Adult

During a state funeral for a beloved former First Lady in New York City's largest cathedral, the unthinkable occurs. Armed men disguised as monks seize the church and seal themselves inside, along with more than 100 of the most powerful people in America. NYPD officer Michael Bennett is pulled into the standoff as lead negotiator. Despite the escalating danger, Michael faces an even more terrifying crisis at home. His wife has been diagnosed with a devastating disease, and Michael faces the prospect of losing the love of his life and having to raise their 10 children alone.

55 million years ago, a sudden burst of lightning frightened a herd of small prehistoric horses. One of the horses, a five-year-old mare, fell into a lake and drowned. 1975, in Austin, Texas, a drop of oil combusted in a car engine. This tiny explosion happened just as the Ford Pinto, driven by a hitchhiker named Jimmy, pulled into the parking lot of apartments, home to the young woman in the passenger seat, a 22 year-old biology student. Machine is the story of the hidden connections between these two seemingly unrelated events. Omnivorous in its pursuit of knowledge, this short novel relentlessly pursues one of life s great mysteries: where does Fate end and coincidence begin?