Books published by Open Road Media

Dallas, 1963: In the immediate aftermath of the JFK assassination, the shock is multiplied for young CIA agent Philip Marsden when he learns of the death of his Cuban American wife. As evidence builds and the threats begin to mount, he discovers that the two tragedies might not be unrelated.

Cuba, 1962: The Cold War reaches its zenith with the installation of Soviet nuclear missiles in Cuba threatening the United States. While JFK and his brother face deep divisions in trying to defuse the apocalyptic crisis, young CIA agent Philip Marsden is sent on a mission to the island where he is betrayed by a joint CIA-Mafia operation.

This is the ultimate show-biz how-to guide for aspiring kids and their parents, written by Hollywood's number-one kid-talent expert and executive producer for Disney, ABC, and the WB, Irene Dreayer (';the Dray'). As a thirty-year veteran of discovering kid stars and producing hit TV shows such as the Disney Channel's The Suite Life on Deck and The Suite Life of Zack & Cody, as well as several TV movies, Dreayer has seen hundreds of kids try to make it in show business. Most parents and kids don't understand the steps or how to navigate the ins and outs of the industry. Most make critical mistakes.As Hollywood's only trusted career coach for kid talent, Irene Dreayer developed the Dray Way (www.thedrayway.com) as her proven method for guiding show-biz kids and their parents on how to audition correctly, how to handle the business side, and how to deal with issues such as image and rejection. The Dray Way is her method for working with kids and training parents on how to pursue this business we call show in a strategic manner, the right way.This book is designed as a workbook for parents and kids to do together. Every chapter explains, informs, and delivers the honest truth about specific aspects of the entertainment business and outlines the crucial information kids and parents need to learn as a family. Some chapters are designed exclusively for parents, but most are a family affair. The exercises in each chapter are to be completed by parents and kids in order to learn the skills required to be a better actor, singer, or dancer.Mom! I Want to Be a Star is entertaining, fun to read, and a wonderful opportunity for families to explore together their child's dream and desire to become a star.

A New York jazz musician discovers he has a half-brothera king in Kenyaand embarks on a journey to Africa that turns into a spiritual odyssey. When a copper deposit is discovered on the land of the Makenda tribe in eastern Kenya, a young king, Ule Samanga, is told to relocate his people to a refugee camp in Nairobi or risk imprisonment. When all appears lost, the young king discovers the existence of Curtis Jackson, a mysterious half brother presently living in New York. Believing this unexpected news to be an omen from the spirit of his ancestors, he eagerly seeks Curtis's help to save their sacred tribal homeland. A struggling mortgage broker and former jazz prodigy, Curtis initially has no interest in developing a relationship with his newly found African family. But when he's presented with an intriguing business offer, he embarks on a journey to Africa that becomes a spiritual odyssey, changing him in ways he never imagined. In this assured debut, Richard Crystal weaves a complex story of contemporary moral imperatives conceived during Obama's victorious election as America's first black president. Themes of corporate malfeasance and exploitation will resonate with readers of The Constant Gardener and Blood Diamond. But beyond the various political machinations, readers will find a heartwarming story infused with the strains of Coltrane, the history of jazz, and the enduring power of family.

Mary's older sister, Gwen, has screwed up everything. Not only is Gwen pregnant at seventeen, but she's also decided to marry the Creep who knocked her up. Now Mary is powerless to stop her family from imploding. Her parents are freaking out, and to top it off, the Creep has a gross fascination with Mary while Gwen enjoys teasing her to tears for sport. Despite her brother's advice to shut up, Mary can't keep her trap closed and manages to piss off Mom so much that it comes to blows. Mary doesn't know what to do, and all her attempts to get help are rejected. When she finally plans her escape, she fails to consider how it could destroy them all.

Dust Bin Bob is back after saving the day for the Beatles in Manila, except this time he's hanging in Morocco with Brian Jones, the doomed original guitarist of the Rolling Stones. Brian buys an antique mirror used for the esoteric art of mirror gazing. What Brian sees in the mirror frightens him and sets the scene for his untimely death. Was he murdered? Find out in the sequel to Rubber Soul, Painted Black.

