Inside Writing - Action/Spy/Thriller

Katya Petrovna, a prodigy of survival from Moscow’s shadowy alleys, faces her greatest challenge yet—cracking the impenetrable armour of the Russian casino mafiya. Once under the casino’s gilded dome, Katya’s mission falters as her cover buckles under scrutiny from the mafiya’s hawk-eyed bosses.As her gambits edge towards checkmate, the line blurs between the hunter and the hunted—with love and life hanging in the balance. Will Katya’s razor-sharp instincts secure hervictory, or will the house claim its due?

Professor William Dresden has found solitude in the south of France to grapple with his troubled past— a neglected upbringing, failed romances, the recent demolition of his life' s work in academia, and even witnessing genocide, among other secrets. But he soon learns that he has much larger problems when an adrift MI6 officer, Adeline Parker, calls and insists on a meeting, revealing shocking information about his family. Then a bomb explodes.William and Adeline narrowly escape the attempt on their lives and find themselves battling a group of neofascists and extreme nationalists who are inciting violent divisions across Europe. They are pulled into a shadowy war against a cabal called the Strasbourg Executive and pushed to the brink by family betrayals, corrupt institutions, and the Executive' s subversive plots against the fabric of Western society.To survive, William must make tough decisions and act in ways he could' ve never previously imagined— but even that might not be enough.

“The purpose of the lawsuit is to fully expose the bank’s willing support to groups that are killing Americans—and others—overseas.” This announcement by attorney Nicholas “Deke” Deketomis sets up the gladiatorial arena between Big Banking and a team of well-meaning activist lawyers. The Iraq and Afghanistan Wars introduced the concept of IEDs (Improvised Explosive Devices) and EFPs (Explosively Formed Penetrators) that seriously maim or kill. It appears that these bombs are still being made and utilized by terrorists overseas. Who is funding them? Could it possibly be a large global bank with a major branch in New York? Is a reverse money laundering scheme in place that allows money transactions to bypass Department of Justice sanctions? Deke and his colleagues—co-counsel Michael Carey and investigators Carol Morris and Jake Rutledge—set out to uncover the deceit and bring the white collar criminals to justice. With the help of Michael’s friend and war veteran, Joel Hartbeck—who first blows the whistle against the bank—the Deketomis team quickly discovers that they may have tackled more than they bargained for. A dangerous right wing paramilitary group might be involved in protecting the bank’s interests, and Hartbeck soon goes missing. As Deke’s lawsuit progresses, the sudden appearance of IEDs and EFPs on US highways cause death and destruction. Who is behind this evil?

From celebrated New York Times bestselling author Steve Berry comes the latest Cotton Malone adventure, in which Cotton unravels a mystery from World War II involving a legendary lost treasure, worth billions, known as Yamashita’s Gold.1945. In the waning months of World War II, Japan hid vast quantities of gold and other stolen valuables in boobytrapped underground caches all across the Philippines. By 1947 some of that loot was recovered, not by treasure hunters, but by the United States government, which told no one about the find. Instead, those assets were stamped classified, shipped to Europe, and secretly assimilated into something called the Black Eagle Trust.Present day. Retired Justice Department operative, Cotton Malone, is in Switzerland doing a favor for a friend. But what was supposed to be a simple operation turns violent and Cotton is thrust into a war between the world’s oldest bank and the CIA, a battle that directly involves the Black Eagle Trust. He quickly discovers that everything hinges on a woman from his past, who suddenly reappears harboring a host of explosive secrets centering around bitcoin. The cryptocurrency is being quietly weaponized, readied for an assault on the world’s financial systems, a calculated move that will have devastating consequences. Cotton has no choice. He has to act. But at what cost?From the stolid banking halls of Luxembourg, to the secret vaults of Switzerland, and finally up into the treacherous mountains of southern Morocco, Cotton Malone is stymied at every turn.  Each move he makes seems wrong, and nothing works, until he finally comes face-to-face with the Atlas Maneuver.

BECOME A MASTER AT NEGOTIATION AND COMMUNICATIONNever go into an important conversation feeling unheard, unprepared, or uninformed again—apply the proven SISCO method for communication to become a master negotiator, trusted interviewer, and engaging conversationalist.  No matter the conversation, detecting honesty and persuading others to be honest are some of the most valuable skills you can learn. With these skills, you can master your daily conversations and interactions with others. The Strategic Interviewing Skills and Competencies (SISCO) Method will help you see the full picture, have all the facts, and make effective decisions.Former Navy interrogator, Lena Sisco, created this method during challenging investigative and information-gathering interviews. Her 5-step program focuses human-to-human interaction. When you can gain someone’s trust you can get truth in any scenario. She teaches readers how to validate their gut feeling when they think someone is lying, unassumingly control a conversation, and persuade others to be honest.These skills are not only applicable in an interrogation room, but they can be relevant in everyday life. In this book, you will learn how to:Apply the strategic interviewing skills behind the SISCO method to your everyday life to discover the information and the honest answers you need.Create an environment of trust that will facilitate the fact finding necessary to be more effective at your job while encouraging others to be more accountable.Control the signals you may or may not be inadvertently sending to others.Know the right words to say during a disagreement in order to de-escalate conflict, gain respect, and create a win-win situationNot only does she teach you techniques and methods to negotiate and interview with confidence, she shares the neuroscience behind why they are effective. You will be able to interpret patterns of behavior and influence positive behaviors in others, as well as enhancing the effectiveness of your communication practices; both verbal and nonverbal.

From USA Today bestselling author Robert Swartwood comes another bone-chilling thriller that will keep you on the edge of your seat.While on vacation in Las Vegas, a businessman wakes up in a strange hotel room to find a dead woman in the bathtub.Panicked, he runs. But before he can get far, a pair of detectives stop him.Desperate, he tells them that he’s innocent. That there’s no way he killed the woman. That he’ll do anything not to go to prison.That’s when they offer him a way out.But there is no way out—as the detectives will soon learn.Perfect for fans of Lee Child, Michael Sloan, and Robert Crais, The Killing Room races readers from one revelation to the next at breathtaking speed.