Andy Sinnott and Connie Kelly face off with a professional assassin in this taut psychological thriller. Burke—hired by the mob to eliminate Lester Cartwright, Tom Wesley, David Mullins, and a sequestered federal witness—is a brutal killer who uses a jackhammer on his victims. Burke sends Andy to the hospital, captures Connie, and cuts off two of her toes. Helpless and at the mercy of a sadistic serial killer, Connie must think out of the box if she hopes to survive. Fast-paced and riveting, this tale brings together characters from previous books. Who will survive and who won’t?

A jackhammer operator boasts about his loud, sidewalk-blasting skills.

Popular Science gives our readers the information and tools to improve their technology and their world. The core belief that Popular Science and our readers share: The future is going to be better, and science and technology are the driving forces that will help make it better.

Imagine that Matt Groening and Dashiell Hammett got together to write a book. What would it be like? Entertaining? Adventurous? Fun? All of those things—yes, but more. You’d have a book that would be a comic detective-mystery romp through the universe. Something like Douglas Adams but more full-bodied. There would be menacing space aliens, robots, a beautiful woman in distress, flying saucers, time travel, space-conquering fascists, pirates, and, of course, Elvis. But there would also be a classic detective story with all of the usual suspects: murder, suspicion, greed, and a good old-fashioned love triangle. Plus there would be an ending with enough twists and turns to require sports-car suspension for your mind. If this sounds good, this is the book for you. So, go grab your ray gun and your antigravity belt and climb into your favorite fedora. Cosmic conundrums are coming your way!