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NIV® Standard Lesson Commentary® 2024-2025 (Standard Lesson Comm)
by Standard PublishingAs the world&’s most popular annual Bible commentary for more than three decades, Standard Lesson Commentary (SLC) provides 53 weeks of study in a single volume and combines thorough Bible study with relevant examples and questions. Key features include: Verse-by-verse explanation of the Bible text Detailed lesson context Pronunciation guide for difficult words Printed Scripture Discussion starters A review quiz for each quarter Available in the King James Version (KJV) and New International Version® (NIV) Bible translations, the SLC is based on the popular Uniform Series. This series, developed by scholars from numerous church fellowships, outlines an in-depth study of the Bible over a multi-year period.The four main themes of the 2024–2025 study are:Worship in the Covenant Community—Genesis, Exodus, 2 Samuel, 1 Kings, 2 Kings, 2 Chronicles, Isaiah, Psalms, John A King Forever and Ever—Ruth, 2 Samuel, Psalms, Matthew, Luke Costly Sacrifice—Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy, 1 & 2 Chronicles, Ezra, Matthew, Hebrews, 1 John, Revelation Sacred Altars and Holy Gifts—Genesis, Matthew, Luke, John, Romans, 1 Corinthians, Ephesians, Hebrews, 1 Peter The SLC is perfect as the primary resource for an adult Sunday School class, for personal study, or as a supplemental resource for any curriculum that follows the ISSL/Uniform Series. Nearly two dozen ministers, teachers, and Christian education specialists contribute their expertise to SLC. The Deluxe Edition features online and downloadable access for the Standard Lesson eCommentary through FaithLife&’s Logos Bible Software. This includes the full text of the Standard Lesson Commentary (both KJV and NIV® editions) as well as: PowerPoint® presentations Full text of the KJV Bible Full-color visual resources Student activity reproducible pages Quarterly quiz More than a dozen additional helps and resources
Unnatural Habitat: The Native and Exotic Wildlife of Los Angeles
by Craig StanfordA guide to the ecosystem famously known as Los Angeles, from a field biologist and longtime San Gabriel Valley resident."A worthy and illuminating entry in the tradition of works exploring urbanization's effect on the environment." —Los Angeles TimesWithin the sprawling metropolis of Los Angeles and its suburbs, residents coexist—often unknowingly—with a bustling mosaic of native and introduced wildlife. Conservationist Craig Stanford, whose research has taken him around the world, now takes a deep dive into the natural history of his Southern California home. Stanford's informed and vivid accounts of more than 150 species entreat us to appreciate the ecological marvels of sagebrush and skunks and skippers, the iconic palms of LA lore, and the mountain lions still roaming the hills.These portraits of the glamorous, humble, irritating, and altogether fascinating species that live alongside Angelenos urge us to recognize that even in a jungle of concrete, we live within nature. Witty and captivating, and combining cutting-edge research with his own critter encounters, Stanford demonstrates the beauty of shaping our cities to support biodiversity, and he warns against the threats that can tip urban ecosystems out of balance, leaving us in a much lonelier world.
Creative Hustle: Blaze Your Own Path and Make Work That Matters (Stanford d.school Library)
by Stanford d.school Olatunde Sobomehin sam seidelA vibrant, illustrated guide to blazing a unique and fulfilling creative path, from the Stanford d.school.Humans have always been creative hustlers—problem solvers who seek to live beyond the limits suggested by society. Yet we live in a world where the place you were born, the amount of money you have, and the level of melanin in your skin indicate the precise path you are expected to follow. Too many of us silence our creativity and let our hustle calcify as we settle for the roles assigned to us. Now Olatunde Sobomehin and sam seidel, co-teachers of the Creative Hustle course at Stanford University, help you identify and navigate your own creative path that leads from your gifts—your unique combination of skills—to your goals, where you make a living doing things that matter. You'll learn about other creative hustlers, like Bryant Terry, who merged his passions for social justice and African American cuisine to become an award-winning eco-chef and cookbook author; Sian Heder, who used her desire to deeply understand herself and others to make award-winning films that add to the cultural conversation; and author/TV host Ayesha Curry, who aligns her professional and personal decisions with her core values. Taking inspiration and lessons from these creative problem-solvers and using activities from the Creative Hustle course, you will begin to see and shape your own path—and follow it to the fulfillment of your goals.
