Riders (Paperback)

What if you could live indefinitely, but only by taking other human lives? That is the situation for Miriam and Peter. They are riders, each possessing a rare genetic mutation which, once triggered by a near-death experience, enables them to "jump" from their old bodies and "ride" new ones. Once the mutation is activated, they can jump from body to body at will, each time leaving behind an empty human shell. The only reminder of their original form is their reflection--to them and other riders, their reflected image is their first face.

Meeting in the immediate aftermath of the infamous Strasbourg pogrom of February 14, 1349--the first Valentine's Day Massacre--Miriam and Peter begin a love affair that spans nearly seven centuries and fourteen generations of hosts. After spending almost fifty years living quietly in the idyllic setting of Lake Mohawk, New Jersey, they are now ready to start a new chapter in their fairytale life together. Riding new bodies, they move to Birmingham, Alabama, where Miriam, despite Peter's obsessive penchant for secrecy and isolation, goes to work for a small public relations firm. Working on a project for a new political party, she encounters another rider, a ruthless Egyptian named Anwar, whose evil objectives center on gaining access to the immense power of the United States presidency. When one of her co-workers is killed in an apparent attempt on her life, Miriam realizes she has been targeted by Anwar. Peter's immediate inclination is to disappear and start over somewhere else, but Miriam is convinced the stakes are too high, both for their own safety and the well-being of the country. With no way to communicate this threat to the rest of the world--who would believe their story?--they must decide whether to run or to put their long lives at risk to stand and fight a sinister foe who will stop at nothing in his quest for domination.