In his first assignment as an officer, Ishmael Horatio Wang finds himself fresh out of school, wet behind the ears, and way out of his depth. Aboard the William Tinker the senior officers are derelict and abusive, the crew demoralized and undisciplined, and change unwelcomed and dangerous. Can Horatio use what he learned aboard the Lois McKendrick to help the crew find the ship's heart? Or will he discover that bucking the system may come at too high a price?

This book constitutes the refereed proceedings of the Fifth Theory of Cryptography Conference, TCC 2008. It covers the paradigms, approaches and techniques used to conceptualize, define and provide solutions to natural cryptographic problems.

Chet Logan, known as the Axe Killer, escapes from custody while being escorted to jail. Disguised as a police officer, he meets up with movie writer Perry Weston and persuades him to drive to Weston's remote fishing lodge. Once there, and somewhat to Weston's surprise, Logan agrees to talk about his life and how he came to murder six people. The police become suspicious and put a watch on the lodge. Then Weston's wayward wife visits him and promises a fresh start. Logan wants money and a chance to start again ... Can either of them deliver or will Weston and Logan share a double funeral?