Most Popular Books by Michael Cadnum

Driven by something she cannot understand, a teenager tells a dangerous lie In the last 16 days, 7 women have been assaulted by the South Bay rapist, and the students of UC Berkeley walk to class in fear. To the campus, he’s a terror. To Jennifer, he’s an opportunity. An overindulged high school student who feels unable to escape her older sister’s shadow, Jennifer is desperate for attention—no matter how she gets it. To steal the spotlight from her sister, she’s about to do something unspeakable. Jennifer goes running in the canyon after dark. She throws herself through a bramble patch and staggers to the campus police, covered in scratches and blood. She was attacked by the South Bay rapist, she claims. She barely got away. When her lie spirals out of control, however, Jennifer realizes the spotlight is hotter than she can handle.

An Edgar Award Finalist: A troubled teen accidentally kills his best friend and tries to cover up his crime When the muggers come for Peter, he runs as fast as he can, cradling the 6 pack under his arm like it’s the most valuable thing in the world. He looks over his shoulder for his friend Mead and sees he isn’t running away. He’s dancing with the muggers, dodging their attacks until all the thugs can do is laugh. Mead has a spark of life in him that shines through the ugliness of the 2 boys’ lives. But Peter envies him, and each night, he numbs the pain with alcohol. It’s a hard life, and it’s about to get worse. When Mead smashes Peter’s prized bottle of cognac, Peter punches his friend in the face. Mead falls, hits his head, and dies. Unable to live with himself, Peter sinks deeper and deeper into an alcoholic haze as he tries to hide what he’s done—by impersonating the boy he killed.

A teenage boy searches for revenge on the streets of Oakland The battle is nearly over. The outsiders—who came to Oakland looking for excitement—are about to get back on the highway and go home. But they hurt 1 of Zach’s friends, and he can’t let that stand. He hurls a chunk of concrete at their car, starting a fight that turns into a riot. The police flood the streets with teargas, and Zach gets lost in the chaos. In the melee, he finds something someone left behind—something that will poison his life. It’s a .38 pistol, and once he picks it up, he can’t let it go. Zach hates violence, but since he quit high school, he feels its power creeping into his life every day. When his father is shot during a robbery, Zach’s newly found pistol gives him the power to take revenge—if his heart will let him pull the trigger.

An Edgar Award Finalist: A lost teen allows a friend to draw him into a suicidal game Stanley chose the house carefully. It has 3 chimneys and a perfect lawn. Stanley knows it’s nicer than any place he will ever live—and tonight, he’s breaking in. His friend Jared calls it a game. Sneak in, steal something, and get out. You’ll be invisible in the darkness, Jared promises. You’ll get high on fear. But when the homeowner awakes during the break-in, Stanley’s not invisible, and the fear tastes like ash in his mouth. The man has a gun, and Stanley escapes just before the bullets start to fly. Jared says Stanley did pretty well for a 1st-timer; he’ll have to try again. Soon Stanley begins to understand the lure of danger, and as Jared draws him closer and closer to the brink, he learns the games have only just begun.

A make-believe shoplifter is shocked to find herself actually stealing Anna loves everything about department stores: the smell, the clothes, the crowds. But her favorite things to watch are the detectives. She can spot a store detective a mile away, whether dressed as a tourist or pretending to be a cashier, and she knows just how to fool them: She lingers over an expensive sweater until she catches the detective’s eye. When she leaves the store, they stop her, expecting to find the sweater hidden in her purse. But she’s fooled them. Anna pretends to be a shoplifter, but she has never stolen anything at all. Until the day the scarf appears out of nowhere. She doesn’t remember stealing it, and yet, there it is. As more and more stolen objects begin to appear, Anna worries that her little game is about to push her over the brink.

