Brad Meltzer's '96 sixth novel involves a young presidential aide named Wes who, riding with the president's oldest friend in the presidential limousine, is permanently disfigured by an assassin's bullet taken in the face. The president's friend is himself killed. It is now a decade later. The hunt to figure out what happened leads Wes on a chase that takes him back to a decade-old presidential crossword puzzle, ancient Masonic symbols hidden in the street plan of Washington, D.C., and a secret code invented by Thomas Jefferson. Once again, Mr. Meltzer's thorough research into presidential lore and Washington, D.C.'s powerful system of secrecy, along with a jaunt into the glittering world of Palm Beach high society and its seedy fringes, have come together to create another page-turner. Publisher's Weekly says: "Meltzer's many fans will enjoy this substantial meal of a book."

Stanford Law Professor Paul Goldstein's '67 legal thriller involves Michael Seeley, a hard-driving IP lawyer on the brink of personal and career collapse. He takes on a case involving rights to a successful film franchise called Spykiller Films and soon plunges into the tangle of politics of the blacklisting era and then into the even darker world of Nazi-occupied Poland. As pressure mounts for Seeley to confirm a film studio's ownership of Spykiller, he must face down his own demons in Munich. The book draws on Prof. Goldstein's legal scholarship for its authenticity and perhaps offers him a new career: Publishers Weekly said, "Goldstein has laid down a foundation for what could be a strong franchise."

James Randel ’74 published Confessions of a Real Estate Entrepreneur: What it Takes to Win in High-Stakes Commercial Real Estate (McGraw-Hill, 2006), “a guide for investors who are ready to play hardball.” The author focuses on commercial deals with the highest potential yields, presenting a model for aggressively generating returns that are far higher than what is usually netted from real estate investments. The book is filled with candid real-life stories that demonstrate Mr. Randel’s
strategies in action.

Francisco Stork's '82 young adult novel tells the story of 16-year-old Hector Robles, who's tried to keep a low profile while living in the projects of El Paso, Tex. His peaceful life is shattered when his brother challenges the leader of a gang and Hector is drawn into a world of violence. When a marker is placed on his life, he escapes to a school for students with troubled pasts. Ultimately, by confronting external threats and the internal pain of his memories and mistakes, Hector begins to confront manhood.

Da Chen '90, author of the popular memoir Colors of the Mountain, published his first adult novel, Brothers (Shaye Areheart
Books, 2006). The story takes place at the height of the Chinese Communist Party’s Cultural Revolution, a massive power struggle within the party that led China to the brink of civil war. The protagonists, two brothers, were separated as infants, one raised in the highest echelons of society and the other cast off to make his own perilous journey in the Chinese countryside. Unbeknownst to them, they fall in love with the same woman. "Part Greek myth, part 1001 Arabian Nights," Benjamin Cheever, author of The Good Nanny, raves. Brothers "is intoxicating. A thrill and an [historical] education."