Sustainable Tourism, Culture and Heritage Promotion: Development, Management and Connectivity (Advances in Science, Technology & Innovation)
by Uglješa Stankov Rui Alexandre Castanho Jorge Chica-Olmo Miroslav Vujičić Eliana MartinelliThis proceedings book explores future prospects of cultural, heritage, and religious tourism and how it can impact the socioeconomic complexity of a community and future developments. It includes chapters on contemporary digital age pilgrimage, digital interpretation as a management strategy, tourism in the era of digital communication, and the role of social media in conserving intangible cultural heritage. This book focuses on policies and mechanisms for heritage preservation. It includes cultural heritage tourism management, how the digitalization of data has impacted and further developed tourism, World Heritage classification in urban tourism destinations, cultural tourism products, and experiences. Moreover, it discusses the sustainable environment and geography in tourism. It covers topics such as ecotourism and rural sustainable development, heritage in socioeconomic sustainable development, and tourists' perceptions of tourism. Anotherpart of the book explores the social and economic impacts of tourism. It includes chapters on cycling tourism along the Elbe, residents' perceptions of the socioeconomic benefits of restaurants, architecture of historical mosques, tourism as a driver of soft power, tourists' perceptions of service quality, tourism during the Covid-19 pandemic, gastronomic narratives in tourism, and residents' perceptions of festivals. Also, it pinpoints the focus on user interaction-based development. It includes chapters on the role of community-led initiatives in heritage revitalization and addressing connectivity issues between historical and natural touristic heritage sites. These research papers provide valuable insights into the multidimensional nature of cultural sustainable tourism, covering a wide range of topics and offering diverse perspectives on its development, management, and impact.
Game Design for Free-to-Play Live Service (Synthesis Lectures on Image, Video, and Multimedia Processing)
by Stanislav Stanković"Game Design for Free to Play Live Service" is the ultimate guide to designing successful free-to-play mobile games. Based on a decade of experience at companies like Rovio, EA, and Supercell, the author provides practical advice on gameplay mechanics, monetization strategies, and player engagement. With case studies and expert insights, this book is essential reading for any game developer looking to create a hit mobile game.
Guardrails Bible Study Guide, Updated Edition: Avoiding Regret in Your Life
by Andy StanleyEver wonder what it would be like to have guardrails in other areas of your life—areas where culture baits you to the edge of disaster and then chastises you when you step across the line? Your friendships. Your finances. Your marriage. Maybe your greatest regret could have been avoided if you had established guardrails.In this five-session video-based small group Bible study (video sold separately), Andy Stanley challenges us to stop flirting with disaster and establish some personal guardrails.Sessions include: Direct and ProtectProximityForever YoursMoney MattersThe Heart of the MatterDesigned for use with the Guardrails Video Study (9780310095910), sold separately.
Irresistible Bible Study Guide: Reclaiming the New That Jesus Unleashed for the World
by Andy StanleyAuthor and pastor Andy Stanley explains what made the earliest Christian movement so compelling and resilient...and what we need to change today to make it so again.Once upon a time there was a version of the Christian faith that was practically irresistible. After all, what could be more so than the gospel that Jesus ushered in? Why, then, isn't it the same with Christianity today?In this six-session video Bible study (DVD/video streaming not included), Pastor Andy answers questions like:What did first-century Christians know that we don't—about God's Word, about their lives, about love?What did they do that we're not doing?What makes Christianity so resistible in today's culture?What needs to change in order to repeat the growth our faith had at its beginning?Andy is deeply concerned with the present-day church and its future, and he believes that many of the solutions to our issues can be found by investigating our roots. It's time to hit pause and consider the faith modeled by our first-century brothers and sisters who had no official Bible, no status, and little chance of survival. It's time to embrace the version of faith that initiated—against all human odds—a chain of events resulting in the most significant and extensive cultural transformation the world has ever seen.This is a version of Christianity we must remember and re-embrace if we want to be salt and light in an increasingly savorless and dark world.Designed for use with the Irresistible Video Study (9780310100515) and the Irresistible core book (9780310536970), sold separately.
