The elderly Abigail Pearson has a heart attack at home when she has a "vision" of her long-disappeared husband. When Emily Charters goes to stay with Abigail to look after her, Emily begins to believe something nefarious is indeed afoot. The strangest case yet for Emily and her friend, Chicago police detective Jeremy Ransom, in Fred Hunter's Ransom Unpaid.

The Mummy's Ransom by Fred Hunter A controversial exhibit of Chinchorro mummies is about to open in Chicago at Dolores Tower, the latest building by the equally controversial local developer Louie Dolores. The mummies - dating from 2000 to 7000 BC - are incredibly fragile, making their transportation and display very risky. Even worse, the pending exhibition is being protested by a group who regard the exploitation of the mummies to be desecration of their ancient dead, leading to both tension and excitement over the coming opening. Lucky for Chicago Police Detective Jeremy Ransom none of this has anything to do with him. He figures as long as he can keep his friend, the elderly Miss Emily Charters, away from the opening, then there won't be a murder and he won't have to get involved. But first there are reports that a mummy is moving around the exhibit at night, then there are death threats against the developer, and when one night, alone in the exhibit, Louie Dolores is attacked by one of the mummies, Ransom is assigned to find out what's going on. With the sharp wits and intelligence of Emily at his beck and call, Ransom has to sort out the truth in what could be his strangest assignment ever before the a volatile situation turns fatal.

With a relaxing few days in mind, Miss Emily Charters signs up for a four-day seniors' cruise of the Great Lakes organized by her church. In the company of her friend and housekeeper, Lynn Francis, Charters and the other seniors set sail from Chicago, but while the waters on the lake are calm and predictable, her fellow passengers are not. However, a little tension is the least of the problems when one of her fellow passengers is found horribly murdered in her cabin. While the police investigate, the ship remains at port, leaving Emily stranded until her friend, Chicago Police Detective Jeremy Ransom, comes to her rescue. Together they set out to solve a most perplexing puzzle of a murder committed without seeming opportunity or plausible reason, not mention right under Emily's nose, in Fred Hunter's Ransom at Sea.

When Alex Reynolds, his lover Peter Livesay, and his mother Jean--occasional freelance operatives for the CIA--are asked to stash an Iraqi military defector in their home, all three are less than thrilled. It turns out the defector is an 18-year-old soldier who has ties to a terrorist organization and, to further complicate matters, is gay. But the real trouble begins when the young man mysteriously disappears, and suddenly Alex, Peter and Jean find themselves in the middle of a very dangerous game, in Fred Hunter's The Chicken Asylum.

Ransomware is a type of malicious software that prevents victims from accessing their computers and the information they have stored. Typically, victims are required to pay a ransom, usually using cryptocurrency, such as Bitcoin, to regain access. Ransomware attacks pose a significant threat to national security, and there has been a substantial increase in such attacks in the post-Covid era. In response to these threats, large enterprises have begun implementing better cybersecurity practices, such as deploying data loss prevention mechanisms and improving backup strategies. However, cybercriminals have developed a hybrid variant called Ransomware 2.0. In this variation, sensitive data is stolen before being encrypted, allowing cybercriminals to publicly release the information if the ransom is not paid. Cybercriminals also take advantage of cryptocurrency’s anonymity and untraceability. Ransomware 3.0 is an emerging threat in which cybercriminals target critical infrastructures and tamper with the data stored on computing devices. Unlike in traditional ransomware attacks, cybercriminals are more interested in the actual data on the victims’ devices, particularly from critical enterprises such as government, healthcare, education, defense, and utility providers. State-based cyber actors are more interested in disrupting critical infrastructures rather than seeking financial benefits via cryptocurrency. Additionally, these sophisticated cyber actors are also interested in obtaining trade secrets and gathering confidential information. It is worth noting that the misinformation caused by ransomware attacks can severely impact critical infrastructures and can serve as a primary weapon in information warfare in today’s age. In recent events, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine led to several countries retaliating against Russia. A ransomware group threatened cyber-attacks on the critical infrastructure of these countries. Experts warned that this could be the most widespread ransomware gang globally and is linked to a trend of Russian hackers supporting the Kremlin’s ideology. Ensuring cyber safety from ransomware attacks has become a national security priority for many nations across the world. The evolving variants of ransomware attacks present a wider and more challenging threat landscape, highlighting the need for collaborative work throughout the entire cyber ecosystem value chain. In response to this evolving threat, a book addressing the challenges associated with ransomware is very timely. This book aims to provide a comprehensive overview of the evolution, trends, techniques, impact on critical infrastructures and national security, countermeasures, and open research directions in this area. It will serve as a valuable source of knowledge on the topic.

For the inaugural performance at the newly opened Sheridan Center for the Performing Arts in Chicago, the organizers have brought in a much-discussed new staging of Carmen. Even though it has been sold out for weeks, Emily Charters and a friend have secured tickets for the opening night performance. Despite widespread rumors of back-stage troubles, the performance goes off without a hitch - up until the climatic scene when the actor playing Don Jose dies onstage. It is soon evident that the actor didn't die of natural causes and Jeremy Ransom, a Detective with the Chicago Police Department and friend of Emily Charters, is assigned the case. But as he quickly discovers, there is no lack of potential suspects. Between the out of control opera company diva, intrigues between the opera company cast, dubious financial situation of the company, not to mention the behind-the-scenes drama at the Sheridan Center itself, Ransom is facing his most complex case yet.

In Fred Hunter's National Nancys, Alex Reynolds and his lover Peter Livesay are dragooned into volunteering for a Chicago area progressive politician's campaign, which entails stuffing envelopes, answering the phones, and dealing with the daily bomb threats from a wide variety of wackos. But one of them was serious enough to actually do it, and now the office manager of the campaign appears to have been killed in the explosion. But, of course, it couldn't be that simple. With the help of their reluctant CIA contacts, Alex and Peter (and Alex's reluctant mother) begin investigating the bombing and soon discover that something much bigger is at play and their own lives are now at stake.

"You will only make this journey once. What kind of journey will it be?" - Billy Graham Hope is defined as, "a wish or desire accompanied by confident expectation of ots fulfillment." We all need hope for today, tomorrow, and for eternity, but how can we sustain hope when life is often so difficult? God's love is the answer. If we understand this truth, it gives us hope-hope because God cares about us and wants to help us. Searching for Hope provides answers on how to find God's path to hope. The Journey Study Series is based on Billy Graham's best-selling book The journey, the culmination of lifetime of spiritual insight and ministry experience. Each chapter explores the joys, triumphs, and conflicts we all encounter on our journey through life. Use for self-study or shared experiences in small groups six weeks of lessons sidebars offer a scriptural journey through God's word questions for starting group discussions insight-filled scripture passages to study Each chapter includes thought-provoking questions, commentary, Scriptures, and insights to help you on life's journey. Each lesson teaches the secret of walking with God on life's path. Understanding God's truths will make life's journey easier and let Him fulfill His promise to lead you home.