National Network for Equitable Library Service

Ian Rutledge returns to his career at Scotland Yard after years fighting in the First World War. Unknown to his colleagues he is still suffering from shell shock, and is burdened with the guilt of having had executed a young soldier on the battlefield for refusing to fight. A jealous colleague has learned of his secret and has managed to have Rutledge assigned to a difficult case which could spell disaster for Rutledge whatever the outcome. A retired officer has been murdered, and Rutledge fighting the torment of his illness goes to investigate.

Book 1 in the Refiner's Fire series. The daughter of a wealthy slave-holding family from Richmond, Virginia, Caroline Fletcher is raised in a culture that believes slavery is God-ordained and biblically acceptable. But upon awakening to the cruelty and injustice it encompasses, Caroline's eyes are opened for the first time to the men and women who have cared tirelessly for her. Her journey of maturity and faith will draw her into the abolitionist movement, where she is confronted with the risks and sacrifices her beliefs entail.

Little did Maggie Duncan know how great the sacrifice she would be making. Forty seven years have passed since she was separated from her beloved Scotland and her beloved husband, Ian. More than time and oceans seem to have conspired to keep them apart, but Maggie continues to trust in the Lord and never gives up hope. Through forgiveness and acceptance, she comes to believe that all things happen according to God's will and in His time.

An epic story of first contact between radically different worlds, steeped in the natural beauty and brutality of our country's formative years.

Deerfield, Massachusetts--late February, 1704. Although the town is surrounded by a 12-foot-high wall and soldiers stand guard, Mercy Carter doesn't feel completely safe. Deerfield is one of the most remote settlements in the English colonies, and Indian raids are a constant threat. When the raid does come, the colony is overwhelmed. Mercy and the rest of the townspeople are forced to march 300 miles north through bitter cold into Canada. Adopted into Indian families or sold to French Canadians, the people of Deerfield vow to never forget their home.

In 1437, the Lancaster king Henry VI ascends the throne of England after years of semi-peaceful regency. Named 'The Lamb,' Henry is famed more for his gentle and pious nature than his father's famous battlefield exploits; already, his dependence on his closest men has stirred whispers of weakness at court. A secret truce negotiated with France to trade British territories for a royal bride'Margaret of Anjou'sparks revolts across English territory.

Flora Mackie first crossed the Arctic Circle at the age of twelve. In 1889, the whaler's daughter from Dundee - dubbed by the press "The Snow Queen" - sets out to become a scientist and explorer. She struggles to be taken seriously but determination and chance lead her back to northern Greenland at the head of a British expedition, despite the many who believe that a young woman has no place in this harsh world of men. Geologist Jakob de Beyn was raised in Manhattan. Yearning for wider horizons, he joins a rival expedition, led by the furiously driven Lester Armitage.

To stop the trafficking ring plaguing her city, Dr. Genevieve Summerford must dive into New York's underworld In early 1900s New York, the formidable crime syndicate known as the Black Hand has been terrorizing the city's Italian community with bombings and kidnappings. When a young Italian girl is found drowned and sexually defiled, Dr. Genevieve Summerford suspects the organization has expanded into forced prostitution, and she won't rest until the trafficking ring is brought to justice.

As the Civil War rages between the states, a courageous pair of spies plunge fearlessly into a maelstrom of ignorance, deceit, and danger, combining their unique skills to alter the course of history and break the chains of the past. Elle Burns is a former slave with a passion for justice and an eidetic memory. Trading in her life of freedom in Massachusetts, she returns to the indignity of slavery in the South-to spy for the Union Army. Malcolm McCall is a detective for Pinkerton's Secret Service.

Chicago, 1928. In the stifling summer heat, three disturbing events take place: a clique of city leaders is poisoned, a white gangster is found mutilated and a famous heiress vanishes without a trace. Detectives Michael Talbot and Ida Davis are hired to find the missing heiress, but it proves harder than expected, and so Ida must elicit the help of her friend Louis Armstrong. But will any of them find the answers they need in the capital of jazz, booze and corruption'