Showing results by narrator "Randy McCarten" in All Categories

When a suspicious algorithm embedded in China’s digital infrastructure trips a silent alert across the global intelligence grid, Alex Cárdenas—a retired CIA NOC operative turned private intelligence leader—is thrust back into the shadows he thought he’d escaped. What appears to be a rogue cyber event is, in fact, the opening salvo in a calculated plan to destabilize the world economy, pit superpowers against one another, and ignite a new world order.

The word ‘Independence’ is, quite frankly, a very common word today – celebrated, venerated, and metaphorically worn as a badge by every citizen of a democracy, such as the United States. And it has a deep association with the word ‘Freedom.’ For any American today, these two form the basis of their fundamental rights – you were born with them, and you will die with them. But have you ever thought about the weight that these two words carry? Or the toll they left in their wake within the bloodied pages of the history of the United States?

Joey Mancuso, Father O'Brian, and the rest of the team are back for their ninth hard-boiled tale. Consistently working out of their Lower Manhattan Irish pub and office. This time, there is no client. Instead, Mancuso has been sucked into this series of senseless murders by personal invitation. A text with the location and an invite to come over. It appears like random killings of homeless people at subway stations. But there is nothing unexpected about the texts.

Terrence Sejnowski offers a nuanced exploration of large language models (LLMs) like ChatGPT and what their future holds. How should we go about understanding LLMs? Do these language models truly understand what they are saying? Or is it possible that what appears to be intelligence in LLMs may be a mirror that merely reflects the intelligence of the interviewer? In this book, Sejnowski, a pioneer in computational approaches to understanding brain function, answers all our urgent questions about this astonishing new technology.

San Francisco homicide detective Terry Eckhart has seen enough death to know when a crime scene is speaking directly to him. When a body is discovered along the coast at a forgotten military battery, the murder appears isolated—until Eckhart realizes it mirrors two brutal killings from his past: a suspicious house fire that claimed Mary Quinn, and the ritualized murder of Janice Collins, found in the Sutro Baths with Eckhart’s name written onto her skin.

The widower says his wife was killed by gangs - but now he’s running for Mayor of New York City. Just to be sure (or else to portray himself as a properly mourning husband), he hires PIs Joey Mancuso and Father Dom to solve the murder. Only they can’t help noticing he’s pushing them to come to the gang conclusion as well. Hey, is something fishy here?

Dieter Webber, a former Jump Armor pilot, lost his war. Years later as a broken ex-pat, half a galaxy away, the former combat pilot is haunted by the ghosts of the war and looming debts to organized crime. An encounter with an Android, Reis, serves as an invitation from his former commander to a reluctant escape: Mercenary work in her company, Valkyrie LLC.

A Seed for Murder delves into the timely and gripping subject of genetically modified crops, exposing a tangled web of deceit and greed that is ripped straight from today's headlines. As with all of Parr's works, the truth may not be apparent at first glance, making for yet another thriller.

When a man, partially disguised with a medical mask and large sunglasses, approaches Joey Mancuso and asks him to solve his murder, Mancuso is skeptical. But when a series of murders begin to happen, Joey and his wife, former FBI Special Agent Marcy, find themselves embroiled in a dangerous web of deceit, smuggling, and theft.

In the late 1970s, a couple once involved in the radical group the Weather Underground pulled off a daring armored car heist in upstate New York. During the robbery, two guards and a local policeman were killed. The couple escaped with millions and vanished into hiding in San Francisco. Fifty years later, a small box containing seemingly unrelated items may hold the key to uncovering the long-lost fortune.

When famed cardiac surgeon Dr. Samuel Kohn is arrested during his hospital rounds—accused of murdering a fellow surgeon during a routine operation—the news sends shockwaves through Miami’s elite medical and legal circles. The victim, Dr. Everett Sullivan, was brilliant, arrogant, and widely feared. He made enemies in every hallway. And now he’s dead.

Joey Mancuso’s world is turned upside down when a young man walks into his life, claiming to be his son from a relationship twenty years ago. Desperate for help, the boy tells Mancuso he’s facing a murder charge for a crime he insists he didn’t commit. Uncertain if the young man is truly his son, but intrigued by the striking resemblance, Mancuso reluctantly agrees to investigate. As Mancuso delves into the boy’s troubling circumstances, he uncovers deeper layers of deception. Adriana, the boy’s mother and Mancuso's past love is uncovered by him in spite of the boy claiming his mother is dead.

The vic Oscar Stanton (name etched into his designer trousers) was gunned down in Washington Square Park in broad daylight, just after a lunchtime rendezvous with a business associate. A quick and dirty ID reveals the real Oscar Stanton was working in cybersecurities for the DO and, perhaps unsurprisingly, was KIA in Afghanistan. And Mancuso’s antics tend to weave a winding yarn as intricately connected as a satisfying Sherlock Holmes.

When the King of Salveria announces that he is looking for a new High Wizard, Alfen Maclerie knows there is no one better for the job than himself, naturally. The only problem is what is this "mirror of self" that he has to make and where will he find the rare ingredients? A captivating and surprisingly introspective story in a magical setting, perfect for the whole family.

The Valkyries find themselves against the wall, their contract forcing them into an all-or-nothing gambit. Their lives and livelihoods on the line, only the combined guile and grit of Valkyrie LLC and their new RSDF allies might see them through.

There's a bounty on the heads of all witches because they control the balance and order to the world. And every single monster is out to claim the prize. But in a case of mistaken identity, three sick-and-tired, middle-aged drag queens get wrapped up in the witch hunt. And guess what? The Monsters have f--ked with the wrong witches.

In his seventh hard-boiled tale, New York-based Private Eye Joey Mancuso travels to the lush, verdant shores of Miami Beach. But this is no vacation - Joey’s wading knee deep into a gritty cesspool of corruption, using his street smarts and industry connections to investigate a vast financial conspiracy. A young hedge-fund employee - a kid right out of college, green as can be - was killed by an anonymous sedan while on a motorcycle ride after hitting the South Beach clubs. Miami Beach police don’t seem interested, but Joey does - the kid’s dad is a friend of a friend.

Her boots slip with every step she takes along the snow-packed road. Frigid air burns her nose but does nothing to cool her anger. Her boyfriend just left her on the side of the road, all alone. When she fails to come home, her parents make a frantic call to the police. All they find are her footprints in the snow and her discarded purse in the ditch.

BE PREPARED! When you expose yourself to the influence of this philosophy, you may experience a CHANGED LIFE which can help you negotiate your way through life with harmony and understanding and prepare you for the accumulation of abundant material riches.

Leah never imagined her father would betray her—slipping her into the marriage bed of the man who worked seven years for her beautiful sister. She tells her father that Jacob will hate her for it and Rachel will never forgive her. She is right. While Rachel holds Jacob’s affection, Leah bears his sons. Yet despite heartbreak, betrayal, and the ache of comparison, she becomes more than the unwanted wife, carving out a life of worth apart from her family’s favor.