Showing results by narrator "P.J Ochlan" in All Categories

Birdpedia is an engaging compendium of bird facts and birding lore. Featuring nearly 200 entries - on topics ranging from plumage and migration to birds in art, literature, and folklore - this enticing collection is brimming with wisdom and wit about all things avian.

There’s nothing surprising about the body. The wounds are precise, their meaning clear. The Washington, DC, cops have seen enough like them to know that they mean a mob hit. And when mobsters kill their own, there’s not much the police can do about it. They’re prepared to dismiss the case when someone looks at the dead man’s ID. He was Russian - and a diplomat. William Cowley, the head of the FBI’s Russian office, takes on the case.

The Legion is a machine of war. When the gears are turning, those not in sync with the machine get pulverized in the cogs. Most of the time, it's the enemy. Unfortunately, for Lance Corporal Alerio Sisera, the gears have political and egotistical parts that are just as sharp as gladius blades. Caught in the wrong place by vindictive officers, he is sentenced to a session on the punishment post and is badly injured. Wounded and disgraced, he must now save the same Legion that sentenced him to the harsh discipline.

Welcome to January 263 B.C. Attacking a pair of long spears with his short dagger was going to hurt and add to Alerio's collection of combat scars. And only leave him injured, if Fortuna smiled on him. If not? That's why he prayed to the other Goddess. This should have been the easiest, most luxurious duty a heavy infantryman could ever imagine. It didn't turn out that way and, at the moment, he regretted throwing the spear. These are the adventures of Alerio Sisera, Corporal of the Republic's Legions, Weapons Instructor, experienced Raider, Combat Rower, and protege of a Roman Senator.

A brutal murder investigation with connections to corruption at the very highest level threatens not just the career but also the life of Inspector Lu Fei in Brian Klingborg's latest mystery . . .

An Australian shamaness traveling in the body of a Chicago bartender leads to a surreal rendezvous with a presumed-dead rock star. An OkCupid encounter turns into blissful madness when souls connect over a national tragedy. A bloody accident at a city bus stop gives way to an absurdly rewarding feast.

How do you give yourself a leg up in Brazilian politics? Change your name to a variation of Barack Obama.

People talk smack about their neighbors all over the world - and New Zealand is no exception. The country's 31st prime minister, the late Robert "Piggy" Muldoon, famously stated, "New Zealanders who emigrate to Australia raise the IQ of both countries."

For New Yorkers Catherine and Mark, a picturesque coastal village in Sicily offers an escape from the shadow over Catherine's career and a chance to rebuild their eroding marriage. Catherine sets up an art studio, while Mark explores the exciting potential of Italy's languishing agricultural regions. For a moment, there's hope for healing on the banks of the sparkling lagoon. But the appearance of a mysterious young boy shakes their relationship to its core.

Solo is a former cop who ran away from a dark past in France to start his life over again in Bamako, Mali, as a PI. An ordinary case turns out to be not so ordinary. The drug mule gets her throat slit. The French lawyer is too beautiful and too well informed. The cocaine is too plentiful. This is hard-boiled noir with a modern twist set in West Africa.

Corcoran takes some time off as Eureka County Deputy Sheriff to visit an old family friend and stumbles into a land fraud scheme. It gets mighty dangerous as a conspiracy develops, one layer at a time, and bodies begin to pile up. A rancher leaves his foreman in charge in order to get medical help for his daughter and the foreman claims the man abandoned his homestead claim. Corcoran being Corcoran, he meets a charming young lady whose father is an Oregon County Sheriff. He seriously contemplates giving up his badge and settling down.

On 12 March 2034, US Navy Commodore Sarah Hunt is conducting routine freedom of navigation patrol in the South China Sea. On that same day, US Marine aviator Major Chris ‘Wedge’ Mitchell is flying an F-35E Lightning, testing a new stealth technology as he flirts with Iranian airspace. By the end of that day, Wedge will be an Iranian prisoner, and Sarah Hunt’s destroyer will lie at the bottom of the ocean. A terrifying new era is at hand.

Lazy Smurf naps through everything. Can an alarm clock help him stay awake?

The Circle of Wisdom is a path for discovering the wisdom in, and the solution to, the problems we face in life and in business. This path of this discovery is a circle. Success isn't just something attained, it is the path itself. When we take the path of wisdom, we are freeing ourselves into new ways of decision making. This natural wisdom is the key to leading at all levels human interaction.

The Art of War was written in the sixth century BC by the high-ranking military general and strategist Sun Tzu. Though it is most commonly known as an ancient Chinese military treatise, The Art of War has become more versatile and is currently being used worldwide in business management.

Eila Das is used to following her head, rather than her heart. When she meets Rahul at Rosewood, a summer camp where campers are being scouted for the hit Bridgerton-like TV show, she experiences...feelings. Between the drama of the show and the drama of the camp, Eila will have to keep her wits about her to make it through the summer. But when she has to choose between her head and her heart, what will she do?

A battlefield covered with dead Legionaries. An Empire encroaching on the Republic. A Senate in turmoil. Welcome to 265 B.C. Alerio Sisera will need all of his skills as a heavy infantryman, a scout and a weapon's instructor to survive. Standing with two gladii in a river of blood, the Legionary will battle for his life in the Reluctant Siege.

Ryan, Harley, and Miles are very different people—the swimmer, the rebel, and the nerd. All they’ve ever had in common is Isaac, their shared best friend.When Isaac dies unexpectedly, the three boys must come to terms with their grief and the impact Isaac had on each of their lives. In his absence, Ryan, Harley, and Miles discover things about one another they never saw before and realize there may be more tying them together than just Isaac. In this intricately woven story told in three parts, award-winning Australian author Will Kostakis makes his American debut with a heartwarming, masterfully written novel about grief, self-discovery, and the connections that tie us all together.

Hefty Smurf loves to play sports, but he can’t get the other Smurfs to play with him. His solution—create “Smurf Olympics”! The Smurfs divide themselves into two teams, all competing for the grand prize: a kiss from the Smurfette. But when one Smurf is turned down by both teams, he decides to compete on his own, throwing the games into chaos! Can one Smurf take on the whole village? And can the Smurfs stop cheating and playing pranks on each other long enough for the games to actually take place?

Welcome to 263 B.C. Between clashes of the Qart Hadasht Empire and the upstart Republic, men died. Whether from sharp blades held by strong arms or stones and bolts launched by ancient artillery, the hand of death grabbed souls from both sides of the battle line. Alerio Sisera will need more than an iron constitution, sharp steel, and a sturdy shield. To survive, he'll need his wits, luck, and infinite courage.