Warner & Lopez Series by Dean Crawford

Ancient cultures on continents separated by thousands of miles simultaneously developed identical technologies thousands of years ago despite never having encountered each other. Their legends contain near-identical descriptions of fiery objects that arrived from the sky, of wise beings that brought them knowledge, and of a great flood that destroyed their cities long, long ago. Modern archaeology dismisses these legends as myths. Ethan Warner knows better... moreAncient cultures on continents separated by thousands of miles simultaneously developed identical technologies thousands of years ago despite never having encountered each other. Their legends contain near-identical descriptions of fiery objects that arrived from the sky, of wise beings that brought them knowledge, and of a great flood that destroyed their cities long, long ago. Modern archaeology dismisses these legends as myths. Ethan Warner knows better. Peru, 1571: On a mountain high in the Andes in the last days of the Inca Empire, six children are ritually sacrificed to the Inca God Inti. Entombed in the icy wastes, they have lain awaiting discovery for centuries. They are remarkable for one reason: their skulls are elongated almost beyond recognition. In 1914, intrepid American explorer Hiram Bingham III discovers the lost Inca citadel of Macchu Picchu, and in doing so starts a race to discover one of the greatest secrets mankind has ever known… Present day: Former US Marine and investigative journalist Ethan Warner has shunned civilization after five investigations with the Defense Intelligence Agency. Living alone in the wilderness, he is tracked down by Dr Lucy Morgan, a scientist who once found the seven thousand year-old remains of an extra-terrestrial species entombed deep in the deserts of Israel. She brings ominous news: there are more remains being found, and there are people willing to kill to obtain them. Hurled into a global conspiracy that will take them from the deep waters of the East China Sea to the sweltering jungles of Cambodia, from the deserts of Egypt to the soaring heights of the Andes mountains, Ethan and Lucy must locate and excavate the remains of ancient people whose DNA carries both a message and a cure for a disease born of a species not of this Earth, and in doing so save the life of one young child and change the course of human history… less

Deep in the mountain wilderness of Missouri, a lone hiker in the forests witnesses a brilliant pulse of light that temporarily blinds her as she returns to her remote hometown of Clearwater. Upon recovering her vision the following morning, she is shocked to find that every single one of the town’s three hundred inhabitants have vanished... moreDeep in the mountain wilderness of Missouri, a lone hiker in the forests witnesses a brilliant pulse of light that temporarily blinds her as she returns to her remote hometown of Clearwater. Upon recovering her vision the following morning, she is shocked to find that every single one of the town’s three hundred inhabitants have vanished. Worse, Clearwater looks as though nobody has set foot in it for more than half a century… The Defense Intelligence Agency, struggling to root out the identities of the members of “Majestic Twelve”, a powerful cabal suspected of discreetly directing world affairs for profit, dispatches Ethan Warner and Nicola Lopez to Clearwater in an effort to discover what happened to the population and why the news media hasn’t covered the remarkable vanishing. They find a town deserted for decades and yet evidence of recent habitation is concealed beneath the grime and filth of ages. Stumbling upon the lone survivor, suddenly they are plunged into a conspiracy that could change the world forever. From the forests of Missouri, to the scorching deserts of Saudi Arabia and the high-tech laboratories of a massive nuclear facility in France, they face a whirlwind of corporate espionage while being pursued by hitmen charged with ensuring nobody ever learns of mass disappearances that have occurred in remote towns around the world for decades… The Fusion Cage is the second volume of the Warner & Lopez series from internationally best-selling author Dean Crawford. REVIEW Praise for Dean Crawford: "The fossilized remains of a 7,000-year-old creature dug from the sands of the Negev Desert in Israel become the bones of contention in Dean Crawford's fast-paced debut thriller... The book neatly threads together a wild variety of plotlines." - Wall Street Journal “… cleverly introduced premise… assured pacing and plotting…” - Publishers Weekly “The action is frenetic, in the vein of Matthew Reilly’s Scarecrow series. Crawford is an able storyteller who smoothly orchestrates the plot’s twists and turns… ” – Kirkus Reviews “… brilliant high-concept, high-octane thriller….” - The Guardian "A fast-paced and entertaining yarn." - Melbourne Age "Partly mythical read, part thriller this pacy tale is a page turner guaranteed to keep you up late." - The Sun "Get the cameras rolling—Indiana Jones meets Alien. What a combination of mystery, suspense, and unspeakable horror. I loved it!" - R.L. Stine “This is an amazingly good, intelligently told novel by an exciting new British author.” - Eurocrime "Earth-shattering intrigue, hyperdrive action and a desperate race to save humanity, cranked up to the max with scarily realistic science and apocalyptic religion thrown in for good measure . . . a major new talent has hit the mystery thriller scene!" - Scott Mariani ABOUT THE AUTHOR Dean Crawford began writing after his dream of becoming a fighter pilot in the Royal Air Force was curtailed when he failed their stringent sight tests. less

