The trilogy is complete as Richard Stern, the FBI, and mysterious events come together. An angel must be guiding Mr. Stern from Ohio to Oregon as he continues to harass the enemy as only Mr. Stern can do. Call it luck, great premonition or both, but Stern unintentionally baffles the enemy. Terrorist leaders must change their plans to assault Middle America. The terrorist leaders continuously revise and downsize the plan as Richard Stern finds pieces of the terrorist puzzle. Stern keeps the FBI informed. Even the FBI has a tough time deciphering and believing the information from the alcoholic. Agents Ron Roman and Bill Wright use Stern's information to drive a wedge into the gears of terrorism. The crime fighter's efforts receive additional help from two highly unusual sources. Alert citizens and legends are factors that derail the terrorist's plan. Terrorist leaders are forced into abandoning schemes to hold whole towns hostage. They downsize the operation and move to a softer target. Two cities compete in a boat race. These two party boats become the targets. The FBI is confronted with the emotionally charged hostage situations. The suicide bombers have little chance of success. FBI agents have two choices and both are considered suicidal.

New York Times Bestseller Winner of the Los Angeles Times Book Prize Winner of the J. Anthony Lukas Award "Nimbly splices together history, science, reporting and personal experiences into a taut and cautiously hopeful narrative.… Egan’s book is bursting with life (and yes, death)." —Robert Moor, New York Times Book Review The Great Lakes—Erie, Huron, Michigan, Ontario, and Superior—hold 20 percent of the world’s supply of surface fresh water and provide sustenance, work, and recreation for tens of millions of Americans. But they are under threat as never before, and their problems are spreading across the continent. The Death and Life of the Great Lakes is prize-winning reporter Dan Egan’s compulsively readable portrait of an ecological catastrophe happening right before our eyes, blending the epic story of the lakes with an examination of the perils they face and the ways we can restore and preserve them for generations to come.

Eerie Erie explores the dark and bizarre corners of this county's creepy history, from vampire crypts to phantom ships. A tall creature that howls on the devil's backbone near Harbor Creek Township, phantom ships that erupt into flames and melt into darkness, UFOs on Presque Isle--these are some of the strange tales from the lakeshores and shadowy woods of Erie County, Pennsylvania. Local paranormal expert and author Reverend Robin S. Swope explores the dark and bizarre corners of the county's history, from the forgotten 1812 dead of the brig Niagara and the mysterious earthen mounds that dot the landscape to the legend of the ravenous Storm Hag and the rumored vampire's crypt in Erie Cemetery. Join Swope as he searches for answers in the lost pages of Erie County history and lore.

In this highly accessible history of ships and shipping on the Great Lakes, upper elementary readers are taken on a rip-roaring journey through the waterways of the upper Midwest. Great Ships on the Great Lakes explores the history of the region’s rivers, lakes, and inland seas—and the people and ships who navigated them. Read along as the first peoples paddle tributaries in birch bark canoes. Follow as European voyageurs pilot rivers and lakes to get beaver pelts back to the eastern market. Watch as settlers build towns and eventually cities on the shores of the Great Lakes. Listen to the stories of sailors, lighthouse keepers, and shipping agents whose livelihoods depended on the dangerous waters of Lake Michigan, Superior, Huron, Erie, and Ontario. Give an ear to their stories of unexpected tragedy and miraculous rescue, and heed their tales of risk and reward on the low seas. Great Ships also tells the story of sea battles and gunships, of the first vessels to travel beyond the Niagara, and of the treacherous storms and cold weather that caused thousands of ships to sink in the Great Lakes. Watch as underwater archaeologists solve the mysteries of Great Lakes shipwrecks today. And learn how the shift from sail to steam forever changed the history of shipping, as schooners made way for steamships and bulk freighters, and sailing became a recreation, not a hazardous way of life. Designed for the upper elementary classroom with emphasis on Michigan and Wisconsin, Great Ships on the Great Lakes includes a timeline of events, on-page vocabulary, and a list of resources and places to visit. Over 20 maps highlight the region’s maritime history. The accompanying Teacher’s Guide includes 18 classroom activities, arranged by chapter, including lessons on exploring shipwrecks and learning how glaciers moved across the landscape.

Follows the adventures of Minn, a three-legged snapping turtle, as she slowly makes her way from her birthplace at the headwaters of the Mississippi River to the mouth of river on the Gulf of Mexico.

Welcome to a very different Lake Erie--where ghost ships sail silently, a Black Dog brings doom to sailors who see it, and sea monsters swirl in the murky depths above a UFO base. In Folklore of Lake Erie, Judith S. Neulander presents these captivating tales and many more from the smallest, yet arguably the most peculiar, of the Great Lakes in North America. Whether you are embarking on a discovery of the vampire crypt that lurks in the shadows while Lincoln's ghost train speeds past on its eternal journey or reminiscing about the tall tales your grandfather used to share, this delightful treasure trove of folklore and local traditions from the Lake Erie region contains legends and stories that are both astonishing and entertaining. Endlessly captivating and easily accessible, Folklore of Lake Erie is a distinctive compilation of eerie and enchanting narratives from across the years that will surprise and delight readers. Just be sure to keep an eye out for any peculiar Black Dogs that may cross your path along the way.

"Mr. Visidi, you realize there is no credible account of a shark attack in the roughly 4,000 year-life of Lake Erie. There are no sharks in Lake Erie," pronounces Officer James Mylett of the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR). Frankie Visidi has a slightly different point of view-that afternoon, his beloved black lab, Priscilla, was killed by a huge bull shark while they were swimming off his boat, anchored on Kelleys Island Shoal. Director of the Museum of Lake Erie in Sandusky, Ohio, and Master Gardener, Susan Massimino has been called in by her police chief cousin to help identify the flowers present at the murder scene of William Krupp, a prominent local farmer. Could the sudden presence of bull sharks (equally at home in fresh water or salt water) and the murder of Krupp be related? Author John Hildebrandt knows his beloved Lake Erie. His descriptions and reflections of life in what's known as the "western basin," ring true. In a 40 year-long career with Cedar Point, retiring as general manager, he saw the lake every day. He knows the history, the plant and animal life, the weather, and especially the people who choose to live here. At the center of the story is Paul Gutten, aka Z, a German-Swiss businessman who also directs an Eco-terrorist organization secretly funded by stolen Nazi gold, now hidden in a cave in Bavaria. Z is fascinated by sharks and believes their sudden presence in western Lake Erie will focus attention on Lake Erie and its many environmental problems. He secretly arranges for six adult bull sharks to be introduced to Lake Erie. The sharks, of course, will be sharks and they leave a trail of blood and death in and around the Lake Erie Islands. The standard refrain: "There are no sharks in Lake Erie" is stood on its head when several bull sharks attack a group of kayakers in plain view of tourists aboard the Jet Express ferry. The news goes world-wide. Z and Susan move quickly toward romance until Susan discovers evidence that Z may well be the killer of William Krupp? This story is constant action, moving from lake to farm and from Bavaria to Ohio. The characters are vivid and compelling. Sharks in Lake Erie is part thriller, part police procedural, part introduction to life on Lake Erie. In the end, the sharks call the shots.