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Weaving finely spun filaments of the lyric and mythic, Barbara Lambert creates a vivid tapestry of a year in the life of Vancouver’s Allegra Schliemann, a middle-aged woman in the throes of a knotty love affair with a married man, a newly-crafted career as an artisan and a battle against a debilitating disease. Unable to see her way clear of the emotional clutter these changes wreak, Allegra hires would-be artist Brad Lindhall to fashion her a mirrored wall, praying it will bring light and clarity into the encroaching dusk of her own life.

TV stardom – fame, fortune, and Hollywood! It’s the chance of a lifetime for Kate Merriman when she lands a small role in a new TV series called Backbeat. But it’s less fun when Kate finds out her best friend Maria has turned down the part she’s been offered in the show. They’re always there for each other. How can Kate succeed when Maria’s not there to share this new adventure. And why doesn’t their friendship seem to work any more? In her first novel in the Backbeat series, Kathryn Ellis provides a lively look into the world of TV shows – and close friendships.

Innocent scapegoat or monster manipulator? Matthew Fraser was an idealistic young teacher accused of molesting a young schoolgirl and acquitted in a sensational case that left the truth hidden and the young teacher's life in tatters. Ten years later, his distraught confidante walks into Ottawa Police Inspector Michael Green's office insisting that Fraser has vanished. Green's curiosity is piqued when he discovers that Fraser left behind his beloved dog, a half-eaten dinner and an apartment crammed with research related to his case.

"She had a voice like an angel, smooth and complex as a twenty-year-old single malt, rich as thick cream. Everyone who heard Olivia sing felt as if she could see right into their souls, that her songs were meant for them alone. This was the magic her artistry conjured. In earlier times, she wouldhave been put to death as a witch. Such was the talent of Olivia Saint." Meet Andy Curran, drummer in a struggling jazz trio.

In his seventh appearance, undercover agent Jack Taggart is forced to play a risky game, making a deal with one devil to bring down another. Corporate Asset takes undercover operative Jack Taggart into the world of white-collar crime and murder. Insurance companies are being bilked out of millions of dollars. Multiple murders take place right under the cops’ noses but being written off as accidental. Taggart gets a whiff of what is going on when he captures a drug trafficker willing to expose one of the murderers connected to the plot.

Michael Quinn, former rock star, turned his back on a band on the verge of superstardom twenty-four years ago. Hes spent his life since hiding from everything hed been. When a woman chased by thugs jumps into his car, he tries to help. But this sets in motion a chain of events which turns his life upside down, even more so when his best friend is murdered and the girl disappears. Meanwhile, the thugs are looking for Michael. Only by finding the mystery girl can he hope to get out of a hole thats getting bigger.

Murder isn’t something that just happens on TV. Travel writer Ria Butler has to outsmart a killer on the set of a reality TV show. Ria is supposed to be looking at blue-footed boobies in the Galapagos. Instead, she circumnavigates her unsettled relationship with investigative reporter Glenn Cooper and flies to the set of the TV show that her brother is producing in the British Virgin Islands. On location, she learns a production assistant has gone missing — only her tattooed foot has been found.

Victoria Morgan, violin virtuoso extraordinaire, and her devoted piano accompanist are on yet another European tour currently stopping in Vienna. While playing to a full house, Tory leaves the stage and disappears in the middle of this important concert, leaving behind a puzzled (and angry) audience. Why would a seasoned professional so intent on maintaining her well-established career do something so damaging? Especially after some very negative reviews from local press?

1996 Ontario Trillium Literary Award — Shortlisted 1996 Discover These Great New Writers, Barnes and Noble Award — Shortlisted What begins as a young woman’s infatuation soon escalates into a piercing study in power, obsession, and the disparity between art and reality. In this elegant novel of passion and art, award-winning Ann Ireland extends the boundaries of the traditional love story. The Instructor probes the nature of power shifts between man and woman, teacher and student. It is a story of needs that become twisted into obsession.

How do you cope when your husband of more than 30 years announces he’s leaving — and you didn’t see it coming? Ellen is blindsided by her husband’s request for a divorce and the news that everything she thought they jointly owned is in his name.Depressed and defeated, her life spirals out of control, until she impulsively decides to buy a bike and attempt the journey of a lifetime. Nervous and tenuous at first, she eventually gains strength and confidence and sets her sights on riding to California.Just as she determines this is something she is really going to do, tragedy strikes.