The Rhapsody players is a captivating story about how a fascinating group of characters create a springboard to longevity. The story examines the choices they make with respect to their own health, wellness, sexuality and spirituality, even as they build a business that provides these choices to others. The novel is rich with vibrant characters whom you quickly learn to love or to despise. All of this is achieved in a global setting, replete with the issues that face the world during the years 2008 through 2012.

In May 1953, a bartender is brutally murdered behind a tavern in the port city of Charlestown, a working-class section of Boston. Jackie Xavier Monyhan, a longshoreman who does plenty of drinking, is the only one who has a clue that could lead to the killer. But fearing that he could endanger his family if he tells the police what he knows, he decides to join the force and begin his own pursuit of justice.

Once a lowly port worker, Jackie falls in love with Kathleen, a gorgeous charmer he had once thought out of his league, and he works his way up until he's a hardened police detective. As Jackie digs deeper into the past, he uncovers secrets that point the way to the elusive killer. But he only has so much time, and the Irish Mafia is also looking for Jackie's quarry.

Join Jackie in "The Hook and the Badge" as he struggles to uncover mysteries in a magnificent tale complete with violence, romance, and suspense.

Author Prof Jim Lynch is widely known and very experienced, well-connected with wide international networks, and globally distinguished. He was awarded the UNESCO Prize in Microbiology and Einstein Medal and Distinguished Scientist of the US Department of Agriculture. His OUP textbook Soil Microbiology was a bestseller. Taps directly into the topical area of the COVID-19 pandemic and One Health. Affordable and accessible to a wide interdisciplinary audience.

Author Prof Jim Lynch is widely known and very experienced, well-connected with wide international networks, and globally distinguished. He was awarded the UNESCO Prize in Microbiology and Einstein Medal and Distinguished Scientist of the US Department of Agriculture. His OUP textbook Soil Microbiology was a bestseller. Taps directly into the topical area of the COVID-19 pandemic and One Health. Affordable and accessible to a wide interdisciplinary audience.

Americans are fascinated by sports. It's not uncommon for businessmen and businesswomen, or anyone for that matter, to read the sports news before turning to the business pages. Sports terminology has even found a place in the vernacular of the business world with commonly used terms such as "strike-out," "time-out," and "throw a curve." In Coaching for Performance Improvement, authors Jack Ramsay and Jim Lynch link successful coaching in the athletic arena to effective business management. In sports, as in business, the management of people is crucial. The authors have put together an outline for becoming an exceptional leader through their more than twenty years of experience gained coaching in the National Basketball Association, as well as in academic and corporate environments.

"A poignant coming-of-age story and an enchanting primer on the life aquatic. "The Highest Tide" is as crisp and clean as a cool dip into the water, and just about as refreshing.--"Entertainment Weekly "
One moonlit night, thirteen-year-old Miles O'Malley sneaks out of his house and goes exploring on the tidal flats of Puget Sound. When he discovers a rare giant squid, he instantly becomes a local phenomenon shadowed by people curious as to whether this speed-reading, Rachel Carson obsessed teenager is just an observant boy or an unlikely prophet. But Miles is really just a kid on the verge of growing up, infatuated with the girl next door, worried that his bickering parents will divorce, and fearful that everything, even the bay he loves, is shifting away from him. As the sea continues to offer up discoveries from its mysterious depths, Miles struggles to deal with the difficulties that attend the equally mysterious process of growing up.
A national bestseller and a Book Sense pick in hardcover

One moonlit night, thirteen-year-old Miles O'Malley sneaks out of his house and goes exploring on the tidal flats of Puget Sound. When he discovers a rare giant squid, he instantly becomes a local phenomenon shadowed by people curious as to whether this gawky teenager is just an observant boy or an unlikely prophet. But Miles is really just a kid on the verge of growing up, infatuated with the girl next door, worried that his bickering parents will divorce, and fearful that everything, even the bay he loves, is shifting away from him, In this beguiling novel, we witness dramatic changes for both Miles and the coastline that he adores over the course of one unforgettable summer.

