#1 NEW YORK TIMES BEST SELLER • In his final hours in the Oval Office, the outgoing President grants a controversial last-minute pardon to Joel Backman, a notorious Washington power broker who has spent the last six years hidden away in a federal prison. What no one knows is that the President issues the pardon only after receiving enormous pressure from the CIA. It seems Backman, in his power broker heyday, may have obtained secrets that compromise the world’s most sophisticated satellite surveillance system. Backman is quietly smuggled out of the country in a military cargo plane, given a new name, a new identity, and a new home in Italy. Eventually, after he has settled into his new life, the CIA will leak his whereabouts to the Israelis, the Russians, the Chinese, and the Saudis. Then the CIA will do what it does best: sit back and watch. The question is not whether Backman will survive—there is no chance of that. The question the CIA needs answered is, who will kill him? Don’t miss John Grisham’s new book, THE EXCHANGE: AFTER THE FIRM!

The Broker, in two sentences, recordates the authors' true-life career as a commercial real estate broker working in downtown Los Angeles in the mid-nineties. It makes The Flip (2010), Potter's first book look like a walk in the park; given its graphic details of broker deals gone bad, TRO's (temporary restraining orders), race relations, title chicks & topless bars, jail time, drinking binges, and all out yell feasts with fellow brokers; Blacks, Jews, Persians and Asians alike. The author is a former Nina Blanchard/Ford Model raised in a biracial family. Having been a candidate for Rookie of the Year at nationwide brokerage Marcus & Millichap in 1997, his production as a new broker was astounding and commendable. The Broker is a conglomeration of his learned knowledge of the industry from the mundane to the more sophisticated, such as pitfalls of escrow, purchase agreement construction to 1031 tax exchanges. The book even has a built-in glossary of commercial real estate terminology and definitions.

Scientists have a choice concerning what role they should play in political debates and policy formation, particularly in terms of how they present their research. This book is about understanding this choice, what considerations are important to think about when deciding, and the consequences of such choices for the individual scientist and the broader scientific enterprise. Rather than prescribing what course of action each scientist ought to take, the book aims to identify a range of options for individual scientists to consider in making their own judgments about how they would like to position themselves in relation to policy and politics. Using examples from a range of scientific controversies and thought-provoking analogies from other walks of life, The Honest Broker challenges us all - scientists, politicians and citizens - to think carefully about how best science can contribute to policy-making and a healthy democracy.

Denise Williams is one of the youngest African Americans in the United States to serve as Founder/CEO of a real estate brokerage firm. In this book, she peels back the curtain and shares some of the most sought-after success secrets in the business, allowing an inside look at what it took for her to journey from small-town poverty to scaling repeatable profits in one of the nation's most competitive markets. As the Owner and Qualifying Broker of Williams and Co. International Realty, Denise recalls her early life as the middle child in a household of eight. Her family struggled to make ends meet, but at 11 years old Denise decided that she would one day control her own financial destiny, despite whatever odds she may face in the uncharted territory ahead. This once small-town star went on to attain a BA in Finance from Valdosta State University. She then took it a step further and obtained a Dual MBA in International Business and Supply Chain/Logistics Management, while mothering a young son and closing real estate deals between classes. Denise sold millions of dollars of estate as an agent, but for her, sales alone were not enough. She acquired her broker's license and went on to manage a start-up real estate firm, which under her leadership grew to 75+ agents in its first year. Denise has personally trained 125+ agents and has coordinated agent services at one of the largest real estate firms in the world. Now, as the head instructor at CEOwner Academy, she has mapped out a proven blueprint to show newly licensed Brokers and experienced Agents who desire to start their own teams how to dominate their market(s) and build Breakout Brokerages. Her system can be used throughout the country, and she is quickly becoming the go-to expert for training and development in the real estate industry. For more information on Denise, please visit www.DeniseTheBroker.com

Real estate has long been a relationship business basically a baby boomer model and due to significant changes in the consumer, the industry will no longer be able to thrive and prosper on this basis alone. The consumer is mistrustful and skeptical and the relationship will not stand alone as a way to secure business going forward it will be based on a combination of relationships and verifiable skills with the emphasis on skills. Compound this with the worst downturn since the great depression, a seemingly jobless recovery and tight lending standards we are the midst of great challenges for the future of our businesses. In all of this, there is great opportunity for real estate companies. The opportunity exists for companies to move away from an agent centered universe to a consumer centered one and to be of service to the consumer in ways the consumer wants and needs and is willing to pay for. Bottom line we have to get better at what we do. It is all here the way back to profit. Roll up your sleeves, be willing to relearn things you thought you already knew, change real estate service delivery as you know it and prosper!

Super LawyerTM and former industry insider Richard A. Lewins informs, educates, and enlightens those investors who place (or consider placing) their hard-earned, saved, or inherited dollars-along with their complete trust-in the decisions made by a broker, brokerage firm, or other financial "expert." He has seen firsthand, from all sides of the table, the financial devastation that can occur when people turn over their assets to others to manage without understanding the nature of the relationship, the importance of the documents and the "red flags" to watch for that could signal trouble.