From the jungles of Panama to the gold fields of California, a young man searches for justice In 1849, there are 2 ways to reach California: overland or by sea. Traveling by land is safer—a long, slow journey across the American plains—but the water is faster. Would-be prospectors in a hurry to reach California and strike it rich, sail down the Atlantic, cross the deadly jungles of Panama on foot, and proceed north by boat to find their fortune. Willie Dwinelle, who is 18 years old, chooses this Panama route because he must reach California as soon as possible. But it is not gold that he seeks; it is justice. Willie has vowed revenge upon an unsavory character in his hometown who mistreated one of his friends. So with his impulsive ally Ben at his side, Willie braves every danger the gold rush throws at him. But the most perilous hazard is one he never expected to confront: the lure of greed.

A champion diver fights to conquer her fears and get back on the board Bonnie is doing a reverse 2-and-a-half somersault when her forehead hits the diving board. She sinks into the pool, unconscious, sucking water into her lungs. When her teammates pull her up, they think she’s dead. Bonnie’s coach pumps her chest, breathing air into her lungs until Bonnie’s eyes open, and she can breathe by herself. Her head is bloody, her face a bruised mess. She’s felt pain before, but now there’s something new: For the first time in her life, Bonnie is afraid. Diving has always helped Bonnie escape the pressures of an unhappy family. But even after she recovers from her concussion, she finds it impossible to get back on the board. When her father is indicted for fraud, she needs the freedom of diving more than ever. But before she can fly, she must learn to leap without fear.

On orders from the King, the Sheriff of Nottingham seeks to capture the outlaw Robin Hood, but he finds him to be a tricky and elusive foe.

A young warrior sets out to rescue a Viking princess On the frosty coast of Scandinavia, the greatest warriors are the berserkers—men chosen by the god Odin to perform superhuman feats of strength, obliterating their enemies with the frenzied passion of a wild bear. More than anything, Gauk wishes to join their ranks. On a hunting trip in the blighted North, his best friend is slain by a bear, and Gauk is forced to kill the great animal. As he dons the pelt of his victim, Gauk fills with Odin’s spirit, and knows that he is on his way to becoming a legend. When the most beautiful princess in a Norwegian village is kidnapped by a pack of bloodthirsty Danes, Gauk knows it is his destiny to rescue her—and neither ice nor ocean nor an enemy’s steel blade can keep a Viking from his destiny.

His sister’s disappearance threatens to tear a boy’s family apart Cray is the first to smell smoke. It’s his 1st week on the job, working alongside his father at the family plant, and he’s afraid of making a fool of himself. So he waits on the factory floor, the machines screaming and wood chips flying. But he’s finally certain: The roof is on fire, and if the blaze isn’t put out, the factory could explode. Cray calls the fire department and races through the building telling the workers to flee. He’s amazed by how calm they are. The fire is extinguished, and life slowly returns to normal. But the true crisis is just around the corner. When Cray’s sister disappears and the police search reveals no trace of her, he discovers fear affects everyone differently—and it’s not always smart to stay calm.

A teenage boxer learns how to fight dirty—in and out of the ring As soon as the bell chimes, Steven knows he’s in trouble. Del Toro is stronger, faster, and in better shape; he’s by far the better boxer. But Steven has been learning to fight dirty. He steps on Del Toro’s toes, whips his head into the bigger man’s chin, and throws a straight right just wide enough to send his elbow crashing into his nose. It isn’t pretty, and it isn’t honest, but it works. In the boxing ring, and in life, Steven is never afraid to cheat. Invited to San Diego for a prestigious Golden Gloves West Coast tournament, Steven needs $600 to make the trip. A friend convinces him to get the money the easy way—by robbing a liquor store, and Steven soon learns there are fights where throwing in the towel means death.

This collection of deftly rearranged myths and fairy tales, including six original stories, rekindles the excitement of adored childhood adventures. National Endowment for the Arts recipient Michael Cadnum creates twice-told narratives revealed through their supporting casts, from the protective giantess at the top of the beanstalk to an extremely bratty Gingerbread Man.

