristocracy; and many other players in the games of betrayal, blood, and power.

"A fascinating story." -LeVar BurtonThe thrilling adventures of a slave who became known worldwide for his explorations of Mammoth Cave. If you toured Mammoth Cave in Kentucky in the year 1838, you would have been led by candlelight through dark, winding tunnels to the edge of a terrifying bottomless pit. Your guide would have been seventeen-year-old Stephen Bishop, an African American slave who became known around the world for his knowledge of Mammoth Cave. Bishop needed bravery, intelligence, and curiosity to explore the vast cavern. Using only a lantern, rope, and other basic caving equipment, he found a way to cross the bottomless pit and discover many more miles of incredible grottoes and tunnels. For the rest of his life he guided visitors through the cave, showing them how to stoop, bend, and crawl through passageways that were sometimes far from the traditional tour route. Based on the narratives of those who toured the cave with him, Journey to the Bottomless Pit is the first book for young readers ever written about Stephen Bishop. New to this edition: A free teacher's guide to this book, as well as an interview with current-day Mammoth Cave guide Jerry Bransford, great-great-grandson of Stephen Bishop's fellow guide, Mat Bransford.

The "intensely logical" master sleuth discovers a crowded coffin in one of his earliest and most puzzling cases (The New York Times). The scion of a famous New York art-dealing family, Georg Khalkis spent his final years housebound with blindness until he died of a heart attack. After his funeral, his will mysteriously vanishes. Following a thorough search, Inspector Richard Queen's son, Ellery, suggests checking the coffin, where they discover not one, but two corpses. When the second body is identified as an ex-convict, it becomes clear they have a murder case on their hands with links to the art world and a da Vinci forgery. It's up to young Ellery Queen to solve the case in "a lively and well-constructed yarn containing unusual setting, ingenuity of plot, a surprise solution and legitimate use of the analytico-deductive method" (New York Herald Tribune Book Review).

The real story behind the murder of a Manhattan schoolteacher that became a symbol of the dangers of casual sex: "A first-rate achievement" (Truman Capote). In 1973, Roseann Quinn, an Irish-Catholic teacher at a school for deaf children, was killed in New York City after bringing a man home to her apartment from an Upper West Side pub. The crime made headlines and the ensuing case quickly evolved into a cultural phenomenon, spawning both a #1 New York Times-bestselling novel and a film adaptation starring Diane Keaton and Richard Gere, and sparking debates about the sexual revolution and the perils of the "pickup scene" at what were popularly known as singles bars. In this groundbreaking true crime tale, Lacey Fosburgh, the New York Times reporter first assigned to the story, utilizes an inventive dramatization technique, in which she gives the victim a different name, to veer between the chilling, suspenseful personal interactions leading up to the brutal stabbing and the gritty details of its aftermath, including the NYPD investigation and the arrest of John Wayne Wilson. An Edgar Award finalist for Best Fact Crime, this classic of the genre is "more riveting, and more tragic, than the Judith Rossner novel-and 1977 movie Looking for Mr. Goodbar" (Men's Journal).

This classic New York Times bestseller is an illuminating portrait of JFK—from his thrilling rise to his tragic fall—by two of the men who knew him best. As a politician, John Fitzgerald Kennedy crafted a persona that fascinated and inspired millions—and left an outsize legacy in the wake of his murder on November 22, 1963. But only a select few were privy to the complicated man behind the Camelot image.   Two such confidants were Kenneth P. O’Donnell, Kennedy’s top political aide, and David F. Powers, a special assistant in the White House. They were among the president’s closest friends, part of an exclusive inner circle that came to be known as the “Irish Mafia.” In Johnny, We Hardly Knew Ye, O’Donnell and Powers share memories of Kennedy, his extraordinary political career, and his iconic family—memories that could come only from intimate access to the man himself.   As they recount the full scope of Kennedy’s journey—from his charismatic first campaign for Congress to his rapid rise to national standing, culminating on that haunting day in Dallas—O’Donnell and Powers lay bare the inner workings of a leader who is cherished and mourned to this day, in a memoir that spent over five months on the New York Times bestseller list.

Governess-turned-sleuth Miss Silver looks into the case of a Holocaust survivor who may have enemies to elude. William Smith isn't sure what his name is, but he knows it isn't William Smith. That was the name the Nazis gave him in 1942, when he was herded, along with so many others, into one of their nightmarish camps. They did their best to kill him, but he survived. Now the war is over and he's back in England, ready to start over. But even a man with no past can't escape history. William may yet learn his real name-but it could cost him his life in this suspenseful mystery starring an investigator who "has her place in detective fiction as surely as Lord Peter Wimsey or Hercule Poirot" (Manchester Evening News).

