Roger Keough is a retired engineer suffering from a deadly aortic aneurism and caring for his wheelchair-bound best friend, Lionel Perkins, who is dying of multiple sclerosis. Roger's lifetime hobby has been to discover anti-gravity, hoping to explain how the ancients moved large blocks of stone. He inadvertently finds a substance capable of lifting any weight, and in so doing, is amazed to discover that it has unlimited healing properties which he applies to himself, his friend and his doctor's family. Realizing the utter impossibility of revealing their find, they team together to prevent the world from finding out what they call Panacea and at the same time, help those in dire need. But to preserve themselves and their incredible device, they must fight a never-ending battle against American interests and foreign spy networks. "You'll be compelled to keep reading… a riveting page turner. This would make an excellent movie."—Carol Kluz, Author

Two secret societies vie for control of the ultimate medical miracle in a thriller from the New York Times–bestselling author of The Hidden series. Medical examiner Laura Fanning has two charred corpses and no answers. Both bear a mysterious tattoo but exhibit no known cause of death. Their only connection to one another is a string of puzzling miracle cures. Her preliminary investigation points to a cult in the possession of the fabled panacea—the substance that can cure all ills—but that’s impossible. Laura finds herself unknowingly enmeshed in an ancient conflict between the secretive keepers of the panacea and the equally secretive and far more deadly group known only as 536, a brotherhood that fervently believes God intended for humanity to suffer, not be cured. Laura doesn’t believe in the panacea, but that doesn’t prevent the agents of 536 from trying to kill her. A reclusive, terminally ill billionaire hires Laura to research the possibility of the panacea. The billionaire’s own body guard, Rick Hayden, a mercenary who isn’t who he pretends to be, has to keep her alive as they race to find the legendary panacea before the agents of 536 can destroy it. “An excellently crafted tale that’s not to be missed.” —Heather Graham, New York Times–bestselling author “Complete with twists and turns and high adventure, this thriller will grip you to the end.” —Suspense Magazine “[A] suspenseful paranormal thriller . . . an entertaining tale, underlined by a clear battle between good and evil.” —Publishers Weekly “Complex, entertaining, smart . . . An intelligent, intriguing, fast-moving blend of science fiction and thriller.” —Kirkus Reviews

Robert J. Thompson's PANACEA explores the realms of mystery, murder, politics, relationships and humor; ultimately revealing the rewards of growing up selflessly. A lawyer himself, Thompson writes about a young Chicago attorney named Rick Morrissey who hopes to find a more fulfilling personal and professional life while on an extended vacation to the Florida panhandle where he spent his formative years. "Rick, like many single men his age, is a 31 year old man, in a 22 year old's body, with an 18 year old's psyche, holding everything worldly yet personally bankrupt because of his chosen lifestyle," says Thompson. The book follows Rick in his travels down south where he has a chance meeting with Delaney Chase, a young woman who never had a chance to be a child due to her difficult upbringing in the small town of Panacea, Florida. Although Delaney was raised right in the southern way, she is tormented by the mysterious death of her father in 1988's Hurricane Gilbert when she was 10 years old. Further complicating Delaney's childhood was her mother's daily battle with alcoholism and placement in a psychiatric institute due to mental illness and schizophrenia after her husband's death. Delaney's father, Pally Chase, had been a commercial fisherman and was well-known locally before his death. Not only did Pally have a fine reputation as a shrimper, he was also a formidable opponent to political and corporate oil giants as a political activist who fought oil drilling efforts off the Florida panhandle in the Gulf of Mexico, costing the oil industry millions of dollars. Rick learns of the strange circumstances surrounding the death of Delaney's father which happened immediately after Pally had successfully blocked oil drilling by the industry's juggernaut, Copperhead Oil Company. Delaney's entire life has been spent on the Florida panhandle, except for her perfunctory visits to see her mother in an Atlanta mental institute. Her fateful encounter with Rick sets the scene for a modern thriller, romance and, finally, closure over Pally Chase's death. Woven among the chapters are colorful, and often times humorous, characters of the current south who provide interesting twists to the story line, adding insight, discovery and mystery. "PANACEA is as timely as current headlines as politicians battle over the issue of oil drilling in the same Gulf region that provides the setting for this book," says Thompson. "It is laced with factual material discussing the authority for drilling in the Gulf of Mexico along with possible consequences that could result from such activity."