Samantha and James Coppi are living the good life. A massive horseranch in Colorado Springs almost as big as the Island of Manhattan. A sixteenth-century chateau in Lyon, France. A business global empirethat has a worth larger than most countries. An empire so powerful thatit can overthrow governments. Now the Coppis are embarking on a newventure: the expansion of a railroad. And not just any railroad, but a behemoth that encompasses the entireSouthwest, from the Mississippi to the Pacific Ocean. Not bad, for a confusedcouple that met by chance in a country honky tonk. The Coppis future backin 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. Itappeared that all the odds were stacked against the young duo back in 1968. But now it is 1981. Sam is pregnant and is expecting their fourth child. Whatthe Coppis desire most is an unexciting and routine lifestyle, an existencethat will allow the couple to enjoy the fruits of their labor. But you reallycannot turn back the wheels of time, can you? With so much wealth, canthe couple ever hope to find a peaceful, ordinary life?You don't get to their status without overcoming obstacles on the road toriches. A fortune cannot be made without eliminating threats that want totake it all from you. And you don't get to the top without creating enemiesalong the way. This political thriller begins in Los Angeles, continues to Africa and SouthAmerica, and eventually reaches Washington, DC. AA FREDA is an award-winning author of several novels including GoodbyeRudy Kazoody, A Police Action, A Test of Will. When he is not writing, Freda enjoys racing thoroughbred race horses, hiking through mountainsand shooting pool. He lives is Easton, Connecticut where he can stay intouch with world affairs. Manning a Raptor is the fifth book in the Sam and James series.