{"product_id":"9781440540462","title":"The Kissing Gourami","description":"Max Roper is compelled to use all of his resources to stay alive long enough to last through the mystery of \u003ci\u003eThe Kissing Gourami\u003c\/i\u003e. What starts out a fairly simple and even downgrading assignment, quickly becomes an obsessive search for a brutal killer, leading Roper a skill-numbing chase from Los Angeles to the glittering gambling casinos of Las Vegas, and finally to the chilling temple of marine biology. Max has to deal with the murder of a beautiful blonds by some ingenious unfriendly fish, and thus meets a handsome young golf pro with one eye out for a brunette heiress with hundred million dollars and the other for a shapely redhead who plays with sharks for kicks; an unforgiving acid-mouthed sports reporter; a designing matador; an erudite marine biologist who lost a leg and gained a lifelong enmity; a college cutie who moonlights at a tropical-fish aquarium when she isn’t out with a spear-gun killing things; a giant, hulking mad sculptor who used logs for playthings; and over all, the creeping menace of the vengeful animal-like first string executioner of the Las Vegas underworld, Big Vince Geneva. \u003ci\u003eThe Kissing Gourami\u003c\/i\u003e starts when Max Roper’s boss, head of the EPT security organization, assigns him to find a ten-thousand-dollar missing dress. In this instance, Max is motivated not merely by duty, but by the gnawing thought that he might find a girl inside it, one whose specifications are mind-blowing enough to warrant his putting his life on the line for it. Max finds out what he knew before, that things are seldom what they seem, and a person can get himself severely beat up and even killed trying to dispute the point.","brand":"Adams Media","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47179154915568,"sku":"9781440540462","price":3.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0737\/7593\/9824\/files\/9781440540462_p0.jpg?v=1763792556","url":"https:\/\/shop-qa.barnesandnoble.com\/products\/9781440540462","provider":"Barnes \u0026 Noble (DEV)","version":"1.0","type":"link"}