Most Popular Books by Clark Howard

Clark Howard is a media powerhouse and penny-pincher extraordinaire who knows a thing or two about money. A lifelong entrepreneur who is now the hugely popular host of a talk radio program and television show and the bestselling author of several books, Clark consistently delivers expert financial advice to his wide and devoted fan base. Living Large in Lean Times is Clark's ultimate guide to saving money, covering everything from cell phones to student loans, coupon websites to mortgages, investing to electric bills, and beyond. In his candid and friendly next-door-neighbor manner, Clark shares the small, manageable steps everyone can follow to build a path towards independence and wealth. Chock-full of more than 250 invaluable tips, the book outlines how to: Locate missing and unclaimed money in your name Lower your student loan payment Find legitimate work-at-home opportunities Get unlimited texting and e-mailing for less than $10 per month Know what personal info not to post to social media sites Determine the best mortgage rate, and much, much more As Clark demonstrates, there are myriad ways to reduce debt, buy smarter, and build a future. Follow his lead and he'll get you there.

This enlarged edition of the bestselling consumer guide points readers to safer, smarter purchases and investments across the nation. Whether consumers are choosing a 401(k) plan, buying a used car or home, obtaining a credit report, or hoping to avoid a ripoff, this lively workbook is a true survival kit for anyone insisting on real value for the money.

The follow-up to Clark Howard's #1 New York Times bestseller, Living Large in Lean Times, offers no-nonsense financial tips for achieving lifelong prosperity Americans from all walks of life are still feeling the roller-coaster effects of the Great Recession. For many, home values are still too low and unemployment is still too high. Others have prospered despite the ups and downs. In Clark Howard’s Living Large for the Long Haul, the renowned broadcaster examines our new paradigm through the eyes of those whose financial portfolios have beaten the odds, and those whose economic situation has gone off course. Through these fascinating personal accounts, readers uncover amazing opportunities and smart decisions, finding advantages in bleak times for lasting payoffs in the long run.

Clark Howard, the bestselling author of Get Clark Smart and host of the nationally syndicated radio program The Clark Howard Show, wants to show you how to get the best bang for your buck--whether you are at the supermarket, buying new clothes, renovating your home, or going to the movies. Learn how to pay $12.95 for a CD that costs $19.95. Find out why a $90 VCR just may work better than a $300 VCR.

The searing novel of a brutal boyhood in 1940s Chicago—and a young man walking the knife’s edge between a life of crime and a brighter future. The son of a single mother addicted to heroin, Richie grows up in poverty and hardship. His adolescence is a constant battle between hope—in the form of a kind boxing coach, a job in a bowling alley where he can sneak a nap, and a determination to track down his disreputable father—and brutality. Desperately lonely, Richie must contend with the criminal justice system, abusive foster homes, and a period of exile with his grandmother in Tennessee. In this gritty, semiautobiographical novel by an Edgar Award–winning author, the fate of this young man hangs in the balance as he finds himself tested by want, war, and the ever-present temptation to give up on the possibility of something better. “Strongly satisfying [and] frequently compelling.” —Kirkus Reviews “Sustains a sense of tension, moving smoothly between flashbacks of the events of Richie’s early years and the traumatic experiences of his adolescence, then on to his return to Chicago.” —The New York Times

Gritty, suspenseful short fiction about criminals and other characters on the edge from an Edgar Award–winning author. “Not all Howard’s heroes are ex-cons, but they might as well be. They’ve all been around the block, made more than their share of mistakes, and taken their lumps, usually without complaint. A hit man who refuses a commission goes into hiding, afraid that everybody who looks twice at him may be carrying a bullet with his name on it. A Vietnam veteran plots revenge on the commanding officer who sent his troops into a cloud of Agent Orange; a ward of hospitalized WWII soldiers schemes to find the whereabouts of the lost love of one of their mates before he dies. A has-been boxer trains for a big bout without realizing he’s been set up; a New Orleans clarinet player skips around town one step ahead of a creditor’s enforcers long enough to audition for the Jazz Hall of Fame. . . . In every case, there’s no mystery about who’s guilty . . . but only about whether Howard’s protagonists will succeed in their fatal plots, get rescued from their own worst nature, or, in the trickiest of these nine stories, succeed but fail anyway.” —Kirkus Reviews

