- Table View
- List View
Hunted
by Abir MukherjeeIn this "flawless" (Lee Child), action-packed thriller that will "keep you guessing until the very end" (Ruth Ware), two parents facing catastrophe must find their lost children before the unthinkable can happen.Named an Amazon Best of the Month Mystery & Thriller Pick and an Amazon Editors' Personal Pick In London, the police storm Heathrow Airport to bring in a father for questioning about his missing daughter. In Florida, a mother makes a connection between her son and the bomber, fearing he has been radicalized. And in Oregon, an unknown organization&’s conspiracy to bring America to its knees unfolds… On the run from the authorities, the two parents are thrown together in a race against time to stop a catastrophe that will derail the country&’s future forever. But can they find their kids before it&’s too late? For fans of The Chain and I Am Pilgrim, this ground-breaking, blockbuster thriller is unlike any other thriller you will read this year.
The Supernatural Files of CJ Delaney
by Carol WilliamsPossessed dogs, missing livestock, cloaked figures . . . CJ Delaney's summer vacation just got really weird.When a boring old skatepark opening becomes the scene of a something truly strange, CJ Delaney can&’t believe her luck. This is just the kind of big story she&’s dreamed of breaking for the town's local paper. With best friend Parker in tow, CJ is determined to get to the bottom of everything and save the town from evil. Isn&’t this what summer vacation is for? But when all answers point to someone close, CJ stands not only to lose her byline but the scariest thing of all—the people and pet she loves.With a strong, snappy voice and a warm sense of humor, The Supernatural Files of CJ Delaney is a fast-paced middle grade mystery (with just the right amount of hair-raising thrills) that begs to be read cover-to-cover in one sitting. This debut from Carol Williams shines with love for its characters, college-town setting, and belief in the power of the written word.
Myrtle Hardcastle Mysteries Digital Collection
by Elizabeth C. BuncePerfect for fans of Enola Holmes and Agatha Christie: an amateur detective obsessed with crime scene analysis investigates her sleepy village town in the Edgar Award-Winning series, now available for the first time in a complete paperback gift set! This highly acclaimed, Edgar Award-winning series features twelve-year-old Myrtle Hardcastle, Amateur Detective, who has a passion for justice and a Highly Unconventional obsession with criminal science. Armed with her father's law books and her mum's microscope, Myrtle keeps abreast of the latest developments in crime scene analysis and Observes her neighbors in the quiet village of Swinburne, England (often to their chagrin). In this complete paperback set, Myrtle, her governess, and her precocious cat Peony take on swindlers, murderers, and the occasional ghost, earning Myrtle a place among the most daring amateur detectives of her time. Join Myrtle as she puts her sparkling wit and nose for murder to the test in five thrilling investigations: Premeditated Myrtle How To Get Away With Myrtle Cold-Blooded Myrtle In Myrtle Peril Myrtle, Means, and Opportunity
Clive Cussler The Heist (An Isaac Bell Adventure #14)
by Jack Du BrulDetective Isaac Bell faces an attack on the Federal Reserve in this all-new adventure in the #1 New York Times bestselling series from Clive Cussler.1914: As America&’s century of dominance dawns, the country&’s greatest detective, Van Dorn agent Isaac Bell, is pitted against a master thief and his assassin accomplice. They&’re plotting to pull off the greatest heist in America&’s history: the theft of a billion dollars from the newly created Federal Reserve.When an aerial attack is launched against Woodrow Wilson&’s yacht during a meeting among the Federal Reserve&’s branch leaders, Bell thwarts it, only to find that the strike was just the opening of an even deadlier gambit. It&’s up to Bell to find the link between the attack, the mysterious death of a Newport heiress, and growing evidence of an unimaginably audacious heist.Double-cross and betrayal are Bell&’s stock and trade, but this time, the deeper he delves into the puzzle, the less he seems to understand. He is in a race against his most ruthless opponent yet, to prevent a financial panic that would bring the United States to its knees.
