MANNING A RAPTOR

Samantha and James Coppi are living the good life. A massive horse ranch in Colorado Springs almost as big as the Island of Manhattan. A sixteenth-century chateau in Lyon, France. A business global empire that has a worth larger than most countries. An empire so powerful that it can overthrow governments. Now the Coppis are embarking on a new venture: the expansion of a railroad. And not just any railroad, but a behemoth that encompasses the entire Southwest, from the Mississippi to the Pacific Ocean. Not bad, for a confused couple that met by chance in a country honky tonk. The Coppis future back in 1968 looked bleak-she was pregnant with someone's child, not James's. He was assigned to an infantry brigade headed to a war in Southeast Asia. It appeared that all the odds were stacked against the young duo back in 196 8. But now it is 1981. Sam is pregnant and is expecting their fourth child. What the Coppis desire most is an unexciting and routine lifestyle, an existence that will allow the couple to enjoy the fruits of their labor. But you really cannot turn back the wheels of time, can you? With so much wealth, can the couple ever hope to find a peaceful, ordinary life? You don't get to their status without overcoming obstacles on the road to riches. A fortune cannot be made without eliminating threats that want to take it all from you. And you don't get to the top without creating enemies along the way. This political thriller begins in Los Angeles, continues to Africa and South America, and eventually reaches Washington, DC. AA FREDA is an award-winning author of several novels including Goodbye Rudy Kazoody, A Police Action, A Test of Will. When he is not writing, Freda enjoys racing thoroughbred race horses, hiking through mountains and shooting pool. He lives is Easton, Connecticut where he can stay in touch with world affairs. Manning a Raptor is the fifth book in the Sam and James series.