Edgar Award Finalist: The true story of a string of brutal crimes committed in the name of religious fanaticism and racial hatred in 1970s San Francisco. In the early 1970s, a small band of well-dressed, clean-cut African American men began terrorizing the residents of San Francisco with guns and machetes. Their victims ranged from a teenage Salvation Army cadet to a middle-aged Jordanian grocer to an eighty-one-year-old janitor. The streets became deserted and tourism plunged. It took months before the culprits could be identified, with the help of an informer. They were members of a Black Muslim cult aspiring to earn the title “Death Angel” by slaughtering white victims. Combining history and dramatic recreations, this is the “repellent but riveting” in-depth story of a horrifying killing spree and the fanatical hatred that drove it—and the SFPD’s desperate quest to take the culprits down (Kirkus Reviews). “[Clark Howard’s] pounding narrative meticulously describes the so-called Zebra killings of 1973–74, when 23 white San Franciscans were murdered or maimed by a group of Black Muslim extremists. In the retelling, the cold jargon of police files leaps starkly to life.” —Time

Clark Howard answers all these questions and many more in Get Clark Smart. With practical tips and on-line resources, Howard helps readers to get rich by saving money in unexpected places and investing those savings creatively. Howard has a passion for saving money and a zealots enthusiasm for sharing everything hes learned. His strategies for getting rich by saving wisely will turn readers into financial wizards.

A “vividly written” account of the bloody 1971 San Quentin riot by the Edgar Award–winning author of Zebra and Six Against the Rock (Kirkus Reviews). American Saturday traces one man’s path from the slums of Chicago to the California state prison where he embraced radicalism, was charged for the murder of a corrections officer, and eventually, was gunned down during the violent chaos following a failed escape attempt. This chilling account of an infamous prison riot comes from a writer who has been called “a superlative storyteller” (Publishers Weekly). “The Saturday was August 21, 1971 and the headline read ‘George Jackson, 5 Others Slain in San Quentin.’ Howard’s account traces the careers of the inmates and guards whose lives converged and ended that day, but focuses on the pivotal figure of Jackson himself, whose botched escape attempt—just before his scheduled trial in the ‘Soledad Brothers’ murder case—led to a gory riot in which three guards, two other inmates, and Jackson himself were killed. . . . Extensively researched and vividly written.” —Kirkus Reviews

Consumer advocate Clark Howard is back with this thoroughly revised and updated edition of his wildly popular Clark Howard's Consumer Survival Kit. Using up-to-date cases, Howard helps readers nationwide handle an array of consumer issues: buying a home or car, making the right 401(k) decision, or avoiding rip-offs on health clubs, time shares, and service agreements.

An “intense, deeply haunting” saga about love, money, and murder, set amid Nevada’s mining and gambling booms (Publishers Weekly). In the aftermath of World War I, three veterans—Mike, Jim, and Buck—meet a seductive woman named Ruby. Quick Silver follows all four over a span of decades, from Virginia City to Las Vegas, as their lives intertwine and intersect. It is a tale of marriage and infidelity, an orphaned boy and a forbidden passion, fortunes made in silver mining and the early days of casinos overrun by organized crime. This absorbing tale of the American Southwest blends fictional characters with real-life figures, such as Bugsy Siegel and Meyer Lansky, in a dramatic epic. “Turbulent emotions and confrontations fill this spellbinding tale that pits highly principled characters against wanton, amoral ones. To maintain the suspense, Howard deftly shifts from past to present. He is a superlative storyteller.” —Publishers Weekly “Skillful and well-researched . . . An entertaining and nicely turned plot.” —Kirkus Reviews