The Instruments of Darkness: A Thriller (Charlie Parker #21)
by John ConnollyFrom the international and instant New York Times bestselling author John Connolly, the beloved and brilliant Charlie Parker series returns with a heart-wrenching crime only one man can solve.In Maine, Colleen Clark stands accused of the worst crime a mother can commit: the abduction and possible murder of her child. Everyone—ambitious politicians in an election season, hardened police, ordinary folk—has an opinion on the case, and most believe she is guilty. But most is not all. Defending Colleen is the lawyer Moxie Castin, and working alongside him is the private investigator Charlie Parker, who senses the tale has another twist, one involving a husband too eager to accept his wife&’s guilt, a group of fascists arming for war, a disgraced psychic seeking redemption, and an old, twisted house deep in the Maine woods, a house that should never have been built. A house, and what dwells beneath.
The Dare
by Natasha Preston Natasha Green#1 New York Times and USA TODAY bestselling author Natasha Preston is back with another pulse-pounding, twisty read!Would you accept the dare?In Marley&’s town, seniors are given a prank as a rite of passage…a dare, if you will. The dares start out simple…egging houses, balloons filled with glitter, chickens running loose in the halls.But this is no child&’s play.Accepting a dare means you could be expelled, arrested, or worse. No one wants to back down from a dare. But saying yes has consequences, too…
Violent Spring (An Ivan Monk Mystery #1)
by Gary PhillipsThe mystery that launched Gary Phillips's career: Black private eye Ivan Monk investigates the murder of a Korean shop owner in the aftermath of the 1992 Los Angeles riots.This reissued edition features an introduction by Walter Mosley.In 1992, Los Angeles burned. In the aftermath of the Rodney King beating and subsequent riots, a ground-breaking ceremony at the infamous intersection of Florence and Normandie unearths the body of a Korean shop owner. Black private eye Ivan Monk searches for the killer—many suspect the motives for the murder were racial. But then another body turns up, and while the FBI and the Rolling Daltons—the largest gang in the city—dog Monk&’s trail, Monk begins to question just how many people will be involved, and how many will die before he can find the truth.
Nonna Maria and the Case of the Lost Treasure: A Novel
by Lorenzo CarcaterraNonna Maria, &“one of the most charming amateur sleuths ever created&” (Tess Gerritsen), dodges assassins and hunts for hidden treasure in this transporting mystery from #1 New York Times bestselling author Lorenzo Carcaterra.As Nonna Maria&’s longtime pal and sometimes colleague, Captain Murino, in charge of the local carabinieri, never wanted to see harm brought to the doorstep of everyone&’s favorite espresso-brewing, counsel-giving amateur sleuth. But when you live a long life, you&’re bound to make a few enemies. And when those enemies come calling, you have to rely on friends. Faced with an assassin seeking revenge for a decades-old grudge, Captain Murino has no choice but to turn to Maria, who must use all her neighborly resources, clever faculties, and web of connections to save him from his perilous predicament. On the other side of the island, a second mystery begins to unfold at the deathbed of another of Maria&’s old friends, as he hands his granddaughter a yellowed map and tells her of a treasure to be found in one of Ischia&’s secret caverns. However, there are traps and pitfalls. There will be others with sinister motives who will do all they can to make the treasure their own. But this map is a guide—the only gift he has to give. When the granddaughter needs help cracking the code, she turns to her grandfather&’s most trusted friend: Nonna Maria. From battling foes in medieval castles to exploring the notorious caverns where smugglers hide their goods, Nonna Maria and her friends—some old, some new—embark on their most swashbuckling adventure yet.
The Return of Ellie Black: A Novel
by Emiko Jean&“The Return of Ellie Black is a page-turning suspense novel, a shrewd character study, and a captivating mystery, all at the same time. The last fifty pages are magnetic. I couldn&’t put it down until I&’d experienced every last twist and turn.&” —STEPHEN KING Detective Chelsey Calhoun&’s life is turned upside down when she gets the call Ellie Black, a girl who disappeared years earlier, has resurfaced in the woods of Washington state—but Ellie&’s reappearance leaves Chelsey with more questions than answers.It&’s been twenty years since Detective Chelsey Calhoun&’s sister vanished when they were teenagers, and ever since she&’s been searching: for signs, for closure, for other missing girls. But happy endings are rare in Chelsey&’s line of work. Then a glimmer: local teenager Ellie Black, who disappeared without a trace two years earlier, has been found alive in the woods of Washington State. But something is not right with Ellie. She won&’t say where she&’s been, or who she&’s protecting, and it&’s up to Chelsey to find the answers. She needs to get to the bottom of what happened to Ellie: for herself, and for the memory of her sister, but mostly for the next girl who could be taken—and who, unlike Ellie, might never return. The debut thriller from New York Times bestselling author Emiko Jean, The Return of Ellie Black is both a feminist tour de force about the embers of hope that burn in the aftermath of tragedy and a twisty page-turner that will shock and surprise you right up until the final page.