Twisting the Truth Bible Study Participant's Guide: Learning To Discern In A Culture Of Deception
by Andy StanleyUnraveling the Lies That Twist Our LivesIn six insight-packed sessions, Andy Stanley exposes four destructive and all-too-prevalent lies about authority, pain, sex, and sin. They’re deceptions powerful enough to ruin our relationships, our lives, even our eternities—but only if we let them. Including both a small group DVD and participant’s guide that work together, Twisting the Truth untwists the lies that can drag us down. With his gift for straight, to-the-heart communication, Andy Stanley helps us exchange falsehoods for truths that can turn our lives completely around.
What Makes You Happy Bible Study Participant's Guide: It's Not What You'd Expect
by Andy StanleyEverybody wants to be happy. Everybody is on a happiness quest. For many, happiness is measured in moments. Experiences. It's elusive. Unsustainable. What about you? What makes you happy? Something comes to mind for each of us.In this six-session video Bible study, pastor Andy Stanley examines the ways in which we tend to define happiness and explains how that definition influences the way we pursue it. He reveals that happiness is about who, not what, and that happy people are at peace with God, with others, and with themselves. He also shows how sin undermines peace because it separates us from God, others, and ourselves by substituting pleasure for fulfillment, things for people, images for intimacy, and self-expression for self-control.We are often tempted to believe that happiness comes from acquiring things, but happiness is actually an outcome of what we sow in our lives. We can&’t acquire, consume, or exercise our way to happiness, but we may be able to serve and volunteer our way there. In the end, we find that if we live as if it&’s all about us, we will never be happy.Sessions include:NothingPlan for ItPeace with GodHappy MoneyShoesYou&’re Not EnoughDesigned for use with the What Makes You Happy DVD (sold separately).
Why Easter Matters Bible Study Guide
by Andy StanleyHave you ever been at odds with God?Have you resisted, defied, or tried to bargain your way out of what you thought God wanted?You aren&’t alone. Scripture documents similar stories.In this Easter Study Andy Stanley looks at some of the people whose lives intersected with Jesus in the weeks leading to his crucifixion. Each of them had an agenda that put them at odds with God and Jesus. As you&’ll see, there&’s a little bit of them in all of us.The Why Easter Matters Study Guide includes session overviews, video teaching notes, discussion questions, personal reflection material, and a leader&’s guide.Sessions include:The High Cost of Following ChristThe Risk of Surrendering to GodThe God Who Can Be TrustedThe Foundation of Our FaithDesigned for use with the Who Needs Christmas / Why Easter Matters Video Study (9780310121121), sold separately. Streaming video also available.
Huxley's Church and Maxwell's Demon: From Theistic Science to Naturalistic Science
by Matthew StanleyDuring the Victorian period, the practice of science shifted from a religious context to a naturalistic one. It is generally assumed that this shift occurred because naturalistic science was distinct from and superior to theistic science. Yet as Huxley’s Church and Maxwell’s Demon reveals, most of the methodological values underlying scientific practice were virtually identical for the theists and the naturalists: each agreed on the importance of the uniformity of natural laws, the use of hypothesis and theory, the moral value of science, and intellectual freedom. But if scientific naturalism did not rise to dominance because of its methodological superiority, then how did it triumph? Matthew Stanley explores the overlap and shift between theistic and naturalistic science through a parallel study of two major scientific figures: James Clerk Maxwell, a devout Christian physicist, and Thomas Henry Huxley, the iconoclast biologist who coined the word agnostic. Both were deeply engaged in the methodological, institutional, and political issues that were crucial to the theistic-naturalistic transformation. What Stanley’s analysis of these figures reveals is that the scientific naturalists executed a number of strategies over a generation to gain control of the institutions of scientific education and to reimagine the history of their discipline. Rather than a sudden revolution, the similarity between theistic and naturalistic science allowed for a relatively smooth transition in practice from the old guard to the new.