Patch Munson is feeling queasy. He has killed Aaron Fein, the owner-operator of the Fein Center for Women, in Tampa, Florida. He confessed his sin to a Catholic priest, only to find that the priest is a sinner also. Father Tim Hanlon is leaving the priesthood after learning that he has fathered a child with a black supermodel, Carol Mays. Perplexed, paranoid and petrified, Munson kidnaps Mays and stows her away a bomb shelter on his family's Alabama farm, while he tries to solve his mounting problems. While authorities in Florida and Alabama tighten down the focus of their investigation to Munson's home city of Mobile, Alabama, Munson attempts to work out a resolution with his prisoner. As the police and FBI come closer and closer to the Munson family farm, the Alabama coast is battered by a Category 5 Hurricane, colloquially known as Hurricane Jesus. Munson, Mays, Hanlon and two Florida State police officers all end up in the bomb shelter, during the pass over of Hurricane Jesus. Emotions run high, as the ensemble of Seekers, Sinners and Simpletons are threatened by terrifying wind above them and the rising flood waters that seep into the bomb shelter. Throughout the story the characters are faced with extraordinary choices in their own spiritual explorations for meaning in their lives. Some do it with humor and some do it with angst, but they are all forced to come to grips with their own humanity along the way.

When an idealistic young journalist gets pulled into a disgusting political campaign, lives and attitudes suffer greatly in the end. All that's left is a sense of humor

The Rhapsody players is a captivating story about how a fascinating group of characters create a springboard to longevity. The story examines the choices they make with respect to their own health, wellness, sexuality and spirituality, even as they build a business that provides these choices to others. The novel is rich with vibrant characters whom you quickly learn to love or to despise. All of this is achieved in a global setting, replete with the issues that face the world during the years 2008 through 2012.

When sexy singer Gina Struben encourages her husband Senator Josh Struben to run for President in 2020, not only does she miscalculate the impact that Chinese globalist Sun Feng, the world's wealthiest man, will have on the outcome, but she also underestimates the impact that domestic and global terrorism will have on her family. The Twenty-Twenty Players is a fictitious account of the 2020 US Presidential Election. It deals with three interwoven plots: the election itself; domestic terrorism; and international terrorism. Along the way the plot interlaces the fortunes of several vivid characters, including Presidential candidate Josh Struben and his wife, singer/activist Gina Struben; Chinese industrialist, Sun Feng; CIA Operative, Catherine Cauley; Islamic terrorist, Faraq Hussein; and Kenneth Brady, the bi-sexual host of the network news talk show, "The Brady Focus." Other colorful supporting characters invigorate the plot that covers the 12 months of January through December 2020. There is also a rich back-story that deals credibly with the intervening years between 2011 and 2020. The Twenty-Twenty Players are the characters who each undergo a major personal transformation during the title year. Not only do these four-dimensional characters jump out of the text to illuminate the storyline, but they also permit thoughtful access to their individual spirituality as they cope with conflict or accept opportunity. The final 6 months of 2020 are fast paced, and unpredictable. However when the story ends on New Years' Eve, 2020, the reader feels hopeful and invigorated about the stretch of years yet to unfold. The Twenty-Twenty Players has appeal to anyone who has ever felt, love, sorrow, fear, regret, lust, hatred, or hope. But there are several more specific audiences who will find additional meaning as the plot unfolds. Political junkies will sink their teeth into debates about Globalism, American Exceptionalism and the ongoing erosion of the middle class. Questions are asked and answers are proffered. Some of these questions include: Will there be a female president anytime soon? Is the US ready for its first gay president since James Buchanan? Will Dictator Dominoes lead to theocratic unification and sovereignty? How long will the USA remain dependent upon others for its energy sources? Can a third party candidate have a fair shot at becoming President? Will Puerto Rico become the 51st State? How will the Hispanic Vote impact the 2020 election? How much of the population will be able to vote via the Internet in 2020? How will the USA/China relationship evolve? Does the media's role in the political process expand or contract? What is the role of the US military in the Twenty First Century? What is the USA's new Manifest Destiny? What impact will space exploration have on globalization? Embodied in the back-story of the novel are assumptions about what transpired between 2011 and 2020. Some specifics include; another US based terrorist attack which takes place in 2017; the US military occupation of northern Mexico in 2015; the passing of the 29th Amendment to the US Constitution that has a fascinating and positive impact on the American political process. There are many more surprises, but all of them are plausible; some might even seem probable. However, first and foremost, The Twenty-Twenty Players is a novel about people. What keeps the reader turning the pages at an enjoyable pace is the primitive curiosity at how the lives of the characters will unfold. Will sexy pop icon Gina Alvarez-Struben help or hurt her husband's chances at election? Why doesn't incumbent President Elder want to run for a second term? What impact will political pundit Kenneth Brady and "The Brady Focus" have on the election? Who will cause the most chaos in 2020, American terrorist, Robert Day or Islamic terrorist Zafar bin Zahid? And finally, what difference can 12 months make on history