A hit man tries to make a clean break from his murderous career in this chilling novel from an award-winning author. He has no police record, not even a traffic ticket. But he’s killed twenty-seven people during his career as a professional assassin. And sometimes it’s not just the target who takes a bullet—if the bodyguard or mistress is unfortunate enough to be around. When the time comes, it happens fast: assemble the weapon, load, ditch the evidence. Now he wants out—but the people he works for may not allow that—in this suspenseful thriller from a crime writer whose works have earned numerous honors, including an Edgar Award and two Shamus Award nominations, and been adapted for film and television.

Edgar Award Finalist: The story of the infamous escape attempt and bloody siege at Alcatraz. In 1946, six men attempted to break out of Alcatraz Federal Penitentiary, a maximum-security prison on an island off the coast of San Francisco. Their bloody siege lasted two days, and ended with five dead and fifteen wounded—plus two of the perpetrators executed for their role in the endeavor. In Six Against the Rock—the basis for a TV movie—an award-winning crime writer tells the story of this notorious event and the inmates who were involved, supplemented with vivid dramatic recreations that place the reader in the center of the conflict. “The personal clash between Coy and Cretzer over leadership of the desperate little band provides much of the suspense; Alcatraz itself, that logistical marvel of a fortress, provides the rest. And for a backdrop there are two platoons of Marines firing bazookas as well as something of the grim history of that most forbidding prison.” —Kirkus Reviews, starred review

A wealthy man has been abducted—but it’s not his money the kidnappers are after—in this inventive thriller by an Edgar Award–winning author. Devlin’s beat is usually organized crime, but now he’s been called to the home of Jennifer Keyes, a redheaded actress whose husband has gone missing. It’s not Devlin’s sort of case, but he finds Jennifer compelling so he agrees to help—and of course, handle the matter with discretion. J. Walter Keyes’s lawyer insists his client is a virtual saint, so a drunken bender or affair is ruled out, and the hospitals have nothing to report. All signs point to kidnapping. But as Devlin puzzles out the disappearance, looking deeper into Keyes’s background, he discovers this is no ordinary abduction. The man has been taken by a mysterious group known as the Eden Movement. And they have plans— not just for Keyes, but for the entire world . . . “[A] superlative storyteller.” —Publishers Weekly

An ambitious gambler may lose it all in this novel by an Edgar Award–winning “superlative storyteller” (Publishers Weekly). He was known as Cully the Arm—the best crapshooter in Chicago. Life was a game of both skill and luck, and he’d made his way to the big city seeking his chance to be a winner. Before long he was moving between bars, backrooms, brothels—anywhere a man could gamble. Then he met a seductive woman named Lorry, who was playing a game of her own, and she wasn’t about to let any rules get in her way . . . The inspiration for the film The Big Town, The Arm is a hard-edged crime novel that captures the gritty atmosphere of mid-twentieth-century Chicago as one man’s pursuit of a dream leads him into a nightmare.

One man fights to foil a wild plot for worldwide destruction in this action-packed thriller from “a superlative storyteller” (Publishers Weekly). Herr Inman has a plan and the resources to pull it off.First there will be five assassinations of powerful world leaders—including the pope—then three atomic bombs aimed at major cities. In the resulting chaos, Inman will take over the world . . . Christian Alsen is a mercenary hired by Inman to put the scheme in motion. Instead, he sets out in search of a way to stop this madman . . . Summit Kill is a thrill-a-minute, high-stakes tale from an Edgar Award–winning and Barry, Anthony, and Shamus Award–nominated author

One team of daredevils is planning the ultimate death stunt finale in this novel by a “superlative storyteller” (Publishers Weekly). A team of professional stunt performers are likely to lose their livelihoods as a new law goes into effect, severely limiting their ability to take the risks that have made them who they are. In the meantime, they have a plan to mark a spectacular end to their careers—and possibly their lives—in this action-packed thriller by an Edgar Award–winning author.

