Alex Chin, captain of the football team, homecoming king
and most popular boy in his high school, was adopted as an
infant by the Chins, who kept the truth of how he actually
came into their lives a secret for the past 18 years. Alex
doesn't look like his parents and knows nothing about his
true heritage, but all of that is going to change. It
starts with a football injury that leads to his doctor's
murder, followed by the killing of his parents and a
confrontation with unusual assassins who will stop at
nothing to kill the young man. Alex's destiny is about to
be fulfilled, and it will be more shocking and momentous
than he can ever imagine.
Samantha Dixon, a high school senior and science geek, is
Alex's tutor helping to prepare him for graduation. She
also interns at NASA's Ames Research Center in the
Astrobiology Institute section and loves all the
fascinating things she's learning. And she will need the
new perspective she has of the vast universe as she becomes
part of Alex's earth-shattering journey to flee his
attackers. Though he doesn't want Sam involved, she will
not leave Alex when he needs her the most, especially since
she loves him. It will take Sam's intelligence and Alex's
cunning to keep them ahead of the assassins as they try to
figure out why Alex is being hunted. They soon discover it
involves the secret of Alex's birth, the identity of his
real parents and where he actually came from. Eighteen
years ago something extraordinarily out-of-this-world ha
happened that is causing disastrous repercussions now. Will
Alex and Sam survive as the truth is finally revealed?
Notable authors Heather Graham and Jon Land
have developed a distinctively unusual plot and unique
characters in their sci-fi thriller THE RISING. Interesting
and detailed descriptions of the Ames Research Center and
its various field of exploration was enlightening, as
surprising twists and turns kept me totally immersed in the
action-packed adventure. Even though I was sure of the
outcome, it was still entertaining to see how Alex and Sam
handled each obstacle presented to them. Their relationship
becomes stronger as they realize their intertwined lives
will never be the same. Alex and Sam's story deserves to
continue, which author Jon Land assures me it will
with at least two sequels.
From acclaimed thriller-suspense novelists Heather Graham
and Jon Land comes a story of action, mystery, and the
endurance of young love in The Rising.
Twenty-four hours. That's all it takes for the lives of two
young people to be changed forever.
Alex Chin has the world on a plate. A football hero and
homecoming king with plenty of scholarship offers, his
future looks bright. His tutor, Samantha Dixon, is preparing
to graduate high school at the top of her class. She plans
to turn her NASA internship into a career.
When a football accident lands Alex in the hospital, his
world is turned upside down. His doctor is murdered. Then,
his parents. Death seems to follow him wherever he goes, and
now it's after him.
Alex flees. He tells Samantha not to follow, but she became
involved the moment she walked through his door and found
Mr. and Mrs. Chin as they lay dying in their home. She
cannot abandon the young man she loves. The two race
desperately to stay ahead of Alex's attackers long enough to
figure out why they are hunting him in the first place. The
answer lies with a secret buried deep in his past, a secret
his parents died to protect. Alex always knew he was
adopted, but he never knew the real reason his birth parents
abandoned him. He never knew where he truly came from. Until
now.