he island of Oahu is warm breezes, skyscrapers and green mountains—but a daring young thief is out to make a statement, and Special Agent Lei Texeira’s new career is already on the line.

Lei Texeira has made a difficult transition from detective on Maui to the FBI on Oahu—and her first big case as an agent draws national media attention. With her typical jump-first, look-later style, she pursues her quarry from Oahu to the outer islands, rousing old conflicts and new heartbreak.

When her brother is murdered in first-century Rome, Theodosia Varro inherits the family estate, going from poverty and isolation to great wealth and a prestigious position in society. Unfortunately, she lives in a time and a place that deny women of her class the very things she most desires: personal freedom and self-determination. Only by identifying her brother’s killer can she feel safe, yet her efforts take her in quite the opposite direction. After her own actions and the scheming of others lead to catastrophe, Theodosia struggles to survive and recover what matters most in her life.

Old Man Fookwire is a grump. The only thing he likes to do is paint pictures of the birds that visit his backyard. The problem is, they fly south every winter, leaving him sad and lonely. So he decides to get them to stay by putting up beautiful birdfeeders filled with seeds and berries. Unfortunately, the squirrels like the treats, too, and make a daring raid on the feeders. The conflict escalates—until the birds depart (as usual), and the squirrels come up with a plan that completely charms the old grump.

In Evaleen – From Rags to Riches, Eva Doyle, a shy teenager, decides to make and sell beauty creams from an old recipe book, given to her by her grandmother who was known for having a beautiful complexion even into old age. Eva’s goal is to support her desperately poor parents. Unfortunately nobody seems to want something as useless as beauty creams. Worse, she is definitely not a beauty herself, there’s her father’s untimely death, her mother’s mental decline and her hopeless crush on a rich young man who barely knows she is alive. But then she decides to become somebody else, somebody named Evaleen.

From My Mama’s Kitchen reveals 30 timeless recipes for living, ranging from the power of relationships to the nature of love and the meaning of life. Released with the endorsement of the National Association of Mothers’ Centers, the book is dedicated to the realization and mastery of the power of unconditional love. The book offers a wealth of wisdom, knowledge of practical living skills and effective communication techniques brought to the reader from the nurturing comfort of a kitchen setting. From the virtue of spiritual awareness to self-actualization, Johnny’s 9 moms nourished him with their wisdom to become a person defined by his thoughts and actions.

Life didn’t do Kenny Tingle any favors. In The Girl in the Italian Bakery, follow his journey from childhood in a tough housing project north of Boston, the abduction and disappearance of a childhood friend, to the complete destruction of a family. His introduction to crime and the years he spent in foster homes. The poor choices he made in high school and the startling climax on prom night. Although he never has trouble meeting girls, the one girl he longs for always seems out of reach. The Girl in the Italian Bakery is the remarkably true story of always keeping hope, even when there is little left to hope for. This is a story of surviving through extreme adversity, and, ultimately, redemption.

One of the most powerful ways to inspire young people to greatness is through the stories of great people from the past. In Portraits of Integrity you and your children will be challenged to strive for excellence through the examples of 45 people in all three volumes who did just that. In Volume 1, they will meet:

–Jake DeShazer who was a prisoner of the Japanese during World War II. He was tortured and kept in solitary confinement for many months, but when a Bible came into his hands he became a Christian and later went to Japan to share the gospel with his former enemies.