A hilarious romp through the 70's as the hippies meet Animal House.

When sexy singer Gina Struben encourages her husband Senator Josh Struben to run for President in 2020, not only does she miscalculate the impact that Chinese globalist Sun Feng, the world's wealthiest man, will have on the outcome, but she also underestimates the impact that domestic and global terrorism will have on her family. The Twenty-Twenty Players is a fictitious account of the 2020 US Presidential Election. It deals with three interwoven plots: the election itself; domestic terrorism; and international terrorism. Along the way the plot interlaces the fortunes of several vivid characters, including Presidential candidate Josh Struben and his wife, singer/activist Gina Struben; Chinese industrialist, Sun Feng; CIA Operative, Catherine Cauley; Islamic terrorist, Faraq Hussein; and Kenneth Brady, the bi-sexual host of the network news talk show, The Brady Focus. Other colorful supporting characters invigorate the plot that covers the 12 months of January through December 2020. There is also a rich back-story that deals credibly with the intervening years between 2011 and 2020. The Twenty-Twenty Players are the characters who each undergo a major personal transformation during the title year. Not only do these four-dimensional characters jump out of the text to illuminate the storyline, but they also permit thoughtful access to their individual spirituality as they cope with conflict or accept opportunity. The final 6 months of 2020 are fast paced, and unpredictable. However when the story ends on New Years' Eve, 2020, the reader feels hopeful and invigorated about the stretch of years yet to unfold. The Twenty-Twenty Players has appeal to anyone who has ever felt, love, sorrow, fear, regret, lust, hatred, or hope. But there are several more specific audiences who will find additional meaning as the plot unfolds. Political junkies will sink their teeth into debates about Globalism, American Exceptionalism and the ongoing erosion of the middle class. Questions are asked and answers are proffered. Some of these questions include: Will there be a female president anytime soon? Is the US ready for its first gay president since James Buchanan? Will Dictator Dominoes lead to theocratic unification and sovereignty? How long will the USA remain dependent upon others for its energy sources? Can a third party candidate have a fair shot at becoming President? Will Puerto Rico become the 51st State? How will the Hispanic Vote impact the 2020 election? How much of the population will be able to vote via the Internet in 2020? How will the USA/China relationship evolve? Does the media's role in the political process expand or contract? What is the role of the US military in the Twenty First Century? What is the USA's new Manifest Destiny? What impact will space exploration have on globalization? Embodied in the back-story of the novel are assumptions about what transpired between 2011 and 2020. Some specifics include; another US based terrorist attack which takes place in 2017; the US military occupation of northern Mexico in 2015; the passing of the 29th Amendment to the US Constitution that has a fascinating and positive impact on the American political process. There are many more surprises, but all of them are plausible; some might even seem probable. However, first and foremost, The Twenty-Twenty Players is a novel about people. What keeps the reader turning the pages at an enjoyable pace is the primitive curiosity at how the lives of the characters will unfold. Will sexy pop icon Gina Alvarez-Struben help or hurt her husband's chances at election? Why doesn't incumbent President Elder want to run for a second term? What impact will political pundit Kenneth Brady and The Brady Focus have on the election? Who will cause the most chaos in 2020, American terrorist, Robert Day or Islamic terrorist Zafar bin Zahid? And finally, what difference can 12 months make on history

