Michael Walsh

For anyone who has been intimidated, overwhelmed, or just plain confused by what they think opera is, WHO'S AFRAID OF OPERA? offers a lively, readable guide to what author Michael Walsh describes as "the greatest art form yet invented by humankind." From opera's origins in Renaissance Italy to The Who's rock odyssey "Tommy" and Stephen Sondheim's "Into the Woods," Walsh explores what opera is and what it's not, what makes a great singer, and why it...

In this powerful debut novel Michael Walsh delivers an unparalleled jolt of dark, scintillating suspense that blends John Le Carre with James Ellroy. Lt. Francis X. Byrne, a smart, ambitious homicide detective on the rise, lives in a rundown Hell's Kitchen apartment and knows far less about his own life than he believes. Struggling with his temper, his drinking and his relationship with a woman who has him outclassed, Byrne is trying to solve the...

It starts with the unthinkable--the most horrific act of violence ever committed on American soil. Only one man can stop them. Hostile Intent Code named Devlin, he exists in the blackest shadows of the United States government--operating off the grid as the NSA's top agent. He's their most lethal weapon. . .and their most secret. But someone is trying to draw him out into the open by putting America's citizens in the crosshairs--and they will continue...

In 1271, with the papal throne vacant for over two years, local officials locked the cardinals of the Catholic Church in a room, forcing them to select a new pope. From this inauspicious beginning arose the practice of the conclave, the highly secretive combination of rituals and politics designed to select a new leader for the world's Catholic population. With Pope John Paul II ailing, the time for a new conclave draws nearer, and Rome is preparing...

Contains fifty-two biographical essays profiling the greatest and most influencial occupants of the throne of St. Peter, from St. Peter himself to Francis. The essays can be read as self-contained portraits of individual papal lives or as a larger narrative chronicling the history of this important institution of the Christian Church.

White Cargo is the forgotten story of the thousands of Britons who lived and died in bondage in Britain's American colonies. In the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, more than 300,000 white people were shipped to America as slaves. Urchins were swept up from London's streets to labor in the tobacco fields, where life expectancy was no more than two years. Brothels were raided to provide "breeders" for Virginia. Hopeful migrants were duped into...

"Luke Skywalker finally gets the alone time he's been after with Princess Leia - unfortunately, it comes while they're stranded on a desert island! In tales of the Star Wars underworld, Sana and Lando join forces on Coruscant to swindle some credits, and Han and Chewie go back to smuggling ... for a Hutt?!." --