Bill Riley

Ashur's Tears Bill Riley

Toby Cypher has it pretty good. He's on the cusp of success with his mimics, programmable morphing robots advanced enough to be indistinguishable from humans. He's got a side gig volunteering in the Air Force Museum and a new job tutoring the prettiest, coolest girl in school, Rachel Majeski. Toby's world falls apart when he learns that his father, Dr. Erasmus Cypher, a scientist who does classified work for the government, has gone down in a plane crash over Iraq. But then Toby's sister, Katie, uncovers a secret message in the last song on their dad's smart phone-one sent after the plane crash. Toby and Katie are drawn into the dizzying world of their father's secret work with the government-a world of untold danger and profound betrayal, where the two siblings will need all their wits just to survive. Science meets magic in award-winning author Bill Riley's debut fiction novel, the fast-paced, intricately plotted first installment in the Cypher series.--Bill Riley