Creating Life-Long Learners: Using Project-Based Management to Teach 21st Century Skills
by Todd M. StanleyWanted for the global workforce: thinkers (and those who can teach them) Where K-12 instruction once centered on content and memorization, today’s educators want, most of all, to teach their students to think critically and perceptively. What better way than with project-based learning (PBL)? Author Todd Stanley provides a teacher-friendly, step-by-step approach to implementing PBL, focusing on the 21st century "three R’s": readiness, responsibility, and relevance. Educators will be prepared to put this practical methodology to work right away, as they learn how to Use project and classroom management skills to create a positive, productive learning environment Develop curriculum around ten different project types Link projects with today’s standards Teach students how to effectively collaborate and bring out the best in each other Readers will find an abundance of ideas and clear guidance, along with new strategies for instilling the skills students need for tomorrow’s workforce. "If you are looking for a way to produce higher level thinkers, you really need to read this book. It is a recipe for successful life long learners." Tamara Daugherty, Teacher Lakeville Elementary School "Student lead project based learning fuses today’s classroom with the demands of the fast paced future. Students need to be able to interact and problem solve not just with each other, but also within the community and with technology. This book is a guide for helping educators make that jump with their instruction." Debra K. Las, Teacher Rochest Public Schools
Creating Life-Long Learners: Using Project-Based Management to Teach 21st Century Skills
by Todd M. StanleyWanted for the global workforce: thinkers (and those who can teach them) Where K-12 instruction once centered on content and memorization, today’s educators want, most of all, to teach their students to think critically and perceptively. What better way than with project-based learning (PBL)? Author Todd Stanley provides a teacher-friendly, step-by-step approach to implementing PBL, focusing on the 21st century "three R’s": readiness, responsibility, and relevance. Educators will be prepared to put this practical methodology to work right away, as they learn how to Use project and classroom management skills to create a positive, productive learning environment Develop curriculum around ten different project types Link projects with today’s standards Teach students how to effectively collaborate and bring out the best in each other Readers will find an abundance of ideas and clear guidance, along with new strategies for instilling the skills students need for tomorrow’s workforce. "If you are looking for a way to produce higher level thinkers, you really need to read this book. It is a recipe for successful life long learners." Tamara Daugherty, Teacher Lakeville Elementary School "Student lead project based learning fuses today’s classroom with the demands of the fast paced future. Students need to be able to interact and problem solve not just with each other, but also within the community and with technology. This book is a guide for helping educators make that jump with their instruction." Debra K. Las, Teacher Rochest Public Schools
The Final Season: Fathers, Sons, and One Last Season in a Classic American Ballpark
by Tom StantonTom Stanton's The Final Season offers a powerful memoir of fathers, sons, and the end of a baseball era. Maybe your dad took you to ball games at Fenway, Wrigley, or Ebbets. Maybe the two of you watched broadcasts from Yankee Stadium or Candlestick Park, or listened as Red Barber or Vin Scully called the plays on radio. Or maybe he coached your team or just played catch with you in the yard. Chances are good that if you're a baseball fan, your dad had something to do with it--and your thoughts of the sport evoke thoughts of him. If so, you will treasure The Final Season, a poignant true story about baseball and heroes, family and forgiveness, doubts and dreams, and a place that brings them all together. Growing up in the 60s and 70s, Tom Stanton lived for his Detroit Tigers. When Tiger Stadium began its 88th and final season, he vowed to attend all 81 home games in order to explore his attachment to the place where four generations of his family have shared baseball. Join him as he encounters idols, conjures decades past, and discovers the mysteries of a park where Cobb and Ruth played. Come along and sit beside Al Kaline on the dugout bench, eat popcorn with Elmore Leonard, hear Alice Cooper's confessions, soak up the warmth of Ernie Harwell, see McGwire and Ripken up close, and meet Chicken Legs Rau, Bleacher Pete, Al the Usher, and a parade of fans who are anything but ordinary.By the autumn of his odyssey, Stanton comes to realize that his anguish isn't just about the loss of a beloved ballpark but about his dad's mortality, for at the heart of this story is the love between fathers and sons--a theme that resonates with baseball fans of all ages.