A cosmic storm reunites a father with his lost sonbut another kind of disturbance awaits themin this science fiction novel with ';a real emotional core' (Publishers Weekly). Thomas Pendleton loves his wife, Ann, and six-year-old son, Seth, more than anything, but his job often makes him an absent husband and father. One day, after Thomas leaves on a business trip, his wife and son are killed in a car accident. Thomas shuts himself off from the world and is at home grieving when a cosmic storm enters Earth's atmosphere. Scientists are baffled by its composition and origins, but not nearly as much as they are by the storm's side effect: Anyone who has died and chosen not to cross over is suddenly visible and can interact with the living. Ann does not return, but Seth does, and Thomas sees it as a miraculous second chance to spend time with his son and keep the promises he had previously broken. They set out on a trip to the Air and Space Museum in Washington, DC, but little do they know that they are traveling headlong into a social and political maelstrom that will test Thomas in ways he could never imagine. Along the way, they come face to face with armed kidnappers who want Seth for his supernatural abilities, meet up with a medium, the ghost of a slave boy, and encounter none other than Abraham Lincoln. Citing an overpopulation problem caused by the ';Impalpables,' the government begins to take drastic measures. Military scientists have a device called the Tesla Gate that is said to return ';Impals' to where they were before the storm. Many have nicknamed the controversial machine ';the shredder' because no one really knows if it will do what it is reputed to, or if it will instead shred the Impalseffectively destroying the soul. Thomas is determined to do everything possible to save Seth, or at the very least, ensure that Seth doesn't have to endure his sentence alone . . .

The magical land of Xanth is in peril in this follow-up to Board Stiff by New York Timesbestselling author Piers Anthony. ';It occurs to me that you folk are no ordinary group,' the troll said. ';Were on a special mission to eliminate the last of the anti-pun virus. We are a bit unusual.' Astrid Basilisk-Cockatrice is the daughter of anonymous parents who whiled away a dull minute by generating her on a warm compost pile, then went their own deadly ways, never to see her or each other again. She found herself a soul, but her gaze is fatal and her touch is toxic. That's not so strange in the Land of Xanth, where everyone has a unique magical talent, and charms, curses, and enchanted puzzles lie around every corner. Now, Astrid and her companions are finishing the cleanup of a virus that ravaged the puns of Xanth, and new Quests are already popping up. For instance, Astrid is attempting to fulfill her mission in life, if only she can figure out what that is. And then there's the missing Question from the Good Magician's Book of Answers. Not to mention the small matter of a Demon Wager regarding the impending destruction of Xanth. But it's nothing Astrid and her motley crew of lovely maidens and strapping men can't handle ... they hope. Piers Anthony delivers another tale set in the bestselling world of Xanth, filled with magic, surprises, adventure, and a few puns. Here's what the author has to say about his new book: ';Five Portraitsis a kind of sequel toBoard Stiffin that it picks up where the other leaves off, with the same characters. Apart from that, it's one of my favorites within the series. There's something about Astrid Basilisk that appeals to me: a very pretty girl whose very glance is deadly, yet she's a nice person whose selfless effort to save five difficult children from future Xanth is thoroughly worthy. I also like the theme of the power of unlikely friendship. Not just Xanth, but Mundania, too, would be better if there were more such friendships.'

From the author of Nothing Lasts Forever, the basis for the movie Die Hard, comes a heart-pounding thriller!When a young coast guard lieutenant commander, Sam Merrill, finds a ';ghost' yacht full of one billion dollars' worth of gold, money, and contraband, he becomes a national sensation and the poster boy for America's war on drugs. As a reward, the government sends Sam and his wife, Amy, on an all-expenses-paid vacation to the Bahamas. Sam's newfound fame becomes a nightmare when Amy is kidnapped not long after they arrive in the tropical paradise. Sam is confronted with the pursuit of his life, fighting to save Amy and ultimately himself as he faces death-defying challenges at every turn and a drug kingpin named Chino who will stop at nothing to see him dead.In way over his head, outgunned, and outnumbered when the chase leads him to Cartagena, Sam has to overcome overwhelming odds as he races against time to figure out why his wife was kidnapped and where she is being heldand save her from bad guys who will stop at nothing to achieve their goals.

