William Esmont tops today’s Buffet with The Patriot Paradox, the first book in his “Kurt Vetter” international spy thriller series. In the story, a group of bitter ex-Cold Warriors decide they aren’t done fighting–and it turns out they can still do a lot of damage.

William writes about zombies, spies, and the future from his home in southern Arizona. When not writing, he likes to spend time hanging out with his wife and their two Great Danes.

As usual, each book listed here has gone FREE within the past 24 hours (except for the “Bargain Books” at the bottom of this page). Warning: Kindle book promotions can end without notice, so before downloading, click the link “See Kindle price at Amazon” to verify that the book is still free. (Prices and availability may differ outside USA.)

The Patriot Paradox: A Kurt Vetter International Spy Thriller (Reluctant Hero Book 1)

 International Mystery & Crime

The Patriot Paradox: A Kurt Vetter International Spy Thriller (Reluctant Hero Book 1)

When ex-CIA analyst Kurt Vetter receives a mysterious package of encrypted files from his dead brother, he’s drawn back into the world of international intrigue he thought he had left behind forever.

The files lead him to London, where he meets Amanda Carter, an enigmatic woman from his brother’s past. With Amanda’s help, he uncovers a rogue CIA plot to detonate a nuclear bomb in Moscow. Meanwhile, the assassins who killed his brother launch an all-out hunt to silence him and anyone else who may thwart their plans.

In a frantic sprint across Europe, Kurt and Amanda must stay one step ahead of the killers while racing against the clock to prevent the bomb from incinerating millions of innocent people.

Just In Time (Portals of Time Book 1)

 Romance > Time Travel

Just In Time (Portals of Time Book 1)

Dorian Masters must save the life of research scientist Jess Cromwell by preventing his murder in five months. Cromwell’s work would eventually set the standard for eradicating all carbon emissions. But Dorian has to find the assassin first, while Jess’s brother, Luke, cynical New York cop and exasperating man, seems determined to stand in her way. Unaware of her background, Luke questions her suitability as a bodyguard and challenges her on the mistakes she makes about everyday things, including how she talks. But the stakes are high and together they race against time to save Jess’s life.

The Luck of the Weissensteiners (The Three Nations Trilogy Book 1)

 Fiction > Historical > Jewish

The Luck of the Weissensteiners (The Three Nations Trilogy Book 1)

In the sleepy town of Bratislava in 1933 a romantic girl falls for a bookseller from Berlin. Greta Weissensteiner, daughter of a Jewish weaver, slowly settles into life with the Winkelmeier clan. The political climate and slow disintegration of the multi-cultural society in Czechoslovakia becomes more complex and affects relations between the couple and their families.

The story follows their lot through the war with its torment, destruction and its unpredictability – and the equally hard times after.

From the moment that Greta Weissensteiner enters the bookstore where Wilhelm Winkelmeier works, and entrances him with her good looks and serious ways, I was hooked. But this is no ordinary romance; in tact it is not a romance at all, but a powerful, often sad, Holocaust story. What makes The Luck of the Weissensteiners so extraordinary is the chance Christoph Fischer gives his readers to consider the many different people who were never in concentration camps, never in the military, yet who nonetheless had their own indelible Holocaust experiences.

No Way Home: The Decline of the World’s Great Animal Migrations

 Biological Sciences > Animals > Wildlife

No Way Home: The Decline of the World's Great Animal Migrations

Animal migration is a magnificent sight: a mile-long blanket of cranes rising from a Nebraska river and filling the sky; hundreds of thousands of wildebeests marching across the Serengeti; a blaze of orange as millions of monarch butterflies spread their wings to take flight. Nature’s great migrations have captivated countless spectators, none more so than premier ecologist David S. Wilcove. In No Way Home, his awe is palpable—as are the growing threats to migratory animals.
We may be witnessing a dying phenomenon among many species. Migration has always been arduous, but today’s travelers face unprecedented dangers. Skyscrapers and cell towers lure birds and bats to untimely deaths, fences and farms block herds of antelope, salmon are caught en route between ocean and river, breeding and wintering grounds are paved over or plowed, and global warming disrupts the synchronized schedules of predators and prey. The result is a dramatic decline in the number of migrants.
Wilcove guides us on their treacherous journeys, describing the barriers to migration and exploring what compels animals to keep on trekking. He also brings to life the adventures of scientists who study migrants. Often as bold as their subjects, researchers speed wildly along deserted roads to track birds soaring overhead, explore glaciers in search of frozen locusts, and outfit dragonflies with transmitters weighing less than one one-hundredth of an ounce.