A National Book Award nominee! Returning to the same era of his "In a Dark Wood", Cadnum''s majestic novel--part mystery, part history--chronicles the pageantry and brutality of the Crusades under King Richard. Edmund, a young apprentice, is awaiting punishment as a counterfeiter when a knight intervenes on his behalf--and compels Edmund to join Richard Lionheart''s forces in the Holy Land. There, amidst the savagery of the twelfth-century Crusades, Edmund learns both courage and compassion, and discovers that cruelty is sometimes considered the will of Heaven. Set in medieval England and the war-torn shores of the Middle East, Cadnum''s tale weaves together a rich tapestry of storms at sea, the brutality of hand-to-hand combat, and one of the classic horse and lance battles in recorded history--the Battle of Arsuf.

A bungled bank robbery by two teen brothers unexpectedly intertwines the lives of four California kids and an Iraqi war vet over the course of one long, dangerous summer day. When two teenage brothers bungle a bank robbery, their attempt to hide the evidence is witnessed—aurally—by Terrence, a legally blind neighbor. Terrence tells his girlfriend, Nina, and her brother, who then disappears with a handgun. Nina is afraid of what he might do to the brothers. But she also has every reason to fear what the brothers will do to Terrence. Flash ingeniously interweaves the stories of two who are hellbent on a destructive path, two who stand in their way, and one whose actions may be the spark to set the whole thing off.

A young Englishman embarks on history’s most daring naval assault Thomas Spyre wields his rapier like an expert, but his blade has never drawn blood. A surgeon’s apprentice in Elizabethan London, young Thomas spends his days learning the most modern medical techniques—from amputation to bloodletting—and by night he tries to keep his master from gambling away their earnings at bear fights. When a bad bet leaves their purse emptier than ever before, Thomas fears they are destined for the poorhouse. But a strange stroke of luck is about to whisk them away from England toward one of the greatest adventures of all time. Thomas and his master are called upon by Sir Francis Drake, the legendary swashbuckler, to accompany him on a daring raid of the Spanish port of Cadiz. As a surgeon aboard the ship, Thomas will have to learn the nature of manhood, medicine, battle, and espionage—all while the cannons fire.

San Francisco architect Stratton Fields has just discovered that a contest was rigged against him and that the man who engineered the cheat, Ty DeVere, is determined to keep Stratton from success. But when Stratton’s enemies, including Ty, start dying mysteriously—and Stratton encounters several apparitions—he wonders if he unknowingly made a deal with a supernatural force. Or maybe he murdered these people himself and has no memory of his deeds. Stratton must confront both the humans and the spirits who are causing mayhem to discover the destructive truth.

A child of the sun seeks his father—and risks destruction for the thrill of speed In the grazing fields outside the village, a griffin swoops from the sky to attack a lamb. To save the innocent creature, a boy called Phaeton hurls rocks at the assailant, taunting it to come after him instead. As the mythical beast charges, Phaeton turns and runs. The griffin is quick, but it cannot catch Phaeton. He is the fastest boy in the world, and he believes there is nothing he cannot outrun. Phaeton is a child of Apollo, god of the sun. When he learns the nature of his birth, this proud young man embarks on an epic journey to challenge his father and claim his birthright. But even though his heritage is divine, Phaeton is only human. When he comes face-to-face with the might of the gods, he will learn that mortals are not meant to soar so high.

San Francisco Bay Area archaeologist Davis Lowry has everything—success, a fascinating profession—but he is troubled by a bout of sleepwalking. For a change of scenery, he travels to York, England, where a bog man has been unearthed. A series of macabre accidents plague the site, and Davis finds himself enmeshed in a modern-day horror with roots in the bloody past.

Paul Wright’s family sends him to find his cousin, a photographer whose subjects have become increasingly macabre. Paul investigates Len’s last known address, a cabin in California’s Napa Valley, only to discover the frightening and sinister truth behind his cousin’s obsession with the past.

The king is killed on a shadowy summer day—and his servant becomes an outlaw On an August day in 1100, King William II of England goes hunting. At the side of the notorious monarch is his loyal servant, Walter Tyrrell, who is ranked among the finest archers in the kingdom. Riding through the New Forest, the king is separated from his party. Tyrrell lets loose a shot at what he thinks is a passing stag, but his arrow buries itself in the king’s chest instead. When he realizes what he has done, Tyrrell escapes from the forest—and into the twilight of English legend. For nearly 1,000 years, scholars have debated whether or not Tyrrell intended to kill the king. In this rollicking novelization of that ancient tragedy, author Michael Cadnum imagines what might have happened to cause that fatal shot—and where the fugitive archer ran to next.