Restoration of Boreal and Temperate Forests (Integrative Studies in Water Management & Land Development)
by John A. StanturfThis substantially updated new edition reflects the growing recognition that large areas of forests are degraded globally. This edition describes forest restoration in the context of rapid social, economic, environmental, and climate change. Covering the last decade's significant advances in forest restoration concepts and practice, this edition has 16 new chapters and 19 thoroughly revised chapters. This book is an excellent source of information for researchers, managers, policymakers, and graduate students in forestry and ecology.
Understanding Business Ethics
by Peter A. Stanwick Sarah D. StanwickUnderstanding Business Ethics, Fourth Edition offers an impactful exploration into the realm of ethics in the global business environment. Authors Peter A. Stanwick and Sarah D. Stanwick integrate four key dimensions to differentiate their work from other ethics textbooks: a global perspective, real-world business cases, comprehensive ethics topics, and a consistent theme linking each chapter. Whether it′s uncovering the intricate relations between businesses and their stakeholders, discussing the effects of financial reporting, or exploring the ethical implications of information technology, marketing, human resources, and the natural environment, this textbook equips readers with a robust ethical framework for the business world. Additionally, the timely case studies from diverse industries demonstrate the very real consequences of ethical and unethical decisions. This title is accompanied by a complete teaching and learning package. Learning Platform / Courseware Sage Vantage is an intuitive learning platform that integrates quality Sage textbook content with assignable multimedia activities and auto-graded assessments to drive student engagement and ensure accountability. Unparalleled in its ease of use and built for dynamic teaching and learning, Vantage offers customizable LMS integration and best-in-class support. It’s a learning platform you, and your students, will actually love. Select the Vantage tab on this page to learn more. Assignable Video with Assessment Assignable video (available in Sage Vantage) is tied to learning objectives and curated exclusively for this text to bring concepts to life. Watch a sample video now. LMS Cartridge: Import this title’s instructor resources into your school’s learning management system (LMS) and save time. Don’t use an LMS? You can still access all of the same online resources for this title via the password-protected Instructor Resource Site. Select the Resources tab on this page to learn more.
Understanding Business Ethics
by Peter A. Stanwick Sarah D. StanwickUnderstanding Business Ethics, Fourth Edition offers an impactful exploration into the realm of ethics in the global business environment. Authors Peter A. Stanwick and Sarah D. Stanwick integrate four key dimensions to differentiate their work from other ethics textbooks: a global perspective, real-world business cases, comprehensive ethics topics, and a consistent theme linking each chapter. Whether it′s uncovering the intricate relations between businesses and their stakeholders, discussing the effects of financial reporting, or exploring the ethical implications of information technology, marketing, human resources, and the natural environment, this textbook equips readers with a robust ethical framework for the business world. Additionally, the timely case studies from diverse industries demonstrate the very real consequences of ethical and unethical decisions. This title is accompanied by a complete teaching and learning package. Learning Platform / Courseware Sage Vantage is an intuitive learning platform that integrates quality Sage textbook content with assignable multimedia activities and auto-graded assessments to drive student engagement and ensure accountability. Unparalleled in its ease of use and built for dynamic teaching and learning, Vantage offers customizable LMS integration and best-in-class support. It’s a learning platform you, and your students, will actually love. Select the Vantage tab on this page to learn more. Assignable Video with Assessment Assignable video (available in Sage Vantage) is tied to learning objectives and curated exclusively for this text to bring concepts to life. Watch a sample video now. LMS Cartridge: Import this title’s instructor resources into your school’s learning management system (LMS) and save time. Don’t use an LMS? You can still access all of the same online resources for this title via the password-protected Instructor Resource Site. Select the Resources tab on this page to learn more.