Enter the deadly safari and hunt down a blood-thirsty killer! When twenty-three lions, tigers, and ligersa giant hybrid catappear in rural Idaho, town officials decide to hold the first safari in America. Only police chief Jackson Hobbs, a man haunted by loss and tragedy, and Katy Osborne, a talented hunting guide, seem to realize the potential danger of this situation. With the town desperate for money, the mayor, who also happens to be Jackson's ex-wife, and her boyfriend are adamant that the Idaho Lion Hunt go forward even after people are killed. As the death toll rises and his own family is put at risk, Jackson must cope with a town doubled in population, the activity of a local antigovernment militia, a willful teenage daughter, an animal rescue group, a missing young boy, a dead state trooper, and Katy's desire to save a rare liger named Kali. Betrayal blossoms alongside romance as Jackson gets closer and closer to discovering the identity of those who engineered this predator panic.

A rich anthology of short stories from the New York Timesbestselling author and legendary creator of the Witch World. Each year, Garner's troupe makes its way to Ithkar Fair. The actors charm the crowd, winning applause and lavish reward, but none captures the audience's imagination like the yellow-eyed, silver-haired girl whose performance conceals pain that few can understand. She is a Quintkaher coloring makes that plainand yet even Garner, who has seen more of the world than anyone, can unlock the secrets of her unknown father, who left her mother to sacrifice herself to save the child. As she passes her seventeenth birthday, the mystery of her past drives her into danger, as she fights to find answers that no mortal should possess. ';Swamp Dweller' is a classic Andre Norton storylush, thrilling, and impossible to put down. Like the others in this invaluable volume, it is more than mere escapismit is an entrancing look into another world.

In the third and final volume ofHigh Hallack, tales of high fantasy, science fiction, and coming of age reach back as far as 1943, yet are still as fresh and relevant today as when they were written. High Hallack was a place in Andre Norton's fiction and was also the name of the genre writer's library she opened in Tennessee. It is a wondrous keep that she called home, and now High Hallack opens its gates and allows these amazing stories to unfold.

An Edgar Awardwinning author's true crime account of a grisly string of killings in Kentuckyand the shocking spectacle of greed that followed. Kentucky never deserved its Indian appellation ';A Dark and Bloody Ground' more than when a small-town physician, seventy-seven-year-old Roscoe Acker, called in an emergency on a sweltering evening in August 1985. Acker's own life hung in the balance, but it was already too late for his college-age daughter, Tammy, savagely stabbed eleven times and pinned by a kitchen knife to her bedroom floor. Three men had breached Dr. Acker's alarm and security systems and made off with the fortune he had stashed away over his lifetime. The killerspart of a three-man, two-woman gang of the sort not seen since the Barkersstopped counting the moldy bills when they reached $1.9 million. The cash came in handy soon after when they were caught and needed to lure Kentucky's most flamboyant lawyer, the celebrated and corrupt Lester Burns, into representing them. Full of colorful characters and desperate deeds, A Dark and Bloody Ground is a ';first-rate' true crime chronicle from the author of Murder in Little Egypt (Kirkus Reviews). ';An arresting look into the troubled psyches of these criminals and into the depressed Kentucky economy that became fertile territory for narcotics dealers, theft rings and bootleggers.' Publishers Weekly ';The smell of wet, coal-laden earth, white lightning, and cocaine-driven sweat arises from these marvelously atmosphericand compellingpages.' Kirkus Reviews ';A fascinating portrait of the mountain way of life and thought that forged the lives of these criminals.' Library Journal

Players compete in a virtual reality game of sexual challenges in this erotic fantasy from the New York Timesbestselling author of the Xanth series. In Eromathe futuristic, multiplayer virtual reality game of erotic romanceparticipants can touch, taste, feel, hear, and see everything. Each male and female avatar, from fairy to elf to human, is naked and gorgeous, and sexual climaxes are immediate and mutual. Weekly, millions tune in on 3-D television to watch every intimate, passionate encounter. To win the gameand a large prizethe players must conquer difficult, arousing tests. But some challenges push the gamers beyond their comfort zones and into a whole new world of erotic possibility. How far will they go in order to win? Not for the sexually faint of heart, Eroma is an erotic fantasy novel about testing limits, exploring desire, and, surprisingly, falling in love.