A collection of short fiction, including an Edgar Award–nominated story, about hard-luck characters and the human instinct to survive. A survivor of Little Bighorn faces down the resulting trauma in the decades following the bloody battle. An old man who has lost his late wife’s cat joins forces with an unlikely partner to rescue abused animals. An ex–racecar driver contends with criminals in the midst of the famous Dakar Rally. Challenge the Widow-Maker is a collection of short stories about ordinary people facing extraordinary problems—and fighting back even when life has beaten them down. The title story took second place at Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine’s annual Readers Awards (another story by author Clark Howard won the top spot that year), and was nominated for an Edgar Award. Featuring characters who experience “one more chance at the brass ring: the gift of surviving another day,” this absorbing collection comes from an author whose work has appeared in The Best American Mystery Stories and other anthologies, and earned numerous honors from crime fiction critics and fans (Kirkus Reviews).

A small-town doctor copes with an escalating medical mystery in this thriller by a “superlative storyteller” (Publishers Weekly). Lee Madrigal became a doctor in spite of his difficult working-class upbringing, with a mother who died young and a father who fell under the spell of alcohol. Now Lee serves his neighbors in the California community where he grew up, and has reunited with his high school sweetheart. But the medical cases he’s been handling lately have been bothering him: a baby born with inexplicable birth defects; a young man with symptoms that seem to mimic a venereal disease but whose blood tests come back clean. As the mystery mounts, Lee will discover a terrible secret about his hometown, and a battle to save lives will ensue . . .

“[An] unusual cop story set in Chicago . . . This graphic depiction of urban and emotional decay carries a powerful, lasting punch.” —Publishers Weekly When a topless dancer is beaten to death, police detective Joe Kiley strongly suspects her boyfriend, a mob kingpin’s brother, is the killer. He isn’t—but in the course of trying to track him down, Kiley’s partner winds up dead during an unauthorized stakeout. Now Kiley wants vengeance—if not for the dancer, then for his longtime fellow cop. Despite warnings from the department, he’s about to be drawn deep into the world of gangs and organized crime, and into entanglements with two women that will only heighten his despair, in this novel from an Edgar Award–winning author featuring “moments that glitter with insight and gritty, urban realism” (Publishers Weekly).

As the Vietnam War rages, blood will be shed at a stateside Marine Corps prison, in this novel by a “superlative storyteller” (Publishers Weekly). Siberia 10 is a military prison in California, and tensions are coming to a slow boil within its walls. Inmates are trying to escape; guards are practicing constant brutality; racial tensions are seething. Those confined to Siberia 10 have been trained to fight and kill—and in the midst of chaos, things could turn lethal. Into this tinderbox comes Garth Hannon, pulled out of action in Vietnam and flown back to the States for a special assignment: to solve the problem of Siberia 10. But before Hannon can assess the situation and diffuse a time bomb, it may all blow up in his face, in this suspenseful military thriller by an Edgar Award–winning author.

A hunting trip turns into a manhunt in this chilling predator-versus-prey thriller from an Edgar Award–winning author. Four guys from the suburbs are about to set out on a hunting trip. Wes is an architectural draftsman with a secret. Leo has a high-level advertising job, but is miserable with ulcers. Milt sells pharmaceuticals but is disdained by his wife—who happens to be the object of passionate desire for Lamar, who works in insurance. But one of these men is also a killer—and not only of deer. When an LAPD detective is taken out with a sniper rifle, what started out as a friendly outing suddenly turns very dark . . . “A superlative storyteller.” —Publishers Weekly

Two LAPD detectives are at odds over a horrifying case in this “taut shocker” of a novel by an Edgar Award–winning author (The Boston Globe). A pair of twins have been brutally murdered, and Los Angeles detectives George Cascade and Ed Fenner find themselves working a case with puzzling sexual overtones. When a young, intellectually disabled African American becomes the object of suspicion, tensions flare between the two officers—and it will push them to the edge before the truth can be sorted out. “The kind of book you read at the point of a switchblade—seemingly faster than you can turn the pages.” —Kirkus Reviews