"I Am a Man": Chief Standing Bear's Journey for Justice
by Joe StaritaIn 1877, Chief Standing Bear's Ponca Indian tribe was forcibly removed from their Nebraska homeland and marched to what was then known as Indian Territory (now Oklahoma), in what became the tribe's own Trail of Tears. "I Am a Man" chronicles what happened when Standing Bear set off on a six-hundred-mile walk to return the body of his only son to their traditional burial ground. Along the way, it examines the complex relationship between the United States government and the small, peaceful tribe and the legal consequences of land swaps and broken treaties, while never losing sight of the heartbreaking journey the Ponca endured. It is a story of survival---of a people left for dead who arose from the ashes of injustice, disease, neglect, starvation, humiliation, and termination. On another level, it is a story of life and death, despair and fortitude, freedom and patriotism. A story of Christian kindness and bureaucratic evil. And it is a story of hope---of a people still among us today, painstakingly preserving a cultural identity that had sustained them for centuries before their encounter with Lewis and Clark in the fall of 1804.Before it ends, Standing Bear's long journey home also explores fundamental issues of citizenship, constitutional protection, cultural identity, and the nature of democracy---issues that continue to resonate loudly in twenty-first-century America. It is a story that questions whether native sovereignty, tribal-based societies, and cultural survival are compatible with American democracy. Standing Bear successfully used habeas corpus, the only liberty included in the original text of the Constitution, to gain access to a federal court and ultimately his freedom. This account aptly illuminates how the nation's delicate system of checks and balances worked almost exactly as the Founding Fathers envisioned, a system arguably out of whack and under siege today. Joe Starita's well-researched and insightful account reads like historical fiction as his careful characterizations and vivid descriptions bring this piece of American history brilliantly to life.
A Warrior of the People: How Susan La Flesche Overcame Racial and Gender Inequality to Become America's First Indian Doctor
by Joe Starita"An important and riveting story of a 19th-century feminist and change agent. Starita successfully balances the many facts with vivid narrative passages that put the reader inside the very thoughts and emotions of La Flesche." —Chicago TribuneOn March 14, 1889, Susan La Flesche Picotte received her medical degree—becoming the first Native American doctor in U.S. history. She earned her degree thirty-one years before women could vote and thirty-five years before Indians could become citizens in their own country. By age twenty-six, this fragile but indomitable Native woman became the doctor to her tribe. Overnight, she acquired 1,244 patients scattered across 1,350 square miles of rolling countryside with few roads. Her patients often were desperately poor and desperately sick—tuberculosis, small pox, measles, influenza—families scattered miles apart, whose last hope was a young woman who spoke their language and knew their customs.This is the story of an Indian woman who effectively became the chief of an entrenched patriarchal tribe, the story of a woman who crashed through thick walls of ethnic, racial and gender prejudice, then spent the rest of her life using a unique bicultural identity to improve the lot of her people—physically, emotionally, politically, and spiritually. Joe Starita's A Warrior of the People is the moving biography of Susan La Flesche Picotte’s inspirational life and dedication to public health, and it will finally shine a light on her numerous accomplishments.
Professional's Guide to Trauma-informed Decision Making
by Cortny Stark Jose Luis Tapia Jr. Kylie Rogalla Kate BunchProfessional’s Guide to Trauma-informed Ethical Decision Making offers helping professionals a framework comprising the 10 Principles of Trauma-informed Ethical Practice (Stark, Tapia-Fuselier, & Bunch, 2022) enhanced with prominent ethical decision making models. These principles build upon the SAMHSA (2014) conceptualization of trauma-informed care, address key concepts such as Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) and their long-term impact, marginalization stress, the influence of military and law enforcement experience, and others. Despite distinctions between the diversity of helping professions (in credentials, scope of practice, and theoretical approach), the same decision making models for trauma-informed care is a requirement for best practice. Thus, this volume is designed to address the needs of professionals serving diverse clientele, particularly those who’ve experienced trauma and adversity. Practitioners may utilize this text to as a guide to assistwith ethical decision making when working with client survivors of trauma, and educators may select this text as required reading to support the development of trauma-informed clinicians-in-training.
