One of nineteenth-century America’s most controversial military figures, Gideon Johnson Pillow gained notoriety early in the Civil War for turning an apparent Confederate victory at Fort Donelson into an ignominious defeat. Dismissed by contemporaries and historians alike as a political general with dangerous aspirations, his famous failures have overshadowed the tremendous energy, rare talent, and great organizational skills that also marked his career. In this exhaustive biography, Natha...

"Buried alive – the damn victims have all been buried alive."In the San Fernando Valley, a serial killer is going to great lengths to torture and brutalize victims, burying them alive in caskets equipped with oxygen, lights, video, and audio, so he can torment them even further. The killer's taunting notes for the Iron Eagle lead Special Agents John Swenson and Chris Mantel on an investigation that tests them in new and very physical ways. Together with Sheriff Jim O'Brian, they ra...

**NATIONAL BESTSELLER • From comedian, Emmy-nominated writer and producer, and former Daily Show correspondent Roy Wood Jr., an unforgettable, laugh-out-loud funny memoir revealing that sometimes the best advice comes from the most surprising teachers“Honest, raw, and an absolute treat to read.”—TREVOR NOAH“Insightful and memorable.”—CHELSEA HANDLER“Roy didn’t just write a book—he left a mark.”—STEPHEN A. SMITH**When Roy Wood Jr. held his baby boy for...

Astronaut Roy Bridges intentionally pursued a life of adventure. From fearlessly hunting bears in the woods with his cap pistol at age five, to piloting a fighter jet in Vietnam in his twenties, to rocketing into space at forty-two, he quietly, diligently, and relentlessly made his dream a reality. Fueled by ambition and hard work, fed by the support of family, and formed by the wisdom and character of their example, he made his way from humble beginnings to positions of leadership and pre...

"Why am I doing this to you? Well … I'm a bad person, and I like trains."In a city known for gridlock and sigalerts, Los Angeles commuters rely on its Metrolink trains at all hours, day or night. But when the trains arrive at the station splashed with the bloody remains of murder victims, FBI Special Agent John Swenson is tasked with finding the killer. What at first seems random and meaningless ultimately reveals a potential IRS field office connection along with a puzzle of body ...

Imagine that you had the opportunity to speak to God and ask Him any questions that you want. What would you ask? After a visit to a local book sale in his small mountain town, that's exactly what happens to Justin, a 30 something computer network engineer. The question that starts the tumult in his mind and emotions is, simply, "Does God Exist?" Justin and his fiancée Alex are reeling from a catastrophic situation that nearly leaves their life in ruins. Alex thinks that the conversations ...

"Rome Is Burning" is secret government code for a potential terrorist attack in the U.S. The City of Los Angeles is in danger, and no one knows it. Special Agent John Swenson, aka The Iron Eagle, and Sheriff's Homicide Detective Jim O'Brian have been in search of a serial killer with a twist: a terrorist plot of tremendous proportions. A disgraced Marine Corps Colonel has hatched a plan with her subordinates to destroy the city of Los Angeles and kill millions of its citizens. John Swenson...

"Secrets are only kept by the dead.''CHP Officer Eric Fox has been put on desk duty after an officer involved shooting when a routine traffic stop escalated into a battle for his life and the lives of others. Within milliseconds, his life was changed, and an unarmed man was dead. After being cleared of any wrongdoing, Fox begins psychiatric treatment with Doctor Karen Faber and appears to be improving until his body is found hanging in the station bathroom with a note up the sleeve...

In the very last paragraph of Mark Twain’s Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, the title character gloomily reckons that it’s time “to light out for the Territory ahead of the rest.” Tom Sawyer’s Aunt Sally is trying to “sivilize” him, and Huck Finn can’t stand it—he’s been there before.It’s a decision Huck’s creator already had made, albeit for somewhat different reasons, a quarter of a century earlier. He wasn’t even Mark Twain then, but as Huck might have said, “That ain’t ...

"You do know you're talking about the damn pornography capital of the world, right?"Back matter:Ask a room full of people what the word "suburbia" brings to mind, and you'll likely hear things like: peaceful, family-oriented, charming, and well groomed. But when a convicted pedophile ends up dead behind the local ice cream parlor, law enforcement has little to go on, especially since Los Angeles Sheriff Samantha Pritchard is still reeling over the loss of her soul mate, Mari...

Transformations are hard.Especially when everything around you is on fire.Your organization is in crisis. Pressure from your boss. Rumblings from stakeholders. Demands from stockholders. Disruptions in the marketplace. Deeply frustrated staff and workforce who need to be heard and respected. Who need their dignity. Who need your leadership. Where do you begin?If you're in the middle of a transformation, your days are chaotic. You have one foot in the old business mo...

"You're the poison wizard. You can't find an antidote?"Back matter:For most Southern California families, a visit to the Santa Monica Pier is a special treat. But for the Simmons family, a coincidental meeting with a renowned astrophysicist leads to tragedy. Found drowned and restrained beneath the pier, their deaths are the latest in a string of killings by an unknown group of serial killers masquerading as clowns while taunting Swenson and the FBI. In the search to connect...