A were-unicorn searches for the meaning of life, love, and sex in this novel of shape-shifting fantasy from the New York Timesbestselling author of Amoeba. In a tiny village, just off the universe-spanning trail of the Amoeba, young, telepathic were-creatures are schooled in the mystery and wonder of the human bodyits practicalities as well as its pleasures. Eager to discover their alternate selves, they marvel at the possibilities. But when precocious were Wetzel, an infinitely curious and adventurous teenage boyand unicornis enlisted into sexual service, his life is endangered by his own horn, a valued commodity. Villagers would kill for it, so Wetzel has little choice but to flee and find his destiny on the trail. But his personal quest takes a backseat when he joins human Tod Timmins and his bizarre band of outcasts on a calling of their own. And though they don't know it yet, Wetzel's sexual prowess is imperative to the success of their mission. Navigating the trail, this motley crew will discover new worlds as well as friends and foes of various species as they journey ever closer to restoring the balance of their existence and the universal justice the great Amoeba desires

An assembly of creatures searches for the meaning of existence in this reality-twisting Trail Mix fantasy from New York Timesbestselling author Piers Anthony. Before Tod Timmins meets the naked waif, the vampire, the wizard, and the others, he's just a dull man engaged in manual labor. The job, good for the body but a waste for the mind, is the whole of Tod's lifeand it isn't for him. So when a trail appears out of the blue, gambling on fate, he follows it through the city, across the country, and into a realm of adventure and uncertainty. Navigating the path, Tod encounters a mix of creatureshuman, nonhuman, and others, something else altogether. They come from alternate realities, periods in time that aren't being clocked, and places no one can verify, all to divine information on why they even exist. The answer is in the Amoeba, an entity neither intelligent nor conscious, yet as omnipresent as a god. In short order, it's up to Tod to differentiate friends from foes, lust from love, and fantasy from reality to save and protect the one thing that connects them all.

From a USA Todaybestselling author: FBI profiler Karen Vail's hunt for a serial killer leads her into a dangerous criminal web';relentless as a bullet' (Michael Connelly). After a colleague connects Vail with covert Department of Defense operative Hector DeSantos, who has a knack for uncovering difficult-to-locate information, the pair pries loose long-buried secrets and deceptions that reveal a much-larger criminal enterprise at work. As Vail squares off against foes more dangerous than any she has yet encountered, shocking personal and professional truths emergetruths that may be more than she can handle. In keeping with Alan Jacobson's page-turning style, Velocity is a high-octane thriller, a memorable work rich in believable characters and an intricately plotted story that's well-researched and ripped from today's headlines. Velocity was named one of the Strand Magazine's top ten books for 2010, Suspense Magazine's top five thrillers of 2010, Library Journal's top five thrillers of the year, and the Los Angeles Times' top picks of the year. Velocity is the second installment of a two-part story that begins with Crush, book two of the Karen Vail Series.

From a national bestselling author: ';A classic cat-and-mouse with enough twists to enthrall even the most veteran thriller reader' (David Baldacci). How well do you really know the person you love? How far would you go to find out? If there were one person in the world Dr. Lauren Chambers was sure she could rely on, it was her husband, Michael. Slowly recovering from an agoraphobic depression and still prone to episodes of blinding anxiety, the gifted psychologist has depended on his love and support. So when Michael suddenly and mysteriously vanishes, Lauren once again finds herself balancing on a knife's edge of paranoia. Is there more to it than paranoia, though? Private investigator Nick Bradley believes so. As the pair takes off on a cross-country journey in search of answersa search that yields a series of unsettling truths about the husband Lauren believed she knew so wellbestselling author Alan Jacobson sets in motion a page-turning tale of concealed identities, an assassin's vendetta, and murderous revenge. A master of the shocking twist and the ingenious turn, Jacobson builds an exhilarating road thriller filled with hairpin turns and unexpected detours as Lauren heads for a face-off with the most dangerous secret of all: the truth. From the author of False Accusations and The Lost Codex, this is ';a book that is impossible to put down' (Library Journal).

After an assassination attempt on the president-elect, the OPSIG team is on the hunt in this ';terrific thriller' from the USA Todaybestselling author (Lee Child).Hard Targetby Alan Jacobson is a ticking time bomb that will keep you clinging to the edge of your seat . . . and turning the pages. An explosion pulverizes the president-elect's helicopter on election night. It soon becomes clear that the group behind the assassination attempt possesses far greater reach than the FBI Joint Terrorism Task Force has yet encounteredand a plot so deeply interwoven in the country's fabric that it threatens to upend America's political system.