When a flaming object from space lands in the lake near the home of Brin's Five, the last thing the family expects to find is an alien from another planet. The alien is Scott Gale, member of a four-person team send from Earth to the planet Torin to research its environment. Separated from the rest of the crew before landing, Scott is rescued by members of Brin's Five. He quickly learns their language and becomes part of the family. However, he and Brin's Five are forced to flee their home when the cruel leader of Torin, Tiath Pentroy, arrives, searching for Scott. Tiath views Scott and the powerful technology of the ship that brought him from beyond the stars as a threat to his rule... but also potential assets that could make him invincible. Tiath will stop at nothing until both are in his grasp. On the run from Tiath and his spies, Scott and his adoptive family have only one hope for survival: If they can reach the fabulous city of Rintoul, Scott might be able to use his Earth technology to prove himself worthy of protection. But with their pursuers never far behind, Scott and the rest of Brin's Five are in a race against time to reach their hoped-for sanctuary before the dread ruler can catch them... and end the alien threat for good.

“[James Munves] has the gift of finding the particular detail that illuminates the whole. . . . The narrative comes out to be more than the sum of its parts.” —Emily Maxwell, The New Yorker “The struggle for independence, the creation of a new government, westward expansion, regional differences, Civil War, social and economic change, Depression and world wars—all described and related the one to another in a smooth and knowledgeable narrative.” —Nash K. Burger, The New York Times “The best short history that I have ever read.” —Thurman Arnold “A model volume of its kind . . . Deserves wide acceptance.” —Allan Nevins

The three most important documents in American history--expanded and explained. In the centuries since the creation of the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution of the United States, as well as its Bill of the Rights, the liberties set forth within these documents have faced many challenges, including war, unrest, political debate, and legal disputes. Such trials persist today, but the initial strength of our founding papers--shining as beacons of hope and freedom to America and beyond--continues to stand the test of time. Now, The American Reader provides a brief summary and analysis of these landmark documents: examining constitutional interpretation, specifically originalism vs. living Constitution; exploring the Declaration's "saving principles," expressed by Frederick Douglass, one of many influential leaders referenced in this concise guide; and more. Also included are noteworthy facts about the founding fathers, a detailed timeline of events, and other fascinating trivia. At a time when our understanding of individual liberties in America is especially imperative, this essential reference puts our country's foundational beliefs into much-needed modern perspective.

Generation X cult classics Our Noise and Geniuses of Crack chronicled a group of friends just out of college who lived in a small town, cared more about their record collections than their careers, and never imagined they'd have to grow up. Losing Our Edge-the sequel to both books-revisits a number of the characters, seeing where they are twenty years later and discovering what's happened with their lives. There's Charles and Randy, two old friends and former roommates who reconnect only to discover they now have nothing in common. There's Craig and Ashley, ex-lovers who contemplate getting back together, even if it means breaking up a marriage. And then there's the band Bottlecap, reuniting for one last gig and another shot at the dream that was derailed the first time around. For everyone in Losing Our Edge, it's a second chance to get things right. A tough and honest look at what the passing of time does to romance, friendship, and dreams, Losing Our Edge shows that you can go home again-you just might not like what you find when you get there.

So much to read, so little time? This brief overview of Helter Skelter tells you what you need to know—before or after you read Vincent Bugliosi and Curt Genry’s book.Crafted and edited with care, Worth Books set the standard for quality and give you the tools you need to be a well-informed reader. This summary of Helter Skelter by Vincent Bugliosi with Curt Gentry includes: Historical contextSection-by-section overviewsDetailed timeline of eventsAnalysis of the main charactersFascinating triviaGlossary of termsSupporting material to enhance your understanding of the original work About Vincent Bugliosi and Curt Gentry’s Helter Skelter: In the bestselling true crime book Helter Skelter, lead prosecutor Vincent Bugliosi provides a meticulously detailed account of the murders committed by the Manson family and their trial—one of the most sensational criminal cases of the century. From the police investigation of the murders of Leno and Rosemary LaBianca and Sharon Tate, to the arrests, the courtroom antics, and the personalities and motivations of Charles Manson and his followers, Helter Skelter offers a haunting look into the horrific repercussions of cult mentality on a violent rampage. The summary and analysis in this book are intended to complement your reading experience and bring you closer to a great work of nonfiction.

A Christmas scrooge discovers a murdered librarian in this holiday novel from an Edgar Award finalist known for her "witty, literate, and charming" mysteries (Publishers Weekly). Each December, the faculty of Balaclava Agricultural College goes wild with holiday decorations. The entire campus glitters with Christmas lights, save for one dark spot: the home of professor Peter Shandy. But after years of resisting the school's Illumination festival, Shandy suddenly snaps, installing a million-watt display of flashing lights and blaring music perfectly calculated to drive his neighbors mad. Then the horticulturalist flees town, planning to spend Christmas on a tramp steamer. It's not long before he feels guilty about his prank and returns home to find his lights extinguished-and a dead librarian in his living room. Hoping to avoid a scandal, the school's head asks Shandy, sometimes detective, to investigate the matter quietly. After all, Christmas is big business, and the town needs the cash infusion that typically comes with the Illumination. But as Shandy will soon find out, there's a dark side to even the whitest of white Christmases.