A hundred years before the League of Nations gave Britain the Mandate over Palestine, the emissaries of the London Society for Promoting Christianity Amongst the Jews, a Protestant organization, were the first to take root in the Holy Land. From 1820 onwards, their pioneering efforts compelled other churches, and the European powers that they represented, as well as the Jewish world, to become more engaged in the vigorous activities taking place in the Land of Israel, in order not to allow the Protestants to hold sway. Thus, the Society initiated a process that was to be of significant value in the restoration of the country when it was transformed, mainly as a result of mass Jewish immigration, from a remote and isolated region into one of the most flourishing provinces of the Ottoman Empire. The initial hopes of the Society to hasten the second advent of the Christian Messiah through the conversion of the Jews were not realized. Only a handful of the Jews in the country were caught in the Mission's net. Yet the society - by establishing the first modern institutions of medical care, education and charity - made a valuable contribution to progress in general. Although the Lond

"I'm Mia. I know how to write. Why's that a big deal? Because... I'm a cat." Someone is telling the tabloids about Ms. Thornblood's every move. Is it the housekeeper? the cook? the maid? the handyman? The detective hired to solve the case isn't sure. Things are looking pretty hopeless until Mia, his talented cat, offers to spend a week at Ms. Thornblood's as a spy. With time running out, and an embarrassing secret about to be revealed, will Mia be able to save the day-and solve her first case?

Why do tomatoes look red? Why must Danielle call for an ambulance? What does refraction mean? Why is elderly Mr. Simmons so gruff, and what does the Edwards family know that will finally bring joy to his life? Find out in this warm, uplifting living science book. Join the Edwards family as they investigate the amazing properties of light and spread the light of the Gospel in their neighborhood. Don't miss this story full of fun, science, and mystery

13-year-old Brian and his family have a wonderful vacation planned. They've rented a cabin in the woods, and Dad is bringing his telescope along. It's shaping up to be a delightful time of playing in the woods, learning about the planets, and even meeting new friends. But all along the way, unexpected delays-and thunderstorms -shake things up. Can Brian and his siblings trust that God's plan is the best plan?

Kent Anderson * Edna Buchanan * Amanda Cross * James Crumley * Philip Friedman * James W. Hall * Ed McBain * Michael Malone * Joyce Carol Oates * Shel Silverstein * Eric van Lustbader
Her toenails were bloodred, her lips were blue in Edna Buchanan's "The Red Shoes," a riveting tale that takes us into the life of a foot fetishist who steps into the middle of a murder....What happens when a hard-nosed insurance investigator lights up a joint and sniffs out a case of arson? It's a tale that only Elmore Leonard could tell, in "Sparks...".Elizabeth George reaches into English history in "I, Richard," as an academic obsessed by a priceless artifact plots a deadly course of seduction--only to discover that fate is the most quixotic mistress of all.
From lethal spikes to fatal kisses, from mad dogs to battle-crazed Englishmen, here indeed is Murder and Obsession, in these and 12 other all-new stories from Anne Perry, Dennis Lehane, Eric van Lustbader and others. For these are the best of the best, America's favorite writers exploring a deliciously chilling subject: obsession at its most insidious.

"From the Paperback edition."