"Krinard, Susan - Secret of the Wolf" - читать интересную книгу автора (Krinard Susan)

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ISBN: 0-425-18199-5
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PRINTED IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

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"Susan Krinard returns to her werewolf roots to spin an absolutely thrilling taleЕ A compelling, unforgettable romance of two lonely people who finally discover that love holds all the answers."
ЧRomantic Times
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"Touch of the Wolf is Susan Krinard at her best. [It is] a fascinating tale of beasts and beauties, love and betrayal, werewolves and humans, men and womenЕ Touch of the Wolf is full of wonderful surprises."
ЧAnne Stuart
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"Touch of the Wolf a mystical, enthralling read, brimming with lyrical prose, powerful emotions, dark secrets, and shattering sensuality. Susan Krinard brings the world of the werewolf to life in a riveting and believable way."
ЧEugenia Riley
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"Ms. Krinard has gifted us with a masterpiece of writing."
ЧRendezvous
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"Two thumbs-up to the stratosphere for the dazzling second romantic fantasy from the pen of one of the genre's next superstarsЕ Krinard takes a giant leap forward in what promises to be a spectacular career. Brava!"
ЧRomantic Times
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This book is dedicated to every man, woman, and child who has ever suffered the devastating effects of mental illnessЧthose who have faced its challenges and have never given up hope of ultimate victory. It is also dedicated to the courageous men and women who have never ceased to search for cures, and to understand the mysteries of the human heart, mind, and soul.
ЧSusan Krinard, 2001

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Acknowledgments
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I wish to thank Fred Larimore for his assistance with information about nineteenth-century Indian Army regiments, officers, and campaigns. His Web page on this subject is http://pobox.upenn.edu/~fbl/. Any mistakes regarding the British Army are my own.
I am also grateful for the ongoing encouragement, support, and feedback from my friend Eugenia Riley.

Chapter 1
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South Vallejo, California, 1880
"Stop!"
The vicious drunkard who bent over the cringing boy paused, his fist in midair, as if he had heard the voice of God Himself. Or, at the very least, a policeman with a club.
But if any policeman was to be found in this shabby excuse for a town, he was otherwise engaged. Johanna Schell had no faith in police.
Nor did she have any delusions of divinity. But she trusted in the air of authority she'd cultivated for so many years, and in the strength of her voice.
She crossed the muddy road to the haphazard line of shacks crouched along the docks near the railway station. In the gathering dusk, she could just make out the man's unshaven face, the scar slashing his chin, the filthy clothing. He reeked of cheap liquor. The boy was pitifully thin, bruised, with the hollow, haunted eyes of one who had endured many such beatings. Johanna had seen that look before.
The man squinted at Johanna and produced an expression somewhere between a leer and a smirk. She saw the way he appraised her, judged her, dismissed her with the dubious aid of his diseased brain.
"You talkin' to me?" he demanded, swinging toward her.
"I am." She set down her doctor's bag, took a firmer grip on her valise, and drew up to her full height, almost the equal of his. "You will cease beating that boy, immediately, or I shall summon the authorities."