Books with author Russell Baker

They said it couldn't happen......the day would never come.They were wrong.The apocalypse was five years ago. Little has changed. There isn't any law, but there used to be. Back then, Lucas Shaw had been a Texas Ranger. Now he's just trying to survive.In a kill-or-be-killed wasteland, death is always around.Will today be his last?When a young woman enters his life he must make an impossible decision: help her in a battle against an adversary who'll stop at nothing, or keep himself alive.Which will he choose?You'll love this lightning-paced and gritty story, because everyone enjoys a battle against the odds.Get it now.~ ~ ~Fans of Jack Reacher, The Hunger Games, and Road Warrior are sure to enjoy this post-collapse epic, from The NY Times and USA Today bestselling author of the JET, Assassin, BLACK, and Fatal series, and co-author with Clive Cussler of The Eye of Heaven and The Solomon Curse.

Four bestselling thrillers from NY Times and USA Today bestselling author Russell Blake. Features JET, JET - Betrayal, JET - Vengeance, and JET - Reckoning.Description:She faked her death......to save her life.The plan almost worked.Her code name: Jet. A lethal operative for the Mossad.Many wanted her eliminated. Spoofing her own death was the only way to survive, but it didn't work out like she planned.The past doesn't give up its secrets easily.The tranquil island's beauty was shattered in an instant. The attack forced her hand, and now she must make a decision. Will she stay dead, or return to a world that wants to kill her?A gritty, unflinching roller-coaster of high-stakes twists and shocking turns, JET features a new breed of protagonist that breaks the mold.If you're a fan of Bourne, Baldacci, and Brown, you'll delight in Jet's breakneck pace and no-prisoners approach to storytelling.Get it now!

The Pulitzer Prize–winning memoir about coming of age in America between the world wars: “So warm, so likable and so disarmingly funny” (The New York Times). One of the New York Times’ “50 Best Memoirs of the Past 50 Years” Ranging from the backwoods of Virginia to a New Jersey commuter town to the city of Baltimore, this remarkable memoir recounts Russell Baker’s experience of growing up in pre–World War II America, before he went on to a celebrated career in journalism. With poignant, humorous tales of powerful love, awkward sex, and courage in the face of adversity, Baker reveals how he helped his mother and family through the Great Depression by delivering papers and hustling subscriptions to the Saturday Evening Post—a job which introduced him to bullies, mentors, and heroes who endured this national disaster with hard work and good cheer. Called “a treasure” by Anne Tyler and “a blessing” by Time magazine, this autobiography is a modern-day classic—“a wondrous book [with scenes] as funny and touching as Mark Twain’s” (Los Angeles Times Book Review). “In lovely, haunting prose, he has told a story that is deeply in the American grain.” —The Washington Post Book World “A terrific book.” —St. Louis Post-Dispatch

She faked her death......to save her life.The plan almost worked.Her code name: Jet. A lethal operative for the Mossad. Many wanted her eliminated. Spoofing her own death was the only way to survive, but it didn't work out like she planned.The past doesn't give up its secrets easily.The tranquil island's beauty was shattered in an instant. The attack forced her hand, and now she must make a decision. Will she stay dead, or return to a world that wants to kill her?A gritty, unflinching roller-coaster of high-stakes twists and shocking turns, JET features a new breed of protagonist that breaks the mold.If you're a fan of Bourne, Baldacci, and Brown, you'll delight in Jet's breakneck pace and no-prisoners approach to storytelling.Get it now!~ ~ ~For those wishing to read the series, here are the volumes, in order:JET - Ops Files (prequel)JET - Ops Files, Terror Alert (prequel) JET * JET - Betrayal JET - Vengeance JET - Reckoning JET - Legacy JET - Justice JET - Sanctuary JET - SurvivalJET - EscapeJET - IncarcerationJET - ForsakenJET - Rogue StateJET - Renegade

Russell Baker’s Pulitzer Prize-winning autobiography about growing up in America during the Great Depression. “Magical….He has taken such raw, potentially wrenching material and made of it a story so warm, so likable, and so disarmingly funny…a work of original biographical art.”—The New York Times In this heartfelt memoir, groundbreaking Pulitzer-winning New York Times columnist Russell Baker traces his youth from the backwoods mountains of Virginia to a New Jersey commuter town to the Depression-shadowed landscape of Baltimore. His is a story of adversity and courage, the poignancy of love and the awkwardness of sex, of family bonds and family tensions. We meet the people who influenced Baker’s early life: his strong and loving mother, his bold little sister Doris, the awesome matriarch Ida Rebecca and her twelve sons. Here, too, are schoolyard bullies, great teachers, and the everyday heroes and heroines of the Depression who faced disaster with good cheer as they tried to muddle through. A modern day classic filled with perfect turns of phrase and traces of quiet wisdom, Growing Up is a coming of age story that is “the stuff of American legend” (The Washington Post Book World).

