Marque and Reprisal

Kylara Vatta, risk-taking, rule-breaking, can-do heroine of Trading in Danger, is back in business-the kind thats anything but usual-in the new military science fiction adventure by ace action storyteller Elizabeth Moon.

The exciting military career she hoped for never got off the ground-but Ky Vatta ended up seeing plenty of combat when she took the helm of one of the commercial transport vessels in her familys fleet . . . and steered it into a full-blown war. Now the lessons she learned in that trial by fire are about to pay off: because this time, the war has come to her. To be exact, someone unknown has launched a full-throttle offensive against Vatta Transport Ltd., Kys fathers interstellar shipping empire. In short order, most of Kys family is killed, and subsequent attacks sever vital lines of communication, leaving Ky fighting, in every sense, to survive.

Determined to identify the ruthless mystery enemy and avenge her familys name, Ky needs not only firepower but information. And she gets both in spades-from the band of stranded mercenaries she hooks up with, from her black-sheep cousin, Stella, whos been leading a secret life, and from Stellas roguish ex-lover, Rafe. Together they struggle to penetrate the tangled web of political intrigue thats wreaking havoc within InterStellar Communications, whose effective operation their own livelihoods-and perhaps lives-depend on.

But the infighting proves to be infectious, and it isnt long before Kys hired military muscle are turning their suspicions on the enigmatic Rafe, whose wealth of knowledge about ISCs clashing factions and startling new technologies has begun to make him smell like a rat . . . or a mole. With swift, violent destruction a very real possibility, the last thing Ky needs is a crew divided against itself-and shes prepared to take whatever measures are necessary to ensure that Vatta stays in business, as well as in one piece.

What shes not prepared for is the shocking truth behind the terror- and a confrontation with murderous treachery from a source as unexpected as it is unrelenting.

From the Hardcover edition.

"Marque and Reprisal" is the second installment in Moon's military science fiction series featuring Kylara Vatta, who must save her family from ruin.

This action-packed sequel to "Trading in Danger" is the the second installment in Nebula Award-winning author Moon's military science fiction series featuring Kylara Vatta, who must save her family from ruin.

Elizabeth Moon is the author of many novels, including Trading in Danger, Nebula Award-winner The Speed of Dark, Against the Odds, Change of Command, and Remnant Population, which was a Hugo Award finalist. After earning a degree in history from Rice University, she spent three years in the Marine Corps, then earned a degree in biology from the University of Texas, Austin. She lives in Florence, Texas.

From the Hardcover edition.