After her mother’s passing, Joanna lives a life wandering visiting casinos with her gambler father. Joanna’s kindness will not allow her to abandon her father, who has her dress as a prostitute at the casinos to distract his opponents and turn the game in his favor. One day, her father participates in a private game hosted by the Greek millionaire Vassos, but a crushing defeat burdens him with an enormous debt… Then, the millionaire cruelly tells him with a smile: “I willoffers him one escape?he’ll forget forgive the debt if you her father gives Joanna to me himthe woman.”

An Indiana detective is out to stop a killer for hire who tortures for pleasure in this crime thriller from an author who “writes as only a cop can” (Nelson DeMille). In Detective Jack Murphy’s experience, the killers who blend in are the hardest to catch. But none are as elusive—or efficient—as Mr. Smith. A man of average height, weight and build, Mr. Smith is as ordinary as his name. Which makes it easy for him to get close to his targets. And that’s when he reveals how uniquely twisted he truly is. Mr. Smith kills without conscience—and with apparent pleasure. Using every weapon at his disposal, he’s raising the stakes in a global game of terror and death. Mr. Smith is no ordinary killer. But Jack Murphy is no ordinary cop . . .

In 1979, Florida Seminoles opened the first tribally operated high-stakes bingo hall in North America. At the time, their annual budget stood at less than $2 million. By 2006, net income from gaming had surpassed $600 million. This dramatic shift from poverty to relative economic security has created tangible benefits for tribal citizens, including employment, universal health insurance, and social services. Renewed political self-governance and economic strength have reversed decades of U.S. settler-state control. At the same time, gaming has brought new dilemmas to reservation communities and triggered outside accusations that Seminoles are sacrificing their culture by embracing capitalism. In High Stakes, Jessica R. Cattelino tells the story of Seminoles’ complex efforts to maintain politically and culturally distinct values in a time of new prosperity. Cattelino presents a vivid ethnographic account of the history and consequences of Seminole gaming. Drawing on research conducted with tribal permission, she describes casino operations, chronicles the everyday life and history of the Seminole Tribe, and shares the insights of individual Seminoles. At the same time, she unravels the complex connections among cultural difference, economic power, and political rights. Through analyses of Seminole housing, museum and language programs, legal disputes, and everyday activities, she shows how Seminoles use gaming revenue to enact their sovereignty. They do so in part, she argues, through relations of interdependency with others. High Stakes compels rethinking of the conditions of indigeneity, the power of money, and the meaning of sovereignty.

What makes some leaders so effective when the stakes are high, while others fall short? Why are some able to not only survive but to lead their organizations to new heights even in risky, fast-changing times? The answer is succinct but multi-layered: such leaders display courage, judgment, and fortitude. High-stakes leadership does not require unnatural powers, nor is it predicated on a dangerous situation. The three signature character traits can be cultivated by anyone at any level in any organization, big or small. Organizational and leadership consultant Constance Dierickx describes high-stakes leadership in a simple, three-part model that illuminates the mindsets, strategies, and tactics leaders must draw upon to make tough decisions, take an unpopular stand, or ignore convention, providing real-world examples across a range of sectors and industries. Dierickx developed her model of high-stakes leadership to help her clients—executives at organizations ranging from start-ups to nonprofits to large, global companies—better define what they need to bring strategy to life. This, she found, is the great gulf in business, the vast space between idea and results. High-Stakes Leadership helps leaders sharpen their ability to: act decisively, with clarity and focus test ideas using reason, and course correct as needed be resolute and inspire others to continue, even in the face of challenges Leading requires the courage to make conscious decisions about what to do, the judgment to separate information from short-term trends, and the fortitude to remain true to oneself and one’s mission. When leaders do these things, they also become teachers, leading their teams by example, often without realizing it. The essential aspects of good leadership endure even as the environment and tactics change. Indeed, courage, judgment, and fortitude are not merely tools for survival, they are the means by which we sculpt the future.

From a New York Times–bestselling “master of crime fiction and equine thrills,” a betrayed race horse owner must get back his stolen thoroughbred(Newsday). Dick Francis, Edgar Award–winning master of mystery and suspense, takes you into the thrilling world of horse racing. Steven Scott may have been a successful, wealthy inventor with no experience in horse racing, yet with the inspired guidance of his trainer, Jody Leeds, and the prowess of a beautiful black hurdler named Energise, he has brought home several wins. But his winning streak is about to come to a fast end when he discovers trouble in his own stables: trouble that could bring about his own termination if he doesn’t watch his step. Praise for the writing of Dick Francis: “Dick Francis is a wonder.” —The Plain Dealer “An imaginative craftsman of high order.” —The Sunday Times “Few things are more convincing than Dick Francis at a full gallop.” —Chicago Tribune “Few match Francis for dangerous flights of fancy and pure inventive menace.” —Boston Herald “[Francis] has the uncanny ability to turn out simply plotted yet charmingly addictive mysteries.” —The Wall Street Journal “Francis is a genius.” —Los Angeles Times “A rare and magical talent . . . who never writes the same story twice.” —The San Diego Union-Tribune

Trust can be an unaffordable luxury Detective Erin O'Reilly's world is in chaos. After a deadly ambush leaves her boyfriend fighting for his life, she finds herself distrusted by gangsters and fellow police officers alike. She's walking a fine line between cops and criminals, making her way into a dangerous undercover assignment. But no sooner has she started than a mobster is murdered. All the evidence points to one of Erin's few allies as the killer. Is he innocent? And if he is, can she prove it? The personal stakes have never been higher for Erin. With her K-9 partner Rolf the only one she can truly count on, she must find a path through a maze of half-truths and lies. In the underworld, perception is more important than reality in a lethal game where the prize is survival. Can Erin's wits and Rolf's instincts find the truth, or will they lose themselves in the labyrinth?