In the USA Todaybestselling author's ';addictive second Karen Vail thriller,' the FBI profiler tracks a serial killer through California wine country (Publishers Weekly). In this follow-up to the standout bestseller The 7th Victim, Karen Vail ventures to Napa Valley, where a serial killer has been crushing his victims' windpipes and leaving their bodies in caves. But when the Crush Killer learns that an FBI profiler has joined the Major Crimes Task Force, the newfound attention emboldens him, and he sets in motion a plan that wreaks havoc on the townas well as the task force. Although a sudden break in the case helps Vail zero in on the identity of the killer, she senses that something isn't right. If she doesn't figure it out in time, the consequences will be dire. In a rousing climax that leaves readers breathless, and which Publishers Weekly termed a ';shockeroo ending,' Vail must pick up the piecesand clean up the carnage left behind by the Crush Killer. Meticulously researched during years of work with the FBI's Behavioral Analysis Unit, this high-velocity thriller from national bestselling author Alan Jacobson features the kind of edge-of-your-seat ending that inspired Nelson DeMille to call Jacobson ';a hell of a writer.' Crush is the first installment of a two-part story that concludes with Velocity, book three in the Karen Vail Series.

A tale of guns, greed, and girlfriends in post-hurricane New Orleans by the author of The Last Madam: ';One of the stars in mystery and crime fiction' (James Lee Burke). Karen and Raynie are roommates. LaDonna is Karen's boss. Life in New Orleans after Katrina isn't easy, but they're all tough womenand they all want more. But right now, what they have more of is problems. Karen's past comes back to bite her along with a Miami thug who wants to retrieve his stolen money. Raynie's dealing with a violent man out of control. And LaDonna's new lover has a dangerous idea ... These three women are about to unite to confront the mess together. Along the way, they'll find out what money does to those who have it, lose it, pursue it, or steal itand what happens when they try a little revenge on their rapid chase toward a better life ... ';[A] fast-paced, action-packed novel which will especially delight female fans of Elmore Leonard and Carl Hiaasen. Wiltz writes about New Orleans as only an insider can. ... Unputdownable, funny, sad, and true.' Valerie Martin, Orange Prizewinning author ofProperty

Kandy may be bored stiff, but a magical mishap makes her problem literal in this hilarious novel in the New York Timesbestselling Xanth series. In the land of Xanth, where everyone has a unique magical talent, adventures come easily to most. But two inhabitants find themselves quite bored... until they're inadvertently thrust together on a mission to save Xanth from an anti-pun virus that could turn their world into just another Mundania. Irrelevant Kandy is gorgeous, but thanks to a mental typo and an ornery wishing well, she's now an actual boardwith mind control powers. So much for her big plans for adventure, excitement, and romance. And Ease has his own problems, namely that everything is just too easy. He craves a challenge. Fortunately, Humfrey the Good Magician is more than happy to provide them with a quest. The duoalong with a basilisk bodyguard in the form of a young woman and nefarious android Com Pewteris tasked with saving the puns of Xanth. But who could have released a virus that would destroy Xanth's essence, and can Kandy and Ease figure out how to stop it in time?

This novel from ';a suspense pro' is part World War II thriller and part modern-day mystery (Chicago Tribune). A vintage suitcase is pulled from the trash by a young New York advertising executive brainstorming a campaign on her way to work. The account is Steinbach Luggage, the German answer to Louis Vuitton and Hermes. There is only one problem with the vintage baglike Steinbach's CEO, it is a Holocaust survivor, as evidenced by the name and other personal data painted on it. The suitcase is hallowed memorabilia, and no one dares open it until it is determined if the owner is still alive. The Holocaust survivor turns out to be an eighty-nine-year-old member of New York's Jewish aristocracy, a prominent philanthropist and surgeon. When he gives his consent, the documents inside the suitcase pique the interest of a New York Times reporterwhose investigation begins to unravel a devastating secret that has been locked away since the day Dachau was liberated. From an author whose work has been praised by the New York Times for ';sharp insight into character,' The German Suitcase is a unique thriller focusing on the Nazi doctors who were conscripted by the Secret Service and given the task of carrying out Hitler's Final Solution, delving deeply into questions that have been asked ever since the war ended. What is a war crime? What is guilt? How is justice best served? It is a novel that questions the very nature of identity, and ultimately asks if a lifetime of good deeds can make up for past acts of evil.

