Gripping. Fascinating. Entrancing. The Vesuvius Isotope is 2013's Top Thriller!

An almost seismic sense of expectation emanates from a college campus. That is the true elixir of youth: the grand, the glorious, the magnificent hopes and dreams because all things - all things - are yet possible.

One of the fruits of longevity is establishing a reputation you may not deserve.

Don't we all look back in longing, those of us who had happy childhoods? Because the greatest loss we ever know is not the loss of family or place or money, it is the loss of innocence. There is forever a hollow place in our hearts once we realize that darkness rings the campfire.

All reporters have a stripe of irreverence in their mental makeup. It usually keeps them from turning into toadies, a danger for those who associate, even in an adversarial way, with the rich and powerful.

Gripping. Fascinating. Entrancing. The Vesuvius Isotope is 2013's Top Thriller!

There's nothing quite so irritating to an author as a family member's easy confidence that, of course, the book will come.