JET – Legacy is the fifth installment in the bestselling JET series, which follows the saga of the Mossad’s deadliest ex-operative, who faked her own death to escape her past. In this novel, JET is called upon to make the ultimate sacrifice in order to keep the ones she loves, and the world, safe.This is the fifth novel in the JET series. The suggested reading order is:JET - Ops Files (prequel)JETJET - BetrayalJET - VengeanceJET - ReckoningJET - LegacyJET - JusticeJET - Sanctuary+ + + Q&A with Russell BlakeQ: How is JET V – Legacy different than the prior JET novels?Russell Blake: In JET V, I take a different perspective on her motivations, as well as try to conjure up a plot so racing that the reader is left gasping by the end of the novel. Certainly, Jet is always in crisis, but never more so than in this volume.Q: What’s similar to the other novels?RB: JET V takes place over a week, and picks up only a few days after JET IV finishes. So if you were to read them back-to-back, the action seems to continue without letup across the series. In JET II I sort of duplicated the pacing of the original JET, and then in JET III tried a slightly different approach. I’d say JET IV and V are very similar in terms of pace and style, with the fifth volume in the Assassin series, Blood of the Assassin, also very similar. That’s another way of saying that I believe these books have really hit the groove, entertaining without letup.Q: How much more does JET have to go in the series?RB: I originally said that I can see the series running five or six books. That's changed since around book four, where I can see it maybe going to seven or eight. I think there's more than enough left to tell to take it that far - I had to leave out some of the ideas I had in this one, and kept telling myself, "save it for JET VI." So there's your answer, which at this point, is clear as mud, I would think. That's my way of saying I have no idea. But I haven't grown bored of telling her story, which is a very good thing, I think. Same for the Assassin novels - I can see writing one or two per year for at least another few years, if not longer.

JET - Justice continues the saga of the former Mossad operative as she battles to survive in a world intent on destroying her. From the streets of Argentina to the corridors of power in Moscow, her past continues to haunt her even as she flees it with all her heart.This is the sixth novel in the JET series. +++Q&A with Russell BlakeQ: A sixth installment in your bestselling JET series. What's in store for her this time?RB: Without giving away the plot, let's just say that no good deed goes unpunished, as is often the case in real life. I envisioned a story where a set of small events quickly spiral out of control, resulting in the usual mayhem and danger that fans of the series have come to expect.Q: How does JET - Justice differ from earlier episodes?RB: I wrote this one so that it really takes place over a period of 36 hours. I originally was shooting for 24 hours, but decided to stretch it some for plotting purposes. As such, it's a breakneck pace, where a lot happens in very little time. I also wanted to delve deeper into Jet's life in her new home, so that the dislocation when the poop hits the fan is even more jarring. I'm happy with the way it turned out, and think it works nicely.Q: How much more do you see in the JET saga?RB: You know, I originally envisioned this as four novels. Now it's six. And I already have two ideas for a continuation, so I think it's safe to say there will be at least one more. After that? Who knows. I really sort of want her to find peace in the end, but it doesn't seem in the stars quite yet.

Russell Baker’s Pulitzer Prize-winning autobiography about growing up in America during the Great Depression. “Magical….He has taken such raw, potentially wrenching material and made of it a story so warm, so likable, and so disarmingly funny…a work of original biographical art.”—The New York Times In this heartfelt memoir, groundbreaking Pulitzer-winning New York Times columnist Russell Baker traces his youth from the backwoods mountains of Virginia to a New Jersey commuter town to the Depression-shadowed landscape of Baltimore. His is a story of adversity and courage, the poignancy of love and the awkwardness of sex, of family bonds and family tensions. We meet the people who influenced Baker’s early life: his strong and loving mother, his bold little sister Doris, the awesome matriarch Ida Rebecca and her twelve sons. Here, too, are schoolyard bullies, great teachers, and the everyday heroes and heroines of the Depression who faced disaster with good cheer as they tried to muddle through. A modern day classic filled with perfect turns of phrase and traces of quiet wisdom, Growing Up is a coming of age story that is “the stuff of American legend” (The Washington Post Book World).