A Lonesome Place for Dying: A Novel
by Nolan ChasePerfect for fans of C. J. Box and William Kent Krueger, a sleepy town is rocked to its core when a dead body is found in this debut novel.In the quiet seaside town of Blaine, Washington, the most serious police work involves dealing with stray coyotes or ticketing speeders along the I-5. But on Ethan Brand's first day as the town's chief of police, he finds a threat on his porch, along with a gruesome souvenir, a bloody animal heart. There are plenty of people who are upset about Ethan replacing the last Chief, but when a body shows up on the railroad tracks, Ethan has to turn his focus from the threats against him to the first homicide case the town has seen in years. Blaine's population is only five thousand, but eight million vehicles pass through its railroad crossing every year. It&’s the perfect site for drug smuggling, human trafficking, larceny, and murder. Ethan begins to realize that the small town has many more secrets than its quiet surface suggests. With no one to trust, his job already on the line, and the threats getting bolder and more reckless, Ethan Brand must find the killers and bring them to justice before anyone else winds up dead.
Tear Us Apart
by Van Jensen Jay BaruchelIn a world of blood and cruelty, two teenagers find humanity in each other.Deep in the Canadian wilderness, a vicious cult, dedicated to an ideology of pain, trains children to become deadly assassins. In the midst of this world of cruelty, two teenagers break the cardinal rule—by falling in love. The only thing standing between them and happily ever after is an army of murderers with a taste for blood.Written by Jay Baruchel and Van Jensen, with art by Alessandro Micelli, Tear Us Apart shows just what lengths the human spirit will go to endure.
Star Struck (A Hollywood Mystery #2)
by Marjorie McCownPerfect for fans of Elle Cosimano and Kellye Garrett, in this second Hollywood mystery, film costumer Joey Jessop discovers that Hollywood buries its secrets deep when a superstar&’s assistant turns up dead.Costumer Joey Jessop is working on a movie set in 1930s Hollywood and starring two of the world&’s biggest stars. The male lead is also a dedicated social activist, and the female lead, Gillian Best, is known for her lifestyle brand. After a hit-and-run near the set, Joey realizes that the car involved belongs to Gillian, and she begins to wonder if the actress has more to hide than her Botox appointments.Her suspicions deepen when Gillian&’s personal assistant, Rita, vows to get revenge for Gillian replacing her and is found dead shortly after. Gillian quickly labels Rita&’s death a suicide, and the police seem to agree–but Joey isn&’t so sure.With the police standing aside, it&’s up to Joey to dig up the truth—but Hollywood stars know how to keep their secrets close, and a woman like Gillian Best won&’t take kindly to someone sniffing around her affairs. Joey is certain that Gillian has something to hide–and she&’s determined to find out what.
The Z Word
by Lindsay King-Miller&“Sexy, scathing, delightful, and intimately devastating.&”—Gretchen Felker-Martin, author of Manhunt and CuckooPacked with action, humor, sex, and big gay feelings, The Z Word is the queer zombie romp you didn&’t know you needed.Chaotic bisexual Wendy is trying to find her place in the queer community of San Lazaro, Arizona, after a bad breakup—which is particularly difficult because her ex is hooking up with some of her friends. And when the people around them start turning into violent, terrifying mindless husks, well, that makes things harder. Especially since the infection seems to be spreading.Now, Wendy and her friends and frenemies—drag queen Logan, silver fox Beau, sword lesbian Aurelia and her wife Sam, mysterious pizza delivery stoner Sunshine, and, oh yeah, Wendy&’s ex-girlfriend Leah—have to team up to stay alive, save Pride, and track the zombie outbreak to its shocking source. Hopefully without killing each other first.The Z Word is a propulsive, funny, emotional horror debut about a found family coming together to fight corporate greed, political corruption, gay drama, and zombies.