Social Justice Innovation in Africa (Routledge Studies in African Development)
by Laura Stark Maija Mustaniemi-Laakso Viljam EngströmAdopting a multidisciplinary approach, this book discusses the potential of social innovation in the pursuit of social justice in Africa. In the twenty-first century, social innovation and entrepreneurship have attracted renewed attention as a way of promoting social justice and addressing challenges of poverty and inequality.Drawing on perspectives from human rights, economics, business, development studies and anthropology, this book illustrates the entangled relationship between societal areas and activities, as well as different actors (individuals, communities, business actors, non-governmental organisations and public authorities) in social innovation. It identifies various models of social innovation, ranging from grassroots initiatives to public policymaking, and discusses their impact on socioeconomic welfare. It analyses a broad range of original research data and incorporates localised understandings of social innovation, highlighting both the empowering potential of social innovation and the possibility that it could sustain or create inequalities. As such, this book deepens an understanding of what makes social innovation ‘social’ and ‘just’.Arguing that social justice innovation can only be understood in context, this book will be of interest for researchers and policy makers across the fields of human rights, economics, business, development studies, anthropology and African studies.
Backflash: A Parker Novel (The Parker Novels)
by Richard StarkParker's got a couple of rules that have helped keep him alive throughout his long career. One of those is never to work on a boat. But with a gambling boat cruising down the Hudson, stuffed to the gunwales with cash, Parker’s got a plan, a team, and a new rule: a shot at a big enough score makes any rule worth breaking. Parker and his crew hit the boat, hard, but as always, there are a lot of complications—and a lot of bodies—before this one's in the bag.
The Black Ice Score: A Parker Novel (The Parker Novels)
by Richard StarkA corrupt African colonel has converted half his country’s wealth into diamonds and smuggled them to a Manhattan safe house. Four upstanding citizens plan to rescue their new nation by stealing the diamonds back—with the help of a “specialist”: Parker. Will Parker break his rule against working with amateurs and help them because his woman would be disappointed if he doesn’t? Or because three hired morons have threatened to kill him and his woman if he does? They thought they were buying an advantage, but what they get is a predated death certificate.
The Blackbird: An Alan Grofield Novel
by Richard StarkDonald E. Westlake is one of the greats of crime fiction. Under the pseudonym Richard Stark, he wrote twenty-four fast-paced, hardboiled novels featuring Parker, a shrewd career criminal with a talent for heists. Using the same nom de plume, Westlake also completed a separate series in the Parker universe, starring Alan Grofield, an occasional colleague of Parker. While he shares events and characters with several Parker novels, Grofield is less calculating and more hot-blooded than Parker; think fewer guns, more dames. Not that there isn’t violence and adventure aplenty. The third Grofield novel, The Blackbird shares its first chapter with Slayground: after a traumatic car crash, Parker eludes the police, but Grofield gets caught. Lying injured in the hospital, Grofield is visited by G-Men who offer him an alternative to jail, and he finds himself forced into a deadly situation involving international criminals and a political conspiracy. With a new foreword by Sarah Weinman that situates the Grofield series within Westlake’s work as a whole, this novel is an exciting addition to any crime fiction fan’s library.
Firebreak: A Parker Novel
by Richard StarkBetween Parker’s 1961 debut and his return in the late 1990s, the whole world of crime changed. Now fake IDs and credit cards had to be purchased from specialists; increasingly sophisticated policing made escape and evasion tougher; and, worst of all, money had gone digital—the days of cash-stuffed payroll trucks were long gone. But cash isn’t everything: Flashfire and Firebreak find Parker going after, respectively, a fortune in jewels and a collection of priceless paintings. In Flashfire, Parker’s in West Palm Beach, competing with a crew that has an unhealthy love of explosions. When things go sour, Parker finds himself shot and trapped—and forced to rely on a civilian to survive. Firebreak takes Parker to a palatial Montana "hunting lodge" where a dot-com millionaire hides a gallery of stolen old masters—which will fetch Parker a pretty penny if his team can just get it past the mansion’s tight security. The forests of Montana are an inhospitable place for a heister when well-laid plans fall apart, but no matter how untamed the wilderness, Parker’s guaranteed to be the most dangerous predator around.