When justice fails, one man becomes something darker than the evil he hunts.Lieutenant James Barnes is a seasoned homicide detective, a man who has seen the worst humanity has to offer. But nothing prepares him for the brutal reality of a child killer who keeps slipping through the system-protected by powerful forces hiding in the shadows.As the body count rises and the system betrays him, Barnes is pushed beyond the limits of law and morality. What begins as a pursuit of j...

A Critical Companion to David Lynch builds on the vast debate of one of the most discussed and researched directors of the present era, with commercial and critical success across multiple mediums and genres. This edited volume provides a wide-ranging exploration of Lynch’s films, practices, and collaborations, with nineteen original chapters examining themes including narrativity, aesthetics, artistry, sound, experimentation, metafiction, and patriarchy from the disciplinary pers...

From the dust of the Montana plains to the farthest reaches of the cosmos, Terrence Malick’s films have enchanted audiences with transcendent images of nature, humanity, and grace for nearly fifty years. The contributors in this volume explore the profound implications of Malick’s stories, images, processes, and convictions as they offer comprehensive studies of the ten completed films of Terrence Malick. Each chapter takes a reflective and retrospective approach, considering new interpret...

A Critical Companion to Steven Spielberg offers a comprehensive, detailed study of the works of Steven Spielberg. Spielberg's early productions stand as landmarks in contemporary cinema, and his involvement with film spans all cinematic genres. Today, Spielberg enjoys an immense and enduring popularity around the globe, and his productions have attracted (and continue to attract) both public and critical attention. This book investigates several distinct areas of Spielberg's works and addr...

Divided between two military alliances, Europe has maintained stability based on political status quo and military power balance. However, European states—including neutral and nonaligned countries—have felt a need for a common policy to guarantee their security, and the Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe (CSCE) was convened to address this concern. Ten years later, the authors of this study find that the outlines of a European security regime are indeed discernible. The conf...

Containing more than 2,200 entries from the most current Star Wars film and TV series, discover the vital facts about iconic characters, creatures, locations, vehicles, and technology from a galaxy far, far away….- This definitive title reveals comprehensive histories of 1,200 characters, from icons like Lando Calrissian and Leia Organa to lesser-known individuals like Max Rebo and Therm Scissorpunch.- From terrifying rancors to adorable porgs, lear...

From Mad Men to MAGA: how nostalgia came to be and why we are so eager to indulge it.From movies to politics, social media posts to the targeted ads between them, nostalgia is one of the most potent forces of our era. On Nostalgia is a panoramic cultural history of nostalgia, exploring how a force that started as a psychological diagnosis of soldiers fighting far from home has come become a quintessentially modern condition. Drawing on everything from the ...

Chelsea never expected that she would have to move when she was nearly nine months pregnant.Then again, she never imagined she'd lose her daughter's father while she was busy baking their baby, either. Heartbroken and distraught over being harassed by a disgruntled family member, she packs up and moves across Virginia with no assistance.Arden, Lincoln, and Kase run the Blacksburg office of Shadow Security. Their instincts won't allow them to ignore their he...

He'd like to be the man in her life, but she already has one hundred and seven collectible Santa Clauses.RyanI'm not a ho-ho-ho kind of guy. My brother and I were raised in foster care, and the closest thing we had to a father was a career criminal who'd sooner steal Christmas than save it. I followed in his footsteps, I'm ashamed to say, and did things for him that I regret.Like taking a priceless Christmas ornament from a...

In this inspiring odyssey of the heart, readers journey through the birth and blossoming of a revolutionary concept crafted to reconnect humanity in the digital age. Crafted from the fertile soil of a prophetic dream, this narrative unfolds as a visionary's call to reclaim the sweetness in our interconnected lives. Embedded within these pages is the saga of Peaches, an oasis in the code where acts of kindness are currency and compassion is the foundation. This transformative tale invites u...

Sometimes, an unexpected night can change everything...It's said that college is where you try things and eventually find yourself. Chase Matthewson hadn't expected to experiment with his roommate and fellow teammate, Gage Statler, but a drunken night at a party led them to the same bed. Before either of them could wrap their heads around what happened, Gage suffered a devastating injury and left college.With no closure, the two put that night behind them a...