Director and screenwriter Michael Mann is the creative force behind such movies as Last of the Mohicans and Ali. Markedly reticent, Mann prefers that his personal background remain an enigma, but his disparate films contain clear and consistent messages. One of Mann's focuses is on the Information Age. He addresses the nature of modern communication, its use to manipulate and coerce, and the resultant subjugation of truth. The perils inherent in modern technology and communication stand in stark contrast to the power of symbolic and oral exchange, the trusted medium of Mann's protagonists. This critical exploration of the films of Michael Mann examines his recurring focus on the nature of modern communication and information and their effect on the individual and society. Mann's films highlight the struggle to maintain a connection to reality in a world where information is a commodity manipulated and abused by forces that exert increasing control over its content and dissemination. Each chapter examines one of Mann's films--including Manhunter, The Keep, Last of the Mohicans, The Insider and Ali--in which the protagonist longs for a sense of human connection but is pitted against forces that devalue and destroy individuality. Photographs illustrate specific moments from the films. A bibliography and an index are included.

In Erin Beaty's fantasy mystery-thriller, Blood and Moonlight, an orphan with a secret, magical sight gets caught between a mysterious, genius detective and the serial killer she’s hunting. Rising about the city of Collis is the Holy Sanctum. Catrin, an orphan girl, watches over its many spires with a unique skill that serves the Sanctum’s master architect. Then Catrin witnesses a murder and she is pulled into a dangerous chain of events where the only certainty is that the killer will strike again. The detective on the case is the brilliant and enigmatic Simon, whose insights into the mind of a predator are frighteningly accurate. As the grisly crimes continue, Catrin finds herself caught between killer and detective. But she’s hiding her own secret — and it might be the only thing that saves her and those she loves from becoming the next victims. . . Continue the magic with Silence and Shadow.

As Faith Reynolds enters her freshman year of college, she is a complete and utter nervous wreck. With her best friend Derek suddenly pulling out the romance card and her dark, mysterious classmate staring her down at every turn, Faith somehow feels stuck in the middle without dating either one. And fortune may or may not be with her when a devilshly sexy stranger offers her a welcome escape. Boys, romance, classes, and annoying roommates are all within the realm of the expected for a college frosh. Trying to solve the mysterious murders of young college coeds near campus is not. Darkness seems to be creeping into every corner of Faith's life, no matter the hour. And when she seeks the truth, danger seems to be the only thing that finds her. Faith is well aware of the strange currents in the air, particularly when she sets off static sparks with everything she touches. Before long, she finds herself entrenched in the deep-seeded battle between werewolves and vampires. The war has reached the tipping point, and Faith has the power to determine where the scales fall. But the most important question may be with whom does her loyalty lie? Deliciously suspenseful and immediately addictive, Blood on the Moon features a headstrong heroine and all of the thrills, chills, and otherworldly boys with deadly charm that a human could ask for.

David Rivers is a second-generation oilman. From Houston, he runs the multinational oil company built by his father, former Apollo astronaut Michael Rivers, one of the last men alive to walk on the moon. Michael now spends his days confined to an assisted-living facility, his mind succumbing to the ravages of Alzheimer's disease. Somewhere in Michael's crumbling memory is a devastating secret he has revealed to no one in over forty years, not even to his sole surviving child. The secret is the location of a small capsule Michael brought back from the moon in 1972 containing proof that conventional wisdom is a deliberate lie. With the cryptic aid of an anonymous benefactor deep within the ancient and powerful secret society of the Hostmen of Newcastle, David races to unravel the mysteries shrouding his father's legacy while wars, terrorism, and riots over dwindling oil reserves enflame the planet, and a corrupted American presidential election teeters in the balance. David finds himself confronting the same crisis of conscience his father faced decades before. Should he risk his life and company to expose the Hostmen's lies? Or will he bury what he uncovers and let the world burn?

In occupied Japan in 1946, an American military investigator is sent to Yokohama Base to research a number of bizarre deaths. His encounters with a mysterious, sword-wielding stranger and a series of supernatural events lead him to believe that the murderer isn't human. Something more sinister lurks within the shadows! Paying homage to the previous Blood series - but telling a wholly new story - Blood-C: Demonic Moonlight is the prequel fans have been waiting for!

A hand slowly reaches out a crack in the window to feel the light sprinkles of rain. The hand, cemented with dirt, sweat, and blood, trembles like a withered leaf clinging to a dead branch. Although filthy, the hand emits a history of grace and elegance long lost to the evils of torture and imprisonment . . . From what Willa recalls, seeing this pitiful hand, and, eventually, the person connected to it, was the catalyst to the discovery of her true self. Willa is a witch, and it turns out her boyfriend, Simon, is a witch, too.

Vampires. Werewolves. Beasts that hunt in the night. Step into Cynthia Eden's sexy paranormal world and you'll meet an alpha werewolf who will risk everything for the woman he loves...For the first time, all of the BLOOD AND MOONLIGHT novels are now available in one hot boxed set. BITE THE DUST – Book 1 When New Orleans Detective Jane Hart investigates her first official homicide case, she never expects to have her world ripped apart. But the murder she’s investigating is part of a deadly war between vampires and werewolves…and now Jane is caught in that eternal battle. A battle that can’t end well. Werewolf Aidan Locke has been running New Orleans for years. It’s his job to keep the vamps out of the city. But when a Master Vampire comes to town, determined to unleash hell, Aidan knows it’s time to fight with all the fury of his pack. Beast versus vamp, until the last breath. Then he meets Jane… One look, one taste, and Aidan knows that Jane is far more than she seems. Far more than she even knows herself to be. She’s important in the paranormal war, not a pawn to be used, but a queen to be won. And if he can’t keep her at his side, if he can’t stop the darkness from descending on the town…then Jane Hart will become not just a fierce cop, not some guardian, but something deadlier. Darker. Aidan will fight heaven and hell to change her fate. To change their fate because he is more than just a predator. And Jane is more than prey. Far more. BETTER OFF UNDEAD – Book 2 Detective Jane Hart is just getting used to paranormal life in New Orleans. Monsters are real, and she’s the lucky cop who has to deal with them on a daily basis. Werewolves, vampires, witches, and demons—she has to face them all and keep their paranormal madness in check. When a killer targets human men—and leaves their bodies scattered in local cemeteries–Jane suspects she may be looking at the crimes of a werewolf gone rogue. In order to hunt down the beast, Jane once again teams up with her werewolf lover, alpha Aidan Locke. But Aidan has been keeping secrets from Jane, dark secrets that will destroy her world. Because Jane isn’t the hunter on her latest investigation. She’s the prey. And when a vampire attack leaves her helpless, the woman that Jane was before will vanish. She’ll become the one thing she fears most and Aidan… Her fierce lover may have to become her executioner. BITTER BLOOD – Book 3 New Orleans detective Jane Hart is a vampire. She craves blood, has supernatural strength, and when the mood hits her just right, she can grow one killer pair of fangs. She never counted on being a vamp, but she also never counted on falling hard for werewolf alpha Aidan Locke. Now she’s mated to the wolf, and even though she’s living the undead life, Aidan refuses to leave her side. But Jane is being watched, hunted…tested. And each deadly test that she faces puts Jane—and the people she loves—in the path of a determined killer. She has to find out who is setting her up, before it’s too late. Too late for Jane. Too late for Aidan. Jane’s blood has infected Aidan and the wolf that lives within him is fighting for survival. Each battle…each dark test that their enemy puts in their path…each move slides Aidan closer to the edge. A darkness is growing inside of him. A darkness that is slowly consuming the man he’s been… And leaving only the monster behind.