A conspiracy thriller from the New York Times–bestselling author of Dune, “one of America's most intelligent, imaginative, and magnetic novelists” (Kirkus Reviews). In pursuit of a scoop, American journalist Hal Garson follows up on a mysterious, desperate letter that points to the whereabouts of legendary author Antone Luac, who vanished without a trace in Mexico years ago. The celebrated writer’s disappearance is an enduring mystery, and Garson senses this story will make his career. Despite warnings, he travels to isolated Ciudad Brockman and begins asking questions . . . too many questions, which place him in the crossfire of a local crime lord, a Communist insurgent group, and finally to the imprisoned writer—and his beautiful daughter—who may not want to be found.

With alphabetical indexes of firms and trade specialties.

Who gets to tell stories, how are they told, and just what does it mean to play author? Inspired by the vintage game of Authors, this collection of 19 works written by 18 authors surrenders the rules and plays in surprising ways with the question of authorship. If you love literary mashups, personal essays, alternative history, and other disobedient forms, Playing Authors: An Anthology belongs on your shelves.