{"product_id":"2940045616621","title":"The Union","description":"\u003cp\u003eArthur MacLean has a gift. A very special gift that sets him apart from all others. And he wants to use it in service to his community -- and if it's not too much to ask, make a little for himself in the process.\u003cbr\u003eSo he is doing what several other young people in the Houston, Texas, area are doing. He is applying to join The Union.\u003cbr\u003eThe Union of Unusually Gifted Heroes brings together people like Arthur, who calls himself \"Artist,\" in a special crime-fighting organization that works in conjunction with the Houston Police Department. The Union provides them more than just a legal way to intervene in the cause of justice. It provides a peer group. Guidance. Health insurance. And perhaps most of all, an opportunity to investigate where their gifts came from in the first place.\u003cbr\u003eBut Arthur's interview does not go at all as expected. He and three other young people apply for membership. One is accepted. One is accepted under special circumstances. One is rejected. And one almost dies.\u003cbr\u003eThe mystery of the strange attack on Nick Rye takes The Union on the deepest, most challenging investigation in its history. As the truth slowly reveals itself, it becomes more and more unbelievable, shaking The Union to its very core.\u003cbr\u003eThe Union is ...\u003cbr\u003eGlenn Cabot. \"Doc\" detects and alters chemical processes, from making sugar sweeter to detecting cancer. He is obsessed with finding the answers -- his own way.\u003cbr\u003eJoy Caraway. \"Upper\" replaces anger, bitterness and other negative emotions with tranquility, all with just a touch. But could \"just a touch\" be too much?\u003cbr\u003eEli Knox. \"Conductor\" travels through phone lines, power lines, and any other conductive surface almost instantaneously. More than anyone, he knows the advantages that come with Union membership.\u003cbr\u003eMelody Hu. \"Siren\" uses the sonic waves of her songs to levitate, fly, and crush opponents as easily as aluminum cans. Her ability at the piano is totally unrelated.\u003cbr\u003eMitchell Axe. \"Hyde\" has adrenaline surges that give him unbelievable strength and speed. Considering the stress involved with driving in Houston, he tends to be the passenger.\u003cbr\u003eDouglas Peyser. \"Fly\" hears everything within his range, which is rumored to include several square miles. Sometimes, unfortunately, he hears things he wishes he hadn't.\u003cbr\u003eEach member is forced to call into question everything they have assumed about themselves, their organization, and the purpose that brought them all together. Every hour brings a new development -- intrigue, deception, friendship, love, and even murder.\u003cbr\u003eWill The Union survive the ordeal? Is the benefit it provides to the community worth the cost? Or is it, as some in the Houston Police Department believe, actually part of the problem?\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Hal Hammons","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47067657306352,"sku":"2940045616621","price":4.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0737\/7593\/9824\/files\/2940045616621_p0.jpg?v=1763976305","url":"https:\/\/shop-qa.barnesandnoble.com\/products\/2940045616621","provider":"Barnes \u0026 Noble (DEV)","version":"1.0","type":"link"}