This techno thriller concerns Lars Brent. He's a frail-looking Canadian scientist who has invented a wonder drug. It's easily worth half a trillion dollars, but he has no hopes of cashing in. Why? Five years ago, he used his invention to kill assassins. -- Lars Brent, code named Needles, is a thin Canadian scientist who looks barely able to withstand winter winds. Yet he's a counter-assassin, who kills with a revolutionary poison and with cold-blooded cunning. He soon will hunt three deadly contract killers, doing so while fully aware treachery awaits him. His hunting also will be distracted by love. He quickly discovers a co-worker from long ago, Mila Rossi, is now divorced. She's a scientist, herself, and very much his intellectual peer. Brent even thinks Rossi could well be the world's smartest woman. Her cleverness just might save his life before the story's over. The two worked together years ago inventing poisons at a tiny, secretive Pentagon weapons laboratory in Alabama. When they unexpectedly meet again, Brent and Rossi are instantly attracted to each other. She insists they take things slowly, however, so they set a good example for her two teenagers. She also wants to know if Brent has changed. The teens already aren't so sure about Brent. Another bad marriage seems far too much for their struggling family to endure. Also, what's to be said for a Canadian man who can't play hockey? Meanwhile, a huge pharmaceutical company evolves its plot to kidnap, torture, and kill Brent for the recipe to his exotic poison. What Brent has easily would revolutionize the ethical drug industry overnight. Going after Brent would be very dangerous since he might well be the deadliest man in North America, but this particular company has so much money it doesn't care. Mikvelk Publishing, LLC