(Formerly titled SOUNDING DRUM in hardcover, this was an RT top pick.)

As a NYC attorney and the head of the Red Ace Corporation, Stephen Drum has been very successful lobbying for Native American gambling rights. But Steve's newest endeavor will literally rock the foundation of New York.

During a construction project in Manhattan, an ancient burial site is uncovered. While excavating, anthropologist Dr. Paula Fox discovers an amazing document.

Paula smuggles the document out of the dig and gives it to Steve. Knowing the explosive nature of the find, Steve flies to Oxford to secretly work on authenticating it. All evidence points to the 300-year-old treaty's validity. According to the treaty, the Canarsee Tribe still owns 1,000 acres of Manhattan.

Besides being caught up in the most important deal of his life, Steve is being blackmailed. For 10 years, he and Angela, the daughter of Don Aldo Giovanni, have dated. Don Aldo is Steve's former mentor, and he has made it clear that his daughter is off-limits. Someone has discovered the affair and is trying to blackmail Steve. When he doesn?t play along, his car is bombed. Meanwhile, the futures of both NYC and Native Americans hang in the balance.

Larry Jay Martin's latest exciting novel comes equipped with an utterly intriguing and ingenious premise that guarantees loads of edge-of-your-seat suspense. LAST STAND is a high-stakes thriller that will keep you glued until the last word. (Dec., 352 pp., $6.99)

—Jill M. Smith