Sailing from California to Hawaii, Susannah, her family, and a crewman are driven by a vicious storm into the path of a drifting powerboat. The ghostly boat carries the bodies of two drug runners and a huge stash of money. For the sailors, stealing the sordid treasure changes everything, causing dissent and division, compromising each of them, and putting their futures at risk. Because now they are being pursued by the worst enemies imaginable, including a drug lord''s son eager to prove himself and a cold-blooded teenage hit man with murder on his mind.

Collector Benjamin Byrd has added a new and eerie item to his archives: a set of fangs embedded in silver. As he grows more and more obsessed with his new treasure, he finds himself experiencing dreams and visionary adventures. Soon, Benjamin’s normal, successful routine is transformed beyond anything he ever imagined; he has to confront the truth that he is no longer simply human. This powerful and lyrical story brings into our own day-to-day lives the story of the werewolf.

Little John lives a lifetime of adventure—from humble ferryman to legendary outlaw John Little is strong enough to be a knight, but he knows he is destined to life as a thief. He spends his days on the river, poling nobles back and forth on a wooden ferry, the master of which robs the passengers blind. When an arrogant knight draws his sword to protect his purse, John defends his unscrupulous boss. The struggle leaves the knight dead, and John becomes an outlaw who must flee into the forest to hide from the king’s justice. John thinks his life is over, but his adventure has just begun. In shadowy Sherwood Forest, John meets a mysterious bandit dressed in green, who goes by the name Robin Hood. At Robin Hood’s side, John Little becomes “Little John”—friend of the poor, defender of the weak, and scourge of evil men across Nottinghamshire.

A 17-year-old Viking learns the horrible nature of warfare during his first raid The warriors of Lidsmod’s village live for war. When the waters thaw, they set their ships upon the waves, ranging up and down the coasts of Scandinavia in search of loot and throats to cut. In this culture built on violence, songs are sung of bloody battles and fallen warriors are rewarded with a lifetime in Valhalla. Today, Lidsmod will join the fray. In the newly built Raven, he will sail across the seas in search of a palace of gold rumored to sit near the English coast. He yearns for glory, but he will find something far more surprising. The golden palace is an abbey, home to English monks who strive to keep the torch of knowledge burning during the Dark Ages. There, a 13-year-old boy named Wiglaf learns the art of healing, unaware that death is approaching aboard a Viking ship.

Hamilton Speke is a successful playwright and composer—an extraordinary creative force. He lives and works on an estate south of San Francisco, secure in a woodland sanctuary where, to his surprise, he receives a visitor from his past, an old friend and former partner. Then everything changed. Speke’s life of celebrity and vision is ruptured by bloodshed and insanity, in a world where it’s revealed that no one, and no career, is far from danger.

It is the summer of 1588 and a pair of unlikely shipmates is traveling on the Vixen, a privateer that will soon be drafted to join a flotilla of English ships bound for a fiery clash with the Spanish Armada. Seventeen-year-old Sherwin is aboard to repay a debt he owes the ship''s roguish captain, Brandon Fletcher. Sixteen-year-old Katharine is sailing with them in a desperate bid to save her noble family''s fortune. The fight will be harrowing and bloody, and the unfolding tumult will challenge the character of both Sherwin and Katharine, who are about to discover the deeper meaning of strife and of honor. This fascinating tale affords an unusual view of one of the most important naval encounters in history, as a kindling romance between two young people takes place amidst a reluctant race to battle.

