{"product_id":"the-map-thiefisbn-9780345494696","title":"The Map Thief","description":"Republican kingmaker Richard Tobias has hired attorney Mara Coyne, he says, because of her skill in recovering stolen art, but Mara senses that he is not telling her everything. Tobias reveals that a centuries-old map was stolen from an archaeological dig he is sponsoring in China, and he wants her to get it back. But as Mara begins her investigation, she uncovers the shocking truth: The map is more valuable than anyone has even imagined, and her client’s motives are more sinister than she suspected.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eFrom Hong Kong to the Italian countryside, from Lisbon to the remote reaches of Communist China, and literally around the world on the ships of fifteenth-century explorers, Heather Terrell takes readers on an adventure of epic proportions.“Provocative, well-documented, and evocative.”—Javier Sierra, author of \u003ci\u003eThe Secret Supper\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e“Heather Terrell’s new thriller moves effortlessly through time as she maps out a suspenseful novel that’s as smart and well written as it is inventive, original, and surprising. The Map Thief cements Terrell’s position as one of the genre’s up-and-coming stars and positions this series as one to watch and wait for . . . with bated breath.”—M. J. Rose, author of \u003ci\u003eThe Reincarnationist\u003c\/i\u003eHeather Terrell is also the author o\u003cb\u003ef The Chrysalis\u003c\/b\u003e and \u003cb\u003eThe Book of Kildare\u003c\/b\u003e. A lawyer with more than ten years’ experience as a litigator at two of the country’s premier law firms and for Fortune 500 companies, Terrell is a graduate of Boston College and of the Boston University School of Law. She lives in Pittsburgh with her family.Summer 1424\u003cbr\u003eThe Mongolian Steppes, China \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe Mongolian steppes thunder as three hundred thousand horses charge across the plains. The ground vibrates from the unison marching of the nearly one million foot soldiers that follow in the cavalry’s wake. The arid soil of the steppes cracks under the army’s weight, and opens into countless new chasms. Without warning, the air grows silent, and the multitudes part. A towering figure on horseback cloaked in vibrant yellow gallops to the front of the ranks. It is Emperor Yongle, His Imperial Majesty of China, heir to the Dragon Throne and the Son of Heaven. The emperor knows that he should not ride unprotected across the steppes. He knows that he should ride shielded from sight, as mere mortals are forbidden to look upon the Son of Heaven. But he loves the fight, and he understands this battle against the rebel Mongol leader may be his last. Yet the emperor cannot help but believe that the gods will favor him with one more victory, as they have done so often in the past. And he must triumph against the insurgent Mongol forces outside on the battlefield in order to triumph against his political adversaries, the mandarins, inside his own kingdom. For the mandarins have been whispering that the rebellion is a sign that the gods have forsaken the emperor and his grand plans. The emperor must vanquish the rebels and prove the mandarins wrong before his pliable son and chosen successor, Zhu Gaozhi, starts listening to their whispers and abandons the emperor’s projects when he ascends the DragonThrone. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe aging emperor cannot allow this to happen. He must protect his beloved monuments, the Forbidden City and Great Wall among them, which declare China’s might to the world. He must keep intact the vast empire of tribute and trade he so carefully reconstructed after centuries of neglect. Most of all, he must safeguard his beloved navy, the largest and most advanced the world has ever known, and its plans for far-reaching voyages. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe gods know that he has only ever wanted to make his people have faith in their own rule after so many years of foreign Mongol domination. He must make the Mongol rebels kowtow to him, so that his glorious legacy will not be lost to the mandarins’ self-serving schemings when Zhu Gaozhi becomes the Son of Heaven. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe battle horns cry out, and the air reverberates with their sound. The emperor places his hand on the hilt of his sword, ready to fight alongside the soldiers as if he were a mere mortal. He longs for victory, but if he is to die, he will die on these steppes and not caged within the Forbidden City like some rarefied bird. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe fast clap of a horse interrupts the herald of the horns. The emperor wonders who dares to disrupt this moment, \u003ci\u003ehis \u003c\/i\u003emoment. He turns to see his general dismounting and kneeling at his side. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“Your Imperial Majesty, it is not fitting that you should head the troops. I beg that you allow me to lead the charge against the rebel Mongols.” \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eStaring down at the general, the emperor’s legendary black eyes flash in anger. “Never forget that \u003ci\u003eI \u003c\/i\u003eam the Son of Heaven. I will ride out among the men.” He watches until the general backs away. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe emperor looks out onto the battlefield. He regrets only that his trusted adviser, Admiral Zheng He, cannot ride alongside him in what could well be his last moments. But Zheng cannot. The emperor has other plans for him. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eEmperor Yongle smiles as he unsheathes his sword, spurs on his horse, and roars to the army to follow his lead. He is a dreamer and a gambler, and he will die as he has lived. He leaves it to the gods to decide his fate and his legacy to China.","brand":"Ballantine Books","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46303954272485,"sku":"NP9780345494696","price":8.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1842\/7735\/files\/9780345494696.jpg?v=1730755886","url":"https:\/\/k12savings.com\/products\/the-map-thiefisbn-9780345494696","provider":"K12savings","version":"1.0","type":"link"}