Unknown to Trong, scouts had reported increased American activity to the southeast of the camp, which possibly meant the Americans were moving into the area. Every precaution had been taken to ensure that the camp was not taken by surprise. Patrols were sent out daily. Observation posts were placed well forward of the camp, and fi ghting positions around the camp were manned at all times. Trong checked his equipment one more time as he waited for the Americans. He slid the bolt back on his Soviet made AK-47 making sure that a round was chambered. Next, he checked the green plastic American-made detonator, which was attached to the Chinese claymore mine located thirty meters from his position. He thought himself ready and tried to fi ght the panic that assailed his mind. He thought of what his section leader had told him. "Wait, until the Americans were close to the mine before detonating it. Then use your rifl e to kill any of the Americans that are left alive." Chester Porter was born and raised in Texas. He was drafted into the Army in 1967 and served with the 196th Light Infantry Brigade. In 1968 he was transferred to the 199th Light Infantry Brigade. In 1982 he became a Federal Law Enforcement Offi cer for the Department of Interior, US Fish and Wildlife Service. He retired from federal service in 2005 after twenty-nine years of government service. Porter lives today, outside of Savannah Georgia in the small town of Rincon.

On May 14, 1965, four sailors took part in a mission to rescue four marines in Southeast Asia during the Vietnam War. The mission was simple: venture into the jungle and locate the four trapped marines. But soon they were surrounded by the enemy, and the only means of escape was via the sea. Five men were wounded, and one man, John Heartly, not only fired more than two hundred rounds, but also carried a little Vietnamese girl out of the jungle and into safety.

Just after the new year of 1988, navy personnel discover a file of yellowed documents wedged between some old filing cabinets. The file holds the records of that May 14, 1965, mission. It narrates the details of the rescue and notes that all of the participants were decorated and given medals, except one-John Heartly.

Now, thirty-three years later, the US government intends to rectify the situation. But first they must verify the details and locate the rescued Vietnamese girl; only then can they give Heartly his long-overdue recognition.

The beloved author of Not Our Kind and The Dressmakers of Prospect Heights returns with a story of secrets, friendship, and betrayal about two young women at Vassar in the years after World War II, a powerful and moving tale of prejudice and pride that echoes the cultural and social issues of today.

Anne Bishop seems like a typical Vassar sophomore--one of a popular group of privileged WASP friends. None of the girls in her circle has any idea that she's Jewish, or that her real name is or that her real first name is Miriam. Pretending to be a Gentile has made life easier--as Anne, she no longer suffers the snubs, snide remarks, and daily restrictions Jews face. She enjoys her college life of teas, late-night conversations, and mixers. She turns a blind eye to the casual anti-Semitism that flourishes among her friends and classmates--after all, it's no longer directed at her.

But her secret life is threatened when she becomes fascinated by a girl not in her crowd. Delia Goldhush is sophisticated, stylish, brilliant, and unashamedly Jewish--and seems not to care that she's an outcast among the other students. Knowing that her growing closeness with Delia would be social suicide if it were discovered, Anne keeps their friendship quiet. Delia seems to understand--until a cruelty on Anne's part drives them apart and sends them scattering to other corners of the world, alone and together.

Jonathan Roberts comes from a long line of naval officers. He has been groomed since birth to serve his country honorably, and as a Navy SEAL, he does not disappoint. Driven to succeed, he is assigned to the CIA in Afghanistan, where he accomplishes more than anyone could imagine.

He assumes an Arab name and poses as a Saudi so he can infiltrate Taliban territory to gather intelligence. Over the next three years, he earns two Purple Hearts, two Silver Stars, the Navy Cross, and the Congressional Medal of Honor. Even so, something is missing from his life. He has two affairs to fill the void: one with Sue Walker and another with Becky Simon.

Sue ends up getting married, but soon Jonathan hears Becky will be back in his life, working nearby. Is this a sign? Has he found a woman to love? Jonathan's destiny is unclear. He feels driven to serve his country, but he also dreams of being a husband and father. Is he destined to be with Becky, or is he destined to be married to his work, like so many Roberts men before him?

Things are never what they seem, especially in the world of international politics. Janet Chang appears to be an attractive, successful scientist, but she's really a Chinese spy, sent to degrade United States nuclear submarine capability. If she succeeds, America's potential ally, India, will dismantle and fall apart. Of course, China isn't the only country out to get India on the ropes.

Syed Ali is a former member of Pakistan's Inter Services Intelligence who served as a long term mentor to the Taliban and Al Qaeda. His orchestrated terror attacks are inflicting death and instability in India. All the while, Durga Vadera, a maverick politician, becomes the Indian Prime Minister after her predecessor and the United States Ambassador are killed. She invokes a secretive Crisis Management Group that may cause more harm than good.

America must struggle to give aid to fading India, and fast. "Ash" Conway, former US intelligence agent, is hired to provide input on the terrorist strategies in India, using a proprietary gaming technology. What follows is nothing short of widespread conflict, leading up to a gripping and unimaginable climax. The ending might not be peaceful. Lives may be lost, but as it stands, America is India's only hope for survival ... and the pressure rests on the shoulders of one woman alone.

A winter storm rages over our Nation's Capitol. A new President is about to assume office after a hard fought campaign and the country gathers together for the Inauguration. It should have been a routine assignment for Lieutenant Colonel Alexandria Stone, First Sergeant Elizabeth Carter, and their Marines. Their task: Provide contingency combat forces for the Inaugural. But ominous forces are gathering, from a city outside Fort Bragg, NC, to the suburbs of Maryland and Virginia. And they have a plan. A plan to launch a devastating attack on the President during the Inaugural Will the authorities discover the conspiracy? Can they put the pieces together in time to save the President? Or, will it result in a desperate showdown between the terrorists and the Marines on the steps of our Nation's Capitol Gripping suspense, realistic characters, and authentic military action are the hallmark of this hard-hitting military-political thriller from the author of Twist of Fate. It will give you chills.

In the cold waters off the coast of northwestern Washington, the Cold War rages on. The USS Ohio, a newly refitted Trident ballistic missile submarine based in Bangor, Washington, is a source of great curiosity to the Russian military. If their intelligence is to be believed, the US Navy now possesses the technical ability to render its fleet invisible.

When a scuba diver is killed in the waters that US Coast Guard Commander Matthew Reynolds patrols, Reynolds finds himself caught up in a war of international intrigue. Tanya Andrushyn, a specialist from the US Navy's satellite intelligence operation in Hawaii, is called in to investigate. Just how did the Russians manage to plant deep-water spy buoys in the waters of the Strait of Juan de Fuca without being spotted?

A group of specialists and their secret team of trained dolphins are also brought in to neutralize the sono-bouys. When one of the dolphins gets trapped on the ocean floor, however, Andrushyn and her team must make an impossible choice: sacrifice the animal and risk detection or risk her own life to rescue it. To even attempt such an operation, they risk disclosing the existence of top-secret underwater breathing-unit technology. She makes her decision ... and soon finds herself in need of rescue.

Andrushyn suspects the sono-buoys are uploading data via satellites, so she and Reynolds try to trick the equipment into sending misinformation instead. The race is on to complete the modifications before their plan is discovered.

High in the pine forests of the Spanish Sierra, a guerrilla band prepares to blow up a vital bridge. Robert Jordan, a young American volunteer, has been sent to handle the dynamiting. There, in the mountains, he finds the dangers and the intense comradeship of war. And there he discovers Maria, a young woman who has escaped from Franco’s rebels... For Whom the Bell Tolls is Ernest Hemingway’s finest novel, a passionate evocation of the pride and the tragedy of the Civil War that tore Spain apart.