A poet journeys into the underworld to rescue his bride His name is Orpheus, and he is the greatest poet on Earth. With his lyre, he can make music so beautiful it causes the gods to weep, but they are not who he wants to impress. Orpheus has been in love with Eurydice ever since the first time he heard her voice, and to win her love he sings the most beautiful songs in history. On the day of their wedding, when Orpheus feels happiness just within his grasp, Eurydice is bitten by a snake and dies. The groom is heartbroken, but undaunted. He will rescue his beloved—even if he must battle death itself. Orpheus’s path is fraught with untold dangers, but he presses on—and a tragic yet beautiful love story emerges from this radical reworking of an ancient tale.

Red Patterson is a TV psychiatrist, a video force, and a famous healer. His newest patient, Curtis Newns, is an artist with a damaged soul. Red is so intrigued by Curtis that he seeks to separate the artist and his wife and claim Curtis’s creative talent as his own. He decides to hold troubled, talented Curtis in his desert estate, where the macabre secrets of Red’s life are waiting to be unearthed. Set in the San Francisco Bay Area and the California desert, this is a story of love pitted against corruption—the essential battle of our time.

Richard Stirling is a successful lawyer who specializes in defending the rights of the underprivileged. He falls in love with the pianist Rebecca Pennant, and as their romance develops, a tragic event takes Rebecca out of his life. In the wake of this dramatic misfortune, Richard re-encounters an heirloom, an astonishing mirror. This is a vampire story unlike any other, a tale of this contemporary world reflected from that other land where the dead are more alive than any dreamer.

Ragged and exhausted from fighting in the Crusades, Hubert, a knight''s squire, and his fellow crusaders board a ship bound for England. But the return home is neither quick nor easy. Hubert must use his sword against ships full of attacking infidels, and he is nearly slain at the hand of a vengeful knight. A shipwreck strands them in Rome, where the beautiful and brave Lady Galena nearly tempts him to stay. Instead, loyalty to his master prevails and they finally reach their beloved land-only to find that one of their group faces execution when he steps ashore. If Hubert is to save his friend''s life, he must first save his own.

Edmund and Herbert, newly made knights, return to England expecting to revel in the pleasure of being home. Instead, scheming Prince John has a new task for the weary Crusaders; they are to escort two young women on a pilgrimage to Rome, a journey that will take them through the perilous Alps, controlled by bands of brigands. And once in Rome, even greater hazards await. Suspenseful, exciting, and filled with colorful details of 12th century Europe, this final volume of the trilogy that began with The Book of the Lion will thrill readers.

A young boy describes how he and his parents feel when they leave their old house and move to a new house in another town.

Michael Cadnum''s Earthquake Murder is a collection of short fiction published in a variety anthologies and magazines in recent years and collected here for the first time. Featuring a foreword by radio and publishing force Andrew Tonkovick, these surprising, often ironic stories capture a world of danger and discovery. From flash fiction (Burn and Believe) to tales of crime (Criminal Lovers, Your Secret Wish) Earthquake Murder will let readers who enjoy Saint Peter''s Wolf, Seize the Storm and Ghostwright discover Cadnum bringing to life tight-paced revelations as electrifying as tomorrow.

Kingdom brings together for the first time the animal poems of Michael Cadnum. Cats, ants, whales-even the stubborn, lowly louse-here are thirty astonishing celebrations of the most intriguing and often overlooked creatures of the animal kingdom.Even the familiar creatures, like the Eagle and the Elephant, get new life in Cadnum''s unusual book.As Rosemary Deen, the poetry editor of Commonweal Magazine, assures us in her introduction, "Paradoxically, the better the animals are seen, the more they are transformed."The Raccoon makes an appearance, and the Peacock, and the Giraffe. So do the Jack Rabbit and the covertly assertive Roe Deer. Thirty poems in all celebrate the open secrets of the lives around us.Rosemary Deen says "Anyone who really wants to see the world will read and reread these animal poems: Kingdom."

Michael Cadnum is the author of thirty-five books, both fiction and poetry, including Saint Peter''s Wolf and the National Book Award Finalist The Book of the Lion. This Early Dark presents micro-poetry and ultra-flash fiction written over a forty-year period, and brings to further life Cadnum''s fascination with desire and discovery.