Into the Night
by Cornell Woolrich Lawrence BlockTWO OF THE GREATEST AUTHORS OF NOIR FICTION IN AN UNFORGETTABLE COLLABORATIONAn innocent woman lies dead in the street, felled by a stray bullet. Now it&’s up to the woman who killed her to investigate the dead woman&’s life and pick up its cut-short threads, carrying out a mission of vengeance on her behalf against the man she loved and lost – and the nightclub-singing femme fatale responsible for splitting them apart.Begun in the last years of his life by noir master Cornell Woolrich, the haunted genius responsible for such classics as Rear Window, The Bride Wore Black, Night Has a Thousand Eyes, and Phantom Lady, and completed decades later by acclaimed novelist and MWA Grand Master Lawrence Block (A Walk Among the Tombstones, Eight Million Ways to Die), INTO THE NIGHT – available here for the first time in more than 35 years – is a collaboration that extends beyond the grave, echoing the book&’s own story of the living taking on and completing the unfinished work of the dead.
The Deepest Lake
by Andromeda Romano-LaxIn this atmospheric thriller set at a luxury memoir-writing workshop on the shores of Lake Atitlán, Guatemala, a grieving mother goes undercover to investigate her daughter&’s mysterious death.Rose, the mother of twentysomething aspiring writer Jules, has waited three months for answers about her daughter&’s death. Why was she swimming alone when she feared the water? Why did she stop texting days before she was last seen? When the official investigation rules the death an accidental drowning, the body possibly lost forever in Central America&’s deepest lake, an unsatisfied Rose travels to the memoir workshop herself. She hopes to draw her own conclusion—and find closure. When Rose arrives, she is swept into the curious world created by her daughter&’s literary hero, the famous writing teacher Eva Marshall, a charismatic woman known for her candid—and controversial—memoirs. As Rose uncovers details about the days leading up to Jules&’s disappearance, she begins to suspect that this glamorous retreat package is hiding ugly truths. Is Lake Atitlán a place where traumatized women come to heal or a place where deeper injury is inflicted? The Deepest Lake is both a sharp look at the sometimes toxic, exclusionary world of high-class writing workshops and an achingly poignant view of a mother&’s grief.
The Lock-Up: A Detective Mystery
by John Banville*NATIONAL BESTSELLER*A New York Times Editors' ChoiceBooker Prize winner and &“Irish master&” (The New Yorker) John Banville&’s most ambitious crime novel yet brings two detectives together to solve a globe-spanning mysteryIn 1950s Dublin, Rosa Jacobs, a young history scholar, is found dead in her car. Renowned pathologist Dr. Quirke and DI St. John Strafford begin to investigate the death as a murder, but it&’s the victim&’s older sister Molly, an established journalist, who discovers a lead that could crack open the case.One of Rosa&’s friends, it turns out, is from a powerful German family that arrived in Ireland under mysterious circumstances shortly after World War II. But as Quirke and Strafford close in, their personal lives may put the case—and everyone involved—in peril, including Quirke&’s own daughter.Spanning the mountaintops of Italy, the front lines of World War II Bavaria, the gritty streets of Dublin and other unexpected locales, The Lock-Up is an ambitious and arresting mystery by one of the world&’s most celebrated authors.
Bride of the Night (Vampire Hunters #3)
by Heather GrahamIgnite your imagination with this immersive paranormal read!This fan-favorite novel from #1 New York Times bestselling Heather Graham brings readers into an American Civil War replete with vampires, political intrigue, and romance. She's the vampire that could destroy a nation.At least, that's what Pinkerton detective Finn Dunne thinks of Tara Fox. Capturing her aboard a ship sneaking its way northward, he's convinced she's been sent to take out President Lincoln. While she's certainly the most attractive assassin he's ever faced, that won't keep him from his duty.Tara has always been caught between worlds. As a vampire born and raised in Key West, she has many friends among the humans. Many friends that are now fighting and dying in the raging Civil War.When her strange dreams began, she thought of them as abstract visions. But she now knows that she must travel to Washington, D.C., and protect the president at all costs. Finn still won't trust her, despite what he's seen. And if Tara has to go through him—or bring reinforcements—to save Lincoln, she will do whatever it takes, even if it costs her her heart. Previously published.
