Are contemporary soldiers exploited by the state and society that they defend? More specifically, have America's professional service members disproportionately carried the moral weight of America's war-fighting decisions since the inception of an all-volunteer force? In this volume, Michael J. Robillard and Bradley J. Strawser examine the question of whether and how American soldiers have been exploited in this way.Robillard and Strawser offer an original theory of "moral exploita...

Who's the bravest of them all? Cat lady Mirelle and her Celestial Clan? Yeah, go screw yourself, Mirelle, you and your whole clan! It's bad enough that I'm allergic to you, now you've gone and stayed behind in this world when you should be in the next one.Go on, scram! And take your stupid clan with you. No democracy here, just despotism, tyranny, and the coming of the lord. Which means me, if you hadn't worked it out yet . . . he-he.

Remarkable insight into the leadership culture of one of the world's largest cosmetics companiesIt's no secret that Mary Kay Inc.—home of the famous "Pink Cadillac"—is one of the best run and most successful companies in the world, prompting Harvard professors and US government agencies to study what made the company a global phenomenon. But what many people may not realize is that Mary Kay is much more than a Pink Cadillac. While this widely recognized icon is a s...

A downed airliner. A plot for revenge. A nation on the brink.Crime reporter Will Finch never saw it coming. On Telegraph Hill, a woman mistakes him for someone named Joel Griffin. "The game is getting dangerous," she whispers. Before she can say more, a drive-by assassin silences her—collapsing at Finch's feet in a pool of blood.By morning, two FBI agents are at his door. Finch is the prime suspect in a deep-web conspiracy. The evidence is airtight...

Addiction is a subject which straddles public and personal interests; societal and criminal justice concerns; and family, social, and medical responses. It is a continuing area of uncertainty and concern for society and professionals trained in the field.This Very Short Introduction presents the basic facts about addiction: what it is, how and why it develops, how it is treated, and how society can respond to it. Addictions to both illicit drugs and licit drugs (e.g., alco...

A governor's pardon. A Nobel Prize winner. A murder at City Hall.When the outgoing governor of Kentucky pardons 428 felons, the criminal justice system is rocked. Among them—Lennart Skoll, convicted of a brutal double homicide. He swears he was framed. But can he be trusted?Across the country, crime reporter Will Finch joins an Extinction Rebellion protest outside San Francisco's City Hall. Chaos erupts, a gunshot rings out, and Finch tackles the shooter. W...

The eighth book of this dark urban fantasy series follows necromancer Eric Carter through a world of vengeful gods and goddesses, mysterious murders, and restless ghosts.If there's one thing Eric Carter can count on, it's his past coming back to bite him in the ass.Gabriela Cortez, La Bruja, has had her soul trapped . . . somewhere, and the only one who knows how to get it back is the Oracle of Las Vegas, a powerful artifact that Carter helped create almost...

In the nineteenth century, Manhattan's streets were so choked with pedestrians, horses, vehicles, and vendors that a trip from City Hall to Central Park could take hours. Alfred Beach had the perfect solution: build a giant pneumatic tube underneath Broadway from the Battery to Harlem. Air pressure would shoot passengers up and down the island in clean, quiet carriages. But Beach was up against the operators of the horse-drawn streetcars and the politicians in their pay, most conspicuously...

Necromancer is such an ugly word, but it's a title Eric Carter is stuck with.He sees ghosts, talks to the dead. He's turned it into a lucrative career putting troublesome spirits to rest, sometimes taking on even more dangerous things. For a fee, of course.When he left LA fifteen years ago, he thought he'd never go back. Too many bad memories. Too many people trying to kill him.But now his sister's been brutally murdered and Carter wants to find out why.Was ...

Kids have a fantastic way of looking at the world, and they are kind, curious, and completely honest about the things they experience. We tend to lose those natural traits as we get older, but it doesn't have to be that way. In this book, parents share stories about the lessons they've learned from their children-from hilarious anecdotes that make you think to out-of-nowhere, almost melancholy thoughts on modern issues.

1978, Jonestown. 909 dead.Two children survive.Where are they now?In the chaos of Jonestown's final hours, two children vanished into the Guyanese jungle, escaping the horror that claimed nearly a thousand lives. Given new identities and a second chance, they were supposed to be safe.Forty years later, crime reporter Will Finch stumbles upon an abandoned Armani jacket in a San Francisco playground. Inside—an...

A gathering of angels. The madness of men. A world on fire.Crime reporter Will Finch and private investigator Eve Noon escape to a remote media retreat deep in the redwoods of Northern California—until a midnight knock shatters the silence.A wildfire rages toward them, but the real danger isn't the flames. As the evacuation order comes down, Will and Eve find themselves trapped in a deadly game where the enemy isn't just nature—it's the people hidden among ...