With launch on May 15, I wanted to introduce you to Book Two of ZONE OF DECEIT. I have always been drawn to the Hitchcockian premise in which ordinary people are pulled into events beyond their understanding—moments that demand more courage, clarity, and resilience than we think we possess. Some of these moments are instantaneous; some evolve more gradually, as disquiet turns into risk and then to outright danger. We rarely experience these moments on the scale of a thriller.

The basic premise of CLIFFHANGER has a lot to do with how we misunderstand what is happening around us, deeply immersed in our own daily tasks as we are. And it’s not just what is going on externally, but what's going on in our personal lives that we misunderstand. My inspiration for CLIFFHANGER was this: Can we ever really know someone? That remains a powerful driver, but other elements have gained weight and impact. Let’s focus for a minute on the related question: Does any