As a child, Ashley Whitelam could often see odd things nobody else could: quiet, watchful figures she called the Heedful Ones kept a strange vigil wherever she went. As an adult, she keeps these visions to herself, but she's turned her taste of the beyond into a career as a psychic, parting people from their money with a combination of psychology and internet research. When the Lake District is gripped by a series of grisly child murders, Ashley offers...

"Rosemary meets Ash at the farmers' market. Ash--precise, pretty, and practically perfect--sells bars of soap in delicate pastel colors, sprinkle-spackled cupcakes stacked on scalloped stands, beeswax candles, jelly jars of honey, and glossy green plants. Ro has never felt this way about another woman; with Ash, she wants to be her and have her in equal measure. But as her obsession with Ash consumes her, she may find she's not the one doing the...

"Wil Greene's mom has been missing for over a year, and the police are ready to call the case closed-they claim she skipped town and you can't find a woman who wants to disappear. But she knows her mom wouldn't just leave ... and she knows the family of her former best friend, Elwood Clarke, has something to do with it. Elwood has been counting down the days until his 18th birthday-in dread. It marks leaving school and joining his pastor father in...

"Tragedy has stalked Blake Larsen her entire life. Orphaned after the violent death of her parents, her Green Beret brother Caleb was all she had left. He was there the day she graduated high school, and the first person she called after she became a federal agent. And then the cops find him swinging from the rafters. The horrific discovery pushes Blake to the edge of despair. But after one of Caleb's closest friends is violently murdered outside...

"King and Kayla are going to a sleepover at Thor and Jillian’s house. King LOVES sleepovers. They’re his favorite thing! And he particularly likes Jillian’s basement, because animals are allowed on the furniture. But Jillian and Thor are afraid to go downstairs because there’s big, dark blob that goes “Whoooooo!” and chases her around the basement. Kayla’s not worried; she wants to know what’s happening downstairs. With her intrepid...

Each year, scientists issue ever more dire warnings about the progress of climate change and its disastrous impact on humanity and all life on earth, and for many Americans, combating this destructive trend is a leading priority. One of the most important steps is to reduce dependence on "dirty energy" sources, like fossil fuels, and to shift to using renewable energy. This issue of The Reference Shelf looks at the renewable energy debate and draws...