In this suspenseful thriller of money & power, twin scientists discover an ancient artifact that can fulfill their dreams and stir up nightmares. What is tomorrow's Wall Street Journal worth to you today? Where is the line between reality and fiction? Are the financial markets really predictable? Does an ancient artifact hold the key to how some of the world's wealthiest families made their fortunes? When a mysterious Egyptian box is found in a secret room in the palatial Biltmore Estate, twin scientists Alex and Nicholas Shepard work to unlock the secret of its intricate dials, gauges, crystals, and carvings. What they discover has the potential to make them rich beyond their wildest dreams. But it could also collapse financial markets, bankrupt corporations around the globe, and destroy many of the world's most powerful families. As the twins quickly find out, people will not only kill to make money, but also kill to keep it . . . What begins as a simple scientific experiment in the stock market quickly descends into a nightmarish intrigue of murder, deception, and mystery. When one Shepard brother is killed, the surviving twin and his wife find themselves in a desperate gambit to learn the truth about the box's legacy. Using ancient documents found with the box, they unearth clues to trace its history through the ages, from the catacombs of Paris to the Knights of the Templar in Scotland. Their investigation takes them from London to Paris, Venice, and finally, to the Vatican itself, where they uncover the greatest deception ever perpetuated by man . . . Praise for Paradigm Gold Medal for Fiction, 2006, Military Writers Society of America "Think The DaVinci Code for the Wall Street set. . . . A great summer read." — Business Week "A thriller that satisfies on a number of different levels. It can be read as a straight suspense novel, with good guys vs. guys with the fate of the world at stake; a secret history novel, one that seeks to explain the past and present; and a financial thriller, in the spirit of Arthur Hailey and Allen Drury." —Bookreporter.com "Taylor's intelligent Wall Street thriller Paradigm has more twists and turns than a steep mountain road. It's a very well written, first rate murder mystery that will challenge the readers intellectually." —Vincent Bugliosi, author of Helter Skelter and the acclaimed New York Times #1 bestseller, And the Sea Will Tell
