Being dragged out of a car and shoved into a darkened trunk might make a normal girl feel helpless, but Meda isn't just any girl, and the boys who kidnapped her have no idea who or what they are dealing with. At seventeen years old, Meda is ripped from her family to train as a shape-shifting operative for the Agency. It's her job to seek out and discredit political figures. While on a high stakes mission, Meda is kidnapped by three teenage boys. It's the last thing she needs. She's behind schedule, and if the mission fails, her family pays the price. However, the longer she spends playing hostage, the more information she gathers on her kidnappers. Fueled by revenge, the boys are gathering intel on the Agency in hopes to take them down. Allegiance and family are tested to their limits as bullets fire from all sides. Meda finds herself caught in a political conspiracy that shakes her to her core, and it'll take all her strength to trust her own instincts and stop following orders.

With worldwide focus on the strategies used to win the Gulf War, here is a guide to ancient Oriental stratagems and their relevance today. Swiss sinologist Harro von Senger has brought together an invaluable guidebook for the West, illustrating the traditional strategic rules and survival schemes used by the Chinese for thousands of years.

Steven Bauer always thought chess was just a game... Until the sultry brunette in the little black dress did her best to incinerate him. Yesterday, he was just an ordinary guy. Today, he is the White Pawn, a combatant in a nightmarish game of chess where people are the pieces, and the world is at stake. To survive the deadly Black Queen, Steven must pull together the rest of his Pieces. The Knight, a grieving teenage boy caught up in a web of gang violence. The Queen, a young woman at death's door, her body ravaged by leukemia. The Bishop, a disgraced priest haunted by visions of the Game. The Rook, a suicidal drunk reeling atop a storm-ridden skyscraper. But Steven isn't the only one looking for his team, because the Black Queen already has her Pieces assembled... Pawn's Gambit is the first book in The Pawn Strategem, a new contemporary fantasy series from author Darin Kennedy (The Mussorgsky Riddle).

Out of print and out of the hands of military professionals for years, this classic work is available once again. It offers professionals a model for studying and analyzing deception operations. Thoroughly referenced and supported with clear data tables, the case studies concentrate on goals, planning, intelligence assessments, and more.

The 36 Stratagems are a unique collection of ancient Chinese proverbs that describe some of the most cunning and subtle strategies ever devised by man. Readers, and specifically investors, at all levels will benefit from this interpretation of the 36 stratagems detailing how to apply them in investment and "economic warfare." HSBC’s 36 stratagems encourage flexibility and new ways of thinking about investment issues. "Investor education is not merely about how many lessons can be taught; but how much investors can learn from each lesson. This book combines modren investment and ancient Chinese wisdom in plain language and with interesting stories. It explores investment concepts yet opens your mind and shows you a new way of understanding fund investing." Mark McCombe, Global Chief Executive Officer, HSBC Global Asset Management "There is an old saying, "Gain knowledge for the preservation of wealth." Funds create value, and knowledge of funds will similarly enable investors to create value. The value of knowledge is no less important than the value of capital. For that reason, 36 Stratagems for Investors has set out to show the value of knowledge as a way to capital accumulation and preservation. Readers will benefit from stratagems explained in every page of the book to aid them in their financial investment." Qin Shuo, Chief Editor, China Business News "HSBC Jintrust's 36 Stratagems for Investors is an eye- opener for readers, investors and non- investors alike. HSBC Jintrust has done an impressive job of creating a book with the retail investors in mind; as it puts itself in their shoes to explore issues and solutions as they would. Each of the 36 stratagems is clearly and succinctly told and explained to allow prompt application. May the stratagems depicted in this book gain popularity to become part of the fund culture and investment culture in China, to enable tens of millinos of investors to profit by it." Liu Dong, Deputy Editor, 21st Century Business Herald

"He who knows not the stratagems is respectable, but he who plays no stratagems in spite of knowing them deserves more respect." In 36 Stratagems Plus, authors Douglas S. Tung and Teresa K. Tung provide a unique collection of ancient Chinese tactics that describe some of the cunning and subtle stratagems-a strategic plan that contains a trap or a ruse for the enemy. Many of these stratagems had their origins in events that occurred during the Warring States Period (475-221 BC) and the Three Kingdoms Period (220-280) in China. This collection includes sixty stratagems that illustrate the enlightened exploitation of strategic power. For each stratagem, the Tungs present an eclectic discussion of its theme, the classic Chinese case supplemented by two international cases to illustrate the use of these strategic acts by other nationalities. They then trace its source which is usually the exploit of some of the Chinese generals, statesmen, and ordinary people. The source may be from The Art of War. 36 Stratagems Plus demonstrates that it is not the quantity of stratagems that matter, but rather the way in which they are deployed.