Maigret investigates the murder of Mrs. Clark, the wife of a wealthy American industrialist, whose strangled body is found in the basement of an upscale hotel near the Champs-?lys?es. Maigret’s inquiries take him from the endless corridors of the Hotel Majestic to the countryside of the Bois de Boulogne and sun-drenched Cannes, into a world of prostitution, drug addiction, and blackmail.

The Most Remarkable English Words Ever Forgotten: As the largest and most dynamic collection of words ever assembled, the English language continues to expand. But as hundreds of new words are added annually, older ones are sacrificed. Now from the author of Forgotten English comes a collection of fascinating archaic words and phrases, providing an enticing glimpse into the past. With beguiling period illustrations, The Word Museum offers up the marvelous oddities and peculiar enchantments of old and unusual words.

With topics ranging from watering and feeding to spirit and aesthetics, this is an all-in-one guide to the art of the bonsai. It features advice on looking for and raising trees; handling pests and diseases; using composts; potting; choosing containers; pruning the plants; and displaying them. A convenient A-Z guide covers virtually every species of indoor and outdoor tree.

As entertaining as it is practical, this comprehensive illustrated herb guide covers everything from herb gathering prayers and charms to signatures for fifty powerful herbs. Each herb is described in detail, with tips on growing, gathering, drying, and storing these marvelous plants, as well as their culinary virtues, cosmetic properties, medicinal merits, veterinary values, and household applications.

Along with thought-provoking bits of folk history and literary and spiritual references to herbs and nature, this directory includes step-by-step instructions on cooking with herbs and preparing herbal remedies, as well as gardening hints and seed-saving tips.

Ezekiel Proctor and Ned Christie are the last Cherokee warriors, men of legend and history, whose fates are a consequence of such brutal policies as the Indian Removal Act of 1830 and the infamous Trail of Tears. They struggle to find honor in a harsh, violent land under the relentless pressure of white law and broken promises. Every bit as tough as their men, the women in Zeke and Ned are determined to raise their families and keep the two men alive–whatever it takes.

Thebes is swirling with threats to the Pharaoh, Ramses III, and the city is awash in intrigue, ambition, greed, and crimes of passion. Against this backdrop Semerket, the so-called Clerk of Investigations and Secrets and a detective half-paralyzed by problems of his own, from heavy drinking to tactless behavior toward the great and powerful, is retained by the authorities to investigate the murder of an elderly, insignificant Theban priestess. They fail to inform him, however, that they don’t expect him to solve the case. In fact, they don’t want him to.

“Miss Vesper Holly leads an active life. In the half-dozen years since my wife, Mary, and I, Professor Brinton Garrett, have been her guardians, I have seen her deal calmly and efficiently with erupting volcanoes, floods, earthquakes, exploding sausages, and other stressful events. The dear girl likes to keep busy.”

Lloyd Alexander’s beloved Indiana Jones-style heroine, Vesper Holly, is back for one last adventure. Delving into the mystery of the origins of Western civilization, Vesper and her friends set out for the site of the legendary Troy, only to fall into a trap laid by the despicable Dr. Helvitius.

From Publishers Weekly In 12th-century France, religion suffuses society. Relics, attributed with great power, are (almost) universally venerated and trade in religious objects is a lucrative, often dangerous business.

After losing their first child at birth, ex-novice Catherine Le Vendeur and her English husband, Edgar are drawn into this perilous world when Edgar agrees to pose as a masterless craftsman and infiltrate the group suspected of refashioning stolen religious goods.

Also at stake is the future of Catherine’s relatives, Jews living near the Abbey of St. Denis on sufferance of King Louis VII. Natan ben Judah, whose unsavory reputation may endanger his people, has been murdered; and the relic of the arm of Saint Aldhelm of England, which figures in the dynastic struggles between England’s King Stephen and his cousin Matilda, widow of the Holy Roman Emperor, has disappeared.

Vagabond is a follow-up to Harlequin (The Archer’s Tale in the U.S.) – and starts almost as soon as the earlier book ends, carrying on Thomas of Hookton’s story. He has been sent back to England to pursue his father’s mysterious legacy which hints that the Holy Grail might exist and gets tangled with the Scottish invasion of 1347. He survives that only to discover that various powerful folk in France are pursuing the same quest, a complication that takes Thomas back to Brittany and the brutal fighting about La Roche-Derrien.

Things are going well for Decius Caecilius Metellus. He is Praetor Peregrinus, which means he has to judge a case or two, but those cases are outside of the City. His cases will be those dealing with foreigners, and all of Italy is his province. His first stop is Campania, ‘Italy’s most popular resort district’. Decius and his wife, Julia, are happy for a change of scenery. But the good times end when, in a town near Vesuvius, a priest’s daughter is murdered. Decius must find her killer and keep the mob off a young boy who everyone blames but he believes to be innocent. Decius may have acquired more prestige, but he’s also acquired more trouble.