The decades-spanning saga of a woman’s life in a family of prison wardens—and among the criminals they guard—by a Spur Award–nominated author. Dru is the daughter of a warden, the first in a long line keeping watch over a local prison. This multigenerational epic follows Dru’s relationships and conflicts with men on both sides of the bars through the early twentieth century, when convicts were often treated brutally and lawlessness still lurked just under the surface of society in many parts of America. Rife with adventure, romance, and historical detail, The Wardens is a novel of love, heartbreak, danger, and one woman’s place in a family dynasty. “A superlative storyteller.” —Publishers Weekly

A gritty, action-packed novel about a World War II suicide mission that goes sideways from a “superlative storyteller” (Publishers Weekly). In the midst of World War II, a Japanese submarine base must be destroyed. But someone needs to draw enemy fire while the goal is accomplished and the task would be a suicide mission. Only a certain kind of soldier can handle a job this risky. Now, six men have been chosen to serve as decoys, and a seventh has agreed to lead them. But none of them truly understands just what they are getting into—and will soon be desperate to get out of—in this harrowing tale by an author who has won or been nominated for more than half a dozen major awards. “The reader will find himself completely engrossed.” —Best Sellers

A “gripping, emotionally charged” account of a brutal crime committed by escaped prisoners from an Edgar Award–winning author (Los Angeles Times Book Review). In 1973, six members of the Alday family were brutally murdered in their home in Donalsonville, Georgia, by fugitives who escaped from a Maryland prison and broke in to the Alday’s house. Two of the escapees were brothers, and they picked up another one of their siblings, only fifteen years old, along the way. The governor at the time—future president Jimmy Carter—called it “the most heinous crime in Georgia.” This true account looks at the entire story: not only the unspeakable massacre and its aftermath, but the horrifying backstories and motives of the various perpetrators—one of whom would finally be executed thirty years later.

A suspenseful novel about the last-minute battle to save a man on death row and the uproar surrounding his case as his time runs out . . . Weldon Whitmen was arrested for committing a series of robberies and bizarre sex crimes while out on parole. Now he’s condemned to die. Claiming innocence, he makes headlines with his appeal—and two people decide to come to his aid. One is a journalist who thinks the sentence is unjust. The other is a law librarian who has feelings for Whitmen. Amid public outcry and political warfare, they will fight the execution while the nation watches, unsure whether justice will ultimately be done . . . This edgy, twisting tale comes from an Edgar Award–winning author whose works have been adapted for film and for television programs such as Alfred Hitchcock Presents.

This saga about the building of an oil empire and one man’s personal journey is “wonderful . . . A truly exciting novel” (Orlando Sentinel). After Sam Sheridan returns home from the World War I battlefront, he receives an odd inheritance from a man he’s never met: a parcel of land in east Texas. With little to lose, he and his wife set off from Kansas City and find themselves in the dusty town of Dane—where they’re met with inexplicable hostility. When a wealthy local rancher attempts to buy Sam’s hundred acres for an impressive sum, Sam decides to hold on to it instead. And in the years and decades that follow, he’ll find himself dealing with a brutal rivalry, a growing fortune, and a number of shocking secrets. “Conflict, emotion, sex, suspense, joy, sorrow, surprise . . . It’s a truly exciting novel, and the author’s talent and attention to even the smallest detail serve to make it even more satisfying. From the provocative first chapter on, the reader is totally caught up in Sam Sheridan’s world, in his quest for his past, his present and his future.” —Orlando Sentinel “Fast-paced . . . absorbing and real.” —Chicago Tribune “Entertaining and well-written.” —Library Journal “A winner.” —Houston Chronicle

Lively account of how people power has shaped British history -- from Peterloo to the Poll tax and beyond.