In May 1953, a bartender is brutally murdered behind a tavern in the port city of Charlestown, a working-class section of Boston. Jackie Xavier Monyhan, a longshoreman who does plenty of drinking, is the only one who has a clue that could lead to the killer. But fearing that he could endanger his family if he tells the police what he knows, he decides to join the force and begin his own pursuit of justice.

Once a lowly port worker, Jackie falls in love with Kathleen, a gorgeous charmer he had once thought out of his league, and he works his way up until he's a hardened police detective. As Jackie digs deeper into the past, he uncovers secrets that point the way to the elusive killer. But he only has so much time, and the Irish Mafia is also looking for Jackie's quarry.

Join Jackie in "The Hook and the Badge" as he struggles to uncover mysteries in a magnificent tale complete with violence, romance, and suspense.

A classic and hugely entertaining political novel, the cat-and-mouse story of urban intrigue in Seattle both in 1962, when Seattle hosted the World's Fair, and in 2001, after its transformation in the Microsoft gold rush.
Larger than life, Roger Morgan was the mastermind behind the fair that made the city famous and is still a backstage power forty years later, when at the age of seventy he runs for mayor in hopes of restoring all of Seattle's former glory. Helen Gulanos, a reporter every bit as eager to make her mark, sees her assignment to investigate the events of 1962 become front-page news with Morgan's candidacy, and resolves to find out who he really is and where his power comes from: in 1962, a brash and excitable young promoter, greeting everyone from Elvis Presley to Lyndon Johnson, smooth-talking himself out of difficult situations, dipping in and out of secret card games; now, a beloved public figure with, it turns out, still-plentiful secrets. Wonderfully interwoven into this tale of the city of dreams are backroom deals, idealism and pragmatism, the best and worst ambitions, and all the aspirations that shape our communities and our lives.

By the acclaimed author of "The Highest Tide, " a story of contrary destinies further complicated by the border that separates them.
Six foot eight and severely dyslexic, Brandon Vanderkool has always had an unusual perspective--which comes in handy once his father pushes him off their dairy farm and into the Border Patrol. He used to jump over the ditch into British Columbia but now is responsible for policing a thirty-mile stretch of this largely invisible boundary. Uncomfortable in this uniformed role, he indulges his passion for bird-watching and often finds not only an astonishing variety of species but also a great many smugglers hauling pot into Washington State, as well as potentially more dangerous illegals. What a decade before was a sleepy rural hinterland is now the front line of an escalating war on both drugs and terrorism.
Life on either side of the border is undergoing a similar transformation. Mountaintop mansions in Canada peer down into berry farms that might offer convenient routes into the budding American market, politicians clamor for increased security, surveillance cameras sprout up everywhere and previously law-abiding citizens are tempted to turn a blind eye. Closer to home, Brandon's father battles disease in his herd, and his mother something far more frightening. Madeline Rousseau, who grew up right across the ditch, has seen her gardening skills turn lucrative, while her father keeps busy by replicating great past inventions, medicating himself and railing against imperialism. And overseeing all is the mysterious masseuse who knows everybody's secrets.
Rich in characters contending with a swiftly changing world and their own elusive hopes and dreams, "Border Songs" is at once comic and tender and momentous--a riveting portrait of a distinctive community, an extraordinary love story and fiction of the highest order.

"From the Hardcover edition."