Night of the Wolves (Vampire Hunters #1)
by Heather GrahamIgnite your imagination with this immersive paranormal read!#1 New York Times bestselling author Heather Graham&’s Vampire Hunters miniseries hits the ground running with a period romance full of grim revenge, fiery passion, and things that go bump in the night. Guided by visions as she hunts for her father's murderer, Alexandra Gordon returns to Victory, Texas—and lands straight in the arms of fearsome lawman Cody Fox.A dedicated soldier in the war against evil, Cody wears his battle scars with honor, all the while hiding a shameful secret from the perceptive Alexandra. Their attraction to one another is instant and unstoppable, but soon it may cost Alex her life. For an ancient evil has been awakened and is stalking the townsfolk after dark.... To protect Alex, Cody must choose between a showdown with the devil—and the fiery beauty whose kisses soothe his tormented soul. Previously published.
Snow: A Novel
by John Banville*NATIONAL BESTSELLER**SHORTLISTED FOR THE CWA HISTORICAL DAGGER AWARD*A Globe and Mail Best Book of the YearA New York Times Editors&’ Choice Pick&“Banville sets up and then deftly demolishes the Agatha Christie format…superbly rich and sophisticated.&”—New York Times Book Review The incomparable Booker Prize winner&’s next great crime novel—the story of a family whose secrets resurface when a parish priest is found murdered in their ancestral homeDetective Inspector St. John Strafford has been summoned to County Wexford to investigate a murder. A parish priest has been found dead in Ballyglass House, the family seat of the aristocratic, secretive Osborne family.The year is 1957 and the Catholic Church rules Ireland with an iron fist. Strafford—flinty, visibly Protestant and determined to identify the murderer—faces obstruction at every turn, from the heavily accumulating snow to the culture of silence in the tight-knit community he begins to investigate.As he delves further, he learns the Osbornes are not at all what they seem. And when his own deputy goes missing, Strafford must work to unravel the ever-expanding mystery before the community&’s secrets, like the snowfall itself, threaten to obliterate everything.Beautifully crafted, darkly evocative and pulsing with suspense, Snow is &“the Irish master&” (New Yorker) John Banville at his page-turning best.Don't miss John Banville's next novel, The Lock-up!Other riveting mysteries from John Banville: April in Spain
April in Spain: A Detective Mystery
by John Banville*NATIONAL BESTSELLER*Booker Prize winner John Banville returns with a dark and evocative new mystery set on the Spanish coastDon't disturb the dead…On the idyllic coast of San Sebastian, Spain, Dublin pathologist Quirke is struggling to relax, despite the beaches, cafés and the company of his disarmingly lovely wife. When he glimpses a familiar face in the twilight at Las Acadas bar, it's hard at first to tell whether his imagination is just running away with him.Because this young woman can't be April Latimer. She was murdered by her brother, years ago—the conclusion to an unspeakable scandal that shook one of Ireland's foremost political dynasties.Unable to ignore his instincts, Quirke makes a call back home to Ireland and soon Detective St. John Strafford is dispatched to Spain. But he's not the only one en route. A relentless hit man is on the hunt for his latest prey, and the next victim might be Quirke himself.Sumptous, propulsive and utterly transporting, April in Spain is the work of a master writer at the top of his game.Don't miss John Banville's next novel, The Lock-up!Other riveting mysteries from John Banville: Snow
God's Favorite: A Novel
by Lawrence WrightIn this fascinating work of historical fiction, Pulitzer Prize-winning author Lawrence Wright captures all the gripping drama and black humor of Panama during the final, nerve-racking days of its legendary dictator, Manuel Antonio Noriega.It is Christmas 1989, and Tony Noriega's demons are finally beginning to catch up with him. A former friend of President Bush, Fidel Castro, and Oliver North, this universally reviled strongman is on the run from the U.S. Congress, the Justice Department, the Colombian mob, and a host of political rivals. In his desperation, he seeks salvation from any and all quarters -- God, Satan, a voodoo priest, even the spirits of his murdered enemies. But with a million-dollar price on his head and 20,000 American soldiers on his trail, Noriega is fast running out of options. Drawn from a historical record more dramatic than even the most artful spy novel, God's Favorite is a riveting and darkly comic fictional account of the events that occurred in Panama from 1985 to the dictator's capture in 1989. With an award-winning journalist's eye for detail, Lawrence Wright leads the reader toward a dramatic face-off in the Vatican embassy, where Noriega confronts his psychological match in the papal nuncio.
