Where deception and betrayal meet...

Joe Ballen is taking it easy as head of engineering on the new giant space station at Alpha Centauri, or at least as easy as it ever gets for Joe. One thing he's sure of though—he's out of the hero game for good.

But on a routine visit back to Earth, one of Joe's oldest acquaintances is killed, followed almost immediately by a brutal terrorist attack. Forced to take desperate measures, Joe survives by the slimmest of margins.

And when he uncovers a secret message from an unusual source, Joe must undertake a deep space journey filled with deceit and danger to uncover the secrets behind the murder and attacks. But with a potential war looming, will he survive long enough to find the answers?

The Joe Ballen series is a near future, sci-fi noir thriller series, featuring a smart-mouthed space engineer, engaging characters, cynical humor, and plausible science.