A high-stakes battle erupts over a game-changing cobalt deposit in small-town America. When billionaire Max Fend and his hacker girlfriend Renee LeFrancois are enlisted by the FBI and CIA to search for a cobalt deposit in rural Pennsylvania, they're plunged into a race against time and international forces. Cobalt, the precious metal powering lithium-ion batteries, has the tech world scrambling for control, and the discovery of a new source ignites a frenzy. But as domestic and international stakeholders mobilize, the local community finds itself caught in the crossfire. As adversaries close in, a deadly contract killer, a former Philly cop, a single mom reclaiming her identity, and a band of vigilante townspeople join the fight. With secrets unraveling and danger mounting, Max and Renee must risk it all to protect a community and their nation from unbridled greed. In Cobalt, the quest for power and control collides with the will to protect, resulting in a thrilling, explosive showdown.

Max Fend's expertise. One girl's fury. A universe on the brink. Max Fend's world orbits around the marvels of the stars above. As an integral cog in the imminent Artemis moon mission and the heartbeat of Fend Aerospace, he's accustomed to challenges that stretch beyond the Earth's atmosphere. Yet he's entirely unprepared for the force of nature that is Gus Gomez. Gus isn't just a brilliant Peruvian immigrant harboring an indigenous leather pouch steeped in mystery, she's a maelstrom of history, fleeing dark shadows while simultaneously careening toward a cosmic destiny. The pouch she carries contains a crucible of secrets, and it has the potential to upend humanity's understanding of its place in the universe. As a storm of ancient secrets and vendettas swirls, Max is thrust into the fray. But with Gus' fiery determination and enemies closing in, can Max navigate the dangers and keep the past's revelations from shattering the future? Chris Bauer's Cradle crafts a tale woven in the tapestry of borderland stories and punctuated by the promise of space in the latest adrenaline-packed installment of the Maximum Risk series.