The Octagonal Raven

Born into wealth and privilege, Daryn Alwyn is determined to choose his own path, abandoning the possibility of power and leisure with his family's giant Media Network for a career as a military space pilot and later a freelance media consultant. But when he becomes the target of a series of deadly attacks, and his sister is assassinated, Daryn realizes the true depth of responsibility his heritage forces on him. (July)

Someone is trying to kill Daryn Alwyn. Born to privilege, with pre-selected genetic advantages and the best nanotech augmentation his father's fabulous money can buy, Daryn spurned the lucrative family Media Network to seek his own path, a crafty raven among soaring eagles. After serving with distinction as a space pilot in the military, he enjoys success as a media consultant. But when he finds himself the target of sophisticated murder attempts, his world is turned upside down. It seems unlikely his success outside the family business could have inspired such expensive assassination attempts, and his father and brother and sister would be more obvious targets within the family. Then his sister is killed, and Daryn is her heir--suddenly one of the richest and most powerful men in the world. Modesitt's new SF thriller lays bare the prejudices of the powerful in a fascinating future society, and reads like an express train.