Rachel Whitman has everything. She’s young, attractive, and affluent. Her husband is the brilliant CEO of his own company. They have a big new house in a flossy Boston suburb. They have all the brand-name “toys” that go along with wealth. And they have a gorgeous, sweet little six-year-old son named Dylan. But Dylan has learning disabilities. Although intelligence isn’t everything, Rachel lives in a community where the rewards for brainpower are conspicuous. She fears her son will grow up never fully appreciating the wonders of life. Like so many middle-class parents who would do anything to improve life for their children—whether it means fixing hair, teeth, or nose—Rachel cannot accept that her child is less than perfect. Tortured by the idea that something she did in the past caused Dylan’s problems, Rachel becomes obsessed with a secret and expensive medical procedure that claims to turn slow children into geniuses. Should she and her husband sacrifice their new fortune on the risky, experimental procedure for the sake of their son’s happiness? Unaware of the real consequences of the brain enhancement procedure, Rachel can’t know that the costs of the operation go far beyond financial ones. The title of Braver's second novel refers to the brain, to be sure, but also to the gray areas of human morality, surgical ethics, and human relationships. Neurologist Lucius Malenko got his start as a researcher in the Ukraine. When Soviet leaders learned of his experiments with mental enhancement in animals, they supported similar work on humans. After he came to the U.S., Malenko worked secretly for the National Security Agency, then set up a children's center in New England to capitalize on well-to-do, well-educated parents' desires to have their average children's IQs enhanced. The enterprise became a goldmine, and Malenko used the profits to set up his "Smart Money Portfolio." Quietly told, carefully censored success stories led more victims into Malenko's trap. Braver's intriguing tale never stumbles; everything in it, no matter how appalling, fits in believably as Malenko lies about personality changes in enhanced children, sets parent against parent, and has potential whistleblowers and kids who "fail" his operations destroyed. Don't be surprised if Gray Matter tops several (nonmedical) charts. William Beatty Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved “ Gray Matter is one of those rare and stunning thrillers that not only made my pulse race, it also challenged my firmly held beliefs about human intelligence. This is a thought-provoking and controversial novel that will chill you to the bone.”—Tess Gerritsen, author of The Apprentice “Packs the emotional wallop and tension of a Stephen King novel with the cutting edge science and engrossing pace of Robin Cook or Michael Crichton. Riveting from page one!”—Robert B. Parker Praise for Elixir “Page-turning.”— The Washington Herald “Fast paced and well plotted . . . Braver’s larger purpose is to explore the moral and ethical dilemmas proposed by anti-aging technologies. He does so with compelling plot twists, as well as down-to-earth writing that brings his characters to life as ordinary yet complex people. The drug itself may produce a fatal addiction, but the story behind its development makes for an intoxicating read.”— Publishers Weekly “ Elixir has something smart to say and combines the best of the thriller genre to say it: engrossing story, hot science, interesting characters, stylish prose, and runaway pacing. Michael Crichton and Richard Preston have everything to fear from Gary Braver. He is the thriller writer for the new millennium.”—Robert B. Parker “ Elixir is a tense, edge-of-your-seat read. Not only does Gary Braver write a great biotech thriller, he also explores an issue fraught with moral dilemmas, asking the question: What if there was a fountain of youth? What would be the consequences to society? Read this book, and you’ll realize that eternal life may not be all it’s cracked up to be.”—Tess Gerritsen, New York Times bestselling author of The Apprentice “ Elixir is stylish, finely tuned, and terrifying—the best thriller I’ve curled up with in a long while. If you need a good night’s sleep, wait until morning to start this one.”—Michael Palmer, New York Times bestselling author of Miracle Cure “ Elixir delivers all the suspense and excitement you could ask for, and asks a hard question, too: what would you do if you found that you could live forever? Read Elixir and find out.”—William Martin, New York Times bestselling author of Cape Cod and Annapolis “A fantastic thriller and an intriguing ethical study . . . A thrilling cascade of drama and paranoia.”— The Northeastern News “A terrifying novel . . . fast paced, filled with action, twists, and turns.”— Midwest Book Review “Among the best of recent contributions to its genre because of its engaging plot and the issues it addre