Books with author Richard Powell

From: Brigitte Constance Larue To: Zofia Goldwater Anderson Larue Dear Mother, A thousand apologies for neglecting to call you on your birthday. I know it's impossible to forget, being on Halloween, but I have a good reason. No, I was not shopping, I was busy saving the world with Mrs. Weatherby. Yes, you read that correctly, my idol, the witch I aspire to be, Agnes Weatherby, former director of the Bureau, who can still work the mojo. I have attached a PDF file (call me if you can't download it or read it) of my official report. I won't say much here or risk spoiling all the surprises we encountered. I will tell you that your former bridge partner and extraordinary orangutan Clementine was along for the ride. Also joining us was WBI's newest recruit, Kitty Howe, and her twin boys, Herman and Nate. I do believe that trouble follows those boys like paparazzi. Herman broke an hourglass that belonged to Death and managed to find himself—oops! No spoilers. Read my report and call me. Kisses, your youngest daughter, Brigitte.

The author of the National Book Award winner and Pulitzer Prize finalist The Echo Maker, Richard Powers "may well be one of the smartest novelists now writing" (Los Angeles Times Book Review)Seventy-year-old avant-garde composer Peter Els opens the door one evening to find the police on his doorstep. His home DIY microbiology lab-the latest experiment in his lifelong attempt to extract music from rich patterns beyond the ear's ability to hear-has come to the attention of Homeland Security. Panicked by the raid on his house, Els turns fugitive, waiting for the evidence to clear him and for the alarm surrounding his activities to blow over. His days in hiding provoke memories of a turbulent century of musical turf wars and cause Els to reflect on a life spent chasing after transcendent sounds to the bewilderment of an indifferent public.As the national hysteria for safety erupts again in the face of this latest threat, Els-the "Bioterrorist Bach"—feeling the noose around him tighten, embarks on a cross-country trip to visit the people in his past who have most shaped his failed musical journey. Through the help of these people—his ex-wife, his daughter and his long-time artistic collaborator— Els comes up with a plan to turn this disastrous collision with the security state into one last, resonant artwork that might reach an audience beyond his wildest dreams.