Not much has changed with managing Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) projects in the past fifteen years. While there are better software and new technology, the industry continues with the same approach with the same disappointing outcomes.Meanwhile, history has shown that leaving the fate of your ERP project in the hands of software consultants and vendors may only create a false sense of security. Regardless of all the right intentions, software consultants are not all-knowing, ...

**From the master of Western noir comes a provocatively entertaining crime saga set in the early days of the film industry.This dark historical adventure captures the beginnings of the Hollywood studio system and the “blue movie” industry that grows up alongside it.**Los Angeles, 1916: Photographer Bill Ogden has opened a portrait studio in the seedy noir world of early Hollywood, where he is joined by his granddaughter, Flavia—a woman in need of a fresh start after bludgeo...

A hardboiled valentine to the Golden State, That Left Turn at Albuquerque marks the return of noir master Scott Phillips.Douglas Rigby, attorney-at-law, is bankrupt. He’s just sunk his last $200,000—a clandestine “loan” from his last remaining client, former bigshot TV exec Glenn Haskill—into a cocaine deal gone wrong. The lesson? Never trust anyone else with the dirty work. Desperate to get back on top, Rigby formulates an art forgery scheme involving one...

**From the author of New York Times Notable book The Ice Harvest, a cult classic of Western noir set in a 19th century Kansas frontier town rocked by a series of brutal murdersIntroducing photographer and saloon owner Bill Ogden. Perfect for fans of Deadwood and Justified**In 1872, Cottonwood, Kansas, is a one-horse speck on the map; a community of run-down farms, dusty roads, and two-bit crooks. Self-educated saloon owner and photographe...

The war is over, but that doesn't mean things are getting better. For PR man Wayne Ogden or any of the returning vets. The town of Wichita, Kansas—built around the industry of Collins Aircraft and its wealthy founder, Everett Collins—is not how they remember it. Against the background violence committed by the returning soldiers trying to make an adjustment back into civilian life, Wayne attempts to destroy his former mentor and take down Collins Aircraft—the once fabled company that provi...

Noir master Scott Phillips's The Walkaway explores the far-reaching consequences of the deception and violence of its predecessor, The Ice Harvest.Summer 1989: Gunther Fahnstiel, once a tough cop who wasn’t averse to taking a little side money from a certain madam, has just escaped the dementia ward of his Wichita nursing home. He’s not exactly sure where he wants to go, but wherever it is, it has to do with the bag full of cash belonging to the m...

The Resilient Child: Thriving Despite Parental Addiction offers a compassionate guide for adults navigating the lasting effects of growing up with an addicted parent. With practical strategies, emotional insights, and real-life stories, this book empowers readers to heal, build resilience, and redefine their futures. From understanding addiction's impact on trust, self-worth, and relationships to developing healthy coping mechanisms and setting life goals, each chapter pro...

Cottonwood (2004) was a huge step forward for the burgeoning king of noir Scott Phillips, and his dark and gritty take on the western earned him starred reviews and praise from crime masters Michael Connelly and George Pelecanos. That novel featured the Kansas town beginning in 1872 when it was just a small community of run down farms, dusty roads, and two–bit crooks. Saloon owner and photographer Bill Ogden thought it could be more and allied with wealthy developer Marc Leval to ...

Sinbad — now Captain of the Martian sand-pirate vessel The Blue Star — led an assault on the Imperial City, aiming to topple evil Emperor Akdhar and place young Prince Muqari, rightful Emperor of Mars, on the throne. The Prince and his guardian, the warrior-woman Qani, were to watch the battle from the safety of the hills, only entering the City if the outcome was in their favor. However, Muqari stealthily slipped away from Qani’s safe-keeping, apparently heading to the City by himself. Wh...

"St. Louis gets a turn to show its dark side . . . [A] spirited, black-hearted collection" including a story from New York Times–bestselling author John Lutz ( Kirkus Reviews).A vibrant Midwest metropolis, St. Louis has a rich, multicultural history of art and literature—both high and low. That duality is embraced here in an anthology that spans the reaches of noir, from violent criminality to bad luck and bad attitudes.St. Louis Noir

Legal decisions continue to mystify: why was this person sentenced to 20 years in prison, but that person to just 10 years for the same crime? Why did one person sue for civil damages, but another let the matter drop? Legal rules are supposed to answer these questions, but their answers are radically incomplete. Wouldn’t it be wonderful to have a theory that predicted and explained legal decisions?Drawing on Donald Black’s theoretical ideas, Geometrical Justice: The Death Penal...

Language is an essential part of what makes us human. Where did it come from? How did it develop into the complex system we know today? And what can an evolutionary perspective tell us about the nature of language and communication?Drawing on a range of disciplines including cognitive science, linguistics, anthropology and evolutionary biology, Speaking Our Minds explains how language evolved and why we are the only species to communicate in this way.Written by a r...