More than fory thousand ships ply their trade on the world's oceans and their crews are plagued with "myriad concerns: pollution, overburdened infrastructures, maritime terrorism, grim working conditions and even death"--jacket.

For centuries, oceans were the chessboard on which empires battled for dominance. In the nuclear age, air power and missile systems dominated our worries about security, and for the United States, the economy was largely driven by domestic production, with trucking and railways that crisscrossed the continent the primary modes of commercial transit. Now nine-tenths of global commerce and the bulk of energy trade is today linked to sea-based flows. Jones conducts us on a fascinating voyage through the great modern ports and naval bases of this era, showing how global commerce works-- and why the oceans are so crucial to America;s standing going forward. -- Provided by publisher.

In Yellow Jessamine, shipping magnate Evelyn Perdanu controls the dying city of Delphinium with trade deals and secrets. But when mysterious sickness sparks death and obsession, all leading back to her, Evelyn's brittle existence is strained to breaking. She retreats to her estate, amidst paranoia and poisonous secrets, intent on rooting out this plague before it destroys everything she has built.