Fort Benning, Georgia: a Major General of the US Army opens fire on his own recruits, killing dozens before turning the gun on himself. USS Carl Vinson, Persian Gulf: a veteran fighter pilot opens fire on his own aircraft carrier before diving his F-18 Hornet into the deck... moreFort Benning, Georgia: a Major General of the US Army opens fire on his own recruits, killing dozens before turning the gun on himself. USS Carl Vinson, Persian Gulf: a veteran fighter pilot opens fire on his own aircraft carrier before diving his F-18 Hornet into the deck. Ethan Warner and Nicola Lopez of the Defense Intelligence Agency are called in to investigate the horrific events, and within hours uncover startling evidence that the veteran servicemen were not guilty of their crimes - for they were not in control of their own minds. Delving deeper, they discover evidence that both were victims of brain control so powerful they were driven to kill their comrades before taking their own lives to hide the evidence. The enemy has a new weapon: the ability to see our thoughts and dreams, and to control our minds from afar. Ethan and Nicola are dispatched to track down the surgeons responsible for infiltrating human minds, and expose a horrendous new mission by militant terrorists hell-bent on bringing the United States to its knees. From Berlin to Basra, to the vicious killing fields of Somalia and the dangerous streets of the homicide capital of the world, Washington DC, Ethan and Nicola finds themselves on the trail of killers who have committed no crime and yet have the capacity to murder millions. Worse, nobody knows who will turn on their comrades next… REVIEW Praise for Dean Crawford: "The fossilized remains of a 7,000-year-old creature dug from the sands of the Negev Desert in Israel become the bones of contention in Dean Crawford's fast-paced debut thriller... The book neatly threads together a wild variety of plotlines." - Wall Street Journal “… cleverly introduced premise… assured pacing and plotting…” - Publishers Weekly “The action is frenetic, in the vein of Matthew Reilly’s Scarecrow series. Crawford is an able storyteller who smoothly orchestrates the plot’s twists and turns… ” – Kirkus Reviews “… brilliant high-concept, high-octane thriller….” - The Guardian "A fast-paced and entertaining yarn." - Melbourne Age "Partly mythical read, part thriller this pacy tale is a page turner guaranteed to keep you up late." - The Sun "Get the cameras rolling—Indiana Jones meets Alien. What a combination of mystery, suspense, and unspeakable horror. I loved it!" - R.L. Stine “This is an amazingly good, intelligently told novel by an exciting new British author.” - Eurocrime "Earth-shattering intrigue, hyperdrive action and a desperate race to save humanity, cranked up to the max with scarily realistic science and apocalyptic religion thrown in for good measure . . . a major new talent has hit the mystery thriller scene!" - Scott Mariani ABOUT THE AUTHOR Dean Crawford began writing after his dream of becoming a fighter pilot in the Royal Air Force was curtailed when he failed their stringent sight tests. His Ethan Warner series of high-concept novels have regularly featured on the Sunday Times paperback bestseller list and have sold all over the world. A full-time author, he lives with his partner and daughter in Surrey. less