The FBI profiler teams up with Scotland Yard in this ';outstanding thriller' by the USA Todaybestselling author of The 7th Victim (Library Journal, starred review). When a potent firebomb destroys part of an art gallery in an exclusive London district, FBI profiler Karen Vail is dispatched to England to work with Scotland Yard on drafting a threat assessment to head off future attacks. But Vail soon discovers that at the heart of the bombing lies a four-hundred-forty-year-old manuscript that holds clues to England's pastwith dramatic political and social implications. The manuscript's content is so explosive that a group of political radicals is bent on destroying it at all costs. Or is it the work of someone else? The trail leads Vail to a notorious fugitive who has escaped law enforcement for decades, and who appears to be planning a major attack on London and the United States. When Hector DeSantos, banished from the US Department of Defense and now a rogue covert operative, turns up in England and takes actions that threaten Vail's life, she finds herself on the run from the British security service, Scotland Yard, and a group of internationally trained assassinsall determined to silence her . . . all tightening the net to ensure that she's got no way out. With his trademark spirited dialogue, page-turning scenes, and well-drawn characters, national bestselling author Alan Jacobson (';My kind of writer,' says Michael Connelly) has once again crafted an intelligent, twisting thriller destined to be talked about long after the last page has been turned.

From the speechwriter and top adviser to presidents Kennedy and Johnson: A behind-the-scenes history of the most momentous decade in American politics. Richard N. Goodwin entered public service in 1958 as a law clerk for Supreme Court Associate Justice Felix Frankfurter. He left politics ten years later in the aftermath of Senator Robert F. Kennedy's assassination. Over the course of one extraordinary decade, Goodwin orchestrated some of the noblest achievements in the history of the US government and bore witness to two of its greatest tragedies. His eloquent and inspirational memoir is one of the most captivating chronicles of those turbulent years ever published. From theTwenty-Onequiz-show scandal to the heady days of John F. Kennedy's presidential campaign to President Lyndon Johnson's heroic vote wrangling on behalf of civil rights legislation,Remembering Americabrings to life the most fascinating figures and events of the era. As a member of the Kennedy administration, Goodwin charted a new course for US relations with Latin America and met in secret with Che Guevara in Uruguay. He wrote Johnson's historic civil rights speech, ';We Shall Overcome,' in support of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 and formulated the concept of the Great Society and its programs, which sought to eradicate poverty and racial injustice. After breaking with Johnson over the president's commitment to the Vietnam War, Goodwin played a pivotal role in bringing antiwar candidate Eugene McCarthy to within a few hundred votes of victory in the 1968 New Hampshire primary. Three months later, he was with his good friend Robert F. Kennedy in Los Angeles the night that the young senator's lifeand the progressive movement that had rapidly brought about such significant changecame to a devastating end. Throughout this critical decade, Goodwin held steadfast to the passions and principles that had first led him to public service.Remembering Americais a thrilling account of the breathtaking victories and heartbreaking disappointments of the 1960s, and a rousing call to action for readers committed to justice today.

The national bestseller and undying testament of a wife's love for her husband as he embarks on the fight of his life. On a story assignment in France for theNew York Times Magazine, Martha Weinman Lear has just escaped tourist-infested Cannes for a quietpensionin the hills behind the Riviera when she gets the call from New York. Her husband has suffered a massive heart attack and is in the hospital. Harold Lear, a fifty-three-year-old urologist and leader in the field of human sexuality research, suddenly finds himself in the helpless role of the patient. Ripping into the Lears' lives and marriage, Hal's coronary disease sends them on a journey through New York City's medical maze. With bittersweet poignancy, Lear chronicles her husband's valiant efforts to combat his sickness as more heart attacks and devastating postsurgical complications befall him. A stunning work of medical drama and journalism,Heartsoundsis above all the gripping story of a passionate, enduring love.