Because You’re Mine (MINE #1)

 Romance > New Adult

Because You're Mine (MINE #1)

Madison Waters knew exactly what she wanted to do with her life. She was already working for one of the most prestigious law firms in Boston as a research assistant, and in a few short months, she would finally graduate from Harvard and collect her law degree. Everything she had worked so hard for was well within her reach.

But when Madison had to take an unexpected trip back home, she was blindsided by the one thing she never planned on.

Desperate to escape his wicked past, Holden Brooks moved to Madison’s hometown five years ago. It’s was a struggle at first, but he eventually overcame the demons that almost destroyed him back in Texas. Holden was in a good place in his life and love was the last thing on his mind.

Everything changes the moment these two paths collide and they soon find out, fate has a plan of its own.

The Kingdom of Rarities

 Biological Sciences > Zoology

The Kingdom of Rarities

When you look out your window, why are you so much more likely to see a robin or a sparrow than a Kirtland’s warbler or a California condor? Why are some animals naturally rare and others so abundant? The quest to find and study seldom-seen jaguars and flamboyant Andean cocks-of-the-rock is as alluring to naturalists as it is vitally important to science. From the Himalayan slopes of Bhutan to the most isolated mountain ranges of New Guinea, The Kingdom of Rarities takes us to some of the least-traveled places on the planet to catch a glimpse of these unique animals and many others. As he shares stories of these species, Eric Dinerstein gives readers a deep appreciation of their ecological importance and the urgency of protecting all types of life — the uncommon and abundant alike.

An eye-opening tour of the rare and exotic, The Kingdom of Rarities offers us a new understanding of the natural world, one that places rarity at the center of conservation biology. Looking at real-time threats to biodiversity, from climate change to habitat fragmentation, and drawing on his long and distinguished scientific career, Dinerstein offers readers fresh insights into fascinating questions about the science of rarity and unforgettable experiences from the field.

What She Left Us

 Women’s Fiction

What She Left Us

Jenna and Courtney are dealing with the unexpected death of their mother in different ways. Jenna broke off her engagement to the man she thought she’d love forever, while Courtney headed back to college to take charge of a dorm-floor full of college students as a resident assistant.

Six months later, Jenna is fueled by panic over the news that the sisters may have the same disease that caused their mother’s death and she makes an irrational decision – she packs it up and heads to college to be with Courtney. The timing couldn’t be worse for Courtney, who’s discovering love for the first time with Mitch, a sexy guitar player who may just be off limits.

Emotionally unstable, Jenna wonders if she made the worst mistake of her life by breaking off her engagement with Darren, and when he shows up to make amends, she can’t help but second-guess her decision. But then there’s Clay, the compassionate bartender at Klippy’s who seems to understand everything Jenna’s going through. And those hazel eyes just seem to see right through to Jenna’s soul…

Trouble In Paradise

 Fiction > African American > Urban

Trouble In Paradise

Victoria is thankful for a lot of things- Joshua, the love of her life, a career change that starts a new chapter, and a condo in the suburbs of Chicago Illinois. Her jaw drops when she opens the garage and finds a brand new Cadillac wrapped in a huge bow. She is ecstatic and ready for the next steps towards her future. This is Victoria’s fresh beginning.

When Victoria and Joshua start their journey things take a turn for the worse. Victoria finds out her nemesis and Joshua’s ex, Danielle Shumaker has flown to Chicago to try to get Joshua back. Victoria is determined to win this fight, when she finds out Joshua has secrets of his own. Distraught, confused, and feeling the sting of betrayal she falls into the arms of another. When emotions run high and desire digs deep Victoria finds herself caught up in Trouble.

Grade A Stupid (The Darcy Walker Series Book 1)

 Mysteries & Thrillers > Detectives

Grade A Stupid (The Darcy Walker Series Book 1)

Fifteen years ago, Darcy Walker’s parents thought it was a good idea to give her a unique name: Darcy, meaning “dark walker.” Whether that was a stroke of genius or stroke of stupid, they definitely nailed the irony. She lacks direction, her grades stink despite a high IQ, she’s boringly average–although flirting admirers claim otherwise–and God help her, she’s infatuated with a bad-boy.

A bad-boy that her hottie best friend, Dylan, wishes would get acquainted with his fist.

And, oh yeah, there’s that tattoo that was a royally stupid idea.

With her life spiraling out of control, everything changes when she skips class and finds a dead body…in fact, it gets worse. It jump starts Darcy’s inner-verb, and her brain hardwired for action gets caught up in a situation she can’t let go.

TODAY’S BARGAINS……………What’s this?

The Memory of Love

 Contemporary Fiction > Literary

The Memory of Love

Now, in her newest novel The Memory of Love, Aminatta Forna evokes the haunting atmosphere of a country at war, and the powerful stories of two generations of African life.

