Michael Cadnum is the author of 35 books for adults and young adults. His work—which includes thrillers, suspense novels, historical fiction, and books about myths and legends—has been nominated for the National Book Award (The Book of the Lion), the Edgar Award (Calling Home and Breaking the Fall), and the Los Angeles Times Book Prize (In a Dark Wood). A former National Endowment for the Arts Creative Writing Fellow, he is also the author of award-winning poetry. Seize the Storm (2012) is his most recent novel.
 
Michael Cadnum lives in Albany, California, with a view of the Golden Gate Bridge.

A playwright, composer, and the most sought-after celebrity, Hamilton Speke retreats to the enclave of his estate in San Francisco only to be confronted by Timothy Asquith, a man from Speke's youth who claims that Speke is a fraud.