The Other Oregon: A Thriller
by Steve AndersonA Portland activist ventures into rural militia country to face a threat from his past in this crime thriller by the author of the Kaspar Brothers series. Greg Simmons is an idealist. From his home in Portland, he&’s a major proponent of the Cascadia independence movement. All of which makes him an unlikely informant for the FBI. But when the Bureau calls on Greg to investigate a dangerous militia group in rural Oregon, he knows exactly why: his old friend Donny Wilkie is likely involved. Greg and Donny have been estranged for years. But if Donny&’s involved in something dangerous, Greg intends to pursue the threat on his own—because he needs to make sure Donny never unearths the dark secrets they buried years ago. In the remote town of Pineburg, Greg is a fish out of water. As he grapples with dangers both old and new, he and Donny must come to a new understanding . . . or face the deadly truth of their shared past.
Rain Down: A Crime Novella
by Steve AndersonA man with no name is out to find a labor activist friend who disappeared on the streets of Portland in this noir crime novella. It&’s 2009, and the economy&’s falling apart. Formerly homeless, our nameless hero owes what little he has to his friend Oscar. As a fellow day laborer, Oscar always stood up for their rights, even if it meant trouble. But now the cops are looking for Oscar—but he&’s nowhere to be found. The man with no name needs to find Oscar and soon, or he just might take the rap himself. He dodges the cops, tries to save his drug-addicted ex, and discovers a criminal coverup protecting some of Portland&’s richest and most powerful. To get at the whole truth, he&’ll have to finally face his past, and accept who his friend Oscar really was. Only then can he reclaim his name and place in a harsh world.
Threads That Bind (Threads That Bind #1)
by Kika Hatzopoulou&“Dripping with atmosphere and edged with danger, Threads That Bind weaves together a gorgeous dark tapestry of mystery, fated romance, and modern myth. You won&’t be able to put this one down.&” —Alexandra Bracken, New York Times bestselling author of LoreIn a world where the children of the gods inherit their powers, a descendant of the Greek Fates must solve a series of impossible murders to save her sisters, her soulmate, and her city, for fans of Song of Achilles.Descendants of the Fates are always born in threes: one to weave, one to draw, and one to cut the threads that connect people to the things they love and to life itself. The Ora sisters are no exception. Io, the youngest, uses her Fate-born abilities as a private investigator in the half-sunken city of Alante.But her latest job leads her to a horrific discovery: somebody is abducting women, maiming their life-threads, and setting the resulting wraiths loose in the city to kill. To find the culprit, she must work alongside Edei Rhuna, the right hand of the infamous Mob Queen—and the boy with whom she shares a rare fate-thread linking them as soul mates before they&’ve even met.The investigation turns personal when Io's estranged oldest sister shows up on the arm of her best suspect. Amid unveiled secrets from her past and her growing feelings for Edei, Io must follow clues through the city&’s darkest corners and unearth a conspiracy that involves some of the city&’s most powerful players before destruction comes to her own doorstep.
Manner of Death (A Jack Stapleton & Laurie Montgomery Novel #14)
by Robin CookIn the new fast-paced medical thriller from bestselling author Robin Cook, fan favorites Jack and Laurie are inadvertently drawn into a dangerous vortex of a series of homicides that have been cleverly staged as suicides.After Dr. Jack Stapleton&’s near-death confrontation with a medical serial killer, his wife, NYC Chief Medical Examiner Laurie Montgomery, is carrying the load both at work and at home. When Laurie insists that Dr. Ryan Sullivan—an underperforming senior pathology resident who is spending his required month at the medical examiner's office but who truly detests doing forensic autopsies—assist her on a suicide autopsy in hopes of stimulating his interest in the field, the last thing she expects is to be unwittingly drawn into a major conspiracy that puts her own life in jeopardy. Desperate to avoid performing as many forensic autopsies as possible, Dr. Ryan Sullivan offers to participate in a research project on a series of suicides put together by one of the medical legal investigators. These suicides, like the case Ryan analyzes with Laurie, hint at some bothersome questions about their "manner of death." Although the project was more of a ruse than a serious study, Ryan surprises himself by immediately uncovering unexpected shared commonalities. Most astonishing of all, Ryan's inquiries eventually put him and Laurie at risk by leading to a nefarious cancer diagnostics company that promotes the very latest, groundbreaking cancer screening technology in a shockingly self-serving and fraudulent fashion.