Science redefines life and death in this novel by the #1 New York Timesbestselling, Hugo Awardwinning author. Dr. Adrian Sommers's world was destroyed in a split second of distracted driving. The accident left his son wavering between life and death. When the end came, Sommers's family was torn apart, but the tragedy gave him hope and an obsessive mission: to forestall death through science and technology. Years of experimentation lead Sommers to develop Soulminder, a device capable of capturing a dying person's life essence and holding it safely in stasis while physicians heal the body from injury or disease. But there are those who recognize Soulminder's true potential: body-swapping, obstruction of justice, extortion, and perhaps even immortality. As Sommers struggles to retain control over the use of his invention against corrupt and dangerous factions, he must question his own moral judgment and motives in creating Soulminder and determine if humanity has earned the right to harness the power of life and death. From the author of Star Wars: Heir to the Empire, this is not only a tale of a father's desperate love for his son but also ';an intriguing thought experiment.... Those who enjoy deep philosophical questions will appreciate being left with much to ponder' (Publishers Weekly).

This New York Timesbestselling author's memoir of her own heart attack is ';a refresher course in handling life's meanest challenges with grace' (Library Journal). It begins late one afternoon in her kitchen. There is no collapse, no massive pain. Just a slight fluttering sensation in her chest, then chills, and finally, nausea. Probably nothing to worry about, the doctor assures her on the phone. It doesn't sound like a heart attack. But it is. Heart attacks in women can look and feel dramatically different than they do in men, which is why they often go undiagnosed. But heart disease is the number-one killer of American womengreater than all forms of cancer combined. When the doctor examines Lear the day after her episode, the verdict is shocking. So begins an account, filled with grace, humor, and ferocity, of her hard-won return to good health, beset by mysterious postsurgical complications and haunted by memories of her late husband when she finds herself in the same coronary unit in which she lost him all those years ago.

Is it just a coincidence that a record number of people are seeing in numbers, or could it be the fabric of the universe revealing itself to us? According to the religion of Kabbalah and even the ancient Greek philosopher and mathematician Pythagoras, the truths of the universe are contained within numbers.The phenomena of numbersseeing repeating numbers and number sequencesare sweeping the globe. People from the average Joe to celebrities are seeing repeating numbers on clocks, in addresses, in phone numbers, in account numbers, and on license plates, just to name a few. Repeating numbers and number sequences are showing up in both the quirky and the commonplace on a daily basis.Skeptics argue that seeing repeating numbers is simply a matter of pattern recognition and it's all in our head. There have been scientific theories throughout history that attempt to explain the basis of the universal structurefrom String Theory to the Holographic universe. All things in existence can be counted, sorted, or measured using numbers and, intriguingly, a common thread in many theories is mathematics.More people are reporting the same phenomena in all cultures, races, and religions, turning skeptics into believers.Soul Numbershas the potential to create a tidal wave amid this numbers phenomenon, making it the new, most complete numbers-meaning bible.Numerology books offer some insight into the base number meanings of 0 to 9 but fail to go further to precisely pinpoint and explain why someone is seeing 1:47 on a clock daily and what it means to them. Covering the number meanings from 0 to 999,Soul Numbershelps readers decipher any number sequence. Whether they're seeing single 2s everywhere or exactly four2222it will allow them to break the numbers down like an ancient code. Unlike other titles with mainly angelic-focused number meanings, this book holds a broad spectrum view of number patterns, weaving science and spirituality to spark the curiosity of both the skeptic and the die-hard spiritualist.

A science fiction thriller by the author ofNight Watch, the hit novel that inspired two major motion picturesFive months after the horrific accident that left him near death and worried that he'd never fly again, master-pilot Alex Romanov lands a new job: captaining the sleek passenger vesselMirror. Alex is a spesha human who has been genetically modified to perform particular tasks. As a captain and pilot, Alex has a genetic imperative to care for passengers and crewno matter what the cost.His first mission aboardMirroris to ferry two representatives of the alien race Zzygou on a tour of human worlds. His task will not be an easy one, for aboard the craft are several speshes who have reason to hate the Others. Dark pasts, deadly secrets, and a stolen gel-crystal worth more than Alex's entire ship combine to challenge him at every turn. And as the tension escalates, it becomes apparent that greater forces are at work to bring the captain's world crashing down.