Who is the Piper? . . .   Special Agent Patrick Bowers returns in an electrifying prequel to the Bowers Chess series from critically acclaimed, national bestselling novelist Steven James.   A mysterious suicide and a series of abductions draw Patrick into a web of intrigue involving an international conspiracy where no one is who they appear to be and the stakes have never been higher.   Soon, Patrick discovers that the secret to stopping the Piper’s current crime spree lies in unlocking answers from an eight-year-old cold case—and the only way to do that is by entering the terrifying world of the conspirators himself.   Dark, probing, and chilling, Every Crooked Path takes an unflinching look at the world of today’s cybercrimes and delves into a parent’s worst nightmare as it launches a new chapter of Patrick Bowers thrillers. "Every Crooked Path is a surprisingly quick read with short chapters, snappy dialogue, and tautly written action scenes."--Killer Nashville "True to James' style, the plot is full of secrets and mind games that are entertaining and thought-provoking."-- RT Reviews (4 ½ stars) Steven James always presents a tight, engaging, "this is happening in the real world" kind of story. --The Christian Manifesto Throughout the chess series, I'd never told any of the stories about Patrick Bowers' years in NYC. When my publisher approached me about doing more Bowers books, I thought it would be an excellent time to explore those stories. Since  Every Crooked Path  deals with a topic close to my heart (protecting our children), it became a very personal story and, I believe, one of my most important novels. This book challenged me in so many ways (through the online chat conversations and the diversity of points of view) that I think I grew as an author more while writing this book than any other book in years. If you haven't read any of the other Patrick Bowers novels, this is a great place to start. Steven James is the best-selling, critically acclaimed author of thirteen novels. He has a master's degree in storytelling and is a contributing editor to Writer's Digest . Best known for his psychological thrillers, he has received more than a dozen honors and awards for his books, including three Christy Awards for best suspense. His novel The Queen was a finalist for an International Thriller Award. Steven's groundbreaking book on the craft of fiction, Story Trumps Structure: How to Write Unforgettable Fiction by Breaking the Rules , won a 2015 Storytelling World Award, recognizing it as one of the year's best resources for storytellers. He is the host of the podcast "The Story Blender," in which he interviews great storytellers from the world of cinema, oral performance, and writing about the craft of great storytelling. Steven leads regular Novel Writing Intensive retreats around the country that provide in-depth instruction for serious novelists. For information on these seminars, visit novelwritingintensive.com. For information on his fiction, visit stevenjames.net. To book him to speak, e-mail info@stevenjames.net. Praise The Bowers Files Title Page Copyright Dedication Epigraph Author’s Note PART I Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4 Chapter 5 Chapter 6 Chapter 7 Chapter 8 Chapter 9 Chapter 10 Chapter 11 Chapter 12 Chapter 13 Chapter 14 Chapter 15 Chapter 16 Chapter 17 Chapter 18 Chapter 19 Chapter 20 Chapter 21 PART II Chapter 22 Chapter 23 Chapter 24 Chapter 25 Chapter 26 Chapter 27 Chapter 28 Chapter 29 Chapter 30 Chapter 31 Chapter 32 Chapter 33 Chapter 34 Chapter 35 Chapter 36 Chapter 37 Chapter 38 Chapter 39 Chapter 40 Chapter 41 Chapter 42 Chapter 43 Chapter 44 PART III Chapter 45 Chapter 46 Chapter 47 Chapter 48 Chapter 49 Chapter 50 Chapter 51 Chapter 52 Chapter 53 Chapter 54 Chapter 55 Chapter 56 Chapter 57 Chapter 58 Chapter 59 Chapter 60 Chapter 61 Chapter 62 Chapter 63 Chapter 64 Chapter 65 Chapter 66 Chapter 67 Chapter 68 Chapter 69 Chapter 70 Chapter 71 Chapter 72 Chapter 73 PART IV Chapter 74 Chapter 75 Chapter 76 Chapter 77 Chapter 78 Chapter 79 Chapter 80 Chapter 81 Chapter 82 Chapter 83 Chapter 84 Chapter 85 Chapter 86 Chapter 87 Chapter 88 Chapter 89 Chapter 90 Chapter 91 Chapter 92 Chapter 93 Chapter 94 Chapter 95 Chapter 96 Chapter 97 Chapter 98 Chapter 99 Chapter 100 Acknowledgments Dear readers, This is a work of fiction, and yet, in a very real sense, it also tells the truth about our world today. While the characters and situations in this story are made up, the nature of the crimes is not. Online predators are real. As a parent, I found this book particularly difficult to write, since it involved research into crimes against children. However, because of the impact of this issue on modern culture, I felt it was an important story for me to tell—perhaps my most important one so far. Finding out what’s really out there lurking online was a wake-up call to me. Rather than describe any exploitative images in this book, I chose to