In contemporary Sierra Leone, a devastating civil war has left an entire populace with scars to hide and secrets to keep. On the run from an empty life, British psychologist Adrian Lockheart arrives with good intentions and a desire to help. He forges a friendship with Kai Mansaray, a charismatic and overworked young surgeon with a sharp sense of responsibility to his country and a heavy burden of memories to bear. Meanwhile Elias Cole, a retired professor nearing death, summons Adrian to his bedside to hear a final accounting of his life—not all of it noble. As past and present intersect in the buzzing city, Kai and Elias are drawn unwittingly closer, connected by a deep bond to one woman at the center of their stories.

The Truth About Love

 Romance > Mystery & Suspense

The Truth About Love

After her testimony sent an innocent man to prison, law student Gina Blanchard vowed to spend her life righting that wrong. She passed up more prestigious opportunities to intern at a Tallahassee nonprofit dedicated to overturning wrongful convictions. But when she catches the eye of sexy green-eyed hunk Landon Vista, she realizes there’s room in her hardworking life for a little fun. Then she learns her newest case involves the man accused of murdering Landon’s mother…and possibly setting him free.

The people of Tallahassee still see Landon Vista as their golden boy and football hero…and as the man who tragically lost his mother. Yet Landon hides his emotional scars behind his handsome smile. While working for a senator who’s tough on crime, he finds himself keeping an eye on gorgeous redheaded Gina in more ways than one. But as their passion simmers, their secrets build…until Gina’s latest case collides with Landon’s heartbreaking past, threatening to tear them apart forever.

Cockpit Confidential: Everything You Need to Know About Air Travel: Questions, Answers, and Reflections

 Travel > Reference

Cockpit Confidential: Everything You Need to Know About Air Travel: Questions, Answers, and Reflections

For millions of people, travel by air is a confounding, uncomfortable, and even fearful experience. Patrick Smith, airline pilot and author of the web’s popular Ask the Pilot feature, separates the fact from fallacy and tells you everything you need to know…

•How planes fly, and a revealing look at the men and women who fly them
•Straight talk on turbulence, pilot training, and safety
•The real story on congestion, delays, and the dysfunction of the modern airport
•The myths and misconceptions of cabin air and cockpit automation
•Terrorism in perspective, and a provocative look at security
•Airfares, seating woes, and the pitfalls of airline customer service
•The colors and cultures of the airlines we love to hate

Cockpit Confidential covers not only the nuts and bolts of flying, but also the grand theater of air travel, from airport architecture to inflight service to the excitement of travel abroad. It’s a thoughtful, funny, at times deeply personal look into the strange and misunderstood world of commercial flying.

The ideal book for frequent flyers, nervous passengers, and global travelers.

Song of Springhill – a love story: an inspirational romance based on historical events

 Christian Fiction > Romance > Historical

Song of Springhill - a love story: an inspirational romance based on historical events

Hoping for a fresh start, Hannah Wright moves to Springhill, the hometown of the father she never knew because he died in their volatile coal mines before she was born. She tracks down her aunt, Abigail Percy, and is immediately welcomed to move in with the whole Percy clan. This includes her Uncle Ray, a coal miner, and their four lively children. Suddenly, she’s surrounded by more family than she’s ever had in her life.

The day after she arrives, the mine explodes, trapping many underground, including Uncle Ray. Little did Hannah know when she set off on this new adventure how much her family was going to need her. When the Percys face a sudden lack of provision, Hannah knows she must get a job to help them. But the only industry in town that pays enough is coal mining–and the mine company doesn’t hire women.

Hannah secretly masquerades as a man and gets hired as Mel, a distant cousin of her father’s. Keeping up her charade is challenging in this tight-knit, 1950s town, where everybody knows one another.

Hannah is placed on the team of Josh Winslow, a handsome bachelor who noticed her the moment she stepped into town. It doesn’t take long for Josh to see through Hannah’s disguise as Mel, but she convinces him there’s no other way for her to help take care of her family. Understanding the pressure she’s under, he agrees to not blow Hannah’s cover–for now.

When We Go Walking

 Children’s Books > Growing Up & Facts of Life

When We Go Walking

Wendy and her exuberant family of walkers discover new things on Rambling Road every day in all kinds of weather. No one keeps the things they find except for Wendy: numbers and letters, ribbon and string, a bucket, a ball, a wheel from a wagon. But what will she do with all this stuff? One snowy day when no one can go walking, Wendy uses her treasure trove of found objects to create her own special version of Rambling Road for her family to share and celebrate. Full of surprises on every page, this is a book that will inspire young readers to walk, discover and create on their own.

… See the rest of today’s Editor’s Picks here on page 2

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