“[This] deeply engaging tale of a teenager who may—or may not—have helped kill her parents [is] a model of evenhanded true-crime writing.” —Kirkus Reviews Sixteen-year-old Patricia Columbo began working for pharmacist Frank DeLuca, a married father of five, in the 1970s, and the two soon entered into a sexual relationship. Against her father’s wishes, Patricia and Frank moved in together. Then, in Elk Grove Village, Illinois, Patricia’s father was brutally murdered, along with her mother and thirteen-year-old brother. Police were suspicious of Patricia’s strange behavior after the bodies were discovered, and following their investigation, they arrested both Patricia and Frank. The details revealed during their trial would horrify the residents of Chicago’s middle-class suburbs. This book—informed by extensive interviews with Patricia Columbo in prison—tells the haunting story. “A vivid, captivating, exhaustively researched case history.” —Publishers Weekly “An unsettling trip into a world of kinky sex, devotion and love gone wrong . . . stays with you long after the final page.” —Ridley Pearson, New York Times–bestselling author

Based off the popular website of the same name, Rock Your Ugly Christmas Sweater celebrates ugly Christmas sweaters year-round and showcases hilarious photos of people and pets wearing some of the ugliest holiday sweaters ever. More colorful than visions of sugarplums and jollier than a sleigh full of inebriated elves, ugly Christmas sweaters are a global holiday tradition celebrated by all ages and walks of life. With more than 200 photos, humorous captions, and chapters like Vintage Sweater Fun, Classic Sweaters from the '80s and '90s, Winter Wonderland, and Best of the Best, this book is here to help you spread the holiday cheer and maybe get some new ideas for this year's ugly Christmas sweater party -- horrid fringe, creepy elves, gaudy snowmen, and light-up reindeer are just the beginning!

In-depth, practical details on geothermal HVAC systems This definitive guide covers commercial and residential geothermal heating, ventilation, and air conditioning technologies and explains how to take advantage of their money- and energy-saving features. Geothermal HVAC: Green Heating and Cooling reviews the array of choices currently available, offers market values for systems based on varying options and conditions, and describes how to pair the best systems for each application and budget. Whether you're a contractor or a consumer, you'll find out what you need to know to implement a geothermal HVAC system in a retrofit or new construction project, and start benefiting from this sustainable, affordable technology. Find out how to: Learn the basic types of heat transfer--convection, conduction, and radiation Understand how geothermal earth-coupled heat pumps work Determine which ground loops to use for earth coupling to best meet the demands of the site Use load sharing to channel the heat differential of one device into useful energy for another Calculate system efficiencies and heat gain and loss Understand geothermal project proposals and system pricing Benefit from incentives, tax credits, and rebates for geothermal HVAC systems Calculate your long-term return on investment Verify that your installed system is working as intended Troubleshoot your system and avoid common problems

A STEP-BY-STEP GUIDE TO BUILDING A SMALL WIND POWER SYSTEM FROM THE GROUND UP Written by renewable energy experts, this hands-on resource provides the technical information and easy-to-follow instructions you need to harness the wind and generate clean, safe, and reliable energy for on-site use. Build Your Own Small Wind Power System shows you how to install a grid-connected or off-grid residential-scale setup. Get tips for evaluating your site for wind power potential, obtaining permits, financing your project, selecting components, and assembling and maintaining your system. Pictures, diagrams, charts, and graphs illustrate each step along the way. You'll also find out how you can help promote wind-friendly public policies locally. Save money and reduce your carbon footprint with help from this practical guide. COVERAGE INCLUDES: Challenges and impacts of small wind energy Electricity, energy, and wind science Determining if wind power is right for you Site assessment Financing small wind power Permits and zoning Wind turbine fundamentals Choosing the right wind turbine for the job Balance of system: batteries, inverters, and controllers Installation, maintenance, and troubleshooting Future developments in wind power